WM – Chapter 71: Burning Capital (1)

“What is the meaning of this? There should be a barrier around the capital, right?” (Sofia)

The calm voice of Princess Sofia resonates in the noisy venue.

“A-About that, monsters suddenly appeared in the city! The reason is unknown. We are currently prioritizing the evacuation of the citizens.”

“Request the assistance of the Adventurer Guild at once. Tell them that we will be rewarding them not only for defeating monsters, but also for saving citizens. If they are hesitant, tell them we will be rewarding them 1.5 times more than the usual.” 

“Yes! I will do so immediately!” 

Princess Sofia gives out instructions promptly.

Ooh! She acts fast.

“Have all the knights in the royal castle fight the monsters and help the citizens.” (Sofia)

“Nee-sama! I will be going too!” (Leonard)

“…Got it. I will have you act together with me.” (Sofia)

It seems she was a bit reluctant to the words of Prince Leonard.

She probably doesn’t want to put her little brother in danger. 

But she can’t just have the hero hiding when their own country is in danger.

“Sa-san, Lucy, let’s go too.” (Makoto)

We are not affiliated to the Adventurer Guild of the capital.

Even so, we are adventurers of the Water Country.

Let’s find a way to help out.

“Got it!” “Let’s go!” 

Lucy and Sa-san nodded.

“Takki-dono!” 

“Fuji-yan, you go evacuate together with Nina-san and Chris-san. Nina-san, I leave it to you!” (Makoto)

“I will! Danna-sama <Dear>, Chris! Let’s go.” (Nina)

We began to move to our respective objectives.

◇◇

The city is burning.

No, smoke is rising from here and there, so it simply makes it look that way.

It is not that it has turned into a big fire.

I can see rampaging monsters in a number of places.

There’s not that many.

Even so, for the people that are not used to seeing monsters, their fear is quite the thing. I can hear screams from a variety of places.

“Ei!” (Aya)

Sa-san’s fist sends a kobold-looking monster flying.

“Earth Magic: [Rock Bullet]!” (Lucy)

The magic of Lucy hits the crown of an orc’s head and finishes it.

“Please run over here.” (Makoto)

I pull the hand of an elderly, and guide them to the place that’s serving as a shelter. 

…With no water or Spirits around, this is all I can do…

No, this is an important job too.

“Look out, Makoto!” (Lucy)

“Takatsuki-kun! Griffon!” (Aya)

I turn around at the shouts of Lucy and Sa-san.

A Griffon is heading this way?! 

Seriously?

“There’s quite the problematic monster here!” (Makoto)

I take out my dagger.

“Move back!” 

The former guardian knight old man jumps out from who knows where.

*Bam!*

He crashed into the Griffon with a loud sound accompanying it.

“Gugugu…!” 

The beet red old man is stopping the griffon! 

Nicely done, old man!

“Water Magic: [Ice Blade]!” (Makoto)

I shoot the little mana I have unrestrained.

‘Gieeee!’, the Griffon that had its eyes pierced writhes in pain.

“Earth Magic: [Big Rock Bullet]!”, the rock Lucy shot…

“Hah!”, and the [Charged Attack] of Sa-san pierced the Griffon.

The Griffon got slammed into a house, and didn’t move anymore.

You two are amazing.

Even if this is smaller than the one of before, to think you could defeat a Griffon, which we had so much trouble defeating in the past, so easily.

“Captain!” “Are you okay?!” “Thank you, adventurer!” 

The subordinates of the old man also came.

“Hey, Takatsuki-kun.” (Aya)

Sa-san looked at the Griffon, and seemed like she wanted to say something.

“This is the one we saw at the circus, huh.” (Makoto)

“It seems like the other monsters too.” (Lucy)

It is true that they are all beat up, but I could see scraps of the circus outfit.

They escaped from the circus troupe. 

But, would they rampage all at once like this? 

“Takatsuki Makoto, you have seen this monster before?” 

“It is probably the monster of the circus troupe that was at the center of the city.” (Makoto)

“What?! Did they mess up?! What are the tamers doing?!” 

“Let’s go check it out.” 

If there’s people that haven’t managed to escape, the area around the circus troupe’s tent would be the most dangerous.

◇◇

“This is horrible…”

The plaza at the center of the city and its surroundings was the part that had the most destruction.

Corpses of monsters…and corpses of people torn to pieces.

“Must have been his doing…” 

“Uoooooh!”

A roar that makes the air tremble.

A giant. A giant of close to ten meters in size is rampaging.

“Let’s go!” 

“““““Yes!”””””

The knights follow after the former guardian knight.

“Lucy, aim for the crown of the head of that thing. Sa-san, I will crumble his footing, so I am counting on you to finish it.” (Makoto)

“Got it.” “Leave it to me.” 

There’s a big fountain at the plaza.

If there’s water…I can fight!

The knights that the old man is leading are not doing well in their attack.

The attacks of the Giant are slow, so it seems like they haven’t gotten hit yet, but they can’t deal a fatal blow onto it.

“Oi, are you guys adventurers?!” “That guy there must be the biggest prize!” “We are helping!” “We are splitting the reward, okay?!” 

The adventurers were also beginning to gather.

Alright! We have won!

(Hey, don’t lower your guard.) (Noah)

Yes, Goddess-sama.

Putting my life first as always.

“Fire Magic: [Fireball].” “Wood Magic: [Wind Blade].” “Mixed Magic: [Meteor Fall]!” 

The spells of the mage adventurers and Lucy were unleashed onto the Giant.

The magic control of Lucy has gotten better.

I approach the Giant while thinking this.

The Giant had been hit with the magic and was stumbling around.

What a tough Giant.

I cast [Water Dragon] with the water of the fountain, and smash it onto the Giant.

Water rains onto the knights that were close to it.

“Oi!”, the knight old man seemed like he wanted to say something, but leave it for later.

I use [Ice Floor] to freeze only the footing around the Giant.

“Oh?”, the Giant’s balance was broken, and it fell on its butt.

“Now!” “Get him!”, the knights rush him.

A small shadow lands onto the head of the Giant.

Is it Sa-san?

Sa-san jumped several meters up, and then, doing another jump midair to propel herself downwards, she slammed an axe kick onto the head of the Giant!

That was the [Mid-Air Jump] Skill?! 

*Thum!*

The Giant’s head crashed onto the ground, making the earth tremble, and the Giant didn’t move anymore.

Did we defeat it?

“How was that?!”, everyone celebrated the victory.

“That kick just now was incredible. Are you Gold Rank?” 

“Hey, that Meteor Fall of just now, what magic was it?” 

“You guys were a great help. You are heroes.” 

The adventurers and knights were surrounding Sa-san and Lucy and giving them high praise.

The two were embarrassed, but looked happy.

I watched this from afar as I used my Detection Skill on the surroundings to confirm.

Does it look okay now?

The Giant seems to still be breathing, but it is slowly weakening.

A number of adventurers are on guard, but it doesn’t seem like it will be necessary.

Some of the knights are inspecting the Giant to look for clues. Probably something that can only be found while still alive? 

The light in the eyes of the Giant were already fading.

It should die in a few minutes.

“You were a great help.” 

By the time I noticed, the former guardian knight was by my side.

“They are my prided party members after all.” (Makoto)

They are wasted on me.

“No, that magic that made the Giant slip, that was your magic, right? Without that witty move, we couldn’t have defeated it.” 

“Really?” (Makoto)

I feel like Lucy and Sa-san could have defeated it on their own though.

“Is everyone okay?” 

The one who appeared after was Prince Leonard…and even Princess Sofia came to a place like this.

Is it okay for you to not run away?

“Looks like the subjugation of monsters is mostly finished. Well done, everyone.” (Sofia)

The people there nodded satisfied at the words of Princess Sofia.

When looking at her like this, she is a capable princess.

She even shows up at dangerous places.

“Sofia-sama! The tamers of the circus troupe have all been killed!” 

The knight that was investigating the tent reported.

What a dangerous report.

Were they killed by the monsters?

“The tamers were cut by a bladed weapon. It wasn’t the deed of the monsters.” 

“Search for survivors of the circus troupe. Make sure to hear what they say in detail.” (Sofia)

“Yes!” 

It looks like there’s an incident in our hands.

I wonder if the clown is okay.

…No, now that I think back to it, he said that there would be a big event tomorrow. 

Wasn’t that suspicious?

The moment I was about to tell the knight old man just in case…

“Ack!” (Makoto)

A shock as if my head had been hit by a hammer attacked me.

This is…Detection.

This headache…a Calamity Monster?

“Makoto?” (Lucy)

“What’s the matter?” (Aya)

Lucy and Sa-san ran over to me in worry at me suddenly holding my head in pain.

“What’s the matter, Takatsuki Makoto?” 

The old man seems to be worried too.

“…A Calamity Monster…is probably coming…” (Makoto)

“Eh?” “What?!” 

But from where?

This isn’t Laberintos.

“…Ha…te…Ha…te…Hu…mans…”

A groan.

That’s…the Giant is still alive?

Yeah, you must hate them, right? I get you. I do.

I heard a mysterious voice.

A childish voice, a girlish voice, a young and gentle voice.

“…I…want…po…wer…!” 

I have a bad feeling.

“Someone! Finish the Giant!” (Sofia)

Princess Sofia shouted.

The knights and adventurers obey that voice.

I will give you power. That’s why, I will take your heart, okay?

The mysterious voice continues to speak.

“Lucy, Sa-san, can you hear this child-like voice?” (Makoto)

“Eh?” (Lucy)

“Voice of a child?” (Aya)

Does no one hear it?

“Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!!” 

The Giant that was fatally wounded suddenly stood up! 

But that body was on the verge of collapse.

Collapsing?

No, its skin was peeling, and from below it, a red and syrupy something was oozing out.

That muddy stuff fell onto the ground making an unpleasant sound, and the ground began to melt.

Melt?

From the heat?

Is that…lava or something like that?

The Giant’s body was covered by lava, and changed into something else.

The lava had a large amount of white stuff… That’s, bones? They are floating in it.

Why are the bones not melting?

Now, go against destiny! You are a brave warrior!

After that, I couldn’t hear the childish voice anymore.

“Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!” 

The Giant’s voice changed from a low tone into an ear piercing one like the scraping of glass.

This scream…I have heard it somewhere before.

“Taboo…Giant…” 

The mutter of someone reached my ears.

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