A Former Child Soldier Who Uses a Magic Sword Wants to Live with an Older Sister of a Former Enemy Executive - Chapter 97

• Chapter 97 : The mysterious forces lurking in the Silver City

[Satis, what’s wrong?] (Seto)

[Please wait a moment.] (Satis)

Satis was conducting an investigation with an unusually serious look in her eyes.

With sweat trickling down her forehead, she inspected the bodies of the mysterious attackers.

The cold air drifting between the towering bookshelves made Seto and Satis’s silence even heavier.

At the same time, it was a sign that they were about to touch the finer details of this Silver City.

Satis’s investigation revealed something surprising.

[The metal in the equipment these attackers are wearing does not match any metal we handle nowadays.] (Satis)

[What do you mean? Is it some unknown substance?] (Seto)

[Take this gauntlet for instance. Please hold it in your hand.] (Satis)

Satis tossed him a piece of their armor she had peeled off, and when he caught it, he was startled by how light it was and almost dropped it. 

Though it was a piece of light armor, its color and sheen made it look heavier than any metal. 

However, it felt as if he were holding a feather.

[What is this…? Is it really armor? I can barely feel its weight.] (Seto)

[I know, and moreover…] (Satis)

Satis used spatial magic to take out a knife and tried swinging it down at the plate covering their torso.

A metallic sound rang out, then the blade of the knife snapped and was forcefully knocked away.

But the most important part was that the plate did not have a single scratch on it.

This result was exceedingly strange for armor.

[No ordinary weapon can penetrate this armor. The technology to freely process such hard materials existed in the Silver City… Or rather, it existed in the era when this city was still functional.] (Satis)

[So this is lost technology, huh.] (Seto)

[Yes. Actually, it’s still unclear what kind of material this is. I’d like to investigate it thoroughly, but… —Eh?] (Satis)

In the next moment, the plate melted away like ice.

With a sizzling sound, the equipment completed its role of protecting its owner and vanished like the wind.

Only the corpses of the attackers and their tattered clothes remained lying on the ground.

[What the heck…? It’s like their armor evaporated…] (Seto)

[Whew, my mind is getting all confused. It seems like this place isn’t the kind that can be investigated in a day. So, Seto, there’s actually something else.] (Satis)

[Huh, what is it?] (Seto)

[These attackers… were already dead before you defeated them.] (Satis)

[Huh? But they were screaming… Ah, were they some kind of undead monsters?] (Seto)

[No… These corpses… Or rather, these mummies were being moved by “some kind” of power.] (Satis)

[Judging from your reaction, it doesn’t seem like it was necromancy. —So who was controlling them, and with what kind of power?] (Seto)

The question Seto muttered weighed heavily on Satis’ mind.

And then there was Seto’s magic sword, which had easily cut through their incredibly sturdy armor.

His skill certainly did play a part in it, but she still felt that something was odd.

However, having repelled the enemies and finally being able to calm down, Seto and Satis decided to start exploring.

They quickly glanced through the books placed on the bookshelf in the room.

But since all of them were written in an unfamiliar script, Seto started feeling dizzy.

As for Satis, with her usual concentration, she stared intently at one page before moving on to the next one.

[Satis, can you read this?] (Seto)

[Not exactly, but I can read parts of it.] (Satis)

[Do you know these characters? I’ve never seen anything like this before.] (Seto)

[When I was still an officer of the Demon King’s army, I once saw a book in a corner of the library with characters similar to these. I was interested at the time, so I learned a bit.] (Satis)

[Ohh.] (Seto)

[But unfortunately, most of these characters were lost a long time ago. I can read some of them, but it might be a little difficult to read the whole text.] (Satis)

[I see. So, did you gather any information? Did you find out anything about this place?] (Seto)

Saying “Yes,” Satis closed the book.

She slowly returned it to the shelf and, turning her gaze to Seto, shared the information she had learned.

[To summarize, this place had a civilization far more advanced than the era we are currently living in. The Silver City in particular was considered the center of the world. However… It seems that a strange epidemic occurred.] (Satis)

[An epidemic… I see, so it wiped out the people of the past…] (Seto)

[No, that doesn’t seem to be the case. It is true that even with advanced medical technology, they couldn’t prevent it, but the problem they had seems to be something else.] (Satis)

[Something else? What do you mean…?] (Seto)

[Unfortunately, I couldn’t figure that part out. The characters were faded, and many parts were undecipherable…] (Satis)

[I see, nothing we can do then. Satis, let’s hurry ahead. I’m worried about Hydra and Gravis. Besides, those two might have discovered something as well.] (Seto)

[You’re right. Let’s get out of this building quick—] (Satis)

Just as she was about to finish her sentence, they heard something shattering down the hallway.

When they went to check, they found the statue that had been following Seto and Satis, now broken.

The statue showed no signs of moving anymore.

But somehow, the face of the angel statue seemed to be staring intently at Seto.

As Seto approached the statue, he found something among its fragments.

What’s this…? (Seto)

It was a small, hard board shaped like a playing card.

He picked it up and showed it to Satis.

But they could not figure out its purpose even after examining it.

However, thinking it might be an important item, Satis decided to keep it.

[Let’s go, Seto. There are also those attackers to consider. We need to be more cautious than ever.] (Satis)

[Understood.] (Seto)

The statue was not chasing them anymore, but they still could not let their guard down considering the other potential threats.

They were practically close to the exit, but they could sense the shadows lurking within the city slowly closing in on them.

Meanwhile, Hydra and Gravis were also under attack, just like Seto and Satis.

Even with Hydra’s elegant martial arts using two iron fans and Gravis’s unmatched sniping, it was difficult to penetrate their armor.

[What are these things?!] (Gravis)

[Don’t lose your composure. If you get scared, you die.] (Hydra)

Gravis’s crossbow, by its nature, could only fire one shot at a time, but she could fire it quickly thanks to the unique reloading technique she had mastered.

In fact, she could reload several times faster than an ordinary person.

As for Hydra, her skills no longer needed to be demonstrated, and although the nature of their attackers was unknown, their techniques were no different from those of a human.

Perhaps because she was well versed in fighting groups, she deflected their attacks and delivered powerful counterblows, gradually learning how to inflict damage on them, taking down one attacker after another.

[Gravis, these aren’t humans. Their armor is troublesome too, but…] (Hydra)

[I know! I finally figured out where to aim] (Gravis)

The fact that the enemies were armored did not leave them without any weak points.

There were many spots where they could receive damage, such as the joints and the small area around the throat.

Using a strategy targeting vital points, she quickly disposed of her numerous opponents.

Hydra was also facing two attackers at once, but it was only a matter of time before she defeated them.

Corpses were lying around Gravis, and she thought she could finally catch her breath.

She had just holstered her crossbow at her waist and was about to take out her pipe when—

[Gwaaah!!] (Undead)

[Eh? ????Kyaaah!] (Gravis)

One of the creatures lying at her feet suddenly lunged at her from a prone position.

It seemed he was still alive, and with the last of his strength he wrapped both arms around her back and performed a bear hug to crush her.

[What are you doing?! …Nngh! Ah!] (Gravis)

Though his arms were as thin as a mummy’s, the attacker exhibited unbelievable strength, squeezing her body so tightly it felt like she was going to be torn apart.

She tried to resist, but was so tired from the fight that she could barely summon any strength.

And more than anything, being caught off guard like this was excruciating.

[Gi…gi…gi…!] (Undead)

As Gravis was bent backward, the assailant’s filthy face repeatedly pressed against her voluptuous chest, deforming sensuously with each movement of his head.

She could feel his nose, eyes, cheekbones, and lips directly through her chest, but on the brink of death, she had no time to care about such things.

[Why you… little…] (Gravis)

Gravis mustered her strength and picked up the crossbow at her waist.

[SHITSTAIN…!!] (Gravis)

She fired at the attacker’s face, and he was instantly blown back, seemingly losing all strength and falling to the ground.

Watching the fallen enemy, Gravis dropped to her knees, breathing heavily.

[Gravis, are you alright?] (Hydra)

[Y-Yes, I’m fine… I just let my guard down a bit.] (Gravis)

[Let’s rest for a bit. Don’t push yourself.] (Hydra)

[That sounds… like a good idea.] (Gravis)

The two hid in the shadow of a building and decided to rest.

As they rested, Gravis’s complexion gradually improved.

[Here, drink some water.] (Hydra)

[Thank you. Hey, what do you think those things are?] (Gravis)

[I don’t know. Since they’re armed, they might be soldiers of this city.] (Hydra)

[Soldiers, huh? Even as mummies, they’re still soldiers? What a terrible workplace.] (Gravis)

[Well, some cultures bury their dead soldiers with the idea that they’ll continue to protect their king or country even after death, so we can’t say for sure. But I agree, that was abnormal.] (Hydra)

Hydra and Gravis, like Seto and Satis, noticed the strange nature of the attackers.

This only deepened the mystery shrouding the massive, fog-covered Silver City.

To unravel this mystery, they had to venture further inside it, but without a map or any guidance, they could not move recklessly.

They also needed to regroup with Seto and Satis, and they had a mountain of things to do.

While they were pondering this, they noticed a figure in the mist.

[Who’s there?!] (Hydra)

Hydra shouted, but the figure did not respond.

It simply stood there, as if watching them.

[…Who is that?] (Gravis)

[I don’t know. Is it a trap?] (Hydra)

[…Could they actually be waiting for us?] (Gravis)

[Waiting? For what?] (Hydra)

[D-Dunno…] (Gravis)

They cautiously approached the figure.

When they got close enough, the figure turned and walked in another direction.

The echo of its footsteps sounded familiar.

When they approached again, it walked off in yet another direction. 

It was as if it was guiding them somewhere.