Side: Ria
Today, we are finally raiding the Demon King's Castle.
For me, it is the first life-or-death battlefield of my life.
My level is high at 153, but that's only because Yuki-san carefully raised me using the safety of the dungeon. I have almost no real combat experience. I should have helped with goblin extermination back in the village. Even the smallest things would have become valuable experience.
Uu... I'm going to be a burden to Yuki-san like this.
"Morning... Hmm, Ria, couldn't sleep?"
As I was lost in thought, Yuki-san peeked at my face with a worried expression.
Since today is the raid, everyone is off duty. We are all at the inn, preparing our bodies and minds in our own ways... As Yuki-san suspected, part of it was that I couldn't sleep much, but I felt it was something slightly different.
"No, well, it's true I didn't sleep well, but... even though I received powerful equipment from Narjia-san and a wedding ring from you, and my stats have increased fivefold... I'm still scared. Scared that I'll hold everyone back."
I truthfully shared my current feelings.
"Hm, that's no good."
"I-I'm sorry."
Ah, I failed to meet Yuki-san's expectations.
He's disappointed in me. I'm a Hero, yet I said something so pathetic, so it's only natural... I should just go die...
"Yeah, it's no good. It's a given that you'll hold us back. What you should be scared of is whether or not we'll be separated by death."
"Eh?"
"It's natural for a newcomer to be a burden. What you should be afraid of right now, Ria, is yourself dying, or me and the other comrades dying. Is that okay? If you die, I'm going to cry, you know? I might even follow you to the grave."
"P-Please don't say such things!!"
"You wouldn't like that, right? And it's scary, isn't it? The thought of never being able to talk to someone again."
"...Yes. I have experience with that."
"That's why, here."
"Kya!?"
Yuki-san suddenly hugged me, then lifted me up and sat me on his lap.
"With this, you don't have to worry about being a burden or being separated by death. It's okay; everyone is here. We'll all go home together."
"Yes... you're right."
His warmth and his voice chased away my worries.
"Oh, and right—make absolutely sure you protect your abdomen from any attacks."
"Why is that?"
"Because you might have a baby in there."
"...!! I will protect it at all costs!!"
A child with Yuki-san...
If anyone tries to harm that, I will blow them all away!!
Demon King, if you are the type to harm the people of the world, I will show no mercy.
* * *
And finally, the operation is about to begin.
The departure point is the military facility in Weed. Our goal is to make sure that even if we fall and the enemy rushes in, we can stop them right here. In the meantime, Labyris and the others are tasked with deactivating the Warp Gate.
"Alright, the time is currently 22:33. We start the operation at 23:00. Everyone ready?"
Everyone nodded.
"I've explained this before, but this is the time when the enemy is most soundly asleep."
"Naturally. They don't have electricity like Weed does. There's no point in staying up this late by candlelight or magical light—unless something extraordinary is happening."
Seraria said.
I think she's right. I mean, Weed is the one that's strange. Even at night, lights shine brightly and easily; the brightness is incomparable to candles or magic stones.
Outside, once the sun goes down, you can't work, so people usually just eat dinner and go to bed. If you have errands, you use candles to secure light, but candles aren't free. As for magic, while it's no problem for someone with my level of mana, a villager around Level 7 would run out of mana and their light would vanish within an hour.
So, ordinary people—no, even whole nations—live with the bare minimum. Therefore, I think this is the perfect time for Yuki-san to launch a surprise attack.
"Next, regarding the Alliance's progress: they're currently struggling more than expected with the terrain on the hidden route to the castle. It looks like their arrival at the pass will be delayed by two or three days."
Makes sense. Even with that incredibly detailed map, we couldn't tell how bad the roads were.
"We won't delay today's operation to match them. We will capture the Demon King's castle today as planned. The longer the preparation time for the fortress operation, the easier it will be."
Yes. That gives Liliana-san more time to carefully prepare the internal revolt.
"Also, on a separate note: the Rankus Royal Family has already been driven out of the capital by the Liberation Army led by Taiki-kun and the Gartz Allied Forces. They are currently pursuing the remnants. According to a report from Kiyu, who is with Taiki-kun's support unit, the royals welcomed them back with 'flowers in their heads,' thinking they had returned in a triumphal march. Afterward, Taiki-kun declared rebellion at the banquet and occupied the capital in a surprise attack. The King and Queen have been captured. Apparently, that idiot princess managed to flee. There are about 500 remnants left; they won't be able to offer much resistance."
"...Are they stupid?"
"They were using the Hero's name just for their own greed. This is about what I expected. Apparently, Teak from Gartz also thought they had come to bow their heads to them."
"""Wow..."""
That country truly is a lost cause.
"That said, this is the result of Taiki-kun's hard work in laying the groundwork. A sudden rebellion wouldn't have worked otherwise. It seems he made sure the people who had looked after him were evacuated before the banquet, and he occupied the capital quickly so as not to trouble the common citizens."
That's amazing. As expected of someone from the same world as Yuki-san.
"Finally, the people staying behind will take care of Weed. It's not perfect, but we are doing everything we can. As a result, the situation is leaning in our favor. We will take the Demon King's Castle today so as not to waste everyone's hard work."
"""Yes!"""
As soon as he finished speaking, the alarms on everyone's Calls rang out.
22:45. Time to move.
"Alright, I'm off. Labyris, Aslin, Filia, Sheila, Eris, Lutz, Riel, Narjia-san—I'm counting on you."
"""Good luck!"""
With their cheers behind us, we stepped into the Warp Gate and moved.
* * *
"Moving as planned. We are currently in the dungeon passage built directly beneath the Demon King's Castle. Check the map on your Calls."
Following Yuki-san's instructions, everyone opened their maps.
"As I've said many times, the red dots are enemy positions. However, since this marks every living being in the castle, it includes maids and such. If they run away, leave them, but if they stand their ground or come toward us, cut them down. Otherwise, it's dangerous. If they're just paralyzed with fear, knock them out with the stun guns I gave you. Zargis and Reia were knocked out by them, so they'll work fine."
Since this was just a final check, everyone nodded and prompted him to continue.
"The monsters will handle the bulk of the forces, but the Demon King's location is here. We'll use a teleportation circle to jump straight into the treasure vault. They won't expect the vault to be our entry point. With the monster commotion, the guards at the vault will be thin. We'll suppress them and go straight for the Demon King's head. Seraria, Derieu, and Kaya—I'm counting on you to defend the vault. And don't forget to make sure it can't be opened from the inside."
"Leave it to us."
"Umu."
"...It's fine."
Yuki-san's plan is brilliant. The enemy won't have the slightest clue that the treasure vault is our entrance.
"Finally, let's take a look at the most concerning factor: the Demon King's movements. It's a blessing that we can see into the castle's bedroom since it's within the dungeon."
Yuki-san said this as he brought up a projection of the Demon King's room.
And there...
『Sniff, huff. Huff, puff. Umu, soon that Liliana will kneel before me, open her legs, and learn the joy of being a woman. Uhahahahaha!! Now, sniff, huff...』
There was a pervert.
That is not a Demon King... No, to a woman, that is a being more loathsome than a Demon King. Equal to or lesser than a cockroach in the kitchen.
"Ah... so, it looks like Demon King Dekira is awake. We're going with the 'Spear' plan. Got it?"
"""...Roger."""
Since everyone except Yuki-san was female, the pervert on the screen was so disgusting he seemed like filth.
Focus. I need to focus.
There are three general plans for this raid:
Plan 1 (Sword): If the Demon King is asleep, leave everything to the monsters initially. If the Demon King isn't defeated by a surprise attack, we move in.
Plan 2 (Spear): If the Demon King is awake, there's a chance he'll notice immediately if monsters start roaming the castle, so we move in simultaneously to take his head.
Plan 3 (Bow): If the Demon King has noticed us and is prepared to intercept, we sick the monsters on him all at once and take him down while his attention is on them.
"23:00. It's time. Begin the operation."
"""Yes!"""
And with that, we teleported into the treasure vault.
* * *
Once we arrived in the vault, we immediately fanned out and began scouting the area.
As per the intel, there seemed to be no strange traps inside the vault. Yuki-san had said that since the lock is so strong, they probably didn't set any traps that might damage the treasures. There is only one entrance, and the magical alarm is only on the door itself, not inside. Yuki-san mentioned something about how "surveillance cameras" are important. I wonder what a surveillance camera is?
While we stood guard, Yuki-san handled the monster placement and the unlocking of the vault... or rather, he used his Dungeon Master authority to nullify the locks. He even installed a bolt so we could lock it from the inside.
Then, at 23:05 as planned, we heard the sound of people collapsing outside the door. Yuki-san opened the door first, and there stood the Shadow Snakes—the key to this raid. They gave a single nod and vanished into the darkness of the hallway.
The Shadow Snake is apparently a serpent monster that prefers active duty in the dark. I personally have never heard of such a monster. Even the adventurers like Mobu-san didn't know about them.
That makes sense, given that these Shadow Snakes are legendary-class monsters at Level 130. They were discovered during monster observation experiments in the Colosseum; they make almost no sound when moving, can suppress their mana, and have perfect night vision—they are essentially assassin monsters.
They aren't massive, only about 4 meters long, but they possess agility and attack power befitting Level 130, along with a nasty snake venom. Their bodies also have what Yuki-san calls "Mimicry," the ability to change color to match the scenery. They are truly terrifying. Surprisingly, their natural color is white.
We can't just leave everything to the Shadow Snakes, though. Under Liliana-san's guidance, we ran toward the Demon King's room. Along the way, the units responsible for killing and capturing—the undead Dullahan Assassins and the Wight Noir healers—saluted us. At their feet were either pools of blood or soldiers rolled up and tied tightly with rope.
* Dullahan Assassin:
An upper tier of Dullahan.
I don't know much about them, but Dullahans themselves are high-ranking monsters, and these "Assassins" specialize in stealth. Their level is 120, lower than the Shadow Snakes, and they have less defense than a normal Dullahan, but they are incredibly fast. Despite wearing iron armor, they make almost no noise when they move.
* Wight Noir:
Also undead, said to be the skeletal remains of a high-ranking mage turned monster.
It seems Mobu-san's party once fought one and the city almost fell. Wights can use magic, of course, but they can also command monsters; it's said that Wight-types are usually the commanders during monster outbreaks.
The one Mobu-san fought was apparently the lowest-ranked Wight. This "Noir" type specializes in support magic. While healing spells don't work on undead, they can use them on us, and they are extremely troublesome when taking command.
According to Rock-san from the Adventurer's Guild, a Wight Noir was confirmed about 110 years ago; it took down two small countries before an allied force finally defeated it. By the way, its level is the lowest at 90.
Yuki-san muttered something about "Why is it in French?" I wonder what French is?
These three—the Shadow Snake, Dullahan Assassin, and Wight Noir—act as a single team to neutralize the enemies in the castle. There are 300 of them in total, meaning 100 teams are currently killing or incapacitating hostile forces throughout this castle.
After turning several corners, Liliana-san stopped in front of a door. Everyone stopped as well. Seeing her nod, we knew this was the Demon King's room. For a moment, everyone looked at Yuki-san. The instant he nodded, he kicked open the ornate door, and we searched for the Demon King...
"Hah-hah!! I've put it on!! Liliana's underwear!! And the rest goes like this!!"
With that, the pervert stuffed what appeared to be Liliana-san's undergarments into his mouth.
"Die!!"
Liliana-san lunged forward, punched him square in the face, and slammed him into the bed.
"Guh!? What... Liliana!! Kukuku, I don't know how you did it, but failing to finish me with that blow was your mistake."
The pervert, still wearing the underwear on his head, stood up on the bed and said:
"Hoh, so those behind you are your accomplices? I'll kill the man, but I think I'll have a taste of the women first—"
—The pervert's words didn't reach the end. The reason was simple.
SPLAT.
Chunks of meat scattered across the Demon King's room.
"The pervert has been dealt with. Liliana-san, what should we do with this room?"
"Let's burn it. I have no need for clothes that have been touched by Dekira—no, by that pervert."
I deactivated my sword's magical barrel while asking Liliana-san what to do. The Demon King? No, the pervert has already been reduced to meat scraps.
"Ah, er..."
"Is something wrong, Yuki-san?"
Rarely for an operation, Yuki-san looked shaken.
"No, it's just... aren't we going to hear what the Demon King has to say?"
"Eh? There was only a pervert here, though?"
"Yes, there was only a pervert. As a former Saintess, I guarantee it. Ria's actions were not wrong in the slightest."
"I'm just glad I didn't get any blood on my blade."
"Now, Yuki-san, please burn it all away with your fire magic. For Liliana-san's sake."
"...Ah, right. Got it."
Coming back to his senses at Milly-san's word, he began incinerating the room.
Well, now we just have to rescue the peace faction members imprisoned in the dungeon and prepare for the "charade."
I won't be able to help much with that, so I think I'll go wash my sword at a well. After all, this sword is what ended that pervert's life; it would be a pity not to clean it up properly, right?
