Chapter 119 – Winter Storm

“First, to His Majesty Melvin’s room. Do you have your Magic Tools?”

“I’m fine on my end. What about you, Marlene?”

Marlene also nodded with a serious expression. We left the hallway and headed toward King Melvin’s room.

When I knocked, King Melvin responded immediately.

“It’s Mathius.”

“Hmm”

The sound of unlocking echoed. As we entered the room, King Melvin himself greeted us as if he had been waiting.

“What is it?”

“Enemies. A group disguised as guards is approaching from the forest outside.”

I briefly and concisely reported the situation to King Melvin.

“They’ve resorted to large-scale measures…”

King Melvin seemed to immediately grasp the implications.

“I’ll go out to confront them. I’ll ensure the perpetrators don’t notice the commotion outside… but if something happens, please escape.”

“Hmm. But I entrust my fate to you.”

I returned King Melvin’s smile and turned around. Leaving Albert in the room, Marlene and I went out into the hallway.

The night was already quite late. It was so quiet that one wouldn’t think any disturbance was about to occur.

Well then… How will the perpetrators move from here?

From this point on, it’s simple. The thieves will break in, and while we’re fighting back, they’ll attack from the inside.

They might be planning to assassinate their target themselves, taking advantage of the confusion.

In other words. Conversely speaking, if they don’t notice that the external enemies have reached the mansion, they’ll likely continue waiting to ensure success.

Leaving Caduceus’ surveillance in the hallway, I went outside through the mansion’s main entrance.

Marlene flew outside the Barrier using Levitation and Air Blast Magic Tools – both to retreat from the main battlefield and to use summoning magic outside the barrier.

After seeing her off, I activated a Magic Circle. I used Water Magic 6th Tier Rainy Cloud.

As the Spell Formula constructed, clouds billowed up and rain began falling sporadically around the mansion.

While this magic is meant to create a field that enhances and assists Water Magic by causing widespread rain, or to counter fire-based magic and monsters… when a Battle Mage uses it in a circulating state, it becomes a localized downpour. Even if a disturbance occurs outside, it becomes undetectable due to the sound of rain.

—Well then. Preparations are complete. Let’s proceed with eliminating the enemies.

I advanced directly toward the enemy group marching through the forest in formation.

Placing Ouroboros in the shadows, I made contact with them.

“Hmm—”

My eyes met with the one at the front. The men disguised as guards looked at me with puzzled expressions.

“I’m Mathius, a servant. I saw you from the mansion, but what brings you here so late at night?”

“…We got lost.”

That’s what he said. Even though they were narrowing their encirclement, they couldn’t possibly be lost. But well, just in case it might be true, I’ll play along with this farce.

“Is that so? I’m not familiar with the paths, so I’ll return to the mansion and bring someone. Could you wait here?”

“Ah, understood.”

I turned my back. I heard a small metallic sound—the sound of a blade rubbing against its scabbard.

Since they planned to kill everyone, they shouldn’t make the mistake of being noticed by those in the mansion until the last moment, I suppose. They wouldn’t want me returning to the mansion.

Well, if that’s the case, then my course of action is decided.

They’re scum who take on dirty work and attack those who can’t use magic in overwhelming numbers. I don’t feel like holding back. A few of them… it should be enough to knock them flying with just enough force to barely keep them alive.

“Come, Ouroboros”

A whooshing sound. Just before the blade swung down toward my back could strike, I kicked off a Magic Shield and flew diagonally upward. A moment later, the Dragon Staff was in my hand.

“Wha—!?”

A voice of astonishment. Using a tree trunk as a foothold, I traced a sharp trajectory and closed in on the assassin who was still in his sword-swinging posture, facing the wrong direction. Relying on the momentum of my charge, I slammed Ouroboros into him, feeling the sensation of armor crumpling and hearing the sound of bones breaking.

“Damn you!”

Another nearby assassin leaped at me. I didn’t even need to turn around. I detected his movement through the thin Shield deployed behind me. I swung the opposite end of Ouroboros upward to strike his chin, and while shifting my Form, swept his legs to shatter his shins.

“Guh!?”

He collapsed with an inaudible scream.

The others seemed to have noticed the abnormality too. They drew their swords and ran toward me.

I see, they must be well-trained to be entrusted with assassination. They’re properly forming ranks despite the unexpected situation. But—I won’t face them properly.

I leaped from tree to tree. Taking position directly above the group who had lost sight of me and were trying to reform into a circular formation.

“Scatter”

4th Tier Water Magic Icicle Spike. Small masses of magical power emitting a pale gleam landed at the center of the circular formation. Immediately, ice spears shot out radially, impaling their legs all at once. By the time agonized cries echoed through the pitch-black forest, I was no longer there.

Ignoring the screams chasing me from behind, I zigzagged through the trees and closed in on my next prey. Swinging upward from a Low Stance with full force, the assassin’s body flew higher than the trees. I swept away the man staring dumbfounded at this, sending him flying. He flew sideways and crashed directly into a tree trunk.

I didn’t stop. Regardless of distance, I randomly struck at anyone I saw, happily mowing down whoever I hit. I made illusory clones from Mirage Body dance among the trees to confuse them.

Complete chaos had broken out. There still seemed to be plenty of them—but once it reached this point, they had no means to respond.

“Gugyaaaah! M-my arm!”

“Damn it! What the hell is this!”

“Over there! He went over there—ugehhh!”

The sounds of destruction echoing incessantly through the night darkness. Agonized voices. Screams mixed with angry shouts and roars. Everything was swallowed by the rain and night darkness, reaching no one’s ears in the mansion.

The area around the mansion was already shrouded in darkness. That was Marlene’s hand. Through the employment of the dark Spirit Shade, not only sound but even the faint night light was blocked, making it impossible to discern this situation.

“Shit! Shit! I didn’t hear we’d be dealing with a monster like this! I didn’t hear about this!”

Despite being at the peak of confusion, they were quite skilled. Some could withstand the initial attacks. But I wouldn’t bother subduing assassins one by one with skill.

If no light reaches the mansion, I don’t need to be selective with my cards either. The moment I struck Ouroboros against a sword, I wrapped it in Lightning Strike. I made the body convulse from being Shocked, then swung the staff through as if smashing the face, making it spin once in midair.

“Impossible! You shouldn’t be able to use magic!”

The man who shouted this was captured by Tramplethorn and trapped within thorny vines, screaming in pain.

They were already completely broken. Some tried to run away. But that wouldn’t be allowed. First of all, even if they managed to escape this place, where exactly would they go from this isolated island cut off from the outside world?

Ice bullets pursued them from behind, pinning them to trees. An assassin who managed to dodge the ice bullets showed a relieved expression, but the next moment it twisted with Fear and froze.

The sound of horseshoes echoed as a headless knight flashing with green flames appeared from the void. As Dullahan swung its sword, the assassins sprayed blood and fell.

The phantom horse scraped the void with its front hooves and neighed, while the headless knight also proudly raised its own head high and laughed.

Perhaps because I had already stirred things up, the Impact of its appearance was tremendous.

“Eeeek!”

Driven by Dullahan, they came fleeing toward me, and I smashed them down.

I crushed one, then two men who came fleeing. As I was about to strike the third—

“I-it’s no use! Captain! Captain—!”

He cried out like that. One man reacted and turned around.

Realizing he had reacted, he looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.

“So it’s you.”

I narrowed my eyes and laughed, using Wind Magic to scoop up the assassin before me and send him soaring high into the sky.

Then I advanced toward the man who had led the assassins.

Those who tried to attack me to prevent this—with my staff, with magic. I literally crushed them.

Before I knew it, I could no longer hear shouts or screams. Only agonized voices leaked from here and there.

There were several whose consciousness I had only knocked out to prevent them from committing suicide. This should be sufficient for evidence.

“How many… do you think there were? That we… in such, such a short time…?”

The man called captain checked the surroundings and spoke in a dazed voice.

“Well? I didn’t count so I don’t know.”

I checked with Life Detection, but aside from the so-called captain, the responses had become faint. I saw the responses that had been visible in the distance being cut down by Dullahan… I think I’ve roughly crushed them all.

“Glory to the Duoveris Cult!”

The captain said this while taking a Stance with his sword, making me laugh involuntarily.

“W-what’s so funny!”

“Well… I’ve figured out your methods. You planned to have Duoveris’ followers cause a disturbance, thereby staining the cult’s name and protecting the honor of the assassination’s mastermind, right?”

When I said this, the captain’s eyes widened in shock. Apparently, I hit the mark.

Indeed. The information that Duoveris Cult members are hostile to Demon Slayers has reached even Termwills. This must be a plan that utilizes that information and environment.

If they had succeeded in the assassination, even if there were doubters, they could have forcibly pushed through with strong authority—but revealing your own name when you’re about to lose is a poor strategy.

Preparing corpses with the cult’s Tattoos. Leaving cult members’ emblem-engraved scimitars and harpers at the scene… They likely made that level of preparation, but I can still assert these guys are different.

“But unfortunately. Your Sword Arts—your technical system is entirely that of the Veldgar Kingdom Knights. Not the techniques used by cult assassins. Bringing along somewhat skilled men turned out to be your downfall.”

“…Wh-what! You! Just what are you!?”

He leaped at me in a rage. Once he lost his composure, it was over. Ouroboros made a mocking sound as it was swung, shattering the captain’s sword and blowing away his body along with it.

“It’s finished.”

Accompanied by Marlene, I returned to King Melvin to report. It was unchanged from when we left. Though the sound of rain echoed outside, the situation was quiet.

The man I brought back restrained with Light Bind was the captain-type from earlier. He had fractures and was Fainted… but well, it shouldn’t be life-threatening.

“…This man is?”

“Probably the commander. They use a technical system belonging to the Veldgar Kingdom Knights. Since they attacked from behind, I crushed every last one of them. They should still be lying around in the forest outside.”

“…I’ve burdened you with a troublesome role, Theodore.”

“No.”

I don’t find it troublesome. There’s Marlene to consider too.

Fundamentally, schemes like this bring nothing but harm and no benefit to my life anyway. These guys are my enemies.

“Someone! Call for Josiah and the others!”

Well then, let’s finish this. It won’t be over until we crush the mastermind.