Volume 4 Chapter 11 Big Sister
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
So this was the Gate Room. The floor space was vast—enough to house chanting personnel when the Gate was fixed in place. Melon and Ms. Reina had already started preparing the explosives. The earlier blast must have drawn the guards from outside, but Ms. Sharlin stood waiting, sword ready to meet them.
And me—I spotted it. I thought it was gone for good, but there it was: the rubber tree in its pot. I’d left it here, and someone had even set it neatly in the corner as decoration. Nostalgia tugged at me as I stepped toward it.
”Yuuta! Look out!” Sheena shouted.
The warning and the impact came at the same time. Something slammed into my torso with a deafening clang, hurling me into the wall.
”Damn. The handle hit instead,” came the guttural growl. The bear had appeared behind me, swinging his axe. Luck had spared me the blade, but the haft had cracked into my ribs. Pain shot through me—I was sure they were broken.
Ms. Sharlin leapt, but the brute pressed the axe blade against my neck and roared.
”Move and his head rolls! You, the beast-girl and the lizard—keep your hands off that Gate!”
Melon slumped down, defeated. “Honestly… will you ever bother to remember people’s names?” she muttered. My fault. I’d let my guard down.
The doors burst open. Demon soldiers stormed in with rifles, followed by several superiors.
”Ah, General. Lord Asunabal. Sorry to wake you,” Bear said with a sneer. “But it’s handled. You wretches are finished.”
Lord Asunabal? The queen’s uncle, the exiled duke? What was he doing here?
”Bear, you’re hopeless,” said another voice. “But this ends here, Ms. Melon, Lieutenant Reina.”
”General Peacock!” Reina snapped. “You would hand the Gate to the spirit clan? Do you think that will bring peace?”
”Spare me, Lieutenant,” Peacock spat. “Once the Gate is complete, legions of spirits will march into the human realm. The Demon Clan will rule, and I will stand at its pinnacle!”
”You’ve finally shown your true face,” Reina retorted. “But the Balmstra Emperor still lives in hiding. It won’t be that easy.”
”Hiding? If he had any will, he’d have shown himself by now. He’s a coward—better suited to running away with beastfolk and dying in a ditch!” Peacock snarled.
Then, close to my ear, a whisper: “How disgraceful.”
For a moment, all sensation left my body. When it returned, I was in the Battery Room. A woman of the Demon Clan stood beside me.
”Guard your own life well,” she said, and vanished.
So that was a Simple Gate…
* * *
”Damn it! Where did he go?” Bear bellowed. “The bastard can use a Simple Gate?”
He looked around wildly, panic breaking through. In that instant Ms. Sharlin lunged, her greatsword at Peacock’s throat.
”Tables have turned, you flea-bitten mutt,” she hissed.
”Look around, fool. Soldiers surround you. There’s no escape!” Bear roared back.
But the hall erupted with noise. Imperial soldiers stormed in, cutting down the guards in the corridor.
”Form a line around the Gate! Protect their work!” their leader commanded.
An unfamiliar face—handsome, refined. Friend or foe?
”Major Artemis, remember—their safety comes first!” a voice rang from the hall.
That voice—my heart lurched.
”Big Sister!?” I cried.
”Melon!? Why in the world are you here!?”
”No, why are you here, Sis? Who are these people?”
”My… uh… underlings. Just kidding. They’re the Emperor’s personal guard.”
”Chief Secretary—you’re safe,” Reina said, relieved.
”Ms. Reina! Glad you’re alright. So, we’re here to reclaim the Gate together, right?” Puruun asked.
”No, Sis. The Gate has to be destroyed.”
”What? If you destroy it, then Yuuta and Ms. Claudel—”
”I’m here, Puruun. And Ms. Claudel is back too,” I said, stepping out from the Battery Room, clutching my side.
Her eyes nearly bulged out in shock.
* * *
The blast at Rock Prison had failed, and we were captured. After questioning by the spirit clan, we were thrown into Rock Prison with Duke Suicelma. Major Artemis was taken elsewhere, but returned the next night. Elder-class spirits kept constant watch, and I knew escape would be impossible. Then came the sentence: tomorrow night, execution.
On the day itself, an elder declared he would crush our skulls one by one. We were lined against the wall, hearts pounding. He began to gather power—but something felt wrong.
[What is this power? Who here wields such arts? I received no report—]
His thought cut short. He vanished.
An explosion tore through the corner of Rock Prison, collapsing the wall. We reeled in shock.
And then—he appeared. His Majesty, the Emperor.
”Your Majesty, why risk yourself—” Puruun began.
”Because if I cannot act here, I am no man,” he said. “But I could not face that elder for long. Catherine sent him far away.”
Catherine appeared and confirmed. “At that distance, it will take him days to return, even running.”
”And now, Your Majesty—what will you do?” Puruun asked.
”First, I must beg forgiveness,” the Emperor said, bowing deeply to Duke Suicelma. “I was late, Uncle. Please lend me your strength to put an end to this.”
From the duke he learned of the spirit clan’s plot and Peacock’s ambitions. With palace guards withdrawn, they’d been forced into hiding at Tanuki Inn, waiting for a chance. Tonight, with chaos stirring, the time had finally come.
Notes:
• Melon – Puruun’s younger sister who is close with Ms. Akari and wants Yuuta and Ms. Akari to be together and have children.
• Reina – Lizardman lieutenant from the Apocalypse Empire who was part of the gate research team. She is trying to find her missing sister Sheena. She infiltrated Zerlant to gather intelligence but ended up helping Melon and the others escape, making her a traitor to the Apocalypse Empire.
• Sheena – A Lizardman from the Apocalypse Empire, specifically a junior researcher in the teleportation research team of the empire’s army. She is the 47th resident (hence ‘No. 47’) of the secret underground facility in Nevada, where she has been living for several years after accidentally being transported to this world through a failed gate experiment. Yuuta’s saffle too.
• Asunabal – The uncle of the queen, a former Duke in exile.
• Artemis – A commander of the Emperor’s direct guard. Initially acts as a lecherous and aggressive antagonist, but later reveals his loyalty to the Emperor. He has a wife and children in the imperial capital and is afraid of his wife.
• Claudel – The elf captain of the royal guard assigned to Princess Asuka. At first, she had a strong dislike for Yuuta, who is human. Now, Yuuta’s saffle.
• Duke Suicelma – Important noble and military leader who was recently captured by the spirit clan during their attack on his capital. He first appeared in Volume 3, Chapter 18. The protagonists aim to rescue him, believing his capture is connected to the spirit clan’s plans involving the gate.
• Rock Prison – A high-security prison located near a rocky area. It is guarded by the spirit clan and holds captured dukes and their subordinates. The prison is a key location for the rescue operation.
• Catherine – A highly skilled ninja and a loyal servant to Emperor Balmstra. She first appeared in Volume 3, Chapter 12 and plays a pivotal role in the Emperor’s secret mission, using her abilities to facilitate covert operations and gather vital intelligence. Her strategic thinking and combat skills make her an indispensable ally in the protagonists’ efforts to rescue Duke Suicelma and thwart the spirit clan’s plans.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply