Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 16 - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Preparing for Battle

We prepared to get going in a flurry. We started by going to the capital and having a short meeting. This operation relied on speed, so it was decided that Lily, Shiran, Lobivia, Ayame, and Berta would be accompanying me to chase Jinguuji.

That said, they were at most there to help with the chase and escort me. It was the exploration team’s job to actually fight. Nakajima had selected around forty people. None of them had been informed of the Dimensional Cornerstones, though. He’d only told them that “Jinguuji is deranged and going after an extremely dangerous magic tool.” I thought some of them would pester him for more details, but Nakajima had a good grip on their reins. He hadn’t spent nearly a year leading a group of egoistic cheaters for nothing.

Jinguuji’s group was made up of five visitors, including him, so with so many visitors on our side, things would work out once we caught up with him. Actually catching up to him was a different matter, though. Jinguuji could fly through the skies, making pursuit very difficult. With this in mind, we’d decided to have everyone ride the dragons of Draconia.

“I’ll pray for your safety, Ella.”

“Thank you, Prince Philip. I’ll be back.”

Aker’s second prince, Philip Kendall, saw off Draconia’s eldest sister, Ella. The dragons of Draconia had an extremely bad impression of the exploration team because one of their members, the Almighty Vessel Okazaki Takuma, had been part of the attack on their settlement. At the same time, they also understood that that had been Okazaki’s personal responsibility. There were parts of this they couldn’t come to grips with, but Jinguuji, the culprit responsible for bringing down the settlement’s defenses, was trying to usurp a dangerous magic tool. This took precedence for them.

Accompanied by Ella and the other dragons, we moved to the rendezvous point. We were to depart from a plaza close to the grand cathedral. By the time we arrived, over half of the participants were already here. Including all those who’d gathered to get things ready, there were over a hundred people making a lot of noise. There was still a little time until everyone arrived, so I spoke to those who were going to stay behind.

“Please be careful, Senpai,” Katou said, embracing me.

Because speed was so important in this case, she was going to be staying behind in the capital. Just in case, Rose and Gerbera were going to remain too.

“I’ll pray for your success,” Rose said.

“Be careful. Make sure to come back,” Gerbera added.

I shared a light hug with them too.

“Of course,” I said. “We’ve got plenty of fighters with us this time.”

“True,” Gerbera said. “Now that they’re allies, I can’t think of anyone more reliable.”

“The exploration team’s leader definitely assesses our master highly, after all,” Rose added.

Even as we talked, I sensed people staring at us. Nakajima had warned his comrades about us so that the operation would go smoothly. I didn’t feel any animosity from them. The exploration team leader’s influence was tremendous.

“Senpai. I don’t fully trust the Holy Church,” Katou declared clearly. Harrison was within earshot, but she didn’t care. This was actually a warning for him. She then giggled. “That’s why there’s a point to me staying behind. After all, I’m barely able to maintain a human form thanks to you. In a sense, I’m like a bomb with a remote detonator. If anything happens to you, I’m sure the Abomination will immediately trample its way through the capital.”

“Even without your warning, I plan to return Majima Takahiro to you safely,” Harrison said, his expression stiff as he remained seated in his wheelchair.

He sensed true danger in her words. I hadn’t actually seen the Abomination go on a rampage, but even the aftermath had sent a shudder down my spine. Anyone who’d seen what had caused it would feel even more dread at the thought.

“I can’t participate in the chase,” Harrison said to the boy standing next to him. “I’m entrusting it to you.”

“Understood,” Kouzu Asahi responded.

He was the one who’d messed up big-time in the eastern Empire, losing his friends and nearly causing the destruction of a village, becoming the source of the fake savior rumors. His mind had been broken and I’d been told that he was being sheltered in the capital. It seemed he’d recovered.

In the recent battle, he’d been an enemy on Harrison’s side, but this time we were working together as part of the same pursuit force. Three other visitors who shared his circumstances were participating in the operation. Adding to that, five students who’d left the exploration team and come to the capital on their own were joining too. The eight of them weren’t considered part of the exploration team and were instead participating as saviors under the Holy Church’s umbrella.

“Majima!”

Someone called out to me. I turned to see Iino walking my way. However, her gallant black hair wasn’t trailing behind her like usual. She dragged her leg awkwardly across the ground. During the battle with Jinguuji Tomoya, she’d suffered a severe wound to her leg. The blade had been coated in a nasty poison, so it would take time for her to recover even with the use of healing magic. As she limped toward me, she noticed Kouzu was here too.

“Ah, Kouzu...”

“I’ll excuse myself here,” Kouzu said, bowing to Harrison.

He then approached Iino. An awkward silence hung over them. They’d been comrades in the exploration team, but had crossed swords in that labyrinth. Iino tried to say something, but couldn’t find the right words.

“Sorry about the other day, Iino,” Kouzu said clearly. He’d long made his resolve. “However, my path has been decided.”

This was a farewell. Kouzu then left so that he could accomplish the duty that’d been entrusted to him. Iino remained stock-still. This was a great shock to her. Maybe she’d been questioning whether that fight against him had to have been some kind of mistake. However, Kouzu admitted to what he’d done and displayed that his action had been backed by clear intent.

Iino felt a strong fellowship with the other exploration team members. Kouzu, on the other hand, had found his place in the church. I was surprised to see that Iino was on the verge of tears, but she held them back at the last second and turned to me.

“I have something to discuss with you, Majima.”

“If this is about you coming along, I won’t hear it,” I warned before she even suggested it.

Iino gulped. I figured that was the case. Still, judging by her awkward expression, she understood that she was being unreasonable.

“How could we bring someone with an injured leg on a chase?” I asked.

“Th-That’s true, but I...” Iino understood. Nevertheless, she couldn’t suppress her emotions. “I...”

Her impatience was evident on her face.

Even though I knew I couldn’t bring her along, I hesitated a little. Jinguuji had been the one to injure Iino’s leg. He was a comrade in arms to her, and she’d even met him after he’d left the exploration team. What’s more, Jinguuji was trying to find a way for everyone to go back to our world, and had even invited her to join him. She must’ve trusted him immensely.

That was exactly why Iino felt partially liable for this. In all likelihood, she believed she could’ve put an end to this violence. This suited her well. She had a tremendous sense of responsibility. As she was now, unless she was properly convinced, she was likely to follow us regardless. I had no idea how to convince her, though. Unable to find the right words, someone else spoke to her from the side.

“Leave it at that.”

“Leader...”

It was Nakajima. He was apparently here to throw me a lifeline.

“Leave him to me,” Nakajima said. “Or am I not trustworthy enough?”

“No... You’re plenty trustworthy,” Iino said after a moment’s silence. “I can leave him to you.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Nakajima gave her a refreshing smile. He’d so easily changed her opinion. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to pull that off.

“Very well,” Iino said despondently after bowing to him. “It’s just as you say. Sorry, Majima. I can’t be getting in the way here, so I’ll excuse myself.”

“Right,” I said.

“Please take care of Jinguuji,” she added before painfully limping away.

I grimaced a little as I watched her leave. This did in fact bring an end to her insistence, but that had at most been done by relying entirely on trust to change her opinion. Iino wasn’t actually convinced. She was still uneasy.

“I know,” Nakajima said, shrugging as I turned to him. “Using my position like that feels wrong, but this is an emergency.”

“That’s true...”

He had a point. I hadn’t intended to criticize him to begin with, but seeing as he was Iino’s comrade, I couldn’t really say anything back to that.

“You sure are kind, Majima,” Nakajima said with a friendly smile. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. We just have to stop Jinguuji. We do that, and you’ll have as many chances to patch things up with her as you want.”

He was right again. So long as Jinguuji was stopped, Iino didn’t have to feel any guiltier about this. If he wasn’t stopped, the world would end. We wouldn’t even be able to worry about Iino’s emotional state.

“I’m expecting great things from you, Majima,” Nakajima said, slapping my shoulder. “We’ll save the world.”

He gave me a pleasant smile as if he was looking at an equal.

At that point, we were informed that everyone participating in the operation had gathered. We mounted the dragons and began our pursuit of Jinguuji.