Chapter 428: The Lion King (1)
A castle on the northern coast.
The castle rises high above the beach and coastal cliffs, with blue sea water flowing below.
A few fishermen can be seen fishing on the lower beach.
hwiiiing-
Somehow, a warm wind was blowing from far out on the sea.
Bubbling
White foam rises from the reef forest.
This is a phenomenon that occurs when schools of warm fish gather together.
"Hey, where are all the other fish, and these are the only ones being caught?"
One of the fishermen said, puzzled.
The sea had gotten unusually warm, and there were a lot of warm fish that only come out when the water temperature is high.
Grumbling-
By the way, the sky has been dark for days.
The sun was covered by several layers of dark clouds, making it impossible to distinguish between day and night.
The fishermen clicked their tongues.
"It's an ominous sign. An ominous sign."
"Is there a volcano offshore somewhere? Why is the water so warm?"
"There was a big earthquake the other day, so that must be it."
"When schools of large fish come out, the sea turns dark red... Other fish will die in droves."
"Looking at my sore skin, it looks like a heavy rain will come soon. Let's pack up quickly."
The fishermen hurriedly reeled in their nets and returned to shore.
There were wooden stalls lined up on the beach, and the caught fish were drying out on them.
It was a relief to catch so many fish, especially since there was nothing to eat in the famine.
If they were dried well, they would last for a couple of months.
Then.
The fishermen shook their heads in unison.
"Oh no! There are knights coming!"
"Let's get down quickly, and if we make eye contact with them, they'll be offended."
"They never used to be like that... but nowadays they're all acting a little strange."
"Come on, let's get into the hut."
Over the horizon, where the fishermen stared, came a group of knights.
Don Quixote's Invincible Cavalry, who had been sent to the civil war.
Some of them were returning to their families.
Don Quixote's knights were good-natured, greeting the common people and occasionally lending a hand, but that began to change when their patriarch, Cervantes, fell ill.
The knights became stiff and cold because of the orders of Pasamonte that dignity and authority were important.
They wouldn't even accept a greeting, let alone return it, and there was no conversation or interaction.
Not only that, but they also showed their inhumanity by riding past a child playing on the side of the road and crushing it, so the people were now very afraid of Don Quixote's knights.
And the fearful gaze of the common people was being felt by the men at the forefront of the cavalry.
Tudor. Disguised in his armor, he was heartbroken to see the eyes of the commoners on him.
There were no more old men waving their hats cheerfully, no more young men offering him ale or grilled fish, no more little children coming up to play.
"...Pasamonte, no, Cimeríes, I can never forgive you. I'll never forgive you for making Don Quixote's territory so sick."
"Hold on, Tudor, keep up the momentum."
Bianca, riding beside him, said to Tudor.
The Night Walkers were returning to the family home, all wearing Don Quixote's armor, blending in among the knights.
The knights, now somewhat removed from their brainwashing, are deeply ashamed of what they have done and willingly cooperate with the strategy.
The family's true nature is now at hand.
Beyond this point, the Night Walkers would fall to one side, and Tudor guidance would lead them to a secret passage.
hwiiiing-
An unpleasantly warm sea breeze pierces through the helmets. The breeze carried with it a musty smell.
"Ugh- what is this smell?"
Bianca was the first to frown, always sensitive to smells.
Sancho wrinkled his nose.
"It's the smell of dried fish. The whole fish has a particularly strong smell."
"That's a pretty stinky smell."
Piggy threw his hands up in the air.
The smell of drying fish filled the air as they walked along the beach, until they came upon the tall gates of Don Quixote, a castle of spears perched on a cliff.
kkigigigigig-
The gates opened of their own accord as the banner of the Invincible Cavalry was raised.
They had finally succeeded in infiltrating the enemy camp.
"...."
The Night Walkers slipped from the ranks of the knights as they crossed the field of smoke.
"This way."
Tudor moved toward the bush, keeping close to the outer wall.
It was a passageway for servants, but there was a secret door beneath the wall that led inside.
Don Quixote's knights entered, their faces still grim, as if caught in a hint.
To avoid arousing the demon's suspicions.
Now, on cue, they will move swiftly and take control of the empty castle.
And then they would swoop in at the crucial moment to catch Passamonte off guard.
"For that to happen, we must find him first and lure him out of the castle."
Dolores's words had everyone nodding in agreement.
Then the Night Walkers, led by Tudor, took the back roads and headed for the main castle.
"Here we go."
Tudor loaded his fingers with mana and pushed a brick in the wall.
Grrrrr.
An underground tunnel opened up.
The Night Walkers all crawled into the crypt.
... Gurgling!
On the end of a wooden pole was an old solid fuel.
It was dried whale fat.
A match was struck against the blackened mass and a few torches were produced.
"Thank God. I thought it was old and wouldn't stick."
"I could have used light magic."
"No. Let's try to avoid using mana as much as possible, in case the demons notice."
Tudor said, handing Sinclair a torch.
Then. The six assassins -Dolores, Tudor, Sancho, Piggy, Bianca, and Sinclair- swung into action.
This was the way of the demon hunter to hunt demons, and the way of the eldest son, who had been kicked out of the family, to regain his rights.
Seeing Tudor's body trembling slightly, Bianca reached out and slapped him once on the back.
"Don't be nervous. The head of the family is naturally inherited by the eldest son. Why are you dropping this when the cause is right here?"
"...You're right, it's weird to be nervous when I'm going to reclaim what's mine."
Tudor took a deep breath and puffed out his chest.
Bianca looked sadly at Tudor's empty left arm, then pursed her lips and curled her bow tightly.
It dawned on her that she was neither in a position to pity anyone, nor could she afford to.
* * *
After passing through several underground passageways and double doors, they finally reached the depths of the castle's interior.
Tudor threw off the iron mask and helmet that covered his face.
His one remaining arm twitched with strength.
He felt a new appreciation for the years that had passed.
To have to walk through the corridors, fully armed and breathless, where he once roamed freely in nothing but a robe after a shower.
Then. A few passing maids appeared from around the corner.
"Oh? young master?"
Unexpectedly, the maids were not at all surprised to see Tudor.
"What are you doing here, at this hour?"
"...."
Tudor felt his hands sweat as he gripped the spear.
It seemed that the maids were unaware of the treatment Tudor received within the family.
"It's no big deal. It's been a while since I came home."
"What? You've been out? I haven't seen you around lately... did something happen to the estate?"
The maids look at Tudor with pity.
Tudor smoothed out the hem of his black cloak that covered his left arm.
Then he smiled and said.
"Well, so be it. How is my father?"
"I don't know, I haven't seen him lately. I can only speak to him through the Viscount Passamonte."
" ...Only through my uncle?"
"Yes, my lord, he is very ill. Though it is a relief to know that Mr. Passamonte is always at his side to take care of him. How very dutiful he is."
Just then, one of the maids spoke up.
"But there's something a little odd, whenever I go near my lord's chambers, there's always some sort of..."
Tudor raised an eyebrow, and the other maid interrupted her with a squeak of surprise.
"My dear, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"Well, it's not that..."
"I told you it was your nose that was the problem! Ugh, you're being unnecessarily sensitive."
The maids hurriedly broke off their conversation and bowed to Tudor.
"Then the head maid called us and we have to help take care of the knights of the Invincible Cavalry who returned to the main house just now."
"Uhm. Well, yes."
Tudor let the maids go.
When they were gone, his companions, who had been stuck between the ceiling and the pillars, descended to the floor.
"What did the maids say? A little while ago, one of the kids was acting a little strange."
"I don't know, I didn't hear the end."
"Oh, you stifle! We need to capture them and interrogate them!"
"They don't know anything, they've only ever been in their own world. What do they know about what's going on outside? Right now, the most important thing is to get through this place quickly."
Tudor has a point.
Having infiltrated this far, there was no time to fool around with unknowing maids.
The Night Walkers moved quickly through the darkened corridors to the spiral staircase.
Soon, beyond the darkened corridors, they could see the patriarch himself.
A room where Cervantes the Spear King is lying sick.
Two knights stood guard before him.
"Who are you?"
"My lord, who currently not allowing anyone to see him... huh!?"
The knights gulped as soon as they saw Tudor.
But only for a moment, and then their eyes turned bloodshot.
Their mouths were torn open from ear to ear, and their tongues stuck out in two pieces.
[How did you get here?]
[Anyway, welcome!]
The knights turned into demons as soon as they saw Tudor's face, and it wasn't just the effects of brainwashing.
Bianca's arrows were able to fly without any hesitation.
...peog-peog!
It was at least two shots faster than the knights' mana manifestation.
Tudor's spears pierced the throats and hearts of the two demons, who stopped dead with arrows lodged in their foreheads.
"I've used up my mana, what can I do?"
"They're covered by the demons' auras, so they'll be fine, but let's get through them as fast as we can, just in case."
Tudor and Bianca turned their heads.
Dolores closed her eyes and scanned the mana flow around her, then nodded.
So far, there hadn't been much of a commotion, so it didn't seem like they'd been spotted.
Stepping over the bodies of the demonized knights, the Night Walkers advanced further.
"Will my father be all right?"
"Of course he will. He's the King of the Spears, and even if he is, he'll be fine as soon as he's away from the demons, and there's Dolores."
Tudor and Bianca walked ahead.
Then.
"...!"
Everyone felt it.
hwiiiing-
A warm sea breeze in the window, and a tantalizing smell carried on the breeze.
"Ugh, the smell of drying fish."
Bianca said, wrinkling her nose.
But Tudor's complexion was stiffening.
This was not the smell from the coast.
A stench far worse than drying fish in captivity was wafting through the gap in the doorway of Cervantes the Spear King room.
ujijig!
Breaking the locked doorknob with the force of his hand, Tudor pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"...!?"
Soon, Tudor and everyone else realized.
Why the maids had reacted the way they had earlier.
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