Read Novel Full Chapter 282
Chapter 282
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Chapter 282 – Imperial Devil
“I found it!”
A light footstep sounded behind me, and a bluish-white magic light shot out. Something was blown away with great force, bounced off a fallen tree, and rolled.
“Kyuuu!”
The one lying on the ground with his eyes rolled back in his head was an elf wearing a red cloak. I thought it might be a survivor from the Northern Territories, but the red color was different, and there was no siren’s crest.
“I mean, this guy looks familiar.”
“Hmm. I guess I was half right not to shoot him.”
After turning around, he was hit by a hook from the nojaloli, but the damage seemed to be lessened by the magic barrier. Seeing that he still couldn’t get up, it seemed that he couldn’t prevent it completely.
“What are you doing all of a sudden?”
“I’m the one who should be talking about this, you idiot. What are you doing here?”
Uh… I knew it. The feeling of being stunned and confused is familiar to me. It was the child elf I met on the outskirts of the Republic’s capital. Maybe he’s the type who doesn’t learn from his mistakes.
“The young one from the magic cave that Myrril found. Uh… what was his name?”
“I never asked him. He’s just a lowly fellow.”
“That’s a bit rude to call me a lowly fellow! I’m a rising star of the magic academic district!”
“Yes, I’ve seen you like this before. What’s your name?”
“Hjelmar. The scorching heat Hjelmar.”
Hot and cold, that’s a name that sounds like an invitation for a fatherly joke. I guess it doesn’t work in this world. [T/n: His name sounded like hieruma in Japanese, which means to grow cold.]
“What is this Hjelmar doing? We almost killed you.”
“I was looking for you at the request of the old men of the Special Zone. They wanted to find out if the rumor that you kidnapped the “Imperial Devil” was true or not.
I don’t know who this “Imperial Devil” is but from the flow of the conversation… I guess we shouldn’t tell him since we’re the ones being investigated.
I looked at Myrril-san, but she shook her head as if to say, “I don’t know what’s in their best interest,” and grabbed Hjelmar by the collar and pulled him up.
“I don’t know if it’s a devil or a monster, but I don’t know anyone in the empire. The demon king of Casemaian just specializes in extermination.”
No, I don’t remember kidnapping a devil, but I also don’t remember specializing in extermination.
“Don’t lie! She’s been with you the whole time. It’s Seguslinkov!”
“Who is that?”
“Oh… yes. I kind of know who that is.”
Hjelmar pointed to the tree golem that was scurrying around below us, looking for us.
“The one who developed the magic armament. It seems that she was summoned to the empire as a saint, but the record was erased.”
“…Yoshua, is this guy talking about Rinko?”
“It seems so.”
Myrril and I looked at each other and burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny?”
“No, I’m sorry. We were just thinking that she doesn’t look like a devil at all.”
“It’s true that she was with us. But it was Rinko herself who gave up the empire and fled.”
“That’s a lie.”
“You don’t have to believe me, but if you want to know something, ask her. She’s in Casemaian.”
“That’s right. We are in the middle of something. We don’t have time for you.”
“That’s…!”
A fallen tree was blown down behind Hjelmar, who was about to stand up to make a statement. From the way the magic light scattered, it seemed like it would have taken damage without the child elf’s magic barrier.
“Look, look, it’s dangerous, go away.”
“That’s not possible-nyaa!?”
The child elf, Hjelmar, rolls down the slope as the wooden golem pours down the slope.
“Goodness, what a noisy fellow. Do you want to put us in danger?”
“Of course not!?”
The wooden golem’s attacks pierce one after the other, changing not only the fallen trees but even the terrain of the hill.
“Oh yes, Hjelmar, you can fly, can’t you?”
“Huh, ah… that’s…”
“Myrril, the weak point of the tank is its top.”
“Got it!”
“Huh? Wait, what are you doing…?”
I forcefully grabbed and held the child elf, who had a dubious look on his face. I placed Myrril in front of the KPV heavy machine gun and held her, and we teleported several hundred meters into the sky. Looking down, I saw wooden tanks in a circle, about to move in search of their lost target.
“Gyaaaahhhhh!”
“Noisy!”
“Hjelmer, fly! Just adjust your fall speed!”
The speed of the fall seemed to have slowed slightly, but so far, it seemed to be just a margin of error. Meanwhile, Myrril continued to fire KPVs, and with a bang, 14.5 x 114 mm incendiary armor-piercing rounds slammed into the top of the wooden golem.
“The threat is eliminated!”
By the time I teleported back to the hilltop, all seven wooden golems, hit by dozens of heavy machine gun rounds, had broken their legs and were blowing smoke from their hatches.
“A-are you… trying to kill me?”
“What do you mean? It was the only way to survive.”
Four soldiers escaped from the hatch, which began to catch fire. Their bodies were also engulfed in flames, and after they fell, they stopped moving, writhing in agony.
Hjelmar looked at them and frowned.
“Who are these guys? The Imperial Army has suffered too much and has not been able to rebuild its strength. I thought they had switched to a policy of concentrating on domestic affairs.”
“We heard that too. The reality is, as you can see.”
“In addition to them, about sixty mages invaded the Republic. They were gone by the time we made contact, but I suspect they are planning a massacre in retaliation.”
“Sixty mages, what are they going to do…?”
Hjelmar, the child elf, tilts his head with a puzzled look on his face.
Maybe he doesn’t know because he has no social experience, or maybe the standard value of a magician is different from that of the general public. No, in the first place, there is no image of cooperation between elves and mages, so it may be difficult to imagine the commotion that sixty mages can cause.
“I have heard that the current Republic… is a military vacuum, at least in the western territories. Whatever the clique of Imperial mages might do, doesn’t the Republic have troops with the means to counter them?”
“Even the Hagwai government knows that. Elite personnel have been dispatched from the “Magic Academic Special Zone” to every territory. A few enemies can be burned away with a single touch of the armor…”
Hey, little elf, why did you stop talking right there?
“…This is not good. I believe it was Kilgerai’s group that was sent to the Western Territories.”
“We don’t know the name of the group. We have not even been to the magic cave.”
“They are specialists in politics, fortress construction, and healing magic. They are not battle-oriented.”
“If they can build a fortress, can’t they at least defend it?”
“Don’t be silly; building a fortress takes months or years, you know? It’s only been a week or so since I took over. Without a lord, I’m sure they haven’t even decided on a revitalization plan!”
It doesn’t work like that. I understand that I shouldn’t use the completed Casemaian as a benchmark, but the bottom line is that the Western Territories Keol are just an unarmed, ravenous bunch of people who can cut and run as they please.
“So we’re back to square one, aren’t we?”
“Seems like it.”
“What are you talking about?”
Myrril and I look at each other.
“To be honest, we’re not sure who we’re supposed to be defending. Are the people of Keol the ones we should be saving? They are not the same as the people of Sarz and Lafan whom we have known and cared for in the southern territories.”
“And now that the Imperial Army is invading Casemaian as well. I would rather go there if I had to”
“Will you abandon a city that may be under attack?”
“I would ask you the opposite question. Are you asking us to risk our lives for a city we have no connection to, even if it means abandoning Casemaian?”
“But you saved the central territory of Casmeer and the capital city of Hagway…”
“It was only by accident that we saved them. It was also a job that McKin-dono had asked me to do, albeit for an after-the-fact reason. But what is it? Why must we go to such lengths? Is it really right for a person from another country to interfere so much?”
Hielmar just shut up. This person may be naive, but he is no idiot.
It is true that I have lent a helping hand to the weak and needy when they were attacked or in trouble right in front of me, even though I had no obligation to help them. But this is the result of interfering too much in the affairs of other countries. I will continue to get involved in pointless conflicts and cause unnecessary resentment. The only way to avoid this, given my abilities, is to continue to kill all hostile forces.
“…Yes. That’s right.”
Hjelmar, his face still downcast, soared down the hill and flew off to the east on his own.
I glanced over at the child elf, who disappeared without looking back and stowed away the KPV and the burning wooden golem. I examine the bodies of the soldiers who have fallen outside, but there are no distinguishing features. They are still young soldiers dressed in the black robes of the Imperial Army. No cloak, no rank insignia or emblem on their uniforms, nothing. That, on the other hand, seemed like some kind of preparation.
“Myrril, could you please check on the situation in Casemaian?”
“Understood.”