“I wonder, has something happened in there?”
“Who knows? But, I think there’s no doubt it is nothing good.”
◆◇◆◇◆
The inspection itself was more or less necessary.
Its border was at the moment nothing more but a plain, however for the sake of avoiding disputes of the territorial borders, which might happen in the future, it was indispensable to properly define it.
Inducing Kurt became the most important goal after all.
『There’s no problem. He seems to be lurking around.』 (Burkhart)
Kurt, the blacksmith Eckhart and the few remaining supporters went out armed to the location we intended to inspect as potential territory during darkness.
Even after arriving at the location, we intended to inspect, we were entirely aware of the five people hiding in a thicket slightly further away and looking this way.
Kurt, who suddenly showed his figure in front of us, begins to blow into something similar to an old ocarina.
However, apparently the black smoke has received a note telling it that it only applies to Kurt.
Before long screams considered to belong to Eckhart’s group can be heard.
『Only himself being safe and the others are doomed? How evil.』
『They have splendidly been used and thrown away. As expected, he is a small man.』 (Burkhart)
Burkhart-san’s evaluation of Kurt was harsh.
Besides, it’s not like Kurt will be safe for eternity either.
We should defend ourselves as that body of black smoke began to gush forth in large quantities even from far away. I deployed a magic barrier together with Burkhart-san.
That’s to be expected of her as well. She didn’t have that much knowledge in magic tools.
“Nee, do you know about it, doushi-sama?”
“That’s probably the 『Flute of Grudges』.” (Armstrong)
“Flute of Grudges?”
Unexpectedly doushi seems to have a clue about the magic tool Kurt has been blowing into.
With the hatred of the person himself, the grudges gathered from the surroundings by the flute are used to change oneself into a powerful undead, which kills the target.
However, if it’s the Flute of Grudges, there are also many situations where it ends with killing the individual target, involving several people at worst.
Its dreadful nature is excessive to a degree that we have to retreat in a hurry.
“Uncle-sama. I’m recalling from the books I read in the past that tornadoes are a lot smaller, but…” (Elise)
“I can think of several reasons, however…” (Armstrong)
First was the fact of these Savage Lands being a vastly empty plot of land.
Plants and bugs get crushed under the hooves of running deer.
Bears drown in rivers and their children end up dying as they haven’t been brought up.
In daily life, there were things like not being pleased with friends.
The grudges, which accumulated, bring harm to people utilizing these plots of land.
There’s no more than a small amount of something like grudges gathering from one place, but since the Savage Lands are vast, it’s a matter of dust becoming a mound if you pile it up.
“That means, the situation is hopeless unless Wend’s elder brother stops blowing into the flute?” (Erwin)
“Rather than stopping, there’s no other choice but to destroy either the magic tool or its user!” (Armstrong)
“Eh, what do you mean by that?” (Erwin)
Erw remembers a sense of discomfort due to doushi’s remark of destroying Kurt and not killing him.
“Erw-boy, why you do you think Baron Baumeister and Burkhart-dono immediately deployed a magic barrier? If the body of a normal human suffers this amount of thick and dense grudges, they won’t escape dying.” (Armstrong)
While doushi was answering Erw’s question, he also explained that Kurt shouldn’t be alive anymore.
To put it simply, it’s very likely that Kurt and his followers have already died.
“It’s not something you have to worry about, Elise. Though it might be bad taste, but they reap what they sowed.” (Wendelin)
I wish for their death from the bottom of my heart.
In the end they even tried to assassinate a person.
Margrave Breithilde and the nobles of the central government shouldn’t have done something like using Kurt in order to suppress my anxiety of the future.
“However, if that’s the case, why is the tune of the flute still continuing to resound, I wonder?” (Ina)
“That’s simple. It’s because it is a magic tool!” (Armstrong)
Doushi quickly replied to Ina’s doubt.
Once you get it working by blowing into it one time, the flute’s tune won’t stop until killing the person, who had been defined as target by the person operating it.
Although Kurt has already passed away, why are the flute and the gathering grudges recognising me as their target?
“The answer is that the person, who is using the flute as existence manipulating the assembly of grudges, has transformed into an undead. It will be a reasonable labor to purify that, boy.” (Burkhart)
A report, that a change occurred in the aforementioned huge tornado of black smoke, is given by Burkhart-san, who was concentrating on deploying the magic barrier.
Holding that flute in his mouth just as before, Kurt is continuing to play the melody from there.
And, although they were his followers, they had changed into zombies after all and were buried into the limbs and torso of the black giant as if being nothing more than decorations.
“What does that mean? It’s the first time I’ve seen an undead like that!”
It seems the zombie Kurt is the core, but the other zombies have been embedded into the whole body as well. The majority of the parts of the mysterious giant were composed by the grudges in a state of black smoke.
She has fun in defeating wild animals and monster if she can eat them, but if it’s this kind of undead, she can’t eat, we should defeat it quickly.
“It’s good, if it finishes with Kurt’s rampaging as it is just the right opportunity.”
Considering the other party, they likely hated me for being born in the first place.
That’s something intolerable from Kurt’s point of view.
And, in case I gave him the money I’m possessing, he would work me like his slave.
People, taking things into consideration to that extent, are able to approve just because he is my elder brother connected by blood.
I wasn’t such a saint.
“So, what will we do?”
“I wonder…”
The black smoke giant, which absorbed all of the grudges within the Flute of Grudges’ range in the Savage Lands, immediately unleashed a barrage of punches with his fist at me, who is its target.
Even so, swinging down both its hands continuously, the impacts cause very loud sounds of *bam bam* on the magic barrier. This has triggered a mental feeling of being slightly scared.
Because the giant has an all-over height of around 50 meters and because I’m facing its large fists even though I’m being protected by the magic barrier.
“If that’s the case, it’s my turn now! If something happens to Baron Baumeister’s body, even his His Majesty would be full of regret. Anyway, it’s fine to leave it to me!” (Armstrong)
Since doushi came for the sake of guarding me, he isn’t wrong theoretically.
In order to get rid of doushi, who just came out from the previously hindering barrier, the black smoke giant drops a fist from overhead.
However, that doesn’t mean that doushi can’t use a magic barrier, if I want to mention it for the sake of protecting doushi’s honor.
However, you could also say that it hasn’t been a particular mistake to inaugurate doushi as Royal Head Magician if you look at things like doushi’s knowledge of magic tools.
It’s power has a degree that an ordinary person would be burned to nothing without even leaving bones behind.
There are several magicians using magic to wrap up their targets in a pillar of fire, but it was only doushi, who named it Burst Great Rising. It was also only doushi, who improved the spell of pillar of fire to reach a height of around 100 meters.
“It’s an amazing spell.” (Luise)
“As expected of uncle-sama.” (Elise)
Luise and Elise praised the strength of doushi watching the black smoke giant burning while being wrapped up in a huge pillar of fire, but Burkhart-san shook his head while his face is giving off a doubtful feeling.
I think the spell Burst Great Rising is very amazing, but…
Given that it is this large, isn’t doushi trying to bring down the Kurt zombie, which has been controlling it earlier.
Just that the black smoke giant has been standing at the place, where the pillar of fire settled down just now, without change.
His current state isn’t that of a zombie as he changed into a wraith.
“Oh! With his rage towards Baron Baumeister he isn’t able to die peacefully even by being burned with hell fire.” (Armstrong)
Even doushi looks to be surprised by Kurt’s tenacity.
Probably they ended up dying just now as it been too much for them to keep following Kurt’s lead by now.
“Wendelin! I will kill you!” (Kurt)
“Uwaa, he seriously has a grudge.”
“More than half of it is a selfish prejudice by the other side!” (Wendelin)
“Even I might have this much resentment, if I wanted to succeed after my elder brothers left. Though, such situation is very unlikely.” (Erwin)
Succeeding the household and territory or not?
However, in Kurt’s case, since he would have become the feudal lord, if he had been silent, I consider it to be a totally unjustified resentment through misunderstandings.
“Ah~~~, let’s finish it by purifying him quickly.” (Burkhart)
The black smoke giant has excessively increased its grudges due to the wraith of Kurt controlling that part. It continued to attack us while swinging its hands downwards around in disorder.
Because of that Burkhart-san called out to finish it by purifying it quickly.
“Understood. Elise.” (Wendelin)
“Yes.” (Elise)
Elise and I have started the preparation of Holy magic at the same time.
With it being spells from the same magic system, we decided it would be completely purified, if enveloped in twice the power.
If it even headed towards the Baumeister territory by some blunder, there was also the possibility of it massacring the fief’s population, if things don’t go well.
“Well, though it doesn’t look like we have to worry about it escaping to another place.”
Despite us being protected by Burkhart-san’s magic barrier, the giant of black smoke isn’t considering other options either. It continued to swing its hands downwards completely like a machine.
“I see, a magic tool for vengeance, huh…? It’s good that I’m not the target…”
“Same for me…”
“However, isn’t it a rather unreasonable resentment…?”
“If he didn’t do anything, he would have normally succeeded the Baumeister territory.”
Hermann-nii-san and Paul-nii-san have been even more scared of the giant of black smoke swinging down its hands as if having gone mad, than something like the miserable manner of Kurt’s death.
Even if they excelled a bit in martial arts, they shouldn’t be able to escape from the absurd violence of the giant.
Doushi was the single exception to that.
However, even if he makes a temporary hole at the parts he hits, it ends up being closed right away as the basis of the giant is black smoke.
However, although he is able to use it as it is something he used before, I heard he would rather not use it because of its power.
“Is him being able to use something highly powerful in fact a lie?” (Wendelin)
“There’s no particular reason to hide it, right?” (Luise)
“Certainly…” (Wendelin)
While I have been retorted with a fair argument by Luise, I have completed to amass a usable high output of Holy magic.
Due to the bluish-white light of purification, the giant, being composed of black smoke, is vanishing as if gradually melting and its body is slowly getting smaller.
Due to the bluish-white light, which increased even more in intensity, the rate, at which the black giant is purified, speeds up. At that rate I already expected it to likely vanish completely within a few minutes.
Now that it has come to this, will we run out of mana first?
It totally ended up becoming a test of endurance.
“Are you alright, boy?” (Burkhart)
“I’m fine, but…” (Wendelin)
Because Elise’s mana is around an intermediate level, she will reach her limit any minute.
There was a chance that the black giant would return to its original big size once again, if Elise dropped out.
“Eh? If it’s like this, isn’t it quite bad?”
“It’s bad.”
If the giant doesn’t vanish even once my mana runs out, only Burkhart-san, who is deploying a magic barrier, will remain.
Only at the time they came, being summoned by the Flute of Grudges, the shape of the black smoke has reached a point where it would affect people.
“If the resentment is intense,… I see, they are likely gathering from the Demon Forest and sinister places in the Savage Lands.”
Which reminds me, at the time I investigated the Savage Lands in the past, there were places, which became the graveyards of wild animals, and locations, where plants didn’t grow for some reason at all although those were fine in regards to sun light and water.
Doushi affirmed to me that he can’t use it.
“Then, what shall we do?” (Wendelin)
“That’s simple! It will be fine if I use Holy magic!” (Armstrong)
“Eh? Dosuhi, you were able to properly use Holy magic?”
That fact was a shock.
Doushi’s plan was nothing but reckless.
“In the worst case it’s probably proper to withdraw temporarily.” (Hermann)
“No, that’s no good.” (Wendelin)
“However, Hermann-dono.”
Victims might appear, but if we temporarily withdraw from here to restore our mana, we will have to face a revenge game.
But, if you consider the victims that might occur in the Baumeister territory, I could do nothing but refuse Hermann-nii-san’s statement.
“It will be fine if my Holy magic is successful! Baron Baumeister, give me Alfred’s book!” (Armstrong)
“Starting from there…”
Once I nod to Ina, she takes out the book, I received from master, from within my magic bag and tosses it towards doushi.
He was performing some movements as if somehow firmly standing in the sky.
“Haven’t the blood vessels in his head been cut?” (Erwin)
Although Erw once again said something outrageous, I couldn’t see whether his blood pressure has been rising from my point of view.
“It seems to be hopeless.” (Burkhart)
At the same time as Burkhart-san, who gave up after about 30 seconds, there was a change in doushi’s state.
The reason being…
“Small! In the end it’s too slow!” (Armstrong)
Although the yell of doushi was befitting, the size of the unexpected arrows of Holy light were to the degree of cucumbers. There wasn’t any great difference in their speed to the walking pace of people either.
Did some of the black smoke really disappear? We, who are at a distant place, weren’t able to confirm it.
While Burkhart-san is calmly making a tsukkomi and everyone has their strength drained once again (T/N: a Japanese proverb of being shocked to the degree of speechlessness, in animes often shown by people dropping on the ground due to some comment. E: Orz anyone?), doushi fired continuous volleys of Holy Light arrows without even minding it.
It likely doesn’t see doushi as threat at all.
Naturally he is also hitting the giant, however there is no conspicuous change in the black giant visible.
“Don’t do these futile things any longer”, it was a light warning.
“No, but… If we don’t hold back this black giant here…” (Hermann)
Hermann-nii-san seems to have the same opinion as doushi, too.
They are considering the victims to appear in the Baumeister territory, if we don’t get rid of the black giant here.
“Wend, don’t you have some plan?” (Luise)
“Plan, eh… ?” (Wendelin)
Although Luise states it this simply, there’s a great influence of one’s imagination and sense at the time a magician learns magic.
At any rate, as he’s directly clashing with his opponents, he’s weak at magic of the emission type. The main purpose of the snake-shaped highly converged mana balls is to act as restraints.
If I based it on that, I gradually had the feeling that it has been a mistake for such doushi to fire the Holy Light arrows themselves.
“Is it pointless if he forcefully fires off arrows?” (Wendelin)
“Oh! Although you are my pupil, it is a splendid observation! Well, then!” (Armstrong)
“Umm… Doushi?” (Wendelin)
Although I only muttered it in a whisper from a distance, doushi, who heard it, has immediately begun to get fired up once again.
Probably he is keeping up such image.
Without a doubt it’s only doushi, who will materialize it in the shape of flames.
“Yea. Apparently its power will rise if you don’t release Holy Light! If that’s the case!” (Armstrong)
Doushi, noticing the special trait of his own Holy magic, raises the output of Holy Light, that has been cladding his body, even more. He initiates an unreasonable attack of clinging to the giant’s body as is.
“Oy, you will die, if you directly touch the materialized grudges…”
“Or rather, it’s fine if you hit it normally…”
“Even so, he will die if he touches the grudges directly with his fists though.”
“…”
While being clad in a barrier of Holy Light, he is at the same time directly burning the body of the black giant with the Holy Light he is emitting from his body.
Or rather, by suddenly executing it, I think it’s dangerous.
“However, why is he that aggressive?” (Burkhart)
“There has been no point in time where I clung to an undead.” (Wendelin)
“That’s right, isn’t it?” (Burkhart)
“Me too, as expected, this is…” (Elise)
Elise and I were able to understand quite well what Burkhart-san has been saying.
Therefore, there’s also no reason to consider striking zombies and wraiths directly and even more so to the degree of directly embracing them.
Thanks to that doushi had a hard struggle learning it, though he gave up before.
“With three holy spells at the same time, it’s sufficient to drop it to hell!” (Armstrong)
“Umm, uncle-sama… It’s 『Ascend to heaven after regretting your crimes so that you can be reborn next time』…” (Elise)
From Elise’s point of view, doushi is her uncle whom she respects for his magic.
In the first place, based on the fact of not trying to improve his Holy magic for more than 20 years at his current age, there was also the possibility that he was planning to not get involved with the church, obviously.
That might have been also the reason why he neglected learning it for more than 20 years.
“Wendelin!”
“When I’ve died, it will be depressing if you are aware of such side of your senpai! I will fall to hell!” (Armstrong)
“If it’s doushi, I have a feeling that you will go to heaven…”
“Wendeli~~~~n!”
I heard it again, but I decided to not listen to Erw’s tsukkomi.
Next, with Elise and me raising the output of Holy magic in one go, the black giant is gradually vanishing from its feet.
That’s likely why.
It’s appearance is something completely burnt black. As it is a magic tool you can’t use more than once, it now became no more than a burned ocarina.
It flies away towards the sky of the mountain range at a frightening speed.
And, above all, there was a truckload of work still left for me to do.
“I ought to report this to father and Amelie-sister-in-law-san.” (Wendelin)
That Kurt has died in the attempt to assassinate me.
Although there was still a big job left, for the time being, with this, the biggest climax of the accidents concerning Kurt have finally come to a close.