Arc 9, Chapter 19 – “Scuffle in the Shadows”

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???: [――I love you.]

The world being painted over through the power of those non-superficial words of love, they heard.

???: [――――]

But in truth, that did not mean that “sound” was being produced.

The sound of something cracking, the sound of something being shattered, the sound of something being shredded, the sound of something being broken, the sound of something being sliced open, the sound of something being crushed, the sound of something being pulverized, the sound of something being smashed, the sound of something being pierced, the sound of something being hurled downward, the sound of something――.

???: [――I love you, I love you, I love you.]

But in truth, that did not mean that “sound” was being produced.

Rather, it was as an illusionary “sound”, that of all being lost; this affection, presented by the sable shadow, transgressed against the soul at the nexus of this world to such a degree.

A world, where everything was consumed.

A world, where everything would never-endingly descend into a darkness unfathomable.

There, amidst the deep, seemingly boundless darkness, a soul realized that everything, both important and unimportant, had been dissolved.

And yet――,

Was it because they were weak, that they did not wish to admit it? ――No, it was because they were kind.

Was it because they were weak, that they could not give up? ――No, it was because they were kind.

Was it because they were weak, that they could not refuse love? ――No, it was because they were kind.

???: [――I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.]

To those whispers of love, they raised their voice, rejecting it with everything they had.

But, they understood. They very much understood. That even rejecting it with everything they had, would not be able to turn it away completely.

???: [I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.]

There, a glimpse of a possibility was caught.

With the first, second, and third places in that person’s heart having been taken entirely, a glimpse would still be attainable nonetheless.

For the cowardly, for the despicable love that sought to take advantage of this, they felt no sympathy.

The consequence of such conceit was, inevitably――,

???: [I love you. I love you―― Love me.]

――There it was.

???: [Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me love me―― Love me.]

They knew this would happen.

It was as clear as day. It was like stealing from a baby. It was easier than crushing a tometo, opening closed eyelids, or even breathing in and out.

They knew this would happen.

Because it was not for that other person’s sake. Because it was for their own.

If one did not have to consider the feelings of others, able to fill one’s heart and mind with only their thoughts and feelings, then naturally that would happen.

That was by far the most disgraceful aspect of it all, disgraceful to the point the shame would make one’s face burn.

???: [――I hate you.]

――They felt as if their heart was going to freeze.

???: [I am never, going to love you.]

――It was as if it was being said to them and not to anyone else, and they felt they were going to die.

However, even that fear of death was much, much, much, much, much, much better than what was behind waiting for them.

After all――,

???: [Petra’s handkerchief…?]

――They were convinced that the time had finally come, and that the noose was about to be slipped around their neck.

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――A band of roughly five hundred people had gathered to receive him.

That was the troublesome formation arranged by Felt to intercept Aldebaran.

Naturally, the moment he left Flam alive, Aldebaran’s rebellion would have been communicated to Reinhard, and he had rushed to the scene, just as expected. As part of that course of events, he fully understood that the selfsame information would have been shared with Felt and the Council of Wise Men.

In order to eliminate the formidable enemies he had fully expected to come after him, Aldebaran’s intention had been to deploy his strongest card, “Aldebaran”, as a diversion, thus clearing out his own path.

However, by the unexpected initiative of a young girl who he had underestimated, his calculations had been reset to square one.

Aldebaran: [Good grief, there’s too many star players in this world that I can’t compete with.]

Heinkel: [I told you this ain’t the time to be cracking jokes!]

As Aldebaran shrugged his shoulders and grumbled, Heinkel shouted at him―― no, Heinkel was not yelling at him, but rather at Yae.

It was merely that his angered shout at Yae’s proposed human sacrifice strategy had miraculously coincided with Aldebaran’s mumbling.

In any case――,

Aldebaran: [As the old man says, this isn’t the time for jokes. We’re going to deal with it.]

As his cheeks tightened within his helmet, Aldebaran shoved aside his lament towards this absurd world and called upon his two companions to begin a strategy meeting.

Heinkel, his face pale, and Yae, her thin smile unable to be deciphered; these two, along with the talentless Aldebaran, were the cards in his hand, having used his primary strength as a diversion.

Aldebaran: [A bit shabby, but they don’t have their best members, either.]

Heinkel: [By dealing with it, what are you planning on doing? To begin with, the opponent’s…]

Aldebaran: [There’s roughly five hundred enemies, and although they don’t look like Knights or guards, they’ve got their fair share of experience with brawling. Also, I’m pretty sure we’re up against that lil’ miss Felt.]

Yae: [Five hundred people~, that’s quite a lot!]

Yae put her finger to her lips, impressed at how they were able to gather so many people in such a short amount of time.

Aldebaran was in complete agreement; without taking nearly the best possible moves and strategies, they would not have been able to bring the situation to this point.

Heinkel: [Wait, wait, wait! Five hundred!? And they’re not soldiers? What the hell is going on? First of all, how the hell did you even get that information?]

Aldebaran: [Stop right there, old man. It doesn’t matter how I know the opponent’s numbers. What matters is that it’s the truth. Besides, we made a deal at the start, remember? ――If you want the Dragon’s Blood, don’t go against my plans.]

Heinkel: [Gh…]

Aldebaran: [People hate a man who can’t keep his word, you know?]

After being reminded, Heinkel fell silent, though visibly frustrated.

Heinkel’s situation was like that of a horse running with a carrot dangled before its face. Unlike a horse, however, Heinkel’s longing could only be satisfied by that particular carrot.

Hence, Heinkel could not defy Aldebaran, who dangled the carrot before him.

Yae: [Now that Heinkel-sama has been silenced, what will you do? Five hundred people is still pretty tough, y’know?]

Aldebaran: [Aren’t you supposed to be the greatest masterpiece of a shinobi to ever be made in Vollachia? Can’t you do something about it?]

Yae: [Even if you say I’m the greatest masterpiece, I did fail in my assassination attempt~? Besides, it’s not the job of a shinobi to slaughter a hundred or a thousand people on the battlefield. I’m no Blue Lightning, after all.]

Aldebaran: [Well, I guess you’re right.]

The Blue Lightning, who Yae pouted her lips as she brought up―― Cecilus, was somebody who Aldebaran had also worked together with, though only for a brief time.

His abilities were just as the anecdotal exaggeration Yae had described, and he was a member of the same realm of incomprehensible outliers that included Reinhard.

If Aldebaran had that kind of power, he would have been able to take on even a thousand people in a head-on collision; but, unfortunately, he had given up such lofty aspirations when he was a teenager.

Ergo――,

Aldebaran: [Realistically speaking, it’s a fool’s errand to venture out into a place where five hundred people are waiting for you. We already happen to be in the woods… we’ll take a detour such that they can’t find us.]

Judging from the tone of the voice that was thrown at them, it seemed an unreasonable plan to just pretend they were not actually there. But, if they knew exactly where Aldebaran and his henchmen were, they would have had Grassis launch a surprise attack.

So long as that was not the case, they simply knew that they were in the woods, but nothing more.

Then, depending on how they maneuvered, they could divide the five hundred enemies even further――,

Yae: [Ah~, Al-sama, this might be a bit bad.]

Having decided on a course of action, just as he was about to move from their position, Yae lightly tugged on his sleeve.

When Aldebaran turned to see what was going on, she was looking in the direction where Felt and the others were waiting, and with a wary look in her eyes, she informed him.

That was――,

Yae: [They seem to be working pretty quickly over there.]

As Yae spoke, Aldebaran saw the same thing. ――Logs of firewood, producing white smoke, being tossed into the forest one after the other.

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Felt: [Welp, guess we couldn’t hope that he’d just waltz on out here.]

Indeed, right in the midst of the troupe that had deployed across the plain, Felt complained whilst glaring at the forest in which the enemy hid.

Enemy; whether it was fine to declare that helmet bastard as such, was a matter she still had some indecision about. However, Al was neither a friend nor an ally who had gone rogue, nor an acquaintance with whom she had deep ties.

Above all, in order to rouse the morale of her gathered troops, calling him an enemy was more effective.

Hence, Felt plainly proclaimed that helmet bastard―― Al, as an enemy.

And, this enemy was within the forest surrounded by Felt’s faction.

Felt: [Then, there’s no doubt about it, right? Otherwise, I’d be a humiliated sucker who just greeted an empty forest with a loud shout.]

???: [Hahaha, don’t worry so unashamedly, Golden Lion. Indeed, it may only be effective in one eye, but once I narrow down the scope this much, I’d see them even if I didn’t want to.]

Tinged with a bit of a distinct accent, the one who had answered Felt was the leader of the Balance, a man by the name of Manfred Madison.

Within the Balance, it seemed to be customary for one to ink a tattoo of balance scales somewhere on their body as proof of their loyalty towards the organization, but Manfred had gone overboard in proving his faithfulness. He was a person who had inked tattoos onto his shaven head, his face and neck, even his eyeball, and it was likely that the same went for everything that lay under his clothes.

And, that eccentricity of his was present not only in his appearance. ――It extended to his way of being.

Manfred: [――The Divine Protection of Farsight.]

Manfred’s left eye―― his lone eyeball with no visible tattoos, spun around, goggling with a stare affixed to the forest.

Up until a short while ago, that left eye of his also had been inked with tattoos. The reason why the tattoos were now absent was simple―― the eyeball occupying the socket was one entirely different.

Right now, the eyeball sitting in Manfred’s eye socket was the left eye of a man who formerly served as his underling――,

Manfred: [As expected, one doesn’t quite grow accustomed to the Divine Protection of another. Still, I saw them.]

Felt: [While that might be pretty useful, it’s also super gross. How’d you do it?]

Manfred: [I don’t dislike your straightforward wording. ――However, the method of stealing Divine Protections is one of the Balance’s secrets.]

Without touching upon the method itself, Manfred confirmed the presence of their enemy within the woods.

In the past, Felt had experienced torment at the hands of that very Divine Protection of Farsight, so she had no room to doubt the credibility of the information it rendered.

Felt: [If they ain’t gonna come out…]

???: [Then there’s no other choice but to make ‘em wanna come out.]

Cracking his thick neck, Rom-jii finished Felt’s words.

The Great Strategist had used the results of Manfred’s defective Divine Protection of Farsight to the fullest in order to formulate a stratagem, and had been preparing the next move to be played against the opponent holed up in the forest.

That was――,

Rom: [It’s tough for pyro tree lumber to burn up while it’s still green, so it produces lotsa smoke. It doesn’t stop fumin’ easily, even if you spray it with water. This strategem oughta be ideal.]

Voicing that, Rom-jii’s proposal was plain and simple: to smoke out Al.

Led by Gaston and other ruffians who all took pride in their physical strength, firewood from pyro trees, set alight, was being hurled into the forest one after another. As Rom-jii had said, the firewood was only producing smoke without spreading their flames to the surroundings, giving rise to a magnificent display of white fumes.

Rom: [The effects of the smoke don’t end at just robbin’ ‘em of their vision. While there’s also a psychological burden, the most worrisome aspect is the sufferin’ that comes after inhalin’ it.]

Felt: [I bet you’d have a terribly painful coughing fit.]

Rom: [Just so, it’s the agony of Hell. Moreover――]

As he spoke, Rom-jii narrowed his eyes.

Doing so, his gaze turned to Camberley and his girlfriend Toto, the proprietress of the Flower Prison Garden; they were directing her subordinates to bring about a magical gale and sending it forth into the forest.

The induced draught did not hew the trees, but instead gently brushed through the gaps between, a passage of wind―― that was to say, creating a passage for the smoke, the white fumes began to spread throughout the woods.

Rom: [Far as I know, there’re no shortage of people who can shake off poison or deep gashes. And yet, in all my pointlessly long life, I ain’t never known somebody who could calmly bear the pain of bein’ smoked out.]

Witnessing his strategy marching closer to fruition, Rom-jii declared so in a low voice.

While that rang pleasantly within Felt’s ears, she once again got a keen sense that her foster parent was preeminent with absurdly dangerous knowledge.

What Rom-jii had done in his past, Felt did not know.

Only, she understood that it was not something that could be spoken of proudly, and that Rom-jii himself was ashamed of that past.

That was why, until Rom-jii decided to speak of it willingly, Felt would not pry.

Without prying, this was all she would say:

Felt: [How’d you like that? ――My Rom-jii’s quite the formidable one, you know.]

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Aldebaran: [――Smoke.]

The firewood thrown in―― as he bore witness to it giving rise to white smoke, slowly encroaching through the forest, Aldebaran was astounded at his opponent’s unpleasant response.

Being surrounded by a large number of people was already the worst, but this just stacked a whole new level of worst on top of that.

Heinkel: [T-those shitheads, they lit a fire! They’re trying to burn us to death!]

Yae: [Please calm down. An incendiary attack would leave them unable to confirm the corpses, and it would be quite possible for them to get caught up in it as well. When you combine “foolish” and “strategy” you get a “bad plan”.]

Heinkel: [Our opponent might have just enacted that bad plan! She’s a brat from the slums, you know!? Their kind doesn’t bother to think ahead!]

Yae: [Geez~, Al-sama!]

Aldebaran: [Got it! Old man, just shut up for a sec!]

With what little composure he had left smoked away by the fumes, Heinkel panicked, leaving Aldebaran to forcibly silence him with a reprimand.

Due to his desire for the Dragon’s Blood, Heinkel could not disobey Aldebaran. Be that as it may, the turmoil that came with being driven into a corner probably could not be treated the same way as complaints or objections.

Aldebaran: [――I agree with Yae, this isn’t an incendiary attack, more likely they’re aiming to attack us with smoke. Unfortunately, I’ve got no way to endure a smoke assault. Yae, how about you?]

Yae: [You’re asking if I can endure the smoke? No dice, I may have anti-torture measures and and a built-up resistance to poison, but no amount of training can stop you from becoming teary eyed and coughing when inhaling smoke, y’know?]

Aldebaran: [Sounds about right. And so, no choice but to run from the smoke.]

In order to avoid being smoked to death, they could reach no other conclusion.

The only problem was, that was exactly what the opponent wanted them to do. ――Naturally, it was human instinct to flee from any danger before one’s eyes, be it fire or smoke.

And thus, the artificial wind that had come blowing their way alongside the smoke was an untouchable hunter, aiming to smoke Aldebaran’s party out――,

Aldebaran: [I underestimated them, thinking that even with five-hundred, they wouldn’t be able to surround the whole forest…!]

Smoke for flushing them out, and a draft to guide that smoke.

With just that, then whether it be a small force such as Aldebaran’s, or even a certain degree of military host, it would have been possible to force them to a desired position.

In doing so, Felt had completely surrounded a forest that could not be fully encircled by five-hundred people.

Aldebaran: [Or rather, was it the brain of the group? Piece of shit, they’ve really got us here.]

Clicking his tongue bitterly, Aldebaran pictured a map of the world in his head.

His destination was still far, far to the west from here―― having already used up one day for rest and traversal, the time limit had shrunk from seven days to six.

He could not afford to get tripped up more than necessary against Felt here, dealing with a drawn-out battle.

Yae: [Al-sama!]

Aldebaran: [――Hk, Yae, point us the way the wind’s flowing! Old man, follow Yae’s directions, and charge straight ahead! Chop down any trees that stand in the way!]

Heinkel: [G-got it.]

Yae: [I can’t he~ar you!]

Heinkel: [I GOT IT!!]

Overwhelmed by Aldebaran’s quick instructions, Heinkel cried out in desperation.

Then, in accordance with Yae’s directions, Heinkel quite literally cleared a path forward with his unsheathed sword. Following after his sturdy back, Aldebaran plunged into deep deliberation.

After moving a great distance, it would become necessary to reestablish his Territory, however, updating his Matrix would mean losing the option to return to before the smoke gambit was enacted.

At the very least, when Aldebaran had willingly exited the forest, Felt had not gone forth with the strategy of smoking them out. Of course, in that case it would have ended up being a head-on collision with five-hundred people.

Aldebaran: [Which path would be better?]

――Ultimately, Aldebaran’s victory was guaranteed.

He had restrained the Sword Saint, Reinhard van Astrea, and had neutralized Natsuki Subaru; not a single person in this world would be able to defeat Aldebaran.

Thus, Aldebaran’s victory was an absolute. ――So, what did he seek outside of victory?

To accomplish that objective outside of victory, which path would have the highest potential?

Yae: [Al-sama, Heinkel-sama will die if you let him go by himself, y’know?]

Aldebaran: [――. Right. Let’s go!]

After a moment’s deliberation, Aldebaran nodded at Yae’s call, and began to run.

Simultaneously, he updated his Matrix at that moment, redefining it―― once he prescribed the next starting point, he readily abandoned all attachment to the possibilities that had existed up until a moment prior.

Life was a series of choices. That went not only for Aldebaran, but for everyone.

Most choices were made in an instant, without any looking back on the unchosen alternative. But, that was fine. Aldebaran, too, would do so whenever possible.

What to eat for breakfast tomorrow? Which sock to put on first, the right or the left?

The choices made amidst a battle on which his life was staked, he would treat them as equivalent to trivial choices of that sort. The alternatives he did not choose, the alternatives that were not chosen, there was no sense in clinging to them.

Aldebaran and Natsuki Subaru were merely people who occasionally had more chances than most to cling to the alternatives. ――If he did not make that distinction, he would end up stuck in a standstill for eternity.

Yae: [Heinkel-sama, the footing’s getting worse so take a right next. Take care of that big tree please?]

Heinkel: [Don’t say it like it’s so easy! You little…!]

Yae: [Ohh~, amazing! As expected, you’re strong when you’re not against a living being!]

Despite having cut down the large tree as instructed, Heinkel was agitated for some reason, and ground his teeth. Chasing after him, Aldebaran saw the density of the smoke thickening―― by way of the wind, the smoke had begun to enclose on them.

In other words――,

Aldebaran: [――An ambush’s close at hand.]

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――Commanding the ambush unit, Rachins was positioning his battle formation at an exit of the forest.

In all honesty, he was filled with the urge to scream that he had been assigned a duty far beyond his capabilities.

In the first place, the mere fact that Rachins’s life had somehow intersected with things such as the Sword Saint, the Divine Dragon, the Witch of Envy and so on, felt like a nightmare to him.

Rachins: [God fucking dammit… where the hell did my life take such a messed-up turn?]

Scratching his head furiously, Rachins let out an endless stream of complaints, trampling the grass beneath his boots in frustration.

It was nothing more than a petty act of venting. But, to Rachins’s irritation, the damn weeds only bent softly without breaking or tearing, even as he ground them underfoot. Worse still, they pushed back against his sole, stubbornly asserting their vitality.

They were the very embodiment of weeds, shameless, persistent, unyielding―― among them, Rachins could not help but picture a few familiar faces, prompting a heavy sigh.

Before he knew it, he had walked a great distance from where he had started.

Yet, no matter where the wind scattered their seeds to take root, weeds remained weeds. Their blades might take on a slightly different hue, their stems might grow a little thicker, but a weed would never become a tree or a flower.

Rachins: [Fuck’s sake, so no matter where I end up, I can only ever live the way I know how, huh?]

Rachins had not been told that by anyone in particular, though he felt like everyone had told him the same thing, and so he clicked his tongue. However, unlike his voice from just before, there was no trace of gloom or resentment in that sound.

All that remained was the burden of a troublesome task forced upon him, and the resolve to see it through.

And with that, just when a certain kind of defiance within him had finally settled――,

???: [――Oi, there’s movement!]

The voice that raised the alarm belonged to one of the roughnecks stationed alongside Rachins in the field.

They were people of the Flanders criminal underworld, made of the same stuff as Gaston, Camberley, and Rachins―― no, this lot was even more hardened than them in terms of villainy.

It was strange to be standing shoulder to shoulder with them, but here, their familiarity with violence made them dependable.

Drawn in by their reactions, Rachins turned his gaze toward the forest.

If things went according to plan, the helmet bastard and his companions, driven out by the smoke, would burst out from there. Then, crushing them with the power of sheer numbers would be Rachins’s――,

Rachins: [――Huh!?]

The following moment, it was not the helmet bastard that sprang from the forest. ――It was a cannonball.

――No, that was not quite right. To be precise, it was a massive tree, hurled with the force of a cannonball, spinning end over end as it made a mad dash straight for Rachins’s formation.

Rachins: [――――]

The trunk was thicker than Gaston’s torso, and it was over ten meters long―― this unfriendly tree cannonball was barreling straight for the heart of their formation.

Beholding the sight of that, the ruffians shouted, scrambling to flee in a panic.

However――,

Rachins: [――El Goa!]

Boom, a thunderous explosion rang through the sky, and a bright red flower of fire bloomed against the blue.

The incoming tree shattered into countless pieces, and the force of the cannonball that by all rights should have torn a huge hole in their formation was now reduced to something that only hurt a little from the scattered fragments.

And, with his finger pointed skyward, Rachins had made that happen.

Rachins: [You fucks, this ain’t the time to be pissing yourselves! At times like these, the ones who’re scared lose! You’ve all heard that a hundred times, right!?]

Shouting at the bunch who had flinched in the wake of that attack, Rachins drew the knife at his waist. He aimed the blade at the forest and turned his head to look around, asking, “Got that?”

Frankly, due to his earlier frustration, the roughnecks had been underestimating Rachins, who was in charge of managing this location, and that reflected in their attitude. It was time to wipe that impression away.

Rachins: [You can probably tell if you saw that just now, but we’re the ones who got lucky! The helmet bastard’s coming out of there any moment now. We don’t have any time to be letting our guard――]

Down; it happened just before he could finish his sentence.

“Oi!!”, a voice cut through the air, and the roughnecks’ gazes shifted away from him once more. Annoyed, Rachins turned to face forward with anger in his shihaku eyes.

One after another, more giant tree cannonballs, each just as big or even larger than the last one, were flying toward them.

Rachins: [Goddammit it all!!]

Immediately after he cursed, a series of bright explosions bloomed in the sky―― an unexpected defeat blew their formation away.

Rachins could only watch as a large number of the roughnecks were blown away, jostled by the impact, after which he clicked his tongue “Tsk” and raised his knife towards the woods again.

The situation had dizzyingly changed. If the opponent were to continue procuring locally sourced ammunition, it would be Rachins and his group left to their mercy.

Rachins: [――LET’S GO, HURRY YOUR ASSES UP!!]

Roaring so loud that he felt his voice might crack, Rachins charged in with a battle cry.

Doing so would rouse their fighting spirit. ――Not his own fighting spirit, but that of those around him.

As was often the case in commonplace street brawls between ruffians, it was bad to be the first one hit.

Strangely enough, no matter how vicious a person may have been, their strength would plummet the moment they got hit. The idea that the more wounded and bloodied someone got, the stronger they became was just that, an idea; in reality, humans only became weaker as damage accumulated.

The same applied to one’s feelings. At that moment, Rachins’s side had taken the first hit in quite an unexpected way. That weakness caused by taking the first hit, needed to be overwritten with momentum.

And so――,

Ruffians: [RAHHHHHHH!! CHAAAAAARGE!!]

The hot-blooded and simple-minded crowd was easily inspired by Rachins’s emotion-filled voice.

They furiously ran after Rachins’s lead, and with weapons in hand, they began closing in on the woods, and closing in, and closing in. Feeling them at his back, Rachins would provide them further support with his next act――,

Rachins: [――AL GOA!!]

Hand aimed at the heavens, Rachins performed the incantation in a blood curdling shout.

In an instant, a gigantic fireball was born above Rachins’s head―― it was a Goa-type spell of the Fire attribute, of which the degree of power had surpassed the basic, El, and Ul classes by going straight to Al class, the highest tier.

Anyone who possessed even a passing knowledge of magic would have known this, but it was a great achievement on Rachins’s part to recite the incantation, and succeed in producing an enormous flame.

The morale of the ruffians rose visibly, and Rachins gave the fireball momentum by shooting it into the sky, deliberately sending it high up into the air.

Naturally, the next group of fallen trees shot out from the forest were aimed towards that fireball.

No matter how many trees were incinerated, the opponent would stop at nothing to block that fireball――,

Rachins: [Duuumbass.]

Rachins mocked his opponent by sticking out his tongue with a “Behhh”, decorated with a colorful ring at the tip.

The large tree cannonballs were fired from the forest in vigorous succession, but most of them ended up missing their target. That was because the first shot had shattered the Al Goa―― which, in reality, was just a flattened and stretched out Goa, a papier-mâché just for show, and the remaining shots merely dug pointlessly into the plain.

This was all in an effort to reduce the damage received by Rachins and his group of ruffians, by having the enemy waste ammunition attempting to intercept the faux Al Goa.

The plan had succeeded, and Rachins and the group of roughnecks charged into the woods all at once.

Rachins: [The first shot took us by surprise, and sorta reduced our power, but…!]

Still, with Rachins’s support, the group of fifty ruffians charged in nearly unscathed.

And then――,

???: [――Ah~, geez, didn’t you only get in because Heinkel-sama got flustered~?]

The moment he heard that sweet, relaxed voice of a woman, Rachins’s feet stopped.

A bad feeling had taken over his whole body, and he instinctively stopped dead in his tracks―― such was not the case. It was true that a bad feeling had taken over his body, but he did not stop of his own volition.

In an instant, he had lost all freedom of movement. Moreover, it was not just Rachins.

The same had happened to the fifty ruffians who had charged into the woods with Rachins all at once.

And, the perpetrator of that act was――,

???: [No matter how good I might be at fighting many-on-one, there’s such a thing as a limit, really.]

So said the red-haired woman, who looked down through the gaps in the trees at Rachins and his group, who had been stopped in their tracks.

A slender woman in a maid’s uniform with a somewhat wafuu design was watching the immobilized men who were shouting in confusion and anger. ――From midair.

The woman’s figure was high up in the trees. However, she was not using a tree trunk or branches as a foothold. She stood tall and proud in seemingly empty space, smiling as she watched Rachins and his group, who had lost their ability to move.

This was what Rachins had discerned, only able to move his head and eyeballs.

Yae: [After all, I can only tie together abou~t a hundred people at once, yeah?]

That this woman, whose outrageous combat abilities could be rivaled only by her even more terrifying personality, was accompanying the helmet bastard who they were supposed to defeat.

△▼△▼△▼△

――Utilizing the trees that Heinkel had cut down, it was an attack that ought to be called a fallen tree cannon.

In order to implement such a thing without the use of the Divine Dragon’s vast Mana pool, it was necessary to make full use of physical labor on a level incomparable to that of making fried rice with whatever was on hand.

???: [Really now, you’re so rough in how you make use of me, Al-sama. When you combine “cruel” and “usage” you get “exploitation”.]

With the help of Yae, who could not help but complain at every turn, they had raised several of the large trees cut down by Heinkel into the air, creating a launch pad for them.

And in order to actually fire them, Aldebaran mobilized his scientific knowledge to――,

Aldebaran: [Old man, on my signal, pull your arms as hard as you can. As hard as you can.]

Heinkel: [It’s not just that woman, I’ve also got some reservations regarding your attitude there, Aldebaran…!]

Aldebaran: [Remember now, Dragon’s Blood, Dragon’s Blood!]

Heinkel: [――Hk! Just give me the signal already!]

Ultimately, the application of scientific knowledge required an investment in equipment, so Aldebaran had to rely on the physical prowess of Heinkel, whose veins were bulging as a result of poor treatment.

Chased off by the smoke, they continued moving through the forest in a way that kept them falling further into their opponent’s trap. ――Elite troops would naturally be lying in wait outside, ready to clash with Aldebaran’s group.

That was an issue that needed to be reduced to an extent.

Aldebaran: [Old man!]

At the signal, Heinkel grit his teeth and exerted his arms.

The muscles in his arms began to bulge, and even though he was an alcoholic who lamented his lack of talent, he achieved feats of strength in a domain Aldebaran could never reach―― with ferocity, the fallen tree cannon was fired.

First would be a test fire, followed by hitting them with a second and a third; if the opponents thus got out of the way, it would be most satisfactory. Otherwise――,

Aldebaran: [Pull ‘em tight――]

Those brave men would be crushed right in the nose, or so they had expected.

However――,

Yae: [Heinkel-sama got so scared by that fireball… what are you, a beast~?]

The moment the gargantuan fireball appeared in the sky, so large that it could be seen even from outside the forest, an extremely shaken Heinkel fired the fallen tree cannon without waiting for Aldebaran’s signal.

As a consequence, they failed to destroy the majority of the enemy, resulting in them storming the forest.

Thus, Yae had been pestering Heinkel.

There was no avoiding that. ――After all, she was the one who cleaned up the mess that resulted from his mistake.

The enemy force of about fifty men who charged in was halted by Yae’s skill alone. ——By a weapon that had been strung up all across the surrounding area, stretching out from all ten of Yae’s fingers.

That was――,

???: [――Are these… threads?]

Breathing heavily, the man seemed to realize the truth of what had bound his movements―― he was a thug Aldebaran recognized. If he remembered correctly, a former thug currently working for Felt, Rachins.

At Rachins’s words, Yae exclaimed with an “Ohh~” as she floated in the air.

Yae: [How perceptive. Of course, this isn’t just any~ old sewing thread, y’know? This is what’s known as a shinobi technique. Though, I’ve never seen anyone else who can use it except me.]

As Yae spoke, she looked down on the men from high in the air.

Although she appeared to be floating without relying on anything else, in reality she did have a firm foothold. ――Yae’s specialty was the Steel Thread Technique, which she had used to string threads up all throughout the forest.

Aldebaran: [A Thread User, so to speak… amidst the numerous kinds of epic weapons, it’s one that sits near the top of my ranking.]

Yae: [Wow, how rare~. Did you just praise me, Al-sama? Is tomorrow the day spears come raining down?]

Aldebaran: [Don’t worry, I was about to say that just because I like the weapon, the user’s a whole different matter.]

Yae stuck her tongue out at that reply, so without touching on her attitude, Aldebaran looked down upon the enemy below―― having borrowed the power of Yae’s threads to climb atop the trees, he looked down on them.

Even when one strained their eyes, Yae’s steel threads were nigh impossible to perceive. Tightly strung up, they entangled Rachins and the other adversaries in a manner akin to a spider web, completely restraining them.

The ability to freely bundle together and skillfully handle all sorts of things was Yae’s true value.

They had not only used the steel threads to restrain the enemy, but had also been able to come up with a device such as their fallen tree cannon from earlier, where they had tied and raised up the cut-down large trees in such a way that they would be sent flying in a spin when a thread was pulled.

Coiling many threads around Heinkel’s arms, and having him pull them around like a work-horse, was just another job for him as a cog in their contraption.

In any case, relative to the impactfulness of the fallen tree cannon’s appearance, the damages it caused had been minimal. Ultimately, they had ended up passing by most of the enemy, but in reality, if that many people had come freely swinging at him without Yae, Aldebaran would have been in for some exhausting proceedings.

Aldebaran: [When the fight’s not one-on-one, the level of difficulty immediately explodes upwards for me.]

As he had done in the Pleiades Watchtower, Aldebaran could handle the tag-team of Garfiel and Ezzo in plain combat, but if there had been one more person there, it would have been a completely different story.

The fact of his victory would not have wavered, but there was easily the possibility that his number of attempts would have changed by an entire degree of magnitude.

In that battle, too, he had done as much as he could to prevent a two-on-one; provoking Garfiel, and guiding him such that it would be a one-on-one in that space.

In a one-on-one, Aldebaran could find a path to victory even against Reinhard.

However, the more the number of opponents increased, the more astronomical a number of attempts he would need in order to find a path to victory.

Hence, Aldebaran was grateful for the presence of Yae, who was much more adept at fighting a large number of people than he was.

And, the value of Yae’s techniques could also be found elsewhere.

Heinkel: [Oi, what are you gonna do with these guys… Are you planning to… kill them all?]

Before he could explain that value, Heinkel voiced a question.

Heinkel, left on the ground as Aldebaran and Yae used the threads to escape into the sky, made a bitter face as he witnessed Rachins and the others entrapped by the steel threads.

Heinkel’s sword would falter when up against somebody powerful, but the reason for his bitter face in that moment was likely one that differed from that sort of cowardice of his.

In response to that cowardice, Aldebaran shook his head, and,

Aldebaran: [Nah, there’s no need to kill them. Rather, it’s smarter to leave them wounded. The dead won’t be paid any mind, but the living will need to be treated. This way’ll leave the opponent with less hands to spare.]

Heinkel: [I, see. Yeah. That’s right, I was just thinking the exact same thing.]

Yae: [Oh my, when you two old misters come to an understanding like that, Yae-chan feels left out.]

It was clear that upon hearing Aldebaran’s response, Heinkel felt relieved. Nonetheless, perhaps not touching upon that fact was Yae’s own sort of compassion.

In truth, it was essential for Aldebaran’s party to weaken the enemy’s forces. For that purpose, they would have to act wisely instead of recklessly taking their opponent’s lives.

That was why――,

Rachins: [Heh.]

Heinkel: [Ahh? What? Feeling relieved now that you hear you’re being spared, punk?]

Rachins: [And which one of us is really feeling relieved here, you drunkard…? Seriously, the hair and the look in your eyes, even the parts outside of that, you really resemble him, that fucker.]

Heinkel: [――――]

Flashing his teeth in a smile, the thug―― no, Rachins glared at Heinkel. Rather than his threatening stare, it was the contents of Rachins’s words that silenced Heinkel.

From his reaction, Aldebaran judged that he ought not let that conversation progress any further. In order to interject, he leaned over from a thread wound around the trees――,

Rachins: [Also, that goes for you too, helmet bastard!]

Aldebaran: [Oh?]

Rachins: [Both this drunkard and you, you’re too relaxed. You need a taste of s’more hardships, duuumbass.]

Being called names, he was involuntarily taken aback by the irrelevancy and lack of substance contained in those words.

But, right away, he realized that Rachins did not bear the eyes of a man who did things without meaning. The moment he realized, Aldebaran was made aware that the goal had been to take him aback.

Thus, he was too late. And the compensation for his tardiness, was paid immediately.

???: [――What, dull as a pig, you are.]

After all, the arrival of that voice was coincident with the fist of the King Pig crushing Aldebaran, caught in a distracted moment as he was, with a punch that felt akin to getting hit by a cannon.