Chapter 120
Watching from a distance from the gambling den, there were some guys running away from a distant building .
The buildings weren’t connected though .
「It’s probably them」
「Their movements are too easy to tell . Another underground path huh」
「I’ll leave it to you, Kakeru」
I followed them with Iris .
I followed them relying on my ears and reached a building on the outskirts of the town .
It was quite a good mansion, and there were also rough-looking gate guards in the front .
「Is it there?」
「I’m sure that they entered there . It’s also noisy inside . Also」
「Also?」
「I smell violence」
「It’s not……your nose huh」
I silently nodded . It would be more of how the atmosphere feels .
「What do you think?」
I asked Iris .
「……let’s charge in . While they haven’t destroyed the evidence yet」
「Yosh」
「I’ll leave the front to Kakeru . I’ll go from the back」
「I got it . Are you alright by yourself?」
「It’s fine . ……I’m not a woman who is just protected」
「I see」
She’s still as stubborn as usual .
After confirming that Iris took a long, roundabout path, I also went from the front .
「Stop! Who are you!」
The tough-looking gate guard asked what and who .
I drew Eleanor and Hikari, and divided the man into four .
Guys swarmed out of the mansion .
『Well then, let’s do it』
『Hikari will do her best too!』
Eleanor who laughed with pleasure and Hikari who completely grew up like a Demon Sword .
I clad myself with the dark cloak aura and slashed forward with the two .
「E-Enemy attack!」
「Wait, this guy’s……」
「The Abysmal Twin Swords……the Demon Sword Wielder?」
「H-Hiiiiiiiiii!!!」
There were those who were courageous to step forward, but there were also those who crawled away with weak knees .
I slashed those guys without mercy .
『Look how overprotective you are』
「What are you talking about?」
『Kukuku』
Eleanor continued to laugh in pleasure .
I greatly appealed myself as the Demon Sword Wielder, lured the enemy, and slashed forward .
I walked through the garden of corpses and entered the mansion .
『Well, what would you do?』
「There’s a sound coming from there」
I heightened my hearing and advanced deeper into the mansion .
What came was
『A-re〜, it’s a dead end?』
『What useless ears those are』
「No, it’s under this」
I stabbed Eleanor to the ground .
A hollow sound without substance was made .
I pulled the sword and touched it as if to search around .
There was a lever . I pulled it at once .
『A hidden staircase huh . From how it looks, an underground prison huh』
「Let’s go」
I walked down the stairs .
There was a room there when I got down .
Inside the room lit by a magic light, there was one boy .
The boy was using magic on the things that seem to be Mercouri’s paper notes .
He’s in the middle of engraving crests .
「I see, this is the site of the forgery huh」
『There should be no mistaking it . The problem is, why is that boy able to use that magic』
「Hey, you, why are youーー」
「Don’t come!」
Only one step and it was stopped by the boy’s call .
It was a voice of desperation, at one’s wits’ end .
「Don’t be scared」
Hikari returned to her human form and kindly talked to him .
「Otou-san is not a bad person」
「It’s not that, I didn’t mean that . This!」
The boy pointed at his neck . There was a collar .
A suspicious light is flashing repeatedly in the center of the collar .
「This, they said it’s a magic that would explode if a person I don’t know gets near!」
「Something like that exists?」
『Yes it does』
Eleanor answered promptly .
「That’s why, don’t come here」
Hikari looked up to me with a troubled face .
「Return to a sword, Hikari . I’ll do something about it」
「Un!」
Hikari returned to her Demon Sword form .
Well then, what should I do?
「It’s useless even if you think of it」
I heard a man’s voice from behind .
I turned around, and saw a middle-aged man wearing a merchant’s outfit walking down the stairs .
He is showing a smile, but the blade scar that cut across his left eye emphasizes that he’s not a person like his smile shows .
「You’re the mastermind?」
「That is right . I’m Galassimos Cichi」
「Where did this boy came from?」
「Which answer would you like to receive? Is it whether he is a small hammer that we forged, or a secret child of the King?」
Galassimos grinned .
「The King’s secret child? ……I see, that’s why he’s able to use the royal family’s magic」
『Kukuku . No wonder that little girl didn’t know』
Eleanor laughed in glee .
「That’s right」
「Immediately remove the collar’s magic」
A voice sounded from behind Galassimos, and at the same time, a sword was pointed to his neck .
The one who appeared was Iris .
She was unusually showing a face of anger and glared at the man from behind . She was listening huh .
「Remove?」
「Hurry up, if you still care for your life」
「Alright」
Galassimos reached out his hand while grinning .
「Don’t do anything weird?」
「I only need to remove it right?」
After saying that, Galassimos used magic .
The next instant, the collar in the boy’s neck started to brighten .
……its flashing light got faster, and the light became more wicked .
It was a phenomenon that was far away from the image of “remove” .
「What did you do?」
Iris seemed to have noticed as well . She questioned the man with a strong tone .
「You told me to remove it after all . That is something that would absolutely explode when worn . It has only two effects, it would either explode when a person not in the settings approached, or explode after being activated」
「Y-You meant by removing it is……」
「I removed the stopper that stops the explosion」
「Stop it right away!」
「It’s useless, I told you that . It’s a magic that only results into explosions」
「You bastard! You placed such thing on a child!」
「Of course . That would be the greatest evidence . It is natural to erase it when time comes right?」
「Ku!」
Iris groaned .
Galassimos looked at me with a hideous smile and said with a friendly tone .
「It would be better if you go away you know, Demon Sword Wielder . It is a magic that would explode from the center of the flashing collar . You’ll get caught in it if you stand there」
「The place you’re standing in is the safety zone huh」
The man crooked the corner of his mouth .
「Well, if you wish to bond with him for the last time, I won’t stop you . It won’t explode since it’s near the countdown」
「I see」
I approached the boy .
The boy was terrified, sat on the ground, and peed .
He did not even react even though I approached him . He was that scared .
「I’ll just say this . It will instantly explode if you destroy it」
「Instantly, huh」
『Are you going to do it?』
「Do you think I can?」
『If it is you』
『Otou-san, do your best!』
The mother and daughter sent cheers from my head .
I placed a hand on the collar and pointed Hikari on her Demon Sword form on it .
「……one-two!」
I used the warp feather the instant I cut the collar .
I warped to Orycuto’s valley .
The master of the valley, Orycuto, was startled seeing me .
「Ahh〜, sorry . Well, you won’t die if it’s you」
The next instant after I said that, the collar I’m holding exploded .
It was a condensed explosion .
Explosive flames and impact whirled within a radius of 2 meters, but nothing happened outside of that .
The explosion stopped .
「Geho, geho」
The sand whirled by the explosion entered my mouth, and I coughed .
That was all .
『Unscathed huh』
「All thanks to you」
The instant it exploded, I clad myself with the dark cloak aura .
I completely used the aura from the two for defense .
I focused only for that, so I was unscathed .
On the other hand, Orycuto was crushed and destroyed into pieces .
Although he’s regenerating, he was shattered .
「Sorry for getting you involved」
I apologized with a few words and returned to the mansion using the warp feather .
「W-What……」
The man was stunned .
He seems like he could not understand what just happened .
「Kakeru! Are you alright?」
「It was quite strong . It would’ve been instant death if it wasn’t me」
Iris was relieved in a moment, then glared at Galassimos .
「You, you put such thing on an innocent child!」
She got furious and sent out her back fist . Galassimos was hit by it directly and was blown away, crashing into the wall .
「I-Impossible . If it comes to thisーー」
Galassimos reached out his hand towards the boy again .
He tried to do something, something to erase the evidence .
I expected it and quickly got in between them .
I clad myself with the mother and daughter aura, and emphasized without words that I won’t let him do anything anymore .
「……ku! Damn it!」
Galassimos cursed . On his side, Iris looked down at him with cold eyes .
「Prepare yourself, you shall be executed without a doubt」
「You’ll put him to trial?」
「Umu」
Iris nodded .
Iris said that he would be executed without a doubt, but there would still be a trial huh . What a tedious thing to do .
『Isn’t that very like her . As a person engaged in national affairs, she must take procedural justice』
Hmm .
I see, engaged in national affairs huh .
I looked at Iris . She was so enraged that she looked like she would spit out fire from her eyes .
「Iris」
「What?」
I chopped Galassimos’ head .
His head was severed from his neck and blood spurts like a fountain .
The boy screamed and fainted . Iris stared at me with narrowed eyebrows .
「What are you doing?」
「It’s my motto to kill bastards when I see them」
When I said that, although Iris seemed complicated, she somewhat, showed a satisfied expression .
☆
I went outside with Iris .
I put down the boy who still hasn’t gained his consciousness to the ground .
Iris stood in front of me and looked straight at me .
「Thank you, Kakeru . The case was solved thanks to you」
「It’s solved with this?」
「Yes」
Iris turned around . Her subordinates that finally came swarmed inside .
I thought, I can leave the rest to her .
「Really, thank you so much」
「Don’t mind it」
「Also……thank you」
「Un?」
She told me thanks with a somewhat different tone .
Her expression changed .
There existed not Princess Iris, but just Iris .
A girl who flushed her cheeks .
Her tone became very soft .
「Can I ask, one more thing?」
「Yeah」
I guessed what she would tell me .
「Please……break my engagement」
Iris who relied on me looked very cute .
I pulled her into an embrace and kissed her lips .
「Leave it to me」
I planned to do that from the start .