Chapter 227 — Volume 20 9 — To Paxs Side

Part 1

I decided to wear the Magic Armor during our trip.

It is a pain to move the Magic Armor, which has to be disassembled and re-assembled every time.

If there is a battle going on in the capital it is best to take it along.

I'll just have to turn a blind eye to the magic power I'm expending by just wearing it.

My initial plan was to run with the others on my shoulders, but that proved to be far too uncomfortable for everyone but me. As expected, the vibration seems to be terrible.

Since it is not a distance that cannot be traveled on foot in a single day, we had to come up with some method of transportation.

The method I came up with took the form of a drawn carriage.

With the Magic Armor, I pulled the carriage, which had been modified with earth magic so that it would be more stable.

It certainly would have been simpler to just use horses and the ride would have been more bearable.

Zanoba was retching and vomiting, Roxy also had turned pale in the face.

But we got to the capital in five days.

I do not know how much of my magic power remains.

My body feels just slightly listless, so I can tell that I'm not completely recovered.

I had thought that because I wasn't using it for combat that I would arrive with a surplus, but still…

My magic power is at the level where it would be impossible to even think of fighting against someone like Orsted.

This time we'll go to Pax's aid.

I'm pretty sure that the Death God is our ally, but I do not know what will happen.

I'm prepared.

Part 2

The Imperial Capital Latakia had been blockaded.

The capital gate stood firmly shut and soldiers who seemed like they were the rebel army stood upon it's ramparts.

Outside the castle walls stood the people who had been barred from entry, piled up in great number.

They were merchants, mercenaries, and adventurers.

In addition there were camps of the country's soldiers.

It seems that they may have come from a different city, or perhaps been outside the castle on some task when everything went down.

"It would seem they intend to keep out any new obstacles until they are finished."

"So in other words, Pax is still alive."

It's been ten days since the coup.

The Imperial castle has not yet fallen.

I do not know what their difference in arms is, but they have unexpectedly held out.

Well, I'm sure it's thanks to the aid of one of the Seven Major Powers.

It's also possible that Pax is already dead, and they are blocking the gate for some other reason.

"We can bypass the gate through a secret passage along the riverside."

Following Zanoba's instruction we advanced along the river.

For a second I considered squashing the rebels with a frontal attack, but it was a fleeting thought.

It isn't good to just bust into things without knowing the situation.

Also that would just be adding a bunch of unknowns to my list of worries.

I also want to know just why this all took the form of a siege.

We avoided the people outside the castle perimeter.

It would cause an uproar if they noticed Zanoba was the Prince.

The warlord Jade should have recognized Zanoba as an ally of Pax.

So it's better if we aren't discovered.

" … "

It was pretty quiet at the riverside.

And so I chose to suspend the Magic Armor there.

I couldn't imagine a fight breaking out in that place.

I wonder where the boundaries between war and peace are?

"I think this is it."

Moving along the river we had come to a single building and water mill.

I placed the Magic Armor in there.

Zanoba and Roxy came down from the carriage.

Both of them were ghastly pale and Roxy had to go over and vomit into the river.

This trip hasn't been kind to those two.

"Somewhere in this watermill there should be an underground passage."

Zanoba is speaking cheerfully, but his face is still a deep blue.

Seasickness can be repressed with healing magic, but it won't bring back lost stamina.

Zanoba still has all his power, but his stamina is shot.

"Perhaps we should take a small rest break?"

"No, we may be in a situation where we don't have a moment to lose. Let's enter right away."

We do not know what has happened inside of the imperial palace.

This watermill might be our last chance to rest.

The MK-1 will not fit through this underground passage. I would like to prepare as much as possible.

My magic power will not be able to recover, but I think that Zanoba and Roxy should allow their strength to return.

"Zanoba, calm down. This is the best place to take a break and get our breath back. Besides, you and Roxy look ragged."

"Muh…"

"Those who hurry make mistakes, is how the expression goes."

"I've never heard of that expression… but I understand."

Zanoba nodded reluctantly.

Good.

We don't want our travel fatigue to blunt us.

"Before that, someone should confirm that there actually is a passage here."

"Oh, certainly."

Following Roxy's advice, I go confirm our path under the watermill.

I found it under a pile of barrels and crates which had been crammed inside the mill.

It was in a place like a storeroom.

Zanoba and I beat on the floors and the walls looking for the path.

Then we reach the far side of the mill.

There we found the path, hidden in the bottom of a wooden box.

It was covered by a metal plate.

It doesn't exactly look like a door, but something like a door knob is definitely there.

"Is this it?"

"Wait, don't jump to conclusions, this may be some part of the warehouse."

While saying the opposite of what I was thinking, I start to examine the suspected door.

I wonder how it is opened?

No, it wouldn't be strange for an escape passage to not open from the outside.

I wonder if it is designed to only be pushed open from the other side.

"Oomph!"

After Zonaba peeled the metal plate up with brute force a pit with a ladder was revealed.

It doesn't seem like it could be a root cellar.

I used intermediate level fire magic to light up the inside.

After that we could see the bottom several meters below us.

While checking it out we made sure that the tunnel was aiming towards the capital.

However I didn't immediately discard the possibility that it was just some kind of cellar.

I dropped down and tried to light up the back of the cave.

The inside of this place was completely bare.

It was just a narrow passage which continued on into the darkness.

There is no doubt.

This is an underground passage.

"How is it down there?"

"Seems like this is definitely the place."

"So we will take a break?"

"Yeah."

After we rest I returned to the carriage and put on the MK-2 Magic Armor.

With the size of that passage it will be impossible to use the MK-1.

However, I should be able to perform well enough in the MK-2 as long as I don't have to fight one of the Seven Major Powers.

Now that Zanoba has regained his physical condition, we begin our invasion through the passage.

Part 3

The passage was so narrow that a person passing through would rub along the sides as they continued on endlessly.

There doesn't seem to be any lighting at all.

… An invasion through here shouldn't have entered anyone's mind.

We used the summoning scroll's light spirits for illumination.

They are just as convenient as always.

The passage was empty and dark.

It was a path that appeared to have been made only for the sake of moving through it.

We marched down the path with Zanoba in the lead, followed by myself, and then Roxy.

A rear guard is unnecessary.

Enemies will not come from behind in this place.

"Being in this narrow passage, it makes me remember some unpleasant things."

Roxy whispered this from behind me.

I went to respond but couldn't find the words.

All I ended up saying was, "Is that so?"

And so we continued moving silently down the passage.

We continued to walk for about an hour.

Then, ahead of us and down the passage, appeared a door.

It is a door made from a single sheet of metal.

There is no doorknob. There is, however, a small fixed window.

It is very similar to what was in the watermill.

It seems it is another door that is designed to only open from the other side.

"Muuhn!"

By inserting his fingertips between the wall and the door, Zanoba is able to pull it open.

It was a good idea to place him in the front.

"Ah… this is…"

However, after opening the door, Zanoba said something baffling.

When I looked around him I could see that the passage ahead had been blocked by earth and sand.

It was a dead end.

And there was nothing like a fork in the road.

With this, could the watermill have been a mistake… ?

"Perhaps this collapsed during an earthquake… or the warlord Jade knew about it and closed it up in advance."

This was Roxy's assessment.

Well, this is probably the place.

It's still possible that Pax was crushed at the time of the coup.

Anyway, one of the reasons Pax was unable to escape has been revealed.

"Shishou, this debris, could you somehow take care of it?"

"… Yeah, I'll give it a try."

Zanoba and I swapped places.

I didn't just dig out our office's basement for show.

This kind of sediment clearing is something I'm used to.

Fortunately, in this passage, there is nothing setup to inhibit my magic.

With magic I compress the soil to reduce the quantity while hardening the walls and ceilings.

It feels like making a pipe through stone.

It's an impromtu method this time, but it should reinforce the strength to the degree that it won't collapse.

It's something I'm used to dealing with.

We eventually come out the other side with a crash after an hour.

The distance was something along the lines of five meters.

So short, and yet so long.

However, that kind of thing doesn't matter.

A surprising scene awaited us upon our exit.

"What the hell."

There was a lateral tunnel.

It seems like it's a cave.

Its height is about 2 meters, its width 3.

A similarly sized passage ran right beside it.

Water is flowing through the ground, reinforced by masonary stones; it's a tricklying stream but it doesn't feel like it's sewage.

The passage we just came through simply ends in this cave.

We are in a slightly higher position, there is about a one meter drop to the cave floor.

"Zanoba, do you know which way we should be going?"

"Well… I never heard anything about a fork in the road but… "

For the time being we'll just go down into the cave.

Even without the spirit of light, things are visible down here.

If you look, mushrooms growing on the wall of the cave are giving off light.

Just that small quantity of light makes me uneasy.

It's like an artificial cave, but also not like one.

It is a cave with a slightly strange feeling.

However, I feel like I've seen a cave like this before…

"Perhaps we should just go straight."

Roxy said this as she inspected the surrounding passages.

She jumped down while gripping her skirt and hat.

"Rudy, please just try and dig against the wall in line with the passage we came through."

"Okay."

I don't bother asking why.

Yeah, it's Roxy's instructions.

I'll just follow them.

"Roxy-dono, could you explain what is going on?"

In my place Zanoba asks.

Well not asking doesn't mean I don't want to know.

"This cave… has a similar feeling to the labyrinth I conquered in this country.

It probably has eroded the passage as it grew."

"I see."

"Well, it's just a guess.

If Rudy's digging doesn't turn anything up then we'll just have to take the right or left."

While I'm listening to them talk I'm also digging.

Ultra Digging.

I dig just like a dog.

No, I'm using my magic.

As I go another hours passes.

Then I finally hit the first pocket.

It was a passage similar to what we had went through with the spirits of light at first.

We did it.

"The path, it's here!"

"Then let's go."

I made stairs for them.

The stairs are also for the return.

But, if we leave this open like this, won't demons from the labyrinth enter…

Yeah, whatever.

Still, as expected of Roxy.

She looked at the cave, and in just a moment realized that it was a labyrinth.

This person who I respect is really something.

Part 4

Then another hour went by.

We've spent about four hours in total moving through the passage.

By the time we finally arrived at the exit Zanoba was beginning to show signs of fatigue.

We emptied out into a place that looked like a basement.

The space was six tatami.

The walls and ceiling were solidly constructed with masonry.

There were also candle stick like things placed upon the wall.

In the corner of the room there were stairs leading up.

Our exit way was a door hidden in the corner of that room.

I could tell immediately that we were in the palace of the Shirone kingdom.

At any rate this was a room I was familiar with.

Well I lived here for a while.

"… Zanoba, I think this is."

"Yes, Shishou, this is the room where we met for the first time."

It's a place of memories.

That's a nice way of putting it, but this is the place where I was imprisoned by Pax after he had tricked me.

I thought it was an empty room, but it was actually used for escaping.

This explains why that trick magic formation was here to begin with.

It was a now destroyed, barrier.

"How nostalgic. When I finally met with the producer of that doll I thought it was the high point in my life. Never did I dream of all the joyous day-to-day moments that would occur in the future."

"We can enjoy our sentimental moments later."

I try to stop Zanoba from monologuing like a documentary's interview so we can move forward.

We move up the stairs and down the hallway.

Everything was utterly silent.

The sun had set while we worked through the underground passage, outside the window everything is dark.

There don't seem to have been any maids to light the lamps in the hallway.

It's a stillness like in a hospital late at night.

I wonder if all of Pax's men are plugging up the perimeter; it seems that way.

"Where should Pax be?"

"He should probably be in the room that used to belong to my father."

By his father's room… he means the King's bed chamber.

Zanoba took the lead and started moving forward.

Of course someone is familiar with their own home.

This isn't something I want to particularly think about, so I walked forward ignoring it.

We followed him in silence.

Part 5

"… ah."

Suddenly Roxy stopped.

She just came to a complete halt in front of a certain room.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking that my old room was around here."

The door to the room was open.

Nobody was inside.

There is only a desk and an empty unmade bed.

This room's occupant must have fled in haste. The bed is in disarray, the desk and floor is also a mess.

It must have been passed on to someone else after Roxy departed.

It had a strange lived-in feel to it.

It was another person's room now.

But since Roxy had lived there for a while, it probably meant something to her.

It is probably like the room I had lived in when I was Eris's tutor.

"Shishou, Roxy-dono, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Roxy was just feeling a little sentimental after seeing her old room…"

"Didn't you just say we don't have time for sentimentality…"

Zanoba walked back to us with an amazed look on his face.

Then he stepped into the room with a 'fumu' and looked at Roxy.

"Roxy-dono had been living in the room next door back then."

"Ehh?"

A flustered Roxy opened the door to the room next to us.

When she compared this room with the one we had just looked at, she noticed something that made her blush.

"Heh, I made a mistake because of the darkness."

That Zanoba, he really humiliated Roxy there.

What is that guy even thinking?

If Roxy says that something is black, even if it is white, then it becomes Dark Matter.

"Shishou, why are you stepping on my foot?"

"My foot slipped a little."

"I know Shishou adores Roxy-dono, but it would not make sense to be immersed in sentimentally for another place all together."

You are the worst.

Stamping on your foot isn't going to be enough for me to forgive you.

However I am deeply moved hearing about a place where Roxy used to live.

If the metastasis event had never happened, could it have been that I would have just ended up settling in Shirone?

"Let's hurry ahead."

On Roxy's prompting we continued on.

Part 6

We did not encounter anyone inside the castle.

Not a single person.

For some reason there wasn't anyone.

The result of which was that Zanoba became rather talkative.

"There is an entrance to this castle on the second floor. This is the entrance used by outside guests, the third floor also has…"

He told us, matter-of-factly, about the castle.

Floor 1: the living area for soldiers and servants

Floor 2: the audience hall and various facilities used for diplomacy

Floor 3: other facilities such as conference rooms, internal affairs offices, and corridors

that lead to the primary defense positions in the walls and towers

Floor 4: the living quarters for the princes and princesses as well as their bodyguards

The King's chamber is on the fifth floor.

It's a weird castle.

Wouldn't the royal family be annihilated if they failed to wake up during a fire on the lower floors?

Well, that royalty was already all but gone though…

Nothing on the first floor, the second floor, nor the third.

There was nobody.

When we entered the fourth floor I tried looking through the windows.

There were bonfires around the castle, it was easy to understand that a rebel army lay outside.

However the presence of Pax's men could not be seen.

Neither is there any sign that fighting has occurred.

I can't see a single person.

I feel like it isn't just that I can't see them in the darkness.

The castle is unmanned.

" … "

This eerieness , Zanoba has noticed it as well.

When we entered the fourth floor,the conversation suddenly stopped.

Everyone's expression also became stiff.

Something is going on here in the castle.

While feeling this way, we climbed the final flight of stairs

Part 7

And then we arrived on the fifth floor.

The top floor of this building could also be called the castle tower.

It is the room which is literally at the top of the country: the King's chamber.

" … "

Here at its entrance, the landing of its stairs, in front of the door sat that guy: the Death God, Randolph Marian.

For some reason he had propped a chair up against the door like he was on break, here he was setup on public display with his head bent forward.

His elbow was on his knee, and he was using that crossed posture to hold his head with his neck bent slightly.

He turned his weathered, eye patch wearing, death's head face toward us.

"Why does the king of this country have to put his bedroom in such a high place?"

[Death God], Randolph Marian

After spotting us, he suddenly said that kind of thing.

"It seems like it would be pretty inconvenient to construct a bedroom in a place like this.

Coming down into the office every day would be cumbersome. Even after having a meal made, it would have cooled a little by the time it made it up here.

Once your legs become weakened by old age, you would have a hard time climbing the stairs.

If there's a fire, it would surely delay your escape."

While cocking his gaunt face, he says all those things, and stares at us.

It's the attitude of an ordinary worn out old fart, but when he speaks it causes a chill to run down my spine.

"If it were my castle I'd place my room on the first floor.

Then it's a short distance to my office and I can eat my rice while it is still warm.

It would also be easy to go out…

That's what a regular guy like me would do."

Randolph punctuated his rant with a laugh, 'haha'.

With that laughing skull right in front of us, Roxy swallowed hard, gulp.

"Well there are certainly advantages to having it this way.

If you needed to barricade yourself in the castle then this is the ideal.

After all, this castle has a lot of magic resistant bricks.

This also offers good resistance to long range magic. There is also a defense point on each floor, so it's difficult to reach the top.

This is a pretty good castle for war time."

I wonder what Randolph is actually trying to say.

He's just sitting there.

Couldn't I pass through beside him?

Although, honestly, I don't want to get an inch closer to this guy.

"Randolph-dono."

While I'm confused Zanoba moved forward without hesitation.

Without changing his irreverent attitude, Randolph smiled at Zanoba.

It's a skeleton laughing in the middle of the night.

He's eerie.

"Your Imperial Highness Zanoba, it's a pleasure to see you again."

"May I know the state of the castle?"

"Yes, certainly, certainly, I'll tell you."

Randolph removed his eye patch while saying so.

Behind it lay a glowing red eye.

Inside of his pupil a pattern like a six-pointed star floated.

It's an eye only a devil could possess.

"For His Majesty's life, I used my [Absolute Void Eye] to construct a barrier around the entire castle.

With that power I'm still holding off the enemy's force."

It's a demon eye which I'm not familiar with.

Orsted has not told me about the existence of his magic eye.

That guy, he never tells me the important things.

But does he wear that eye patch because he is unable to control it?

Should I be wary now that he's removed it?

"I see. So where are the others?"

"Everyone who isn't dead has otherwise fled."

"So… where is His Majesty?"

"Behind me."

"So, you are currently protecting His Majesty."

Zanoba began to go past the side of Randolph while saying so.

However Randolph extended his arm and held him back.

"Why did you stop me?"

"His majesty has ordered me to let no one pass."

"However this is urgent business."

"His majesty is occupied now, even if you have come with pressing matters."

It seems like he is occupied with something or other.

What could he be doing with no subordinates in a place like this?

"Move aside please, I came all this way to save His Majesty."

"His Majesty, does not seem to be willing to leave this castle."

" … "

He's being evasive.

Randolph continues to talk as if he is hiding something, and it's clearly frustrating Zanoba.

"I want to talk directly with His Majesty!"

Zanoba tried to force his way through, causing Randolph to stand.

He moved relaxedly.

His hollow face just suddenly appeared to jump up to our level, there was no sense of him standing.

"Now just give me a moment. His Majesty's heart is very distressed about the current situation."

"His heart?"

"Just take a goo~ood look at the state of the castle from here.

Enemy soldiers stare in at us with hostility.

Then our own soldiers are outside of the walls doing nothing, they just sit there watching…"

Randolph's eyes moved to our rear while he said this.

I involuntarily look back, and certainly, on the other side of those large windows in the landing, the state of the capital is very clearly seen.

Rebels surround the castle.

Outside the city walls, soldiers are stalled.

If you look at it from up here there appears to be an army which does nothing against the rebels.

But the majority of that army is actually travelers, adventurers, and merchants.

Those people can't be expected to help.

"Until the heart calms down, I won't move from this spot."

"When will that be?"

"Well then… I don't know how long that kind of thing will take. It takes however long it takes, eh?"

"Yea, talking to you is obviously pointless."

Tired of Randolph's slippery Q&A, Zanoba puts his hand on the man's shoulder and goes to push him away.

"Naaaaaaaaaaaaah!?"

Zanoba shouldn't be someone you can just blow off like that.

He rolled down the stairs, gorogorogoro, and smacked the back of his head against the wall.

The wall then collapsed with a loud crash.

"Let me say I'm sorry here, I'm sorry… you can't defeat me like this, so please just go along and leave."

Randolph unsheathed his sword while saying so.

In the darkness the blade glows green.

Surely that is a magic sword too.

Ah, this is bad.

Regrets, regrets.

Without the MK-1 a fight is no good.

"Zanoba, calm down, fighting here is dangerous."

"But Shishou…"

Hearing the story just now, it is obvious that Randolph is just guarding Pax.

Zanoba is also here to protect Pax.

We should not be enemies.

It would be another story if Randolph was an apostle of Hitogami but…

That possibility seems rather low.

The same with this all being a roundabout trap aimed at my life.

If he was trying to kill the future republic then, with the Death God, Pax could have been destroyed much earlier.

That could have been taken care of even back during the time he was in the KDK.

Anyway, I'll ask him just in case.

"Randolph, if you ask us to wait, we can wait…

Until then, there is one important thing I would like to discuss, okay?"

"What could that be?"

"Do you know of the existence of Hitogami?"

Randolf laughed at that, smirkingly.

It was a laugh fitting this castle, an eerie laugh.

"Yeah, and if I know it?"

With a rattling laugh, Randolph said so.

He declared it.

The reason to fight has been lit within me.

The Hitogami's apostle that we had been looking for, the apostle is this guy here.

I don't understand exactly what the scheme is, but something advantageous to Hitogami is bound to come out of the situation with this guy.

So, this guy is our enemy.

He's an enemy that has to be defeated.

I thought it would come to this.

My blood thirst rises.

"Ah, so that's how it is after all."

Randolph has his sword.

That blade which emits green light illuminates the hallway.

Zanoba is standing with his club poised, Roxy also has her wand out.

I go first.

Little by little the course of events was moving toward this.

A battle with one of the Seven Major Powers while only wearing the MK-II.