[WN] Shut-In : Chapter 145

Chapter 145

Encounter

Translator : PolterGlast

Passing through the Doog Wasteland, a grassland spread out beyond it. From there, to conserve MP, I used Magic Power Perception, Wind Search, and Perception in tandem, while utilizing my limit-broken agility to begin moving at high speed. After heading further north for a while, the grassland abruptly ended, and the wasteland appeared once more. There, at last, Magic Power Perception picked up the reactions of demons.

(Reactions of both humans and monsters... Definitely demons.)

Since there wasn't much cover in the wasteland, I used Shadow Dive for the time being, threading my way from shadow to shadow to close the distance. Of course, the shadows broke off midway, but perhaps because they never expected a human to come this far out, the demons didn't notice me.

(There are about thirty of them... A bit much for a first battle?)

Seen from afar, the demons were arranged in a somewhat dense formation around a campfire. They seemed to have their guard down, chatting and laughing merrily. Compared to Lirica and Priola, whom I knew, they looked much more like actual monsters. There were those with green skin like goblins, those with pointy lizard-like heads and long extended tongues, those with horse faces, and even those looking like centaurs with the lower bodies of horses.

Demons possess the characteristics of both humans and monsters. These ones probably leaned more towards the non-human monster traits. It might be a good thing that Lirica and the others' appearances didn't differ much from humans.

「Man, I'm so bored.」

「I wish His Excellency Zwaarth would just hurry up and give us permission to pillage.」

「I absolutely love it when demons kill each other, though!」

「Gahaha! But nothing beats the thrill of taking a crying, screaming human and just... squashing them like a bug.」

「You said it!」

Snap. I heard the sound of something snapping inside me. It seems that, to them, a war against humans is treated as a mere pillaging trip. Does that mean, from their perspective, it isn't even a war?

Whatever the case, it's fine. If the opponents are scum, I don't need to feel any pangs of conscience.

I checked the surrounding reactions; there were no other demons within my perception range. Alright, in that case... let's do this. I won't hold back, of course. I'll go all out right from the very first move.

「Strength, Fortify, Quick, Accel.」

First, I applied the four-piece buff set and physical enhancement that I hadn't used in a long time to raise my attack, defense, and agility.

「Double Judgment Ray, Delay.」

I put a Judgment Ray on standby using Delay, and then...

「Double Judgment Ray.」

I activated two more shots of Judgment Ray. With four shots at my disposal, I could catch all the demons within range, even those a bit further away.

「Eat this... Quadruple Judgment Ray!」

Four pillars of light enveloped the demons. And a blinding light illuminated everything in stark white... The demons who had just been chatting merrily were all dead, charred to a crisp, save for a single one. It seems the power of my current Judgment Ray was a bit too excessive. Hmm, if they're this weak, a normal Railgun could probably finish them off.

「H-Hiiiiiieee!?」

The remaining one... the centaur demon who had looked the most arrogant among them, was left alive with only one leg burned off. Of course, my aim wasn't off. After all, if I killed them all, I wouldn't be able to extract any information, right?

「Now then, spill the information. Everything you know about the demons of the Demon Territory Zwaarth stationed here.」

After gathering the information from the demon, I shot a Railgun into him and killed him. Even a Railgun was overkill, huh. If it's just to kill them, Chain Lightning might be more than enough.

After that, using the information I had, I moved on to sweeping operations. It seemed the guys from the Demon Territory Zwaarth just moved in groups based on their hometowns or regions, and possessed no real cohesion as a military force. They simply operated on a ridiculously vague military strategy, something like 'when an envoy from the higher-ups comes, time it right and attack the humans.' Each individual is strong, and demons naturally have strong egos to begin with. Rather than operating in organized groups, giving them a certain degree of discretion seems to be the demon way of doing things.

「Chain Lightning.」

「「「Gwaaaaahhh!!」」」

Thanks to that, it was extremely easy for me to handle. Because the distance between each demon group was wide, I could engage in somewhat intense battles without the other demons noticing. It seemed the power of my magic was already way too excessive, so I was able to normally wipe them out in batches using relatively weaker area-of-effect and multi-target attacks like Chain Lightning and Light Arrow Rain. Naturally, the initial Judgment Ray was apparently seen by some nearby demons, but I swiftly disposed of them based on the intel I extracted, so it shouldn't be a problem.

「You bastard, who are... gah!?」

「It's been a while since I used Battoujutsu... Yeah, my skills haven't dulled, what a relief.」

However, carelessly spamming magic also felt a bit risky, so halfway through, I switched to mainly using swordsmanship to deal with my opponents, also to conserve MP. Demons come in various rich variations; aside from magic, there were individuals who excelled in close-quarters combat, and even those capable of flying through the sky. It's true that with so many different types all mastering Dark Magic at LV 5 or higher, they're undoubtedly a considerable threat.

I killed a few demons who looked like messengers along the way, so it wouldn't take long before they grew suspicious. I should hurry up a bit. Once I clean up the demons around the battlefield, I'll advance straight into the Demon Territory Zwaarth.

Even so, there seems to be a massive LV gap; no matter how many demons I defeat, my LV doesn't go up at all. Just when exactly is my LV going to rise?

-----

Thank you for my Patrons !!

[Platinum]

-

[Gold]

B random

Nepheos

[Silver]

Corey Hicks

Creris

Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon

Jake Seagraves

Matthew Fraser

Tbaum56

Xavier O'Donoghue

[Bronze]

Anton Lim

Baelee

Christopher Feliciano

Ctdela

Curious Panda

nick nasca

SD Fox

Sébastien Dionne

Z

Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon

-----

<<Prev << ToC >> Next>>

Read More

[WN] Emperor's Seventh Son : 19 - 13 Part 2

19-13 Part 2

Zirant the Dimension-Crossing Dragon and Samael the Traitor 2/2

Translator : PolterGlast

「But, he isn't here now, right? If such a god had been watching over the country, the Empire wouldn't have ended up like that in the first place...」

Carral's casual remark produced a silence from the Dragonoid Azato. For some reason, the two of them turned their eyes to Zirant, observing her as if to confirm something.

「A reason to leave this world arose.」

I saw Zirant bite her lip at Azato's words. It seemed she really didn't like that last remark. Zirant knows the First Emperor directly. Guessing from her tone so far, she must have adored him immensely.

「Ooh, meaning he died!?」

「Hey...」

I expect nothing from Sigrun's social skills, but no matter how you look at it, that single remark goes beyond just being imprudent.

「He is not dead!」

「Wahaha, don't get so mad! Sessha also didn't think it was a topic that would make Zira-chan seriously snap, sorry!」

However, even with Sigrun's apology, Zirant's bad mood did not mend. She sank into her own inner thoughts, seemingly having her heart captivated by something that happened in the past. Everyone maintained a silence, watching over that figure which looked less like a self-proclaimed Evil Dragon and more like just a delicate young girl.

「That guy... Father and Mother... abandoned this world where Wagahai is...」

「Eh, Father? Eh, in other words, what do you mean...?」

Going by the flow of the conversation, the First Emperor would be Zirant's father.

「Before leaving the world, they decided to leave a substitute for themselves in this world.」

「That is her. Ausar and Yulan mixed their own flesh to create the Dragon God Zirant, and commanded her to watch over the world together with the new Ausar. Because the concern of the Demon Nobles of the Abyss was still left in this world...」

Mixed...? Gods are, well, anything goes with them, huh... However, if that is true, it means Zirant was burdened with a heavy responsibility far weightier than an Imperial Prince since birth.

「Besides, the world relied too much on Ausar and Yulan. So, together with the dimension-crossing dragon Yulan, Ausar took out Samael who was sealed in the heavenly prison, extinguished the sun of the underground empire, and crossed over to another world they had always yearned for.」

「There was likely no longer a reason to remain in this world. By his side, there was only Yulan and the angel he doted on like a daughter left...」

It's too grandiose for me to fully grasp the situation, but that seems to be Zirant's true identity and the truth behind the disappearance of the underground empire A-Zir. The world protected by a god and perfect Emperor must have been a utopia protected by eternal order. The scale is different, but Father's existence was close to that. We had grown reliant on the order Father created. The moment that great man disappeared, the Empire turned into that mess.

However—when it comes to this, the reason why Zirant wants to make me Emperor becomes somewhat visible. From Zirant's perspective, Prince Ashley, who strongly inherited the characteristics of her father Ausar, seemed like the one who should succeed the Emperor's throne. Taking a further leap in thought, perhaps Zirant just wants to revive the vanished underground empire—no, the happy days of the past.

『You bastard, what are you thinking, acting as if you've seen right through me...! Ah, that's right, it is! What's wrong with thinking that! Those guys who look nothing like Father, instead of you, becoming the next Emperor! Like I could ever accept such a thing!!』

Just when I thought you were weaving conspiracies in the shadows, you were moving on surprisingly emotional motives... However, the plan to revive the underground empire sleeping in the Fimbul territory is interesting.

「Alright, I understand the story! Let's fight together! Across the sea, a blood-boiling, flesh-dancing civil war should have started! We'll pack as many elites onto the schooner as possible and go launch a raid right now!」

「What are you suddenly saying, we haven't been talking about that at all!? Why are you advancing the conversation on the premise of dragging these people into it!?」

Because it's Sigrun... Even Azato and his wife ended up laughing.

「She's uncannily similar...」

「Watching her makes me nostalgic... for those times...」

Similar? I doubt it, but don't tell me there was an ultimate, pain-in-the-ass troublemaker like this in ancient times too?

「Ausar—no, Prince Ashley. Order us to fight together like that day.」

「That was fast. But are you sure...?」

「I do not mind. 'Fight together'—with that single phrase, we shall throw ourselves into a new battle. Because that day was the day we, who were never chosen by God even once, were permitted to live as the people of Ausar.」

「Are you really going to lend a hand...? You people living in the farthest reaches have no reason to join our fight—」

「What are you saying? This Merkwell is a pioneer land built by the A-Zir Empire. And even now, I am a vassal of that land—the rebellious underground empire. Now say it, to fight together!」

「Kukuku... Good, sessha likes you guys! Shinza, say it, to fight together!」

What passionate people... So that's why Zirant judged with certainty that we could obtain their assistance. I don't care about the circumstances of the Age of the Gods. But, I also took a liking to Azato and the Lizardmen. These guys are good people. I want to make them our comrades.

「Dragonoid Azato, please lend me your strength. I, too, am a Prince who was never chosen by anyone. I want to protect the Empire. And if possible, I want to revive that A-Zir Empire sleeping underground.」

「Wh... what did you say...!? You bastard Ashley, what arbitrary things are you spouting without Wagahai's permission!?」

Zirant goes without saying, but Azato and his wife were also surprised. I am serious. Above all, I want to see it. The true form of the land they loved.

-----

Thank you for my Patrons !!

[Platinum]

-

[Gold]

B random

Nepheos

[Silver]

Corey Hicks

Creris

Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon

Jake Seagraves

Matthew Fraser

Tbaum56

Xavier O'Donoghue

[Bronze]

Anton Lim

Baelee

Christopher Feliciano

Ctdela

Curious Panda

nick nasca

SD Fox

Sébastien Dionne

Z

Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon

-----

<<Prev << ToC >> Next>>

Read More

[WN] Jitsuwa 3-Domedatta : Chapter 401

Chapter 401

(Kyle Calendar Year 515: Age 22)

Southern Front ⑰ - The Two Princes

Translator : PolterGlast

At my instruction, each member took their designated positions, and the flags signaling preparation complete were raised from their respective Magic Cannons. Receiving this, I had three flags raised from the main camp to announce the standby for firing. Seeing this, the Third Prince stood in front of something resembling a megaphone, composed of several large funnel-like objects tied together, and exchanged a glance with the woman beside him.

「It was quite an elaborately staged spectacle, but it seems you are unfit for the role. Do you not think so?」

The words uttered by the Third Prince were amplified by a Sound Mage, and the soldiers barricaded in the fort raised a battle cry in unison in response. At the sheer volume and high morale of that voice, the messenger flinched for a moment.

「W-What did you say! What part of this is a spectacle!」

「You must have heard the laughter that erupted in response to the declaration you yourself just spouted, did you not? Or was your own voice so loud that you have grown hard of hearing, Messenger-dono?」

「I-Insolent!」

「The actor's performance was so utterly terrible that what should normally inspire awe turned into laughter. No, I must say that the script itself is too dreadful to begin with.」

「What was that! How dare a stray dog with no master to rely on say such things against the words of the esteemed personage who will become Next Emperor!」

The messenger who came to deliver the declaration seemed highly enraged, his face turning bright red. Somehow... things have gotten interesting.

※

Upon hearing this exchange, there was someone else besides the messenger who delivered the declaration who was highly enraged.

「Hey! What is the meaning of this! Is the declaration not being unilaterally mocked! Why are the words of that insolent fool reaching our camp!」

At this time, the First Prince (Glorious) had taken up position in the very front row of his own army, which was deployed at a distance of 600 m from the fort. In order to ascertain the fort's reaction to the messenger he had sent by employing his own strategy... However, it was beginning to head in an unexpected direction. Originally, in response to the situation where they were struggling against the Third Prince's retainers who were stubbornly resisting with a mere 20,000, his intention was to accept Harry's strategy, encircle them with an overwhelming grand army of 70,000, show off the power to leave the fort completely defenseless, and then recommend surrender by flaunting the authority of the Empire. He had even prepared a forged Imperial Edict for that purpose.

「It seems they are accompanied by a Sound Mage... I believe that is the reason why the enemy's voices are reaching us.」

「Kuh, are they mocking me? Me, who will become the supreme existence in the Empire...」

Even as he said this, the words from the fort were echoing throughout his camp as well.

『The Imperial Edict you mentioned earlier is also a fake, is it not? Do you not think that Glorious's delusions, borrowing the authority of Emperor-heika, are somewhat excessive and hard to stomach?』

「Hey, what is the meaning of this! With his voice echoing so unilaterally, does it not make it sound as if he has right on his side! Do something about that insolent fool, advance the army and loose arrows to sew up his disrespectful mouth!」

「Denka, that is impossible. It is 600 m from here to the fort. Our arrows... will not reach.」

「Then have the troops advance! Bring the Mages forward, and go quickly silence the mouth of that insolent fool!」

Responding to these words, the Imperial Army led by the First Prince advanced just a little. Only up to the very edge of the firing range from the fort...

※

「Hahaha, it is precisely because you are an errand boy of such a low level that you cannot recognize my voice that you could proudly spout such a ridiculous declaration without shame. I could never do something so embarrassing.」

「Do you not even know courtesy towards a messenger recommending surrender!」

「I know no courtesy for a small fry of your level. Glorious, if you have something to say, instead of hiding behind the soldiers' shadows, why don't you come and proudly state your declaration yourself? Unlike you, we are not such idiots as to launch an attack on a messenger.」

「With what mouth do you disparage Denka! Do you not know your place!」

「Hahahaha, what is this 『place』 you speak of? Come to think of it, you said something quite interesting earlier. Just when did I become the dew of the battlefield? I have absolutely no memory of it.」

「What did you say! Don't tell me you are, no way...」

「Earlier you were reprimanding disrespect toward the Imperial Family, but looking back, what about yourself? Do you think you can speak on equal terms with me, a member of the Imperial Family and the Imperial Successor? You insolent fool! A lowly one like you is unfit for the role, so go back and come again!」

※

「Hey, what is the meaning of this! I've been feeling a sense of incongruity since earlier, but isn't that the voice of that guy (Grat)! Why is he alive!」

「We also heard from the Sura Principality that he was certainly slain...」

「He is right there in that place, is he not!」

At this point, the First Prince (Glorious) became greatly flustered. If the Third Prince (Grat) was alive, the very premise of everything would go wildly awry. Amidst that, perhaps because the messenger was deemed unfit for the role, the voice of the Third Prince (Grat) began to be directed right at him.

「Glorious, you are listening, are you not? You should know who I am. I won't let you say you've forgotten this voice. Among Harry, the staff officers, and the Royal Guard Army, there must be those who recognize my voice, right? If you have something to say, instead of just hiding behind the soldiers, why don't you proudly come forward?」

「Kuh...」

「Come to think of it, besides your habit of having delusions, you were a coward. I am not a coward who would strike down an opponent who came out to converse. I will not attack, so you may rest assured and come forward. If I felt like it, you lot would have been dead long ago.」

「It's a bluff! There's no way you can do such a thing!」

No matter how loudly he denied it, there is a limit to the vocal volume a human naturally possesses. Glorious's voice echoed emptily only to his immediate surroundings, and to almost all of the thirty thousand soldiers, only the voice of the Third Prince (Grat) reached them.

「It's you we're talking about, anyway. You're probably putting up a false front by saying things like 『It's a bluff』. However, reality is not as easy as you think.」

「......」

Having been hit spectacularly right on the mark, the First Prince (Glorious) had no choice but to fall silent. And then... as if dealing a further blow, the voice echoed far and wide.

「I announce to the Imperial Soldiers who are now gathered under Glorious. Among you, there must be those who came all this way having been told it was for the defense of the Empire. But what is the reality?」

Certainly, a portion of the Imperial Soldiers had been feeling suspicious. To begin with, they had been summoned under the just cause of defending the national territory, but upon arriving here, the situation was clearly different.

「The soldiers should have the right to know their charges beforehand. Glorious is a traitor and a rebel who plots to overturn the already established imperial succession by selling off Imperial Territory.」

「W... What are you saying! You madman!」

The First Prince was already incapable of doing anything but briefly retorting like that. Because the words spoken by the Third Prince were all facts.

「Hearing this, you must have turned your face red with anger, no, you must be turning pale and panicking from being told the truth. If that were not the case, why would someone cooperate with the invading Sura Principality Army right here and try to attack the same Imperial Army? Why attack and seize Ende, which I govern? All those who sympathize with Glorious, who has raised the flag of rebellion against the Next Emperor, shall be punished as rebels.」

「Eei, do not listen to his nonsense! We will win here, and I shall become the Emperor! With that, everything will be settled!」

Saying so, the First Prince rode his horse back and forth, shouting out to the soldiers. However, even among the soldiers, there were those who were staring at him with cold eyes. For those people had been told false facts.

・  The Third Prince was defeated in battle and killed in action, and the First Prince became the Imperial Successor

・  Even though the Empire decided to sign a peace treaty with the Sura Principality, the remnants of the Third Prince are not obeying orders and are resorting to reckless actions

・  We must punish the rebels who disparage the peace agreement established by the Imperial Edict of Emperor-heika

「Right now, I must make a bitter decision. Soldiers, as the one in the position of the Next Emperor, I must punish the rebel and his party. Right now, I possess the power to completely annihilate all of you in the rebel army. However, to those who listened to false information and joined the rebel's army, I wish to grant an opportunity to correct your path.」

Saying so, the Third Prince paused for a beat, then raised his right hand high. Seeing that, I reacted immediately.

「Magic Cannons, prepare to fire in sequence starting from number one!」

In response to my words, the color of all the raised flags changed.

「This is what signifies my words, a warning to display the majesty of my status as the Imperial Emperor. Those who pledge unchanging loyalty to the Empire shall be granted amnesty, and I will make it so your crimes this time never happened. Those who wish to show that intent, throw down your weapons right there and advance while remaining defenseless.」

Right after the Third Prince said that, he swung his hand down broadly.

「Now! Magic Cannon number one, ready..., fire! Following that, number two, ready..., fire! Next number three, ready..., fire!」

Following my command, hundreds of metal spheres cleaved the wind and took flight. In order to mow down everything, and leave deep claw marks upon the earth...

-----

Thank you for my Patrons !!

[Platinum]

-

[Gold]

B random

Nepheos

[Silver]

Corey Hicks

Creris

Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon

Jake Seagraves

Matthew Fraser

Tbaum56

Xavier O'Donoghue

[Bronze]

Anton Lim

Baelee

Christopher Feliciano

Ctdela

Curious Panda

nick nasca

SD Fox

Sébastien Dionne

Z

Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon

-----

<<Prev << ToC >> Next>>

Read More