Star-Slaying Swordsman

Chapter 33

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If my assumption is right, that red-haired magicians name is Siva. His magical ability is to create swords, just like me. He calls his The Gladiator.

Siva, huh

Fiole then shook her head in dismay, failing to recognize such a name, as well as the information that I had just given.

After running a fair distance from the underground passageway we were just in, I was led by Fiole and rode a flying monster hiding in the thick trees, one that was significantly smaller than Pii-chan.

Abald, who had been appointed as her messenger, was on the back of a different flying monster from Fiole and me.

And apparently, she had brought quite a lot of monsters.

Does the name Siva ring a bell to you, Abald?!

She shouted loudly so that Abald, who was following behind us on another monster that Fiole had cast her magic upon, could hear her.

But he too could only shake his head.

I figured so. But then, I guess its still a blessing in disguise. If hes a swordsman then theres a good chance that we can avoid the worst-case scenario.

What do you mean?

Jabberwocks outer shell cant be penetrated by weapons, let alone physical attacks, and thats why we need Viera-chan here. Unless a rare occurrence happens, a swordsman cant really inflict damage on it.

Or so she asserted.

We were riding on the back of a monster, so I couldnt see her reflection, but I was certain that she wasnt kidding.

Its just

There was hope, as she had just implied.

And yet, she was now trying to string together words as if she was about to give up hope.

The fact that even three of my men couldnt stop him means that this red-haired magician is strong in his own right. So we couldnt really eliminate the worst-case scenario, but prepare for it if anything.

We were really in deep trouble.

Saying so, Fiole let out a deep sigh.

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Soon after, sounds of destruction came from nowhere. Was something going berserk?

The atmosphere started to tremble.

No way Looks like we were late

Jet-black objects were starting to get visible from afar.

And those were weapons.

Not only swords, but also spears, battle-axes, and even sickles, all of them with no consistency in shape.

All of them, however, emerged from somewhere and rushed toward a certain spot.

And then, there laid a humongous life form and swatted everything off with its tail-like thing.

Abald!!!

Yes, Milady?

Theres nothing we can do anymore. So just as we planned, were going with Plan B. Ill start buying time, and you all can stay on the underground passage until Viera -chan comes back.

Understood.

Plan B was to have Fiole Islebark stall for time as much as possible on her own.

Then, the remaining members of the team would set up a perimeter around the underground passageway where we had just been.

Their objective was to somehow keep the Jabberwork from getting outside of Minaura after all.

We cant let a monster like that out of this town, so Im going to hold off as long as I can, but tell everyone not to be sloppy in their preparations.

I understand.

Immediately after, the monster that Abald was riding reversed its course and went back the way they came.

Politics really is a pain in the ass. If it werent for that, we would have defeated the Jabberwock long ago.

She said with a sigh.

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What does that mean?

Its because of their national policy. The upper management wants to squeeze every last penny out of wherever they can get it. Thats why we have to go around villages and recruit people during this time of the year just as monsters are being spawned the most in Minaura. If they agree, we wont raise their villages taxes, but suppose that they refuse and the village does not comply, then we will raise their tax unconditionally. You saw the gatekeepers upon arriving here in Minaura, right? Theyre not my subordinates, but knights sent from above, so I cant even make false reports.

The words did not come out well right away, just as well as me not knowing the truth behind them.

Nevertheless. the sound of her voice was tinged with fatigue.

And Id also known Fiole quite well based on our conversations so far.

So if you took all of this into account, it was hard to believe that she was lying.

When one of my subordinates was on his way to recruit people a long time ago, he got into a bit of a scuffle and was heavily injured. If it had not been for a little trouble, he might even have died. So after that, Viera-chan insisted that she would be the one to do the job, but just this one time, I wish I stopped her.

It was too late to say anything now, she said so as she scratched her head.

And so, I chimed in.

Why are you telling me this now?

Huh? Werent you wondering why Viera-chan wasnt here or something? Its completely drawn in your face, though.

Thats

The Jabberwock, you see, is really not someone you can defeat while thinking about unnecessary things. So, if you want to ask me questions, I'll answer anything, just for now.

If it increases your chances of survival by even a few percent, it's a small price to pay, she said, as if it were a matter of course.

Nevermind that, were already almost there.

We were surprisingly close, she joked.

And finally, wed reached a distance where we could see everything.

I was convinced after seeing the jet-black weapons from a distance, but even so, I couldnt be absolutely sure without seeing the magician in person.

And when I did

SIVA!!!

I shouted the name of the red-haired man, who was selfishly facing the Jabberwock, as loudly as I could.

Huh?!

He probably didnt expect to see a person riding on the back of a monster flying in the sky above him.

And in fact, I shouted because his ability was about to target the monster that Fiole was riding.

Im off now.

I immediately threw myself into the air after saying so.

EH- Wait a EHHHH?!

CANT YOU SEE WHATS HAPPENING DOWN THERE?!

Or so I heard a shout, but it was too late.

Besides, Fiole, whose ability wasCorpse Puppet: Marionette,would have no difficulty riding her monster, but in my case, unless I wielded a sword, I was just dead weight.

A burden.

I wouldnt be able to fight while riding a monster.

So whether I wanted to see what was going on for myself or not, my decision was to throw myself into the air.

However

I acted too early and attracted its attention upon doing so.

It was coming for me and so was its attack.

It appeared that second to Siva, even I had been identified as a target for elimination by the giant lifeform known as the Jabberwock.

But

Ah, jeez!!! Youre such a troublesome boy!!!

A voice uttering the words in a desperate manner shook my eardrums.

But my incantation was already done before I could even think about creating a foothold using my ability, Sword: Creation.

I just wanted to stall for time!!! AHHHH, COME ON!!! Whatever!!! Get up Corpse Puppet: Parade!!!

And soon the earth rose in all directions with all the monsters that Siva had defeated.

Like sprouts from the ground, one corpse after another was born, filling my field of vision. Soon after, a red torrent was suddenly unleashed from nowhere, neatly deflecting the trajectory of the attack that was supposed to hit me.

Heh, I see. I knew someone was going to butt in, but I didnt expect it to be the Corpse Princess of all people.

Siva, quite pleased with himself, said so with astonishment, while I was trying to make a sense of what he just said.

The word Corpse Princess was probably a reference to Fiole.

Despite the casual comment spilled from the ground, Fiole quietly told Siva in a rather serious tone,

Next time you call me that name, Ill kill you first.

Then using my magic to create a sword and utilize it as a foothold to kill my momentum I landed on my feet smoothly.

I knew we would meet again somewhere, but we met sooner than expected, Julius.

Isn't it unfair to keep this all to yourself?

Huh? Dont you know? In this kind of thing, its always first come, first served.