Volume 2 Chapter 100 Quest： Sun Fantasy, Part II
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Is that Fringilla, the noblewoman? She’s always been following Your Excellency.”
”Yeah… she knows Oswald’s temperament well, so last time she left was to persuade the troops to retreat.”
(Had she been killed? The castle is full of Bloodsucking Kind under Owl, and Christy was truly all alone.)
It made sense that she, always so haughty, was in such a weakened state.
”You’d see if you looked at my arm, but the effect of our ‘promise’ hasn’t faded. That’s why I flew over to help you.”
”Ah… right. If I don’t break the contract, Kian will be cursed, huh… I’m so sorry, I completely forgot.”
Christy murmured that as she took out a copy of the contract from her pocket.
She tore it apart with both hands.
The magic circle floating on Kian’s arm vanished, and the scroll’s compulsion disappeared completely.
”Yes. Now Kian is free. Go home. It’s dangerous to stay here.”
”When I leave, I’ll take you with us. Christy, look into my eyes. ──Look!”
”──────!”
”Listen. You seem weak, but there’s no one but you for Your Excellency Maribel. Stay strong. You are her last bastion of protection.”
”……”
”As per the request, I will protect you all with all my might. Trust me.”
”But… fighting Oswald is reckless. We will be killed.”
”Fighting isn’t everything. I might be able to negotiate and persuade him to let you escape.”
”That’s impossible… I would end up with my head chopped off like Fringilla. We’re all going to die. There’s no way to survive. If you understand, just leave me be.”
The black-haired witch repeated her negative statements.
Natra and Rufna didn’t voice it, but they wore expressions saying, “This woman is hopeless.”
Yet, it was clear that in survival situations, Christina Famille was nothing but a hindrance.
It might be cruel, but.
Kian decided it was enough just to have Christy take care of Maribel.
”Christy, just hold Maribel without thinking about anything else. We’ll handle the rest.”
”…Yeah… I’m sorry.”
”Don’t worry about it.”
Kian gently smiled and stroked her disheveled black hair with his fingers.
It was quite dirty with grease and smelled strongly of sweat.
Seeing her, always so neat, in such a sorry state made him feel utterly helpless.
She had done enough already.
It was about time for her to take a break.
”Sir Kian.”
Suddenly, Natra noticed something down the hallway and spoke softly.
”────”
He stood up silently.
Without needing to be warned by her, Kian had already sensed the strange presence rapidly approaching from the hallway.
Just then, the door to the room burst open, and black mist rushed in from the darkness of the corridor.
”Eep…”
”It’s okay, Christy. Just keep holding Your Excellency and step back.”
Saying that, he stepped toward the black haze that took the shape of a tall humanoid figure.
Natra and Rufna readied their weapons and gathered energy (ki).
”Natra, Rufna, he has no intention of fighting.”
”Right!” “…Don’t let your guard down.”
”──Aha♪”
A high-pitched laugh suddenly echoed in the room.
The black mist eventually transformed into the familiar figure of the Owl Knight.
He turned his eye-less gaze toward Kian, his mouth splitting wide to the ears.
”If it isn’t Kian. Have you come to help us?”
Kian narrowed his eyes slightly and looked up at Owl.
* * *
”Good evening, Mr. Owl.”
”Good evening, Kian. I apologize. Things have gotten a bit… complicated.”
”I came here to save the lives of Your Excellency and Christy. Just to clarify, I have no intention of opposing you.”
”I understand that. We’re on the same side, aren’t we, Kian?”
”────”
He had always thought that this man named Owl had somehow shown an extraordinary level of kindness toward Kian from the start.
Oswald was similar, but Owl seemed more urgent.
Perhaps it was because Owl thought of Kian as a fellow clan member (vampire).
He referred to Archbishop Homolka as ‘our enemy’.
Indeed, the Western Church was an enemy to the Children of the Night – vampires.
Reflecting on Owl’s actions and words, it seemed everything lined up neatly once his true nature as a shapeshifter was confirmed.
”Right away, Kian, I would like to use the ‘promise’ you gave me. ──I want you to fight Oswald with me.”
”I believe it’s best if we can avoid fighting altogether.”
”Kian, Oswald is not someone who can be easily dissuaded by words. Persuasion is meaningless.”
”However, given the current situation where Oswald’s army is merely surrounding the Main Castle and not attacking, I believe negotiation itself is possible.”
”Fringilla tried the same and returned with only her head. Do you intend to make the same mistake?”
”No, I will call out from within the castle.”
As Kian said this, Owl stroked his chin.
”Hm…, Well, he does have a soft spot for Kian, so there might be a chance of persuading him more than Fringilla. It’s not entirely… without hope.”
”In case it comes to a fight, could you please tell me about the castle’s defenses?”
”There’s no special defense; we just have a barrier up and my soldiers stationed within the grounds. We’re not doing anything special.”
”Then why hasn’t Sir Oswald attacked?”
Owl’s eyes flickered.
”It’s because it’s night now. Oswald’s ability significantly weakens at midnight. As you know, at around noon, no attack can touch him, and he is immune to poison and curses. Even a blow from the sun’s magic sword or large-scale defenses like the outer wall of Izerland fortress would be impossible to withstand. However, at night, attacks from a magic sword infused with magical power can cut through him, and things like poison and curses become effective. Moreover, the greatest threat──the power of the sun’s magic sword──is drastically reduced. Even someone like me, who is not well-matched against him, could withstand it.”
He took a deep breath and continued.
”In contrast, my abilities are enhanced at night. Tonight is a half-moon, and I should be able to hold my own against him in a direct fight, as long as there are no disruptions like support from Aisha.”
”So, for Sir Oswald, there’s no reason to attack during a time when he might be defeated?”
”That’s correct.”
Owl nodded and walked past Kian toward the balcony.
He looked up at the white moon visible from the balcony.
”Once the night breaks, there will likely be no more chances. That’s why we had to make our move before that. I believe Oswald understands this as well. He stands alone in a prominent spot in front of the Main Castle’s formation… He is trying to lure me in.”
”If Mr. Owl were to launch a surprise attack on Sir Oswald right now, what are the chances of success?”
”At most, 30 percent… That might be too generous.”
After saying that, Owl revealed his white fangs through his slit mouth up to his ears.
”However, it’s precisely because he is such a formidable opponent that it is worth challenging him. How many tales of human heroes passed down through the ages are merely stories of trampling over enemies they can defeat? We challenge because we cannot win. We reach out because we cannot touch. The blood we taste beyond that (the fine wine) is the most exquisite in this world.”
”If you fight Sir Oswald, I won’t let you fight alone. We will fight to raise the win rate even a little.”
”Yes, if Kian helps, the win rate will increase significantly. Our tactical options will also broaden, and we won’t need to launch a direct assault on Oswald’s base, where he’s likely waiting in a trap.──We’ll just wait until dawn and ambush him when he attacks.”
”But won’t Sir Oswald’s abilities get stronger as the day goes on?”
Unable to quite grasp what was being said, he asked again, and Owl turned to Kian.
”Oswald will probably be delighted and charge in eagerly. That’s when my special ability will come in handy.”
”Special ability?”
”Yes. You see, Kian, you’re still a very young individual, so you probably don’t know, but we who live long lives have honed unique abilities over time. They might be abilities like spreading disease through mist, or abilities like commanding thousands of Bloodsucking Kind as the ‘king of vampires.’ ──Essentially, they are enhanced versions of our basic abilities.”
”What is Mr. Owl’s special ability?”
”‘Night.’”
”Night?”
”Yes. I’ve always been trying to find a way to overcome the weaknesses inherent in vampires. For example, my abilities weaken significantly during the day, and the Restoration Curse’s ability to rewind my body also diminishes. But what if the time of day ‘day’ simply didn’t exist? I thought that if we could eliminate day, vampires could remain invincible. So, I honed the ability to create ‘night’ within a barrier, eventually evolving it into a special ability unique to vampires.”
”I see.”
Owl pointed his long fingers at Kian.
”I wanted the glory of defeating Oswald myself… but, I’ll leave that task to you, Kian. I will create ‘night’ and provide a field advantageous to you as support.”
”────”
”As he confidently jumped into the castle, he was swallowed by the ‘night’ space, so Kian should defeat him inside. The power of the sun’s magic sword will significantly decrease, allowing your attacks to penetrate him.”
”Understood. If fighting him is my only option left, I will confront Sir Oswald in Mr. Owl’s ‘night’.”
”…Sir Kian, are you sure about this? Oswald is a formidable foe. I can’t say for certain if even 3 of us could win against him.”
Another voice of him scoffed.
”So, are you seriously going to fight the ‘Knights of the Sun’ just to uphold the promise with that trembling Head magician and that monster? If you die for the sake of honor or appearance, it’ll mean nothing.”
”I haven’t decided to fight yet. First, I’ll try talking to him. I need to understand his desires and think about how to help Christy and the others escape without coming into conflict. I don’t believe Sir Oswald is primarily focused on slaughtering Christy, Mr. Owl, and Your Excellency while laying siege to Main Castle, so there must be an opening. Fighting should only be the last resort.”
Just as Kian said that, the sound of armor echoed from the hallway, and an awful-looking minion of Owl, seemingly made of dead flesh, entered the room.
Christy seemed unable to even scream anymore, clutching Maribel and closing her eyes in the corner of the room.
Owl, having received the report, turned to Kian and said,
”Oswald has requested to speak with you, Kian… It seems he already knew that you were here.”
”Before coming here, Guild Master Friedrich contacted his Knight, and if he’s controlling the adventurer Guild at Izerland fortress, he should also know that Christy sent me an urgent Quest. There’s nothing strange about it.”
”What will you do? Will you go for the discussion?”
”Of course.”
As Kian answered immediately, Owl nodded once.
”Alright. He’s coming out to the castle gate. I’ll accompany you, so let’s try talking first. Maybe we can get some favorable terms.”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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