Chapter 262: The majesty of General Sen’Oni
Translator: Tseirp
Cloud’s research laboratory which had been destroyed by Mr. Bazak’s magic. At the very back, there was a door that stood completely unaffected by the spell.
“Is this it? It looks like it is completely unaffected.”
“That seems to be the case. It might be quite an important location. Maybe there was a barrier in place that prevented its destruction.”
“Luciel-sama, I’ll be opening it … Eh? I can’t open it even though there isn’t a keyhole.”
Estia took the initiative to open the door but she couldn’t open it.
“Is there some mechanism to it? In that case, 【Dispel】, what about now?”
“I’ll try again. Ah, it’s open.”
It seemed like it opened easily this time just by touch.
There was probably something like a magic spell circle. When I was in Nelldal, I didn’t get to study that type of spell so I wished to learn it one day.
As I was thinking about that, Estia entered past the door.
Even though there was the possibility of traps or enemies, Estia stepped in without hesitation which showed her impatience. But it couldn’t be helped and Lionel and I followed Estia into the room.
Immediately after entering the room, Estia rushed to the person on the floor and hugged them as she desperately pled to me.
“Luciel-sama! Please quickly dispel the slave crest.”
If that person was with Estia in the past, it wasn’t strange that they were a slave too.
Since the person looked like they were suffering, I guessed that they were Cloud’s slave? I confirmed it by crossing gazes with Lionel before I cast Dispel on the person hugged by Estia.
After doing so, we heard a gradual cracking sound and the high-pitched sound of metal snapping.
But it seemed like there were no issues and I confirmed it with Estia.
“Are they still alive?”
“Yes. They could not breathe when we discovered them as their throat was being squeezed but they can breathe now.”
For slaves marked with slave crest, only either death or release would follow upon their owner’s death so that person was being ushered by death.
I knew about it but it seems like death would not happen immediately.
I felt bad for Estia who was visibly happy that her acquaintance was alive but to be safe, not for the sake of cleaning them but to determine if they had undergone demonization, I cast purification magic on them.
“Ah, Luciel-sama, thank you.”
I felt a tinge of guilt after hearing Estia’s grat.i.tude but the person she was hugging didn’t show any noticeable reaction so it seemed like they were not a demon and I sighed a breath of relief.
“Is that person the reincarnated individual that Estia said was killed?”
“Yes. She has changed a little over the years but she is definitely Alice Onee-chan.”
” … Understood. I actually want to hear the story as soon as possible but it would be bad if we don’t meet up with Kefin and the others soon. I will accommodate her in the Hermit’s Coffin before we lightly rummage through this room and proceed to destroy it and meet up with them.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Then, I will look at this side.”
“All right, I leave it to you.”
Estia then housed the reincarnated individual called Alice in the Hermit’s Coffin.
When I looked around the deepest room in the research laboratory once again, I saw a huge amount of medicinal products arranged tightly to the extent that the place could even be called a medicine warehouse.
And on the tables were test tubes and microscopes like those used for science experiments.
” … Perhaps he used the items here to experiment on increasing the compliance rate of demonization?”
I stored all the items from one end to the other and sealed them inside for all eternity.
In preparation for when I finally got to live my slow life, I would never get to spend my time leisurely if such items got out to the world.
I would do all it takes to prevent that.
Having decided so, I asked Lionel to burn the room down after I had retrieved nearly everything.
Lionel raised the flames of his Flaming Greatsword and looked to me to confirm the order to burn the place and I spoke to both of them.
“With this, our original purpose has been achieved. Lionel has taken out Cloud and the demonization research would be crushed with this. All that is left is the internal affairs of the Empire but …”
“Luciel-sama, if it is all right with you, could you leave everything here to me?”
“All right.”
” … You are not going to ask about my plans?”
“Yeah. I am not very informed about the Empire. In such a case, I feel that it would be better to proceed by leaving things to Lionel who knows more about the Empire.”
“Thank you very much. Then, let’s quickly reunite with Kefin and the others.”
“Yeah. Let’s do that.”
After setting fire to the entire research laboratory, we returned to the area we fought against Cloud.
Upon doing so, we found that the situation above was in an uproar so we had to quickly move to the surface.
“I’ll create steps to move up 【Earth Dragon, pave the way for me.】”
Channeling magical power into my Illusionary Wand, I spoke to the Earth Dragon while imagining the phenomenon and struck the front of my wand onto the ground, causing the ground to rise and a staircase was built in the blink of an eye.
“I’m thankful that there has not been any need to use much of my magical power.”
“Luciel-sama, I will be taking point.”
Lionel announced and rushed up the stairs.
I wanted a little more reaction considering how I made it so well but … well, there’s no helping it.
“Are you fine in terms of magical power?”
“I’m fine. Let’s go.”
“I will stand in front so please follow behind.”
I nodded to Estia’s words and what came into sight after climbing the stairs was the injured Kefin and others as well as a barely-standing half-broken giant Golem protecting them.
Even though we did not underestimate the ability of the Imperial Soldiers, I was surprised with their injuries and immediately cast Area High Heal on them before I looked at the Imperial Soldiers and was stunned by the sight.
I approached Kefin to confirm the situation when I heard Lionel’s voice.
“I will ask again. Who are you pointing your blades at? Surely not at me? If so, I will take you all on anytime. Now then, firstly, the commanding person, step up.”
As if having been squeezed out, two Imperial Soldiers appeared up front. The two’s faces were already deadly pale.
Judging from their reactions, it seemed that they were well aware of Lionel’s fearsomeness from when he was General Sen’Oni in the Empire.
Nevertheless, taking a cursory look at the gathered soldiers, I didn’t feel a tinge of fear at all.
Perhaps because they were cowering from Lionel or perhaps …
“Well, aren’t you all raring to go, unsheathing your swords at me so early in the morning? It has been some time but shall we have an exercise right this moment?”
He called out to the soldier with a jovial tone but the spirit in the eyes of the soldiers quickly disappeared.
“N-no, no no no. Lionel-sama has only recently announced your retirement from the frontlines and once you focus your energies to defense, our Empire would become an immovable rock in the future.”
“That’s right. Furthermore, your physical condition has deteriorated these couple of years so we wish that you don’t overexert yourself.”
I heard that the Imperial Soldiers were of strong body and mind and was like an organization of demons that advanced without fearing anything but … it didn’t seem like the soldiers there matched that description.
They had their way with words so perhaps they hailed from former aristocratic backgrounds? Or perhaps they were former merchants who paid money to become knights?
“Hou. So you guys care for me so much huh?”
“O-of course. General is both the Empire strongest spear and strongest s.h.i.+eld.”
“An exercise led by Lionel-sama who is at the apex of martial arts would be too awe-inspiring …”
The gathered soldiers nodded in unison.
Lionel smiled and nodded which caused relieved expressions to spread across the soldiers.
“I see. Then, regardless of how suspicious they were, since you all injured my friends and followers, I will have to get their help to conduct an exercise with everyone here.”
That instant, the air in the area seemed to have frozen over as silence dominated the field.
A few seconds later, the ones who broke the ice was surprisingly those two Captains.
“Pl-please wait. The ones who attacked those suspicious … individuals were not us. They were fighting the variants that have fallen there and we had just arrived.”
I see. In that case, I could understand the injuries the three of them suffered.
Nevertheless, so demons had infiltrated the venue as feared …
In that case, I can’t deny the possibility that there were still demons lurking around.
” … I see. In that case, why weren’t you all fighting too? Regardless of how early it is, in the event that abnormalities surfaced in the castle, you all should have rushed to the site immediately.”
“Th-that’s because we had to prioritize the safety of His Majesty.”
“Fumu … In that case, is His Majesty aware of this incident? I will have to report to him then. Gentlemen, unfortunately, the exercise will have to be postponed. Is His Majesty in bed?”
When Lionel said that, the soldiers could not suppress their joy and were actually shaking in relief.
“Yes. It seemed like His Majesty was still sleeping.”
“His Majesty will definitely be relieved if General visit.”
“Then, I shall do so. Gentlemen, return to your duties and act in a manner that will not shame your ident.i.ty as the Empire’s soldiers.”
“””Yes!”””
“”Please excuse us.””
The two Captains finished their greetings and the soldiers bowed in unison before they left as if fleeing the scene.
“With this, we can now walk through the castle at ease.”
Lionel turned back and smiled.
Showing a more composed appearance than ever, I wondered how did Lionel view the current me.
If possible, I would be happy if he viewed me as someone with that much composure too …
I thought to myself as I nodded to Lionel and checked on the condition of Kefin and the others.
“Kefin, Cathy, Paula. Is everyone all right?”
“Yes. We were ambushed the moment we came up and the demons were strong so we were forced into a tough battle but all the demons suddenly showed signs of suffering after a while and we defeated all the demons with that opening.”
“They were quite strong nya. They were wearing sparkling armor so they were probably former Royal Guards nya.”
“I’m at my Magical Power limits. I’m hungry …”
… So they were ambushed … I couldn’t hear it because of the magic Mr. Bazak released.
Nevertheless, since both Kefin and Cathy felt that they were strong, we would have to raise our guard from now on.
“Paula, do you still have magic stones?”
” … I don’t have any left.”
She probably used it all on the Golem that acted as a barricade.
“Everyone, sorry that you had to push yourselves. But with this, we have achieved our original goal. After this, we just have to withdraw but I will be s.h.i.+fting command to Lionel.”
After announcing that, the three of them turned to look at Lionel.
Then …
“Now, we will head to the Emperor’s bedroom and arrest the Emperor.”
Lionel boldly declared.
Author’s note:
Thank you for reading.
