Chapter 86: 3 Cheat Skills Vs. Countess Rigilta And Her Army
A procession of soldiers was advancing toward the Valley of Mist.
In the center was a girl wearing a silver breastplate.
Her name was Carmilla Rigilta, the only daughter of Count Rigilta.
Carmilla flipped up her crimson cloak and shouted.
“Come on, slaves, move on! Don’t you want your freedom!?”
At the head of the procession were the slaves who had been hurriedly purchased.
There were 12 of them. Their weapon was a sturdy stick. Just before entering the valley, they were to be temporarily buffed with magic to be able to fight against monsters. But until then, they couldn’t run away or defy her.
Behind the line of slaves were soldiers with spears at the ready, glaring at them.
Carmilla nodded in satisfaction and exclaimed.
“If you successfully defeat your enemy in the ‘Mist of Deception’, you will be freed. We will to cancel your Master-Slave Contract on the spot and guarantee your freedom! Slaves, if you want your freedom, work!”
“Lady Carmilla. Are you really going to send those slaves just like that?”
A bearded soldier walking beside her asked.
He had been my chaperone since she was little. Carmilla called him “Grandpa.”
“There are monsters inside, you know. At the very least, the slaves should have armor equal to that of soldiers.”
“We don’t have much time, Grandpa. If I hesitate here, I don’t know what that Viscountess will do.”
Carmilla scratched her fingernails.
In fact, she was supposed to attack the Valley of Mist with the Prince, the Viscountess, and the Prince’s attendant, the ‘Wise’. But before that, she wanted to achieve something. She couldn’t afford to lose to the Viscountess.
“I’ll ask you the opposite. Grandpa. From your point of view as a veteran soldier, is my strategy wrong?”
“…No.”
The old soldier walking beside Carmilla shook his head with a bitter look on his face.
“What we need now is information about the Valley of Mist. The best way to do that is to send in people. However, if the regular soldiers get hurt by fighting each other, it will damage the Count’s war potential. That’s why we’re sending in the slaves ahead of them. Minimal damage, maximum results.”
No one could argue with Carmilla’s words.
Countess Carmilla had long supported the 8th Prince Kravis.
The Royal Family of League-Nadal was achievement-based. What achievements the Prince had determined his territory and position he would be given when he came of age. The Prince had to be successful in order to acquire a larger territory.
“I’ve made a Contract with the slaves that if they defeat the monster in the mist, I will terminate their Master-Slave Contract and free them. It is the best reward of all for them. They should have no complaints.”
The reason why she put the condition on the freedom of the slaves was because her Grandpa insisted on it. He told her that if she didn’t give them any kind of reward, the Count’s reputation would suffer. Since their lives were in danger, they would want to be paid appropriately. That’s why she agreed to the troublesome Contract.
And yet, her Grandpa was always lingering on…
“The real battlefield does not always turn out as you imagine, my Lady.”
“It doesn’t matter if you succeed or not! Even if it doesn’t work out, won’t it be enough to show His Highness Kravis that we tried?”
At Carmilla’s words, Grandpa gave a resigned sigh.
The procession moved on.
Eventually, they arrived at the animal trail. To the left and right were sheer cliffs.
Carmilla stopped the procession a little before the valley.
“Make your preparations. Send the slaves into the valley at once.”
“I am concerned that our reconnaissance troops have not returned, my Lady.”
“I know. But we can’t afford to fall behind.”
The face of the Viscountess appeared in Carmilla’s mind.
The girl who was supposed to join the party with the Prince and enter the Valley of Mist. She was competing against her for the Prince’s attention. She wasn’t going to let her guard down and she couldn’t afford to lose.
The spies had given her all sorts of information. She knew that the Viscountess was buying and collecting slaves, was asking adventurers to do secret quests for her. Carmilla was not underestimating her. So, she decided to make a move before the Viscountess did.
“We will not go near the valley. Only the slaves will proceed. Soldiers, watch your left and right. If you see a suspicious shadow, shoot an arrow immediately.”
The soldiers at the front pushed the slaves forward.
Slaves dressed in slave uniforms and holding sticks as tall as them.
The slaves were in their early teens, both male and female included. Carmilla didn’t have much time, so she just chose them based on their health.
“Now go on to the valley, slaves. To freedom.”
“… Yes. Lady Carmilla.”
The slaves started to walk towards the entrance of the valley.
The ground was hard soil. Pebbles were scattered on top of it, and sparse trees were growing. There was a way for them to escape.
Giving up, the slaves walked off at a brisk pace.
Suddenly, their feet stopped.
“Oh, you fearless fools! Do you not know that this valley will soon collapse?”
Because they heard a voice.
“This is the place where the Heavenly Dragon sleeps. We do not want you people to disturb his sleep, so we have decided to destroy this valley. I warn you, foolish ones. Leave this place at once. There is nothing in this place that you desire.”
A figure was standing at the entrance to the Valley of Mist.
After a closer look Carmilla noticed four figures behind the iron fence set up by the Royal Family. But she couldn’t see their faces because of the mist.
“You airheaded adventurers. I told you that His Highness Kravis will conquer this valley!”
Carmilla spat.
‘The valley is collapsing? Speaking of which, I think I hear the earth rumbling.
‘Then we’d better hurry.’
‘If the valley were to collapse, then the Viscountess won’t get a chance to scout and I will be the only one with useful information. Even if the valley collapses, I don’t think all of my slaves will die immediately. I should be able to ‘order’ the ones that will still be breathing to at least get some information out of them.
Thinking so, Carmilla…
“Proceed. Slaves. Fight! This is an order!”
Carmilla touched the ring on her left hand.
At the same time, a Magician mixed in with the soldiers cast a strengthening spell on the slave’s collar.
The attack magic that followed destroyed the iron fence that blocked the way to the valley.
“Approach the enemy and inform me. I repeat. This is an order from Carmilla Rigilta.”
Get information with abandoned stones.
‘It’s a perfectly good tactic. I’ve been taught strategy and tactics for years.’
Carmilla was an excellent student. There was no way she could make a mistake.
“Go forth, slaves! Serve me with your blood!”
“Is that something an employer should say…?”
Something moved in the mist.
Something white…
A huge thing…
It was slowly rising up from the ground.
Carmilla and the soldiers stopped moving.
The thing rising up was a Dragon made up of bones.
No flesh. No skin. Not even scales.
It was a beautiful, pure white ‘Bone Dragon’.
At the end of its long neck was a skull with horns. It was also too huge.
Only its head and neck were emerging from the mist. Even so, they were as big as a small tower. If the head and neck was that big, how big would their whole body be?
It would be just the right size to attach the wings of the Heavenly Dragon in the town of Sharka.
“No way. Those are the bones of the Heavenly Dragon. Do you really think this is the cemetery of the Heavenly Dragon? I don’t think so.”
“My Lady. Call the slaves back.”
“Why? Grandpa?”
“The Heavenly Dragon is humanity’s ally. Do not point your weapons at it!”
‘Oh, I see. Grandpa doesn’t know why the Prince wants to conquer this Valley of Mist?
If it weren’t for the rumors of the ‘Shadow of the Heavenly Dragon’ being here, the Prince wouldn’t even have bothered to come to this place.’
“Go, slaves! If that’s really the corpse of the Heavenly Dragon, we must get a piece of it.”
“Yes, Lady!”
“Soldiers, fire your arrows! Aim only at those unidentifiable figures!”
When told to do so, the soldiers put arrows in their bows and shot.
Dozens of arrows flew toward the shadows beneath the Bone Heavenly Dragon.
“You let your men do your dirty work and you don’t move from your safe place. Shame on you.”
The Dragon’s mouth without a shred of flesh opened and bared its pure white teeth.
“If you’re going to force someone else to do a job for you, you’d better prove you can do it!”
Gosh, the wind rumbled.
A small tornado was born on either side of the Bone Dragon.
“It’s magic, [Whirlwind Wall], Lady.”
“I know. A low-level magic like that shouldn’t be able to prevent this many arrows. ── What? What? Ohhhh… ───? “
Gnat
G-ooh!
Guooooo─────!
The Bone Dragon reared its head at the entrance of the valley.
The tornadoes born on either side of it grew in size.
What had been human-sized became giant-sized, and even larger, to the point of covering the entrance of the valley.
“What!? Is this the ‘wrath of the Heavenly Dragon’? Only Court Magicians can use magic like this.”
A soldier shouted as a strong headwind hit him in the face.
The arrows the soldiers had fired bounced back and rolled down to their feet. Not even magic could break through the wind and disappeared. The trees around them creaked, branches broke and leaves flew. It was a storm worthy of the authority of the Heavenly Dragon.
“… No way … this.”
‘Impossible.’
All Carmilla had heard about was the Shadow of the Heavenly Dragon.
She hadn’t heard about Heavenly Dragon’s corpse turning into an undead and coming back to life.
“Proceed, my slaves! That’s an order!
The headwind was so strong that Carmilla couldn’t move forward and neither could her soldiers.
Still, with the ring’s compulsion…
“If I give up now, all the money I’ve paid so far will be wasted. If I don’t get even a little bit of my money’s worth. …Go, my slaves! Fight those suspicious people and bring the information to me and His Highness Kravis…”
Carmilla grabbed the ring of Contract and ordered her slaves.
Her mind went blank at the unexpected moment- and that was the only thing she could think of to say.
***
It would have been easier if they’d just left.”
From the entrance of the valley where we were, we could clearly see the movement of the soldiers.
The Countess and the soldiers were doing their best while staying outside the valley.
The slaves were struggling to get to us, but they’re pushing themselves pretty hard.
They were leaning forward, crawling closer, their faces drawn in fear.
“Why would someone do this?”
Iris’s [Fantasy Space LV1] created the undead Heavenly Dragon or Bone Dragon. I had told her to visualize a normal Heavenly Dragon, but she said, “This one is more intimidating!” and refused to budge.
“Oh, how low the Nobles have fallen - the descendants of the Heroes who once built this country.”
Next to me, Iris was controlling the “Bone Dragon” with shining eyes.
She could even make the illusion speak while using her skill. The Bone Dragon emitted a shrill voice, shaking the air and making the assembled Noble and soldiers tremble. But I thought that generating human bones on the ground was a bit much. Iris always liked to go overboard.
“‘Very well! The curse and retribution for those who disturb my sleep: ────!”
Iris raised her arms and jumped.
She was sweating all over from the strain, but I held her tightly.
The Bone Dragon was screaming as it hovered over our heads.
It was just an illusion, so it had no offensive or defensive capabilities.
The one protecting us was Rafilia using her [Dragon Whirlwind LV1].
The two tornadoes she had created were about the size of an eight-story building. They were spinning on either side of the Bone Dragon, lifting everything around them.
Rafilia, the user of the skill and I, her Master, were unaffected.
That’s why we were sticking together, protecting Iris and Cecile.
“That’s 40% of my mana. Should I increase it?”
“It’s enough.”
If she increased her mana to 80%, she could bring the soldiers into range.
“It’s okay. Our goal is not to kill them.”
Killing them wouldn’t change the Noble’s way of thinking.
I wanted Carmilla Rigilta to be afraid.
I wanted to give her a trauma that if she ever tried to force someone to do “black labor,” she would instantly remember.
‘If her fear spreads to other Nobles, this world might change a little. That is my goal.”
“Cecile, your turn.”
“Yes, Master Nagi.”
When I said that, Cecile mumbled, with a bright red face, and closed her eyes.
“Please… bear with me.”
“I think that’s what I am supposed to say.”
“For… me, it’s a ‘reward’ to be touched by Master.”
Cecile was holding her face with her hands, looking embarrassed.
“Yeah. I understand. Then just let me know and I’ll do it whenever you want.”
“Wow, really…Hyaaau!”
I put my hand on Cecile’s chest.
“Oh…”
“Just bear with me, Cecile.”
I connected the [Mana Thread] to Cecile’s chest.
I was connected to Iris and Rafilia through [Mana Thread] to use [Quick Structure] on them. But I was connecting the [Mana Thread] to supply mana to Cecile.
But I wasn’t just going to supply mana to Cecile.
The key to my plan was Countess’s Contract to free the slaves if they defeated a monster in the mist. I wanted to take advantage of that.
“I’ll take control of the magic. Cecile, concentrate on chanting and maintaining the magic.”
“All right. I am starting…!”
Cecile inhaled and her small lips began to chant.
“‘I call you warriors from the Spirit World.”
A beautiful voice evoked magic in Ancient Language.
“‘A scarlet beast, clothed in flame. I am your Master. Listen to my voice. Listen to the voice of me and my Master. There is a way, if you all become my Master’s servants. It is by the bond between me and my Master…”
A window opened in front of me.
I was planning to participate in Cecile’s magic.
Cecile was chanting [Flame Elemental] in Ancient Language…
In the window, I saw 18 icons in the shape of Fire Spirit Salamanders, and their parameters displayed below them. In addition, there was a meter that allowed me to choose how much mana I wanted to pour in each Salamander.
Next to the parameters, there was a button that said “Average”. If I selected it, the mana would be distributed evenly to all 18 Salamanders.
‘But… what exactly should I do?’
“You are my army. You are my soldiers. By the Ancient Contract, come, come, come!”
Cecile’s beautiful silver hair was sticking to her sweaty brown skin.
‘I’ve made her work this hard. I can’t let it go to waste.
‘…That’s right. I’m going to use that move that was forbidden in my previous world’s games.’
It was sure to get a load of curses from the players if used. But I had no qualms using it to free the slaves and make the Nobles and soldiers afraid.
“Though of low rank, you are the strongest by virtue of the Ancient Language… Here I go! [Fire Elemental]!”
And then Cecile’s chant was complete…
18 Fire Spirit Salamanders appeared around us.
***
“We are going to die, Sheela.”
“Yeah, Leela.”
Seeing the swarm of Salamanders coming their way, the two slave girls readied their weapons.
They were dwarves in their early teens and were relatively strong.
They were small in stature, but thick and strong.
After losing their parents, both of them were enslaved and sold to Countess Carmilla together.
They were told that their objective was to explore the Valley of Mist.
They were also made to form a Contract that if they killed even 1 monster in the mist, they would be set free.
The slaves around them were all crying, as if they had given up.
Fighting in a valley where one’s senses are so screwed up that other humans and demi-humans look like monsters, meant that they were expected to kill each other. It was no different than watching slaves kill each other.
But the dwarf twins never gave up hope.
Even though their five senses were not working properly, they had a way to communicate with each other since they were twins.
“But there’s nothing we can do about this, Sheela.”
“Yes, we can’t win against them on our own, Leela.”
In front of the girls, there was a Dragon made of huge bones, and two tornadoes spinning in the sky.
The area was smoky with dust, and a red-hot Fire Salamanders were approaching from the valley.
They wanted to run away, but they couldn’t because of their Master’s ‘order’.
They resented being dwarves that resulted in them having strong bodies.
Sheela and Leela were able to move forward despite the tornadoes albeit very slowly.
“I heard this stick was enchanted.”
“They were enchanted to not break easily.”
“Then maybe we can get through.”
They still didn’t give up hope.
Both of them got up together.
A Salamander rode the wind and approached them at once. They couldn’t see much of the scenery around them. The ground beneath their feet was turning white. The mist was coming down from the valley.
“Ooohhhhhh!”
A Salamander spotted them.
It lunged straight at them and raised its clawed arms.
They both closed their eyes and slammed their sticks into the Salamander.
“”Ahhh!!!””
Pakon
A wooden stick bit into the head of a flame-clad Salamander.
There was a plop, and the struck Salamander disappeared.
They defeated a Salamander!
“… huh?”
Kicha
There was a metallic sound, and the Contract Collars on their necks fell down.
At that moment they remembered what their Master had said, ‘If you defeat a monster in the mist, I will set you free.” They had formed a Contract which was carried out unconditionally.
Sheela and Leela became free.
Before they knew it, mist was around their feet. That was the reason why the conditions were met.
“Run before the mist envelops you.”
When they looked up, they saw the Bone Dragon looking down at them.
“You’ve done the job you were given. No need to do anything else overtime. You are free.”
“…Lord Heavenly Dragon.”
Sheela and Leela couldn’t help but clasp their hands together.
It was only bones and scary, but the Heavenly Dragon was on their side.
‘The Heavenly Dragon knew about the Contract, so they helped us.’
”We will never forget this favor! Please let us know when you are in trouble, Lord Heavenly Dragon!”
With that, the two of them started running hand in hand.
All around them, other slaves were fighting Salamanders. The same thing happened to them as well. The Salamanders disappeared with a flick of their wrist which freed them.
The dwarven girls ran towards the line of soldiers and the Countess.
“Leela, we should thank our Master properly.”
“”Thank you, Master. And good-bye.””
They stopped in front of their former Master and bowed their heads.
“What? What? What?”
Their Master didn’t quite understand.
The girls and the other slaves ran towards the base of the mountain.
***
“What, these Salamanders are just a scare tactic!”
A soldier who had cut at a Salamander shouted.
The Salamander which was cut slid down, and hugged the soldier’s legs. The soldier rolled around on the ground as the iron shin pads on his got moderately burned.
I double-check the parameters of that Salamander in the window.
‘Sorry. That one is a…speed type…’
Even from our position in front of the valley, we could see that the soldiers were in chaos.
Cecile, Iris, and Rafilia were all staring at the swarm of Salamanders, maintaining their magic and skills.
A Magician appeared from the line of soldiers. He was about to use magic to make the Salamanders disappear.
“[Chant]… [Ice Arrow]!”
{Note: I am not being last, its same in the raws.}
The [Ice Arrow] hit another Salamander’s body.
The Salamander lost part of its body, but didn’t stop. It pushed forward towards the enemy.
‘That’s the one with the maximum defense.’
“… I understand why it’s forbidden. Enemies who look the same but have very different abilities.”
When I played like that, I wanted to punch my monitor.
Basically, in games, enemies of the same type but with different abilities have different names or different colors.
I broke that unspoken rule, and created enemies that looked exactly the same but had wildly different abilities… And while beta testing the game myself, I realized the importance of that unspoken rule. Because I couldn’t tell the difference myself… and from then on I called it the Forbidden rule.
I broke that rule and applied its concept on the Fire Spirit Salamanders that Cecile had summoned.
“Ancient Language Magic: [Flame Elemental]
- Can summon up to 18 Fire Spirit Salamanders.
- Their abilities and behavioral patterns can be set freely by the person supplying the mana.
Cecile said it was a powerful but difficult magic to control.
That’s because she had to chant and maintain the magic, and control the Salamanders at the same time.
So I decided to take over the latter. I could have averaged out all their parameters and simply let them charge, but I didn’t.
Because my goal was to free the slaves and strike fear into my enemy.
I divided the 18 Salamanders into four categories.
1. Twelve 1 HP Salamanders, for freeing slaves
They were for the slaves to defeat.
I wanted the slaves to defeat these slaves while being enveloped by the mist. I made them so weak that they would disappear if even hit by a pebble.
I thought that once their HP was gone, the Fire Spirit Salamanders would be un-summoned and be counted as defeated, and it looked like I succeeded.
I was able to reduce the amount of mana I had to allocate, so I put that into the other three types.
2. Three Speed-type Salamanders
I raised their speed stat to the maximum.
Both their movement and reaction time were at the level of a skilled swordsman.
My order for these three was to ‘just avoid the attacks and hit and run”.
I’d instructed them to go around to the rear of the enemy soldiers when they saw an opening.
3. Two Tank, Maximum HP and Defense
I wanted two of them to act as walls, with increased HP and defense.
4. 1 Attacker
I wanted a countermeasure if there was a strong swordsman. This Salamander’s duty was to take down the enemy with a single blow from behind.
I only raised its Attack stat to the maximum.
And these four types of Salamanders all had the exact same appearance.
Without looking at the window, even I… couldn’t tell the difference…
So the soldiers never knew what type of enemies they were fighting against.
Moreover, under my direction, the Salamanders were fighting while switching positions.
So…
“Even though my magic is supposed to be enchanted, I can’t cut it.”
“It’s not that difficult to cut, but it is very fast. I can’t catch up…”
“No!! Don’t come any closer. A single blow to the armor will burn…ah! ah! ah!”
In fact, their movements were slightly different, so I probably I could tell them apart if I really concentrated.
It seemed impossible for the soldiers though. They were rolling on the ground, dropping their burnt swords and taking off their hot armor. I wanted to disarm them, even if I had to use such a rough method, because what I was going to do next was dangerous.
“Well, let’s finish this up now.”
‘We’ve taken away the enemy’s ability to fight. That’s enough.’
The mist started to close in around them.
***
“Go home.”
The Bone Dragon screamed.
“Go back! The Lord of this valley desires a quiet sleep.”
“Go back!” “Go back!” “Go back!” “Go back!”
The Salamanders were also speaking up.
“Lady Carmilla, retreat!”
“Grandpa,” she shouted.
Carmilla knew that her enemy was not someone she could fight against. She knew that her enemy might really be an emissary of the Heavenly Dragon.
Her body began to tremble with fear.
She realized her mistake. She wanted to run away at that very moment. She wanted to go back to the Hotel and tell the Prince about it.
But she couldn’t move.
On the narrow mountain road, soldiers and slaves who had been released from their Contracts collided with each other, causing havoc. The lighter slaves climbed over the bodies of the soldiers and fled to the base of the mountain.
“Slaves, stop!”
“Stop it! You’re breaching Lady’s Contract’!”
Grandpa stopped the soldier from raising his sword.
Carmilla had a Contract with the slaves that if they were to defeat an enemy in the mist, she would give them their freedom and guarantee it for some time. The collars were removed because the slave had fulfilled their part of the Contract. If the soldier were to kill the former slaves there, the Contract would be broken and the punishment of the Contract would fall on Carmilla.
After the slaves ran off, all that remained were the confused soldiers.
Shoved and knocked down, the soldiers were blocking each other’s way, and the column could not even turn around.
“We don’t have time to relax. The mist!”
The area around the Countess was beginning to turn white.
Before she knew it, they were covered in ‘Mist of Deception’.
The tornadoes on either side of the Bone Dragon were at the entrance to the valley. They rotated outward and served to suck the mist out of the valley.
That tornado was not a defensive one.
It was designed to suck the ‘Mist of Deception’ out of the valley and create a vicious ranged attack.
“I’m enveloped in mist.”
Before I knew it, the ‘Mist of Deception’ had completely enveloped Carmilla and the soldiers.
***
Skills and magic used this time.
[Dragon Whirlwind LV1]
Wind Magic used by Rafilia.
The original purpose of the spell was to create a tornado about two meters tall, but since it became a 4-concept cheat spell, it can now create a giant tornado that can crush rocks. The power of the tornado is such that it can destroy a house and send seawater flying into the sky if you hit it hard enough. However, if you don’t consider the mana consumption, it will disappear soon.
If you activate it while punching, you can use ‘Corkscrew Punch’, but it is completely useless.
[Fantasy Space LV1]
Iris’ cheat skill that creates illusions in a few dozen meters around her.
The range in which the illusion can be created is fixed, but it can be seen from a certain distance. (If you are too far away, it will lose its effect.)
Illusions can be moved freely and can even be made to speak.
Not only is it intimidating, but it can also make it appear that there is a bridge over the river, for example, making it a very bad trap.
Nagi has forbidden its use to create his illusion and flirt with it. Nagi has asked Rafilia to report back to him if she ever finds one, but it probably won’t have any effect at all since Rafilia will probably be flirting with the illusion together.
Ancient Language Magic: [Flame Elemental]
Level 3 Ancient Language Magic: Can summon up to 18 Salamanders.
The summoned Salamanders can be moved at the command of the person who gave it mana, but usually only simple movements can be made, as chanting and maintaining the magic eats up a lot of concentration.
However, by taking charge of the mana supply, Nagi turned it into a vicious magic that could take on an entire army.
If he wanted to, he could give detailed orders to each of them in real time, and even set their ability values. Furthermore, since the Salamanders look almost identical, the enemy can hardly tell which one he is dealing with.
Summoning 18 at once has a weakness in that it eats up a lot of mana, so the time it lasts is shorter.
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