Chapter 88

The reason Cole had bandages wrapped round and round his face was probably not to hide his face, but because it was swollen that badly.

Even Kururu, as expected, seemed to lose the urge to say one word of complaint about the matter with Iiria after seeing Cole like that.

“Conveniently, the city’s independence faction, including Carini, is apparently discussing what to do with Lord Iiria.”

Cole was stuffing a mountain of magic stones into a leather belt like the ammunition belt Gerario had used during the dragon-slaying. Gerario also freely picked out magic stones from Cole’s cart, muttering that he could even defeat a demon god with this, and looked pleased.

“No one will be troubled even if we kill them all. Someone else will just sit in their seats right away.”

There was absolutely no way that was true, and because Cole had developed a fever after being beaten so badly, his judgment had become quite extreme.

Considering peace negotiations with Bax Company and Roran, it would be better to avoid killing people as much as possible.

However, while Gerario did not particularly deny it, he was slightly more composed.

Looking toward Roran Province’s Municipal Council Hall, which towered before his gaze, he said this.

“With stonework this splendid, if we carelessly punch through the walls, the whole thing might collapse.”

Cole looked at Gerario and reluctantly nodded.

“Then let’s freeze them.”

It seemed he had no intention of letting the enemy live either way.

Gerario looked at me, gave a slight wry smile, and said,

“You’re going to show Iiria-chan your good side, right? Young master, head up the tower together with Kururu-chan. Yorinobu.”

“Huh? Yes.”

“Lend the young master your shoulder. Also, the magic stones must be heavy, so you carry them for him.”

It was an excuse to take the weapons away from Cole, who seemed ready to explode.

“I’m fine—”

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for a man to show what he’s got. Are you going to stand in front of the princess gasping for breath? What are you going to do if you don’t appear looking cool?”

At Gerario’s words, Cole groaned for a while, then nodded.

This seemingly rough and vulgar adventurer had surely also skillfully admonished young men on battlefields when they grew impatient for glory.

That Gerario turned his gaze toward Kururu.

“Kururu, don’t keep hugging her forever because you’re too moved either. Once you find Iiria-chan, bring her here right away.”

He was clearly teasing her about what had happened between me and her at the brothel earlier.

Kururu pointed her ears and lips and turned away.

“Leave the rearguard to me. Long ago, at a mine, I fought when a swarm of about a thousand goblins poured out. I won’t let a single person through.”

Perhaps imagining a massive swarm of pests emerging, Kururu’s tail fur stood on end.

“Well, in the true sense of a rearguard, they’re probably the ones we can count on more.”

When Gerario lightly jerked his chin, about two suspicious-looking carts appeared from the alley.

The underlings from Crape Myrtle House were probably hiding inside.

First in line for looting during the chaos.

The soldiers inside the Municipal Council palace would be confused about whom they should deal with, so they would serve as a good diversion.

“All right, let’s get started.”

Gerario held a magic stone in each hand, like a two-gun gunslinger.

However, the first one to run was Kururu. When she stood before the back entrance of the Municipal Council palace, she shouted,

“Iiria-sama, I’m coming to save you now!”

Immediately afterward, day and night reversed.

The massive steel door warped like candy work, bent, and was blown away with a thunderous roar.

Gerario had a bitter look on his face, so he must have sensed that Kururu had lost her temper.

After slapping me hard on the back, he ran off.

When I also lent Cole my shoulder and entered the palace, the beastfolk Cole had brought with him were already rampaging, punching every soldier who hurried out of rooms here and there.

When I looked back at the gate, which was glowing red-hot and smoking, masked men carrying hemp sacks on their shoulders were rushing in like evil Santa Clauses.

Another thunderous roar sounded ahead, and the building trembled.

“Let’s go.”

Together with Cole, I chased after Kururu and the others.

“Iiria-sama!”

Kururu’s voice was now practically a signal for bombardment.

After I counted four heavy impacts that hit me in the stomach, I found Gerario occupying the third-floor corridor.

What startled me was not only that the corridor floor was frozen solid.

There, like some kind of avant-garde art, richly dressed men were lined up in a row, their feet fixed in ice.

“Which one of you is Carini?”

Gerario asked Cole.

They were probably the ones who had gathered in the conference room and held an evil meeting.

The people, each of whom seemed to hold some position, had been frozen up to their knees after trying to flee in panic.

Every single one of them looked at Gerario with frightened eyes.

After all, the soldier who seemed to have been leading the evacuation at the front was bent at a suspicious angle that made it hard to tell whether he was alive or dead, lying limp.

If they thought they were about to become like that too, it was no wonder their faces turned even paler than the ice around their feet.

“…”

Cole let go of the shoulder I had lent him and began staggering forward.

Of course, they knew Cole’s face, and they realized what it meant that Cole was here.

Among them, there were even pitiful ones who prayed to God and begged for their lives only now.

When Cole reached the middle of that corridor, there was a face I had seen in Jirenu Territory.

“…”

“…”

When Cole stood before him, Carini, who had been turning away with a bitter look on his face, turned back toward him in irritation.

“Young master, did you really find it that impossible to forget how it felt to hold that hairy girl?”

Right after Carini’s mocking words…I looked away, so I did not know what happened.

I did not know, but the corridor fell silent as if water had been poured over it, and Gerario’s sigh echoed strangely loudly.

“Lend me your shoulder.”

Cole came back and said that, and I nodded.

The ones waiting in the cart belonging to Cole, who had said he still had a few allies, were beastfolk.

And we had just seen what treatment beastfolk received in this town when we arrived at the harbor.

For Cole, there must have been countless things he wanted to say to Carini, who apparently controlled the beastfolk slave trade, beyond the matter of Iiria.

However, as for whether Carini still physically possessed ears with which to listen…one could only imagine.

“Which way is the spire?”

“Go up those stairs. There’s an aerial corridor connected to the tower—”

Just as Cole said that much, a faint bursting sound could be heard.

And from those very stairs, Kururu came tumbling down.

“Kururu-san!”

I hurriedly called her name, but Kururu twisted her body exactly like a cat and landed skillfully.

The left half of the fur cloak was gone, and after Kururu threw off the rest, she also tore away the face covering she had wrapped around her mouth like a mask.

“A magician.”

While glaring up the stairs, Kururu said that to us as we rushed over.

And at the end of the footsteps we heard, a single man stood there, looking as though he was accustomed to looking down on the lower classes.