Chapter 92

It's quite long. It's about three times as long.

The massive iron arrows had stopped flying.

Whether it was because the arrows had run out or because they had decided that further attacks were unnecessary, the city wall had indeed collapsed in part, leaving a pile of brick rubble.

"It was brick inside, huh."

Still, I have to admit, they did a good job of breaking it down.

Then, a group led by the Guild Master of the Fishing Guild, Bahar, and a group led by the Master of the Wave Technique Dojo, Max, rushed to the collapsed area, shouting in anger.

"We're going too!"

"O-Okay."

I followed the elf Yararai, who was holding a handgun. It seems that the dwarf Hagg was going to stay behind.

I thought climbing the pile of rubble would be difficult, but thanks to the wave technique, I was able to cross it relatively easily. Still, I was being left behind by the group from the wave technique dojo.

The battle had already begun in the courtyard. The royal army was clearly understaffed.

From where I am now, I can barely see the city gate. It seems that a large number of soldiers are guarding the gate.

The gate itself has been barricaded and is well defended.

"Bahar, you used the crowd as a decoy, didn't you?"

The royal army is clearly flustered by the intruders from the west side of the city wall, where they thought an attack was impossible. The soldiers, who are not well organized, rush to the scene, but are easily defeated by the students of the dojo.

Man, those dojo students are strong!

With a real "Hyah!" they take down the soldiers one by one, even though they could probably win in a one-on-one fight. I finally understand what Hagg meant when he said "practical" at the time. It's scary.

"Let's go."

I caught up with Bahar, who was beckoning from the back, and finally succeeded in entering the castle.

---

I'll avoid the details.

Heavy infantry appeared in front of us as we advanced to the center, and Bahar's group pushed them back. Taking advantage of this, we alone advanced further.

"Akira! Save... save Chelina at all costs!"

"Bahar!"

We exchanged the usual lines, and after becoming quite bloody (mostly from the blood of the enemies Hagg and Yararai had defeated), we finally cornered King Piratus II.

I'll leave the detailed description to your imagination, but it was exhausting to the point of being out of breath.

It was probably his private room, a lavish and gaudy room.

No, it was a disgusting room with no coordination in the furnishings. The large bed in the center of the room looked particularly grotesque.

Indeed, Chelina, in her thin clothes, was being assaulted by the pig king on the bed.

Chelina, who had been frozen in terror, noticed us and cried out.

"Lord Akira!"

"What are you, you scoundrels?!"

...You didn't know about the commotion until now?

By now, the crowd must have noticed the collapsed wall and are pushing through the rubble, and the gate must have fallen. The castle has become a hunting ground for armed civilians.

The heavily armed soldiers in the corridor leading to this room are the only tough ones, but Bahar will take care of them.

Three armed men suddenly appeared from the back of the room.

But.

Zashu!

Gusha!

Dondon!

They turned into corpses in an instant.

By the elf Yararai's black needles. By the dwarf Hagg's iron hammer. By the bullets from my pistol.

My sense of guilt over killing has long since been numbed.

"Kyowaaah!"

Ignoring the pig king's scream, I checked the remaining bullets in the magazine of my pistol. Three bullets. There's no time to reload.

I confirmed the position of the sheath containing the light sword and pointed the pistol at the pig king.

"Move that dirty meat, you pig."

Hagg and Yararai stood on either side of me.

It was a mistake to let my guard down.

I thought he would have given up by now.

The pig king, who seemed to be hanging his head weakly, suddenly pulled out a knife from somewhere and held it to Chelina's neck, pinning her down.

"Ah!?"

I thought about blowing the pig's head off, but he was moving and Chelina was too close!

"Damn it!"

Hagg and Yararai also moved, but my movement seemed to have hindered them.

How stupid! I want to punch myself!

"Hahaha! You came into my sacred bedroom so rudely!"

The pig king tightened his grip on Chelina. The knife cut into her neck, and blood flowed.

I'm going to kill this guy.

I pointed the gun at his head, but the pig king swayed his body, hiding behind Chelina's head. The bastard seems to understand that a gun is a projectile. At this distance, I wouldn't miss, but still.

"A... Lord Akira..."

Chelina's voice was strained. Sorry, just hang in there a little longer.

"Shut up, you whore! It's rude to speak without permission in front of me!"

The pig king, hiding behind the canopy of the bed, tightened his grip on Chelina. At this point, even Hagg and Yararai couldn't do anything.

There was a pile of mashed potatoes on the side of the bed.

Is he still an idiot at a time like this?

"Coward, let the girl go."

Yararai spat out a voice filled with killing intent.

"Huh! You elves are so arrogant! Your era ended long ago!"

Yararai didn't react to the pig king's provocative words, only returning a cold stare.

"Hey, pig king."

"B, pig? You! That's rude!"

The pig screamed hysterically in response.

"Hmph. You look like a pig no matter how you look at it."

"You'll be hanged! ...Wait, you! You were with Chelina, weren't you?!"

You just noticed that now? And don't call me a lover.

"What, your crimes have become much lighter. I remember you were accused of rebellion and public execution and all sorts of false charges."

"You killed the guards right in front of me and still act so calmly! You're a criminal!"

I glanced at the three dead bodies lying in a pool of blood.

"Yeah, this time it's not a false charge."

As I admitted, the pig king nodded.

"But, who will judge you?"

"What... what do you mean?"

The pig king's eyes, visible through Chelina's hair, turned to me.

"Can't you see it yet? No one is coming to help you... and can't you hear the noise outside?"

"What are you talking about?"

I signaled to Yararai with my eyes, and he silently moved to open the window. It was a luxury item with plenty of glass. Suddenly, the sounds of shouting and destruction poured in from outside. It seems the window had excellent soundproofing.

"The vibration just now... Could it be... your doing?!"

He's talking about the ballista attack, right?

It's been a while since then, but he didn't even look outside.

This mud pig has no sense of crisis at all.

"It's not just us, but the people of this country."

"What?!"

Shit, I thought he would show a weakness when he was flustered, but the knife was still shallow in Chelina's neck. He's tougher than I thought. Hagg and Yararai can't move.

"Alright... if you let Chelina go, I'll let you go, okay?"

"Huh?"

Oh, he reacted. It might work.

"Surely there are a few escape routes. The people outside are after you, but we just want Chelina back. It's not a bad deal, is it?"

Come on, take the bait. Actually, it's fine if I let you go. I'm sure Bahar will chase you to the bottom of hell.

"You don't have to let go of the knife. Just let Chelina go and I won't chase you."

I gently placed my pistol on the floor. Seeing this, Yararai also placed his black needles on the floor, and after a moment's hesitation, Hagg roughly dropped his iron hammer.

"Ugh..."

A deflated sound escaped from the pig king, who was looking down. What's going on?

"Kuh..."

The pig king raised his head. His face was filled with madness.

"Kuhahahaha! Stop making fun of me! I only want Chelina! I don't care what happens to anything else! And, I hate you!"

Shit! I completely misjudged the strategy!

The veins in the pig king's palm, and the hand holding the knife, were bulging.

I saw it.

Chelina's neck being torn open, blood spurting to the ceiling.

My spine froze.

But.

Reality was different.

Chelina herself won that reality.

"Ha!!"

With a shout, Chelina immediately struck the pig king's side with her elbow, and the mass of pig flesh wobbled.

The three of us moved simultaneously. Yararai grabbed the pig king's face like an arrow, Hagg punched his side with a fist like a rock, and I, with a wobbly jump, grabbed the pig king's knife with all my might.

To hell with the blade!

I forcibly pulled it away from Chelina. I didn't feel the pain in my fingers, probably due to adrenaline.

Hagg and Yararai pulled the pig king down, and I pulled Chelina into my arms.

"Chelina!"

"... Lord Akira!"

Chelina clung to me with all her strength. No, I was also hugging her, so we ended up hugging each other.

A blood-covered Bahar burst in, followed by Max and the others.

"Chelina!"

"Miss!"

"Miss Veriello!"

Bahar, who instantly grasped the situation, let out a sigh of relief and loudly gave orders to his subordinates.

"Miss Chelina Veriello is safe! We've captured King Piratus! Spread the word! Those who surrender will be spared, but those who resist will be killed! And to avoid confusion, don't let anyone else in here! Got it? Move now!"

"Understood!"

The armed fishermen scattered down the corridor, and Max also chased his disciples out of the room with "You guys, help out too!"

"You did well, Akira."

Bahar, who rarely smiles, approached me... glanced at Chelina, who was hugging me, and let out a snort.

"I can't like you."

"You just said the same thing to that pig over there."

"That's... disappointing."

We both couldn't help but smile wryly.

"So, you'll hand over the pig king, right?"

"Do what you want... just make sure to punish him."

"There's no way he'll live."

"That's a shame."

I wish I could tear him apart.

I turned my gaze to the restrained pig king.

"You... scum!"

"The revolution has succeeded. You are no longer a king or anything. If anything, you are the scum."

Bahar said coldly.

"Then... let go of me, Chelina."

I had been hugging her with all my strength, so it was starting to get uncomfortable.

"And I need to treat her."

I gently pulled Chelina away and finally noticed her expression.

Tears were flowing continuously from her red eyes, her body was shaking, and she was clinging to me to keep from falling. I sat her on the edge of the bed and examined her neck.

The wound was deeper than expected, and the bleeding wouldn't stop.

"Hey, get a doctor in here!"

"Got it. Hey! Doctor!"

Bahar shouted down the corridor.

I closed my eyes and visualized "first aid kit... the best quality possible."

[Approval granted. SHOP inventory increased]

I checked the list.

[First Aid Kit = 7600 yen]

I bought it without