For the time being, I entrusted Galzerd, who had fainted inside the slime box, to Kohaku and returned to the Castle of Yuuron.
I couldn't put humans inside [Storage], but he was stinky when I pulled him out of the box. He might have had companions nearby, so it's not like I could also leave him unattended.
The battle was mostly over by the time I came back to the castle, and remains of the iron machine soldiers littered everywhere.
Uahー… I wanted to take a single undamaged unit home if possible, but… that's impossible now, I suppose. Oh well. Professor may be able to repair one without difficulty though.
Soldiers and maids were escaping from the castle in quick succession. The uproar was just that big after all.
By the time I returned to the throne, Tsubaki-san had already tied up Sol and that Bowman guy. Should I hand over Sol and Galzerd to Ferzen and Bowman to Rodomea?
「Your Majesty. What about Galzerd?」 (Tsubaki)
「I caught him. Kohaku is currently watching him」 (Touya)
Now then. Where is Jesty-san? Search magic couldn't be used because of the barrier, so I tried looking in the direction where the fake heavenly lord ran away to. Soon after, I bumped into a place in the middle of a long corridor where Jesty-san and the other two were looking down at the late fake heavenly emperor who was covered in blood. It seemed they'd achieved their long-cherished dream.
Jesty-san had cuts throughout his body, and he's holding a bloodstained sword in his hand. It didn't look like Sonia-san or Rengetsu-san gave him a hand. If those two people had joined the fight, there's no way for Jesty-san to receive that many wounds.
「It seems you've finished here」 (Touya)
「Yes.... Thank you very much. Thanks to you, I was able to defeat my father's enemy. My father should now be able to sleep peacefully now as well」 (Jesty)
I wonder, was he crying? His eyes were somehow red. He has managed to clear himself from the regrets of having his father mercilessly murdered, so I guess it's nothing to be wondering about, right?
「Let's get out of here for now. I'll send you to Brunhild later if you don't have a place to go to」 (Touya)
「Please do so」 (Rengetsu)
Rengetsu-san was the one who replied to what I had said. It somehow felt that Jesty-san was still absent-minded. I went to where Tsubaki-san was together with these three, and I saw that both Yae and Hilda had gotten out from their frame gears.
「Hmm? Those guys have certainly been in the 「Pruning Ceremony」…」 (Yae)
「Huh? It's true. They've been Elzie-san and Lucia-san's opponents…」 (Hilda)
「Ah, at that time...」 (Rengetsu)
「It were you two who were piloting those Frame Gears, right?」 (Sonia)
The four people had been the members of the two groups that fought against each other, but they weren't very much acquainted with each other because they didn't fight each other directly. The most that they knew was the face of the other party.
I properly introduced both Yae's group and Sonia's group to each other. Sonia's group were surprised when they'd heard that both Yae and Hilda were my fiancees, but they were even more surprised when I'd said that there are seven more people, including Elzie and Luu.
Aside from that revelation, I was worried about what to do to those iron machine soldiers littering outside. Though I'd be done with them if I could transfer them at once using [Gate]…
I was wondering where's the keystone of the barrier had been installed. Something like that was normally either in a corner within range or at the center… There was nothing in particular at the corners of the room. Wouldn't it be there, at the center of the imperial court? If it's the throne, then it was already destroyed…Ah.
The ones that caught my eyes were sparkling statues of golden dragons installed at both ends of the roof of the imperial court, shining as they faced each other from their places. Those reminded me of dolphin-like fishes which used to decorate the roof-ridges of Japanese castles. Say, is that a Seifun?
I drew Brynhildr and broke both of them to pieces in quick succession. Assuming that it's the magic tool that was creating the barrier, then it was an artifact that only Galzerd could use.
I tried to invoke [Fly] as a test after I had destroyed them, and I could now properly fly. As I'd thought. Those were the artifacts that were used to create a barrier, right? If only I noticed it earlier.
I immediately opened [Gate] and sent the remains of the iron machine soldiers to [Hangar].
It would be great if this capital became a livable place after the heavenly lord had disappeared though. No, another heavenly lord might appear, right? I felt that it was just a vicious cycle.
Technically, Jaofar had exterminated the other heavenly emperors, and it was clear that this country could no longer function as a normal country anymore.
I thought that making alliances between established mutual cities and choosing a leader amongst them was a better thing, but I ended up thinking that a strange leader might come into power since that person would be someone from Yuuron.
Not good, not good. Even if it's Yuuron, there should be an admirable person amongst its citizens, though I have yet to meet one…
This time, I got entwined with this country because there was the issue with the iron machine soldiers, but it would be better for someone from this country to do something about it as much as possible.
There were rumors of Yuuron cities close to Hanock wanting to incorporate themselves into Hanock. Neighboring countries might soon take the territories of Yuuron little by little.
After all, quarrels between relatives of the royal family broke out after they'd been attacked by the Fraze. I suppose it's out of the question then. They might be out at this point in time.
There was a manufacturing facility for iron machine soldiers in the basement of the castle. However, it's no longer working because nothing remained after what seemed to be an evacuation. It would've been troublesome if it was utilized again, so let's thoroughly destroy it and leave the castle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, I traveled to Rodomea to deliver Bowman. Of course, they said they wouldn't send him to the mines since it's going to be capital punishment this time. A lot of people from Yuuron became sacrifices due to the prisoner that had escaped from Rodomea. He was told that he must compensate for it. This was how severe the punishment of the statewide governor had descended.
The problem was on the side of Ferzen where I had delivered the two other people. Sol was rather fine, but Galzerd was disliked terribly. He's stinky, so It couldn't be helped.
To make matters worse, Sol didn't know that much and Galzerd ended being dazed even when we had tried gathering information out of him. He was in a state where it was unknown to us if he could hear what we were saying or not.
His eyes were empty and saliva was dropping. He occasionally laughed by himself with a 「Eheee, ehehee...」and showed a cramped smile. Did I overdo it?
「Sovereign King... What in the world did he smell or hear?」(Boulange)
「... Just made him smell and hear something. To make him reflect 」(Touya)
Inside the underground prison of Ferzen, the king pinched his nose while looking at the shell of what once the chief of the [Golden Association]. He also sent a scornful glare at me.
It seemed I could have a peace of mind since there was a barrier that prevented magic from being used in this jail, but the smell could be removed.
We could no longer withstand the smell so we got out of the underground prison. Having gone outside to the courtyard, I then inhaled delicious air to fill my lungs.
「Nevertheless I still smell something bad...」(Touya)
I sniffed my own clothes and I somehow felt that the smell of the sludge slime was slightly sticking to me. I think there is a deodorizing magic in this world if I'm not mistaken. Let's look for it inside [Library] next time.
The King of Ferzen took out a perfume from somewhere and sprayed it on himself. I also borrowed it and glossed it over the smell. I was completely wrapped with the smell of citrus mint, so I should've been safe now.
However, how good of him to hold on to something like this. I thought it didn't suit him, but he probably was carrying an item like this because he wholeheartedly didn't want to be disliked by his fiancee, Elisha-san, due to his ardor.
「By the way, Sovereign king. Umm, do you remember the guild master of the [Mystic chamber of commerce and industry] of our country?」(Boulange)
「[Mystic chamber of commerce and industry]? Ah, that fishy looking guy wearing sunglasses…」 (Touya)
If I'm not mistaken, was he called Lizes? He's the master of a huge guild which managed the magicians, merchants, and craftsmen of Ferzen.
「There are three submasters working under him, but one of those three disappeared this morning. This item was found after searching the house of this person」 (Boulange)
What the Ferzen king took out from his pocket was a circular pendant made of gold with a heptagon inscribed in it. It's the proof of membership for the [Golden Association].
「I wonder, did he panic when he learned that Galzerd was caught?」 (Touya)
「Probably, I guess. Furthermore, he seems to be part of a conspiracy to assassinate me」 (Boulange)
As a result of raiding his house, evidence like this seemed to come out from everywhere. It certainly looked like Galzerd aimed at Ferzen from outside and this submaster — from inside.
「Then, it's regarding the taboo magic that those guys were trying to do but…」 (Touya)
「It is [Sanctuary]. In layman's terms, it's a [Domination] kind of magic」(Boulange)
(ED: It's supposed to be 「Sanctuary"Sanctuary"」if directly translated, but those two words were written differently. One is in Kanji while the other is in Katakana. Those two words usually have a different meaning that's hard to encapsulate once translated into English, so a synonym has been used to somehow replicate this. How much that captures the essence of the original text is very doubtful though.)
「[Domination]?」 (Touya)
「I've heard this from the court magician Rudou though, but it appears to be a form of magic from the system of the so-called mind manipulation group. The most terrifying aspects of this magic are the potential to invoke it at a large scale and the fact that the people under its effects won't even know that they are being controlled」 (Boulange)
Is it a form of brainwashing? Like inserting the convenient thoughts into unconscious subconsciousness, with subliminal effects.
「Under this [Sanctuary], everything becomes natural no matter how unreasonable it is. Galzerd probably planned on using this to try to establish a country with a doctrine around magical supremacy, I think」(Touya)
Unfortunately for us, we didn't seem to know the condition for invocation and a lot of other things. Sol was a warrior that could use magic to a certain extent, yet he hardly knew about this based on the information we'd gathered. Also, Galzerd was still in that sorry state.
「It can't be helped. Should I ask a person who seems to know about it?」 (Touya)
「What?」 (Boulange)
Taboo magic was an ancient magic that the ancient kingdom had created. In that case, it was quicker to ask the person who lived at that time than to fumble in the dark.
I took out my smartphone from my pocket and made a call to a certain person. The other party answered the call after three rings.
「Hello? Professor?」 (Touya)
『Yes~Yes~ However, I feel a little distant when you call me [Professor]. Won't you call me [Regina] since I'm your lover?』 (Regina)
Professor Babylon answered with very little tension. What lover? Since when did I acknowledge her?
「So Professor, I want to hear a little something」 (Touya)
『Muu. Do you intend to persist about it till the end? … Oh well. It's fine. Then?』(Regina)
「Do you know this magic called "Sanctuary"?」 (Touya)
『[Sanctuary]? Let me think… Ah! It's an extensive mind domination magic. So what's about it?』 (Babylon)
「Do you know the condition or the ceremony for its invocation?」 (Touya)
『Haー, Sacrifices with strong magic power and belonging to the same race as the person who will do the invocation are necessary. The bigger the range of invocation, the larger number of sacrifices will be required. Oh well, it won't be a problem if there is a source of vast magic power to act as a substitute for those who will be sacrificed』 (Regina)
Sacrifices, you say? This reeks of blood. Oh well, this condition is often the reason why such magic tends to become taboo magic.
『However, the effect disappears when leaving the effective range of the magic. Also, it wasn't used very often because it wasn't effective against people who are strong in magic』 (Regina)
「Eh? Seriously!?」 (Touya)
『It certainly is like that. Basically, it might have only been used in prisons for ordinary criminals condemned to life imprisonment at most. Even so, using that magic was limited to a number of countries. Paruteno didn't even use that method』(Regina)
What's that? I guess it might have been used in certain places to prevent the inhabitants from raising a mutiny, but would the user go as far as using sacrifices to achieve that purpose? Did they use criminals sentenced to capital punishment as sacrifices, maybe? I wondered about that scenario as well.
「Then, the idea of invoking [Sanctuary] on the whole country…」 (Touya)
『There's not much meaning to it. Besides, how many sacrifices do you think that magic will need to cover an entire country? Isn't it impossible not to go to war with another country for that amount? Not to mention that a steady stream of sacrifices is also needed for the effect to continue. Humanity would go extinct if someone did something as useless as that』(Regina)
Indeed. Declaring war against Ferzen and sacrificing people who will be killed in action to invoke [Sanctuary]. Is that how it's supposed to be? I guess Ferzen magic soldiers are mostly elite with high magic power, so they're suitable as sacrifices.
Nevertheless, it seemed the association didn't understand the basic principle of this magic. Its effect would disappear if anyone went outside of its effective range. Such a country would seem impractical to rule over with that brainwashing. Also, further sacrifices were needed to keep it functional. Did they intend to continue fighting forever?
The association might have learned the method for invocation from an old document they've found somewhere. However, were the important parts missing or were they unable to decipher the basic principle from that text they've found?
「I see. I understand. Thank you」(Touya)
『Oops! I also have something I want to ask. I would like you to show me the continuation of the [Anime] from the previous day』(Regina)
「Muu… I guess it's okay, but pulling out an all-nighter just to continue watching it is not okay.」(Touya)
『I understand-I understand. I promise』(Regina)
I'd shown her the original anime that was the reference for the Fragarach, but it might have been a mistake. Though I'd only shown her one series since that show was a metaseries... It would probably serve as a reference for a lot of future ideas. Wouldn't she make a frame gear without legs sooner or later because of this? That type of robot was used for space and not ground purposes, you know?
At any rate, I told to the King of Ferzen about the contents I had heard from Professor. He was surprised at the contents initially, but he then nodded as he listens to the talk in agreement.
「I see. Due to the other parts regarding the effectiveness of that sanctuary and so on not being passed down, the other party probably regarded it as a terrifying forbidden magic, right?」(Boulange)
「No, I don't think it was necessarily a mistake. If they could insert the thought of [Going outside sanctuary is very bad thing], it could be managed some way or the other. Nevertheless, it doesn't change the fact that the magic is terrifying」(Touya)
They could create a place based on their ideals despite the limitations. Thinking about it like a prison mentioned a little while ago, wouldn't it make much of a sense now? Sacrificing condemned criminals to bind prisoners with that magic would totally leave out the issue about human rights. I guess I feel that it is classified as taboo magic is natural after all.
「Well, then it means that for [Golden Association] this magic is…」(Boulange)
「…something that was totally irrelevant」(Touya)
They are pitiful given the situation they are in. They are the daydreamers who cling to something that doesn't exist, I guess.
「However, it's problematic they still have followers who still believe in that concept. According to the story we've gotten from Sol, the [Golden Association] has quite a lot of members. Additionally, they should still possess a lot of iron machine soldiers, shouldn't they? Their chief has been caught, so their sole ray of hope is the magic [Sanctuary]. What those guys will do... No, the only course of action those guys can take is…」(Touya)
「Your majesty!! Objects resembling iron machine soldiers and armed wooden golems have appeared near the national border with Yuuron! The report states that they number over 3000, and they're marching toward the royal capital!!」(Soldier)
One soldier rushed over to us and made a report while being out of breath.
Well, that will surely happen of course.
However, were wood golem even mixed in as well? That Bowman guy really did something very unnecessary.
「Wha~, 3000 in numbers…?!」(Boulange)
I called out to the King of Ferzen who opened his eyes wide after hearing the numbers.
「…Shall I lend a hand?」(Touya)
「Is it alright?」(Boulange)
「One of our units getting stolen is originally one of the causes for this scenario. I'm also getting quite irritated at them」(Touya)
My hands are already full with the matter regarding the Frazes. Do they think I can understand if troublesome things keep increasing any further?
────I will annihilate those guys right here.