Chapter 389
(389) Letter from the royal army
Translator: Tseirp
“You’re kidding me, it actually happened!?”
“It’s because you were saying those stupid things!”
The other guards scolded the guard who said it would be great if minotaurs appeared . Even though now wasn’t the time to say such things .
Minotaur – a monster that appears close to the lowest floor in intermediate dungeons .
It wasn’t a monster that would typically appear here .
At that moment, a minotaur raised the greatsword in its hand to cut down a guard .
“Charm . ”
After Carol cast her spell, the minotaur suddenly changed its swing and sliced at its fellow minotaurs .
“Nice one Carol . ”
I drew White Wolf Fang and jumped into the midst of the minotaur herd .
“Rotational Slash!”
And disconnected the torsos of five minotaurs .
Then, I sheathed my katana and cut down the final minotaur that Carol was magically manipulating with a quick draw (Iai) .
“A-amazing – he cuts down minotaurs as though he is trampling on mini slimes . ”
Was trampling on mini slimes an idiom like taking candy from a baby?
The fight was not over .
A golden minotaur with a height of 5 meters appeared from a hole that was only 2 meters wide .
It made me think of a jack-in-a-box .
I didn’t sense any sign of it climbing the stairs .
Did it come up while erasing its presence? Or did it spring up from the stairs?
“Baronet-dono – it’s dangerous . That is not an ordinary minotaur . It is a King Minotaur . ”
“Yeah, I know . ”
Since I fought one in Belasra before .
It wasn’t enough to be considered a threat .
Furthermore, with its height, I didn’t have to worry about collateral damage .
“Boost Fire!”
The King Minotaur’s head turned black from magic and the smell of charred meat flooded the area .
“I can no longer eat grilled meat . ”
I heard that voice leak out from a guard .
【Ichinojo leveled up】
【Advanced Blacksmith skill: 「Revision」acquired】
【Sacred Pract.i.tioner skill: 「Healing Magic VI」has skilled up to「Healing Magic VII」】
【Magic Civil Officer skill: 「Log Record」acquired】
【Magic Civil Officer skill: 「Conversation Record」acquired】
【Magic Civil Officer skill: 「Status Record」acquired】
【Recipes acquired】
It seemed that the battle was over for the time being .
Revision looked like a handy skill .
The skill would increase the probability of good effects appearing when using Remake .
The newly learned Healing Magic was called Resurrection and it seemed that it would recover HP as well as abnormal conditions at the same time .
Log Record, Conversation Record, Status Record was a skill that allowed me to note down on paper the log, conversation, or status I have checked for the past month .
“Ichino-sama! Look at that!”
Carol noticed something and pointed into the dungeon .
The dungeon walls emit a faint light . Thanks to that, there was no need to bring torches when we explore dungeons .
However, it was nothing less than frightening when the light gradually approached us . It was clear that something was wrong .
Then, the light spread to the dungeon walls and the ground outside .
At the same time, carrots and mushrooms seemingly sprung out of the ground .
“The monsters are sp.a.w.ning out of nowhere!?”
“Evacuate the citizens!”
They seemed to be weak monsters as the guards were defeating them but the monsters kept sp.a.w.ning .
“Master, what is happening?”
“I believe … a part of the town is turning into a dungeon . ”
Was that even possible … what was going on?
“Emergency! The dungeon has overflowed and monsters are sp.a.w.ning!”
A man shouted as he ran over but when he saw the beginner’s dungeon,
“Oh no, it’s the same here too!”
He shouted .
“Hey, you! You mentioned dungeon overflow, does that mean it’s the same for the intermediate dungeon as well?”
“Ye-yeah! No, it’s actually worse there . There are venomous monsters too so there have been casualties – although the guards have sealed them in for now . ”
The monsters appearing here were all weak monsters after all .
But if the King Minotaur was allowed to rampage undeterred, there probably would have been casualties .
“You guys escape as fast as you can! The Frenzy Curse is already over, right? Then it should be okay to leave town!”
“ … Is everyone leaving town?”
“Yes . ”
I bit my lower lip .
I considered if I should stay back to help subjugate the monsters but,
“Carol, grab onto me! Haru, follow me!”
I said and carried Carol on my back as I rushed to the main gate .
Many citizens were leaving through the main street so it was difficult to run .
“Master, let’s go by the rooftops . ”
“Right – Carol, clench your teeth!”
“Yes!”
We leaped onto the rooftops and ran on the path that wasn’t a path .
We were like ninjas – although I recall actually becoming an Apprentice Ninja once .
Then, we arrived at the top of the town wall .
Luckily, the guard on watch was the man we knew but even without him saying a word, the current situation was worse than we imagined .
The front of the main gate was filled with corpses .
Arrows were scattered here and there and countless people were pierced by arrows and fallen on the ground .
“You’re kidding me? The army should be protecting the citizens . Why are they still attacking the citizens?”
I checked the jobs of the fallen people .
The dead would not display any jobs so it looked like everyone was dead . Or so I thought but I saw a single girl with the job 【Commoner: Lv1】 .
I used the Hide skill and leaped down the wall .
Even though I hid my presence with a skill, countless arrows flew toward me but I ignored them . An arrow pierced my shoulder but I almost didn’t feel any pain .
I pulled it out and carried the collapsed girl .
She took an arrow to the middle of her back and she was already no longer breathing . I prayed for her soul as I picked up the person she was shielding with her body and arm .
“ … Sorry, I was too late . ”
When I said that, the child smiled .
It was a baby that was not even a year old . The baby probably has not realized that their mother was killed .
“ … Sorry . ”
I said as I avoided the next volley of arrows and leaped up the wall .
Due to the sudden leap, the baby started crying loudly .
“Baronet-sama –”
“This baby … I’ll leave it in your care . ”
I said and pa.s.sed the crying baby to the guard as I applied Pet.i.te Heal on my shoulder .
“What the h.e.l.l is going on – don’t they think it’s weird?”
I looked at the royal army .
Why were they killing their countrymen so calmly?
Just as I was thinking, I saw a soldier protesting to an officer-like man .
So there were people with normal conscience among them? – I thought before the officer-like man stabbed the protesting soldier in the chest .
“What the heck?”
I couldn’t tell the details of the conversation from where I was .
But was that enough to warrant a stab to the chest?
“Ichino-sama, that officer’s movements seem similar to the monsters charmed by Carol’s spell . There’s a possibility that a portion of the officers has been brainwashed by somebody . ”
Carol said .
“Brainwashed? Don’t tell me the King has been brainwashed too?”
“I do not know . ”
What should I do?
Do I have to stun the whole army with a Pico Pico Hammer tornado as before?
No, the army encirclement was too wide .
Even if I made them unconscious sequentially, the first people I knock unconscious would wake up toward the end .
“If the King was brainwashed, won’t it be resolved if we undo the brainwash?”
Dispel should remove any brainwash .
“Even if the King was not brainwashed, if I took him hostage –”
“Master, please do not act recklessly on your own . ”
Haru said .
“I have to do it . ”
“If master is going, I will go too . ”
Haru insisted .
Her partic.i.p.ation was honestly very rea.s.suring .
It would be difficult for me to avoid arrows from all directions by myself but with Haru, we could avoid most of the arrows .
“Ichino-sama, Haru-san, please calm down . It’s reckless! More importantly, Ichino-sama, there’s confusion at the front of the gate so they can’t shut it . I believe it would be best to move to a remote place and use Siren Song to induce the people to leave this place so please help me . ”
As Carol pointed out, there was chaos at the front of the gate .
I followed her suggestion and moved to a rooftop near the town square and pa.s.sed her a Loudspeaker Talisman .
Carol transformed into her adult form and sang the Siren Song .
Led by Carol’s song, the citizens came to the town square . Luckily this place was far from the dungeons so there were no monsters .
Then .
Somebody appeared on the rooftop .
Who was it – I was wary and was even warier when I found out who it was .
It was Felice, the a.s.sistant Mayor’s secretary .
“Ichinojo-dono, why are you here –”
“I take it you didn’t come here because you knew I was here . ”
“Yes – I have matters with that lady there . I thought that she would appear when there was chaos at the main gate . ”
Carol?
No, only I knew about Carol’s ability to transform .
“I received a letter from the royal army . The other day, when the citizens were leaving town, they received a report that a lady’s song bewitched the citizens . That person is highly likely to be the mastermind of this incident and was told to appear before the king . The mastermind and you – there are records that both parties were using Loudspeaker Talismans . ”
“ – I am not the mastermind . ”
“I prepared the Loudspeaker Talisman for her . It is unrelated . ”
I said but Felice shook his head .
“If you don’t appear, they will take it as retaliation by harboring a national criminal and the army will be dispatched to enter the town – that was written in the letter . ”
What would happen then?
The royal army that didn’t hesitate to fire at citizens . It would be a ma.s.sacre .
“I guess … there’s no choice . ”
“Yes . Thankfully, another person is allowed to accompany her . I will accompany her and advocate for her . ”
“No, I am going with her . ”
The royal army should know that Carol is not the culprit .
Were they aiming for me? Or for Carol?
At any rate, I couldn’t go to the royal army without a plan .
I returned to the top of the town wall and explained the situation to Haru .
We made a plan for what was to come .