Chapter 260.
After a long temporary meeting in the hallway of the palace, the direction of the delegation was divided into two. One was to continue guarding the wounded and still immobile envoys, and the other to follow after Marsen and rescue the kidnapped Palamut.
For the Fairy Tribe, the priority was of course the rescue of Khan Palamut. However, when they thought of forming a rescue team they felt uneasy entrusting the wounded to the untrustworthy empire, and furthermore, they were not familiar with the layout of the capital. At present, it was not possible to form a rescue team without the help of the empire.
"Our delegation was attacked in the imperial palace. Even if the empire says that it was not their doing, it still happened in the imperial palace and so we cannot trust you. But I can trust you."
From the dilemma, the method that Ophelia chose was me. The reason she trusted me was simple. I may be a civil servant of the empire, but I was, in the end, a Crow. In addition, I had healed the injured before their eyes.
"I would like your help.”
It was possible because Ophelia knew about it.
"What’s the help?"
"Be the guide for the rescue team. If possible, lend us some strength as well."
To show strength so openly, it seemed like it would interfere with my peaceful life. If it’s really needed, then I’ll move sneakily or just have Tristan do it.
"Yes, that sounds good. I would rather not have the relationship with the Fairy Tribe go awry and cause more trouble."
Ophelia nodded seriously at my agreement.
"What are you going to do about the guards for the wounded if you set up a rescue team?”
"First, we’re going to divide up the guards and form a rescue team and a guard team. For the insufficient number of guards, I am planning to ask for help from someone named William of the Butterfly Tribe."
She seemed to be of the opinion that William could be trusted since he was not purely a citizen of the empire. Well, it was probably not much different to the trust in me, who she met yesterday, or William. The question was whether the prime minister would allow the Fairy knights to roam freely in the capital.
"All right." I nodded and immediately translated Ophelia’s intention.
Contrary to my expectation, Arcanta accepted without hesitation under the condition that they cover their Fairy Tribe’s characteristic pointed ears and move with the Black Water Buffalo Knights.
Arcanta said to me solemnly, “You’re the one who treated the injured?”
“Yes, that is right.”
Among the people I treated were not only the Fairy Tribe envoys but also the imperial servants, so the prime minister would have noticed.
"Thank you. It’s also thanks to you that we were able to communicate so smoothly. If there happened to be death among the envoys, we wouldn’t even have been able to talk.”
Some of the weak servants ended up dying, but none of Fairy Tribe envoys died because they were still of the battle race.
"No, it was something I should have done."
Arcanta smiled lightly at my modesty. "There are plenty of people who can’t do what should be done. Same with me. There will be a natural reward for the person who did the right thing. I promise in my name."
He patted my shoulder as if to tell me ‘good work’.
"Oh, William said that the Elementalist Madosa says you have talent.”
The prime minister’s words startled me for a moment. What has that damn old man been going around saying? He’d promised to hide my identity with his name on the line, but my magic abilities were not included.
"If you want, I’ll give you a special admission to the Magic School. Or why don’t you try joining the Treasury? I’ll let you take the most elite course."
Fortunately, seeing that the prime minister was talking about sending me to the Magic School, he didn’t seem to have actually been talking about my magic skills.
"Haha, I’m content with the present."
"Really? Well, we can continue this later."
From the look in Arcanta’s eyes, for some reason, it didn’t think he would give up on me.
Are you trying to send me to the Magic School to make it easier to get me out of the Adventurers’ Guild under the pretext of reward and then re-appoint me? Ayy, probably not.
At the end of the conversation between me and the prime minister, Ophelia concluded the formation of the Fairy Tribe rescue team.
"I would like to command the rescue team, but I should remain because the talks with the empire are not completely over. Also, I’m the only one who can speak a little of the empire’s language except for the wounded," Ophelia said and looked at a Fairy knight.
"I am Natalie and I will be in command of the rescue team. I look forward to working with you, Sir Interpreter."
"I look forward to working with you as well."
At that time, the knights behind Arcanta approached and greeted me.
"I am Molk of the Black Water Buffalo Knights, and I have been put in charge of the support rescue team for Khan of the Fairy Tribe.”
I left the palace with the Fairy knights and Black Water Buffalo knights.
-o-
Marsen flung himself to the side, deflecting Capricorn’s sword. Sharp thorns rose from where the Guardian Knight was.
"Jeez, he has such good senses. Huhut!"
Scorpio smiled and created three summoning magic circles in the air, and three red-skinned ogres appeared.
"Krrrrrrrr!"
As soon as the ogres landed on the ground, they growled low and charged at Marsen.
Marsen stepped on the arm of an ogre, who was punching him, and jumped high, and quickly struck the ogre’s neck with a strong aura.
Kang!
"Kuaaaaa!"
The ogre received a large wound on his neck and screamed painfully. Marsen shot the strong aura with the intent to cut off the neck completely, but its neck made a sound of metal and only got cut halfway.
"Crazy! What kind of strength is that!"
The wound on the neck began to regenerate as quickly as a troll.[1]
Seeing the scene, Marsen realized these were not ordinary ogres but chimeras.
"Ohohoho! Don’t look down on my cute little uglies."
When Scorpio waved her magic wand, two ogres charged from both sides. Marsen twisted his body in the air and flung sword aura at his surroundings. As the sword aura poured down like a rain shower, the ogres raised their arms to cover their faces and stopped.
However, Capricorn quickly ran toward Marsen, avoiding the downpour of sword auras.
Kang!
A gap appeared as Marsen and Capricorn’s sword collided in the air while Scorpio aimed magic at his back.
"The Spear of the Fire Giant!"
As a huge spear made of fire flew toward him, Marsen hurriedly released mana all over his body and turned around to respond to the magic.
"Are you looking down on me?!" yelled Capricorn.
When Marsen, who was facing him, showed his back, Capricorn angrily cut at him.
Kagagagang-!
Marsen’s protective strong aura and Capricorn’s strong aura collided, creating a sound of iron grinding. Capricorn’s strong aura squeezed through the protective strong aura and wounded Marsen’s back. But it was not as threatening compared to Scorpio’s magic. Having made that judgement, Marsen negated the magic and turned back to look at Capricorn.
"How dare you!" yelled Capricorn. Marsen’s response hurt his pride.
But Marsen didn’t care. "Shut up! You’re just a brat with a loud voice!" he shouted. He hit his sword to make a gap and kicked his abdomen hard.
"Uhuk!"
Kwang!
Having been kicked in the air, Capricorn went flying and smashed through a building. After landing on the ground, Marsen went after Scorpio and shot a strong aura with all his might.
"Haaap!"
It was a force powerful enough to cut down a huge mountain. When it was shot at Scorpio, the three ogres jumped in front of Scorpio.
"Kuaaaaaa!"
Through Marsen’s strong aura, two of the three ogres had completely disappeared, and the other was turned to powder with only one arm left behind.
"Hahahaha! It seems I can’t use them anymore.”
Scorpio, who was able to avoid the strong aura thanks to the intervention of the three ogres, laughed like crazy.
"By the way, you’re still a brute! Barbarian! Do you have any awareness that this is a city where people live?”
The winds produced by Marsen’s strong aura also smashed the sidewalk on the streets. The sidewalks were misshapen, and clear cracks formed on the buildings. But fortunately, shortly after the fight broke out, the White Deer Knights evacuated the people living in the vicinity, so there were no casualties.
All of this was due to Arcanta’s instructions in preparation for Bloody’s rampage.
"Shut up!"
Marsen once again jumped high towards Scorpio and launched a strong aura.
"Fire Giant! Come!"
Scorpio infused the magic wand with as much mana as possible, summoning a giant muscular man-shaped fire spirit over her head. The fire spirit blocked the strong aura and punched Marsen.
"Ohohoho! It’s a disaster-level spirit! Even if it’s the most powerful swordsman like you, Barbarian, it won’t be easy.”
Spirits were classified according to their power, and the disaster level was the highest level among spirits to the point of being called natural disasters. Despite Scorpio’s triumphant cry, Marsen expressionlessly cut off the fire spirit’s arm with his sword.
"Ohohoho! Even if you cut the spirit, it will soon... What?!"
Scorpio had been laughing cheerfully but was surprised when the severed arm fire spirit scattered away without regenerating.
"If you cut with your heart, there is nothing you can’t cut in this world!"
Marsen wielded a sword that was not even wrapped with sword aura, let alone a strong aura. Then the fire spirit split in half and turned into a normal fire, and disappeared.
"A disaster-level spirit... Has been destroyed?"
When something logically impossible occurred, Scorpio went beyond shock and was dumbfounded. If it were a normal spirit, it would have been possible to understand. But a spirit of the disaster level was different. They were not called disasters for nothing. Such a spirit had not been unsummoned but was destroyed. It was something that was unheard of.
"Phew!"
Landing on the ground, sweat cascaded down from Marsen’s whole body like a waterfall.
"I only know of one person who calls me a barbarian and is also a spirit magician capable of handling disaster-level spirits."
Along with Marsen’s soft words, Scorpio’s red mask cracked and fell to the ground.
"The Witch of Greed, Selina."
Scorpio’s face, whose mask disappeared, was as white and free of wrinkles as it was 120 years ago.
Marsen looked up at Selina and exuded killing intent. "Why did you kidnap Palamut?”
Selina laughed merrily at the sharp killing intent. "Ahahaha! Why do you think it is, Barbarian?”
"Just answer what you were asked, Witch of Greed!" Marsen cried.
Selina said playfully, "Take a guess. The hint is Drachen!"
Marsen exploded with killing intent. "Were you the one who killed Drachen?!" He was shocked.
Selina grabbed her stomach and laughed her head off. "Ahahaha! Correct!"
"Why!!?" he cried again.
Selina giggled. "As a prize for getting the answer right, I’ll kill you too."
Infusing mana into her magic wand, she summoned thousands of spirits.
"SELINA!!"
Thousands of spirits charged towards Marsen at Selina’s order.
1. Trolls are monsters known to have very high regenerative abilities.
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