Chapter 24

Chapter 2

I will continue to update daily for a while.

Eight days after the capital of the Kingdom of Ramza disappeared, the S-rank Mage Knight Selster Altrain's unit, dispatched from the Holy Grinia, arrived. They were shocked by the state of the capital.

"Commander Altrain, I have a report..."

"Yes, go ahead."

"No survivors were found, and there isn't a single piece of rubble where the capital was supposed to be. From the traces, it seems to have been obliterated by a spell of tremendous power."

"Indeed."

Selster bit his lip.

Despite rushing to the scene according to the prophecy of the divine princess, it was already too late. The capital of the Kingdom of Ramza had vanished completely. The crater left behind was so cold that it was difficult to approach, suggesting that a spell of ice might have been used. However, the damage looked as if it had been blown away by a fire spell, making it impossible to determine what kind of spell had been used.

There was no known spell that could make a city disappear so cleanly without leaving a single piece of rubble.

Even the 15th Tier spell known as the Divine Curse was uncertain to be capable of such a feat.

However, since the capital had been completely obliterated, the spell that was cast could provisionally be determined as a Divine Curse. It was undoubtedly the appearance of a monster called 'King'.

In other words, the monster that called itself the Dark King Arklight was indeed a king.

"Have we received any new instructions from the homeland?"

"No, not really. Rather, the homeland is eagerly awaiting information from us."

"The mysterious king... the Dark King Arklight..."

Selster, who was equipped with a magical device capable of long-distance communication, was in close contact with the Great Cathedral of Magic in the capital of Holy Grinia. The longer the distance, the more magic power was consumed, but as an awakened S-rank Mage Knight, it was not a problem for Selster.

"I have also received new orders."

"Which are?"

"Our Holy Sealing Knights are to investigate the Dark King Arklight and, if possible, eliminate him."

"That's reckless. The Dark King Arklight is at least a Catastrophe-level monster. Considering the collapse of the Ramza Kingdom's army, it could be a Cataclysm-level monster. While a Catastrophe-level monster can be handled by a single S-rank Mage Knight, a Cataclysm-level monster requires multiple S-rank Mage Knights."

According to the definition of monster tiers, a Catastrophe-level monster can be defeated by a single S-rank Mage Knight. However, a Cataclysm-level monster cannot be defeated by an army and requires multiple S-rank Mage Knights.

Given the uncertainty of the Dark King Arklight's strength, the order to eliminate him was reckless, even if the investigation was necessary.

"There's nothing we can do about it."

However, Selster shrugged as he answered.

"The homeland is wary of the new king. Since the divine princess predicted him as a calamity, it's natural that they would want him eliminated."

"But..."

"When we received the final communication from the church in the Ramza Kingdom, it was said that the Dark King controls death. I want to investigate based on this."

The determination in Selster's voice must have been felt, as the subordinate Holy Knight, who was also the deputy, did not press the matter further.

"Then, let's camp here for the night and start extending our search to the surrounding cities and countries tomorrow. We might find some information."

"Agreed. The Dark King is apparently with a witch who betrayed the church. They must enter the city to gather supplies. Focus your search on pairs of a man and a woman."

"Understood."

The deputy left the scene and ran to the other Holy Knights and squires who were preparing the camp. As he watched the deputy go, Selster fell into thought.

(The evil king who massacred innocent people... I will definitely defeat him.)

Selster's eyes were filled with determination.

◆◆◆

In the northwest of the Kingdom of Ramza, which had effectively collapsed, lies the Republic of Elise. This country is also a vassal state of Holy Grinia and is a republic with the Church of the Demon God as its state religion.

The country is governed by elected officials in each city, and it does not have its own military, delegating external military power to the church's Holy Knights. In exchange, a police organization exists and regularly patrols, making it a country with good public safety on the surface.

However, there are many issues with embezzlement and political corruption behind the scenes. The factional struggles among the officials are intense, and assassinations are not uncommon.

In the capital of Elise, Alta, Shu Arklight and Aries Silverblade had entered.

"Is this the famous Alta?"

"It's known as a tourist destination! The parliament building has an open courtyard where many tourists enjoy meals and games."

"Wow."

This country has a well-developed internal security system maintained by the police, and it is easy to enter the city, possibly because it relies on tourism for income. There are no taxes, and no ID is required. It is rare for a walled city to be so accessible.

The roads are paved, and the city is well-organized and beautiful.

People on the streets were smiling.

"Shu, Shu, look! They're selling a famous dish with ingredients stuffed in bread!"

"Alright, alright. If you want it, go buy it."

"Yay!"

"Are you a child?"

Shu, who was actually twenty years old, sighed at Aries and sent her off. In the meantime, he secured a nearby bench and decided to wait there. This street seemed to be full of shops catering to tourists, with many stalls lining the way, making it feel like a festival.

There were many people, and the whole street was bustling.

(Still... I have no money.)

Shu, a monster, naturally had no money and needed a job. Incidentally, Aries had money because they had helped a merchant on their way to Alta. Shu had intended to ignore it, but Aries had joined in, using wind magic to clear out the monsters. As a thank you, they received money.

(Even if I don't need food, Aries does... I need to earn some money somehow.)

At the very least, he needed to be able to support Aries, or he would be a failure as a man. Although the circumstances led to it, he had saved Aries. He considered it his duty to protect Aries, who had been labeled a witch by the church.

Additionally, Aries had shown him affection, which was another reason.

Even without considering the interspecies relationship between a human and a monster, it was embarrassing to have nothing to offer in return. Aries seemed like a troublesome little sister to him. If he couldn't reciprocate her affection, he at least wanted to be able to support her.

(...But she's taking too long. It shouldn't take this long to buy food.)

Shu, who had been lost in thought, stopped and looked for Aries. It was difficult to find her in the crowd, but he thought he could locate her by sensing her magic power. Aries, being a high-rank Mage Knight, had a lot of magic power and should be easy to detect.

He was confident about this.

(...)

After searching for Aries's magic power for about ten seconds, Shu was seized by a bad feeling.

Surely, she couldn't have gotten lost just a short distance away... He didn't want to believe it.

(...She must have gotten lost.)

He had completely forgotten that Aries was directionally challenged. To add to that, she was also a klutz. It was unexpected that she would get lost so quickly, and Shu panicked.

(...Aries's magic power is that way.)

He expanded his perception and detected the familiar magic power, then headed in that direction. The crowd made it difficult to move, but he could catch up if he hurried.

He couldn't materialize in the middle of the street, so he had to search as he was.

Even after evolving into a Primordial Spirit, it was useless in such situations.

"I'll lecture her when I find her."

Muttering this, Shu hurried to find Aries.

◆◆◆

"Hmm... This is a problem."

Aries, eating the bread she had just bought, groaned.

She had lost Shu while being drawn to the stalls, and while searching for him, she had wandered into an unfamiliar alley. Trying to take a shortcut through a back alley, she had lost her way.

A typical klutz who had gotten lost.

"I seem to have ended up in a bad part of town."

Even in a country with good public safety like the Republic of Elise and a city that promotes tourism like Alta, there are shadows in the bright spots. This back alley led to the slums of Alta and was rarely visited. The only people who came here were those who knew the back routes or thugs.

In other words, Aries, who looked cute, wore beautiful clothes, and had an air of naivety, was an easy target.

"Hey, miss. What are you doing here?"

"Hehehe... You're eating something tasty, aren't you?"

"This isn't a place for adventures, you know?"

"Huh?"

Aries let out a silly sound when she was addressed from behind. Turning around, she saw three men who looked like troublemakers. They were dressed in dirty, tattered clothes and had many stains on their bodies, fitting the description of vagrants.

"You're quite cute, aren't you? What do you think?"

"Yeah. I can show you a good time."

"We'll make you feel good. Hahaha."

Aries was twenty years old, and although she was a klutz, she wasn't completely naive. As a former Holy Knight, she could guess the intentions of the three men.

"No, I can't. I have someone I want to dedicate myself to!"

"Hey, hey... That's not very nice."

"Wouldn't you rather have some fun with us?"

"Well, you don't have a choice, you know!"

The men had no intention of letting Aries go.

With those words, they attacked. However, Aries calmly cast a spell.

"Wind First Tier: Impact."

"Kyaa!?"

The invisible impact blew the men away, and they rolled on the ground. Seeing the magic circle that had appeared in an instant, the men realized Aries was using magic.

However, it was only a First Tier spell, not particularly strong.

The men only felt a dull pain and were not seriously injured, which made them even more angry.

"You! You made us angry!"

"Calling for help won't do you any good. Well, if you show some sincerity, we might consider it."

"Yeah. We have the backing of the underground guild 'Black Cat.' It's too late to regret it now."

"... 'Black Cat'?"

Aries frowned and whispered.

It was a famous underground organization known only to former Holy Knights. It had influence not only in Holy Grinia and its vassal states but also in the Western Empire. Its true nature was almost completely unknown, and even when evidence was thought to be obtained, it slipped away like a cat.

It was said that many fake Mage Knights belonged to it, and the Church of the Demon God, which did not recognize Mage Knights outside the church and national armies, was pursuing 'Black Cat.'

(These thugs have the backing of 'Black Cat'?)

For a moment, Aries was distracted by this thought.

"Sorry, but this idiot is mine. You can't have her."

"Ugh!?"

"Kyaaaaa!"

"Geh!?"

Shu appeared out of nowhere and quickly incapacitated the thugs.

He seemed to be careful not to kill them, but a few bones were likely broken.

"A, Shu!"

"You idiot."

"It hurts, it hurts!"

"Don't get lost so quickly."

Aries, hit by a hand strike, held her aching head and teared up. But Shu was relentless, repeatedly striking her lightly and continuing his lecture.

"Why do you get lost so quickly? Huh?"

"It hurts, it hurts! If you hit me so much, I'll become stupid!"

"You already are."

"That's mean!"

Aries protested, hitting him lightly, but Shu brushed it off.

The three thugs groaning behind them were completely ignored.

"Besides, don't wander into a back alley. At least get lost on a main street."

"Mm... I was trying to take a shortcut."

"That's a typical pattern for getting lost."

Shu's face was now one of exasperation.

But it suddenly became sharp. He gathered magic power in his right hand and created a magic bullet, a type of unaligned magic. He fired it at the wall.

The pattern on the wall dodged it.

To be precise, something that had blended into the wall pattern dodged it.

"Shu?"

"Be quiet. Who are you?"

Shu quickly pulled Aries close and asked the something that was still camouflaged as the wall pattern. The wall pattern then collapsed, revealing a man in black clothing with a mask that only covered his eyes and nose, leaving his mouth visible.

"Oh, oh. I didn't expect my camouflage to be seen through... You have a terrifying magic perception."

"An adaptation of Wind Second Tier: Wind Wall. Who are you? Answer quickly."

"Don't be alarmed. I have business with those thugs lying there."

"With them?"

Shu tilted his head.

He briefly considered the possibility that the thugs were actually dangerous criminals, but quickly dismissed it because they lacked the aura of serious criminals.

Although he didn't expect much, Shu asked just in case.

"By the way, why?"

"Yes, I am a member of the underground organization 'Black Cat.'"

"'Black Cat'!? Is that true!?"

Shu was surprised by the man's straightforward explanation, and Aries was shocked by the mention of 'Black Cat.'

Seeing their surprised expressions, the masked man began to explain with a mischievous childlike grin.