Chapter 18: Elf Assailants
The student council office of the Holy Sword Academy is located on the third floor of the classroom building.
Compared to the first and second floors, which have more floor space, the third floor has only about 70%, and there are only a few large rooms, including a multipurpose hall, a large classroom, and the headmaster's office.
Christo walked past the headmaster's office, which was open and lined with boxes of luggage, and knocked on the door of the classroom in the back, which was labeled "Student Association".
Then, Piercarlo D'Alessio―― Pierre's voice came back, and Christo said, "Excuse me," and opened the door.
The student council room was covered with a red carpet and a large table in the shape of a "U". On the other side of the table, which seemed to have been adapted from an aristocrat's dining table, there was a beautiful young man in white lighting a cigarette.
To be precise, there was a beautiful young man lighting a cigarette and another beautiful man with fine brown hair.
The young man in white is Pierre.
He was holding the end of a cigarette in his mouth, bending at the waist and thrusting it toward the other beautiful young man.
On the other hand, the beautiful young man had the same cigarette in his mouth.
The young man's cigarette was already lit, and he seemed to be lighting Pierre's.
The tips of the two cigarettes touched each other, and a small sizzling sound was heard, followed by a faint puff of smoke from Pierre's cigarette. The cigarette had a rich sweet aroma, as if it was flavored.
The two slowly parted while staring at each other, and before long Pierre turned to face forward and exhaled purple smoke.
"Hello, Christo."
"Hello, Pierre. Am I interrupting anything?"
"No? Everyone was there. It wasn't just the two of us."
Saying so, the white young man pointed to the wall on either side of him.
A tall, brown-skinned young man and a young man of the dog race are standing there.
Both are beautiful young men.
The brown-skinned one has cool eyes and a calm atmosphere.
He is large and muscular.
The dog beastman had thick eyebrows and wild beauty.
His body is well-trained. He had little hair on his body, as if he had had it removed.
“Is there anything you need from me, the vice president of the student council?”
“I wanted to talk about the seed of the holy sword...... and I also wanted to ask you a personal question. I'd like to talk to you alone, Pierre. Is that okay?"
Pierre puts his cigarette between his fingers and leans against the window.
"I don't mind. ――It's as everyone has heard. Can you guys go out for a moment?"
"…………" "――――"
The large brown-skinned man and the dog beastman were silent and left the room.
They pass by without looking at Christo.
As they passed each other, the smell of sweet men's cologne and refreshing citrus perfume tickled his nose.
The last to leave the room was the beautiful brown-haired young man.
His white shirt was unbuttoned, as was Pierre's, exposing his thin shoulders and shoulder blades. He had a single red mark on his neck.
"Tch."
The young man covered the mark with his hand to hide it and shot Christo a jeering look.
"Yes, I've already paid the man off."
Pierre said so when the young man left.
He took a new cigarette out of his pocket and held it out to Christo.
"Do you smoke too?"
"No, thanks."
"Oh, do you dislike it?"
“Ixel— because my beloved father always told me not to smoke. Besides, I don’t like smoke.”
"Hmm. I'm going to open the window then. There. ――So? You're not going to sell me the seed, right? What's the real reason you're here?"
"I want to ask you about the newspaper issue that's being distributed in town right now."
Christo asked bluntly.
If Pierre is aware of his intentions, it would be useless to play tricks here.
The white young man dropped the ash from his cigarette into the ashtray.
"Right now, I'm not an executive officer of the firm. Before I came to this academy, I was in charge of business execution. But I couldn't manage both my studies and my business, so I left it in the hands of someone else. It's a separation of ownership and management. I, as the owner of the firm, get paid. The officers of the firm concentrate on management. I can expect rational management from them."
"I don't think it's rational to distribute that issue. The Royal Military will soon stop it. The contents are too inappropriate."
As a result, it seems that there are few people who sympathize with the ideology of the Demon Liberation Army, but what they are doing is an act of incitement. If they were not careful, the firm might be severely punished.
“We are only free to express ourselves. The people of the royal capital have the right to know. The firm distributes this news in the hope of developing a free marketplace of ideas, the cornerstone of a modern nation.”
Pierre chuckled. His canine teeth peeked out from his lips.
"The king understands the wealth and usefulness of the firm. But it wouldn't look good. There will be condemnation from all sides. Therefore, the firm, in accordance with its internal rules, fired all the executive officers who had authorized the publication of the news. After this, I intend to go to the king to report the social and physical deaths of the infidel executives. The issue of the news, for which I have hired a large number of painters in the capital, should be coming off by now, and everything is going well."
"All the responsibility has been passed on to the executive officers?"
"They did the work. They're responsible. I am not in the least bit to blame."
“You are an asshole. But I don't hate you for being such a snob."
“Fufu. I don't hate you either. In fact, I've known since we first met that you and I were kindred spirits. ――Here."
Pierre took out a case from the pocket of his jacket that was hanging on the chair and pulled out a business card from inside. The woman's name was printed on a small piece of paper.
"This is?"
"The business card of the reporter who wrote the article for the issue. It has her name and the address of her lodgings. It's what you would have wanted. You're going to help her, right? Kat Wailde."
(Kat, huh... Elves take precedence over her. Or rather, she comes second.)
Christo received the business card.
"Are you sure?"
"It's fine."
Pierre, tired of the taste of the cigarette he was smoking, rubbed the long cigarette against the ashtray.
"Because I was thinking about adding that female reporter to my collection soon."
"Collection? Same as the men earlier... you mean your lover?"
"I guess she's for decorating my house. She is a little different from accessories. But it's fundamentally the same."
"You're the kind of person who can be both a man and a woman."
Pierre smiled, the edges of his mouth hanging up so high you'd think it was going to tear his mouth off to his ears.
"Yes, I'm a philanthropist, especially when it comes to beautiful people."
× × ×
Two hours later, Christo seduces the female reporter who wrote the article and engages in a highly kinky sexual act. Afterward, he whispered sweet nothings to her as she climaxed, and got every bit of information out of her. The woman gave up the information easily.
It's over for this woman.
She leaked a secret that should be kept secret.
Moreover, since she was a reporter who worked as a defender of the rights of the demon race, she will be treated as a traitor even by the people of the same faction, because she has betrayed her promise to the Demon Liberation Army and revealed their base.
It was this woman who spat it out, but it was Christo who seduced her.
He has to look after some troubles.
He wants as many people at his disposal as possible, and since it is just right, he has come up with the idea of having her help him build the country by becoming messengers of the people. He needs a publicist. There is a bias in thought, but it should be in a direction that does not touch each other.
But before Christo could do anything, Pierre appeared, looked down at the fainted reporter, and said, "Leave the rest to me".
He said he would take good care of the reporter.
The female reporter is currently an employee of Pierre's firm―― she is under Pierre's control, and as long as he says he will take care of her, Christo cannot force him to give her to him.
That's why he decided to entrust her to him.
In any case, the female reporter had been noticed by the kingdom and the church when she had written an article about terrorists and disseminated it to the public. She would never have a decent life. Her bad luck had already begun before Christo had targeted her.
A wise bird does not misplace itself. Even when it took off into the stormy sky, it always have a safe nest to return to.
The female reporter failed to realize that the company she belonged to was not safe.
× × ×
After parting with Pierre, Christo rented a horse from the academy's stables and rode out of the royal capital gates into the wilderness to the north.
According to the information from the female reporter, the elven terrorists have multiple bases, and they move from one base to another at regular intervals. At the moment, they were probably hiding out in a huge rocky area on a cliff 50 kilometers northwest of the capital, where it would be easiest to take defensive action.
It was daytime when he left the gate, but it would be impossible for him to return before the gate closed at night.
He would search thoroughly at this time.
Even if the female reporter's guess was off, he had heard of a second and third potential hiding place, so he should be able to reach them by going around.
On the way, he deviated from the route and was attacked by monsters several times.
However, once Christo glared at them, they generally ran away.
Perhaps the monsters around here are smarter than the northern wolves.
“A branch of an oak tree. [Barrier against man], huh."
A little more than forty kilometers to the northwest, he found totems here and there on the reddish-brown rocks that were the starting points of the barrier. The [Barrier against man] is a magic barrier mentioned in the book [Engineering Magic in the Royal Capital], which Christo purchased before his duel with Setanta. It was a variant of the one Christo had used at the bathhouse when he and Melvina had their first experience. This one required a more extensive ritual, and the effect was stronger and wider in scope.
Christo slips past the branches of an oak tree and looks out at the huge rocky area ahead.
The barrier is only effective against human beings, such as humans and beastmen.
It doesn't work for demons, which are a type of spirit.
Of course, it didn't work for Christo at all.
"Stop right there, human!"
As he advanced further through the huge rocky area, a voice suddenly came from above.
To tell the truth, he noticed it even before he was called out, but he pretended not to notice so as not to alert the man and prevent him from escaping.
Christo dismounted and stepped forward in front of the horse with both hands raised to show no hostility.
Above―― several men are standing with their faces covered with cloth.
There was no doubt.
They were the terrorists.
"I've come to talk to your leader. Can I see him?"
"Ah!? What the hell are you talking about!"
"Since you found out about this place, you'll have to die!"
"O-oi, wait. Isn't this man the [Hero of the North]?"
"What!?"
[Hero of the North] sounded familiar.
However, most people reading the newspaper will not remember Christo as Christopher Söderholm, but will recognize him as the [Hero of the North]. Christo's name is a little too long.
"I would like to talk to your leader. Can I meet with him? I don't have any weapon here. Even if I wanted to invoke magic, you would shoot me dead before I could do so. You can kill me after you hear what I have to say, you know?"
"Tell me what you want!"
"I'm here to save you. I'll tell you the details after I meet your leader."
"Don't joke around!" "Go home! No, don't go home! I'll kill you!" "I'm gonna shoot you in the brain and mess up your pretty face! Hahaha!"
"...It can't be helped. It's not a hobby, but let me use force."
Feeling that he was getting nowhere, Christo looked at the three men lined up above, aiming at him. Christo's bottomless dark eyes glowed with a bewitching haze.
The dark shadow that falls on the reddish-brown ground changes from that of a human man to that of a demon god with angelic wings and coat-like flames.
"[Get down from there]."
"――!?" "……Ah……" "Hahi……"
"[Guide me to your leader]"
“…………”
Even so, he's still an incubus, so he's good at seducing intelligent beings.
In Christo's case, he is able to deprive a person of his or her free will for a certain period of time and manipulate them as he pleases, even if they are of the same sex. Since this is Christo's [Authority], it can be invoked anytime, anywhere, any number of times without any compensation and without the need to recreate the contract as magic.
However, it does not work on those who have high concentrations of blue particles within them or those who possess the [The Holy Sword that Breaks Off Temptation and Slays Devils]. Also, it is said that those who are mentally strong may be able to resist the charm for a certain period of time. He was not sure of the details, as no one has so far been able to resist Christo's charms using only their mind.
(The drawback of the ability is that the behavior of those under the spell becomes overtly strange.)
Christo followed the three elves as they wandered aimlessly among the rocks, as if sleepwalking.
(If I use it everywhere, people around me will notice, and even if they don't, when those who have been charmed come back to themselves, they will tell everyone that I have used some mysterious technique.)
Right now, the light race rules over most of the continent.
If Christo, who is in the overwhelming minority, continues to use this [Authority] unnecessarily, he will one day be tipped off like Surt and end up being hunted by the demon hunters.
Generally speaking, it goes against Christo's aesthetics.
It's best to let them fall at their own will.
That way, he can accumulate vices and evolve to a higher level of existence.
Christo also believes that he has the ability to corrupt and talk down others―― even without using his [Authority]. Because he has absolute confidence in his ability to manipulate others at will without relying on his [Authority], and the pride that comes with it, Christo basically does not abuse this authority.
This time it was special.
"Ha!? W-what, you! Oi, you guys, who is that man?"
"[Obey me]"
"... Ah, yes..."
(Now there are four of them. No guards at all. I had expected there to be more than that, since they had killed most of the students in Keter class.)
He walked behind the four men who have been turned into puppets.
As he looked around, he saw a space by a large rock where numerous wooden sticks had been erected.
Thirty-three wooden sticks are erected.
There were signs that the soil had been dug up and filled in again.
It looked like a grave.
"Here..." "Chief, you have a visitor..."
Further into the makeshift cemetery.
On a large cliff, he came across a temporary dwelling that appeared to have been built using engineering magic to hollow out the living space.
Christo pushed aside the men who were standing in front of the dwelling, their faces flushed and disheveled, and entered the hole.
Inside was a single large bed on which lay a muscular elven man.
The man had a deep laceration on his chest, and fluid oozed from the wound and stained his bandages. There was also a foul smell, as if some of the wounds had festered.
"――Who is it!"
A murderous voice echoed through the room.
A man with a cut on his cheek appeared from the back of the room, carrying a bucket of water.
The man looked at Christo, then at the four dumbfounded men behind him, and then again at Christo.
"......[Hero of the North]."
"Hello. Are you the leader of the Demon Liberation Army?"
"...What do you want? Why did you guys let this man through!?"
"Hae?" "Chief, ahyahyahya." "Ahe..."
“You guys? ......!"
The tub of water falls.
The wounded man pulled a knife from his waist and readied it.
Immediately after that, however, he crouched down, clutching his side.
The man also had a faint smell of blood.
"Guh... Damn it... At a time like this."
"You don't need to be so alarmed. I'm here to save you... yes, I'm here to save you."
"What? Wait, are you the [White Knight]!?"
(Who is that? …Ah, you mean the [White Knight] who was mentioned briefly in Patricia's story. Reading between the lines, he is probably a collaborator of these guys. He is providing some kind of assistance on a regular basis. If the dead in the cemetery were from Setanta's attack, then it was the [White Knight] who helped transport the corpses.)
"I have no obligation to answer. You don't need to know."
"But you are the [Hero of the North] Christopher Soderholm. The person who killed the demon Surt. Our hated enemy!"
"I didn't kill Surt. It was Lancelot who killed him. Surt died because Lancelot chopped him up with his holy sword."
“…………!”
Christo dropped the leather bag he was carrying and took out portable food and water from it.
"Aren't you hungry? And there's a wounded man. I can use my magic to heal him. I can heal his wounds."
"...Wait! Don't move! I'll kill you! Ugh..."
"Don't do anything rash. That gut wound of yours must be pretty deep."
"……Damn it……"
“If I wanted to kill you, I would have killed you all long ago. Even if I wanted to manipulate you at will, I would have just taken away your free will, no questions asked, just like I did with the men behind me."
"...Who are you?"
"Maybe I'm your friend, the [White Knight]. Thinking that, it would be wiser to accept my charity."
The man closed his mouth.
He tried to hold up the knife―― he realized it was useless, and his shoulders slumped.
Christo whistled and called for his horse.
The horse's saddle is loaded with medical supplies and extra portable food.
"First, put something in your stomach. In the meantime, I'll examine the man behind you."
× × ×
The leader of the assailants identified himself as Gilsanas.
Gilsanas hadn't eaten properly for the past two or three days, and he and his four male subordinates were greedily eating portable food.
"Alright, the treatment is complete. When you change the bandages, make sure you put this ointment on him."
"Thank you... but why did you help us?"
Gilsanas directs a sharp gaze at Christo.
Christo left the bed and sat down on a small chair that was placed diagonally in front of Gilsanas.
“Because I wanted to talk to you guys. You literally can't talk your way out of it when you're dealing with a bunch of dying people."
"What are you talking about?"
The elf, who has fully recovered and is now devouring dried meat, asks in a quarrelsome tone.
"I read the newspaper's issue this morning. That's how I found out about your statement."
"Tch, that reporter, did she tell you where we are?"
Gilsanas looked as if he were biting a bitter bug.
Christo continued.
"I hear you're going to attack the ceremony. I also read that the body of the demon Surt must be buried with great respect. But even if you stormed the ceremony, you wouldn't stand a chance with this many people."
"We have the hero's wife as a hostage. The kingdom may accept our demands and cancel the ceremony."
Gilsanas said so.
The other four elves also agree, "Yes, yes."
(Too stupid...)
He wondered if no one understands that Kat has no value as a hostage.
No, even if they did understand, they might have no choice but to bet on a small possibility.
“And in the first place, our aim is not to cancel the ceremony. If they could cancel the ceremony, that would be great, but we have another goal in mind."
"Gilsanas"
The muscular man lying on the bed is half-awake.
"What's wrong, Tanis?"
"Don't trust him. Don't tell the whole plan."
"But this man helped us. If he wanted to sabotage our plans, he would have killed us from the start."
Christo, who was listening, shrugged his shoulders.
"Tanis over there is right. It's a naive idea, Gilsanas."
"You say that, human?"
"Haa..."
Christo frowned.
These guys are demons.
His compatriots.
But they're hopelessly stupid.
Are they just thoughtless terrorists after all?
Well, if they weren't stupid, they wouldn't have made such a statement.
“Listen and be amazed. On the day of the ceremony, we will seize the original [Holy Sword that Slays Fairies] on the mountain of the holy tree!"
"Ah, so you're saying that the declaration of the attack on the ceremony was a bluff to concentrate the Royal Army's forces around the venue?"
"That's right. The main target is the southern mountains away from the royal capital. The day of the ceremony, the hero and guardian knights will stake out at the ceremony site. The only ones on the mountain are the small fry. We will take the Holy Sword with a small group of elite and go through the northern border to the [Frozen Plains]!"
“There is no way to get through to the [Frozen Plains]. The border has already been sealed. It would be a long way to get out of the sphere of influence of the light race, but it would be better to go south through the D'Alessio Frontier county to the Night Empire, which is ruled by the vampire race."
"Leopoldo Salvatori is a scum!"
Gilsanas slammed the water bottle on the ground and shouted. "That old bastard betrayed us demons and made peace with the light race! He is a filthy coward!".
Leopoldo Salvatori.
Duke of the Night Empire. He is a strong-armed nobleman who unites the vampires. He is said to be 120 years old. He is fluent in five languages, including the common tongue, and is a politician and a skilled martial artist. Since the armistice agreement with the light race, he has been appearing in the social circles of the light camp.
The Night Empire is the source of grapes, wine, olive oil, sugar, and various spices. It also grows mustard and tea, the raw materials for opium. Duke Salvatori is the president of the Salvatori Trading Company―― a trading company whose main products are these specialties. His personal wealth is said to be enough to buy out the southern quarter of the Kingdom of Yggdrasil, but this is not certain.
He is an old man who is hated by the demon race, especially by the dragon race, which has been fighting against humans for a long time. Gilsanas's reaction is normal for a demon.
"Duke Salvatori may be able to protect you. On the other hand, if you take the route to the [Frozen Plains], you will definitely end up in a battle with the monsters of the Hero's House. You will be no match for them."
"Hero……"
Hearing Christo's words, the four elves looked at each other.
Their faces were tinged with fear.
"Boss, it's impossible to pass through a territory with a monster like that."
"That's right. Didn't you see it the other day? Because of him, everything turned upside down."
“Come to think of it, you guys attacked Setanta. You seemed to have an overwhelming advantage, taking hostages and all."
"He suddenly became a monster"
Gilsanas clutched the wrapping paper of the portable food.
"We killed the hostage to make an example. Then his body glowed blue and he wielded a power like that of a demigod."
"That monster crushed everyone. It was like a giant god of blue light. It was like a thunderbolt, swinging its arms around like a storm, tearing everyone's head off like a raging griffin, killing everyone in its path."
"Without the [White Knight], we couldn't have stopped that guy. In the end, we retreated with the help of the [White Knight]. He even helped us recover the bodies of our comrades."
"Hmm, Setanta has turned into a monster, huh?"
The dead in the cemetery seemed to have been caused by Setanta's rampage.
The expression "Giant god of blue light" bothered him.
Does it mean that if he was cornered, he will awaken with some kind of power or something?
Interesting.
If he had the chance, he would like to challenge him.
Such a development in which the enemy awakens and becomes stronger is Christo's favorite.
He hasn't been in a life-threatening battle recently, so he wants to fight to regain his instincts.
(Anyway.)
"――I have a word of advice for you. I understand your goal of stealing the holy sword, but you probably won't succeed in that either. You will definitely be noticed and surrounded on the way."
"We are prepared to take some risks. We must fight for the sake of our people."
"Don't say that. Stop your foolishness and escape to the south. It will be easy to escape now."
"Shut up! I'm not running anymore!"
Gilsanas slammed the cracked wooden plate and stood up.
He then glares at Christo with bloodshot eyes.
"We've been running, hiding, and suffering. I'm sick of these days! Everyone here feels the same way!"
"Even if they focus their fighting power in the ceremony, the defense around the holy tree is quite strong."
"Shut up!"
"How do you plan to deal with the Holy sword that slays fairies?"
"Fate will guide us! All the bearers of the pseudo-holy sword happen to be drunk at the ceremony and can't go into battle!"
"What makes you think that?"
"So, it is fate! We are protected by the spirit of the Demon King of Chaos!"
"We prayed a prayer that was passed down by the elves" "Ah, a forest spell. It works quite well." "When we go out hunting, we won't encounter any vicious monsters. Likewise, we won't run into any heroes or bearers of the holy sword."
"Is there such a magic?"
When Christo asked the elves shook their heads.
"No, but that kind of spell. It works historically."
"I-I see. It works historically. It's the first time I've heard that expression..."
"The god of the forest will protect us!"
Gilsanas cried out in excitement.
Eating seems to have lifted his spirits.
He made a fist and thrust it at Christo.
"Hey, [Hero of the North]. Fight with us!"
"Eh, I don't want to."
"Ha!? What, why!? With this flow, you're supposed to fight with us!"
"I'm here to stop you guys. I'm not here to attack the Holy Tree Mountain with you guys."
"Tch, you coward!"
"Gilsanas, that man is human. There's no way he'll attack the Holy Tree Mountain."
"Shut up, Tanis! You go back to sleep!"
Christo sighed as Gilsanas yelled at him.
"Hey, there's an order in which you act. If you don't have the right method, place, and time, you'll fail. The same goes for your attacks. It's all well and good to be enthusiastic but think about it. Is your attack really a good bet?"
"There are also collaborators! The [White Knight] says he will lend a hand."
"Gilsanas, don't trust the [White Knight]."
"Shut up, Tanis!"
"All right. I understand what you guys are saying."
Christo stood up with a sullen look on his face.
Demons are his friends.
Their numbers are decreasing day by day, and if he could help them, he would.
But these guys are stupid.
There is nothing he can do.
They cannot be saved.
If he tried to save them, Christo is doomed.
"I'm not going to tell anyone about you guys. I have no intention of intervening in this matter. I'll be drinking wine at the ceremony on that day."
"……Wait."
"If you come after me, I will kill you all here."
Christo said so in a cold voice.
Gilsanas and the others gasped and flinched.
"I warned you. Sleep well today, think about it again, and come to a conclusion. If you still want to die, there's nothing I can do about it. There's no medicine for fools."
"What!"
"Farewell. Tanis, stop Gilsanas."
"...Yeah. I'm grateful for the [Hero of the North]."
Christo bowed and left the elves' lair.
For a moment, he thought they might follow, but Gilsanas and the others made no attempt to stop him.
"Haa."
With a sigh, he looked up at the sky.
The sky was already dark and the stars were shining.
Before he knew it, the day was over.
What a waste of time.
He wants half the day back.
Christo pulls the horse's reins and passes through the rocky area.
(Speaking of which, I forgot to collect Kat. What should I do?)
Tftc
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