Sorcery Hacker:Volume1

Novel Illustrations

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Phase 00: Sky City Celedileka

Pop!!

A girl with long wavy blonde hair looked down at the dull sound she heard in a dimly-lit room. It had broken. What had? The chest of her blue blazer. The ample chest below was supposed to be perfectly protected by the blouse’s buttoned-up collar, but one of the buttons had popped off and vanished into the ether. That meant she seemed to be intentionally showing off her cleavage even though she very much did not want to.

“Oh, no. Oh, no, Oh, no. Oh, no.”

Her name was Teleria Nereid Aquamarine.

She waved her hands around in a childish way that clashed with her appearance, but she could not rewind time back to before the button had vanished. Besides, she had too much to do already!!

A sorcery device resembling a mynah with a bell around its neck stood in the birdcage hanging next to the window covered by blinds to block out the sunlight. That device tilted its head while a soft bell rang from its throat.

Then the lifeless speech organs spoke.

“Thank you for putting up with the long journey. We will arrive in Celedileka in 10 multi-times Please prepare for departure.”

(Where’s my entrance pass? Oh, no. Where’s my entrance pass!? It isn’t over there and it isn’t over here, so does that mean he has it!?)

This was only a small rectangular space. She quickly cut across the bedroom and slammed on the brakes when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She took a few steps back to adjust her position and checked her own reflection in the large mirror there.

She was so short that a middle-aged man she had never before met had once told her she would probably age into being the quintessential little old lady basking in the sun.

Nevertheless, one part of her body – (Okay, fine. My chest.) – had grown more than necessary, which made it extremely difficult to find clothes that fit.

However, the blonde girl in a blue blazer was focused on something other than her large chest. She was much more interested in her slender legs.

(This is my first time setting foot in this city and first impressions are important. …Yes, they look fine. I don’t see anything wrong with my legs.)

The legs extending from her shortish skirt were contained in black tights and, in addition to her standard skirt, she also had some Expansion Armor floating around her. That was open in the front, so it was something like a C-shaped umbrella.

However.

She had excitedly worked up the courage to buy that because it looked like a princess dress, but thanks to that “Pop!” from her chest, it made her look more like the star of an evening party showing off her cleavage and legs.

“Ugh…”

She groaned when she focused on her entire body instead of just her legs.

It really bothered her how she looked more indecent than mature dressed like this.

(A-anyway, I have to find my entrance pass. I can gather my luggage and use what time I have left to reattach the button! Surely there will be time for that!!)

When you were panicking was the time for positive thinking.

She once more cut across the long and narrow space to reach a corner with a simple table and sofa.

A blanket was draped across the small sofa, but it clearly had something below it. That would be her traveling partner. Why was he sleeping there? Because he had let the girl take the bed of course. She was extremely grateful for that standard decency from him, but the blonde and curvy girl was approaching him as hesitantly as she might some unexploded ordnance.

Her experience told her this was very much necessary.

“A-Ayato? Ayato Criminaltrophy???”

She tried calling softly to him from a distance at first, but the blanket did not so much as stir.

This was the usual state of affairs and she was not foolish enough to make a careless approach. She brought a resigned hand to her forehead, breathed a deep sigh, and prepared herself for what was to come. She placed her hands around her mouth like a megaphone and shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Aaayaaatooo!! Do you know where our entrance passes are? I know they have to be somewhere in this bungalow!!”

Mt. Blanket finally moved. A slender hand stuck out from a crack in the wrinkled blanket, a fingertip waved, and then it pointed in a certain direction.

Teleria looked over at the table in confusion, but the only things there were a mug, a sheathed short sword with a trigger at its base, and a square block of metal that would likely require both hands to carry. Something popped up with a ding like some freshly-cooked toast, but it was instead the day’s remotely-printed newspaper.

“?”

His Fate Decided: The fiendish criminal named Thomas Robergin has been sentenced to a public execution. She glanced across the frontpage headlines. After that top story, all political and financial stories were entirely ignored to give more page space for an article about a local festival plus an ad for the Forturiana Church telling people to “fill the world with the light of magic”. She could really tell they were far from home, but she also had to tilt her head because she was not quite sure what it all meant. But then a chill ran down her spine.

(Ah…)

She had been so cautious before, but it had slipped her mind thanks to the newspaper. Warning sirens belatedly blared in her mind. It could be hard to tell since he was lying down and his eyes were closed, but that lump in the blanket was not necessarily asleep. She should have been more focused on the rhythm of his breathing.

And whatever kind of work it was, carelessly approaching him during his sorcery work was a risky decision.

(Wait, don’t tell me he’s doing his mental Self-Maintenance work!)

He could look like he was awake while not actually reacting and responding to her questions. Like with the placebo effect or seemingly superhuman feats of strength during emergencies, people did not always realize what their body was truly capable of. In order to move his body at maximum efficiency, he apparently had to lower the level of his own consciousness and regularly determine the “baseline values” of his body…but she did not care about any of that. As far as she was concerned, it just meant he was not listening.

In other words, he had not actually been pointing at anything just now.

Taking her eyes off of him then had been a mistake. The distance between them did not matter. Yes, he would always come to her and scoop her up from below.

Just as she heard the giant blanket lump fall from the sofa, roll along the floor, and bump into her leg, she was dragged down and taken away.

“Ah, ahh, wait, Ayato, ahhhhhhhhhh!!!???”

The blonde girl screamed as the blanket devoured her, but unfortunately, the two of them were the only people in that rectangular space. The announcer mynah was not designed to put a stop to immoral activities.

The giant blanket wriggled around like it was chewing on some gum and then a deep groan seemed to rumble up from the depths.

“Starting from the right thumb: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…wait, this isn’t my sword?”

“How could you possibly mistake this soft body for a hard and cold mass of crystal and mana-conducting silver!!!???”

So most of the time, his wakeup call came in this form.

Once again, a solid slap rang through the morning air.

“…”

Ayato Criminaltrophy, the boy wearing the same sort of blue blazer as Teleria, would normally have had handsome features, but he claimed his masculinity was devoured when he made a contract with a devil. Simply put, his face could easily be described as androgynously attractive.

However…

“Miss Teleria. Miss Teleria Nereid Aquamarine.”

“…Yes?”

“I do appreciate the refreshing feeling of having my mental sorcery experiment forcibly interrupted, but we are about to set foot in that city for the very first time. This is an important event, so why are you making my face so unparallel? Do you have something against me?”

“You are not the only one who took damage here! I was, um, well, I took damage to my maiden heart!!”

“You need to be more specific. What are you trying to say I did to you? I lower my level of consciousness during my Self-Maintenance, so it isn’t easy to remember what happens in that time.”

“I am not saying a word. Don’t think I am going to do further embarrassment damage to myself for no reason. Now let me see your face!”

Teleria pulled a black and shining handgun from the leather holster she wore at her hip. It was hidden between her blazer’s tighter-fitting miniskirt and the princess skirt that floated around her. The unnecessarily long magazine was more than three times the length of the grip and the suppressor was built into the gun itself. It was even equipped with a dot sight on top and a laser guide below the barrel. She had a tendency to attach every accessory she came across, making her what was known as a “snowman gunner”.

She was blushing, but she had not grabbed the gun in a fit of emotion.

“Swelling and bruising of the cheek. No effect to the cheekbone or eardrum. Looks like I only need to order the manaflow in your body and accelerate your metabolism.”

“Hold on. Do that and my face will be covered in dead skin and filth!”

“Really? You want me to do cellular replacement regeneration too!? That’s expensive!!”

“I’m the victim and you’re the attacker.”

“I’m the victim and you’re the attacker!!”

The blonde girl raised the handgun, pressed the slide against her forehead, and muttered something under her breath.

“(Secondary Ex Aid.)”

With a muffled sound resembling full-auto gunfire, a pale, firefly-like light was released into that space. A bright blue muzzle flash blossomed, the manaflow that shot through the center contained a signal similar to an electric pulse, and it pierced Ayato’s face before her eyes. A smooth empty bullet cartridge was spat from the ejection port. It appeared to be faintly glowing from the firing, but it was the opposite. The cartridge had been glowing to begin with and firing it caused it to rapidly lose its light and fade like a brightly colored flower withering up.

Bullets like that were manufactured by rubbing impurities on the inside of a steel cylinder, applying intense heat, injecting mist mana, and adding a thin film to the outer surface.

But as the cartridge lost its light, it had the same fleeting beauty as dying embers or sea sparkle. The color changed depending on the type of impurities used and that allowed the manufacturer to give it their personal touch, but Teleria’s was a pale blue. It could be fun to give it a color to match the element used: red for fire, blue for water, yellow for wind, and green for earth.

Magic could be cast with the pull of a trigger.

Sorcery referred to using mana-conducting materials to cast magic. In the past, supernatural phenomena had been achieved by raising a sorcery sword or an old-fashioned staff to draw complex patterns in the air that would order the manaflow and reciting long incantations in ancient languages to create a resonance between the world and one’s body. However, those days were over. Just as a lengthy sentence could be abbreviated to a single line, modern magic was not a privilege restricted to a chosen few. It was now a technology of the masses thanks to the cartridges injected with pressurized fog mana that was extracted from the air. Just load one of those in a gun and pull the trigger and you were done.

The people only had to cause a change smaller even than the powder contained in a bullet.

Those smooth cartridges coated with a solid film of mana were mostly filled with the form of mana known as Intangible Mist. The bullet itself was made from soft disintegrating lead, but that was because it did not need any destructive power itself. The bullet was meant to be erased along with the activation of the magic, so it was controlled by the power of the user’s will and engraved with the letters and numbers matching the desired type of magic. That changed the type of muzzle flash. When the mist mana was released from its pressurized state, it would burst through the center of that colorful light which resembled fireworks and that created the desired magic.

The distance the sound of the gunshot traveled was directly linked to the effective range, so the purpose of the suppressor built into her gun was likely to increase the accuracy at the cost of range. Especially when she was messing with the human body using recovery magic rather than simply fighting someone.

In this age, young wives would use magic to light the stove in the safety of their own home, but no one bothered to actually understand what the letters and numbers meant or how precarious a balancing act it was to use numbers to take the place of the missing letters. For lighting the stove, they used this. For locking a door, they used that. They could not do all the calculations in their head, but they only had to memorize what was necessary for an ordinary life. And if they could not memorize it, they could hesitantly follow along using the notes they had taken. …Some might call that progress and some might call it degradation.

And…

“You suck at that. You waste a ton of ammo by doing pain relief and fever reduction in parallel. Do it like this.”

“Ah!?”

The blonde girl with the gun raised her voice in a panic.

Ayato had drawn the sword sitting on the table and lightly stabbed the tip of the blade into the sorcery gun she held. He also pulled some ultra-thin crystal cards from his blue blazer’s breast pocket and scattered them out in the air. The set of 78 palm-sized cards drew up various arcana images all on their own and changed their arrangement as if controlled by a magnet.

Immediately, the magic supposedly under Teleria’s control changed its structure.

No, the manaflow had been hijacked and restructured into a different kind of magic altogether.

Using the technical terms of the field, the sword was a Linkage Plug and the crystal tarot cards were a Linkage Monitor.

“Cooling the affected area will dull the pain, so you can combine that with the fever reduction. And that leaves some spare resources, right? Use those to look after my skin and hair. Like I said, recovery magic that accelerates the metabolism will leave me covered in dead skin and filth. And remember, we’re about to set foot in that city for the very first time.”

“P-please don’t hack my magic like that! Oh, it’s so scary!! If you lose control, the recoil goes back to me!!”

“Do I look like the kind of guy that would screw up that badly?”

Ayato winked from the sofa.

Now that magic was easy enough for anyone to use, the people could naturally focus on other things. In ancient times, people had had their hands full simply activating the magic, but now they could find other applications for it. The benefits of that were many and diverse, but there were also people like Ayato Criminaltrophy here.

They were known as Sorcery Hackers.

Instead of using magic themselves, they would infiltrate other people’s magic, hijack it, and steal it away.

Pop!!

But his attempt to look cool was ruined by another bursting sound from the blonde girl’s chest.

Ayato and Teleria both looked down to a certain point on her body.

Her blazer’s chest had been in risqué state already, but now another of the blouse’s buttons had popped off.

“………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………”

“Wait, how about we have a nice lecture on causality in the field of sorcery? There is no possible causal link between magical recoil and your button, so I take issue with that suspicious look you are giving me!”

“You’re only brining up that complicated magic stuff to hide what you did!!”

“Don’t pistol-whip me with your sorcery gun! Did you forget about that long magazine sticking out!? Listen, just bring me the sewing set! I’ll fix it for you!!”

“I couldn’t possibly make you do that…”

“Are you suggesting you should do the sewing? You have already proven how disastrous the result would be. I am still trying to figure out how you managed to sew my pants and your frilly bra together.”

“Wah! Wahh!! Wahhhhh!!!???”

Before he could continue to pummel her with embarrassing memories, Teleria waved her hands wildly and started searching for the sewing set. But the sewing work here had to be done at the blonde girl’s chest, so…

“U-um?”

“Is something wrong?”

The tearful blonde girl weakly protested while pressing her elbows against her sides and raising her lightly clenched fists to shoulder height as if presenting her large chest to him.

“I, um, don’t like how you’re staring…”

“While it would reduce the effort required for this job if you removed your clothes and let me replace the button that way, how many mini-times is it until we arrive now? If you want to be half-naked when you first set foot in this city, I won’t stop you, but I have a feeling a lot of people are going to very much misinterpret your intentions there. Myself included.”

“Ayato, are you only saying that so you can stare at my boobs while you do this?”

“Very much so, yes.”

Teleria did not hesitate to grab the sewing scissors.

“Wait, Miss Teleria! You are being unreasonable! Your breasts are far too attractive to expect me to act gentlemanly here!!”

“Ah, wha-, you can’t just spring statements like that on me out of the blue. D-d-d-d-do you really think you can trick me like that!?”

“Can you at least let me know whether you are seriously mad or simply hiding your embarrassment!?”

They struggled over the large pair of scissors for a bit, but Teleria had no chance when she was blushing bright red and her eyes were spinning in her head. Plus, all the movement was causing her blouse’s surviving buttons to strain dangerously.

(Ugh. I hate how conflicted I feel when he says things like that… Because I can’t deny that it does make me kind of happy.)

“…Fine, just do what you will…”

“Don’t mind if I do.”

Teleria tearfully looked to the side while the teenage boy stared at her chest and worked with his hands. The blinds made from thin feathers that had been covering the window must have reacted to her gaze because they folded up to reveal the scenery outside.

She could see a blue planet.

There was already nothing but the color black overhead. At this altitude, the normal azure color was found below them. It was only the blessings of magic that allowed them to ignore the air and pressure issues.

This was Sky City Celedileka.

It was famous for this view of the sun shining in the starry sky.

That giant city was a product of either hope or insolence, depending on who you asked. A thick, thick chain had been extended from the surface and it had been gradually lifted higher and higher while the people dreamed of eventually surpassing heaven itself. Things looked peaceful enough here, but this was closer to being in outer space than in the sky. Without the Guardian Umbrella, an atmospheric shield two or three sizes larger than the city itself, the city would have grown asphyxiated and frozen in no time.

“Maybe we should have taken a large airship instead. I hear those have delicious food, soft beds, tour guides, a bar lounge, and even a casino.”

“Miss Teleria, first of all, we do not have the money. And to any normal person, this is plenty luxurious.”

“Ugh.”

“Plus, airships packed full of rich people are the perfect targets for sky pirates. So unless you’re hoping to hit on an eyepatch miniskirt girl with a bare midriff and a cutlass, I would suggest avoiding hitching a ride with the rich.”

“I get the feeling someone has been fantasizing about sky pirates a little too much.”

“Besides, a large airship uses the same theory as this balloon bungalow. You input the destination coordinates into the navigator and it reads the manaflows in the atmosphere to mechanically guide the ship.”

“Eh? But…”

“Yes, the big airships will have crew with lengthy titles like First Class Pilot or Engine Maintenance Officer, but the manual controls are only used for corrections in case of emergency. Everything is left to the equipment during ordinary flights. You know how airships are sometimes late to arrive for no explained reason? That happens when the navigator glitches and sends the airship on a long and meaningless detour.”

He fixed one of her buttons while talking and used his canine tooth to tear off the excess thread. Although that ended up looking a lot like him shoving his face into her cleavage.

“Ah, hh…”

“Hm?”

“Cough, cough! Nothing, it’s nothing! Definitely not your breath tickling me!!”

“Well, anyway, our balloon bungalow does the exact same thing.”

They were not staying in an inn or a carriage.

They were floating at an altitude of 30,000 esoule.

A long, narrow metal container had been modified into a living space and it dangled from three giant balloons that were injected with the fire and wind elements to provide buoyancy. It would ride the invisible manaflows running every which way through the atmosphere to slowly take them to their destination. That was their mobile lodging facility known as a balloon bungalow.

Unlike a large airship, they had to supply their own food and do their own laundry. If their navigator glitched and they landed somewhere other than their planned destination, no search team would be dispatched unless they had paid for insurance in advance. The system left a lot to be desired, but it was still a high-level service for air travel. Ayato and Teleria did not usually use something this nice.

They had only splurged this time because they could not have reached their destination otherwise.

“Wow…”

The blonde girl breathed an impressed sigh as she viewed the scenery out the window.

The blue sky that should have been overhead was pushed down below them and stars filled the sky both day and night. That was just how high up they were. A faint aurora-like red fog surrounded a sacred heavenly territory where a clearly artificial piece of land was floating. It was large enough to hold four or five of the royal capitals on the surface. The four outer blocks were colored to match their elements of fire, water, wind, and earth and Light Castle Brightio was situated at the center. That castle was protected by the Free Audience Restriction, an aurora-like barrier created by gathering the four powers of the outer blocks (and its artificial origin meant it shined brighter than the natural aurora). Legend had it that barrier could keep out any unauthorized intruders, including the divine and demonic.

Overall, it was approximately 100,000 esoule long.

This was the largest sky city within the Selected Kingdoms that bound together the many kings on one of the surface continents.

It was known as Celedileka and that crystallization of human sorcery would be their next stage.

“Miss Teleria.”

“Oh, yes. What is it?”

“I have not yet fixed your other button and you are still fairly cleavagy, so why are you opening the window blinds? Are you that desperate to show your cleavage off to the world?”

She screamed and threw another slap, which vigorously shook those two mounds and popped off the fixed button yet again.

Option 01: Celedileka Tourist Guide Introduction

A city measuring approximately 100,000 esoule long.

A permanent population of approximately 901,000 and a temporary population of approximately 9.5 million.

This giant city-state is the largest sky city in the Selected Kingdoms that rules the continent. It actually began to float about 40 combo-years ago and it continues to rise bit by bit even now, but the plan is said to have actually begun between 500 and 700 combo-years ago.

An unimaginable amount of time, effort, and money have been invested and carried over through the years for the construction plan to finally bear fruit and give birth to the largest ever floating land made by cutting away a piece of Selected Kingdoms territory. The manaflows in the upper atmosphere are denser than anywhere else, so by collecting the mana, pressurizing it inside tanks, and sending it to the surface, Celedileka provides energy for the entire Static Continent. The sky city is facing many different problems at present, but under the rule of the Celedileka Royal Family that fulfilled the construction plan for generations, it has gained a large enough presence to prop up the industries of commerce, construction, sightseeing, specialized agriculture, and other fields core to the Selected Kingdoms. The sky city is connected to the ground by a thick chain, but this could only have been accomplished on our Static Continent that is the one and only continent to have remained entirely motionless over the many long years.

(Incidentally, the location of the land cut away to create the floating land has been registered as the Static Continent’s one and only artificial lake.)

These days, Sky City Celedileka is ruled by a partial parliamentary monarchy formed from the regional royal family and the 160 members of the knight class. Thanks to the king’s grace, the other classes are included in a portion of the governing process, so the city is known for its relatively free and generous character and that may be one of the reasons it is such a popular tourist destination.

It has been suggested that land cut away from the surface is spiritually vulnerable, but the regional royal family has given the Forturiana Church (known for sealing the Demon Lord in the distant past) approval for their Temple Moving Ceremony which will provide state-level protection and solve that problem once and for all.

With the fire, water, wind, earth, and light, Sky City Celedileka is well known for having plenty to see. There is simply too much to see everything in one visit, so savvy travelers will decide on one of the castle towns to stay in and focus their sightseeing in that one area.

You can see a new side to the city with each visit, so you can come back again and again and find new surprises every time.

If you have yet to see Sky City Celedileka then we eagerly await your visit.

Phase 01: Fire Castle Town Flared

Part 1

Sky City Celedileka was divided into four exterior blocks with Light Castle Brightio in the center. No one was allowed in the center without authorization, so tourists could ignore it. When Ayato Criminaltrophy and Teleria Nereid Aquamarine first arrived in the city, they were only really aware of the castle towns.

Each of those towns had a unique form taken from one of the four elements.

Fire Castle Town Flared.

Water Castle Town Aquaria.

Wind Castle Town Silphine.

Earth Castle Town Grouviv.

Those two had arrived in the fire block.

“Phew… It’s so hot.”

After taking just one step – and no more than 5 steps even if you were being generous – outside of the temperature-controlled balloon bungalow, Teleria was already complaining. She wiped the sweat from her brow and looked around with a pool of sweat forming in the cleavage showing through her blazer and blouse which were still missing a button.

The scene she found was only possible thanks to the ubiquity of magic.

The town was red.

The buildings all had white stone walls and orange roofs. Were those Ninjas and Thieves jumping between the rooftops over there? As large a space as this was, land was still in short supply and all the buildings were packed in close together. Everything was illuminated by the colors of scorching heat. It was the middle of the day, yet the town was colored a burning red. Celedileka was positioned so high in the sky it was nearly in outer space and had no concept of evening, but this seemed to make up for that lack.

Something like giant vacuum tubes stood vertically up from the city in places. Those were probably the osmosis blast furnaces made of artificial crystal which concentrated the thick manaflows found at this high altitude and sealed the mana in tanks.

“What a shame,” said Ayato. “I thought this city was famous for the sun in the starry sky.”

“I don’t think there was anything they could do with this town of molten metal.”

“Now I wish I had taken a better look at the aurora. I bet that red thing is hovering above us right now.”

“It’s apparently seen as a symbol of disaster around here. They call it, um, the Demon Lord’s Bite.”

“The Demon Lord, huh? Nirvelphany was it?”

“I-I’m sure that’s just a story.”

That was from long, long ago. No one even knew what the Demon Lord had looked like anymore. No humans or even demons remembered the details of the story, so no one knew what had ultimately become of them either.

And these two had more pressing issues than some incident from the distant past.

Humans and six-legged sorcery taxis traveled along the roads, but there were also rivers of red and boiling metal. They were all filled with the melted mana-conducting silver that Fire Castle Town Flared was known for. This town specialized in industry, so the government supplied all the materials for free and the craftsmen had to produce high-quality products (everything from weapons to daily necessities) in exchange. The production of most all forms of sorcery device was concentrated here. That allowed small workshops with a craftsman’s spirit to thrive without having to worry about taking loans or going into debt.

A Traveling Salesman carrying a box larger than he was on his back was walking around near one burning river. The box was a refrigerator made of clear artificial crystal and filled with coolant. It contained ice-cold fruit juice and giant custards made from monster eggs. Teleria paled and held her mouth at the sight of the unusual dessert. There was also a salesman carrying around a bunch of metal pots and frying pans. The products looked fairly crudely made, but since a bearded Chef and an Alchemist girl were stroking their chins and appraising them, they must have had the precise construction needed for a professional kitchen or a lab.

Ayato took all their luggage and hailed a sorcery taxi that resembled a beetle.

“Search out an inn under the name Ayato Criminaltrophy. Carry our luggage and check in for us too.”

“Understood, sir.”

He tossed their luggage into the empty vehicle that did not even have a driver and shut the door. The six-legged sorcery taxi was immediately on its way to its destination.

Teleria spent the time finally managing to pin the chest of her blouse shut. The boy watched the sorcery taxi leave while stroking the crystal tarot cards in his blue blazer’s breast pocket and then the sword at his hip.

“Okay, let’s get started. It’s time to get some work done.”

“Ugh, I’m pretty sure we’ll be cooked to a boil before we arrive.”

Fire Castle Town Flared had boiling metal rivers running every which way, so the sorcery taxis were not the only way to get around.

A cheerful voice called out to them from one of those hellish rivers.

“Excuse me! I couldn’t help but notice how inappropriately you two are dressed to be spending time here in Flared. Either you want heat stroke, or you’re tourists, so how about a gondola ride to make a nice memory for your trip?”

“Do people normally wear swimsuits year-round here?”

“Did you not do a search on the tourism site? If you want to enjoy this town to its fullest, you at least need a water bottle with a spoonful of salt and fruit juice mixed in. As you can see, I’ve got a full cooler with me here.”

Ayato and Teleria exchanged a troubled look. They had heard it was hot here, but they had underestimated the extent. They boarded the small boat floating in the orange river, but it was partially so they could gather information.

The gondola itself appeared to be wood with layer after layer of varnish applied. So was the rudder. It looked like it should burn away the instant it touched the surface of this river, but there must have been some kind of magic at work. There did seem to be an enormous magic circle floating below the entire boat.

“Where to?”

“Industrial Materials Harbor Street in Flared 49.”

“That’s the weapons development street, right? You’re quite the geek.”

The Gondolier laughed, raised the revolver in his hand, and pressed the top of the barrel against his forehead.

With a “blam!!”, he fired the sorcery gun into the boat and the floating oar began moving like a witch’s broom. The oar read the current of the boiling metal river and guided the boat to their destination.

His gun was very different from Teleria’s which was full-auto yet restrained its gunshot with the suppressor built into the barrel so she could use high-speed but very precise magic. Sorcery guns came in a wide variety of types and calibers. The two biggest factors were the caliber, which determined how many letters and numbers could fit on the disintegrating lead bullet and how much pressurized mist mana could be released at once, and the firing mechanism, which determined whether you wanted to increase the precision of each and every shot of magic or if you wanted to produce a barrage of magic through rapid-fire. However, those decisions were mainly an issue for the people who used them in combat, so it was mostly ignored by the people who used sorcery guns as a household tool. The fact that the Gondolier did not need to tilt his head and stare at some notes while firing was enough to demonstrate his professionalism.

In fact, while a revolver might seem less convenient, it was useful when it came to avoiding accidental discharges. The number of bullets determined how much magic you could use and the reach of the gunshot noise determined the range of the magic, but that did not matter in a normal life.

“Have you heard about the Temple Moving Ceremony? Their headquarters were recently given approval by Sky City Celedileka as a whole. They always got along, but they weren’t considered an official state church before. Well, whatever they do, it’s bound to bring in a ton of tourists and that means more money for me. The Forturiana Church has my support!”

“Oh, is it some kind of festival or parade?” asked Teleria. “We chose a good time to visit then.”

Teleria looked around nervously in that small boat floating on the river of molten mana-conducting silver and she spoke up with the look of someone who had received a breath of fresh air, but Ayato frowned and muttered to himself while holding her shoulders to support her.

“That’s just disgusting.”

“Don’t say that. It’s all a show for tourists like you two. Normally, Light Castle Brightio is surrounded that thick, aurora-like barrier called the…oh, I forget the actual name, but during events open to the public, they let all the people inside. You really did choose a good time to visit.”

While the guys were talking, they were interrupted by something odd.

“Uhhh, uhhhh…”

She could not possibly have been seasick so soon after setting off, but Teleria looked quite dizzy. Ayato lightly held her to him so she would not lose her balance and a sweet aroma reached him from her sweat-soaked blonde hair. She was excessively afraid of the red metal found outside the gondola, so she clung to him and drank from a leather water bottle she took from the cooler.

The young male Gondolier laughed and spoke up.

“We aren’t going to flip over, so there’s nothing to be afraid of, miss.”

“She has trouble with fire, so try to be understanding.”

“Anyone that likes fire would have to be a freak of nature,” she complained.

She was not exactly wrong, but you could not forget that it was conquering fire and transforming it into their own power that allowed humanity to surpass the other animals.

“That’s fine and all, but will she be okay visiting that weapons development street? Did the guy choose the destination for the date this time? That place is full of fire and mana-conducting silver, so if she’s not into that kind of hobby, she might just scream.”

“Unfortunately, neither of us got to choose our destination today. It’s always the case we’re working on that designates the time and the place.”

“Oh? So you’re Forwards, are you? You must’ve struck it rich to come all the way here.”

“If we were rich, we would’ve found a better form of transportation.”

“You’ve got me there,” laughed the Gondolier.

Just then, a loud rumble and shockwave violently shook Flared.

All the glass rattled in the white-walled and orange-roofed buildings. The six- or seven-legged sorcery taxis moving through the streets came to a temporary stop when they sensed the danger. The traveling salesmen carrying fridges or metal products looked up into the sky to see what it was. Ripples ran through the scorching river, the gondola shook, and Teleria shrieked.

Thanks to that, Ayato’s face was truly buried in those two mounds and the Gondolier sounded exasperated.

“I know I shouldn’t be jealous of my customers, but I do wish that was me.”

“Wait, Ayato!!”

“Hgh, mgh, mgh.”

Ayato said something with a perfectly serious expression, but no one could understand him.

After extracting his face from that happy valley, the boy tried again.

“So it’s begun.”

“You’re trying to use that serious mood to get away with that one, aren’t you!? Well, I’m never forgetting you did that!!”

“Wait, are you trying to break a record here!? Did you come to this sky city in pursuit of that monster!?”

The Gondolier was so shocked because of the obvious “cause” visible even from here.

It was a giant flying dragon with crimson armor-like scales covering its entire body.

Had it broken through the Guardian Umbrella atmospheric shield that surrounded the city and gotten trapped inside once the shield self-regenerated?

Even from here, it could be seen attacking the harbor block on the outer edge of Flared. The hopeless ceiling was covered by a starry sky both day and night. If this was a normal village with no sorcery protection, a single blast of its dragon breath would have been enough to wipe it off the map.

The only reason that did not happen was because this was the Selected Kingdoms’ largest sky city.

An armored train raced along steel rails using the many legs that made it look like a centipede. That would be the reinforcements meant to drive back the crimson dragon. Attack magic taking the form of cannons was already being fired up from a short distance away from the scene, so the dragon was being pushed into the sky as it tried to grab at the city with its sharp claws.

They had stationary cannons and mobile cannons.

Also, instead of using simple shells, these could set up an extra-large barrier in midair as an “umbrella” to repel an enemy and the enemy’s attacks. Not even that giant dragon could crush the town so easily. In fact, it was the dragon that was being gradually worn down.

Ayato whistled and gave his impression.

“Man, they’re being wasteful.”

“Think of it like the fireworks shows that big hotels put on. And in fact, that does bring in a lot of people.”

“Even though a single stray shell could reduce them to mincemeat?”

“There are still a lot of people who want to watch. When you buy insurance with your tour package, the fine print apparently mentions that you can’t sue your guide even if you die due to an unfortunate accident.”

“That’s hardly funny with this going on.”

“People not understanding the danger around them just shows how peaceful our society is. A toast to Sky City Celedileka!”

At any rate.

The dragon was working hard to attack Fire Castle Town Flared, but the barrage was too intense and holding its location was the most it could manage. That meant it could not find an opening to attack. In that case, what was causing all the noise in the castle town?

The largest distortion was found here.

“Oh, hell. Really?” said the Gondolier. “It’s one of those airships again!”

“Oh? Does Forturiana like their dragon slaying stories?”

“That’s not what this is. They’ll find a more manageable evil for their ceremony. They can’t plan an event around it if they can’t control it.”

“Oh, would you look at that? They really are firing down from the sky.”

“Trapping a dragon between the shellfire coming from the sky city and the airship sounds cool enough, but just picture the line of fire there. The magic fired from the airship flies right into our city. That’s fine if every shot hits the dragon, but every time they miss, the stray shot rains down on us.”

“…”

“Of course, being killed by that is as unlikely as firing a warning shot straight up and having the magic fall right back onto your head. Also, if your house is destroyed, Brightio in the center there will pay you the full price your house is worth. And they are very generous with what they call full price, so it’s probably meant to keep you quiet about it. Rumor has it some people buy a cheap empty house like a lottery ticket and pray for some magic to fall right smack onto it.”

That would explain the lack of tension in the people on the streets despite the great spectacle in the starry yet sunny sky overhead. No one knew who had actually worked out the odds of being hit, but that announcement would make people assume it was nearly zero. Plus, they would get a nice payout if it did happen.

The Gondolier spoke cheerfully while watching the collapse of one of the giant osmosis blast furnaces made of clear artificial crystal.

“There have been a lot of monster attacks recently, but while driving that thing away can’t be easy, wouldn’t killing it be even harder?”

“Sorry, but our prey is not a monster. I’m not a fan of those gentlemanly fox hunts. Animal cruelty just isn’t my style.”

“Hm? Then what are you gonna do there???”

“That should be obvious. Human prey has always been other humans.”

They had arrived at their destination, so Ayato carried the dizzy blonde girl out of the gondola and flipped a middle silver toward the Gondolier.

“That’s a bit much even if you’re including a tip.”

“I’m including hazard pay too. And this area is only going to get more dangerous, so I’d leave if I were you. Thanks for the ride.”

Part 2

Once the two of them had their feet back on the stone pavement, it was time to get to work.

They walked through a narrow alleyway instead of the larger road.

“Miss Teleria, I know you want to stay hydrated, but you will find yourself running for the bathroom soon if you chug down bottle after bottle of water.”

“Don’t speak that way to a pure maiden. Ugh, it’s just soooo hot.”

In this large city, the mist mana known as Intangible Mist was arranged into something like a long and narrow spider web using the tug of the magnets in the countless relay devices dotting the streets. That mist mana would pass right through people as long as they were not using a magical device, so even the light would pass right through them, making it invisible.

Also, connecting a household sorcery device to that mist mana gave you access to a variety of information services.

It was essentially wireless, but the midway infrastructure used stationary devices that were connected by lines of mana much like wires.

That was something a Sorcery Hacker had to always be aware of.

“Now, then.”

It was time to observe the visible world around him once again.

Instead of a tourist area, this was an industrial airport used to ship out various industrial products manufactured using mana-conducting silver. The street itself looked nice enough, but all the buildings here would be occupied by sorcery craftsmen. There were no barkers calling out to potential customers, gawdy posters, or other ways of gathering tourists here. Nor were there any Traveling Salesmen with clear refrigerators or metal products.

Ayato heard a howl and looked up to see a Wolf Girl in a dress crouched on a rooftop and releasing a call of rebellion into the heavens.

Past the evenly-arranged white walls and orange roofs was a large tower and something like a collection of fishing poles. That was apparently the crane that symbolized the industrial materials harbor. He was not interested in factory sightseeing, but a large landmark like that meant he would not lose his bearings.

Also, they were on the front line of the cannon fire here. The armored train equipped with as many legs as a centipede came to a stop on the rails and aimed its cannons toward the starry sky while the crimson dragon spread its gigantic wings to cover them all like a canopy.

There was of course more cannon fire coming from beyond the crimson dragon.

Like the Gondolier had said, the humans were firing on the dragon from an airship in addition to the sky city. The crimson dragon was sandwiched between the two directions of fire, but that meant any shots the airship missed would send high-level attack magic raining down on the city.

“This block has been designated a Type Three Danger Zone. Please shelter inside. I repeat…”

That voice came from the large street.

It was an unpleasantly mechanical female voice that repeated itself over and over. The source seemed to be moving. The people would be buried alive if the building they were sheltering inside was hit, but the warning must not have wanted to let people imagine that possibility.

Teleria was still somewhat dizzy, but she managed to recall their tense situation.

“Is that an independent sorcery device?”

“Shh.”

Ayato dragged his partner girl behind a wooden box. He had seen something larger than the taxi he had left with their luggage. He quietly observed a scorpion-like mass of mana-conducting silver. If the information he had been given in advance was accurate, that was one of Celedileka’s official Zootoxin Mk. IIIs. It appeared to be following a set patrol route while repeating its warning announcement, but the movement of its tail was odd. The official model was known to have a blind spot behind it, but this one was occasionally slamming the end of its tail into the ground behind it to eliminate that blind spot.

Just like the taxi, this kind of independent device created a small tornado inside itself like a powerful vacuum cleaner to trap the mist mana in that small space and continually receive the informational benefits of that mana. The Intangible Mist was laid out like a spider web along the lines connecting the relay devices, but by taking the mist mana inside, these devices could make decisions for themselves for a while without plugging into one of the terminals known as stations.

But that was useless if that was corrupted.

“It’s already been hacked.”

Ayato Criminaltrophy’s voice grew deeper.

If your defense weapons had been turned into a plaything for a sorcery criminal, you were out of luck.

“That means this really is their collection spot.”

“Ugh, which means…”

“That thing is acting like it’s on an official patrol, but if it detects us in this area, it’ll shoot us with instakill poison magic. That thing’s tail concentrates the power of its magic on a single point to break through any defenses, which is incredibly useful for status effects like poison or oxidation that spread throughout the body once they get into the enemy’s body tissue or body structure. If you don’t want to be stuffed or soaked in formaldehyde and sold off to some freak, then be very careful.”

They needed to pay careful attention to what route they took.

After waiting for the Zootoxin Mk. III to pass by, Ayato climbed up a white wall using the downspout to reach the building’s roof. Either way, he could not start fighting right away. If he was to use his weapon as a Sorcery Hacker, he had to make the proper preparations first.

(A chimney exhaust management system, a rain guidance pump, a bird-repelling weather vane, and a lightning rod… Yeah, that should work as the starting snowball.)

He worked his mind like he was recalling the day’s menu and drew the sword he used as a Linkage Plug.

Magic was found everywhere these days and devices that used it were just as ubiquitous. The rooftops of ordinary buildings were no exception. He took his 0.5 esoule sword and stabbed it into the chimney rising straight up from the building.

When he pulled the trigger at the grip and pulled back, the blade detached and remained in the chimney.

A new blade compressed within the hilt popped out and he moved on to the boxy pump managing the gutters. Then the base of the lightning rod and the bird-repelling weather vane. He stabbed a blade into each of the sorcery devices that used magic in any way.

Once he was done, he pulled the crystal tarot cards from his blue blazer’s breast pocket and tossed them into the air. Those Linkage Monitors floated on their own, drew out various arcana images, and visualized the manaflow – in other words, the structure of the magic.

(I’ve hacked each of those household items. Starting from my Level 1 sword at the base, I hacked the Level 1 chimney, pump, lightning rod, and weather vane. I can combine them and have their processing space resonate. Then it’s a simple matter of addition and repeating the process until I reach the level I want. At Level 5, I can hijack anything up to Level 5. And at Level 10, up to Level 10.)

Modern magic was performed by extracting the mana found thinly in the air, pressure sealing it in containers, sending it along thin metal lines, and guiding it to a board made from the gems crystalized in the gemflows hidden underground. The work was almost entirely automated, but there was one fundamental rule: all magic had to be activated by someone. Sorcery guns were the most common form of ignition. While a home management system or that scorpion appeared to be moving on their own, they were actually being subconsciously controlled by someone. For a home device, it was linked to a resident who was controlling the lights and air-conditioning. For public devices like the scorpion, hundreds or thousands of government workers in a theatre-like space would combine their mindpower to control them all. The magic for that balloon bungalow they had taken here had technically been activated and controlled by the blonde girl. It was just that people were barely aware of it and it caused almost no exhaustion.

A Sorcery Hacker had to fool more than just the gemboard that was connected to the thin threads of mana mist gathered together by magnets.

The linking sensation was no longer even verbalized, but odd sensations would sometimes rise to the surface like waves and a hacker did not want someone to notice their presence based on having “a bad feeling”.

“Okay, I’m at Level 10. Now I can reach that damn scorpion walking around here.”

“Pant, gasp… P-please wait.”

He heard some oddly alluring breaths as Teleria finally managed to climb up onto the roof using the downspout.

“What are you doing up here? I was just about to jump down.”

“You mean I climbed up here for nothing!? You need to tell me these things! …Wait, huh? What the hell did you just say?”

“That I’m about to jump down.”

“Wait, no, this is a three-story building! Wait! Don’t drag me along with you!!”

He ignored her complaints, grabbed the slow blonde girl around the hips, and jumped down. And he landed right on top of the (already hacked) Zootoxin Mk. III making its patrol on the surface.

“Mugyuhh!”

“Ha ha ha. Miss Teleria, I appreciate the usual happy sensation. Scaring you is always worth it.”

“Don’t you dare pick up the juvenile habits of an elementary schooler picking on the girl he likes!!”

The scorpion must have detected the impact from above, but the toxic needle tail rising up and glaring at them was not actually a problem. That mana-conducting silver scorpion could only pursue its prey using the eyes on its face. Even with that armor-piercing toxic needle right in front of them, it could not attack them without seeing them with its crystal eyes.

And he had a logical reason for getting this close.

His Linkage Cable sword worked by stabbing into a device and interfering with the mist mana that was arranged in a long and thin string to transfer so much information. Hijacking control with that interference was known as Sorcery Hacking. You can think of it like having a long and thin string of mist or a ring of smoke and placing a net in its path. The Intangible Mist would pass through anything, so by having it pass through his device, he could create an external antenna for himself. Then he could extract the information dissolved into the mist and send in his own false information.

This underground technique was known as The Ring because it was similar to the relationship between a loop of gold and a jewel, but you could not actually stab your device just anywhere.

If his sword did not get into the wiring, it was meaningless, but a weapon would be entirely covered in thick armor, leaving him with no good access points.

He needed an exposed sorcery component not covered by the armor.

And the best option was…

(The eyeball lens. And I have to attack from a blind spot so the enemy Sorcery Hacker doesn’t catch on!)

He stabbed the blade into the scorpion’s head, pulled the trigger, and pulled the hilt away.

The mass of mana-conducting silver immediately started behaving differently.

The violent shaking of its unmanned movement came to a stop and it began walking with the smoothness of its shock-absorbing legs. The comfortable ride was quite a change from their previous tension.

“Miss Teleria, let us review the situation.”

“Whaaat?”

“Recently, Sky City Celedileka has fallen victim to frequent attacks from large monsters like dragons and griffins. Now, an advanced metropolis like this is probably a more likely target than some small village hidden in a remote area, so that is not that unusual on its own. Celedileka has been placing defense of the city as their top priority by firing with reckless abandon, but their thoughtless pincer attack means the airship shots damage the city below.”

“Um, and the problem isn’t the stray shots themselves, but the people using that as cover for their misdeeds, right?”

“Since warfighting shells are flying around instead of just gunfire, I supposed the crime would technically be looting during a military action.” Ayato readily made that dangerous comment. “And since one of the government’s Zootoxin Mk. IIIs was hacked, the culprit is a Sorcery Hacker like me. They use the damage from the shellfire as cover to achieve their goals. After all, even if they break open someone’s safe, that person will be repaid and then some by the government’s stray shot policy. The government is not going to examine the scene all that closely because anything they did find would only be showing off their own mistakes.”

They could of course see more Zootoxin Mk. IIIs walking around, but checking the internal memory of the one he had hacked showed him their cooperation pattern. That meant he knew the patrol routes for them all. If he used that while heading deeper in, he could avoid any unnecessary combat.

The Sorcery Hacker group running rampant in this damaged area of the city had prepared a toy like that in order to keep any witnesses out, so if anyone set foot in here without knowing the patrol routes and was caught by that mechanically-calculated net, they would probably be silenced by instakill poison magic.

“This is really the perfect situation for them. Destroyed buildings can be paid for, but lives aren’t so easy. That means the government will stubbornly refuse to admit to anyone dying or going missing after a hit from a stray shot. If there is any fear of that happening, the official documents will be rewritten to cover it up. It will say the person was mildly injured, received the proper treatment at a medical facility, and decided to leave the city with their juicy payment in hand.”

“So they’ve created a social security system where no one will notice if someone disappears.”

“Yes. Maybe the air of this castle town full of fire and blacksmithing has gotten to their heads. This is honestly more frightening than that dragon that can only use obvious violence.”

Ayato nodded quietly atop the doubly-hacked scorpion.

“Just as our client feared, this is a criminal paradise for human traffickers.”

Part 3

The law enforcement agencies like Government Security and the knights were paid from a city or state’s public funds, but there were also many jobs for individuals where a third party made a request and paid them a reward. There were the Bouncers who protected a specific location or person, there were the Ransackers who searched out a specific material such as a plant or animal, and there were the Forwards who would be sent to the scene of some brutal crime to resolve the issue.

“Now, then.”

The area under fire from the airship was quite large, but there were a few pieces of information they could use to narrow that down to a single point. The enemy Sorcery Hacker…no, the human traffickers were using the airship’s cannon fire to get the government to cover up the evidence of their crimes, so they would naturally choose the area receiving the most intense fire.

“I wonder if this will be written off as looting by a mob that formed during a military action.”

“Ugh. I bet that counts as a crime I’ve never even heard of before.”

Also, the patrol routes of the hacked Zootoxin Mk. IIIs had been subtly changed to protect the criminals. That meant Ayato and Teleria could find the criminal group if they made their way to the center of the circular off-limits zone being protected by those mana-conducting silver scorpions.

They approached that area while using the giant crane in the distance as a landmark to keep their bearings.

“This should be a good spot.”

They did not actually enter the collapsed house they found there.

They stopped their scorpion a short distance away and got down onto the stone pavement. The Zootoxin Mk. III’s great size was not suited for a stealthy infiltration. They had it use its many legs to climb up a wall and take a position on a building roof where it could overlook the surrounding area. Meanwhile, the boy and the girl peered out from behind a corner.

“Found them. Four of them have cheap magnum sorcery guns and one has a large bowgun that’s as customized as my sword. That must be his Linkage Cable.”

“Th-those are handguns?”

“Yeah, I’ll admit it can be hard to tell since they have shock-absorbing shoulder stocks and the guns themselves have been lengthened to make them look more like submachineguns.”

The purpose of those thick magnums was obvious. They must not have had the proper technology for manufacturing the cartridges filled with mist mana. You could not just compress a ton of mana inside to make a powerful round. Without the optimal balance, the mist would grow too dense and turn into liquid drops inside the cartridge. That was the stereotypical reason for the round to blow up in your face. To avoid that, they had simplified the structure and made the gun sturdier to prevent it from rupturing. It did not even look like they had used mana-conducting silver. Whether they had made those themselves or had gotten help from the black market, they looked a lot like poor-quality imitations made by melting down scrap metal. That said, the caliber itself was quite large and each shot would pack quite a punch. A large bullet meant intense recoil, but it also allowed you to draw a much more complex and colorful muzzle flash that would consume a lot more mist mana and produce much more powerful magic. And the louder gunshot would mean a longer range.

Meanwhile, the large bowgun was technically a Linkage Plug just like Ayato’s blade, so it was not even a sorcery gun that fired mist mana cartridges to use magic. It was made of brightly polished mana-conducting silver and it launched the antennae needed to take control of other sorcery devices by interfering with the circulation of mist mana flowing in very thin lines through that device. In other words, it was a Sorcery Hacker’s weapon.

There was an obvious difference in how much had been spent on the different weapons.

A top-level Sorcery Hacker must have been hired on with a lease contract to give a small-scale criminal group a boost.

And Ayato knew his prey’s name.

Although this was only a nickname the man went by in that shady business.

“The information from our client was correct. That’s Funny Snatch, a sorcery criminal who specializes in spiriting people away.”

“Th-they’re dragging someone out of the rubble.”

“Does that look like a rescue operation to you? No, that’s clearly their main dish for the day.”

The rough men were grabbing the arms of a skinny girl with brown skin. She was tall but slender, making her the opposite of Teleria, and she wore a leather vest and pants faded to a white color. However, there were large slits open on either side of her legs and they were sewn together by something like shoelaces. Her entire outfit seemed to be emphasizing just how slender she was. Perhaps to further emphasize the skinniness of her waist, she wore a thick leather belt style of Expansion Armor that floated around her bare midriff without touching her body. Her long straight silver hair had as beautiful a shine as the jewels in her earrings. Needless to say, she had the kind of beauty that a certain type of people would be searching for.

“Ow, let go of me, ow!!”

“Her manners could use some work, but we can always break her later on.”

“Ugh…”

“No, let’s leave that to the buyer. We might be able to find a pervert who enjoys doing that themselves. Let’s get her out of here.”

Ayato clicked his tongue while still hiding.

Teleria’s face had gone entirely pale.

“Th-they can just do that!? Are you saying the government has been covering up this kind of thing!?”

“Not so loud. …Defeating the four with the sorcery guns will be easy, but the problem is Funny Snatch with his bowgun and the Zootoxin Mk. IIIs he’s taken over. Attack them to carry out justice, and all the other ones patrolling this area will focus on you. Hacking them ourselves is the play here. Even if we went with a direct attack using your sorcery gun, their armor would just deflect it all.”

Plus, Teleria’s sorcery gun was constructed with safety in mind, so it used a rapid-fire barrage of smaller magic to prevent the enemy from making a counterattack. It was meant to knock back the target and keep doing damage until they had been worn down. It had little recoil and maintained its stability even with full-auto, but it did not have the best penetrative power and it could not trigger large explosions. An opponent with thick mana-conducting silver armor was a poor match for her.

“But if we don’t do something, she’ll be taken away.”

“I’m aware of that. I sent our scorpion up onto the roof, right? When a single hacker has taken control of nearly 20 Zootoxin Mk. IIIs, you can assume there was some kind of trick to it. This wide-range control probably means he has a transmission spot set up at an elevated location.”

“B-but doesn’t Sorcery Hacking have to start at Level 1?”

“That’s why he would have built up his Level bit by bit until he could target something bigger. Just like you can take 1+1, 2+2, and 3+3 to reach 12. If we can find the ‘bigger half’ of the equation and hijack it ourselves, all 20 of those pawns will be ours. And then we surround them with those to put a stop to this.”

Ayato had hacked a Zootoxin Mk. III himself, but he had not done it on his own. He had needed to get some help from the duct, weather vane, and other household items on that roof. If those were destroyed or rehacked by someone else, he would lose control of that scorpion.

The vulgar men must have read the stitching on the inside of the girl’s clothing.

“Let’s see, her name is…M-A-M-I-L-I-S C-O-S-T-E-R? Hah hah! Coster!? We actually got someone from the Coster family!? Well, you have our thanks, girl!!”

“?”

“Those sorcery devices guarding us right now were handmade by this family’s craftsman, after all. Bet they never imagined the devices they poured their heart and soul into would be used to spirit away their beloved granddaughter!!”

Ayato only had to do the same thing

Where had that man fired his bowgun to expand his processing space?

Finding it would not be difficult if he had their scorpion jump from rooftop to rooftop.

The complex movements of the floating Linkage Monitor crystal tarot cards gave him a report from the hacked scorpion.

“Found it. The bell tower in this same area, huh? It does have a lot of processing space for the time calculations, wide-range auditory transmission, and stress reduction acoustics. Abusing its processor core would give him plenty of power all at once.”

Of course, using one big device instead of distributing the source of your power made you more vulnerable to obstruction. Since there was no actual schedule for the airship attacks that the human traffickers were using for cover, there work location would change each day and they would have to adlib. That did not give them much time to prepare and Ayato could use that against them here.

“Okay, let’s get going. We can use the roofs to reach the bell tower. If we remove the bolt he fired and stab my sword in instead, I can hack all of the Zootoxin Mk. IIIs that are supposed to be protecting him.”

“Eh? Eh? You mean you’re going to leave that girl there?”

“We aren’t the cavalry that charges in with sorcery guns in hand. If we have a sure thing, I can’t think of any reason not to use it.”

But just as Ayato said that…

“Wait, what’s this?”

“Ow!!”

“I thought I sensed some magic. Look what she was hiding.”

“D-d-don’t pull on my ears!!”

The brown girl frantically raised her voice. When Ayato looked again, he saw her ears were unnaturally long and slender for a human’s. One of the men with a sorcery gun had grabbed and pulled at her jeweled earrings just for fun.

“Looks like she’s actually a Dark Elf. What are you doing living in a human city?”

“…”

“Is the entire family like this, or did they adopt you from somewhere? Well, either way, I bet this is why the Costers do everything the government says. They turned themselves into merchants of death to keep their cute little granddaughter from being kicked out.”

“Uuh.”

“So isn’t this for the best? With you gone, your family can break free of their bondage. They won’t have to make murder weapons anymore. Although there’s no washing their hands clean of the blood at this point! Gah hah hah hah!!”

He heard someone biting their lip.

It came from blonde Teleria watching this next to him.

“Grandma’s sorcery devices aren’t murder weapons.”

The dark elf girl squeezed out her voice.

Ayato was a Sorcery Hacker. He achieved his goals by infiltrating and hijacking the tools other people had worked so hard to create, so these were feelings he could never reach himself.

“She says she made them to protect everyone. She says they’re on patrol to stop crimes before they happen. She says she’s creating the power to fight bad guys without having to hurt anyone. So so!!”

“So – what?”

Her words rang hollow when those very devices had already been hacked.

But the she still spoke with the pride of the person who had created them.

“Grandma’s sorcery devices won’t obey the likes of you!! No matter what! They exist to fight people like you and that’s what they’ll do in the end!!!!!!”

Ayato Criminaltrophy sighed.

His plan was going well. He had located the core of the enemy Sorcery Hacker’s calculation space. If he used that to hijack all the other Zootoxin Mk. IIIs in the area, he could use those scorpions as his weapons. There was no need for him and Teleria to stand in front of the enemy. In fact, letting the enemy know your identity and location was a critical mistake for snipers and Sorcery Hackers alike. So the best option here was to remain hidden while hacking what he needed to end this safely and smartly. And he had made all the preparations necessary to do just that.

(Grandma’s sorcery devices aren’t murder weapons? She says she made them to protect everyone?)

But Ayato Criminaltrophy stepped out from behind cover.

He threw out all of his plans in order to pay respect to what that girl had said.

With his face and body exposed, that ill-natured Sorcery Hacker smiled and spoke.

“Well said, young lady.”

Part 4

Grandma, why do you make such dangerous tools?

Mamilis Coster lived while hiding her long ears and she had once asked that of the person who took her in. Her grandmother was a very kind person, but the work she did was not quite so kind. Mamilis knew her grandmother would sometimes receive visits from scary-looking people with smiles plastered on their faces.

It all frightened Dark Elf Mamilis Coster.

Not just the real weapons, but the wooden sticks and toy guns the small children on the streets would play with. Because she never knew when they would be turned her way simply because she had long ears. She hated how ubiquitous those deadly sorcery guns and sorcery devices were. It had pained her greatly to learn the grandmother she so respected made a living creating them.

And this was the response from that person who had reached out a helping hand to a dark elf with nowhere to go:

“I am creating machines that can protect everyone.”

No matter what excuses they tried to make, people carried weapons because they felt powerless.

They felt they needed a greater power in order to protect the things that mattered to them.

But nothing could have been more foolish.

Even if the spread of weapons was meant to protect people, their presence only caused neighbors to view each other with even greater suspicion. And then you needed an even more powerful weapon than those neighbors if you were to feel safe. That was the kind of society it created.

But the people in that labyrinth could not see through its walls. No matter how foolish it was, they could never see how silly they were being while in the midst of it all.

So…

“If I have someone else – something inhuman – do the exact same foolish thing, surely everyone will realize how silly it is to seek after weapons. Then they will understand how cruel it is to throw stones.”

That was what her beloved grandma had said while placing a wrinkled hand on the frightened girl’s head.

“And when the power to fight really is necessary, the people need not return to the brutality of the past. No matter how many stones are thrown at us, the machines I make will protect everyone. And you are no exception, Mamilis. Machines do not discriminate based on where you were born or the length of your ears. And once they see that impartial treatment, surely the people trapped in that labyrinth of their own making will see the error of their ways.”

That was the thought put into their creation.

“Grandma’s sorcery devices aren’t murder weapons.”

Her beloved grandma had worked so hard to make them.

“She says she made them to protect everyone. She says they’re on patrol to stop crimes before they happen. She says she’s creating the power to fight bad guys without having to hurt anyone. So so!!”

They could not be allowed to fall into the hands of filthy sorcery criminals.

And yet.

No matter how loud she yelled, those masses of mana-conducting silver did nothing. In the end, her grandma’s sorcery devices would only obey the instructions they were given. If they were under someone else’s control, they would become nothing but weapons that dispensed cruelty and slaughter.

“Grandma’s sorcery devices won’t obey the likes of you!! No matter what! They exist to fight people like you and that’s what they’ll do in the end!!!!!!”

So it was all meaningless.

This would accomplish nothing.

And yet something did happen. Someone spoke from somewhere out there.

“Well said, young lady.”

Part 5

Who was it that uttered a confused “huh?” in that moment?

Was it the human traffickers who thought they had complete control of the scene? Was it the enemy Sorcery Hacker known as Funny Snatch? Was it the Dark Elf girl who was about to have everything taken from her? Or was it Teleria Nereid Aquamarine who had been hiding behind cover until a moment ago?

They all watched as a boy walked out into the open and flicked one of the crystal tarot cards floating around him.

“Break connection.”

A moment later, an explosive boom erupted in the distance. It came from the distant bell tower. And the only other person there who seemed to realize what that meant was Funny Snatch, the Sorcery Hacker who was carrying a giant bowgun-style Linkage Plug.

“What did you do!?”

There may not been nothing righteous about the words of a Sorcery Hacker.

This may have been the arrogance of a criminal.

But there was something he had to say here.

Something he had to say in the presence of that girl who had been driven to the edge of the cliff.

“I won’t do anything as cheap as hack them myself. Young lady, I’ll show you what your grandma’s creations are really meant to do!!”

Ayato could have hijacked everything with this Linkage Plug sword, but he chose not to. By destroying the bell tower itself, he eliminated the human traffickers’ processing space and returned the hacked mana-conducting silver scorpions to their original controllers.

They reverted to what the girl’s grandma had made and what the girl had hoped for.

They were back in the government’s control, so what would those nearly 20 Zootoxin Mk. IIIs do if they spotted some suspicious people lurking in the attack site?

All hell broke loose.

“Wah, wah! Wahhhhh!?”

The rough men had initially calmly turned toward Ayato and pressed the stocks of their magnum-style sorcery guns against their shoulders to aim at him, but then the closest giant scorpion beat one of them to the ground with a large pincer. He did not even have time to widen his eyes in surprise before the enormous poison stinger tail moved. That directly-injected torrent of poison could knock out a man-eating tiger from a range of 400 esoule, so when it hit him from point-blank range, he began convulsing on the ground.

The other thugs pressed the top of their guns to their foreheads to engrave the memorized letters and numbers on the disintegrating lead bullet before aiming at their target. By passing through the fireworks-like muzzle flashes, the torrents of mist mana produced supernatural phenomena like flames and vacuum blades. Those two were Primary Burst and Tertiary Tornado respectively. Their magnum-like calibers were large enough to require a shoulder stock, so the magic using the large disintegrating lead bullets and the contained mist mana were all quite destructive…but that mana-conducting silver armor could not be harmed by the kind of magic a single person could produce. In a pure contest of power, it could not have been more obvious whether a flesh-and-blood human or a sorcery device would come out on top.

Colorless mana was given its traits by the four basic elements of fire, water, wind, and earth, but none of them was a match for the Zootoxin Mk. III.

The thick mana-conducting silver forcibly deflected it all and attacked the criminals head on.

While either crushing them below its legs or knocking them away with its powerful tail, three of the sorcery guns were broken and neutralized in no time.

“Ah, ahh! Ah, ah, ah!!”

The one remaining man held his cheap sorcery gun that had been cheaply customized to be larger than a submachinegun and tried to flee, but he was already surrounded. He could not escape onto any road or alley around them because the mana-conducting silver scorpions were blocking every path.

“D-dammit!! What the hell is going on!?”

Instead, the kidnapper reached for the brown girl. He likely assumed the dark elf would function as a hostage if her grandmother had built these things, but that was actually the worst decision he could have made. Hadn’t the girl said her grandma had built them to protect everyone?

They all took action to fulfill that top-priority objective.

A Zootoxin Mk. III moved in between the brown girl and the kidnapper to shield that innocent life. The man’s outstretched arm was deflected by thick armor, but before the fear could show there, a large pincer mercilessly slammed into his face.

“You…”

The girl had squeezed her eyes shut, but once the expected impact never arrived, she hesitantly opened her eyelids. When she saw the scene before her, she finally reached her fingers out toward that armor.

“You’ll…protect me???”

That went without saying.

She herself had explained why they had been built.

“But…”

“What is it, Miss Teleria? I don’t think I’ve ever looked cooler.”

“Wait, wait, wait. Is it just me or are those scorpions locking onto us now?”

“Of course they are. The Zootoxin Mk. IIIs have regained control and we look as much like a suspicious Sorcery Hacker group as those thugs do.”

“Y-you mean?”

“They will target all of us here. Plus, I am powerless outside of Sorcery Hacking. So a question: who needs to pull out their sorcery guns now?”

“What!? If you’re going to show off, then you need to clean up after yourself!”

But “I will not be accepting any complaints” was one of Ayato’s favorite phrases, so he gently whispered in the blonde girl’s ear.

“Miss Teleria.”

“Sigh, what is it?”

“I have no one else I can rely on. You are my only hope.”

He was 100% serious about this.

“Uh.” She was unsure what to say in response to this surprise attack. “O-okay, fine, fine, fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine!!”

(I’m pathetic! Oh, I’m so pathetic! Why do I always let him manipulate me like this!?)

She was more than half in tears as she drew full-auto handgun-style sorcery guns from her left and right holsters and finally aimed at the mana-conducting silver scorpions through the dot sights. But the human trafficking scum had already proven that using simplified magic was not enough to defeat those things in a firefight.

Even with the large-capacity disintegrating lead bullets and mist mana provided by the large caliber, they had been overpowered. Teleria instead gradually built up damage by rapid-firing small, low-recoil magic, so she could not hope to directly destroy an opponent like this.

That was why she had a different objective in mind. She pressed the slide of her guns against her forehead to engrave the necessary letters and numbers into the disintegrating lead bullets. She changed the structure of the magic.

“Secondary Ex Grow Up!”

The red dots of the laser guides pointed not to the Zootoxin Mk. IIIs themselves, but at the stone pavement below their feet. Then came the muffled sound of the rapid-fire gunfire passing through the built-in suppressor. She must have been using a really nice suppressor because the empty cartridges being ejected onto the ground were actually louder. The fading blue light gave its last shine as they hit the ground and they lost their color like withering flowers.

The water and healing had an immediate effect in the gaps between the stone pavement. With the sound of something hard straining under pressure, the flat stone pavement swelled up and a great quantity of roots and trunks burst out. Even when the land looked perfectly leveled, there would still be plants stubbornly growing there. Teleria had simply accelerated their growth.

It was like an explosion.

Even if they could not directly break the thick mana-conducting silver armor, the thick bark could keep them from moving. The “explosion” at the scorpions’ feet hit them like a trap door swinging up, their flat bodies were lifted into the air, and they were flipped over.

Needless to say, those mana-conducting silver scorpions were not designed to flip themselves back over without assistance.

And this was no time for Ayato to be hiding behind the blonde girl’s back and cheering her on.

There was another enemy.

The Sorcery Hacker known as Funny Snatch still had his giant bowgun-style Linkage Plug. The chewing sound coming from his mouth may have come from some kind of thin-sliced jerky. There were no textbooks in the world of Sorcery Hacking, so it was common for people to have constructed their own rules for maintaining focus.

“Chew. Looks like it’s time to scram. Chew, chew.”

“You really think I’m letting you get away? I doubt those meatheads could have constructed this criminal operation that ropes in the government to cover for you. No, the main dish our client is interested in is you.”

“Tch. Chew. You damn leashed Forward!!”

The air whirled around disconcertingly.

It was not that the Sorcery Hacker had done something new at this point. While hackers in movies might work wonders with minute movements of their fingers, there was only so much they could do in reality. A Sorcery Hacker’s skill all came down to how many cards they had prepared in advance and when they chose to play them.

So…

“If I had my payment in hand – chew, chew – I wouldn’t have had to mess with this.”

Laughter joined the chewing noise as the enemy Sorcery Hacker known as Funny Snatch aimed his giant bowgun toward the heavens.

No.

“I always work with a dual core, partially as insurance for times like this. Chew. One of those was the bell tower I was using to control the Zootoxin Mk. IIIs. I never mentioned the other, but I’m also resonating with an aerial guidance light to borrow its power. And that’s at about Level 25.”

“…”

“Chew, chew. Simply put, that leaves one full calculation base to work with, but I’m not gonna bother trying to retake control of those scorpions at this point. That’d be too inefficient since I’m linked with something much more interesting.”

Ayato slowly looked up at where the Linkage Cable bowgun was aimed.

He saw what was floating there.

“It’s really just a balloon bungalow. Chew. You can find those in any decently-sized city, but I’ve erased this one from the control system.”

“I see.”

“And what is currently attacking us from the sky? A crimson dragon. Chew, chew. Now, question two: if a pesky fly buzzes in front of its nose, what do you think it’ll do?”

The answer was simple.

A max-power dragon breath was guided by human hands to vaporize the giant crane landmark and accurately attack a specific point in Fire Castle Town Flared.

Part 6

All light and sound were blown away.

A direct hit from that war-level attack would sink even a military airship. No matter how hard the mana-conducting silver scorpions tried to defend their protection target, they would be melted along with the girl.

The buildings in the way and the sorcery shields were useless.

That attack had enough firepower to blast right through the entire sky city.

“Wha-?”

But the attack did not play out as planned.

It was Sorcery Hacker Funny Snatch who cried out at the cruel world around him.

“Ch-chew. Why? How could an attack like that not kill anyone!?”

“Ah, ahh?”

Teleria had nearly fallen over in shock, but Ayato had grabbed her in his arms at some point. And while Ayato should have been the #1 target, he made no attempt to run or hide.

He smiled and spoke.

“Diiid yooou forgeeeet? I borrowed one of the scorpions to destroy the bell tower, but they all returned to normal once the bell tower had been destroyed. Except for the one I had already hacked independently.”

“Ah.”

“Primitive bullets can break through paper with ease, but when they make contact, their trajectory is bent ever so slightly. So if you combine hundreds of pieces of paper, you can actually stop a lead bullet. Of course, I wasn’t expecting anything like that here.”

In other words.

“I gave the rooftop scorpion a simple command: knock over all the tall objects standing up from the rooftops, be they chimneys, bell towers, or whatever else. The crimson dragon’s breath would punch through those diagonally-toppled obstacles, but that bent its trajectory just a little. And small margins of error can add up to something significant if there are enough of them. So, so, so.”

“Chew. Are you saying you intentionally diverted the course of the dragon breath!?”

“Well, you people were using the airship cannons and that giant beast as cover for your human trafficking operation. You couldn’t afford to get hit yourself, so I knew you must have carefully studied its behavior patterns. That’s why I figured your last-ditch attempt would come down to that. That said, it wasn’t easy both diverting it out of the way and making sure it didn’t hit any of the other homes around here. Feel free to praise me for that one.”

Teleria knew it could not have been that easy.

For one thing, simply diverting the path of that high-power breath was superhuman enough. She could not even find the words to describe worrying about the unknown number of other people in the vicinity on top of that.

But he had done it.

Whether he was up against a giant criminal organization or the users of a corrupt government system, he would directly challenge anything that rubbed him the wrong way. That was how he had made his way through life bringing not-insignificant levels of chaos to various parts of the world but also protecting the occasional smile along the way. Yes, he was like a calamity given human form.

He was a Sorcery Hacker.

He was Ayato Criminaltrophy.

Funny Snatch’s mistake had been thinking he could hold back a calamity by brute force.

“Any risk I bring on myself is also placed on my partner who I care about more than the fate of the world, so did you really think I would make my move with anything less than a flawless plan?”

It was the way he said things like that with a straight face that caused the blonde girl’s body temperature to skyrocket without end in his arms.

“Now, then. How many balloon bungalows did you have to send past the dragon’s nose? If you had just the one piece of insurance, then do you have anything at all left to protect yourself?”

Funny Snatch belatedly looked around in shock.

“A Sorcery Hacker is in no position to talk about justice, so I’ll let them take over.”

Unsurprisingly, a double-digit number of mana-conducting silver scorpions surrounded the man.

The ill-mannered but idealistic boy snapped his fingers.

“Enjoy the justice they were designed to provide, you perverted criminal.”

Part 7

Settling everything while looking cool was great and all, but Ayato and Teleria were not sorcery technicians authorized by the Selected Kingdoms. No matter how skilled they were and no matter what their objective, a Sorcery Hacker was a Sorcery Hacker and there was only one thing they had to do after their job was complete.

Simply put…

“Run away!”

“Ah, ahh, ahhhhh!! Wait, wait, please wait!!”

A panicking Teleria followed after him.

They were leaving the Dark Elf girl behind, but if the Zootoxin Mk. IIIs had truly returned to the original functionality her grandmother had wanted, then they would never allow any harm to come to her. The beaten-up human traffickers and Sorcery Hacker Funny Snatch would likely be arrested by Fire Castle Town Flared’s knights. And if the criminals did wake up and try to escape, the scorpions might actually kill them.

Ayato did make sure to retrieve that large bowgun-style Linkage Plug that was a Sorcery Hacker’s primary tool.

But instead of robbing his enemy of a weapon, he was more interested in the data contained inside.

A gondola was still floating calmly in the boiling mana-conducting silver river.

The same Gondolier as before called out to them while apparently sensing no danger at all from the shells being fired in the starry sky like a fireworks festival.

“Oh? What’s the rush? Was that the wrong place to invite your girlfriend after all?”

“Nice hiding spot!”

He was not pulled over to their side of the river, so this required a bit of athletic ability. Teleria looked hesitant, so Ayato swept her feet out from under her to princess carry her.

“Kyah.”

“Hold onto the bowgun.”

She shrunk down inside that cradle.

Then he took a running start and leaped to the gondola floating in the red river.

“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

The blonde girl screamed as they landed inside the boat.

The dragon must have given up under the heavy barrage from the humans because a brief moment of relative silence fell with only his beloved partner’s voice echoing around them.

A somewhat troubled cloud came over his face.

“From ‘kyah’ to ‘gyah’, huh? You shouldn’t force yourself, but it still saddens me to hear that kind of yell from a girl. Maybe I still need more training.”

“Ayato, were you aware my skirt has two layers and the outer long skirt is floating Expansion Armor?”

“?”

“That means I can control it with magic and use it to trap rude boys!”

The cloth around her waist wriggled like a living creature and swallowed up the Sorcery Hacker in a surprise attack.

Seeing the boy pathetically captured must have helped calm her down because Teleria put her hands on her hips.

“Use this time to reflect on what you did. Hmph.”

“Hgh, mgh.”

“No. I am not letting you out no matter how sad you sound.”

“Miss Teleria, was this supposed to be a punishment? Because all you have done is surround me with your scent.”

“!!!???”

Teleria blushed and started pummeling the makeshift bag from the outside so the Gondolier spoke up in exasperation.

“Flirt if you like, but could you at least tell me your destination?”

Ayato managed to extract his head from the warm and sweet-smelling skirt and instructed the man to take them to the inn their luggage had been taken to.

The scorpions were apparently still pursuing them, but those things specialized in smoothly moving along the ground or walls. The molten metal rivers must have been outside their jurisdiction because their pursuit came to a stop when the faint tracks on the ground – in other words, footprints that could not be seen with the naked eye – arrived at the edge of the river. Assuming their coordination with the giant killer bees that flew through the air or the great serpents that swam through the scorching rivers did not go smoothly, Ayato and Teleria had lost them.

Looking around cautiously would have only made him look suspicious, so Ayato ignored them and messed with the Linkage Cable bowgun instead.

The Gondolier seemed worried about Teleria who was looking pale from the heat and the rocking of the boat, but at the same time…

“What’s that, a souvenir? Probably not the gift most girls are looking for on a date.”

“I am aware.”

Ayato responded to the man’s on-the-job chatting while he checked over the bowgun and peered down the scope on the top. The lens was made of crystal, but it was made dark like sunglasses to block out light.

The giant dragon must have taken a break because there was little cannon fire in the starry sky as he peered up at it.

(I see. It’s based on a fortunetelling tool that views the sunspots.)

A giant form moved in to block his view, so he removed his eye from the scope. The gondola was moving along the orange river, so they had come across one of the osmosis blast furnaces that looked like a vacuum tube or giant tower of crystal.

Either way, it was now time to visualize the mana used for Sorcery Hacking.

“Now, let’s give this whole affair a better aftertaste.”

“What?”

Teleria looked confused as Ayato pulled out the crystal tarot cards he used as a Linkage Monitor.

“Let’s draw out the data inside here and identify everyone who bought the girls who have gone missing already. Once we have the list, we can submit it to Sky City Celedileka’s government. Then those macho knights with too much time on their hands can take care of the rest. I imagine they volunteered for the knights based on what they saw in the movies because they do love their rescue operations.”

And while they discussed that, something else arrived.

It truly came without warning. A woman touched one of the crystal tarot cards with her fingertip.

Ayato, Teleria, and the Gondolier had of course been the only people in the gondola rowing down the molten metal river. Given the width of the river, there was no way anyone else could board it now.

But it happened anyway.

That young woman really was there. She had long purple hair that looked like a condensed form of the night and her body’s alluring curves were evident even through her non-revealing clothing. She must have been proud of her job because she wore a classic maid uniform. She bent over alongside Ayato and indicated one of his cards with a slender fingertip.

She acted like her presence there was perfectly normal.

“Our client, huh? Don’t scare me like that!”

“Here.”

She ignored the complaint from this acquaintance and dropped a small but heavy leather bag into Ayato’s palm. It contained an assortment of gold. Was that a lot for a day’s work, or was it too little for risking one’s life in battle? The answer to that depended a lot on the individual’s values.

This payment for their work had seemingly materialized out of the ether.

Then she poked at the crystal card once more.

“There is an oddity in the data. Check the list carefully.”

“?”

He operated the Linkage Monitor crystal cards as instructed and visualized the list from the manaflow. He converted it into something like a newspaper or textbook so it could be read with human eyes.

He soon realized what their client was saying.

“What the hell? That’s weird.”

“Urp, ugh. Wh-what is it? Oh, I couldn’t possibly read such small print and illustrations right now.”

To those who did not know how to use the cards, the complex arrangement of arcana images looked mystical and incomprehensible. Now that magic could be activated at the pull of a trigger, the people who simply wanted to use magic did not need to understand how everything worked thanks to the advancements made in the fields of gem and mana use.

That was why Ayato explained it for her.

“The human traffickers were generally targeting teenage girls like that Dark Elf, but there’s one old man in the list who clearly doesn’t fit the pattern.”

“Human traff-…eh? What were you two doing???”

The Gondolier looked shocked, but Ayato did not bother responding.

“Jorbe Alphoverin, a man of 65. Now, I can’t deny the possibility that someone with very peculiar tastes put in a request, but it sure sounds like there’s something else going on, right?”

“Hold on there.”

The Gondolier persistently cut in.

But this proved to be a good thing for Ayato and Teleria.

“Alphoverin? There’s only one family with that weird name. Isn’t Jorbe Alphoverin the urban design manager for Sky City Celedileka? There’s even a statue of him in the city square.”

“Urban…design?”

“Well, the actual sky city plan started so long ago no one even knows how many hundreds of combo-years ago it even was, but he’s definitely the one who took over the old design theory during this generation and successfully got things off the ground…literally. He manages everything from the basic floating principle to the individual mist mana wiring, so the newspapers have called him a multitool of a genius. Yeah, and I think he was involved in the city infrastructure and defense system as well. Y’know, that aurora-like unbreakable wall that protects Brightio Castle. The Free Audience…whatever it is. That’s apparently considered his crowning achievement.”

“…”

“Um, ugh, how should I put this?”

“Yes, I know. I have a really bad feeling about this.”

This meant someone out there had used the human traffickers as cover for abducting the sky city’s urban planning manager. It was unclear what information they wanted from him, but they could do most anything with the classified information Jorbe Alphoverin was bound to know. They could even find a way to bring down the Free Audience Restriction barrier protecting Light Castle Brightio. In fact, they might be able to cause Sky City Celedileka itself to come crashing down.

“The sky has grown cloudy,” said their calm-faced client as she looked up into the starry sky that was barely visible thanks to the orange-glowing river and the osmosis blast furnaces that towered up like giant vacuum tubes. “This is an ominous aurora. You erred in your final move, Sorcery Hacker.”

She whispered softly in his ear yet her voice squeezed tightly at his heart. Her voice seemed to manifest the unique fearsomeness of a beautiful woman.

And then it happened.

A beam of light just as powerful as the previous dragon breath was launched toward the ground from an elevated position.

“Wha-?”

Even Ayato Criminaltrophy was left speechless.

This unforeseen blast overturned the game board he had set up as a Sorcery Hacker.

The brutal beam appeared to have been launched from the top of one of the osmosis blast furnaces that stood up from this fiery town like great crystal towers. It passed by above their heads and accurately struck an area nearby.

That location was only 500 esoule away.

It was the supposedly safe area where the dark elf and scorpions were waiting for the knights to arrive.

“What the hell was that!? What’s happening now!?”

He did not receive a response.

He suddenly realized the young woman in a classic maid uniform was gone. Something fluttered by in front of him and he saw a purple butterfly flying above the scorching river. That night butterfly was decorated with alluring lace and gems and was not found anywhere in nature.

A client was only a client. They were paying to have the job done, so they would not kindly provide assistance at times like this.

That meant he had to figure this out on his own.

That had been a sniper shot.

No, at that level, it was more like a cannon blast.

That extraordinary shot must have come from a large-caliber, long-range weapon that relied on an enormous disintegrating lead bullet and lots of mist mana. It was probably an anti-dragon rifle longer than a human was tall that had been thoroughly customized for use with unbelievably large bullets.

He had a decision to make: launch point or hit point?

Which would he investigate? He wanted to start gathering information to get as good a grasp of the changing situation before the traces disappeared. He did not even have time to wait for the gondola to approach the side of the river.

The Sorcery Hacker softly grabbed the blonde girl’s shoulders to support her since she was woozy from the heat.

“Oh, goddammit!!”

“Sir! Just two coppers this time!?”

He had given him a middle silver last time, so it averaged out to the standard rate when the (tourist-priced) drinks were included. Ayato ignored the man as he swept Teleria’s legs out from under her and jumped to the bank while princess carrying her.

“Wahyah!?”

“Miss Teleria, just keep hugging me and bear with it!!”

He was curious who the sniper was, but he needed to focus on what had happened where the blast had hit. That would determine whether or not their job had been a success or a failure.

He clenched his teeth as he ran.

“Goddamn them! What moron decided to sully our work like this!?”

“W-w-wait, wait! Put me down, put me down! I can walk!!”

Teleria was blushing and flailing her arms and legs, but when running full speed, this was honestly faster. He slipped between some panicked salesmen and ran right back the way they had come.

“Everyone is watching! We can do these embarrassing things when no one else is arou-…ah!? Why am I compromising on this?”

Of course, if the scorpions were still functioning, they would be pursuing those two. If they found them, they would attack. Returning to that area was nothing but a risk.

But he could not ignore this.

And when he arrived next to that collapsed house…

“Dammit.”

The smell of a rusty liquid was mixed with the stench of burned hair and flesh.

This was nothing like the smell of a kitchen while cooking some meat that had been drained of blood and prepared with salt and spices. This was the odor of unaltered lives being burned away and there was no comparison.

“I was right. That was meant to silence them!!”

He held his head in his hands.

A blast even more powerful than the dragon’s had been fired down from the top of one of those crystal towers that resembled vacuum tubes. The destruction had left a large hole in the floating ground, so a gust of wind blew in from below. The stone pavement and the ground below were heated to an orange glow along the edge of the hole and the high temperatures had transformed them into glass.

He did not want to think about what happened to Funny Snatch and the other human traffickers.

They had been annihilated.

There were not even any grotesque corpses to inspire normal terror. The only thing remaining of them was the smell of burning flesh lingering in the air. That was the stench of death. That odor told him they had not simply faked their death to make a getaway.

But aside from that…

“Oh, it looks like the Dark Elf girl is okay,” said Teleria. “She’s still breathing!!”

“…”

The many scorpions must have quickly moved to defend her. The brown girl with the long ears of a Dark Elf had her long straight hair spread out on the ground around her, but there was not a burn on her. However, Ayato did not consider that to be good luck. This was no coincidence; it was the result of the sniper’s skill. They had carefully calculated out the effects of the direct hit and the side effects on the surrounding area to take only the lives they intended to take.

“Who the hell was it?”

He doubted the average human could pull off that kind of magic.

Anyone could use magic with the pull of a trigger these days, but using magic that powerful could easily smash your body to pieces from the recoil alone. This seemed like a superhuman feat to him.

And…

“Huh?”

A large silhouette and the buzzing of wings arrived in the sunny and starry sky overhead.

Teleria had been crouched down to help up the unconscious dark elf, but she looked up to see what it was.

It was one of the sorcery devices used to protect Sky City Celedileka. That giant mass of mana-conducting silver was designed to resemble a killer bee and was packed full of homing rounds that used a wide variety of curses.

It spoke with a smooth female voice.

“Intruders detected. Locking on. Please swiftly disarm yourselves and surrender. You will not be given a second chance. The government security and proper knights of Celedileka will show no mercy to Sorcery Hackers who practice vigilante justice and even kill their targets, so if you show any sign of resistance, you will be immediately shot in accordance with Selected Kingdoms law.”

He could only click his tongue.

After all, fighting Funny Snatch’s group had come back to bite them.

It seemed too well played. Was this an adlibbed method of cutting off the lizard’s tail, or had this always been the plan to set them up? It had worked so perfectly he could not figure out which it was.

He did not know what idiot had done this, but they had been set up to take the blame for the sniper’s crimes.

“Wh-wh-what do we do!?”

“That should be obvious. Yeah, we need to get that girl medical care as soon as possible. Hold onto her and don’t drop her.”

He breathed out and gathered his resolve.

…Somewhere in this world, a hero with legendary blood might be battling an evil god, or the knights who defended their king’s honor may have been gathering together for some decisive battle.

But none of that had anything to do with this boy.

What good was relying on formless concepts like “protecting the world” or “making history”? He would rather keep his feet planted solidly on the ground, focus on the incidents occurring in the real world, and do everything he could to reach his hand out to someone he could save right then and there.

Something like that was happening here in Sky City Celedileka and it was showing signs of being connected to a much greater tragedy.

So.

They had been set up quite masterfully, but that was the fate of those who worked outside the law. He was quick to change gears.

Sorcery Hacker Ayato Criminaltrophy coolly explained his plan.

“It’s time to run away.”

Option 02: [Information Search] Basic Sorcery Hacking Knowledge

Sorcery Hacking is performed using an antenna device known as a Linkage Plug and a controller known as a Linkage Monitor.

Most sorcery tools will create their own wiring by compressing the Intangible Fog (i.e. the mana spread thinly throughout the air) and extending it into a thin spider web network using various relay devices and control theories. They can easily produce a variety of effects by passing that mana through a gemboard inlaid with the various gemstones crystalized from the underground gemflows, but a Sorcery Hacker will use a variety of methods to interfere with the long and narrow mist manaflows to cause malicious phenomena.

The illegal Linkage Plugs take many forms to suit their owner: swords, claws, darts, bows, forks, icepicks, etc. But unlike the general image people hold, they cannot hack just anything. Their design is focused on portability, so their individual processing power is not all that high.

They generally begin at Level 1.

In most cases, the Sorcery Hacker will start by attacking a simple sorcery tool located nearby, such as a streetlight or sprinkler, to resonate with its processing space and increase their Level to the point that they can target actual city infrastructure or military weapons.

What matters here is the risk of a Sorcery Hacker’s power continually doubling with each consecutive device they attack.

For example, if a Level 1 Linkage Plug hacks a Level 1 streetlight, it will reach Level 2. If the Level 2 Linkage Plug targets a Level 2 air-conditioning duct, it will reach Level 4. And so on.

Even if the objects themselves appear to be harmlessly left behind at the scene of the crime, do not let your guard down. If they remain hacked, they can still provide the Sorcery Hacker with great power.

These conditions mean that the traditional violence of numbers does not work on a Sorcery Hacker. It is possible for them to reach a resonance level of 100 or 1000, so we need to assume those sorcery criminals could acquire the power to single-handedly destroy a city-state if the conditions are right.

Also, control of a hacked sorcery tool or device can be reclaimed by removing the Linkage Plug and that will take its power away from the Sorcery Hacker. If they do manage to approach you, it is crucial that you stay calm, determine what devices have been hacked, and take back control.

Phase 02: Wind Castle Town Silphine

Part 1

A look at the clock told them it was nighttime.

Starlight shined on Sky City Celedileka around the clock, but it still looked very different once the sun set.

Mana light orbs transformed mist mana into fire magic inside a vacuum crystal container, and mana light tubes coated the inside of a cylindrical crystal tube with phosphorescent moss spores and then sent mist mana through. The combination of the two conquered the night and made it look like the night sky had descended to the city.

Ayato looked overhead.

“They’re drowning out the starry sky again. The people here must really hate that red aurora.”

“Well, they did decide to call it the Demon Lord’s Bite.”

“Nirvelphany. You’re supposed to attach the start of the name to the end to create a loop, right?”

All cities erected statues of famous people with a connection to the city, but the statues here included famous members of the Forturiana Church, which may have been a result of how much they loathed Demon Lord Nirvelphany. That church had apparently had effective control of the city long before the Temple Moving Ceremony that would soon be officially held.

Ayato and Teleria were surrounded by appetizing smells and the lively noises of partying, but they could not enjoy any of it. They could no longer use the Fire Castle Town Flared inn they had reserved a room at. The flying killer bees had taken photos of their faces, so that room would have been broken into it and their luggage retrieved by Government Security or the knights.

“Ahh, ahh. If they have all our luggage…ahh!?”

Teleria Nereid Aquamarine must have remembered some kind of issue regarding that because she curled up and held her head in the dark.

“We were only renting the place, so we can find somewhere else to spend the night.”

“That’s not the issue! Our luggage! Do you have any idea how many changes of clothes I had in here?”

“You can just buy more clothes.”

“Oh, no! And my underwear was in there too, so who knows who is inspecting that right this very moment!! This is a crisis for my maiden heart!!!!!”

(That’s what this is about? Well, I seriously doubt an outsider could figure out how to break through that lock I set up. Still, this is pretty funny, so I’ll let her keep thinking that.)

…As you could tell from their petty argument, they had escaped any immediate threat to their lives. They were no longer being chased by those killer bees and scorpions made from mana-conducting silver.

They had Sorcery Hacking to thank for that.

Defeating those devices in a direct fight would have been quite difficult, but if they used the chaos of taking control of one and sending it against the others, they could create enough of an opening to escape.

He had also taken the human trafficking data extracted from the Linkage Plug bowgun and inputted it into a crashed killer bee. When Sky City Celedileka’s government retrieved and repaired it, they would receive the data. Then they would pay the buyers a visit with sorcery guns at the ready and rescue the girls who had disappeared. However…

“Are you kidding me!? Are they trying to steal our thunder!?”

“We’re talking about a Sorcery Hacker, remember? He probably thinks he’s some kind of noble outlaw displaying some twisted form of justice.”

“I’m willing to work through the night for this. Summon the knights and begin the human wave attack!!”

…Even someone as (according to him) cool as Ayato had to cover his face with his hands when he viewed the crystal tarot cards that moved on their own. He was leaning back against a dangerous advertisement poster saying a Curse Master’s services were available for hire.

“Every last one of them is an overzealous meathead. I work so hard to help them out and they still insist on igniting that flame in their heart.”

The mist mana known as Intangible Mist would generally pass through anything not related to magic and it was invisible since it even passed through light. A variety of information services were provided by the spider web of long, thin strings of mist mana spread around the city by all the relay devices installed much like the sprayers built around shelves of grapes or morning glory or like the sprinklers at the golf courses the nobles so enjoyed. That was convenient, but since it was made up of lines between two fixed points, the information could only be accessed from the devices at the starting and ending point. The technology was in a transitionary period where it was wireless but had the same restrictions as a wired technology.

There were exceptions like Ayato’s crystal tarot cards that exchanged information by picking up the spray that left those carefully controlled mist manaflows. Of course, making contact like that was illegal. The connection was also too weak for proper Sorcery Hacking, but when you knew how it worked, actually going to the fixed devices felt like way too much effort.

Mist mana could not be seen since it even passed through light.

That was why Ayato used the estimated the location of the manaflow between a food stall’s register and a relay device that resembled a pool or beach’s outdoor shower made from metal pipes. He calculated out the line it would take and stabbed his Linkage Cable sword into the road at a point in the middle. Since he could not hack a device this way, he could not increase his Level, but it did allow him to steal data.

And all this sneaking around was not happening in Fire Castle Town Flared where all the previous excitement had occurred. They had quickly moved to the lower levels of Wind Castle Town Silphine before they could be surrounded. The entire sky city would of course be on alert, but the intensity would be lower here.

He was not a legendary hero or a savior knight.

He was no more than a dirty and illegal Sorcery Hacker.

But some unknown person had picked a fight with him while advancing some kind of plan that would affect the city around him and the many people who lived there.

That left him with just one option.

He would reveal that enemy’s identity and destroy everything they were trying to do.

He was not interested in the line between good and evil. A fight between evil and evil was fine with him. But once he decided someone was his enemy, he would show no mercy or restraint. Whether they worked alone or as a group, he would utterly crush them.

“Wh-what do we do now?”

“We need to think carefully.”

After that short answer, Ayato realized that was not enough to put his partner girl at ease.

“So let’s see. The primary problem is that the mystery sniper used the human traffickers to abduct Jorbe Alphoverin, the urban design manager for Sky City Celedileka. He will almost certainly be tortured until he reveals all of his secrets. Simply put, the villain will know all of this city’s vulnerabilities. And I doubt this ends there. They have some big job in mind.”

“H-hyehh…”

“The next biggest issue is how that villain has forced us to take the blame for them silencing the human traffickers. If they do end up doing something big here, they might shove the blame for that onto us too. I will own up to the crimes I have committed, but I’m not going to sit here and take the blame for someone else’s crimes.”

He breathed in and out.

Ayato Criminaltrophy explained his style of Sorcery Hacking.

“So we need to strike before that happens. I don’t know who it is, but let’s show them just who they’ve picked a fight with. That is our plan here. Do you understand now, Miss Teleria?”

“I-I can tell this isn’t going to have a peaceful resolution.”

“Good enough.”

In other words, they were both on the run and preparing for a fight. And in either case, the laxer security outside the fire town worked in their favor.

The flow of people was necessary to keep tourists happy and to keep the various industries running. If they set up strict checkpoints everywhere and stalled that flow, it would be a lot like Sky City Celedileka strangling itself.

And the loss of money was not just an issue for individuals. It affected cities and states as well.

But aside from that…

“So about that Dark Elf girl…um, who was she? I think they mentioned her name.”

“Mam…Mami…um, Mamilis? Yes, that was it. Mamilis Coster! She is from some craftsman family, right?”

“How is she doing?”

“Um, I did pull the trigger and shoot her with recovery magic, so she should be fine. Specifically, I used Secondary Ex Aid and Secondary Ex Icing. The manaflow circulating in her body has stabilized, so it would be best to let her sleep somewhere quiet for now.”

It was said the human body was 60% water. (Although they had not wrung a human out like a rag, so how exactly had they proven that figure?) Just like the Intangible Mist circulating through every part of the city as a web-like piece of city infrastructure, mana also circulated efficiently through living creatures.

That was Teleria Nereid Aquamarine’s specialty.

“About that. Her house was reduced to rubble and our inn is off limits to us.”

“Eh? Oh, come to think of it, what about her family!?”

“They’re probably fine. If she didn’t live alone, she would have been worried about her family first and foremost when those human traffickers pulled her from the wreckage. Her family is almost certainly doing just fine in some other part of this city.”

Ayato laid out all that speculation before continuing.

“We could always leave her with the knights, but given how badly they want results, they might ignore how it looks and interrogate her through the night. It would probably be best to keep her with us until the heat dies down.”

“Uheh. Won’t that add kidnapping to our list of crimes?”

“Leave her behind and it will be abandoning something-or-other instead. Which would you prefer?”

“…”

“Real incidents aren’t like some great war between the Hero and the Demon Lord. We aren’t some warriors with the official protection of the state; we do illegal jobs for money. If we don’t clean up after ourselves, it will only add more crimes to the list.”

Teleria massaged her temples with her fingers and fell silent. She had probably stopped trying to think about it. Of course, there were some problems without a simple answer.

That meant they had one urgent task.

“Let’s find somewhere to spend the night. That said, we’re wanted criminals, so they’re sure to be distributing posters bearing our image. We can’t use a normal inn.”

“Are you familiar with any underground inns that will accept wanted criminals? This is our first time in this city.”

“Searching the traveler blogs isn’t the only way. You can look for certain signs.”

Ayato said that and then breathed a heavy sigh.

Fortunately, they had plenty of money thanks to receiving their payment from their client woman, that purple butterfly who had a way of mysteriously appearing and disappearing. A classy resort would be one thing, but they could easily afford an underground inn.

Ayato glanced over at a Moneylender walking through the city night with several bodyguards in black and at a seedy-looking Flower Seller girl as he walked past.

“Not all of the runaways searching for a shady hideout have much funding on hand, so there will always be a pawnshop near those sketchy inns. And those pawnshops will specialize in buying stolen goods. If we look for signs like that, we’re sure to find one in a city as large as this.”

“Uhehh. Are you sure it will work that well?”

“Well, we could look for a brothel instead of a pawnshop, but I really shouldn’t tell that to a lovely teenage girl, should I?”

“You just did! I can’t believe you!!!!!”

Part 2

Back in Fire Castle Town Flared, the knights who maintained order in the city were walking through the night. They wore dark gray armor that was a combination of monster tendon and leather to increase various athletic abilities plus protectors of oxidized mana-conducting silver that were tempered to make it harder even if that reduced versatility. The area around their vitals was packed with soundproofing material since the range of magic was determined by the range of its gunshot noise. The armor was then colored to match the environmentally-destructive material known as asphalt that had been banned from use during the initial experiments at the Academy Towers, which had been erected by the combined royal families of the Selected Kingdoms that ruled an entire continent. That coloration was meant to symbolize their ability to slay the natural threat of demons along with the very scenery around them. Even without the large sorcery guns at their hips or backs, their very presence symbolized enough military might to overwhelm the ordinary people.

One person among them, Henrietta Split Destrius, stepped into an empty inn room. Her colleagues stopped searching the room to exchange a greeting with her.

She alone was different from the others. She had the same asphalt color, but her protector-based armor was not the latest version available. She intentionally wore an older model. That was less practical, but the design was popular with the people. Her head was exposed since she did not wear a helmet, her curved breastplate showed off her feminine bodylines, and she wore a short tight skirt around her hips. It may have been a modification of a ponytail, but her beautiful blonde hair was braided down to her hips. Combined with the armor she had chosen, she had the perfected beauty of a sculpture decorating a royal palace.

Below the moonlit starry sky, a young male colleague approached and spoke to her.

“Thank you for working so late, Striker Destrius.”

“Same to you, Soldier Shadelose.”

Their fixation on specific titles may have been a sign of the emphasis on social status and honor in their lives.

Sky City Celedileka currently had 160 heads of families given the title of knight, but since that was not enough for law enforcement or military action, Celedileka Government Security hired a set number of ordinary guards to bolster their numbers. Those guards could be promoted to knight if they performed well enough, so there was a path to that status beyond family inheritance.

Those adherents of chivalry stepped into the inn and arrived at the room in question.

“We have searched the room, but we did not find anything. The room was rented out using the suspect’s name, but a messenger was apparently used to check in and deliver the luggage. There is no sign that they ever touched the Media Summoner over there.”

The young man pointed his thumb toward the wall once they stepped in.

The clear sphere there remained silent. That sorcery tool was filled with a special liquid and thin metal leaf. By contacting the mist mana lines running through the city like a spider web, the metal leaf in the liquid would reflect the mana to produce light and the leaf itself would vibrate to produce sound. The combination of the two would produce the desired video or music. It functioned like existing televisions and radios and it could also perform simple data searches. Simply put, it was the bane of newspaper companies. There were also thin models meant for use as outdoor signs and boxy aquarium-like models, but the spherical ones were most popular. The cables and tubes connected to the sphere made it look like some kind of odd lab equipment, but rumors had it the size of your Media Summoner was a sign of your family’s wealth.

“The suspects are supposed to be a teenage boy and girl, so there is no way they wouldn’t have touched that even once if they were staying here.”

“I see.”

They had already checked the records, but Henrietta still reached out a hand to start up the crystal container and confirmed that there was nothing in the usage history. As she watched a religious ad (“Gain a healthy life through coexistence with magic – The Forturiana Church”), the young man said more.

“That is unfortunate. If we could have retrieved even a single hair, we could have used some kind of curse. Even if it didn’t affect them, we might have been able to detect their location through the path it took or where it was deflected. Have you heard the rumors of the Curse Master living on the lower levels of Silphine? She’s apparently some gloomy girl wearing nothing but a cape, but they say her power is the real deal.”

“Soldier Shadelose.”

“My apologies. That was a very unchivalrous thing to say, wasn’t it?”

“The Temple Moving Ceremony will take the form of a trial given to the Forturiana Church by the king. So I have heard there are Priests from other sects watching in secret and plotting to trip them up just before they become the official state church. So be careful about what you say.”

“Again, my apologies. How were things at the house collapse site?”

“Exactly as the initial reports said. Not a trace of them remained. The Zootoxin Mk. IIIs and the trained tracker dogs will likely find nothing. This fire town makes these things difficult.”

“Do you think they have already moved to a different town?”

“With the increased alert level, I doubt they would be stupid enough to try to board one of the flights leading out of the sky city. That means their most likely plan will be to cross the increased security lines of the fire town to move elsewhere and wait for the heat to die down before boarding one of those flights out of the city.”

“From here, that would mean wind or earth.”

“If we had found a dogeared guidebook or pamphlet, we would have had more to go on in our search, but I suppose it won’t be that easy.”

Henrietta lightly swung her long blonde braid as she looked to one corner of the room where some tightly locked travel bags sat. Four or five knights in armor colored like forbidden asphalt were crouched around them, but it was obvious at a glance they had yet to successfully unlock any of them.

“If it is absolutely necessary, we could always break the bags open.”

“No, those are important pieces of evidence, so treat them with care. Not everything is permissible in the name of law enforcement. When wielding our authority, we must never forget we are only borrowing it from the king.”

That beautiful Striker, who chose to wear the older style of armor that was more popular with the people, must not have expected much from anything other than the travel bags. As soon as she realized that too would turn up nothing, she turned around and left the room. She gave a light wave to the harmless lodgers who were opening the doors to their rooms to see what was going on, and Soldier Shadelose unnecessarily followed after her.

“Do you have an idea where the suspects have gone? Already?”

“There are no absolute right answers when tracking someone because the answer is affected by so many factors, such as their personality, their mood, their current funds on hand, and whether or not they have any help. Even the weather can change the answer, so your best bet is to try to put yourself in their shoes in the circumstances at hand.”

“I-I see.”

“This is an unchivalrous thought experiment, Soldier Shadelose, but if you were on the run from the law, where would you want to go to feel safe?”

“U-um, do you promise not to laugh at me for being a coward? In my case, I would probably head deep in the mountains far removed from human society or maybe a remote island nowhere near any major cities.”

“That would be an option, of course, but did you see the suspects’ travel bags? They have very urban tastes. Also, there was a focus on design without any real waterproofing. They are not the outdoorsy type, so they would likely find it safest to blend into the crowds of the city.”

“I see…”

Shadelose said that almost on reflex, but the look on his face said he did not actually see. He must have had trouble deciding whether that was a logical analysis or an example of “searcher’s instincts” that were borderline groundless assumptions.

After descending the stairs to the small reception lobby, Henrietta’s showy, old-style armor drew people’s eye and put them at ease in a way the armor covered in ugly, dark-gray protectors did not. The inn’s owner was worried about having the inn searched so suddenly, but their face lit up just like the other lodgers such as a Maid Trainee and a Bard.

She lightly clapped her hands to gather everyone’s attention and then spoke in a clear voice.

“Attention, everyone! If you recognize the boy on this poster, please contact us. The reward for arresting him is no higher than the reward for simply providing information, and he is an extremely dangerous individual who belongs to the evil side of the Light-Dark Duality, so please do not consider doing this yourself. Please allow us knights to keep the peace here in Fire Castle Town Flared and Sky City Celedileka as a whole!”

The people excitedly gathered around.

People handing out fliers on the street corner were despised, but things were different when she did it. Shadelose quickly pulled out the wanted posters and they were snatched away so quickly you would think they were blank checks.

“Nhh.”

Henrietta left the inn first since her role was complete and stretched her arms up over her head.

Finally, a frazzled-looking Shadelose stepped out.

“H-handing out wanted posters isn’t going to help at this point. I mean, the suspects never even set foot in this inn, right?”

“That is not what matters. We must ensure the people see the knights as a reliable presence, Soldier Shadelose. Have you heard of Liquid Flora, which is commonly known as the Holy Spring City?”

“Yes, that crime-ridden city-state that rapidly transformed into a slum recently.”

“There were a number of reasons for that, but the largest factor was how their management force was so talkative it became known that the criminal organizations would immediately learn of anyone who reported a crime to the authorities. If we are to keep the peace in this city, we need the people’s cooperation above all else. We must create an environment where everyone knows they can rest easy as long as the knights are on the case. Thus, it does not hurt to make unnecessary demonstrations of our work.”

Henrietta let out a slow breath and lightly traced her fingers across the large sorcery gun at her hip.

“In every age, the people are the greatest warning system. I will narrow my search to Wind Castle Town Silphine. How about you make similar performances and increase the entire area’s alert level to get the people on our side and rob the suspects of their freedom of movement?”

Just then, someone interrupted them.

They must have been tourists to be awake and out of the home at this hour, but a small boy and girl who appeared to be siblings waved her way.

“Miss Knight!” said the brother.

“No, she’s working,” warned the sister.

Henrietta made a point of choosing the older style but more popular armor that set her apart from the others, so she gave a gentle smile and waved back at the children before muttering something under her breath.

“There are no real knights anymore.”

Part 3

They had found their lodging for the night.

“Phew.”

Teleria, the blonde girl whose chest had grown quite a lot while her height had not, breathed a soft sigh.

There were not many rooms that fit their needs, so when they finally found the kind of underground inn they wanted, they were stuck with just the one room despite being a mixture of a young boy and two young girls. Plus, the room had just the one single bed. What had that inn’s owner, an old man who looked like he had killed at least three people before, thought as he handed them the key? If they all tried to use the bed, it would be more than just cramped; the slightest movement would probably send someone else tumbling off.

In the narrow, rundown hallway to their room, they had passed by a Bunny Girl practically overflowing with sex appeal and a Bounty Hunter who looked more criminal than any of his targets could possibly be. It pained Teleria to be in the same category as people like that.

Also, this inn was one of the ones next to a brothel rather than a pawnshop.

Everything felt so shady despite being so near the spherical theatre that floated in the air as Wind Castle Town Silphine’s primary landmark. That theatre felt like a perfect match for the moonlit starry sky above. On the other hand, this area of town seemed to be fine with anyone as long as they paid.

But her partner had had this to say with a completely straight face:

“Yes, well, I happen to like brothels more than pawnshops.”

That unbelievable response had earned him a slap, but they had no other choice at the moment. They had escaped the stricter security of Fire Castle Town Flared, but their wanted posters had to be all over the city. Defenselessly wandering the city at night would be a bad idea. Even buying a simple meal of bread made with cheap, third-rate wheat and fish of an unfamiliar species had been a risky endeavor.

Teleria jumped and looked back when she heard a deafening “thud!” and she found Ayato collapsed on the floor. It had happened the instant he had very thoroughly confirmed the room was safe. Today must have been full of far too many surprises even for that Sorcery Hacker.

“Ayato, please don’t fall asleep on the floor! You only just ate, so it’s bad for your health!!”

“Ugh, gweh…”

He must have been under a lot of tension while running around those dangerous areas with no direct weapons and working his mind and body so hard. Still face-down, he moved like an inchworm and pointed in a certain direction. The still-unconscious Dark Elf was sleeping on the one small bed. Even in his exhausted state, he apparently still had the bare minimum of a ladies first mentality.

The blonde girl just about tried to shake him awake, but then something occurred to her.

(Wait, if I let him sleep like this, then I know he won’t try to peep on me in the bath.)

She had never caught him doing that before, but he was a Sorcery Hacker who specialized in clandestine operations. Just because she had never caught him doing it did not mean he did not have some way of doing it that she could not detect. The difference between a spy and a stalker and the difference between a sniper and a peeping tom were paper thin.

Either way, there was a young boy and two young girls in this one small room. There was no privacy for a maiden like her, but fortunately, even this cheap inn had a bathroom for each room. That meant she could secure some alone time. Ayato and Mamilis were not at fault here, but she did not think it was wrong of her to want some space to herself.

(In all seriousness, though, how are the sleeping arrangements going to work tonight?)

She looked down at Ayato on the floor.

At times like this, he generally let Teleria have the bed while he slept on the couch, but now there were three of them in the one room. Plus, this was a cheap inn with almost no furniture. It only seemed to matter that it had walls to keep people from seeing inside. That was not enough. There was not even a couch, so where was she supposed to sleep?

Plus, the space was far too small for a young boy and two young girls. Unlike the balloon bungalow, there were not even any walls and doors to divide things up. If this was a lab rat cage with the sexes improperly separated, there would have been a lot of reproduction going on.

What was she supposed to do?

Seriously, what was she supposed to do?

(Well, it makes sense to let Mamilis have the bed since she’s injured, but that doesn’t tell me what to do. I can’t just wait and see what happens. I have to actively secure the best possible option for myself!)

For one thing, Ayato was a Sorcery Hacker whose sleep schedule was way out of whack. And he had a bad habit of losing himself in his Self-Maintenance work when he had any spare time, which would only cause trouble for everyone else nearby. The worst part was how he saw it as mental work entirely cut off from the outside world. But his mind and his body were much more connected than he thought!! When he was lying there in a daze was the most dangerous time. She had trouble telling whether he was asleep or at work. After what had happened in the balloon bungalow, she knew she could not let her guard down tonight. Whether it was a bed, a sofa, a table, or a desk, she had to find a surface up off the floor to sleep on.

However, her thoughts came to a stop when she started coming up with a concrete plan.

“Uh…”

That was when she heard a groan from the bed.

Part 4

Mamilis felt almost no fear at waking up in an unfamiliar place.

But perhaps she simply did not have time to feel it.

The truth was, she was still stuck in a dead end. She was still alive and free, but she no longer had a house to live in. She had lived on her own a little bit away from her family, which meant no one else would have been buried alive there, but losing her place of residence was a painful blow.

Anyone who lost their home due to a stray shot would be generously supported by the government.

Except it was less clear if that would still apply for a Dark Elf. If the investigation drew attention to her, they might even end up hunting her down. Her sorcery device craftsman of a grandmother had been maintaining a precarious balance so far, but it felt like this incident had entirely overturned the scales.

For the same reason, relying on her family in Fire Castle Town Flared would be dangerous. Then the stones thrown at her could end up falling on her family’s roof instead.

Her options here were limited.

(I need to think up a way to live on my own.)

She should have done so from the beginning, but she had never been able to come up with anything and ended up relying on her grandmother and the rest of the family. She had stayed in this sky city and continued to indulge in their kindness.

And then these Forwards had shown up to supply violence for monetary reward.

But they had saved her despite seeing her long ears. They were not the kind of people who threw stones at someone just for being a demon.

That felt like a message from heaven to her.

(I don’t care if I’m just an assistant at first. I need to observe them from up close and learn how they do things so I can gain the skills needed to get by on my own in the world. This has to be my one and only chance! I won’t get another opportunity to live a life without causing anyone any trouble…especially my family!!)

She had thought a life like that only existed in fairy tales. From the moment she was born, she had assumed she was bound by her species, bound by her birthplace, and unable to ever break free of those bonds.

But she had just seen people who calmly accomplished things no one would ever have expected.

They had so much to teach her about life, so they were like a coach to her.

(I’m taking advantage of this.)

The long silver-haired girl had no power of her own.

Not even the power to stay true to the things she swore to herself.

But that was why she had to do this.

She had to accept that she lacked that strength now and then consider what she had to do in the future.

(I will follow after them!! I will follow after my coaches no matter what!! No longer will I be helpless and held back by my ears! My life begins now!!)

“Nghh. If that’s what you want.”

“…”

But the Dark Elf’s resolve was cut off by an unexpected voice. Ayato was looking up at her from the floor of this rundown inn that did not even have a sofa.

“By the way, Miss Mamilis, can you sew? Our Miss Teleria is hopeless when it comes to needlework, so it would be extremely helpful if you could fill that gap.”

“Eh? Eh? Y-you’ll make such an important decision based on nothing but that?”

“Eh heh heh. Man, this is a pretty nice angle. I was a little disappointed to see you were wearing pants, but that skintight leather certainly has its charm.”

“P-please take this seriously.”

When Mamilis desperately resisted Ayato’s attempt to change the subject, Teleria breathed an exasperated sigh while leaning against the wall (from enough of a distance to be ready for a low angle attack).

“The more serious the people around him are, the more he feels a need to ruin that mood, so be careful. Now take this seriously, Ayato.”

“Open that bag over there.”

He pointed toward a corner of the room while still lying on the floor. It was a cheap leather sack filled with the items the boy and girl had cautiously purchased in the market while the Dark Elf girl was unconscious.

When Mamilis got out of the bed and checked inside it as told, she found a shotgun mixed in with the more ordinary items. It was a full-auto model with a drum magazine attached. It was of course a sorcery gun.

It was the blonde girl and not the Dark Elf who spat out the contents of her mouth.

“Bfhhh! Wh-what is that dangerous thing doing in there!?”

“Hm? The guy at the street stall was shouting that it was perfect for beginners, so I went ahead and bought it.”

“Th-that had to have happened before we came to this inn, right? We were risking our lives to buy even some simple food and you were making a detour for this!? I only took my eyes off you for a moment!!”

“Ha ha ha. To be honest, getting paid can make me generous. I am never going to use a sorcery gun again, but wielding an obvious weapon can function as a threat even if you don’t shoot it.”

“…Ayato.”

“Yes, trauma is a hell of a thing, isn’t it?”

Teleria’s face clouded over a bit, but Ayato’s expression was entirely unreadable.

“But he wasn’t wrong about this being good for beginners. It’s definitely a good gun if I’m not the one using it, plus it fits the current age. The structure of the individual magics might not be the best, but you just have to keep pulling the trigger to produce a dense barrage that will push back the enemy with pure numbers.”

Sorcery guns came in a variety of types, but shotguns had the special effect of self-replicating a specific type of magic and scattering it over a fan-shaped arc.

If that scattershot was repeated with full-auto, the magic barrage would quickly fill the entire space in front of the wielder.

The flaws were how quickly it wore out, the short range required for a decisive blow, and the inability for precision firing if the enemy took a hostage. That meant it left a lot to be desired when acting solo, but support from Teleria’s dual handguns could make up for those flaws.

“To be blunt, if you cover yourself with oxidized mana-conducting silver and carry one of these, you can force back most any below-average target just by charging straight at them. Although you’re never going to get any better if that’s all you do. If you pay attention to your remaining ammo and where you place your feet, you shouldn’t screw up too badly. If you want to be a Forward, then I recommend this as a starting point.”

“I-I see…”

Dark Elf Mamilis held the full-auto shotgun-style sorcery gun between her arms with a look that said she was unsure if he was serious or joking. She must have felt bad not using the bed after he let her have it, so she moved back there and sat on it. It was a very lower middle class thing for someone with her appearance.

“Forget about combat for a second. You’ve used sorcery guns in your everyday life before, right? Is there an element you excel at?”

“Um, fire?”

She responded as a question, but perhaps that was because she lived in Flared. Or maybe it was the influence of her grandmother who worked with mana-conducting silver at high temperatures.

“Then focus on making fire-related bullets. If you’re serious about this, I can eventually teach you the basics of shooting, loading the magazine, and dismantling the gun for maintenance.”

But that was where Ayato’s voice dropped in tone while his position on the floor gave him quite a view of Mamilis while she sat on the bed.

“There is one thing you need to learn first and foremost: the sorcery guns held by a Forward are not the same as the triggers used to light the kitchen stove. No matter how you try to pretty it up, you have chosen to wield a tool of killing to live your life. Whether or not you actually kill with it, you still sought out a power that was designed to kill.”

“…”

“But that doesn’t have to scare you. The knights patrolling the streets don’t carry guns at their hips in order to kill the ordinary people out there. The point is to use them as a threat to stop criminals without killing them. Do not look away because it scares you. You have to stare this one in the face. You must first understand just how frightening a thing they are and then you can figure out your own way of not straying from the path you want to take. If you do that, you’ll be fine and you will be able to wield the sorcery gun like an extension of yourself. Although I doubt I will ever be able to do that again.”

That was all he said.

“Agh, no, I can’t stand it. I need to go take a bath to refresh myself.”

“Coach, um, surely there’s more…”

“Don’t say you want to join me in the bath. You’ll make me blush.”

Ayato walked to the bathroom and there was nothing more the brown girl could do.

For a while, Dark Elf Mamilis’s eyes wandered uncertainly through the room.

Finally, she hesitantly asked the blonde girl a question.

“Um…how much of that did he actually mean?”

“If you really can’t tell, then your first task is to sort through all that information until you can.”

She got the feeling he meant every word of it.

Part 5

Teleria entered the bathroom once Ayato left it.

They had a lot of problems to deal with. The crimes that mysterious sniper had framed them for was the biggest one, but surviving this night in this cramped room was a smaller crisis for this blonde girl.

“Phew.”

At least she could take a bath. She never knew whether that would be an option from one day to the next, so she wanted to use any chance she had to get herself nice and clean.

Plus, her special circumstances meant she needed a completely private space if she was to take a bath.

She stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom which contained a bathtub embedded in the floor. She reached for her blue blazer and then the blouse with a popped-off button. Then she switched off the floating function of her princess dress Expansion Armor. After that came her leather holsters and wine-red miniskirt. Once she had unfastened those, she was down to her underwear and black tights.

“Now, then.”

She reached to the sides of her hips, slipped her thumbs below the tights, and paused for a moment. She intentionally tried not to think of this as anything special, but that actually caused her to move more stiffly, like a clockwork doll.

“I thought I was used to this,” she muttered below her breath as she pulled the black tights down all at once.

There was an immediate change.

The two slender legs entirely disappeared and the back half of a giant fish appeared instead.

This was known as a Mimic Option.

As soon as its effects were gone, her Mermaid body could no longer stand upright and she slumped to the floor.

The temperature was not hot enough to call a real bath, but the tub full of water still called to her.

(Hyah, I get really bloated after a full day of hiding it. I need a massage.)

This, she had not revealed to Ayato. That was why she always needed to find some alone time even on a long journey together.

Instead of entering the small tub, she sat on the edge and soaked just the fish part in the water while she thought. Having water made all the difference. As she gently massaged her lower body with her slender fingers, she felt like the day’s weariness was leaving her.

She did not know how the device worked, but that sorcery item allowed her to be accepted in human society without issue. Lamias, Echidnas, Harpies, Sirens, and any other species relatively similar to humans could wear a Mimic Option tailored to their needs in order to blend into human society.

It was this kind of magic effect that had hidden Dark Elf Mamilis Coster’s long ears. With just the ears, she did not have to disguise very much of herself, so those earrings she wore were probably tiny Mimic Options.

The leader of the various species who humans called “demons” had been known as the Demon Lord, but there were no accurate records remaining of how long ago it had been since they had officially disappeared. There were plenty of rumors – such as a human hero defeating them and sealing them in a small shrine, or the Demon Lord blowing themselves up in a failed sorcery experiment in the search of even greater power – but there was no concrete evidence for any of it.

Only the fact of the Demon Lord’s disappearance remained and that continued to bind Teleria and the other “demons”.

The demons had not been eradicated when their leader was lost, but they had been vulnerable without someone to lead them. Some had attempted to become a charismatic leader to replace the Demon Lord, but no matter how powerful they were, they had only made themselves a target for the humans. The giant dragon still hanging around Fire Castle Town Flared was a good example of that.

In the end, people like Teleria and Mamilis were forced to blend in.

They had to be careful not to be judged evil according to the Light-Dark Duality.

It was a cliché in fairy tales for the nonhuman to be forced to leave once their identity was revealed, but that was indeed how it worked for them. Once a demon was discovered despite their Mimic Option disguise, they had to make themselves scarce lest they be hunted down by the humans.

She felt bad for those who were not humanoid enough to blend in, so whenever she had heard that human hunters were narrowing in on them, she had made an effort to head there and give them a chance to escape. On the other hand, that was all she had been able to do. Demons like Teleria were always on the run and they had to live a life on a knife-edge to ensure their identity was never revealed. …All because they had been born the way they were.

She was no longer young enough to curse how she had been born.

These cruelties were the first thing one had to face after being born as a demon. They were pursued by the humans using the very magic that had supposedly been originally created by the Demon Lord and, if they did not overcome that cruelty, they would lose their life before even getting to start living.

(Someday.)

Teleria glanced over at the holsters and sorcery guns mixed in with her clothing on the floor.

Those were a product of human wisdom.

She should have been able to produce the supernatural with just her own body, but she would be killed on the hunting ground in no time without using something like that. It felt like a symbol of the heavy shackles binding her.

(Someday, we will create a world where I can relax out in the sun like this.)

Every time Mermaid Teleria saw her true form in the mirror, that absurd fantasy came to mind. She had no concrete vision of how she could change the current age in that way.

“Well, obviously the answer isn’t going to come to me that easily.”

She spoke half in self-deprecation and then looked away from her reflection in the mirror. She reached around to her back and started to unhook the pure bra that she still wore.

But that was when he showed up.

The bathroom door burst open without warning.

And a boy rolled in while wriggling along the floor.

“Wait, what!? I, but, huh!? The door was locked!”

Her mind went blank. She did not understand. He had burst into the bathroom and seen her Mermaid lower body, but why!? And Mermaid or not, having her bare lower body seen was a problem for her maiden heart!! All the information whirled dizzyingly through her head and her mind’s processing power overflowed well past its limits.

The door did not matter.

She should have escaped to a more elevated location.

Once Ayato Criminaltrophy rolled in, he did not stop at the floor and rolled right into the tub. Teleria happened to be seated on the edge of the tub like a Mermaid on the rocks in a painting, so he happened to stick his face right into the fish part soaking inside the tub while his arms wrapped around her bare hips. Was this the result when a god rolled the dice? How in the world had he ended up in this pose by coincidence!?

And while her dulled thoughts fell further and further behind, Ayato finally replied in a dazed voice. This was odd. His eyes did not grow focused even as the bathwater soaked him.

“Ugh, the lock? You reverse the right eye and the left eye and then…what was it???”

“Ah!? Don’t tell me the lock is broken so turning it doesn’t actually do anything!”

This was an underground and rundown inn, so would the management really bother fixing anything that was broken? The owner looked like he had killed three people and she could not imagine him rushing out to fix a problem a guest brought to him.

But still…

“I’m not sure what that one part meant, but I really want to die right about now! First, we fight that battle, then we get framed for some crimes, then I have to walk all over the city while carrying that Dark Elf, and now I have to deal with your Self-Maintenance too!?”

Teleria was not quite sure what that work entailed. Like with the placebo effect or seemingly superhuman feats of strength during emergencies, people were not always aware of their own body’s “weight”. And if that baseline value was off in their head, they could not move their body the way they wanted. So by lowering the level of his consciousness and learning the “true weight” of his body, he had an easier time moving his body precisely as he pictured it in his head. She was not sure if that was a Sorcery Hacker thing or something unique to Ayato. She only knew the damage it caused to her!!

He really should not have been moving around at all during this, and yet…

“Ahh.”

“(Okay, I’m just barely safe!! Well, my maiden heart certainly isn’t since he burst in while I was in the bath, but if he doesn’t remember any of it clearly, he shouldn’t learn I’m a Mermaid!!)”

It was his memories that created the vanity and fear that confused his view of his body’s “weight”. That was why he lowered the level of his consciousness. It may have been similar to how you would not fear fire if you lacked the memories of being burned by it.

She did not now how his mental activity was linked to his physical activity, but it seemed strange to roll along the floor like some kind of booby trap during his Self-Maintenance.

She could only make guesses based on what she had seen in the past, but he did not seem to remember much of what happened during this work because that was how he had defined the state. He was technically not asleep and would still be forming memories, but he had decided that these memories would leave as little of an impression on him as “what he had for dinner three days ago”, so he would not remember any of it once he raised his consciousness level and opened his eyes. She just had to hope it happened that way this time too!!

“Oh, I get it.”

“H-huh? That comment sounded kind of disappointed, but what are you talking about?”

“Nereid, huh?”

The blonde girl’s shoulders jumped in surprise in her pure bra (Defense: 2) and her fish lower body (Defense? None of that here!!).

(Eh? What? Eh? Why did he just bring up my middle name that comes from an ancient language!? Is he connecting that to the water species that leads back to the one female member of the Four Great Demons, or am I overthinking this!?)

“…”

“And now he isn’t saying anything!? Oh, but I’m too scared to ask him what he meant!!”

Teleria’s eyes were spinning in her head, but Ayato seemed entirely carefree. He went limp with his arms around the Mermaid’s slender waist and his cheek resting on the fish part. Moving had been the abnormality, so he must have actually fallen into his mental experiment now.

It almost looked like she was intimately letting him rest in her lap.

Or like the demon was being accepted by the human.

“…Honestly.”

For a while after that, Teleria Nereid Aquamarine gently narrowed her eyes. She started wondering for the first time why she had not come up with a fake name when she first met the boy.

After stroking her hand through his hair for a while, she sensed someone’s eyes on her and looked up.

The bathroom door was sitting wide open and a half a face with a long ear was sticking out from the side. The expressionless Dark Elf was spying on her.

“I’d tell you to get a room, but I guess you already did, Coaches. Although I am partially jealous, to be honest.”

“…!!!???”

Part 6

The following morning, the day’s newspaper popped out of the remote printer with a ding like it was a piece of toast. The frontpage story was about the public execution of an old man named Thomas, but if they had carefully scoured the entire paper, they would likely have found an article about themselves. Although it would have been smaller than the Forturiana Church advertisement telling people to consider the Light-Dark Duality whenever they were filled with doubt.

The cheap inn really only provided people with a box to stay in, so it of course did not provide breakfast.

“Ugh.”

Ayato cracked all his joints as he got up from the filthy floor. Forcing himself into Self-Maintenance the night before may have been a mistake. The results were never satisfactory when he did that. His body felt unnaturally heavy and a vague image of holding a giant fish in his arms was dancing around his head.

“A fish???”

But he knew trying to remember would not turn up anything, so he did not bother. More importantly, he realized how hungry he was as his body woke up.

“Morning, Miss Teleria.”

“Good morning to you too, sleepy head. Here, let me fix that bedhead.”

“Nhh.”

At times like this, he let his partner girl take over.

“So what is the plan for today?” she asked.

“First up, how about fish for breakfast? I’m really craving fish this morning for whatever reason. I’ve got this unstoppable desire for fish and I can’t figure out why.”

“Bfhhhhhh!!!???”

“?”

“Cough, cough! Ahem! W-well, fish is good!! Yes, it’s much healthier than other meats and the saltier things you usually eat!!”

“Why am I envisioning an hourglass? No, I’m associating a waist and navel with fish for some reason, but fish don’t have navels. What is wrong with me today???”

“You should probably just forget all about that!! Forcing yourself to do that sketchy Self-Maintenance work last night is probably causing all sorts of malfunctions in your mind!!”

Ayato was not the morning shower type, so he simply walked to the sink to fix his bleary eyes. He chose to trust Teleria’s taste when it came to his hair.

They had not eaten anything since last night, but Dark Elf Mamilis Coster was already at the sink brushing her teeth with the rough toothbrush band wrapped around her index finger. Since they were not out in public, her distinctive long ears were left exposed.

However, she was apparently not doing this because she was the type who liked that sticky feeling in her mouth first thing in the morning.

“Grandma told me to take care of my teeth. And since Elves do have long lives, life probably would be pretty hard if I lost my teeth in the first 100 or 200 years.”

“The faded leather vest and tight pants with slits in the sides gives you a pretty strong punk look, but you’re actually quite a grandma’s girl, aren’t you?”

“These are the only clothes I have to wear right now, Coach.”

“Hm? Coach?”

“Remember last night? You promised to teach me the basics of being a Forward, so you’re my coach.”

“I’m not really feeling it. I probably should have just told you to observe me and figure it out, but I guess I’ll do what I can.”

When she noticed where drowsy Ayato’s (rude) gaze was directed, she sighed and put her hands on the hips next to the thick leather belt Expansion Armor that floated around her like an astronomical orbit.

“This? I just want it to make my waist look skinnier than it really is.”

“???”

Optical illusion or not, Mamilis was tall and slender enough that she almost looked too skinny.

“Things can be trickier when you don’t have the usual curves,” she explained. “An hourglass figure would be so much simpler, wouldn’t it?”

“Hmm.” Ayato’s brain had still not quite engaged as he stared at Mamilis’s navel. “But your skinny body is pretty hot in its own way.”

“Bfh! You could just keep those thoughts to yourself…kyah!?”

Growing flustered proved a mistake.

She lost control of the Expansion Armor around her hips, so the leather belt loop came apart and then wrapped around Ayato as well. Then it reconnected and squeezed them both together.

“Miss Mamilis.”

“Agh! Wait, wait! I’ll calm down, I just need to calm down. Then I can slowly remove it.”

“Hm, you actually do have a fair amount of…how should I put it? Of happiness.”

“Mgyuh!? Coach, are you trying to get us permanently squished together or something!?”

That did not sound like all that bad an idea to Ayato, but the Dark Elf shut her eyes and desperately worked to cool herself down. Thanks to that, they did not end up with two mutilated corpses in the bathroom that morning.

“(I see. So this is Ayato Criminaltrophy. It’s true he doesn’t seem to have any discriminatory feelings, but I feel like he’s a little too indiscriminate in other ways.)”

“?”

The Dark Elf glared at him with the finger wrapped in the toothbrush band inside her mouth while she stepped aside to let him wash his face with cold water. He already had an androgynous face, so he did not need to shave. His chin remained smooth all on its own.

“Once we eat some fish, let’s pursue the case. We need to track down that sniper scum who framed us for those murders and then fled.”

“Why fish?”

“It’s like I’m really horny for fish this morning. Venison or pigeon isn’t going to cut it. Only fish will satisfy me.”

“TMI, Coach. At least it’s a healthy meal, I suppose.”

They decided to keep the room in the cheap inn, but they headed out into the early morning of Wind Castle Town Silphine. Mamilis hid her long ears with the Mimic Options shaped like jeweled earrings.

Sky City Celedileka’s four castle towns surrounding central Light Castle Brightio were each uniquely constructed to match their element of fire, water, wind, or earth. In Silphine’s case, that meant lots of high-rise buildings made of stone and glass. A height of 2000 esoule was standard and the larger ones were as tall as 3000 esoule, so it felt like a small mountain range. The fact that the buildings were taller than the light castle in the center was apparently a topic of some debate.

The walkways connecting the ultra-high-rise structures gave the whole thing an uneven jungle gym appearance. Yet in some places, the height difference was less than 100 esoule.

The ordinary six-legged sorcery taxis were not enough to get around there. Even winged designs like a bee or dragonfly were inefficient.

That was why Wind Castle Town Silphine had constructed a bold form of transportation infrastructure.

“Wah, wah, wah!! Wait, my skirt, my skirt!”

“Not to worry, Miss Teleria. I can see up it just fine.”

“This isn’t supposed to be a special show for you! Your low angle view is the problem!!”

“I have already burned the image into my eyes. Besides, your defenses are perfect with that disappointing pair of black tights with 0% transparency. Now, let’s get going.”

“It’s not about whether you can actually see anything! My maiden heart can’t stand looking like a broken umbrella on a stormy day!!”

Ayato and Mamilis ignored the complaints and instead grabbed the blonde girl’s arms and dove out of the 149th floor window. Even that rundown underground inn had existed in some vertical space taken from the 149th and 150th floors. There was something seriously wrong with the interior maintenance and inspections in this town.

As soon as they leaped out into the empty air, an updraft caught them. The invisible wind was artificially colored by the bright flower petals floating in it. Artificial air currents were sent every which way and people, objects, and vehicles could be seen complexly intersecting through all that. …There was some gold and silver mixed in, so some Thieves who thought themselves chivalrous may have been throwing their loot from the rooftops to spread it among the masses. That would have been deadly from an ordinary tower.

The sun and the stars shined in the sky above.

Airships and balloons would ride the largescale manaflows in the upper atmosphere to travel across the continent, so that must have been the inspiration for all this. This town had converted it into the wind element instead of mana itself, but since people simply pulled the trigger to use magic and did not really understand how it worked, that form was easier for them to imagine. As far as they could see at the moment, no one was losing control in the wind and crashing despite not using any specialized machinery. This was a universal enough image to be found in children’s books everywhere.

The stores and restaurants seemed to have a clear division between inside and outside, perhaps because of the artificial winds. In addition to using the emergency stairs to enter the individual levels of the ultra-high-rise structures, there were a lot of shops using RVs modeled after six-legged rhinoceros beetles or dragonflies floating in midair or shops simply set up on the walkway roofs and building walls. Those seemed to be selling impractical accessories. In addition to Expansion Armor like Teleria and Mamilis wore, they also sold a lot of decorations made from monster wings and scales. They probably flapped or glowed when instructions were sent to them with a sorcery gun. They were really just costume tools. For how much the people here loathed the Demon Lord, they really seemed to like demon-themed accessories.

“…”

For a Dark Elf who had to live hiding her long ears, it must not have been fun to see those things sold for nothing more than idle amusement. That may have been part of the reason why her grandmother had chosen the Fire Castle Town. Blonde Teleria, meanwhile, was too busy blushing and feeling dizzy to focus on her surroundings.

“Nooo!! This is too much for my maiden heart!! Why am I the only one in a skirt!?”

“Miss Teleria, try to right yourself before lamenting. You should probably focus on the embarrassed comments only once you are no longer flipped 180 degrees upside down.”

“Gyahhh!!”

Ayato and Mamilis ascended while dragging the panicking girl with them. They were right next to the giant round indoor theatre that was the wind town’s greatest landmark. It was probably using the updrafts of the city infrastructure to stay afloat, but it was still stunning to see a 400 esoule mass of stone and glass floating in defiance of gravity like that. …Of course, Sky City Celedileka as a whole was floating in the atmosphere’s manaflows.

The theatre was commonly known as the Continent Egg and Mamilis made a comment as they safely moved away from it.

“If you don’t want your skirt spreading out like that, you could always have Coach hold you around the hips.”

“Oh,” said Ayato.

“No, that is not the answer!” protested Teleria. “Where do you think you’re sticking your face!?”

Ball-shaped devices large enough to require both hands to hold were floating all throughout the air while regularly switching between a red or a green light. Those were the traffic lights for the wind town. Instead of telling people and vehicles when to stop, they forcibly changed the direction of the wind to carefully weave the air currents together such that no one collided with each other. That allowed a lot of traffic with no real congestion.

“That place there should work.”

“Hm? What???”

“Breakfast.”

They visited an open café on the wall of a high-rise building’s 155th floor. Just like the other shops around here, it was located at an end point of an air current, so you could enjoy a relaxing morning as long as you were not too worried about your hair.

He had avoided choosing one of the busier places since they did not have time to stand in line, but this did not seem like a bad place. A Sky Pirate girl in an eyepatch and miniskirt and a Fortuneteller with a thin veil covering her face appeared to be enjoying their breakfasts despite showing some concern about their skirts. This may have been a hidden treasure of a restaurant, or it may have been nothing special.

“But should I get white-flesh fish or red-flesh fish? What does the image in my mind tell me? When I peer deep inside myself, what kind of fish is it I want to devour?”

“Ahh, are you still doing the fish thing? A-and I don’t know how your Self-Maintenance works, but I feel like the type of desire here is heading in a more dangerous direction because you don’t know how to classify that memory.”

“(Hm, so she prefers having coach’s more standard bestial desires directed her way.)”

“Cough, cough! Just a quick warning, Miss Brown Skin! You really shouldn’t jump to strange conclusions about these things!!”

“Also, be careful when you pay the tip. If you don’t make sure the waiter has it in their grasp, the coin will be swallowed up by the whirling air currents and blown away.”

Ayato ended up choosing a white-flesh fish with cooked vegetables and pasta that he was recommended. The light-colored and nearly transparent sauce with a seafood base was apparently the selling point and it had a light flavor that was perfect for the morning. The culture here knew how to enjoy its seafood flavoring.

“Wait, why were they recommending fish here and not in the Water Castle Town?”

“For that matter, the entire place is a sky city.”

A crystal ball about the size of a fist sat at the center of the table. It was a portable Media Summoner that combined the functions of a television, a radio, and a data search. Teleria reached for the snowdome-like device to perform a search just as Ayato had the same idea, so his hand ended up on top of hers.

“Hyah!”

“Oops.”

The Dark Elf simply watched, wondering if this would take a bittersweet turn, but…

“Hm, interesting. Miss Teleria, I knew you had plenty of happiness contained in your bust, waist, and hip measurements, but it would seem the happiness is contained in every last part of your body.”

“A normal person would have let go by now!”

“I see. So this is my coach, Ayato Criminaltrophy.”

The Dark Elf muttered a comment like some kind of ancient sage while the brightly blushing blonde girl finally managed to brush off Ayato’s hand and distracted herself by touching the crystal container, operating the small metal leaf floating in the liquid, and performing a search with the Media Summoner.

“Ahem! Um, it seems there are some species of literal flying fish. This says they are raised by having them fly against artificial air currents to toughen them up.”

“I live in this city and I’ve never heard of that. I guess the fire and wind towns are more different than I thought.”

They got in a light argument over whether to have coffee or tea after their meal, but they did get some bread crumbs to soak up the rest of the sauce at the bottom of the pasta plate.

“That was actually really good. Could you figure out the recipe?”

“More or less. But I bet I could recreate it with cheaper ingredients.”

“You two? The lady at the register has a smile frozen on her face, so how about you wait until we leave the restaurant to discuss that?”

Now that their stomachs were filled, they could start on the actual investigation.

They caught a random updraft to reach the top of the high-rise building. The rooftops were at different heights and they functioned as rest parks known as Perches where all air currents were kept out. There were of course a lot of the mobile shops made from RVs there. For some reason, Blonde Teleria grew pale and held her mouth when she saw all the accessories made from monster wings and scales.

The area Ayato and Teleria had shopped the night before had been a rooftop on a lower level. Ayato glanced over at a Songstress who was gathering attention with her song in what may have doubled as both voice practice and conquering her stage fright.

“Let’s start by sharing our information.”

They wanted to learn the truth of what happened in Fire Castle Town Flared. They had managed to resolve the human trafficking incident without killing anyone, but then some unknown third party had intervened and now Ayato and Teleria were seen as vigilantes who had gone too far and killed the villains.

There was one other primary issue.

“That was probably meant to silence the human traffickers who knew about the abduction of Jorbe Alphoverin, the urban design manager for the sky city. Although it is a mystery what the criminal hopes to accomplish by learning how the system works.”

“I can’t imagine it’s anything good,” said Mamilis. “Not to mention that they’ve already chosen to kill people.”

“Ahh. But how are we supposed to investigate this?” asked Teleria. “We don’t know their name or what they look like.”

If that was enough information for them to successfully find the person from among the densely-packed population of the Selected Kingdoms’ largest sky city, then they might as well find a new job as fortunetellers.

But Ayato remained calm.

“We do have a hint.”

“Hweh?”

“The sorcery gun they used. With power like that, it must be an anti-dragon rifle longer than we are tall. And standard customizations aren’t enough to explain it. If a normal human used that, the recoil from converting the mist mana into magic would tear their body apart. That means this is not an ordinary product. If we search out where they acquired it, we should be able to reach the sniper as well.”

“Hmm.” The Dark Elf placed a hand on her chin. “That sounds reasonable, but doesn’t that make it less likely it will work? Whoever they think did it, the knights are sure to investigate the origin of the weapon used. Would the person behind this really be careless enough to leave such an obvious line of investigation open? If so, framing you two would be meaningless.”

“Actually, how would they investigate the weapon’s origin?”

Ayato reached into his blue blazer’s breast pocket like someone reaching for the newspaper that was remotely printed on the same reusable paper every day and he pulled out the ultra-thin crystal tarot cards of his Linkage Monitor.

The mist mana that exchanged all sorts of information ran throughout the city in thin, web-like lines, but it passed through all people and non-magical things and it was also invisible. That was why he predicted where a manaflow was based on the location of the relay devices shaped like outdoor showers made from metal pipes or from the streetlights that automatically changed their brightness between day and night. Then he stabbed his Linkage Plug sword into the ground in between to place the blade in the path of the mist manaflow and hack into it. He was spying on knight communications over the manaflow.

Portable wireless devices like Ayato’s crystal tarot cards were really just Sorcery Hacker toys that picked up on mist mana spray, so they were little different from the tools of a niche hobby and had no standards. A public agency in a well-maintained city would generally used a wired connection by clipping their device to the fixed connection points dotting the city like the stars in the sky.

“I have completed a list of sorcery gun shops. We are ready for the second human wave attack. What are our instructions?”

“Some unlicensed sellers work from street stalls, so be careful. There are loopholes everywhere.”

“I will finish this by lunchtime. That mobile trattoria has apparently received some top-rate wheat for the first time in forever, so I already know I’m getting some fried pasta today. Now, to work!!”

Ayato sighed as he gave up on listening in and cut the connection. He glanced over at a Chef in search of the best ingredients and a Dragon Knight whose skills were more like acrobatics than combat. The two of them were getting into a scuffle in a pet shop that looked more like a circus tent.

“Looks like they actually plan on searching every last shop that sells sorcery guns. The human race will be fossilized and dug up by the lifeforms of a future age before they find the criminal like that.”

“Eh? Eh?” Teleria was confused. “But the sniper was using a sorcery gun, right?”

“You don’t have to buy the completed product all at once. What about the metalworkers? If someone is skilled enough to cut down a mana-conducting silver pipe, carve the magic circle rifling inside, and process it to allow the mist mana explosion to pass through, they might be able to follow some plans and create their own special sorcery gun from the ground up.”

Of course, metalworkers came in all sorts of different types, so narrowing down a suspect from there would be difficult. But Ayato and Teleria happened to know someone with a connection to a specialist in that field.

Yes.

Hadn’t the scorpion-like Zootoxin Mk. IIIs from Flared been designed and manufactured by Mamilis Coster’s grandmother?

“Yes, grandma probably could make a sorcery gun, but I’m pretty sure she only accepts jobs from Government Security.”

Hearing that alone might make her sound like a government flunky, but that “grandma” worked in the large weapon development business. It would be unusual for anyone other than Government Security or the knights to buy from her.

“I wonder if stubborn craftsmen like that ever create some kind of guild that ordinary people aren’t aware of,” said Teleria. “Then the general guild contact point could deal with the first-time customers asking for flashy accessories, the taxes, the location costs, and all the other annoyances while the craftsmen can focus on development and manufacturing.”

“They do. The one my family belongs to is called the Silver Anvil.”

“Huh? But in that case…”

“Yes. Any sketchy jobs that sound awfully illegal will never reach the craftsmen in the guild. Any jobs that would hurt their reputation will be detected by the general contact point and rejected. Without that bare minimum of protection, there would be no point in joining the guild.” Ayato raised a finger. “On the other hand, a self-taught craftsman who is little better than a complete amateur could never produce a special sorcery gun that would requires professional skill. That leaves only one answer: someone who was once part of a guild but made some kind of mistake that got them kicked out and has to take illegal jobs to get by. It’s similar to how back-alley doctors get started. They maintain their skills, but their filter against sketchy jobs entirely vanishes.”

“Hmm,” groaned the Dark Elf while toying with her disguised ears. “Grandma doesn’t like talking behind her colleagues’ backs, so I only have the slightest of rumors to go on.”

“That’s good enough.”

“Once she did tell me not to end up like Alonso Bercouli. It kind of slipped out though, so it might not be much to go on.”

“Bingo. Let’s start our search there.”

“Eh? But, Coach, you have no guarantee this will lead to anything.”

“And that’s fine. Even if Alonso isn’t who we want, he should have exchanged contact information with other underground craftsmen. Wherever they were exiled to, people can’t survive on their own. Whether he did this job or not, we can at least find another hint there. This is like a game of concentration with one card already flipped over, so we might as well start with the name we know.”

They had an advantage over the government or the knights because they would not get in trouble for investigating someone based on the flimsiest of evidence. Forwards generally did not worry about their methods. They would still get paid as long as they achieved the desired result in the end. Of course, that was why a lot of people thought they were as criminal as the criminals they pursued. And since Sorcery Hacker hackers were proper(?) criminals as well, Ayato was not about to argue the point there.

“Now, we have some food in our stomachs, so let’s go stir up some trouble.”

Part 7

Knowing a name made all the difference.

You could not stop people from talking, so simply asking around could produce results even without needing tricks like specialized Sorcery Hacking.

Ayato pointed his thumb at Teleria who was standing next to him, ignorant of what was to come.

“This girl collects handcuffs for her ‘hobby’, but she lost the key to one set.”

“Bfff!? Wait!”

“We’ve heard there’s a craftsman named Alonso who can make another key, so do you know where we can find him?”

After those rough-looking young men guffawed and gave them the information they wanted, the blonde girl protested with her face bright red.

“(Couldn’t you have come up with a better story!?)”

“(Miss Teleria, we are not the knights. If you cannot flaunt your authority to get people to talk, you have to come up with an appropriate question that puts you on their level. And honestly, I feel like I was doing you a favor by not saying it was a key for your chastity belt.)”

“(Nhh! Nhhhh!!)”

She blushed even brighter and squeezed her tearful eyes shut while nearly scratching at his face with her nails, so he made sure to step back and ensure his safety.

The Dark Elf with long silver hair gave them a cold look.

“Coach, can’t the flirting wait until after we solve this problem?”

“You have a point.”

“It can wait forever!!”

At any rate, after gathering some information, they finally discovered where Alonso Bercouli’s hideout was located. It was in the lower levels of Wind Castle Town Silphine. After riding the artificial air currents to the ground, they found a stagnant darkness. The sunlight of the starry sky did not reach here. There was not actually a ceiling overhead, but there were so many high-rise buildings that one or another of them was always casting a shadow on the ground. The entire area was gloomy and did not seem like a place anyone would want to live. They had gone to the effort of creating a livable environment at an altitude of 30,000 esoule, so it almost felt like it took more effort to let things deteriorate this badly.

“Silphine AX, the bottom level trunk area.”

“It feels like it ended up a storage space because no one wanted to go here.”

“And then underground craftsmen started hiding out here, so it may have reverted to its roots.”

A young Curse Master in nothing but a cape and a tall Assassin, whose assault rifle was equipped with a trident bayonet, were walking around like pals, so it felt like they had stumbled on a post-apocalyptic world. …That combination sounded like a honey trap where the people who came looking for a curse after seeing the advertisement would be executed “for the good of the world”. The woman in an exotic dress featuring some large slits may have been a bloodthirsty Martial Artist searching for powerful foes.

Ayato’s group had struggled to find even that one cheap inn, so taking away living space to create storage space seemed like the pinnacle of luxury. If they had not been able to find a room, they might have ended up here.

It did not take them long to find the place they were looking for.

He had probably intended to hide it at first, but that had eventually become impossible. Scrap metal and wreckage had flooded out of the entrance on the surface. He must have been gathering sorcery tools like refrigerators and ovens so he could retrieve their gemboards.

“Miss Teleria, Miss Mamilis. Prepare your sorcery guns.”

“Eh? Okay.”

“Coach, won’t they go on alert if we step in with guns drawn?”

“You’re being naïve. Underground workers like this don’t go on alert because something happens; they’re on alert year-round.”

(A vacuum crystal, a mist mana streetlight, an auto-sorting trashcan, an air pollution sensor, a vending machine, a pay phone, and a public mousetrap. Yeah, that’s a good starting point.)

“W-wait, Ayato. Ayato! You don’t have a gun, so you shouldn’t move out ahead of us.”

“Don’t be silly. If anyone’s going to face that magic, it’s going to be me. I’m not going to demand a ladies first policy for that.”

Of course, if this was someone dangerous enough to shoot them without any warning and the two girls were taken out first, Ayato would be helpless to fight back, so his real reason for insisting on protecting them was to ensure they still had someone with a weapon.

He whispered something as if flipping a switch.

“Miss Teleria, Miss Mamilis. I have no one else I can rely on. …You are my only hope.”

“Ah, f-fine…”

“?”

Teleria blushed for some reason, but Mamilis just looked puzzled. That statement may not have been guaranteed to work on everyone.

“(Ahhh. How can he say things like that so easily? I swear he has talent as a tamer.)”

“(I’m pretty sure he has precisely none of that.)”

While the two girls whispered to each other, Ayato stabbed his Linkage Plug sword blades into different nearby sorcery devices to create the antennae needed to expand his processing space. He viewed the floating Linkage Monitor crystal tarot card displays to see he had reached Level 15. That was enough freedom to give his Sorcery Hacking actual lethality.

But the hard part was still to come.

“Mr. Alonso Bercouli? I have something to discuss with you.”

Instead of the entrance half-buried in junk, he used the metal shutter. It was sitting half open, so he slowly approached while calling out to the person inside.

The response was dramatic.

The fearsome lightning flash of sorcery gunfire blasted through the shutter while melting it.

This was a surprise attack.

But this also must have been unexpected for the man on the other side. That lightning would not normally have broken through the shutter. Ayato had immediately stabbed his sword into the wall of the building to take control of the shutter and lower it as a makeshift barrier.

This was the same as with the dragon breath from before.

The barrier in between somewhat diverted the ballistic path so it just barely missed him.

(What was that? Lightning!? Was it a strengthened version of Tertiary High Voltage!?)

“Tch!”

A hoarse tongue click came from inside.

When the initial attack failed, the man immediately switched gears to escape. These were the actions of someone with survival skills. But it was not enough. Ayato had already hacked into the building’s wiring to control the shutter, so why had the man not assumed that would apply to the other exits as well?

This was nothing as gentle as the back door locking itself.

(That entrance is Level 7. I can manage that!)

After waiting for the man to throw open the automatic door, Ayato remotely shut it again, and forcibly at that. It was a lot like a spring-loaded trap. The tongue clicker tumbled right back inside like he had been tackled through the door.

“Bwah!?”

“Miss Teleria, Miss Mamilis.”

Ayato spoke coldly as he stepped into the junk-filled building where a man lay on the floor.

“Aim your guns.”

“O-okay, okay!! I’ll talk!!”

He had already let go of his sorcery gun, but the elderly man still put his hands in the air while on the floor.

Teleria belatedly raised both her suppressor-equipped full-auto handguns and groaned as she glanced through her dot sight to view the sorcery gun lying on the floor.

“Uheh, a single-shot grenade launcher?”

“No, it’s a magnum with that caliber.”

Grenade launchers had the special effect of self-amplifying the power of the designated magic, so they would explosively spread destruction from the point of impact.

But the lightning bolt launched by this old man had pierced through the metal shutter to directly attack them. There had been no explosive expansion in every direction. That meant it was likely a monstrous magnum with a barrel thick enough for Teleria’s arm to fit inside. It would use a massive disintegrating lead bullet and lots of mist mana to create the penetrative power to punch through most anything.

“You pulled this out and aimed at my head the instant we showed up, so I assume you’re prepared for what comes next.”

“What can I do to get you to leave here? Tell me! Or do I have to leave to satisfy you!?”

The elderly man was already shouting in desperation and Ayato saw the Dark Elf grimace in response. She was a grandma’s girl and she probably had an idealized view of the elderly, so seeing someone like Alonso who was old but not exactly dignified may have been a sad sight for her. Like watching a baby bird rot in the egg instead of hatching.

She had to look away, but the grandma’s girl’s troubles were not over yet.

“What…is this? Eek! C-Coach!!”

“Miss Mamilis, you do not have to look if it pains you.”

The machinery she saw sitting in the dark had been a shock. The foot-pedaled lathe used a monster fang shaped like a crescent moon and the still was lined with the stomach of what appeared to be a phoenix.

It was all very efficient, but none of it was the mainstream style.

Mamilis’s grandmother probably had not used this kind of equipment. These were the replacements used by someone who fell to this level and could not acquire top-of-the-line equipment.

Seeing the guts of “fellow” demons made the Dark Elf feel faint, so Teleria supported her. Ayato glanced over at that and decided to settle this as quickly as possible.

“We are searching for the owner of an anti-dragon rifle with an estimated caliber of 0.01 esoule or higher. It is a monster of a rifle with a focus on power and no thought given to recoil. Does that ring a bell?”

“…”

The old man’s eyes wandered in silence and Ayato glanced over to a corner of his garage. He saw a Media Summoner shaped like a boxy water tank that had some obvious modifications made to it.

“Should I tell Silver Anvil about this nice place you’ve found for yourself here? A guild isn’t going to be too happy with an underground craftsman ruining their reputation. It looks like you have a proxy filter set up on your mist mana connection terminal so your Media Summoner can’t be traced and you can work on shady jobs without worrying, but do you really think that’s going to fool the guild for long if they really start working to hunt you down?”

“If I tell you, she will be upset.”

“A group of human traffickers might have been killed by the handmade weapon you made from the ground up using a mana-conducting silver tube. Your client decided the best way to thank them for a job well done was to eliminate any possible trail leading back to them. Now, who do you think will be next? Who else could lead someone to them?”

“…”

“They seem to be fairly trigger happy. A lot more than you seem to believe. How faithful you are isn’t how this sniper decides what to do. If you want to survive this, I would recommend cooperating here.”

“Dammit,” cursed Alonso.

Then he shook his head.

“I really don’t know her name. She named herself more than once, but it was always a different name, so I doubt any of those are trustworthy.”

“Could you give us something to work with?”

“Critical Disaster. That’s the name of the anti-dragon rifle I made. I’ll give you the designs, so you can use those however you want.”

“Did the sniper get her ammo here too? With a fully handmade weapon that doesn’t conform to commercial standards, the cartridge caliber isn’t going to match.”

“Is that some kind of trick question? The ammo and cartridges all use mist mana. All you need is a packaging device to apply the impurity powder to the inside of the tube, inject the mist mana, and heat it to apply the film. A search on a Media Summoner is enough to learn all that.”

“She also completely ignores the recoil. When making precision shots with so much firepower, I doubt she’s just placing it on the back of one of those bugs and letting it do the shooting. She must be taking the recoil to the shoulder, so where is she getting the medicine or pain relievers to deal with that?”

“That’s outside my area of expertise.”

“Then we’re done with you. I think it’s time we went out into the public square and began loudly telling the knights that we discovered who owns Critical Disaster thanks to some info from Alonso Bercouli. Most people will have no idea what we mean, but the guilty owner herself will know. She’ll be here to kill you with the very sorcery gun you made for her. Our new plan is to lie in wait for her here.”

“Hey, how likely are you to succeed in that?”

“She outdid us last time, so it’s impossible to say what will happen this time.”

“Dammit!!” After loudly cursing, the elderly man breathed a heavy sigh. “I did once deliver a collection of brown bottles full of pain relief pills to her hideout. I can’t guarantee she’s still using the same place, but is that good enough? Now I have to start my life over yet again. I really do have to skip town now, so I hope you’re happy!!”

Part 8

“Striker Destrius!”

“I have heard, Soldier Shadelose. I believe we have found them.”

After building up a foundation in Wind Castle Town Silphine below the sunny and starry sky, Henrietta Split Destrius raised a hand with her blonde hair braided in a modification on a ponytail and while wearing the old style of armor that was popular with the people. She was currently at the spherical theatre that functioned as the wind town’s greatest landmark. She was at the top of that mass of stone and glass that measured 400 esoule across and was commonly referred to as the Continent Egg. With the artificial air currents running every which way, you could cling directly to the walls in this town, but she still preferred to have some ground below her feet.

After approaching some tourists taking photos and questioning them as a performance not intended to produce any real results, the beautiful Striker began on the official report.

They had received an alert concerning a noisy sorcery gunfight in the wind town.

It took place in the unruly lowest levels. The occasional conflict there was nothing out of the ordinary, but something in this alert caught her attention.

A loud gunshot had been heard, but there had been no return fire from the enemy. But it had not seemed like a unilateral execution because there had been sounds of a struggle for a while after that.

In other words…

“Someone took control of a magic battle without using a sorcery gun.”

“Was it a Sorcery Hacker?”

The young man was correct, but Henrietta coldly narrowed her beautiful eyes. The more anger filled them, the icier they grew. This was a look only allowed of a frightening beautiful woman.

“I do not know what they are trying to accomplish here. Perhaps they are up to no good such as stealing from a wealthy merchant or destroying the city infrastructure, and perhaps they are attempting to do a good deed by revealing collusion among the royals and nobles or releasing the story of a silenced newspaper reporter.”

“Oh.”

The Soldier was too afraid to look her in the eye and he looked away just as a young Librarian woman in glasses (perhaps on the way to receive a book donation) and a Witch girl needlessly riding a broom passed by the giant landmark.

“But good or no good, we cannot leave this city in their hands. The only people free to wield such firepower in this giant floating city are us thanks to the peacekeeping authority granted us by the king. If we cannot show the people we can do our job, their trust in us will waver and the public order will quickly collapse. We must stop them before that happens.”

While they discussed that, someone else stepped up from the side. This person invaded their personal space in a very off-putting way, although it was unclear if this was done intentionally or not.

The man had a smooth bald head and fluffy facial hair that made it look like someone had gotten the ratio of head and chin wrong. Something like a thick tape was attached to his neck and shoulders. That was an amplification poultice made with a drug mixed by a priest. He was muscular, but not as the result of high-level combat and training. These were the meaninglessly large muscles of someone who frequented a healthy gym and used highly unhealthy drugs.

Nevertheless, the protectors he wore were the asphalt-colored combat armor officially issued by Light Castle Brightio. …Although that was part of the reason that Henrietta stubbornly continued to wear the old-model armor that was unnecessarily showy and revealing but also popular with the people.

“Hello, hello, Knight Henrietta.”

“I am Striker Destrius.”

“My bad, my bad. I was up all night and my mind isn’t working right. I’m having trouble remembering all those tricky rules. …Yawn.”

“I would have assumed a night owl like you would be used to this.”

“Let’s not assume things about people.”

The bald and bearded knight grinned with a weapon at his hip that was not borrowed from the king.

It was a war pick that altered the details and sturdiness of a mountaineering ice axe for use in combat. It was developed to break through a thick helmet made from oxidized mana-conducting silver and its use had been banned by every city-state for its cruelty, but his was not for use against people.

It was a Linkage Plug meant for Sorcery Hacking.

He also had three crystal dice clattering around in his hand.

“Whoever I was in the past, I am know a knight granted a coat of arms by the royal family. Just like you. Maybe don’t take a prejudiced view of your fellow knights, hm?”

“…”

This was why Henrietta made a point of calling herself a Striker.

This was not the first time Sky City Celedileka’s fighting force had been shorthanded, but they had recently announced a bold solution. The skilled Sorcery Hackers sitting in prison would be given court ranks and temporarily freed. Their crimes would be frozen as long as they fought for the city. The Soldiers like Shadelose, who had been given the position based on the excellent results of their more traditional work, were left behind while those former criminals were not only given a position in law enforcement but authority in the government as well.

There was no longer a distinction between the former criminals and the devout knights whose families had served the royal family for generations. Or rather, the traditional knights had grown to hate calling themselves knights and taken to calling themselves Strikers instead. If the king was going to change with the times, then they would change their title as well.

In other words, the knights of Sky City Celedileka were really nothing more than white hat hackers. Although the common folk and tourists had no way of knowing this.

“Now, Knight Gerlos.”

Henrietta had a reason for using that outdated title here, but the poultice-wearing thug named Dagregor Gerlos did not pick up on the thick sarcasm. Henrietta guessed that was an arbitrary fake name he had chosen for himself. He might not even have a real name. She heard those people liked to use names from cultures and civilizations outside the Static Continent when naming their avatars or whatever.

His armor looked more customized and bulgier than standard, so she guessed it had extra soundproofing material inside. He never wanted to be anywhere near the actual fighting, yet he was paranoid about getting hurt. His lack of military training could not have been more obvious.

Henrietta was absolutely disgusted by the man, but she did her best not to let it show on her face.

“What brings you to us at this busy time?”

“Oh, I just thought this investigation could use a breath of fresh air. I’ve been buried in work and bored out of my mind for days on end because of your old-fashioned methods. Let’s narrow in on them and settle this.”

“How exactly do you suggest we do this?”

“Now, now, now. Have you forgotten what our specialty is?” The hairy-chinned man named Dagregor gave a vulgar smile. “Going around asking questions is a waste of time. We know they’re in this area, right? And these are some good kids who haven’t started robbing people to fund their escape, so why even bother pursuing them when we can get them to come to us?”

“Again, how exactly do you suggest we do this?”

“Just look at this one step at a time. It started at Fire Castle Town Flared’s airport where they arrived in a balloon bungalow, right? Then let’s arrest the rental worker and torture them.”

He said it so readily.

He did not seem to care at all that he would be robbing someone of their future or that he would be using authority borrowed from the king to do so.

“Then we do the same at the sorcery taxi office, the market, the souvenir shops, the fruit shops, and anyone else who says they saw them. We arrest and torture everyone who came in contact with those brats. Once it becomes clear what’s happening, we’ve won. And if we run out of people, we can always start arresting people from unrelated shops and inns.”

“…”

“Really, it comes down to letting everyone know what happens if they cover for the suspects. You’re having trouble because you don’t have enough information, right? Then it’s time to tighten our grip until-…”

He was unable to finish his thought.

That was because Striker Henrietta Split Destrius took action before he could.

Her hand grabbed the thug’s jaw and lifted him up with her one slender arm.

For a brief moment, the beautiful woman threw out her lovely old-fashioned smile.

She squeezed so tight it looked like she was going to crush his neck and the poultice around it.

Her identity as a born fighter had revealed itself.

“Do not say another word, you drugged-up twig.”

“Ah…kah!?”

It all happened so suddenly Dagregor blinked in confusion, held his hands up to his jaw, and kicked his legs in the air, but he could not break free of Henrietta’s arm that seemed harder than steel. And since the thug still did not understand, the Striker, who had been taught to be a shield for the people, breathed an honest sigh.

“I can accept that thugs lower than rats were given the title of knights. It was the insufficient strength of our old-fashioned forces that led to that, so the blame for our decline falls squarely on our shoulders. So I am not going to protest the central Light Castle’s decision at this point. I will grant you the title of Knight. We can simply call ourselves Strikers.”

“Ah…ah!!”

“But it was our old-fashioned forces who created the unique atmosphere of this sky city. The bond of trust between the people and the nobles has existed since well before my birth and that forms a thick pillar that protects the peace here. Former criminal, do you really think there is room for you there? Well, do you? Do you!? Did you believe a thug who was only given his title a few combo-years ago could create a crack in the bond of trust that has existed for hundreds of combo-years? On whose authority, you fool!!”

Finally, Henrietta released her slender fingers from the jaw of the Sorcery Hacker who had been given a more socially acceptable title. Dagregor collapsed to the ground and fell into a coughing fit while glaring hatefully up at the blonde woman with a braided variant on a ponytail.

“I…I…I am a knight now…”

“Yes, that you are, Sir Knight. You are indeed a knight, which is why no one wants to use that title anymore. I see now that you are the perfect example of the kind of knight who has dragged that title through the mud.”

When he saw Henrietta stare in disgust at her hand which smelled more of the mystery poultice than of the Sorcery Hacker himself, Dagregor seemed to finally realize what she meant when she called him a knight. The thug’s face only grew redder and Henrietta spat out further words without trying to hide how much she despised him.

“But have you forgotten? Your crimes were frozen, not pardoned. The central Light Castle’s inspectors are always watching you. Once you are no longer deemed useful, your title will be stripped from you and you will be thrown back in prison. So should you really be wasting time here?”

“…!?”

“I have more influence than you think. Because of the trust I spent a very long time building up. If you don’t want me whispering some choice words in the ears of an inspector I know, then get back to your post. Listen, get out of my sight if you insist on taking shortcuts just like the Sorcery Hacker you are. And if you won’t leave, I will remove you myself. Got that, slave knight!?”

No one said another word.

Not Knight Dagregor down on the ground and not Soldier Shadelose who was listening to it all from the side.

If this was enough to scare him too bad to get up, he could never fight in a true battle where it was destroy or be destroyed. And whether or not they were a former criminal, Knights and Strikers were both only borrowing their authority from the king. That could always be taken from them, so they had to be improving themselves on a daily basis to live up to the king’s trust in them, yet this man was conceited enough to think he had it set for life. Did he really think the weight was ever lifted from your shoulders while serving the king?

Finally, a nearly sobbing voice spoke up.

It seemed to be lamenting the misfortune that had befallen him and only him.

“Why…why does this have to happen to me?”

She had just one answer for him.

And she spoke it almost like she was speaking to someone else who was not present.

“Because you are a Sorcery Hacker, you thug.”

Part 9

In the end, it took until the afternoon for them to find information on the hideout of the mystery sniper who used the anti-dragon rifle called Critical Disaster.

As usual, Teleria Nereid Aquamarine’s skirt was swelling out and Ayato was pulling that tearful blonde girl along as they rode an updraft in Wind Castle Town Silphine. They slipped below a giant walkway and used a food stall on the way to their destination since they did not have much time to spend on lunch. However, this one was a multi-legged microbus shaped like a crayfish, so unlike at breakfast, they did not have to worry about the wind while they ate.

“That thing really is a landmark. You can still see the Continent Egg from here. Only through the gaps between buildings, though.”

“Here, Ayato. Let me fix your hair.”

“Nhh.”

“Whew, what do they do in this town if it rains? I can only imagine it starts pouring on you from every direction.”

“I don’t think it rains here since Celedileka is located above the clouds. I haven’t seen any rain since we got here. Unless a truly powerful blizzard breaks through the Guardian Umbrella atmospheric shield, you probably don’t even need to check the forecast.”

For lunch, they ate a strange experimental dish of fried pasta made as flat as a rice cracker topped with a dip made by mashing up different vegetables and meats. Different noodle dishes could end up being very different depending on how the noodles were used.

“C-carbs and it’s fried?”

“?”

The blonde girl looked disheartened, but it tasted fine.

Ayato, who was generally a gentleman but not necessarily polite, reached for the remote-printed newspaper sitting on the counter.

“Hm, there really is a strong Forturiana influence here. Isn’t the story here that a saint defeated the Demon Lord instead of a hero? They sure are on good terms considering that Temple Moving Ceremony hasn’t been held yet.”

“Ayato.”

Teleria lightly scolded him while gesturing toward a young Priest woman sitting a short distance away whose shoulders shook. But her priest robe had a different design from the Forturiana one, so they continued the conversation.

“It’s like that everywhere on the sky city, but how are things on the surface continent, Coach?”

Yes, the silver-haired Dark Elf seemed interested in the topic.

“Their influence is around third or fourth there. They’re still a pretty powerful sect, though.”

“Sigh, yes. And it seems like they’re growing through the proliferation of magic,” said Teleria. “They claim to not be working with deadly weapons, but they do donate to sorcery gun research.”

“In the name of designing ‘everyday household tools’ of course. But is that really true?”

“?”

“Forturiana claims to help people with magic recoil disease and mana allergies, but I’ve never heard of anyone having either one. They’re a large group and everything they do stands out, but I bet they’re actually in the red.”

After they filled their stomachs while discussing that, they began planning for their attack on the extraordinary sniper.

“Given her firepower, any barrier that can be activated at the pull of a trigger would only be blown through, so we shouldn’t even think about defending against it,” explained Ayato. “If you don’t actually dodge it, you will lose your life.”

“Th-this is Mamilis’s first battle, so won’t this be a little too hard for her!?”

“Good point. You don’t have to participate in this deadly battle if you only want to learn how to be a Forward. Our goal is to ruin this sniper’s plan that seems like it will have a critical effect on Sky City Celedileka as a whole given the secret information received from the urban design manager, but we’re doing that to clear our names. However, Miss Mamilis, you do not need to do that. To be honest, I can’t think of any reason why you should force yourself to come with us.”

“I’m still going.”

“Then I won’t stop you.”

It was as easy as that. Whether to keep going or pull back was an important decision for a Forward who had no backup to call in. Most everyone was self-taught in this field, so the habits picked up early tended to stick around to the bitter end. Removing these hurdles from Mamilis’s path now would not necessarily be in her best interest. Even if that meant more risk in the short-term. That was how Ayato saw it.

Once the food stall microbus approached their destination, they ended their long conversation and left.

Teleria futilely tried to hold down her skirt while the updraft blew up at them.

“S-so what are we going to do!?”

“The same as always: we do it Sorcery Hacker style. In other words, we end this before they can even get started!”

Luckily, Wind Castle Town Silphine had sorcery device traffic lights floating everywhere to handle the many artificial air currents, so securing processing space was not difficult. Ayato drew his sword as he flew around and started stabbing into those ball-shaped devices to increase his power.

He removed the crystal tarot cards from his blue blazer’s breast pocket, so they floated along with him.

“Level 9. Not quite the resonance I want.”

Ayato, Teleria, and Mamilis circled behind a group of high-rise buildings and clung to the wall of one. They were at least 1000 esoule from the ground, but that was fairly low down in this wind town.

“We need to be careful.”

They slipped in through a window, but this was not the dangerous sniper’s hideout. The artificial wind was convenient, but the silence provided by the barrier of stone and glass was still nice.

Ayato cut across an empty room with no furniture to speak of and no sign of being lived in. He moved from the back to the front window. After confirming the position, he nodded.

“Okay, the sniper’s hideout is on the other side of the road there.”

That was about 40 esoule away. That was not close range even for a sniper, but the real problem was all the people, things, and vehicles moving every which way through that space. If they fired any magic now, they could easily hit the ordinary people at the accessory shops or mobile restaurants serving seafood pasta.

“What do we do?”

“I hacked a few traffic lights on the way here, so I can use those to keep people away when we make the shot.”

With that, Ayato stepped away from the window and slipped past Mamilis who had deactivated her Mimic Options to reveal her distinctive long ears. Those must have been restrictive because the Dark Elf seemed to free herself from them whenever she was outside of the public eye.

The empty room had no furniture, but the insides of the walls were not empty. After making some estimations from the locations of the pillars and ducts, he drew his Linkage Plug sword and faced the wall covered in simple wallpaper. When he stabbed the tip in and pulled it vertically down, the wall “opened” like he had removed a large panel.

Inside was a long vertical space and some pipes running in straight lines.

“This should work. There’s a restaurant above here, so they have a largescale fire system in case of emergency. I’ll resonate with its processing space. If it’s Level 5 that should be about right.”

“Hm? Hmm???”

“You two wait here. I’m going to borrow a ballista crane from a rooftop around here.”

While releasing a new blade from the ones compressed in the hilt, he returned to the back entrance.

“And Miss Teleria, you have trouble with fire magic, don’t you?”

“Why would you bring that up when you already know the answer? Uhh.”

“Then we will have to bet on Miss Mamilis’s debut battle. Prepare your full-auto shotgun.”

“???”

The Dark Elf’s mind went blank when she was suddenly selected for what seemed like a major role, but Ayato had more to tell her.

“First, I will tie a bundle of steel beams to the end of the ballista crane and send that crashing into the hideout being used by Critical Disaster’s owner. That should make her escape through a different window.”

“Coach, what is a ballista crane?”

“That.” Ayato pointed to the giant crossbow-like machine at the top of a building under construction. “These are ultra-high-rise buildings with wind blowing every which way, right? A normal crane would be useless. The walkways giving everything that uneven jungle gym look can apparently be raised like drawbridges, but that can only do so much. They use a ballista – a type of siege weapon – to launch a thick wire, the sorcery device wings on either side of the hook catch the wind, and it accurately weaves its way between the jungle gym arrangement here. They are modeled after bees, so they should be able come to a complete stop at the desired floor and even return to their original location without tangling everything up like you would if you simply reeled it back in. Of course, they’re still sending a wire out through this town where aerial movement is so common, so they still have to be careful.”

Mamilis’s face clouded over. Just because she loved her weapon designer of a grandmother apparently did not mean she unconditionally liked all sorcery devices. She also appeared unsure what kind of stance to take with the shotgun she held. He felt bad putting the Dark Elf through this kind of dilemma, but he preferred seeing this than seeing her innocently grab and accept the weapon without giving it any real thought.

“I’ll be stealing that from the construction site over there. As a diversion. If we know what route she’ll take, you can’t miss. Now, Miss Mamilis, I would like for you to end this with your magic. You do not have to worry about the window. Just prepare to take the shot while indoors and I will throw open the window when the timing is right.”

“Eh? But, Coach, will it really work that well my very first time???”

“You don’t have to hit. That’s a shotgun, after all. You just have to pull the trigger, so it’s no different from lighting the kitchen stove.”

Ayato specialized in Sorcery Hacking and did not use an obvious sorcery gun.

But despite that…

“If you prepare the magical spark, I can do the rest with the traffic lights. You may have forgotten, but that isn’t just ordinary wind blowing around here. It’s magically-created wind. If I keep that massive manaflow from being converted into wind and then concentrate it and send it into the road as a liquid spray, it will fuse with the magical fire you create and trigger a huge explosion. And this explosion will rival that dragon in Flared.”

Part 10

“…”

“Whew, the battle is finally over.”

That exchange was held in the microbus food stall shaped a lot like a crayfish that was riding the artificial air currents below the sunny and starry sky. The “battle” here was of course the lunchtime rush. Restaurant customers came in waves, so selecting a workplace based on the averaged-out amount of work listed on the help wanted ad would end badly.

These vehicle-based food stalls could start doing business fairly cheaply, but their mobility meant they could not install Media Summoners which had to connect to the mist mana arranged in a web-like pattern around the city. It was a wireless technology, but the requirement to place devices at the fixed starting and ending points of the mist mana lines left much to be desired. This place’s owner envied the restaurants that positioned themselves on the giant walkway rooftops. Without the television, radio, and data searching that the young people wanted, the baby-faced apprentice with a towel around his head only had the owner to focus on.

The youth placed a hand on his shoulder and spun that arm around while giving the older man a puzzled look.

“Is something wrong?”

“No.”

Once the lunchtime rush was over, it was time to check on their sales, but the unrefined owner was focused on a certain coin instead.

“Our selling point is how cheaply we can provide a satisfying meal, so it just seems unusual for someone to pay with a royal gold”

“Yeah, that is pretty weird. But they probably just wanted change. No one likes being directly asked to break a royal gold after all.”

“…”

“Why do you keep flipping it over? Do you think it might be counterfeit? Ha ha. We’re too dumb to tell if it’s real or not. We don’t have an eye for the Light-Dark Duality. Oh, or is it true you can tell by biting it?”

“If it’s a real counterfeit coin, I imagine there would be no way to tell the difference.”

That did not seem to be what the owner was interested in.

“That trio didn’t look all that rich to me, but this coin isn’t particularly scraped up yet it doesn’t look like it was some great treasure of theirs either. Something about it rubs me wrong. It’s like seeing an old man sleeping under a bridge with a gold watch hanging from his pocket.”

“Um, so should we contact the authorities?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t want to get caught up in any trouble.”

The scales in his mind kept tipping back and forth.

And at times like this, a certain person came to mind.

“Yeah, we should contact her.”

“Probably, but I’m always worried she’s overworking herself with how many people go to her for help.”

Yes.

The people were the greatest warning system. Just like a certain Striker had worked so hard to ensure.

Part 11

After stabbing his sword into the ballista crane on the other rooftop, Ayato easily slipped between a shop that sold accessories made of monster wings and scales and a mobile restaurant that specialized in seafood pasta in order to return to the empty room from which they planned to make their attack.

That ridiculous sniper’s hideout was right in front of them.

A midair road filled with people, things, and vehicles sat between them and Teleria and Mamilis were observing things through the thick window that kept the powerful wind out. He placed his hands on Teleria’s shoulders from behind and pulled her toward him.

“Hyah!?”

“If you get too close to the window, she might notice you.”

“H-how can you do things like this so naturally? And if you really thought that would happen, you would seem more worried.”

“Have you seen her?”

“A few glimpses. Maybe she isn’t going anywhere today.”

Mamilis’s long ears poked out through her silver hair and she did not seem bothered by the other two’s flirting.

Ayato focused on the building across the street as well.

“So that’s the sniper in question, huh? Still…”

He could see a red figure at the window. She had long, flowing hair and a curvy body. She had the look of a determined woman and she wore a red leather outfit formed from a vest and a longish tight skirt with slits in the sides. She wore floating Expansion Armor like Teleria’s long skirt, but hers looked like giant bat wings. No, a closer look showed she also had what looked like horns and a thick tail.

That may have been about right for this wind town. Ayato knew how trying to be as inconspicuous as possible could make you stand out even more, but this woman clearly had confidence in her body given how much of her bodylines she was showing off.

Then the Sorcery Hacker frowned.

(That wing… No, it couldn’t be. Am I overthinking this?)

He could not see the anti-dragon rifle. She must not have kept it with her at all times.

“Have you seen anyone else there? Like roommates, visitors, and pizza deliverers?”

The two girls shook their heads.

He traced his fingers across his floating Linkage Monitor crystal tarot cards and approached the side of the window.

“Then let’s get started. Miss Mamilis, prepare your sorcery gun. Miss Teleria, you provide support if she screws it up.”

“Eh? Like I said, I’m not good at fire magic.”

“Not that way. This is her first time doing this, so if she loses control of the explosion, I would really appreciate it if you cast recovery magic on me before I’m roasted here by the window.”

“Eeeeeeek!”

The blonde girl sounded much more afraid than necessary and Ayato glanced over at her while making the final check.

“The plan is as follows: I will use the lights to keep people and vehicles away, I will fire the ballista crane at her hideout, I will open the window to clear a line of fire, Miss Mamilis will launch her fire magic once the sniper woman leaves her hideout, and I will send a liquified manaflow into that to trigger a massive explosion in her direction. That might sound like a lot, but I want to complete it all before I can count to five in my head.”

“O-okay.”

There must not have been any good end point for the air currents here because there were no shops or restaurants on the walls, so controlling the lights was enough to keep other people away from here.

“Do not confirm the previous step is complete before continuing to the next; we will essentially be doing everything at once. It will take time for the people to disappear after I control the lights and it will take time for the steel beams attached to the ballista crane’s hook to hit the hideout after it is fired, so I want to begin on the next step while those are still underway. Focus on the countdown in your head more than the things you see happening.”

“Got it, Coach.”

“Really, it’s like cooking. You can save a lot of time by chopping the vegetables while you wait for the pot to boil, right? Be more flexible and make sure you do your job.”

“Hmm.”

“Now, before we begin, I will provide you with the magic words, Miss Mamilis: You are my only hope.”

“Pretty sure that doesn’t work on me.”

“(You say that and your expression might be blank, but I can see your long ears twitching!!)”

She was sniping, but she did not have to stand right up at the window. Nor did she need to attach all sorts of accessories like a scope or bipod. The Dark Elf aimed the full-auto shotgun with drum magazine toward the closed window from the center of the room. Ayato glanced over at her while he placed a hand on the window frame and flicked one of his floating crystal tarot cards to change its position relative to the others.

All of the ball-shaped traffic lights floating outside changed their display.

“Phase 1.”

Ayato did not bother watching the result of that change as he manipulated his cards again. This time, the crane on top of another building swung around and the thick steel beams attached to the end of the thick wire took aim.

At that distance, there would be a slight time lag between the launch and the hit.

As long as the people, things, and vehicles left the air before then, it would all work out.

“Phase 2, Miss Mamilis.”

“…”

Just as the people vanished, the steel beams crashed into the opposite building wall.

Mamilis found herself staring at the skillful coordination that felt like something from a parade, but when Ayato called her name, she frantically looked through her full-auto shotgun’s sight again.

Something moved at the window as if forced out by that external stimulation.

It was a devil in red leather.

That very real threat had fired the devastating Critical Disaster on the city already.

She forcibly opened a large window and started to throw herself out into the empty air.

The Dark Elf was acting as a sniper, but she did not have to directly hit this target. Her role was to trigger a fire, just like a wife lighting the kitchen stove for some cooking.

So it was fortunate she did not have to look too closely at her target.

If she had seen someone with a humanoid form much like her own, her finger would likely have stopped there.

Ayato gave her the final push she needed.

He threw open the window and the wind from outside slammed into her face.

She seemed to pull the trigger more out of surprise than anything. A red muzzle flash colored the air and a torrent of mist mana burst through that while transforming into a supernatural phenomenon with real power behind it. A used shotgun shell, with the surface of the mist mana hardened by the impurity powder and the high temperature, lost its light as it was spat from the ejection port. The gunshot flew out the window after transforming into the crimson flames that Teleria had trouble with.

“Phase 3.”

That just left switching over control of the traffic lights to stop the artificial air current and sending out the highly concentrated manaflow as spray. Fire would not cause condensed mana like that to burn, but magic fire or water were a different matter. Liquefied mana inside bullet cartridges was dangerous because it could cause an explosion, but the degree of the interference was all in how you used it. If he used one of the manaflows supporting the city traffic infrastructure to create a blazing gust of wind, that orange dragon would swallow up their target.

Everything was going according to plan.

He only had to flick one of the ultra-thin crystal tarot cards floating in the air.

However.

The line Ayato Criminaltrophy was using to control it all was severed.

He could not use the traffic lights to control the manaflow that was normally used to create wind.

The arcana images vanished from the crystal tarot cards, so they became no more than transparent panels.

The spark launched by Mamilis Coster left the window, twisted around, and faded away in the air. However, the gunshot and magic must have drawn their opponent’s attention.

His eyes clearly met those of the red leather woman with false wings spread wide.

“It didn’t work!? Um, Coach, I…!!”

“It wasn’t your fault! Damn, did someone interfere with all the traffic lights that convert the wind!?”

The red leather sniper had initially tried to escape from the window, but now he wondered if she had detected their actions and fought back. In other words, he wondered if she too was a Sorcery Hacker.

But something was not right.

All three of them heard several sets of heavy metallic clanking take up positions outside the window and on the other side of the wall.

“Kyah!?”

Teleria was shocked by a disgusting sensation like metallic bugs were crawling all over that wall. She lost her balance, so Ayato took her arm and pulled her close.

“Is that the knights?”

“Sorcery Hacker! We would like a word with you concerning the incident in Fire Castle Town Flared!!”

(That’s an obvious diversion. They’ll be sending a strike team in from the back. If we let that voice scare us and try to escape out the back, we’ll be hit with a surprise attack.)

Someone must have called the knights on them and those knights had reset everything to retake control of the traffic lights without considering what Ayato’s group might be trying to do. That was why he had not been able to use the manaflow meant to transform Mamilis’s spark into a finishing blow.

Out the window and at the building across the way, the long-haired devil woman was stepping up onto the windowsill and throwing herself out into the air. Her thick tail swished side to side as if mocking him. Was that the long, narrow case for a fishing rod hanging from her shoulder? That item did not suit this wind town at all. What she was actually hiding inside went without saying. She was a sniper, after all.

“Wh-what do we do!?”

She was going to get away after all this.

Ayato was not going to hold back now. He whispered in tearful Teleria’s ear while still holding her close.

“I still have the ballista crane.”

The steel beams on the end of the giant crossbow’s wire crashed into their own building.

The knights out front were a diversion for the real attack in the rear.

That meant the knights had not planned for a bold escape through the front window. Simply eliminating the group on the outside wall would be enough to throw the scene into chaos. Ayato calmly analyzed the situation while glancing over to see Mamilis putting on her earrings to hide her distinctive long ears.

The heavy bundle slipped through the uneven jungle gym structure of this town and mercilessly blew away the wall.

The time of chaos was nigh.

Below the sunny and starry sky, the boy jumped out of the high-rise building’s window with Teleria in his right hand and Mamilis in his left.

“Wahh!?”

“Miss Teleria, scream if you like, but do not forget our objective here. We must pursue the sniper!!”

The foolish knights had reset all the traffic lights in this area, so all the air currents were even and indistinct. The effects of this branched out over a wider area, so the people, things, and vehicles that would normally never collide had to twist around under their own power to avoid danger.

And amid all that…

“Wow, she’s fast!!”

They pursued the demonic sniper who was switching from one air current to the next to escape, but they could not seem to catch up. She maintained a distance of about 50 esoule ahead. This was not the result of her large decorative wings catching the wind. The answer was obvious once he observed that false-winged sniper as she took sharp turns with almost no time loss.

“I see.”

“Y-you see what!?”

“I would like to move quickly, so let go of your skirt for now. And it is not those decorative wings that are helping her here. She places her feet on the walls when making a turn. Instead of just floating, she is using that footing to control her flight. That seems to let her make sharper turns!”

Sometimes she used the building walls themselves and sometimes she used the signs or the roofs of the tent-shaped shops attached perpendicularly to the walls, but she used it all to move out ahead.

Of course, she was making contact with stationary objects while moving at high speed. When she seemingly stroked those surfaces with the high-heeled feet sticking out from her slit skirt, the slightest mistake in the force used could have broken or shattered her ankles. Just because he knew how it worked did not mean he could do it himself.

Also the sniper escaping ahead while flapping her Expansion Armor wings was not the only problem.

The Dark Elf looked back and raised her voice while continuing to ride the artificial currents.

“We’re being pursued too!! Coach, the knights are coming!!”

“!!”

He grabbed her shoulder and took a large right turn at the next intersection.

An intense barrage of magic arrived a moment later.

The white beams fired at them were “weathering”. They were probably Tertiary Ex Weathering from the wind element which excelled at status effects. Anything those hit would be broken apart at the microscopic level, have gaps opened within it, and be blown away like dust in the wind. This would affect living creatures and metal alike, so the knights must not have been thinking about taking them alive.

The knights were using semi-auto rifles that had once been retired from use and later brought back and improved once their accuracy and power in mid-range sniping was reassessed. They had the obvious power of a large caliber and they were convenient enough to produce certain results no matter who wielded them, so they were known for being strictly banned from sale to civilians.

However.

“Wait, you idiots! Run away!!”

Ayato shouted at them, but did those pursuing knights know what he was referring to?

The fearsome beam reminiscent of a dragon attack blew away that threat like it was nothing.

When Ayato’s group quickly turned the corner at the intersection, the weathering magic fired by the pursuing knights must have continued on toward the sniper with the Expansion Armor wings. That horned woman must have concluded she was under attack and returned fire. People were free to throw stones to knock down a hornet’s nest if they liked, but what if a hibernating bear’s den was located back behind there? That was what the knights had done.

(That power and that beam. I would recognize it anywhere.)

Ayato’s heart filled with an unpleasant certainty as he left the intersection and passed by a mobile shop shaped like a ladybug.

It was nothing short of a miracle that none of the shops and restaurants on the walls here had been blown away.

(That’s the anti-dragon rifle that started all this by sending Funny Snatch’s group to their graves in Flared. That settles it! She really is the person who framed us!!)

He was reminded just how absurdly powerful that thing was.

It was bright enough to blot out the sunny and starry sky.

The magic had been amplified so far he could not even hazard a guess at what it had originally been. There was no trace of its original form remaining. He was amazed by the power of the anti-dragon rifle hidden in the fishing rod case and by the skill of the red leather woman who could control that absurd level of recoil while moving at high speed with no footing to speak of.

“Wah, wah, wah!!”

“Calm down, Miss Teleria. Here, I will hold you tight to help.”

“~ ~ ~!!!???”

“Coach, I’m pretty sure that’s going to do the opposite. Although making her mind go blank so she freezes up might work out in the end.”

Now that the rookie Dark Elf had their dynamic figured out so well, the blushing and dizzy blonde girl had nowhere to turn.

“Miss Teleria, do try to speak in human language. Also, those knights were wearing dark gray armor. That is their combat armor made from oxidized mana-conducting silver protectors and large monster tendons and leather. It provides both a physical boosting effect and magical defense. The soundproofing at the weak points is not perfect, but it is guaranteed to keep them alive. They will not die so easily.”

“Monster…urp, uwehhhhhh.”

“?”

If the knights and the sniper woman would fight each other and slow each other down, that was fine with him. His group had left the shortest route and turned a corner to avoid the knights’ attacks, so they had start pursuing that absurdly-powerful sniper again.

The deafening sounds of gunfire told him where she was even with a tall building in the way. The knights knew they were straying from their original target, but they must not have been able to ignore such a powerful threat. Ayato, Teleria, and Mamilis turned a corner toward the source of the noise.

“Eeeek! It sounds like that one woman is winning out against the organized power of the knights.”

“That means she must be preparing for something that requires enough power to overpower the knights. She already used human traffickers to capture the city’s urban design manager, so what could she be planning?”

Was it due to their altitude or because they were approaching the center?

As soon as they turned the corner, a giant windmill’s blades came into view. Each blade was 35 esoule long and the windmill used four of them to catch the artificial air currents needed to heavily rotate them. It likely compressed the mana spread thinly through the air as mist and sent it through an underground pipeline to help power central Light Castle Brightio. Teleria screamed, so he grabbed her arm and ducked below the blade that approached from above like a guillotine while continuing to gain ground on the brutal sniper.

The Dark Elf gulped while holding her full-auto shotgun in both hands.

“The sound disappeared, Coach.”

“We’re about to catch up. We’ll reach the next intersection at the same time!”

But tracking the red leather devil woman’s position was the most Ayato could manage, so he had to delay doing anything as a Sorcery Hacker. He had lost most of his resonating processing space when the knights reset the traffic lights, so all he had left was the fire system he had found inside the empty room’s wall. Also, that only let him operate that stationary ballista crane and the hook equipped with giant bee wings could only be fired so far. Wildly firing that wire would only get other people caught in the crossfire, so he had to assume that would not help.

(There are the machines that scatter the visualization flower petals, there are the light fixtures, and…argh, the stores on the walls are in the way!)

He had to use his Linkage Plug to build things up from scratch, so he needed Teleria or Mamilis to buy him some time with their magic. But that would mean using those girls as a shield by placing them in front of that sniper who wielded enough firepower to directly overpower the organized strength of the knights.

They only had one chance here.

(The air currents are controlled by low-level traffic lights. If I can stab my sword into one of those to control it, I can mess with the current and strength of the air current. Disturbing the current the sniper is using to slow her down is the only real option here!!)

One of those ball-shaped traffic lights floated at the center of the upcoming intersection.

He focused on the sword at his hip.

And the moment arrived.

They were 1500 esoule up from the base of the city.

As two air currents intersected, the sniper used her Expansion Armor wings and tail in the wind and just barely shared the same space and time as Ayato’s group. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. They were close enough to smell each other’s hair, but there was nothing shared between their hearts.

“!!”

“!?”

Ayato drew his Linkage Cable sword to take control of the traffic light and locally control the air currents, but the woman with devilish horns swung around the anti-dragon rifle sorcery gun that was longer than she was tall and struck his blade, redirecting it. However, their close range worked against her, so the devil woman in red leather could not actually aim the enormous weapon at her target.

Neither one of them could accomplish what they wanted.

And time sped back up to normal.

The scenery flew by and the distance between them stretched out infinitely once more. He nearly crashed into one of the walkways creating the jungle gym look of this town, but he just barely managed to regain his balance at high speed.

“Again!! We need to cross that sniper’s route again before we lose sight of her!!”

Just as he shouted that, the sniper took action sooner than expected.

The fearsome beam of that anti-dragon rifle ignored the street made from artificial air currents and the row of towering buildings as it attacked. Yes, she used its destructive power to blast right through the building in between them.

(…!?)

This one caught him entirely by surprise.

Even Ayato felt like an icy hand was squeezing at his heart, but this was not aimed at him or at the ordinary people standing perpendicular on the wall. The wind blew in through the smashed wall, but the people in the stores were miraculously safe. That woman’s skill really was astounding. But what had she been shooting?

It was one of the ball-shaped sorcery devices floating in the air.

She had vaporized the traffic light that organized traffic by controlling the air currents for this area.

“Wha-?”

Ayato himself had tried to control that very device to slow down the sniper, but the woman with her Expansion Armor tail waving had chosen to destroy it instead of control it.

With the traffic light gone, the artificially-managed air current vanished.

Ayato’s group had been freely soaring through the sky as if swimming, but that movement suddenly changed.

They fell.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!?” screamed Teleria.

Ayato reached out a hand almost on reflex and pulled the blonde girl close.

An instinctual fear ran down his spine as he felt gravity clutching at his stomach, but they were not going to crash into the ground right away. Wind Castle Town Silphine had countless air currents intersecting like knit wool. They had lost one, but they just had to catch a ride on another one lower down.

But it was true they had lost that smooth control.

They were blasted in an entirely different direction like they had boarded the wrong train.

“Where’s that sniper!?” he shouted.

“It’s no use!” answered Mamilis. “I can’t see her anymore!!”

Changing “tracks” must have made Mamilis panic because she tried to reach for a nearby mobile shop modified from a longhorn beetle sorcery taxi, but Ayato quickly stopped her. He was not going to let her break or shatter a bone.

This result made everything feel dark and hopeless, but the devil woman in red leather had not literally disappeared. She was still in this wind town, so they could still pursue her.

Or so he thought.

However…

“What is that? Dammit!”

Ayato Criminaltrophy finally realized where the sniper had sent them.

They were being swept toward the many people and beetle-like sorcery vehicles clinging to the wall of a giant building.

Except all of these people carried large sorcery guns and wore identical asphalt-colored armor made from oxidized mana-conducting silver protectors and large monster leather and tendons.

“Really!? Straight to the knights’ local command post!?”

It was too late to complain now.

There was only one exit from that invisible slide made from a powerful air current, so Ayato’s group was forced to land on the wall right in the middle of the enemy formation.

Part 12

Henrietta Split Destrius had sensed an odd change to the “flow” of events. The Sorcery Hackers had supposedly been running from the peacekeeping knights, so she doubted they would charge right into the knights’ formation for no reason. Most likely, some third party had intentionally intervened. And that Striker with a blonde braid, dark gray protector armor, and a tight miniskirt was not careless enough to assume the enemy of their enemy was their friend.

But whatever their circumstances, these people here were undoubtedly sorcery criminals.

Also, it was highly likely they were a vigilante group that had fought some other criminals in the fire town and vaporized their opponents with high-power magic.

(This is wrong of me.)

The weight of the large sorcery gun at her hip felt comforting to Henrietta right now.

(I should not be finding comfort in a tool of killing. A Striker’s focus should be on compassion and decorum.)

Her father had been unable to die in battle.

With the world at peace, the royals and nobles had held parties on a daily or nightly basis, so their lives were taken by excessive alcohol and salty meat dishes instead of an enemy’s blade. Her father had been a simple and honest warrior, so he must not have been able to keep up with those machiavellian people who had nothing but soft fangs in their mouths. She had been unable to look at her father in those final days when the stress and lifestyle diseases had left him bedridden. He had passed away while deliriously insisting he wanted to die in battle and that he wanted to take a blade for someone.

She had been unable to grant him his wish.

But after succeeding him as a very young head of the family, Henrietta had chosen to carry their family’s honor by placing herself in the dangerous sorts of duties he had always aspired to.

The title of knight had been stolen by those filthy white hat hackers and she had instead taken the temporary title of Striker that did not have any history behind it, but that was fine with her.

What she had to do remained the same.

She had a body to use and an enemy to defeat, so if this would protect the people and the king’s honor, nothing would delight her more.

“Striker Destrius.”

“Stay focused, Solder Shadelose.”

She slowly exhaled while viewing her target.

“Just do this like we always do.”

Part 13

They had no time.

Even now, the sniper with devil wings was escaping further and further away.

“Sorcery Hacker.”

But Ayato felt things changing when a female voice sharply questioned him.

They were on a different set or rails now.

He wanted to pursue that red leather woman right away, but he could not ignore this either.

They were surrounded by a group of around ten wearing protector-based combat armor colored a dark gray, but the one beautiful woman wore some nicer-looking armor. Why had she chosen that technologically-inferior armor? She wore her long blonde hair in a single braid down to her hips, her hand slowly reached for the large sorcery gun worn at the side of her hip, and she appeared to be the one in charge here.

He heard some solid clanking sounds from directly behind him. The elites who had survived the fury of the anti-dragon rifle had caught up and landed on the wall of the building.

But he could not take his eyes off the person in front of him.

The pressure coming from that female knight with braided blonde hair was different from the rest. There was no warmup in combat. You could not hold anything in reserve for later. If he let his focus shift even slightly, he would be devoured immediately.

He could tell.

“Disarm yourselves and surrender at once. We will give you one chance here. We have no problem at all with shooting all three of you to end this.”

“Hm, you real knights are nothing like the ones in the storybooks.”

“Excuse me, I am Striker Henrietta Split Destrius. My court rank is viscount. Unlike you, I hold a position where I need not hide my appearance and name behind a handle name. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“We clearly live in very different worlds because that just sounds suicidal to me.”

Ayato slowly raised his hands and observed his surroundings by moving just his eyes and keeping his head motionless. They were on the wall of the high-rise building. In addition to the asphalt-colored knights, there were also a few six-legged sorcery vehicles parked around them. He could Sorcery Hack those if he had a manaflow to work with, but…

(Even the cheapest vehicle is Level 8 while I only have 6 to work with. There’s nothing I can do right now. And those knights’ protector armor is more than twice that.)

Their levels were high and they blocked the way forward and back. Ayato had not stabbed his sword’s blades into various devices to build up his processing space, so he was stuck like this for now.

(Whatever the case, I need to get to a higher level. I can’t do anything without doing that.)

Clank, clank, CLINK. Ayato’s footsteps rang out as he slowly walked toward the group in front of him with his hands still in the air.

Henrietta drew the large sorcery gun from her hip.

It was based on a large-caliber bolt-action rifle, but it was a carbine with a collapsible metal stock attached to the back and a giant axe attached like a bayonet either as a formality or for military demonstrations. However, he could not quite figure out what it was for. It might have decent penetrative power and accuracy with a scope by using its long-range and large caliber, but then what was that axe for? It seemed overly decorative to him, much like that armor with a miniskirt.

“Do you intend to survive this?”

“I certainly don’t intend to surrender.”

With a rough noise, Henrietta pulled back the bolt-action cocking lever to load a round into the chamber.

“(Miss Mamilis.)”

Nevertheless, Ayato whispered in the Dark Elf’s ear with his hands still raised.

“(What magic do you have loaded at the moment?)”

“(The simplest one: Primary Blaze.)”

“(Then,)” he began. “(You are my only hope. Fire at the window directly below us.)”

The full-auto shotgun sorcery gun with a drum magazine attached produced a muzzle flash toward their feet and fire magic exploded out. The three of them immediately disappeared. They were standing on the side of a building and the wall they stood on had windows at set intervals. It went without saying what happened when Ayato, Teleria, and Mamilis stood on that thick glass and then shattered it.

The shotgun self-replicated the magic designated by the bullet itself and fanned it out from the barrel. The thick reinforced glass may have been designed to withstand the powerful winds and artificial air currents up here, but this was too much for it.

“Kyah!!”

The blonde girl’s scream echoed out. They had been standing where the air current pushed them against the wall, so they had slipped right inside the building. Gunshots rang out from the outside wall, but it was too late now.

Ayato reflexively tried to pull the blonde girl close when he heard her scream, but someone else responded faster. Rookie Mamilis grabbed Teleria’s hand and helped her up in his place.

“Oh?”

“Oh, no. If this student proves to be a little too capable and steals this role from me, that happy sensation will forever slip from my fingers!!”

“I’m not going anywhere, Ayato, so don’t look even more panicked about this than everything else that’s happened today!!”

The fading red shotgun shell finally fell into the building with a metallic clinking.

Ayato spun around to view their surroundings.

Teleria (while still held by the Dark Elf) pulled her dual handguns from their holsters, pressed the slides against her forehead, and used the power of her mind to transform the letters and numbers on the disintegrating lead bullets into something more combat-oriented.

There was a brightly-polished floor, decorative potted plants, and the giant crystal orb of a Media Summoner. A brand-new six-legged vehicle sat in the middle of the shop. This must have been a luxury shop shielded from the winds outside.

“A display store for sorcery vehicles?”

“Ugh, they’re like driven weapons…”

“Miss Mamilis, there is nothing to fear from that machine. And Miss Teleria, fire some warning shots toward the workers and customers, but do not hit anyone. Miss Mamilis, keep track of your remaining shots while firing toward the window!”

“Oh, honestly! Secondary Water Jet!!”

The blonde girl fired a straight line of pressurized water up at the ceiling using her twin handguns and the Dark Elf used the Primary Blaze fire magic to construct a giant wall of small explosions at the window through which they had entered.

The floor was soon littered with red shotgun shells covered with a hardened film of mist mana. The shells flashed like sparks as they fell.

They had sent the extra people away from here while buying time until the knights could break in. Ayato had to make his move during that time. He drew his Linkage Plug sword, stabbed it into the floor, and removed a perfectly-hidden square panel. Several pipes ran through the floor.

(The sprinkler control and the A/C equipment. That’s Level 5. I’ll take that processing space to start with.)

He stabbed his sword in, pulled the trigger, and detached the grip from the blade before replacing the floor panel.

This time, they would be fighting on a narrow field. He had some more processing space now, but that was gone if the knights found the blade and pulled it out. That meant it had to remain hidden.

The giant snowdome-like Media Summoner connected to a long and narrow path of mist mana on the wall was being used as an advertisement display for new vehicles. He reached behind that and stabbed a blade into it.

(The Media Summoner is Level 3. That gives me a total of 14. With that much resonance, I can take over that display sorcery vehicle or even a knight’s protector armor if I can get a blade into it!)

“Wah, wah! Ayato! I just heard hurried footsteps from over there. In the hallway!”

“Yeah, they would search for another way around with the window blocked by that barrage.”

“Hm? Then can I stop, Coach?”

“No, Miss Mamilis, you keep at it. Miss Teleria, fire on my signal. On the count of three!”

Heavily-equipped knights charged in through the same door the workers and customers had used to flee the warning shot. Ayato used that moment to use the sprinklers under his control to send an artificial downpour on them.

Their armored feet must have slipped in the pouring rain.

“Ahh, ah!!”

“Miss Teleria, the finishing blow.”

She did not need a laser guide or dot sight. The blonde girl pulled her twin handguns’ triggers toward the dark gray knights who had tripped quite spectacularly. Fire erupted from the muzzles and the disintegrating lead bullets created blue muzzle flashes as bright as fireworks. The mist mana spewed blue sparks in full-auto and the muffled sound of suppressed gunfire rang out as spears of pressurized water were created. More and more shots of Secondary Water Jet stabbed into the defenseless knights. Since their armor was made to be wearable, the soundproofing around the vitals was not perfect.

“Keep going! Freeze their soaked armor if you can!!”

“That would kill the people inside, so I’m not doing that!!”

A surprise attack was no more than a surprise attack, so this would not work again.

But Ayato still thought they could win.

“Lean out into the hallway and keep firing. Take out as many as you can right now.”

“U-uwehhhh!! Okay, fine!!”

The soaking-wet blonde girl did as told and released a spray of full-auto fire into the straight hallway outside the door.

She had soon created a small pile of empty cartridges covered in a film from the impurity powder and high temperature. The fading blue lights scattered at her feet and lost their color like withering flowers.

Their opponents here were experts at keeping the peace. A thoughtless spray of magic would not normally score a clean hit on them, but things were different here.

“Gyah!?”

“Dammit, what!? I can’t see it!!”

“It’s water magic, but it’s hard to see because it’s blending into the sprinkler water!!”

It was the same idea as being unable to read red writing in a red light. With the sprinklers sending down a shower of water, Teleria’s water attack magic blended into the background.

(We don’t have to defeat all of the knights. It takes one of them to treat another, so we just have to take out half of them. And we just want to run away, so we don’t have to defeat their big boss either. If we crush the underlings to trip them up, we can make our getaway!!)

He had built up a path to victory while outnumbered.

He chose not to confront them head-on because he recognized their skill. The more a Sorcery Hacker respected a formidable foe, the craftier a plan they would put together. If a clash could be avoided, nothing would be better. Direct combat was not the only way to fight. Whatever that blonde braided knight…no, that Striker thought, Ayato’s group’s win condition was escaping safely from this place.

Or so he thought.

However, the interior wall right next to him was suddenly smashed by brute force from the other side.

“Wha-?”

This assault operation entirely ignored the preexisting pathways.

The explosive destruction sent chunks of wall larger than his head flying like a scattershot. Teleria had been by the door to the hallway, but Mamilis was in the danger zone while holding the full-auto shotgun at her hip and firing toward the window from the center of the display area. He immediately grabbed the Dark Elf around her slender hips and knocked her to the floor.

“Mgyuh!!”

“Miss Mamilis, you really do have some ‘happiness’ despite your slender build.”

“Are you making a joke so I won’t worry about you, Coach? A piece of rubble just hit you in the back.”

He smiled and did not respond, but the blonde girl who did not know how to appreciate the little things in life interrupted them with a warning shot of water magic.

“C’mon, c’mon! Get up, get up!! This is serious!!”

“Yes, yes…ow.”

He slowed his breathing and tried to get up again.

The person who had destroyed the wall and now strolled in from the adjacent room was the blonde-braided Striker wearing the old model of tight skirt protector armor and carrying a bolt action carbine with an axe-like bayonet.

This was Henrietta Split Destrius.

A sniper rifle with a scope gave no advantage in an indoor battle like this, but she approached all the same.

“Nh!!”

Dark Elf Mamilis fired her full-auto magazine while still lying on her back after he pushed her down. It spat out a Primary Blaze blast along with the shotgun shell. The bright red muzzle flash spread out, the mist mana that pierced that produced explosion magic, and the many pieces of self-replicated fire magic fanned out to create a thick wall of explosions.

Yet it did not hit.

Magic’s range was equal to the reach of the gunshot sound, but this was not thanks to the partial soundproofing around the Striker’s vitals. A much larger system had prevented the magic from working.

A gust of wind blew in through the broken window and surrounded Henrietta’s slender body. The small tornado twisted and bent Mamilis’s lines of fire, sending them in the wrong direction. The walls and potted plants were caught by the explosions, but Henrietta remained unscathed. Shotgun shells the size of fingers were ejected to show the power being consumed and the last trace of their light scattered like sparks while their color faded like a withering flower.

“Sorcery Hacker, you are no more than a pest abusing but a portion of this city’s system.”

“Kh.”

“But we Strikers are the ones who built this city’s system. I hold the jackpot that allows me to draw out the city’s full power through the proper lines, so did you really think you could stand up to me with the power of a few chips you managed to swipe?”

Ayato did not bother listening to any more than that.

(I’m at Level 14. That display vehicle is 7!!)

He stabbed his Linkage Plug sword into the headlight of the six-legged sorcery vehicle sitting nearby and removed the grip from the blade. Then he started up the vehicle and had it drive right toward Henrietta.

While hearing the fearsome sound of impact, he grabbed the silver-haired Dark Elf’s slender arm and pulled her up from the floor. Then he ran to the hallway door where Teleria was.

But the threat was not gone.

With a deafening crash, the beetle-like sorcery vehicle meant to crash into the Striker at full speed was knocked aside.

She seemingly swept it aside with just the one hand.

Dark-skinned Mamilis gulped.

“What was that? I know she’s wearing combat armor made from oxidized mana-conducting silver and large monster tendons and leather, but that doesn’t strengthen her physical abilities!!”

“That wasn’t that wind defense using the city infrastructure either, was it!?” added Teleria.

There was only one other option.

Henrietta carried a carbine with an axe-like bayonet. However, she did not bother aiming at them. She had pointed the muzzle overhead and did not even look through the scope.

And she made a single shot.

“Buff: Primary Ex Massive.”

Based on the letters and numbers carved into the disintegrating lead bullet by her willpower, a muzzle flash burst out like a scarlet firework and her body explosively swelled out. The soles of her boots dug at the floor and she charged toward Ayato with fearsome speed.

(That sorcery weapon isn’t a projectile weapon meant to safely fire elemental magic from afar. It’s specialized for buffing her own physical abilities for a direct clash!!!???)

The power and accuracy of the sorcery gun itself did not matter.

She had never considered hitting her enemy with it.

“Hh!!”

Ayato pulled the Dark Elf in close and placed himself in front of the blonde girl while just barely managing to swing the trigger-equipped sword he used for Sorcery Hacking. Henrietta’s axe-like bayonet was not just a decorative formality or for military demonstrations. She used ultra-close-range tactics where that was her primary weapon and everything else was no more than accessories.

He could not hope to defeat a fully-equipped professional at point-blank range.

As soon as the blade and bayonet axe collided, his entire body lost balance to the side.

(Damn, and I could hack that sorcery gun if I could only stab it!!)

Henrietta spun around and made another strike with the axe blade from a completely different angle more than twenty times faster than the boy could recover. A hit from that would kill him instantly.

“(Secondary Rupture. Um, and then!!)”

Teleria was supposedly safe behind him, but instead of relying that, she pressed the slide of her handgun to her forehead, changed the type of magic being used, and pulled the trigger at extreme close range.

With the muffled sound of the suppressed gunfire, an ultra-pressurized line of water shot out, burst, and produced an explosion of water. Instead of hitting Henrietta, it was meant to launch Ayato and the other two through the door and into the hallway.

And that girl had two handguns.

She fired that water magic with one, but she had apparently used a variant of recovery magic with the other.

The Dark Elf spoke with her healthy skin soaking wet while the boy continued to hold her in one arm.

“That stings.”

“You should be thankful it only stings after being hit by a blast like that!!” insisted Teleria.

The knights who had yet to be defeated were waiting for them in the hallway, but Teleria’s water magic and Mamilis’s fire magic made short work of them (while those two were still collapsed on the floor). The floor was covered with empty cartridges with their red or blue light rapidly fading like withering flowers.

If they kept fighting blindly, they would end up cornered.

Ayato had to think.

“Outside!! This labyrinthine building is perfect for Henrietta’s close-range specialty!!”

They had a plan now.

They all ran for the emergency exit sign inside that hallway extending to the left and right.

The wall collapsed near the door where they had been lying on the floor a moment before, the dust cloud was torn apart, and Henrietta walked calmly out into the hallway with her intentionally outdated armor and her carbine equipped with an axe-like bayonet.

Ayato’s cheeks tensed as he clenched his teeth.

“I guess a real knight is a step above the rest!”

“A compliment like that only serves to irritate me coming from a Sorcery Hacker like you who does not even carry a sorcery gun. Even though I do know that is irrational.”

“I know it’s a weird thing to say when these two are using them, but I’ve sworn to never use one of those again.”

“Did you think setting up little rules for yourself places you on the side of good, sorcery criminal?”

She pulled back the bolt-action cocking lever, an empty cartridge was ejected while it lost its golden color and faded like a withering flower, a new round was loaded with the surface of its mist mana hardened like a thin film, and she once again ignored the scope to fire it up at an angle like a gun salute.

“Another buff: Primary Ex Massive.”

Again, Henrietta’s beautiful body seemed to explode out.

Running would not be enough to escape.

“Miss Teleria, the door!!”

“Secondary Water Jet!”

The blonde girl obeyed his instruction by placing the slide portion of her guns against her forehead, changing the magic, turning around, and firing spears of pressurized water using the laser guide and dot sight to accurately hit the doorknob of a metal door partway down the long hallway.

The door flew open and crashed into Henrietta. She plowed right through it, but the direction of her fierce tackle was changed. She strayed from her straight path, her protector armor crashed into the interior wall, and she passed by Ayato’s group while her scraping armor sent sparks flying.

“Miss Mamilis, rapid fire!!”

Like the amateur she was, she stuck with Primary Blaze. The full-auto shotgun sorcery gun produced small explosions that were self-replicated and spread all over, but the wind complexly swirling around Henrietta diverted them all away.

The colorful used shotgun shells were ejected all the same.

But that was fine.

The intense barrage of explosions completely destroyed the outside wall, giving them a view outside the building. Targeting a nearby wall meant Mamilis’s flames nearly blew back in and burned them, but that was actually a good thing. They now had a shortcut outside, so it no longer mattered that Henrietta was blocking the route to the emergency exit.

There was no reason to hesitate.

Before Henrietta could extract that half of her body from the inner wall, Ayato’s group jumped down from a height of more than 1000 esoule.

They were below the sunny and starry sky once more.

They rode an artificial air current pseudo-visualized by the flower petals in it and hurried away from there.

“This won’t be enough to lose her!” pointed out Teleria. “We need to figure out what to do!!”

“Based on our brief clash there, that Henrietta is on another level. On the other hand, the other knights weren’t all that impressive. A head-on clash might be dangerous, but if we plan things out, we can have them dancing in our palm.”

“Coach, would it break their spirit if we defeated that braided ponytail woman?”

“Right now, I don’t think she’s going to let us just run away!”

With an explosive sound, Henrietta crashed through the wall of that building and rode an air current just like them. Her blonde braid and miniskirt fluttered behind her as she pursued them at incredible speed. She must have been used to this because she looked right at home slipping between the giant walkways and mobile shops made from sorcery vehicles.

She was faster.

It was obvious why. It was the same as with the sniper from before. While Ayato’s group was avoiding the buildings and staying in the air, she was using her ridiculous strength to place her feet on a building wall and then kick off to accelerate herself whenever she had a chance. Doing so on the smooth vertical walls would be hard enough, but she also used the shops on those walls and the gaps between people. A normal person would have shattered their legs trying it, but she forcibly reduced the burden using the reinforcing function of the equipment supplied by the central Light Castle and the muscular-amplification magic she had created for herself.

It was gradual, but she was definitely closing the gap.

She would catch up if they did not come up with a plan and then those powerful arms would grab at their ankles and swing them around. Once that happened, it was all over.

“Wh-wh-wh-what do we do, what do we do, wait, huh, wait!?”

“We head northeast for now. Do not change direction. Also, Miss Teleria and Miss Mamilis, have you kept track of your remaining ammo? Do you have much left?”

“I’m fine there…”

“Coach, I am fine too. Also, directions like that don’t mean much in a sky city.”

When the two girls answered him, Ayato made up his mind.

“Miss Mamilis, that large sign on the wall.”

“Hm?”

“Miss Teleria, destroy that window washing gondola!!”

Fire and water magic erupted out and a storm of Primary Blaze and Secondary Water Jet tore through a heavy metal mass’s bolts or wires to drop it into the air current. The heavy wreckage of metal and a thin Media Summoner passed by directly behind them and flew straight toward Henrietta as she pursued them.

“Back in that shop, she did not stop the six-legged sorcery vehicle with her wind defense. I do not know exactly where the limit lies, but it must not be able to stop objects above a certain weight!”

Those masses would kill a normal person and they now blocked Henrietta’s path.

However…

“Uwehhhh!!”

Teleria could not be blamed for shouting in surprise. Henrietta never even considered dodging. She let her buffed body do the talking and deflected wreckage taller than she was with nothing but a swing of her fist.

“Th-that-that didn’t buy us any time at all!”

“Hm, there really are more of those big windmills the closer we get to the center. And there are fewer walkways. I also saw some of those windmills while we were pursuing that sniper.”

“Hellooo!?”

The large cross-shaped windmills had four blades which each measured 35 esoule long. Ayato checked behind them while slipping between two windmills that were quite close together.

Henrietta really was a powerful enemy.

She grasped at the air currents more easily than Ayato’s group and avoided the windmills more accurately than them as she closed in on them.

“There aren’t any restaurants or mobile shops around. We must be almost to the Bright Castle in the center.”

“Eh? Coach, that means this is a dead end. There’s a thick aurora-like barrier called the Free Audience Restriction. It’s like a massive wall of energy.”

“Then let’s settle this before we run into that,” he said. “Miss Teleria, focus on the steel beams dangling from that ballista crane. Fire on my signal.”

Part 14

Striker Henrietta Split Destrius, who wore her blonde hair in a braid modeled after a ponytail and who wore old-fashioned armor that included asphalt-colored protectors and a tight miniskirt, heard the loud gunshot.

(It is no use.)

Any magic fired directly at her would be swept aside by the wind swirling wildly around her. And even if they knocked down a sign or cleaning gondola, she could deflect it with her own body thanks to her physical buffing magic.

Before the appearance of sorcery guns, her house had specialized in the halberd which was a fusion of a spear and an axe. That could still be seen in her house’s coat of arms, but that symbolized the ability to slay any foe and to remove any trouble standing in the people’s way.

She still felt ashamed wielding even the bare minimum of a sorcery gun, but she continued to embody the tactics that her ancestors had considered the ideal. She had insisted on using the axe bayonet despite everyone telling her it would negatively affect the barrel of the gun and she had proven that it had the power to overwhelm sorcery criminals. It was her use of that splitting weapon that had allowed her to take her middle name.

It would take a very large mass indeed to stop her.

For example, it would take the steel beams scattered from the end of a ballista crane crashing into and breaking the back of a giant windmill’s support pillar, sending the entire cross-shaped windmill with 35 esoule blades flying toward her like a rotating deathtrap.

“Wha-!!!???”

Even Henrietta widened her eyes at that.

The largest of the things she had destroyed and deflected so far had been the size of a vehicle. Not even she would break through what amounted to a small building to take a shortcut. But the underhanded Sorcery Hacker fleeing up ahead would see that she dodged the windmill instead of destroying it.

This was bad.

Crashing into it would be bad.

But if she slowed her pursuit to avoid the windmill filling her vision like a giant screen, the Sorcery Hacker group would pull away and escape.

Would she prioritize her life or her honor?

She was struck by fear that felt like an icy hand clutching her heart, but Henrietta Split Destrius was still a Striker. She had lost the title of Knight and taken the temporary title of Striker instead, but she was a true warrior who had not lost her noble spirit.

The king had lent her more authority than she felt she deserved, so she had to live up to that.

“Buff till it’s enough: Primary Ex Massive!!!!!!”

She ignored the scope, fired the bolt-action carbine with axe bayonet like a gun salute, and applied even more muscle-amplification magic. She was reaching the point where her own reinforcements could destroy her own body, but she did not care.

Instead of clearing this wall and hurdle, she had to smash through it and reach her targets!!

“Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

She would use no tricks.

With more of a roar than a shout, Henrietta charged straight toward the thick barrier in front of her. With axe at the ready, that outdated protector of the people risked her life to challenge the inanimate windmill. Smirk and call it silly if you like, but no matter how much dust had gathered on the concept of chivalry, there was no other life for the woman named Henrietta.

An explosive boom erupted high in the sky.

She had of course collided with one of those giant blades.

She felt pain in all of her joints, but she kept her charge going. She tore into it and dove through it until she finally formed cracks in the enormous structure, widened those, and broke through.

If this was the underhanded Sorcery Hacker’s final trick, then she had them in checkmate.

They seemed to want to focus on obstructing her path from a distance instead of directly fighting her, so she would grab those faces full of false hope and throw them down to the depths. Henrietta Split Destrius would prove through her actions that righteousness filled your blade with the greatest of powers.

She could fly freely through the sky once more.

With all the obstacles gone, that beautiful Striker gave a roar.

“This ends here, Sorcery Hacker!!”

But.

But.

But.

Her target was not there.

They had disappeared in the brief moment she was distracted by the giant screen formed by that windmill!?

And that was not the only surprise.

Something towered up before her: an unbelievably thick wall. Once she saw it, she finally realized what the enemy had been trying to do. No matter how powerful her equipment and no matter how far she buffed herself with magic, she had no chance of breaking through this.

Strikers could not oppose the king from whom they borrowed their power.

Not just in action, but in thought as well.

In other words…

“Light Castle Brightio’s…Free Audience Restriction!?”

No one could pass that barrier without the royal family’s permission. That destructive wall shined like an aurora. There were no exceptions, not even the divine and the demonic beings that had existed in this world since ancient times.

The royal castle was surrounded by the fire, water, wind, and earth areas, so every castle town bordered the Free Audience Restriction. And hadn’t those giant windmills grown more common the closer they moved to the center?

Her enemy had no chance of defeating her, so they had chosen to slam her into the Free Audience Restriction. They took advantage of the city infrastructure to defeat even those who wielded that power through the proper channels.

It was exactly the Sorcery Hacker modus operandi.

The blonde braided Striker tried to slam on the brakes, but she could not stop the momentum she had built up to break through that windmill. And while plowing straight toward her doom, she saw something out of the corner of her eye: the targets she had lost sight of. That Sorcery Hacker boy and the others were standing on the wall of a nearby building. She could tell they had only disappeared for a few seconds at most. They had simply cut to the side right in front of her. That kind of distraction combined with sleight of hand was such hackneyed child’s play it barely even qualified as a trick, but no matter how simple it was, she could not complain when she fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

Their eyes met for a brief moment.

He was smiling and she could clearly read the words on his lips: You are my only hope. Fire on my signal.

A continuous barrage of water and fire attacked Henrietta. She had already passed them by, so this pushed on her back to slam her face-first into the thick Free Audience Restriction barrier that protected the royal castle. Of course, the whirlwind’s protection diverted the attack magic’s aim, but she could not do anything else while focusing on that.

That delayed applying the brakes even further.

That colorful attack magic missed her and flew off in a different direction, but her throat finally went dry when she saw it destroy the base of another giant windmill of all things.

It tore apart and rode the artificial air current.

One of the giant blades slammed into her from behind as if it had been calculated out from the beginning.

The blonde braided woman’s body was trapped between central Brightio’s Free Audience Restriction and the giant windmill, so she was shoved further and further toward that flickering wall of light.

The Free Audience Restriction was not just a wall.

It would repel any unauthorized visitors and, if they showed no sign of leaving, it would mercilessly destroy whoever was making contact.

The stone that passed by her was shattered like it had been pressed against a jackhammer meant to mine for gems.

She was hit by an impact that seemingly tried to crush her entire body with rapid vibrations. At this point, she might as well not have had the soundproofing meant to take advantage of the link between magical range and the sound of the gunshot. A fearsome level of damage was crashing down toward her.

Orange sparks flew violently from the surface of contact.

“Gwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!”

She loathed them.

Sorcery Hackers had already stolen the traditional title of Knight from her and forced her to take the temporary title of Striker that had no history behind it, but now one was abusing the power of the royal family to use it against her. Was there no way she could put a stop to it? She had worked herself to the bone in the name of righteousness, but everything kept coming back to bite her based on bizarre words like “loophole” and “vulnerability” and now she was going to lose to the power of the very king she served.

Was this just the way of things now?

Was she the fool for not adapting with the times!?

“I refuse to accept it.”

A deafening straining noise rang out.

Maybe it made her foolish, maybe it made her stupid, and maybe it made her too honest for her own good.

But for a moment, that proud Striker’s willpower manifested itself as a supernatural phenomenon that overturned the assumptions of sorcery.

“I refuse to accept this ending!! I refuse to accept we live in a world where legitimate efforts are not rewarded with legitimate results and only those who search out shortcuts and loopholes get to skip half the steps and look down on the honest folk!! As someone tasked with preserving the king’s safety and the people’s happiness, I refuse to accept that!!!!!!”

She pushed it back.

Bit by bit, she pushed back the giant windmill in order to escape the destructive effects of the Free Audience Restriction protecting the royal castle. All so she could pursue that filthy Sorcery Hacker as a hound once more.

She created a slight gap that allowed her to escape that surface of contact. For a brief moment, the sparks stopped scattering. She could escape this!

But then she heard something hitting the other side of the giant windmill blade.

Someone had ridden an air current to land on that back surface. No, had they hit it with a flying kick? It was a slight thing compared to the overall mass of the windmill. It had no tactical effect.

But the Sorcery Hacker had done it.

He had intervened in that final scene while ignoring the realistic risks.

He would defeat her with his own hand.

He had arrived much like an old-fashioned knight demanding a duel.

“Hi there, Lady Knight!! I know I’m the one who did this to you, but I’ve got my own circumstances to consider. So I thought I’d pay you a visit and break your spirit!!”

“Do not mess with me, criminal. You call this an honorable duel!? I do not follow a version of chivalry that accepts a filthy soul such as yours!!”

“Sure, sure. When you get down to it, I’m a Sorcery Hacker first and a Forward second. I’m not about to deny what I’ve done. Not that I’m going to sit around and let you arrest me for it either.”

Just then, two holes appeared in the windmill blade between the two of them.

Ayato had used his Linkage Plug sword and Henrietta had used her bolt-action carbine with axe. They had torn through that obstacle in order to strike each other.

But as a result…

“Kh!?”

“Oh, I felt that one land. That’s your armor, but…yes, I think that must be the shoulder joint. While trapped in there, I guess you can’t even dodge an amateur’s blade. Now, what level am I at right now? Surely you don’t think your armor’s defenses are going to keep me out!”

He was much more confident.

There was a monstrous vibration and sparks resumed flying from the surface of contact between armor and barrier.

He had her life in his hand. Chunks of brick and stone larger than her head were being obliterated by the surface of contact. If her magical defenses were taken from her now, she would be crushed and reduced to mincemeat by the jackhammer-like barrier that protected the king’s castle with so much energy.

The concept of just deserts and the world’s righteousness really were malfunctioning. Henrietta felt like everything was wrong with this goddamn modern era.

“You…criminal. You Sorcery Hackerrrrrrr!!”

“Criminal, huh? But you must have known that Mamilis Coster was a war victim who had her house destroyed by Government Security’s cannon fire!!”

“…”

“Yet when you fought us, you didn’t hesitate to say you had ‘no problem at all’ with shooting all three of us to end this. Why was that!?At the time, you couldn’t have known. Mamilis Coster might have been tricked or threatened into helping us. The only fact you had on hand was her name on the list of Sky City Celedileka residents. So even if you had your suspicions, she should have been one of the people a knight is meant to protect! So why did you immediately abandon her!?”

An invisible stake stabbed into Henrietta’s heart.

“Call it cynicism or sophistry if you like, but the fact that you have no rebuttal for the words of a ‘filthy Sorcery Hacker’ like me is proof that your righteousness is a fraud!! When placed in an uncertain situation, you weighed one of the people’s lives against your own achievements and chose one over the other. Needless to say, it was your bloody and stained honor you chose!! Despicable knight, I doubt you’ll believe me, but that sniper in red leather used those human traffickers to abduct the city’s urban design manager in order to get information on the city’s vulnerabilities for some kind of major job. And even if you do trust me, the biases you’ve created for yourself will probably only see it as a chance to make a name for yourself! Did you enjoy making those false accusations? Are you going to lament what happens after you turned a blind eye to the unanswered questions and simply blamed everything on us!?”

It had been a split-second decision.

When they had their sorcery guns aimed at each other, she had decided that brown girl was an enemy.

That guess probably had not even been wrong.

No matter what that filthy Sorcery Hacker said, she had seen enough now to know Mamilis Coster had almost certainly joined his group.

However…

(Why?)

Why had she doubted that girl so immediately? Why had she not trusted in the good of the people?

What even was the kind of Striker that Henrietta Split Destrius wanted to be?

No, what kind of Knight had she wanted to be back before that title had been taken from her?

Had she strived to reject people as enemies?

Hadn’t she wanted to rely on people even if they seemed suspicious, give them a chance to redeem themselves even if they did betray her, and to create an opportunity to gently hold them as they trembled from the weight of their crimes? Hadn’t she wanted to never give up on those who had made a mistake and try to save them as many times as it took? Hadn’t she been willing to accept any injury to that end?

Hadn’t she wanted to be a sword that served the king and a shield that protected the people?

Hadn’t she wanted to be someone that everyone, regardless of social position, could love and trust?

Hadn’t she wanted to be the person people thought of first when they were in trouble, no matter how trivial a thing it might be?

If not, what had she been trying to protect by changing her title from Knight to Striker!?

(How did I think I could protect anything by giving up on people?)

“Do you know why I came to this city as a Forward? I’ll give it to you straight from the lips of a ‘filthy Sorcery Hacker’.”

Someone spoke.

This was not someone who had found a hole and crawled inside. It was someone who had been cast into a blind spot of the world yet continued to struggle from there.

“To right the world’s cruelties! It’s over for you if you let someone else take over your role while someone out there steals the truth away right before your eyes and manipulates you for their own ends. So rethink how you live your life, Lady Knight!!!!!!”

Those words, finally broke Henrietta Split Destrius’s spirit.

The orange sparks scattering from her armor reached the breaking point.

The will to fight left her body and the power of the thick Free Audience Restriction barrier pierced her from head to toe.

Part 15

The battle was over.

It was all wasted effort. This was not a job from a client, so they would not be paid for it. They had only racked up an ammo bill and filled their muscles with lactic acid.

(But it’s over all the same. Or rather, we ended it.)

The power of central Light Castle Brightio’s Free Audience Restriction was absolute. Even that giant windmill had been ground up as if crushed until its structural integrity had been reduced enough for it to fall apart. The vibration had been frightening. The destruction had been just like the jackhammers used in gem mines to tear up the rock and extract pieces of the concentrated underground gemflows.

A chill ran down Ayato’s spine when he thought about placing a human body in the middle of that and that they had done that themselves. He chided himself for relying on his opponent’s toughness a little too much.

“Ah, wait, Ayato!?”

When he spotted the dark gray protector armor falling limply down, he moved that way. He gained nothing from this and might even come into contact with the Free Audience Restriction barrier that wavered like an aurora, but he still felt a need to reach out his hand here.

He sighed at his actions once he was holding that limp, unconscious figure in his arms.

“It’s because of things like this that I can’t stop worrying, dammit.”

“You say that, but you made sure to stab your sword in her armor’s joint to actually strengthen her defenses at the very end there.”

Ayato lightly cleared his throat at Dark Elf Mamilis’s comment.

A skilled student had its downsides.

Whatever they were going to do with this asphalt-colored knight, they had successfully shaken the knights protecting the city. Now they could focus on that sniper wielding Critical Disaster.

…However, they had completely lost the trail of that devil in red leather and the knights still existed as a group. None of this had paid off. It felt like they had charged full speed ahead into wasted effort.

Silver-haired Mamilis spoke up with some exasperation in her voice.

“Coach, I see you use a princess carry when saving your enemies too.”

“Hm? Is that what this is called???”

“Does that mean you do that without even thinking about it?”

At any rate…

“We’re free to act now, so let’s get out of here before the others catch up. We have to start back at square one with that sniper, but it really comes down to repeating what we already did.”

“So what exactly are we going to do?” asked Teleria.

“That enormous anti-dragon rifle is that woman’s greatest weapon but also her greatest flaw. She has to care for her aching body thanks to the ridiculous recoil of its giant bullets, so she had to rely on an outside supply no matter where she escapes to. It’s the same as hunting out on a great prairie. We follow each of the little tracks she leaves to search out where she sleeps.”

After all the excitement in Wind Castle Town Silphine, the alert would be raised here just like in Fire Castle Town Flared. They would have to move to a different area to lose pursuit.

Ayato’s group was of course the main dish for the knights, but the sniper had also ended up clashing with the knights, meaning the knights were aware of her presence. Her priority would be lower, but she would still want to avoid being surrounded here. That meant the red leather woman would likely try to escape to a different town as well.

“The fire town is still on alert, so returning there would be suicide. So would Water Castle Town Aquaria be next? Although having just one option makes it easier for the knights to predict too.”

Just as they were working out their plans, something else happened.

It disappeared.

What did?

Something that had been towering above them. The giant barrier that would repel unauthorized visitors even if they were divine or demonic and that had defeated Henrietta Split Destrius so spectacularly. It had suddenly vanished like a candle’s flame being blown out.

In other words…

“The barrier…the Light Castle’s Free Audience Restriction is gone!?”

The red leather sniper had captured Urban Design Manager Jorbe Alphoverin and would have gotten all of Celedileka’s vulnerabilities out of him. And she was planning something big using that.

Could this be it?

“The aurora-like barrier is created by borrowing the fire, water, wind, and earth powers of the four surrounding blocks, right? So if something went wrong with one of those, would the Free Audience Restriction lose its perfect balance and malfunction?”

“It isn’t that simple, Coach. My grandma said the king’s castle has several different layers of defense so an emergency facility immediately kicks in to power the barrier if the supply of the four elements is cut off. She sounded a little sad that none of her sorcery devices were needed to protect the castle!”

After hearing those two give their opinions, Ayato thought to himself while holding the Striker in dark gray protector armor.

Then that Sorcery Hacker spoke of a certain possibility.

“Then what about the moment between the normal power going out and the emergency power kicking in?”

“Eh?”

“The Free Audience Restriction might waver during the switch.”

With an electric buzz, the aurora-like barrier went back up.

This was probably the emergency power that Mamilis had mentioned, but that was meaningless if something had made it in during that brief downtime.

And with the impenetrable Free Audience Restriction back up, Ayato’s group could not pursue that “something”.

“Was this what the sniper was after?”

Part 16

“Hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hmm.”

The humming devil in a red leather vest and longish tight skirt had been waiting for that moment.

She had used a third party to capture Sky City Celedileka Urban Design Manager Jorbe Alphoverin and she had gotten him to tell her the city’s vulnerabilities. What mattered there was learning where the crucial points were. All four outer blocks were covered in a web-like array of the mist mana known as Intangible Mist, but the central core of that array was disguised as a civilian facility.

That poor sacrifice had taken over the entire sky city’s foundational design, so he had only known the general areas for those four cores. He had not known the specific location or what they were disguised as. It was fairly standard, but he had drawn up countless different plans without knowing which ones had been ultimately adopted.

In Fire City Flared’s case, it had been the giant crane that symbolized the unloading of cargo in the harbor block. That had been destroyed when the dragon breath was guided toward it.

Finding the one in Wind Castle Town Silphine had been more difficult, but she had ended up coming full circle and returning to the basics. Whether in the name of anti-terrorism or whatever else, she looked to see what part of the town was most heavily defended. After making many different observations and calculations, she had settled on the giant spherical theatre floating within all the tall buildings.

By destroying two of the cores, the Free Audience Restriction would waver and switch over to emergency power, but the problem was how short that switchover was. Rushing through the artificial air currents to reach the wavering wall of light would not be fast enough after she destroyed the spherical theatre. The barrier would be back up under emergency power before she could get in.

So.

She had needed an ultra-long-range and high-firepower weapon that could destroy that spherical theatre core while right next to the Free Audience Restriction.

There was only one sorcery gun that devil could have relied on for that.

“Anti-dragon rifle Critical Disaster. Hm, hm, hm, hm, hmm☆”

Even the sunny and starry sky had disappeared.

With a blast rivaling a dragon’s roar, the beam had shot through the uneven jungle gym of ultra-high-rise buildings and giant walkways that was the wind town. That straight-line beam had skillfully weaved between all obstacles to accurately pierce the center of the giant spherical theatre. The semi-auto weapon ejected a fading empty cartridge thicker than her thumb. Its purple light fleetingly vanished and it lost its color like a withering flower. The aurora-like barrier wavered for about one multi-time, but that was plenty of time for a single person to pass through.

The Free Audience Restriction was only meant to prevent intruders coming in from outside.

It was not just a wall of destruction, so anyone could pass through unmolested if they were moving from the inside to the outside.

She had a single goal.

This was the center of Sky City Celedileka’s government. It contained all of the important government offices, the great cathedral of the Forturiana Church which was all but officially recognized, and Light Castle Brightio where the king lived.

With the enormous rifle named Critical Disaster resting on her shoulder, that extraordinary sniper licked her lips and whispered to herself.

All while she calmly walked within arm’s reach of someone’s throat.

“Now, let’s get this show on the road.”

Option 03: Academic Thesis on the Ecosystem

All plants and animals (including humans) on this continent can be generally classified into two categories. If you use a highly self-centered viewpoint, those can be described as Friendly Lifeforms and Hostile Lifeforms.

Humans are an example of Friendly Lifeforms.

Animals closely linked to human life such as dogs, cats, pigs, cows, chickens, sheep, horses, and goats as well as relatively benign wild animals and plants also belong in that category.

Meanwhile, Hostile Lifeforms are those that actively threaten human life, such as Mermaids, Dark Elves, Dragons, Griffins, and Krakens. In most cases, they are violent and malicious.

To draw on an older term, you could call them demons.

Now, one important note is that not everything classified as a Friendly Lifeform is safe. For example, large carnivores like bears or tigers and venomous animals like hornets and scorpions are classified as Friendly, but they are extremely dangerous when encountered in nature outside of human civilization. And it saddens me to say it, but there are at times conflicts between humans as well.

Now, does this mean the opposite is also true and some things classified as Hostile Lifeforms are harmless and can be cooperated with? Unfortunately, this seems highly unlikely. Some of them are very nearly powerless such as Kobolds and Fairies, but they use their intelligence to work against humans, so their behavior remains highly cunning and dangerous.

It is impossible for humans, the peak of the Friendly Lifeforms, to live alongside Hostile Lifeforms. We can only marvel at our ancestors’ foresight in shunning them as demons in a time before natural science had been formally developed.

(Handwritten Note at Bottom)

This is far too influenced by the biases of those goddamn Forturianans who seriously insist butterflies are born from the morning dew. Besides, when you use the Light-Dark Duality that your religion insists must be true to trample on the actual observations, analyses, and records that form real natural science, you can’t even call this an academic thesis. Throw it out!

Phase 03: Earth Castle Town Grouviv

Part 1

Earth Castle Town Grouviv was a lot less unique compared to the other towns. It had normal roads, normal houses, and normal shops making up a normal cityscape. It had a lot fewer lights at night, so the glow of the red aurora known as the Demon Lord’s Bite seemed more distinct there.

This was the town for viewing the moon and stars.

It was night there and a conversation was being held in a restaurant that put more focus on alcohol than food.

“You can tell how crazy Celedileka is by the fact that being normal can be a selling point here. But I guess people will sometimes feel homesick while sightseeing. People tend to end up here when they’re sick of the other more unique towns and need a break, so they apparently get a lot of customers.”

Of course, that could also be seen from the buff Executioner collapsed on the table while complaining about his everyday troubles and how a female Paladin and Samurai showed more gentlemanly spirit than any of the men by trying to comfort him.

The restaurant was not illuminated by the mana light of a vacuum crystal container or crystal tube filled with phosphorescent moss spores. The tallow lamps on the tables provided an unsteady but gentle light much like watching a campfire.

Mana light was uniform and simple to use, but it was known to exhaust the eyes during long periods of work. That may have been another way this place welcomed people who were tired of the city. The mood was further established by the lack of the ubiquitous Media Summoners that looked like a crystal snowdome hooked up to a cable.

And when they had hired a beautiful Dancer to alluringly shake her hips instead, no one was going to complain.

Two people were seated at the lamplit counter.

Needless to say, one was Ayato Criminaltrophy.

The problem was the person seated next to him. He used fingers thicker than bananas to flick a royal gold and spoke with a cheerful voice. He slammed the bottom of his empty glass against the counter to gather the barkeeper’s attention and the vibration caused some sharply flavored round beans to dance on their plate.

“Hey, barkeep, give me another. This kid’s still too young to drink, so it’s be rude of me not to drink enough for the two of us.”

However, this man had a powerful presence.

It was overwhelming enough to keep anyone from asking the obvious questions that came to mind.

Ayato placed a hand on his forehead while commiserating with the bad luck of the barkeeper who worked here and the customers who happened to be here. Quite a few glasses and mugs of alcohol were served, but not one of those customers was truly drunk. One look at that man’s face was enough to sober them up.

The man supported his unusually large head with a hand and nearly stabbed Ayato with a thick horn as he winked and smiled.

“Oh? What’s this? I know a sexy guy like me draws everyone’s eye regardless of sex or age, but observing me isn’t gonna help improve your own looks.”

“What are you talking about, bull man?”

He was a Minotaur.

The bull-headed giant stood 1.7 esoule tall. He wore pants with an absurd number of zippers, but his upper body was entirely bare. And with how muscular his reddish-brown body was, that was about his only option. It was indecent for a person, but it may have made for a lovely sculpture. He claimed his muscles had burst through all the decent clothes and armor he had tried to wear. He had leather holsters at his hips, but instead of twin handguns, he carried two old-style magic swords that were treated like fossils in the current age.

The beautiful but out-of-place voice of a strict woman reached their ears.

“Mgh, mgh…pwah!! Wh-what do you think you’re doing!?”

“I tied you up pretty tightly and stuffed you in a sack, but you escaped already? Not confiscating your sorcery gun was probably a mistake.”

While the boy made a dangerous-sounding comment, something burst out of the cheap sack lying at his feet. It was a battle-obsessed woman with a ponytail-like blonde braid who wore combat armor that increased its magical defenses and her own athletic ability using large monster tendons and leather as well as protectors made of oxidized mana-conducting silver that was given an asphalt color to increase its durability at the cost of general versatility. She had chosen the more popular older style to obtain the people’s cooperation. This was of course the beautiful Striker named Henrietta Split Destrius.

Her flushed face was due to more than just difficulty breathing.

“How dare you take me to some cheap inn, knock me out with a cowardly surprise attack, and then tie me up in order to do who-knows-what to me!?”

“You accepted that the anti-dragon sniper exists and is the greater threat to Sky City Celedileka and you agreed to help us eliminate that threat, but the instant you saw an opening while we were holding a strategy meeting at the inn we were hiding out in, you tried to contact your old buddies in the knights. How many times must you try to have us surrounded and slaughtered?”

“Uh…b-but it is my duty to keep the peace in Celedileka, so I could not ignore the ruffians I saw in front of me.”

“Don’t give me that and stop pouting your lips like some selfish brat! I really was nearly shot to death because of that!!”

“(B-besides, what are we doing in such a seedy restaurant? What are they plotting by taking me to some sketchy bar? No, stay strong. I need to stay strong. I can’t let them scare me. The instant you look away, they will try to have their way with you, Henrietta!!)”

The miniskirt Striker started muttering to herself and behaving oddly, so the blatantly suspicious Minotaur spoke up in exasperation.

“Hold on, boy. That is no way to treat a lady.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I made sure to put one of my shirts in the sack to help that lonely kitten get through the night. Did you have fun rubbing against it and filling your lungs with my scent?”

“You did what!? Now I am killing you!!!!!!”

That woman, who had chosen the old-fashioned protector armor and miniskirt instead of cutting-edge combat equipment, must not have understood how she had ended up in the earth town after losing that battle.

“Well, now that the cat’s out of the bag, you might as well take a seat.”

“Shouldn’t you apologize for your rudeness first!? Do not worry. I am not angry. If you sincerely bow your head, I will make sure to arrest you and tie you up swiftly and painlessly!!”

“You say that, Miss Henrietta, but don’t think I missed that complicated look you gave Miss Mamilis earlier.”

“Hgee!?”

That earnest woman apparently could never bring herself to outright reject what someone else said and instead took it all under consideration. To be blunt, she got the short end of the stick a lot because of that.

“No. As a Striker, I refuse to accept this. I can never accept the concept of a necessary evil…uhh.”

“Strange things happen. Like a completely innocent girl’s SOS going unheard by all those wonderful Knights or Strikers or whatever. Since you left her to be captured by despicable human traffickers, don’t you think you need to reconsider your view of Sorcery Hackers?”

“Stop reading my min-…cough, cough, ahem!! No, you misheard! That is not at all what I was thinking!! Cough, cough! Besides, even if those charges were false, you are still a sorcery criminal, are you not!?”

“Here, you can use my handkerchief. You were in that sack for a while.”

“Ugh, wipe, wipe. I can’t believe a Striker like me must accept the charity of a hacker…”

“Oh, I thought you were just going to wipe the sweat from your brow, but you went for the whole face. I used that to wipe off my mouth earlier, so does this count as an indirect kiss?”

“Bfhhhh!!!???”

She spat out the contents of her mouth.

For being a cutting-edge knight, her table manners were not the best.

“S-s-s-stop messing with me! There is so much I want to say that I’m afraid I won’t remember it all, but for now, you two dangerous individuals need to be tied up!! Yes, the human and the bull head!!”

Just as she shouted and pulled out her bolt-action carbine with axe-like bayonet, a Martial Artist woman hoping for some excitement stood up at a table a short distance away.

The reddish-brown Minotaur drank from his glass and did not even reach for the swords at his hips.

A palm-sized purple butterfly fluttered by in their vision.

This was an unnatural night butterfly decorated with lace and gems. It became a woman whose long hair glowed with a purple radiance and who wore a classic maid uniform. She also had metal arms extending from her hips and back which held a double digit number of small and large sorcery guns. They were all aimed at the various vital points across Henrietta’s body.

“…!?”

The ponytail-style blonde braid Striker gasped and the purple-haired maid spoke coolly.

“Sheathe your rude and impudent blade, insolent woman. You are a mere knight who serves one of the many regional kings left in charge of the continent’s excess land, so did you really think you were an equal of the primary heir to the Selected Kingdoms’ Combined Royal Family?”

“Huh? Wha-?”

“Stop it, stop it. I’m just some bull man now. This is my chance to live my life the way I want and bars are more enjoyable when everyone can relax.”

The Minotaur said that while draining his drink and munched on a handful of salty beans and small fish cooked in oil, but that was all. He did not give any kind of explanation. Henrietta blinked in confusion while still holding her sorcery gun at the ready and she glanced over at Ayato who was supposedly her enemy.

The boy simply shrugged.

Only the maid who he had called his client kept speaking.

“The man before you is His Excellency Liberca Bran Zorca Totalinus. His Excellency himself has forgiven you your previous insolence, but since you are aware of your inferior position now, any further rudeness will be swiftly punished.”

“D-do you want me to cut you down on charges of disloyalty and impersonating royalty!? No, do not give up on people’s lives just because they are a dangerous individual, Henrietta. As a Striker borrowing the king’s authority, I must show them the proper way and urge them to reform. Listen, some things are not appropriate to joke about!”

“Your Excellency,” smoothly said the maid. “Please kindly enlighten this foolish servant.”

“Oh, gods!”

There was a heavy thud as the muscular Minotaur drew one of his two swords from its holster and placed it heavily on the counter.

Henrietta’s forehead tensed more than necessary when she saw the symbol engraved at the base.

“The Royal Sword – Butterfly Effector.”

“So even a lowly knight like you knows a bit about heraldry. The combination of the family crest and the individual name is all the proof you could need that he is a member of the Selected Kingdoms’ Combined Royal Family. If you continue to question his royalty, I will punish you for disloyalty.”

“Ah, ahhh, wah, wah, ahhh!!”

There was no sign of the powerful foe Henrietta had been earlier.

The ultimate vertical society had its pros and cons. She was so confused she dropped her carbine with axe-like bayonet, her face paled, her eyes spun in her head, and she dropped to one knee in the pose of absolute obedience.

“Can I put this away? I don’t like flaunting my authority to solve problems. That makes me one of those awful rulers that looks down on everyone else. I just hate it. Every time I do it, it makes me feel like less of a man.” The reddish-brown Minotaur looked like he could not stand it. “And we call it the Combined Royal Family, but it’s unclear how ‘combined’ we really are. It might look like everyone in the Static Continent gets along, but it’s not unusual for regional royal families to make plantations overseas to secretly build up money and soldiers. We’re one secret agreement away from a set of kingdoms saying they’ll sink any ships not in their little group that try to head out to sea. Not everything is nicely in view. Like this sky city for example.”

“There are four continents in all, right? But the other continents are supposed to have their hands full with small kingdoms fighting each other for supremacy. Is there really room there for all this?”

“And who told you that nice story? Was it those Media Summoners you love so much? It’s not like you’ve actually gone overseas and seen it for yourself.”

Henrietta was seriously having trouble keeping up with all this now, so she could not even shout like a child and her mouth simply flapped wordlessly. But unlike that earnest Striker, the outlaw Sorcery Hacker had considered another possibility.

“Why did you believe him so readily? Even if that Butterfly Effector is real, he could just be some talking Minotaur that stole it from the corpse of a prince who kicked the bucket on a trip.”

“Huh!? That is truly despicable, bull head! No more mercy! It is time I began the Henrietta Education Camp where I will teach you the difference between right and wrong until your eyes are shining mirrors of purity!!”

“By the way, I am Micha Angelos, a prototype humanoid sorcery device whose organs are made from biological gems. I function as a succession manager who protects the Butterfly Effector’s seal. If any unauthorized individual were to touch the that royal blade or its wielder, I possess the defense capabilities to cut them down.”

“Wah, wah, wahhhhhhh!!”

Henrietta was truly at her limit after so much back and forth. Her position kept changing and her eyes were spinning dizzily as she tried to figure out whether she was pointed in the direction of good or evil.

Meanwhile, Ayato gave a snort of laughter while seated next to the Minotaur.

“So you’re enjoying a trip across the continent with a servant who does everything you ask? Not only are modern Minotaurs compulsive liars, but they apparently get their diapers changed too.”

“Say what you like, but I really don’t want to hear that from some gloomy geek who drags around a tearful busty blonde roommate wherever he goes.”

“…”

“…”

Invisible sparks flew between them, but the maid broke that silence.

“If necessary, I am willing to equip some thin plastic gloves, a mask, and goggles to change your diapers or eliminate your pent-up desires.”

“You might think that’s a kind offer, but you’re really not helping, maid! I never asked you to grab my you-know-what and I definitely don’t want to hear you need all that equipment before you can stand to do it!!”

The (self-proclaimed) Prince Charming gave a roar and the cool, purple-haired maid transformed back into an unnatural night butterfly made of bewitching lace and gems before flying off somewhere.

The reddish-brown Minotaur clicked his tongue and returned the sword to the holster.

“A-anyway, um…”

The elderly barkeeper was left dumbfounded by this exchange, but he finally seemed to have found someone to speak to.

While being very careful not to drop the glass he was polishing with both hands, he asked a hesitant question of the well-known Striker who was tasked with keeping the peace in the sky city.

“How am I supposed to respond to these people?”

“Hm, good question. They are dangerous individuals, but I am monitoring them for the time being. Let them do as they wish.”

She finally said it once someone came to her for help. That seemed to help loosen up the tense atmosphere in the restaurant. Having the “seal of approval” from the knights meant a lot.

“(So which is it? Is he real or a fake!? Am I facing an insolent traitor, or acting rudely to the Combined Royal Family? Please tell me where I stand here, so I can figure out what to do. Nothing bothers me more than this kind of gray zone. I need a clear division between right and wrong!)”

“I don’t know either, you earnest and straitlaced moron,” said Ayato. “How am I supposed to prove it one way or the other?”

“Oh? What, so you’re sitting next to Ayato!?” protested the Minotaur. “Makes me sad to have a guy sitting between me and such a pretty lady!!”

It was said that man had received divine punishment after performing repeated sorcery experiments.

Not even Ayato had been told what those experiments were meant to accomplish, but the man claimed they were meant to help people.

And Ayato honestly did not particularly care whether or not he really was the First Prince of the Combined Royal Family that bound together the many regional kings.

The man would spew nonsense when he was drunk, but he had far more information than Ayato could imagine and he was a good client that freely spent royal gold taken from some personal fortune he had hidden away somewhere.

“As your client, could I ask for a report on what happened?”

“There’s not much to report. Funny Snatch’s human trafficking group was successfully destroyed in the fire town and that completed the job you hired us for. Although if you’re interested in the overtime we put in for free, the villain pulling the strings decided to pick a fight with us and we were stuck being chased all over the wind town by those ignorant knights who were lagging several steps behind. We didn’t earn anything and we had to pay our own way through it all!!”

“We were ignorant and lagging several steps behind!? I demand you take that back!!”

“You were perfectly happy attacking me when I was working to stop the villain. That’s one step behind. Some straitlaced woman was shouting nonsense without even knowing what the real threat to the sky city was. That’s two steps! You still don’t seem to understand any of this. That’s three steps!!”

Henrietta’s head was full of question marks (and her eyes had some tears welling up in them), but the reddish-brown Minotaur ignored her to speak to Ayato again.

“Run out of tricks?”

“Right now, I can only wait.” Ayato licked the surface of the magically-created ice floating in his water. “Someone went out of their way to acquire that monstrous Critical Disaster and they disappeared beyond that nasty barrier with a ridiculous name like Free Audience Restriction. I am worried about what they are trying to accomplish, but we have no way of breaking through that barrier.”

“Hm. A Sorcery Hacker is saying he can’t do something?”

“Are you trying to provoke me? But luckily, the Free Audience Restriction is brought down to allow the normal citizens and sightseers into the royal castle on certain days. We’ll have to use one of those days to get in. And I believe the one coming up is for that Temple Moving Ceremony.”

“Are you aware what kind of event that really is?”

“A public execution. Fun for the whole family, I’m sure.”

Ayato spat out the words in disgust.

The Temple Moving Ceremony was used to invite in a specific religion as the new state religion, but Sky City Celedileka was a military government run by the king and knights. If this was to defend the divine right of their rule, they could not afford any mistakes here. In other words, the Forturiana Church had to defeat some great evil to be accepted by the king. (Officially, anyway. Any previously established connections were a different matter.)

This was not the suppression of the great Demon Lord spoken of in legend or the slaying of a dragon from a picture book.

It would take the form of a test, but the regional king and the church did not want it to fail. That was why they had chosen a convenient villain for themselves. They would offer up a human prisoner who had been sentenced to death and the event would continue as planned.

“Hey, Ayato. I’ve got a fundamental question for you here.”

“Yeah?”

Henrietta tugged on his sleeve and begged him to explain what was going on, but the muscular bull man cut in before he could reply.

“You seem to be doing your best to not see a certain possibility here. So do you mind if I point it out for you?”

“Quit beating around the bush. What are you talking about?”

“The Zodiac Bright Eater.”

Henrietta clearly had no idea what the reddish-brown Minotaur meant. Ayato did know what that term referred to, but he still did not understand what the man was getting at.

“The ancient Demon Lord Nirvelphany? That’s one of the nicknames listed in the sightseeing pamphlet while explaining that people here call the aurora the Demon Lord’s Bite, but why bring that up now?”

“Because that’s who you’re pursuing here. She’s a ruler of surprises and she can be the trigger of doom or the key to salvation. Write her name in a circle to link the end back to the start and you create an eternal incantation that provides unlimited power.”

This was all far too sudden.

But the Minotaur did not seem to be joking.

“C’mon now. You have a Dark Elf like Mamilis with you and you’re speaking with a guy who abandoned his humanity after too many sorcery experiments, so how can you be so certain the Demon Lord isn’t still alive?” The bull man drank down the rest of the amber liquid in his glass and slammed the glass against the counter, sending the round beans and small fish dancing along their plates with the vibration. “You did figure it out on your own, didn’t you? You knew the answer, but your common sense got in the way and refused to let you accept the answer right in front of your eyes.”

“It can’t be…”

“You remember now, don’t you? It’s about that sniper’s Expansion Armor. Shops selling demon wings and horns are pretty common in that wind town, but those are different. Demon Lord Nirvelphany remade her own right wing into Expansion Armor. She used her own body part that was cut off long ago and sealed in that shrine along with her.”

“It is true she seemed to have much greater control over that one compared to the horns, the left wing, or the tail. It seemed like an excessive amount of processing space for a mere decoration.”

“She only saw it as reattaching the body part taken from her, but as Expansion Armor, she can’t hide it inside herself anymore. Being a sniper or Sorcery Hacker is all about hiding and sneaking around and she would stand out quite a bit walking around with just the one wing sticking out, so she probably felt the need to match the rest as well.”

The Minotaur chuckled and tapped at his empty glass a few more times. Earnest Henrietta still could not decide who was an enemy and who was an ally, but she still called over the frightened barkeeper like the organizer of a drinking party.

“Demon Lord Nirvelphany definitely did exist in the distant past, but how she vanished from the center stage of history is much less clear. Some say the holy light of Forturiana purified the demon and others say she destroyed herself in some kind of sorcery experiment, but none of it is very credible. It’s all a bunch of rumors.”

“?”

“ ‘It was a golden horse carrying death and a holy follower adorned with glittering gems.’ Those words apparently describe her fate, but all the scholars have different interpretations of what it means. Although maybe it means there’s someone else out there like my maid.”

“What are you even talking about? I’ll admit the right wing of that Expansion Armor wasn’t normal, but I seriously doubt Nirvelphany is still alive and active to this day. Didn’t you see that dragon rampaging in the fire town? Without a leader, the demons have been fighting sadly meaningless individual battles. Yet if they had rationally banded together again and formed a single cohesive force, they could have started a war large enough to divide the continent in two. If that charismatic leader was still around, it never would have ended up like this.”

“You’re right about that. But a history book gathering dust on the Combined Royal Family’s bookshelves says the Forturiana Church opted not to wait for the arrival of the Hero and instead sealed Nirvelphany in a small shrine somewhere.” The giant bull man accepted a newly filled glass and waved it around a bit to spin the ice. “But not even the official records of the Combined Royal Family say where that shrine is located. No one can tell you where on that vast, vast continent it is.”

“Wait, hold on…”

“This isn’t too unusual. For example, the Combined Royal Family’s treasure house isn’t open to public tours, but that’s because we can’t let the commoners know it’s actually empty. And the Resurrector Cathedral that preserves the royal tombs is pretty much the same. All the generations of kings are supposed to be sleeping there, but if you open up the tombs, the numbers don’t add up. If it was just one body missing, you could make up some story about the mysterious vanishing king, but when there are that many missing, you can’t smooth it over with legends.”

“…”

“(Heh heh heh. This is fine. I am using invisible chains to keep these dangerous individuals here. This is an important job, so I haven’t given in. I will never lose to these ruffians. Eh heh heh heh.)”

Henrietta had tried to figure out from the conversation if this Minotaur was telling the truth about his identity, but the information must have overloaded her mind at some point. She had been listening in without interrupting for a while, but now she was childishly muttering to herself while slumped down on the counter despite not having had a drop to drink. Ayato lightly rubbed her head with a hand while listening to the reddish-brown bull man.

“A lot is lost in the long span of history. Records that everyone just assumed would always be around will one day not be there. Now, a question. You believe the commonly-accepted fact that Demon Lord Nirvelphany disappeared and was no more, but does that really have any historical basis? Or is it a false theory some idiot made up to hide the fact that the official records were lost due to some combination of coincidence and malice? Yes, that’s the real question here.”

It was true the right wing that red leather woman had worn was not your average device. If it really did belong to the Demon Lord, then not many people would be able to get their hands on it.

But Ayato still shook his head.

“I still don’t get it. That isn’t a logical conclusion. All you’ve said is ‘well, it could be’. If the Demon Lord was sealed in some musty old shrine several thousand Combo-Years ago, why would she be showing up again now? And why would she bring down the Free Audience Restriction to make an attack on the light castle in the center of Celedileka?”

“That just means she has a reason to do it now.”

“???”

“Listen, you’ve already given the answer yourself. You just haven’t noticed because you’re being led astray by the preconceptions made up by some idiot to hide the missing records.”

“Just tell me what you’re getting at here.”

“Try thinking for yourself.” The man with the ridiculously-large bull head sighed. “Nirvelphany went on ahead. And you can’t reach her because the Free Audience Restriction reactivated. That’s a problem, but luckily, the central light castle is bringing down that aurora-like barrier to invite in the normal citizens and sightseers for their fixed game of a Temple Moving Ceremony. And that means you can sneak in then to get a second chance at fighting Nirvelphany.”

The newspaper had mentioned an old man named Thomas. Losing his head for some silly event was tragic, but he had been given a death sentence already. He must have done something bad enough to warrant it, so that fellow resident of the underworld calmly urged the man to continue.

“And?”

“Really? That wasn’t enough?”

The reddish-brown Minotaur took a jocular tone as he pressed the cold glass against his forehead.

And then he said it.

“Then why did Nirvelphany go to all the trouble to bring down the Free Audience Restriction? Couldn’t she have just snuck in with the crowds during the public execution of that old man named Thomas Robergin?”

“Ah.”

That point should have been obvious, so Ayato’s mind went blank.

“That means she must have some reason for it,” said the bull man. “Nirvelphany has some business she wants to take care of before Thomas is killed for that religious event. Surely that’s enough for you to figure it out, Ayato.”

“You mean it’s related to that old man they’re calling a brutal criminal?”

“Incidentally, despite being part of this fancy event at the castle, the actual charges against him haven’t been released. All they’ve said is that he is a ‘brutal criminal’. So I wonder what this Thomas actually did?”

“…”

“Zodiac Bright Eater Nirvelphany hasn’t appeared on the center stage of history for several thousand Combo-Years. Not since this sky city was still a piece of the continent below. Yet now she appears to be active again. So how do you think that great Demon Lord managed to come crawling out of the shrine that’s location has been lost? Of course, the door can’t be opened from within, so I’m really asking who came along to open the door from the outside? Once you look at it that way, it all clicks into place, doesn’t it?”

Part 2

Light Castle Brightio was the central region of the sky city. The king’s castle stood at the center of that special district that also contained all important government facilities and the cathedral of the Forturiana Church, which was more or less already protected by the king and was enjoying its honeymoon here. There were no real shops running here. That was not due to the late hour. Most likely, commerce was banned here and the king provided food, clothing, and shelter for the knights and soldiers.

Below the moonlit starry sky, a woman in red leather walked quietly along without worrying about the slits in her long tight skirt. Yes, she walked silently despite the flashy high heels she wore.

“?”

After seeing a Flower Seller girl walking there, Nirvelphany briefly hid behind cover. The Demon Lord’s sharp nose could tell that seedy look was a disguise. Unlike her, that girl probably used her powerless and foolish appearance to gain permission in and out. She may have been a Priest spying on the Forturiana Church which was effectively linked to the king.

This may have gone without saying, but stone castle were the product of a tower and walls culture. The many towers would be connected by tall walls to form the overall silhouette and the courtyards and the boxy hall where the king performed his official duties would be constructed inside those walls. Brightio was no exception, but the one major difference was the many additional structures that seemingly bubbled out from the main king’s castle. That created a unique view of labyrinthine staircases arranged in accordance with no apparent logic. It almost looked like a piece of trick art.

Even those small staircases were enough to get the red leather woman out of breath. Her head was wobbling side to side and she could not support her body weight, so she placed a hand on the wall.

A sticky sensation had hit her as soon as the faint magical lights – artificial magical lights – shined on her soft skin.

“…!”

Dark blood stained her upper body in a diagonal line down from her right shoulder. A dull and heated pain similar to pus spread below her beautiful skin.

She shut her eyes and took a deep breath.

(I am fine. There is no wound. The old wound itself has been forgiven. This is an illusion. Just an illusion.)

When she opened her eyes again, the rusty-looking color was nowhere to be seen and the pus-like pain had faded. Still leaning against the wall, she wiped the cold sweat from her brow.

Long ago, the Hero’s sword had dug into her shoulder and then sliced diagonally through her torso. The wing on her back and the item embedded in her body had been sliced through as well. Without the “breadth of possibilities” available to the Demon Lord, she would have died. The right wing Expansion Armor she now wore had been made from her own body part thrown into that sealed shrine along with her. That alone would have stood out too much, so she had also acquired horns, a thick tail, and a left wing to match.

She lived in fear of that nonexistent wound, she had lost her “breadth of possibilities”, she had reattached her severed wing in pursuit of her former appearance, and she did her best to maintain her dignity.

What would the humans think if they knew this was what had become of the Demon Lord who had once shaken all of history?

(They would think I have grown weak.)

She gave a self-deprecating smile. For one thing, the Demon Lord was not some strongest being. It was said writing out her name in a circle to connect the end to the beginning would give you an eternal incantation that provided unlimited power, but that was not what the title actually meant. When powerful, she broke through the upper limits of history. When weak, the average human could defeat her. The Demon Lord title referred to the being with both those highs and those lows. That was why she was known to bring surprises and the unexpected. The Demon Lord’s power referred to her great “breadth of possibilities”, whether that led to her victory or her defeat. That was why the Four Great Demons, who only had their fixed strength, had found her interesting enough to follow.

And now…

(The fact that I’ve lost the strength to laugh even in defeat may be the real proof of my weakness.)

During the vast length of time for which she was sealed, her “power” had slowly but surely leaked from her broken body. The current Demon Lord no longer had that “breadth of possibility”. She was an ordinary being who could not change anything and only had her arms and legs to work with. All her “power” had leaked out, so all that remained to her was the sturdy tank that was her healed body. She could bathe in the moonlight to gradually refill that tank and expand her possibilities, but that would take too long to accomplish her goal here.

Since she was at human level or below, she would do things their way.

She just had to use techniques just as – or more – cheap and underhanded as those humans.

She looked up at the stone wall she was leaning against.

(This really is the age of sorcery guns. I can see the loopholes all over these walls. They look like worm-eaten cheese.)

However, if all of those small holes opened at even intervals had sorcery guns and snipers waiting at them, she would have been detected well before now. Just like with laser pointers, more loopholes were built than necessary to frighten the enemy by giving the impression of more guns than there really were.

Using the many stairs to move from tower to tower must have been a lot of work because there were thick wires set up between towers and between plazas and moonlit cable cars could be seen dangling from those. Humans would do anything to increase efficiency in the name of laziness.

They must have loved the stillness and inviolable atmosphere because unlike the rudely bright nightscapes outside, the light castle was much more subdued at night. It did seem ironic that it was the light castle which was enveloped in darkness.

(They placed light at the peak of the four elements, but they lost their way because they aren’t sure what exactly the “light” element even is.)

Nirvelphany gave a snort of laughter below the red aurora known as the Demon Lord’s Bite.

The statues praising the regional royal family were joined by ones of Forturianan priests. Based on the inscriptions at the bottom, they had supposedly brought peace to the world by defeating the Demon Lord.

Thanks to that, the religious leaders were allowed a life more luxurious than the royals and nobles. The Temple Moving Ceremony was no more than checking off the proper boxes on the official paperwork. It was ridiculous to think of those holy men as pure and righteous when they were clearly indulging in a life of disgusting gluttony.

(What is this Light-Dark Duality nonsense? Everything in this world can be explained just fine with the traditional four elements, so why even bring good and evil into it?)

The world had not been like this back when she was sealed.

Celedileka had been planted firmly on the ground and she had been discarded in a tomb deep below the surface. She had never imagined she would be lifted high into the sky along with the ground around her.

(Not that it matters.)

The facility she was interested in was also here.

Namely…

(The special prison. The giant cage used to contain those found guilty of sorcery crimes.)

Or that was the story anyway, but the devil in red leather knew all too well that it did not function as advertised. Simply put, that prison run by Government Security was an exchange that traded hostages for money. They claimed to be protecting the peace by keeping dangerous criminals off the streets, but if you were rich enough to pay bail, you could walk free once more. This was abused by accusing the son of a rich merchant or noble for some random crime to get a juicy ransom or bail payment out of them. And if they refused, the money could still be obtained under the name of consolation money, indemnities, or a fine.

And once that system became normalized, the jailors stopped questioning the absurdity of their duties. If a political opponent or an inconvenient witness ended up imprisoned for no justifiable reason, it was dealt with as just more of the same.

So no one would question it if a completely innocent old man showed up in there.

“I need to get going.”

Brightio was best described as a city of stairs. The royal castle’s tall towers extended ever upward and the boxy government buildings were built alongside those like lizard eggs.

But the prison alone was different.

A secret route defied the staircases by continuing ever downward.

Even with the giant anti-dragon rifle resting on her shoulder, even with the revealing red leather vest and tight skirt, and even with the horn and wing Expansion Armor, no one called out to her in suspicion. It did not matter that she was blatantly not dressed like a knight or government officer.

The guards did not bother leaving their assigned posts and the patrols along the many staircases tangled all around the royal castle were only made at specific times.

Instead of actually trying to increase security, it was more like creating a giant clockwork device to show off to everyone looking in from the outside. There was still a giant dragon in Fire Castle Town Flared, but not everyone would be out dealing with that.

An attempt on the king’s life could not be allowed to happen.

And because it could not be allowed to happen, they must not even consider it a possibility and must not put together any concrete countermeasures.

That was probably how it worked.

(This must be the result of living so snugly behind that impenetrable aurora-like barrier.)

The soldiers’ training and the locks on the doors did not matter when the Free Audience Restriction was considered an absolute defense. It was considered impossible – truly impossible – for an enemy to get through there, so it would be disrespectful to try to convince the royal family there might be a threat. She was silencing the sound of her sharp heels, but this place was not designed with intruders in mind, so this was no different from a nighttime stroll.

In what was probably meant as a form of camouflage, a makeshift wooden door was attached to the right triangle wall in the space below one of the many staircases. She aimed the stock of her anti-dragon rifle toward it.

She swung the weapon down at the knob to break the lock and then slipped through.

She was now inside the special prison.

She silently snuck in, but she did make one unnecessary statement to herself.

“I will be there to save you soon, you kind old man.”

Part 3

“So, so, so.”

The legs in those zipper-covered pants rudely fidgeted below the counter.

Ayato and Henrietta were not interested in eating anything, but that First Prince reached for the assortment of cheeses laid out on the counter. Unlike the uniform mana light trapped in artificial crystal, the gentle orange light of the lamp was reminiscent of a campfire and that may have made the food look more delicious.

“…”

Henrietta tugged on his sleeve from the side.

It was an oddly weak and childish action for that adult woman in armor and a tight skirt. It did not suit her at all, but she could not help but wonder if this was possible and if this kind of plotting really was carried out on a daily basis in the light castle that stood above the knights.

She must have always trusted the information given to her by her allies.

She would not want to believe that some of the criminals she had arrested in the past were actually good people or that she had assisted some bad guys who had worked their way into the groups meant to carry out justice.

“But what is the truth of the matter really?” The Minotaur licked the surface of his glass. “Even if the shrine’s door did open by random chance, would that really have fully released Nirvelphany? I have to imagine she had a curse charm on her forehead, mana-conducting silver chains binding her body, and all sorts of other defenses applied to her since the regional king at the time couldn’t kill her.”

“Which means…”

“Yes, he could have just stopped.” The reddish-brown bull man drained his glass and grabbed a piece of strong cheese. “Maybe when that old man called Thomas saw the sealed Demon Lord, he only saw a woman who could laugh and cry just like a human and he couldn’t help but reach out a helping hand. So he removed that charm on her forehead and the chains binding her.”

There would have been no real reason for it.

If he had been blinded by the Demon Lord’s charisma or wanted to sign a contract with her to turn his life around, Nirvelphany would not have been this fixated on him.

He had done it without thinking.

Truly without thinking.

That old man had simply reached out his hand like a small child opening the birdcage by the window despite knowing the small bird inside would never return.

And he had released her of his own free will.

That had been deemed a crime.

One worthy of death.

“In that case, Nirvelphany has no reason at all to hold back.” The First Prince slammed his empty glass down on the counter. “I doubt the peerless Demon Lord would rely on a human-made sorcery gun. We’re talking about someone who comes up when you discuss who it is that supports the power of magic in the first place. Why is a VIP like that relying on puny human tech? I imagine this plays a role there.”

The enormous Minotaur stroked one of the holsters at his hip. The guard of the sword was shaped like butterfly wings and it glowed with a faint magical power.

Yes.

Unlike the lamps and candles in this restaurant, this was an artificial magic light.

Something happened in that moment.

That bull man had no injury on his head. Or he had not before. Yet the others saw an illusory black liquid oozing from the top of his head.

“An attack taken by the Hero can only be healed by the Hero.”

“…”

“Heh heh. This hurts like hell. Even after the injury itself has been forgiven and sealed up, it sticks with you for a good long time. There’s an illusion of a dull and heated pain similar to pus and it saps your body of strength.”

Yes, it was no more than an illusion.

The symbol of a leaking fluid vanished along with the magic light from the sword in his holster.

“If she was defeated and sealed, it’s only natural to assume she was injured as well. But the Demon Lord is walking around despite that weakened state. If she just wanted to regain her former power, she would be better off staying put. Now, Ayato, you’re a clever boy, so here’s a question for you: what could explain this contradictory situation?”

“You don’t mean…”

“I don’t know if that old man is aware of it or not. After all, even the lowest estimates put it at more than a thousand Comb-Years ago. That was so long ago that no humans or even demons remember what the Demon Lord looks like.”

The bull man twisted his oversized jaws in his best imitation of a smile.

“But it is possible this old man named Thomas carries a secret. A secret power in his blood. …If that kind old man really and truly saved Nirvelphany, then he would hold great meaning for her. She wouldn’t want to wait to recover her strength even if she only has just 1% of her original ‘breadth of possibility’. She would feel a need to challenge that impregnable castle all on her own.”

Part 4

Just like in the tunnels the humans had so thoughtlessly dug through the mountains, this pitch-black area was only lit by the mana light in the bare minimum of crystal tubes installed at even intervals, but restricting the amount of light probably had its purpose.

A prison was meant to let the jailors know what the prisoners were doing, but the opposite had to be avoided. Directing the flow of information in a single direction created an absolute barrier between the rulers and the ruled. That was a truly basic tactic.

When the artificial light crawled across Nirvelphany’s skin, that irregular sticky sensation returned. She felt a heated pain like her body was rotting and filled with pus. It was all an illusion, so she slowly exhaled and brushed off the remnants of that forgiven wound.

“…”

This space was so large it was hard to believe it existed in a sky city.

This vast subterranean space continued every downward. Beyond a bottomless-looking pit that measured 100 esoule across, she saw barred cells installed on separate levels with this side of the pit converted into a large guard tower. The guard tower was installed with a large spotlight made by converting mist mana into fire magic within a giant vacuum crystal. That shined inside the cells to see within, but that same bright light would make it impossible for the prisoners to see inside the tower. It was intentionally set up that way.

Of course.

In this underground space with no concept of day and night, constantly shining blinding lights on people would prevent them from getting much sleep. Not only did this place rob people of their freedom by trapping them behind bars, but it drove them ever closer to death by sapping their physical and mental strength simply by being there. They avoided direct violence like punching and kicking and instead designed everything to simply direct information in a single direction. The facility was like a crystallization of the ugly side of humanity that could claim righteousness while harming others.

They liked to talk about the Light-Dark Duality.

If anyone complained they could not sleep because of the bright light, they would simply be mocked for fearing the light because that pointed to a darkness filling their heart.

There were bridges connecting the guard tower to the cells on the other side of the pit, but they were drawbridges made to be immediately raised in case of emergency. There were no safety standards here. That single light source could start a fire if it malfunctioned, but if a fire did break out, the prisoners would have nowhere to run and they would be surrounded by flames and smoke in no time. The jailors did not leave the guard tower except to provide the bare necessities like food, so they had no problem with the current arrangement since they could climb up to the safety of their tower to escape danger.

The people in those cells were not necessarily guilty of serious crimes. One of them was a girl with unnaturally clear hair and skin. She almost looked like a sculpture. She was probably a Homunculus, but how had she ended up in here? Was the Alchemist who created her looking for a chance to break her out?

After seeing all this, Nirvelphany saw no reason to hold back.

She had never thought she could reach her destination without being detected anyway.

She would need the proper keys to open the prison’s doors.

“Now, then.”

While carrying a rope she had found tying a light fixture in place, she snuck up behind a young jailor in the guard tower and wrapped the rope around his neck.

“…!? …!!”

He only started clutching at his throat and kicking his feet after he had been lifted from the ground by his neck, but by then it was too late. There was no hesitation in her high heels. He could not resist at all and he could not cry out to alert the others, so he could only accept his fate.

On the other side of the pit, his colleagues were chucking what amounted to table scraps into the cells on the wall there, but that put them on the other side of the bright light they had set up as the ruling class. They could not see the tragedy occurring so close by.

Killing someone by blocking their windpipe would take time and she was not going to bother with that. She considered shaking him up and down to break his neck, but…

“It must have been hard surviving so long surrounded by so much rust and dust. You are not human yourself, so you don’t need to let human circumstances control your fate. Live the life you want to live. That is what I want for you.”

“…Tch.”

She had killed plenty of people already, so why was she remembering those words here?

She clicked her tongue, subtly shifted the force applied by her arms, and constricted the jailor’s carotid arteries on the sides of his neck instead. With the blood flow not reaching their brain, puny humans would pass out before you could count to ten. Before the lack of oxygen could damage his brain cells, she loosened the rope in her hands and tied the limp jailor’s arms behind his back.

That choice only introduced further risks, but she did not feel like turning back to finish off a defenseless life.

Perhaps this was like not wanting to dirty your hands before heading to your birthday party. You wanted to remain clean for that special day at least.

At any rate.

(This panel operates the drawbridges. And this is the key for the cells. Hm, so they aren’t using separate keys for every cell. Well, they can’t exactly walk around with hundreds or thousands of keys, so a single master key is easier.)

She blindly operated the control panel, lowered the levers, and raised all of the drawbridges connecting the guard tower to the cells across the pit.

“Wait, what’s going on!?”

“Hold on! Now we can’t get back!!”

This was like angering a hornet’s nest, but those on the cell pathways were stuck where they were and could not move up or down between levels. More than half of the jailors had been locked in place.

On the other hand, nearly half of them were at the top or bottom of the guard tower, but she did not have to fight them.

“Let’s do this.”

There were staircases connecting different levels of the guard tower, but there were thick metal doors installed to prevent jailbreaks and riots.

She raised her giant anti-dragon rifle, pressed the top against her forehead, and focused on the disintegrating lead bullet. She focused her mind on the magic she would use.

This was the weakest of the weak.

By carving the necessary letters and numbers with her willpower, she had set up the muzzle flash in the color she wanted like a fireworks craftsman. The color was yellow, the vertices were three, and one of those vertices was kept shorter to intentionally break the balance.

“Tertiary Arc Charge.”

While drawing out as much power as she could, she pressed the stock against her shoulder and fired. The intense heat fused the door and wall together, so no one could open it anymore. No one could reach this level.

The recoil hitting her shoulder sent pain through her body like spreading cracks. It was like the bag of pus built up below her skin finally bursting. Of course, that old wound was not really there. I am overthinking this, thought the Demon Lord with clenched teeth. Just to be safe, she leaned over and collected the giant empty cartridge that was covered in a hardened film of mist mana thanks to the impurities and heat.

Once she hit the button on the control panel to lower the drawbridge to the cell she wanted, her objective was halfway complete.

She followed the path she had created for herself.

“Freeing me is a bad idea, human. Once my seal is broken and I regain access to the object embedded in my chest, I will regain my full power as the Demon Lord. Although that is assuming it still runs after being disconnected for so long. Also, you humans have a bad habit of shifting the target of your hatred to revel in a false sense of satisfaction. If I escape from their grasp, they will try to satisfy themselves by tormenting you in my stead.”

She recalled something she had said before.

Yes, she had known it would turn out like this from the beginning.

“I am an old man and I have lived long enough already.”

But none of her warnings had done anything to remove the smile from that old man’s face.

He had not even been aware of his own value.

How could a truly normal human have opened the door to where the Demon Lord was sealed? Not to mention the many charms and chains. Why didn’t he realized doing that was all the proof anyone needed that he carried the blood of the Hero whose sword she had once taken.

In the current legends, the Forturiana Church insisted quite loudly that their ancestors had defeated her to prove their religious authority and to justify their position as rulers while they worked to curry the favor of the regional king who ruled this land. That had reached the point of an effective rule and they were even putting on a ridiculous event they called the Temple Moving Ceremony.

So if the old man’s identity became known and those in power sensed danger, that forgotten old man would be the one in real danger.

Those ugly humans would not hesitate to silence someone.

“Ha ha. I’m no one that important.”

And yet.

And yet.

“But I still want to help out when I see someone like you. I don’t have much time left in this world, but you can live forever. The few Combo-Years I have left is a small price to pay for reclaiming your eternal life, don’t you think?”

Then that old man had removed the many curse charms and chains one by one.

He had even placed his hand on the ugly wound running diagonally down from her neck to heal it and provide forgiveness.

He himself had seemed surprised when it happened.

That was when it had hit her.

It had been a real revelation for her.

She no longer needed to hold that hatred inside her. She did not need a weapon. It was over. The age of conflict from so, so, so, so long ago had long since ended.

There was no point in continuing to live as a Demon Lord.

She could fly free now.

It was that Hero’s healing and forgiveness that had taught her that.

The old man had not known anything.

He had even forgotten the duty assigned to his bloodline. The flow of time had washed away all the bad blood.

“…”

She ran across a group on food duty, but there were only two or three of them equipped with just enough to deal with unarmed prisoners. They carried no sorcery guns, presumably so rioting prisoners could not steal them. Aiming her gun at them might have led them to jump off the edge, so she instead beat them down with the stock of her anti-dragon rifle and continued on.

(I have no interest in the division between good and evil that the humans have so selfishly defined for themselves. Fire, water, wind, and earth are the only real divisions, but they still insist on dividing the world between the nonexistent elements of light and darkness.)

In the end, it had played out exactly as she had expected.

If they hated her, they only needed to attack her, but they forgot all about challenging that powerful foe and instead redirected their excess righteousness toward an enemy in their grasp to enjoy a false sense of satisfaction.

An innocent old man had been accused of the Demon Lord’s crimes and he was to be executed in public for it.

No, even that was an excuse.

In truth, the powers that be needed to eliminate that old man because he could reveal their lies. Wounds caused by the Hero could only be healed by the Hero. That was all the proof anyone needed of who had defeated the Demon Lord. So they were trembling in their boots and too scared to sleep at night. They had needed to find anything they could accuse him of so they could kill him. That was the entirety of the emotion behind it. And if they could use him as the evil to be slain at their Temple Moving Ceremony, that was two birds with one stone. He could act as the cornerstone of the foothold the Forturiana Church needed to earn the official approval of the king. Money, money, money. It all came down to those filthy holy men needing to support their indulgent lives.

How could she let this happen?

She could not. Not for a second.

(But I am the lord of wisdom who rules the demons, so I will use everything at my disposal to make you pay. I carry a noble soul that will always repay any debt that I owe!!)

For some reason, she came to a stop just before this reunion.

She toyed with her hair, slapped her cheeks, twisted her body, and pinched at various parts of her red leather outfit to check on it. Not even tapping her sharp heels on the floor was enough to calm her down. Her pulse was racing and she was nervous despite being the Demon Lord. She took a deep breath to try to relax. What would she do and say when she saw him again? She had rehearsed this countless times in her head, yet now she found her mind had gone entirely blank. And that seemed fine to her. She would face this as her honest and unadorned self. Once she made that decision, she took that final step forward to reach the bars of the cell.

“Hi, old man.”

When she spoke, the words that came out were entirely ordinary.

She hated how poorly her mind was working right now, but there was no redoing it at this point.

She powered through it.

She gave up on trying to look good in front of him and that resignation felt kind of nice.

She smiled thinly and spoke with countless emotions in her voice.

“I apologize for the inept execution, but I am here to rescue you, old man!!”

Part 5

“Th-this cannot stand,” said Henrietta with a tremor in her voice. She slammed her fist on the counter hard enough to nearly break it and raised her voice. “They stole the credit for sealing the Demon Lord? And they are beheading an old man for a nonexistent crime to gain the king’s approval? You advertise this as some exciting ceremony, Forturiana, but this cannot stand!! You make a mockery of the king’s trust and charity!!”

“Sorry about this. She’s very drunk, so please just ignore her.”

Ayato winked while doing only the bare minimum to deflect the attention they were gathering.

Then he spoke to the bull man who thought he was dressing up by wearing zipper-covered pants.

“How much did you know?”

The reddish-brown Minotaur tried to feign ignorance while using his very large hand to grab the strong cheese and dried fruit arranged in front of him.

“’Bout what?”

“How much about all of this did you know from the beginning? You were the one that lured us in with gold and hired us to destroy the human traffickers working in Fire Castle Town Flared. Did you know all this already and knew we would come into contact with Nirvelphany if things went well?”

“Anything’s possible.”

He dodged the question, but the answer was clear.

And if he was going to stick to the role he claimed for himself, then Ayato could guess why he had not told them their true objective from the beginning. He belonged to the Selected Kingdoms, which put him on the side of the humans. And if he had explained everything occurring here in Sky City Celedileka, it went without saying which side an uncontrollable Sorcery Hacker like Ayato Criminaltrophy would choose. That would have been a problem for the First Prince.

No.

It would have hurt his reputation as a prince of the Combined Royal Family if he had bowed down to a sorcery criminal in order to clean up a scandal related to the Forturiana Church that had deep ties to the regional power structure.

“…”

Needless to say, solving this kind of problem would be difficult for strict rule-followers like Henrietta.

You could not just draw out clear divisions between right and wrong.

If humankind banded together to hunt down the incarnation of evil that was Nirvelphany, that would be an act of good.

But if Nirvelphany was trying to do whatever it took to stop this meaningless public execution, that was also an act of good.

…The normal rules did not apply in a contradictory situation where two acts of good came into conflict. Especially when it involved revealing the lies of the powerful hidden deep, deep, deep within the system. That was why people sought out Sorcery Hackers and others who operated outside the law.

“I was hoping you would figure it out on your own.”

Resignation filled the reddish-brown Minotaur’s voice like a tutor lamenting that his student was even dumber than he imagined.

He also glanced over at Striker Henrietta, who symbolized the good and just side of the sky city.

“It would have been best if you had left my control and solved it all yourself, but you were so trapped by your assumptions you were never going to arrive at the truth. And yet I went to you with this one because I believed Sorcery Hackers had more of a flexible worldview.”

“So we betrayed your expectations there?”

“That meant I had to make some decisions. If I couldn’t have everything I wanted, I had to figure out what I could salvage and what I had to give up on. I cut away the excess fat in my plan. Directly telling you the truth comes with a fair amount of risk, but I steeled myself for the pain and did it anyway. So what will you do now?”

“Is that even a question?” Ayato had a troubled look that said he wished he had been told this earlier. “Surely you have some guesses as to why Miss Teleria and Miss Mamilis are nowhere to be seen here.”

“Oh, so that’s why they aren’t with you.”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t know.” The Sorcery Hacker sighed. “Dagregor Bull Gerlos. He’s a white hat hacker who was given the title of Knight, but he has apparently been unleashed with Miss Henrietta away from the knights. I don’t know where you get your information, but I’m sure you’re aware of what that drugged-up Sorcery Hacker is up to.”

Henrietta’s shoulders jumped at that.

She must have known what kind of person that man was more than the bull man with the mystery information source.

“Wait just a moment. What has that drugged-up man done? What has happened while I was stuffed in that sack and tied up in a way too humiliating to describe!?”

“Heh heh heh. That is known as tortoise shell bondage, and what he believes is actually the opposite of the reality. You disappeared when we did, but how do you think he interpreted that?”

“Wait, you don’t mean…”

“Dagregor mistakenly thought you had captured us and he was so desperate to earn some credit for himself that he left the knights and started acting on his own. The knights have already fought Nirvelphany, so he hoped stopping her would earn him enough points to not be thrown back in his cell.”

“But what does that cockroach actually hope to do? That sorry excuse for a knight is an insult to the tradition behind the title, so I already know I am not going to like the answer!”

“Yeah.” Ayato nodded. “He went to destroy the earth core in this castle town. That’s why I sent Miss Teleria and Miss Mamilis to stop him.”

Henrietta had felt left behind by this conversation, but now she scrambled to her feet.

“Wh-what!? What did this dangerous individual just say!?”

“After all, Nirvelphany set things up so she could sneak into the center. Whatever kind of person he is deep down, Dagregor is officially a knight and that means he receives security reports from a law enforcement perspective. There must have been something in those reports that only someone with the skills of a Sorcery Hacker would notice. He might not be as good as me, but we still use the same sort of techniques.”

“But we never heard anything about that…”

“He wants to make a comeback after you outdid him, so do you really think he would honestly share whatever he found? Sorcery Hackers use data as a weapon, if you recall.”

The beautiful Striker placed a hand on her forehead.

She had threatened him to put a stop to his misbehavior, but she may have overdone it.

“That white hat hacker apparently thought he could sound his own alarm to make Nirvelphany panic while in the center of the city.”

“Th-that’s all? But we are talking about the earth core here!”

“Hey, what did I just say? Sorcery Hackers use data as a weapon. And the one thing we fear most is exposure. I bet he followed her ‘footprints’ so his attack would carry her scent. You can use the same technique when pursuing a sniper who also wants to avoid being exposed.”

The beautiful Striker only looked more confused by his explanation. This was too far outside of her style of fighting where she wielded a blade, directly confronted the ruffians, and proved the righteousness of the civil servants to put the people at ease.

“Maybe you could think of it like operating the bank vault door to trap the robbers inside. Just like we have to put ourselves in a fair amount of risk if we want to get the Demon Lord to make a mistake and leave enough of a trail to pursue.”

“B-but this is more important than some issue of logical planning. I mean, this is the earth core! And…and why would he hide something so important for so long!?”

“Oh, and don’t ask why we haven’t reported it yet. We’re still wanted criminals, so they aren’t going to listen to us. Also, organizations will always try to cover for their own. When it’s the word of a wanted criminal against the word of a knight, we all know who they’re going to believe.”

“…!!!???”

Well-behaved Henrietta flapped her mouth wordlessly and could not find anything to say. As someone who had seen the true line between good and evil for herself while protecting this city, she knew the power of official paperwork could not be ignored. Whoever Dagregor was as a person, he was officially registered as a knight. It did not matter that Ayato and Dagregor were both Sorcery Hackers. And it was Striker Henrietta herself who had given him the freedom to do all this.

Just then, they felt a tremor like the ground thrusting up from below.

Ayato looked up to the ceiling.

“Oh, did they screw it up?”

“Hey.” The reddish-brown Minotaur placed a hand on his rugged forehead. “Just out of curiosity, if this was so important, why didn’t you go with them?”

“Don’t blame them for this just because it didn’t work out. Remember what two threats we were facing back then: a berserker like Miss Henrietta and drugged-up Dagregor. The former was clearly more trouble.”

“Do not talk about me that way, dangerous individual!!”

“We had no idea what she would do when she came to. I mean as a Knight or a Striker or whatever, she was liable to find an opening, contact her old buddies, and get us surrounded. That meant we had to split up. …Although if I’d known she would kneel down the instant she saw bull man here, I would’ve gone there instead.”

“Wah, wah, wah!! Bah, bah, boo!!”

Henrietta’s mind was so overloaded her speaking skills reverted to the level of a baby while she clenched her fists and lightly pummeled him. The bull man sighed as he watched it play out.

“Wouldn’t this all go a lot quicker if you would just wield a sorcery gun, Mr. Hexajinx?”

“Don’t ask for the impossible. I’ve abandoned that devil’s revolver.”

“?”

Henrietta stopped her fists and tilted her head, but he had no obligation to dig into that old scar and explain.

The blue blazer boy sighed and said something else instead.

“We touched on this before, but nothing anyone does to the earth city’s core will bring down the barrier’s emergency power, but it will probably make them reconsider the security situation in the central castle. And isn’t that where Nirvelphany is right now? I’m not about to root for her, but I don’t like the thought of her being angered because Dagregor’s haphazard actions got in her way.”

“So…”

“However she is trying to rescue that kind old man named Thomas, a powerful shock is going to run through that prison. Powerful enough for her initial plans to crumble around her.”

Part 6

As always, he seemed to live in his own little world.

The metal bars and stone walls would wear down anyone’s heart. A cruelly bright spotlight made from a vacuum crystal and mist mana was shined on him day and night. The food and clothing were highly inadequate. The living conditions could hardly have been worse, but that old man looked no different from when she had first seen him.

“Oh?”

His expression was as gentle as ever.

Everything was the same as when he had opened the door to that small shrine that had been forgotten to everyone.

“What brings you all the way here?”

“Don’t mess with me.”

Nirvelphany was standing before the person who had saved her life and her dignity, but she still snapped back at him. She knew it was rude, but she could not stop herself.

“Did you not hear me: I am here to save you!! I will save you from this gods-damned situation and all the crimes that should have fallen on my shoulders!!”

“…”

“I will not allow them to hold that farce of a public execution. There is no reason at all for anyone to hate you!! The crime of freeing Demon Lord Nirvelphany is entirely based on how hated I am. No, even that is an excuse! Really, the fattened-up Forturiana Church is afraid their lies about defeating me will be revealed, so they’re silencing you using this public execution they’re dressing up as some Temple Moving Ceremony! You have no reason at all to go along with it!!”

“I didn’t rescue you to bind you like this instead. I told you to live the life you want to live, so do not waste your life on something like this. I am no more than a stranger who saved you just the one time.”

“You are no stranger.”

She could bear it no longer, so she grabbed at the bars with both hands.

He had not caught on. He really had not.

Not that he had the Hero’s blood, not that he would never have ended up in this situation if it had all simply been forgotten, not anything.

But she could bring herself to abandon him because he was the kind of person who had not hesitated to save someone despite not realizing all that.

Perhaps that was the true nature of the Hero – of the kind of person who truly saved people.

They had only been able to attack each other back then, but things were different now.

It was said that writing her name in a circle to link the start to the end would create an eternal incantation that provided unlimited power, but that was a lie. The Demon Lord was not that perfect a being. When she won, she truly and utterly won, but when she lost, she lost quite easily. That breadth of possibilities was both a strength and a weakness.

She had wanted just one person in the world who understood that.

And she gathered her strength in her gut and shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Someone who saves your life for nothing in return and takes the blame for your crimes is not a stranger!! Listen, I will save you no matter what. You may have stopped struggling against the ugly conspiracies of those in charge, but I will save you even if you tell me not to!! Just like you did for me when I told you not to!!!!!!”

Luckily, she already had the key to the cell.

What did those bars matter? She could free him right this instant.

But just as she thought that, all the lights went out and she heard a deafening sound like some giant switch being thrown.

“…!?”

She had not expected this darkness.

It only lasted a moment and the lights came back on soon enough, but things were different now. The entire pit-like prison was illuminated by red emergency lights.

The creepy artificial light assaulted the Demon Lord’s soft skin. She felt nonexistent blood spreading from her right shoulder to cover her entire torso.

Something had happened.

And it was something that Nirvelphany had not expected.

“Ah.”

Then it hit her.

She tried to insert the cell’s key into the door’s keyhole, but it did not fit. She only heard a rattling sound and it would not fit inside the keyhole.

An announcement played from a metal tube that swelled out like a giant flower.

“In accordance with an emergency alert, the entire central castle area’s security level has been updated. All mana-conducting silver locks in the area have been altered. To rewrite your keys to match the new locks, please report to your superior officer and follow their instructions. I repeat…”

“Dammit.”

It did not fit.

No matter how much she tried it, bit her lip, and suppressed the tears, this one little key simply would not fit!!

She grabbed the bars in her hands and tried to move them with all her might, but they refused to budge. She only heard an unpleasant rattling. And the forced exertion produced a scorching dull pain in her right shoulder as if pus were seeping out of the wound that had once been there.

Had she really grown this weak?

She no longer won sometimes and lost sometimes. There was no variation and the outcome never moved too far in either direction. She had no breadth of possibility. Her arms and legs were no more than arms and legs. They could not destroy these bars!!

“Dammit, don’t you worry, old man. I swear I will save you!!”

But while the Demon Lord felt utterly hopeless, the old man awaiting his execution in the cell remained calm.

That person with the Hero’s blood placed a smile on his wrinkled face and shook his head.

“You don’t have to.”

“Yes, I do.”

“I am already close to death. And I don’t fear it after accomplishing that one last job.”

“I said yes, I do!!!!!!”

She lost her patience, threw aside the useless key, and grabbed the anti-dragon rifle from her shoulder. She slammed the stock against the door, saw that it did not budge, and then aimed the sorcery gun at the lock.

If she wanted to, she could blast through not just the door but the entire prison.

But that was the problem.

(It’s too powerful!!)

This was not like the thick metal door in the sealed guard tower. There were gaps between the bars, so the blast would fill the cell.

“Old man, move to a corner of the cell.”

He did not move.

A Hero would not do anything that would drive a neighbor toward evil.

“Please just do as I say!! Just this once!!”

The Demon Lord shouted in childish frustration, but the old man still did nothing that would place any wrongdoing on her shoulders.

And she already knew the truth herself. Even if she used the weakest of the weak and restricted the output as much as possible with the letters and numbers carved into the soft disintegrating lead bullet, she could not burn through that lock without harming the old man beyond the bars. The idea was as absurd as trying to peel an apple with a guillotine.

She could not save him.

She could not save the person she cared about more than anyone else in the world.

How could she call herself the ancient Demon Lord, the Zodiac Bright Eater, or the charismatic leader powerful enough to bind together all the demons and destroy humanity? How could she feel any pride in who she was if she could not save this one person who had saved her!?

“Thank you.”

“…”

“Knowing someone cares about me this much lets me look back on my life with a smile on my face.” The voice from within the cell sounded far too cruel to her ears. “But there is no good reason for you to stray for the sake of an old man like me. Now, go. Work towards whatever it is you want to do. I saved you, so it doesn’t make me happy to see you bound like this. Can’t you look at it like that?”

She heard his words.

She heard his words which remained perfect even now.

“This is…”

She finally snapped.

Demon Lord Nirvelphany threw her soul into a torrent of emotion more intense than any she had ever felt before.

“This is what I most want to do, old man!!!!!!”

“…”

She changed how she thought about this.

She forcibly cut away her regrets and drew out her cold-heartedness as the Demon Lord.

She could not afford to waste any time here. If she was captured here, she would lose what little chance she still had, so she had to leave here even if it meant forcibly tearing herself away.

“Listen, I swear I will save you. That alone I will not back down on.”

“You…”

“Silence, brat!! You are but a child who has only lived as long as it takes for a nut to sprout and grow into a great tree, so don’t act like you have a complete understanding of the world!! …I will show you something, old man. I will show you that this world you have given up on is much larger, vaster, brighter, and unbelievably beautiful than you think it is!! You do not get to talk back to me! Listen, I am a lord! I am the leader of a tribe known for their wisdom! You puny lifeforms are satisfied crawling along the surface of the world, so can only view us as evil, but we cannot be accurately judged by mere humans!! By what right do you refuse me!? When I speak, the world listens!! And I say I will save you!! Do you understand now!!!???”

“…”

“Cry, fool! Cry if you wish!! I do not care how much or little of your lifespan remains and I am not interested in how many cycles of the seasons you can still experience!! Anyone is free to cry and call for help if their life is about to be snuffed out like a candle in the wind! I am doing this because you have refused that right. Even if your soul is on the verge of annihilation, I will not let you throw it away. Do not mess with me, brat! That life is yours alone, but do not assume you are the only one with a connection to it!!!!!!”

“…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………”

The atmosphere changed.

No, the change was on that wrinkled face.

This was a change he must not have wanted anyone to see.

It had finally happened.

He had let it happen for her.

“Better,” she spat out.

No matter how hopeless it looked, she refused to give up. This first attempt may have failed, but how could she abandon the person who saved her life and dignity? She was the Demon Lord and she would have her way. Surprises and the unexpected were fine by her. She would praise her freedom without tying herself to any specific power. Because that had always been the true essence of Nirvelphany.

She would ensure there was a second attempt.

She would look to the future.

“I will return.” She clenched her teeth oh-so-strongly, grabbed those loathsome bars, and stared the old man straight in the eye. “I cannot stay in the strictly-guarded royal castle forever, so I will leave here for the time being. But the Demon Lord will pay you another visit. I will not let your flame be snuffed out here. Old man, don’t you let anything break your spirit. When the pressure feels too great to bear, gaze upon the Demon Lord. You will always find hope there.”

The old man did not respond.

The possibility of salvation may have brought back his fear of the approaching Temple Moving Ceremony…no, of the public execution. The crime of freeing the Demon Lord was utterly absurd and he was only being executed so the terrified powers that be could rest easier, so of course he was afraid. In that case, had her actions here been cruel? She did not think so. Keeping your presence of mind and having your feelings numb over were two different things. It was more natural to start by properly understanding the situation and then preparing to overcome it.

The prison’s security was sure to grow stricter. She doubted she could break in again like this.

That left just the one opportunity.

The Zodiac Bright Eater rested the anti-dragon rifle over her shoulder again, stepped away from the cell, and spoke back over her shoulder.

“The Demon Lord will come to save Hero Thomas Robergin on the day of his public execution. Got that, old man?”

Option 04: Precaution Pamphlet Distributed to Intermediaries

The knights and administrative forces run by the government are regulated by an examination system and are backed by public funding, but there are individual workers who use their lighter footwork to slip into the gaps left by those large organizations. They are hired by third parties to perform various jobs.

However, there are some broadly-defined categories there: the Bouncers who guard a specific location or individual, the Ransackers who collect rare plants, animals, or minerals, and the Forwards who specialize in resolving the cases that the large organizations would have difficulty with.

Since they are not managed by examinations or licenses (as you well know, the legal system is concentrated more on the intermediaries that assign those jobs), there are no strict divisions between those different categories. But they still seem to take a territorial view of things, so if a combat-oriented Forward accepts a job as a defense-oriented Bouncer, it can apparently lead to some conflict over a perceived “stolen job”.

They deal with these divisions on their own, so the intermediaries need not try to settle those conflicts.

Each of those categories has some legendary members. For example, the Bouncers have Grapple Shields who singlehandedly defended a crash-landed airship from sky pirates for seven days until a rescue team arrived. And the Forwards have Hexajinx who uses a large revolver sorcery gun and is known for completely any job in no more than six shots.

This legendary status is something they decide on among themselves, so the intermediaries do not need to keep up with a ranking board or anything like that. In fact, allowing them such titles would increase the risk of them demanding greater payment for their work, so it is safer to pretend you are ignorant of it all.

Now, these people who accept jobs as individual workers are still protected by the legal system. They pay a bare minimum of respect for their intermediaries, so – for example – they will make sure you cannot be accused of helping fund a criminal’s getaway.

However, there are signs of some intellectual criminals like Sorcery Hackers abusing the holes in the system, so there is still room for improvement.

Phase 04: Light Castle Brightio

Part 1

In homes across Sky City Celedileka, a small bell-like ding sounded as a remotely-printed newspaper popped out of boxy device like toast from a toaster.

There was no mention of the giant dragon still hanging around in Fire Castle Town Flared, or that Teleria and Mamilis’s defense in Earth Castle Down Grouviv had failed, allowing Knight Dagregor to destroy the earth core.

It was like they were stubbornly rejecting any petty complaints before their big event.

The day’s morning paper did have this on the front page:

“The Temple Moving Ceremony will be held today. The Forturiana Church’s High Priest plans to denounce the name of Thomas Robergin as a great evil and present his head to the king as proof of their righteousness.”

Some people would see that article and grimace, others would be delighted that they could visit Light Castle Brightio which was normally off limits, and yet others would leave the newspaper folded up and unread on their dining room table and then place a pot of stew on top of it. There was also a Bounty Hunter who checked through the list of wanted criminals to see how much the bounty had risen on targets they had intentionally let go for the time being, there was a Bunny Girl who circled the art museum exhibit information while licking her lips and planning out a honey trap, and there were many others as well.

Despite all the excitement, most people’s interest would not last until the very end.

In fact, the advertisement saying “Any lambs suffering from magical recoil should visit their closest Forturiana Church!” would stick around longer in a corner of their mind.

Meanwhile…

“Ugh, shiver, shiver. The shower here is really cold.”

“Is that because the earth core was destroyed?”

The wet-haired Dark Elf shivered, but the girl who was fine with lukewarm water or even ocean water did not bat an eye.

Ayato was lying on his side with his eyes shut within that cheap inn located in Earth Castle Town Grouviv, but he was not asleep. He was performing his Self-Maintenance work and he spoke up with a truly rotten voice.

“Wh-whoa! I can’t, Miss Teleria! I can’t possibly choose just one…”

“I have my doubts about how serious that work really is.”

Mermaid Teleria Nereid Aquamarine already knew to stay safe at times like this and Dark Elf Mamilis Coster, who had her long ears poking out through her silver hair, had learned by now, so they were both sitting up on a table or windowsill with their legs pulled up. There was no temptation to go back to sleep with the bright morning sun shining down from the starry sky.

…So today’s victim was the promising rookie: Striker Henrietta Split Destrius. She was snatched away by the blanket rolling at her feet. It looked a lot like being swallowed by a bizarre carnivorous plant.

“Wah, wah, wah, wah!? Wait, what are you doing!? Stop that, you dangerous individual, get off of me! Ah, don’t pull me into the blanket! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?”

Teleria and Mamilis sighed from their elevated safe spots as they glanced over at the poor miniskirt Striker being chewed on by the blanket monster.

“Rest in peace. May you feel no more pain.”

“You can’t even see her anymore.”

That was all they said before turning their interest to the television weather forecast displayed on the snowdome-like Media Summoner on the wall. In other words, they barely cared when it could not affect them. …And since Sky City Celedileka floated up above the clouds, it was a never-ending mystery whether the weather forecast had any meaning there.

Meanwhile, the straitlaced Striker had been rendered fairly useless, but her presence with them had definitely relaxed the knights’ pursuit even though she was not here on an official investigation. The knights seemed to think she had some kind of plan that required leaving them free while under her supervision.

Finally, the blanket spoke.

“Hm? When did my crystal tarot cards get so soft???”

“Those are not even close to the same size and shape!!!!!!”

Even if she wore the old-style for the appearance, armor was still armor. The blushing straitlaced woman threw a punch with her thick gauntlet and it produced a loud and dull sound.

Ayato Criminaltrophy spoke with eyes too swollen to fully open.

“Good morning, everyone. …I hate to make a request so quickly, but could you provide some recovery magic for my face, Miss Teleria? What in the world happened during my self-discovery work?”

“I hope this has been a lesson for you, idiot,” bluntly replied Teleria.

Dark Elf Mamilis tilted her head at that.

“(Huh? That doesn’t seem to come from jealousy.)”

“I am not completely indiscriminate.”

The blonde girl sounded calm enough, but she was actually revealing far too much.

“(I see. So she isn’t fine with just anything. She wants him to go for a direct attack instead of an absentminded one.)”

“Bfff!? You were looking for a way to twist my words, weren’t you!?”

While the two girls started grappling a little, Ayato got his mind up and running and pulled the morning paper from the boxy device on the table.

He skimmed through the frontpage article and muttered quietly.

“So everything is going as scheduled.”

“You mean Thomas Robergin’s public execution?”

That meant Nirvelphany had failed to rescue him and would target the Temple Moving Ceremony as her last chance.

“Honestly, I will admit this is terrible if he really is only being accused because they are mad about not being able to directly attack the Demon Lord, but all of you are taking things too far. You are known as a dangerous individual because you think people will accept any form of violence as long as you have a just goal.”

Henrietta was a single-minded berserker when it came to combat, but she could be more sensible at times like this.

While the two girls were pressing their hands together in a competition of strength that seemed like it could take a lily-ish turn at any moment, Teleria looked back toward him.

“So what exactly are we going to do?”

“Whether Nirvelphany is good or bad, she has to pay for what she’s done. If she hadn’t framed us for her crimes, then I’d be wishing her the best of luck. Or at least this wouldn’t have gotten so complicated.”

“Do not act like you are innocent yourself, dangerous individual.”

“I can accept crimes people carry for themselves, but that’s not what happened here.”

Since he had no intention of being arrested no matter what she said, that statement sounded absurd to Striker Henrietta, but that was a separate issue.

“Okay, let’s put together a schedule assuming the event goes as planned. The public execution is supposed to be held during the morning, right?”

“Curse you… Letting a Sorcery Hacker go free is bad enough, but now you are planning to sneak into the royal palace with weapons? I suppose I need to play this one by ear.”

They wanted to intercept Nirvelphany at the Temple Moving Ceremony, so their biggest fear had been the cancellation of the event due to some kind of trouble. Then Nirvelphany would lose her chance to make an appearance. On the other hand, once the state event began, they could continue their plan according to schedule.

Ayato glanced over at the newspaper’s weather forecast.

He knew it was highly unlikely, but he could not ignore the possible of a blizzard powerful enough to break through the Guardian Umbrella atmospheric shield.

“That said, we need to focus more on the big picture than the minute risks.”

He spread a few large papers out on the table. These were not newspapers. They were a schedule for the state event, a map of the castle layout, security information, and a blueprint for the execution device. In some situations, simply carrying these documents would be enough to warrant suspicion of plotting a rebellion or assassination.

The first to speak was Henrietta who knew the most about the city. She was the one who had gathered most of the data and documents concerning the public execution.

“To be clear, dangerous individuals, Sky City Celedileka uses a mechanical guillotine for its executions. These are the designs here. The criminal kneels down, has their hands and head held in place by this thick frame, and a lever is pulled to drop the thick blade that was lifted by a chain-winding device. The execution itself is designed to be quick and painless.”

“But that wouldn’t make for much of an event in which they want to emotionally slay a great evil. They called the crowds into the public square here, so they need to take their time to satisfy all those people.”

“I suppose you would call that the Forturianan way of doing things.”

“They are the sect with all but official protection from the royal family, Coach.”

Dark Elf Mamilis made it sound like this was none of her concern.

Since she was not human, she may have taken a cold view of that human-made religion that would only protect other humans and excluded her.

Henrietta nodded.

“Even if the Temple Moving Ceremony is necessary, they cannot be seen as forcing death upon an innocent man. That means the Forturiana Church needs to label Thomas Robergin as a great villain and ensure no one protests that labeling.”

“Hm. And how will they do that?”

“I should have known a social outcast would be ignorant of how state events work. That religion forbids unnecessary killing, but there are a few exceptions. After placing the criminal in the guillotine where everyone can see him, the High Priest will likely spend a long time on a performance in which he reads off a long list of crimes to denounce his name. It all comes down to the Light-Dark Duality, so it is important that they make him seem evil and eliminate all pity or sympathy from people’s minds. That will take much, much more time than actually decapitating him.”

“It is true meat tastes better if you remove the blood before cooking it.”

Henrietta’s expression twisted a bit at Ayato’s comparison, but that really was his only thought on the matter.

The Striker in the asphalt-colored armor cleared her throat before continuing.

“Ahem. Anyway, that means the time limit until his execution is a fluid thing. It is scheduled for some time during the morning, but a schedule is no more than a schedule. If the High Priest gets carried away with his speech, it could be delayed until midday.”

The bloody public execution would be the climax of the Temple Moving Ceremony.

False justice like this was meaningless.

The catharsis of punishing the evil was one of the people’s favorite forms of entertainment, whether it came in the form of direct execution or socially destroying them through criticism in the newspapers and such. As long as they could find an excuse to call the other person evil and themselves justified, humans could grow as cruel as could be. That High Priest may have been working hard to provide the most exciting show to grasp the people’s hearts.

The Dark Elf’s long ears twitched as she gave a blunt comment.

“Humans are crazy.”

“I agree with you there, but we’re going to use that to our advantage here.” Ayato sounded as fed up with it as her. “Forturiana has another special rule: if an execution fails due to happenstance, the criminal is freed as sign of respect for that benevolent coincidence. For example, if a storm blows in just before they are burned at the stake, or if the noose’s rope breaks and they fall to safety.”

“I imagine dangerous individuals like you are already aware, but this guillotine is mechanical.” Henrietta crossed her arms and nodded. “If the gears slip out of place or the chain gets tangled and the blade cannot be wound up or dropped, the execution could be called off.”

Teleria tilted her head.

“So will Nirvelphany try to make that happen to save the old man?”

“That would be pretty exciting.”

Mamilis, the grandma’s girl, gave a dangerous comment that made one question whose side she was on.

Ayato tapped his finger on the guillotine blueprint.

“There are a few ways to cause a failed execution. For example, you could replace one of the gears with a smaller one so they do not fit together, or you could pour acidic fruit juice into the bearings to rust the metal. Normally, Nirvelphany would definitely try to get at the guillotine.”

“But she won’t have a chance to do that once the Temple Moving Ceremony begins, right? It will be set up on top of an elevated platform and surrounded by a crowd in all directions.”

If that reddish-brown Minotaur was to be believed, they were talking about the real Demon Lord here, but not much time had passed since she was released from her seal and had her Hero’s wound was forgiven. She would not have been able to spend many long years bathing in the moonlight to recharge the power that had leaked from her body. She would not have regained her “breadth of possibilities” to that extent. Since she was relying on a human-made sorcery gun, they had to assume she was attempting this with human-level specs.

…Of course, that also meant she could shake things up this much even in her weakened state.

“As someone who has dedicated her life to chivalry, I do not like discussing trickery, but that just means she will try to approach the execution device before it is brought to the public square, right?”

Henrietta did not sound all that convinced of what she was saying.

Ayato knew why.

“This isn’t just about the Temple Moving Ceremony. A public execution where people are allowed to attack a fellow human being is the ultimate show for those cruel people craving entertainment. If it fails due to some mistake, those entertainment-starved people could explode with anger and start a riot. In the past, there was an executioner who failed to light the fire below the giant pot meant to cook the victim alive. The angry crowd swarmed him and lynched him.”

“That is correct, dangerous individual. This is a crucial event for the executioner and they are risking their life here. If they succeed, they earn thunderous applause, but if they fail, they could be the one killed.” Henrietta shook her head. “Think of it like a magic show where they will be sawing themselves in half or escaping a deadly trap. Because their life is on the line, the executioner will carefully check over the equipment time and again. Even if Nirvelphany sabotaged it in some way, there is no guarantee it would go unnoticed until the execution. And if it is noticed, she has no way of saving that old man.”

Ayato tapped his finger on one of the papers lined up on the table.

He thought for a moment before speaking.

“The guillotine itself is made from standard mana-conducting silver, correct?”

“Yes.”

“But, Miss Henrietta, the armor protectors you are wearing are made from dark gray oxidized mana-conducting silver, correct?”

“Eh?”

The Striker looked confused, so Ayato wagged his raised finger.

“Metal processing is the product of heating and cooling. Military armor is oxidized to preserve its strength at the cost of flexibility because they don’t want the materials changing due to intense temperature changes. The joints with the monster leather and tendons are actually fairly fragile.”

“Huh? But, Ayato, those scorpion and hornet sorcery devices were made from normal mana-conducting silver, weren’t they?”

“Only because they were designed for use in Fire Castle Town Flared. The entire place is constantly blazing hot, so they don’t have to worry about temperature differences.”

“Um, is she going to freeze the device with the coolant that salesmen use when selling fruit juice or ice cream?” asked Mamilis. “After all, she can’t approach the device when it’s still backstage and the executioner might notice the change even if she did.”

“The executioner will check it over multiple times, but there is one flaw there. Once the show begins, they can’t check the device in front of the people no matter how suspicions something seems.” Ayato licked his lips. “And if you only need to get a specific liquid on it, you might not actually have to directly approach it. This is a sky city protected by the thick Guardian Umbrella, but there is still a chance of an unexpected blizzard breaking through that shield.”

“Hm? Coach, why are you changing the subject? What does the weather or a blizzard have to do with this?”

Mamilis’s eyes widened, but Ayato shook his head.

“I’m not changing the subject at all.”

In other words…

“She just has to freeze the device while disguising it as a rare blizzard. And since she can’t afford for it to fail, I doubt this will be set on a timer or remote controlled. Whatever her main plan is, she will be hiding nearby in order to begin Plan B if things don’t work out. Things will be set up for her to personally sneak in and apply the coolant to cause a guillotine malfunction.”

Yes.

After the criminal was placed in the guillotine, the High Priest would give a long speech as part of the performance.

That could be just what the Demon Lord needed to freeze the gears of the machine.

Part 2

The morning sun in the starry sky shined down on Earth Castle Town Grouviv, which was best known for having nothing special. It came as a surprise to the people who questioned that premise, but people who had grown exhausted from sightseeing would gather here and provide plenty of sightseeing income.

The blonde girl and the others were staying in a three-story inn where the first floor contained a simple restaurant. Ayato had already gone down, but Teleria and the others had further business to take care of.

Yes, they were girls!!

“Sigh…this mirror is too small.”

In fact, the entire bathroom was too small, but Teleria, Mamilis, and Henrietta were all crammed into a space that contained a sink and bathtub yet was too small to fit even a single horse. The water from the tap was cold thanks to the earth core’s destruction, but that was not the real problem. The three of them were pressing their soft cheeks against each other to fight for space in front of the small mirror while they did their hair and washed their faces. The silver-haired Dark Elf had a slight upper hand here, but that may have been because her distinctive long ears stuck out around her in a threatening manner.

“Hey, Teleria?”

“What is it, Mamilis?”

“Who are you prettying yourself up for? Coach sees you as soon as you wake up.”

“Bff!?”

She did not actually want him to see her then, but due to various circumstances, they generally could only afford the one room. Since they had started traveling together, he had seen her not just immediately after waking up but also after staying up all night while wandering through a cave or a forest. But she wanted to avoid the nightmarish jinx of becoming the sort of older woman who gave up on keeping up her looks. Even if it was meaningless and wasted effort, she wanted to continue her pursuit of constant cuteness!!

Teleria’s soul was shaken so bad she was left motionless, so Henrietta took that opportunity to lean out in front of the mirror. She toyed with her bangs while giving a complicated look toward Mamilis who was relaxing her shoulders to create some space…and who had been saved by a Sorcery Hacker instead of a Striker.

“By the way.”

“Ugh, why do we keep adding more girls to our party like that’s just the way these things work?”

“??? You seem to be familiar with that dangerous individual, so you might know. Last night, this bull man told me some things that may or may not have been true.”

“Oh, that was probably all true. The two Butterfly Effector swords and Micha Angelos seem real enough and even Ayato says he can’t find a way to fool her authorization. She seems to be one of the finest humanoid sorcery devices not just on the continent but in the entire world, but she says her energy efficiency is so bad mass production would suck the world dry.”

“Bff!? S-so he really was a prince!?”

The Striker leaned back in shock, so the Dark Elf moved in front of the mirror instead.

“So what did that bull say?”

“R-right. He claimed that dangerous individual did not start out as a Sorcery Hacker and used to use a sorcery gun. Um, he used a revolver and he was known as the Hexa…something or other.”

The other two had pushed her out of the way, so Teleria viewed the backs of their heads as she sighed.

Then she slowly moved her lips.

“I really shouldn’t mention this if he didn’t, but given the situation, maybe I should. It would be cruel to send you up against someone like Nirvelphany without answering your questions. Think of this as no more than a way of strengthening our teamwork, okay?”

“So what was that Hexa-whatever thing about?”

“Hexajinx. Ayato was originally a skilled Forward who specialized in using a magnum-style revolver. He had nothing to do with Sorcery Hacking back then. He earned that name from a legend saying no one had ever seen him reload because he would complete any job in no more than six shots. He had to have been the best sorcery gunner in the Academy Towers we attended. He would not simply go in guns blazing, but he was not a powerless phantom thief type either. He would avoid as much unnecessary fighting as he could, attack the target with as much power as he could manage from point-blank range, and vanish from the scene once it was abuzz with energy. People were impressed he could do what he did without passing through walls or turning invisible.”

An outsider like Henrietta knew of the Academy Towers as a hive of extreme geniuses and of eccentrics who could not be allowed out in public. They were always working up strange theories like that colorless mana was split into the four elements by aligning with the higher beings scattered in the four directions. Whatever their personality, standing at the peak of any specialty there had to be quite an accomplishment.

That was why an honest question occurred to her.

“…? If he was that skilled, why did he choose the path of a dangerous individual?”

“He failed his very last job,” whispered the blonde mermaid. Since she could explain this, she must have broken it down in her mind and finished verbalizing it. “He was to eliminate the criminal who had taken a hostage and holed up in the Gem Science Gemboard Processing Tower. As always, he settled everything in no more than six shots, but it turned out the hostage had convinced the criminal to surrender just beforehand. In other words, he shot the criminal when there was no need for it.”

“…”

“That counted as taking out his target and solving everything just fine, so he remains a top ranker without a single blemish on his record. But what he did hit him a lot harder. It did not matter that no one criticized him for it. That is why he swore to never again use a sorcery gun and started down the path of a Sorcery Hacker using the hidden aspects of what he had been taught.”

It was unfortunate, but accidents and miscommunications were a problem everyone had to face in combat. But that boy had been unable to write it off as a probabilistic eventuality.

And what was it he had said?

I’m not about to deny what I’ve done. Not that I’m going to sit around and let you arrest me for it either.

“On the outside, it might look like he got a fresh start, but I’m sure he is still pursuing the truth of what happened then and what went wrong in the chain of command. In fact, that is the entire reason he chose to become a Sorcery Hacker. What went wrong to let that happen? Or was it done intentionally and maliciously? He wants to reach a place much deeper than he could as a top ranker who works within the rules.”

He made sure he was aware of his body’s baseline weight so he could move exactly as he pictured it in his head. Even that was fueled by the need he felt to redo everything from the beginning before heading back into battle. Just as Teleria could not become a Sorcery Hacker, the muscles and thought processes needed for using a Linkage Plug were entirely different from those needed for using a sorcery gun. Instead of exchanging magic blasts from head on, he had to hide his true intent, focus on indirect attacks, and challenge an armed opponent while unarmed. Although all of this was only Teleria’s guesses from the position of someone who was not a Sorcery Hacker. Only he would know how much effort had gone into throwing out his specialty and relearning everything from the ground up.

“Then you are assisting that dangerous individual?”

“He never came to me asking for help. I decided to follow him myself.”

“Hm? You said Coach’s official record remains perfect, but you also seem to know an awful lot about what actually happened.”

The Dark Elf tilted her head in front of the mirror, so Teleria laughed.

She had a faint smile, but it was a complicated one that would be difficult to describe using only positive emotions.

“That is easily explained. I was the hostage in that school tower and my stepbrother was the criminal holing up there. So I saw it all happen.”

The other two fell silent at that.

Only Teleria continued with a faint, faint smile.

“No one is perfect. Not even a former top ranker.”

“…”

“But that is why I am more worried about Ayato ruining his life than I am about the truth of the incident that took my stepbrother’s life. Ayato and Nirvelphany are very similar in the sense that they have grown obsessed with a single mistake. They are willing to throw out their own life and use up every last bit of strength if it means making up for that mistake. And no matter how it happened, that incident already ended. It’s wrong to create a new incident or tragedy over it. So…so my purpose in this journey is to watch over him and make sure he does not do that.”

The girls finished their preparations.

Once Dark Elf Mamilis used her Mimic Option earrings to hide her long ears, the three of them left their room in the inn and walked down to the first floor restaurant.

The boy raised a hand in greeting from the table he had gotten for them.

“Hi, Miss Teleria. It looks like our last meal is going to be a fried egg on toast. The options are limited due to the earth core’s destruction. That said, it seems the legends were true: anything looks fancy if you put an egg on top.”

The girl responded with a smile.

“Don’t joke about things like that. Do you want me to hit you?”

Part 3

Once they finished eating, it was time to get going.

“You eat more than I expected, Miss Henrietta. How many pieces of toast was that?”

“A Striker needs energy to protect the people in combat.”

“But the knights are supposed to be the fancy upper class.”

“Don’t act so disappointed! This is necessary!!”

It was a bright morning with the sun shining from the starry sky. The beautiful Striker’s red face may have been a sign of her surprise upon seeing how little the girls had eaten.

Ayato and the others left the inn in Earth Castle Town Grouviv and made their way to central Light Castle Brightio.

They were not yet at the site of the Temple Moving Ceremony, but there was already a clown standing on the side of the road handing out fliers. All the stores along the road were open bright and early and calling out to potential customers in a way they normally never would.

“If you want some drinks and sandwiches, now’s the time! There are no normal shops in the central area!!”

“How about some opera glasses? Don’t assume you can get a front-row spot!!”

“Thomas Robergin! His name is Thomas Robergin! Now, will he blink or not after the guillotine lops his head off? Come see us if you’d like to place a bet!!”

A Maid Trainee girl was rushing all over the place, so she must have been willing to help out with anything asked of her, even if it was related to a grisly execution. People were gathering around a Fortuneteller woman with a veil over her mouth, so her real job may have been to predict gambling results.

“Uheh,” said pale-faced Teleria. “Th-they really are turning this into a show. Urp, how are you supposed to sell juicy tomato and cheese sandwiches for a guillotining?”

“On the surface continent, they prefer to read a newspaper article about it after the criminal is strapped to a lightning chair in a closed room, don’t they? The only real difference seems to be whether you enjoy it live or not.”

“Um, Henrietta? I really don’t think this is about enjoyment…gulp.”

But the truth of the matter was that even righteous Samurais and Ninjas were chatting while grabbing a bite to eat. A Martial Artist in an exotic dress with bold slits was walking around, perhaps hoping for some trouble during the confusion of the event. It was all so peaceful that they imagined Nirvelphany would have little trouble maintaining her anger.

Dark Elf Mamilis spoke up while hiding her long ears to look human.

“I’ve heard the king plays no role in the executions.”

“?”

“My grandma said he keeps his distance from any bloody killings outside of war, so he lets the Forturiana Church handle all the death sentences.”

Whatever the pros and cons, they had no choice but to take advantage of the aurora-like Free Audience Restriction barrier being down to allow the general public into the central area.

“Okay.”

Ayato glanced around the street, which was more lively than normal this early, drew the Linkage Plug sword from his hip, and started stabbing blades into streetlights, sprinklers, and other sorcery devices. He was of course preparing to resonate with their processing space by interfering with their manaflow circulation. The earth core had been destroyed, but unlike the boldly unique water and wind towns, the earth town used its normalcy as a selling point. It contained a lot of street stalls that brought their equipment in with them, so the people there would not have too much trouble in their everyday lives.

“This is really easy with so much stuff around. I’m already at Level 20.”

“(I will not forget. I will not. I will never forget this barbaric criminality. Yes, unlike those girls, I have not let him emotionally manipulate me into accepting his actions.)”

“Miss Henrietta, do not forget that I can hack your precious sorcery armor at Level 20. Try anything funny and I will hijack that and make you do a wonderfully lewd dance out here in public.”

Ayato lowered his voice and drove the point home while a new blade was supplied from the ones compressed in the hilt.

The celebratory mood that brought all these street stalls felt inappropriate, but it did give them a lot to work with. They bought some cheap paper bags and musical instrument cases and stored their weapons in there.

Central Light Castle Brightio had opened its gates from the fire, water, wind, and earth sides, so they simply made their way to the large castle gate facing the Earth Castle Town. For today alone, there was no sign of the Free Audience Restriction that had beaten down sturdy Henrietta. The gate acted as a bottleneck, so the crowd grew denser there and some children selling fruit from baskets wandered through everyone waiting there.

Ayato’s group blended into the crowd and other people were soon pushing in from behind. They were quickly stuck where they were.

“Um, is everyone packed in here because the gate is too narrow?” asked Teleria.

“Can’t you see how ridiculously big it is?” replied Ayato. “Even if it’s open to the public, the king lives in that castle. The bottleneck is probably so they can check people’s belongings and have them pass through a sorcery detection gate. That way no one can bring in sorcery guns.”

They all exchanged a glance at that.

Ayato’s group naturally needed as many sorcery guns as they could manage if they were to fight Nirvelphany and her extraordinary firepower. They could not even start to fight if they had their weapons confiscated here.

“H-hwe-hwehhhhhhh!? Wh-wh-wh-what do we do, what do we do!?”

Teleria looked all around in a panic. She might have wanted to leave the line of people and get a fresh start on this, but this was more like a current of people than a line and the entire crowd was slowly headed in just the one direction. A thick wall of people had already formed behind them, so there was no escape now.

“(Eeeeek. My sorcery guns and floating skirt are one thing, but what about the Mimic Option for my legs? If they notice that, my fish parts will be revealed in front of all these people. Oh, no, oh, no, oh, no, no, no, no!!!)”

“Miss Teleria?”

“It’s nothing! I’m fine! Everything is fine and dandy!!”

Teleria was pouring with sweat, her eyes were wandering around, and she was acting about as suspicious as could be. The deep voice of what seemed to be a knight called out from ahead and the push of the crowd grew stronger.

“Next!! Walk through the gate slowly!!”

“We will not be upset even if it buzzes, so do not stop! We will only take temporary custody of your sorcery gun!!”

That oppressive voice brought a cloud to Mamilis who was hiding her long ears. The Dark Elf seemed caught between her love of her grandma and her fear of this sorcery device.

“I don’t like this. How much can that gate see, Coach?”

“At the very least, it can’t see the color of your underwear, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

Meanwhile, Henrietta spoke up while tilting her head at how Teleria was nearly foaming at the mouth.

“Hey, what are you panicking about? …H-hey! Stop that! Don’t use my name here, girl! Stop clinging to me and giving me those puppy dog eyes! Hey, I said stop it! Hey!!”

Teleria was short and gave people upturned looks as a matter of course, so her looks could be quite powerful at times like this. It was neat how many different nuances you could find in the word “hey”. And as Ayato glanced over at them…

“Your name, hm? Does that master key work in the king’s castle? If not, we need to go with something more guaranteed to work.”

“You stop too, dangerous individual. That is also a problem. I don’t know what exactly you plan to do, but I cannot sit idly by while a Sorcery Hacker commits crimes. I am supposed to be upholding the rule of law!!”

“Ha ha ha. Stop trying to hide how you really feel, you straitlaced young woman. You’re only making this more complicated. Anyway, Miss Henrietta, a certain someone was handing out wanted posters with our faces on them, so they aren’t going to attack as soon as they see us at the inspection point, are they?”

“Do not brush off my complaints and I am not hiding how I really feel. Also, that should not be a problem.” Henrietta put her hands on her hips with her ponytail-style blonde braid. “This is the Forturiana Church’s crucial Temple Moving Ceremony, which means a public execution. That means they have to slay a great evil or their religious balance will crumble. There will be some level of amnesty at work, so even if they realize you are a dangerous individual at the gate, if you insist you are here to see the holy ceremony, they might just overlook it. There is precedent from past national ceremonies and I can speak up to help your case.”

“Th-that sounds like how they stopped a war for the finals of a sports tournament on the continent. And are you really sure this will be okay!? Searching our possessions is fine, but aren’t those detectors bad news!?”

“Don’t be silly. This is much easier when they are not using their own eyes.” Ayato breathed an exasperated sigh. “Have you forgotten that I am a Sorcery Hacker?”

“I do not like that smug look on your face, dangerous individual!!”

What he had to do was simple.

The castle gate itself was more than 30 esoule wide, but small, boxy metal gates were lined up in front of that. Needless to say, those were sorcery detectors that reacted to the mist mana flowing through sorcery devices. Ayato’s group had hidden their sorcery guns and trigger-equipped sword by wrapping it in their coat or stuffing it in a long bag, but those would be detected by these smaller gates.

However…

“Oh, excuse me.”

As Ayato approached one gate, he hid his drawn sword behind his back and pressed his back against the gate’s metal frame as if clearing the way.

He of course stabbed the tip of the blade in as he did so.

He needed Level 10. The same level as those scorpion-shaped Zootoxin Mk. III sorcery devices seemed like a lot for a simple gate, but it was not a problem since he had already built up to over 20.

The boy smiled and made a suggestion while using his own body to hide the evidence of his Sorcery Hacking.

“Ladies first. Go ahead, miss.”

“Eh? Huh? What?”

“Get going, Miss Tits.”

Teleria was still nervous, so silver-haired Mamilis had to push on her back with both hands. The supposedly functioning gate had been hacked by Ayato’s blade, so its buzzer did not go off. They walked right through.

“(Oh, no. I’ve finally done it. I’ve stooped to the level of that dangerous individual!!)”

“Hurry.”

After seeing sullen-faced Henrietta pass through the gate after those two, Ayato stepped away from the detector and walked through himself. With so many people, the knights must not have had time to check every single person’s appearance. They did not even notice their colleague Henrietta.

“Huh? Did that blonde girl and brown girl just walk right through with Expansion Armor around their hips???”

“Those’re probably fakes held up with fishing line. I mean, the gate didn’t react.”

The knights in charge of the inspection tilted their heads, but they were too reliant on the results of the digital sorcery to trust their own senses and let Ayato’s group go through without saying anything to them. It was weird to think this was all it took to get inside the place usually protected by the Free Audience Restriction.

“Wh-why did you call me Miss Tits!?”

“Would you prefer I used your real name in front of the knights?”

Ayato looked around while listening to the conversation between tearful Miss Tits and the calm Dark Elf.

The overall silhouette was created from several towers and castle walls while the center contained the courtyard and halls of the castle proper. This area almost seemed made out of various branching staircases and it contained the important government agencies and the cathedral that functioned as the Forturiana Church’s headquarters.

There were a few open areas shaped like plates in the middle of all the stairs and those seemed to function as public squares. They were about 360 esoule across. Everyone was headed in the same direction. The “plate” in that direction would be the stage for the public execution they were calling a Temple Moving Ceremony.

“Uwehh. It’s such a big space, but it’s crammed full. How many tens of thousands of people are in there, I wonder,” said Teleria.

“And that probably isn’t even a tenth of the total number of people visiting the central castle right now,” added Henrietta. “I want to believe that not all of them are here to see that bloody show. Surely most of them are here to see the castle and have no interest in the public execution.”

“Coach, are those newspaper reporters’ cameras flashing over there?” asked Mamilis. “It seems too soon for that.”

“…”

There were Bards and such working as reporters, presumably to make ends meet, but that aside, Ayato silently looked upwards as he continued listening to the others speak.

Several towers rose up and had countless loopholes in their sides. Thick wires ran between the towers and cable cars shaped like upside-down spiders slowly moved along them.

Nirvelphany wanted to ensure the guillotine execution failed so she could save the old man named Thomas Robergin. Sabotaging the clockwork execution device would be the best way of doing that, but the executioner would check over it time and again before the big moment since their life was on the line too. Sabotaging it while backstage was useless if the executioner noticed something was wrong.

That was why Nirvelphany was guaranteed to do something while the execution device was in front of the crowd. Once the event began, the executioner could no longer inspect it.

That said, the stage was surrounded by so many people, so no one could approach from the front, back, left, or right without being noticed.

Which meant…

(From above.)

Ayato looked up at the many towers and renewed his resolve.

(She must be hiding somewhere that overlooks this public square. She must hope to stop the gears with coolant while disguising it as a blizzard!)

Part 4

This was a dimly-lit space.

Choosing a location that required artificial lighting may have been a mistake.

“Phew.”

Someone slowly let out a breath to drive the sticky rusty sensation from her vision.

The woman had glossy red hair, floating Expansion Armor resembling horns, wings, and a thick tail, and red leather clothing that bound her body. Nirvelphany, who had been feared as the Zodiac Bright Eater in the distant past, slowly exhaled while deep, deep underground.

There was no injury.

It had already been forgiven by that kind old man, so there was nothing to worry about.

She could not seem to contact the unlicensed craftsman who had made the anti-dragon rifle for her. She could no longer have him perform maintenance on her gun or construct the giant bullets that hardened the surface of the mist mana into a solid film…so now the handmade side of it was rearing its ugly head. It was designed differently from the mass-produced commercial models, so it’s special – or overly complicated – design meant the maintenance took a lot more time than it should have.

She could not afford to dull her mind during that work, so she had put off taking her painkillers. Plus, the very fact that medicine made by humans even worked on her was proof that her Demon Lord body had lost its poison resistance.

“This body really is a pain in the ass.”

An oozing, pus-like heat and dull pain crawled around below her skin. While she fought that unpleasant sensation passing through her right shoulder and spine, she pushed in a mana-conducting silver spring and attached a few exterior parts. That kind old man had given her forgiveness, but she still felt a lot of pain when the gun’s recoil hit her where that diagonal wound had been.

The other day had been the first time in her ancient life she had relied on painkillers, but it had honestly been the worst feeling. The pain had not actually gone away. She had only been distracting herself from one form of harm with another. That said, she wanted to remove even the smallest bit of background noise before this crucial battle, so she would have to rely on it.

Once the anti-dragon rifle had regained its original shape, she placed it inside a long and narrow fishing rod case and glanced over at the remote-printed newspaper spread out on the dusty floor:

“The Temple Moving Ceremony will be held today. The Forturiana Church’s High Priest plans to denounce the name of Thomas Robergin as a great evil and present his head to the king as proof of their righteousness.”

“…”

She grabbed the paper in both hands, balled it up, and tossed it aside.

Good and evil could both eat shit as far as she was concerned.

After swallowing some painkiller pills from a brown bottle, she walked through a fairly large space. A rusty smell surrounded her. Metal ducts crawled along the ceiling like serpents and rusty steel beams supported the weight of the bedrock, but the terrain did not wholly explain the smell.

Something unnatural sat in the center of this space.

It was a white refrigerator, one of the most stereotypical of sorcery tools. It was a small model with just one door and it only came up to Nirvelphany’s skirt-wearing hips. Also, a sticky, dark red liquid was leaking out from the bottom of the door like drool from a misbehaving child’s mouth.

“Hm, hm, hm… Was that long enough?”

That general-use coolant was used by ice cream salesmen and in the radiators for sorcery vehicles, but she had needed to make sure it suited her needs first. It had to freeze the guillotine of course, but that would be useless if it also killed the old man bound to the device. Human bodies were fragile and the situation would not allow for even a single failure. So theoretical calculations were not enough; she needed real testing to determine the borderline values.

After placing the bottle of painkillers atop the short refrigerator, she opened the door so casually you would think she was looking for some water to help her swallow the pills. But there were no glass bottles or veggies inside. It only contained a large hunk of meat half-buried in frost.

“Hee hee, hee hee hee hee hee hee hee.”

That was not laughter.

It was no more than the cold-induced convulsions of his diaphragm moving his lungs. The mysterious poultices around his neck were frozen solid. The bald and bearded man’s limbs were folded up and trembling while his eyes rolled in his head to look at Nirvelphany. Not a single part of his body was uninjured. He knew staying in that small space would mean his death, but his mind was no longer functioning enough to think about shoving her aside to get out.

This was Dagregor Bull Gerlos.

He was a white hat hacker who had been given the title of Knight.

He was a mass of ugly muscles grown with drugs, so they were no use at all in combat. He could not protect anyone, so he was a knight in name only. He was a clever but unsightly human who had taken advantage of the collusion between the Celedileka royal family and the Forturiana Church.

“I gave it a lot of thought.”

A few words slipped from between Nirvelphany’s lips.

If not for this man’s actions, that tremor would not have run through central Light Castle Brightio. If the earth core had survived, she could have freed that old man from his cell.

“I racked my brains trying to figure out what I could do to forgive you. Would tearing out your teeth be enough? What about crushing your eyeballs? Or severing all four of your limbs? Maybe pulling out your internal organs? How about flaying your entire body? I really did agonize over this question.”

“I…I…I am…eek…a Knight…”

“But I’m sorry. I couldn’t find an answer.”

She sighed.

Then she reached on top of the fridge and grabbed something other than the painkiller bottle.

“I just can’t think up anything that would let me forgive you. And you know what that means, don’t you?”

“Eek!”

Before he could say anything, she held the bottle of strong liquor upside down and swung it down like a club. The glass shattered as soon as it crashed into his half-frozen bald head. More than the pain, it was the dramatic change in temperature that made the white hat hacker knight scream.

“Abwah!! Abgwaahgah!? Gweh, gheh, gbwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?”

“The alcohol stings, doesn’t it? That drink includes an anti-freezing agent, so it remains a liquid even below the freezing point. That makes for some interesting possibilities. If I close this door, your fate is sealed. Or can a Sorcery Hacker make a comeback from here?”

“…”

Dagregor trembled so hard it looked like he was trying to separate his flesh from his bones and foam built up at the corners of his mouth, but he still managed to form words.

“Please…”

“Yes?”

“Please give me time to think about it. I just need a smoke to calm my nerves…”

She laughed, crouched down, and pulled out a poison made by the humans. She tossed it inside the refrigerator and watched as he grabbed it like some great reassure and held it in his mouth. Then his trembling hand grabbed a lighter that did not use mana. It instead used simple flint and silk floss soaked with oil.

He lit it.

Just as Dagregor shut his frozen eyelids in satisfaction, the alcohol vapors in that closed space erupted into flames.

“…”

He gave a belated scream, but Nirvelphany’s reaction to that human torch was to raise her high-heeled foot despite her tight skirt and kick him back to shove him fully inside the refrigerator. She had the look of someone shoving a stack of paper into an incinerator. She had said she could find no way to forgive him, so she did not feel even a ripple of emotion while watching his fate.

Not even the old man’s kind words entered the back of her mind.

“Now, then.”

She decided that was enough “fun”, so she shut the door with her long leg and left the refrigerator as it spewed dark smoke. She carried the fishing rod case containing her anti-dragon rifle and its spare magazines over her shoulder, grabbed the painkiller bottle, and checked over all her tools while putting them away in her pockets or cleavage.

“That just leaves…the Linkage Plug war pick and the three crystal dice for the Linkage Monitors.”

The painkillers were not quite as effective as before. She was growing accustomed to them. She dragged her body along through the weariness, pain, and sticky illusion and she walked to the exit of that vast but oppressive space.

That exit was only the entrance to another space.

Once the artificial lights were gone and she was surrounded by darkness, the sticky feeling completely left her.

She faced forward.

(The fire, wind, and earth cores have been destroyed, so the largescale supply of mist mana to central Light Castle Brightio has been disrupted. …That means there are no giant fan blades or artificial winds in the underground pipeline. It should just be an empty tunnel.)

Her anti-dragon rifle was extraordinarily powerful, but she could not get into the central area with it even when that area was open to the public. Her plans would go up in smoke if she was caught at an inspection point or sorcery detection gate.

So she had never planned on using the main entrances.

(The Free Audience Restriction barrier is down for the day. I could get in pretty much anywhere, but I might as well use the route that piece of shit opened up.)

This was a giant circular tunnel of never-ending darkness measuring 20 esoule wide. It was located directly below Earth Castle Town Grouviv.

That subterranean tunnel was passable for the moment, so the ancient Demon Lord used it to return to the battlefield.

So she could rescue a descendant of the Hero whose role had ended.

“Wait for me, old man.”

Part 5

They knew where the Temple Moving Ceremony, aka the cruel public execution, would be held, but there was more than just one tall tower overlooking it. Several spires rose toward the sunny and starry sky. There was no way to guess which one it would be.

“We’ll have to check all of them. …There’s a total of 3 suspicious locations. Miss Henrietta and I can work on our own while Miss Teleria supports Miss Mamilis since she is still a rookie.”

“Dangerous individual, wouldn’t my skill be more suited for looking after a rookie?”

“But unfortunately, Miss Mamilis is armed with a full-auto shotgun. If you rush out ahead for the close-quarters combat you excel at, you will only get a back full of magic bullets.”

“Fair enough,” said Henrietta with both hands raised in resignation and with a stiff smile on her face. “I will do as you say for now, but only until this Demon Lord business is settled.”

“Miss Teleria, you take care too.”

“Yes, yes.”

“What about me, Coach?”

“You too of course, Miss Mamilis.”

Getting into Light Castle Brightio had required a lot of preparation, but things were much easier now that they were past those sorcery detection gates. Ayato clapped his hands as a signal and they all moved in different directions.

“Mama, those people have sorcery guns.”

“My, my. Maybe they are street performers. But don’t worry. No one could get a real one through those gates.”

Those carefree comments from their surroundings were thanks to the props used by Songstresses and Dancers for the flashy performances they put on in an attempt to gather the attention of the royals and nobles. There was also a Witch handing out fliers for a startup that said “How would you like to use magic without needing a sorcery gun?” Big events like this were an opportunity for everyone. After separating from the others, Ayato stabbed his blade into some fireworks devices hidden where they would go unnoticed. Hacking them required Level 3, but he had already gone above 20 with the preparations he made outside.

(This would almost look heartwarming if it didn’t mean they were bringing those small children to see a public execution.)

The Sorcery Hacker boy shook his head in exasperation as he arrived at the base of a tower. He used the tip of his blade to break the lock on the thick wooden door, which opened the door faster than using the real key, and slipped inside. A spiral staircase ran up the outer wall and the ceiling was much lower than he had expected. A castle’s towers could have any number of uses, but given the mixed smells of dried meats and disintegrating lead bullets, this appeared to be a storeroom for military provisions and supplies. The weapons and food were stored at the bottom and the top was made up of nap rooms and guard posts.

Of course, the spiral staircase was the only path up. If knights were always posted here, covertly climbing the tower would be very difficult indeed, but…

(Yeah, there won’t be anyone here. A peaceful kingdom like this won’t be using the military facilities that are only needed during wartime.)

Unless it was a temporary fort on the front line, these places were the first to become unmanned storerooms despite the supposed purpose of a castle. To be safe, he kept an eye out for anyone maintaining the weapons or hanging around when they were supposed to be out on patrol, but he did not run into anyone there.

Once at the top, he poked his head out of the skylight on the conic roof.

He held his hair down as a solid blast of wind hit him and he viewed the outside world once more.

This was the tallest of the three towers. The site of the Temple Moving Ceremony was about 200 esoule straight down. Moving from tower to tower must have been too much work because they had strung up thick wires headed diagonally down to the towers across the way and eight-legged cable cars waited there like upside-down spiders.

Since he had not found anyone on the way, Nirvelphany must not have been hiding in this tower.

The skylight on the top of a different tower opened upwards.

Henrietta poked her head out with her blonde hair in a ponytail braid and with her dark gray protector armor. She cheerfully waved a hand his way. He could not hear what she was saying, but it did not look like anything serious had happened. She must not have found anything either.

(Which means…)

The relaxed atmosphere tensed up due to the answer he found through the process of elimination. Ayato and Henrietta both turned toward the remaining tower.

Its skylight also opened and Dark Elf Mamilis climbed out onto the pointed roof. She then turned around, reached back into the skylight, and pulled Teleria up.

Just then, a thick beam of light tore through not just the skylight but the roof of the tower.

“Whoa!?”

The roof shook below Ayato’s feet despite him being on the other side of the plaza. He belatedly pulled the crystal tarot cards from his blue blazer’s breast pocket, scattered them in the air, and lit the fireworks he had hacked.

White smoke and explosive sounds filled the air, but he had no idea how well he had hidden this from the crowd. Ayato’s group did not want the ignorant knights to figure out what was going on, but their opponent apparently did not care.

A new figure slipped out of the wreckage.

She wore a red leather vest and longish tight skirt. That true ancient Demon Lord had disguised herself as a devil using floating Expansion Armor resembling horns, wings, and a tail. Her unsteadily sharp heels did not seem to bother her. The enormous anti-dragon rifle resting on her shoulder was aimed at Teleria and Mamilis who were about to fall from the tower’s roof.

Anger burned in his mind with enough intensity to redden his vision.

He had no idea if she could hear him, but he raised his voice all the same.

“Nirvelphanyyyy!!!!!!”

Part 6

Several metal locks clicked shut as an old man’s arms and head were bound to the guillotine while he was forced to crawl like a dog. It was a cruel and humiliating position that seemed to deny the value of the life he had lived.

But no one spoke up against it. No one even frowned silently.

He was surrounded on all sides by enemies. Some were stuffing their faces with the boiled potatoes they had bought at a food stall, some were laughing with friends, and some were viewing it with knowing looks in an attempt to look smart.

Negative expectation swirled around him as the people waited impatiently for his head to fall.

The large masked Executioner on the stage whispered in a muffled voice.

“The preparations are complete.”

“Very good.”

Forturiana’s High Priest was named Belbath Ruin Cranky.

His luxurious robes and staff decorated with pure gold were a far cry from religious asceticism. He had clearly been living quite well under the royal family’s protection. Far more money had gone into his clothing than the knights’ armor.

An insect the size of a slipper crawled from his back and up to his shoulder. That false insect made from gems and platinum was a Bell Ringing prototype. A craftsman’s skilled fingers had intricately inlaid that bell cricket with jewels, so it had none of the creepiness of a living creature. It only had the cold shine of a mechanical object.

That fancy bell cricket took all the mana absorbed from the four castle towns and converted it into defensive power, so it alone was equivalent to a small fortress of Level 799. A sorcery gun’s range was based on the distance the sound of its gunshot traveled, so by vibrating those thin wings fast enough to compress the air and create a protective barrier of sound, snipers and all other attackers were no longer a threat.

In the trenches of war where you would never find a luxurious High Priest, fine mesh netting was apparently set up to protect against magical grenades, but he must have reached a similar level with nothing but this air barrier.

To him, this performance was necessary for Forturiana and for Sky City Celedileka. There was no real difference between preaching to the believers with the cathedral’s stained glass behind him, visiting hospitals according to a schedule calculated out to maximize advertising efficiency, or leading an execution like this.

It was time for a new stage in his life. It was time for the Temple Moving Ceremony.

“Ladies and gentlemen.”

The tone of his voice was not affected by the impending death. He already knew the best way for his words to reach people’s hearts, so there was no need to switch modes.

“Is this a day of sadness? Is it a day for anger? Is it a day wrapped in frustration? Is it a day filled with fear? …No, today is a joyous day. For our Sky City Celedileka is gaining one more way to destroy a great evil.”

He could not say so out loud, but what he said here did not really matter.

As long as his words created a solemn atmosphere and used up a fair amount of time, anything was fine.

They had taken the proper steps, so righteousness was on their side. If anyone did protest, he had a powerful shield of counterarguments he could use.

Not that anyone was going to criticize them.

The people only wanted an excuse to enjoy this cruel show guilt free.

“The death of a brutal criminal will bring greater stability to the world. The one and only public service they can provide is to prove through their death that the laws of heaven are alive and well. So let us witness that benevolent coincidences can indeed happen. Let us witness that those blessed by the element of light are rewarded and those led astray by the element of darkness are punished. Let us witness that we live in a wonderful world where no one’s efforts are denied! This Temple Moving Ceremony is a necessary act that shall provide us with eternal light, establish a solid foundation of peace, and promise all of you even greater happiness and prosperity!!”

So the High Priest himself did not notice the hidden meaning in the script he was reading off. He only felt like he was reading an endless loop of meaningless terminology.

But when the crowd erupted into applause, he could tell something in his words must have appealed to them.

This was all it took for someone to die.

And the right atmosphere was all it took to draw out an emotional response.

Part 7

Ayato did not have a projectile weapon like a sorcery gun. Henrietta in the other tower also specialized in close-quarters combat. To support Teleria and Mamilis, they would have to cross the plaza and reach the third tower.

There was no time to spare.

He stripped off his blue blazer, wrapped it around the thick cable car wire, and hung down from it. He took a running start and jumped out into empty air.

Fortunately, this tower was the tallest, so the wire connected to Teleria and Mamilis’s tower was angled down.

“…”

He was too far away to make out what was said, but he could hear the beautiful Demon Lord saying something with her lips twisted in a smile.

Then she aimed her anti-dragon rifle away from the girls and toward him.

“!!”

He accessed every firework he could and launched them between himself and Nirvelphany with enough intensity to possibly catch himself in the blast. White smoke and loud booms stole away his and her senses.

With an even greater roar, his skin felt a massive heat source pass by right next to him as he slid down. But the sweat on his back was icy. With an attack that powerful, it would have vaporized half his body if it so much as grazed him.

Nevertheless, he could not turn back now.

He overcame that deadly journey, passed above the plaza full of people, and arrived at the tower where the two girls waited.

Once his feet landed, he let go of one side of his dirty blazer and swung it around to put it on. And once he readied his Linkage Plug sword again, a heavy metallic sound rang from the top of the tower.

The thick barrel of Nirvelphany’s giant anti-dragon rifle crossed and collided with Ayato’s trigger-equipped sword. But she had the greater reach. It was like a sword versus a spear. If she pulled the trigger, his upper body would be vaporized, but he could not yet reach her skin with his sword. Not to mention that it was a tool for Sorcery Hacking, so it was not meant to be used that way.

“Quite the show you’re putting on here! Only a ‘coincidental failure’ will be considered a benevolent coincidence, so should the backstage magician really be standing out in the open like this!?”

“None of your business, troublemaker. If you want to enjoy the magic show, you don’t climb onto the stage and try to figure out the trick! You sit down with the audience!!”

She did not hesitate to move her trigger finger.

The only reason he was not annihilated then and there was Teleria aiming her two suppressor-equipped handguns at his feet while she lay on the tower rooftop.

“I won’t let that happen…no matter what!!”

She must have had used Secondary Cold. The roof below his feet instantly froze, his shoes lost their grip, and he tumbled backwards, allowing the destructive beam to pass by directly above him.

The torrent of light continued on to stab into another tower partway up. It was the one he had come from. That one attack broke it apart and it fell toward the crowded plaza along with the loosened wires and upside-down spider cable car.

“!?”

(Dammit, Nirvelphany, this is insane! If there’s bloodshed in the middle of the ceremony, they’ll call off the public execution. And then you’ll lose any chance to sabotage the guillotine and save that old man!!)

“Did you forget?” That calamity condensed into human form gave a thin smile. “This is the king’s castle. Their defenses will never be so weak.”

That was when time stopped.

No, it was just that the rubble was pinned in midair instead of pouring down onto the plaza. A blob of something like dark mud had done it. His sorcery knowledge told him what this distinctive stench was. That extremely sticky dark gray liquid was…

(Asphalt!? Did they use Quaternary Road!?)

Something large passed by overhead.

Several bat-like wings had been combined to create a broad isosceles triangle silhouette that was curved in places. Those artificial wings were about 30 esoule wide as they circled calmly through the sky.

“Those are apparently called Armored Dragons. With the Free Audience Restriction down, they apparently wanted to beef up security with a more traditional fighting force.”

“…”

His eyes met someone else’s. Knights were hanging upside down from the underside of the thing like bats. Instead of using air currents, it was probably gravity that was being manipulated there.

Their magic had pinned the collapsing tower in place.

“And of course, they will have more than one barrier. I’m sure they will see me as an enemy, but what about you? We live in a cruel enough world for an enemy of an enemy to not be considered a friend, don’t we?”

“…!!!???”

The deafening sound of wings pursued him.

The “bats” hanging from the underside dropped down one after another.

They were smaller than the Armored Dragon overhead, but the people in the distinctive dark gray protector armor of the knights were wearing personal flight devices as they approached his level. Some used rotating wing crafts with large propellers on the top and back of the exposed cockpits. Some wore large triangular winged gliders on their backs. Either way, the aerial knights used countless gears and gemboards carrying mist mana to shatter the chains of gravity and attack both sides of the fight atop the tower.

The first wave alone was more than twenty strong.

“Ah ha ha!!”

Nirvelphany laughed while resting her anti-dragon rifle on her shoulder and making a seemingly suicidal move. Of all things, she jumped out onto the floating archipelago of rubble forcibly pinned in the air by the hardened asphalt. Despite her high heels, she moved as lightly as if she were skipping.

Her intent was clear.

(Is she putting some distance between us to take us all out with that ridiculous sniper rifle!?)

Ayato had no other choice.

Moving directly to Nirvelphany’s floating island would have been too dangerous and he had no projectiles, so he called to the two girls on the same tower.

“Miss Teleria, Miss Mamilis! Drive the knights away from here!!”

“Kh!! Okay, I guess!!”

“Understood, Coach.”

They aimed their two water element handguns and one fire element full-auto shotgun at the flight devices attempting to surround them from all directions. With gunshots and muzzle flashes resembling red and blue fireworks, the true sorcery battle finally began.

Teleria first fired at their feet to create several thick ice walls as cover. Meanwhile, Mamilis’s barrage of explosive flames shot down the knights soaring through the sky.

Since the knights had used the forbidden asphalt, they probably specialized in the earth element. Ayato could think of some magic from the Quaternary line that would be useful here, but that was when a sorcery gun gave a roar from one of the rotating wing crafts using its two propellers to fly. A black liquid was scattered overhead.

It happened just as the Dark Elf hiding her long ears with jeweled earrings had sent out fire magic in a fan shape.

The danger signal in his mind passed the limit.

“Wait, Miss Mamilis!! That’s rock water!!”

“?”

Mamilis lived in a modern sorcery society where the mana spread thinly throughout the atmosphere was condensed into an energy source, so that word may not have meant much to her.

That was a toxic liquid hidden below the ground.

No living creature could drink it, but it burned with incredible intensity if it came in contact with fire. A heretical scientist theorized that sinister toxic sludge had once been the corpses of animals.

It was also known as petroleum.

As soon as Mamilis’s Primary Blaze fire magic touched it, the falling ceiling of black liquid blossomed red. The sunny starry sky was filled with flames.

“Kyaaah!?”

“Get down!!”

Mamilis screamed and Teleria’s dual handguns gave a roar. She had been in the middle of creating shelter out of thick ice walls, so she added more ice on top of that to quickly construct a dome-shaped shelter for them.

Then the falling ceiling reached them.

The sound that erupted all around them was much like animal meat being stir fried in a metal pot coated in oil. That was the sound of the flames and ice struggling for supremacy, but even if it had been triggered by mana, the flames themselves were only an oil fire with no willpower residing in it. Teleria’s handguns used properly formed magic, so if she focused on extinguishing the sea of flames, she would not have difficulty doing so.

However, focusing on one task meant neglecting all the others.

(Dammit.)

While they dealt with this, Nirvelphany was enjoying a midair stroll on the other side of the thick ice barrier. She jumped between pieces of tower rubble pinned in place by the torrent of asphalt and twirled around to look back.

And while aiming her ridiculously-powerful anti-dragon rifle, of course.

“Dammit!!!!!!! Keep your heads down, Miss Teleria, Miss Mamilis!!”

Part 8

Forturiana’s High Priest was giving his lengthy sermon in the plaza down on the ground.

This was the Temple Moving Ceremony.

To prevent worldly thoughts from intruding on the holy ceremony, the entire area’s silence was preserved by the slipper-sized bell cricket sitting on his shoulder. That might not sound like much, but in a world where the range of a gunshot’s noise was directly linked to the magic’s range, that Bell Ringing prototype made from platinum and gems – meaning it was covered in gemboards – was the core of a barrier far more valuable than the nets used in the trenches.

Thomas Robergin, the old man with his arms and head bound in the mechanical guillotine, thought to himself while listening to the richly-adorned High Priest’s words.

…Had he been wrong?

Had he been wrong to find that small shrine made of old stone? Had he been wrong to touch its door? Had he been wrong to contact that which slumbered within? Had he been wrong to remove everything binding her?

He thought about it.

He thought about it, but he still forced out his voice.

“I wasn’t…”

It did not matter how he looked at it.

It did not matter how many times he came across the exact same situation again.

“I wasn’t wrong.”

Demon Lord Nirvelphany.

There was no special connection between them. Some connection with a distant ancestor was irrelevant. It really had been pure coincidence. It had been random chance. And that was all it had taken to place this great burden on his shoulders.

But even if it had been random chance.

No, because it had been.

He had known he had to act when he happened across that scene. He believed the “great power” you needed to protect a peaceful and healthy life was to create a society where anyone who encountered that situation would reach out a helping hand without even considering whether they had some special right or qualification.

He did not know what had happened in the distant past.

He did not care what his own position was in relation to that.

He could make that important decision without gathering all sorts of information using a Media Summoner or the mist mana strung out like a spider web. He did not know what that girl had done in the past. Perhaps she really had committed atrocities. But if her punishment and imprisonment would never end, if the humans had entirely forgotten about her, and no one involved still carried their hatred, then was there any reason to keep her imprisoned as a formality? None of it made sense.

If she did still have crimes to pay for, then the gears of atonement had to be properly in place before that could begin. If the gears had fallen into disrepair during the intervening time and the humans covering the surface had entirely forgotten their direct hatred of Nirvelphany, then she had nothing to atone for to the humans who lived in the present era. What could she do about those past crimes other than depart on a journey around the world to bow before the graves of the people she had troubled in the past?

Atonement was not an excuse to assault a complete stranger.

Wasn’t it meant to be a ritual through which the guilty party could get a fresh start on life?

If there was such a thing as benevolent coincidence, then that had to be the blessing it had provided. That would give real meaning to this old man running across the sealed Demon Lord.

So Thomas Robergin would not lose his way.

He would never regret his actions.

“I wasn’t wrong!!”

And during a slight pause in the performative speech, the High Priest approached that old man who was actually slightly younger than him.

He moved his face close to the man bound to the mechanical guillotine and whispered too quietly for anyone else to hear.

“(I have the right to decide what is right and wrong. Because we stole that right from you people who call yourselves Heroes. Once this ceremony is complete, we will have the official protection of the state and can do whatever we want. Not long now until we can kill anyone we like.)”

Part 9

Nirvelphany did not hesitate to pull the trigger and her right shoulder was sharply struck by the intense recoil produced by providing an element to the originally directionless mana. Deafening noise and blinding light filled the world. That ultra-long-range rifle could hit a fleeing target at 2000 esoule or a stationary target at 10,000 esoule. If she could find a stable position and let it roar, no one standing on the same stage could escape it.

However…

“I see.”

She grinned upon seeing it pierce the empty space three grids to left of where she aimed, which was about 4 esoule to the side.

The long barrel had been pushed slightly to the side.

She saw gorgeous armor made from old-fashioned dark gray protectors and a tight miniskirt which had been chosen because their design was popular with the people rather than for any benefit in combat. She saw a beautiful face and long blonde hair braided in something like a ponytail. She saw a Striker wielding a bolt-action carbine with an axe-like bayonet.

Most likely, a normal person could not have used that footing pinned in midair.

To skip from piece to piece required the superhuman physical ability to accurately jump between those variously-sized footholds with no concern for the 150 esoule height and the blowing wind.

But the Demon Lord with the slit skirt was not the only one who met those conditions.

“I am Striker Henrietta Split Destrius. I protect the peace and public order of Sky City Celedileka with the trust and authority granted me by the king. Even if my personal and family pride have been trampled by the flow of time, I will always come running when the king or the people are endangered.”

That beautiful armored woman pressed her axe against the anti-dragon rifle’s barrel while speaking from extreme close range.

“Buff again. Primary Ex Massive.”

She ignored the scope as a gunshot burst out.

Nirvelphany saw Henrietta explosively swell out. No, the braided Striker’s movements had so far left the norm that it merely looked that way. They were engaging in close-quarters combat on this small and unstable footing. Their sorcery guns were large, heavyweight items, but Henrietta’s bolt-action carbine was a close-quarters weapon designed for this sort of thing, while Nirvelphany’s anti-dragon rifle was an ultra-long-range weapon designed for sniping.

Their battle was like two tornados clashing head on, but compatibility was still an issue. Nirvelphany had made a point of keeping her distance to avoid a direct fight with Ayato’s group, so she was not about to welcome some close-quarters combat with a specialist like Henrietta.

In truth, the Demon Lord abandoned the possibility of striking Henrietta’s jaw with her weapon’s thick stock.

She instead spun the gun around to aim the enormous muzzle at her opponent and pulled the trigger.

“!!”

Of course, Henrietta excelled at fighting at this close range. No matter how destructive the weapon, it could not hit her if she deflected the barrel to the side. As if to show how pointless and wasteful this was, a giant empty cartridge was ejected while its purple light faded like a withering flower.

But Nirvelphany fired again.

She fired and fired and fired and fired.

“I see. You dangerous individuals do know how to think in crafty ways!!”

By the time Henrietta realized what her opponent was up to, the close-range light, noise, and shockwave had robbed her of her senses and pummeled her body. Even if a direct hit was not possible, the secondary effects of the gunshot and muzzle flash were enough to beat down a human. Her breadth of possibility may have been weak so soon after awakening, but the anti-dragon rifle named Critical Disaster was an unruly enough weapon for the Demon Lord Nirvelphany to seek out painkillers.

Once the Striker’s movements were dulled, the anti-dragon rifle’s stock rose up along a crescent moon arc to land a clean hit on her slender jaw. With a dull sound, she hopped up even more intensely than from an uppercut.

“Gah!?”

They were on the small rubble pinned in the air by asphalt.

While it was something like a floating island, it was also much like the stepping stones decorating a pond.

It went without saying what happened once your feet left the ground.

“It is time you learned what it feels like to be a flightless bird, human.”

The Demon Lord twisted her lips into a crescent moon sneer.

However, her sadism was not fulfilled. The fall never came. Thick and invisible panels shot out like a horizontal extension of the small footholds and caught Henrietta’s back. Those panels were a floor of ice. Needless to say, they came from the twin handguns of the Mermaid on the tower rooftop 30 esoule away.

“Tch. A descendant of Nereid of Water, one of the four lords? I see your bloodline continues to be a jack of all trades.”

Nirvelphany attempted to fire a finishing blow at Henrietta while the Striker lay collapsed on the ice, but her thoughts were cut off by a loud grinding sound. Henrietta had vanished from the ice. Since the surface of the ice had been torn through, she must have used that slight opening to rotate around, hop up, and escape.

“Buff yet again! Primary Ex Massive!!”

Nirvelphany heard that voice from directly behind her.

She went for a counter blow. She adjusted her grip on the giant anti-dragon rifle and spun around like a tornado to slam the thick stock into her opponent’s cheekbone.

But she saw something out of the corner of her eye.

It looked like the soles of two shoes pressed together. And she had forgotten something: Sorcery Hackers could hack any machine that operated using the power of mist mana. There was no distinction between public and private there. And the knights she herself had invited to stir things up had been soaring through the sky using various flight devices, hadn’t they?

Simply put, two hacking blades had pierced the armor and device of a knight using a rotating wing craft.

Ayato was using both hands to dangle down from the bottom of that flight device with a propeller on the top and back of the exposed cockpit, and the bottoms of his feet slammed full speed into Nirvelphany’s face.

Part 10

You may have forgotten, but the armor used by the knights was a collection of protectors made from oxidized mana-conducting silver and large monster tendons and leather, so it was designed to provide magical defense and increase physical abilities. Since it ran on sorcery, it could be hacked and hijacked with a sufficiently high level.

Specifically, the rotating wing craft was Level 7 and the knight’s armor was Level 14.

Ayato had reached above 20, so they were the perfect target for him.

This might not have worked on someone as skilled in martial arts as Henrietta, but things changed when someone was stuck in an open-air cockpit and reliant on their flight device. He only had to stab his blade into the armor of the person seated in that cockpit.

Ayato did not have the physical ability needed to hop around on the footholds pinned in midair like stepping stones, but once he had the power to fly, he could shatter Nirvelphany’s dominance. He had the ability to hit her with a surprise attack.

“Owwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

With a roar to shake off his own fear, he dropkicked the ancient Demon Lord in the face. He had finally landed a clean hit…or so he thought, but he may have taken more damage from the force of the blow. His hands slipped from the bottom of the rotating wing craft and he was thrown out into empty air.

“Not again, you bad idea factory!!”

He received an absolutely wonderful compliment from his lovely partner and then an ice platform spread out in midair thanks to the shots from two handguns. Just like when she had saved Henrietta, the makeshift footing caught Ayato.

“!!”

Meanwhile, Demon Lord Nirvelphany was leaning back from the force of a human’s full body weight to her face, but she did not fall. With her spine still lithely bent, she held her giant anti-dragon rifle at the hip and aimed for the ice foothold below Ayato rather than the boy himself.

But she had forgotten something.

Why had she forgotten about Ayato before? Hadn’t she been faced with the more direct threat of Henrietta Split Destrius directly behind her?

A collapsible stock dropped straight down like a guillotine.

She had just barely avoided falling by bending back, but when this blunt weapon dropped on her face, she was finally slammed back-first into their narrow footing.

“Ohhh!!”

But the roaring Demon Lord still used one hand to aim Critical Disaster skyward while lying on her back. The weapon was longer than the average person was tall and she stuck it right in front of Henrietta’s face and fired despite the imagined sensation of the old wound on her shoulder splitting open and blood and pus bursting out.

The beautiful Striker’s only response to the fearsome beam was to swing her head to the side.

“I have seen that already.”

Before the Demon Lord could get up, Henrietta stepped on the wrist of the right hand holding the anti-dragon rifle and raised her bolt-action rifle with axe-like bayonet in preparation to swing it down.

“Enough of this.”

“…”

Nirvelphany was smiling.

Ayato moved next to Henrietta after getting up using his short sword like a staff.

“Is it over?”

“Hmph. So even a dangerous individual feels a desire to settle things himself? But only those of us given authority by the king are permitted to use this kind of firepower in the sky city.”

“Is it really over!? This was really the extent of her obsession!?”

“?”

Henrietta thought this was checkmate, so she looked puzzled.

Just then, they all heard a deep rumbling from the heavens.

The ancient Demon Lord spoke from the narrow foothold.

“I was waiting atop that tower because I had a plan for faking a blizzard. However, that would not deceive the foolish masses unless I did something about that shield first. It could still be interpreted as abnormal weather, but it would seem unnatural.”

“You can’t mean that.” Henrietta was dumbfounded. “You couldn’t! You couldn’t possibly!! Maybe you are the ancient Demon Lord, but you would need some kind of largescale sorcery temple to break through the shield protecting the entire sky city!!”

“Sorcery…temple? Quite the oxymoron there. And I do not need any fancy preparations. I am the Demon Lord at the top, so I am even more powerful than that dragon attacking the fire castle town. I possessed everything from the beginning.”

They heard a quiet clattering as something danced in the collapsed Demon Lord’s hand. They were small dice made of crystal. Dice had originally been fortunetelling tools just like tarot cards and three of them were moving on their own here.

They were a Linkage Monitor.

It was obvious what this meant.

“Sorcery…Hacking?”

“Oh? Had you not heard that drugged-up Dagregor Bull Gerlos had gone missing? Isn’t he a colleague of that young lady there? He told me everything I wanted to know. Including how his special technique works.”

“But what did you hack!?”

“I am Nirvelphany. I was feared in ancient times as the Zodiac Bright Eater. …But why was that?”

She grinned and gave the answer.

“I have regained access to the true source of my power waiting up in satellite orbit: a sorcery cannon massive enough to obscure the heavens.”

There was movement overhead.

Something was wrong with the sunny and starry sky.

No, the red aurora rushed in from all directions while its brightness grew.

That light was known as the Demon Lord’s Bite.

They were just a step away from the heavens. Celedileka had transformed the scenery so the blue planet was directly below and the twinkling stars were directly above. Yet that starry sky was now being devoured by an unbelievably massive silhouette.

As Ayato looked up, that red something burst and an enormous object emerged.

The scale made it hard to tell, but that ridiculous collection of firepower had to be more than ten times the size of the sky city.

“My attack doesn’t have to reach it. It can even be deflected by the Guardian Umbrella atmospheric shield. But by firing up into the heavens, I directed its attention this way.”

The Demon Lord sneered.

She had chosen brute force from the very beginning. She was simply going to blast through the Guardian Umbrella protecting the city and allow the massive cold wave of their extreme altitude to freeze the entire sky city.

“And by hacking the antenna embedded in my own body, I have regained the connection that was severed by that eternal seal. I will admit it was pure luck that it had not shorted out. I am…no, the safety for the entire Demon Lord system including the sorcery cannon is equivalent to Level 9999. In other words, this contains enough power that such a powerful restraint was necessary.”

“…”

“It has been abandoned in orbit for the entire time my physical body was sealed. And it has been storing up power for a single attack all the while. Now, can this human fortress really defend against that?”

She had never expected an answer.

A fearsome red beam of heat immediately dropped from the heavens.

Part 11

That facility had not originally been designed to attack the surface.

Since magic’s effective range was equal to the noise of the gunshot, a method of propagating magic through the silent vacuum of space could possibly extend their reach beyond the planet. It was meant to determine what happened if a vacuum was filled with a mixture of gasses to create an artificial atmosphere that would act in place of water or air.

But there had been an unexpected side effect.

That side effect was something like a distortion in the entire universe where so many stars could be seen. That great cry of the world itself never should have reached anyone, but it was concentrated and propagated to a single point where it manifested as a fearsome attack.

“Sorcery Cannon Zodiac Bright Eater – Hit.”

The red hot explosion spread out over a massive area while scorching even the upper atmosphere.

The invisible Guardian Umbrella atmospheric barrier was broken through, the air particles were pushed out of the way, and a sinister red aurora was scattered everywhere just before red light flew every which way like the frame of an umbrella.

Ayato could not even hear the scream of the woman right next to him.

It was unfortunate that the Free Audience Restriction had been brought down for the state event.

The atmospheric barrier managed to negate the blast, but that must not have mattered to the Demon Lord.

It was like an invisible blow.

As soon as the Guardian Umbrella shattered, a shockwave crushed the entire city like a giant hand or falling ceiling.

Ayato and the others had nowhere to run. Everyone there was struck and passed out.

That included the knights flying around with their flight devices.

It also included the Sorcery Hacker and Striker looking down at the ancient Demon Lord.

The Dark Elf had been aiming her gun at the tower from a short distance away, but she too lost consciousness, which exposed the long ears she had been hiding.

Even the blonde girl who was always working with the boy passed out.

…The only exception was Nirvelphany who had clenched her teeth and braced for impact while lying on that suspended footing with her sorcery gun in her arms.

“Phew.”

Everything was colored white.

The air rapidly cooled and a blizzard covered the entire area.

The sigh leaving the beautiful Demon Lord’s bewitching lips was heavy. It was like she had been hit with a powerful body blow. Her vision was poor within the pure white wall of the blizzard. She could vaguely see some bluish-white will-o’-the-wisps through the thick white, so those were probably the corona discharges that were a side effect of the orbital sorcery cannon.

She could not see the sky through the thick white, but she could sense the connection had been severed. No maintenance had been performed for so long and she had pushed the output past its limits. The orbital sorcery cannon would be breaking apart and burning up in the atmosphere as if fell past the sky city. That was the source of her power as the Demon Lord from before the humans had “invented” guns, but she had destroyed it for this one chance.

She felt something odd inside her body. The biological antenna’s wiring had been damaged by the diagonal slash to her torso, so the connection may have finally burned out.

That was fine with her. She had no reason to regret her actions here.

As long as she could save that old man and repay him for what he had done.

“…”

She was more interested in the scene directly below than the phenomenon on a mythological scale occurring in the heavens above. Past the blizzard that looked like thick cotton candy, that old man would be strapped to the execution device in front of a crowd.

All the preparations were in place.

With a temperature of 20 Embers below freezing, an evenly spread blizzard would have taken the old man’s life before it froze the guillotine device. That was why she needed to deliver the finishing blow herself. If she scattered just a bit of artificial coolant from directly above, dull human senses would never notice the difference. She would use a pinpoint attack to freeze only the mana-conducting silver. That would be enough to force the government to declare the public execution a failure due to a benevolent coincidence, as much as they would hate to do so. The Demon Lord was not human, so her attack would be treated as a natural disaster.

Nirvelphany stuck her fingers into the slit of the long tight skirt of her red leather outfit.

She pulled out a small leather bag with insulation on the inside.

“Now, this has taken far too long, but it is time for the finishing touch.”

There were shouts and screams.

The crowd did not start trampling each other, but ironically, that may have been due to the extreme blizzard covering everything. With that thick white wall obscuring their vision, they could not accurately perceive the threat. And the cold sapped their strength, leaving them too weak to run around wildly.

In the plaza for the Temple Moving Ceremony, an old man was looking all around with a giant mass of platinum and gems on his shoulder. That was the Bell Ringing prototype, a Level 799 bell cricket that operated by absorbing the mana of the four castle towns to run the gemboards that were so numerous they even had to be placed on the exterior.

He was Forturiana High Priest Belbath Ruin Cranky.

The plaza around him was 20 Embers below freezing. He could not see anything clearly past a mere 2 esoule. He had a bad feeling about this. Based on past records, a blizzard or magnetic storm powerful enough to break through the Guardian Umbrella atmospheric shield would probably mean a failed execution. He had his reasons for needing this public execution to succeed. And this was nothing as simple as the lack of the promised entertainment triggering a riot that tore him to pieces.

“Where did she go? The knights must have noticed what was going on up there, but have they still not captured her!?”

The masked Executioner spoke to the High Priest in a muffled voice.

“Your Holiness, please end your speech soon. Let’s get that guy’s head off before anything else can happen. We can’t allow the ceremony to fail, right?”

“No one is even listening anymore.”

“Then end that long sermon already. If no one is listening, what does it matter?”

“If that senile old man’s head is removed, then Nirvelphany really will vanish!! We can’t throw out the bait meant to lure her out, you utter buffoon!!”

“…”

Ayato shook his woozy head and worked hard to keep himself breathing.

He saw white. The blizzard blotted out even the light of the sun.

The girls were all collapsed. The knights ruling the sky with their flight devices may have crashed after the shockwave and blizzard hit them. Only the devil in red leather was standing tall and preparing something with her back turned to him. She was no longer even looking at her enemy. She unilaterally declared the battle over and instead focused on the person she had to rescue.

She wanted to save the old man who had saved her.

That was the Demon Lord’s one and only goal here.

She wanted to repay the person who had healed her wound and provided forgiveness. This was not the performative charity that slimy nobles and business owners would do in front of the silver salt cameras. She was not like those people who disinfected their hand with alcohol the instant the handshakes were complete and no one was watching. Nirvelphany wanted to repay a selfless act with a selfless act of her own. That was all.

That was fine. She could do that if she wanted.

But Ayato clenched his teeth while collapsed behind her. She had taken several lives to accomplish that. And she had shoved the blame for those crimes on him. Before she could talk about the righteousness of her actions, he would make sure she paid for that.

His trembling fingertips once more touched the Linkage Plug sword used for Sorcery Hacking.

He grabbed it.

And he stood up!!!!!!

“Nirrvelllphanyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!”

“Wha-!?”

Before the Demon Lord could turn around and ready her anti-dragon rifle, Ayato ran forward with all his might, wrapped his arms around her slender waist, and tackled her hard. The two of them slid too far and plunged straight off of the narrow footing.

Teleria remained unconscious after the hit from the shockwave caused by the clash between the orbital weapon and the atmospheric shield, so he could not hope for any more ice footholds from that blonde girl.

They were thrown out into empty air.

And they fell together.

“Kh, ohhhhh!?”

Nirvelphany gave a roar while he clung to her and her back seemed to burst open. Instead of the artificial Expansion Armor, a real demon wing spread wide. It was the left wing. It was like a giant cape, yet it clearly moved like a living thing. But she could not keep her balance with just the one wing. Her body scraped along the wall of the closest tower as she tried to slow herself down however she could.

She could not allow this to end here.

She was so close. If the coolant inside her leather bag was added to the blizzard, she could freeze just the guillotine to prevent it from moving and save that old man before he was killed!!

“Why must you interfere, human!? This is my only chance! There really is no other opportunity!! The schedule does not give me time to bathe in the moonlight and expand my breadth of possibility! If you wish to take my head, then you can have it afterwards, but only after I rescue that old man!! Why won’t you wait!?”

“To hell with that. Don’t act like righteousness belongs to you and you alone.”

“What is wrong with my actions here? Someone is about be beheaded for nothing more than freeing me!! I am not interested in revealing that old priest’s lies, but it is those cowardly fools in power who created this situation!! That old man is no great evil and this Temple Moving Ceremony is not holy! What is wrong with trying to save my savior from an undeserved public execution!?”

“Enough false equivalencies, Demon Lord!! Saving that man and using that anti-dragon rifle to shoot unconscious criminals are not the same thing!! You can’t excuse any and all actions by saying you did it out of a desire to save an innocent old man! There’s no special rule that that lets you escape consequences for your crimes by claiming it was for a good cause!! Listen, Nirvelphany, you know what happens if you do that and you stick to that path to the very end!?”

Ayato desperately clung to her skinny waist and shouted at the top of his lungs.

He made a definite statement here.

“You’ll make it so people died because of what that old man did!! You’ll justify their phony excuse for the public execution!! That old man will have to carry the weight of the murders you committed!!!!!!”

Her breath caught.

Nirvelphany’s breath caught in her throat.

“You can’t do that.”

That boy was also a criminal who carried his own crime.

And as someone who had continued forward instead of letting it stop him, he spoke to this newcomer on that path.

“If you really want to save that old man, then you can’t do that!! You don’t have to sit there and let yourself be arrested by the people who invent their own definitions of good and evil and manipulate the majority into oppressing the minority, but you can’t look away from the truth of the crimes you chose to commit!! So I’ll say it. I’m a Sorcery Hacker, but I’ll shamelessly ignore my own crimes to say this here: You can’t deny the truth of what you yourself did every step of the way!!!!!!”

That may have been the difference between Ayato and Nirvelphany.

They had both once been the strongest in a certain field, but their paths had never crossed. The boy had turned his back on his perfect record and stooped to the thankless work of a Sorcery Hacker in order to never look away from the truth of what he had done.

“So carry it, Nirvelphany. Those were the results of the actions you proudly chose to do! So don’t shove the blame onto others! Carry it on your own shoulders as you move ever forward, Demon Lord!!”

“You…”

“And as luck would have it, there’s a perfect stage for that right below here.”

He further moved the arms wrapped around her waist. He more or less climbed up her to put himself at her eye level and grabbed her slender shoulders instead.

The Sorcery Hacker made no attempt to escape as he shouted directly at her.

“Go reclaim the crimes you shoved onto that innocent old man’s shoulders, Nirvelphany!!!!!!”

A moment later, he pulled his head as far back as he could and then swung it down like a blunt weapon to crack their foreheads together.

And everything came together.

Ayato really did nearly pass out as he clung to Nirvelphany’s waist and she soared like a glider to fall toward the depths below.

The Temple Moving Ceremony’s plaza was there. They fell right onto the stage where the public execution was to be held.

Ayato and Nirvelphany arrived on the stage to join the old man bound to the mechanical guillotine, the High Priest drowning in his wicked drive for popularity, and the Executioner.

“Say it, Nirvelphany.”

It was covered by the thick blizzard, but this cruel stage was still surrounded by a large crowd. Worse, the old man she had been so desperate to save was right there. The message Ayato was demanding of her may have been too cruel in those circumstances.

“Throwing stones at an innocent old man is wrong. If people have complaints, they should bring them to you, right? Then say it!! What did you do in this city!? Don’t shove the blame onto that old man!! Reclaim it for yourself!!!!!!”

Her mouth flapped wordlessly as she crouched down and she did not move for a bit.

She may have been more afraid of that one old man than she was of the crowd numbering in the tens of thousands or the silver salt cameras of the newspaper companies that would record this moment for eternity.

But she understood the truth.

Even she had to understand that she could not leave things as they were.

“I…”

The Demon Lord remained crouching as her lips trembled.

“I was trying to save the man who saved me.”

The clear liquid dripping down her cheeks was not the clear specks of the blizzard melting on her face.

“So I hired a human trafficking group to abduct Urban Design Manager Jorbe Alphoverin. When the human traffickers screwed up, I was afraid they would give me away, so I silenced them. I destroyed the cores of the fire and wind castle towns to break through the Free Audience Restriction barrier supported by the cores’ massive energy. And I took revenge on White Hat Hacker Dagregor Bull Gerlos who interfered when I should have been one step away from saving him.”

She still could not stand up.

“It was me. I did it all.”

In fact, she seemed to be breaking down crying.

“This old man had nothing to do with any of it. Those are my crimes. I did it all myself. So please…I beg of you!! Please stop blaming him!! Please, I will atone for what I did! Blaming anyone else for this would be unjust!! So pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!!!!!!”

Her shout echoed out.

It was selfish, it did not get through to the crowd that had no idea what she was talking about, and it did nothing to reduce the severity of what she had done. But how much had it eaten away at her, how much of her pride and dignity had she needed to throw out, and how much of the energy she had stored up did she need to use up to get out that desperate cry?

Ayato understood.

Even if no one else in the world did, a fellow criminal like him understood.

The thick whiteness cleared up.

Sky City Celedileka’s Guardian Umbrella atmospheric shield must have rebooted in safe mode. The thick blizzard was cut off and the sun and the stars were visible overhead once more. Everyone was watching the small, curled-up Demon Lord: the crowds surrounding them in all directions, the Armored Dragon made of bat wings that had fallen surprisingly close by, the old man bound to the mechanical guillotine, the masked Executioner, and the Forturiana High Priest.

And someone spoke.

“Feh heh.”

It was the High Priest.

Once it was his time to shine once more, he lightly clapped his hands twice to gather everyone’s attention.

“No matter how much malicious obstruction the element of darkness throws at us, the benevolent coincidences of the gathered element of light will never be shaken!! Heaven itself has mandated this Temple Moving Ceremony in order to protect everyone in Celedileka, so nothing can stop it. The execution of Thomas Robergin will be swiftly completed! The death of those who would bring chaos to the world shall preserve the world’s beauty!!”

“Kh.”

Nirvelphany’s shoulders trembled while she was curled up with her forehead frozen to the floor.

It had not reached them.

The cries of a criminal had not reached those who held a unilateral monopoly on righteousness.

“Everything is in place. See here what happens to the villains who would disturb the peace with their selfish actions!! We will punish this great evil and prove our power to serve the king! Eternal glory to the Forturiana Church!!”

The old man’s speech reached an emotional climax.

And once he was done, he placed a hand on Ayato’s shoulder and whispered to the boy.

“(Well done. You are the MVP who prevented Demon Lord Nirvelphany’s escape…no, her return. All of the suspicion placed on you will of course be removed. This was nearly a disaster for the both of us, but now we can take our time and celebrate here in this city. I will use all of my authority to ensure it.)”

His voice was sticky.

It was the kind of voice that inspired an instant dislike of the person producing it.

“(The world needs no Hero or Demon Lord. It only needs the Light of Forturiana. Any who would intrude on that can be sent back to the darkness from whence they came using this execution stage that I can use at my discretion. You are a clever boy. I am glad you could work out what was really going on here as a fellow human.)”

Ayato Criminaltrophy grinned.

And his next action was an extremely simple one.

He stabbed his Sorcery Hacking sword into the machine’s rail as if to stop the guillotine blade.

“Wha-?”

The initial muffled syllable of confusion came from the masked Executioner. He pulled the lever, but the guillotine did not fall. Nirvelphany’s interference had ended in failure, so why? He clearly could not figure it out.

But the changes did not stop there.

“Gwah!?”

The thick metal lever sprang in the opposite direction he had expected and smashed into his jaw.

“Your Holiness, I know your aesthetic senses are hopelessly lacking, but don’t interrupt a once-in-a-lifetime confession. Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Finally, the machine moved on its own to release the innocent old man’s arms and head. He had no idea what was going on as he stretched his arms while still down in a crawling position. Even Nirvelphany’s eyes widened in surprise.

Ayato was Sorcery Hacking in front of a crowd. The guillotine was sure to be scanned and retaken before long. So once the old man was free, he released the resonance that decided its provisional level. In other words, he needed to preserve the rest of his resonance.

This was not over and he was looking ahead to something more.

“Listen, Nirvelphany. I had just the one issue with you: shoving the blame for your crimes onto me. I couldn’t let you do that, so I pursued you to make sure you paid for it. …And now you’ve dealt with all those excess hurdles. So a question: If not for that pain-in-the-ass detour, whose side do you think I would have taken?”

“You mean…?”

She might be the true Demon Lord, but after her power gradually leaked from her wound while she was sealed, she could not draw on even 1% of her original strength. It must have been terrifying to challenge this sky city full of humans with no one at all to rely on. If her identity was revealed, she would have been attacked by all those people and been helpless to stop them from doing what they would with her. Simply imagining it had to have made her bristle with fear. But she had still gathered strength in her trembling legs and faced ever forward to save the man who had saved her. That courage was praiseworthy.

What reason did he have not to take her side?

What reason did he have to join those throwing stones at her after she had shown him all that?

“So there’s just one thing we’ve wanted to say from the beginning.”

He grinned and spoke as a Sorcery Hacker who had abandoned a top-ranked position that had only let him obey the morality as spelled out in the job request.

“If you had time for all that nonsense, you should have explained what happened and asked for some help. If you had, we would’ve had this done ages ago!!!!!!”

The Demon Lord had gone on a rampage to repay a debt. The Hero who had forgiven her was also here.

But this was not their story.

This was the story of Ayato Criminaltrophy, a Sorcery Hacker who stood on an axis different from good and evil.

Option 05: Report on Ayato Criminaltrophy

On paper, he is enrolled in the Academy Towers that belong to the Selected Kingdoms Combined Royal Family.

He has a history as a Forward. He was known for using a large revolver-style sorcery gun, giving him the name Hexajinx, and that name still holds some effect.

More current reports have him working as a Sorcery Hacker.

He knows his acts are criminal.

It is unknown why he does what he does or where his funding comes from, but there have been multiple reports of his presence during coups or other major incidents in the city-states making up the Selected Kingdoms. There has been no sign of him engaging in robbery or looting during those incidents, so we can guess at some kind of stable source of funding. He appears to act based on an agreement made with some third party, but even when his actions seem to be following a single scenario, he will sometimes overturn everything and take the opposite stance partway through.

It is unknown if he is frequently breaking with the wishes of his funding source, or if he has been given an extremely high level of freedom in his actions.

He is nothing but a threat for those who rule the regional territories he arrives in, but be careful because he has a tendency of behaving like a gentleman thief and his history as a whole suggests that works to his advantage.

According to people who know him well, he apparently tends to place a lot of weight on the truth as he sees it from his point of view. We can guess he has an excellent sense of balance there that allows him to not blindly accept government propaganda while also not rushing toward the conspiracy theories that are so often fueled by victim complexes.

Whenever he is sighted, history tends to be set in motion. As if the stagnant waters are being stirred up.

It is unknown if someone is doing it intentionally or if it goes beyond even that.

(Thoughts)

The above is the independently researched report put together by the Academy Towers Student Council Executive Committee, but it was decided to leave it stored in a Student Council safe instead of submitting it to the teachers.

He is not the type to be shaken by having his identity revealed or having official wanted posters distributed. If this report would only drive him to change his name and even his appearance using sorcery plastic surgery, then he will be easier to track if we leave him be.

Phase 05: Water Castle Town Aquaria

Part 1

There was only one thing to do now.

“Let’s get out of here.”

After confirming that Demon Lord Nirvelphany was holding the old man in her arms, Ayato Criminaltrophy jumped down from the stage with his Linkage Plug sword in hand. But would the crowd use their numbers to restrain the criminal?

Of course not.

The crowd was unarmed and he was armed. And those ordinary people could not tell that his weapon was meant for Sorcery Hacking and could not actually do much direct harm. They cried out in alarm and parted in front of him. It was amusing to see a Moneylender get separated from his bodyguards and shoved around as people took out their daily frustrations on him. Ayato’s group ran to their destination before the crowd could regain their cool.

“Nirvelphany, can you use that orbital sorcery cannon again!?”

“…”

The woman in red leather shrank down a bit while holding the old man, but then…

“Stay back unless you wish to be blown to smithereens!! I am the great Demon Lord Nirvelphany and I will not hesitate to fire my diabolical cannon from the heavens!!”

The crowd froze in place. Whether or not she really was the Demon Lord, they had seen that attack from the heavens break through the Guardian Umbrella. But Ayato had noticed her brief hesitation.

…He could not count on that anymore. They had to find some other way to escape the army pushing in toward them. And with that in mind, there was no way they could escape Light Castle Brightio on foot.

For one thing, Teleria, Mamilis, and Henrietta were still up in the towers.

So…

“Get on, get on!! Let’s take this thing for a spin!!”

A giant object had fallen surprisingly close by. It looked like a wide isosceles triangle made from several thin, bat-like wings. That flight device measured 30 esoule wide and it was known as an Armored Dragon.

Level 32 was pretty high, but he could easily cover that after arriving at the castle with Level 20 and hacking high-level knights and flight devices during the battle.

Whatever it might be, a Sorcery Hacker could hijack any product of magic as long as they had the necessary level.

He stabbed his sword in, pulled the trigger, and then yanked the grip back, leaving the blade behind.

He finished hacking it by interfering with the mist mana circulating through the sorcery device just as Nirvelphany hopped onto the bat-like wings.

“The old man is on too! We’re ready when you are!!”

“Y-you fool!! I told you to live the life you want to live, but your life is essentially over after opposing Celedileka like this!!”

“Oh, shut up!! How many times do I have to tell you this is what I want to do!? I am not interested in the concepts of good and evil that you humans have invented to bind the masses! I am not about to turn my back on the decision I made for myself!!”

The device itself was thin, but if you placed your arms or legs on the top or bottom surface, they would stick there. It must have used some kind of gravitational control. Since they were accustomed to walking on the surface, Ayato’s group chose the top surface.

“You know how to fly this thing, I hope?”

“I couldn’t call myself a Sorcery Hacker if I couldn’t do anything I put my mind to.”

Compressed air roared as it slammed against the ground and the nearby crowd was blown away. It then twisted around to rapidly ascend and fly toward the top of the towers. They were soon attacked by the knights who had been pummeled by the shockwave but still managed to stay airborne with their rotating wing crafts.

“What now, Sorcery Hacker!?”

“This thing is a lot bigger than them, so we can break right through them if we ram them!!”

The girls had been hit by the orbital sorcery cannon’s shockwave, but they had come to in the short time since.

Ayato first crashed through the bottom of the small pieces of rubble suspended in midair to destroy them while picking up Henrietta who was on top of them. Artificial gravity created via sorcery made sure the Striker’s body stuck to the smooth surface of the craft like it was a giant magnet.

“Whoa.”

There was no time to listen to her complaints. The impact of the collision had altered the Armored Dragon’s course a fair bit, so he directed it toward one of the towers. Ayato and Henrietta reached out to grab Teleria and Mamilis as they flew past.

After feeling their weight in their arms, they lifted the Armored Dragon’s nose.

They shot upwards and flew out above the ostentatious castle.

“Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah!! Wahhhhhh!!!???”

The blonde girl flailed her legs wildly, but Ayato managed to pull her up and hold her in his arms. Henrietta easily collected the Dark Elf.

He had neglected to control the Armored Dragon while dealing with Teleria, so it veered off course. They lost the altitude they had gained and nearly crashed into the ground.

“Dammit!!”

Ayato frantically focused on the crystal tarot card Linkage Monitor floating in the air and regained control of the Armored Dragon.

“Where are we!? It looks like we’ve flown past the castle walls at least!!”

“Coach, I think this is Water Castle Town Aquaria,” said Dark Elf Mamilis.

Either she had not had time or she no longer cared because she had not hidden her distinctive long ears.

This was a town of boats. The entire area was covered in water that reflected the sunny and starry sky and countless boats of various sizes floated there to form a town. No, the water’s currents had far surpassed the pull of gravity. The water looked too crowded to actually navigate any of the boats, but a massive amount of water formed giant arches reminiscent of rainbow bridges and the boats used those to move around. It looked a lot like a giant arm reaching down to a flat diorama and rearranging the miniature houses.

They flew through there at high altitude.

They sometimes just barely avoided the sails of a large ship and sometimes slipped below a giant steamboat lifted up by a water arch.

Their max speed was about 80 Scuz. The only faster flying devices were the largescale airships that rode the manaflows in the atmosphere. They were moving fast enough to tear through the air, but they did not have to worry about frictional heat, air resistance, inertia, or anything like that. Celedileka’s sorcery devices were most suited for use in the sky.

“I think there was a model of one of these in my grandma’s room,” said silver-haired Mamilis while she reached her chocolate-colored hand to the side. Her fingers easily snatched a white seabird from the air just above the water.

Yes, even though they were moving faster than a train.

“It really does work just like grandma’s designs said. When the powerful safety is in effect, you can ignore the relative speeds, Coach. We shouldn’t have to worry about hurting ourselves.”

“Tch. I really wish I could have met her before leaving the city. That is some impressive talent.”

She made it sound so simple, but that meant the riders could tear away the opponent’s weapons and armor while moving at these speeds. It was basically cheating.

(Now, I’ve got a decent idea of what this area is like.)

Whatever the case, rescuing Nirvelphany and the old man would require escaping Sky City Celedileka as a whole.

“Ahh,” groaned Thomas in Nirvelphany’s arms.

“Don’t look so reluctant to leave this city,” she said while he stared blankly out from her arms. “I will show you what you can find on that vast blue planet. This isolated and artificial land is not everything. You may have given up on this world, but I will show you just how vast, strange, and beautiful it can be!! That much I can promise you!!”

“…”

He may have already seen that. When he was driven to the edge, several people had gathered to pick a fight with the regional monarchy itself. That may have begun the process of truly saving him.

Although Ayato was not crass enough to say that out loud.

They had just the one destination for now:

“The outer edge and outside!! Hold on, everyone!!”

“That is fine, but look behind us, dangerous individual!!”

Henrietta shouted something odd.

Ayato had been busy using the arrangement of crystal tarot cards to gradually stabilize their flight, but he finally had enough time to look back.

And there he saw it.

“Another Armored Dragon is pursuing us!” said the Striker. “And it’s moving oddly! This is no normal flight!!”

Armored Dragons were large even for flight devices, so it could easily shake free of the personal gliders or rotating wing crafts that used a propeller on the top and back of the exposed cockpit. That meant only another Armored Dragon could pursue them.

But all of the flight devices supplied through the standard route should have been knocked from the sky by the shockwave and blizzard caused by the orbital sorcery cannon. A Sky Pirate girl with an eyepatch and miniskirt had used the confusion to steal and patch up a broken flight device to use herself, but who was this person who had forcibly snatched up a different crashed Armored Dragon to pursue them? Ayato could only think of one person with this strong an obsession with avoiding failure here.

Namely…

“It’s that High Priest. Isn’t he a little old to be playing a game of chicken!?”

Part 2

And.

The reddish-brown Minotaur visiting Earth Castle Down Grouviv gave a sharp breath as a habit carried over from when he was human. It was apparently meant as a whistle, but his bull head meant he could not pull it off properly.

“I knew it.”

A purple butterfly flew down.

That unnatural night butterfly glittered with bewitching lace and colorful gems. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a purple-haired woman in a classic maid uniform.

“Do you really intend to take that on yourself?”

“I really wish I could have gone in and put a stop to that Temple Moving Ceremony with nothing but the power of my fists, but that wasn’t an option. Ayato’s group took the main dish. They’re the stars this time, so taking the backstage role is just right for me. Also, I already had a hunch this was the place.”

He sounded carefree, but an odd change was occurring in front of him.

The ground bubbled up with an orange light and then a sinister pillar of lava burst up with an intensity not even seen in the fire town. As soon as it came in contact with the air, it cooled, took shape, and became an enormous eight-legged horse with a scorching-hot body.

It was so huge he had to look up at it.

The bull man focused on the two holsters hanging from his zipper-covered pants.

“ ‘It was a golden horse carrying death and a holy follower adorned with glittering gems.’ So this is what the Demon Lord’s seal was once you get down to it: an ancient sorcery device that used gravitational control to give shape to lava. It wasn’t enough to kill Nirvelphany even after the Hero’s attack weakened her, but it could take her inside and harden around her to seal her. And with herself as a hostage within the lava that messes with magnetic and thermal sensors, she couldn’t roast it with her orbital weapon.”

“I may not be one to talk, but being able to withstand temperatures of 2000 embers is completely insane.”

“Yeah, it really is.”

With a neigh like a steam engine, it raised its front legs and lifted its upper body to a height of more than 100 esoule. A female party tried to get involved out of some strange sense of justice, but the Minotaur gave a roar to chase off the Paladin with a soundproofed shield and the Samurai with a single-shot gun hidden in the grip of her sword. Then he spoke before the massive monster.

“It always seemed odd that Earth Castle Town Grouviv was the only one that had ‘nothing’, but I guess it was a supply base holding all the weapons and provisions the royal castle might need. It just never got much use with how long Sky City Celedileka has known peace.”

Ayato himself had said the military facilities were the first to be abandoned in a peaceful castle that was not a front line fortress. This was the same idea for the city-state as a whole.

The earth town could easily store plenty of the mana-conducting silver needed for weapons, as well as the sorcery gun ammunition and the various kinds of jewels that were concentrated from the underground gemflows. They may have also been stocking up on the toxic liquid known as rock water or petroleum and converting it into weapons. This was the perfect place for that.

And now they were releasing that giant lava horse in order to capture Nirvelphany. Magic did not activate on its own, so did the command come from the Forturiana Church which had dug this thing up and stored it? They may have been hoping to defeat the Demon Lord themselves to make their lie a reality, but it went without saying what would happen if that mass of lava charged into a densely populated area.

Unlike the other landmasses that floated around restlessly and were easily distorted, the Static Continent they called home did not budge even after many long years. The people who lived there were bound by equally strong ties while they lived together in harmony.

That cheap propaganda came to the Minotaur’s mind while he viewed this product of human greed.

The entire idea was absurd.

“I no longer care about a comfortable palace, a mountain of art in the gallery, or shiny armor and a crown.”

That was why the Minotaur had come here.

No, why the First Prince of the Selected Kingdoms’ Combined Royal Family had come here.

“But I’m not about to abandon the right to have my way and strike down evil. My name is Liberca Bran Zorca Totalinus. Did you think a foolish traitor’s toy could rob everyone of their homes and livelihoods while the First Prince watched on!?”

After that attempt to look cool, the maid calmly tugged on his tail.

“Hold it, you narcissist.”

“Gyawah! Don’t grab me there, you idiot! It hurts like hell!!”

“How rude. You make it sound like I was unaware of that fact.”

“How would a tailless butterfly woman understand how this feels!?”

The maid spoke calmly to the man whose dignified atmosphere had been stolen.

“Just accept it already. You always keep those royal blades with you, so ever since I recognized you as a royal, you will never again have a chance to fight alone.”

“…Is that so?”

That was all he said as he reached for the holsters at his hips.

What he drew from there were two old-fashioned swords instead of sorcery guns.

They were classified as domino-effect apocalypse-inducing chain-reaction weapons and they were named Butterfly Effector.

The two of them spoke in unison.

“The flapping of my butterfly wings is a very small thing.”

“But it’s time you saw what the small things can bring to this world, you hunk of junk!!”

Part 3

Forturiana High Priest Belbath Ruin Cranky was pursuing them, so Ayato’s Armored Dragon changed course again. They soared past some Dragon Knights flying small, tamed dragons and they continued to pick up speed.

Fortunately, the powerful safety measures meant none of them would be thrown from the wide isosceles triangle no matter how wildly he swung it around. So he sometimes flew just barely below a water arch, sometimes slipped between the sails of the many ships, and sometimes flipped upside down to stab his Sorcery Hacking sword into a small ship’s smokestack.

“What’s the point of that!?” shouted Nirvelphany while holding Thomas Robergin.

“You never know when it’ll come in handy!!”

Even a small boat would have a processing space of Level 20 or 30. By connecting those together, he could reach the triple digits in no time. It grew at an accelerating rate from there, so the sailing ships that read the wind direction and automatically adjusted the sails would be from 300 to 400 and the steamships with external propulsion devise that resembled giant waterwheels could be 1000 each. Ships could support themselves just by floating in the water instead of needing arms or wings, so they really were the greatest of vehicles. No sorcery devices came in greater sizes.

While Ayato stabbed his Linkage Plug sword around, separated off the blades, and let out new blades from those compressed in the hilt, Teleria asked him a question in something of a scream.

“We aren’t losing the High Priest at all! Ayato, can’t you do something with your Sorcery Hacking!?”

“…!!”

“Directly firing on him with a sorcery gun would be difficult. That artificial bell cricket on his shoulder is compressing the air over a wide area to create a soundproof space.”

“Coach, I saw the designs for that in my grandma’s room. I think it’s called the Bell Ringing. It was based on the anti-grenade nets used in trench warfare. It was supposed to be a large device for an entire base, so she had trouble figuring out how to make it the size of a slipper. It should be able to cover between 120 and 180 degrees in front of it by subtly changing the angle of its thin wings.”

They received a hint from an unexpected source. He wished all the more he could have met that engineer.

The Demon Lord’s eyes widened too.

“At any rate, we have no way of circling behind that shield while he flies straight toward us. Our sorcery guns will only be deflected!”

“Are you sure about that, Demon Lord? That Bell Ringing prototype isn’t a sorcery gun. If Miss Mamilis is right, then it was originally meant for use in a stationary land base. That means there should be some distortion in the defended area while its coordinates change during high-speed movement. Belbath himself might be covered, but we can still bring down the Armored Dragon to lose him. And more importantly!”

Something about this did not add up.

They gathered what information they had while flying around the water town on the Armored Dragon.

“When that High Priest was certain of his victory, he said I was the MVP who prevented Demon Lord Nirvelphany’s escape or return. He seemed happier about Nirvelphany interrupting the ceremony than if the execution had played out without a hitch. Why?”

“W-well, the Forturiana Church believes in benevolent coincidence, so wouldn’t capturing the top of the demons feel like a stroke of good luck?” suggested Teleria.

“You think Forturiana loathes Demon Lord Nirvelphany?” Ayato operated his floating crystal tarot cards to focus on the hijacked Armored Dragon. “Even though that church rapidly grew in power by donating to magic research…specifically, to the development of modern sorcery guns? Now, who is it that supports the entire system of magic?”

Just then, a sound like erupting steam reached them from behind.

Teleria screamed while ducking her head down.

A long narrow trail of white smoke shot by directly overhead. The projectile filled empty space with pitch black darkness and then compressed the surrounding scenery toward the center of the explosion.

It looked like a giant mass of gravity, but Ayato immediately realized what it was.

“A bazooka!? Why is the privileged class swiping all these weapons!?”

The sorcery gun resting on the shoulder opposite the bell cricket looked a lot like a grenade launcher, but while a grenade would cause the specified magic to self-replicate and explosively expand, a bazooka forcibly absorbed the surrounding mana and used that energy to explosively expand. In other words, it would tear apart living creatures and machines alike before blasting the dried-out remains with the external explosion.

They had been made to destroy military sorcery devices, so it was hardly surprising they had such a brutal design. They could only count themselves lucky it was not a guided variety.

“We can’t keep dodging those forever!!” warned the Demon Lord.

“Bazookas are still a type of sorcery gun. The volume of the gunshot is linked to the effective range, so he has to bring down his puny shield to fire it. More importantly, Nirvelphany, complain if you like, but what happened to your anti-dragon rifle!?”

“Does it look like I still have it? I literally have my hands full carrying this old man, so I left everything else in that plaza!”

“Nh!”

“Don’t bother, Miss Mamilis. Shoot down the explosive within that shotgun’s range and we’ll be caught in the blast! Miss Teleria, you handle it!!”

“Oh, honestly! Do you have any idea how tricky it is to shoot down a bazooka round with a handgun!?”

The blonde girl complained, but she still readied her dual handguns. Then she fired ice spears toward the explosives flying their way. Instead of sniping them at specific points, she fired across the entire region to shoot them down and detonate them. This was all thanks to magic, but they could not exactly celebrate. The scenery would be pulled in toward a single point and then the explosion would occur. A direct hit from that would wipe them all out at once.

Ayato glanced over at the empty shells blowing away in the wind while he calmly analyzed the situation.

(This isn’t very efficient. At this rate, we’ll probably run out of ammo first.)

They needed a more fundamental solution and he wanted as much info as possible for that. Knowing what drove High Priest Belbath to pursue them like this might help them predict his actions.

He could not let the impact of the bazooka distract him. He had to calm down and recall their discussion from just before that.

(Magic…yes, magic!)

Anyone could see how out of place that word seemed here.

These people were supposedly spreading the “holy word”, so wasn’t this an odd sort of thing for them to be proudly showing off?

“What even is the Light-Dark Duality? The world only has the four elements of fire, water, wind, and earth! The colorless mana gains those elemental colors by synchronizing with the higher beings scattered in the four directions! People might not care about those old tomes now that they only need to pull a trigger, but it was Demon Lord Nirvelphany who added a bit of ‘fun’ into that perfect system, effectively ignoring those four great beings and allowing us to do whatever we want in this world!!”

And when you calculated it out, you would find that those “four directions” went well beyond the Static Continent. It was a reminder of just how small they were in the grand scheme of things.

The tricky part was how Nirvelphany’s power was not a fixed value at the top. It was an uncertain factor.

That was what allowed her to break through the upper limits of the world set by those four rulers, but it was also what left her vulnerable enough to be defeated and sealed by human hands. If they had been up against those four elemental rulers themselves, people would have realized how silly it was to challenge them with magic. No matter how many shots they fired, they could never bring them down.

“Hold on. Is that what this is about!?” Nirvelphany spoke up in displeasure while Ayato flew the Armored Dragon below a giant water arch. “There are only four elements in the world and we demons play a large role in their creation. But the Forturiana Church invented the light and dark elements to create an explanation where humans are on top! That’s why they can’t allow an explanation with only the four elements! So were they trying to cover up the truth by silencing the Hero and the Demon Lord during their Temple Moving Ceremony? All to protect their cheap illusion of a nonexistent element of light!?”

“If you want to get technical, you could be seen as the one and only element of darkness or non-elemental being since your possibilities cannot be controlled by those four elemental rulers!!”

Just as he said that, Ayato forcibly lifted up the giant isosceles triangle craft. It was a lot like a horse rearing up and he used it to rapidly brake.

High Priest Belbath’s identical Armored Dragon tore through the air as it shot by.

And Ayato raised his voice just as they passed by in the air.

“Miss Mamilis!!”

“Got it, Coach.”

The full-auto shotgun produced countless red muzzle flashes. Primary Blaze was the most basic form of fire magic, but it was more than enough of a threat at that density.

Pieces tore up from the surface of the High Priest’s Armored Dragon, but it did not fall yet.

In fact, Belbath managed to escape out ahead. The Dark Elf’s distinctive long ears shook as the old man escaped beyond the range of her full-auto shotgun.

And…

“The bazooka is coming again!!”

“Perfect. Let’s move in close.”

The High Priest shot the bazooka backwards and it flew straight toward them while trailing white smoke.

“Kyahh!!”

“We’re fine!!”

Teleria screamed, so Ayato held her in one arm to calm her down while accelerating the Armored Dragon and letting the approaching weapon pass by just barely overhead.

No matter what definition you used, Nirvelphany’s presence could not be used to prove the existence of an element of light itself.

And if darkness existed without light, that would only be a bigger problem for Forturiana. Enough of one that they would lose the unifying power to pull off an event like the Temple Moving Ceremony.

That would leave no way to prove the existence of light without doing exactly what they themselves forbade: doubting the very existence of benevolent coincidence and analyzing things instead.

The two Armored Dragons moved in close.

Now it was Ayato’s turn. He focused on his Linkage Plug sword in addition to the crystal tarot cards.

“The other sects try to explain the creation of the world through harmony of the four elements, but Forturiana has gathered greater popularity through their simpler Light-Dark Duality. They can’t let it get out that the element of light doesn’t exist!”

Mamilis’s full-auto shotgun gave another roar, but there was more of a distance now. The barrage of explosive flames did not quite reach the High Priest’s Armored Dragon. However, the High Priest’s bell cricket soundproof barrier really did not seem to be working properly while moving around at such high speeds.

Ayato and Belbath glared at each other, but their voices could not reach other at this distance and among all the explosions. The Bell Ringing prototype’s effect also served to distort the sound between them.

“…!!”

“…!?”

This must have been an unpleasant surprise for the High Priest as well.

It had happened during the leadup to their delicate Temple Moving Ceremony.

All official records had been lost, so no one knew where in the Selected Kingdoms the sealed shrine was located. Also, the seal could not be broken from within. If no one knew where it was, then Nirvelphany’s slumber was essentially eternal. And yet this had happened.

They had actively oppressed the demons because they did not want the other humans to find out they were borrowing the demons’ power. They also wanted the demons themselves to forget they were lending out their power. Yes, just like an abused child or old person would become convinced it was their own fault, the long, long history of oppression was meant to make them more withdrawn and weak-willed.

The four elemental lords never made an appearance and never spoke with the humans.

So they could be silenced by crushing the smaller demons who could possibly bring their words to the humans.

But the ancient Demon Lord Nirvelphany could not be oppressed like that. She might just destroy all who opposed her, regather the scattered demons, and reclaim their strength as a great army. She had the greatest power, but she also had the ability to pour out all her efforts for a single human, so her actions were nigh impossible to predict. There was always a risk of her breaking her way directly into human society and revealing the truth instead of using the smaller demons as messengers.

Forturiana could not allow the truth to get out.

However, Nirvelphany would not be so easily captured once she was unsealed. They could not predict how she would act.

So they had stolen that freedom from her.

They had gone all in. The date of the Temple Moving Ceremony could not be changed and, because it was a setup, there was no coming back if it failed. They had needed to incorporate a conspiracy into their own precious event.

By ordering the old man arrested and executed, they had tried to redirect and guide Nirvelphany’s actions so they could capture her.

(Miss Mamilis’s shots are preventing the High Priest from firing his bazooka because he will be caught in the blast if one is shot too close to him. This is our chance to get close!!)

“Forturiana has been putting out sketchy-looking ads related to magic. Things like overuse of magic giving you a disease from the recoil, or being allergic to mana. But I’ve never heard of that happening to anyone.”

“Of course you haven’t. Mana itself circulates through all living things, so it would take an extremely high density before your body could detect it as an abnormality.”

“Exactly right, Demon Lord. That means they’re having to take desperate measures to gather followers. I bet their finances are in the red. They say they have the favor of the royals in this city, but that may be the problem. If they’ve picked up a ridiculously expensive lifestyle, they’ll start running the business into the ground. Ha ha. That explains why they needed an event like the Temple Moving Ceremony.”

The enormous sailing ships and steamboats had much higher levels than sorcery vehicles and airships. A group of ones between 300 esoule and 400 esoule were packed in close on the water’s surface. Ayato attacked them to increase his processing space like a runaway snowball, so he quickly reached the quadruple digits. If he could directly stab it with his sword, he could hack the Bell Ringing prototype on High Priest Belbath’s shoulder or the man’s large Armored Dragon itself.

(I’m not going to let this go to waste.)

He only had to get closer.

If only he could move in!!

(I’m between Level 6000 and 7000 now. No, it’s still growing! He’s earned the favor of the king to abuse the entire sky city’s infrastructure and create a tiny fortress for himself, but I’ll drag him out of there and destroy him!!)

“Nirvelphany.”

“Yes?”

“Only four elements exist. Whatever benevolent coincidences might exist, they don’t come from the element of light that High Priest speaks of. Revealing that fact would ruin him and the Forturiana Church. They might want to redo their Temple Moving Ceremony, but I doubt the king would let them at that point. This might be cruel to the ordinary believers, but I’m going to make that church pay for everything they’ve done. …So this is a personal question: would you be satisfied with that?”

She looked confused.

An then she answered him.

“I won’t be satisfied until I’ve punched him myself.”

“I had a feeling. Doing that does feel good.”

Driven by the dense barrage of explosive flames coming from long-eared Mamilis’s full-auto shotgun sorcery gun, High Priest Belbath’s Armored Dragon rapidly braked.

“I knew this was coming soon!!”

The slipper-sized bug did not function properly during rapid movement, so this was his only chance at survival. Ayato had been in the same position earlier. By braking and letting the pursuer pass you, you could switch out the positions of attacker and defender. But you could deal with that if you knew it was coming.

Ayato touched his crystal tarot cards.

His Armored Dragon shot forward, but twisted around to flip upside down. The two Armored Dragons passed by while nearly touching in an acrobatic stunt. The two 35 esoule crafts were a mere 2 esoule apart.

While one was upside down and the other was not, they effectively existed in the same space.

Ayato and Belbath’s eyes met.

The boy in the blue blazer remained upside down as he moved to stab his Linkage Plug sword into the creepy bell cricket on the High Priest’s shoulder.

“You think I’ll let you, traitor!?” roared the High Priest.

An intense vibration followed. He could no longer trust the slipper-sized bell cricket, so he forcibly twisted the Armored Dragon around so its wing would hit theirs.

That one second seemed to stretch out for an eternity as Ayato lost his chance and the two crafts lost their balance. Ayato was forced to pour all his attention into the crystal tarot cards to ensure they did not crash.

The next thing he knew, the two crafts were flying alongside each other.

“Living in fear of the truth can’t be fun. You’ve grown so bloated with shame that it’s impossible to see who you even are anymore, High Priest!!”

“Don’t make me laugh, sinner. The Temple Moving Ceremony will provide a solid foundation for the Forturiana Church and that old man must be executed for that. Failure is not an option here!”

“I thought churches were supposed to be divine institutions. Since when did a human like you get to call the shots?”

“The truth is preserved by the king and spread by the Forturiana Church!! You need only open your mouths and accept the truth we provide you! That will ensure happiness for all the people!!”

“The truth has more weight than that. I may be a shameless Sorcery Hacker crawling through the depths of the earth, but let me make something clear. No matter what you theatrically read from your script and no matter what anyone in the world believes, you can only alter public opinion. It might be hidden in the shadows of history, but the truth is always out there! We’ve worked hard to overcome our interspecies differences, so I’m not letting you tear down those bonds just to protect some fantasy about a nonexistent element of light!!!!!!”

It was Striker Henrietta who grimaced at that.

“(I-is this really the High Priest who supposedly wishes for the wellbeing of the people? Does he think the entire Forturiana Church belongs to him?)”

Had Belbath realized he had let this slip out in his anger, or did he think he could silence a mere Striker?

Despite their close range, the High Priest lifted the cylindrical bazooka back up onto the shoulder opposite the bell cricket. Dark Elf Mamilis aimed her full-auto shotgun at the other Armored Dragon in response.

Both weapons fired at once and crimson muzzle flashes blossomed out.

Belbath’s own bazooka shell was shot down quite near him, so his own Armored Dragon’s wing was caught in and torn off by the attack that gathered a portion of the scenery toward a central point. However, lots of shrapnel flew through the air at the same time.

“!!”

Nirvelphany immediately moved to protect the old man who had saved her.

But she felt no pain.

She hesitantly opened her eyes to see the blonde girl standing in front of them like a shield with her arms crossed in front of her.

“I…won’t let you.”

She protected her face with the two hands holding the handguns, but a trail of red could be seen on her cheek behind that.

Demon Lord Nirvelphany.

Thomas Robergin.

That girl faced forward with a powerful desire to keep anyone from rejecting the way they had lived their lives.

“I won’t let you!! Not after they’ve come this far! I’m sick of seeing people have everything taken from them at the very last moment!!”

The damage to the High Priest’s craft actually worked in his favor. The slower speed meant he fell behind. He escaped the dangerous side-by-side position and he now had the perfect position to aim at them from behind.

But for a brief moment, those realistic problems did not even matter.

The boy felt a sharp burning in the back of his mind.

“…”

Ayato Criminaltrophy had seen the wound running along his partner’s cheek. She could easily heal that with the recovery magic developed from the water magic she excelled at. There was no fear of it even leaving a scar.

But he still punched himself in the cheek with the hand holding his sword.

With a dull sound, he woke himself up further. He grabbed both his Linkage Monitor crystal tarot cards and the Sorcery Hacking sword.

If the conditions were right, he could hijack anything in which mana flowed.

“Nirvelphany, help me out here. You said you wouldn’t be satisfied until you punched him yourself, right? Well, you’re only going to get one shot at a cross counter.”

“?”

“Let’s show that bastard what hell really looks like.”

Part 4

The Armored Dragon’s wing had been torn up and, even though he still had the gem-encrusted Bell Ringing prototype on his shoulder, his old body was protesting from all over. Even so, Forturiana High Priest Belbath Ruin Cranky smiled while pursuing the sinners from behind. He of course had a plan for victory, but that plan was not the bazooka sorcery gun resting on the shoulder opposite the bell cricket.

(I do not need an effective attack myself. It seems the earth town’s Sleipnir did not arrive in time, but that will not alter the result that is protected by benevolent coincidence.)

He checked their location.

This was Water Castle Town Aquaria. The sinners were trying to lose pursuit, escape Sky City Celedileka, and fly out into the open sky beyond the city.

(But that is a deadly barrier.)

Sky City Celedileka controlled more than just the floating ground. Large airships equipped with tons of giant cannons were deployed around it. Their firepower was enough to drive back that crimson dragon and they would be waiting outside Aquaria right now. It could not be more obvious what would happen once that was aimed at an unprotected human.

The real horror of those cannons was not the fire and wind magic that could be enclosed in the shells. By establishing a thick barrier in the sky around the shell, those sinners could not avoid crashing right into the barrier. It could be easy to forget given all the safety measures in place, but they were moving at 80 Scuz at the moment.

The High Priest only had to pursue them to guide them toward the airships.

They were flying straight toward their death while mistakenly thinking they were escaping.

(But they cannot choose to stay inside Celedileka either. They are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. There is no avoiding it!! And the worldly debts incurred will be forced onto the kingdom that fully binds the Forturiana Church with this sky city! No one can stop me now!!)

They were still accelerating.

The outer wall would come into view soon.

Their death was approaching.

The High Priest could not keep the smile off of his face.

And then the moment arrived.

The roar he heard did not come from the airships; it came from the giant dragon that had responded to Demon Lord Nirvelphany’s call.

“Ahh!?”

This was not right.

That should not have been here.

Hadn’t that dragon been attacking Fire Castle Town Flared? Then what was it doing here in Water Castle Town Aquaria!?

Part 5

The trick itself was simple.

“A sky city can freely change direction while floating in the sky, so the cardinal directions are fairly meaningless. No matter how big it is, it’s floating up here like a kite, so it can be intentionally turned with the right methods,” explained Ayato Criminaltrophy while piloting his Armored Dragon. “We aren’t standing on the ground; we’re flying high above the surface of Celedileka. And at this altitude, the magnetic distortion renders compasses useless. There are plenty of ways of visually telling direction, but the simplest is to follow the paths set up in Water Castle Town Aquaria. If you’re following a path, you tend to assume you’re going straight. Human eyes are easily deceived like that.”

In other words…

“I am slowly rotating Sky City Celedileka. That should allow me to avoid the airships set up for us and slide us over toward the giant dragon.”

Of course, that was no easy task even with his Linkage Plug sword. Moving the sky city itself would require an absurdly high processing space and level.

Fortunately, he had a source for that right in front of him: Nirvelphany.

She was the ancient Demon Lord, a legendary being.

But there was still mana circulating through her body. Mana passed through living things as well. The healing magic that Teleria often used worked by controlling that flow to regulate the body’s condition.

No further explanation was needed.

The beautiful Demon Lord let go of the old man she held and tapped her index finger on the center of her forehead.

“Hack me,” said the Demon Lord.

All demons knew what she looked like, so the crimson dragon would avoid attacking the Armored Dragon she was riding.

If they brought the High Priest to the dragon, its extra-large attack would settle this.

“It does not matter if I have any power remaining inside my body. I still have the safety devices that were meant to restrain my massive power as the Demon Lord. When converted into your ‘levels’, I estimate it would reach 9999. It is useless to me at this point, but I imagine a professional Sorcery Hacker would recognize its value. Draw it out and use it as you like. If your blade can reach that far, then do not hold back. This should be enough to move the entire sky city.”

Resonating with Nirvelphany’s power required Level 9999 and acquiring that power would add another 9999.

If this worked, he would very nearly reach Level 20000.

He had secured more and more processing space by stabbing his blades into the sails and external propulsion devices of the various ships and boats, but he had not found anywhere to use it. The larger of those ships had provided as much as 100 or even 1000 each. His power had grown at an accelerated rate, so he was finally approaching the level of the legendary Demon Lord or the entire sky city.

So he spoke.

“I am a Sorcery Hacker. There’s nothing I can’t do.”

“Then let’s bring an end to all this tragedy. I am willing to have my entire body hacked for that.”

Part 6

And.

“Ah.”

And.

“Ahh.”

And.

“Abwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!???”

The crimson dragon had been making reckless charges at the city all this time after sensing his master’s lamentation, but this time he finally released a powerful beam from his maw as if expelling all of his pent-up frustrations.

Even the light of the sunny and starry sky faded away.

The result went without saying.

What did it matter if the High Priest had a gaudy, gem-encrusted bell cricket with a mere Level 799?

As that fool pursued Ayato’s group, the right half of his Armored Dragon was mercilessly vaporized and the surviving wreckage and old man crashed down into the water below.

Phase XX: Static Continent Totalinus

A purple butterfly fluttered through the air.

That unnatural night butterfly was adorned with bewitching lace and bright jewels. After transforming into a purple-haired woman in a classic maid uniform, she spoke to her master.

“Are you satisfied with this result?”

“Good question,” responded the muscular Minotaur standing on two legs below the sunny and starry sky.

A huge pile of black filth towered in front of him. That was all that remained of the special anti-Demon Lord weapon that used gravitational control to shape scorching lava into a giant 8-legged horse. Who would believe that a massive heat source measuring 100 esoule tall had been slain with just two swords and without any of the surrounding people being hurt?

The fire, wind, and earth cores had been destroyed and the Forturiana Church’s honeymoon with the royal family had come to an abrupt end with their High Priest’s retirement and the many revealed scandals. After the failure of their Temple Moving Ceremony, the regional king had apparently abandoned the idea of making them the state religion. As part of the royal family that ruled the entire Static Continent, that should not have been good news as far as keeping the peace and economic income were concerned. Sorcery Hackers were indeed sources of chaos who could not be allowed to act freely. They may have been even more of a threat than the long-forgotten Demon Lord.

But the First Prince of the Selected Kingdoms’ Combined Royal Family brushed off his zipper-covered pants before answering.

“Seems pretty good to me.”

“How exactly is this good?”

“The negative aspects definitely stand out when you look at the numbers, but the Selected Kingdoms is growing fat cause it’s got far too few problems. I’m not asking for constant fighting like those other continents, but this is the problem with a single royal family controlling an entire continent. We don’t wage war against anyone else and we don’t riot over internal problems either. And for better or for worse, a lack of change brings stagnation. Like that dumbass of a High Priest. It’s best to have some troublemakers who will stir things up in the Static Continent from time to time.”

“That is a very problematic thing to say. You make it sound like this trouble is some fireworks show you are watching from a safe distance. A very dangerous fireworks show.”

“Hold on now. It’s quite the opposite. It might be hard to tell since he’s a Sorcery Hacker, but Ayato’s still a Forward. He’s a problem solver. He doesn’t start anything himself. He’s the ultimate counter-strategist.”

“And?”

“Yeah, people with a certain level of power who do start things themselves tend to become incarnations of destruction. I don’t know if the boy is aware he’s doing it, but by holding back on that front, he’s preventing himself from trampling that miniature city with his power. It’s adorable really. Makes me want to look after him while he’s making the effort. Treating him like a monster just because he has power would be too shortsighted.”

“Look after him, you say?” The purple maid tilted her head. “Then why not give him the answer he wants concerning that incident?”

“You mean what happened when he abandoned his beloved revolver and the Hexajinx name?” The reddish-brown Minotaur slowly sighed. “The truth is a boring thing. No one needs some prominent strongest ranker. Besides, titles like that only get you attacked. Righteousness is so hollow. Just look at how Demon Lord Nirvelphany confused abuse for salvation.”

“That is not for you to decide.”

“No, maybe not.”

That man had been given a monstrous body as the divine punishment for a failed sorcery experiment. No, that man had participated in an experiment that the original data said could never fail.

Humans and demons should have been able to walk side by side.

And not just by the demons developing Mimic Options to hide the unique traits of their species so they could blend into human society. If humans could grow wings and tailfins as easily as changing their hairstyle, they would have been able to laugh off their differences as trivial.

…That project had begun after receiving a hint from an ancient document, but it had been torn apart by suspicion that it was meant to bring back Demon Lord worship. The research equipment had been destroyed before his eyes and he had been caught in the blast that followed. Although it was possible it had all been an excuse for that group to eliminate an heir to the throne they had not been fond of.

He had captured the culprits himself. They had been properly judged in the court of law he had left them with. And once their sentence had ended, he had granted them forgiveness. It had all been the model response of a member of the Combined Royal Family, so it had lacked the dangerous side seen in Ayato and Nirvelphany.

But by cleverly skipping steps in his rush to proceed, his emotions had failed to keep up and he had lost sight of what came next.

The reddish-brown Minotaur slapped his solid head.

He carried the royal swords known as Butterfly Effector.

With Micha Angelos’s help, he could prove his identity, but he chose not to. It looked like he was traveling the Static Continent as he saw fit, but he really could not figure out how to get himself started again.

“The thing about goals is, it matters when you achieve them. You can’t find the answer too soon or cheat your way to it. Then you won’t find the switchover to your next goal and it will crush your heart. Life goals appear before you easily enough, but once you lose sight of them, you can never find them again.”

“…”

“I want that boy to look to the future. Even if that’s only the selfish desire of a royal.”

“Ohh, ohh!! You are as beautiful as you ever were, my lord. It has been far too long!!”

“You’re too big! You’re smothering me!! This Armored Dragon stands out enough on its own, so how are we supposed to escape with you following us around!?”

The Demon Lord in the red leather vest and tight skirt stomped her sharp heels and shouted angrily atop the broad isosceles triangle Armored Dragon that descended toward the blue planet by following the thick chain extending toward the surface.

She could hardly be blamed for that when they were being accompanied by the crimson dragon that had responded to her lamentation and intermittently attacked Sky City Celedileka.

With nearly Level 20000, Ayato had been able to manipulate even the Guardian Umbrella atmospheric shield to open a hole for them. They were already in the empty space outside of that.

“You are scaring the old man. If he has nightmares because if this, I will track you down and punish you with my fist.”

“N-no, I’m fine with-…”

“Ohh!! Are you the one that healed and forgave my lord’s wound!? Your ancestor was honestly a very frightening person, but working together is the best outcome I can imagine. It is an honor to meet you!!”

“Do not interrupt people when they are trying to speak!!!!!!”

Ayato brought a finger to his temple while piloting the hacked Armored Dragon.

How much did this dragon adore her? It was like he kept pushing in despite not having been invited. Were all the strongest demons like this? Were they something like summoned monsters who were willing to stand in harm’s way for those they had accepted as their master? Perhaps so since they were the kind of people who would show up in classic plays.

“Can you get him to leave us alone?” asked Ayato. “We’ll never reach the surface like this.”

“You heard him!” shouted Nirvelphany. “Now, shoo, shoo!!”

“There is so much I need to tell you, my lord, but I am delighted to have been of assistance. I will never forget that you graciously let me have the final attack. Now, until we meet again. Fire Lord Blasthogg Promethe Bergerson awaits in the furthest reaches.”

For some reason, the enormous dragon moved just his eyes to view the blonde girl next to Ayato.

“You too, Daughter of Nereid. You have grown a lot since I last saw you.”

“Heh…eh heh heh…”

The girl gave a stiff smile while poking her index fingers together in front of her large chest, but the dragon did not say anything more.

“Now then, my lord, I shall be going.”

“I doubt I will be headed that way until the precession has shifted the north star away from that direction.”

That monster left after those unbelievable parting words.

“Now we can finally prepare to land.”

The Demon Lord and the old man who had saved her would leave on a journey to see the beauty of the world.

In order to make an emergency landing with the enormous Armored Dragon, Ayato Criminaltrophy took aim for the coast of the world’s largest artificial lake.

“Where will you be going now?” he asked.

“Why would I tell you?”

“Well, staying hidden might be best, but if I don’t know where you are, we might end up crashing into each other again.”

“We can cross that bridge when we come to it,” responded Nirvelphany in a singsong voice.

Ayato sighed.

“There’s one other thing I want to ask you, Demon Lord.”

“What might that be?”

“I don’t know how many hundreds or even thousands of Combo-Years it’s been, but how did someone as powerful as you screw up badly enough to get sealed?”

“Hm? It was nothing more than a slight misunderstanding.”

She laughed quietly.

This may have been something she had already come to terms with.

“If demons did not have wings, we may have been able to get along with humans. If demons did not have tailfins, we may have been able to live with humans. I tried to make that dream a reality. However, the invention was seen as a threat as it would allow demons to sneak into human society, so I was attacked without warning on the day I revealed it to the world.”

“…”

“But the seeds I sowed seem to have grown just fine while I slept. ‘We’ live surprisingly close by and with little difficulty. I hope that you can discover and accept this secret of the world.”

“I see,” was all Ayato said. The one who panicked was straitlaced Henrietta.

“(W-wait, what do you mean ‘I see’, dangerous individual!? This is the legendary Demon Lord! Can you really just let her go free on the surface continent like this!?)”

“Miss Henrietta, there has been much needless conflict between us due to our differing positions, but I am glad to see you finally understand us.”

“?”

“Yes, I am a dangerous individual. So do you really think I am going to judge things by those strict rules of good and evil?”

The Striker held her head and let out a cry of anguish, but then Dark Elf Mamilis tilted her head.

“Huh? That sounds nice and all, but doesn’t that mean the Hero back then worked to tear humans and demons apart?”

“He couldn’t help it,” said Nirvelphany. “The king and nobles around him misled him about what was right and what was wrong. He had no way of realizing what I was really trying to do.”

Ayato sighed too quietly for anyone to hear.

The problem had been solved. Or so it seemed. …But something was still bothering him. It made sense for High Priest Belbath to be using that Bell Ringing prototype for defense. He might have learned to pilot the Armored Dragon from his luxurious leisure activities. But what about the bazooka? It seemed unlikely he would learn to use one of those during some classy hunting trips. It had likely contained Quaternary Press, but that magic was not in common use.

(Quaternary Press, huh?)

That reminded Ayato of something.

He thought of a certain friend he had shot and killed back at the Academy Towers.

The eccentric boy who had been Teleria’s stepbrother had not been the combat type either. He had been a noncombat researcher, so how had he managed to singlehandedly occupy an entire school tower filled with other kinds of eccentrics?

It must have taken something outside the norm.

Someone had taught him some kind of magic.

(Found it.)

Something big lay ahead of him here.

In this age where sorcery guns were everyday household items, “something” was teaching people how to use magic to kill.

(Found it, found it, I’ve finally found it.)

“Is something wrong, Ayato?”

“No.”

It was small, but he felt like he had finally found some kind of clue.

The Sorcery Hacker put on the perfect smile as he said only this.

“Nothing is wrong. Nothing at all.”

Some things in the world were unavoidable.

“Huh?”

The blue sky was overhead once more. This was the city alongside the largest artificial lake in the Selected Kingdoms. The thick chain attached to a massive winch in the center of the lake extended into the sky as a large anchor. The lake had formed from the underground water flowing into the hole left when Sky City Celedileka had floated up into the sky.

After escaping the sky city and descending to the closest surface city, Teleria Nereid Aquamarine tilted her head.

Demon Lord Nirvelphany and the old man named Thomas had already left. She did not know what they were doing now. They probably wanted to live their lives in secret.

That was the general idea anyway, but…

“Um, if the real culprit disappears, then did we even achieve our goal at all? What’s going to happen with all the crimes we were blamed for!?”

“Forget about the crimes we didn’t even commit. At the end there, we really did leave the High Priest with compound fractures all over his body, drive the entire Forturiana Church close to collapse, ruin their Temple Moving Ceremony, and probably get them kicked out of the city-state. We left them in a living hell far worse than death. We’ll have to monitor things to see if some more wholesome management takes over, but one harsh fact of life is that defeating evil is not always rewarded. We’re criminals no matter how you slice it.”

“H-hgeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!?”

That was how things were for Ayato and Teleria.

But that was because they were already used to this.

They expected this much and they continued saving people on a daily basis. Even if they were really trying to pursue a past incident like a starving wolf.

“(D-does this mean we have a stable relationship, or does it mean things have stagnated like with a childhood friend? It’s so hard to tell.)”

“?”

But they had also ended up bringing along silver-haired, brown-skinned, and long-eared Dark Elf Mamilis and earnest, straitlaced, and fairly useless Striker Henrietta.

“I don’t have anywhere to go on the surface, so I can’t have them throwing me out. Besides, people probably already see me as a part of Coach’s Sorcery Hacker group.”

“Does that mean they see me as a part of that group too? I guess we did directly oppose the church that had won the king and the kingdom’s favor and we did defeat their High Priest…no!! In the pure and noble name of Henrietta Split Destrius, I must observe Forturiana’s wholesome recovery from without while also keeping an eye on this extremely dangerous Sorcery Hacker and guiding him away from a life of crime!! The wise king will surely be able to overlook some minor infractions. Plus, this trip to the outside world is for the good of the world and its people!!!”

Being able to rattle off all those excuses was a solid first step on the path toward delinquency, but the straitlaced Striker did not notice the red flags in her own behavior.

They were all gathered, so Ayato clapped his hands to gather their attention.

“That large Armored Dragon would stand out too much, so pursuit will likely arrive at the crash site before long. I plan to be long gone by then, so where would you like to go: the ocean or the mountains?”

He pulled out a map, but Teleria stopped him.

“We should probably take a wider view of this. Here.”

She spread out the map he had kept folded. They were no longer contained by the artificial framework of the sky city. It was unclear how accurate the claim was, but the Static Continent was said to be unique among the continents and oceans in not moving in the slightest. And they could set any part of that landmass as their destination.

They were free.

All of them, including Ayato himself, raised their hand and made their suggestion in unison.

“The ocean!” “The mountains!” “The ocean!” “The mountains!”

“Oh, no. We’ve already run into the biggest problem with an even-numbered party.”

Then a purple butterfly fluttered by in their field of vision.

It transformed into a lovely maid with purple hair and made a sudden suggestion.

“Then allow me to break the tie.”

Yes.

Micha Angelos was the client who would determine their next action.

“We have found a new problem and a new person in need. Are you willing to hear me out as a Forward?”

Afterword

And with that, welcome, everyone. This is Kamachi Kazuma.

There are a lot of different kinds of magic, but this story came about when I was wondering if I could come up with a lot of magic ideas based on guns. For example, what would be the difference between handguns and rifles if they were loaded with the same magic? And how would I set up the magical setting to demonstrate the different effects between a shotgun and a grenade launcher? It was fun thinking up the effects like self-replication and amplification.

Then I wondered what kind of irregular power I could give the main character and that was how I came up with the idea of a Sorcery Hacker who can hijack any kind of magical product.

The focus on those two things may have given this story a strange cyber feel despite being fantasy. I just hope it gets as popular as the mistaken ideas foreigners have about ninjas and geishas.

There are a lot of ways to make a setting feel like a different world, but I thought I could give it a natural environment with ordinary horses and cows but invent my own units for anything using numbers. I hoped that would give it the confusing feeling of traveling overseas and seeing everything measured in miles or pounds. And by adding magical terminology into the familiar concept of the internet, I hoped to give it a strange lived-in feel.

Instead of using wheels, I gave the sorcery vehicles an insect or arthropod motif, but that is just my usual tastes showing through. Maybe this is a continuation of what you can see in my works published by a different label: A Certain Magical Index’s Five Overs, Heavy Object’s Water Strider, The Zashiki Warashi of Intellectual Village’s Tselika-possessed mech, Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign’s Repliglass, and so on.

And the aforementioned Sorcery Hackers are the ones who wreak havoc in this world. By giving them crystal tarot cards, dice, and other fortunetelling tools instead of a computer or phone, I was hoping to show them staring at a screen and “manipulating a language only specialists can read” while also giving it a fantasy feel.

Hackers freely take control of devices and data without revealing their identity, so they hold a strange position a lot like the privileged class structure most commonly represented by prisoners and jailers where information only moves in one direction. I wrote Ayato while hoping everyone would sympathize with his obsession with the truth despite having an ability based on deception. And while the protagonist has taken on an illegal job while still treating the truth with care, Teleria has an honest and kind nature and yet is forced to hide her identity and true form. I would like nothing more than for you to have felt some exhilaration while reading about that boy and girl relying on each other in combat despite the awkwardness between them.

I give my thanks to my illustrator HIMA-san, to my editors Miki-san, Nakajima-san, Yamamoto-san, and Mitera-san, and to someone deserving of special thanks. They were a huge help with a certain social game and I never thought we would be brought together again like this. A cool boy, a cute girl, magic, guns, humans, demons, knights, thugs, dragons, and sorcery devices. As usual, this included a huge mix of things, so I imagine it took a lot of work. Thank you very much!

And I give my thanks to the readers. The cheap protagonist (the strongest human ranker) works from behind the scenes despite using a sword and the orthodox heroine (the daughter of one of the strongest demons) does not kill despite using a gun. This was a fantasy story, but with a lot of twists in places. How did you like this first taste? I hope it stimulated your love of fantasy even a little bit.

And I will end this here.

I had a lot of trouble deciding between a mermaid or an echidna.

-Kamachi Kazuma

?

They had their next destination.

The map showed no proper railroad line leading that way and an air route using an airship or balloon bungalow was out of the question. They would be forced to travel across the wasteland using a six-legged sorcery vehicle. In that case, they might just be sleeping in the vehicle. With only the rearview mirror and side mirrors, who could say when they would have access to a mirror that would show one’s entire body. Life on the move meant life away from the Media Summoners that looked like large snowdomes but required a semi-wireless mist mana connection (which meant a fixed location along one of the lines between points). They would have to say goodbye to TV, radio, and data searching.

(“We” live surprisingly close by and with little difficulty?)

“Sigh. That is so hard to believe.”

Teleria Nereid Aquamarine toyed with her bangs in front of a large store window below the real blue sky.

A demon and a human could come together even if they knew each other’s identities.

Demon Lord Nirvelphany and Hero’s Descendent Thomas had proven that themselves, but it still felt so far away for her. It was like hearing about a mountain climber planting their flag on the world’s tallest peak. It did not sound like anything she could accomplish herself.

After all, the truth was a frightening thing.

Once she revealed the truth that she had the lower body of a fish, there was no going back.

(Someday.)

That Mermaid knew she was being selfish in finding courage from that.

Because it was really no different than seeing some craftsman’s technique demonstrated on TV and bragging about it even though you had not done anything yourself.

She did not want it to happen while he was busy with something else in a cheap inn or as some vague statement he might not even remember.

Someday, she would try it face to face.

(But when can I actually end up like them?)

“Sigh.”

She was right back where she started, so she decided to focus on the more immediate reality facing her.

Ayato did not own a car, but if he was going to acquire one here on the surface, it was not going to be some rental car meant for the wealthy or for nobles. It would probably be best to volunteer as bodyguards for a convoy traveling between city-states and be supplied with one of the escort vehicles that would surround the large trucks that looked like grasshoppers with powerful spring legs. The vehicle would be rundown and they would be forced to match their client’s pace, but the client would pay them and pay for the fuel. …Although she was terribly worried about what Ayato would do during his self-maintenance work if they were sleeping in a car. If the weather cooperated, she might have to consider the possibility of sleeping up on the roof.

(But if a combat-oriented Forward takes a defensive job like this, we might get some angry defense-oriented Bouncers picking a fight with us.)

“What’s wrong?” asked Dark Elf Mamilis Coster who was keeping her long ears exposed. “You keep sighing.”

That girl was technically a demon just like Teleria, but she seemed to have already grown accustomed to her new circumstances. She may have been bolder than she had initially seemed when attacked by the human traffickers.

“Huh? What are you doing here?”

“I sent a letter to my grandma. I told her things are pretty busy right now but I’ll be back eventually so don’t worry.”

That might lead to pursuit arriving here, but that was not an issue since they had no intention of staying long.

“The sorcery mail truck nearly left before I got there, but a cow on the road delayed it long enough for me to get there.”

“I kind of like this relaxed atmosphere.”

Silver-haired Dark Elf Mamilis Coster may not have needed to stay with them to the end of that incident. If she had backed out at some point, she might have been able to stay in Sky City Celedileka and return to her family.

But her expression did not change.

“I don’t regret a thing. Revealing the truth of who you are and carrying it with pride is a wonderful thing, so I knew exactly what to write in my letter.”

“Is…that so?”

First Nirvelphany and now Mamilis seemed to be facing the concept of truth.

A slight cloud fell over Teleria’s face, so Mamilis tilted her head.

“Really, though. What’s wrong?”

“I have my own worries and stuff, okay?”

“Hm? Hmm???”

“Why won’t you just accept my answer!? Of course I have my own worries!! For example, I have the lower body of a fish, so do I technically count as a fish or a mammal!? It would be something of a shock to realize I was born from an egg!”

Mamilis had seen Teleria’s true identity as a Mermaid, so the blonde girl was honestly thankful to have someone she could open up to about these things.

Then the Dark Elf casually grabbed the softest part of Teleria Nereid Aquamarine’s body.

“You have some nerve to think you might not be a mammal when you have these two things here.”

“You have some nerve to treat me this way!!!!”

They heard a familiar boy’s voice calling them over.

They saw a figure waving from the distance. He must have completed the negotiations because he held a sorcery vehicle key that appeared to have been carved out of crystal. It glittered in the sunlight.

Teleria’s place here was comfortable, but it also felt stagnant.

Dark Elf Mamilis would not stop groping her, so she brushed off the girl’s hands before touching up her appearance using the reflection in the shop window. Then she walked toward a new life as if hesitantly stepping out from that stagnation.

How many more steps did she need to take before reaching her own truth?

“Yes! I’m coming, but give me just a moment!!”

Ayato Criminaltrophy continued to leave his old home and wander the world in search of the truth about “that day”. That conspiracy involved something large that taught high-level and deadly attack magic to people who should have only used sorcery guns as household items. But all his efforts were wasted. If that boy wanted to grasp the whole truth, he had to start by truly understanding the people closest to him.

Yes.

He had to cross the boundary between human and demon.

He had to start by discovering the true identity of that girl by his side.

Translator's Notes and References

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