Chapter 23: Prince Kurobuta Kicks Out the Assassins

(What the hell happened ......?)

Looking down at the aristocratic district from far above, Brad narrowed his eyes.

The noble district is lined with elegant buildings, and the roads are more beautifully paved than in other areas. It's a particularly beautiful area in the royal capital city of Fort Flat, where even the slums are paved with cobblestones.

However, a corner of the city was now half destroyed. As if there had been a battle, the walls of a dozen or so buildings were gouged out, roofs collapsed, and debris was strewn about.

Around the square, I spotted the figure of a huge demon that was probably the cause of this situation.

"Eagle Eye."

I said using a sight-enhancing spell and stared at it.

Then, the view of the square was magnified as if I was using binoculars.

(That's ...... A WereWolf Lord!)

And then Brad's eyes widened as he once again saw the monster in the square.

--WereWolf Lord. It's a bipedal, werewolf-headed, beastman-type monster, a superior species of werewolf. The normal appearance of a werewolf Lord is almost the same as that of an average werewolf with the same appearance, the distinguishable factor is that the body is a size larger. However, during battle, it grows to the size of a full-grown dragon and displays extraordinary power that can’t be compared to that of a werewolf. It’s the boss of the werewolves.

In fact, the werewolf in front of me has grown to the size of a standing building. I'm pretty sure it's a Werewolf Lord.

Incidentally, although he is not involved in the main storyline of "Final Quest", he appears as a mid-level boss in a sub-story for obtaining rare items. Since it’s a sub-story in the middle of the story, its level must have been over 25. It's much more dangerous than the dragons that appear around here.

(Why in the world is it here ?)

It was unthinkable that such a monster would be running rampant in the royal capital. It was like the Cyclops from the other day rampaging through the capital.

But now was not the time to think about it.

There were many people and knights in the square, they were still in danger. And the werewolf lord had them cornered and could attack at any moment.

(Wait!...isn't that Rosie?)

When the faces of the people being hunted down came into view, Brad's eyes widened.

In the midst of the people or rather, in front of them was Brad's personal maid, Rosie.

She was standing in front of the werewolf lord with a resolute expression.

I began to wonder why they weren’t running away till I noticed the luxurious carriage behind them which was laid down and the people who were riding it were huddled together cowering in fear.

There were also the ladies in their dresses and Rosie's friend an exclusive maid who was a half-elf named Lina, I believe. She seems to be defending them.

"You idiot!"

After understanding the situation, Brad's movements were incredibly swift.

He stood up and drew his sword.

And then - he jumped.

It was far above the royal capital.

He jumped off the back of his beloved dragon, Gilgard, without any hesitation, even though it was a height that could kill him if he fell. It was as if he had used Gilgard's body as a springboard and he swooped down plummeting towards the square with the force of a meteor.

"Levitation!"

As the square grew in size in his vision, he activated a levitation spell.

As the ground approaches 100 meters, 90 meters, 80 meters ......, the momentum of the fall slowly reduced and he gained control.

And just as the werewolf lord was about to attack Rosie and the others, Brad finally reached the ground.

There was a flash of a sword to the side.

The head of the Wolf Lord came off and blood splashed in the air.

"----"

At that same time, Brad Landed on the cobblestones in the square.

The momentum of the fall formed a crater in the ground, sending up a light cloud of debris and dust. But considering the momentum of the fall, the landing was surprisingly quiet thanks to the levitation spell.

And just as Brad brushed the blood from his sword, the head of the werewolf lord tumbled to the ground, and with it, the rest of his body.

The square fell silent as if it had been muted.

It was so instantaneous that everyone could not comprehend the situation.

"I don't believe it ...... He took down that monster with one blow!"

As the knight said this, a ripple of noise spread throughout the square.

After a few moments, one of the knights finally let out a groan of astonishment.

"We had no chance at all... and in one move? Who the hell is that?”

"You idiot, have you forgotten the face of the prince you serve? ...!　　It's Lord Brad!"

"Naani!(What), you think that's Lord Brad?”

It seems that Brad's appearance had changed so much that many people didn't recognize him. However, many of them had seen the not so skinny Brad before, and thanks to his distinctive silver hair and brown skin, they were immediately convinced.

While the place was abuzz with Brad's transformation and strength, the knight captain calmly confirmed the death of the werewolf lord and instructed the knights to carry the injured.

The Knights regained their composure and carried the injured ladies, Lina, and the knights out of the square in order.

"Brad-sama, desu?"

At that moment, someone suddenly called out.

She looked somewhat frightened as if the tension of facing the monster still lingered.

"Ohh, it's okay now. You did a great job."

Brad smiled and put his hand on Rosie's head to reassure her.

And then. It seems to have become a detonator of all her pent-up emotions, and Rosie's lovely face twisted as she teared up.

But then she shook her head as if trying to hold back her emotion.

"Waah, Brad-sama, I was so scared desu"

She jumped into my chest, sobbing.

She must have been really scared.

She was crying so hard that I thought she was going to dry out all the water in her body, and she clung to me tightly.

She held onto me so tightly that I thought I had no choice but to pat her on the head.

It was such a touching scene.

(her nose is running...)"

Rosie's nose was running as much as her tears, and because she nuzzled my chest with her face, my clothes were miserably soggy with snot.

To be honest, I wanted to rip this snotty girl off right away because she was even pulling out thread, but circumstances are circumstances so I decided to let her off the hook for once.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, I felt a glance from behind me.

I turned my eyes to find a strange figure peering at me from the shadows of the alley by the side.

(Is that ......?)

The spell to strengthen my eyesight had already worn off, so I couldn't see the face.

The figure quickly retreated into the shadows, as if it had noticed my gaze. At the same time, the cloak that the figure was wearing fluttered greatly in the wind.

(A gray ...... cloak)

As soon as the cloak was seen, the figure did not show its face again.

Brad squinted, gazing intently at the place where the figure was standing.

***

"...... So, what happened?"

After he was sure Rosie has calmed down, Brad asked.

By the way, Brad's private room in the royal palace had changed greatly.

Him and Rosie were both sitting on opposite sides of the couch.

"I went to the square because Lina asked me to desu, but then the monster attacked and the city was in chaos. I wanted to run away, but a passing carriage was knocked over by the demon, and I was lending a hand to them when ......"

"So was it too late for you all to escape?"*

Brad sighed and Rosie nodded

Then he said. "Your life is yours and mine as well because I'm your master. I'd rather you didn't do anything dangerous if you can help it."

"I'm sorry ...... sir."

When Brad said this in a harsh tone, Rosie's mood fell and he noticed it.

He smiled and patted Rosie on the head.

"Why are you apologizing?" Brad asked while grinning widely.

"Because I did a dangerous thing desu ......."

"As much as you can... I should have said that. It’s a natural thing for a lady to lend a hand to someone in distress. It's a very brave and commendable thing to do. Not just anyone can do that. I'm proud to be your master. Well done, Rosie."

When Brad smiled at her, Rosie's eyes widened in surprise, and then she bit her lip to hold back her emotions.

　In the end, Brad laughs lightly when he sees Rosie, who began to weep.

"Oy!, Oy!, aren’t you crying too much?”

"It's your fault, Brad-sama... You said things that made me cry immediately. I'm really proud to be Brad's maid too... I, Rosie, will continue to serve you with all my heart and soul desu"

Rosie wiped her eyes and made a fist to affirm her pledge.*

"Anyway, why would a Wolflord appear in the royal capital. It's not the kind of monster that wanders around like that. If such demons were to appear often, humans would be extinct in no time".

"It's true that not only the... knights desu, but even Albert-sama was unable to stand up to them."

Rosie shuddered as if remembering the horrors that took place.

" What!? Albert was there?"

"Yes desu, he rushed over with the knights but was defeated before Brad-Sama arrived, but he was being healed so I don't think his life is in danger. However, if he finds out that Brad-sama defeated the monster, he might be very disappointed."

Rosie smiles mischievously.

On the other hand, Brad was relieved to know that his brother was safe.

In Final Quest, Albert is a member of the hero’s party. He didn't want anything to happen to him. And although they weren't on good terms, they were blood brothers. I'm glad nothing happened to him because I was planning to deepen our bond.

"......"

Since Albert was defeated, the demon must certainly have been a werewolf lord. But how the monster invaded the royal capital, I have no idea.

A werewolf is a monster that disguises itself as a human, blends into society, and cunningly targets humans. It's likely that it disguised himself as a human to get in.

(But ...... that's odd.)

The werewolves are highly intelligent and do not go on such animalistic rampages in the streets like that. Not to talk of a Werewolf Lord.

I smell something fishy.

"What was the werewolf lord like? Did it try speaking to you?”

"No... There was no attempt at communication desu! It was like a bloodthirsty beast on a rampage, attacking people in the square with bloodshot eyes."

Brad squints.

There were monsters called Lycanthropes who have a habit of losing their reasoning on the night of a full moon. But Werewolves were different. They don't lose reasoning that easily and it was noon as the moon wasn’t even out.

"Did you notice anything weird about the Werewolf Lord or the city?"

"No, I was too scared and desperate to observe anything."

"I'm sorry I can't be of much help desu!." Rosie said and bowed her head.

The only thing I could come up with was that someone might have manipulated the Werewolf lord. But I had little information to begin with. Speaking of suspicious things, I remembered the figure that was covered with the gray cloak, but since I couldn't make out the face, there was no clue.

(Gray Cloak...)

In this world, it’s customary to identify one's country of origin by their cloak. There are no particular rules but people often wear cloaks with their country's pattern and design.

The gray cloak probably belonged to the "Gray Empire" Dastoria.

And out of the main characters in "Final Quest", only one person came to mind as a citizen of Dastoria. This is because Dastoria did not exist at the start of the main story and the country was destroyed through a conspiracy by the demon king's army.

(No... That's not right. Dastoria shouldn't have been destroyed in this world yet)

There are still many people living in Dastoria.

Maybe the figure was from somewhere else.

If not, there's no way he'd be strolling casually in a foreign city.

Anyway, I think I should give as much information to my father and the leading figures of the country.

While I was still thinking about this, Rosie says "Anyway..."

"Welcome back Brad-sama! I was worried but I'm glad you came back desu! You've become more dignified than how you were in January. You even defeated a monster that even Albert-sama didn't stand a chance against. As expected of Brad-sama desu!"

"Well, I did go through an intense bloody training."

Brad scratches his head, feeling guilty of deceiving Rosie as he watches her shining eyes.

Actually, I just repeated the simple task of wandering around the dungeon in search of Orichalcum and subduing it as soon as I found it. But there was no doubt I was leveling at high risk, so there isn't much lie in what I said.

"Sugoi desu! Sugoi! (Awesome). With this, the sword dance festival will be a huge success and there’s no doubt that you will win."

Brad is relieved to hear that.

(I'm not going to let you down.)

"What of the registration?"

"Registration has already ended. It's been a week since it started already ."

"Gah!!!......" Brad was speechless.

If I can't participate in the sword dance festival, then what have I been doing all this time. All my days of leveling revolved around my head like a magic stone lantern.

When Brad leaves his mouth open with a goofy face, Rosie laughs.

"Don't worry desu! I took it upon myself and completed Brad-sama's registration."

"Hooooo!!!!... Is that true?"

Brad hurriedly asked and Rosie nodded.

He was overjoyed.

"This is great! Great! Rosie. All my efforts wouldn't have meant anything if I couldn't participate. As expected! You’re really a maid who can do it all!"

"Even if you don’t praise me like this, I'll do anything for you desu!"

Rosie's face was bright red as she was wriggling and it looked like she was happy.

This maid's sloppy face is pretty. Brad nods with satisfaction and while praising himself saying she's the maid of his choice and knows how to work hard, he nodded in satisfaction.

Well his criteria for choosing her in the first place was that she had a cute face and was obedient.

"But, but... It's okay to praise me even more..."

I also stroked her head as reward♡

I even hug her tightly!

"Ah! But that's no good desu. I'm a maid from a low-ranking noble family and Brad is the prince of the country and has a fiancee named Marie. It's an unforgivable love desu! Wha- what am I saying?♡"

Rosie began to get lost in her own thoughts and Brad stretched his back without worrying about it as usual

"Well since you've already registered me as a participant. I can start practicing with confidence from tomorrow.

Rosie seemed to snap back to reality

"What are you talking about desu! You’ll be resuming at the academy tomorrow. You’ve been training hard until today. You need to rest before the sword dance festival day desu!. If you don’t rest your body, you won't be able to show your full strength on the day of the festival desu!"

"I know, I know.”

I was going to attend class anyway without being told.

School is depressing not just cause I'm not good at socializing, but also as a result of my behavior so far. But this is the result of what I did before I regained memory of my past life and I have to take responsibility and do wipe my own butt.

"Anyone looking at you now will be truly surprised desu! You've become strong enough to wipe out a demon with a single blow, not to mention you turned out to be so awesome!”

Brad shrugs saying "Don't you think that’s a bit exaggerated."

Certainly, in this January's training, I lost weight and gained an ideal figure. But given my previous behavior at the academy and how I was treated by other students, I don't think that would change anything. 

Rosie may be okay with her master's reforming, but it should be seen more objectively.*

--I thought so--

Brad actually went to the academy the next day, and realized that it was not Rosie but him who was not viewing himself objectively.

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