As he was dealing with the undead beast that was approaching, he suddenly became able to grant magic to the chains. Since he had been unconsciously applying magic to the chain, he noticed it the moment the magic seal was no longer affected.
　Someone has destroyed the magic seal. There is a good chance that the person who is in the country right now and can do that is Lakra or Jastet who was planning to join up with Ritual and the others.
　As long as he can use magic, he is an easier opponent than the Scarlet Witch King's army. You can find a lot more than just a few things that you can do to make your life easier.

"Looks like they're no longer within range of our magic detection. Morari, I want you to head towards the supply depot with Ekduik. There's a good chance Lakra or Jastet will be there. Prince Nuhusa and I will be responsible for evacuating the Blue Demon King.

　With Rithyal's words, I used Morari's transfer spell to move to the other side near the material storage.
　I guess Ritual read my desire to join up with Lakra and gave this order. Ao and Marya looked a little dissatisfied, but they couldn't leave Prince Noufsa in the hands of a criminal who was on the world's most wanted list, so they went with Ritual.

This is the end of the line. You can't go any further because of the influence of the magic seal stone.
In other words, there's no mistake about this end.

　I can see the storage room from where I'm standing. It is also a place where magic cannot be used, so you have to be careful.
　I'm not sure if Morari is aware of this, but I can feel her alertness to her surroundings increasing.

"Not at all. Why would I leave Lord Ritual to go look for your sister?
Isn't it more about getting Jastet back?
That's what Jastet is for, isn't it? You can't just leave him there.

　Jastet....... He put Morari first, and even once acted against the interests of Ritual, whom he served: .......
　There were several undead on the way to the storage facility, and several more after entering the facility that were pinned against the wall and neutralized. I don't think Lakra could have pulled off such a feat. Then it must have been Jastet.
　He continued on, and when he reached the entrance to the storage room, he saw Jastet, covered in blood, repeatedly thrusting a pillar-like object at something.

"Wow, that's nasty.
"Morari. And you've joined up with ...... Rituals?
Is that ...... the undead beast?

　Jastet looked back, but did not stop his hand from moving. At his feet, the beast undead continues to be dismantled while trying to regenerate.
　His entire body is stained red, mostly from blood and splattered flesh, but his own injuries are also quite severe. Some parts of his arms and legs are torn to pieces, and even some bones are visible.
　The fact that he can concentrate on his work without changing his expression is probably due to his talent as a bastard.

This thing can't be skewered by a pillar, you know. The only way to buy time is to keep attacking him like this.
If you're stalling ......, does that mean there's someone inside?
In the event that you've got a lot of time, you'll be able to take a look at the best way to make use of it.

　When he heard the name, he hurried into the storage room. Jastet must not know what's going on inside because the beast's undead stopped him. Even though he had succeeded in destroying the magical seal stone, it didn't mean that there weren't other undead inside.
　Lakra's figure was easy to find. Her back was in the wreckage of what must have been a very large stone.

"Are you alright, Rakura?

　The first voice I uttered was interrupted by a crashing sound that occurred near Lacla. The sound was the result of a slash from the ward hitting the magic seal stone. ...... No, that's not right.
　There are still several magic seal stones of sufficient size around this area, no matter how many were shattered. You can't use magic construction under these circumstances.
　When the larger stone in front of him shattered, Lakra began to walk unsteadily from side to side. She thrusts her hands out in front of her, as if she were blind--!

"Lakra!

　As I approached Lakra and made her look back, I could see everything she was doing.
　Lacra was bleeding from both eyes, and her eyes were no longer functioning normally. But from the magic in them, I could tell that she was using her true "blind eye".
　This symptom is the same as my mother's. It's not as if the demon's power is eating away at her, but it's putting a lot of strain on her eyes.

"Huh? I'm not sure what to do.
I'm not sure what to make of it.

　You will find a lot of things that you can do to make your life easier. When I was talking about this eye with my compatriots, we were talking about it being theoretically possible,......, but that was only theoretical.

I think it would be easier for everyone if we made it as small as possible. ......! That's right! I'm not sure. I'm sure you'll be fine. He's out there.
He was hurt badly, but...
Oh, thank God. ......
That's good enough for me. Let's get the hell out of here.
Whoa!

　Lakra's body was weak and he looked like he was about to collapse. It's not only the strain on her eyes, but also the drain on her magic power is almost at its limit. It would be difficult for her to move on her own. Carrying Lakra, I walked out of the storage room.

"Oh, um, isn't it heavy?
It's heavier than Ao, but lighter than Marya with her armor. Without the armor, Marya would be lighter. But heavier is human, don't worry about it. But it's not like you're building muscle, so you might want to cut back on the snacking.
"Oh, he lacks all delicacy. ...... I knew that, but...

　Outside, Jastet was binding his wounds with a cloth, and Morari was placing rubble on top of the undead wreckage. Given his regenerative powers, he might not be able to neutralize them, but he could buy himself enough time to get out of this place.



Are you all right? I succeeded in reducing the influence of the magic seal stone. Hurry up and get out of here. ...... Is your eye okay?
Every single one of them has injuries that look like something out of a dream.
I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.
...... Morari, you go ahead and take off with Lakra-san using transfer magic. I'll just move to a place where I can use magic and give first aid, no problem.
"Don't order me around. You're dying too because you skipped out on stopping the bleeding.
No problem. I just need to get to a place where I can use magic, get some first aid, and then I can join the fight.
You know...
If Lord Lytal decides to help the people of Yggra, I'll have a new mission. All I have to do is carry it out.

　Morari stared at Jastet for a few seconds, then clicked his tongue and walked over to me, accepting the rakra I was carrying.

"Wow, that's heavy for your chest.
"This guy too?
"Hey, Exduk. You're going to help Jastet heal. I'll get him to the fastest place I can.
You got it. And take care of Lakra.

　Morari left without replying, taking Lakra with her. If we can get to a place where we can use magic, we can get to our destination faster than anyone else.
　After witnessing this, Jastet slowly walked towards us.

"Exdoik ....... I'm sorry, can you give me a shoulder?
"Oh, yeah, .......

　When I lent him my shoulder, Jastet shifted most of his weight to my side. I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I've seen it before.
　He had defeated the undead beast with his body alone, with no magic available. The wear and tear must have been considerable.

I'm sorry. That look in Lakra's eyes, that's a lot of strain. It's almost as if I inflicted it on her.
"I don't blame you. Even I can tell from the situation that it was for the best.

　It would not have been impossible for Jastet, with his physical prowess, to destroy the stone by himself. But in that case, Lakra would have had to take on the role of stopping the beast's undead.
　The result would have been even more horrific than it was. I'm grateful that we were able to get away with this, but I can't hold a grudge.

"Morari's attitude is bad, but he will do his job well. I can assure you of that.
"I don't doubt that either. But is it true that Ritual has given you a new assignment?
...... If Morari is up to it, one or two more people won't have much effect on the transfer magic. It's true that there are missions.
"I see. ....... Then I'll help you with the healing.
I've heard of Mr. Ecdyke's healing techniques. I appreciate your help.
Just Ecdysium. I'm sure we'll get along just fine as long as we're both having a hard time being brothers.
...... Oh. But I think Mr. Lakra is decent enough. Compared to Morari...
No, he's caused a lot of trouble for his people.

　Not forgetting to be alert to his surroundings, he moved while supporting Jastet. The writhing undead were still struggling for our lives.

　"This is the last time!

This is the last time!

　Ilias was strong enough to fight in a perfect state. Ilias was strong enough to fight with all his strength. Unlike in the case of Arcturial, he didn't even have to struggle against the lower-ranked dinosaur undead.
　The dinosaur undead tried to concentrate on me, but Ilias took me at a distance, quickly turned around and cut off the enemy's head.
　Even though he was surrounded, he was able to keep track of all the enemy's movements and protect me with his overwhelming strength.
　But in spite of this achievement, there was no change in Hilmera's expression. Even though her anger towards me has not changed, she has not been at a disadvantage in terms of the battlefield.

You're right. It would have been nice if she had struggled a little more, even though she was only aiming at the poor errand boy. How can a knight of Tarz be able to use purification magic in the first place?
"It's just that someone from the Yggra cult was his guardian.
Don't take it so seriously. You don't have to take me seriously, because I have no interest in you at all.

　If it was the usual Iliad, he would have made a complicated face, but he was probably worried about the room that Hilmera had given him.
　For Hilmera, resistance itself is a condition for victory in this battle. As the ringleader, she rages and refuses to stop the tragedy until the very end. She is trying to play her role as the source of all this.
　Her goal right now is to kill time, but so is ours. We have enough time, but before Hilmera realizes that, we will try to bridge the gap with words.

Hilmera, you seem to think you have achieved a satisfactory result, is that true? You probably wanted to unleash these undead on the city and kill Prince Nuhusa who was leading the evacuation of the city. But your aim is too uncertain. The success rate would be low.


"Yeah, I know. It would be best if that hateful man were dead, but you can't expect everything to go your way.
I know. That's why the army of undead you sent to the refuge you're aiming for will fail.
She's calm.

　She's calm. So the act of unleashing the undead dinosaurs on the city has some sort of calculation. It's not like she's trying to kill Nufusa, who's evacuating the city.

The reason for releasing the special undead into the city is to get to Nuhusa. There's no mistake about that. But the real reason is to limit Nuhusa's own actions. Even the most capable commander can't adequately protect a place he's not in. I think you were trying to anticipate where Nuhusa would let his people go and send the undead there.

　If Washekht was to be king, Nuhtha's presence would be an unavoidable obstacle. If Washekto is to be king, Nuhusa's existence is an unavoidable obstacle. Unless he can deal with the fact that most of the people support Nuhusa more than Washekto, Washekto will never be king, no matter how violent Hilmera gets.
　But what will happen if Nuhusa's evacuation efforts backfire? A swarm of undead will appear at the evacuation point. Without most of the soldiers and without proper facilities, the damage from a second wave of attacks would be considerable.
　Most of the people don't want to look deeper, and base their opinion on the results. Nuhussa will be perceived as an incompetent prince who used his soldiers to force his people to move to dangerous places.
　Rather than leave the future of the country in the hands of such a prince, he would have to look to Washekht, who had survived this hell with the current King of Selende, even though he was captured.

I don't know if I could have dealt with them if I hadn't seen them since I came to the castle.
"The conclusion itself was reached after we got to the castle. But we knew from the start that there would be attacks on the evacuation centers. The purple demon lord and his men are waiting at the evacuation point for the people. If there is no interference from the magic seal stone, the undead will not be a problem.

　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I'm sure it's a good idea. In the event that you've got a lot of time, you may want to take a look at the following.
　It's just a coincidence that our prior precautions came together, but it goes without saying that it's in your best interest to let people think you've been reading them.

...... Yeah. But it won't prevent the attack itself, will it? I'll take that as a positive sign that it was well worth the impression.

　I'm sure he has some mixed feelings about it. But since he had stepped in, there was no way he could back out. In that case, ...... will continue to pretend to be a villain until the end.
　It's about time, it's time to set--

"Oh, thank God. Your head is still intact, isn't it, Master Hilmera?

　My body reacts to the voice. Oh, I'm here. If I could have, I would have stopped her as me. But I was sure she would come. I wasn't predicting it like a romantic, but I knew it was coming.

"Mursht ......

　Mursht was there. A childlike man, genuinely happy to see me, looking at me with the same face I'd seen before.

You're too late. You're the only pawn I have left.
"I had a hard time with all of them. I had to change my armor, so I was late.
Don't change your armor. ......
It's your last performance. You should at least dress up, right?

　Murscht walked to the window and opened the curtain, which was several times his height. Through the large window, you can see the city of Serende turning red in the night sky.

I love the view from here, and I've always wanted to show it to you. It's a small wish, but I'm glad it came true.
"You're not going to stop Princess Hilmera, are you?
"That's a funny question, Ilias. I am Master Hilmera's sword, and I am the one who slays what lies beyond as she wields it.
If the lord you serve is going wrong, is it not the role of those who serve to correct him?
I don't think he's wrong. I don't think it's wrong. I think it's foolish, I think it's insane, but it's what Lord Hilmera wanted to do and it's what he did. I'm not here for Hilmera-Selende, I'm here for a girl named Hilmera.

　That's who Murscht is. If the Lord whom he has decided to protect decides to take the path of destruction, he will walk with him on that path and try to protect his will.
　Even if Hilmera had been cut down by Ilias right here and now, he would have smiled and said a few words of condolence.

"You didn't come here for any reason, did you? I won't order you around anymore.
"Oh, you're sulking because it didn't go as well as you hoped. But it wasn't so bad, was it, this way?
Yeah. It's the first time I've done something so irreversible, but it's an accomplishment in its own way.
That's great. Now it's my turn.

　Murscht drew his sword and turned to face me. As if in response, Ilias stepped forward and raised his sword as well.

Is there any point in fighting?
"Yes. If you don't, I can at least give you a reason.
"Reason?

　Mursht threw something. It rolled with a metallic sound, like a scrap of something. But inside the twisted piece of metal is a familiar shape, and the blood and flesh of its former owner is stuck to it.


　Both me and Ilias could immediately recognize that it was Wolfe's gauntlet.

"You...!
Ilias! Wolfe is not dead!

　He stopped Ilias, who was about to run away, with a loud voice. What Mursht was doing now was provoking Ilias, and whatever it was, he had to keep her calm.

"Wow, is that wishful thinking? Is that wishful thinking, or do you have some basis for it?
"There is. Mursht, it's true that you encountered, fought and severely injured Wolfe. But you did not kill Wolfe. You couldn't have. If you could have, you would have cut off his head without hesitation. And you would have emerged looking even more refreshed than you do now.

　To Mursht, Wolfe was an obstacle that he wanted to kill, both because of his ability and his position. If he could have done it, Murscht would not have hidden his sense of accomplishment at the time.

"...... Yeah. Yes, you're right. I got in the way just before I killed it. It just got away from me. But well, one of his arms is blown off, and if he doesn't heal in time, he'll probably die.
"......!

　I'm not sure what to make of this. In the face of Mursht, listening to Wolfe's story is quickening my heartbeat.
　It is not rational to change here. If I were to face Murscht as me, I would be deeply wounded.
　Those roles can be taken by me, as before. But that doesn't mean that you can't remain open-minded at a time like this!

You're so obsessed with me. Killing each other is not my thing. Don't drag me into this, Mursht.
"Ah, but you understand me. So you understand what I want, don't you?
Even if you do, you don't want to give me what I want.

　The reason why Murscht likes me is because of my own precariousness, my precariousness of balance. It's as pure as a boy's love for a fragile girl, and I don't feel bad when it's directed at me. I don't feel bad about it when it's directed at me, though I do feel like an idiot who is a fragile girl.

"Oh, I like you with your twisted, fragile heart. I love you. I want to destroy it before someone else does.
"Don't let people's futures depend on them being destroyed. I want to live, and that's why I'm still alive and well, even with my tattered, crumpled, fishy mentality.

　I've never had such a loving intent to kill in my life. If I had lived on Earth, I would have felt nothing but fear at the madness.
　But now that I've become accustomed to this world, I'm feeling more than fear. It's not as if I'm going to accept everything and let her kill me, but I've got the nerve to think that I should face that pure feeling.

Being protected by a woman like that is not enough for your heart. I'll prove it to you now.
Iliad, you're being told.
"I've got a lot to say to you, ...... but I'm determined to protect him, no matter what your intentions, ...... Mursht. I'm not going to go along with your proof of insanity.

　I don't have time to sort through my desire to end this mess, Mursht's feelings, and my anger at having hurt Wolfe.
　Let's keep it simple for now. Murscht is the enemy. So we must defeat him. I'm the one who drove him to this point, so I have a responsibility to stop him.