Ossan Saikyō Chapter 14 Part 23
After that, I wiped out the undead outside, bringing the battle for the Royal Capital to an end.
Once King Giselpha and his Queen were captured, there were no further disturbances of any significance.
The takeover of the castle and the rest of the city proceeded in an orderly fashion, and by early afternoon, the entire Royal Capital was under the Marquis’ control.
The people were quickly informed that King Giselpha had abdicated and that young Ryūsha was scheduled to ascend the throne.
When an impromptu parade centered around young Ryūsha, Marquis Raghantz, and General Durack was held, the Royal Capital was suddenly filled with an atmosphere of celebration.
As for me, I firmly declined to participate in the parade.
Avoiding the crowded central avenue, I headed for the Adventurer Guild.
There were hardly any people in the Guild lobby. The adventurers were probably out patrolling to make sure there were no undead left behind.
When the receptionist saw my face, she hurried out from behind the counter and approached me.
“Um, you’re Mr. Soushi, right!?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Thank you very much for everything!”
“What do you mean? I don’t think I’ve done anything that warrants thanks...”
“That’s not true at all! You liberated the Royal Capital, so I think almost everyone living here is grateful to you.”
“Ah, I see... But I merely joined the Marquis’ army. If you want to thank someone, I think you should thank the Marquis.”
“No, no. The name『War God』is already spreading among the soldiers and adventurers.”
“『War God』?”
“Yes! There are already stories going around about an adventurer like a Godly Ogre who broke through the city gate in an instant, defeated countless undead, and took control of the Royal Castle in no time.”
Contrary to the receptionist’s delighted tone, I was inwardly dreading how troublesome this might become.
Damn it. If I had known this would happen, I could have hidden my face or something... No, that would have been pointless. I am instantly recognizable from my mace and shield.
“That could be troublesome. I’ll be careful when walking around outside. More importantly, I’d like to see the Guildmaster.”
“Ah, yes. This way, please.”
When I entered the Guildmaster’s office, Dünken, who had been sitting behind his desk with a troubled expression, stood up with a relieved smile.
“Hey, glad you came. And you really did a hell of a job. Looks like I won that gamble after all.”
“I’m relieved I was able to meet your expectations.”
“As for my family, I can’t thank you enough. Now I can finally do my job as Guildmaster properly again. In more ways than one.”
There was a certain weight behind Dünken’s words. Even though his family had been held hostage, he probably felt guilty about having done things that were wrong as a Guildmaster.
Of course, as an organization, the Guild probably could not simply let him off without any consequences.
“What happened to your family was really just a coincidence, so please don’t worry about it. By the way, I have a small favor to ask.”
“Sure. I’ll listen to just about anything. I’m still the Guildmaster, after all.”
“I’d like you to send a message to the Orz Guild using the《Voice Link》. I want to let my party members in Orz know that I’m safe.”
“Ah, right. You mentioned that before. Of course, we can do that now. What should I send?”
“ ‘Soushi is safe. He'll reach the Orz border in 2-3 days.’ ”
“Got it. Wait here.”
Dünken left the room and returned about 10 minutes later.
“Sent it. Fortunately, a staff officer named Mariane came out, so we were able to communicate easily.”
“Ah, that’s a relief.”
“She said to tell you that everyone is worried about you. Sounds like your party members really trust you.”
“I hope so. Also, could you appraise this《Skill Orb》for me?”
“A《Skill Orb》? I have【Appraisal】, so I’ll take a look.”
As it turned out, the Lich Legion had dropped a《Skill Orb》, something I had not seen in quite some time. When I told the Marquis about it, she had simply laughed and said, “Of course it’s yours”.
“Hmm... Oh, this is incredible. It says【Arcane Ward】. That’s quite a high-level skill. What kind of monster did this drop from?”
“A Lich Legion. It appeared inside the Castle, and I defeated it.”
“The Lich Legion!? That’s one of the higher-tier A-Rank monsters! How did something like that appear?”
“Yes, actually, that’s something I wanted to ask you about. Dunken-san, do you know of an organization or group called the〈Nether Candelabra〉?”
At my question, Dünken drew his thick eyebrows tightly together and began to groan thoughtfully.
“Hmm...”
◇◆◇
“So, in the end, you weren’t able to learn much about the〈Nether Candelabra〉?”
At dinner, the Marquis, seated across from me, looked at me with her narrow eyes.
We were currently in the dining hall of the Royal Castle. Young Ryūsha and several other nobles who had been involved in the battle for the Royal Capital were also present.
Everyone except me was a noble, so I could hardly feel more out of place, but as one of the principal contributors to the war, I had been more or less forced to attend.
“According to the Guildmaster, it seems to have been a group whose existence began being rumored around the time the previous war started.
…
Apparently, they used undead to attack several towns and forts, and at other times they even protected them using the same. However, their purpose and origins are unclear.”
“I see. So this group still exists and was lending its power to Duke Giselpha? It did seem strange that Duke Giselpha could control such a large number of undead.
…
If there was something like this behind him, it at least makes some sense.”
“As for the undead, I heard that《Summoning Monoliths》can be obtained from the B-Rank dungeon near the Royal Capital. Wouldn't those be enough?”
“Leaving the larger ones aside, small《Summoning Monoliths》normally only have enough power to summon two or three F-Rank monsters.
…
That is why I was surprised when Duke Giselpha told me he had obtained a technique for summoning undead in large numbers.
…
I have not yet been able to confirm the details of that technique, but presumably that man called Isnani was involved.”
“Considering he summoned a Lich Legion, it would be reasonable to assume he was highly knowledgeable about handling undead.”
“Indeed. But the fact that Isnani melted away and disappeared is interesting as well. Assuming this〈Nether Candelabra〉really exists, does that mean they possess techniques unknown to us?”
“That seems to be the case.”
The conversation ended there for the time being.
It might be worth checking with the Vermilion Royal Family, the Adventurer Guild’s Grandmaster, and merchant information networks such as Mr. Toronto’s regarding the〈Nether Candelabra〉.
But this world had far too many inexplicable existences, from the〈Nether Candelabra〉to the Devils and the Twilight Kin.
As I was lost in thought, young Ryūsha, seated at the head of the table, spoke to me.
“By the way, Soushi, are you really leaving the Royal Capital tomorrow?”
“Yes. My request here is finished, and I need to hurry and rejoin my party.”
“I would like to give you an appropriate reward for being the greatest contributor to this battle. Could you stay until we have everything prepared?”
“I believe Lord Ryūsha has many things you need to take care of from here on. Please prioritize those matters, and when things have settled down, you can call for me regarding my reward.”
“…I appreciate your consideration. Understood. I will first take care of what I must do. But I promise I will call for you when the time comes, so please accept it then.”
“That would be an honor.”
So it seemed my reward could be postponed. Considering how much trouble I had caused this time, I was well aware that I could not simply refuse it.
“Come to think of it, where are you planning to go after you rejoin your party, Soushi?”
“We plan to enter the Vermilion Kingdom from Orz, then head to the hidden Elven village.”
“The hidden Elven village? That sounds wonderful. I would like to go there too. Do you have some purpose in mind?”
“Yes. We plan to investigate the Devils. While we’re at it, we also intend to investigate the〈Nether Candelabra〉.”
At those words, the Marquis leaned forward.
“If you obtain any information, could you tell us when you come back here? If necessary, we can make it an official request.”
“Yes. If we learn anything, I’ll let you know. I believe it would be important information for the Kingdom of Mekalinan, as well.”
“I would appreciate that. Ordinary humans cannot even enter the hidden Elven village, after all. If I recall correctly, there is a High Elf in your party?”
“That’s right. Being adventurers, we may be well suited to conducting an investigation.”
“I see... Between the Devils, the〈Nether Candelabra〉, and the appearance of the Twilight Kin in the Vermilion Kingdom, I cannot shake the feeling that the world is beginning to move in a strange direction.”
When the Marquis said that, the other nobles around the table nodded solemnly.
Thinking about it again, there really did seem to be a series of events occurring that could be important to the world. And I myself had been involved in a surprisingly large number of them.
If something else happened in the future, then considering my experiences so far, there was a very high chance I would end up involved in that too.
Even if that sounded overly self-important, my experiences so far made it seem almost inevitable.
Just as the atmosphere at the dinner table was becoming strangely heavy, young Ryūsha raised his head.
“If that is the case, there may come a time when we have to cooperate across national borders.
…
For that reason as well, we need to rebuild the country as quickly as possible. But we cannot do that without all of your strength. Please continue to lend me your strength from now on.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
As I watched the nobles bow in unison, I felt as though I were witnessing a page in history.
No, this was undoubtedly a moment that would be recorded in the history books of the Kingdom of Mekalinan.
Thinking that made me feel even more out of place. I needed to reunite with my party and get back into a dungeon as soon as possible, or I might forget who I even was.
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E/N:
Has it been a week or two already? Freynil's gonna freak out, yandere-style! Hurry home, to your sweetheart, Ossan!
Stay tuned!
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