A Summoning Circle Removal Mission Brimming with Romance
A summoning circle removal mission brimming with romance.
The members were as follows.
First, me.
I, Holy Khtun, was the alpha and the omega of this party.
Leaving me out simply wasn't an option.
In that same spirit, our friend Brother James had also agreed to come along.
"Though my strength is meager, I shall lend what power I can."
For the record, the knight trio—Lowe, Kahn, and Halo—along with the territory mage Ren, had also decided to join the summoning circle removal.
The knight trio was there to guard me.
Ren, because he was a mage.
"We would like to join as well, but…"
"It cannot be helped, I suppose."
Regrettably, Zeke and Milo would remain behind in the village with the soldiers. Taking the troops along on a mission meant to strike the summoning circle hard and fast and return was a poor choice, which meant someone had to stay and command them.
And so our side's roster was…
Me, Brother James, territory mage Ren, and the Lowe-Kahn-Halo trio.
Only six in number, but a reassuring combination all the same.
The problem was a guide…
"This man will show you the way. And I shall accompany you as well."
Manor knight Builder volunteered as guide, bringing along a soldier who had gone out on reconnaissance a few days prior.
That left us somewhat uneasy.
"Will you be all right? If Sir Builder leaves his post, the village…"
"My lieutenants remain. They will be able to support Young Master Shuren well enough."
"Hmm."
I nodded.
True enough—so long as Hadion's legitimate heir Shuren stayed behind, the village's center of gravity wouldn't waver even without Builder.
In that case, it was no loss for us either.
I like the sense of responsibility. Looks good on him.
If anything, I might have taken offense if Builder had tried to duck out.
With the members settled, the only question left was when to depart.
Night? Or day?
Considering the enemy was demons, daytime seemed better. Night somehow felt like it would favor the demons, didn't it?
But Brother James spoke up.
"Night would be preferable."
"Is there a reason?"
"Demons are largely nocturnal. Once night falls, the demon worshippers' vigilance will ease considerably as well."
Ah.
So the hour when the demons grew strongest was precisely when the enemy would be most off guard.
I wasn't entirely sure that tracked, but…
…We're not planning a full frontal war anyway.
So as Brother James said, striking when the enemy was most complacent was probably the better call.
In that case, there was no reason to drag things out.
"Then let's make it tonight."
"Yes."
"I'll make ready."
It was time to show the demon worshippers whose land Hadion truly was.
Following Brother James's counsel, the sortie time was set for 11:11 p.m.—one of the sacred hours.
"Young Master Shuren, we shall return."
"Sir Builder, I leave it to you. And Young Master Khtun…"
"Yes."
Shuren looked at me with something like apology in his face.
"Please."
"Yes. Trust us."
And so we left the village.
There was no real need for it, but with no telling where demon worshippers might be watching, we slipped out through a side gate.
The scout took the lead.
"Then allow me to guide you."
A native of this village, he pushed through the darkness without hesitation even in the dead of night.
That said…
An old castle, huh… This could get a little tricky.
According to the scout, the summoning circle sat inside an old castle. That meant we might end up fighting a siege if things went poorly.
When I asked about that, Builder answered like this:
"Hmm. You'll see for yourself, but it hasn't been maintained in so long that it's fair to say it has almost entirely lost its function as a fortress. The terrain isn't particularly suited to defense, either…"
As he explained it, the old castle sat in the middle of a basin—high ground around the edges, the center sunken. A fortress needed high ground to hold out; lacking that, it had been abandoned.
Well, if it had been easy to defend, there wouldn't have been any reason to abandon it.
And sure enough, his words proved true.
"Just ahead."
The scout all but crawled up a rise and called us over. We dropped low as one and looked down into the basin below.
[It has well and truly lost its function as a fortress.]
Right?
Where the walls had been, only rubble and traces remained, and the keep itself was so ramshackle it could barely keep the rain off.
There was one problem, though.
Kiiirik, kieek.
Karuk—!
The basin around the castle was crawling with demons.
The numbers… roughly…
A few hundred?
Compared to the force that had hit the village, it wasn't that many. If Holy Khtun and Brother James simply waded in, we could punch through without too much trouble.
What kept us from charging in recklessly were the demons prowling near the old castle—the ones that looked vicious even at a glance.
Brother James spoke.
"Hungry ghosts… Devourers."
"Devourers?"
"Yes. Also called Predatory Fiends. They have a habit of eating anything and everything that comes within reach."
"Are they very dangerous?"
"Hmm."
Brother James seemed to weigh it for a moment, then answered.
"At that size… they would be comparable to ogres."
Ogres, huh…
I glanced at the Lowe-Kahn-Halo trio.
"Could you manage one ogre each?"
"Leave it to us."
"It is possible."
The knight trio answered with reassuring confidence. Truly dependable.
This is what Falaon's knights look like!
They were every bit the peerless warriors who had driven Hadion's knights back despite being outnumbered.
Good. Devourers handled, then.
What remained was how to reach the summoning circle…
With demons swarming like that, infiltration was out of the question. We would have to charge in as fast as possible, smash the circle, and get out.
Just as I steeled myself, Brother James spoke again.
"Hmm, Brother Khtun."
"Yes?"
"It seems the Devourers may not be the real problem."
"Then what is?"
I tilted my head—and it was territory mage Ren who answered.
"Looks like they're performing a summoning ritual."
A summoning… ritual?
"Wasn't the summoning circle already set up?"
"It was. But it looks like they're trying to call something more serious. At least… something far stronger than mere Devourers."
"…!"
These rotten bastards!
They'd already summoned this many demons and still had more to call?!
Ancestor, I cannot endure this.
[Neither can I.]
I tightened my grip on my mace and prepared to summon my skeletons. I wanted nothing more than to charge down into that basin right then, butcher the demons, and smash the damned demon worshippers' skulls in.
Perhaps Brother James felt the same.
"Brother Khtun, I shall take the lead."
"Ah—then I leave it to you."
"Well, I can't just sit still either."
"Hmm."
Ren too?
Tch. Ren made me a little uneasy—not so much his skill as his character.
But what choice did I have?
For now… I have to trust him.
More than anything, this was the first time Ren had stepped forward on his own like this, wasn't it?
"Then… I leave it to you both."
"You will not be disappointed."
"Leave it to me."
Once my permission was given, Ren turned to Brother James.
"Priest, would you like to go first?"
"Hmm, yes. Then I shall begin."
Brother James dropped to one knee then and there.
And a moment later—
"Lord—"
The prayer began, and brilliant light surged forth.
How to describe that sight?
A miracle.
Yes—no word fit better than miracle.
"Your servant beseeches You…"
As if answering that calm, devout voice, sacred light billowed around Brother James. The white radiance that banished the dark drove the basin's gloom before it.
The demons noticed us immediately after.
Kiririk, kieek!
Kaaaak!
The lesser demons packing the basin spotted us as one and snarled.
But—
"…Punish those who stand against You."
The instant Brother James's prayer ended, light exploded outward.
And right after—
Kieeeeee!
Kaaaak!
Lesser demons thrashing in agony. They writhed as if doused in acid, melting where they stood.
Whoa.
[Hah. That priest is no ordinary man. What did you say his identity was?]
…I don't know.
I kept meaning to ask and never had. Once this was over, I would definitely ask—whether he was someone important.
Given how he contacted the Twelve Hour Church last time, he doesn't seem like an ordinary figure, but…
Anyway, enough gawking.
I rose at once and summoned the Gothic Duo, Brother Myuhan, and forty-five Valhalla Skeletons.
Even as they writhed in pain, the demons were still clawing their way up out of the basin.
But then—
[Not yet.]
Pardon?
[The prayer is not finished. And Ren looks ready to do something as well.]
Just as my ancestor said.
"…Upon the foolish who dare defy You…"
Brother James's prayer continued. The longer it went on, the denser the sacred power grew, and the lesser demons' screams only intensified.
Kaaaaak!
Kia!
The ones that had been charging as if to tear us apart any second were now rolling on the ground in torment.
There was a problem, though.
Krooooooh—!
Kraah!
Devourers!
At the Devourers' level, they could endure it. They bellowed and charged.
Thud, crash, thud, crash!
Comparable to ogres, he said…
True to the claim, they flattened any lesser demons in their path like bowling pins and closed the distance at terrifying speed.
"Prepare for battle—!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Yes, sir!"
Gothic, Brother Myuhan, and the knight trio drew their blades.
And right then—
「Weakness」
A low voice rang out.
Ren.
Weakness, though?
[The most basic of curses. And yet… remarkable. Power like this…]
As if gravity had doubled, the Devourers staggered all at once.
But they did not stop.
Krooooooh—!
Kaaaaak!
As if they knew their pain came from us.
Ren's curses, however, were far from finished.
「Decay」 · 「Suffocation」 · 「Stack」 · 「Disruption」 · 「Confusion」
An endless, continuous feast of curses.
There were no flashy, dazzling magic circles like the ones he had shown back in Hamstone, but the effect was outstanding.
The Devourers charging us dropped to their knees!
Groh, kroooh—!
Kaaaak!
They thrashed in the real-time agony of their flesh rotting away. That monstrous flailing crushed and pulped lesser demons into bloody paste.
It was a truly astonishing sight.
This is… a priest and a mage's collaboration?
Honestly, I had expected a fairly hard fight. And yet Brother James and Ren alone produced this much power!
Who was it that doubted Ren?
I guarantee it wasn't a Falaon.
[It was you.]
Gah!
I sternly rebuked my ancestor for slandering his descendant with the spirit of K-Confucian Falaon, and put more strength into the hand gripping my mace.
I could feel our turn coming.
And sure enough—
"I… can go no further."
"Same here."
Hmm. Ren looked like he could still do more.
When I stared at him with that thought plain on my face, Ren only shrugged.
Well, it wasn't bad. I hadn't planned to sit on my hands and watch the whole time either.
And right on cue…
"We're under attack—!"
"L-Lady Rebecca is…!"
"Damn it, finish the summoning first—!"
The demon worshippers, late to notice the raid, threw themselves into the summoning with renewed urgency.
Ku, kugugu—!
An ominous wave of mana spread from the old castle. Even the heavens seemed displeased with those wicked cultists' work—thunder rolled across the pitch-black sky.
In the midst of it, I fixed the old castle with cold eyes.
At this point…
What exactly do you think you're going to do?
I raised my mace and charged.
"Valhallaaaaaaa—!"
From here on, it was Valhalla's time.