Maseki Gurume – Vol 5 Chapter 10 Part 1

It’s Ko-Fi’s Supporters’ chapter (97/116), enjoy~

ED: Lonely-matter

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Chapter 10 – Snow Falling on a Burning Town

Part 1

 

Normally, those who had a meeting with each other would exchange greetings at the end, but this was not the case between the two countries. As per the agreement between Ishtalika and Heim, when they leave the island, diplomatic relations will be severed.

With that in mind, perhaps there is no need for a final greeting…

“Then, I look forward to hearing from you.”

“Understood.”

Elena was doing a final check with Warren, though it was not a greeting.

The rest of the party from Heim had already boarded the ship, so Elena only had a few guards standing at a distance.

Lloyd was standing behind Warren, also at a distance.

“The first prince has never shown himself… Did he come?”

“As for His Highness Layfon, he took care of the chores on the ship.”

Warren heard this and guessed.

In any case, he probably brought a woman with him and enjoyed her to the fullest on the ship. So there was no need for him to come, he thought.

“So this is really the last time, is it?”

“Yes, it will be. So, when you come to Ishtalika, please cross over to Euro via Birdland and give our ship a message.”

“…What?”

“Normally, I have no intention of interacting with such a high-ranking official as Elena-dono. But you are the family of someone who has been very good to His Highness. I have no intention of separating you in this life.”

To Elena’s stunned face, Warren spoke as if it were natural.

“I spoke to Krone last night as if I were saying goodbye for the rest of our lives.”

“Oh? I’m sure Krone-dono knew about this too.”

“──It seems that my own daughter has been deceiving me. Can you please tell her this? Tell her that the next time I meet her, I’ll start with a lecture.”

“Leave it to me. Then, let’s meet again in our country.”

Thus Elena turned and headed for Heim’s ship.

Warren watched her for a moment, then exhaled lightly, turned on his heel, and walked toward the Ishtalika ship.

Lloyd, who had been waiting nearby, lined up next to him.

“Will Warren be going to Euro?”

“No, I’m going to send a civilian. Well, it’s easy enough to get to this point.”

“All right. By the way, I heard you talking about the first prince.”

“Oh, it’s nothing serious, but… the first prince is apparently fat.”

“…That’s a great way of putting it.”

They laughed at each other and went to the pier and boarded the White King.

 

◇ ◇ ◇

 

On the way back, Ain was on the White King.

Now they were looking out the window from Sylvird’s room, discussing the future prospects.

“The matter of Heim has come to an end. The remaining troublesome matter is──”

“You mean me being a Demon King?”

“That too, but also the existence of the Red Fox.”

“…Those people, what do they want with us?”

“Well. But according to Marco, they hated the royal family of Ishtalika and were waiting for the return of Ain. In other words, no matter what, we still have business with them.”

“I don’t understand what it means to be waiting for me, though.”

“Right. This means that the Red Fox has known Ain for a long time. There are many things that we don’t understand… but we can’t ignore them.”

Understandably, the Red Fox has a grudge against the royal family of Ishtalika. And the only thing that can be understood is that Ain is essential for clearing the grudge.

“The problem is that we can’t track them down.”

“…..”

“The only lead we have right now is His Majesty the First’s basement, where Ain was reported to have entered. Nobody knows what’s in there but yourself…”

“Should all the books in the basement be taken to the royal capital?”

Sylvird nodded without saying a word.

“I don’t know why Ain was able to open the basement, but can you open it again?”

“We don’t know if it can be opened again, do we?”

“What if it doesn’t?”

It’s better not to try.

Ain agreed with Sylvird. There are some personal belongings of the first king in the basement, but when it comes to the modern royal family, there is no room for discretion here.

“The books should be taken to Katima’s laboratory.”

“Oh… that place is full of secrets too, isn’t it? Katima-san’s place will be restricted.”

“That won’t matter.”

“She’ll complain.”

“That basement was built with her own private money. Let her put up with it a little.”

Katima had never heard of such a situation, but she would have agreed to it. First of all, it is hard to believe that she, who is passionate about knowledge, would refuse.

──Suddenly, the sea shook violently.

“Mm… What was that?”

It’s an unusual quake. It wasn’t just a big wave; it was like a wave of a Sea Dragon.

Ain supported Sylvird’s body and then looked out the window.

Then.

“──Grandfather, something seems to have happened.”

The battleships in the surrounding area were in attack position. There are some battleships firing artillery, and there are also knights throwing their magic tools into the sea.

As Ain recalled, this area is the sea near Magna. He couldn’t help but feel something was disturbing him.

Dong, dong, dong! There was a knock on the door with unusual strength.

“I’ll check it out.”

When Ain opened the door away from Sylvird, Lloyd came in.

“Please excuse my rudeness!”

“Lloyd-san, what the heck is going on outside…?”

“There’s an unusual number of monsters here! The twins also went into battle, but the monsters outside did not flee when they saw the twins, but attacked them as if they were soldiers ready to die!”

The twins really didn’t think they would have to work as guards. But this commotion was sudden.

It’s hard not to feel a sense of déjà vu when Ain has had similar experiences in the past. When he looked out the window to see what was going on, he saw──

“…That.”

He was surprised to see Magna, which was gradually closing in towards him.

The blue and white, cool impression of the port city had changed, and the entire city was engulfed in bright red flames.

The horrific scene stimulated his ears with the auditory hallucination of mournful cries.

“Grandfather! Let’s get this fleet to Magna ── No! Have mother and the others all move to the White King… and I will──”

“Wait! What are you going to do with that?”

“…I’ll take the battleship and head for Magna.”

There was no way to say no because it was too dangerous.

Sylvird turned his head and thought.

“Wait a minute.”

“Grandfather!”

“Just wait a minute!”

The strong words silenced Ain, and he stared at Sylvird, who was deep in thought.

With his mouth closed, Sylvird searched for the best solution to his current situation. He agreed to move Olivia and the others to the White King. They are weak and should be protected by this ship. However, he was concerned about Ain’s decision to get on the battleship and head for Magna.

“Lloyd, what’s the damage?”

“Yes, sir. All ships are fine, sir.”

“So──”

Sylvird decides here.

“Ain, I can’t allow you to use the battleship, but…”

“──Grandfather!”

“Don’t you hear me out! I won’t allow you to use the battleship, but you must use the Princess Olivia! That ship can withstand a monster as powerful as the Sea Dragon, and with the twins on board, there’s no danger!”

“Your Majesty? Are you sure about this?”

“And by the way, Lloyd, you go with Ain. I’ll take care of myself, and with Chris guarding Olivia, we’ll be fine.”

With that, Sylvird left his seat vigorously.

“The twins also listen to Ain’s words first. If we want to save Magna, we should do so. But don’t get me wrong. This is not an excuse to overreach.”

The decision had to be communicated to the other battleships.

Ain and Lloyd followed Sylvird as he ran out of the room.

 

◇ ◇ ◇

 

It seemed a bit ironic.

The swarms of underwater monsters that were spreading around were attacking the battleships just as it happened in the past during the Sea Dragon incident, and even if they were not as strong as the Sea Dragons, they had enough strength to make the battleships struggle.

However, it was the Sea Dragon twins who were slaughtering those monsters.

If this wasn’t ironic, what would you call it?

Ain, standing on the deck of the Princess Olivia, smiled bitterly and felt a pain in his chest.

“It’s my fault.”

Lloyd asked, looking regretful.

“I can’t understand it. How can it be Ain-sama’s fault?”

“Because I insisted on settling things with Heim. My grandfather agreed to come, and many fleets came, even Lloyd-san and Chris. That’s why the security in Ishtalika is so thin…”

“With all due respect, that’s not true.”

Lloyd said firmly. He said strongly that the security system had not been overlooked.

“Just like in the royal capital, the big cities were also involved in the coordination so that they could contact our battleships at any time. In addition, we have no shortage of forces in place.”

“Even so, we’re under attack.”

“Yes. But the outcome would have been the same even if we had not gone to the meeting.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“…Each city has its own defense system to deal with monsters. It also used magic tools and magic weapons, which can be activated at the discretion of the person guarding in case of unforeseen circumstances ── but there is no sign of them being used this time. Look over there.”

Lloyd told him to look at the outskirts of the city of Magna. The outside of the city looks no worse for wear. Only the inside of the city is in dire straits.

Considering this scene.

“Do you mean that monsters have suddenly appeared… in the city?”

“Probably.”

Then whatever the security situation is, it makes no sense. Also, it’s not like Lloyd is usually stationed there.

“His Majesty was very concerned about our absence in the country. So, to be clear, the security situation in Ishtalika was one step higher than normal.

So don’t worry about it, Lloyd said.

He was watching over Ain, who was having a heartache next to him, hoping to relieve some of the pain in his chest.

 

The city of Magna was slowly approaching.

The monsters in the sea are being swept away by the power of Princess Olivia and the battleships, but most of all by the power of the Sea Dragon Twins.

Suddenly, a monster jumps up from the sea and attacks the deck.

“Gaaaaaaa──!”

In the blink of an eye, it was attacked by the twins, and its corpse floated in the sea.

“All right. Now is not the time for regrets.”

“That’s the spirit.”

Ain slapped his cheek. He slapped it strongly.

He then drew his black sword and pointed it at the fire that engulfed the city.

Ba-dump, his heartbeat vigorously.

With his heart beating even faster, he walked onto the deck and stood on the bow of the ship.

“I need to extinguish the flames as quickly as possible.”

The question is whether there will be enough magic power.

It only took a moment for him to worry, and he quickly raised his black sword. The clouds drifting in the sky above moved away as if to escape, and a cold air that stung the skin covered the area around Ain.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, there was the sound of something freezing.

It wasn’t long before Lloyd looked up at the sky, his brow furrowed, wondering what was going on.

 

“──Freeze.”

 

 

It was not a chill caused by cold air. Lloyd was unintentionally pressured by the overwhelming presence of a powerhouse that came from Ain’s voice. He, at the same time, opened his eyes to the torrent of magic power leaking from the black sword held by Ain.

The black sword’s magic power shimmered like an aurora borealis, a wave of magic power filled with cold air that surpassed that of the frigid Baltic.

Eventually, the black sword was swung down.

“Wha… No way…!?”

Lloyd doubted his own sanity at the sight before him.

The waves rose into the sky while being released into the city.

The wave changed shape from the tip, and soon two huge heads reminiscent of Sea Dragons appeared. They gradually took the form of a body and then a tail.

 

Kakaka ── Ki, kii────.

 

The sound of freezing reached through the air.

Lloyd never heard of the power to freeze the magic power entirely.

“What a huge…”

After all, the scale is what matters most.

It’s not as big as an adult Sea Dragon, but it’s still much bigger than a small battleship. It’s hard to describe the sight of two of them swimming through the air towards the city, but it’s a majestic and awe-inspiring sight.

“…Hah… Hah… Hah…!”

Suddenly, Ain fell to his knees with his black sword in his hand.

“Ain-sama!”

“It’s okay; I think I just used a little too much magic.”

He felt a pain in his chest that he had never felt before, and his vision was shaky and restless. But he had to check the effects of the Ice Dragon.

With all his strength, he managed to stand up and look at the city.

In the center of Magna, above it, the figure of a dragon arched its body.

The two dragons intertwined with each other, soaring upward with the power to pierce the sky. The complex intertwining of the huge body parts overlaps and eventually transforms into a blue-white twinkling ball of light.

The change doesn’t stop there, but the ball of light expands, emitting a dazzling flash of light──.

 

*Crack*

It burst open with the same stupefying sound as ice shattering.

The cold air covered the town, and the snow reached the sea along with the strong wind. The fire, which normally would not be extinguished by a dusting of snow, was slowly subsiding throughout the city.

“Ain-sama… what is this power of yours?”

“──Lloyd-san, when we get to the city, there will be monsters. So let’s get ready.”

When Ain, who did not answer Lloyd’s question, said so, Lloyd replied sternly, “You better stay here!” He did not think it was a good idea to go into battle with someone who had just used his black sword as a walking stick.

“I’m fine now. Come on, let’s go.”

Ain, who showed a light movement, surely seems to be okay.

He will not listen to what anyone else says, but he has the strength of will in his eyes that will never be broken.

“You should not overdo it.”

“Hmm, I promise you that.”

 

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