The Final Showdown And Motsunabe - Part Three

“So, have you thought of a plan!?”

“Not yet, but… for now, I’ll figure out a way to deal with the problem right in front of us!”

I’m Shuri, by the way.

To do what I can, I escaped the prison with Garn-san’s cooperation.

The bright candlelight hurts my eyes, but I can’t be complaining about that.

Right now, I’m running through the castle hallway.

My destination is the food storage.

The problems I felt I had to solve first were resolving the complaints of the fiefdom’s residents and weakening the power of the two factions.

The reason is that, as far as I heard from Garn-san, an excessive amount of food should have been brought into this castle.

I heard it was for the stockpiles of the First Prince’s faction and the Second Prince’s faction. Seeing that it wasn’t gold, silver, or jewels, I was made to realize that this is indeed a Warring States period.

Even in such a situation, to buy up and monopolize food… I think they’re doing something outrageous.

“By the way, are we almost at the food storage?”

“Yeah, the warehouse is just down these stairs, but… Do you have the stamina for this?”

Yes, I’m at my limit.

Even though I finally reached the stairs to the warehouse, my physical strength is already at its limit.

I can’t be crying about it, though.

I went down the stairs and opened the latched door, and I was stunned.

It’s a complete mess.

There’s no cold air for preservation at all, and food is stacked narrowly in this dirty, dusty basement.

The amount of food is ridiculous.

Potatoes, daikon radishes, carrots, onions…

Chunks of beef and whole pigs are sitting there.

However, there were a few items I didn’t understand.

“This bright red Chinese cabbage… is this called Akana, maybe?”

“That? That’s a local specialty that can be harvested around here. Chinese cabbage gets sweet when boiled, but this one gets spicy.”

S-spicy Chinese cabbage?

“What about this bright blue scallion?”

It’s not green. It’s blue.

It’s not green as in the color of vegetables, it’s not green.

It’s blue. The color of the sky.

“Ah, that’s a Sky Scallion. Sky Scallions have a refreshing acidity. Basically, it’s a garnish.”

A-a garnish…

“And this… squishy object I don’t really understand?”

What is it? This pink slime in a bottle?

“That? That’s not rare at all. It’s the liquor that noble people, like the lord’s family, royalty, or other aristocrats, drink.”

“L-liquor?”

“Yeah, don’t you know? It’s called Slime Sake. It’s an aged liquor made by cutting out the roots of a Slime Tree, boiling down those roots, and letting it mature. It goes down smoothly, it’s dry, and it has a high alcohol content.”

I’ve never heard of a Slime Tree…

Oh my goodness, to think I would encounter ingredients unique to another world in a place like this…! Until now, I hadn’t known because I only stocked and handled ingredients within the range of what I knew. Well, maybe Gungrave-san didn’t like it very much?

Hmm? Spicy?

“This red Chinese cabbage, is it spicy?”

“Ah, Akana? It’s spicy. But it’s a refreshing spiciness. It’s not the kind of heat that makes you hate eating it.”

Spicy… Chinese cabbage.

There are whole pigs here, and whole cows.

There are also a lot of vegetables…

“Garn-san. All the ingredients here. Who do these belong to?”

“Besides the reserves of the fiefdom here, there are also the stockpiles of the First Prince’s faction and the Second Prince’s faction. Look, that shelf over there and that shelf over there, they are divided separately, right? That’s the reason.”

Hmm, there are indeed food shelves with unnatural partitions.

In this environment, with this amount of ingredients.

I worried a little, but I steeled myself and decided I had to be honest.

“I’ll be honest. These ingredients. They won’t last another three days.”

“What? We’ve done preservative treatments, like rubbing them with salt.”

“The humidity, temperature, and dust are the problems. How have you been processing the ingredients until now? Were you just eating the ones that looked like they wouldn’t last on the spot?”

I felt it from the moment I entered this basement, the humidity caused by storing them with soups.

The room is slightly warm because of the underground heat transfer.

An uncleaned environment.

It’s truly a hotbed for microorganisms and bacteria. It wouldn’t be strange if it rotted at any time.

Admittedly, if you rub salt on them, they will last to some extent.

But there’s a limit, right?

In such a damp, lukewarm temperature. It’s only suitable for breeding bacteria…

“Change of plans. Actually, I was thinking of borrowing a little of the First Prince’s faction and the Second Prince’s faction’s stockpiles. But I’ll use all the ingredients from both factions, and all the stockpiles that look like they’re about to go bad.”

“Hey, hey! What do you intend to do with such a large amount of ingredients! Besides, what do you intend to make using all these ingredients!”

“It’s decided. There are whole cows and pigs here.”

“A-ah… well, we do have them whole. Literally, the innards are still inside… what do you intend to do? If you butcher and process those, the meat will be a considerable amount.”

“What are you saying? We will use the innards too.”

“What?!”

“Yes, the innards, the meat, and the tendons. We’ll use everything.”

Spicy Akana, sour Sky Scallions.

Let’s use these to make it.

A massive amount of Motsunabe!

---

“You guys, are you prepared?”

We, the five captain-level members of the Gungrave Mercenary Band, stood before the castle gate.

Everyone was already in a state of battle readiness.

Kuuga, Teg, Arius, and Rir too.

Everyone already had the eyes of the battlefield.

We looked at each other and nodded.

“Let’s go.”

We stood before the gate.

“Sorry, I was called here by the Second Prince to visit the castle. This is the letter of proof.”

I handed the letter to the gatekeeper.

When the gatekeeper saw it, his face stiffened for a moment, and he immediately ordered the gate to be opened.

How easy to read.

I didn’t show it on my face, but I thought.

“This way.”

The gatekeeper indicated a side door next to the gate.

We passed through it, and then we saw.

The scene of dozens of soldiers in the castle courtyard, swords drawn, waiting for us.

“As expected. We were set up.”

Kuuga smiled, baring his teeth.

At that moment, one man approached us.

“Excuse me, Gungrave-dono.”

A man wearing somewhat splendid armor spoke to me.

“By the orders of Gings-sama, we are placing you under arrest.”

“May I ask the reason?”

“There is nothing in particular to say. If I must say, it’s about the cook.”

As Kuuga said, as expected, huh.

I took a step forward.

Regardless of anything else, information is important.

“What is this about? I was only called because there was something to discuss. I have no reason to be treated so unfairly.”

I tried asking, pretending not to know.

Teg looked like he wanted to say something behind me, but he was stopped by Arius. This guy still doesn’t realize that we’re gathering information.

“Let me meet the Second Prince, Gings. Where is that person?”

“I don’t intend to talk. Wait in the prison.”

“Is my cook in the prison?”

“Not in the same place.”

Hmm, so it seems it’s not a general prison.

“A general prison, huh.”

“Follow quietly.”

“Let me speak to Gings-sama. Let me speak to him.”

“Keep quiet. That person is busy.”

“I know he’s working. But, it’s an important matter.”

“That’s why you should be quiet. If you understand.”

Alright, Gings is working.

In other words, I need to be careful about where Gings stops by for work. Teg is investigating that.

“I can’t be convinced by this.”

“At least let me see the cook.”

“That’s enough talk.”

“Wait!”

“Talk is for later. If you want to see the cook, be quiet.”

…Is information gathering over?

“…You guys. Information sharing.”

Secretly, I tell the others in a low voice.

“Gings is in his office. Shuri is definitely in a special prison. The locations of the general prison and the office have been confirmed. Recall the locations in the castle that haven’t been confirmed yet. Operation conditions. Do not ‘kill’ any of the castle security. Make it look flashy and ‘neutralize’ them. That is all.”

“ “” ““Understood.” “ “ “

The guys behind me replied to my instructions.

That reply is never the one they use when dealing with Shuri.

The voice felt like a killing field, the atmosphere of the battlefield.

Calm and composed. Voices without emotion.

Showing no mercy to the enemy in front of them.

“Arius. Show them one shot.”

“Understood.”

Arius steps forward one step in front of us.

“W-what do you intend to do?”

The man who was negotiating with us showed a look of confusion.

Naturally, I suppose. Suddenly, the arrest targets in front of him show a posture of resistance.

But, we don’t intend to show mercy either.

Arius pulls two wands from her waist and holds them up to the sky.

“My magic is a little different, you know? Spell Release. ‘Dominate the air in this space.’”

At the same time as chanting those words, a torrent of magic power overflowed from Arius’s body, dominating this entire area.

And then, it happened.

The space in front of us distorted slightly, wrapping around the courtyard.

It involves the soldiers.

“G-gah…”

“I, I can’t breathe.”

“Ah, gah…”

Suddenly, the soldiers clawed at their mouths and throats, convulsing as if they were drowning.

Some desperately stood their ground, some crawled on the ground, moving their mouths widely.

However, gradually, the soldiers began to faint.

I don’t know what she did, but…

“Don’t kill them.”

“Yes. I’m just making them faint.”

Arius judged the timing and waved her wand.

While most of the soldiers fainted, a soldier who kept a remaining consciousness opened his eyes wide.

“Gah!!”

“I, I can breathe?”

“H-hu… ha…!”

However, the remaining soldiers also looked pale. They probably couldn’t stand up and charge at us right now.

“You’d better not push yourselves, okay?”

Arius said, looking at the fallen soldiers.

Her eyes were infinitely cold.

Different from the ones she usually turns toward Shuri.

Yes, a gaze of contempt, as if looking at mere trash.

Eyes of absolute zero, as if saying the humans in front of her were an inferior species.

“I dominated the air in this area. Did you know? Humans cannot live without breathing air. Within that air, there exists a mixture of many diverse airs. I ‘pushed away’ the necessary air from around you. For now, I can only control the size of this courtyard, but eventually, I want to dominate the air of the entire battlefield.”

I can’t understand it, but in the eyes of Arius, who has realized the ‘Truth,’ it seems this world appears as if many substances are piled up, drifting, and existing.

Arius realized that ‘people live by breathing air’ from among the air that people usually breathe. It’s obvious, but to grasp and dominate all of that air.

This is ‘The Witch of Truth,’ Arius.

“Let’s go.”

With Arius’s words, we stepped into the castle.

We went through the open door and advanced forward.

“W-wait.”

Someone threw words at us from behind.

It was the guy who had been listing off his claims to us earlier.

When I looked back, he was so exhausted that he couldn’t even stand up yet.

Naturally. Since his breathing had been stopped.

“I-is it okay? Even if something happens to your cook.”

“Huh?”

I wore a malicious smile.

“Do you really think you can do that?”

The man looked dazed, as if he couldn’t understand my words.

“The guy up there didn’t give you information, did he? Our cook, Shuri Azuma, is a man who was presented with a knife with an inscription from the Niewbist Royal Family. And he has the skill level to the extent that Princess Tebis herself invited him. In fact, the food he makes impresses and fascinates the princess’s tongue. If you were to harm such a person, Niewbist would definitely be furious. You don’t know about the Alturian tragedy, do you? They are under trade sanctions because of the influence of trying to invite or insult Shuri, you know? They fell into food shortages and had the initiative on food taken away from them. It’s a problem. Do you think you can do anything to that guy?”

The man was surprised, hesitated, and then lowered his face in humiliation.

No way he could.

There’s no way he can lay a hand on Shuri when he can’t even face one country.

I don’t really like playing this information card.

Grasp and manipulate information, dominate the battlefield.

Once standing on the battlefield, cut them down with that sword.

I handle both strategy and combat.

That is me, ‘The Devil of Sword Strategy,’ Gungrave.

It’s pretty embarrassing to call myself that, though.

“Let’s go.”

I stepped into the castle.

The others followed.

“We’re taking the castle.”

Now, let them receive the retribution for looking down on us.

“Can you hear me, guards!! If you lay a hand on Shuri, I’ll return it a hundred times over! If you don’t want to die, return Shuri immediately!”

When I stood at the entrance, guards came flying out one after another.

The number, is about twenty?

It seems they don’t intend to succumb to threats.

The entrance has a central staircase, and hallways leading to the left and right at the top, and on the first floor, a hallway continues alongside the stairs. The floor is laid with a red carpet, suggesting they have unexpected wealth.

The sight of the guards coming out from the second floor and the depths of the first floor reminded me of ants coming out of a nest.

“Gungrave. I’ll handle this here.”

When Teg said that from behind, he took a large amount of arrows from the quiver on his back.

He took the bow he had worn on his waist and deployed it.

This is a special longbow developed by Rir previously.

A powerful bow that can be folded, and when deployed, can shoot arrows hundreds of meters away.

It opens just by touching the trigger with one hand, and the string uses magi-engineering technology, stretching across both ends at the same time as it opens, becoming the shape of a bow. The string, from what I heard, is made by crushing magic crystal stones until they become powder, and at the same time as activation, it changes into the shape of a thread.

The strength of the string is extraordinary, and at the current stage, the only one who can use this bow is Teg.

An unadorned blue bow.

That is Teg’s beloved bow.

“A bow is useless at this distance! Everyone, attack all at once!!”

Encouraged by the man who can be judged as the guard captain from his splendid armor, twenty guards attack all at once. It’s a flood of people. If we were to face them properly, the five of us here would become lumps of meat in an instant.

If we were to face them normally, that is.

“What idiots.”

Teg notches three arrows at once, and fires.

The three arrows strike the sword-wielding hands of three guards without missing a hair’s breadth.

“Gwah!”

“Ouch!”

“Ugh!”

The three guards drop their swords and crouch on the spot.

However, the remaining seventeen charge without minding.

Seeing that, Teg remained calm.

He notches three more arrows and fires.

He hits three people. In the sword-wielding hand again.

Notch, fire.

Notch, fire.

Notch, fire.

Like a doll made with precision, the figure of Teg, firing arrows calmly without changing his expression, possessed a kind of beauty.

Even the trajectory of the flying arrows is beautiful, and he doesn’t miss a single shot.

Teg repeated the movements calmly without moving a single step.

Before I knew it, only two were standing.

They looked pale as they watched the guards struggling with the pain of their arms pierced with arrows.

It must be a nightmare.

If they can’t even get close, and their subordinates are put out of action in an instant, anyone would be terrified.

“Heave ho.”

The single arrow Teg fired hit the thigh of the man next to the guard captain.

Unable to even scream, the man tumbled to the ground.

Remaining, is only the guard captain.

Teg calmly notched another arrow.

“The last one, huh.”

“W-wait! Wait! I was just ordered by Gings-sama!”

“That’s even more malicious.”

Twang, the sound of the string rings out.

The arrow made a quiet thud and hit the guard captain’s thigh.

“G-ah, aaaa!!”

Because of the ruthless attack, even the guard captain tumbles on the floor.

Superior scouting technique. The technique to erase one’s presence.

Above all, the skill of handling a bow with the prowess of a hundred hits out of a hundred within the range he can recognize in his field of vision, and the nerve not to miss.

‘Bow Saint’ Teg. It was also the moment he showed the origin of why he is even called a Saint.

Storing his bow, Teg turned toward us.

“Gungrave. The path is open.”

“Yeah, where was Gings’ office again?”

“At the end of the third-floor hallway.”

“The stairs?”

“At the back of the right hallway on the second floor.”

“Understood. Shall we go?”

We ignored the soldiers crawling on the floor and went up to the second floor.

As we walked down the hallway, we didn’t pass a single maid.

They were probably cooped up in their rooms somewhere. They must have sensed the abnormality outside and fled in a hurry.

We can ignore them for now. The goal is to rescue Shuri, after all.

Before that, I have to drive a nail into Gings.

He can’t possibly not move after causing such a flashy incident.

There is a possibility he’ll take Shuri out as a hostage and place him near himself, but that would be convenient.

We deliberately leaked the information that Shuri was being invited to Niewbist so that he wouldn’t be harmed in the worst-case scenario.

It would be a problem if he didn’t take action.

“Gungrave.”

Swish, a sword sheath blocks my front.

Kuuga pulled his sword with its sheath from his waist and was using it to stop me.

And, in front of us was a burly man.

A muscular lump with a battle-axe, about the same height as me.

A bald man in armor stood in our way.

“Kuuga.”

“I get it. That kind of thing is my prey.”

Kuuga, who licked his lips like a writhing snake, returned his sheath to his waist and stepped forward.

Kuuga pulls his sword from its sheath.

Even though it’s just that action, why is it so flowing, beautiful, and divine?

Man, before I knew it, he had gone far ahead of me.

“You, are you the strongest guy here?”

“That’s right. I am the strongest even among the army led by Gings-sama.”

“Oh. So you’re saying you have confidence in your arm?”

“Of course. Don’t lump me in with the trash from before.

Since I, Adora-sama, have appeared, I’ll have you die here.“

“Not to capture us, huh?”

“You’ve behaved so rudely up to this point. Don’t think you’ll get away with just an arm or two.”

“Bring it on.”

Kuuga readies his sword.

It’s the stance of the Soft Sword Art. I’ve seen it on the battlefield before.

It’s a unique stance, lifting the heels of both feet spread to shoulder width, becoming slightly left-sided, and tilting the sword to aim for the gap in the opponent’s ribs.

According to him, it’s a stance suitable for both retreating and advancing, and for piercing through the gaps in armor.

Creak, Kuuga’s foot steps forward.

The distance between them is about three meters. Thinking normally, Adora, a man with a huge body and a battle-axe, has a wider reach. The one who has air superiority is probably Adora.

However, Kuuga doesn’t let such a handicap bother him.

At the very least, he doesn’t waver.

He has a dignified stance, without wavering.

It’s a kind of prayer stance.

It was the final figure of a devoted swordsman offered to the Goddess of Victory.

“I won’t kill you. But, I’ll have you lose badly.”

“Don’t mock me!!!”

Adora kicks the ground and closes in on Kuuga.

Agility unimaginable from his huge body.

He swung that speed, loaded onto the battle-axe raised above his head, as if to crush and slash Kuuga.

Kuuga stepped slightly to the left, away from the steel-colored torrent that became a waterfall of death.

He dodged it by a hair’s breadth.

The battle-axe, having crashed into the ground, cut through the carpet, shattered the floor, and pierced it.

However, Adora is also a first-class warrior.

By rotating his entire upper body by shifting his weight slightly with his right ankle, he turned the momentum that would normally create an opening.

The battle-axe changed direction as if bouncing off the ground.

It aimed for Kuuga’s flank at tremendous speed.

However, Kuuga is also a first-class swordsman.

He held his sword vertically and received the battle-axe.

Normally, it would shatter the sword and cleave Kuuga’s body in two.

Kuuga also knows that.

Because he knows it, he can perform the subsequent actions without any seams.

Manipulating the sword received vertically, he changes the direction of the sword so that the trajectory of the battle-axe slides as if it were slipping.

The direction of the sword. It changes from vertical to horizontal above his head.

In the meantime, the battle-axe had no resistance, as if it had been drawing that trajectory from the beginning.

It was only slicing through the air due to perfect handling.

“Wha—”

“Soft Sword Art ‘Willow Flow’.”

If you ask Kuuga, this world is full of flows of power.

It is ‘Willow Flow’ that reads and manipulates that flow of power, the tidal current.

In fact, I’ve had the experience of having that technique shown to me, but that was amazing.

A sight as if the sword he swung was avoiding Kuuga’s body on its own; the blade of the axe flowed away without even being able to graze Kuuga’s body.

Handling, handling, handling.

Kuuga gradually changed the sword he held with both hands to one hand, and continued to flow it further.

If someone who could see managed to spot it, it would be nothing but ridiculous.

Because a gentle man, a head shorter, was easily dealing with the full-power attack of a big man.

Before I knew it, Kuuga had even lowered the hand holding the sword.

“Y-you!!”

Anger appears on Adora’s face.

Yes, Kuuga was.

Dealing with the axe with his bare hands.

“No way, that’s amazing!”

Teg, next to me, is watching with shining eyes. Arius is also surprised.

Rir is expressionless as usual. I don’t know what she’s thinking.

“Is that so? If you train, anyone can do it.”

Kuuga replied to Teg’s words with light banter.

That attitude also rubs Adora the wrong way. The speed of his axe swing increases further, but Kuuga deals with even that perfectly.

What he is doing is simple if you put it into words.

He’s just lightly brushing the back or handle of the axe, or his arms or hands, to deviate its trajectory. Or flowing it to the ground and striking it down, or adding a hand to flow it above his head.

But, the level of what he’s doing is far more amazing.

One mistake, and his neck and torso would say goodbye. It looks like he’s crossing the line between life and death as if it were a game.

And yet he survives, and his concentration doesn’t break.

A technique of one left hand. This is the true form of Soft Sword Art ‘Willow Flow’.

The ultimate form of a self-defense technique.

The realm Kuuga has reached seems to exist far above what I had imagined.

That’s why he’s reliable.

Even now, Kuuga never stops training.

He continues to polish his techniques, his body, his heart.

That sword overwhelms others and slaughters the enemies in front of his eyes to protect his allies.

‘The Hundred-Slayer Sword King’, that is the man Kuuga, whom I rely on.

Gradually, fatigue appears on Adora’s face.

It’s not just fatigue. It’s a face of humiliation and a broken heart.

If you look closely, what Kuuga had been handling with his palm had become even more amazing.

It’s his fingers. He’s dealing with it with two fingers, the index and middle fingers of his left hand.

“D-damn it!!!!”

A desperate gamble. The axe was swung in a downward slash.

An attack that could be called the final blow, a desperate effort.

Kuuga raised his left hand.

And, he didn’t brush it aside or handle it.

Bam! A shock sound rang out.

A blow that should have certainly torn the skin, shattered the bone, and severed the arm.

However, there was nothing on Kuuga’s face.

There was no pain or suffering.

And, the left hand was.

It wasn’t slashed at all.

The axe hit the arm part, and stopped without being able to cut even a layer of skin.

“Hard Sword Art ‘Body Solidification’. By instantly constricting the meat to the limit, it’s a technique that doesn’t let blades or arrows pass through. Ideally, it would be great if I could do it with my whole body. But for now, I can only do it with my arms.”

“No, it’s weird that you can do it normally.”

Ignoring my remark, Kuuga brushed his arm casually.

It’s a simple movement for a big man like Adora, but Adora staggers and sits on his buttocks.

What’s on that face is an expression like a child whose heart has been crushed.

With the fact that he couldn’t even inflict a single scratch even with a blow that had absolute confidence, Adora died.

His confidence as a warrior.

Adora probably won’t be able to fight anymore. Because a heart broken to the point of complete ruin will never return to its original state again.

“So, I’m going to pass through here, is that alright? You understand that it’s useless to do any more than this, right?”

To Kuuga’s question, Adora could only nod.

Even if he resists in vain here, he can’t win against this man no matter what.

He realized that he couldn’t reach Kuuga either in talent or effort.

He won’t be able to fight anymore.

Poor thing.

Until he met Kuuga, the man named Adora was a good soldier whose confidence and ability matched.

Because he met an absolute powerhouse that couldn’t be helped by talent or effort, Adora was crushed.

“Come on, Gungrave. Let’s go.”

“Yeah.”

We pass by Adora and walk down the hallway.

During that time, Adora didn’t move at all.

No, I saw that he was just hanging his head and crying.

Well, it doesn’t have to do with us anymore, though.

“…”

As we advanced down the hallway, Rir suddenly looked back.

She is looking at the path we traveled, across the hallway.

“What’s wrong, Rir?”

“It’ll be troublesome if we get interrupted here.”

Troublesome?

“Is someone coming?”

“With my ears, I can hear the sound of several shoes from far away. But it’ll still take a while. Maybe they’re gathering numbers.”

“Rir, could you hear that?”

“No.”

Rir shook her head to deny it.

“I just thought about it, thinking about the future.”

“Ah… that’s what it is.”

From now on, we are going to face Gings. With hostility, at that.

At that time, it would be troublesome if guards or anyone else interrupted us.

“So, I’ll make a wall.”

When Rir raised her leg and stomped on the hallway with all her might.

Then, the light of Magi-Spell shone from her feet and transmitted through the hallway.

The hallway, about three meters away from us, bulged, and the ceiling also twisted its shape.

In the end, it blocked the hallway.

The twisted hallway there has become such a mess that not even one person can pass.

“With this, no one can pass.”

“Hey, hey, what will we do when we return?”

“According to the information, we can return if we take a considerably long detour from here. Besides, if Rir is here, I can fix this and pass through again, so it’s not a problem.”

Rir said that with a face that said it was nothing.

I secretly whispered to Arius.

“Can you do the same thing?”

“I think I could do it if I tried, but I can’t do it with Rir’s precision. It might become even more distorted than this, with gaps big enough for people to pass through. Above all, the magic power consumption is intense, too.”

In other words, she’s saying she can’t do the same thing easily.

Rir’s power, which does it lightly.

Probably, there’s some kind of mechanism in those shoes. I can see that it’s a one-of-a-kind item that has been adjusted and researched over and over again.

That’s not all.

Our equipment, of course, Rir’s own equipment is top-notch.

On the back of the lab coat she’s wearing, Magi-Spells too numerous to count are written, and the effects are a parade of defensive performance: durability, blade resistance, piercing resistance, fire resistance, cold resistance, and waterproof. Her clothes and pants have the same performance, and for her shoes, mechanisms that make you want to ask if they are legendary equipment are installed: ground manipulation, weight reduction, and hardening.

These are all made by Rir’s first-class development. The same goes for Teg’s bow.

‘Genius Inventor’ Rir. She is an indispensable existence for our squad.

The five of us. It has been proven that if each of us cooperates by bringing our respective strengths, we can even take down a castle.

But, just us isn’t enough.

“Teg. Gings’ office?”

“At the end of the hallway ahead.”

The five of us can survive even on the battlefield.

But we are a group that is useless at other things. That alone doesn’t function as a mercenary band.

Behind-the-scenes support that can tie our bonds stronger and protect the ring called a mercenary band.

Warmth that gives us the joy of surviving.

Teaches us the obvious fun of being with comrades.

Shuri, you are indeed an indispensable existence for us.

So, I’m going to go rescue you from now on.

With that determination in my heart, I stood before the door at the end of the hallway.

It hasn’t taken that much time up to this point. It must be a lightning operation.

“Let’s go.”

As if telling myself, I opened Gings’ room.

Inside were Gings and a woman I heard named Ecres.

I see, she is indeed cross-dressing. If I weren’t told, I might see a neutral, handsome boy.

Gings has a surprised face. So does Ecres.

“Gungrave…!”

“Yo, Gings-sama. As per the letter, I’ve come.”

I don’t think I need to use honorifics anymore. I’ll talk casually.

“How did you get here… What happened to the guards!”

“I knocked them all down and came here. It was easy. You could even say I passed through without a fight. The soldiers you trained aren’t much, are they?”

Of course, this is half true and half lie.

It was definitely an easy victory, but that was because I was with these guys.

Of course, I don’t intend to tell the truth like that.

While telling the truth, I blur it so it can be interpreted conveniently.

This is also a kind of negotiation technique.

Gings changed his expression from anger to resignation.

“Brother. It’s over now. I didn’t think they would knock down that many soldiers and come this far.”

“I suppose so. Well then, shall we report the state of affairs to the Lord? And, I’ll have you tell the truth from your own mouth. I have a rough idea of what happened, and I have information on my side too. Don’t think lies will work.”

“…Father is probably confined to his private room by my private soldiers by now. There is nothing left to say. Kill me or expose me, do as you like.”

Gings pulled his sword from his waist and threw it in front of us.

It’s unrefined, but he has a good sword. It’s a fairly fine sword, with a beautiful sharpness of the blade.

He throws it at me.

…There’s no trap. Even if I signal Teg, he can’t sense a trap.

It means there is no trap here.

“To think that a lord’s son would confine his lord. You, do you not want your life?”

Even though it’s his father or family, the opponent is the head who rules this fiefdom.

It can’t be that he’ll get away with confining such an opponent.

Considering the previous incident, including the act of handing him a poisoned wine glass while knowing the lord’s constitution, death is inevitable.

It’s a thorny path with very little chance of seizing a future.

“Why were you so obsessed with the position of Lord? If you think normally, if your brother could control domestic politics and you could control the military, you would have brought great profit to this fiefdom. If you both recognized your suitability and supported each other, at least this situation would not have happened.”

I’m saying this myself, but I think that is almost impossible.

To become a Lord means to gain the power to control both civil officials and the military.

If that happens, Gings, who controls and educates the military, will become a ‘hired store manager.’

His pride and passion are no different from being ‘kept.’

Above all, people have a part where they can’t throw away their upward ambition to aim for the top.

That’s especially true if they are aristocrats. They seek more wealth, more power, more land.

I am like that. I want to obtain a country. I’ve fought this far with that single mind.

Just because I spat out these words, there’s no way it would reach Gings.

Heh, in the first place, that I would spit out these lines.

Is it because I got involved with Shuri?

Has his kindness transferred to me a little?

“Actually, you know it too, don’t you, Gungrave?”

Gings, who had a smile on his face, said.

A mockery, and one directed not at me but at himself.

“In the end, I’m just a stupid man who drowned in power. You’re the same, aren’t you? You want power. You want wealth. That’s why you lead a mercenary band, walk from battlefield to battlefield, and get money by paying the lives of your subordinates, right?”

I felt Arius’s air quiver.

I wanted to get pissed off first, damn it.

If I get beaten to the punch, I have to stay calm.

If I get angry along with my subordinates, it’s not a conversation.

“That’s how it is. I was just a filthy human being. That’s all the talk. Kill me quickly.”

“I refuse.”

“What?”

Gings looked at me with a suspicious face.

“We have sworn not to kill anyone until we rescue Shuri. I won’t kill you either. I won’t kill your brother next to you. I won’t kill the Lord, and I won’t kill your subordinates either. That is our resolve.”

“Ha!! Do you want to escape responsibility by acting like a good person now!”

“No. I won’t kill for Shuri’s sake.”

“What did you say…?”

“Exactly as the words say. If we made a bloody path until we got here, we couldn’t face him. When he comes with us, we will never leave a single drop of blood on the road. That’s all.”

“There’s no way you can do something like that. When did the world-famous Gungrave Mercenary Band start saying such lukewarm things.”

“Since I met him.”

Yes, because we met him, we were able to come this far.

He who never says before everyone that he wants to go home.

He who never sheds tears and spills nostalgia unless he’s sick in bed.

Because we are the ones who bound him this far, this is about the only thing we can do.

At the very least, we want to protect that much.

“…Ha, then that’s fine.”

Gings pulled a dagger from his waist.

I wasn’t on guard because it was a type of ceremonial sword, but why here.

“I should take care of my own ending.”

With a quick motion, he put the ceremonial sword to his throat.

And pulled it at once.

“…!! !!!”

Fresh blood scatters.

Pat, pat, it scattered on the floor.

Red stains are spreading.

Gings was surprised.

Because he thought he had slit his own throat.

At the very last moment.

Because Ecres had put her hand in to prevent it.

“…Brother, why?”

Gings, who was absent-minded and dropped the ceremonial sword, asked Ecres.

His hand must have a deep wound.

Lacerations run from his palm to his upper arm, and blood is dripping.

However, Ecres neither felt pain nor raised her voice.

She just looked straight at Gings.

“Dying, you shouldn’t do such a stupid thing as dying by yourself!”

Ecres was shouting.

“In the first place, it was wrong from the start that Father tried to do something by dressing me up as a man. If the accumulated dissatisfaction and anxiety were tormenting Gings. It’s Father’s and my fault. It’s not Gings’ responsibility. If Gings is to be put to death. I will be put to death instead.”

“Ha?! There’s no way you can do that!”

“You just have to report this incident to the Niewbist side with me as the criminal and inform the people. As for Father, you just have to say you were threatened by me. It’s okay. No matter what happens. I will protect you.”

“Why!”

“Because I am your brother… no.”

Ecres laughed.

“Because I’m your sister… perhaps.”

At those words, Gings froze.

He froze and couldn’t move.

He just shed tears.

“You idiot…”

When Gings said that, he threw the ceremonial sword in front of me.

And, he stood in front of me and said.

“Gungrave-dono. Please forgive me for the rudeness this time. It is clear as day that you cannot sheath your sword. I know that. As an apology, please convict me… me, with that ceremonial sword. Kill me, torment me, I don’t care what you do.”

“You…”

I felt anger enough for blue veins to pop on my temples.

Does this brat think he’s forgiven just because he suddenly took a humble attitude?

“I know. An apology in this way is meaningless.”

“If you know, then why!”

Behind Gings, Ecres screamed.

“You mustn’t die! You still have to live! If you die, the military will run wild!”

“Certainly. But, I can’t think of any other way to solve this.”

“Stop fooling around.”

I suppressed the feeling of wanting to scream and squeezed it out.

“I wanted to get Shuri back and came here without killing anyone. Do you think I’ll let you kill yourself at the very end and ruin it?”

“Even so, there’s nothing else I can do now.”

“Wait!”

Between Gings and me, Ecres intervened.

Ecres, standing with her hands spread to protect Gings behind her, is looking straight into my eyes.

There was the figure of a sister trying to protect her only younger brother.

“I will give Gings appropriate punishment. I will return Shuri-kun too. I will hand over the reward, goods, and fiefdom. If it’s not enough, I will award a medal too. Please. Only killing Gings, please stop.”

“You, you were trying to escape with Shuri, weren’t you?”

Ecres freezes at my words.

“You were saying you didn’t want to be a successor, and were trying to take Shuri and escape, weren’t you?”

“Th-that is…”

“I can’t trust the words of someone like that.”

“I-indeed I didn’t want to inherit the fiefdom. I was striving to settle this fiefdom without problems, so that I could hand it all over to Gings.”

“Brother…?”

“…It’s true, Gings. I didn’t have any intention of becoming a successor. I was sharing the food I collected with the people as the time was right. Because if the Lord’s family monopolizes food, the backlash from the people is frightening. I was collecting it to distribute the wealth like that.”

“Then, the meaning of what I was doing…”

“No, whether it’s a pose or for real, you have to take that kind of attitude. If you don’t, you can’t maintain the faction, and you’ll invite distrust from your subordinates. It’s not meaningless.”

“But.”

“It’s something you did while thinking seriously about this fiefdom. I just followed up on you.”

“Hey, don’t change the subject.”

Since the path of the conversation was about to derail, I pressed her on that.

Ecres, this person is not to be let down.

It’s better not to lick the ability she’s had to handle domestic politics so far.

“What I want to say is, return Shuri. We talked in such a mess up to here, but that is all we seek. We don’t seek your apology that much. However, if it’s an apology, pay it in a tangible form. Exactly, a fiefdom, money, or whatever. We have become criminals, and on top of that, we have been confined, and our comrades have been captured. If you call it an apology, a corresponding—”

“There is no need for thaaaaat!!”

It was at that moment.

Suddenly, a voice rang out in the room.

The person who opened the door and literally tumbled in appeared before us.

It was the person I wanted to meet.

Separated for a long time, I had been thinking about how to save him.

We are very troubled if he is not here.

An important subordinate, comrade, and family.

Shuri Azuma appeared before us.

“The fighting is over!”