“Good heavens, Lord Sword Ghost! How could you have obtained such information—”
“Shh. Your voice is too loud, Valeria.”
When I told Valeria about the uneasy feeling I had sensed,
she believed my conjecture completely and was startled.
In any case, all of it was information that depended on my intuition,
so if it were ordinary lords, they would surely have only half-listened.
But conversations with her moved very quickly.
Even if she treated me like her son in public, as I told her to,
behind the scenes, she revered me like a god, calling me Lord Sword Ghost, and that disposition of hers was proving useful again.
“In that case, I will immediately cancel tomorrow’s victory celebration for you, Lord Sword Ghost. And I will strengthen the territory’s defenses and commit all our forces.”
However.
No matter how much I thought about it, that did not seem like the best answer.
At that moment,
the thought that flashed through my mind was simple.
‘In an ordinary situation, that would be correct. But the enemy feels like professionally trained assassins.’
Assassins like that were rare cards that could be used like jokers in battle or war.
The fact that such people were not going elsewhere, but were coming “as a group” to our territory, which was nothing but a borderland in terms of location,
meant that, though I could not be certain, they had a goal clearer and more definite than anything else.
‘For example, targeting me.’
Well, it was not as though I hoped for that.
But if that truly was the case, then that Demon Queen bitch might have found out that I had awakened again.
At any rate,
even if we strengthened our defenses right now and succeeded in stopping them,
we would not be able to wipe out every one of those skilled bastards in one fell swoop.
And the possibility that they might come again someday would naturally remain.
They seemed to have such an important objective.
There was no way they would give up easily.
In that case,
in this situation, it would actually be better to proceed as planned.
“No, I’ve thought about it. Let the festival go on as scheduled.”
“Lord Sword Ghost, do you mean—”
“These bastards won’t have the slightest intention of giving up just because we simply stop them. They’ll come back whenever and however they please. So we’ll lure them all in and catch them at once.”
That was a strategy I had made especially good use of in my previous life.
Casting the net.
Well, that was the nice way to put it.
If you examined the reality of it, I knew perfectly well that it was no different from saying I would wager the lives of the people of the territory to completely root out the assassins’ incursion.
But without risk, there was no return.
And I,
to be honest, was confident.
How many overconfident half-wits’ sword hilts do you think I had broken in my time?
“I, Valeria, as the successor of the Tark territory who has inherited the will of the re-founding ancestor Max, obey only you absolutely, Lord Sword Ghost.”
At that,
Valeria did briefly show a hint of unease, as though she was worried inside.
Even so, she supported me without reserve, making it clear that she would lend me her strength.
“Good. In that case, I’ll need a few knights who can move in step with me, and I’ll select them myself. More than anything, your first priority is to open the underground prison.”
“…Yes. In the underground prison… are you going to find Sir Jade?”
“That’s right. He simply couldn’t resist me, but he’s still someone with experience and standing. There’s no one better to take along.”
“Use everything as you wish, Lord Sword Ghost.”
“Good.”
“Please, bestow salvation once more upon this territory you created.”
“Leave it to me, Count.”
Saying that,
“Hey, it’s me.”
“Y-Young Master Walter!! Wh-what brings you to the armory?!”
“There are a lot of things here that look useful. I don’t have time to answer, so I’ll just be taking some.”
“E-eeek—?! Young Master?!”
“Quiet.”
I strode boldly into the armory
and excitedly picked out things I could use.
Valeria had told me to use everything.
So this much should be forgiven.
‘…Choosing alone is boring.’
But then, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
If that evil spirit had been beside me at a time like this…
「Those bandages have no style. Remove them.」
「How many times have I told you? Red suits you! So what do you mean, blue?!」
「There is no need for such extravagant pauldrons. Reduce them.」
It was obvious he would have chattered on like that.
When he was lodged inside my head and tormenting me, I had hated the sight of him so much I could hardly stand it.
But now that he was not beside me, to be honest, I missed him a little.
Though that was a secret I could never tell anyone.
***
“Large civilian residence spotted ahead. Do we ignore it, Captain?”
“…It bothers me to think a follow-up unit may come out later, but we must not slow down. No matter what happens, we advance toward the capital of the Tark County by tomorrow.”
“Understood. We’ll show them what happens when they hold something as carefree as a festival at a time like this.”
“To think they would celebrate so grandly just because they subjugated a mere A-rank monster. Even a passing dog would laugh.”
“Does the plan remain total annihilation?”
“No changes.”
Assassins directly under the Demon Queen.
The extent of their skill
was known throughout the entire Demon Realm.
Well, they said no one had ever seen them fight in person.
But was results not what mattered more than anything in the world?
What remained where they passed was only sticky meat that had once been called life, and a storm of blood.
The fact that the beings who brought such devastation had never been seen fighting was, rather, proof of just how dreadful these demons of battle were.
They received the favor of the great Queen.
They were elites who carried out the most important missions in every war waged by the Demon Army.
And
in the war of extermination that their Queen had initiated not long ago,
the order they had received as their highest priority
was to erase every last living creature in this Tark territory without leaving a single one behind.
Moreover, it was an order given not to a mere squad, but to every assassin in existence.
There had never been such a thing before.
Even when they had assassinated the human Pope, only a little more than ten of them had been dispatched urgently.
Because of that, even though they were assassins brainwashed to obey orders without thought,
this time alone, they could not help but harbor a slight question.
‘…This is a remarkably insignificant border region. Nothing but declining villages in a declining human world. Just what possibility did the Demon Queen foresee to send all of us here?’
However, the Demon Queen could not possibly make a mistake.
The gravity of the matter must be that serious.
And so, even while the assassins carried such questions in their hearts,
they thought only of making this mission perfect at all costs
and moved swiftly.
And
just as expected, they were able to reach the count’s castle city on the very day the festival was held.
As befitted an unremarkable border county, it was not as prosperous as the festivals of great cities they knew,
but the atmosphere was bustling, as though nearly everyone nearby had gathered.
Watching that scene,
the assassin who had infiltrated the center to observe the situation spoke calmly.
“Captain, with this much of a crowd, sweeping them all up should be easy.”
“Yes. But we begin when even more people have gathered. Everyone assigned to seal the gates is already on standby. Once we signal them and the blockade begins, we start.”
What the assassin called Captain was aiming for
was to deploy the magic at the timing when the young master who had slain the A-rank monster, the star of this festival, appeared.
“While everyone’s attention is stolen, if I cut off someone’s head, it will be over.”
The fang mark engraved on his sword
belonged to an item inscribed with the blood magic said to have been used by the 「Sword Ghost」 hundreds of years ago.
With just a single cut, this sword heated the blood of the target it wounded and scattered it outward as though bursting it apart.
Then, with the blazing heat, it melted the bodies of those struck by that blood,
and repeated the same process.
Yes.
In other words, this was the worst kind of weapon, one that displayed outstanding effectiveness when used in a crowded place.
Well, as the captain of the assassins, a member of the Demon Army, using such a bizarre object whose origin lay with the Sword Ghost did not suit his temperament.
But it was an item the Demon Queen herself had bestowed, saying it must absolutely be introduced.
If so, he had to use it.
And then,
after waiting for who knew how long,
Bwoooong—
the festival ripened, a majestic trumpet sounded,
and the gates of the count’s castle opened.
“Waaah… Y-Young Master Walter is coming out!”
The assassin captain instantly realized that this was precisely the moment.
“…Now.”
He drew his sword
and approached a girl about knee-high who was enjoying the festival, intending to strike down.
After that,
he would signal the ones waiting to lock the gates,
and together with his hidden comrades, they would steadily wipe out those who had not been touched by the blood magic.
“No hard feelings.”
Whoosh—
However,
something was strange.
Even when he tried to drive his sword down deeply,
his hand would not descend at all.
It felt as though something had caught it and was blocking it.
The assassin captain, flustered and wondering what it could be,
tried several times to strike with the sword again.
Only then
did he finally realize
that someone behind him was holding his arm.
“Who are you?!”
And at that fact,
the assassin captain felt a bewilderment he had never experienced before and tried to look back.
For someone behind him to have grabbed his arm without him noticing
meant they were an existence beyond the senses he had honed over a lifetime of stealth training.
However,
almost at the same instant he turned,
his vision was split in half.
Craaaack—!!!
His skull had been cleaved in two by a sword brought down upon it.
And the voice that spoke through the bursting fountain of blood belonged to none other than him.
“Who else? I’m the owner of the magic you were about to use.”
It was Walter.