CH 226

Impure Feather

Translated by Raizu

―――King Levios was stabbed.

A roar-like cry resounded in the garden.

The raiders who attacked the subjugation force continue to fight fiercely. The surrounding area was so dusty that it was impossible to see the details with the naked eye. In order to make the most of this situation where detection magic cannot be used, the enemy may be fighting in such a way that it is intentionally scattered.

I could only see that moment when they were close to the subjugation force, but the attackers who aimed at King Levios seemed to be armed to fight against the Highlord, unlike the first attackers. I’m curious about the plain purple-dyed cloak that I caught a glimpse of.

[Pull back. That’s the Highlord.]

My father gave such a short instruction. When I tried to ask a question, I was overwhelmed with a strong tone in his command to [Get away]. If the true identity of the purple cloak is a Highlord warrior, the residue of the attack magic may fly around, so let’s follow my father’s instructions quietly.

Me, Plume, and Earl Sylopea descend in the direction my father indicates. I wondered if it would be safe to keep this distance.

[Master! Young Master! Are you alright!?]

Our knights, military officers, and the Quordenze bodyguards, who were supposed to be waiting in the waiting booth, gathered.

In contrast to me, who was a little surprised, my father replied as if it were only natural.

[It’s not important. Assuming that the enemy has multiple Highlords, maintain maximum vigilance.]

[Yessir!]

The Quordenze convoy was fully armed. Apparently, my father had given instructions so that they could jump in at any time in an emergency. They’re not carrying anti-Highlord armament, but they’re clearly geared for combat. This may have been purposefully brought from the Quordenze mansion in the castle town while the monsters were causing trouble in the castle. When we first arrived at the castle, they shouldn’t have been wearing such heavy equipment.

The Sylopea escort group soon joined us. they’re same as Quordenze’s escorts. Perfectly geared and armed.

[Always be aware of everything in the distance that you can see, as the other family’s escorts are also confused. Avoid fighting each other as much as possible.]

[Yessir!]

There is a rule that only one attendant can enter the ballroom, but no one would adhere to that in an emergency. Or rather, if there is a knight in the waiting booth who carelessly picks his nose and continues to say “Wait” when such an unexpected attack occurs, I have to say it’s negligent. In the end, the life of the masters, the Highlords, is more important than anything else.

When I looked around, there were many mini-groups that seemed to be guards from other families wandering around looking for their masters. Some of them have found their masters and are preparing defensive formations, but most of them seem to be Quordenze Nobles. Count Evenafis was also protected by his own bodyguards.

If possible, I would like us to join up with the Evenafis family, but there was a little distance. Judging that unnecessary trouble might occur with the escort group of another house if we move poorly, we decided to wait here as it is.

Even so, when armed groups are running here and there, for a moment, I could almost see them as part of the attackers. One of the reasons for the chaos in the garden is the escorts of each house that are coming one after another.

The Quordenze escort group and the Sylopea escort group have clearly shown their readiness to intercept so that other families do not approach. Thanks to that, no one approaches here.

Now that detection magic is useless, I was really grateful for the existence of the escort.

[Apparently only the leader launched a surprise attack on the subjugation force. They will be suppressed soon.]

While saying that, I strengthened my eyesight with magic and decided to peek into the battle. If you look far away, you tend to neglect your close attention, but thankfully I had the escorts following me around.

The subjugation team was armed with anticipation of fighting the second demon beast, so they’re not equipped with anti-Highlord equipment. However, they are also an elite unit of the Levios army that was summoned for socializing in the Royal Capital. If it’s just a single opponent, it shouldn’t be too difficult for them to put pressure and eventually bring down the enemy even if they’re lacking proper equipment.

Roughly speaking, there were several members of the Levios family and a few Lord-class soldiers at that place, so they shouldn’t lose. In addition, Levios soldiers rushed to serve as reinforcements from all over the castle as if they had pecked at the beehive, so the more time passed, the more disadvantageous it would become for the purple cloak attackers.

[With this difference in numbers, I’m sure they’ll run out of strength soon…]

My father said so too. But, he didn’t end there.

[…but they may mound a last ditch offense before they collapse. Always pay attention to your surroundings.]

I got scolded. Did my optimistic remarks reveal my carelessness? Well, I certainly don’t think it’s going to end with the precious Highlord-class warrior charging. I felt that there was a good chance that another assailant would follow up with further attacks.

And my father’s point was right on point. It was at that very moment that I spread my consciousness over the entire garden. A suspicious person wearing a robe reappeared in the garden. The mauve-colored robe was exactly the same as the first group of attackers’.

[We’re surrounded!]

The Levios soldiers deployed in the garden as a reserve force could not have overlooked it. With a quick maneuver, the wisteria cloaks surrounded us in a circular motion. (TL Note: Wisteria is a plant with cascades of blue to purple flowers. It has multiple meanings in Korea, Japan, Bible, etc.)

[A, ah, Comrade!! I’ll be, joining you!!!]

The strange voice that could be heard from a distance was probably that of a woman. The reason why I couldn’t say for certain is that there was an unnatural noise mixed in that voice. An eerie sound, as if the vocal cords had rotted, melted and distorted while screaming.

[Stay down! Don’t move!]

One of the Levios soldiers raised his voice as if to suppress the eerie cries.

In order to secure a wider field of view, we were in a slightly higher place than the surroundings.

The wisteria cloak’s face couldn’t be seen well due to the angle and distance. However, it was clear from the orientation of their body that they were about to charge the subjugation force. Naturally, Levios soldiers cannot allow such enemy reinforcement. Having surrounded the wisteria cloak in a circle, they took a big step forward and made the circle smaller in order to prevent it from merging with the purple cloak.

However, the wisteria cloak didn’t care at all and kept moving forward. Their gait was weird and they looked like they’re going to fall at any moment, as if they were inebriated.

[Stance!]

The Levios soldiers thrusted their weapons at once.

I thought it would be nice if they could quickly defeat the enemy without much trouble, but I soon realized that they couldn’t do that.

The best tactic to stop a Highlord is to one-sidedly use a very strong attack. But if they have no Highlord on their side, the tactic will not work as intended.

In the current situation, it’s all about enclosing for the time being. It would have been nice if at least one member of the Levios family was in that group… No, I wonder if the wisteria cloak was Highlords in the first place. The attack magic released by the first attackers was of the Highlord-class, but does it really have the same power?

As I pondered, the wisteria cloak stretched out their arms toward the sky.

[Wil!]

Standing next to me, Plume squeezed my hand. The wisteria cloak raised their arms straight up, and the sleeves slipped down, revealing the bare skin.

[…what is that?]

The arms extending from the robe had a color that could not be thought of as the skin of a living person. Light blue and sky blue may be the closest expressions, but there was nothing natural about it, making it just creepy. The reddish-black nails that grew irregularly were also terrible and eerie.

When I looked closely at those arms, it continued to beat with a strange pulse as if there were a giant parasite crawling around. It was almost like a mysterious monster was about to break through the skin on their arms, legs, belly, face, and back.

Are they really human?

Then, the wisteria cloak made a murmuring gesture towards the sky. It looked like they’re praying to the sun, or like a madman cursing an evil entity.

[Cursed, unclean, Levios…! This land, together…!!]

The Levios soldiers attacked all at once, and the wisteria cloak displayed their power at the same time.

It’s magic that I’ve never seen before.

Suddenly, a band of light resembling an aurora appears, protecting the wisteria cloak’s body. For example, it resembles the robe of a celestial maiden. But instead of beauty and mystery, I felt an instinctive disgust.

All the Levios soldiers who jumped at them were repelled by the robe. There was also a soldier who fired fire attack magic, but it disappeared the moment it touched the robe of feathers.

[Highlord-class!?]

[It’s an unknown magic!! Interfere at all costs!!]

[Activating obstruction, ready!!]

The wisteria cloak didn’t seem to care about the Levios soldiers who were once again forming a formation and trying to interfere with the activation of magic. The wisteria cloak swung sideways with its feather robe as if it were sweeping through the air. A large amount of white particles scattered like water droplets.

[Snow? …no, feathers?]

I greatly strengthened my eyesight and confirmed the identity of the particles. It resembled a feather in shape.

Every time the feather robe shook, a large amount of white feathers were produced and scattered like cedar pollen.

[Aaaaarghh…!!]

Some of the Levios soldiers who were bathed in feathers writhed violently and collapsed on the spot.

Is it poison magic? Such thought popped into my head, but luckily or unfortunately, the answer soon became clear. A piece… I don’t know if it’s right to describe it, but a single white feather spread from the robe and fell on the bare ground without grass. Then, it disappeared like melted snow, dyeing the ground in the color of corrupted land.

[No way, magic that spreads corrupted land?]

[That’s…]

It was just a simple association from what I saw, but if it were true, it would be extremely terrifying. And it could be said that it was the worst kind of magic that had nothing but malice.

The wisteria cloak continued to scatter a large amount of feathers. Most of the feathers were floating in the air, but they will eventually fall into the garden. If the feathers rained down to the castle town, the Royal Capital might suffer a lot of damage.

The Levios soldiers continue to attack with all their might to shut down the main valve, but the feather robe that enclosed the wisteria cloak blocks them all. And, even though the wisteria cloak staggered, they didn’t stop walking and approached the subjugation force, toward the purple cloak.

[Everyone!! Don’t touch those feathers! That thing can cause corrupted land!!]

It was Orshian’s voice.

She’s running around looking distraught. No, rather than distraught, it might be more correct to say that she was about to cry.

Hearing that scream-like complaint, the surrounding Nobles also noticed that the corrupted land had spread. However, the Levios soldiers were the only ones who tried to stop the wisteria cloak.

Everyone was afraid of the appearance of further attackers and surprise attacks, and could not move.

As if ridiculing that, the wisteria cloak shook their robe. Big and many times, biggest ever.

[AhahAhaHahAhaha!!! Die!! Go to hell!!]

A large amount of feathers rained down on the scene of the melee, causing great confusion. Visibility was already poor, and an unknown magic that could corrupt the land appeared in a place that was under attack by the Highlord-class soldiers.

Under the cover of panic, the purple cloak left the scene to join up with their ally.

The purple cloak was already full of wounds and covered in mud. They appeared to be out of breath, probably because they were exposed to a fierce attack. It’s a wonder that they’re still alive. But, they were able to join up with the wisteria cloak.

The Levios soldiers and the subjugation team worked together to enclose the wisteria cloak and purple cloak. Since the subjugation team has Levios’ Highlord-class warrior, it is possible to complete the suppression formation this time.

Wary of the purple cloak’s Highlord power and wisteria cloak’s magic, they could only stare down at each other. A moment of silence descended on the garden, which had been extremely chaotic up until now.

The next moment, the purple cloak spoke in a high-pitched voice.

[I am the Holy General Ephial. The one who curses the vanity of fools.]

As expected, the thought welled up inside me.

Speaking of purple, it is the color of the Holy Army, a military organization owned by the Zeth Holy High Society. I heard that executive-class military officers and generals wear purple-dyed cloaks.

The first candidate to launch an attack on the Levios family comes to mind as expected, and the priests of the militant faction who are in conflict with the priests of the religious faction to which Rona belongs. They are said to be a faction with strong support from the Holy Army. Could it be that they launched a preemptive strike before the Royal Army invaded St. Navenpos?

[Ooooooooo…!! Comrade, Ephial!! Leave this to me…!! Please, stay safe… Wooo!!]

The wisteria cloak’s robe of feathers grows larger and larger. they’re probably going to unleash their greatest attack here. From the content of the scream, it is clear that the purpose is to let the attacker named Ephial escape.

[Wilk, get away!]

The fact that the robe of feathers had become gigantic means that the spread of the corrupted land would undoubtedly be on a larger scale than ever before. It’s unknown how effective it will be on the Highlord’s body, but if it can be avoided, it should be avoided. I followed my father’s voice and started retreating.

Even though the Levios soldiers risked their lives to attack the wisteria robes, they were still blocked by the robe of feathers. But, this time it didn’t stop there.

[They told you to stop, didn’t they!?]

Orshian jumped at the wisteria cloak with a terrible murderous intent.

She struck the cloaked person head-on with her fist. A vicious sound of cracking resounded in the garden, as if thousands of glass bottles being slammed into concrete at once.

[Uoooo!!!]

The completely pulverized robe of feathers turned into particles of light and disappeared. But even so, the wisteria cloak didn’t break its attacking stance and showed a stance to activate the next spell.

[Let us show them our good spirit, comrade.]

When the attacker Ephial uttered those words, she launched attack magic in all directions. It was clear that it was a diversion to create a gap, but there was no way the surrounding soldiers could ignore a Highlord-class attack magic. Without missing a moment’s chance, the assailant Ephial began her escape.

The Levios soldiers immediately began chasing them, but it was questionable how far they would be able to keep up with the Highlord’s escape speed. The Levios’ Highlord didn’t follow them as he devoted himself to healing. The assailant, Ephial, was wounded, so maybe even the Lord-class soldiers could catch up with her. However, with the detection magic rendered useless around the Royal Castle, I felt it would be tough.

[Oh! The monsters are getting closer and closer! Hey, are you okay!?]

Orshian let out a maddened voice. For her, the second demon beast seems to have a higher priority than the attacker Ephial.

Orcian pointed at the figure of the second demonic beast. Unconsciously, it looks like they are getting closer to the Royal Capital than before the attack. Since the subjugation force has only the leading force, it may not be working well enough to hold it back.

I pondered a little.

Orshian wanted to join the first demonic beast subjugation when she learned about its appearance. She even tried inviting Sadin and Novalf, perhaps anyone she met back at the meeting.

But, she didn’t come to me. It seemed that Orshian was looking around and trying to talk to me, but my father and the Quordenze Nobles did a good job of defending me and keeping her away. It’s very interesting how I was able to dodge that reckless rushing Princess, but it doesn’t matter now.

In the end, Orshian was lectured by Marquis Adellahan and did not go to join the subjugation. However, it is said that she boasted that she would go out and defeat the beast by herself in case of emergency.

[Wil, what’s wrong?]

[I’m just pondering.]

[Hmm?]

The second monster approaching the Royal Capital, the fleeing Holy General Ephial, the assailants who may still be lurking, the impact of this attack, the injured King Levios, the Princess Orshian who is about to jump out… There are many things to think about.

What should Quordenze do? The answer is simple, we don’t have to do anything.

Both the monsters and the attackers are issues that the Levios family should settle, and it can be said that the optimal solution is to remain a mere bystander.

What I should be thinking about now is not what Quordenze should do, but what I should do. Is there anything they can do to make their wishes come true?

In this extremely chaotic situation, depending on how I get around, I might be able to find an unprecedented “optimal solution for me” that would otherwise be impossible. There may not be such a thing in the first place, but if I just think about it, it won’t be a loss.

Of course, I can’t do anything too crazy and selfish. I am me, but I am also Wilk Quordenze. If there is no reasonable reason and cause, my action will be the target of criticism.

Therefore, there is a good possibility that the optimal solution “do nothing” will be finally selected as Quordenze. I don’t intend to choose an action that would be more negative than the best answer when considering the pluses and minuses.

The first course of action that came to my mind, rushing into the castle and secretly assassinating Duke Spierzeig would be difficult. I thought about whether I could blame the assailant Ephial, but it seems to be difficult. If I can handle it well here, it will be a good story for both me and the Quordenze family, but no matter how I try, the logic and the cause will not stick together. I had no idea how to kill him safely.

That’s why, let’s think of another course of action.

The hustle and bustle of the raid gradually subsided, and the guards of each house found their masters and joined them. The Nobles began to gather in each faction, and the preparations for the attack were becoming solid.

At that time, I caught sight of Orshian, who continued to make a fuss about the monsters.

And then I came up with an idea. Thankfully, my father was right next to me.

[Father. There is something I would like to discuss with you.]