Editing Sorcery Hacker:Volume4 Phase03 (section)

===Part 5===

It was a path of red.

The collapsed guards and Royal Guards showed the path the Philosommelier Personal Empire had taken.

But now wasn’t the time to get sentimental.

A row of shops suddenly collapsed and a giant dragon emerged.

“Tch!!”

Ayato readied his linkage plug sword, but sorcery hacking wasn’t going to help against a purely biological creature.

Something jumped from roof to roof and a sharp slash seemed to cut in from the side.

This was the work of a large battle rifle which was designed for full-auto combat, but also allowed for precise sharpshooting. A swing of the weapon threw the blood from the thick bayonet blade. It was held by one of the elite Royal Guards who had been their enemy until now.

“Be careful, Sorcery Hacker! If you’ve chosen to fight for the king, you need to see it through. This is all for nothing if you are taken out!!”

Ayato smiled bitterly at that.

Those Royal Guards were fearsome when pursuing you as an enemy, but no one could be more reliable an ally.

“…”

Meanwhile, Mamilis looked conflicted.

As a demon who had joined human society, she must have been sad to see both the fallen humans and the cut down dragon. Especially when the dragon had been captured and trained for human purposes and even intentionally sent into a rampage.

The red path continued into the palace on the top level.

Was the lack of civilian casualties the result of the Royal Guards’ persistence in protecting the capital? Or was that one final demonstration of pride from the half elves of the Philosommelier Personal Empire?

Ayato toyed with his linkage plug sword.

“I never dreamed I would be able to enter the palace through the front door.”

“What an ordinary sentiment, Sorcery Hacker. I bet everyone feels the same way. Including the Collaborative Continent dark elves and Queen Astaroth Revolver who is lurking around here somewhere.”

Should he assume that woman was even now at the center of the commotion…in other words, inside the palace?

“But it’s still the royal palace. Even the floor lamps and air conditioner are Level 100 or 200. Things here are literally on another level.”

“Um, we can easily reach Level 5000. And the 1st Prince’s Lady Micha and King Guardeleo’s sword are thought to exceed 9999,” nervously commented Maid Julielt Resurrection who must have been summoned from the palace.

Henrietta gave Ayato a skeptical look.

“What is that bitter look for, dangerous individual? Isn’t this like a toy box of fun for you?”

(When everything is high level, it’s hard to find a starting point of Level 1 to begin building up with 1+1=2.)

Maybe this was a good countermeasure for sorcery hacking. Sorcery Hackers gradually increased their level, but they couldn’t even get started without a starting point.

“In that case…”

Instead of the gorgeous hall or the palace chapel, Ayato made his way to a break room prepared in an out-of-the-way corner for the Royal Guards and servants.

Unlike the “official” equipment of the palace, the simple water boiler, massager, and other items brought in by the actual workers were all at low levels. By stabbing his linkage plug sword into those to build up his level, he could start on the palace’s “official” equipment once he reached 100.

“Who brought this junk in here? It’s a threat to national security,” said an exasperated blonde ringlets 14th Princess Carrisy with hands on hips.

After reaching 100, Ayato rapidly raised his level by taking over the castle equipment which each had a level of 100 or 200. In no time, he had reached Level 500. Even he was surprised by the number.

(Incredible… I could hack an entire regional city-state with this.)

Regardless, his “warm-up exercise” was complete.

It was now time to begin his attack on the consul guest quarters containing the Collaborative Continent’s Philosommelier Personal Empire group.

He had to find a way through the entrance before the emperor died from the sharp metal fragment in his chest.

Maid Micha Angelos spoke plainly.

“The consul guest quarters are in the east wing, bordering the courtyard. The Collaborative Continent’s Emperor Milbert is in Room 0108 on the first floor.”

“I remember. I saw the emperor and his entourage leave the room before.”

He didn’t wish he had done something then.

They had undoubtedly been harmless until just a bit ago. It was Queen Astaroth Revolver’s fault. Just as that woman could use a kitchen knife to kill, she had remade the guests from the Collaborative Continent into a powerful enemy!!

The young maid Angela Messenger and the somehow masochistic-seeming Julielt Resurrection spoke up from the side.

“The air-conditioning system is isolated, so you can’t get in through the ducts. I believe it is designed to break down water to produce oxygen during an emergency. The attempt to consider all possibilities is admirable, but it hurts us here.”

“Y-you can’t break the window either… Not because the material is too tough, but because it is protected by the barriers. Ultimately, the room is fully protected even if they only have a curtain covering the window.”

“You should have brought Rachel Seraphim with you. I’m sure that idiot is free.”

“G-good point. More people would mean more ideas…”

As each maid eagerly joined the conversation, Micha Angelos looked fed up with it all.

“So to sum up, the normal methods are not going to work. We do not know how long until Emperor Milbert dies. If he dies, the final brake that can stop this developing war will be lost. Do you understand the situation, Sorcery Hacker? Then what are you going to do?”

“I’ll figure something out.”