Chapter 79

Chapter 79 - Advent (3)

When the heat of the tournament was reaching its peak, someone looked up.

"Why is the sky like that on this fine day?"

At the start of the match it was a sunny spring day, but before anyone knew it, dark clouds had gathered thickly.

"Is it going to pour rain at this rate?"

"The meteorologist said it wouldn't rain."

Among beastmen, there are those whose senses are particularly sharp. When they finish studying astronomy and weather-reading at the academy, they are given the qualification of a meteorologist.

Their main duty is being hired by high-ranking lords' families to pick auspicious days before important events.

"He's a man who hasn't been wrong for 20 years, isn't he?"

The honor bestowed is great, but the demand is low, so the competition was cutthroat. Naturally, it's a field where only competent individuals survive.

Despite the weather rapidly deteriorating, the heat of the tournament did not subside.

Kiiihihihing-!

When a horse collapsed, the knight riding it flew through the air.

Crack!

Unluckily falling headfirst, his neck snapped. The horse that lost its owner was also dead.

"Kyaak!"

"Oh my, how terrible!"

At the first fatality, the audience screamed. Since his neck was completely turned around, it was clearly instant death even from afar.

Twitch! Twitch!

Even in that state, his nerves were pressed so his limbs twitched, which was too gruesome a sight.

The problem was the opposing knight with immature skills struck the horse's forehead with his lance.

"Are you even a knight doing that?"

"Boooo!"

"Quit!"

Commoners do not miss a legal chance to curse at high-ranking people. Fierce jeers poured from all directions.

"Damn it."

Having shown the worst dishonor, the knight couldn't even raise his head. It seemed it would be difficult for him to reveal his name anywhere from now on.

"I wondered why the religious order hated tournaments so much, but directly seeing it, I understand well."

"Even though people pouring out dead and injured abound, it's just for amusement, so it's natural."

Valda looked at the fatality being carried out with a pitiful face.

Diseases, starvation, natural disasters, monsters, bandits, etc. Intangible and tangible evils overflow in the world. From the priests' perspective, humanity is in a precarious state surrounded by numerous enemies.

Yet, they could not understand with their common sense how humans of the same kind bleed and die for pleasure.

"Not participating in the jousting match is an excellent choice."

Squeeze.

The delicate hand unique to an Elf wrapped around the back of the knight's hand.

"Might's smart distance control, the storm-like deformed flail, the javelin that even smashes ships, and mysterious martial arts. There is no need for you to fight in a place that seals all of your powerful strengths."

Valda, who massaged the back of Eugene's hand a few times, adjusted her hood which was messed up by the wind. It was an attire revealing only the bridge of her nose and eyes by wrapping a scarf up to her lower face.

"Are you fully armed especially today?"

"Because I don't want to get tangled in bothersome things."

Already the next match ended, and another winner and loser were decided.

"Honorable Sir Knight. I will cherish today's glory for the rest of my life."

A noble lady responded with a smile full of joy to the knight who dedicated his victory to her.

The sight of the knight receiving the flower crown she made herself and raising his weapon high. The audience went wild at that passionate sight.

"It must be a familiar experience for Lady Valda."

"Our race is severely glamorized by humans. There are not just one or two who believe that separating their victory for me will receive the blessing of the forest and fairies."

The noble ladies with flower crowns on their laps were glaring at the arena with blazing eyes.

Just as knights wanted to be acknowledged as top-tier skill holders. The noble ladies also hoped to be praised as the most beautiful and beloved women.

At that sight, Valda smiled bitterly. It seems she had a bad experience related to it.

"I don't want to earn resentment for no reason."

"It doesn't seem like that's the only reason, but."

Eugene sneakily lifted her scarf to peek. Inside hid a face more beautiful than any noble lady in the arena.

* * *

As it reached the middle of the tournament, the weather conditions became too bad. Pitch-black dark clouds were slowly swirling in the sky.

"Meteorologist. Didn't you definitely say it wouldn't rain?"

"It is certain! It will not rain!"

At Duke Ismar's words, the dog beastman man flared his nostrils consecutively.

Hwiiiiiing!

Flap! Flap!

Flags hung in the arena fiercely shook in the strong wind.

"Kyaak! Nooooo!"

As the flower crown she stayed up all night to make blew away in the wind, a noble lady screamed and reached out her hand.

"It seems we must halt the tournament."

At the Duke's muttering, the meteorologist prostrated flat.

"I will bet the neck of this lowly one! Rain will absolutely not fall!"

"There is no need to do that. Given the weather is truly strange even to my eyes."

There was a lot riding on this tournament. It is a comprehensive event to commemorate the victory of the North, select new talents, and calm the public sentiment disturbed by civil war and pirates.

As they pushed forward a bit forcefully, the Duke also wanted to conclude it somehow.

Flash!

Then a huge flash exploded in the sky. A pure white lightning bolt fell on a mountain quite far from the arena.

"O, Oh my God!"

"I've never seen such a huge lightning bolt."

Those attending the tournament were surprised and turned their heads. Among them were also terrorists sent by the Emperor.

"Sir Simon. It's a success."

"To think that sunny day would change like this in an instant. Magic is indeed amazing."

Simon liked that the knights escorting him with faces full of complaints were looking with awe.

Ruling nature is the highest authority among all magic. A power that even a king of a nation would fear has manifested from his own hands.

"Hmm."

However, what was regrettable was that there was no sign of raining.

'Darkness and wind alone are not enough. It should pour rain or hail to definitely spoil the matches.'

Separate from that, Simon shuddered at the swirling wave of mystery. He had never encountered such intense power since becoming a magician.

Those who understand magic will be able to feel the astronomical power condensed inside the swirling dark clouds.

'Was that summoner bastard a quack?'

Thanks to that, a sense of distrust arose toward the summoner who appraised the artifact in the capital and handed it over.

Because it called forth too mighty a power to just be considered a magical tool that ruins weather. It was almost a waste to use it to just ruin one tournament.

"Let's move out quickly. Our business here is done."

Simon took the knights and exited the arena. As the Emperor's subjects were unarmed in the stronghold of the Nobles' Faction, every moment was anxious.

* * *

Eugene, Valda, and Marbas also realized something unusual was happening in the sky.

Pajijik!

A fierce lightning bolt fell again.

"Look at the mystery swirling in the sky! It's like an invisible hole broke open and a dam burst. A passage connecting to the other world must have surely opened."

Marbas looked at the sky with a face where curiosity and fear coexisted.

"The viewing ends here."

Eugene knew that staying still in this situation was a foolish act.

Even setting aside lightning accidents, if this many people fall into chaos, a major accident could happen with people trampling each other.

"Homi, send a signal."

Hwiiik-!

Her pink lips puckered cutely and she let out a sharp and far-reaching whistle.

"Boss! Did you just hear that?"

Every single subordinate under Eugene is familiar with Homi's whistle.

"It's the escape order. We don't know what it is, but we leave right now."

"It's a rare tournament viewing, it's a shame."

"Shut up and everyone move!"

The mercenaries watching from the general seating pushed through the audience and left. In mercenary life, the most important thing is to know danger in advance and run away in time.

"Is it alright if only we leave?"

"What could a mere knight lord with no barony title do? I must take care of my people first. There are plenty of nobles higher ranked than me here, wouldn't they take care of themselves?"

Hind nodded. If he made a mistake, Eugene could take all the blame as the one who caused an unnecessary commotion.

Pajijik!

This time lightning fell somewhere in the city of Rostock.

"Those lightning strikes are definitely caused by magic!"

"Naturally it would be so. With lightning striking like that, thunder isn't heard even once, is it?"

"Come to think of it..."

Marbas discovered the oddity as a magician, but Eugene discovered the oddity scientifically.

Lightning is a mass of energy reaching 30,000 degrees Celsius. When it passes, the heated air bounces out like an explosion and strikes all directions.

There should be roaring sounds like 'Rumble!' or 'Crackle!', but there isn't any. It's entirely only the discharge sound of crackling energy.

When he explained that principle as easily as possible, both Valda and Marbas looked at Eugene in surprise.

"So that is why lightning and thunder always make a pair."

"You, where on earth did you learn something like that?"

Marbas also recognized that this young knight strangely knew a lot of this and that.

But he didn't know what to say about what he just heard. It felt like taking an advance peek at secrets of the world that shouldn't be known in this era.

"Anyway, that takes the form of lightning, but it is not lightning. It must be something made of magic. Let's go in that way."

Eugene skipped the answer and led the party to a nearby building.

"Sir. The mercenaries have all escaped to another side."

"That is fortunate."

Those who entered the building were 5 people: Eugene, Valda, Marbas, Homi, and Hind.

Pajik!

Flash!

Pajijik!

Even the audience, who was watching curiously at first, finally started clamoring as lightning strikes continued endlessly.

Meanwhile, Eugene seemed to vaguely understand the identity of the continuously falling lightning bolts. He read the echoes of magic power spreading in all directions after colliding with the earth.

It contained a simple message, but one that Eugene couldn't have imagined encountering in this world.

Lightning fell on the inland sea.

Pajijijik!

'False.'

Lightning fell on a bell tower in the city of Rostock.

Pachuchut!

'False.'

Lightning fell on the flat land near the road.

Pajik!

'True.'

The lightning was a kind of observation. Something like a scout sent by something existing in another world prior to reaching the present world.

Eugene read a message composed of 0s and 1s from the scattering echoes of lightning.

The lightning operated like a machine language and sent the observed information to the other world opened in the sky.

'If there is enough space there.'

'If there is something sticking out.'

'If a river is flowing.'

'If it is hard.'

'If there are living creatures.'

'If there is air.'

Every single lightning strike is a magical probe and a touch feeling out the destination.

As if ignoring the common sense that it falls on high places, it ended after a few strikes on the city or mountains. As if it had completed the judgment 'Not here.'

Pachuchuchut!

Finally, a giant lightning bolt that dyed the world white struck the earth.

When the flash faded, a giant existence was soaring in the empty plains. It is difficult to clearly grasp its shape.

Shoooooo.

Because something unknown, whether cloud or fog, continuously flowed out from its surface.

Seeing white frost immediately descending on the nearby ground, it seems like it was taken out from a terribly cold place.

Tok tok.

Homi tapped Eugene's arm and opened her eyes wide.

"Yeah. It's definitely the guy we saw in Bonyard."

Eugene was certain.

The silhouette that was revealed a little was exactly identical to the one in his memory. In addition, a massive mystery erupting forth like the sun.

An existence satisfying these two things would be the only one in the world.

The Moving Castle from legend ended its long drifting and finally descended upon the present world.

* * *

Simon, just like Eugene's party, had exited the arena in advance and was hiding in a nearby building.

He couldn't dare to think of wandering outside under a lightning shower he had never seen before in his life.

"Oh my God."

And he was bewildered by the situation unfolding before his eyes. It didn't matter anymore about the magical tool showing effects stronger than imagined.

"I, isn't that the Moving Castle His Majesty is looking for so much?"

"To think it really was something that existed!"

The eyes of the escorting knights went wide. As they were thoroughly educated about the Moving Castle in the capital, they knew its appearance.

"This is not the time to admire. Have you forgotten where this is?"

"Ah!"

"Of all places, in Duke Ismar's front yard..."

He didn't know the cause, but it was certainly due to the magical tool he activated. It turned into a case of cooking porridge to give to a dog.

Considering the Emperor's temper, if they returned like this, they could be hung on the gallows.

"Would His Majesty possibly hold us responsible?"

"First of all, the summoner bastard who handed this over is definitely a dead man. If His Majesty's anger isn't quelled by that, it will spread to us too."

At Simon's words, the knights could not shake off their anxiety.

Aside from everything else, it was because the Emperor showed a distinctly irrational appearance regarding the Moving Castle alone.

"We will think after getting out of the Duchy first. Which direction is the place where we concealed the equipment?"

"It's a 10-minute distance to the east."

Simon's party hid their armaments and entered disguised as travelers.

With all kinds of knights and nobles flocking to the stronghold of Duke Ismar, the vanguard of the Nobles' Faction. If they went around showing signs of being knights here, the risk of their identities being exposed was great.

Creak.

Right then, the door opened.

A giant man and a tall beastman woman were staring at Simon's party inside the building.

"I definitely said I felt an unusual energy from here, didn't I? A thin thread-like energy of magic soaring towards the pierced sky..."

"You can stop talking. Since Sir Marbas was right."

The man and woman nonchalantly entered the building even seeing knights exuding sharpened spirits.

Seeing the man staring precisely at the magical tool hidden in his embrace, Simon felt something went wrong.

The knights exchanged glances. Even though they were treated as blockheads by Simon, since they lived by the sword, they were quick to pick up on this kind of atmosphere.

They instinctively knew that the only way was to take down the opponents before their eyes and escape.

'Aim for the woman.'

Knight Miles lunged unexpectedly. The spirit the giant man exuded was no joke. It looks too dangerous to attack him unarmed.

'Somehow grab a hostage...'

Bbaak!

His thoughts were cut off as the beastman woman's roundhouse kick struck his temple.

The last thing Miles remembered was the back view of the woman spinning on her long leg.

A white, thick tail was a beautiful kick beautifully catching balance.

"..."

The beastman woman holding a crane stance stared at the knights with cold eyes.

'If I move, I die.'

Simon could not budge an inch at the gaze from the man glaring at him the whole time.

It seems he was already found out that he was a magician. An atmosphere that he would instantly be killed if he tried any tricks drifted thickly.