Ossan Saikyō Chapter 13 Part 14
Early the next morning, we set out for the capital in the two carriages we had arrived in.
Of course, Seina and the two bandits were with us as well. Since it would be better to inform the capital as soon as possible that Seina and the national treasure were safe, the carriages were traveling at full speed, just as they had on the way here.
“This time, it was all thanks to you, Fray. If you hadn’t been there, we wouldn’t have noticed that carriage.”
When I praised her, Freynil, who was sitting beside me, smiled happily.
“I’m glad my skill was of use. But it was Soushi-sama who defeated the bandits and recovered the national treasure. I’m only here because of you, Soushi-sama, so I believe everything was thanks to you.”
“Isn’t that taking it a little too far?”
“Not at all. Even if my abilities prove useful to people in the future, everything I accomplish will be because of your guidance, Soushi-sama.”
Freynil’s eyes as she looked at me seemed slightly glazed over. I looked toward Rani and the others for help, but they were either grinning, smiling, or expressionless, so none of them seemed inclined to get involved.
Rather, Seina, who had been watching our exchange intently, ended up agreeing with Freynil.
“Soushi-sama truly is an amazing person.”
“That is right. Soushi-sama is strong, kind, and wise, and he never neglects to look ahead and act accordingly.”
“He saved Big Sister Shizuna, rescued the revered『Spirit Beast』, then saved me as well and recovered the《Spirit-Summoning Flute》... I believe what Freynil-dono says is true. I must make sure to tell Mother about it properly.”
“I think that is a wonderful attitude. If there is anything I can help you with, please let me know.”
“Yes, Freynil-dono. I will count on you when the time comes.”
Their exchange was getting a little out of hand, and it was honestly rather frightening.
“There’s no need to exaggerate when you tell them. Just tell them what actually happened.”
I tried to put a stop to it, but even Shizuna said, “But it is true that you saved Seina and recovered the《Spirit-Summoning Flute》, is it not?”
So I decided to give up.
After spending some time on the carriage, its speed suddenly slowed. Rani stuck her head out the window to see what was happening outside.
“Oh, looks like there’s a checkpoint. They’re looking for Seina, right?”
“Probably. Let’s let them know she’s safe.”
The carriage stopped, and we all got out.
One of the watchtowers surrounding the capital stood directly in front of us. About a kilometer farther down the road, we could see the outskirts of the Capital.
Around 30 soldiers were gathered around the watchtower, blocking the road. As we approached, the soldiers recognized Seina and Shizuna, and a commotion immediately spread among them.
Shizuna stepped forward and called out loudly.
“Everyone, Shrine Maiden Seina has been safely rescued by us. We have also recovered the national treasure, the《Spirit-Summoning Flute》, and captured the culprits. Hurry and inform the Great Shrine Head Maiden of this.”
“Understood, Shizuna-sama!”
A soldier who appeared to be the Captain straightened up and answered before giving an order to one of his subordinates.
The subordinate climbed the watchtower and began operating a magical device at the top. It seemed to be a device that emitted a powerful light, but since it was blinking at regular intervals, perhaps it was being used to communicate through something like Morse code.
“By the way, what exactly happened in the Capital?”
When Shizuna asked, the Captain explained the situation to us.
According to him, giant flesh golems had repeatedly appeared around the outskirts of the capital, keeping everyone occupied with dealing with them until late at night.
During that time, bandits had infiltrated the Grand Spirit Shrine and secretly stole Seina and the《Spirit-Summoning Flute》away. They had only noticed what had happened shortly before dawn, and as a result, they had been forced to react after the fact.
“The Great Shrine Head Maiden is safe, is she not?”
“That is what I have been told.”
“Then that is all that matters. We are going to the Grand Spirit Shrine ourselves, so you should continue acting according to the latest orders you have received. You have all done well.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Thank you.”
The soldiers all bowed their heads in unison along with the Captain.
Watching the exchange, I was reminded once again that Shizuna had truly been raised to stand above others.
“Then, shall we head to the Great Shrine Head Maiden?”
Shizuna returned to us. She looked a little embarrassed, perhaps because she felt she had acted in a way that did not suit her.
Just as we were about to return to the carriages, Sphenia pointed toward the south of the Capital, where mountains could be seen in the distance.
“I can see smoke over there. Could that be a signal fire?”
“A signal fire?”
Looking in that direction, I could indeed see three columns of red smoke rising straight into the sky several kilometers away.
Shizuna frowned as she looked at them.
“That is a warning of a monster appearance. And since there are three columns, either something extremely powerful has appeared, or a large horde has appeared.”
“Even with your【Farsight】, Sphenia, you can’t tell what has appeared?”
As an archer, Sphenia possessed a skill called【Farsight】. That was probably why she so often spotted things before the rest of us.
Sphenia narrowed her eyes and stared into the distance. Then, with a slightly grim expression, she spoke.
“I can see them. It appears to be those ‘Devils’ again. There seem to be at least three of those eight-legged ones we fought.”
Another unexpected situation had arisen, but for the time being, we decided to head to the Grand Spirit Shrine first.
First, we needed to hand over Seina, the national treasure《Spirit-Summoning Flute》, and the captured bandits, including Mazero.
Even if we were going to deal with the “Devils”, we couldn’t very well keep all of them with us.
Inside the Capital, things appeared relatively calm. This was supposed to be another emergency following last night’s Flesh Golem attack, but the residents seemed to have been trained to head to their homes or designated shelters, so no one appeared to be wandering around unnecessarily.
The carriage reached the Grand Spirit Shrine in the center of the Capital almost without stopping.
We got out of the carriage and entered the structure behind Shizuna and Seina. Almost immediately, Great Shrine Head Maiden Lady Miona appeared with several priests accompanying her.
“Oh, Seina! You are safe!”
Lady Miona took on the face of a mother and embraced Seina. Tears streamed down her face as she said, “We must give thanks for the guidance of the『Spirit Queen』...”
She must have been terribly worried ever since she learned that Seina had been kidnapped. I could hardly imagine what she must have been feeling.
“Great Shrine Head Maiden, the《Spirit-Summoning Flute》has also been safely recovered.”
Shizuna respectfully held out the flute. Lady Miona released Seina and accepted it. She took the flute out of its cloth wrapping and, after confirming that it was the genuine article, let out a deep sigh of relief.
“This is undoubtedly the《Spirit-Summoning Flute》. You have done well to recover it along with Seina.”
“And these are the culprits behind this incident. They appear to be failed adventurers, so please exercise caution.”
“Understood. Call the guards and have them taken into custody.”
At Lady Miona's instruction, three imposing-looking guards immediately appeared. Judging by their air, they were probably formidable former adventurers.
“Take them away and put them in the cells. Since they are failed adventurers, make absolutely certain that they do not escape.”
“Yes, Great Shrine Head Maiden.”
The guards took Mazero and the other bandit away. I thought Mazero glared at me as he was leaving, but that was understandable. It was quite the case of misplaced resentment, but things like this weren’t governed by reason.
“Great Shrine Head Maiden, that man commands golems. The other one appears to command undead as well. Please exercise the utmost caution.”
I made sure to warn her, and Lady Miona nodded with a softened expression around her eyes.
“Thank you for the advice. We shall place them in cells protected by the power of the Spirits, so they should be unable to create anything resembling artificial life, be it undead or golems. Please rest assured.”
“That is reassuring.”
“By the way, I presume this incident was once again brought to a successful conclusion through Soushi-dono’s efforts. Am I correct?”
“Freynil here noticed a carriage traveling through the darkness, which allowed us to rescue Seina-dono by chance.”
“Hmm. I would certainly like to hear the details, but another monster has appeared just now.”
“We would like to assist with that as well. Would it be all right to discuss the details afterward?”
“Oh, if you and your companions are willing to go as well, that would be a great help indeed. I humbly ask that you do so.”
That was what she said, but if there were only around three of those “Devils” the other high-ranking adventurers should have been able to handle them without any trouble.
I was wondering whether they might already be finished by the time we arrived when I turned back toward the others and saw a male priest hurrying in through the entrance.
The priest went before the Great Shrine Head Maiden and began speaking in a low voice.
He was probably trying to make sure we couldn’t hear, but unfortunately, the words reached my ears anyway.
“Great Shrine Head Maiden, there is an urgent matter. A new monster, separate from the one that appeared earlier, has emerged. It is an extremely powerful individual.
…
It has broken through the adventurers and is heading straight for the Grand Spirit Shrine while destroying the city along the way.”
“What!? Gather the guards at once and prepare to intercept it.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Apparently, this was something we would have to deal with ourselves.
Previously, I would have thought to leave it to the higher-ranked adventurers, but now that I had come to recognize that I was already beyond A-rank myself, I would have to handle it.
I had no idea how powerful this “Devil” was, but all I could do was pray that it was a physical-type creature.
—————————————
E/N:
Ossan, smash the Devil outta that Devil 🤣! I love Lady Miona praising Ossan, their ages are probably similar so… you know, iykyk 😂!
Stay tuned!
—————————————
————————————————————
————————————————————
Comments