Chapter 719: Felios´s Darkness
After finishing the meal, I will ask Herman where Berga and Ferios are for now. Sharon would be there, too.
“It’s already nighttime, and you’re going to go in there, 10-man captain Smithson”
Naris, who had had a little too much to drink, said in a dissatisfied tone.
“You and Almeida can go back to the mansion and sleep. Dianne and Maia are enough
“That’s not going to work. They’ll be angry and ask us why we’re at the Celesta mansion. I mean, shouldn’t we stop them when they try to attack?”
“Have you thought about what would happen if we stopped them? I mean, Felios and the others might hate us just for being there, so don’t follow us”
“So what, you want me and Almeida to go to the foot of that terrifying Silver Dragon army and tremble in fear! With no safety device like you!”
Naris loses her temper. ……Behind her, Almeida had a look on her face that said, 「No, I’m not that scared of the dragons」, but Naris’s words were valid. If she explained in detail, Emma and Leda would come over here, and if she could get a good night’s sleep in the mansion where the remaining three Rainer supporters were hanging out……well, it’s not like that’s the case.
“It’d be less troublesome to take them with us. Sharon will probably recognize Naris and the others as allies and talk about them, so she won’t be able to stay out of the loop”
Dianne says with a resigned look. And Neia and Beatrice can’t……just leave them here and let them go home, can they? After all, we all have to barge in together. The only thing is that Felios is in an interesting state, and he’s not half as scary as he used to be, but it’s kind of pitiful that we’re even giving him the pressure of numbers.
The place where Berga is staying with Felios and Sharon is one of the noble houses. It seems that they have known each other since they started to be recognized as Gauntlet Knights.
“Is it possible for Gauntlet Knights to be intimate with a certain nobleman?”
“Of course there is. Even nobles want their own land to be protected. In order to make it easier for them to pass such a request, they will put a cona on the knight who is likely to be prosperous in advance. The knight can choose his own duties to a certain extent, so there is room for accommodations”
“……How can it work if you allow that kind of collusion?”
“The authorities don’t really want that kind of thing to happen, and they want to proceed with a completely top-down system. If it is made illegal to work to protect one’s own area, it is a game of punishment to be an aristocrat in this country. So it seems that to a certain extent, there is a certain amount of it. I have never heard of anything like that”
“Naris doesn’t have much of a career outlook”
“I’m annoyed when I hear 10-man captain Smithson talk about it! You’ve forgotten, but I’m much stronger than you!”
Naris’s high tension was also a result of her drinking.
“Don’t you have connections like that, Almeida?”
“I’ve been wearing the Gauntlet for not too long. And I’ve been working with you guys for most of that time. I don’t have a chance to get my hands on it”
“Tetes, for example, is……a nobleman herself to begin with?”
“She hasn’t publicly advertised her relationship with Grand Knight Captain Buster, so it’s not like it’s a well-known fact. But, in Tetes’s case, she seems to be making connections for a different purpose”
“……That’s Tetes after all
She’s likely to do whatever twisted imitations she can. ……As we talk about such things, we arrive at the nobleman’s mansion.
“It wouldn’t be a problem if doctors gathered here to nurse Grand Knight Captain Felios, and there wouldn’t be any problems in keeping Knight Chief Sharon under house arrest”
“Yeah, something like that”
It’s a large mansion that looks like it could comfortably accommodate several hundred people. It’s one of the largest buildings in Rennesto. I……I feel a bit intimidated. I don’t go to many noble houses, except for the Baron’s and Celesta mansions.
“……Suuhaa”
“What are you doing, Andy?”
“Just getting my head together”
“I’m not yelling at the nobleman himself. We’re just going to give Felios a little poke. You can be as fearless as always”
Dianne said lightly. As expected, she’s old enough to treat the former king Ulysses like a kid. That’s right. It’s not like I’m going to be directly confronting a nobleman I don’t know. There’s no need to worry. ……If I think about it normally, it would be crazy to come and declare war on an Gold Arm.
If Naris and Almeida showed their gauntlets, the gate guard at the nobleman’s mansion would let them through quickly. The gauntlets are a symbol of strength as well as a sign of authority. In Trot, it is like saying that a sword saint has visited you, and you certainly can’t be evil about it, can you? Then, while asking the maids about the inside of the house, we walked toward Berga.
“First of all, it’s Berga, not Sharon or Felios?”
“We need to ask him to follow up. Whether you declare that you will take Sharon, and Felios fights back, or just falls, if we don’t let him follow up later, things will get complicated”
“……I see”
No, I don’t think it can be done without complications. But I do want things to be as simple and settled as possible. And while searching for the room where Berga is staying……an oddly dressed man suddenly stood out in the hallway, and everyone except Dianne was startled the moment they saw him from the corner. He was dressed in all black armor. And a folkish mask that didn’t look right. It covered the entire face, with a strangely colorful expression of indignation painted on it. His golden hair stood on end.
“……What’s that?”
“Hey, I’m not an expert on horror!”
“Ah, are you an assassin or something!?”
“Hey, Neia, you’ve got a sword, right? Do something!”
“……He’s got a really murderous intent”
“Andy-sama, stay behind me. Stay close”
What is that? It’s so bizarre that I can’t stop being confused. A mysterious masked man floats in the corridor of a nobleman’s house at night. ……And Diane, the only one who wasn’t at all shaken, sighs.
“You’re dressed interestingly, Felios”
“…………”
Eh, is that Felios? Felios has inverted hair?
“Is it okay to be armed but without the gauntlet? That’s Gold Arm, of all people”
“……Gold Arm Felios is dead”
The mysterious masked man muttered in a voice that seemed to echo from the depths of hell. He then pulled two knives from his waist in opposite hands and held them in a wavering position.
“He died of sorrow, having his most precious thing in the world defiled by the filthy carnal desires of a single human……!”
“……Hmm. So?”
“My name is Black Felios, messenger of the spirits of darkness”
Wait. You’re going to put his real name in there? So you put your real name there? Or rather, after creating such a setting, you’re going to introduce yourself openly after all? He exuded a strange murderous aura and revealed a slightly half-baked setting, and Naris and I barely managed to hold back from bursting out. Dianne-san kept a straight face. And Almeida……held up her iron staff.
“……Who the hell are you, Black Felios……!”
Eh? ……Ah, I’m serious. You seriously don’t understand. I remember that this guy can’t read the air.
“There’s no need to know……you will all be bound to this man’s sins and fall to the underworld……!!”
Black Felios said that, lowered his body, and then……disappeared. There was no way I could see him moving so fast in the dim light. But.
“Hmph”
Dianne, who also disappeared in front of my eyes in an instant, was kicking Black Felios near the high ceiling. Black Felios fell to the ground with a thud.
“Y, You……dark elf……messenger of the spirits of darkness……!”
“……You too, aren’t you?”
The setting is still not subtly made up, Felios. ……Incidentally, elves generally dislike those belonging to darkness, calling them unclean. It is said that there is an underlying discrimination against dark elves, and I don’t know if it is because of this or not, but there is no color associated with 「Black」 in the northern elven clans either. I guess he meant to emphasize that he was a reborn avenging warrior by calling himself that, but when……the discrimination against dark elves came out of his mouth, it was a perfect match for the setting.
“But ……but I will not let you and your ilk defeat this Black Felios……! I, Black Felios, was born out of the darkness to bring Sharon back to the light!”
“……Anyway, I’m relieved to see you looking better than expected, Felios. Now, about that Sharon”
“I am Black Felios! Felios is already dead!”
“……I see. Well, that’s all right. If he’s dead, let him rest in peace”
“So I’m Black Felios”
Dianne got tired of the hassle and slammed a hard knee into Black Felios’ body and slammed him into the wall. Then another knee on the bounce. Another knee. And another knee.
“Guhuaa……ohuu……gohoo……!”
“If he’s dead, Andy can have Sharon without any hesitation. That’s all. I came here to settle things, but if you don’t want her, it’s early”
“I, I won’t give her to you……cough!?”
Black Felios had fallen, curled up, but when he got up trembling, Dianne kicked him mercilessly.
“Please let him go that way already”
I intercede because I can no longer stand to watch. No, really, what’s going on here?
After a while, Berga appears out of nowhere and carries Black Felios up. He takes off his mask, and out comes Felios (with the hair back) with his eyes peeled back.
“I made you go through all that trouble”
“……Seriously what the hell happened?”
“Sharon insisted with a happy face that she was going to Polka to become a female slave, etc., so after a few days of escaping from reality, he started saying strange things. He said he had an epiphany from a dark spirit, or that he died yesterday and now he’s already a different person”
“……Emm”
“He was stronger than me and Sharon, even in this condition. I couldn’t handle it”
“…………”
I’m sorry for the trouble.
“I’m here to pick up Sharon. Let’s get her out”
Dianne said without changing her color. After a moment’s pause Berga became expressionless.
“……I guess I can’t refuse”
“If you don’t, I’ll have Maia look for her. If I leave her here any longer, it will only increase my misfortune. Above all, she is a woman Andy once decided to make into a female slave”
“……It’s the second room from the back. I think she’s still awake”
Berga told me to go get Sharon and pick her up.
“Smithson-san♪”
When I opened the door, the busty girl in a negligee jumped on me as if she had been waiting for me to do so. I accepted her, staggering a little, and then announced with a sigh.
“……After much consideration, I decided to take you with me”
“Yes……I, too, think it’s the only way……but I’m glad……♪”
Even if it’s an abrupt story, you can get through without asking for details.
“……From now on, you may not be able to return……I’m not sure if it’s this Rennesto or Arcas as long as I’m going to have a falling out with Felios”
“Eh”
“You’ve been at Polka all this time……you’ll no longer be able to use the strength you’ve trained up until now. As my female slave, you’ll just be raped and impregnated every day. Are you okay with that? All your efforts up until now will be for naught”
“……Yes. Let it all go down the drain……♪”
Sharon kisses me and says with moist eyes.
“Your side is the only place where I can truly be honest. It’s the place I’ve been searching for all these years. I have no regrets about being lost……♪”
“……I see”
I wonder if Felios will hate me as long as I live. But even so, I can’t bring myself to let Sharon go.
“Well then……let’s go. My slave princess”
“Yes……♪”
I returned to everyone else, hugging Sharon’s shoulder.
“Last but not least, Tetes. What are you going to do?”
Naris says to me and I look up to the heavens.
“……I see……that’s another story”
The other guy is Sir Buster. Tetes is an unreliable curmudgeon in many ways. Just thinking about her makes me feel at a loss. ……But you know. I can’t just not go.