Chapter 36
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The two types of barriers set up in the ring begin activating. The first barrier starts operating, and as if engulfing the ring, a dome shaped defensive barrier starts building up. No one can escape from this place anymore. It's a troublesome barrier which boasts of an unbelievably strong defense that is impossible for even me to break it with just strength.
And then, the other barrier. Unless a necklace decorated with a special jewel is worn, mana and stamina continues to be sucked away. That absorbed mana strengthens the barrier and as you rapidly become unable to move, you die after being completely sucked up at the end. If I had to experience this barrier without knowing anything, then I probably would have fallen onto my knee on the spot and been tortured to death.
That was how vicious this barrier was. However, I know about it. And since I had known about it, I had prepared countermeasures.
"Ugaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"
"Stoooooooooooop, stooooooooop"
The soldiers and knights fall onto their knees and writhe in pain while holding their heads in their arms. Blood pours out from their nose and mouth. They begin sinking in their own blood. One by one, they become unable to move.
"Ahahahahahahahaha, now, be dyed in red. Hideously dance, as that is a suitable end for you guys!" (Kearuga)
It seems the high level people have survived, but it's just a matter of time. Obviously, it has no effect on me. In this barrier, only the villagers and I are completely unharmed.
"Everyooooooone, necklace, take off the necklaaaaaaace"
The leading figure, the middle aged man, shouts. Fumu, he has unexpectedly realized it quite quickly. You're so smart. I had thought it would take a little bit more time. (TL Note: 'You're so smart' is supposed to be the kind of praise you give to a child, but idk what to write for that.)
The guys who were still conscious removed their necklaces and flung it away. However, most of them didn't have the willpower to do that. In the end, the soldiers were annihilated. Only the eight high level knights remained.
"I thought you guys would get annihilated for me. It seems your brain is better than I thought." (Kearuga)
It seems the kingdom knights are better than I thought.
"b.a.s.t.a.r.d, what the h.e.l.l did you do?"
"I haven't done anything. Maybe the barrier broke or something." (Kearuga)
"As if that's true!"
Because I'm not so kind to say the answer, I will at least scornfully laugh at him. Just as he said, I tampered with the barrier.
To start with, the targets were not people wearing the necklace, but I modified the people wearing the necklaces. The first step to mana absorption is forcibly emitting their mana.
Tampering with that a bit, I made it so it would intensely overload the brain. Due to that, a hole is made by a capillary being torn, thus making them sink in their own blood. I converted it into something that's worthy of the name world of blood.
Although I couldn't tamper with the mana absorbing artifact itself, I was able to at least modify the mana sucking power and change the target. And the result of that barrier is just as you see. Excluding 8 people, close to 50 soldiers and knights died. It's quite an interesting display.
"You hero who lost to evil! You started using some suspicious techniques! However, it seems the barrier that's imprisoning you is still safely operating. Torture him to death!"
The man before my eyes broadly grins; it's the face of someone who's confident of his victory. I really can't understand this guy, and although I had a better opinion of him some time ago, it seems it was a mistake. Could he actually be thinking he has the advantage because he didn't die from the barrier?
"What are you even saying? I'm surprised there are people who get delighted by being inside a cage together with a beast. What do you think you can do against me with just 8 people? You guys also can't escape right? Reinforcements can't come in either. Hey, what's fun about this?" (Kearuga)
Their faces stiffen. It seems they have finally realized; realized which one was the prey.
"Do-, don't come. If you move even a tiny bit, I will kill the villagers."
"In that case, I have no choice but to do my best to decrease the victims by at least 1. The faster I kill you guys, more people are saved. I guess I should declare it beforehand; I will kill the guys with their backs faced to me because that is easier. Now, show me an opportunity. Since I'll kill you." (Kearuga)
I made a display of relaxing my body by bending and stretching with a step. Okay, now I can make the perfect movements.
"Come on, I moved. Do it in an instant. Who can I kill first? If you turn your back to kill a villager, that moment will be your end. Come on, who wants to die!" (Kearuga)
Oh, they aren't moving for me. I guess killing the villagers was just a bluff. Well that was a waste of worrying. No, wait.
"I see, from the start, you guys were planning on killing everyone huh." (Kearuga)
The villagers were dying. Their faces were losing color; it's a poison with a delayed effect.
"Wh-, what are you on about. They still haven't di-."
"They have died. You guys killed them. Now, I can do what I want without reserve. Even I was more or less thinking about it in my own way how I could decrease the amount of victims. However, I have no need to hold back anymore. You ma.s.sacred them." (Kearuga)
"Th-, that's a lie. We don't know anything, we didn't do anything. It's true, believe meeee!"
I wasn't so naive to think that I could save everyone. I had already resolved myself from the start. I thought that it would be a good job if I saved 10 people by using all my power.
The most important part to rescuing a hostage is to make the opponent think the hostage has no worth.
However, I was naive. To think they would set up this kind of insurance. It must have been instigated by the younger sister princess. This is a trick set up by that woman. By making them drink poison in advance, she made a situation where if by any chance I succeeded in rescuing them, the villager would still die. Right after I believed I could save them, I would be knocked down into despair by the next moment. It's the worst trap that was made from those intentions. It's something she would think of.
Fuu, even though I had made arrangements for their lives after they were saved, it was pointless.
Right now, I am angry. Although I want to immediately annihilate the knights in front of me, that will be after I achieve my goal. Any time now, Freya and Setsuna should start taking action. See, it came.
『I-, I am the deputy captain of princess Flare's imperial knight corps, Bouko. I will co-, confess. We lied about them being heretic. It was a lie. The people from that village were innocent.』(Bouko)
With amplification magic, a man's voice spread around. It seems Freya and Setsuna's preparations were complete.
Originally, amplification magic could only be used if a dedicated jewel was used inside the ring. However, I tampered with that magic formula as well so that a stolen spare jewel can still carry the voice from a certain location. Making Freya and Setsuna stay on standby there, I prepared one more actor.
"Why, why is Bouko"
The fl.u.s.tered voice of the middle aged man spread with amplification magic. It's understandable that he's fl.u.s.tered, because the missing and thought to be dead deputy captain, Bouko, betrayed them. By using【Recovery Heal】, I scanned through various memories of knights and soldiers until I found the most upright looking person, and made Freya… no, princess Flare to persuade him, which is why he is co-operating like this right now.
『As knights who protect the kingdom, we attacked the innocent people from his village to create hostages to capture the hero of healing. The thing about heresy was just an excuse! It is a lie. We have done unthinkable things, and it is not just this village. By using this as an opportunity, we also killed many people from the rebellious villages we had our eyes on. I have done something unbelievable!』(Bouko)
The spectator stands become noisy over the sudden revelation of a secret.
"Shut up, shut up Bouko. Did you lose your mind? Shut up."
『Captain Taretoya. I won't shut up. To this person, just to this person, I won't make any lies. I swear on my pride as a knight!』(Bouko)
Even from amplification magic, the strength of those feelings was transmitted.
"Who is it, who is there?" (Taretoya)
The middle aged man, Taretoya, asked with a bloodcurdling voice. Yeah, this will become a good play. Nice support.
『It is me. I am the Dioral Kingdom's first princess; the hero of magic, Flare Earlgrande Dioral. Although I cannot show my appearance, I will send my voice by borrowing this place.』(Freya)
Nice timing Freya. The surroundings become noisy; that's natural, because the princess who was thought to be dead is still alive. There are a lot of people who doubt it, but that voice is unmistakably Flare's voice. In a town this large, there are many citizens who hear her voices very often.
『I accidentally found out the truth. The Dioral Kingdom was repeating misdeeds like using their army to a.s.sault demi-human villages and sell them as slaves. Even this war against the demons was arranged to make money. And now, like this time, if there is an inconvenient village for the kingdom, they work together with the church to declare them as heretics and destroy them.』(Freya)
The noise rapidly becomes louder.
『By trying to correct it from the inside, I came in contact with the kingdom's darkness and was aimed at by a.s.sa.s.sins. To protect me, the hero of healing let me get away from the castle and made it appear as if I was dead.』(Freya)
"She's a fake! Princess Flare was killed by this man!"
Therefore, I prepared two tricks. Flare started singing. Flare, who was called a saint, sang songs with a melody that's so beautiful and gentle that it is unthinkable from her rotten insides. It's as if your mind is being washed. Even if her appearance or voice can be falsified, this song can't be copied by anyone. The audience's hearts shake. A song is something that is etched much deeper in the inner heart than a voice, much less the singing voice of a saint. There is no way it could be mistaken for anything else. And then, it's the finis.h.i.+ng blow.
『Did my voice reach you? I will send one more present. Please look at the sky.』
Everyone looks up at the sky. A fireball that could be mistaken for the sun rose and exploded. An unbelievable amount of heat and sound bursts in the sky. Rank 6 explosion magic,【Star】. Rank 5 is the limit allowed for humans, and what exists beyond that is magic of the holy precincts. Flare, the hero of healing is the only one who can use this.
『Everyone, please listen. By depending on Keare-sama, the hero of healing, I was able to escape until now. Keare-sama told me to become happy like a normal girl. And by turning my eyes away from the kingdom's darkness, I have continued living like a normal girl. … Because of that, a tragedy like this one was created. I won't run away anymore. I will fight against the kingdom's darkness.』
As expected of Flare, her acting is flawless. It should be impossible for an ordinary person to intoxicate someone else while also being intoxicated. However, my cheap story I half-heartedly wrote became the truth because of a first-rate actor. (TL Note: Not sure about the second sentence. この自分に酔って、人にも酔わせる説得は常人には不可能だろう。)
『I am unable to win by myself. Therefore, I will believe in everyone's justice. Repeating a tragedy like this is not good. This kingdom is abnormal. If you don't take action, it is impossible to know when you might become unreasonably destroyed. Everyone, please take action with me. To protect true peace and your important people. I will believe in everyone's courage and justice. Well then.』
The amplification magic ends. There is a moment of silence, and together with an angry roar, the audience stands up. It should be enough with this much. The defensive barrier begins to collapse. I had set it up so that it would break after enough time pa.s.ses beforehand, and I also made a trick for after it breaks.
"What, is this, it's dazzling."
It intensely radiates. Originally, I was planning to save the villagers with the gap it made, but everyone has already died. Instead, I used it to escape. While slipping into the spectator stands, I change my appearance with【Transformation Heal】. Now, there should be no way I can be found.
As the light stops, the audience realizes I'm gone, and in the next moment, they simultaneously throw stones and trash at the knights. Even with this many spectators, they are convinced that the kingdom is evil. That enthusiasm is transmitted to the calm people who make it spread with even more vigor. Everyone in the spectator stands has become overwhelmed with enthusiasm.
And now, the lynching starts. With this incident, this many people has realized the kingdom's darkness. Not only have they realized it, they even dirtied their own hands by lynching the knights of their own accord. From now on, for the sake of the justice princess Flare talked about, a large amount of people will spontaneously take action and tell others. This will probably not settle down in just this town.
Once that happens, countless hidden scandals will overflow. The Dioral Kingdom has continued to do pitch black deeds. As long as it's struck, the dust will never stop coming out. It seems like it's going to be fun. I change from being an actor to the audience, and ascertain this time's details.
The one thing I am worried about is whether Freya and Setsuna were able to get away. I should head to the arranged place soon. It's painful to miss the ending of the scene, but until we return home, it will be a fun play.
"Even so, I have really done it. It's the end with a match declared drawn due to injury." (Kearuga) (TL Note: I don't understand how to translate this. にしてもやってくれたな。痛み分けで終わりだ)
This time, I had the two intentions of exposing the kingdom's darkness and saving the villagers. I was able to realize the former in the best way possible, but the latter was a ma.s.sive failure. To think I couldn't even save one person.
It's unpleasant that I was easily deceived. Although it was supposed to be the best revenge, I ended up having bad luck. That middle aged man didn't have the brains to think of this, which means there is someone acting behind the scenes. I will definitely make them pay for hindering my fun revenge. Although I'm 90% sure it's the younger sister princess, I can't kill her until I have positive proof.
Well before long, the younger sister princess will appear before me. For that reason, I revealed the information that princess Flare is still alive while being resolved for the risks. That younger sister princess is a lump of inferiority complex to her older sister, and yet still loves her older sister. She is a stupid woman who cannot accept either, and is almost squashed by that dilemma. She can only avert her eyes from her inferiority complex by looking down on her older sister or using her. To deny that she loves her own sister, she hurts her as well.
In this way, if I let her know princess Flare is still alive, and pick a bigger fight with the Dioral Kingdom, The younger sister princess will come to try and kill her in ecstasy. If it becomes like that, I can carry out my revenge by killing her as a fool who touched my property. While thinking about that, I leave the audience dyed in madness. I can hear the audience’s angry roar. It seems this mad banquet still won't end.