Read Novel Full Chapter 302
Chapter 302
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Chapter 302 – The Witch and the Saint
Ecla-san stopped Myrril from reacting to the saint’s movement with a slight movement of her hand. She deflected the saint’s trajectory and approached the eye, looking into her eyes through the slit and speaking to the Emperor beyond it.
You’re too old to play with dolls, Emperor. Let go of Byugi.
“I told you, my name is Miyuki. Aunt Witch?”
The magic wand was deflected and swung out in an arc from the opposite side. The moment it cut through the air, there was a flash of light and a shock wave that blew away Ecla-san’s body.
“…Ecla…san?”
I don’t know if it was an afterimage or a clone, but there was a witch standing behind the saint with her hands on her hips. The saint immediately kicked directly from behind her without looking back, and then she lowered her body while spinning around and was hit with a backhand blow. Ecla-san, who had lowered her head to avoid the kick, stopped the saint’s fist with her fingertips. A muffled metallic sound was heard, and it was then that I remembered that the saint’s fist was a deadly weapon equipped with a metal gauntlet. Even though it was immediately swung down in pursuit, it was a heavy and sturdy-looking metal blunt weapon. Although there was a reddish-black ball embedded in the tip, perhaps a magic stone or a magic core, the clasp resembling a dragon’s claw that held it in place extended sharply, becoming a bit like an ice axe. Is this a magical tool?
“What is that?”
Ecla-san flicked the staff flashing in the wind with the back of her hand in a depressing manner. I don’t know what made that high-pitched metallic sound. The witch’s entire body could be a weapon. Let’s not make her angry.
“As for that person, there is no need to worry. It is we who must make sure that no one dies.”
Yes, that’s true. It’s impossible. I can’t follow it with my eyes, and my brain can’t fully understand it. If I get too close, I might get caught in the current.
“Looks like Hjelmar took the cavalry.”
“Oh, I forgot.”
“I told him not to touch anyone but the oncoming enemy. That should be enough, and he won’t fall behind ten or twenty of the defeated soldiers.”
So that’s how it was, huh? Well, as long as he was in Casspir’s car, he would not be attacked to the point of being wounded. As far as I could see from the fortress, I could not see any soldiers on the plain. That means.
“They’re here!”
A group of about 30 heavily armed infantrymen came up from the lower floors. About ten of them were in the vanguard, carrying tower-like shields. Behind them was a line of strong men with great swords, hammers, and long spears.
“They have a high morale for defeated soldiers, but I wonder if they would have had the courage to do so before fleeing the battlefield.”
They did not respond to Myrril’s provocation. Quietly, they formed up and came toward us, paying no attention to the battle between the witch and the saint.
“Perhaps they are being manipulated.”
“It’s the same thing. If they flee from the enemy, their death is predestined.”
“What about the saint?”
“I don’t know. That’s for Ecla-dono to decide.”
Looking at the soldiers who had stepped in, I wondered for a moment if I should kill them, but then I realized that was not something the person with the weapon pointed at him should be thinking about.
“Yoshua.”
“I understand. I won’t hesitate at this point.”
Looking at the heavily armored opponent, I stowed my MAC10 and switched to my AKM. There was a sign that Myrril had her UZI ready and waiting for my attack. I can’t rely on her forever. I had to make the decision.
“I will destroy the shield bearers and those coming from the front. You take care of those approaching from the periphery.”
“Roger that.”
I mowed down the vanguard with fully automatic fire. A high-pitched sound rang out, and about half of them collapsed, probably from bullets that had pierced their shields and penetrated to the rear. Still undeterred, the large sword-bearers scattered and ran left and right, trying to get around us. The three in front of me, long spears at the ready, came straight at me. I knocked them down with my remaining ammo and switched to an RPK-type all-purpose machine gun without changing magazines. By this time, the UZI pistol rounds had pierced the eyeballs of the five great sword-bearers. The thick armor was useless as long as there were slits and openings for vision. But that was only because of Myrril’s accuracy.
“Well, then.”
“I’m done here, too.”
I turned at the sound of Ecla-san’s voice to see the saint collapse at her feet. She was crouched on her knees with her buttocks raised, but she did not appear to be dead.
“What happened?”
“I tried to cut the connection to the Emperor. This one will die if I cut it.”
Ecla-san turned the saint onto her back as she said this. Could it be the same “slave collar” that was attached to Rinko? The collar is of a nasty type that cannot be removed unless the caster is secured.
“Ecla-san, is there any magic interference with the saint’s armor?”
“No. Just a magic barrier.”
When the armor is removed in my storage, a slender woman in a simple black robe appears. The woman’s face is well-formed, but she looks tired and worn. I had a vague recollection of the saint I once saw having a face like that. Around her neck was a choker-like collar that I had seen before.
“It is a rather cumbersome piece of magic tool. Probably the same as Rinko’s.”
The device explodes when the distance from the caster exceeds ten miles. Even if the caster dies, if it receives a signal from the caster, or if you try to remove the collar, it will detonate. If the specifications were the same, the caster would not be the Emperor but someone else in this fort or within a sixteen-kilometer radius. According to Ecla-san’s confirmation, there are seven mages in the fortress. All of them are mediocre in terms of the amount of magic power they can feel and control, and they do not seem to have much ability.
“They must be casting a cloaking spell. In that case, should we look for tiny traces instead?”
“If the signal is sent before we find the mage, it might explode. I’m thinking of removing it by storing it.”
“Can you do that?”
“Can you tell the interval between the release of the collar and the explosion?”
“A beat and a half. About this long.”
Ecla-san snapped her fingers to indicate the interval. Less than two seconds. That should be enough.
“Storage… Kuh!”
“What’s wrong, Yoshua?”
I checked the saint, but nothing happened. The disarming itself seems to have been successful.
The moment I took it from her, I felt something clinging to my fingertips. However, the storage is not done by hand.
I wonder if it was the interference of the caster. It is better to throw it somewhere as soon as possible.
“Where should I throw it…?”
“Over there.”
Behind the stairs to the roof.
Myrril pointed ahead and saw a man in black standing in the distance. No one noticed his presence, as if he had used some kind of cloaking magic.
“…Huh. Have you been watching the saint all this time?”
The man did not react to Ecla-san’s words. His presence fades away. The man is probably planning to cast his cloaking spell again and either run away to hide or attack. In front of the man’s face, I throw the collar out of storage.
“”Whoa!””
At that moment, a flash of blue-white light erupted, and the man’s face was ripped open. It looked like his neck had been torn to shreds, but I couldn’t tell for sure because his entire body had been shattered. The unexpected destructive force made me let out a strange voice. The other scream that overlapped mine must have been Ecla-san’s. It was the same reaction she had when she was thrown naked from the Griffon.
“What a waste of power! The Empire is terrible to go to such lengths for the sake of mere servitude.”
“…Eh.”
The panting voice made me look over and see that the saint had regained consciousness.
“Oh… um, this is… what’s happening to me?”
“I don’t know. I would like to hear from you. If there is time.”
From the top of the fortress where we are now, we have a good view of the situation around us. The south side, where Casspir is parked, is not moving at all. A large group approaching from the north can be seen on the horizon.
The vanguard of the Imperial forces mentioned earlier. They have about five hundred cavalrymen and two hundred horse-drawn sleighs.
“Our response will depend on whether they intend to help the Apostles of the Saint or come to defeat them.”
The former saint shook her head at my gaze. Her lips curled into a smile, but there was no emotion in her eyes.
“Earlier, the Emperor gave me his last words. The time for repentance is over. Perish with the monsters.”