239. Giant (2)
239. Giant (2)
The Raitel Kingdom's army fled in a miserable state after their defeat.
10,000 against 50,000.
A simple calculation put it at one against five.
Considering the overwhelming advantage a larger force has in group combat, it was a battle they absolutely could not lose.
And yet, they lost that very battle.
One-sidedly, at that, without even inflicting proper damage on the enemy.
There's no need to explain the shock the Raitel Kingdom must have felt.
'......Well, it's no concern of mine.'
After returning to the unit, I went straight to find Ichika.
Ichika greeted me inside a luxurious room.
Ichika sat me down on the sofa, then seated herself on my lap and began to speak.
Swish, swish—
By now, stroking Ichika's hair had become a habit.
"This place is completely rotten. The Queen is being played by a single concubine. The powerful are corrupt."
An accurate assessment.
You see, the Raitel Kingdom was a nation maintained by the previous Queen's powerful authority.
But the Queen who inherited the throne after the previous one's death was dim-witted, consumed by nothing but jealousy.
Ichika went on and on after that about just how much of a disaster the Raitel Kingdom was.
'Hmm, but that's not really the kind of story I was hoping for.'
I stared at the back of Ichika's head with eyes that asked, is there nothing more?
Ichika turned her head.
"That concubine of the Queen's, a man named Dikrain, is suspicious."
'Oh.'
Finally, the name I'd been waiting for surfaced.
The cause of all the corruption in this Raitel Kingdom, the mastermind controlling the Queen from behind.
"What did that man do?"
"......I couldn't confirm it with my own eyes because of a strange barrier surrounding him. Instead, I used shadows to listen to the things that man was saying."
And upon hearing that information, I raised the corner of my lips in a smirk.
'......Talk about figuring out the route branching point here. At this rate, I might just clear this quest in record time.'
As I thought, leaving the investigation to Ichika was a stroke of genius.
* * *
Before long,
the royal court convened once more.
This time, I was there too.
Officials were lined up on both sides.
Seated upon the lavishly crimson-adorned throne was a middle-aged woman with prominent cheekbones.
She was the Queen of the Raitel Kingdom.
"A defeat, a one-sided defeat......! And at the hands of Lilliput, of all places!!!"
The Queen's hands, gripping the armrests of the throne, trembled violently.
Her face was consumed by rage.
"Bring the criminal here at once!!!"
At her shout, Elena, bound with ropes, was dragged before her in a haggard state.
"Explain it in your own words. Why did we lose?"
Under her terrifying fury, Elena prostrated herself flat on the floor and cried out.
"Li-Lilliput unleashed a monster!"
"......A monster?"
"Yes! It was larger than a mountain, possessed a speed that belied its massive body, and was a horrific monster that chewed up and ate men and horses alive!!!"
"You wretch. Do you dare mock your sovereign?!"
"......Under what delusion would I dare tell such a lie? Ask the other soldiers, and you shall receive the very same answer."
At that, several other soldiers were summoned to the spot, and a cross-examination followed.
And Elena's words were proven true.
Murmur—
With the unbelievable news that a monster had appeared, the royal court fell into an uproar.
"A giant... could Lilliput truly have summoned a demon......?"
"If that's the case, it would be difficult to face it with our kingdom's strength alone......."
"It was strange that our royal army was defeated. If they unleashed a monster that cannot be handled by human strength, then surely......."
That was when it happened.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Amidst all the chaos,
Ichika stepped forward.
"I will handle the giant."
"......Minister of Magic."
At that, the Queen stared at her with a displeased expression.
"There's no need to attach any soldiers. I just need to go with my disciple, just the two of us."
"Just the two of you? What is the meaning of this?! This is unacceptable!"
"If not, then I will not participate in the battle."
"......What?"
The Queen's mouth fell open in sheer disbelief.
"That giant. Right now, I'm the only one who can stop it, aren't I?"
Ichika spoke without a shred of formality,
yet no one dared to accuse her of insolence.
By the reports, it was truly a monstrous beast. A being that could not be defeated by human strength, they said.
The only one who could fight against that monster was the Minister of Magic.
Besides, a great disaster had occurred in a battle she had not participated in, so they couldn't say a word, even if they had ten mouths.
"......Very well. This disciple who is said to be going with you. Who is it?"
The Queen spoke in a strained voice, swallowing her fury.
"Jin Yu-ha."
When Ichika called my name, I, who had been standing at the very end, stepped forward and knelt on one knee.
"......Lift your head."
I raised my head at the Queen's command.
A strange light flickered through her eyes.
"Beautiful."
"......Thank you."
At that moment, the pale-faced man shrouded in cloth, standing in attendance behind the Queen—Dikrain—whispered into her ear.
My ears, enhanced by Detection, caught his quiet voice.
— Your Majesty, hold that man as a hostage. He is undoubtedly someone who will be a weakness for the Minister of Magic.
My eyes shot wide open.
"!?"
'Oh, you son of a....... I thought this was all going so smoothly.'
Dikrain. That bastard of a mastermind had thrown a wrench into it.
'Should I have just bailed out at night after all......?'
Just as I was collecting my thoughts on the suddenly derailed situation, the Queen slowly opened her mouth.
"Hmmm. Minister of Magic, but why do you insist on taking your disciple? Surely you don't think this frail man will be of any help in a fight against that giant. If you can fight the two of you with that man in tow, does that not mean you could simply fight on your own?"
The Queen's eyes gleamed as if she'd found a point to exploit.
"......."
Ichika's lips pressed tightly shut. She was just about to stubbornly insist once more that she wouldn't join the fight without bringing Jin Yu-ha,
when—
Thud!!!
Elena, who had been bound nearby with rope, abruptly smashed her head against the floor.
"That man, Jin Yu-ha, held back the giant all alone!!!"
"......What?"
"The reason we were not annihilated by the giant's hand is all, entirely! Thanks to that man!"
"......What are you talking about!"
Then Elena cried out, her voice cracking with desperation.
"When I, overwhelmed by fear of that monster, had given up everything. He alone fought against the giant and bought time for our allies to retreat! Without a doubt, this man will be of great help to the Minister of Magic!!!"
When Elena suddenly went full throttle, I looked at her with a bewildered expression.
'......Why's she suddenly helping me out?'
Honestly, it came right out of left field.
I thought for sure she'd be cursing me to death, considering how she stubbornly refused to admit defeat in our sparring match until the very end, and ended up like this.
"Do not lie! A criminal's words are not worth hearing!"
"What possible benefit would I gain from defending him?! Ask the other soldiers, and you shall receive the very same answer!!!"
At that, the subjects stirred once more.
"He faced a giant as a mere man and returned alive? Is that possible?"
"There must be a reason he is the disciple of that monster-like Minister of Magic."
"Huh....... To possess such looks, and martial prowess as well......."
"He must live in a different world altogether."
At that, the faces of the Queen and Dikrain crumpled in disappointment.
"Well then, shall the two of us go?"
Then, Ichika spoke to the Queen with a triumphant expression.
And the Queen no longer had any justification to stand in Ichika's way.
"Do not come back injured, return safely."
"Yeah."
The Queen glared daggers at Ichika, grinding her teeth.
* * *
Ichika and I immediately left the Raitel Kingdom behind and set out on the road.
"......So, what do we do now?"
Ichika asked me as we traveled through the shadows.
"Seek asylum."
"......Asylum?"
"Yeah. We need to side with Lilliput now. Dikrain's original plan was to possess the giant's body with a demon......."
"Dikrain? That unpleasant man?"
Recalling the Queen's concubine who had stared at her so meaningfully moments ago, Ichika narrowed her brow.
"Yeah. But that plan went spectacularly wrong in this battle. So now that bastard is trying to sacrifice the entire Raitel Kingdom to summon a demon. So, we give up Raitel as a sacrifice, slip away, and fight on the giant's side."
"Give them up as a sacrifice......."
"Feel sorry for them?"
"But, the people of the Raitel Kingdom are innocent......?"
'Hm, Ichika's surprisingly soft-hearted.'
Well, it's not that I don't understand.
For me, I already experienced this story through the game.
And as my Mana Circuits became organized, I became able to see the essence of this place.
The only living beings here are me, Ichika, and Im Ga-eul.
And the Sealed Demon. Just these four.
Everything else is Mana Puppets.
When this story ends, they will be reassembled and become a part of the real Gulliver's Travels again.
'And this is the fastest way to end the story with minimal sacrifices.'
This is a shortcut strategy, made possible by pushing forward rapidly through the cooperation of Im Ga-eul and Ichika.
Without this, we'd have to claw our way through a longer, more complicated story.
But since I couldn't tell her such things,
I simply continued stroking Ichika's hair.
"Our stay will be short, but the Lilliput Kingdom will be a better place to live than here."
At that, recalling the MBTI that Sofia had once told her about, Ichika asked.
"My benefactor, are you, by any chance, a T?"