171 Episode 64: A Long Night Comes (1)
"It just happened. What's the situation?"
"Oh, acrylic! The watch says there's quite a few of them! The kind isn't wrapped up, it's mixed! We are now waiting for Master Algard to defeat him. What about you?"
"I'm always the same"
"Okay, don't push it!
Half the words I return to my reply, try to leave me and I run out. What you hold in your hand is a spear given to you by Al, something you can put out a magic blade if you pass the magic recently popularized in the Kingdom of Palletia. This is more convenient than I thought and I like it, except for the impression of the person who made it.
I'm Ricant. I'm used to fighting in the woods, and if you're faster on your feet than a knight with a physical strengthening, I'm better up there. Besides, it's easier for me to move alone because the way I fight is different from a knight.
- I found it.
I saw part of the herd of demons heading toward the mansion so that they could be driven away. Beyond the hall, there is a village ahead. The village should have been instructed to evacuate at the time of the report.
But if we allow demonic intrusion, it will damage fields and dwellings. So we can't let them get any closer.
Watching the demons while maintaining a certain distance. Smell and footsteps, carefully turn your consciousness to try to grasp the demonic state.
(... This sound is not hunting. The smell is more than belligerent... it's frightening. Then there's a good chance he's been on the run. There's a chance the big guy's close by.)
I didn't come towards you hungry, then I might be weak to direct you.
(Then make sure it's not scattered extensively... see if there's any big guys)
Exhale briefly and approach the monkey-like demons who were running at the head of the herd as they set their aim and kick the tree. Spears up its neck faster than the Great Monkey Demon reacts. Pull the spear through with your feet on monkey demons that collapse to be pushed by the momentum that jumped in as it was.
Now he kicks the body of a breathless monkey demon and jumps to the tree. Without turning back as it were, he moves in the direction in which the demons have fled.
The demon has no sign of coming after me. He stopped, looked at me, but he didn't seem to follow me.... After all, there's something in the Oz.
Besides, we were able to confirm a number of demonic flocks that were headed to escape just like the group of leading demons. With tongue-in-cheek, I only aim at the one that is easy to aim at so as to kill the momentum of my flock, and I will definitely end up.
And leave immediately. Continue to the depths of the demonic stream as you repeat it.
(... hey, not too many?
The frequency of encountering demons increases every time you progress to the Oz. If you stop on the boulder and clear your ears, they're still following.
This is the first time a demon of this magnitude has come to this land. It's dangerous to go any deeper into boulders. Once, I tried to turn back, it was then.
"-... No way!"
After Raini checked her schedule, Raini quickly changed and we left the room.
"Your Majesty! Miss Raini!"
"Were you awake, too? I'll start with Al. Follow me."
As soon as I left the room, the knights of the escort rushed to catch up with me. I'll look for Al to check on the situation.
If you turn to those who speak, that's the entrance to the mansion. There I saw the knights and adventurers assigned to the border rushed into preparation.
There was an appearance of Al in it, so I approach Al early enough.
"Al! How's it going?
"Uphilia? Wait a minute, we'll start fighting."
"Are you an enemy?
Not answering my question, Al took the vial out of his nostalgia with his wand. What was in that vial was red blood.
When Al opens the lid of the vial, the blood that was in it changes like smoke as it creeps, seemingly spreading through the air as the red smoke diminishes and turns to transparency.
"Wow."
"Raini?"
"... this is similar to the magic I was doing too. Sounds like you're using blood as a medium to broaden that range and broaden your perception. It's just that it's so big... I don't think I can do it."
Raini is also a vampire, so he must have quickly figured out what Al was doing. I see, Raini used the magic of spreading fog to read people's emotions and perceiving the other person's emotions, but I guess Al's used magic is from the same pedigree as well.
I closed my eyes and Al, who had his cane up, opened his mouth with that posture.
"... that's a lot of them. Acrylic is holding back ahead, but there's no sign of pursuing the acrylic. Probably got a big one."
"So this time in terms of interception?
"Not for one second. Knight to my escort, adventurers rush the evacuation of the inhabitants of the village! Acrylic alone can't shelter you from boulders. Darren! As usual, I left the command of the adventurers to you! I'll get a grip on the size and the big guy first!
"Roger! You'll be back when the evacuation is complete!
"Consider the possibility of this one joining you. Sometimes we need defense, not interception. Keep that in mind."
"Ugh, that's a big job! Let's go, bastards!
A leader adventurer, called Darren, took the other adventurers and rushed to those with villages.
In the meantime, the knights are forming themselves to protect Al. It was a move that I was used to for a long time, and I was just a little impressed.
It was Al who was closing his eyes and focusing his consciousness, but he lowered his cane and opened his eyes. That face has a tense look on it.
"... Uphilia"
"Al?"
"Turn back to the king's capital now."
"Yes?"
I blinked a few times at Al's words all of a sudden. Al opens his mouth again, looking pale, without breaking any facial expressions.
"This scale is stampede. - With the current force, we can't be sure to prevent it."
"Stampede!?"
I reacted so that Raini screamed at what could be called Al's warning. I open my eyes to surprise, too.
"Is that true?
"The number is already over five hundred. Plus, it's still growing. Fortunately, there are no signs of diffusion or collapse..."
"Five hundred!?"
Whose scream was that? That voice was filled with the colour of despair.
Thirty or so knights and adventurers that the Al's are taking with them. Some knights should be able to use magic, but only a handful of wizards and such can deal with demons dozens of times larger than themselves. Especially when Al says he can't prevent it with his current power.
"The ahead acrylics are huge enough to stop the legs, too. Now it's impossible to hold it down. Unfortunately, the village has no choice but to renounce"
"No!"
One of the knights on Al raised his voice of anger to anger, but the other knights were staring at him and biting his teeth regrettably.
The upset is also beginning to spread to the knights who came with me as my escort. I can't believe stampede occurs at the time I'm coming.
"Bring out all the air bikes in the mansion! Transport them away from women, children and old people as a matter of priority and evacuate them! Tell Darren to switch from interception to defense and exit, he doesn't have to come back. Make evacuation of the villagers a top priority!
"But......!
"This is an order! Move, time is running out!
For a moment on Al's instructions, the knights, who had refrained from defending Al, stopped moving, but immediately began to move as they had decided.
Only Al was left on the spot. When you wonder why only Al stays, you look at me like Al stares.
"What are you doing, Ufilia, Raini. You guys go too. It would be helpful if you could make a request for refuge and reinforcements to Uncle Neighbourhood's mansion, which is ruling the area before returning to the Wang capital..."
"Al, what are you going to do?
"Even if interception and defense are impossible, it would be possible to reduce the number, wouldn't it?
"Are you going alone!?"
I'll scream like Raini says it's incredible. I felt the same way, but Al broke his expression and smiled bitterly.
"What are you talking about, because acrylics are going first. I'm not alone."
"... you think we can both stop the stampede?
"It's not you or your sister, is it? It is impossible to decide. But it is possible to reduce the number and deviate from the spear. Besides, acrylics can't be caught up with a concomitant demon if they're limited to the woods. It will be possible to escape thoroughly if it becomes dangerous."
"So what about you?
"I have the ability to play vampires. I don't make it so easy to die. I'm not going into it helplessly. I'm not a hero like my sister, and I'm already obsolete. I have my own intentions. He was the prince of this country."
"... I'm not going to die, am I?
"Don't be stupid, if you die, that's it. There's no reason to die on me, but there's a reason to scratch me alive. So I'm going to do what I have to do, that's all. So do what you have to do."
Al said that by squeezing his expression. With those words, I accidentally put my hand on my forehead.
"... don't look like Anise in that weird place."
"What?"
"I said I was a stubborn man. - You may not be able to do this, but you have me here, right?
When I said that, Al opened his eyes and put his hands on his forehead just like I did and his head looked painful.
"You... think about your position and say it!
"I don't deserve to tell you, Al."
He shouted at me like Al would criticize him, but with my return he closed his mouth with a look on his face.
"Raini, you must give the King's Capital the news of the outbreak of Stampede. In some cases, this stampede threatens to be the worst in kingdom history. The location and scale of the outbreak and the timing are too bad. So just in case, please notify me to bring Wang Tianyi here.
"Are you going to bring out Wang Tianyi!?"
"Worst case scenario, with it, I can leave alone. And the woods are deep, so air biking doesn't help."
"... you don't know if you'll make it, do you?
"That's okay. Raini, obey."
"... haha, already! I get it!
Raini showed difficulty in my instructions, but he admitted it with a grand sigh of sigh. I'm a little sorry if I think about that grid, but forgive me.
"The escort knight would like someone to run an air bike to reward the king's capital! The rest of the knights will help guide the villagers to evacuation! I will stop the stampede!
"Well, Your Majesty, on the boulder it is...! What would you do if you had something!?"
"So who says you can harm this me!? If you want to persuade me to show you this self, bring me even Anis!
The escort knights opened their eyes to my words and shook their necks left and right, out of sight as they gave up.
"... there's no dialogue to persuade you so far...!
"Totally..."
Al and Raini were all aligned and whining with their heads in their arms, but I dared to ignore them. If you have no objection, let me keep pushing through!
"Now, each of you, move! Though the border, this land is the territory of our kingdom! Then I'll protect you! Because I am the queen of this country!