"--GWAAAAAAAAA"
"O G.o.d Garleon! Grant your protection unto your believers!"
In front of Garleon Holy Mark, the temple head, several miko and high ranking priests are facing off against black clothed men.
This was right when a temple knight, who was fighting against the man in the center of the black clothed men, met his demise.
I hold back Karinsama who was going to run off while saying, "Oh no desuwa", and ascertained the situations for now.
I ask Raka to tell the situations to Misama up above on the airs.h.i.+p.
"Fools who acc.u.mulated enough miasma to even let undeads like us, the so-called Impurity, into a sanctuary crowned in the G.o.d"s name, and you dared to ask G.o.d"s protection in the name of believers!"
A deep voice echoing like it was from h.e.l.l itself came from the black clothes in the center.
The black clothes let down their hoods while ridiculing the temple clergies.
--Jet black skeleton?
The black clothed man in the middle wasn"t a human, but an undead.
He must be the originator of the miasma that Misama noticed.
"This cannot be! How could an undead be fine inside temple"s Sanctuary?"
"Let me give you the answer to that--"
The black skeleton elatedly continued on in spite of the sorrowful grief of the temple head.
"--This Garleok City has always been a city where foolish merchants drown in their own greed. Thus, we simply manipulate the pirates to thicken the miasma and expand our sphere of actions."
While listening to the skeleton, I investigate the ident.i.ty of these undeads using the Appraisal Spectacles Satou gave me.
"We let loose of the iceberg and the pirates to tear the navy off of Garleok City, but I"d have never imagined you"d sortie the entire fleet to face the pirates, y"know?"
Information comes flowing on my spectacles" lenses.
His race is [Death Lord].
Level 51--not much difference than ours.
"And for the temple knights who should have been protecting the temple to be gone as well... It"s so unbelievably stupid, I suspected that this was all a trap until I got here."
I see, the black skeleton set up everything for the sake of infiltrating this place.
Had Satou didn"t come here for G.o.d Garleon"s trial, his ploy could have gone well.
"Temple head, I ask you once more--"
It felt like someone poured cold water on my spine hearing the black skeleton"s voice.
It must be the power of [Fear] that high ranking undeads have.
"--Where are you hiding the 『Golden Wheel』."
Looks like the [Golden Wheel] that Satou carries is the main objective of the black skeleton.
"I-I already t-told you, it"s in the hands of its r-rightful master."
The temple head spoke while sweating waterfall.
He"s covering for Satou--no, he"s covering for the man who takes on G.o.d Garleon"s trial.
"Muuttering that nonsense again huh."
The black skeleton raised one hand, and then the black clothes that were standing by in all four directions around him readied their swords.
The arms carrying swords were of dirty yellowed bones.
It looks like the black skeleton also have undeads as his guards.
"Allow me to smoothen your mouth a little--kill all of them except the temple head."
As they swing their swords down, they get close toward the miko and the high ranking priests as fast as a warrior that"s using Twinkling Movement.
There is no need for me to issue an order to the True Steel Wolves that are standing by beside me.
Because--.
"KARINA KIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!"
--A golden wind flew past me.
Karinsama who rushed out at a speed rivaling even Liza mows down the four black clothes in one blow.
"Blue holy light--You"re, Hero of Parion!"
The black clothed man who was giving orders shouted at Karinsama.
Karinsama sweep her golden hair behind, and turned toward him.
"I am not a hero desuwa."
She looks truly reliable, like a hero out of an epic tale.
But not ending with that is just like Karinsama.
"I am--well now, what should I call myself?"
『Karindono, we should focus rescuing the temple personnels first thing first.』
"Oh right desuwane."
Karinsama obediently agreed to Raka like a child.
"Are you mocking me! You d.a.m.n ground crawler fake hero!"
The four black clothes who were flung back onto the walls stood up while Karinsama was distracted.
Right about then, their ragged black clothes fell off.
Information flow on my spectacles" lenses.
Their race is [Wraith Knight]. Their levels are around 40-42. Stronger than expected.
No wonder they haven"t been downed by Karinsama"s attack.
Even Karinsama should find it tough, dealing with these Wraith Knights and a Death Lord of equal level at once.
"Death Lord--or perhaps, I should call you Skeleton Archduke?"
I stepped into the sanctuary along with the True Steel Wolves.
"Skeleton Archduke? So this guy is the ringleader of pirates, that Skeleton Archduke!"
The temple head sounded surprised.
According to the Appraisal Spectacles, the Death Lord"s name is [Skeleton Archduke]
Satou has told me that the man with [Skeleton Archduke] t.i.tle on the pirate fleet was a fake, and this Death Lord should be capable enough to rule over mid-cla.s.s demons.
We can probably safely a.s.sume that this is the real one.
"And what would you do if you get your hands on the Golden Wheel?"
The Skeleton Archduke isn"t answering my question.
He"s just glaring with eyes concealed with [Fear].
"Oh, I know!"
Karinsama struck an unusual pose while speaking in a cheerful tone.
It seems to be an arranged version of Pochi and Tama"s [Shupi] pose.
"Hou? You"re saying that you"ve seen through my ambition huh."
"Yes, of course desuw-"
I"m getting a bad hunch from Karinsama"s confident sounding words.
"--It must be, to gather pirates all over the world under your wings and 『Become the Pirate King!』 desuwane!"
Hearing Karinsama who said that full of confidence, the Skeleton Archduke is shaking his shoulders, making rattling sounds.
"are you mocking me, me the Skeleton Archduke! By dyeing the 『Golden Wheel』 with miasma, it will be corrupted into the 『Jet Black Wheel』 that can control all things, and by using that, I will rule over Lalakie sealed in the deep ocean as its rightful ruler and destroy your countries!"
The enraged Skeleton Archduke spilled all the beans.
Just as I thought, that dried up brain of his must not be capable of deep thinking.
"By Lalakie, you mean the floating island bestowed by G.o.ds to the heaven dwellers in the Ages of G.o.ds?"
I"ve read books on myth in the Forbidden Archive.
"Indeed. You seem knowledgeable unlike the dimwit girl over there."
"You mentioned that it was sealed in the sea, but didn"t Lalakie let itself get sunk in the sea in order to seal the Sea King."
Sea King--It was said to be one of the four kings of the Dog-Head, the one called Evil G.o.d.
It was told in the myth that sealing them was the most people could manage even with the Divine Treasures given by G.o.ds.
"Hmph, that"s a story of the past. The revived Lalakie was sunk deep in the ocean by the hands of the loathsome purple-haired hero. With the loss of 『Skeleton King』 and the 『Last Princess』 who can control Lalakie, only 『Jet Black Wheel』 is capable of bringing Lalakie back to its rightful place in the air."
I see--if the one sealing it was Satou, then there is no possible scenario of Lalakie getting revived even with the [Jet Black Wheel].
I let out a sigh of relief after realizing that the possibility of world crisis is no more.
"What"s the matter? Has the fear got to you?"
"No, I have just been made aware of the greatness of my loved one once again."
As expected of my hero-sama.
No, perhaps I should say "our" here?
"Let me tell you the location of that 『Golden Wheel』 you seek."
"--Princess?"
The temple head was surprised to hear me.
"There is someone who has inherited the 『Golden Wheel』 among the rank of Allied Fleet that went off to fight the pirates."
"Do you mean to drive me away with such nonsenses? So shallow of you woman--"
What a bonehead befitting of skeleton.
Let"s corner him a little to teach him a lesson.
"Karinsama, please annihilate those foot soldiers."
"I got it!"
Karinsama knocks off one of the Wraith Knights while letting off blue light.
But three of the knights that escaped Karinsama"s attack are coming to attack me.
"A leader magician with mere lesser golems as her guards, you must be asking to get attacked!"
The Skeleton Archduke jeered.
"--Lesser?"
Such a huge misunderstanding.
"What?!"
The True Steel Wolves tore up the Wraith Knights.
Their attacks wouldn"t have worked if these skeletons turned into their ghost form that nulls physical attacks, but I managed to make use of the opening since they had underestimated my wolves as lesser golems and turned into half-ghost form to attack.
Furthermore--.
"...■■■ >"My advanced earth magic purifies the damaged Wraith Knights.
"--You were the one who said that I was magician, weren"t you?"
I took out the World Tree Wand from my magic bag, took one swing and then pointed it toward the Skeleton Archduke.
"KARINA KIIIIIIIIIICK!"
Karinsama"s flying kick was coming toward the Skeleton Archduke, but he quickly turned into ghost form and evaded it.
She would have definitely defeated him if it weren"t for that shout, but we can"t do that, for the sake of Satou"s trial.
"Bring your army here to challenge us if you want the 『Golden Wheel』."
"Challenge, you say? To this heaven dweller, the great Skeleton Archduke--"
The Skeleton Archduke is burning with dark red flames.
"--CHALLEEEEEEEEENGE!?"
The Skeleton Archduke who was talking big begins to disappear into a jet black shadow.
"I"ll make you regret that word in h.e.l.l. Go and struggle as hard as you can before the true might of my Ghost Fleet!"
The Skeleton Archduke sunk into the shadow while leaving those words.
◇
The magic tool for emergency rang right after the Skeleton Archduke disappeared into shadow.
I held back the temple head who was going to complain, then we went out of the temple and were made to bear witness a sight of nearly 100 ghost s.h.i.+ps cruising in the sky beyond the torrential rain.
"That monster sure is quick to take actions."
"Saying it like it"s none of your business..."
The temple head complained in grumbles when he heard what I said.
He probably can"t say it out loud because we saved them from peril.
"No need to worry desuwa!"
Karinsama declared so to the temple head with a smile.
I nodded beside her and pointed at the eastern sky.
Light spills down like cutting through the cloudy sky.
"--Golden s.h.i.+p?"
"No--"
I made a correction to the temple head.
"--It"s a Fleet of Golden s.h.i.+ps."
The battle between the Ghost Fleet and the Golden Armada is about to begin above the sky of Garleok City.
Please do your best--my dear Satou.
※ Next update is planned for 1/28