Chapter 84

This world is the world inside a novel.

What I mean is, there's a pattern where the protagonist is surprised when visiting a friend's house, thinking, "How can there be such a vast estate in the city center?" In reality, it would be impossible to own such a large piece of land in the city center, and the reader would inwardly point this out.

In this world, such estates, which are often seen in novels, do exist. In the previous life, no matter how rich one was, it would be impossible to own a mansion with a forest in the city center. However, in this world, high-ranking nobles do own such estates. This is because high-ranking nobles, who live near the emperor, receive preferential treatment regarding land.

The Takano family is one such example. As a high-ranking noble, they have a vast estate with a forest and a large garden. Personally, I don't find such a large mansion to feel like home, so I'm not envious.

Tall and magnificent trees stretch high into the sky, and beyond them, a garden spreads out. In the center of this, the mansion should be standing... but now, smoke is rising as if there had been a major fire, making it impossible to see clearly.

After a while of leisurely looking outside, it was thought that they would soon arrive at the Takano family's estate. After all, it seems that in this area, only the Takano family owns such a vast estate.

However, the mansion that could be seen from a distance looked odd. Even if it were a surprise party, it would be too elaborate.

The parents, who could see the smoke, had serious expressions. The whole family couldn't use magic to enhance their vision, but they couldn't help but feel the ominous atmosphere.

"Lord Hourei! We will land soon. It seems something has happened at the mansion!"

"Understood. Land immediately. Then, I will have the Kongo team check what has happened."

The father nodded and gave instructions in response to the driver's anxious voice. Dad is cool for not panicking!

"Should I contact the Samurai Corps?"

The mother, holding her smartphone, prepared to make a call. Mom is cool for contacting the Samurai Corps instead of the police!

In this world, there is the 'Imperial Army,' the 'Samurai Corps' that fights monsters and criminal mages, and the 'Police' that handle general incidents.

The reason for this organizational structure is that the army can't or doesn't want to move for small-scale damage caused by monsters occasionally appearing in cities or for individual mages misusing magic. If the army were to move, it would become a bigger issue.

If the 'Police' were to handle it, the police are mostly civilians and are not designed to fight to the death. It would be like all the police officers becoming SWAT in the previous world. In that case, how would they handle regular incidents? The police were not established primarily to deal with murders but to maintain public order.

Therefore, the 'Samurai Corps' exists. In the original story, there is also a specialized monster-hunting unit called 'Susanoo.'

In the original story, the Samurai Corps were often portrayed as bumbling and ineffective, like the foolish police in heist stories.

However, that was only in the scenes of the original story. Behind the scenes, there must have been a strong Samurai Corps. The mother, who wanted to contact the reliable Samurai Corps, immediately started operating her smartphone.

Mii-chan looked at her parents with admiration. Her parents, who showed no signs of panic, looked cool with their sparkling eyes. Oh, Mom dropped her smartphone... It seems she is shaken. Even while shaken, the ability to take action makes them look cool!

The mother, trying to use the emergency contact, looked puzzled and stared at her smartphone again.

"That's strange. It's out of range."

The father, looking over her shoulder, confirmed that it was out of range. After confirming this, he frowned and hurriedly took out his own smartphone, but it was also out of range, even in the city center.

"This phenomenon... it must be the 'Noise' magic! Using it is forbidden!"

The father, who used to work at the Magic Ministry, immediately understood what was happening and paled, shouting. What is 'Noise'?

"Dad, what is 'Noise'?"

Raising a small hand, Mii-chan, a curious girl, asked.

"It's an intermediate-level wind magic. It creates 'Noise' in space to interfere with all communication devices and magical thoughts. If the frequency changes even slightly, communication devices can't connect with each other. It's a magic that exploits this vulnerability."

"You can't contact your friends!"

"That's right, Mii-chan. It's said that a highly advanced magic is needed to completely block communication, but this is relatively easy. However, using this magic without permission is illegal. If you're caught, you face a minimum of five years in prison or a fine of over 100 million yen. It's a dangerous magic."

Mii-chan nodded seriously, surprised by the existence of such magic. No wonder, in the original story, during the battle with 'Nidhogg,' the army couldn't be contacted. ...Or maybe it was explained somewhere. I had assumed it was just a plot convenience because it was a novel. I've forgotten the details.

In any case, I'm surprised that such magic exists. Welcome to a world of line-of-sight combat. Maybe we should name it 'Convenient Particles.' Monsters don't use such magic, so it's clearly designed for human use.

I immediately understood how dangerous this magic is. Indeed, if communication is disrupted, it becomes useless. A wind magic that can get you into legal trouble... I have a hunch about a Martian who doesn't care about Earth's laws.

'This is bad, Grandpa Odin, Sister Frigg. If we can't contact anyone, modern warfare becomes a crisis!'

Realizing the severity of the situation, I decided to discuss it with the two of them, who were displayed on the monitor. My parents were having a serious conversation, and Gery and Freki, who had woken up, were snorting.

'Can't communicate? Scientific communication devices?'

'No, even magical communication is interfered with! It changes the frequency with noise.'

Frigg looked puzzled, and Grandpa Odin found it interesting and laughed.

'I see. The person who came up with this magic is clever. It's extremely rational. While powerful magic might not be necessary, it can easily interfere with communication.'

That's true. If all communication is blocked, I can't call for help in a crisis. Oh no, what should I do? Is there any good idea?

'If we can't communicate, we lose our advantage!'

Being able to communicate without devices is the strength of the cute Mii-chan and her friends. When did the enemy develop such a new weapon?

'...Is it that bad, Miss?'

'It's not a time to be calm! Our communication is being interfered with! ...Wait, why can we still communicate?'

Frigg gave me a sidelong glance, and I tilted my head in confusion. Why can we still communicate? Tell me, Grandpa Odin.

'It's the same as the terminal in My Room. Our communication is not affected by the magic of this world. It's a higher-dimensional communication, a real 'magic'.'

'I see, it's like the difference between wireless and optical communication.'

Grandpa Odin, with his single eye gleaming, chuckled. He looked very pleased. So, that's it. Even so, it's still a crisis.

'Sneak in and help us! I'm a level 2 Priest today, so I'm not good with weapons!'

The job proficiency system. There was a 100% boost with suitable equipment, but I realized there were drawbacks when it was realized. As my class level increased and the number of stars increased, my proficiency with a dagger as a Thief improved. ...What happens when I change jobs?

The answer: I completely forget how to use the weapon. Today, I'm a level 2 Priest (main) and a level 1 Hunter (sub). A Priest can use a mace, but with a proficiency of 1, it's not my main job, so my skills are poor. A Hunter is only level 1.

Today, I don't have a bow, and a wine bottle from the refrigerator can't substitute for a mace. I'm in a big crisis. It feels like arriving at a hunting ground with the wrong equipment after agreeing to go hunting with online friends.

"Driver, land quickly and hide!"

If it were just Mii-chan, she could probably escape, but not her parents. If something happens, it's dangerous. If her parents die, she's confident she'll fall into darkness.

"Hurry, hurry!"

She pounded on the wall separating the driver's seat and pressed her face against the small window. She felt an unprecedented sense of crisis. I'm just a mob, so I want to think I won't be involved, but the Martians once killed all the mobs... I might end up as a dead mob.

As the car descended, I watched the smoke rising from the window. Without the 'Fight' command, my vision is normal, so I couldn't see... but something flew out of the smoke.

It looked like a human figure, and a command appeared. Okay, I can use my strength.

'Fight'

As soon as I selected the command, my vision was enhanced, and I could clearly see the two figures that had flown out of the smoke. Both were wearing 'Magic Armor.' I expected the 'Magic Armor,' but the silhouette was familiar. I rubbed my eyes and looked again, but it wasn't an illusion. It was real.

That is... 'Anemoi.' The wind mercenaries of 'Nidhogg' wore 'Magic Armor.' It's a very familiar design.

With crimson wings flapping, green heavy armor, and a magic staff that looks like a long rifle. They are enemies I often saw in the game. Moreover, from the silhouette, it seems they are not mass-produced but original 'Magic Armor.' Damn, they are troublesome opponents.

Realizing the situation, Miharu became seriously worried for the first time in a long while.