Sorcery Hacker:Volume4 Phase00
She laughed
And laughed
And laughed
Her sinister laughter echoed through the shadows cast by the moonlight.
Queen Astaroth Revolver.
She was a prototype humanoid sorcery device designed to protect the swords of succession…or more accurately, an illegitimately leaked model. That immortal being with long blonde hair and a curvy body was in fact something with horns on her head, bat wings on her back, and a tail extending from the rear of her hips.
She possessed an extremely unmanageable mind made from a perfect fusion of a high intellect and lowly desires.
The past incidents were all the proof anyone needed.
Sky City Celedileka.
The first had truly been a coincidence. She had distributed 25,138 incidents across the Static Continent that he would likely find irresistible, but it was no more than good fortune that he had taken the bait. Thanks to that, Queen Astaroth Revolver had him in her sights and could move on to more meaningful action.
Laguntreat, Island of Mermaids and Decursing.
For the second, she had narrowed in on her target. To hint at his past, she had presented him with an Academy Towers teacher, the mermaid island, and that immense, sinister revolver. She felt certain that had provided sufficient impact to let him know that none of it was over.
Academy Towers.
For the third, she had focused on eliminating any unnecessary personnel who might just get in the way. Because she wanted to enjoy the parade to its fullest. The student council had been useful as pawns, but they had overstepped their bounds. Cornering Ayato was all well and good, but distorting his very nature in the process wouldn’t be any fun at all.
While toying with him, she had involved a real Demon Lord and the Four Lords, creating disasters capable of wiping small regional city-states off the map entirely.
But through it all, Ayato Criminaltrophy had quashed the criminal plans Queen Astaroth Revolver was advancing behind the scenes.
However, that was no real reason for her to panic.
If he would accurately tear down each of the conspiracies she set up for him, she could adjust where she set up those hurdles to keep him chasing after her. Much like a little bird pecking at the bread crumbs laid out on the street, hopping ever closer.
Unaware of the simple trap made from a bucket and stick.
“Hee hee hee.”
Simply put, she had complete control over Ayato Criminaltrophy.
“Pursuing the truth is not enough. If you want to rule the world, you must know how to use both truth and lies.”
He had likely become a Sorcery Hacker because he couldn’t stand that kind of deception. Plus, he probably had no interest in ruling the world.
She knew that, but it only made her laugh more.
“But keeping it that way wouldn’t be any fun.”
Now, how about I treat myself to something bigger?
This is, after all, a festival where I offer up the entire world for you, my beloved.
Phase 00: Castle Gate Bridge – Path to the Capital[edit]
The stone-paved road seemed to stretch on forever like a thick line drawn out across the green field. Roughly stopped in the center of that road was a large sorcery vehicle designed with a long, skinny shape resembling an 8-legged grasshopper.
It was commonly known as a special long-range bus bound for the capital.
The black-haired boy named Ayato Criminaltrophy toyed with the small cloth bag he used as a wallet.
“Make sure you don’t forget anything. Especially your sorcery gun.”
Silver-haired, brown-skinned Mamilis Coster tilted her head while gathering her things. The childish action clashed with her white leather vest and formfitting pants.
Yes, they were still around 4500 esoule[1] from the capital.
“Coach, why are we stopping here? We’re almost to the capital.”
“We can’t just ride on in.”
“Oh.”
As a dark elf, Mamilis had to hide her long ears with Mimic Option earrings and tended to distrust humans, but she was fairly trusting of people she knew.
The clacking sound as she moved would be from the full-auto shotgun sorcery gun she wore on her back. Her inability to keep it silent as she moved showed how much of a rookie she still was.
“You have to remember – every one of us is a wanted criminal trying to sneak into the most well-guarded city in the kingdom. We’ll be arrested if they find us.”
“I protest that description!!” snapped Henrietta Split Destrius. She was accompanying them, but only to pursue the Sorcery Hacker, so her displeasure was understandable. But the way she obeyed the Sorcery Criminal’s instructions meant she was at least aware that she would be arrested if she tried to march in like a Striker with her protector armor and bolt-action carbine equipped with an axe-like bayonet. That was good enough for Ayato.
This area was stacked high with wooden boxes and metal containers.
They were not yet in the capital. This was a cargo base located around 4500 esoule[2] away. But…
“Whoa.”
“Hee hee. Rush like that and you will trip, Mamilis.”
Mamilis cried out in a mixture of joy and surprise and fluffy blonde Teleria Nereid Aquamarine worked to look after her.
The viewing platform sticking up above the boxes had several telescopes one could use by inserting a coin. Beyond that was a structure so massive it overwhelmed even the natural landscape. That was the capital city where the Static Continent’s Combined Royal Family actually lived.
Overall, it was something like a tiered city.
From top to bottom, a massive set of tiered platforms spread out in a fan shape. Each level was packed full of more people than the average regional city. The hierarchy increased by the level and a castle straight out of a picture book was stationed at the very top. That was not a figure of speech. Picture books authors the world over drew that castle in their books.
This was the sleepless city.
The very eternal city spoken of in countless poems, songs, and plays.
Henrietta Split Destrius, her ponytail modified into a braid, spoke to herself as she viewed the distant city.
“Incredible.”
“As a Striker, have you always wanted to visit?”
“Of course. But not because of the pretty front side. Do you know what that tiered city looks like from the back? Supposedly, it is a sheer cliff. No matter how prosperous the royal family might be, they must rule with the understanding that they can be sent over the edge at a moment’s notice. The Combined Royal Family views themselves as constantly being on the battlefield and you could say this city is a reflection of their psyche.”
A thin grin formed on Ayato’s face.
So what would it say about the royal family’s psyche if they discovered any illicit acts or misdeeds in the city? But maybe that cynicism was a Sorcery Hacker thing.
There was no way into the capital from the ground.
The lowest level – the foundation – was surrounded by thick fortress walls. Walls with no gate in them. A long, long bridge extended from this cargo base to the capital. The only way into the capital was across the great bridge that stood about 50 esoule[3] above the ground.
The viewing platform itself was a leveled portion of the slope rising up to the giant bridge and it contained a cafe and a few mana charging stations for sorcery vehicles.
Teleria, Ayato’s future bride who had an exceptionally large chest for her short stature, wiped the sweat from her brow as she stared into the distance. Even that simple action stretched the chest of her blouse to a dangerous degree.
“Isn’t it impressive seeing it for real, Ayato?”
“Yeah.”
He was looking at the white stone bridge.
The dual-level bridge had an oxidized mana-conducting silver framework hidden beneath the polished marble. Hundreds of thousands of sorcery vehicles and plenty of trains crossed the bridge every day. It was required to be sturdy, but it also needed to be refined and artistic enough to act as the capital’s front face. The 4000 esoule[4] bridge was such a major piece of transportation infrastructure that it cost as much as an entire regional city-state.
With just the one entrance, the sorcery security was concentrated there. If they attempted to ride a long-range bus through, they would be scanned so thoroughly by hundreds, if not thousands, of sensors that the guards would know the location and number of moles on their bodies by the time they arrived on the other side.
How to pass this final 4000 esoule[5] was their first and greatest challenge.
Mamilis toyed with a pair of binoculars in her hand.
“But, coach, why is the checkpoint on the far end of the bridge? It would be easier to turn away would-be intruders if it was at this end.”
“A good observation, Miss Mamilis. The point you’re missing is that it is a toll bridge.”
“Hm?”
That wasn’t enough for a good girl like her to get it.
Turning people around after they crossed the bridge meant more toll income. Just like with parking tickets, it didn’t take long to see the corrupt nature of the grownups here.
Of course, the security went beyond unmanned sensors.
“Th-the bridge is strictly guarded, so can’t we use a different route in?”
“That would be difficult. Look at that.”
In addition to the one long bridge, two rings surrounded the capital.
But they were not transportation infrastructure meant to carry tourists or cargo. The capital was surrounded by fields and wasteland, so there were no other cities or even towns.
They were for defense.
Centipede-like armored trains equipped with giant cannons ran along those circular tracks to devastate any enemy army that tried to attack from any direction. The armored trains ruling the two defensive lines were unique items managed by 3rd Prince Hemmij and 25th Princess Victoria.
If anyone got too close to the capital without using the bridge, the wasteland or field would be razed by firepower rivaling that of Micha Angelos.
This elevated area included a terminal station for resupplying the defensive lines with ammunition. The bigger circle contained a smaller inscribed circle and the capital was protected by both those lines.
Ayato used a pair of binoculars to observe the other end of the bridge.
“Now, then. Unlike the hungover nobles who refuse to even get up during the day after partying all night, the real defense of the capital is handled by the Royal Guards.”
They wore pure white protector armor.
The fist-sized orbs on their shoulders had to be multi-function tactical support lenses. They were equipped with battle rifle sorcery guns that acted as both mid-range sniper rifles and full-auto weapons and their other sorcery gear was meant to outdo a Sorcery Hacker on the data front. Even from a distance, Ayato felt a chill down his spine just seeing them. Of course, their armor that used monster tendons and leather to boost defense and mobility were also of top quality.
Thoughtlessly attempting to sorcery hack them could get him beaten at his own game.
(Yeah, those are the elites tasked with guarding the Combined Royal Family’s capital all right. I need to prepare before I try to play with them.)
“What is that over there, Ayato? It looks like that guard is holding a really big sorcery gun with a smaller one attached below it.”
“It’s a combination of an anti-dragon rifle meant to break through tough armor and a small handgun meant to deal with softer criminals in an urban setting where reducing secondary damage is more important than penetrative power. That leaves them with no blind spots in range or circumstances.”
“Ugh,” groaned Mamilis. While Critical Disaster had been unique, she already knew all too well how monstrous anti-dragon rifles could be after fighting Demon Lord Nirvelphany back in Celedileka. At 4000 esoule[6], the elite Royal Guards equipped with various forms of support could probably launch high-power magic all the way here. And by working with other Royal Guards equipped with shields big enough to cover them both, they could begin a unilateral slaughter.
The Sorcery Hacker’s cry of “we have nothing to fear as long as we go undetected” would be too risky this time. One look at the Royal Guards’ gear was enough to know they had chosen the very best when it came to sorcery data as well.
There looked to be 20-30 of them.
That seemed like too little for a gate that had to inspect hundreds of thousands of sorcery vehicles a day, but most of the security would be handled by multi-legged sorcery devices. On the other hand, they weren’t lacking in the firepower department when each of them could destroy a regional city-state single-handedly.
Someone was growing restless by Ayato’s side.
It was Striker Henrietta.
“H-hey, those are real Royal Guards. They’re the best of the best. I never imagined I would get to see them for myself! Not only do they have a solid build that shows you at a glance they are true elites but they carry themselves with an elegance worthy of the capital’s defenders! They’re perfect!! Squee, they’re the best, squee!”
“Whose side are you on?”
“Not on the side of a criminal, that’s for sure.”
Henrietta gave a derisive snort from her shapely nose. And to be fair, acting like a small child hugging the costumed character at an amusement park was probably the correct response for that straitlaced woman.
“Sigh. I notice the one you have your binoculars glued to with such glee is wearing a miniskirt. Miss Henrietta, I had you pegged as the reliable big sister type, but do you instead have a thing for that type yourself?”
“Hm? What does gender have to do with it?”
Henrietta looked legitimately puzzled.
The low level of indecency in her admiration was praiseworthy. Ayato made sure to change the subject before she realized what his question had meant.
“The bridge is designed as an ordinary road and a railroad, but it’s said to lack a pedestrian path. Unsurprisingly, if we were to try to ride across the ordinary way, we would be immediately detected by the thorough scans made by creating fluctuations in the intangible mana mist. Both because of my sorcery hacking gear and because of the Mimic Options hiding Miss Mamilis’s long ears.”
For some reason, it was Teleria who groaned in fear, not Mamilis.
Henrietta reflexively covered her ample chest (which was noticeable even in her old-style protector armor), blushed, and muttered under her breath.
“Ugh, can they see right through your clothing? But wait, I should be delighted by their thorough security that prevents even a single nail from getting through and threatening the royal family. Hmm.”
If she had a complaint, she should really come out and voice it, but such was the sad nature of court servants.
“If you’ll accept this, why did you get so mad when I used a bat-style echolocation device to scan through your clothes and create a jiggly 3D model on the media summoner?”
“The difference should be obvious, dangerous individual!! Do you want me to smash your bones with my carbine!? Using the axe bayonet!!?”
But when he caught her off guard from a different direction, she made no attempt to hide her girly complaints.
Ayato wagged his finger.
“However, trying to walk along the road or railroad is out of the question. We’d be spotted by people before we even reached the sensors. This is a famous bridge, so we’d probably gather a crowd thinking we were jumpers.”
“Th-then what do we do, Ayato?”
“An excellent question. Just think back on what I said, Miss Teleria: the bridge is said to lack a pedestrian path.”
“Are you saying there actually is one, dangerous individual?”
“Of course,” said Ayato with a grin.
Just then, a large shadow passed over them.
An airship was flying elegantly overhead. That had to be carrying a special guest who did not require any troublesome luggage inspection. The crest on the side was a thick sorcery book wrapped in ivy with swan-like wings extended on either side. That was the crest of the Philosommelier Personal Empire of the Collaborative Continent located across the sea.
“Hm, it’s gained a few new symbols…”
“What do you mean, Ayato?”
“The other continents aren’t united, so their smaller states remain in conflict with each other. The updated flag design may mean that continent has been successfully united. The extra leaves on the ivy may be the number of kingdoms they’ve swallowed up.”
States with a connection to the Combined Royal Family were invited as “continental representatives” to the upcoming Precession Festival, a star festival. This was like a slap in the face to the unchosen states on a particular continent…but it looked like that would no longer be a diplomatic issue in this case.
The other continents might be sending representatives as well.
With a major festival in the capital, this could spread beyond just the Static Continent.
But to get back on topic…
“Remember, this is an enormous bridge protected by intangible mana mist and hundreds of thousands of vehicles cross it each day. With just the one entrance for a city with a population in the tens of millions, a lot of weight is placed on the bridge. Infrastructure like that doesn’t work if it isn’t maintained near constantly. And by skilled craftsmen.”
The bridge’s upper lane was the road and the lower lane was the railroad, but the plans actually showed another lane sandwiched between.
“Existence of the middle lane isn’t publicly known, but there is a maintenance walkway there. It’s narrow and cramped, like a catwalk above a stage, but it will let us cross the bridge without being spotted. There aren’t any sensors or traps either.”
“If it’s that safe, why the long-winded speech? Just get to what we have to watch out for, dangerous individual.”
Ayato answered Henrietta’s glare with a shrug.
He appreciated that they had known each other long enough to cut right to the chase. …Then again, that also meant he understood how she thought well enough to trick her more easily.
“The maintenance walkway itself is safe, but it’s blocked off at both ends of the bridge with metal bars to keep people out. That means some sorcery hacking will be necessary. Still, it’s just two checkpoints. That should be far easier than slipping past the mana mist fluctuations on the ordinary lanes.”
And so they made their way to the close end of the bridge.
Sorcery vehicles would drive up a slope to the top of the bridge, while the railroad was directly linked to the bottom of the bridge using a tunnel a short distance away. So to reach the mysterious middle lane, they just had to walk past the artificial slope to reach the top of the bridge.
“Wow, it’s half covered up by grass.”
“Coach, if this entrance is so important, why aren’t there any guards? Isn’t that risky for them?”
“This makes it easier for us, so why question it? Stop thinking like a dangerous Sorcery Hacker.”
No one was watching the entrance to the maintenance walkway. The guards were posted on the far end of the bridge, so they may have decided it would only highlight the existence of the door if they had an elite Royal Guard standing out here. Being elites did have its downsides.
“Be ready for anything. And, Miss Henrietta, you’ve decided to stop questioning anything that makes it easier for criminals like us? How quick people fall.”
“Nooo!!”
Teleria and Mamilis had to hold back the woman who was attempting to end it all by slamming her head against the nearby rocks.
A somewhat rusty metal bar door was embedded in the stone bridge.
It looked retro and low-tech at first, but anyone who knew where to look would notice something fishy about the rust. The moving parts, like the hinges and the lock, looked brand new. It was obvious someone had intentionally oxidized the surface.
If anyone touched the metal bars without the key, a hidden alarm would likely lead to an attack by the Royal Guards and sorcery devices. But…
“This needs around level 10,” noted Ayato, drawing the sword from his hip.
That was a Sorcery Hacker toy known as a linkage plug.
“The sword has a default level of 1.”
He stabbed it into the base of a nearby streetlight.
“The max level I can hack right now is 1, so 1+1 makes 2.”
Next, he stabbed an anemometer and a rain gauge used to decide when the traffic across the bridge needed to be restricted.
“2+2 is level 4 and 4+4 is level 8.”
He went on to stab the pillar supporting a flat crystal media summoner that displayed the current traffic conditions.
“8+8 is 16.”
A Sorcery Hacker would hack nearby sorcery devices like this to expand the breadth and freedom of options available to them. They might start at level 1, but as their level snowballed, they could gain the power to take over an entire annihilator ship or city-state.
Once Ayato had surpassed level 10, unlocking the metal bar door was a piece of cake. He stabbed his linkage plug sword into it, operated the crystal tarot cards he set up in midair, and the lock clicked open.
He kept the linkage monitor hovering in the air.
“That’s one down. C’mon, in.”
“Why does it seem like you’ve done this before, dangerous individual?”
That Henrietta complained but also walked through the door showed she too was familiar with acting outside the law. The way she still thought she stood on the side of the law actually made her more dangerous as a sorcery criminal.
The middle lane was plain and unadorned. The railroad was visible through the metal grating used as a floor. With the sturdy mana-conducting silver framework overhead, the “kathunk kathunk” of sorcery vehicles driving by rang more in their skulls than their ears. The deep vibration went beyond simple sound.
When a centipede-like train passed by below, Teleria clung to Ayato.
“Eek.”
“The trains don’t have windows on the roof, so they can’t see us.”
“B-but I’m not used to this…” she said, blushing and stammering. Was she trying to win his heart even harder than she already had?
They still had a long way to go.
Ayato gripped his linkage plug sword and walked in the lead while working to organize his thoughts.
“Sky City Celedileka, Laguntreat, and the Academy Towers. That damn student council was responsible for all of those incidents.”
Not to mention an incident from further in the past.
The one where Ayato, the greatest Forward, had shot and killed Teleria’s stepbrother.
“But there was someone else lurking behind the scenes: Queen Astaroth Revolver. She was manipulating the student council and reaping the benefits.”
“A-and now we’ve heard she was seen near the capital, right?”
“Yeah, near. I guess not even that devil could slip past the capital’s tight security so easily,” Ayato muttered to himself. And then, “But the real question is what she hopes to accomplish in the capital now that she’s lost a convenient hiding place in the Academy Towers.”
“Are you suggesting she will be using the Combined Royal Family as a new hiding place, dangerous individual?”
“Guardeleo Zorca Totalinus is an old yet wise, brave, and popular leader, but rule by such a charismatic figure always leads to chaos in the next generation.”
“Refer to him as ‘His Majesty’, fool,” complained Henrietta under her breath, but he ignored that.
“Lately, he’s been staying in bed a lot due to his advanced age and not many of the princes and princesses want the throne to go to that sketchy minotaur guy who claims to be the 1st prince.”
Lodging a formal protest and fighting would lead to some good, old-fashioned political conflict.
But what if there was a prince or princess who knew they could never win a conflict like that?
And what if a devil approached them and whispered sweet lies from the shadows?
“The idea of that devil cackling as she rules the world make me sick. I don’t know what she’s plotting, but wanting to tear down people’s grand plans is the natural instinct for a Sorcery Hacker.”
“So, coach, are you saying we can’t let her cause an even bigger incident?”
“Well, from what I’ve heard, I’d rather not even imagine what would happen to the Static Continent if an heir who would work with that Queen Astaroth Revolver were to take the throne.”
He chose to pretend he hadn’t heard Mamilis and Henrietta’s interpretations.
This was why they needed to enter the capital. And to reach the castle at the very top.
But that didn’t mean they would be welcomed inside.
Hence why they had to sneak across the bridge.
“Oh, look, coach.”
Mamilis pointed out ahead at something familiar.
It was a metal bar door.
They had reached the far side of the bridge. If they could just get through there, they would have safely snuck into the capital.
Ayato held his linkage plug sword toward Teleria.
“Miss Teleria, you do the honors. This is an easy one.”
“Eh? Ehh? I’d rather not. I’m not a Sorcery Hacker.”
“You saw me do it earlier, didn’t you?”
He intertwined his fingers with hers to pass the sword to her. She didn’t resist it. She only hung her head a little with some pink entering her pale cheeks.
“You will only be repeating what I did, so there is nothing to worry about. We can even do it together if you want.”
“R-really? Eh heh heh. Well, I have kind of wanted to try it…”
Dark Elf Mamilis’s mouth formed a small triangle.
But those two paid her no heed.
“Eek. Th-the grip is starting to heat up.”
“Not to worry. The linkage plug sword won’t bite.”
Striker Henrietta held her forehead like she was having a bad dream.
Again, those two paid her no heed.
“Now, Miss Teleria. Leave it all to me.”
“O-okay… I trust you, Ayato.”
An alarm exploded to life.
Teleria thought her heart would explode and turned toward Ayato, her hands flailing wildly.
“U-um, Ayato, what happened!?”
No response.
In fact, he wasn’t even there.
After retrieving his sorcery hacking tool, Ayato Criminaltrophy had jumped down from the metal grate floor with Mamilis in his right hand and Henrietta in his left. With the perfect timing to land on the roof of a train passing below.
He didn’t hesitate at all to cut his losses.
Left all alone, Teleria didn’t even blink at first. But finally…
“Ah, ahh, y-you traitorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!”
(He escaped on the train? But what about the mana mist fluctuations? Oh, I get it. The sorcery device sensors are on the bridge, so we’re already past them!!)
But now wasn’t the time to break into tears.
The train was already gone.
And with the alarm blaring, the Royal Guards would know something was amiss. They were equipped with giant anti-dragon rifles and shields large enough to cover their full bodies. If you were close enough to hear the gunshot, then you were in the magic’s effective range. If those guards worked together to fire on her, she couldn’t fight back even with a pair of handguns.
(Oh, but I’m below the bridge, so there should be too many obstacles to target me from the gate. They won’t be able to snipe me with those big anti-dragon rif-)
An upside-down head poked down from above the bridge.
It belonged to a Royal Guard wearing an enormous gauntlet.
Something flooded out from the gaps in the gauntlet’s armor. They were strange people with oddly smooth masks of a bewitchingly beautiful woman atop bodies like steel wool, as if they were given volume by balling up thin wire. They were all equipped with electric stun batons used for capturing criminals.
They were clearly too big and numerous to have been contained in that metal gauntlet.
“Hyahhhh!? P-printer soldiers? I knew they were researching those at the Academy Towers, b-but no one told me they were in use yet!!”
These were disposable unmanned soldiers who could be mass-produced on the front line. Depending on their materials and design, they could appear to violate the conservation of mass.
The walkway had been narrow to begin with.
Now that Teleria was surrounded by so many, there was nothing she could do.
And as a mermaid from the sea, she was terrified of that instant army’s electric weapons. Her legs failed her before she could even try fighting back with her pair of handguns. Shooting water magic around seemed like it would only make things worse for her.
And so…
“Aww…”
She was escorted away with her hands bound by thick wooden handcuffs and her big boobs squished between her upper arms. An airship passed leisurely by above the resigned criminal girl. The VIP aboard apparently got to skip the luggage inspection.
The giant gate loomed over her as its double doors yawned open, revealing a large circular public square beyond. This stone-paved area was about 100 esoule[7] across and it had a round fountain in the center. The perimeter was surrounded by a C-shaped train station.
This was a roundabout.
The road curved around in a large circle and any sorcery vehicles that failed the luggage inspection would be forced to make a U-turn. The trains running on the lower lane would enter the station on the level below and then follow the C-shaped rails around to head back out.
A festival or parade appeared to be underway through the gate because, in addition to the ordinary tourists and shipping workers, she could see groups of musicians and dancers. Or was that always a common site in the showy capital?
“Come one, come all!!”
Instead of an actual barker, that looked more like practice.
A young woman dressed in a frilly dancer’s outfit was probably doing voice training while her traveling troupe had nothing else to do. Doing it in a public square or park doubled as a way to combat stage fright and embarrassment.
“Ahem. Hoping to enjoy the Precession Festival here in the glorious capital!? Then visit us tonight!! Um…the festival celebrates the North Star taking up a new throne – a once a thousand combo-year event!”
“Leave her be if she sticks to voice training, but arrest her the instant she shows any sign of selling food or requesting a fee. This front gate is the face of the capital, so we can’t have greedy merchants defiling it.”
Someone approached while giving instructions to those around her.
The Royal Guard brushed her blonde ringlets off her shoulder.
“And who is she? Another disgrace to the capital?”
“Yes, 14th Princess Carrisy!!”
“Drop the title. As long as I am wearing armor and on duty, I am a civil servant dedicated to the peace and advancement of our great kingdom. I don’t ask for anything more than that.”
The woman winked and made a shooing motion with a hand.
Was this a hobby or a career for her? The princess knight listened to the report from the (ramrod straight and saluting) guard.
“We are not certain, but we found her wandering around the off-limits middle lane. We do not know if she meant to sneak into the capital or bring down the bridge.”
“Hm.”
The two Royal Guards looked to handcuffed Teleria.
In fact, dozens – if not hundreds – of people in the circular public square were staring at her.
She felt like she was on display.
The roundabout itself probably doubled as a stage for public executions.
“You will be sent to the bottom level prison. Do not attempt to resist.”
Another guard pushed something over.
The 0.6 esoule[8] cube of metal bars was a cage with small mana-conducting silver legs and grips like on a dolly.
Teleria was dumbfounded.
“What is that?”
“A cage for transporting criminals. We can’t have you escaping before we reach the prison and vanishing inside the capital.”
“Y-you must be joking! That’s an animal cage!!”
The handcuffed criminal’s protests received a simple response.
The ringlets Royal Guard pulled out a small gun with a long metal spike attached. It was not a sorcery gun and she fired it into the stone pavement on the ground.
Immediately, all the nearby tourists’ sorcery guns were aimed at Teleria.
“Kh.”
“We call it a forced cooperation antenna. It is a sorcery device created by giving physical form to our desire to serve the capital where the great King Guardeleo resides. Do not even think about causing trouble in this holy city.”
The ringlets Royal Guard grinned and waved the small gun that had fired the metal spike into the ground.
The spike probably emitted intangible mana to create a dome-shaped territory where every sorcery gun was forcibly hijacked. No, the control extended from the gun to also hijack the arm holding it.
The tourists’ guns weren’t weapons like Teleria’s dual handguns. They were tools used to drive a sorcery vehicle or light a stove. Still, they would be just as deadly if they fired attack magic.
“Do not resist. I would prefer not to dirty their hands.”
“…”
(This is the king’s city? That has to put a huge burden on the people’s muscles and nerves.)
Teleria clenched her teeth, lowered her head, and entered the animal cage.
The door was shut from the outside and then locked.
“Sorry we’re late!!”
Someone ran up, his armor and helmet clanking.
His armor looked a lot duller than the Royal Guards.
Still, its quality was on par with the knights of a regional city-state.
He saluted and loudly introduced himself.
“I am Charize! This is Marial and that’s Serenide next to her!!”
“All three of you were late? The guards here could use some discipline.” 14th Princess Carrisy breathed and exasperated sigh. “Anyway, take this criminal to the Hell Mouth. These are her sorcery guns. These customizations are clearly meant for combat, not everyday use. I don’t know why she was plotting to enter the capital, but she will be thoroughly interrogated in prison.”
“Understood!”
One of the guards grabbed the cage’s grips.
Just like carrying a big box on a dolly. Teleria wasn’t given any shred of free will.
She tearfully grabbed the bars of the cage.
“Th-the Hell Mouth?”
“That elevator acts as the only way in and out of the plain district on the lowest level. That district is in fact cut off from the rest of the capital. Once down there, you can never crawl back out. We wouldn’t just bring a criminal like you through the gate.”
“Aww.”
Teleria had found it odd they were taking her inside the city when she was caught trying to sneak in, but now she had an explanation.
There was a part of the city people weren’t allowed in and out of.
“Okay, it’s time to take you to the Hell Mouth. Are you ready, Teleria?”
The fluffy blonde girl looked like a terrified puppy, but then she noticed something.
(Wait, when did I give them my name?)
She heard laughter from beneath one of the helmets and the person disguised as a guard whispered to her.
“(And with that, we’ve successfully made it inside, Miss Teleria. Welcome to Sorcery Capital Wisdom Angelinia☆)”
“……………………………………………………………………………………Ayato?”
Teleria was left truly speechless within the cage, but she knew yelling at him would be a bad idea right now. That would only get Ayato and the others arrested along with her.
The two guards with him appeared to be Mamilis and Henrietta. Where had they found the armor and helmets?
“I can’t believe you!! Y-you really have gone too far this time!!”
“Ah ha ha. Such a cute and sexy cow girl. But I had no choice. To get in using guard uniforms we needed a captured prisoner to take in with us.”
Ayato surreptitiously showed her a card held between two fingers.
“(This is the key to the smaller back route used by the guards. But instead of using that to reach the Hell Mouth, we can take a different door to reach the rest of the capital. Without going through a luggage inspection, I might add.)”
“But…”
“Besides, did you really think I would abandon you? I would never ask for your help without running hundreds of calculations to ensure your safety is 100% assured.”
“Ugh, I still can’t believe you…”
Teleria pouted her lips and fidgeted.
That seemed to solve that.
Now they just had to push the cage past the Royal Guards and enter the capital without anyone suspecting anything.
That part should have been easy.
If not for the giant explosion.
The stone-paved public square shook violently.
Even the elite Royal Guards were knocked off their feet. 6- and 8-legged sorcery vehicles began crashing into each other, their horns honking endlessly.
“Wh-what was that!?” shouted 14th Princess Carrisy while fallen on her rear.
One of the armored trains equipped with a giant cannon had been blown away along with part of the stone bridge supporting its looping track around the capital. Even though it was supposed to be the ultimate defensive weapon and was managed by a prince.
The light rattled Ayato more than the shockwave that rumbled through the air.
The beam of light was terribly thick and brutal.
“The devil’s revolver…”
He had heard that someone resembling her had been seen near the capital.
Had she finally made her move?
And with a frontal attack, directly tearing through a sword of succession?
“Queen Astaroth Revolver!!”
Something in the air changed.
An air of hard, heavy, binding caution settled in.
Tearful puppy mode Teleria looked up at him from the cage.
They had known each other a long time, so he knew what she was trying to say.
“This will have increased the security level, meaning this card is useless. The ordinary gate and the back way for guards will both be locked down.”
“U-um, then what do we do, Ayato?”
“Change of plans. First, we use the Hell Mouth to reach the bottom level, since that doesn’t require any tricks! Before we’re discovered and arrested!!”
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