Kays Translations

Chapter 49: The Battle of the Skyscraper [Part 1]

If events unfolded as expected, the area surrounding the Grand Clock Tower would become the most dangerous place in Elendil.

A broad plaza encircled the tower, with a fountain at its center. Tonight, an unnatural silence hung over it.

Ideally, they would have evacuated the entire town. That was impossible, however. An evacuation on that scale would immediately alert the Demon King cult, and the operation they had so carefully prepared would collapse before it began.

Instead, only the streets around the Grand Clock Tower had been closed from late afternoon under a fabricated pretext.

“The plaza’s cobblestone pavement has collapsed. Entry is forbidden until its safety can be confirmed.”

Ordinary citizens were instructed to avoid the danger until the inspection was complete.

No private residences stood immediately around the Grand Clock Tower. The surrounding buildings were shops, public facilities, and other establishments that closed at night. Their proprietors had been ordered to evacuate and would later receive compensation for their losses.

Men arranged by Ulysses had also searched the district repeatedly to ensure no civilians remained. Preparations had been made elsewhere in town as well, so that the population would not be placed in danger if the fighting spread.

How would the Demon King cult interpret those precautions?

Would they recognize a trap, or assume the restrictions were merely preparations for replacing the Grand Clock Tower’s magic stone?

Radius could not know which conclusion they would reach. One fact, however, was certain.

The enemy had already advanced too far to abandon its operation.

Two people approached the restricted road leading toward the plaza.

They were Vayne and Sera.

After completing the day’s second entrance examination, they had traveled from the Imperial Capital to Elendil. Their reason was simple: they wanted to congratulate each other for their efforts and relax before returning to the capital.

“I am sorry, but the Grand Clock Tower Plaza is closed,” one of the guards told them.

Sera stopped on the main avenue and sighed.

Had they continued straight ahead, they would soon have reached the plaza. A large warning sign now stood across the cobblestones, however, with several guards stationed beside it.

“You will have to turn back. Please visit another day.”

“That is unfortunate, but I understand.”

When Sera appeared to accept the explanation, the guard bowed apologetically.

She and Vayne turned toward the Hanging Garden. Before they had taken more than a few steps, however, an angry shout echoed from the direction of the plaza. An explosion followed, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of magic.

The two froze.

“Vayne…”

“I heard it.”

They looked toward the Grand Clock Tower, then turned back and tried to pass the warning sign.

A guard stepped into their path.

“Something may have occurred. We will investigate it, so please do not concern yourselves.”

“We believe you are Lady Sera of House Riohard. Leave this matter to us. We cannot permit you to enter a dangerous area.”

Vayne hesitated.

He was the protagonist of Legend of the Seven Heroes: a courageous boy with a powerful sense of justice, willing to risk his life for his companions. Yet when an action might expose Sera to danger, even he could not move without thought.

“Then answer me,” Sera said.

She planted her feet and stared at the guards.

“How were you able to explain the situation so calmly? You did not so much as flinch when we heard that commotion.”

“We are trained to protect citizens during unforeseen emergencies.”

“I see. Then allow me to point out one more thing.”

Hostility entered her voice.

It was not directed at the men merely because they blocked her path. It came from her inability to identify who they truly were.

“This is strange. I have never heard of ordinary guards all being practitioners of the Mighty Sword Style.”

The men maintained calm expressions.

“Impressive composure,” Sera continued. “But do not underestimate a daughter of House Riohard. I have crossed swords with Mighty Sword Style practitioners more times than I can count. I recognize it in your posture and movements.”

“Sera,” Vayne said quietly, “why would practitioners of the Mighty Sword Style be guarding this road?”

“I do not know. But I cannot ignore it—not when Licia may be involved.”

That was the true source of Sera’s hostility.

During the incident involving Viscount Given, a member of her own faction, Sera had been unable to help Licia. She had resolved that if anything similar ever happened again, she would stand beside her friend—even if her father tried to stop her.

“Answer me! What are forces connected to the royal family doing in territory governed by House Clausel? And that noise was clearly more than a collapsed street!”

The guards remained silent.

“If you refuse to explain, I will see for myself. Vayne, wait here.”

“Do not be ridiculous. If your precious friend may be in danger, I cannot simply remain behind.”

They advanced together.

Just as they were about to cross the barricade, the guard’s tone changed.

“I cannot allow you to proceed.”

“We are aware of your friendship with Lady Licia Clausel. Nevertheless, you must entrust this matter to us.”

“Then explain what is happening.”

“House Riohard will receive a report tomorrow.”

“That is not enough. The Clausel residence is only a short distance beyond this road. I intend to make certain Licia is safe.”

The knights of the Lion’s Holy Office found themselves in a difficult position.

Sera was the daughter of one of the Seven Great Heroic Houses. Saying too much could create needless conflict between factions. More importantly, nothing could be allowed to interfere with Radius’s operation.

Before either side could force the issue, another tremendous explosion shook the night. Several pillars of flame rose from the Grand Clock Tower Plaza.

“Vayne…”

At that instant, a shadow broke from a nearby alley and rushed toward Sera’s exposed back.

“Take him alive!” one of the disguised knights shouted. “Do not kill him! Cutting off a limb is acceptable!”

The knights reacted immediately.

They had already detected the figure moving through the darkness toward Vayne and Sera.

“Gah…!”

The suspected cultist was subdued with ease. When he swung his arm to release a concealed weapon, a knight severed that arm. The moment he fell, the others bound him.

Startled by the sudden attack, Vayne and Sera drew their swords and assumed fighting stances. Shock and tension filled their bodies.

“What is happening ahead?” Sera demanded.

“I cannot tell you,” the knight replied. “The only thing I can say is that you must leave immediately—”

A dozen more figures in black robes appeared.

The knights of the Lion’s Holy Office formed a wall in front of Vayne and Sera. At the same time, several knights of House Riohard emerged from concealment, their white-and-silver cloaks flashing in the darkness. They were likely the same household guards who had secretly watched over the two during their earlier excursion.

A mere dozen cultists posed no threat to the combined force.

As some of them prepared to attack the knights protecting Vayne and Sera, a voice came from behind the defensive line.

“Can you handle things here?”

“Yes. Leave them to us.”

Ren stepped between the defenders and the approaching cultists.

Vayne and Sera stared in surprise. They recognized him as the boy they had met in the forest outside Elendil.

“Watch out!”

“Run! If you stay there—!”

They shouted in alarm.

Then they noticed something strange. The knights of the Lion’s Holy Office remained perfectly calm and made no move to assist Ren.

They soon understood why.

The boy with whom they had casually spoken that day possessed overwhelming strength.

“I will not be gentle.”

Ren swung the Iron Magic Sword.

The pressure generated by the slash spread in a fan-shaped wave, staggering the cultists charging toward him. Ren immediately stepped through the opening and struck them down one after another. Some received blows to the abdomen, others to the neck. Every strike rendered its target unconscious without killing them.

Vayne and Sera could only stare.

“Impossible…”

“He is so strong…”

The cultists were equally bewildered.

“W-What is this boy?”

“What the—?”

“Guaaah!”

This was no training match at the Lion’s Holy Office. Ren was carrying out the declaration he had made earlier: he was simply crushing every enemy before him.

When the last cultist fell, another voice reached them.

“What monstrous strength.”

Radius arrived on horseback and dismounted beside Ren.

“I am fine,” Ren said. “Use Analysis on them before anything happens.”

“I know.”

Vayne did not recognize the newly arrived young man. Sera did, and the sudden appearance of an imperial prince left her visibly shaken.

“These will not be enough,” Radius said after touching one cultist’s mark and causing it to glow faintly blue. “We need more information.”

He mounted again. Ren’s horse waited nearby, and Ren climbed into the saddle as well.

“You are Lady Sera Riohard, are you not?” Radius asked.

“Y-Yes, Your Highness!”

Sera hurriedly bowed. Vayne followed her example.

“I will not permit you to proceed any farther. I understand your concern for House Clausel, but it is unnecessary. I give you my word as a member of the imperial family.”

After that, Sera could no longer force her way forward.

The person stopping her was not merely a noble of the Imperial Faction. He was a prince of Leomel. No matter how worried she was for Licia, the matter beyond the barricade was no longer one in which she could interfere on her own authority.

Once Radius saw that she understood, he exchanged a glance with Ren.

As the two rode toward the Grand Clock Tower Plaza, Ren and Vayne’s eyes met for a brief moment.

“Sera,” Vayne murmured, “that was the boy from the other day.”

“I know. He is absurdly strong, and I no longer understand what is happening.”

“Neither do I.”

At the urging of the Riohard household knights, the pair finally withdrew.

Sera’s concern never faded. Still, with the Third Prince personally involved, she could no longer believe this was merely a dispute between factions. That realization helped her suppress the impulse to rush toward Licia’s residence.

The Riohard knights escorted them away without giving either of them another chance to turn back.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The effects of the battle were almost impossible to detect until one approached the Grand Clock Tower Plaza.

Special magic tools had been installed to prevent destructive force, sound, and flames from spreading into the surrounding district.

Even so, the knights of the Lion’s Holy Office were surprised that the Demon King cult had launched such a violent attack without fear of discovery.

“How did they enter Elendil unnoticed?” one knight asked.

“They may have mixed with travelers and adventurers, or hidden among cargo,” another replied. “It changes nothing about what we must do.”

None of the knights showed the slightest agitation.

They were the elite of the Lion’s Holy Office—knights among knights, chosen from the finest practitioners of the Mighty Sword Style.

“W-What are these people?”

“I was never told forces like this would be here!”

“The defenses were supposed to be weak…!”

The black-robed cultists panicked. The unexpected concentration of powerful opponents had thrown their entire assault into confusion.

Numbers changed nothing. They had finally begun to regret invading the land of the Lion King.

The knights processed them almost methodically. One by one, the cultists were knocked unconscious and gathered on the plaza’s cobblestones.

“His Highness!”

“His Highness has arrived!”

Radius entered the plaza at last, riding beside Ren toward the Grand Clock Tower’s entrance.

Damage around the doorway showed that some of the enemy had already forced their way inside.

“Do not allow anyone to obstruct His Highness!”

“In the Lion King’s name—crush them!”

The knights roared and wielded the Mighty Sword Style with renewed force.

No obstacle remained before Ren and Radius. A clear path opened all the way to the tower entrance.

“Ren, the next part will be somewhat more troublesome,” Radius said as he dismounted.

“How so?”

“The Grand Clock Tower has no elevator.”

Ren stared at him.

“You mean we have to run all the way to the top of this absurdly tall tower?”

“That is correct! But do not worry. I have been training my stamina inside the imperial castle!”

“I cannot imagine that being enough!”

There was no time to argue.

They entered the Grand Clock Tower.

Inside, massive beams rose far overhead, creating a majestic view through the structure’s upper levels. Great and small gears meshed within separate compartments, while intricate patterns covered many of the walls.

As planned, several knights followed Ren and Radius inside.

They began climbing the stairways winding around the enormous mechanism. Ren looked back at Radius.

“I am beginning serious endurance training tomorrow,” Radius said between breaths.

“That would be wise.”

Sweat gathered across the prince’s forehead as he forced his body up the stairs. His abilities leaned far more toward statecraft than physical combat.

Five minutes passed, then ten, yet the summit remained distant.

“Whoa—!”

Radius lost his footing and nearly fell backward.

Ren caught his arm.

“You showed a great deal of resolve earlier,” Ren said. “Do not slow me down now.”

His words were severe, but his expression was serious rather than mocking. Radius understood that and was more grateful than offended.

He narrowed his eyes, steadied himself, and pushed onward.

“Keep speaking boldly. If you perform poorly on the rooftop, I will return those exact words to you.”

“I sincerely hope that will not be necessary.”

The climb continued.

From that point onward, Radius did not stop once.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

One might argue that examining the marks of the cultists captured outside should have been sufficient.

That answer was both correct and incomplete.

Radius remained convinced that he personally had to endure the climb to the rooftop.

“He should be just ahead,” he said.

The man directing the attack—the leader who had chosen to assault the Grand Clock Tower—would surely be there.

“You may wait here,” Ren said.

“Do not be absurd. Why do you think I climbed this far?”

The door to the rooftop stood beyond a vast floor decorated like an immense field of gears. The gears beneath their feet were only ornamental, but the surrounding machinery continued to turn with a steady rhythm.

“I will enter first.”

Ren opened the door to the rooftop garden.

A warm summer wind greeted them.

Stars filled the black sky above the carefully maintained garden. From this height, it was a magnificent place from which to look upon the heavens.

More than a dozen uninvited guests occupied that privileged seat.

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