"The fact that Nina has been taken captive is too painful a loss…"
"Yes…"
Both n sighed at the sa ti. Nina, the master of lightning magic, was absent. If she had been participating in the defense of Tosh, the situation would have been far more favorable. She could have swept away the enemy with lightning strikes from behind the sturdy wall. Without her, their offensive capabilities in this defensive battle were lacking.
Furthermore, because she was being held hostage, they couldn't act recklessly against the enemy. It was the reverse of a perfect double-edged sword.
"Is there no other move we can make?"
"Well… We have currently dispatched scout units. We should be able to obtain so information soon…"
The Supre Commander answered. In reality, this decision was both correct and a mistake.
Rigel was currently absent from the Goussel Marquis Army, which had temporarily withdrawn from the capital's walls. Although the Goussel Marquis Army had achieved continuous victories since the battle on the border plains, most of their combat strength depended on Rigel personally. Without him, there were plenty of ways to deal with them.
In hindsight, if they had pursued the Goussel Marquis Army with their full force instead of just sending scouts, the Valenstein Kingdom would still have had a chance of victory. They could have routed the army without Rigel, rescued the captured Nina and Le Kaine, sohow restored their sanity from Rigel's brainwashing, and then returned to a solid defense using the walls and mortars while deploying the Three Princesses and Kaine when necessary.
However, who could bla the Supre Commander for choosing to "send scouts and observe the situation first"? If they had pursued with the full army and Rigel had been present, it would have been the kingdom's forces that were annihilated. Besides, no one could have predicted that the enemy's supre commander would leave his army at such a critical mont.
As the king and Supre Commander were pondering their next move—
"Excuse !"
A man rushed into the room. He was not a ssenger.
"What is it, Pri Minister?"
The king asked. The man who had entered was the Pri Minister of the kingdom. If the Supre Commander was the head of military affairs, the Pri Minister was the head of political affairs. He was also the man who had reduced various budgets to increase military spending out of concern for the nation's military strength.
After bowing to the king, the Pri Minister spoke with slight excitent.
"There appears to have been an anomaly in the underground aqueduct!"
"The underground aqueduct? Ah, the place that has been causing that terrible stench lately. I received reports that so problem had occurred because you cut the waterworks budget."
"Yes, regarding that matter… The stench has suddenly disappeared just a short while ago."
"What…?"
"The cause is unknown, but at least there is no longer any foul odor near the entrance."
"Hmm… I see. That is a small piece of good news."
The king thought for a mont, then imdiately raised his head.
"Bring Norn here."
He gave the order with a slight sense of relief.
---
"Hmm… Ever since we defeated that King Sludge Sli, the air in the underground aqueduct has improved dramatically."
Rigel spoke with a refreshed expression. The unpleasant stench from earlier had vanished like a lie. In fact, the air even felt sowhat clean.
"So that sli really was the cause after all?" Amand asked.
"Yeah, no doubt about it. The dostic wastewater flowing from the capital is dirty, but it should normally be diluted and washed away by the underground waterway. Sowhere along the line, a blockage must have occurred. That's what allowed a King Sludge Sli of that size to form."
"I-I see… Now that the cause has been removed, the stench is gone too…"
"Exactly. At this point, it almost feels refreshingly like a forest."
In truth, calling it "forest-like" was a bit of an exaggeration. While the passage was fairly wide, it was still an underground aqueduct. Thanks to the lighting magic tool Rigel brought, they had decent visibility, but it was far from a comfortable environnt. The airflow was poor, so the lingering scent of the Sludge Sli still remained.
Even so, it was undeniably much better than before. Rigel and Amand continued walking in silence for a while.
Then—
"Uuu… W-Wait a second~…"
A pathetic voice ca from behind. The owner was, of course, the exhausted Amand. She looked like she was about to collapse at any mont.
"What's wrong? Are you already at your limit?"
Rigel turned around and asked. His expression showed clear exasperation.
"I-It's not like that…! Well, maybe it is… but please slow down a little! I'm at my physical limit here!!"
Amand desperately pleaded while gasping for breath. Seeing her like this, Rigel shrugged lightly.
"What a pathetic woman. And you call yourself a forr squad captain? The na 'Amand, who will one day beco a Sword Saint' is going to cry."
"Ugh!? E-Even so, I still t the standards for a squad captain! This underground aqueduct just has thin air…! You must be getting tired too, right!?"
"I'm fine. My training is on a different level."
"Grr…!"
Unable to argue back, Amand grit her teeth. Seeing her reaction, Rigel let out a weary sigh.
"If we don't hurry, there won't be much point in using the secret passage. I don't really care about those weaklings in the main force we left behind, but it'd be bad if sterica got hurt. We also left the captive Princess Nina and Kaine behind."
Rigel's combat ability, enhanced by his cheat skill **[Rape]**, had already reached an abnormal level. In a one-on-one fight, he was confident he could beat almost anyone, and against regular soldiers, he believed he could win even against 100 opponents. However, that was only in direct combat.
He didn't possess any detection abilities that would let him know if his distant main force was in danger. That was why he was walking at a fairly brisk pace. That said, he wasn't extrely panicked — he was confident he could turn things around even if the situation beca sowhat unfavorable.
"Haa… haa… B-But still…"
Amand tried to argue back while panting heavily, but she could barely even speak properly anymore.
(Tch…!)
Rigel clicked his tongue softly after seeing her state. He let out a small sigh and said:
"Fine. Then I'll leave you here. Co at your own pace."
With that, he started walking again. Amand was montarily relieved, but she quickly realized sothing critical.
"H-Hey, wait! What about the lighting magic tool!? Without it, it'll be pitch black and I won't be able to see anything!"
Amand desperately tried to stop him. Rigel continued walking without paying her any attention. Losing their only light source in the underground aqueduct ant being left behind in total darkness.
Furthermore, although they weren't as dangerous as the Sludge Sli, monsters and beasts still lived in these passages. They had stayed hidden because of Rigel's powerful aura and magic, but if Amand were left alone, the chances of her being attacked were high. She absolutely had to stop him.
"W-Wait!! Please, don't leave behindeeee!!!"
Amand scread in a tearful, desperate voice. Hearing her pitiful cry, Rigel's feet finally stopped. A sadistic smile had ford on his face. His crotch was visibly bulging.
"If you're going to beg that much, I guess I have no choice… Seriously, what a troubleso woman."
Rigel turned around with a wicked grin. His expression was that of a complete sadist.
"—Hii!"
The mont she saw his face, Amand's expression froze. Fear filled her eyes.
"I was getting bored just walking anyway… The air has gotten better too. Shall we have so fun while we move?"
Saying that, Rigel slowly approached her. His face had completely turned into that of a predator.
User Comments
0 comments from readers