Heavenly Castle

Chapter 94: Let’s meet the resistanc

Translator: “Pink Tea” Editor: ”Ryunakama”

With Richt as our guide, we proceed inside the town through the secret path in the fort walls.

The fort wall was made of countless stones, cut and stacked on top of each other, but Richt moved stones around like some kind of a puzzle.

What we got after a while, was a small round passage a single person could get into, bending over. Surprisingly it doesn’t crumble, but it surely lowered the durability of the wall.

If by some chance this wall was breached in invasion and the country got destroyed, could we say that the former slaves indirectly fulfilled their revenge?

「…Which reminds me, I think a long time ago there already was a concrete-like material, but I see nothing of that sort at the moment.」

And while muttering such thoughts, we enter the town.

But a problem occurred right away.

A1 couldn’t get through the small hole. The sight of two giant robots bending over and earnestly trying to get in evokes tears.

「……It would be better to have golems wait outside.」

「I-is it really?」

Ayla showed an uneasy expression to Aifa’s words, but Yuri looked at her with a warm smile.

「Aifa-sama is with us, though I may be lacking, I will assist as well. And above all, the Great Sorcerer Taiki-sama is with us.」

Persuaded by Yuri, Ayla breathed a sigh of relief.

「I-Indeed. Even though Taiki-sama is with us, what am I even thinking.」

Ayla, with an embarrassed smile on her face, took a step closer.

Sorry. I’d like someone to protect me as well.

Enduring the urge to say that, I look at Aifa and Yuri.

「If you two are going to guard us, then we should be okay.」

「Leave it to me.」

「Yes.」

I received some good replies. That’s some comfort.

「A1, wait at Leticia-san’s place. If some dangerous fellow comes, make sure to protect Leticia-san.」

When I turned around with those words, A1, still groveling on the other side of the wall, wobbled his head in agreement.

And then left, taking the other unit with him.

「……You can move them even at a distance? As expected of Taiki-sama.」

Richt expressed his admiration at that sight. Thanks to Ayla’s boasts, he now was under the misconception of me being a great magician.

I want to solve this misunderstanding, but due to being unable to talk in detail about the robots, it’s still a pending issue.

Richt worked on mending the wall while muttering somewhat excitedly 「Taiki-sama is an amazing person」. Considering how snappishly he was plugging the stones, the result looked pretty good. Most likely, just like a real puzzle, the stones had a proper order to them, according to color, shape, and texture.

And while I was thinking that, the wall was restored back to its original state.

「Sorry for the wait. Now, this way please.」

Richt beckoned us to follow in a servile manner and then began to walk, showing the way.

Until now my attention was mostly seized by the hole in the defense wall, but the surrounding scenery was awful.

The very definition of slums, no, even worse than that.

Debris from buildings scattered all the way to the defensive walls. A stench coming from mysterious trash and scrap. Weed growing as it pleases from the gaps in cracked or crumbling pavement.

I guess it’s not all that bad since at least there are no corpses in sight.

Richt kept walking unhindered through such a wretched place.

Walking through the narrow and filthy alleys, taking turn after turn, and by the time I finally was not able to tell which way we were facing anymore, losing all sense of direction, Richt stopped.

「……Richt? Who the hell are they?」

A voice sounded out from a corner further down the alley as three men appeared. Like some kind of assassins, they were clad in dark robes. Though they appeared ragged and thin, their eyes had a gloomy light glittering within.

「Rejoice! It’s Taiki-sama and his followers. They will cooperate with us!」

Richt replied excitedly. No matter how you look at it, such a reply lacked in detail and was way too unnatural.

Hearing Richt’s words, the trio silently pulled daggers from their robes and assumed stances. Under their robes was armor that showed signs of prolonged use.

「……Richt. We heard that a few hours ago you were taken away by the people that appeared like nobles.」

「So they tricked you?」

「Or was it some kind of a drug?」

While asking one question after another, the men kept shortening the distance.

「Wa-wait a minute! I’m not being manipulated! They are really good nobles! They are different from scumbags we are after!」

Richt shouted in panic, but the three men remained just as cautions.

「What a bother. Should I make them disappear with wind magic?」

Aife muttered. I fold my arms and sigh.

「If we start a fight here, it will have consequences later. If possible, I would prefer to persuade them……」

Saying that I tried to focus on the conversation between Richt and the trio, but their positions kept going in parallel with no hope of ever intersecting. And while I was pondering, Aifa pointed one hand at the trio and spoke up.

「I will be careful not to injure them.」

Promptly giving up, Aifa started preparing magic. Then, three men immediately went on guard and began to move.

「It’s a mage!」

「Don’t drop your guard!」

「Get him all at once!」

Explosive situation. Or rather, it’s already exploding?

After wondering about that, I thought about the display of Aifa’s prowess that we are about to witness, then the care that will have to be given to the trashed trio. That moment, another voice came from the alley.

「Wa-wait!」

With that line the trio stopped their movements, Aifa also interrupted his chant.

「Old man Ray.」

When Richt called his name, the owner of the voice slowly approached. An old man wearing ragged cloth, whom I already saw somewhere.

「Ah, old man.」

I remember. It was that elderly man that two brutish men were kicking, saying that he stole bread. Probably guessing that I remembered him, the old man that was addressed as Ray unsteadily came forward.

Ray stopped before me, bowed deeply, and spoke.

「Thank you very much for saving me. At that time, I thought I will be killed there… And not only did you defeat those savages, you even healed me……」

「No no, don’t mention it.」

As I replied in a typical japanese way to the old man that kept bowing his head, Richt glared a bit triumphantly at the trio.

「Here, look at that! He even saved Ray-jiisan, do you still want to point your swords at him?!」

After getting shouted at, the trio exchanged looks and hid their daggers under the robes.

Then looked at me with faces showing incredibly mixed feelings, and lowered their heads.

「……I’m sorry.」

「Can’t believe that there is a good noble……」

「So nobles like you exist as well……」

And I, smiling wryly, received apologies of the sort that I couldn’t even bring myself to retort to them, I was delighted that we got through without a fight.