Volume 7 Chapter 125, Magic Sword ~ 33
Two days had passed since Sheryl left the city of Ares with Isolde, the head of the Holy Sword Clan.
The thick clouds made it difficult to read the time, but it was probably almost sunset. They were now within shouting distance of their target point, the entrance to the valley of Horwood.
As one would expect from a griffon, it was one and a half times faster than that of a horse. The speed is not much different from that of a horse, but unlike a horse, which is influenced by the terrain, a griffon can soar through the air with ease, so its movements are faster. Because of the preparation required, High Mentor Graham Coogan had to leave a day early, but at this rate, he would probably arrive at the target point at about the same time.
The first day they left the town, they rented a barn in a nearby village, and the next day they stayed in unmanned huts set up every 50 miles on the road, proposed by a man who had traveled all over the world in the past and set up in various places. Sheryl was more than a little surprised to see Isolde, the head of the grandly named Holy Sword Clan, acting so familiar with the nighttime camps.
She was also surprised to find that Isolde was not very careful about what she wore or what she ate and that she was not as graceful as Sheryl had originally thought. The clan's standard of living was probably not as elegant as Sheryl had initially thought, and despite the clan's long-standing traditions, their standard of living was probably that of a commoner.
Sheryl is not afraid of camping out because she has served in the military, but until her father committed a major blunder, she had been living in the nobility, and even after she was picked up by the Academy of the Wise, she has not been assigned to any truly hard work, probably because of Graham Coogan's concern. She has taken pains to broaden her horizons, but even so, her modesty is surprising for someone who is the head of the Holy Sword Clan.
Listening to Isolde's stories of her travels, Sheryl came to realize that she had been blessed with a good life up to this point.
In Ares, there were several cases of nobles being expelled, including one in which a noble's daughter was sold to a slave trader. Sheryl recalls being horrified when she heard this story. Compared to such cases, she was far more fortunate.
Even now, Sheryl has gained the trust of the head of the Holy Sword Clan and is asked to straddle the back of the griffon she drives and see what happens next. She is now left to wonder at her own helplessness.
A high-pitched "ping" sound echoed from the bag she carried at her side. Sheryl took out a calling stone and put it to her ear, taking care not to drop it. The griffon was flying high in the sky at a good speed, and the wind noise was considerable.
『To the first stone, this is Derek.』
『This is Sheryl, deputy leader, what's happened?』
Sheryl had a bad feeling in her heart. Derek went to the trouble of using the calling stone to make a report, and the timing was probably.......
『I'll report it all at once. Baron Dantes' army was destroyed in a flash. It was probably Leia Löwenstadt who destroyed them. In addition to her (Leia), we also confirmed the existence of a female sorcerer who deals with high-level fire. The target, Satoru himself, had only killed Baron Dantes, and his skills were unknown, and the members of the Holy Sword Clan were concerned. We estimate that the target will arrive at the destination will be around 4 koku tomorrow to 2 koku the day after tomorrow.』
Sheryl gasped briefly, and Isolde glanced back at her. Sheryl, whose prediction had come true, looked quite pale and seemed to be shaking in a small way. Not seeming to notice Isolde's gaze through her mask, Sheryl asks the calling stone back with a somber expression on her face.
「.....About the army, is every last one of them, killed?」
『I'm not sure how many survived, but by the looks of it, I'd say you can count it with one hand.』
「...... I see.」
Isolde and the pained expression on Sheryl's face were concerning. From Isolde's position, the contents of the calling stone could not be heard.
The reason for Sheryl's shock is simple. Because among that army was her own father, even though he was insulated. Even though he was a foolish father who had brought many disasters to her and her grandfather, it was still difficult to separate the feelings of parent and child.
She turns her eyes down a little and offers words of condolence to her father in her mouth. Derek said it so clearly, I'm sure he's not still alive.
『.... there's a lot of noise there, but where's the team leader now?』
Derek, on the other side of the call stone, could not see Sheryl's expression. She was traveling on a griffon, and there seemed to be some communication problems. Sheryl shakes her head and separates her father from her work.
「We are almost at the entrance to the Valley of Horwood. I'm with the Head of the Clan.」
「Oh my. That's close. Well, I suppose we can meet up and go over the details.』
「Right, I suppose so. If we can meet up before the sun goes down.」
『It's a little far from here, and the sun will probably set later. I will try to hurry. Well then, I'll hang up now』
Sheryl stared at the stone for a while. She gripped the calling stone with a firm grip.
Sheryl sends words of condolence in her mouth to the mercenaries that Baron Dantes has gathered with the power of money. This will let some of those at the Academy of the Wise who are skeptical of the Senate and the High Mentor's moves know that they are dealing with a level of power that a group of 500 or so mercenaries cannot handle.
「How'd it go?」
Sheryl looked up as if played by Isolde's voice, which came a little louder from the front. She carefully placed the calling stone in the small bag at her waist before returning her voice.
「That army that Baron Dantes sent out, I get a report that they were wiped out. I think I can somehow meet up with the watchman before the sun goes down, so I'll give you the details then.」
Sheryl won't even talk about her father, Edward's case. As she has told her many times, the job and the parent-child affair are two separate matters.
Sheryl is shocked to hear that her father is dead, but she chides herself for being so heartless that not a single tear has come to her eyes.
「......I see. I guess there was nothing I could do.」
Even for Isolde, the members of her clan must have been mixed in with that army. She wondered if Zelphys, who was accompanying Derek, the deputy leader of the task force that she had just called to monitor the clan, had been able to properly see the strength of the target.
If they had been annihilated, the members of the clan would not have survived. Isolde also mourned the death of her clan members, with whom she had strong ties, and turned her gaze ahead.
A mountain spread out before her. At the foot of the mountain, there was a narrow road running straight through the meadow. Isolde looked around, and without missing a beat, caught sight of the group she was looking for.
「There they are」
Isolde's voice made Sheryl look down. A tent had been set up in the grass, and the surrounding area was slightly mowed. There she could see a total of seven men looking up at them. Among them were the High Mentor and Sheryl's grandfather, Graham Coogan.
Sheryl's heart ached. She remembered that she had to tell her grandfather about the death of her father, Edward, who had been in Baron Dantes' army.
With a flurry of flapping wings, the griffon swooped down near the tent.
「Ohhh, the head of the clan」
The eyebrows of the High Mentor who greeted her clouded slightly. He recognized his granddaughter behind the head of the Holy Sword Clan. Without a second thought, Isolde flutters down from her griffon and takes a quick look around.
「High Mentor. How did it go?」
「We've finished writing the circle.」
Sheryl also landed on the ground without any help, though not as light as Isolde. The circle has been drawn, but a quick glance at the ground shows no particular change. However, Isolde seemed to be able to see the change. She nodded her head.
「The radius is....」
「About half a mile. That was the limit.」
The head of the Holy Sword Clan shook her head from side to side at the High Mentor, who looked bitter. She was still wearing a mask, so her expression was as usual unrecognizable.
「That's enough. A mile in diameter will become a land of death, but ...... that will not be a problem either.」
Surprise, Sheryl looked back at Isolde. But if you think about it, the reversal magic circle is an art that sublimates all the magical power in the circle. Not only living creatures but also plants and even the smallest amount of magical power contained in the soil can be sublimed. If this were to happen, the inside of the circle would become a land of death.
Sheryl looked over at Isolde, who had once again mounted her griffon to inspect the potential battleground, and bowed deeply to her grandfather, who was approaching. The High Mentor sighs loudly.
「.......I thought I already told Mentor Areus not to let Sheryl come here.」
「My apologies. But as the one who triggered this matter, I would like to see it through to the end.」
Sheryl kept her head down, aware that this was simply her own selfishness. It was good that she had come this far, but there was a possibility that she would be told to go home. However, the High Mentor muttered, "Fumu...."
「Well, I have no choice. However, if the circle is activated, do not go inside it. If you are a mere mortal with no skills, you can only last for about two minutes.」
Normally, if a person loses his or her magic power, he or she will simply fall into a coma. However, if the magic power is sucked out of a person after he or she falls into a coma, the person's soul will gradually decay and he or she will die. Sheryl was horrified by the severity of the art that her grandfather was about to use.
「........I wonder if it is safe for the Head of the Clan to be in such a situation.」
「She says she will be fine, so we have no choice but to believe her.」
Finally, Sheryl looked up and gave the High Mentor a worried look. Isolde had boldly stated that as long as there was a Holy Sword, no sorcery could penetrate it, but there was no end to her worries. The High Mentor was also concerned about this, but he had no choice but to trust in the Holy Sword Clan.
The High Mentor, who saw in Sheryl's face a shade different from that of worry about the head of the Holy Sword Clan, looked at his beloved granddaughter's face and tapped her on the shoulder with his own staff.
「...... What's the matter? Still, have any unfounded fears?」
With a gasp, Sheryl's shoulders slumped as she realized that her own worried had been noticed. The High Mentor had indeed spent many years as the head of the Academy of the Wise, the symbol of wisdom in this world. He seems to be skilled at detecting unusual events from the expressions on people's faces.
Sheryl held her own chest, regulated her breathing and consciousness, and opened her mouth without hesitation.
「I received a call from the deputy leader of the team that Baron Dantes' army has been completely wiped out. The deputy leader will be joining us before the sun goes down, so we'll have to wait to hear the details. ......」
There was no surprise on the High Mentor's face. It's only natural, considering Satoru's perceived abilities, he doesn't think that a mere mercenary with little sorcery ability can take on him.
However, the High Mentor's expression was distorted by the bitterly spun words that followed.
「...... Father was in that army.」
Sheryl had not told Graham that her father Edward had served in the army of Baron Dantes.
It might be true to say that Edward had nowhere else to turn after being evicted from his late wife's family home in Maylander, but Graham's eyes, which he had not thought of to this point, widened.
「What the, Edward is..」
Was that why his granddaughter's expression was so glazed over?
He should have bought a small mansion somewhere on the outskirts of town and lived quietly, but that foolish son couldn't give up on his return to the nobility and clung to the only remaining connection he had to his family. Graham was aware of the possibility of Edward joining Baron Dantes' army, but after the death of King younger's brother in battle, he did not believe that his coward son would be willing to go into battle.
In that sense, Graham may have been wrong about his son Edward. He never thought he was so attached to his aristocratic position that he would risk his own life for it.
「..........A soul of his caliber probably couldn't help it.」
Unfortunately, Edward did not inherit Graham's soul. It is true that the larger the soul size, the easier it is to inherit from a superior bloodline, and if a parent has an excellent soul, it is more likely to be passed on to a child, but there is always a chance that a child will be born with an ordinary soul, just because it is more likely to be passed on.
Edward, on the other hand, had a soul of only 190, which is average for an aristocrat. No matter how optimistic one might be, it would be impossible to control Satoru, who is now a worldwide sensation, with a soul of that level.
「I, see......, he was a plague even though he was my own child,......, I see.......」
Closing his eyes and turning his face to the sky, the High Mentor prayed. I hope that my foolish son died a peaceful death. I pray that his soul returns to the sky in peace.
Neither Graham nor Sheryl expected him to be alive.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
Isolde, the head of the Holy Sword Clan, was driving her beloved griffon to check the surrounding terrain. There was little grass around the road extending from the valley, and the terrain was gentle. She thought that it would be most stable to set up a circle here.
If the surrounding terrain was not stable, it would be difficult to activate the circle. The balance between the surrounding terrain and the magical power that will be poured into the area suggests that the best possible circle has been made. Isolde was satisfied with the result after confirming the location of the three altars that would assist in the activation of the circle.
She moved her gaze to the center of the circle, where she would be fighting Satoru. There she recognized a familiar figure, and Isolde turned her beloved beast in that direction. She gives a quick glance to the mature man who rules the west of the clan, who is down on one knee and hangs his head.
「Sayasute. How'd it go?」
Isolde looked down at her subordinate astride the griffon. The man who is in a position to unite the scattered clans in the western part of the world tells her calmly without losing his politeness.
「I received a message from Zelphys. The target, Satoru, is unknown to us. Vargas was among the forces that clashed with the target, but he was killed in action without reaching the target.」
Isolde's shoulders rose and fell at the report of new death in the clan. The man who is kneeling in front of her with his head hanging down must be boiling inside his guts. The two men who died in the war must have been competent men who had worked under him for more than a decade, although he was cunning enough not to show it.
「...... So that's two from our clan, huh. And in addition to that, the fact that it wasn't done by Satoru is a frightening story.」
Right. Both of the two deaths so far are not by Satoru's hand, but by the hand of Leia Löwenstadt, the 【Immortal King】 who is accompanying him. Even when she destroyed the great northern kingdom of Yorkor with only her forces, no one died in battle, but she is indeed an 【Immortal King】
It's the first time in 200 years that there's been a death, whether it's an accidental death or an illness, but clearly, there's been dead for the situation. Isolde mourns the death of her subordinates and then turns her sharp gaze from behind her mask to Sayasute.
「I will go to the High Mentor and talk to him, and then I will wait here for our target. Zelphys will continue to keep an eye on him.」
「Ha!」
「Also, tell the four of them not to let the target's friends out of the circle until after the circle has been activated.」
「Ha!」
Isolde was cold-blooded in her assessment of the situation. The reversal magic circle is controlled by the master practitioners once it is activated. In other words, it is essential to defeating the master practitioners in order to destroy the reverse magic circle. Since the enemy is one of the best sorcerers in history, Leia Löwenstadt, they will take countermeasures. She orders her companions to take care of the master practitioner, the High Mentor―If we can keep High Mentor out of the circle, we will win the endurance battle. As long as Satoru and the others are in the circle, their magical power will decrease.
While the High Mentor and the others were drawing up the circle, each of the four clansmen was serving as an escort. They were relieved of their escort duties as the head of the clan joined them, but there was no time to let them play around.
She had deployed four men here with that intention from the beginning.
「Sayasute, your job is to watch. There is a report that there is a daughter of the flying dragon. If she appears, drop her with a throwing weapon.」
「Of course. But, my Lord. The problem is that we don't know what Satoru, our target, is up to.」
「That's a problem too」
Isolde replied, not sounding too troubled. In a fight, it is more important than anything else to know exactly what your opponent is capable of and what he is capable of. So both Isolde and Sayasute took steps, but they still do not know the strength of the target. It would be dangerous to bring them into a fight. But...
「....Well, it doesn't matter now. Leia Löwenstadt has killed two members of the Holy Sword Clan, and I will kill her with Holy Sword(?).」
The voice of the head of the clan has grown in intensity, and the war veteran Sayasute shudders, for even among the three generations of the head he has seen, Isolde's power is unsurpassed. The sheer power of Isolde is so great that even the first generation would be considered her a threat.
She is such a user that she is intimidated Sayasute of past battles just by her mere voice. With the Holy Sword in her hand, there was no way she could lose.
「Please do not let your guard down.」
The head of the clan nodded in reply to the old strongman's advice.
I will not let my guard down. I will fight with all my might.
However, she has no illusions that she will lose. She is not in the strongest position in the world because she is a fool or a drunk.
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