Chapter 64: It’s Difficult to Capture a Base, So I Secretly Gave It My All
A few days after the dungeon attack, Iris came to our house.
“I’m here to play.”
Iris came with twenty of her attendants. They put a box of fish and cooking wine they had brought as a souvenir in the living room and quickly left. They left the minimum number of maids and went back to their home.
After witnessing this, Iris sat back in her chair with a tired look on her face.
Immediately, in a fluid motion, Aine offered her a cup of tea.
When Aine saw the box of souvenirs, she said, “Please eat lunch here as a thank you,” and went back to the kitchen. The smell of baking bread was coming from the other side. Rafilia has done a good job.
“…Huh.”
Iris glanced at me and then sighed.
I’m tired.
With the festival the day after tomorrow and the day after that, I wondered if something had happened again.
“Cecil.”
“Yes. Nagi.”
“Come here.”
I beckoned to Cecil, who was standing in the hallway in her apron.
Cecil, who had come over, stood behind me.
“If you want to talk about rituals and magic, Cecil should hear about it.”
Rita was.
A whisper, a flicker.
She was looking at me, pacing back and forth in the hallway with a mop in her hand.
When I beckoned her, he said, “Wow!” and ran away. She’s been too shy to approach me since we did the [Soul Engagement]. I’m sure Rita will get back to normal soon.
“I have located the Marquis Eterina Hasburg.”
After sipping a cup of tea with honey, Iris began to speak.
” It’s secret information, but we’ve been in combat with her since yesterday.”
“But, it’s business as usual in town.”
“We’re fighting in places people don’t even know exist.”
“Are they occupying a fort somewhere?”
“What makes you think that?”
“You’ve been in combat since yesterday.”
I don’t know the specs of Eterina Hasburg, but I don’t think she can fight a group of regular soldiers all day long. That means the Order of Divine must be with her. And the Irgafa Lord has over a hundred soldiers. If they clash head-on, they should be able to settle the score in no time.
But if they’re still fighting, that means they’re not in a head-on battle. Either they’re fighting on the run, or they’re holed up somewhere.
“And if you had been chasing them around all day, you’d be the talk of the town. That’s why I thought they might be holed up in a distant fort, fighting a siege.”
“Excellent deduction.”
Iris took the teacup and nodded lightly.
“Eterina Hasburg and her group have taken over a mansion on a small island and are waging a siege against the regular soldiers.”
“The mansion on the island?”
“It is a separate mansion of the Irgafa family. It is a stone building built on a rocky isle, with a wall surrounding the house. It is said to have been used by the lord in times of emergency, either to hide with his soldiers or to be alone with his thoughts.”
“I see.”
“Well, for the last decade or so, my grandfather has been using it to hide his mistress.”
“I didn’t want to be that blunt, but how did a place like that end up in the hands of a Marquis?”
“My brother told her where it was and gave her the keys. He gave her a key so that she could escape in case of emergency.”
“…Oh, no.”
“You always have the perfect words to describe how I am feeling, don’t you? Yes, I feel like ‘Oh, no.’ too.”
That’s why I, Iris, and Cecil all held our foreheads together, saying, “Aha!”
“But I don’t want to bother Souma and the others with this.”
“We can’t afford a siege.”
“That’s part of it, but the captain of the regulars is on fire, saying, ‘We must fight with all our might to restore our honor’.”
“That flippant guy with the horned helmet?”
“Yes. Thanks to him, the regular soldiers are in high spirits saying ‘Let’s see what we can do now that we’ve been awakened by the sea dragon mask!”
“Are they awake?”
“Hey. However, I heard that the sales of the mask vendors have reached a record high.”
Apparently, our bluff had a positive impact on the Irgafa economy.
“But that’s right. So the Marquis and the Order of Divine are holed up in a mansion on a small island?”
“My parents were so shocked by the series of events that they came down with a fever. So I took it upon myself to take action.”
That’s tough, Iris. Even though you are so small.
“The only thing left to do is to capture the mansion on the small island. We could hire a lot of wizards and attack it all at once.”
“I’d like to get information out of the Marquis, so I’d like to take her alive if possible.”
“Yes. However, the mansion is sturdy enough to be used in an emergency.”
“If we go easy on them, it will take longer and there is a higher chance that they will run away. If we attack by force, we will kill them all, and we may suffer casualties. It’s a difficult situation for you, Iris.”
“…That’s ‘Soul Brother’.”
Iris was looking at me, rolling her eyes. She looked impressed.
So why are you beating your chest “eh?”, Cecil.
“Your masters know everything that goes on my mind, doesn’t he?”
Iris looked at Cecil, who was waiting behind me and smiled gently.
“Yes. Nagi always sees through everything about me and brings out a new me that I don’t know.”
I was told something unheard of.
“Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve spoken to you in a relaxed manner. Nagi’s slave Cecil.”
“I belong to Nagi.”
“It’s Souma’s?
Iris stared at Cecil with eyes that seemed to be searching for something.
From the top of her head to her toes. She kept looking back and forth between her chest and her head as if I’m checking their position.
“Cecil…, do you belong to Souma?”
“Yes. I belong to Nagi. My body, mind, and soul. Everything.”
“I see, I see. I see. So, someone like you is the one that Souma likes. That’s wonderful.”
Iris smacked the bosom of her dress, pompously, and then laughed, hmmm.
“As expected, Souma is as I expected. Cecil is a suitable partner. I think someone like Cecil would be perfect for Souma’s left and right.”
“Nagi, I was praised!”
Cecil’s eyes lit up and she grabbed my hand.
Come to think of it, Iris doesn’t have a prejudice against demihumans, does she?
“Yes, someone like you, Cecil, would be a great match for Souma. You’re just the right size. The fact that Souma favors someone like Cecil is a source of hope for Iris.”
“…Me and Nagi.”
“I can’t let you put her in any more danger than she already is.”
Oh, she’s up to something.
Even though we’ve only known each other for a short time, I’m starting to be able to read Iris’ expressions.
You’re kind of like me, Iris. Our personalities, though.
“So I was wondering if I could borrow your wisdom.”
I knew it.
Iris clapped her hands and called for her attendant, who was waiting in the hallway.
A woman in a maid’s uniform wearing the emblem of a sea dragon came over with a sheet of the map. Iris spread it out on the table.
It was a map of a small island floating in the middle of the ocean.
“This is a diagram of the mansion where the Marquis is holed up.”
The numbers and units written on the page are from this world.
Translated to the scale of my world…
The island was about 100 meters wide, with 5 meter high walls on all sides. There was a landing place on the north side. The rest was sheer cliffs.
“It was once used as an anti-piracy base, so it has a watchtower.”
“The Marquis won’t have anywhere to run with this.”
“It seems that they had no choice but to flee where we had seized the street. They can’t escape from there. Are they waiting for reinforcements to come from the other port towns, or are they trying to escape at the first sign of an opening, or is there a secret plan?”
I can’t read that far into it.
As for Iris, she’ll probably want to get this over with by the time of the Sea Dragon Festival.
For my part, I’d like to have the Marquis caught as soon as possible so I can determine if she’s a visitor or not. I also want to find out who’s behind this.
Iris and I are on the same page.
Isolated island invasion. I’ve tried to make a simulation game before, and I’ve read a lot of books about that kind of tactic. It’s hard.
I guess I’ll have to use a cheat move to get it done quickly.
“You know what, Iris?”
“Yes. Souma.”
“Your brother, does Neuel Hoffimier still have feelings for the Marquis?”
“Every day in the dungeons, he calls her name.”
“How about the Marquis?”
“I don’t know but seeing as how she threw away the ring and neglected my brother, I’d say she doesn’t.”
“Maybe they’re in love with each other.”
“do you really think so?”
“Let’s use what we can.”
I whispered my plan to her.
When Iris heard the plan, she was surprised at first, but soon her eyes lit up and she started nodding, and finally, she grinned. I love playing tricks on people, don’t you too?
It’s not that difficult a strategy.
I just want to make sure that Iris’s brother is held accountable for what happened.
“Haha, it’s fun to dominate people, isn’t it?”
In the garden of the mansion, the Marquis Eterina Hersburg laughed.
My real name is Katagiri Elina. I am a “visitor” from another world.
My unique skill is [Craftwork for the Creation of Magical Artifacts].
By imbuing tools with magic, I can instantly create magical items.
I am currently installing wind magic in the little boat. This should temporarily give it the speed of a motorboat. Now I just need to wait for the night and get the hell out of there.
“But the people of this world are useless, aren’t they? They are all savages.”
The Order of Divine are all defending the north wall.
They follow orders well. They will faithfully carry out their mission until Eterina is ready. The disadvantage of masked domination is that it takes away their imagination, but that’s not a problem. All they had to do was to stop the soldiers. If possible, I’d like to cut them all down and kill ten of them by myself, but that’s the last resort.
“Even so, what was the error?”
I don’t think there was anything wrong with the plan.
It was perfect up to the point where I was dispatched to Irgafa after I followed the steps of the quest to get into the Marquis’s house.
That man, Neuel Hoffimier, was a bit of a jerk. He must have had a complex about his sister. When I exploited that, it was easy to get what I wanted. Of course, I also used everything else I had.
“Lord Neuel. You are not fit to be the lord of a port city. I see abilities that are unique to you though. Will you live up to my expectations, my love?”
Even though it was my own line, I couldn’t help but laugh every time I remembered it.
A hero who was summoned from another world would never fall in love with a savage.
Even in my original world, there was no one who could match me.
I’m confident in my beauty. I’ve never been courted much because I’m strong-minded.
Katagiri-Elina was 23 years old. She was a former company employee. She is now a Hero.
She was a woman who had been summoned to another world a little over two years ago.
“There’s a town that cheats and has a big face. You’d know what to do, wouldn’t you?”
The person who said that was the ‘Guildmaster’ – Elina’s current employer – whom she met through someone’s introduction.
When Elina heard the person’s words, she nodded in agreement.
The cheating town, of course, is the port city of Irgafa.
It seems that the town has made its own contract with something called the “Sea Dragon Kerkuatoru” to protect its ships.
That’s cheating, the Guildmaster said.
“It’s unacceptable to other hard-working port cities. If you have a better way, why don’t you tell everyone? If you can’t do that, shouldn’t you be struggling like everyone else?”
“It’s not natural. It’s inexcusable. A town like that must be punished!”
That’s the “Guildmaster”. He says good things.
He’s like a boss from the old world.
When a colleague tried to leave on time, she said, “What? Just because you’re done with your work, you are leaving? Can’t you see that everyone else is working?” and pressured the colleague to work overtime. The boss complimented her and entrusted her with a lot of work.
I think I quit my job after the…… I don’t really remember what happened at that time. freeweb(n)ovel
After that, when I had nothing to do and was idle, I was summoned to another world.
The “Guildmaster” of this world needed my help. So, for this quest, EI created a mask that can manipulate people with the Magic Craftwork.
The savages didn’t understand what I was saying anyway, so I decided to force them with masks. I had received some funds, so it was easy to hire people. All I had to do was to increase the number of Order of Divine.
I realized once again that it was fun to dominate people.
Everyone follows the “right me”. It feels good. Hmmm, hahaha.
I wonder why things didn’t work out in the original world. It must have been the wrong job. The proof is in the fact that all my quests in this world are going well.
The goal of this quest is to destroy the “Sea Dragon Festival”.
And to bring back Iris Hoffimier as a valuable sample. Oh yeah, I also did some experiments to counter the Demon King. I heard that they succeeded in refining the golem, so I’ll have to report on the results.
In the end, I failed to destroy the festival, but I’m sure the Guildmaster will forgive me.
This job was really fun. The savages danced the way I wanted them to. They didn’t get mad at me even if I treated them as I wanted. No one can match my skills.
“Even the Order of Divine only kept the obedient ones. The others? It’s not uncommon for someone to die in the middle of a quest. I don’t remember how many died. I don’t have to make a distinction between the savages under my command. I made the masks so I wouldn’t have to. Their name was One, Two, Blast One, glitter three… that’s it. What’s wrong with that?”
“If you have any magic left, use it. If you can move your arms, use your bow! Once you get past this point, you won’t be in pain anymore! If you fall, all your efforts will be for nothing!”
The sun will be setting soon. I’ll escape when night falls. Then my work will be done.
I’ve ordered the Order of Divine to keep fighting until they can’t move.
They will be happy. They will be happy because they will be the sons and daughters of a just world.
“Lady Eterina. There’s a warship approaching.”
Said the swordsman standing on the lookout.
The mansion was surrounded by a stone wall. There is a watchtower on top of it that can be climbed along the wall. I climbed up the stairs and stood on top of the watchtower. From here, the sight of the Order of Divine shooting arrows at Irgafa’s ship could be seen a while ago. Now they have stopped.
A yellow flag stood on the mast of a military ship. In this world, was it a call for truce and negotiation?
“Eterina!”
Geez.
The ship of the Irgafa lord’s family that we were fighting earlier.
There was another ship behind it, with Neuel Hoffimier shouting on the deck.
” It’s me! Talk to me!”
“Everyone, stand by. However, be ready to use the [Vacuum Blade] at any time.”
At my order, the Order of Divine nodded.
They are ruled by silver masks created by the [Magic Device Creation Craftwork]. The embedded magic of “Mind Control” has put them in a hypnotic state.
The magic power is theirs, so while wearing the mask, they remain in control.
Compared to that, the man crying on the boat is worth less than a dwarf.
You’re a savage. You’ve done your part. Why are you still following me?
“I want to talk to you! Tell me why you used me…!”
Elina noticed the green hair peeking out from behind the mast, behind Neuel Hoffimier.
Green hair – it is Iris Hoffimier. I can’t believe the Shrine Maiden would show up here.
But it’s worth using. If I use her, I may be able to control most of the people in this town.
“I didn’t mean to deceive you!”
Elina stood on the castle wall and raised her voice.
“There is a deeper reason for this, Neuel. My love…”
“Eterina…!”
Oh, it’s so simple. Uncivilized.
Elina had also used everything she had to fulfill her quest, so perhaps it was understandable that she would misunderstand.
“Let’s call a truce. Let me tell you a story. For the love of us all.”
“Alright! Hey, what are you doing? Pull that boat over to the island now!”
I could see the soldiers nodding at Neuel’s line.
The sun was setting. A wizard was chanting [Light] on the deck.
The magic of the lights floats in the air from the warship.
It swayed as if it was congratulating me for my future.
“Please take care of yourself, Neuel. I love you.”
While saying this, in a whisper, I gathered the Order of Divine. They all gathered around the watchtower.
“Instructions. When the ship approaches, use the [Wind Blowing Fist]. Leave a few people behind and fly all the remaining members of the Order to forcibly board the ship.”
A few of them should be able to reach Iris Hoffimier. Let’s take her as a hostage and escape.
I counted the members of the Order of Divine. Including the ones that are stuck, there are 20. That’s plenty of ammunition. The only place the ship can be attached to is the port on the north. The other sides are steep cliffs. Easy to defend, hard to attack. The people of this world are savages, after all, handing over the key to a place like this without a second thought.
“But… if that’s the case…”
There is only one question.
How could my plan have failed?
“…We’re going to have a lot of fun.”
A small voice reached my ears from the opposite side of the warship – the south side.
I turned around and saw…
There was a dark-haired boy, a figure that looked like a dark elf, and a small boat carrying them.
There was a huge [Fireball] that covered my entire field of vision as well.
“What the…? What?”
Immediately afterward, the walls of the castle were blown down with an explosion.
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