It’s been a little over an hour since I left home.
My workplace is on fire.
An envoy from the embassy went to the royal palace and encountered a spontaneous battle at the gate.
Pushing through the onlookers and panicked people, I was able to return quickly, all thanks to this body of mine ♪
“Nene, I’m ho—*clack*—you locked the doors properly, right?”
I opened the entrance with my key, wondering if Nene was scared by the commotion outside.
I stepped into the living room.
“Gah!!”
The smell of blood.
It was too strong to be from outside.
“Nene… where are you?”
I went to Nene and my bedroom.
“Ne… Nene!! Why is it like this…?”
The moment I opened the bedroom door, what greeted my eyes was…
Nene, covered in blood, her belly, with our child inside, pierced through.
The weapon wasn’t found in the house. The worn handle suggested it was brand new.
Amidst the chaos of the commotion outside. Someone, a thief who took advantage of the fire.
In my absence, they came to violate my pregnant wife… Nene.
“I’ll kill you.”
If it was a boy.
Redral. Nicknamed Red.
If it was a girl.
Nefilia. Nicknamed Nefi.
We had decided on those names.
*Grrrrrr*
“Haa… haa…”
Physical Enhancement. Excessive Possessed Magic Power Absorption. Multiple Physical Enhancements.
Sense Enhancement. Trace Tracking Magic. Burst Speed Improvement.
*Creak… Creak…*
With my enhanced body, each step echoed in the empty house.
…
*Bang!!*
“—What—!!!”
I crept back into the bedroom.
And flung open the doors of the wardrobe and closet with force.
It wasn’t empty.
The culprit. The one who killed Nene and our child.
“You’re the bastard, aren’t you?”
“Mugaga, gaah, met, gaa…”
You’re gripping my cheek with your left hand, begging for your life? Do you really think I’d grant it?!
I could feel the crunch of your teeth against my fingers.
Warm liquid and your breath on my palm, but right now, all I can think about is how to kill you.
“Ugh, ugh…”
“Hey, hey, you’re all grown up. After doing something like this, don’t start wetting yourself.”
In the wardrobe were Nene’s and my clothes.
I pulled them onto the floor, so they wouldn’t become soiled with urine.
“Count your sins. I’ll send you to the other world slowly.”
“Ngbubububu…”
With my right hand, I crushed your left knee to prevent you from escaping.
Next, your right knee.
“—Nnnnnhhh—”
“You pierced my beloved wife and child… with something so cold.”
I said that while caressing the culprit’s stomach.
He started crying, trembling. Or perhaps he had been crying since I crushed his knee.
“Uuuu――――”
The fire thief would later be subjected to Rayos’s retribution.
His body and spirit would be thoroughly broken.
“Nene, the remains of you two… I will cherish and use them. May you rest in peace.”
I’m sorry I couldn’t give you a happy ending.
“Well then, it’s time to retaliate against those who caused this situation.”
Rayos’s anger turned towards his former subordinates.
In front of the main gate of the royal palace.
“Die. Die.”
“Show them our faith. Don’t fall behind other countries.”
“Ooooh. Ooooh.”
“We can’t afford to fall behind either. Shields forward—Destroy the gate—”
“Hah. Hah. Haaaaaaah.”
The guards used the elevation difference to prevent reinforcements from the palace from reaching the inside.
Even though the enemy’s objective was repayment for a past favor after their aid, it was still a siege.
*Thwack… Pierce…*
“Guh,” “Shoot back!”
“Bring more arrows!”
“Magic tools are coming! Identify the magic tools—”
Arrows pierced the ceiling directly above, embedded in talismans.
These talismans were special items used by Talisman Arts users.
The paper was made from demonic wood, or from the bodies of plant-type or beast-type monsters.
The ink used to write on the talismans was made from graphite infused with magic power and vegetable oil.
The country of Talisman Arts users.
Taiyon (India).
*Boom! Sizzle fizzle crackle*
The talismans exploded.
More than half the guards were incapacitated by injuries and the status effects and curses from the talismans.
“NOW!!”
“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH!!!!”
With the guards who were hindering them reduced, they attacked the main gate with full force.
Infusing possessed magic power into magic tools to break the inner bolt.
Simultaneously activating various magic that produced diverse effects.
The effects were amplified by the interaction between the magic tools.
After repeating their attacks several times, the bolt was bent.
*Bang!!*
“Chargeeeeeeeeeee!”
“Follow meeeeeeeeee!”
They pushed open half of the main gate.
And poured into the palace in waves.
The thieves who had infiltrated inside had already dispersed, hiding.
Or engaging in siege warfare.
“Enemy commanders!”
*Peep peep… Peep peep…*
They encountered regular soldiers.
The magic tools for their arms and armor were all the same.
Unlike the thieves’ disparate magic tools with clear variations in strength.
They had the same performance, in equal numbers.
And they also had the advantage of terrain.
“Defense Formation!”
“Ooh!”
Five meters from the main gate.
The groups from various countries were once again halted.
Their longer formation compared to the area in front of the main gate clearly separated the attacking and waiting groups.
The waiting groups eyed each other with hostility.
Those in the rear, with no immediate role, glared at each other aggressively.
Assessing the cooperation of the regular soldiers to some extent.
They chipped away gradually with their own unique tactics.
The regular soldiers had no reinforcements.
Their personnel were depleted by the search for thieves within the grounds.
Without letting this show,
the squad leaders encouraged their subordinates, shouting that reinforcements were coming, even though they weren’t.
I watched this battle from atop the outer wall.
“…The enemies of Nene and our child.”
Against the backdrop of a clear blue sky with several pillars of black graphite rising into it.
Rayos plunged into the group battle.
“Wh—Gah,”
“Enemy—Commanders!”
“To the rear! Enemy attack!”
“Follow the commander of the waiting group!”
“Defend! First, quell the confusion!”
The intruder suddenly appeared from overhead.
The rear waiting group.
While the initial shock was small, they were surprised by the intruder’s physical abilities, martial arts, and close-combat skills, which were slightly superior to their own.
Following the commander’s instructions, they immediately formed a defensive formation.
They maintained their distance, stopping the intruder.
“KYYYSAAAAAAAARAAAAAAAAGAAAAAAAAAAH!”
