Akatsuki Translations

Shocking news!! A supergiant-class fortress city is born on the land of Gradol!!

It was about two weeks after the birth of【Dragon-Devoured Uuga】 that a slightly exaggerated newspaper circulated around the【City of Sin, Envy】.

An entire city transforms into a “mobile fortress”. An unprecedented ultra-large-scale grand magic.

And behind it, the lurking shadow of heretics, dark rumors hinting at mysterious connections with the Temple.

The information that the Temple barely allowed greatly excited the citizens and entertained them as a source of amusement. For most citizens, the topics of another sin city that wasn’t even adjacent to them were someone else’s business.

Over the course of two months, newspapers circulated, information spread throughout the city, various rumors blossomed among the citizens, interest was gradually lost, and by the time the topic shifted to newly developed magic tools by workshops, Uuga had completely become a part of everyday life.

However, for those who governed the operation and protection of the city, it was not someone else’s business, nor was it a finished story.

“This has become a troublesome matter…”

Londer Cain, the knight commander of the【Envy Knight Order】, which existed separately from the Temple to protect the security of the city-state, turned his worn-out glasses towards the documents and heaved a deep sigh.

He seemed to have no energy at all. If the young children who admired the knight order in the city saw him, they would surely be disappointed by the unreliable appearance of the short, ordinary knight commander.

In fact, as he looked, he had not been on the front lines for many years. Without standing at the forefront, he continued his desk job of tackling paperwork for decades. Those who looked down on him were not uncommon even within the knight order, and there were even subordinates who openly pointed out that he was just a figurehead.

He had been wearing a melancholic expression for a while now.

The reason was clear. The Uuga incident that occurred far away in Gradol.

The incident happened in a distant country, so naturally, it had nothing to do with them. However, not being able to say that was the difficult part of being a knight order tasked with protecting the city.

The entire city was tampered with by heretics. Is Envy safe?

Could it be that heretics have infiltrated us too?

Do something about it! You are the key to protecting the city, aren’t you?!

When rumors of the Uuga incident reached Envy, such voices poured in. Of course, such hysterical voices subsided over time, but once such dissatisfaction was raised, the knight order could not remain idle.

That being said, “investigating heretics who may be lurking in Envy” was extremely troublesome. There was no lead. However, it was hard to say that there was nothing at all.

“There are suspicious people everywhere…” -Londer

Not limited to heretics, there were dubious individuals in Envy as well. If everyone living in the city was pure, there would be no need for a knight order. And among those suspicious individuals, there were indeed shadows that seemed to be heretics… but,

“We have no right to arrest people who have not done anything wrong…” -Londer

What they could grasp was only that they seemed to be heretics, and they didn’t know if they actually were.

The【heretics】 could hardly be called a proper organization. They were different from those of the Temple, which was unified by faith in the One and Only God and the spirits. Their ideologies, goals, and ways of believing were all different. Although they were unified in terms of “hatred towards this world”, the intensity of that hatred also varied.

Some of them were simply gatherings created by heretics that were actually just “women’s clubs enjoying complaining about the city a little”.

Naturally, they could not arrest attendees who had no awareness of being heretics and were not engaging in any activities.

They blended into the city, were difficult to identify, and although they were a potential threat, they were not doing anything at the moment. In other words, they could not lay a hand on them. And to investigate them, they lacked information more than anything.

“If only it had been an incident that occurred in a nearby satellite city…” -Londer

His statement was extremely imprudent, but in reality, the place was too far away to know under what circumstances the Uuga incident had occurred.

The fact that it took two weeks for the information about this big commotion to reach Envy was proof of that. Physical distance, monster obstacles, and the sparse distribution outside of the main cities and satellite cities. It was the logic of this world, but the freshness, quantity, and quality of information were inevitably poor. Above all, the exchange was troublesome.

In order to improve the accuracy of information, it was necessary to have on-site observations, but the knight order was the key to protecting the city and could not easily leave the city.

However, there are exceptions to everything. Envy also had that.

“Commander Cain, is now a good time?”

“Whoa! Um… please come in.” -Londer

A powerful voice full of vigor could be heard from the door. Cain was startled by the voice and dropped the documents. He hurriedly picked up the documents and replied in a deflated, thin voice.

“Envy Knight Order Flying Strike Force Captain Gloria Floatin, entering.” -Gloria

“Envy Knight Order Flying Strike Force Vice-Captain Eckstein Lagoat, entering.” -Eckstein

Two knights entered the room.

One was Gloria Floatin. An elf woman. She had the youthful appearance and well-proportioned features characteristic of her race, but the impression one received at first glance was “coldness”. Her eyes were narrow, but the gaze directed at others was strong and sharp. Unlike Commander Cain, she had an un-knightly presence, but the armor tailored for her further accentuated the cold aura she bore.

The other one, Eckstein, was a young human man. Not even 20 years old yet. Orange hair. A slender, androgynous pretty boy with a gentle smile. If it weren’t for him, the atmosphere Gloria wore would have been even sharper. The blue and white colors of the armor unique to the Envy Knight Order suited him well.

In response to the two entering, Cain made a slightly troubled expression. It was a reaction unthinkable for the top of the knight order. Just that alone made the power dynamics in this place clearly visible.

“Um… I wonder if you are ready. The members of the strike force.” -Londer

“Yes, Commander. We will now head to the site of【Dragon-Devoured Uuga】 for investigation.” -Gloria

“It’s not very desirable for the knight order to stick its nose into another country, though…” -Londer

Cain muttered his dissatisfaction in a small voice, but Gloria showed no sign of restraint at all. She smiled faintly, looking down at the suspicious commander.

“Since our strike force is independent from the command system of the Envy Knight Order, there should be no problems that will fall on you.” -Gloria

“Ah, yes, that’s true, but…” -Londer

As Cain quickly became flustered, this time Eckstein next to him smiled as if to comfort Cain.

“I apologize, Commander Cain. We also cannot refuse orders from above…” -Eckstein

“…Yeah. Well, I understand. Your unit is “special”. You don’t even fall under the laws of the Grand Federation. Although, the people of Gradol probably won’t be too happy about it…” -Londer

“We will be careful not to provoke them. At the same time, if we bring back information on Uuga and Gradol, it will help with countermeasures against heretics in Envy.” -Eckstein

At those words considering Cain’s feelings, Cain nodded with a clinging expression.

“I’m counting on you, Eckstein-kun. And you too, Gloria-kun. Please do your best not to upset Greylei of the【Seven Heavens】.” -Londer

　　　　　　　　　　◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

Greylei Grein, one of the【Seven Heavens】, the【Heavenly Demon】. An eccentric elf and genius.

The greatest magician in history and a genius in the development of magical machinery. A true monster who single-handedly transformed the【City of Sin, Envy】 into a magical machinery superpower.

He is a terrifying wielder of magic recognized even by the Wise Heavenly King, and a great man who greatly shrank the world through “mobile fortresses” created by various magical machines and familiar generation in this world where exchange is greatly restricted due to various obstacles.

However, he also had many problems.

Most of those problems were caused by his great talent and his unconventional, reckless personality.

As if in exchange for obtaining the innate talent for magic, he possessed not a shred of hesitation or self-restraint. He wielded the extralegal authority given to him by the Wise Heavenly King without hesitation, and each time, those who got involved were simultaneously brought ruin and blessing.

Regardless of the result, there was not a single thing that remained the same after he passed through. There is a heretic with the nickname【Ruinous】, but some even say that he is more deserving of that name.

Well, for such reasons, there were many in this world who disliked him.

Especially the Temple and many priests hated him. One could even say they loathed him. The reason was probably that he thought of using the spirits for his private experiments.

About 100 years ago, when he became one of the【Seven Heavens】, the previous【Wise Heavenly King】 tried to grant him a Temple rank, but he received scream-like direct appeals from many priests and gave up on giving him a position. Therefore, he is one of the【Seven Heavens】 but not a priest.

So, he also has no authority to lead the【Sun Knight Order】, the military force of the Temple.

He had no trouble with that (he grumbled that he wanted to see the Sun Knights who hated him squirm in agony as his servants), but he felt he needed subordinates to act as his hands and feet.

–I don’t neglect fieldwork, but it’s troublesome to have my research time cut into.

For such reasons, he intervened in the knight order of his hometown, the【City of Sin, Envy】. Using various favors and connections, he created a certain unit within the knight order.

【Envy Knight Order Flying Strike Force】

It was a unit born to ride the【Flying Fortress Garuda】 developed by Greylei, fly out of the city, and “preemptively” eliminate various obstacles and problems approaching the city, despite being part of the knight order.

In reality, it was Greylei’s private army unit, a【Pillager Unit】 that wielded Greylei’s transcendent privileges and stripped away everything of high magical asset value that he desired.

“Commander Cain has also aged. 20 years ago, he had a little more vigor, but now he has completely declined.” -Eckstein

“Commander Cain is a human, so I suppose it can’t be helped…” -Gloria

“Even among humans, there are those who wear a spirit befitting their age as they grow older. That’s probably his own nature.” -Eckstein

On the bridge of the【Flying Fortress Garuda】, Gloria shook her head mockingly.

She openly expressed her dissatisfaction with her superior in front of the knights performing various operations on the bridge for the management and operation of the flying fortress, but no one reprimanded her or seemed uncomfortable. Rather, some even laughed as if it were a light joke.

Complaints and dissatisfaction with the incompetent knight commander had become chronic within the knight order. Especially in this【Strike Force】, Commander Cain was merely a nominal superior. There were hardly any who respected him.

Only the vice-captain, Eckstein, raised a somewhat sympathetic voice towards the commander.

“However, I understand his worries. It must be a headache. The Uuga incident.” -Eckstein

“Well, that’s probably true. Even I doubted my ears at first.” -Gloria

His role was to gently restrain the captain’s excessive words.

It was undoubtedly true that the strike force, which had a long history and clearly stood out even within the Envy Knight Order, had maintained a relatively smooth relationship within the knight order in recent years since Eckstein’s promotion.

“That’s exactly why it’s our time to shine. While he sits at his desk twiddling his thumbs, let’s bring back the truth and information about Uuga ‘incidentally’ and put him in our debt.” -Gloria

Even Gloria looked down on him, but she had no intention of actively antagonizing Commander Cain. She had no interest in the position of commander either. For her, who had been the top of such an exceptionally strange organization as the strike force captain since its founding, there were other matters that took priority.

“I will also do my best to contribute. Gradol has agreed to our proposal this time as well.” -Gloria

“Gradol has no room to refuse us now. In any case, they should also need the knowledge and power of【Heavenly Demon-sama】.” -Eckstein

“And if possible, let’s bring back information on Uuga.” -Gloria

At Eckstein’s words, Gloria laughed. However, it was not the kind that put the other person at ease. It was a smile accompanied by greed and malice.

“It would be most desirable if we could bring back that thing.” -Gloria

“That’s, Captain…” -Eckstein

For her, the highest priority was to satisfy the intellectual curiosity of Greylei, who was effectively her superior. She was a devotee of Greylei, and as he wished, she had offered him all sorts of magical assets.

And for that purpose, she did not hesitate to make various sacrifices.

“He would be able to utilize Uuga most reliably and efficiently. Or even ‘duplicate’ it. Then, it goes without saying that it is most fitting for him to manage it.” -Gloria

Her words, which sounded like blind faith, were nevertheless realistic.

It was an undeniable truth that【Heavenly Demon】 Greylei had brought immense benefits to this world. The mobile fortresses all over the world and the【Garuda】 they rode were all achievements of Greylei. It was said that he had created the foundation of magic currently used in this world, and he was continuously developing new magic. He was also in charge of the development network for【Magic Cores】, which were the key to magical weapons such as【Dragonfang Spears】.

Greylei had enough achievements to justify the acquisitions by the【Strike Force】 led by Gloria, which even seemed excessive.

The Uuga incident this time was an unprecedented magical incident in history. That’s why she was convinced that the one to manage it should be the world’s greatest magician, the【Heavenly Demon】.

“However, the Gradol side won’t easily agree either.” -Eckstein

“They’ll be desperate to survive. Even if not all of them, if they sided with heretics as a nation, I think the proper thing to do would be to quietly die or prostrate before the Wise Heavenly King…” -Gloria

Saying that, she gazed at the documents sent in advance by the scouting unit. What was listed there was not information from the Gradol side–

“The negotiations this time will likely be mainly with Gradol, but the Uuga side is also a problem. I heard the members were quite unique, but…” -Gloria

The existence of【Echelle】, the only survivor of the Caraleigh family, the【Seven Heavens’ Hero】,【Silver-rank ・ Jain of the White Serpent】, and the up-and-coming adventurer【Ur the Slime King Exterminator】. Peculiar individuals now reside in Uuga. The other residents are a small number of attendants and Nameless people who were half-driven out of Gradol and still can’t return.

Once again, it was chaotic. She couldn’t even imagine how it ended up in such a disorganized state.

“There’s no way these people can come together. If they’re a ragtag group, it should be easy to control them… but it seems it’ll be tough to gather information.” -Gloria

“Actually, there’s one lead regarding that point.” -Eckstein

“Oh?” -Gloria

At Eckstein’s words, Gloria raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“It’s the first time I’ve heard you have connections in Gradol. Aren’t you a citizen from Envy?” -Gloria

“No, not in Gradol. Apparently, an old friend of mine was involved this time, so I was hoping to hear a little bit from him.” -Eckstein

Saying that, he looked at the farseer crystal projected on the bridge. After Garuda rode through the sky for several days, the destination that had begun to faintly appear on the farseer crystal, he smiled at the sight of the giant shadow.

“I’m looking forward to our reunion. Ur, Akane.” -Gloria

　　　　　　　　　　◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

Thus, various intentions were intersecting and converging towards Dragon-Devoured Uuga.

No one knew what kind of outcome it would bring. However, it was clear to everyone’s eyes that a great upheaval and confusion would undoubtedly occur.

Even in this world where cities were isolated from each other and travel was restricted, 【Dragon-Devoured  Uuga】 was gathering attention from all over.

The center of that chaos, and the one who created it. The astonishingly up-and-coming adventurer who usurped Uuga from the heretics in less than a year since becoming an adventurer. As for Ur, the guild master of the【Walkers】 guild–

“…Hey, Jain.” -Ur

“What, ya damn brat?” -Jain

“The tolmet fruits from your home garden are delicious.” -Ur

“Eat more, ya damn brat. Want some homemade sauce too?” -Jain

“You hate flattery with a passion, but you’re weak as hell to compliments about your crops.” -Ur

He was savoring the joy of the harvest at the dining table of Jain of the White Serpent.