Trinitas Mundus

Episode 57: Scouts

Stella was on her way to the lobby on the ground floor of Alliance headquarters with defensive commander Randall Ogburn. Stella used to remember Ray telling me that he wanted to ask me something.

(At that time, Lady Ray (the one) said, "... I'm creating a trap to destroy the enemies I pulled into the East End, but I really couldn't figure out a way to activate the trap. It's really the most dangerous job, so I hate to leave it to you..." you said. And that I'm the only one who can... I've never been so depended on by that one. I want to live up to that trust no matter what......)

She knew the role she had been given and was going to do anything to meet his trust. Trying to be sure to accomplish it even if you're going to lose your life for it.

(But when I told her about it, she scolded me terribly. “If you're going to lay down your life, I can't leave you to it! I don't want you or Ash to die! I don't want anyone else to die either... I don't like people dying in my planned operation!". That one said, "I know my thoughts are sweet," but I don't think so. That one might be able to protect the city without killing his people......)

I was glad Ray cared about himself, but Stella was worried that his heart was too kind at the same time.

(... yes, that one was depressed after the Millis Valley - the land of heavy fighting in the eastern part of the Kingdom of Lax. I didn't know how to be depressed. Mr. Renzi - the beastly woman mercenary of the Marcut mercenary regiment, killed in action on an assassination mission by an enemy commander - had a slight chest ache when he died, but was nevertheless immediately accepted. But that guy looked really sad when he heard his buddy died after the fight... so I won't die. Because I don't want to see that sad face of yours. So the only time I'm going to die is when I'm going to take his place...)

And Randall walking in front catches one of the captains.

"We were to leave it to Stella to finish the example trap. Stella takes command of it. I'll explain. Gather the scouts."

An hour later, nearly fifty veteran adventurers were gathered. They had a shorter sword or a smaller bow in the leather armor they used. The oldest of them was a sharply eyed beast man in his late thirties.

Randall stood before them,

"You are to be entrusted with the best task of annihilating the Demons. I mean, it's your job to make sure the trap works."

Everyone was snorting at the words with a tempered face. But Randall's next words turned him into an expression similar to anger.

"The command is here. Stella will take it! Some of you don't know, but this is the strong man from the Mercenary Corps of Markat (Red Arms). I'm familiar with this trap because you're helping me with my staff."

One veteran adventurer rebels against the word.

"That's crazy. Why should we listen to a lady like that?

A lot of people in that voice say, "Yes, yes."

Randall laughs niggly when he sees how it goes.

"I thought you'd say that. Then fight this Stella."

And then he turned to Stella and said, "What's your level?," he asked in a mild tone.

Stella answers, "It's swordsman level forty-five," calmly and in tone, even though she was suddenly told the story. The adventurers, who were leaking their displeasure at the words, also lose their words and quiet back as if they had struck water. Because no matter how powerful the Red Arms are, I couldn't imagine a girl who only seemed to be in her mid-teens, beyond level forty.

"I'll say it again! Disgruntled guys don't mind party-by-party. Fight this Stella and my staff Ray Arklight, Red Arm Hamish's daughter, Ashley Marcut's party! I'll tell you what! Even I'm totally sorry to fight these guys! They're the ones who make me feel like I don't want to fight Level 82, Second Class Mercenaries!

Silence in the words, but one adventurer stood up quietly.

"Not that I don't believe what Mr. Randall said, but I'll keep an eye on the arm of the guy who keeps his life."

The man turned to Stella and said, "I'm Radice. Lady, would you please gently match me," she bows her head gently.

The adventurer, who named himself Radice, was a small cat tribe man in his late thirties, dressed in scratchy leather armor, with a thick, single-edged songblade knife like a bamboo on his waist. In addition, a small knife for throwing is placed on the belt, and a thin rope is hung in a circle on the right side of the belt.

Everyone nodded at Ladis' words and Randall saw Stella with the look of having no choice. She also nodded, "If you're all comfortable with it".

Zorozolo leaves outside the Alliance headquarters, and at some point a prepared wooden sword is handed to both of them.

Ladis said, "You can also use a throwing sword. Of course, I'll let you use it," he said, putting up a wooden sword.

Stella intuited that this man named Ladis was a pretty good user. But I also knew that there was no such thing as being in the Mercenary Corps.

(This guy is quite a user. But there's no such horror as Gareth of the Mercenaries - Gareth Ayling, captain of the most squadron and level seventy-five swordsman - or Lazareth - Lazareth Dawell, captain of the third squad and level seventy double-swordsman. If it's just the arm of the sword, it's just like me or a little above......)

Stella stands about ten meters away from Ladis, holding the wooden sword to drool, waiting for the signal of initiation. Meanwhile, Radis also held the sword with his left hand and stood it in nature without feeling it.

Randall had no choice but to serve as a referee for the simulated battle between Stella and Ladis, but he regretted it only a little.

(I thought you'd be convinced if I told you. Ladis' guy, what are you thinking? He should have been the one who could tell the story... but I don't know what else to do)

"If one of you decides I can't go on, pull your hand. Don't get hurt in vain in here. All right, here we go!

Stella lowered her posture at once on Randall's signal and approached her at once.

Her wind-like speed leaks a similarly sighing voice from the adventurers around her.

But Ladis didn't move when he saw it. When he grabbed the rope lightly with his right hand, he flew it to her feet like a whip.

Stella tried to deflect herself by flying the thrown rope. But the rope lifts like a twist, tangled like a creature on her right leg.

And Ladis laughs niggardly. He pulled the rope and tried to pull her down.

Stella was still calm. The moment the rope was tangled, he threw away his right-hand sword, pulled out his throwing sword and threw it at Radice's disposal.

Ladis couldn't keep up with that quick move and avoided throwing his sword by releasing the rope he had no choice but to pull.

Still further Stella ignored the sword she threw away and headed towards Ladis with the momentum as it stood.

Ladis expected her to see the gap and pick up the sword. But I notice an error in my own judgment, and I tongue it a little.

He got around to the back there.

The fact that scouts who specialize in ambushes turn to the rear leads directly to defeat. The adventurers around him also sat back and watched how it went.

Stella cares nothing about the surrounding interests and so on, pulling out two throwing swords and throwing one sharply at Radice's feet. To avoid that throwing sword, Radice was reflexively jumping to the side.

That was her aim.

Stella only pretended to throw a throwing sword at the defenseless flank of Radice, who jumped to the side, where she stopped moving.

Ladis sees how it goes, says, "Here it is," and raises his hand.

Randall said, "You had a fight, Ladis. You can win Stella," he tells Ladis, nodding at it, too.

Ladis laughed,

"It's been a long time since I couldn't win an ambush using a rope. And it's thoughtful. Normally I don't let go of my sword, and when I'm unarmed, I hang on to pick it up. I was obsessed with taking the lead at the expense of that time. If this is all you can make instantly, you can keep your life."

He then yelled out loud at his surroundings.

"I'll be the one to deal with the guy who complains! I don't think there's a guy who can look at that and complain, but I won't allow him to complain about Stella's partition!

Randall understood Radice's intentions.

He is a second-degree adventurer who is also placed at first and second sight from veteran adventurers. That if he lost using a move that could be described as his wife's hand, everyone would be convinced. If he did win, I guess he was going to admit Stella's command for some reason.

Radice's intentions were correctly understood by the veterans. And because the veterans recognized Stella's command, the relatively young adventurers also had to recognize Stella as their commander.

Stella was confused by the situation, but bowed her head to Radice and thanked him, "Thank you," she said.

"I didn't do anything to be thankful," Ladis tapped her shoulder with a pong. Randall, who saw it,

"You're good with this! I'm telling you, you guys are the stars of this one. I need you to support my young Stella!

The adventurers raised their voice “Ooh!" and headed with Stella to the East End.

Randall looked at the sight,

(What a clumsy bunch of guys. I guess I can't get under the command of a young woman if I don't do these “rituals”. I guess most guys were going to admit it from the start......)

He looked at Radice's considerations,

(The adventurers of this city are about to be one. Drop your pride but try to protect the city... this could win. And then at what time the enemy will strike...)

He thought about what if the enemy moved faster and skipped instructions one after the other to the captains of the defense.

Stella went down to the ground floor with Randall to take command of the scouts, and after Ashley went outside the city to train young adventurers, the leftover Ray headed to the Information Section with Professor Lionel Raspade, who is coming from the academic city (Doctus).

They went to hang the puppet magic on the captives of the Little Ghost Clan.

As he walked, Raspade began explaining to Ray the magic of the puppet Kutsuku.

"I think you already understand that puppet magic is what binds a subject's soul. I'll leave the way you imagine it, but it's important to use needle-shaped magic props on the magic crystals in people's bodies - like the crystals of magic that people and demons have..."

In Raspade's description, the puppet's magic was to bind the soul of a person by embedding needle-shaped puppet's magic props in the demonic crystal stone part that a person or demon held in his body. The Demonic Crystal Stone is not crystallized while it is alive, it is like a mass of magic that is said to crystallize with death, and is said to be the soul of a person or demon, that is, life itself.

"... This is my hypothesis, but I'm thinking that that needle-shaped demonic prop will lose its entity when it enters the body, just like the process by which the Demonic Crystal Stone is produced. In other words, just as there is no demonic crystal stone in the living organism, if that demon prop is also put in the body, it will be converted into pure magic and lose its entity..."

Raspade went on to talk about his own hypothesis.

"... and when the magic tools are assimilated into the body, the consciousness of the surgeon and the surgeon will be in tune? If so, it will explain that the surgeon possesses the knowledge of the surgeon."

"Does that mean that when you hang the puppet technique, the spirit connects between the hanging magician and the hanging one, and you can manipulate it freely?

Raspade nodded loudly,

"That's what I thought. But we need to hang the puppet's magic once to make sure of it. If your memory is in the subject, my hypothesis will be substantiated."

Ray nods at it and confirms the steps to hang the puppet's magic.

"You hang puppet magic on the captives of the little ghost tribe who are not magicians and make sure the magic is working. At that time, if the enchanted suffer, interrupt immediately and remove the magic item. That's good."

Initially, Raspade insisted that the experiment should continue even if there were victims in the Little Ghost tribe, but he swallowed that demand without stopping because Ray, the executor, was hard against it.

"I don't mind that. Just because I'll make sure you're really in pain. They know the magic of puppets, so there's no denying the possibility of hitting a play."

Then, when I go to the Intelligence Division, an official leads the two of them to a small room for interrogation. There were three armed guild officials in that room and Lloyd from the Intelligence Division, familiar with the Rays.

"Mr. Randall told me to help with the interrogation," Lloyd said, sitting in the chair.

The captives of the Little Ghost tribe looked exhausted. After being taken prisoner, they did not eat or drink at all because they tried to bite off their tongues every time they tried to make them eat.

The Little Ghost Warrior, when he admits Ray's appearance, stares with hatred.

But he looked around to be vigilant about what he was going to do.

Raspade took out the needle, the puppet's demonic prop, without worrying about the appearance of the Little Ghost Clan.

"Put your magic into this magic tool first. If you can imagine, imagine using the power of the Spirit of Darkness."

Ray held the needle offered carefully with his right hand, lifting it in front of him once, and after looking at it, meditated quietly on his eyes. And I started magic by trying to cover the needle with my left hand.

Raspade is right, he imagined the power of the Spirit of Darkness, so that objects like the Black Thistle are sucked into the needle.

Raspade looked at the sight,

"Excellent. It's really great, Mr. Arklight. A little more... Okay, that'll be enough"

Ray stopped the infusion of magic on Raspade's signal. If you look at the needle again, it was originally black and shiny like obsidian, but the magic had turned it into a graphite-like, lustrous needle. That looked disastrous to Ray, and he accidentally flaunted his face.

"Then put it up in the middle of the subject's back. Lloyd, you need to hold this subject still."

Lloyd ordered the two officers of the escort to press the face of the Little Ghost clan against the floor to secure it. The Little Ghost tribe didn't seem to know what the Rays were doing, but they started to resist when they were tortured of some sort because they were slammed out of their backs and held down. But it was no better than the power of the two officials, and I could only roar uh-huh.