Betrayed S-Rank Adventurer (LN) Volume 3 Chapter 4 Part 4

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Chapter 4

The Person Waiting for the Two Girls

Part 4/7

Egil and a group from Lake Metropolis ran on their horses from Lake Metropolis and arrived in front of the huge wall that separated the four areas in around one hour.

Egil thought that there would be guards at the gate of the wall from the Country of Demise’s side, but there was nobody there. According to Kaya, whenever a strife occurred, the guards would be the first ones to be targeted, so it was natural for them to lose that role.

Hearing her story, Egil immediately understood. If there were many conflicts, it would be meaningless to have walls that divided the territories or to defend them at all.

Egil and the others slipped through the unattended wall gate and entered the territory of the Country of Demise. After that, immediately after they went out of the forest, the wall that was akin to the stronghold that could be said as the Country of Demise’s symbol entered their eyes. At the center of it, there was the main entrance.

The Country of Demise is surrounded by tall walls to prepare for outside invaders. A castle towered over in the center of it, while the castle town was spread in a radial pattern.

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“Over there, huh?”

Around 500 soldiers from Lake Metropolis were on standby as one group in the forest, while Egil and the others–the three of them alone–went to check on the condition of Lake Metropolis’ main gate.

The three’s expressions were stiff, and they spoke very little due to the tension.

The objective this time isn’t war. Their targets are the puppeteer man and the two girls wearing the masks of sun and moon. It was decided that the soldiers of Lake Metropolis won’t be involved at all with that battle; everything would be done by Egil.

Amidst all the battles until this time, the puppeteer’s figure couldn’t be seen, not even once, so it could be said that he was the type of person who wouldn’t move himself, he’d just give orders to the corpses and knights. Based on his experiences, Egil guessed that such a person would definitely be inside a safe place–the royal castle.

However, he wanted to avoid exhausting himself uselessly with the battles that might occur in the way leading up to the royal castle.

That was why Egil had the soldiers of Lake Metropolis act as a decoy to attract the attention of the guards and knights that were in the circumferences of the main gate, while Egil, Fie, and Kaya–the three of them–would invade the interior of the Country of Demise through the hidden passage. That was the plan.

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“…Please endure it until I defeat the puppeteer.”

When you looked at the number of the corpses and the knights, the number of soldiers coming from Lake Metropolis paled in comparison. They knew fully well that just enduring it would become an intense battle. The people who followed him here even knowing that were all thinking of wanting to put an end to this strife that had been going for hundreds of years.

–Egil wanted to defeat the puppeteer without wasting any time.

That is the victory condition this time.

“…Is the preparation done?”

Kaya and Fie nodded simultaneously.

Egil reached out to Fie’s hand.

“Fie, get on here. Please lead us the way through the hidden passage.”

“Understood.”

Fie went down from the horse that she had been riding, and then rode in front of Egil.

“Yosh, let’s go.”

Egil and Fie ran on their horses together with Kaya and several of her attendants. Guided by Fie and Kaya, they moved forward within the forest, and arrived at a place where colorful flowers bloomed.

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“Egil.”

“Egil-san!”

The two pointed in the direction where an old hunting cabin was there.

“Egil, there is an underground tunnel leading to the street in Country of Demise’s castletown inside that cabin.”

“This… It’s been preserved quite well.”

“The ones who know this place are just us. In the first place, it hasn’t been used by anyone too, so I think that’s why it can remain as it is.”

“I see. Then, please tell the others that we’re about to begin.”

Egil told the personal attendants.

“Understood. Please be careful, Kaya-sama.”

“You guys be careful, too.”

The personal attendants rode on their horses and went towards the rest of Lake Metropolis’ troops.

As they arrived at the place where the soldiers of Lake Metropolis were waiting, Egil and the others were preparing to head towards the royal castle through the underground tunnel.

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After a while, the bell notifying that there was an intruder reverberated from the main gate’s direction. Perhaps the chivalric order started to move, as it became noisy.

The three of them went down from their horses and entered the cabin. The cloth covering the floorboard was removed, and they went down the stairs all the way to the underground.

Amidst the dark and humid atmosphere was a stone tatami pathway that was covered in dust. Right after going down the stairway, a filthy smell could be felt.

“The sewerage, huh…?”

When Egil lit up the torch, the flowing sewerage could be seen.

“It hasn’t been repaired at all from when we were still children… I think that it might not be used anymore.”

“When we were using it, it wasn’t this awful.”

“I see. I guess they made a new underground waterway and covered up the old way.”

The smell was so bad that just walking was suffocating, but to Egil and the others, they considered it as a good thing. The pebbles scattered at their feet indicated that nobody had entered this place. With this, they wouldn’t come across anyone here.

“The rest is whether or not there will be an end point…”

Based on what the two girls said, this underground waterway was connected to the slum, but if it wasn’t used, there was a possibility that the entrance would be covered.

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However, Kaya answered, “Rest assured about that.”

“There are many ways that are connected to this sewerage, and it’s unthinkable that all of them are closed. Besides, the fact that this sewerage is still flowing is exactly the proof that there is a path leading to the interior of the Country of Demise.”

“And that, could it be…”

Egil wanted to ask whether or not she was meaning to push her way through the flowing sewerage, but when he looked at Kaya’s broad grin, Egil ended up not asking.

After that, perhaps not wanting to breathe too much, they moved forward without talking.

Eventually, light could be seen from within the depths, and so Egil and the others headed there as they covered their mouths.

“I’m glad we didn’t need to continue moving within the sewerage.”

At last, they could see iron stairs. Apparently, they’d be able to go outside once they go up the stairs.

Egil moved first, followed by Kaya and Fie. Then, when the heavy lid was opened, the sunlight was too harsh to the eyes. The three of them narrowed their eyes that grew used to the dark place.

“This is…”

“The central part of the castle town, I guess?”

The three of them arrived at a tranquil residential area where elegant residences were lined up.

“Do you know the way from here to the royal castle?”

When the two girls were asked this question, they nodded and dashed.

All of the Country of Demise’s residents might be evacuating indoors, as there were no people in their surroundings. The sound of cannons could be heard from a distance. They didn’t encounter any knights nor corpses. It looked like the efforts of Lake Metropolis’ people in attracting the enemy’s attention were a success. Even so, it took quite a bit of time to find the sewerage’s exit, so they would probably not be able to hold on for more.

“Is that it?”

As they ran through the castle town, a tall sharp-pointed roof could be seen from a distance.

“That is this country’s royal castle. It’s most likely that the puppeteer is inside.”

“Egil, should I let Elizabeth go in first?”

“Nah, it’s alright. It’s obvious that someone whose occupation is one that doesn’t dirty one’s hands will be in a safe place. He’s most likely in the throne.”

It’s unthinkable for someone whose occupation is puppeteer to be fighting in the front rows. Or rather, if he’s that cocksure of a person, he should have shown up in the battles against Lake Metropolis so far.

There was a knight equipped with a weapon different from the others’ at the front gate of the royal castle. It might be because ‘there is an important person that needs to be protected at all cost’ inside.

Looking at that, Egil whispered.

“There are… no corpses, huh?”

“Yeah, it seems so.”

“If the people who were made into puppets were to wander around the castle town, the knights and the residents might feel indisposed… But I had confirmed it when we were attacked, the number of corpses was quite a lot.

“…Let’s think that they’re lurking somewhere. Then, where are they hidden…”

“The royal castle… isn’t it?”

When Egil said it to Kaya and Fie as if declaring it, the two of them nodded firmly, perhaps since they were also thinking of the same thing.

The corpses should be hidden in a place where they could move and protect the puppeteer himself should an attack happen. If it is to hide a great number of corpses, the royal castle is just right.

And as they guessed, when several knights left their posts, several corpses appeared from within the royal castle in exchange, and they began roaming around the gate’s circumferences. Normally, the corpses shouldn’t have come out at this time where they could be seen by the Country of Demise’s people. This time, there was an emergency at the other side, and so the state of high alert was imposed widely. There is no point in monitoring this place any further.

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“Yosh, let’s go.”

Egil started running, followed by Kaya and Fie behind. They have no plan from here onwards, they are simply pushing in by sheer force.

“Knock them down–Infinite Sword Dance (Endless Sword)¹!”

When the swords targeting the knights blocking the front of the gate were summoned, the battle formation of the knights and the corpses was broken, and the path leading to the castle’s entrance was opened.

“Let’s enter while we can!”

Egil’s three-people party trespassed into the castle, and Kaya immediately summoned the nine-tailed evil god.

“Come, come to me, oh, the devil’s soul! Lend me, oh lend me the power of the devil! The crimson shrine maiden who protects this land respectfully pleads. It is the shrine maiden’s fresh blood that is offered, it is the fox’s incarnation that eats, grant this wish in this very momentーーSeal ReleaseーーNine-Tailed Evil God!”

Thanks to the Nine-Tailed Evil God who blocked the front of the gate, they succeeded in cutting off the chase from outside. However, knights appeared from within the castle.

“Kaya, you wait over here. If you go up as well, I might not be able to protect you.”

Egil and Fie moved forward while they were holding down the knights and corpses who were rushing on from their proximity, meanwhile Kaya’s own self-defense would weaken after summoning the Nine-Tailed Evil God. If that was the case, protecting her while fighting would surely be difficult. Even so, Kaya shook her head and slightly cut the tip of her own finger,

“It’s alright, I can protect myself.”

Then she waved her hand that had blood dripping from it. That blood transformed into needles that went piercing the knights.

“I can transform my own blood into a weapon. That is the power bestowed to me by the contract with the nine-tails. That’s why, it’s alright. I can also be of help.”

“Understood. Then, let’s go.”

This chapter is brought to you by Convallaria’s Library (convallariaslibrary(dot)com). If you’re reading this elsewhere, then you’re reading from a site who’s stolen our translation. Please do not support theft and read at Convallaria’s Library! It’s free, and by doing so, you’re supporting the original translator 🙂

“Yeah. I’ll have the nine-tails stay at the front of the gate. If so, there won’t be any enemy reinforcements from outside.”

Saying that, Kaya turned her line of sight towards the Nine-Tailed Evil God.

“Nine-Tails, I’ll leave this area to you… You can drink my blood to your heart’s content.”

[Uooooo!]

The Nine-Tailed Evil God defended itself against the flying arrows and mowed down the knights by using its nine tails.

With the help of the nine-tails, the three of them–who managed to infiltrate the castle by having several knights holding the opponents–then rushed up to the top floor without stopping.

At the upper end of the stairs, a very long red carpet was laid out in the corridor.

However, it was also filled with silence.

“…Is this a trap?”

At the end of the path was the door leading to the throne room. It was too quiet that everyone became overwhelmed by the strange atmosphere.

“Are they telling us that they’re waiting over there?”

The door to the throne room was open, as if it was inviting them to come inside.

Even if this was a trap, they didn’t have the free time to hesitate. Outside the town, the people of Lake Metropolis were struggling. However, that too, is a matter of time.

The residents of Lake Metropolis are waiting for the moment Egil defeats the puppeteer and settles the lasting ties between the two countries that have been there for over hundreds of years.

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