Chapter 171: Sustenance Above All Else
After the duel, Ryu received a direct request from the Grandmaster.
“Assassins from the western Eldorado Empire and the eastern Principality… targeting the heroes?”
“Yeah. Their own heroes are dead, yet the kingdom’s heroes are still alive. That probably doesn’t sit well with them—militarily and politically.”
“But sending assassins into Gran Federation territory, a neutral nation, is forbidden, isn’t it? At the very least, they could’ve waited until the heroes returned to their kingdom.”
“Well… between us, I think the fact that they’re heroes of the Garcia Kingdom plays a part too. The upper ranks of Garcia have a reputation for being corrupt lately, and their army tends to go out of control at the slightest provocation. The Empire and the Principality are simply afraid.”
“And you want me to protect them?”
“After the duel, this is their best possible chance to strike.”
“Hmm…”
“Could you do something about it? With you there, I’d feel at ease.”
“…Fine. I’ll take it.”
“You have my gratitude… truly. And if I may ask one more thing—capture a few of them alive for interrogation. Apparently, a dark clan has been hired this time. We’ve had suspicions about them for a while, but we still lack decisive evidence to convict them. If possible, I’d like to wipe them out from the capital entirely.”
“What about the Empire and Principality assassins?”
“Even if we capture them, it won’t mean anything. If it were just one nation, we could rally the other great powers and impose penalties. But this time, two of them are involved. If we make it an issue, the continent could split in half.”
“I see. Being the Federation isn’t easy.”
“As a neutral nation, there are many things we have to swallow. This incident is just one of them.”
“…What a troublesome world.”
“Indeed.”
◇◇◇
Ryu descended onto the battlefield and immediately activated Takemikazuchi.
The overwhelming, thunderous magic radiating from him—like a god of lightning—forced everyone’s gaze upon him, whether they wanted it or not.
Amane murmured softly,
“…Is that… Ryu?”
“That’s nothing like he was during the duel!!”
“….”
(So that’s Ryu… the ultimate peak I should aim for…!!)
Lily and her group were visibly excited as well.
“Whoa… Ryu looks seriously angry…”
“Did he get close to the heroes during the duel or something?”
“No, he’s probably a bit annoyed, sure—but he’s not really that angry.”
Lily paused for a moment before continuing.
“If Ryu-kun were truly angry… it wouldn’t look like this. It’d be far worse.”
“So… that’s still his normal state?”
“Yep. He’s even suppressing his magic quite a bit so the heroes behind him don’t get caught in it.”
“Unbelievable…!”
Even Orochi, the clan master of the Golden Serpent, instinctively took a step back.
“…What is that…? Could he be the Demon King?”
But the imperial assassins refused to retreat.
“Hey, Orochi. Don’t even think about running. That goes for the rest of your Golden Serpents too.”
“You’re not afraid of that?!”
“…This is an honorable mission granted by the Cardinal. Fear is irrelevant.”
“…Tch… I see.”
(Damn these Eldorado zealots…! I’ll have to find a way to escape on my own…)
At that moment, reinforcements descended behind the assassins of both nations.
“No one’s getting away, you fools from other countries. You’re the ones being hunted now.”
It was the Grandmaster—and the adventurers under his direct command.
The assassins who had surrounded the heroes suddenly found themselves surrounded by far stronger opponents.
The formation now was:
Adventurers — Principality Assassins — Lily — Heroes — Ryu — Empire Assassins — Grandmaster.
High walls blocked both sides.
There was no escape.
Ryu drew Kurikara.
“—Now then.”
The assassins swallowed nervously.
“Let’s have all of you die.”
“““““Eek!!”””””
The Grandmaster let out a sigh.
“I told you not to kill them all…”
(Well… Ryu should manage.)
Thus began the final battle of the day.
…Though calling it a “battle” was generous. With such overwhelming force on the heroes’ side, the assassins stood no chance.
“She’s fast—too fast!!”
“Hold that swordsman down with numbers!!”
“This weak-looking girl—I’ll kill—gyaah!!”
“My, how rude. I am the vice-captain, you know.”
(Oh? So that subordinate is the vice-captain.)
Ryu casually learned something new.
“Ahahaha! You see, we’re a special unit formed specifically for battles like this!”
Lily cut down enemies one after another in the blink of an eye.
Those who appeared to be higher-ranking—judging by their magic or equipment—were merely knocked unconscious. She even had the leeway to show restraint.
“Damn you dark clan scum!!”
“Always sneaking past the guild’s eyes and causing trouble!!”
The adventurers under the Grandmaster seemed thoroughly enraged.
And the Grandmaster himself was enjoying it.
“Hahaha!! Smash! Smash!! My blood’s pumping like the old days!!”
Even while holding back, his trained fists sent multiple enemies flying with a single blow.
Perhaps he was venting his daily frustrations amidst the chaos.
There were about a hundred assassins from each side.
Which meant Ryu alone had to incapacitate at least fifty.
In front of him stood the Golden Serpent dark clan.
“To think even the Grandmaster would show up… that was unexpected.”
“This is no time for idle talk, Orochi. Unless we defeat the monster before us, we go nowhere.”
“Yes, yes, I know.”
(There’s no way we can beat something like that. I’ll just create a distraction and escape myself.)
Orochi infused magic into his ring.
“Go, my lovely golden snakes.”
“I’ll assist.”
The imperial assassin drew his sword and advanced alongside the summoned serpents.
A simultaneous attack.
—But.
The moment the magical snakes touched the black lightning crackling around Ryu, they vanished.
“H-how?!”
(Black lightning… I’ve never seen it before. It must be a superior form of lightning magic… but I must still fight.)
“O God of Eld… grant me your blessing!!”
“What are you—”
Slash.
The assassin was cleaved in two, sword and all.
(Ah… that one looked important. Oh well.)
“Now, my snakes!”
Orochi tried to use the distraction to scale the wall.
“…Huh?”
“That’s a pretty interesting magic tool you’ve got there.”
Ryu grabbed his leg and slammed him into the ground.
“Gah!”
Orochi embedded into the earth, unconscious.
(So this ring summons magical snakes… Maybe with some modification, it could summon a dragon instead.)
He slipped the ring into his pocket.
“I’ll take this. Alright. Enough playing around.”
He commanded Kurikara to transform.
The blade twisted and coiled around his right arm—
like the arm of a black dragon.
“Narukami—Revised.”
With a single strike, over forty enemies—including high-ranking Golden Serpent members—were blown away.
The heroes stared in disbelief.
“…Isn’t Ryu a swordsman?”
“I heard he was a mage.”
“Ryoma said he can do anything… I see now.”
Takeshi spoke quietly.
“If Ryoma is the greatest swordsman… then Ryu is the strongest being. No wonder Ryoma trusts him as his closest friend.”
(So there was never any chance he’d join our party… but still…)
“What we learned today will become our greatest strength.”
“Hehe, you’re right.”
“We’ve got to work harder too!!”
◇◇◇
A few minutes later, not a single enemy remained standing.
“Captain Lily. We’ve neutralized the enemies with minimal damage to allies and surroundings.”
“Great job!”
“Having Ryu behind us really makes a difference.”
“It really does.”
“Alright! Bind everyone still breathing!”
“““““Yes!”””””
Under the Grandmaster’s command, the adventurers began restraining the survivors.
“Let’s guard the heroes. There might still be assassins waiting for an ambush.”
“Understood.”
“Hey, heroes! You alright?”
“Captain Lily… thanks to you, yes.”
“Whoa, Takeshi—you look terrible.”
“I dueled Ryu.”
“Wait, that was Ryu’s doing?! Oh! I brought mana potions—Amane, can you restore everyone?”
“Of course. Thank you.”
Amane cast healing magic, restoring everyone.
She even healed injured adventurers, earning their gratitude.
“By the way… where’s Ryu?”
“…He already left.”
“Whaaaaat?! My emotional reunion scene!!”
“He’s a married man. Unlike someone who’s always free and single.”
“Waaaaaah!!”
But Lily wasn’t the only one shocked.
“…Ryu is married?”
Takeshi and the others froze.
“Yes. He’s married to Esther.”
“Esther… that small elf girl, right?”
The three spoke in unison—
“““With that size difference?!?!”””