207

Chapter 207 — Life Is Cruel (2)

Blue Coral first rubbed his face dry at the urgent report delivered in the middle of the night.

Then he rang the bell, spreading the news throughout the entire Magic Tower.

The thought process of, The sky over the coast is flashing with multicolored lights and I can hear things exploding, surely everyone already knows, was absolutely unacceptable.

All the more so because even he himself had only realized what was happening after a servant came running to deliver the news.

At this hour, the mages were either asleep—a minority—or so absorbed in their research that they couldn’t even spare a glance out the window—the majority.

“Pipi, go bring Meister.”

“Yes.”

“Great Sage! If this is a mobilization order……!”

“Good timing, Liam. But there’s no need to shout. Proceed as usual. However, they say the scale is larger this time, so bring more mages. If someone knows offensive magic, just bring them all.”

“Yes!”

An ordinary Magic Tower Master would have rushed straight to the fortress, if only to prepare large-scale magic, but Blue Coral was different.

The magic that allowed him to see the essence of things was far removed from offensive magic, and Blue Coral’s specialty was the former, not the latter.

If the question was how many formulas he knew, that was one matter, but when it came solely to casting offensive magic, other mages were better.

In short, it was like asking someone who had spent seventy years doing nothing but subtraction to perform addition, rather than asking someone who had spent forty years practicing both addition and subtraction.

“The remaining mages, prepare to transport the magical items.”

Calculating the stock of certain items the fortress should possess, he decided which things needed to be moved first.

Indeed.

Magical arrows and stones engraved with explosive magic were useful, but it was nighttime.

The first things that needed to be delivered were items capable of illuminating the battlefield.

“What weapon should I be in charge of?”

After he had spent a considerable while directing and coordinating everyone, his grandson finally showed himself.

Apparently he had already grasped the situation on the way over, because he skipped the greeting entirely and went straight to the point.

“You know that… monstrous thing you made.”

“Things must be pretty bad if you’re actually considering using that failed product.”

“That thing cost a hundred million gal. If we do not use it at a time like this, then there was no point in making it.”

“Fair enough.”

But this kind of attitude was precisely what made him pleasantly easy to deal with.

Pleased to have a grandson who understood things quickly, Blue Coral listed Meister’s tasks one after another.

Most involved transporting equipment requiring precise and delicate handling.

And once everything had been moved—or if an emergency occurred at the fortress—he was to remain there and perform repairs.

“By the way, Grandpa.”

“What is it?”

“Did you order something from the merchant company?”

“Hmm?”

“They’re moving an awful lot of stuff today.”

“I ordered nothing in particular.”

But was that truly strange?

Merchants making a fuss was hardly anything new, and their fussing wasn’t difficult to understand either.

Whenever the water flooded far enough into the city on days when they fought the mermen, there was always at least one report of a basement warehouse being ruined.

“They’ve probably had a lot of goods coming in lately.”

“Probably. Materials lose value if they get wet, after all.”

Even if the buildings didn’t collapse, water could still leak inside.

In fact, it often did.

And there were an astonishing number of commodities in this world whose value dropped once they became wet.

Then why not store them on higher floors?

That was impossible.

Because repeated flooding created a danger of ground collapse, Bemurchen regulated both building height and the total weight of goods allowed on each floor.

“Hmm…….”

So there was nothing strange about it.

Nothing.

Was there?

“…Karl.”

“Yes, Blue Coral.”

“Take command of the Magic Tower while I am gone.”

“Excuse me?”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to establish a research institute? Consider this practice. And if you make a mess of things, be prepared to lose your chance at becoming the next Great Sage.”

“…Yes, sir.”

Just in case, Blue Coral summoned one of the mercenaries stationed permanently inside the Magic Tower.

Since the Tower manufactured and sold expensive magical items, situations requiring force sometimes arose—troublesome customers, thieves, and the like—so mercenaries were kept on retainer.

“You called?”

“Come somewhere with me. We need to go discreetly, so dress as inconspicuously as possible.”

“Understood.”

The person might have dropped out of knight academy, but as an escort needed on short notice, they were more than sufficient.

Blue Coral left the Magic Tower with the escort.

It was time to investigate the thing that had been inexplicably bothering him.

* * *

Through a technique unique to the mermen, the sea level began rising—but only around this area.

Now free to move wherever they pleased, the creatures attempted their ambush quietly and insidiously.

The first step was to obstruct our vision.

“We’re lighting them!”

Whether they had no intention of being caught so easily, or this was simply the wisdom accumulated through years of fighting them, three soldiers ran around lighting oil lamps installed across the turret before adjusting something beside them.

Mirrors.

“I can see them!”

“Fire!”

It was like a lighthouse.

The light from the oil lamps reflected again and again off the mirrors until it finally formed a straight beam, brightly illuminating the sea.

Creeeak!

And there wasn’t only one such device.

When every piece of equipment installed at regular intervals around the rim of the circular turret began casting light, the area immediately surrounding the turret became perfectly illuminated.

At the very least, we could now visually confirm the mermen targeting the turret.

“Kill them! Before they bring the tower down!”

Well, honestly, it wouldn’t have been a problem even without the lights.

Still, having them was better than not having them.

Ignoring the Adventurer shouting at me to pick up a bow, I flicked my fingers.

It wasn’t an especially necessary preparatory motion.

Maybe my brain was just stupid, but doing this made it feel as though the attacks came out better.

“What the hell are you doing instead of attack—”

Whoosh.

A Mana Spear shot forward with a clear sound.

It was nighttime, but thanks to the lighthouse-like beam, I could clearly see it flying.

Every time I identified a target, a Mana Spear formed, pierced the surface of the sea, and punched a hole through a merman’s body.

“Shit, you were attacking.”

Of course I was.

I’ve never once been the sort of person who steals a paycheck while slacking off.

Granted, that was only possible because I’d never been employed by a company and had always freelanced.

For a freelancer, slacking off tended to result in losing your livelihood.

“It’s coming!”

At that moment, something entered my senses and flew toward the turret I was standing on.

Unfortunately, it came from the opposite side, and I noticed it too late to do anything about it.

BOOM!

“Uwaaagh!”

The turret shook along with someone’s scream.

Apparently we’d been hit by something resembling magic.

“Don’t panic! One hit isn’t enough to bring this place down!”

Just as one Adventurer said, however, the wall showed little sign of collapsing.

Repeated hits might be another matter, but for now, there seemed to be no need to worry.

BOOM!

Something thrown by the soldiers detonated across the water, scattering pieces of merman flesh over the sea.

“They’re climbing!”

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At that moment, a merman clung to the outer wall of the turret.

I could just barely see it from the window where I was stationed.

“Shoot the ones climbing up first!”

The legged-type merman clinging to the wall worked its throat violently, almost as if trying to vomit.

That absolutely could not be allowed.

I’d learned this from the reconnaissance mission earlier, but legged-type mermen could spit acid.

Crunch!

“It’s dea—!”

“I’ll handle anything that clings to the wall.”

Because of the angle, shooting a merman clinging to the wall required leaning your body out through the window.

Inconvenient and dangerous.

It would be better if I took responsibility for those particular enemies.

I didn’t need to lean outside at all, and since I only needed a single shot, I also had the advantage in speed.

“…I’m definitely making it back alive this time.”

That sounded rather like someone raising a flag, but setting that aside, I hoped so too.

It was sad when someone fighting beside you died.

* * *

* * *

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Meanwhile, the naval battle continued to intensify.

Explosions bursting across the sea had become commonplace, and despite it being nighttime, the water had somehow taken on a faint reddish hue.

A nearby turret had one side of its wall collapse while mermen clung all over it.

“Aaaaaagh!”

The sound of someone falling into the sea was chilling.

“It’s coming!”

Then one Adventurer shouted with delight.

“Give ’em hell!”

Tracing the direction of those words, I saw flashes of light appearing atop the city wall.

“Mages, fire!”

Rumble, rumble.

Dark clouds gathered between our turret and the neighboring one.

Pale flashes flickered inside them exactly like a thunderstorm.

BOOM!

And the instant it crashed down into the sea together with its thunder—the distance was probably close enough that light and sound seemed simultaneous—something leapt upward.

No.

Nothing alive could possibly react at the speed of light, so it hadn’t jumped after seeing the lightning.

One among dozens of mermen that had continuously been leaping in anticipation of the strike had simply gotten lucky.

Pop!

“Huh……?”

But that wasn’t what was truly surprising.

What was truly surprising—what was horrifying—was……

“What the hell? It killed only one?”

Instead of being electrocuted, the creature exploded with a pop, as though a bomb had detonated inside its body.

I swallowed hard.

That probably hadn’t died because it was struck by electricity.

“What? What the hell was that?!”

I remembered something I had learned before putting distance between myself and the rest of the party, when I’d overheard a conversation between the Archmage and White Wind.

Not my fault.

It was their fault for having that conversation in a dining room.

Another characteristic White Wind had newly discovered through continued experimentation with Zahukaya.

Creatures capable of consuming Mana had a limit to how much they could consume at one time.

In other words—

if they overate, they died.

By exploding exactly like that.

“…They’re here too.”

Yeah.

It would be disappointing if a monster that appeared once never showed up again.

But couldn’t you please have disappointed me?

What a truly goddamned world.

* * *

[That damned snake bastard.]

Pandemonium expressed his abundant displeasure at the plan that had gone awry.

Originally, he had intended to leave things alone for a little longer, but the other side had dragged the schedule forward without permission.

“I apologize.”

[Shut up, you incompetent bitch. You’re irritating me.]

And that displeasure wasn’t directed only at the “damned snake bastard.”

At his cutting tone, the woman closed her mouth.

The loyal servant and contractor stood silently beside her, receiving the same punishment through guilt by association.

Thorns embedded throughout their bodies endlessly drew out blood.

Drip.

And the blood that was extracted turned into gemstones and fell to the floor.

Countless red gems covered the ground around Pandemonium’s feet.

[Go stand outside and guard the door. Make sure nobody interrupts me while I draw out my power.]

“Yes.”

Once his mood had improved somewhat, he withdrew the thorns.

[Remember. This is your last chance.]

“…Of course.”

Having lost so much blood that she staggered once or twice, the contractor bowed her head.

A pearl gleamed smoothly as it swayed.

Click.

[Kyle.]

Once one contractor had left, he called to the one who remained.

Despite being punished merely because Pandemonium was in a foul mood, not a hint of dissatisfaction appeared on the other’s face.

It was fitting for the sole contractor he had chosen purely for loyalty, despite greed being the criterion by which he chose all the others.

[Come here.]

“Yes.”

Pandemonium stroked the head of the servant with purplish-black fur, a large beak, and enormous wings.

It was what he treasured most.

[I told you once before, didn’t I? A moment would come when you would have to offer me everything.]

“Yes.”

But however much he treasured something, it did not outweigh his own benefit.

Pandemonium spread wide his long fingers, their joints standing out like the segments of spider legs.

The already long fingers grew even longer and sharper.

[That moment is now. May I kill you?]

“Yes.”

With mutual consent, the sharpened fingertips ended the contractor’s life.

Because the killing had been permitted, there was no penalty from the contract.

Blood endlessly poured from the place where the heart had been torn out.

It was not the blazing scarlet of life, but the color of something dying.

Less beautiful than a certain flame he knew, yet apart from that, the most beautiful color of all.

[Haa.]

Pandemonium ate the heart of the one he had treasured.

The power he had shared through their contract returned to him, accompanied by the additional strength of one entire human.

Rustle.

Meanwhile, the blood flowing across the floor gathered around him and climbed up along the hem of his clothes.

The dress vanished as though consumed by flame, exposing the true body of Greed to the world.

A veil of molten gold and gemstones draped over a body whose face held nothing but endless emptiness, while three pairs of hands clutched wealth.

Six ears raised to hear every desire in the world twitched alongside a massive tail.

Heat spread in every direction, devouring everything nearby—even the corpse of the being who had once been his contractor.

Kill it.

Then, abruptly—

the body about to melt the door and leave stopped.

The voice reverberating like thunder seized Pandemonium’s mind.

Together with the Hero. Kill it without fail.

…That fucking King!

Inconsiderate bastard!

[…Damn it.]

He remained kneeling, forcing strength into his trembling hands.

He appreciated being granted the right to unleash the full power of his true body, but he desperately wished the bastard would stop speaking directly into his skull.

Did that madman think this was their homeland?

That they were in a place where no restrictions bound their power?

[Even that bastard reduced to nothing but a soul can endure this…….]

As an aside, Pandemonium had thought he had raised his strength considerably by disposing of useless contractors, yet this was still his limit.

Grinding his teeth in irritation, he forced his legs beneath him.

[Still, this time, I win.]

“Huh? What the hell? There’s fire inside…….”

“What? Fire?”

“Get water, now……!”

Fwoosh.

Hundreds of boxes became visible through the burning door as it melted away.

Every last one was filled with gold, silver, or gemstones.

[Open Pandemonium.]

“What the hell is that?!”

“Run! Run……!”

“Aaaaaagh!”

Tens of millions in wealth gathered toward him, and the King’s seal fell to the floor.

The laborers who had been working even in the middle of the night under orders to move the cargo were swallowed by flames.