726 Episode 0726



The sound of a glass cup breaking echoes through the room, and the voice of the man holding the glass cup echoes through the room.

"Stupid... really!?"

 I can't believe I was in that voice. In addition to the feelings I didn't want to believe, there was hatred... no, something like a grudge.
 Therefore, the man who uttered the word... the other nobles around the Earl of Schwindell take a few steps back.

"The expeditionary force organized by His Highness Kabazid... was devastated by his hand..."

 Yes, the rumor I just heard from my fellow nobles is that the punitive force was almost destroyed.
 Those who had a grudge against Ray here had been desperately pursuing him even after he disappeared from the imperial capital.
 Hadn't some of them already returned to the kingdom of Mileana -- that they might not avenge -- but the Earl of Schvindell never gave up... or, almost implacably, moved in search of that figure?
 When I contacted the bell, only the words under investigation came back, and I was still looking for Ray, but today the news came to light in the form of a rumor.
 It's almost as bad as it gets.
 The Counts of Schvindell and others knew of the dispatch of a punitive force formed around the First Prince.
 But even after a few days, I had wondered whether there had been any reports--that there had been no progress in the course of the battle--but I had no idea that it had been caused by their bitter enemies.

"Well, I sent a punitive force alone... and destroyed Prince Kabazid's hand."
"No, rumored to be all crimson, but I don't think so. In the first place, crimson may indeed use powerful magic, but I don't think it's going to kill 6,000 people at once."
"But is it true that the punitive force was annihilated?"
"Wait. If the punitive force is completely destroyed in the first place, why is this rumor circulating? If it is really completely destroyed, then the people in the imperial capital still have no way of knowing what happened to the punitive force."
"It's a little too much to say that there's no way to know. There is a possibility that merchants, adventurers, and travelers passed by and informed them of the annihilation of the punitive force.'
"Anyway, it's strange that one crimson should annihilate the punitive force. 儂I'm not familiar with military affairs, but I can see that this is an extraordinary event."
"Wasn't that a tornado of flame used in the Celemus Plain?"
"But only the vanguard was damaged at that time, and some of them must have survived it."
"That's..."
In other words, isn't this what you mean? Indeed, crimson's success devastated the punitive force. But it wasn't just crimson who did it, but others cooperated. Those who failed to catch crimson were killed by someone other than crimson, and those who survived it returned to the imperial capital and reported it."

 The words spoken by one of the aristocrats make the people around him look satisfied.

"But..."

 Then another nobleman tried to say something again.

"Don't be silly!"

 That kind of angry voice echoes through a room in the room.
 The voice was uttered by Count Schwindell, the central figure as well as the coordinator of the nobles here.
 Count Schwindell, a nobleman whose word "sacrifice" is usually suited to him, now only hatred is on his face.
 His eyes were lifted and his hatred exposed, a look which seemed very unlikely to be the same as that of the usual Earl of Schvindell.
 In the past, crimson names have certainly made faces grim. But he didn't show such a bare face.
 Nevertheless, Count Schvindell had been infuriated many times before, but he showed it only in places where there were no nobles.
 The maids and butlers who cleaned up afterwards knew that Count Schwindell was strange.
 Nevertheless, knowing that Weir, Count Schwindell's only daughter, was confined to her own room by her fiance's death, she thought it was a waste.
 But... he has now revealed himself in the presence of the nobles, whom he had glossed over.
 For those who know nothing but the usual appearance of the Earl of Schwindell, some might wonder if he was mad.
 However, the person himself does not seem to notice the gaze of the people around him at all, and swings his fist down to the table where he was sitting.
 Fortunately, this is a room in the castle, and the furniture in the room is of course first-class and sturdy.
 It didn't destroy the table when the fist was shaken down, but it made so much noise that if this table had been used by ordinary people, it would have been destroyed.
 As long as the fist had not been able to destroy the table, the fist was naturally more damaged, the skin ripped, the flesh was visible and the blood was running.

"Shu, Count Schwindell?"

 A member of the nobility asks with a nervous air.
 It was an act of inclining his head in an unusual way, but... it was the bloodshot eyes that came back.

"Huh!"

 Such a scream must have brought him back to life. Count Schvindell finally understands what he has done and coughs a little.

"I'm sorry, I've shown you something unsightly. What shall we do from now on? Is there anyone who has any opinion?"

 Count Schwindell, who asked as if to mislead his attitude, looked puzzled to return to it.
 Meanwhile, one of the aristocrats gathered here speaks as if he were afraid of something.

"They say what we are going to do, but don't we need to do anything more than let the bell of repose the crimson in the first place? If we do something at our discretion, it could be a hindrance to them."

 He was an aristocrat who suggested it, but to be honest, he didn't want to do anything.
 The aristocracy originally belonged to a faction including the Earl of Schwindell because his brother died in the Spring War.
 However, considering his status as a nobleman, it is rare for him to get along with his family.
 In this sense, the younger brother was aiming for the position of head of the family, and at the same time, he was more likely to be a rival to the position of head of the family.
 So why are you attending this gathering? That's because I decided it was in my and my family's interest to join this group.
 Everybody is united in their aim for the game of crimson.
 It has been a common practice since ancient times to organize a group by making enemies outside, and this gathering can also be used when you become the head of a noble family. That's why I took part in this gathering.
 But... that seems to me to be a big divergence these days.
 Regardless of making the enemy outside, the problem is that the enemy was too strong.
 It is impossible to knock down the bell, even if it is used as a bell to repose souls. That's the kind of person you're dealing with.

「……」

 At the words of the nobility, Count Schwindell turns his eyes to encourage his advance.
 However, Count Schwindell's eyes are almost insane, and the nobles find themselves speechless, feeling cold in their spine.

"In other words, since we've already asked for a job, we can just wait for the results."
"...you say so, but you couldn't do anything about it when you were in possession of it, though you know that if you were among the rebels, the difficulty of getting rid of him would be much greater?"

 If I were to be careless, I might be killed. With such insanity in his eyes, the nobles managed to get past this situation... and suddenly they came up with the word rebel.

"Well... how about joining the expeditionary force? Up until now, the reason why Count Schwindell and we have asked for the bell of repose without the help of a hand was that we could not do anything flashy. Now, however, there is a good cause for us to oppose crimson clearly."
"I thought about it, too. But the reason why we asked for the bell was because we knew that we could not beat him with our strength."
"If it's our own military power, that's the case. I'm sorry, but his fighting ability is almost abnormal. Anyone who sees the final of a competition will understand."

 Rank S adventurer, the battle against immovable noise is naturally seen by everyone here.
 It was an act of trying not to forget the vengeance of their family and friends, but it showed them fighting even with the noise, and they realized their strength again.
 The other nobles in this room have lost a little of their power, perhaps because they remembered the time.
 The nobleman opens his mouth to catch the moment.

"But not this time," We can count not only on us, but also on the strength of His Excellency Kabazid and His Excellency. Besides, there is no time left for both princes to lose to the rebels. and as long as it is certain that he will be under the yoke of His Highness Mercurio, I should like to win a great victory over the rebels.""Take it, sir? But what will Prince Fritzione do?"
"I don't know how Prince Fritzione will come out, but Prince Fritzione doesn't like fighting in the first place. We might not join the punitive force, but strengthen the defenses of the imperial capital."

 The explanation gives an expression of satisfaction to those present.
 Indeed, given Fritzione's personality, it is quite natural that such a situation should arise... or even acceptable.

"... well, I see. Is there room for thought?"

 Count Schwindell nodded and looked at the other nobles in the room.
 What do you want to say without speaking? The aristocrats who looked at it could understand it.
 For the aristocrats who have a deep grudge against Ray, the proposal is nothing short of a ship.

"Let's do it, Count Schvindell!"
"That's right! The bell of repose of souls can't stop crimson. Then with our hands!"
After all, the bell of repose of souls is said to be good, but that's about it. You don't have to rely on it. Red neck with our own strength!"
"No, wait. There's a possibility. You had better not withdraw your request for the bell and leave it as it is."
"No... but these are the ones who have not achieved any results so far, you needn't count on them."
"So, by any chance," If a person who has just become an adventurer by mistake gets lucky enough to defeat the dragon, he or she may be able to achieve some results like a bell of repose."

 You must have felt better as you spoke. Most people felt nothing unusual, perhaps because they were in a state of half excitement.
 The frustration that had been held back so far has exploded.
 Meanwhile, only the nobility, who had earlier advised Count Schvindell to join the expeditionary force, breathed inward relief.

(That's good, this won't cause an outburst, and even if it hits crimson, there are not only us but also the soldiers of the expeditionary force. At least we have a better chance of surviving than challenging ourselves.)

 For this aristocrat, other aristocrats...and even the punitive forces are just shields to keep them alive and to keep their own forces from wasting.
 He was honest enough to express his gratitude for defeating his brother, who was his potential enemy, let alone resentment.
 However, it is also true that it is of greater value to gain some profit in this group than to feel such gratitude.
 If I had a chance to help crimson, I would never have thought of saving it.
 Well, I'm sure I'll be happy to secure myself for maximum profit.
 You may give it to the Earl of Schvindell, or you may take it yourself.

(However, you said you had a lot of magic items, so I'd like to get them as much as possible.) And Gryphon? It's probably impossible to tame, so it's a good material, but... shouldn't you touch me? It's almost impossible to beat that god of death in the sky.)

 Thinking of the profit he had not seen yet, he imagined himself to be able to gain it, and entered into the conversation of the nobles with a small smile to join him in the conversation of the punitive force.