Chapter 402
Chapter 402
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 402
>Chapter Title: No? There are three of them?
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Though he'd referred to him earlier as an "ally," the reason Aster had come to meet Yurbuke with Shine was something else entirely.
'The plan's changed.'
Originally, the idea had been to quietly lead Pushk's tribesfolk out of the camp alongside Yurbuke.
Of course, with that many people, it wouldn't exactly be quiet...
'...Blocking any pursuers would just be a job for me and Yongyong.'
From there, they'd link up with Pushk's warriors somehow and escape the great steppe. That was supposed to be the end of it.
But now that they'd decided to capture Oukan, it was obvious a change in plans was needed.
Which was why...
"...So that's how things stand. Looks like we'll have to tweak the plan a bit."
Aster finished speaking and looked at Yurbuke. Yurbuke stared back at him with a hardened expression, glanced once at Shine, then finally pried his lips apart.
"...Are you in your right mind?"
"...?"
"I'm saying, you're going after Oukan? That's what I heard, at least. Are you sane?"
Yurbuke furrowed his brow, as if he couldn't believe his own words.
It was utterly incomprehensible.
"Capturing Oukan right in the heart of his camp? To exaggerate a little, it's no different from storming the imperial palace and taking the emperor's head. And yet..."
Here were these two sitting in front of him, saying they'd do exactly that. Who could accept such a thing at face value?
If they were serious, they weren't right in the head. If it was a joke, that was hardly sane either.
Yurbuke sincerely hoped the two would grasp the gravity of the situation.
But for some reason...
"That... exaggeration means it's not quite that impossible, right?"
Yurbuke scowled at Aster's face, which had lit up for some reason. But the real spectacle was the reaction from the challenger named Shine.
"If that's the case... well, hmm. Ahem."
"You've got experience, don't you?"
"Well, when it comes to that sort of thing, no one's more of an expert than yours truly."
What kind of experience was that supposed to be? And what was with that smug attitude? No, more than that...
'What kind of ridiculous posture is that?'
Yurbuke furrowed his brow at the tower master's unexpectedly demure appearance. To an outsider, it might look like the tower master was pandering to this woman named Shine.
Of course, that's exactly what it was—but for Yurbuke, the idea of a great mage who had reached transcendence pandering to someone was unimaginable.
Anyway.
"Think it over again. It's far too dangerous. Oukan himself is one thing, but you can't underestimate the shamans."
"Not the great warriors?"
"No matter how powerful a great warrior's spirit may be, their foundation lies in martial prowess. Unless it's someone on Kaliman's level, they wouldn't be much trouble for you two."
In other words, the spirits' power might be unfamiliar and alien—and thus dangerous—but since their basis was martial skill, it wouldn't be hard to deal with.
But.
"The shamans are different. Individually, a shaman is laughable, but their spells stack multiplicatively."
When mages gathered, they either formed one massive spell or unleashed several independent ones.
That was powerful enough on its own, but when it came to synergy from numbers, shamanism held the advantage.
And how many shamans were in this camp?
'Dozens of great shamans alone...'
Add in the regular shamans under them, and you had close to a few hundred.
If the spells of those hundreds were unleashed at just two people...
"No matter that you're the tower master, you couldn't handle all of them."
Yurbuke declared it flatly. Even if it bruised the tower master's pride, there was no helping it. He couldn't pander to him and send him to his death.
Shine looked at Aster at those words.
"That's what he says."
It wasn't a taunt to prick his pride. Just pure curiosity. Could Aster really create an opportunity to face Oukan under such terrible conditions?
If not, Shine would bide her time for another day.
Shaman spells were tricky even for her. In some ways, even more so than the master knights guarding the emperor.
As Shine looked at Aster, Yurbuke shifted his gaze to him as well.
It didn't take long for Aster to speak.
"Everyone's got a plan."
"Until they get hit, sure."
"But I don't get hit. Therefore, my plan is perfect."
"If that plan is 'no plan,' I'll hit you hard myself."
Aster started to raise his middle finger but slyly clenched his fist instead. The strong bully the weak, but the truly wise seek harmony without fighting.
And he did have a plan.
What was it?
"Look..."
Aster opened his mouth to explain when a vibration hummed from his pocket.
"...?"
The source was the communication orb. The one linked to Astaroth and Lerazie.
Earlier, when he'd gone to relay a message to Pushk's great shaman, Aster had left Astaroth and Lerazie waiting in the Pushk village. Hiding with the great shaman's help hadn't been difficult.
He'd told them not to contact him unless he reached out first... so this meant something had happened.
"What's going on?"
[Tower Lord, it's... something's off.]
The voice sounded ominous.
And indeed, what Astaroth reported wasn't something to brush off lightly.
[Oukan's warriors have surrounded the Pushk village.]
"The Pushk... village?"
[Yes. Their eyes aren't friendly. It's like they're about to...]
'...attack the village outright.'
"Wha...!"
Yurbuke shot to his feet like he'd been seized by a fit. Aster gestured to hold back the man who looked ready to lunge at the orb and turned back to it.
"They haven't moved yet?"
[No, but it feels like it's only a matter of time.]
"I see. So that's how it is."
Aster took a moment to gather his thoughts.
'Why?'
Word of him visiting Yurbuke's tent with Shine must have reached Oukan's ears.
But.
'...To wipe out Pushk over that alone? That doesn't add up.'
Oukan was petty, scheming, and paranoid—but he wasn't a complete idiot.
With Pushk's warriors spilling blood on the front lines for the great steppe, to touch their tribesfolk without just cause?
'He'd have to be insane.'
It could shake his own grip on power.
For him to risk that anyway meant there had to be something else at play...
But the cause didn't matter right now.
"Call Yongyong. With him there, the warriors won't dare move rashly. And... hold position. We'll handle this quick."
[...Understood.]
Aster cut the connection and pocketed the orb. Yurbuke's voice came right then.
"We have to go... now."
"Wait."
"Wait for what?!"
Yurbuke didn't hide his fury. He wasn't even trying to. How could he stay rational when Pushk was in danger?
But unlike the agitated Yurbuke, Aster remained calm.
"You sly bastard, if you've got a way, better hurry."
"Yeah, you're right."
Aster nodded and stood. He hadn't expected things to unfold like this. But...
'...Well, it's come to this—what can you do?'
A bit different from plan, but what he had to do hadn't changed.
"Alright, watch this."
A way to deliver Oukan before Shine.
And at the same time...
'...A way to save our distant allies.'
It was simple.
Aster closed his eyes and focused his mind. And at the same moment...
Tzzng—
A subtle wave swept through the space. It was so faint Yurbuke froze, unsure if he'd even felt it pass. But the real thing came right after.
Grgr— grgrgrk—
The vibrating earth.
Yurbuke's face hardened at the tremor. He could feel it. Just how insane a thing this mad mage was about to pull off.
But his shock was brief.
Ku, kugung—!
"...!"
Yurbuke realized his huge mistake.
He used mana-based power himself, so he could vaguely gauge this presence.
This being... wasn't something he could measure.
The emotion overwhelming Yurbuke in that instant...
...Sheer terror.
An emptiness born from a presence beyond comprehension.
"Hoo..."
Shine gauged Aster's magic with interest.
Amid it all, Aster fully opened his half-lidded eyes and looked up at the sky.
Grk, grgrk!
The earth shook like an earthquake. The world quaked. This was part of the earth magic their friend Oto had gifted him. Oto hadn't demonstrated it personally, but Aster had stolen and learned it from the imagery of the spell he'd cast. It was a degraded version without the full intent, but this would do.
Then, Aster shook the entire world and pointed at the sky with his finger.
At the same moment...
Kwagagagagak—!
Flames erupted toward the heavens.
As the ground trembled and the fire demon pierced the sky, Aster drew a deep breath and roared.
"OUKAAAAAAN!"
His voice, infused with mana, rang through the space. Yurbuke clutched his ears and staggered. The great warriors surrounding Yurbuke's tent on Oukan's orders spat blood and rolled on the ground. Amid it all.
The voice echoed again.
"LET'S DUELLLLL!"
It spread far and wide across the space.
The camp's warriors all staggered at the sudden quake and voice. The mana in it had shaken them to their cores...
And it wasn't just the warriors who heard it.
"...Ha, haha!"
Oukan, who had just armed himself and stepped out of his tent, burst into laughter at the unexpected challenge.
"What bold little rat."
"...Geyar Driman, you mustn't go. It's an intruder of unknown origin. Surely a trap..."
The great warrior steadied his churning energy and tried to dissuade Oukan when the voice came again.
"Scared?!"
"..."
"Hey, you idiots! Your boss is chickening out! Man, you poor bastards! Bowing to a coward like that and calling him Geyar Driman. That ain't right?! That punk?! He used poison on Amar the Challenger! Shamans too! Did everything! You lot! Warriors?! Warriors my ass! If you're warriors, I'm an angel, you morons!"
The voice boomed loud and clear. The words flew fast, but the enunciation was so perfect they drilled right into the ears.
The great warrior trying to dissuade Oukan had no choice but to stiffen at the voice. He gathered his wits and tried to dissuade him again. Or tried to.
"Geyar... Driman."
Where he looked, Oukan was already gone. Only the wind from his sudden departure swept the space.
...And so, moments later.
"You were spouting some fun nonsense. Was that you?"
"No? There are three of us?"
"You sly thing, better correct that to 'two and one.'"
Geyar Driman.
Master of the tower.
Vampire Lord.
The titans of the era had gathered in one place. If anyone saw it, their chest couldn't help but swell with grandeur.