Chapter 315
#33. This Too Shall Pass (8)
“Hmm…Chew.”
I stared at the report while chewing on popcorn.
<Latest Compressed Magic Cannon Development Report>
Additional deployment of 20 ballistas
Ongoing research on new weapons
170% completion of city walls
City walls self-repair durability
“The walls can even repair themselves?”“The magic engraved on the walls absorbs the magic power flowing through the ley lines to automatically restore itself.”
City walls that repair themselves when left alone!
The city walls can be considered the core of defense in war.
Block the enemy’s attacks with sturdy walls, and take advantage of the position to attack easily.
Being on top of the walls means you can easily attack enemies below and have a much wider field of view than them.
On the other hand, it makes it difficult for the enemy to attack and narrows their field of vision.
But no matter how sturdy the walls may be, they will inevitably wear out or be destroyed.
In addition to natural erosion over time, parts of the walls often collapse from the enemy’s powerful magic or sword strikes.
When that happens, the walls need to be repaired, but how can that be possible amidst the arrows and magic flying in war!
At best, we could barely protect against arrows by levitating a boulder for throwing or putting up some boards.
Or just leave it.
But with these walls, they repair themselves, so we can just leave them be.
As expected of the innovative dwarves!
They should use a bitten apple as their symbol instead of the black hammer.
“What else…?”
<Addendum: A large number of people are planning an escape. Location still being confirmed.>
Seeing the tiny letters, I smiled.
“If they try to run away, won’t master be in big trouble?”
“Well, it’s a situation where that could happen or might not.”
Everything necessary has been completed.
Now is the reinforcement stage.
The walls already boast nearly double the original planned completion at 170%, and overall it’s safe to say upgrades are about 50% above plan.
Since I never intended to pit the dwarves against the Demon King from the start, I was going to liberate them at an appropriate time, yet here they are trying to escape.
“As long as they work well, it doesn’t matter. There are even parts that benefit me, so I wish they would put in the effort.”
“Benefits? Like what?”
“They’re making escape routes for me. That’s benefit enough.”
“…Didn’t you say it was still being confirmed?”
“Isn’t it obvious there’s no need to confirm?”
The village was surrounded by walls, and the sky was perfectly blocked by the magical barrier.
Of course I’m only one person, and there are limitations to what the metal bat is could cover.
But I horrifically maimed some of the dwarves caught early on to instill fear in them, then used turned dwarves to leave the impression that escape would be absolutely impossible.
Those who have already pledged loyalty pretended to escape to planned locations before being caught, avoiding the metal bat through perfect acting to plant the notion that escape is impossible.
After that it was simple.
Instill more fear and confusion.
Their plan was to negotiate with the elders and have them help everyone escape from here.
“I wouldn’t have imagined they’d be digging tunnels.”
“Tunnels?”
“Yes. Tunnels are the best for escape, right?”
Master of escape, Instructor Naran said tunnels are the textbook choice for escape!
Not only can you hide from the enemy’s sight, but also move around freely.
Of course, a tunnel collapse can lead to being buried alive, or lack of air could cause suffocation, but if utilized well, it’s the best escape route.
“It weirdly makes sense…”
“And how many times have I escaped through the earth?”
“…You’re right. I remember desperately digging through dirt while escaping.”
“Those are just memories now.”
The drills were nice though. Easily chewed through troublesome bedrock in the way.
“Anyway, the tunnels the dwarves make can be put to good use later.”
“So you’re quite certain they’re tunnels…”
“Of course. Who was it again that were my escape route experts?”
With the skills to swiftly build escape routes at my demand, making their own should be easy.
“If they’re making escape routes, then it has to be underground. Definitely.”
“I see. Then what will you do going forward?”
“Like I said earlier, just leave them be. When the Demon King arrives, they could all turn into enemies, and then this place would become the best prison instead of the best fortress.”
The walls are massive and sturdy, and filled to the brim with state of the art weaponry that looks sufficient to take down dragons.
With just 100 soldiers they could hold off an army of 100,000, and with the people trapped inside, escape would be absolutely impossible outside of tunnels.
“Oh, so escape would be possible through the tunnels…”
“That is the greatness of tunnels.”
It’s the ultimate impregnable fortress with self-healing walls that can’t even be scratched, but since there are no walls underground, escape is possible.
“I was going to take some things and send them off before they become enemies, but I guess there’s no helping it.”
“It’s like they’re thinking the owner’s gone so they’re taking everything they can!”
“Correct!”
Just taking a few weapons and selling them to merchants in the other world would earn an astronomical sum.
And get some gifts for my daughter while I’m at it.
Some of the dwarves have excellent carving skills and make jewelry instead of weapons.
Dwarven jewelry with dwarven carved gems!
Add magic the dwarves imbued, and it becomes top tier jewelry that looks great and has immense practical value.
“I wonder what my younger sibling is up to…”
“If it’s Alice, I’m sure she’s fine.”
“That’s right.”
Considering the awe-inspiring aura she last showed, it didn’t seem like my daughter would be going around getting beaten up anywhere.
A divine beast race beloved by the God of Struggle, possessing powerful magical powers themselves.
On top of that, isn’t she being protected by a dragon, the strongest race on land?
“First, I need to worry about my own path ahead.”
“That’s a valid point.”
The world’s greatest empire, a Demon King who could destroy the world, and heroes who could turn against me at any time.
Most of the human continent is my enemy, and if the demon continent does not show a friendly attitude towards me, it would not be an overstatement to say that the world itself is hostile towards me.
“Sigh… Life…”
This is all because of that wicked evil god, the metal bat.
If it wasn’t for the metal bat, I would have been diligently farming with my daughter in an obscure rural village whose name no one knew!
“As I always say, master, half of it is your own fault.”
“Shut it.”
Everything is the master’s fault, no, it’s the metal bat’s fault.
The only wrong I did was when I had no power in the organization, I had no choice but to carry out a mission that involved working in the royal family, and unluckily caught the eye of a princess and got dragged into the organization after much suffering.
Is it not absurd to be chased on the scale of half the world, no, a third, for that crime alone!
“Because it’s you, master, it’s possible.”
“No, you evil god!”
“Ha! In the name of the Goddess, I prophesize that even as the master simply breathes right now, the number of people chasing after master is increasing!”
“What kind of dreadful prophecy is that?”
When no one is touching it, except the Black Anvil tribe, how is that possible?
It is absolutely not possible. Absolutely.
…Probably.
#5 Their Circumstances: The circumstances of the evil organization’s members
“Kko kko, is it delicious?”
“Yes, Mom!”
The little boy starts eating with a bright smile.
Looking at that scene, the beaming woman was the epitome of a mother gazing at her child.
The only peculiar thing was that the woman looked a little young.
That’s to be expected.
She looked to be an age where calling her a girl still suited her better than calling her a woman.
“Is it good for Misha too?”
“Y-Yes.”
“Oh my, Misha too! There’s no need to answer your older sister so rigidly!”
“W-Who’s my older sister!”
“Obviously me!”
The appearance of the panicking boy and girl was a pure youthful scene.
From the boy’s reddening face and yelling, anyone could tell he had fallen for the girl.
‘L-Leader, what should we do?’
‘It’s youth! I tell you, youth!’
‘For sinister people like us, their radiant youth is too dazzling to get close to!’
‘I’m scared! I’m scared my eyes will be blinded by the unknown sight!’
‘Uwaaah! I’m melting! The seeds of evil darkness that are us are melting in the light of youth!’
‘So noisy, you lunatics!’
To me, the members making a ruckus about a youthful scene could only be pathetic.
Youth? Seeds of evil darkness melting in the light of youth?
The moment they know the children’s true identity, they would not be able to think like that.
Frightening.
While the foolish members say they are scared their eyes will be blinded by the unknown sight, I was frightened in the literal sense.
Of the fact that I was in the same space as these children.
Of the fact that those fearsome children were behaving so tranquilly.
I was truly terrified.
“Would you gentlemen like to have some too?”
With a bright smile, she offered food to us as well. You would think she is an angel from heaven
“C-Can we really eat some?”
“Yes! I was told to let the gentlemen have plenty too!”
“An angel… An angel has appeared.”
“Great gods, please forgive us for the sins we have committed until now.”
“To send such an angel to save us… We are thankful.”
“Teehee! These gentlemen are so funny!”
Perhaps because we had lived as third-rate hoodlums and members of evil organizations since childhood, all the members were being disarmed by the innocent-looking girl’s laughs and actions.
I want to speak. Of what I saw.
I want to let them hear. The power of these children that even the boss didn’t dare trifle with.
And I want to tell them! What this child has done!
“You should eat too, Mister.”
With the smiling girl holding out a plate to me, I smiled back at her.
“Thank you.”
My voice didn’t shake.
At that fact, I heaved a sigh of relief in my heart.
“Hurry and eat while it’s hot. Chicken tastes good even when it cools down, but it tastes even better piping hot, you know?”
As I silently nodded my head, the girl flashed another bright smile and sat down at the table where the boys were to start her meal.
“Phew…”
Cold sweat ran down my back.
Every time that girl approached, it felt like a year was being shaved off my life.
“Th-this is delicious!”
“She’s even a good cook… As expected of Archangel Alice.”
Seeing those fools weep with joy as they ate the food the girl made, all I could do was sigh.
When I close my eyes, the memories of that day arise.
A few months ago, following the boss’s orders, organization members of deputy chief level and higher gathered to take action.
“What, we’re causing all this fuss just to find one guy?”
It was during the process of subjugating a large evil organization that had not yet joined our group.
“Ah… I heard there’s an organization trying to merge all the evil on the continent, but just for one guy? What is he, did he steal some treasure? Or is he supposed to be the most handsome man on the continent? The boss is a woman right? I understand her wanting a man to cure her loneliness at night, but wouldn’t I be better than some worthless trash?”
The sound of the men laughing loudly at his words echoed around.
Crass words.
But we did not waver.
While we did not possess irregulars like Swordmasters or Archmages, many of us could wield swords.
The evil organization, Dark Sabers.
That is what those who know their history call them.
Descendants of fallen knights.
An organization that has forgotten the honor of knights and uses their swords for evil.
That’s how people talk, but they were opponents we had to be willing to bet our lives against.
“So noisy.”
Thud.
The laughter stopped.
“No matter how fallen, knights shouldn’t let their mouths become so vulgar.”
“You’re…”
“I’m Verul Raik, one of this organization’s executives.”
The enemies shut their mouths. They all recognized me as a power player.
Verul Raik.
Once the leader of the massive continental organization Darkness, he was a Swordmaster and Archmage power player.
Lord Verul, who could silence the mouths of thousands… As he looked upon them with a cold smile, he shouted,
“Surrender! Or die!”
“Who do you think you are?”
For a moment, I thought the enemies were amazing.
To not back down an inch against a Swordmaster and Archmage…
“Huh, Alice?”
But seeing Lord Verul so flustered, I realized something had gone wrong. The voice came from our side, not the enemy’s.
“He insulted Daddy.”
The little girl glared coldly at the enemies.
Before Lord Verul could say anything in shock at her words…
“I don’t need them…”
Upon finishing that sentence,
“Huh?”
In an instant, amidst pure white flames, a portion of the world disappeared.
“Huh?”
I turned my head towards the area I felt intense heat from, but there was nothing there.
Surely… The evil organization Dark Sabers had been there just before, but now there was nothing.
“U-umm, Alice…”
“Mommy would say the same thing. I don’t need things like that.”
The look in the girl’s eyes as she gazed upon the area where the evil organization Dark Sabers had been was very cold.
“So… Don’t worry about it.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Her tone was so chilling even Lord Verul, the continent’s Swordmaster Archmage, couldn’t speak.
Because I recognized that voice,
“There’s still more, so eat slowly, Kko kko!”
Her lively tone of voice felt even more terrifying.
“Deputy chief, you’re not going to eat?”
“Oh…I’ll eat.”
Brought back to my senses by a member happily babbling without knowing anything, I put the food the girl handed to me in my mouth.
“Delicious…”
It really was delicious.
And that made it even more terrifying.
The brighter this reality before my eyes became, the more that day’s events felt like a dream.
If you’d like to make a one-time donation to support our translation via Buymeacoffee
Access to all Month’s Chapters + 10 chapters ahead for 10$ via Buymeacoffee.
Novel is complete now and you can read it all ahead of schedule.
Please rate this series here.
Schedule: TUE and THUR
Anyways… Happy reading!!!
https://ko-fi.com/ippostranslations
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter