The Day the Star Fall 2
The meeting ended before fifteen o'clock.
As adventurers, mercenaries, and soldiers of the Frontier Count were leaving one after another from the square in front of the castle, Christo walked up to Laira, a black-haired, black-dressed female mage.
From behind, Frontier Count Netzel, Siegfried of the Band of the Great Hawk, Tiger, their holy sword maiden, and Patricia, who was listening in the corner of the square, followed.
"I'm Laira Almqvist. I'm a mage belonging to the Magic Association. My specialty is alchemy. Pleased to meet you."
"I am Siegfried, leader of the [Band of the Great Hawk of Salvation]. This is Tiger. We will be the vanguard in the show. They are the holy sword maidens."
The two holy sword maidens bowed in greeting.
Tiger, the giant tiger-beastman, laughed loudly.
"I was just getting tired of all these cowards. It's good that you're not afraid to die, young lady."
"Laira, are you sure you want to do this?"
Christo looked at his round-faced childhood friend with a difficult face.
The subjugation target is the [Mighty Star], Eltharion.
He is a demon god of the same rank as Christo.
Since he uses the authority to slow down the opponent's perceived speed, the moment the rune magic [Northern Flame Wall] defense collapses, an unavoidable and deadly blow will follow.
The [Northern Flame Wall] is a magic that deploys the three rune stones of ᛉ, ᚲ, and ᛊ in a triangular shape to set up a protective wall that distorts space.
The rune stones can either be hidden in the distorted space or hiding them to the ground.
The rune stones must be able to follow the movements of the vanguard warriors, who move at high speed.
In addition, if the [Northern Flame Wall] is constantly deployed, it is impossible to attack with holy art or pseudo-holy sword, so it is necessary to watch for the moment when Siegfried and his men attack and remove the protective wall.
Frankly speaking, it requires very advanced manipulation.
Although it was better than Patricia, who was an amateur, it was doubtful that Laira, who had only been a mage for three years or so at the most, could handle it.
However, Laira nodded with an aloof face.
"This is my decision. I'm not going to complain if I die. I mean, I won't be able to complain if I die."
"Of course you are in danger, but the possibility of failing if you can't protect the vanguard is higher than that."
Christo's strategy is roughly as follows.
That is-
First, lure Eltharion out of the forest.
Second, Siegfried and his men would meet with the enemy.
Third, attack Eltharion, who had attacked without noticing the [Northern Flame Wall], and counterattack with the [Pseudo-Holy Sword that Slays Fairies] with a single strike.
Fourth, they will escape with all their might. Leaving the scene.
If everything goes according to plan, the match will be decided in an instant, so there is little chance that they will take advantage of the situation and kill Laira first. If Laira were to die, it would be if she was too busy protecting Siegfried and the others during the escape and was unable to immediately deploy the [Northern Flame Wall] around her when Eltharion's attackers turned their attention to her.
Of course, Christo is going to support her from further back, so he is not going to let her die.
With that in mind, he was more worried about whether Laira would be able to properly protect the vanguard.
"I'm sure I'll be fine. Handsome-kun will teach me various things, right?"
"Of course, I will teach you as much as I can. But if you're not good enough, I'll do it myself. If you fail to do so, all four of them in the vanguard will be wiped out."
"Christopher-dono, then you will have to instruct Laira-san as soon as possible. If Laira-san is not good enough, we will have to find someone else, won't we? Isn't that right, Your Excellency?"
Netzel nodded at Siegfried's question.
"Of course. I can't let Christo die. I'll pay one of the adventurer parties to take it."
"I wonder if they would do something like selling out their allies for money......"
"The way you're talking, that means I'm going to die, too."
"The only thing is that your chances of dying are lower than Siegfried-san and the others. In reality, you'll have your hands full just protecting the vanguard, so if an attack is directed at you, your defense will almost certainly not be up in time. I will support you, but if that fails for some reason, you will die."
"Aha. Good. That's how a fight should be."
Laira licks her lips.
She had been like this since her monastery days.
Once there had been bandits in the monastery, and while Christo had gone to look for a mistletoe needed to activate the [Rock Spear], she had confronted a group of armed adults with a single knife. She was going around slitting the bandits' throats with moves that were clearly not those of an amateur, but she did not have the overwhelming strength of Patricia and Gwendolyn (which is not surprising since she cannot use the holy arts), and she was repeatedly repelled by them. He thinks she died three times as far as Christo witnessed, but all three times she was lucky enough to avoid the attacks and she survived.
She is not afraid of death.
She is crazy and unable to recognize dangerous situations.
She was gleefully throwing her life away as if she were testing her fate.
"Well then, let's quickly measure your potential."
Christo says as he pulls out a rune stone from the pouch on his waist.
"Netzel-sama, please stand back. Siegfried and the others. Please watch Laira from there. If you feel that she can't serve as a rearguard, feel free to announce a change."
"Understood"
"Oh, I'm fine with the observation. More than that, I'm going to talk to the Adventurers' Guild about sending a mage out again if Laira-san is no good."
Netzel waved to the others, [Well then, good luck with that]. After waving a hand smilingly, he walked towards the castle building and said, [Laranoa! Laranoa!] He began to call out the name of his secretary in a voice that did not hide his irritation.
It seems he was deeply disappointed in the Adventurer's Guild.
"Christo, can I join you?"
"Patricia. You're not going to be part of this mission."
"Yes. I know I'm not good enough. But wouldn't it be nice to at least hear you lecture Laira-san from the side?"
"If you want to participate knowingly, of course, it is fine. ――Here, I'll give you a rune stone."
"Thank you. I'll return it later."
"I have a lot of them, so you can keep them."
When Christo said that, Patricia replied with a charming smile, [Thank you]. She moves from the center of the square to a corner so as not to get in Laira's way, and she begins to ask Melvina who has come out to the square before she knows it.
Melvina politely began to explain something to Patricia, whose smile had disappeared and her face is now streaked with frustration.
(Melvina, have you finished preparing dinner? I'm really sorry for making you do such a chore since you came over here......)
But without her, he can't eat good food.
It is related to morale and health.
Other than meals, she calmly helped him with every little detail, from sorting out paperwork to cooking meals in the village.
He made a mental note that he would have to prepare a gift to make it up to her.
"I can go anytime"
Laira says as she dribbles her own blood onto the rune stone she borrowed from Christo.
The rune stone is a pathway through your own blood or the blood of someone with whom you have exchanged bodily fluids, such as through s*x.
Laira does not need to drip blood since she and Christo had s*x most recently, but if Melvina or Patricia saw her connecting the path without dripping blood, they would find out that Christo had recently cheated on them. She seemed to be thinking of this and was dripping blood for them to see.
Laira was a woman who appeared to be a messy woman, but she was also very attentive to detail, which was something he didn't understand.
"Thank you, Laira."
"What? Just get on with it. We're running out of time."
"Can you feel the connection between the rune stone and the path?"
"Yeah"
"Can you move them as if they were extensions of your own limbs? That rune letter is Sowilo――"
" ᛊ ”
The rune stone emerges from Laira's hand.
The rune stone made from Christo's blood emitted a dazzling golden light and began to spin around her black hair, which was tied into a side-tail.
"You can read runes?"
"I'm a licensed mage. I know at least that much."
"Then that would be quick. Next, I'm going to measure the range of your magic. Keep as much distance from the rune stone as you can. Gradually move your body away from the stone until you can no longer manipulate it, which is your maximum distance."
"Roger that"
Soderholm Castle is the administrative center of the area, so there is a good amount of [Blue Ashes] scattered around the castle. This has a negative impact on the use of magic.
The limit for an ordinary person is 20 meters without the [Blue Ash].
If you take any more distance from the rune stone, you will not be able to operate the stone.
For Laira's safety, she would have liked to be at least 30 to 40 meters away, but――.
"Ah, maybe this is the limit!"
Laira shouted as she descended from the square in front of the castle to the residential area below.
At the same time, the rune stone lost its light and fell to the ground.
Christo, who had moved to the bulletin board in the square, calculated with his eyes that the distance between the rune stone and Laira was 120 meters.
(This woman…… is she human?)
"How was it? Handsome-kun?"
Laira, who has returned to the square of the castle, peers in from below.
"――You pass. It's more than I expected. I thought it would end at fifteen meters or so."
"Ahaha. Fifteen meters is no different from the vanguard."
The adventurer's party leader was reluctant to send out a mage because there was a possibility that they would be assisting them at a distance that was not that different from the vanguard.
"One hundred and twenty meters. Great. ――Siegfried-san, one hundred and twenty meters!"
"It doesn’t look like there will be any hindrance to our operations."
"Yeah, now let's see if I can put up some rune protection for the four of them."
"Laira, do you know how much power you put in at the limit distance?"
"Yeah"
"Now, we will shorten the distance by one meter and memorize the 120 different ways and the amount of force applied to the rune stone. We will start with no wind and no difference in elevation. We'll adjust the humidity to be about the same as in the north forest."
"Do I have to memorize the differences in elevation and wind speed? I'd be in a lot of trouble if I had to memorize a hundred and twenty different ways."
"There are formulas to calculate the difference in elevation and wind speed. Once you can measure the difference in height and wind speed by eye, you can multiply them by a certain factor to get an approximation of the distance with no wind and no difference in elevation."
In short, there are 120 ways to put your force into it.
Plus, all you need to know is how to measure the wind speed.
The elevation difference of the battlefield is looked up beforehand.
After that, the position can be controlled at will by multiplying the coefficient of wind speed, the coefficient of elevation difference, and the coefficient that can be derived from the angle when you are the center of the circle and the rune stone is a point on the circumference of the circle.
If possible, he would like it to be operated in increments of 1 centimeter, but since it is impossible for the human brain, 1 meter is a compromise.
Or rather, if it can be manipulated in one-meter increments, it is enough for a superhuman level.
"Siegfried-san and the others will be moving around in the actual event, so if necessary, immediately recalculate and have the rune stones follow suit."
"I'll be doing this on all four of them at the same time?"
"Since there are four vanguards, four at the same time. Can't you do it?"
"Impossible. I can only calculate for two people."
"I understand. Then I'll do it for two."
"Eh……?"
In front of Laira who tilted her head, Christo summoned the [Wood Woman] who had been sleeping under the cliff of the castle.
The ground rumbled and a tall woman in a black robe appeared beside Christo.
"――――!" "Hoh, hehehe"
Siegfried, Tiger, and the Holy Sword Maiden brace themselves.
Christo looked around.
"This woman is a monster I trained and tamed. She is completely under my control, so it's okay."
"Is that a monster?"
"She looks like a human woman, but..."
Tiger and Siegfried send glaring eyes at the [Wood Woman].
Christo nodded.
"Yes, it's the one I captured when I was......... in the royal capital. I don't know what kind of monster it is, but I use it because it is useful. I brought it with me in secret, just in case something like this ever happened."
"Is it not the [Wood Woman] you reported?"
"It is not."
Patricia knew what was going on and said nothing.
Laira also seemed to understand.
The only thing is that Melvina, who was standing next to Patricia, was holding her mouth as if surprised.
(That's not good. Melvina is going to say something unnecessary.)
"C-Christo-san!"
"Yes"
"As expected!"
Melvina raised her thumb.
"Good! Job!"
"Eh"
(C-could Melvina possibly be......? No, I've done this crap enough. She is a goddess. The conclusion remains the same.)
Christo pulled himself together and said to everyone.
"My familiar will protect the two of you. I'm worried about it like, but I'll make it in time for the act."
"Understood. Well then, let's measure the limit distance for the use of magic by Handsome-kun's familiar."
"Right. After that, I'll ask you to memorize how much force to put into each meter as well as Laira. You can multiply, right?"
When Christo asked, the honey-colored haired woman tilted her head, [?].
There is an atmosphere that seems a bit unsatisfactory, but it is a situation in which he has to push through.
He can't rely on Netzel, who has gone somewhere to replenish the personnel.
So, after that, he started to ask Laira and the [Wood Woman] to learn how to apply force to the rune stones.
Having decided on a rearguard mage, Siegfried and his men returned to their encampment. They were to receive reports from their men guarding the village and to check their armaments. They asked Christo to call them to the castle again when Laira and the [Wood Woman] were able to use the [Northern Flame Wall].
On the way, Netzel came back and cursed, saying, [Damn guild! They said they couldn't arrange any more personnel]. Since they sent them two A-classes and an S-class, he guessed they were not reluctant to send them, but they really didn't have any decent manpower on hand.
If the Adventurers' Guild had decent personnel, the importance of the Guardian Knights, the pride of the Kingdom of Yggdrasil, would have been shaken by now. If the Guild were to lose out on the quality of its members, the Guardian Knights would have little to no advantage over the Adventurers' Guild, which is light on footwork.
"What about the reward for Laira, Netzel-sama?"
At dusk, when Melvina told them that dinner was ready, Christo asked Netzel, who was watching by his side. Laira also comes up to him.
"It's not from me. Right now, you're supposed to be dispatched to protect the castle, so this time's subjugation of the [Mighty Star] will be an extension of that work. The reward will come from the adventurer's guild later."
To be precise, the money paid by the executive branch here, minus the intermediary fee, will come to me―― Laira added.
Netzel shook his head.
"That's not going to be enough money. I don't want people to think that I, the ruler of this frontier, am a stingy bastard. If you hunt the [Mighty Star] and come back alive, I will pay you plenty of gold."
"I'll leave everything to you. I can't tell a nobleman what to do."
"I won't disappoint you. As long as Laira-san comes back alive."
He had thought Netzel was a money-hungry scumbag because of his heavy taxation of his people, his taking of Christo's possessions, and his refusal to provide any assistance for his enrollment at the Holy Sword Academy, but here he was, strangely paying well.
Christo wondered why Netzel was paying so well. He suspected that there might be something behind it, but on second thought, Netzel was a man who was willing to reward those whom he judged to be useful.
In fact, Christo had been asked to do many difficult tasks by Netzel, but he had never been dissatisfied with the reward. In exchange for the completion of his work, he had arranged for Patricia to be reunited with her parents by the king and the archbishop, and it was impossible to dismiss him as just another scum noble.
People always have multiple faces.
He may seem like a simple man, but as a person who rules the east of the kingdom―― the position of a frontier count, Netzel probably means that he has more faces than an ordinary human being.
"By the way, when you're done with this job, would you like to work for me?"
Netzel smiles at Laira.
"Peace has been made with the dragon tribes of the north. Soon a world of peace will come. In a time of peace, we will need more mages who are good at civil engineering and making goods than warriors who can use the holy arts."
"I'm already a member of the Magic Association. If you have any requests related to alchemy, please tell the association."
"While working for the Association, I'm asking you to become my personal mage. Christopher is with me. While he's a student, he's working as my personal subordinate."
"I'm not your subordinate. I've never signed a contract."
Netzel continues, ignoring Christo's words.
"The same goes for Laranoa. She's the brown-skinned, nice nun over there. She's related to the Holy Tree Church."
"Ahaha. For some reason, I'm honored to have you think of me so highly. But I already have an employer, so I can't work for the Frontier Count. I'll take that as a compliment."
"I see... Well, I just met you. If you can't find a job at your current employer, come work for me. Here is my business card."
"Thank you very much."
The two exchanged business cards.
Or rather, Christo was surprised that Laira had a business card.
After that, they moved to the hall and had dinner with Netzel and the others.
After the meal, Laira and the [Wood Woman] were brought out to practice magic.
Patricia also insisted on going along, but he couldn't let Melvina alone around there, so she reluctantly went back to the guesthouse in the pioneer village.
Melvina seems to be teaching her rune magic, and as for Patricia, she's glad she went back with her.
"Hey, Laira."
Christo spoke to Laira, who had already begun to manipulate the rune stones with great dexterity.
For the time being, it also serves as training for manipulating rune stones during conversation.
"What is it? What's wrong?"
"Why did you accept this job? You saw Eltharion, the [Mighty Star], in the forest, didn't you?"
"Well, we had a conversation."
"You must have had an instinctive fear of him. It was not a being that a mere mortal could win with. Of course, I don't mean to let you die, but you know how dangerous this fight is, right?"
"Because I'm a monster"
Laira says calmly.
"I like to fight. I can't stop myself from walking the tightrope between death and life. It's the adrenaline rush, and it feels almost as good as having s*x, doesn't it?"
"You're crazy"
"I wonder. The way I see it, Melvina and that Patricia woman are just like me. They like to hunt. They regularly seek battle to keep their fangs sharp. I suppose that's natural for a warrior who has fought in the North."
Training is not enough.
You have to actually kill to get good at it―― Laira muttered that with an expressionless face.
"You're not a mage for peaceful times, right?"
"Yeah. Once peace is restored, I'm sure I'll die of boredom. Or I might get hooked on s*x. I'll spend my days in idleness and die a cripple. That kind of future would be great. ――But..."
Laira whispers into the darkness.
"There will never be a peaceful time, Christopher. I'm sure of it."
Her dark eyes widened more than usual.
The last part of her speech was in a tone that seemed to be aroused by the powerful beating of the runes.
The rune magic lights up a blood-red, crimson light.
ᛉ
ᚲ
ᛊ
Three runes shine in the darkness of the night, forming a triangle around Laira.
The insects attracted by the light are distorted, and in the next moment, they burst into flames, turning into small sparks and disappearing into the darkness.
"[Northern Flame Wall]"
Christo's eyes widened.
"No way, I never thought you would master it in less than half a day...... Did you hide your claws for three years in the monastery?"
"I'm not a vampire, so I didn't have claws in my fingers. Or rather, you, Handsome-kun, just closed your eyes. In the three years you spent with me, all we did was have s*x."
"I asked Priest Yohn about you, but he didn't give me any details. One day you suddenly came to the monastery, and one day you suddenly left the monastery. Where were you and what were you doing before you got stuck in the monastery?"
"Just normal. I was born in the city of Baltic, and I just lived there."
"I don't think so."
"I don't think you're just a noble's son, either. If you tell me about yourself, Handsome-kun, I will tell you about myself. I hope that future will come."
"――――"
"Rune magic, nice. I'm lucky to be taught this for free."
Laira licked her thin lips.
"Hey, I wonder what kind of screams people will do when they touch this barrier. Do you know, Handsome-kun?"
× × ×
By the beginning of May, Laira had completely mastered the [Northern Flame Wall].
The [Wood Woman], with Christo sharing his senses with her, was also able to activate the [Northern Flame Wall] without calculation.
Laira and the [Wood Woman] will protect Siegfried and the others by two.
Due to their capacity, they cannot deploy the third protection, the [Northern Flame Wall], which protects themselves. Therefore, Christo decided to apply the [Northern Flame Wall] to them.
Christo will command everyone from a safe distance while keeping track of the battlefield through the [Wood Woman].
Laira, Siegfried, and the others will subjugate Eltharion.
Other adventurers hunt monsters around the earthen mounds and walls that Christo had made in advance.
May 2nd.
On that day, an additional hundred bags of [Blue Ashes] are scattered in the shallow layer of the north forest in the morning.
Then, Netzel's private army, the [Band of the Great Hawk of Salvation], and adventurers in full force invade the impenetrable boundaries set by the god of the swamp.
They build a fire, create smoke, and cook up a potion that the monsters hate, and provoke the monsters with their loud voices.
When the stench begins to fill the northern forest, all members temporarily withdraw.
Leaving Siegfried and the others behind, the warriors retreated to the defensive line in the shallow forest.
Siegfried, Tiger, and their Holy Sword Maiden were waiting in the square where the orgy party was held.
Laira and Christo's [Wood Woman] hide on the branch of a large oak tree 30 meters away. As many rune stones as Christo had were buried under Siegfried's feet. When they're done, they have to collect them all.
"――――You came"
Siegfried, who was kneeling on the ground and quietly praying to the holy tree, raised his head.
With a low purr, Tiger holds his clawed hands in front of him.
"――――"
A thin silhouette of an elf man emerges from a forest of white smoke.
As if by a spatial shift, he suddenly appears in the air in the forest clearing and lands with his long golden hair spread out.
His green eyes had mutated to half-gold.
Violet electricity scatters around the white robe.
"Why do you violate the boundary line?"
Elf―― Eltharion asked in a voice devoid of any emotion.
Siegfried stood up and smiled happily.
"Enemies of the Holy Tree must die!"
"Kukuku, that's really intimidating. This is a good one. It's my prey!"
"We have not invaded your world. And yet you burn the forests like this, and create an unbearable stench."
"[God Sword]"
"[God Sword]! Hyahahahaha! Come on!"
In the limpid blue light, Eltharion's eyes twitched as if he were looking at something foul.
"Don't you understand what I'm talking about? You foolish beast. Leave this place immediately, or I will kill you. And all those in the shallow forest."
"[God Shield]. Fuhahahahaha!"
Siegfried laughs maniacally.
His [God Shield] is special, with wings like falcons sprouting from his back.
From the body of an ugly man with bent bones, divine blue wings protrude toward the sky and emit blue particles over a wide area.
His [God Sword] was claws.
Three blue blades, reminiscent of the claws of a falcon, clung to his hands.
"You savage beast of the forest! Bow before the radiance of the holy tree!"
"You scumbags who fight against humans! I will turn you all into minced meat! Tigeeeerrr! Chaaaaaargeeee!"
With a yell, the tiger beastmen leap out.
Eltharion clicked his tongue slightly and opened his eyes that had mutated into gold.
Authority.
An ability that slows down the perceived speed of the enemy and makes them unable to move. Tiger is starting to charge, and Siegfried is floating in the air, so if his speed is changed, he will fall down or crash out of the sky.
However――.
"――――!? It's not activating?"
Blue particles rushed around Eltharion's golden hair as if they were clinging to it.
The ashes of the holy tree, which had mimicked the ground, emerged in their original form.
"――――!"
Eltharion dodged the attack by jumping sideways with more agility than Tiger, who rushed forward with the [God Shield].
However, Siegfried, who was ahead of him, deeply cut Eltharion's body with his falcon's claws.
"Ugh"
"He's stopped moving!"
"Use the pseudo-holy sword!"
"Yeah!"
Tiger reaches for the saint's belly.
The blue leaves and branches of the holy tree extend from the saint's belly, and after a moment, the blade takes the form of an oddly shaped holy sword with a rippled blade.
"The Holy Sword that Slays Fairies".
Tiger's eyes shine blue.
As he holds up the sword, white-colored particles shoot out from the sword.
The white particles form a mysterious pattern in the air as if to give orientation to the blue particles.
A moment later――.
"――――!? Cough*, oeee, aaahhhh!?"
Eltharion, who had instantly regenerated the deep hand gouged by the Falcon's claws.
He vomited a lot of blood.
It was not just blood.
A large amount of fresh blood spurted from his eyes, nose, ears, and every hole in his body.
With blood blooming all around him, Eltharion began to struggle and suffer.
Even though he was not even cut by the holy sword.
He was reprimanded for stopping his movement for a moment and paid the price.
"Don't be bathed in blood. It may be poisonous."
"I know"
Tiger and Siegfried take their distance and deploy in a circle around the struggling Eltharion. They wait for Eltharion's blood loss to subside as they fire their [God Bow] with the holy sword maiden.
They never let their guard down.
Even without the protection of the runes, they could have managed on their own.
The effect of the pseudo-holy sword was so great that it made them think so.
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