第２５６堀：嫌な真実かも？ (Part3)
"So, the Holy Sword Users just slashed their predecessors to protect the people?"
"They did the deed, and Peace, the predecessor's subordinate, got enraged and went on a rampage. That forced the Holy Sword Users into a showdown with the Demon Lord."
"…And then, after they thought they’d defeated the Demon Lord, they were used by various nations, leading to this current situation?"
"In the end, whether the Demon Lord Peace wins or the Holy Sword Users' plan to eradicate humanity succeeds, the magic circle collapses either way."
"…That feels so hollow. The predecessor was cut down because they thought there might be another way, right?"
"Probably. If there really was no other choice, they would’ve explained it to everyone and gotten it done already. They even apologized to Peace right before they died, so they must have believed someone would find a different path."
But in the end, they’re just following the same path as their predecessor.
Just as Taiki said, it’s hollow.
"Well, that’s just my theory. I’ll talk to Sia and the others later to confirm it."
"I see. And once you get that confirmation, how do you plan to break the magic circle? I can’t imagine the great powers moving easily, no matter how you look at it…"
"Ah, hmm. If we make a tool to gather magic power and release it outside the range of the magic circle… oh."
"Isn't that just a Magic Sword or a Holy Sword?"
"True. It’s becoming a strong theory that they were seriously trying to do something about the magic circle. Ah, I see. While they were in the middle of a strategy to gather magic power using a different Holy Sword, a situation arose where they could destroy a nation. And they were conflicted."
"That’s the most straightforward result, isn't it? Even if they use the Holy Sword, it’s a drop in the bucket considering the scale. So, is the countermeasure to hunt monsters in the center with the Holy Sword?"
"That’s the response with the least amount of collateral damage, isn't it? Borrowing it from where the magic power is concentrated. It’s simple."
"But you have to thin them out periodically. Are we going to come hunting every time? We don’t even know at what scale the magic power is gathering, do we?"
"…That’s the issue. For now, let’s go to the Monster Forest and conduct an ecological survey. We need to confirm exactly what level of monsters are there. If it’s nothing major, we’ll put the entire Monster Forest under dungeon control at once."
"Are you sure? If you spread the magic power through that kind of control, the magic density in the forest will rise even further. If a Monster King or something appears, I don’t think I can win, even with my strength."
"If a Monster King appears, I’m running away too. Well, if it looks dangerous, I’ll stop. Narjia-san is making replicas of the Holy Sword, so if we intentionally gather the magic power and lower the density, I think it’ll be fine. But the survey is absolutely necessary."
Man, this is incredible. Finding the answer at this stage. I thought it would be much further off, but I don’t know if I should call this good luck or bad.
For now, let’s go hunting in the Monster Forest to compare notes with the Holy Sword Users and the Principal, who seems to have some connection to all this.
"So, assuming we lower the magic density in the center as a stopgap, what do we do after that?"
"Breaking the magic circle doesn't necessarily mean destroying the nations. As it happens, we have a city entrusted to us."
"…Don't tell me."
"Yeah. We develop Betan to a level that rivals the other great powers and gather people there. If we do that, we can punch a hole in the magic circle and weaken its function. No, with our knowledge, we could probably open a hole and disperse it."
"I see. But that’s incredibly tedious. Well, I understand it involves less bloodshed. But if the Holy Sword Users start their humanity eradication plan, the magic power in the center will accumulate all at once, right?"
"…That’s true. We have to prevent that, or there’s a possibility a Monster King will emerge from the accumulated magic."
"I absolutely don’t want to fight that. No way. I can’t think of a way to defend against a Monster King’s radioactive heat ray."
"I can’t think of one either. And besides, that Monster King flies around using that beam, too."
"…Truly a Monster King. The Showa type is at least 50 meters. Anything after that gets more techniques and grows over 100 meters. Plus, it dives into the ocean, so Weed, the neighboring continent, is in danger too."
"No thanks. What is that, it’s terrifying."
Well, I don’t know if a Monster King will actually be born, but they’ve been gathering magic power for 400 years.
And since the strongest known monster is a Wyvern, it wouldn’t be strange if something else was born.
I have a bad feeling about it, but nothing will start if we don’t move.
"For now, let’s get everyone up to speed and survey the Monster Forest. We’re tracking the Holy Sword Users' movements, and if we see them making a move, we’ll have no choice but to deploy a defensive line immediately."
"That’s all we can do. But we can only defend Zilba and Enaria, right?"
"…Samantha-ojousama is from Roday. Since we’re friends, it shouldn't be a problem to head to Roday, right?"
"And the other three?"
"…I’ll think about it later. If we force our way in and trigger a war, that’s exactly what would cause a Monster King to be born."
Taiki and I look pale.
I mean, what else can we do?
Defensive battles are such a pain!!
And to have defensive targets we can’t even touch—it’s too harsh!
On top of that, if we fail, the penalty might be the birth of a Monster King-class entity.
"Well, first is the survey. A Monster King-class isn't going to be born that easily."
"I hope that line doesn't become a flag."
Please.
I pray that the environment isn't right for a Monster King-class to be born!!
"By the way, how far did Ria take Cleena?"
"Who knows?"
I thought "introducing her" meant to Tori, Eris, and the others, but she didn't take her to Weed, did she?
She wouldn't, right!?
***
**Side: Cleena Liz Autestria**
I have always lacked facial expressions, and my reputation with everyone except my master is extremely poor.
No, no one says such things to my face.
However, behind my back, I’ve been called a doll, or told that I’m not truly human, among other things.
But I never really cared.