I awoke in a hotel bed, reveling in the satisfaction of a well-deserved nap. Despite the lateness of the hour, executing a meticulously planned four-year scheme had taken its toll. The feeling of accomplishment when everything falls into place is truly unparalleled.
The suspicions implicating the Jacinto Kingdom as the culprit should have already been confirmed with a public announcement. While the severity of the situation undoubtedly shocked the people in the capital, I estimated having a couple of days to calm the public down. The situation would stabilize with Princess Isabella's ascension to the throne and the imminent arrival of army troops in the capital.
In essence, an easy win.
'Sometimes I'm surprised at my own intellect.'
Satisfied with the situation, I rose from bed, intending to open the window curtain to bask in the sunlight and gain a clear view of the center of the capital.
Yeah...
I should've had a clear vision.
To my puzzlement, the entire center of the capital was engulfed in black smoke, emanating from burning commercial stores and vehicles. Amid my bewilderment, screams reverberated from almost every corner.
"Get everything out of that store!!!!"
"Burn everything!!!
"..."
What on earth is happening? Not even three hours had passed since the public announcement, and I found myself thoroughly let down by the unfolding chaos. Frowning, I began to collect my thoughts.
'No, wait. Isn't this situation my fault in the first place?'
Admittedly, I had endangered national security, fully aware that such a situation could transpire.
Not so soon, though!
I hoped fervently that no lives had been lost. The thought of carelessly causing the death of innocent civilians terrified me. Regardless, I needed to resolve the situation promptly.
Fortunately, I possessed a highly convenient solution—magic.
Do you lack the physical strength to defeat an enemy? Are you not fast enough to reach your destination? Do you need to bring your glass of Coca-Cola closer but are too lazy to get up?
Magic was the answer, a trap card that could resolve anything!
With that in mind...
[ High-Level Magic: Omnidirectional Perception ]
In a microsecond, a vast amount of mana expanded from my body, covering the entire capital. It happened so swiftly that no one in the capital could detect it. Omnidirectional Perception provided me with complete comprehension of everything within its area of effect.
"There are a large number of burned shops in the center of the capital but... I can't detect anyone dead so far."
To my surprise and relief, no deaths had occurred. The riots had just started, and the smoke had alerted people to flee the scene quickly.
"Plan A to resolve this situation would be to wait for the Herssian army to arrive. Unfortunately, I don't know exactly when they will arrive."
Hence, Plan B became the more appealing option.
[ High-Level Magic: Long Distance Communication ]
A dialing sound resonated in my mind. It felt somewhat awkward.
Ring, Ring, Ring.
A female voice responded to my call.
["...Brigadier General Franz, can you hear me?"]
Was it my imagination, or did she sound upset?
"Yes, I can hear you well, Lieutenant Colonel Angelica. Please listen carefully. I need to teleport the entire army to the capital right now because riots started to break out."
["...Roger... I'll inform the colonel of the situation immediately."]
"Great. Then I'm going to send you guys to the outskirts of the capital. I'll let you know when—"
My sentence was abruptly interrupted by Angelica.
["You'd better get ready when we arrive and the situation is under control... Because the Colonel and the rest of the army officers have a lot to talk about with you," Angelica said with a very cold tone.
After that, the call was abruptly cut off.
"..."
A chill quickly ran down my spine.
Forget everything I said about how magic can solve all your problems.
I was wrong, terribly wrong...
Just thinking about the conversation I'm going to have with the Colonel and the other army officers made my hands shake.
What does it matter if I am humanity's strongest warrior?
Faced with social relationships and enraged colleagues, none of that is useful!
"Anyway, I'd better head to the designated area to bring them here."
I sighed heavily and soon disappeared from the room.
A few minutes later.
"What is the meaning of this?" I asked, shocked.
After performing the teleportation magic, the army quickly dispersed throughout the capital to stop any illegal acts and ensure the safety of the citizenry.
However, I chose to go alone.
Previously, when I used omnidirectional perception magic, I detected the presence of a magician with a significant amount of mana in the capital. This discovery struck me as suspicious, prompting me to investigate further. What I found was unexpected.
Two young women, seemingly sisters, were chained with black mana chains, surrounded by at least twenty menacing men and a powerful mage as their leader.
The most absurd part was that the leader wasn't an ordinary magician.
He was an Archmage.
What the hell is happening here?
"Stay away from my sister!"
The older sister, futilely attempting to resist and protect her sibling, was immobilized by the potent spell.
"...Well, I can't let them get kidnapped like that anyway..."
As the sisters trembled in fear, I appeared out of nowhere next to the older sister.
"Huh?" The older sister responded with a surprised expression.
"Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Franz."
"H-Hello," she replied, still in shock.
"Hmm, just to be sure... You two aren't criminals, right?" I asked, exchanging glances with the girls and the Archmage.
It was essential to approach these situations without prejudice. Hindering a criminal capture would be awkward, especially considering my belief in gender equality.
"Boss, what do we do?" said one of the men.
"...Get rid of him. It's not good to leave witnesses," the Archmage answered.
The group of nameless minions quickly pointed their swords at me.
'Well, I guess this answers everything,' I thought, letting out a sigh.
"Die, bastard!!"
One sword attacker aimed for my neck, while another went for my heart.
Calmly, I drew a normal-looking sword from the right side of my waist and deflected both attacks without much trouble. But before the criminals could react, my sword let out a roar as it suddenly changed into a completely new form.
Out of nowhere, a short sword with a bright red hilt and a rusty blade appeared in my right hand.
The sudden surge of mana and unexpected transformation left the group of men frozen in surprise for a moment.
"Don't hesitate now, kill him!" shouted the one leading the attack.
We quickly began exchanging sword blows again.
"It's as I thought. The level of swordsmanship and teamwork of these guys is top-notch."
I only needed the brief initial exchange of blows to realize the strange high level of the opponents I was facing. Initially, I had planned to fight unarmed, but given the strangeness of the situation, I decided to use my sword as a precaution.
[ Anti-Human Sword - Geronimo ]
As its name suggests, the sword's specialty is killing humans. Yeah, it might sound redundant for a sword to do that. But in this fantasy world, there are creatures like goblins, orcs, and even dragons. Ironically, the first weapon the kingdom gave me upon becoming a Hero was this sword.
It was ironic, considering the slaughter they'd expect me to carry out on the other continent.
Well, you know.
I needed an ANTIHUMAN sword to kill 'demons'!
"I'd better deal with this group quickly. Who knows what the Archmage will try if I take my time."
Fortunately, I had a technique to quickly neutralize all these guys with minimal destruction. After capturing them, I could conduct an investigation later.
"I'm sorry, but this is over. I'm going to end this fight right now."
I exchanged glances with the pair of sisters. Calming the hostages, who were trembling with worry, was also part of the Hero's job.
[ Geronimo's First Skill - Original Sin ]
Geronimo's first ability knocks out all humans that have been cut and have a low amount of mana.
For a few seconds, Geronimo emitted a strong bright red light along with a large mana discharge that covered the entire street.
The next moment, the bodies of more than twenty men fell unconscious to the ground.
"..."
"..."
Or that should have been the case. In reality, nothing happened.
The sisters looked at me with a look of immeasurable disappointment.
"Huh... I-I swear this should've worked!"
No, I'm serious. What's going on?
If Geronimo's ability doesn't work on them, it can only mean one thing.
"Hey... Um... Are you guys by any chance not human?" I asked, puzzled.
Suddenly, their gazes became more menacing than before.
"...Okay, now I really don't know where all this is going."