Part VI
Niezbeck was convinced that Mizgard had been defeated just now.
He noticed that the spiritual power fog was beginning to dissipate, and then he tried to telepathically communicate with Mizgard, but there was no response.
(…… No way! No way! That piece of crap was too late to escape. …… No, he was killed! No! This means that the spiritual power fog will be gone and I won’t be able to sense Garm!)
There was no doubt that Mizgard had been defeated.
This meant that he would soon be unable to control the summoned demons from a distance.
Niezbeck could not hide his impatience at this unexpected situation.
This means that even if he wanted to re-summon the demons and send them to Mathew’s troops, by the time they got there, there would be no Mizgard’s spiritual power fog. Then it would be impossible to accurately sense and control them, and therefore the new force could not be deployed.
If he wanted to continue the attack, he would have to hide now and approach the battlefield from this safe place protected by the wards.
In other words, Niezbeck had two options.
The first was to take the risk of getting close to the enemy to the point where he could sense and control the demon he had summoned, and the second was to back off without taking the risk.
And now, something else unexpected was happening to Niezbeck.
” Good! This little exorcist girl is so clever! You want to fight, huh!”
He had summoned Garm, his trump card, but Marion had blocked him and prevented him from getting close to Mathew. Niezbeck was clearly having a hard time attacking, being evaded and scattered by the defensive exorcist’s techniques.
Marion, an Agency A ranker, was very clever in dealing with Garm.
When Garm attacked Marion with a roar, Marion didn’t hesitate to pull back and deploy multiple layers of the Holy Light Shield to block Garm’s path. And the escape direction was decidedly in the opposite direction of Mathew’s troops.
However, when he ignored Marion and tried to make Garm face Mathew, she pursued him relentlessly and attacked him from behind with the dagger from Raphael’s vestments, focusing on Garm’s limbs.
Now that Mizgard was gone, it was only a matter of time before the spiritual power fog was completely cleared.
That made Niezbeck’s impatient and angry feeling even more revolting.
“Chee!”
Impatient for the time limit when the spiritual power fog would disappear, Niezbeck once again ignored Marion and sent Garm towards Mathew’s main force.
Marion immediately turned around and unleashed Raphael’s dagger, which pierced Garm’s back leg. Then Garm’s leg melted into mush due to the cleansing effect of the powerful holy attribute, and he fell over, depriving Garm of his mobility.
Marion used a string of light to pull Rafael’s dagger, which was stuck in Garm’s leg, to her, smiled, and challenged him.
“The demon beast that shows its back to the exorcist is already hopeless. Don’t you have any pride? Big doggie.”
Marion’s calm and unconcerned demeanor in the midst of battle made Garm furious and he lunged at Marion.
“Ara, I’m scared.”
Wherever the words that provoked Garum went, Marion, the exorcist, fled with her back to the magical beast. And she does not forget to deploy her holy light shield in multiple layers.
Marion’s fighting style became very annoying to Niezbeck.
Every time Garm was injured, Niezbeck would use his magic and sacrifice to repair Garm.
In other words, whether Marion knew the cost of summoning Garm or not, she was forcing Niezbeck into a war of attrition that was very bad for him.
“You little bitch!”
Although Niezbeck’s angry shout didn’t reach Marion, she could see that Garum’s fighting style was more chaotic than before and that the summoner was in a hurry.
(Is this a situation in motion?)
As she thought this, Marion sensed that the spiritual power fog was disappearing.
(This fog is ……! Hiroto-san’s team must have seized the enemy spirit power ability user!)
Marion showed an uncharacteristic smile for this girl for a moment and suddenly stopped.
And then she faces Garm, who is about to attack her differently than before.
“No need ……, I don’t need to stall any longer.”
(What? What is this little girl talking about ……?)
Niezbeck did not understand the meaning of the girl’s words that came through Garm’s ears.
“I had two purposes. One was to assist the guards in their retreat. The other was to keep you pinned down here. But no more. Do you understand? You know what this means?”
“Gaaaaaaaaa!”
Garm bared his fangs and howled as he leaped his huge body, which weighed more than ten tons and thrust his claws out over Marion’s head, who was standing still.
Her survival possibility is close to zero just by letting that huge body take her down. In addition to that, the giant claws, which were taller than Marion’s height, came close to tearing his body apart.
But Marion still didn’t move from her spot.
The giant beast’s mad claws hit Marion in the head.
However, …….
The claws, which carried Garm full weight, avoided Marion as if they were sliding, and gouged the ground just a few meters to either side of her. Violent shaking and rumbling of the earth ……, but Marion did not lose her stance at all and looked up at the face of the magical beast from below.
(What! What the hell is that!?
Niezbeck looked down at the exorcist girl through Garm’s eyes.
(What …… the?)
Niezbeck was astonished.
Marion deployed her Holy Light Shield at an angle like a half-open umbrella from her own head, letting Garm’s straight-line attack slide by the light shield.
By changing the angle of the contact surface, the weight of Garm’s claws is reduced, deflected, and the force of the claws is released to the side, a feat that can only be done with the ability to see things through and trust in the art.
Without a great deal of courage, you would not even think of doing it.
“I could tell from the fight. I knew I could beat you, Doggy-chan. But, if I defeated you, and a large number of demons were to be re-summoned and go to Mizuho-san, I would be in trouble. Our goal was to defeat the one capable of emitting the spiritual power mist.”
Marion smiled with a soft expression.
( What are you talking about! You little bitch!)
Unsure of what Marion meant, Niezbeck tried to order Garm to attack the cocky exorcist girl again. But at the same time, Hiroto jumped out from between the trees behind Marion.
“Marion-san! Are you alright!?”
(Tsk! Reinforcements! Any longer, the spiritual power fog will disappear and I won’t be able to perceive them!)
Hiroto, who had run through the mountain forest to support Marion, was startled to see Marion standing right underneath Garm.
However, she turned around and smiled at him while still being underneath Garm.
“It’s okay, Hiroto-san. This doggy-chan is done for.”
“Huh? Doggy?”
Marion then gripped Rafael’s dagger in her right hand and pointed it at Garm’s chin above her. A gentle light and wind is generated around her, and the soft wind begins to envelop not only Marion but also Garm’s huge body.
(What!? It’s stuck! Garum is stuck! What the hell is this little girl doing?)
As Niezbeck’s eyes widened at this, so did Hiroto’s eyes at the scene.
The reason was that Marion poured out clean spiritual power, and the dagger absorbed all of that power. Then, the blade began to emit a faint light.
The blade then elongated and changed its shape to be more like a rapier than a dagger.
“Here we go! Go back to the bowels of the darkness, doggie-chan.”
As Marion frowned, the power in her eyes rose, and,
She jumped from below the motionless Garm. And the rapier easily pierced Garm’s jaw, which was strong enough to slaughter a number of strong soldiers.
“Haaaaa!”
And it didn’t stop there, as she swung it down from Garm’s lower jaw to his throat in one fluid motion. The rapier drew a beautiful arc as if there was no obstacle there.
It was like a gust of wind, an unhurried movement. Hiroto could only watch the sequence of events.
Marion, clad in Raphael’s vestments, landed slowly and soundlessly like an emerald feather and turned her back on Garm.
And while sheathing the blade back into the dagger, she walks towards Hiroto’s direction with a neat expression on her face.
“Hiroto-san, it is over. Let’s meet up with Mizuho-san.”
“Eh? U-Umm, sure, let’s do that.”
While asserting this, Hiroto looked at it.
Behind Marion, the high-ranking demon beast Garm’s body split in half vertically, and light overflowed from the crack. After that, the light enveloped Garm’s entire body and Garm disappeared without a trace.
(A…… Amazing)
Hiroto was stunned and looked at Marion.
Marion’s combat power, now in front of him, looked like a different person from the time of the rookie test.
But …… Hiroto has experienced this kind of scene several times in the demon world.
Those who have experienced life-threatening situations, or who have survived against enemies stronger than themselves, have grown as if they were running up a flight of stairs,…….
(No way, did a single fight with …… Gaston make Marion-san grow this much? If so, then this person has a rare talent in combat. ……)
“Hiroto-san?”
“Y-Yeah! Sorry! Shall we go?”
“Yes!”
Marion showed a smile that showed no signs of fatigue from the battle.
When Hiroto and Marion started to move to meet up with Mizuho, …….
Tientan emerged from the brush and discovered a lump of charcoal that had once been Mizgard.
On impulse, Tientan ran up to the mangled remains of Mizgard.
“Mi-Mizgard-sama! Ahhhh, such sight. ……”
Teintan clasped his hands in front of Mizgard and sobbed loudly.
“Mizgard ……sama? You just said sama, Tientan-san, no, Tientan!”
“Huh!”
A girl’s voice came from behind him, and he turned around in panic.
There stood Shitenji Mizuho, an A-ranked member of the …… World Ability User Agency.
A few moments after Mathew’s unit was attacked, Kaliguda, the ruler of Miramar, nearly dropped his teacup on the saucer.
“What! Is it true!?”
“Yes, it’s true.”
In the General’s office reception room in Napier, the capital of Miramar, Kaliguda raised his voice loudly.
In front of him now sits a man with no hair, wearing a hooded coat. He had come back to the General’s office with a serious report.
“Please take a look at this.”
Rokiarum said so, as he held out a picture to Kaliguda.
Kaliguda looked at the photo and then opened his eyes wide.
“T-This is ……!
In the picture, the young Mathew and Guaran were standing together with smiles on their faces.
And in between them sits a woman with a kind expression on her face, holding a baby.
Rokiarum smirks.
“Yes, it seems that His Excellency Guaran has been betraying the General all along.”[TN: It was Agatha all along!]
Kaliguda, in a fit of rage, crushed the photo, as he shook the fat stored in his belly.
◆
Niezbeck was absent-minded.
“Garm was …… defeated ……, huh?”
Niezbeck was still unable to accept the fact that Garm had been defeated by the young exorcist girl, a super-ranked magical beast.
But as his consciousness gradually became clearer, he felt a mixture of anger, regret, failure, irrationality, and a growing hatred.
“Those ability users from that agency! I can’t forgive them! There’s no way I can forgive them! How dare you stand against this sword of Surt!”
Niezbeck shouted and flailed like a hysterical child, swinging his unusually long arms and legs with no regard for the injuries he had sustained during the summoning.
“This is not possible …….”
In a hut in an abandoned village protected by barriers, Niezbeck clenches his fists with ragged breaths.
“Alright,……, I’ll go over there myself. It’s not just about Mathew anymore. I’ll make those little boys and girls from that agency regret even breathing. ……”
With a fierce smile, Niezbeck put his hand on the shabby door of the hut.
{Niezbeck……}
“Yes, Rokiarum-sama!”
Niezbeck hurriedly dropped to his knees and fell flat at the sudden sound of his Lord’s voice.
{How are things going over there?}
“Yes…… sir, I will go out there now and stop them from breathing!”
{……Kukuku, that is enough for now. I understand, ……. You must have failed.}
“No! Not yet! It’s not over yet. From now ……”
{That’s why I said enough for now. The fact that you’re going to the front lines is itself a testament to your failure, isn’t it? So Mizgard was also killed …….}
“Y-yes …… b-but.”
{Leave it. I’m going to go to that place now. As soon as I’m done with my business, I’ll be on my way.}
“……!”
{Your presence is essential, Niezbeck…….}
“Yes!? R-Right now?”
{Your presence is essential. There is no need for you to work there anymore. More importantly, it is time for our longing to be fulfilled. We must go to the place that is to become our holy land and prepare for the summoning ceremony. Is that clear?}
“Yes, sir! Understood, Rokiarum-sama! I will be leaving immediately!”
Niezbeck rubbed his forehead on the ground as he was overcome with emotion.
{Now, don’t worry, Niezbeck. Once this is done, your regret will dissipate. Not only the ability users from that agency, but all the other ability users in the world will be in a panic. ……}
When the telepathy ceased there, Niezbeck quietly got up and disappeared with a look of excitement on his face.
And Rokiarum’s mouth twisted as he cut off his telekinesis.
“Kukuku …… That’s right, Niezbeck. Your presence is essential,…… your presence.”
As Mathew’s unit began to move again, a tall man sipped his coffee in the city of Minra, their destination. The man, a Westerner not often seen in Miramar, was sitting in the small lounge of a small hotel with a Miramar girl.
It was an odd combination of guests.
“Ohh, the coffee is surprisingly good too!”
“Thank you very much. Nina-sama, would you like some coffee?”
“No, I would have to decline.”
The Miramar girl politely straightened her back and answered.
She is a young lady from a good family, as one could imagine from her manner.
In fact, it was the manager of this small hotel who offered the coffee.
When he heard that the girl called Nina had just arrived, he hurriedly came to greet her himself.
The girl was the only daughter of a major figure in the town.
As the owner of the hotel, he had to treat her as best he could.
” Well, thank you for your interesting conversation.”
“No, no, we will meet again. Give my regards to your father.”
“Yes, my father, Mathew will benefit from today’s discussion. Please visit our house next time.”
“Yes, I will be delighted to visit you.”
When Nina stood up, she gave a light bow and left the hotel with her SP.
The owner of the hotel wiped his sweat lightly and turned to the westerner who had the mysterious connection to meet Mathew’s only daughter.
“Excuse me customer, but are you a diplomat or something? From the looks of it, you’re not exactly traveling. …… Now, Miramar is a little unsettled. ……”
“I’m just a regular person. Here, you see, I’m waiting for my master……, no, I’m waiting for a friend. He seems to be very busy, so I came to help him a little. But it is a nice city, isn’t it, this Minra?”
The guest looked amiable, with deep-set eyes peeking out from beneath his matted silver hair.
The hotel owner did not pry any further. In the first place, as a hotel owner, he should not directly inquire about the identity of his guests.
He also thought that the fact that he could invite Mathew’s only daughter, Nina, to meet him here, he must be quite a person.
“I’d be delighted hearing customers say that. Things used to be more peaceful here, but now it’s a little tense with the democrat soldiers patrolling the streets.”
“So it seems.”
When the guest smiled, the owner of the hotel suddenly seemed to be enjoying himself and was so relaxed that it was hard to believe they had never met before.
The customer listened with a smiling nod. When the hotel owner finished speaking, he bowed to the guest.
“Well, I’m afraid I can’t offer you anything, but please make yourself at home, Gatson-sama.”
“No, no, it was my pleasure~.”
The manager turned towards the back and Gaston sipped his coffee again.
“Master Hiroto, as I expected, is late. I wonder if he is being attacked after all. Master …… he was involved in something terrible after his first request finally came in. He’s a person who really brings things in that aren’t worth it.”
Gaston sighs, but his face looks happy.
“But, as a friend, I need to make things a little easier for him. I have a lot to tell Master as soon as possible. The ability users hired by Kaliguda, as well as Mathew-san, Guaran-san, and others.”
Gaston grinned to himself as if he couldn’t wait to meet Hiroto.
“I wonder if Master Hiroto will praise me? If I tell him that this country is now in danger of extinction rather than democratization, he will be surprised. I’ve done my best, haven’t I?”
Gaston hummed to himself and reached for his coffee again.
Hiroto and the others arrived at Minra before the evening.
After repelling the attack, they were able to arrive without incident, and the guards under Mathew’s command were relieved. The only thing left to do was to take Mathew back to his residence.
Upon arriving at the military facility on the outskirts of the Minra, Mathew stepped out of the armored vehicle and consoled the soldiers, then walked to the military jeep in which Hiroto’s group was riding to show his appreciation.
“Thank you again for lending us your strength.”
Mizuho hurriedly got out of the car and responded.
“No, General Mathew, this is what we do. Please don’t worry about it.”
Both Hiroto and Marion got out of the car and came to Mizuho’s side, and nodded.
Mathew looked at Hiroto and the others and his expression became serious.
“I’m sorry about Teintan. I had no idea that I was complicit in the enemy’s abilities. …… That was a man I’d had my eye on since I was a recruit. ……”
Mathew tried not to show his disappointment, but the sadness in his voice was evident. And then Marion called out to Mathew.
“No, General. Tientan-san did not betray you. He was manipulated by the enemy.”
“What!? Is that so!”
“Yes, we are also responsible for not being aware of this until now. I apologize for that.”
“No, of course not! So, where is Tientan now?”
“Yes, he’s sleeping in the rescue vehicle. We have just treated him for magic effects. He will wake up in a little while and be back to his old self.”
“Oh, really! Thank you for your help, Surian-kun!”
Mathew had always thought of Tientan as his son, and when Marion told him that he would be back to normal, he was very happy.
However, Mathew’s face immediately changed to a serious one.
This is a very serious matter when you think about it. Even Tientan, Mathew’s personal assistant, could be easily manipulated. With this, he no longer knew where his enemies were.
“But then how do you know that?”
Marion could tell from Mathew’s expression that he was taking this matter very seriously.
“In fact, the enemy’s techniques were so elaborately woven that it was impossible to tell just by looking at them. However, if I could only touch him directly, I would be able to see through it. Touching the person’s forehead is the best way to be sure, but …… a handshake will also work for the most part.”
“…… I see.”
Mathieu nodded with relief when he heard that there was a way to deal with what he feared.
” Just to be safe, I would like to examine the people around the general. I had been concerned about the existence of spies, but I only found out about Tientan-san when Mizuho-san told me about it. I had trained myself a lot to detect this kind of art. …… I’m sorry.”
“No, this is not your fault. Please hold your head up. And it’s a big achievement just to have figured it out. And you even treated him. I don’t mean to sound selfish, but I’m counting on you.”
“Yes, I understand.”
When the conversation was over, Mizuho asked Mathew about his future plans.
“Umu, once at my residence, we will have a meeting. We will share the information about Tientan there as well. Of course, I will need Shurian-kun to check on the participants before that. ……”
“Ah, yes, of course.”
“You guys will have a room at my residence, so you can use that. After that, I have to leave secretly for a while. If possible, I would like to go alone because of Teintan. ……”
Mizuho was surprised to hear Mathew mention that he wanted to go alone.
“General, you can’t do that! We have defeated the enemy this time, but we don’t know what might happen yet. As we are on escort duty, we would like you to reconsider that.”
“Fumu, I guess you’re right. So, ……, Domori-kun.”
Hiroto stepped forward, thinking, what is it? as Mathew brought up the matter.
“Yes.”
“Can I ask Domori-kun to escort me at that time? Well, I don’t want to be too conspicuous, so a man like you would be more convenient.”
“Just the two of us?”
“Yes.”
Hiroto turned to Mizuho and asked her to make a decision.
Mizuho did not seem to be completely convinced, but she nodded with a light sigh. This General seems to have always been a bit of a pain in the ass for his guards. Perhaps it was too late for him.
In addition, Mizuho was planning to request a report and investigation from the Agency on this matter, so she was a bit busy. In addition, there is no one more qualified than Hiroto to act as a solo escort.
“I understand. Please contact me when you are ready.”
“Sorry, in the meantime, you can relax at my residence.”
Mathew then returned to his armored car.
“Let’s go then, everyone. I’m sure you’re all tired from the battle.”
Gwen raised her voice, and the three of them nodded.
Although Mathew’s escort request was on their minds at this time, they were relieved to have a brief respite.
Hiroto knows that it is very important to take a break when you can.
(Speaking of which, how is …… the school going? I wonder if Ichigo is doing well?)
Suddenly remembering the school, Hiroto became concerned about Ichigo. Ichigo promised that he would work to make sure that his sneaky break would not be known as much as possible.
(But he’s dealing with Mirei-sensei. …… Let’s not get our hopes up too high. And for now, let’s concentrate on the agency’s request. I should think about school after I get home.)
Thinking so, Hiroto entered the military vehicle that Gwen was driving.
—end—
With this chapter 2 ends, Now I will take a break from all this (I will finish Weakest Mage Vol 3 though since only 1 chapter and a small epilogue remains) till October end cause I have some places I need to be and I don’t got a laptop cause of circumstances, so till then, chill and enjoy
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Thanks for the chapter. Looking forward for the next chapter
Thanks for the chapter enjoy your month break and can’t wait for the next chapter 😁