Chapter 0395 Pope and Dimension
-x-X-x-
The four people from Room 10 evacuated from the Count Padawan mansion.
It was 3am.
The gates of the Holy Capital are open twenty-four hours a day.
As if no door is closed to believers…
However, even though you can come and go freely, there are guards and a golem at the castle gate.
Passing through the gates of the Holy Capital at such a late hour, or rather at a time when it was almost dawn, would be quite conspicuous.
They had to avoid any suspicious behavior.
They also had the holy swords they recovered.
Therefore, the four of them were taking a break in a place slightly off the main road.
"Etho, is it true what you said earlier?"
Niels asked Etho.
Of course, that question was not only Niels', but also Amon's and Ryo's.
"Elena-san's baby? I'm sure there's a baby in her belly. Elena-san seems to know that too, as all she was drinking was water."
"I see."
Ryo nodded at Etho's explanation.
Come to think of it, what she was stirring during the conversation wasn't alcohol, but water.
"Well, I honestly don't know if Tommaso is the baby's father, but I guess it's a good fit."
Etho smiled a little and said so.
It happened in an instant.
"
Ryo shouted without having time to stand up.
Almost at the same time as the ice wall covered the four people, countless earth spears attacked.
"What!?"
Niels looked around from the gap between the earthen spears attacking the four of them.
However, there was no change in the surroundings.
There was no change, but even he, a swordsman, could sense that something was wrong.
Priest Etho, who could feel the flow of magical power, felt even more threatened than Niels.
"What's this… this unusual flow of magic power? This is the first time I've seen something like this… no, since that Explosive Blaze Magician? By any chance, someone of that class? No, there aren't many people like that, right?"
That was his first experience since being exposed to the magic power of Oscar the Explosive Blaze Magician in Whitnash.
He couldn't stop cold sweating.
Amon was also shaking.
However, were they tremors of fear, or warrior's tremors… tremors of excitement.
The joy of being able to meet a strong foe…
Although he couldn't see the opponent yet, he understood that there was someone who was frighteningly strong.
"
Ryo re-covered the all-around defense package with a laminated ice wall.
A wall of ice that automatically thickened from the center outward.
The earth spear attacks were getting so severe that he had to do that.
At the place where the earth spear collided with the ice wall, light from pair annihilation danced wildly.
In other words, each spear had the same power as twenty layers of ice wall.
Frankly speaking, it was impossible.
The wild dance of thousands of lights lasted for a full three minutes.
After the rain of earthen spears had stopped, a voice echoed.
"Leave the holy swords behind."
With that voice, a person dressed in white robes appeared…
"Eh..."
"No way, hey…"
"It can't be, the Pope…"
Amon was at a loss for words, Niels was shocked, and Etho blurted out who it was.
It was the current Pope whose inauguration was to take place in a few days.
"Leave the holy swords behind."
The Pope spoke again.
Words without emotion.
"I see. Some people said they didn't think he was human, but he might actually not be human…"
Ryo whispered.
However, he felt somewhat different compared to golems…
But either way, the overflowing magical power was real.
That was completely different from the empty Pope that he saw from a distance when the envoys arrived.
He looks the same on the outside, but on the inside… that overflowing magical power…
Even though it rained so many earth spears, he still had that much magic power.
In magical warfare, having a large amount of magical power is the differentiator.
"Leave the holy swords behind."
The Pope's third call.
"We refuse."
Niels stated.
The Pope chanted without a moment's delay.
"
As the Pope chanted, three flames swirled from the tip of his outstretched right hand and headed toward the ice wall.
They then began to gouge through Ryo's ice wall.
"
While strengthening the ice wall in front of them, he rained ice spears on the Pope.
"＜Magic Barrier＞"
However, while maintaining the flame whirlpool attack, the Pope put up a magical barrier and repelled Ryo's attack.
"Deploying two magic at the same time! And earlier it was earth, then fire… two attributes…"
Etho shouted in surprise.
The sight of Etho shouting was extremely rare, but neither Ryo, Niels nor Amon could afford to be surprised by it.
The Pope's frontal attack was powerful, and his defense was strong enough to block even Ryo's attack.
"Ryo, Amon, and I will rush in from the left and right and cut him down."
Niels announced.
"Understood. I'll support by distracting him."
Ryo nodded and answered.
Ryo could pull up Murasame and charge in, but if he did that, the defense of the three would inevitably become weaker.
Rather than doing that, he felt it would be better if the two who were originally in the vanguard attacked.
"Let's go.
After Ryo chanted, steam mines were placed around the Pope.
Then, the steam mines and Blade Lang Trident came into contact, and pair annihilation occurred.
The light from the pair annihilation robbed the Pope of his vision.
After confirming that, Niels and Amon rushed in.
They quickly closed the distance and tacitly agreed to attack the Pope from both sides.
Crack, crack.
However, their swords were deflected loudly.
The Pope fired a
"How is that possible!?"
Even Ryo was surprised.
"
The Pope chanted.
At the same time, held his staff with both hands.
It was not a staff that Etho and the others carry, but a staff with something like a jewel attached to the tip.
He swung it.
Amon dodged and Niels parried the attack with his sword.
"Uwah"
The moment Niels received it, his body was blown away.
Unbelievable physical strength.
And faster than he could imagine.
"He said Enchant."
"He did. It feels somewhat… blended?"
"Oh, Etho thinks so too?"
Etho and Ryo were whispering to each other.
Of course, they were still being attacked by the Pope's flame vortex, but they were able to have some time to talk.
No matter how frightening an attack is, it seems that people will eventually get used to it.
"What are the attributes of the four missing magicians in the hero party…?"
"Earth, Fire, Wind, and Enchanter. Ash Khan, the enchanter, has Wind in terms of his attributes."
"This magic is extracted from those four people?"
Ryo listed the attributes of the four people, and Etho deduced what he did with them.
"Even if he isn't a human, I don't think it is possible to contain this much magical power."
"Ah, yeah… Ryo has been blocking it all by yourself for a long time though."
Ryo thought while nodding, but Ryo didn't hear Etho's murmurs.
"But if there is a constant supply, it's possible?"
"In other words, it's not that the Pope absorbed the four people, they're still being absorbed and their magic are just being released through the Pope. If that's the case…"
"Yes. I think there is something like a 'line' that supplies the Pope with that magical power."
Ryo had been searching for it. But he had not found it.
"If Ryo can't find it, does that mean it's not in the air?"
"Not in the air? I see, from the ground!"
Etho's words caused a flash of inspiration in Ryo.
The rock-like wild golem that Ryo fought with Abel when they traveled from the Rondo Forest to Rune came to mind.
It was as if they were being supplied with magical power from the ground.
When Abel knocked one down, it stopped moving.
On the front line, the Pope was still firing his
"Amon, move away!"
When Amon heard Ryo's shout, he leaped backward.
He probably didn't understand why he told him to leave, but he had complete trust in Ryo.
"
As Ryo chanted, ice spread on the ground where the Pope stood.
Furthermore, a wall of ice appeared in a radius of about three meters around the Pope, and the thickness of the ice wall rapidly increased toward the center, that is, the Pope.
"
While the Pope used his staff to break the ice wall that was approaching him, the Ice Bahn extended toward the sky like a pillar of ice.
Naturally, the Pope on the Ice Pillar rose and gained distance from the ground.
As the Pope moved away, his movements gradually became weaker…
The Pope was surrounded by a wall of ice and was frozen in ice.
The Pope was frozen about 20 meters from the ground.
It wasn't easy to see from directly below.
However, Niels, who was blown a little further away, could see it clearly.
"Amazing, what is that?"
Niels asked Ryo.
"His Holiness the Frozen Pope."
Ryo replied with a smug look on his face.
However, at that moment, light from the heavens struck the ice.
When the four of them looked at the ice in surprise, the Pope who had been trapped had disappeared.
"What…"
Ryo was shocked and speechless.
The other three were speechless too.
The ice shrunk and returned to the ground.
The place where the Pope was was now empty.
It seemed that the ice did not break and only the Pope's body was transported to another location.
"The being behind the Pope is quite troublesome."
"Well, that's why they want the holy swords back."
Ryo said and Niels answered.
Although Ryo nodded to Niels' answer, it didn't sit well with him.
The being behind the Pope, a Fallen…
Even if they really are originally an angel-like being, would it be possible to defeat them with holy swords?
Naturally, the first being that comes to mind when Ryo thinks of an 'angel' is Michael (pseudonym), whom he met in the white space.
He said it himself. That he is like an angel.
And that sense of presence, or rather the level of existence… it felt like he was on a completely different level from that of a person like Ryo.
For example, if you ask him if he could defeat Michael (pseudonym) with these holy swords… he doesn't think he could defeat him.
He literally felt like a different dimension.
An unimaginable existence on another level.
Why is it so unimaginable?
Because just by changing one dimension, it becomes a completely different thing.
For those of us who live in the three-dimensional world, it is almost impossible for us to imagine what the four-dimensional world is like just by looking at space without the addition of time.
Even if there's a sense of understanding something when it's explained in mathematical formulas or words, it's impossible to picture it.
That's because we had never experienced four-dimensional space.
In the first place, does space with more than three dimensions exist?
The answer is yes.
On Earth, its existence is confirmed by physics.
In the first place, the world in which humans exist has more than nine dimensions.
But we only perceive three dimensions.
Where are the remaining six dimensions?
That's the problem with extra dimensions.
Is it close to us in a compact state as represented by the so-called Calabi-Yau manifold, or is it expanding in the opposite direction like Brane cosmology?
We don't know.
That is because we who live in the third dimension cannot recognize or grasp the six other dimensions…
Eh? Why can we say that something is definitely there even though we cannot recognize it or see it?
Otherwise, it doesn't make sense.
What we derived was 'String Theory', said to be the cutting edge of theoretical physics.
In the 21st century, string theory is a theory that genius physicists around the world are working on, so much so that it can be said that there are almost no theoretical physicists who completely deny it.
It was derived from such cutting-edge theory.
Although it's not recognizable.
But we would like to understand.
We would like to understand what the higher dimensions look like when viewed from the lower dimensions…
How should we do it?
It's easy. Just think about it by subtracting one dimension.
For example, if you think about it in the three-dimensional world we are in, you will understand.
The three-dimensional world can have three axis: length, width, and height. Hence the 'three' dimension.
Below that, two-dimensional is a plane-only world where only two axis, vertical and horizontal, can occur. Therefore, it is 'two' dimensional.
Drop one dimension.
Let's imagine that we are in a two-dimensional plane, and consider what happens if we try to interfere in the next higher dimension, the third dimension.
We are on a plane.
It's flat. There is no height.
Trying to grab a ball that is one centimeter above the plane… In other words, trying to grab a ball that is three-dimensional… Of course, you can't grab it.
Because we live on a plane. Because we are a two-dimensional person.
In other words, we cannot interfere with things in the higher dimensions.
However, if the ball stops floating and falls onto the plane we are on… we will be damaged.
It would hurt if it hit.
In other words, if they feel like it, the upper dimension can interfere with the lower dimension…
All power over life and death is held by those at the higher dimension.
However, you should notice it now.
The two-dimensional and three-dimensional worlds do not necessarily exist in different places.
There are some areas where they intersect.
There are some areas where the two-dimensional and three-dimensional worlds are in contact.
Even the theoretical we, who are in the two-dimensional world, can grab the ball that comes into contact with us… probably.
No, even if we can't grasp it, we can still interfere.
It's possible to touch it.
Only at that moment does something in the lower dimension have a chance to influence something in the higher dimension…
-x-X-x-
In the morning, when the road had become busy with traffic, the four from Room 10 entered the Holy Capital.
Before returning to the delegation quarters, they had breakfast and sorted out the information they currently had.
"We got the Holy Swords back, but we couldn't find the four magicians. Moreover, we have no clues to go on whatsoever."
"Yeah. It's frustrating when you have nothing to go on."
"But being the ones who were supplying the Pope with magic power yesterday, logically speaking, it would make the most sense to think that they would be held captive in the Holy Capital or somewhere nearby to siphon their magic power."
Niels said, Etho agreed, and Ryo gave his input.
Ryo's reasoning was sound, so Niels and Amon nodded their heads, as did Etho.
However, there was too little information to go further.
"Speaking of which, I wonder why the Pope showed up at such a time."
None of them there could answer Niels' reasonably simple question…
After breakfast, the four of them headed to the Kingdom delegation quarters.
There, as usual, they found Commander Hugh McGrath in the lobby.
"Oh. You're back."
Saying that, Hugh invited the four of them into the lounge.
"First, let's begin with your report."
In response to that, Niels and Etho reported to Hugh.
From the underground space of the Holy Capital to the entire story on Count Padawan and the Pope's attack.
Hugh was a little surprised but listened without interrupting.
"So, we recovered four of what we believe to be Holy Swords."
And Niels concluded with that.
Then Niels, Amon, and Ryo each put the holy swords they were holding out on the table.
"Holy smokes… in this short time. You guys are outstanding."
Hugh praised them unreservedly.
He then took one of the swords.
"Good."
He muttered softly.
He repeated the process four times.
"Great job. All four of them are definitely Holy Swords. Not sure what their special attributes is though."
"Ooohh!"
Hugh's words made Niels, Etho, and Amon rejoice.
"Hugh-san, you can tell if a sword is a holy sword just by holding it in your hand?"
"I sure can. And it's not just me, if you've been the master of a holy sword for a certain length of time, you'll be able to tell. Although you won't be able to figure out its special attribute, you can tell if it is a holy sword or not."
Hugh nodded and answered Ryo's question.
"Um… could it be that it's impossible to break or melt a holy sword?"
"Yeah, that's right. I'm surprised you even know about that."
Hugh nodded and replied to Ryo's reasoning.
"No, I was just wondering why they bothered to keep them in the vaults. When it would have been best to just melt them."
"Holy swords are unbreakable. So there are holy swords that are said to be hundreds, and thousands, of years old. Oh, my holy sword Galahad is one that's been around for quite a while too, as I recall."
Ryo replied, and Hugh said as he remembered.
"Grandmaster, actually…"
Niels cut in, honestly reporting that the leads to the search for the four magicians had dried up.
Of course, Hugh did not yell at them for that.
He wouldn't be upset by something so absurd.
He had led the organization and adventurers for a long time.
He understands what it means to be a boss who is easily briefed by his subordinates.
Building a relationship of trust with them regularly is the most important thing.
As long as that is in place, subordinates will report even things that are otherwise difficult for them to share.
Even if you're big, and look scary.
"About that, I actually received some information yesterday. And was just going through the information until just now."
Hugh produced an envelope from his pocket and continued.
"It arrived yesterday from Graham, through Scout Maurice."
Saying so, he handed it to Niels.
Niels pulled out a piece of paper from the envelope.
Etho peeked from the side.
Amon and Ryo quickly stepped behind Niels and peeked too.
"The four of them are in the Land of Eternal Night."
Niels read the words as they were written.
And tilted his head.
Etho and Amon also tilted their heads.
Ryo also tilted his head, but… in a slightly different manner from the other three.
"What do you mean by Land of Eternal Night?"
Question marks hung over their heads.
Ryo, however, was familiar with the term 'Land of Eternal Night'.
It sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember when and where he came across it….
(Eternal Night… always night… nocturnals, vampires…Twilight Land…)
"Ah!"
Ryo remembered and involuntarily raised his voice.
The other three jumped in surprise.
"What is it, Ryo?"
"Oh nothing… I just remember Abel telling me about the Land of Eternal Night."
"Whoa. Abel… His Majesty knew about the Land of Eternal Night?"
Hugh was impressed.
"He told me that he had heard about it before from Arthur Verasis, the advisor of the Court Magician Order."
Ryo heard about that from Abel when he crossed the border as a delegate to the Twilight Lands.
When Ryo said to Abel, "We're now in Twilight Land, but the sun is still up as usual", Abel then replied, "Of course it is, it's not the Land of Eternal Night in the legend".
Right, Ryo was going to ask Arthur about it some time… it had completely slipped his mind….
"Isn't the Land of Eternal Night something from a legend?"
Ryo asked Hugh.
"Yeah, that's what we thought at first too, but after looking into it, it turns out that it wasn't. In short, it's a land once inhabited by vampires."
"I see…"
Hugh's answer was satisfactory to the four of them.
Vampires themselves can operate in the sun… just as they did in the Twilight Land… but their retainers, the Strigoi, are not very compatible with sunlight.
So, it would be convenient to have a land where it is always night.
However, if you were to ask people on Earth what comes to mind when they hear 'Eternal Night', they would probably answer 'the polar regions'.
The Arctic Circle and the Antarctic Circle.
There is a period of 'polar night' when the sun does not rise throughout the day.
It might be called 'Eternal Night', as one might imagine.
But Hugh's explanation was completely different.
"It is a vast space beneath the ground."
(No way, an underground city!)
Ryo's first thought was those words.
But another scene immediately came to mind.
Yup, the same underground space beneath the Holy Capital where they are now…
"No, it doesn't seem to be the underground space you guys saw."
Hugh, too, must have figured out what was going through the minds of the four.
And so put it to rest.
"It's somewhere between Boreas, the city to the north of the Holy City, and Euros, the city to the east. Located underground. It is not as large as the Holy Capital, but incomparably larger than Boreas and Euros."
"So, it used to be a city of vampires, what about now?"
"It seems that the general public isn't informed of its existence, so it's likely uninhabited, perhaps?"
Niels asked, and Hugh answered.
"Well, if it's underground, an average person won't even know it exists."
"The old grudge of the vampires who were killed still lingers around there, and if any unlucky fellow were to stumble upon it, they will just use them as snacks…"
"Why does Ryo always try to drive things in that direction…?"
Amon said something decent, Ryo presented a novel-like development, and Niels repudiated it while shaking his head.
"If the four of them are really trapped in there, they must be under very strict surveillance. Even you guys would have a tough time. So, I want you to go and investigate it first. If it turns out we need more hands, I will ask Graham for more manpower. Listen, don't overdo it. Coming back alive is one of the vital strengths of an adventurer."
"Yes, sir!"
To Hugh's words, the four of them responded emphatically.
Hugh returned to the lobby, leaving the four of them alone in the lounge.
First, they need to come up with a concrete plan.
While having cake and coffee of course….
"So, Scout Maurice passed along the information, but no mention of her exploring the place herself, correct?"
"Yeah. So I guess our first course of action is to find out if they're really there or not…"
"Will we even get that far?"
"If it's a normal prison, I can simply use sonar, but if it's some kind of special room, it might prove difficult."
Niels confirmed, Etho agreed, Amon questioned, and Ryo chatted while eating cake.
"The entrance is at the Boreas Government Office…"
"Well, we'll eventually find out when we get there, won't we?"
"Eventually, we may have to force our way in, even if we have to occupy the Boreas Government Office!"
"Not a chance… we can't afford to do anything that conspicuous, okay?"
Amon muttered, Etho voiced, Ryo anticipated a possible turn of events, and Niels immediately denied it.
If they start causing a ruckus even before they get into the underground space, who knows what will be lying in wait for them…
Of course, Ryo, too, didn't really mean it.
Truly, he didn't.
He was just stating a possibility.
Of course… if it did happen, he wouldn't feel bad.
Later that day, the four members of 'Room 10' moved to the northern city of Boreas.
In the center of Boreas lies the Boreas Church.
On the church grounds is the huge first vault.
And on the other side of the main street of the church, is the Boreas government office.
"It's huge."
"It's definitely got to have a courtyard."
"And looks like the entrance to the basement will be in that courtyard."
"What's with all the fancy architecture…?"
Amon gave his honest opinion, Niels guessed, Etho affirmed, and Ryo tilted his head.
The entrance to the underground in the courtyard…?
Is it usually in such a place?
Rather strange, isn't it?
Ryo looked very unconvinced but explored the area with
Even if it was in the courtyard, with Ryo's sonar, it would be a piece of cake to trespass without being spotted.
In fact, the four of them arrived at the entrance without being seen.
There were no traces of people entering or leaving.
It was even unlocked and opened.
Inside, there was only what appeared to be a staircase leading down.
"Well, I guess we can only go down."
Niels said, and the other three nodded.
And so, after descending the spiral staircase, they walked a long, long way downhill….
After walking quite a ways downhill, occasionally coming across the 'lamp post' alchemy tools.
They arrived at a rather large door, about three meters high.
"It's also unlocked."
Etho checked.
"Since we don't know what's going on here, we're going to open it very carefully."
Niels said, slowly opening the door.
Behind the door, far from a pitch-black darkness… it was very bright.
And they could hear a lot of voices.
"Huh?"
Amon exclaimed hysterically.
Amon wasn't the only one surprised.
Etho, Niels, and of course, Ryo were too.
The underground space was crawling with people.
There were 'lamp post' alchemy tools everywhere, brightening up the whole place like an outdoor cityscape in the daytime.
Far from being a 'polar night', it was more like a 'white night'…
With people coming and going… and quite a few horse-drawn carriages passing by.
It was in effect, a fully functioning city.
"What the hell, is this…?"
None of them could answer Niels' question.
The people there were, of course, not vampires, but human beings.
After asking around, they found out that it had been open to the public for about a year now….
It is not entirely known to the general public, and it seems that most of them have been introduced to the place by people close to the church or the government.
However, some had heard rumors and arrived on their own, making the situation quite chaotic….
Moreover, it seems that the entrance that the four used is basically abandoned, and that there are several larger, more usable spiral staircases and spiral ramps, from which most of them entered and exited.
"This is rather unexpected…"
"Yeah. To think there are inns and even restaurants as well…"
Ryo muttered, and Niels nodded in agreement.
The four in the underground space… which by the way many call 'Underground City' since it literally is an underground city, were currently in one of the inns in the underground city, inside the cafeteria.
"It's great that as long as you pay, you don't have to show any identification at all."
"That tells you the kinds of people that come here."
Amon was impressed by the weirdness of it all, and Etho nodded with a wry smile.
"The good news is we'll be hard to find… the bad news is, so will the magicians."
"We can't help it."
Niels let out a small sigh and Etho nodded.
"I'm not getting any feedback from either
Ryo said, looking in a certain direction of the city.
"It's probably to the northeast…"
"How can you tell the direction when it's underground?"
Etho was astonished.
"Nowadays, water-attribute magicians can easily make out their bearings, even if they are underground."
"Like hell they do!"
Niels was right on the mark with his quip on Ryo.
"I see you've improved, Niels."
"Please quit saying that, it's embarrassing!"
Ryo complimented him, but Niels face turned red and he turned away.
Seeing this, Etho and Amon chuckled.
"Anyway, there's a particular place in the northeast direction where the reflection of steam is a little strange, and it's bothering me."
"Okay, let's go there after eating and resting."
"This place… I wonder if they keep the street lights on all the time?"
"I asked about that earlier too, and apparently they do. That's why the people can work around the clock."
"What a toxic environment…" (TN: lit. 'Black environment'. Japanese refer to companies that exploit their workers to work overtime as 'Black companies'.)
Ryo's muttering wasn't heard by anyone.
Even though it's this bright, it's so toxic…
How ironic!
(Whoever created this environment must be an ironist! )
-x-X-x-
After eating dinner and getting six hours of sleep, the four from Room 10 left the inn.
They had reserved a room for one more day and paid in advance, but they didn't have any of their things in the room.
In the northeast direction that Ryo mentioned, there stood what appeared to be a magnificent palace.
The ceiling of this underground city itself is very high.
About thirty meters high.
And within it stood a palace reaching all the way to the ceiling…
No other building, of course, reached such heights.
"This… is definitely a facility associated with the church, or the government, it's either one or the other…"
"In an average country, it would be the lord's mansion, but they practice Theocracy here…"
"There are guards at the gate, too, so it doesn't seem to be a church open to believers…"
"It's as if we're treading on the enemy's home ground! Perhaps at the end, a thirty-meter class golem will appear! "
Niels said with a frown, Etho agreed, Amon made an observation of the entrance, and Ryo expressed his wish.
Ryo, of course, does not know if there is such a thing as a thirty-meter class golem.
If such a thing were to appear, the ceiling would collapse….
"I understand your desire, Ryo. Though I get it, nothing more!"
"You're starting to resemble Abel with your witty remarks, Niels…"
Niels retorted and Ryo sighed.
Incidentally, Etho and Amon didn't miss the fact that Niels looked a little bit happy at the words "You're starting to resemble Abel", which Ryo said along with a sigh…
"On a normal day, we would sneak in at night…"
"Seeing as it's always bright in this underground space, that would be a little difficult."
Amon sighed and Etho chuckled.
"I could pierce all the 'lamp posts' with
"Yeah, Ryo, don't ever do that."
"Wait Niels, by don't ever do that, don't ever do that, don't… just stay still and get on with it! Won't happen to be what you really mean, is it?"
"Hell no! What are you on about? Seriously, don't do it!"
Ryo was relieved to see that Niels was a sensible adventurer.
The four of them entered a bar near the 'palace'.
Of course, the purpose was not to drink alcohol, but to come up with a strategy.
"If even Ryo can't probe from the outside, we'll have to find our way in somehow… worst case, we'll send only Ryo."
"Send only me?"
Niels said, and Ryo tilted his head.
"Ryo can use his magic to probe the inside as long as you can get in there, right? Even if you can't rely on your eyes, I'm sure you can manage somehow, right?"
"Yeah… well, I guess I should be able to manage somehow. The problem is that the only entrance seems to be that one right there at the front. You would have to have some serious stealth skills to get in through that main gate without being discov…"
Niels said and Ryo answered, but… Ryo stopped mid-sentence.
"Ryo?"
Etho called out to him anxiously.
"There just might be a way. Though it's only for one person."
Ryo said and pulled out a silver bracelet from his bag.
"A bracelet?"
"I did some research on the magic formula inside. It is very delicate, but if I carefully apply magic to it, even I can use it."
Amon asked, and Ryo answered.
"What's the bracelet for?"
"It is a concealment bracelet."
This 'concealment bracelet' (named by Ryo) was used by Cesare and others, and Ryo received it from the Republic as a token of apology.
Naturally, the bracelet is customized so that only certain users can use it.
This is because it would be a problem if it were to be stolen and used.
It can apparently sense the slightest difference in each person's magic power…
The reason for using the term 'apparently', is because even Ryo doesn't understand it.
That's how high a level the alchemy used is.
Even the biometric authentication part.
And Ryo is trying to forcibly hack into it so that he can use it…
As he had said previously, it's impossible.
This would be impossible unless one was as proficient in magic control as Ryo is, or perhaps someone endowed with such proficiency of the highest level even among magicians, and also knowledgeable and experienced in alchemy.
There's probably no such person… or so he thought.
(I kind of think Sera could do it…)
Magic control as good as or even better than Ryo's, and a wealth of knowledge about alchemy by virtue of her race as an elf…
Well, one would have to be in the same league as Ryo or Sera to forcefully use this bracelet.
Moreover, even for Ryo, it requires a great deal of concentration, as if threading a thin, fine needle continuously.
Hence, it is impossible to use other magic or even run while using the bracelet.
That's how burdensome it is to forcefully utilize user-specific alchemy tools…
Ryo activated the 'concealment bracelet' and walked through the main gate.
Passing through the 'Palace' gate, he walked through the open main entrance.
At that moment, he felt as though he had passed through a thin membrane of air.
(The membrane just now was the cause of the water vapor reacting strangely…. From the looks of it, it could easily prevent wind-attribute magic like
He made it inside, but he couldn't probe with sonar while using the concealment bracelet.
He would need to unequip the bracelet somewhere out of sight and then begin his exploration.
However, since he's unfamiliar with the structure, he's practically walking blind…
Going up and down the stairs didn't seem like a good idea, so he managed to wander around the ground floor… and finally reached the end of a hallway which appeared to be obscured enough from the surroundings.
(
Since he couldn't use
Sensitive people can perceive it after all.
However,
Even people who are breathing in their sleep.
(There are over a hundred people in this palace…. If they are being held captive, I guess it would make more sense for them to be in a dungeon?)
That was Ryo's logical reasoning.
If they were locked up, it would be in a dungeon or on top of a tower.
This 'Palace' doesn't have a tower, so dungeon it is.
(Looks like there's another place with strange water vapor reaction deep inside the second-floor basement. Assuming it's just like the situation back at the entrance, does that mean it's also separated by a membrane of air?)
Having no choice, Ryo decided to head over there.
With the 'concealment bracelet' activated of course. On foot.
Even knowing they couldn't see him, he still got nervous whenever he passed by someone.
He noticed that there were a lot of people who looked like knights inside the building.
And magicians, too.
However, perhaps because magicians are more sensitive to the flow of magic power, some looked toward Ryo more than once.
However, seeing nothing there, they thought it was just their imagination and withdrew their attention.
Repeating this several times, he arrived deep inside the second-floor basement, in front of the air membrane.
He could see right through.
The space inside was fairly large.
Considering that it is inside the palace, perhaps an atrium?
The air membrane was in front of such a place.
(I have a bad feeling about this…)
Still, he must continue his exploration.
Making up his mind, Ryo put only the tip of his right hand out beyond the air membrane and immediately chanted.
(
(Found them!)
Further inside the large atrium, four people were placed in separate cells in chains.
Probably some kind of chain that constantly drains magic power… or something along those lines.
And further inside the four cells…
But at the same time, Ryo sensed something.
In the center of the large atrium.
Moreover, the other party was also completely aware of Ryo. He understood that, too.
"Guess I'm blown."
Ryo muttered and walked into the atrium.
Then, he called out to the person standing in the center.
It's been a day.
"Hello, Your Holiness."
-x-X-x-
"I knew you would come. But wasn't expecting you'd be alone. Is it because you only have one of those bracelets?"
The Pope's voice was quite expressive.
Compared to when he had attacked them on the roadside, his words sounded much more full of spirit.
"You are right, Your Holiness. As a matter of fact, I have no intention of fighting you now. So can you just let me off the hook for this?"
"Now, that's hilarious. Okay, say I let you go, what then? I'm guessing you'll go rally your companions and come right back to rescue these four. But did it ever occur to you that I could just kill them before you get here?"
"Not at all. These four people are probably your source of magic power. No, not only these four, but you have quite a few magicians locked up further in. You are siphoning magic power from them as well, aren't you?"
The Pope was rather visibly taken aback by Ryo's deduction.
He definitely looked much more emotional than when he attacked them on the roadside.
"It's quite intriguing that you're able to figure out so much. Let me guess, you used the wind-attribute magic
"Something like that."
"You're a dangerous individual."
Then, the Pope seemed to smile a little.
Then he continued.
"You shall perish here before you learn anything more.
Suddenly, a battle broke out.
Ryo honestly wished he could have gotten a little more information out of him.
Since the Pope was quite chatty this time.
Three flame vortexes emerged from the Pope's right hand and struck Ryo.
Ryo received them with the laminated ice wall. The ice wall was not only erected in front of him but in every conceivable angle. Including overhead.
And then a rain of ice lances poured down.
Super-dense, super-fast, and super-massive.
The entire atrium turned into a pathway made of ice lances.
Probably tens of thousands of them in total.
…However.
"To think you'd be unscathed after all that."
As expected, Ryo was surprised by that.
The Pope didn't move a single step, only putting up a
Ordinarily, a
However, the Pope's barrier was surprisingly robust…
"Interesting, so you were a water-attribute magician. But still, how are you able to unleash such abundant ice lances and not run out of magic power…. Are you really a human?"
"Like you're one to talk. What about you, I'm fairly certain you're no human. I can't really say if it exists in this world or not, but I'm guessing you're a clone or something similar."
That's right, the Pope in front of him is a different individual from the one he fought on the roadside.
He looks exactly the same.
But his disposition is totally different.
Clones can be genetically identical to each other.
However, their 'Spirit', will not exactly be the same.
This is because a person's 'Spirit' is developed based on all their knowledge and experiences from birth to the present.
And therefore manifests in their disposition.
Of course, this is only Ryo's theory.
After all, there were no official human clones on Earth.
However, anyone could have arrived at this answer if they thought about it logically.
And Ryo thought that the product of his reasoning was right in front of him.
"I don't know what a clone is, but it seems to me that you've uncovered our secrets. How truly fascinating. I know about you. Ryo, a C-rank adventurer with the Kingdom delegation. Hmm… I don't think the whole delegation knows about it, but… let's see, you mind telling me how much of our secrets you know exactly?"
"You know I can't do that, obviously."
Ryo thought.
(Earlier, he was surprised to learn that I'm a water-attribute magician, and now he knows my name. He must have updated his information. Something like the tactical data link… so it's not limited to just golems, even this Pope has it…? Well, it's quite plausible for a clone, I suppose. To have incorporated something like that in a golem, they seem to know the importance of sharing information in real-time.)
"To silence a magician, I guess this should do it.
The Pope chanted quickly and plunged toward Ryo with his nearly two-meter staff at the ready.
"Silence, do you think you're capable of it?"
Ryo produced a blade from Murasame and intercepted him.
Clang.
The clash of staff and sword echoed through the atrium.
"What the…"
The Pope was astonished.
"It is natural for a modern magician to be able to fight in close quarters."
Ryo looked smug.
"Cut the crap!"
Thrust. Thrust, thrust.
Strike.
Swing.
And thrust again.
Ryo carefully received the Pope's staff attack with Murasame.
"Looks like close-quarters combat is leading nowhere…"
Ryo heard the Pope's muttering.
Perhaps because of the enchantment, the Pope's speed and power exceeded Ryo's.
However, his technique with the staff was not that spectacular.
Meaning, it would be difficult for him to get past Ryo's ironclad defense.
Compared to Sera's sword during 'Wind Clad', it wasn't too hard to deal with.
That was Ryo's honest impression.
The Pope jumped backward greatly.
"
The moment the Pope chanted, two faces appeared to the left of his face, and two to the right… five faces lined up along with his own face.
The newly materialized faces were only faces… nothing from the neck down.
They appeared to be floating…
"How creepy."
Ryo muttered his honest thoughts.
But that was about it as far as leeway goes.
"
"
"
"
The faces that appeared beside the Pope chanted four magic spells at the same time.
"
Ryo chanted as he jumped backward.
The four attributes magic spells collided with the ice wall, and… in an instant, the ice wall cracked.
"Unbelievable!"
The
Ryo was sent flying backward.
A completely unexpected turn of events.
For the <20-Layer Ice Wall> to crack in an instant.
But, of course, it didn't end there.
"
"
"
"
The four faces chanted Sonic Blade.
Sonic Blade is an AOE offensive magic spell, in which a single wind blade splits into five blades.
In other words, the four Sonic Blades eventually became twenty wind blades.
It struck Ryo, who was blown away and unable to move after being shot in the leg.
Wind blades rained down.
Shattered walls and floors.
"
At the same time as the Pope chanted, Ryo, holding Murasame, came down from directly above him.
Clang.
The absolute protection that only high-ranking clergymen of the Western Church can cast,
Having failed in his surprise attack, Ryo spun backward and landed on the ground.
Standing on one leg.
His left leg was injured and in a rather bad state.
"The main body is of the light attribute, and the other four cast magic of the four attributes… talk about a foul technique!"
Ryo muttered.
"Hey water-attribute magician, you can't do that, can you?"
"As a matter of fact, I don't think anyone can…. Still, I was truly surprised earlier when the ice wall shattered in an instant. What was that?"
"You want to know? Even in this situation where you are on the verge of dying?"
"Yeah. I would very much like to know."
Ryo answered the Pope's question with a broad nod.
Certainly, it is a bit unusual to ask such a thing of the opponent you are fighting in a very unfavorable situation where you might die.
But again, looking at it from another point of view.
Wouldn't it be a shame to die with such a question on your mind?
Then you wouldn't be able to rest in peace.
Ryo didn't fancy the idea of wandering around this world as a wraith…
"Interesting! The quest for truth is a privilege allowed to man. Fine, I'll make an exception and tell you. In magic, there is a phenomenon called resonance. There are several conditions under which resonance can occur… but it rarely happens when the magic of two attributes collide. However, when four attributes are aligned, the conditions for resonance to occur are more easily met spontaneously, and the chances of resonance occurring is very high. As a result, some magic will 'disappear'."
"I see. The fact that all but the earth lance, including my ice wall, disappeared in an instant just now was a magic resonance phenomenon…"
Resonance is a common occurrence even outside of magic.
"But it's only because you can activate all four attributes at the same time, isn't it…?"
Ryo suddenly thought of the battlefield scenes he had seen so far.
For example, in the Kingdom Liberation War…
Fire, earth, and wind attributes were often used in offensive magic, but he had never seen water-attribute offensive magic…
Yeah, only the three attributes…
It seems that there is still a world of magic unknown to Ryo.
"Naturally, however, the four attributes must be near each other for this to happen."
Of course.
Even if it is something other than magic, resonance will not occur if they are far apart.
"I see. That was enlightening."
Ryo said, bowing his head.
Although they were killing each other, he had been taught something he was curious about, so it wouldn't hurt to be thankful for that, would it?
Ryo had a strange sense of discipline…
"Now, I suppose you don't have any more regrets. I'll send you on your way now, so desist from any useless resistance."
"I'm afraid I can't do that."
Ryo rejected the Pope's proposal.
"Why are you so obsessed with life…?"
"Isn't that obvious? How am I supposed to eat yummy cakes if I'm not alive!"
Ryo answered the Pope's muttering with extreme seriousness.
It's that important to Ryo.
Man shall not live by bread alone… so said a certain Son of God.
Meaning that both curry and cake are necessary… may not necessarily be an accurate interpretation, but for Ryo, both curry and cake are important.
"Either way, you're going to die."
"No, thank you!"
"
"Ugh…the impregnable one from earlier! No, there is no such thing as impregnable magic!"
The Pope first cast absolute defensive magic.
So, after securing the safety of the main body, he intended to cast the four-attribute offensive magic spell.
Ryo's countermeasure to that was…
"
Dynamic steam mines were stacked in multiple layers so that even if some of them disappeared due to the resonance phenomenon, they wouldn't get near Ryo.
First, they set up their defenses against each other.
After that, they began chanting.
Big moves at that.
"
"
"
"
The faces beside the Pope chanted.
Ryo didn't know, but those magic were the strongest spells of each attribute offensive magic in the Western Countries.
As for Ryo's counter.
"
Sixteen magic circles emerged.
The magic chanted by the faces of the Pope was blocked by the
While emitting pair annihilation particles.
Under such circumstances, Ryo chanted with more concentration than usual.
"
In that moment, tens of thousands of ice lances per second flew toward the Pope's forehead, concentrating on a single point.
Of course, they were repelled by the
But it didn't matter.
Five seconds, ten seconds, twenty seconds…
Hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, four hundred thousand…
All the ice lances flew toward a single point… just one point, without a single millimeter of deviation.
"What a fool.
"There's no magic that can't be broken!"
Ryo refuted the Pope's words with absolute confidence.
Why is he so confident…?
It is because Michael (pseudonym) once said.
It's about 'the same as Earth in terms of physical phenomena'.
And if one were to consider the physical phenomena on Earth from a logical standpoint, then there's no such thing as 'Absolute Defense'.
If so, there's no such thing on 'Phi' either.
Ryo thought that it was just a super-hard defensive barrier,
Essentially, those two barriers are non-attribute magic, but when light attribute is added to them, they may become amazingly sturdy…
The so-called resonance absorption of the general theory of relativity… nucleus goes from the ground state to the excited state by absorbing light… something like that…
Moreover, it is quite difficult to use, so only high-ranking priests and clergy can use it… in other words, only magicians with very high proficiency in light-attribute magic can use it…
That was Ryo's reasoning.
So, with that being the case, there is no way it can't be broken.
The magic spell concentrating the Icicle Lance attacked on a single point,
When the total number of shots exceeded ten million…
Crack.
Slash.
The 'Pierce' then shifted to 'Fan' and the faces floating beside the Pope and his entire body were pierced by hundreds of ice lances… blowing them away, and the Pope was crucified on the wall behind him.
-x-X-x-
For starters, Ryo gulped down the Ryo-specially-made potion he had with him.
As usual, it restored the pierce wound in his left leg caused by the stone lance and other minor injuries at an astonishing rate.
When his body was fully restored to normal, he slowly approached the Pope, who was crucified and pinned to the wall.
"I suppose it's about time."
Muttering such words.
Then it happened.
A light from above struck the Pope.
A moment later, the Pope's body was gone.
The light came from above, even though it was an underground space… of course, there was no hole in the ceiling.
Something from the upper dimension interfered with the lower dimension.
It didn't need to do something tactless like leaving a hole in the ceiling.
Ryo took a closer look at the place where the Pope's body was pinned.
If he guessed right….
There was blood in several places there.
Most likely the Pope's blood.
"Good!"
Ryo said, making a slight fist pump gesture.
Last time, the light from above seized all of the Pope's body, perfectly, even though he was completely trapped in an icy coffin.
This time it was totally different.
This time, Ryo's special 'water' seeped out from the countless ice lances that he had pierced into the Pope's body, allowing it to mix with the blood in his body.
He tried to see what would happen.
As a result, there was blood left behind that could not be completely recovered.
At the very least, it proved that the interloper was by no means an omniscient being.
Simply put, he didn't think they were capable of interference on the same level as Michael (pseudonym)… more or less.
What a stroke of luck.
That blood was a scar on those in the upper dimension.
And hope.
Despite all the sounds of battle and destruction, no one came.
Perhaps because of the air membrane that blocked even water vapor.
At any rate, it was convenient for Ryo!
Walking to the back of the atrium, he found a passageway leading further inside.
A long passageway.
On both sides of the passageway, there were several sturdy-looking iron doors.
"
There were four people in the rooms right before him, two on each side, and four rooms in total.
The rooms further down held another group of magicians.
And in the large room at the end of the hall… there were more than thirty captives in total.
"The question now is whether or not to release them…"
Ryo was as troubled as Hamlet.
Well, there was no reason not to help them….
For the time being, he decided to release the four right in front of him, so he opened the doors.
Obviously, he didn't have the keys.
But the doors seemed to be made of iron.
And Ryo is a water-attribute magician.
Iron can be easily 'broken' when exposed to low temperatures.
The Titanic disaster was also said to have been caused by an iceberg striking the iron hull, which had become brittle from the cold.
Iron at room temperature will only bend when struck with a hammer, but iron chilled with liquid nitrogen will crack with a single blow… he had seen such a video back on Earth!
So, he cooled them down and they shattered!
Crack.
With a high, clear, beautiful sound, the four iron doors cracked and splintered.
Ryo took a sneak peek inside.
Knowing full well that they were all chained up.
Inside the first room was Alicia, the female wind-attribute magician.
But she was lying on the floor.
Her body was moving up and down slightly, so she didn't seem to be dead.
He went ahead to freeze and break the chains attached to her legs, using the same method as earlier.
Then, Ryo gave her the special potion drink that he had.
The next room held Bellrock, the earth-attribute magician dwarf.
He was sitting on the floor.
"Oh, Ryo uh, it's been quite a while."
"Long time no see, Bellrock-san."
They chatted away quite normally.
He broke the chains and released him.
The third room was Ash Khan's, the Enchanter.
He was sitting on the floor but wasn't looking too good.
But he turned his head and recognized Ryo.
And bowed his head slightly.
For now, he broke the chains and released him, then handed him the special potion.
"Thank you."
"No need."
Ash Khan thanked in a low voice.
The fourth room was Gordon's, a fire-attribute magician.
He was standing firm, with hands on his hips.
But his legs were trembling… he must have been having a hard time because his magic power was being sucked out of him forcibly.
Perhaps standing was just him showing grit.
"You look fine. Keep up the good work."
Ryo said and tried turning back.
"Hey, wait. At least break these goddamn chains!"
Gordon exclaimed.
Ryo had no choice but to break the chains.
He wasn't treating him coldly because he's a fire-attribute magician.
Absolutely not.
It's just that he had not forgotten that Gordon had attempted to attack Abel and Rihya had to put her body on the line to prevent it.
Despite his earlier reservation, Ryo rescued all four of them.
Except for Bellrock, the dwarf, and Ash Khan, the enchanter, no one could walk on their own.
Similarly, he destroyed the doors and chains of the remaining magicians trapped further inside.
Eventually, thirty-two magicians were rescued.
But there was a big problem.
In the end, none could walk on their own, except Bellrock and Ash Khan….
It appeared that it was because they were squeezed dry of their magic power.
Ryo also remembered how he used to collapse on the bed every day after running out of magic power when he first reincarnated on 'Phi'… now imagine experiencing that constantly, it would certainly be difficult to walk.
"This is a problem."
Ryo was really troubled.
Among the Roman party, Alicia was being carried by Ash Khan and Gordon by Bellrock.
But there was no way for the others to move.
"It's a little conspicuous, but I guess there's no helping it…"
Ryo muttered, steeling himself.
A roar rang out, overwhelming the area.
The people residing in the 'palace' were wondering what was going on.
The one who appeared was….
A robed magician-looking man walking in the lead.
Behind him, dozens of shiny, shimmering, ice cart-like objects were lined up in a row.
It was like a march of the Saint.
The carts were filled with people….
Each carrying one person.
Many of them lying down.
Those awake all kept their eyes down.
"D-Dammit Ryo. We can walk, you know?"
Bellrock said in a low voice.
Ash Khan nodded his head repeatedly without saying a word.
"No, it must be quite difficult for you, since you have been deprived of your magical powers for so long, right? No need to be reserved. It's just thirty-two people, piece of cake."
"No… I'd rather not."
Ryo replied confidently.
Bellrock's muttering, filled with a sense of shame, did not reach Ryo's ears….
Clang, clang, clang.
From behind, the sound of hard objects colliding with each other could be heard.
It seemed that swords and spears were striking the
Naturally, Ryo and the magicians were surrounded by a wall of ice….
"Quit dawdling! And stop them already!"
"We can't! Something invisible is holding us back!"
"How can that be, what kind of barrier is this?"
"To even be impervious to magic! A magic barrier and physical barrier at the same time?"
Wrong, it's an
It's hard to distinguish between the transparent ice wall, a physical barrier, and a magic barrier….
The group pushed forward.
To be precise, Ryo was just pushing forward and thirty-two
All the stairs were remodeled using ice and turned into ramps….
Every now and then Ryo would look back and nod in satisfaction, seeing that they were following him without any problems.
Finally, the group reached the gates of the 'palace'.
"Halt!"
For the first time, a man stood in front of Ryo, clearly stopping him from proceeding.
He was a knight, but his armor was clearly more elaborately decorated than those of the surrounding knights.
He must be a person of high status.
He could have forcefully eliminated him with
"Can I help you?"
Ryo replied politely.
"Who the hell are you? And where are you taking them?"
"It's common courtesy to introduce yourself first before asking the same of another, don't you think?"
The pompous knight asked, and Ryo fired back.
The knight was dismayed but replied politely.
"I am Abbondio, Commander of the Templar Underground Government Battalion."
Commander Abbondio proudly proclaimed.
"I see. So, it's a battalion commander of the Knights Templar. That certainly makes things easier. We're on our way to Cardinal Graham in the Holy Capital."
"His Eminence Graham?"
Ryo answered, and Commander Abbondio raised his eyebrows in a somewhat quizzical manner.
"Commander Abbondio, do you know the party His Eminence Graham was in before?"
"Of course. He was a member of Hero Roman's party, and they together defeated the Demon King."
In response to Ryo's question, Commander Abbondio answered clearly.
"Exactly. And the four magicians of the Hero party at that time are these four you see right here."
Ryo said pointing to the four people riding on the
"What?"
Commander Abbondio's eyes widened.
He was clearly surprised.
Perhaps, he was just now learning for the first time that these four were being held captive in this 'palace'….
"These four, as you can see, are extremely weakened. That's because they were held captive on the second basement floor of this building for a long time, with their magical power sucked out of them. My question now is, Commander Abbondio, were you aware of the fact that these four, Cardinal Graham's companions, were held captive here and had their magical power siphoned off?"
At this point, Ryo's expression had become very grim.
Ryo's question now had put Commander Abbondio on the spot.
If he answered, "I was aware", he would inevitably incur Cardinal Graham's wrath.
If he answered "I wasn't aware", his ability as an administrator would inevitably be questioned.
But Commander Abbondio didn't hesitate.
"Of course, I wasn't."
He most likely wasn't aware.
And his answer right now was the right choice.
It would be imprudent if he made an enemy out of Cardinal Graham.
The influence of a Knight Battalion Commander can't even begin to compare to that of a Cardinal.
If it were against an archbishop instead of a cardinal, it might be manageable to some extent….
In the Western Church, the cardinals are a separate entity.
"Oh, I see, you weren't aware. I am relieved to hear that."
Ryo smiled and nodded slowly.
Not that Ryo himself had any authority of any kind… but seeing that smile and nod, Commander Abbondio couldn't help but feel relieved.
"Now, as I said earlier, we will continue on our way to the Holy Capital and bring the four of them, as well as the other magicians, to Cardinal Graham. What about you?"
"M-Me?"
"Yeah. These magicians were held captive in this building. And, inhumanly, had their magical power drained. You are in charge of this building… or something, aren't you? Don't you have a responsibility to see things through to the end?"
"W-Well, if you put it that way, then you're right… it would certainly be better that way."
Commander Abbondio nodded slightly and muttered as he thought about Ryo's words.
"At any rate, we'll be on our way. Please make way. If you want to follow us, you're free to do so from the back."
Ryo said and started walking again.
Commander Abbondio hurriedly moved out of the way.
With Ryo in the lead, the group continued on their way, exiting into the underground city.
Coming out, they stood out like a sore thumb.
"Hey. I don't know if my eyes are getting worse or if I'm losing my mind, but the person leading that march looks very much like Ryo."
"Yeah… he does, doesn't he? I think that's probably him."
"Those things behind him must be Ryo's magic called 'Wagon' or something."
Niels, who had spotted Ryo and the group from afar, muttered, Etho agreed, and Amon explained the magic.
"The lot behind them must be the Templars from the government office, I suppose?"
"That's some impressive march."
"I heard them talking a while ago. Apparently, they're heading straight to the Holy Capital."
"Yeah, I heard that too. Something about the magicians of the former Hero Party."
The three of them could hear such conversations flying around.
"He must have succeeded in rescuing those four magicians."
"They are riding right behind Ryo-san!"
"I wish he was a little more discreet with the rescue though…"
Etho was pleased, Amon found the four, and Niels let out a little sigh.
Nonetheless, there was no denying it was good news.
"The news said they're heading to the Holy Capital, right? Should we inform Graham-san beforehand?"
"Yeah, good idea."
Niels said, and Etho agreed.
The three of them started running and went out from the spiral staircase to the ground level.
The group, with Ryo in the lead, proceeded through the underground city to the ramp where Room 10 first entered.
It was the path from the courtyard of the Boreas Government Office.
Behind Ryo were thirty-two
From a distance, it must have been a spectacular sight.
A man in robes leading the way like a prophet.
With the glittering
And the knights who followed, as if guarding them.
But of course, the people riding on the
Owning to the fact that it was very conspicuous and embarrassing….
What people see from the outside and what is happening on the inside are two very different things….
Such universal truth seemed to apply there as well.
"Uh, hey, Ryo."
"What is it, Bellrock-san?"
"I've recovered enough magical power to walk without this."
"Ah. This uphill climb is quite long, too. Besides, it's quite a distance from the Boreas government office to the Holy Capital, so please feel free to stay on the
Ryo answered Bellrock's words with a bright smile.
After saying that with such a smile, even Bellrock, the dwarf, couldn't reply with anything unkind.
"I-I see…"
He couldn't come up with anything else to say.
Only one person, Ash Khan, was different from the rest of the magicians.
When he first got on, he was embarrassed and his face was flushed red, but halfway through the ride, his expression started to change.
He leaned forward to look at the scenery around him, looked at the row of
His expression, as usual, didn't change much, but it was obvious to everyone that he was having fun.
"I knew it, Ash Khan has more guts than I do…"
Bellrock's muttering was heard by no one.
Three hours later.
The group was about to reach the northern gate of the Holy Capital without incident.
Under the protection of Ryo's
In front of the northern gate of the Holy Capital, there was a crowd of people.
"Uh?"
Ryo's little murmur reached the ears of Bellrock, who was riding on the
"What's wrong?"
Bellrock looked ahead as he asked.
Then he understood.
There were quite a few people in front of the gate.
And then he saw a familiar face among them.
"Is that Graham?"
"Oh, I see. He came to pick us up."
Ryo nodded.
Naturally, he understood who had made the arrangements.
They were indeed dependable party members.
"Graham-san, as promised, I have brought them back."
"Thank you very much, Ryo-san. Truly, thank you."
Graham said, bowing deeply.
Meanwhile, the four got off the wagons.
Bellrock, the earth-attribute magician, Ash Khan, the enchanter, Alicia, the wind-attribute magician, and Gordon, the fire-attribute magician.
"I'm glad all four of you are safe."
"Sorry for the trouble, Graham."
Graham said with a smile, and Bellrock replied shyly.
The other three also smiled shyly.
Ryo was reunited with Niels, Etho, and Amon.
"The three of you contacted Graham-san, didn't you?"
"Yeah. Otherwise, it would be troublesome if you barged into the Papal Palace with that procession, wouldn't it?"
"Oh, you read my mind. That was the plan."
Niels asked, and Ryo answered honestly.
"Then it's a good thing we got here before you did."
"I would have liked to see that, too."
Etho was relieved, and Amon expressed his true feelings in earnest.
"Well, either way, we've fulfilled Graham-san's request."
That's right, it was a formal request from Cardinal Graham.
As adventurers, they had to fulfill the request.
It was then that Ryo finally remembered those who had followed him at the end of the group.
The Knights Templar Underground Government Battalion, led by Commander Abbondio.
"As you can see, Commander Abbondio. We successfully brought the four magicians of the Hero Party to Cardinal Graham without incident. Thank you very much for escorting us."
In a heartbeat, Ryo had created such a ready-made fact… that the Templars had escorted them.
What a schemer!
"H-hmm. We too are honored to be of service to His Eminence."
Commander Abbondio said.
That's about all he could say.
At this point, he had no other choice.
By all appearances, Commander Abbondio understood… that it looked like he had escorted the magicians of the Hero Party and brought them to Cardinal Graham.
There was absolutely no merit in saying or doing anything contrary to that now.
To other cardinals, for example, or other Knights Templar Commanders, or even above, it would have appeared that Commander Abbondio had sided with Cardinal Graham.
That would be the impression from the outside.
While the true intentions of those in question were not taken into account.
Until now, Commander Abbondio had not belonged to any particular faction.
Of course, that's not to say that he rose to the position of battalion commander solely based on his integrity and religious piety.
That said, he still intended to perform his duties as a Knight Templar without getting too deeply involved in anyone or anywhere.
However, he recognized that he was no longer in a position to maintain his stance.
Even though he didn't know anything about it, the Cardinal's men were being held captive in the place where Commander Abbondio was in charge.
Moreover, they were even being tortured….
Not belonging to any faction meant not having any protection.
He would undoubtedly be punished.
To save himself, he had no choice but to take a stance and get protection… that was the situation.
When Graham and the four magicians had warmed up their old acquaintanceships, Commander Abbondio dropped to one knee in front of Graham.
"Your Eminence, my name is Abbondio, Commander of the Knights Templar Underground Government Battalion."
"Oh, you must have escorted them here. Thank you for your service, Battalion Commander Abbondio."
Abbondio had yet to explain anything.
Yet Graham said that he had escorted them and thanked him.
Again, Commander Abbondio was already bound by words.
He was thanked by the overwhelmingly superior Cardinal of the Church, and couldn't exactly say, "No, sir, that's actually not the case".
However, Commander Abbondio had already steeled himself ever since Ryo sold the narrative.
That narrative was simply a lifesaver for him.
"I appreciate your kind words, sir. However, even though I was the one in charge of the Underground Government Battalion, I didn't know that they were being held captive deep underground. I will accept all responsibility for that."
"It is impossible for anyone to know everything, Commander. You, as battalion commander, learning that such a great crime was being committed, did everything you could. You escorted them and helped them get back to the Holy Capital safely. That's good enough for me. I feel that battalion commander's sense of justice is in line with the will of Founder New-sama. I hope that you will continue to follow that spirit of justice in fulfilling your duties as a Knight Templar."
Graham paused for a moment and then continued.
"I, Cardinal Graham, will never forget Commander Abbondio's act of justice. May I count on you henceforth to further the agency?"
That was a proposal from Graham.
That final confirmation of whether he would like to work under him.
Naturally, Commander Abbondio did not hesitate.
He had already crossed that bridge.
"Of course, Your Eminence. Please accept my, Abbondio's, complete and utter allegiance."
From then on, Graham's influence would spread throughout the Knights Templar.