So when the Shadow Clone unmasked the hooded figure, it turned out the person who attempted to escape was a mannequin.
Just when I thought all our (or rather, my) efforts have gone to waste, Alicia was staring at something.
"What is this...?" Alicia drew her sword and poked the back of the mannequin. Suddenly, a bone white coloured book popped out of the mannequin.
"Partial change, Aquila to Pegasus!" I muttered as my sword appeared on my left hand.
Then, I jumped off the tree and knocked the tied up figures out with the hilt of my sword.
"Let me take a look what is inside of this book-" My nonchalant expression turned into a paled one after reading the contents of the book.
"Shit, this is bad. Real bad." I turned to Alicia, who looked at me with a confused expression.
"Why?"
I showed her the contents of the book wordlessly, and Alicia's face turned pale as well.
It turned out the book contains information about all of our abilities used in the past. Not to mention, our backgrounds, identity, literally everything except the lewd stuff were collected and analyzed thoroughly. And the book had a list of people as targets to assassinate, including Iris, Alicia and I.
Ah, I stand corrected. There was a few personal information concerning Alicia, like her BWH measurements- (*karate chops* Don't say it aloud you dummy!)
-Though one wonders how did that person managed to obtain such information. I would not comment anything on that act, matter of fact, I would thank- (*karate chops*)
'I was right all along... There is a spy in our midst.' I thought to myself as I sheathed my sword.
"Should we tell the others?" Alicia asked me with a worried expression.
"Let's keep this a secret for now." I answered in a calm manner. "I will think of a plan in luring out the spy."
The next morning at Nerimaki's pub...
"Hey, I've found a book out of nowhere, are you guys interested in taking a look at its contents?" I asked as I waved the bone white book.
'Why do all the books we found have creepy covers...?' I thought to myself as I facepalmed myself internally.
A few hours earlier...
"Hey, so what are we going to do?" Alicia asked on our way back.
"I think there is a plan to sniff him out. So tomorrow morning, I am going to show them the book. You on the other hand, pretend that you are amazed and take a glance at those people's expressions. By the way, you aren't the spy, are you?" I informed Alicia my plan and Alicia shook her head in response to my question.
To be honest with you, I feel a bit stupid for not asking Alicia whether or not she is the spy. But then again, it would be pretty much pointless even if I asked her, considering the fact anyone can lie.
Well, not if you have that magical lie detector, but these things were hard to come by and could be found in the police stations in the Belzerg Kingdom. Maybe I should make one for myself someday.
Yeah, let's do that after finishing this annoying task on our hands.
"I know it's a pretty dumb idea and I suppose there wouldn't be anyone stupid enough to fall for it. But screw it, let's give this a shot." I said with a sigh as I facepalmed myself.
"I suppose that should work." Alicia nodded.
'Here it goes...' I thought to myself as I activated the Aura Perception System.
Everyone in the pub has a pure aura. Did my senses go wrong?
Maybe I was paranoid, huh? But still, that detailed information concerning our abilities inside the book doesn't sit well with me. There is a spy within our ranks and he could be any one of us.
I am so gonna find that spy.
But still, I think either Iris or Alicia wouldn't be a spy. After all, they are the targets of an assassin. Not to mention, both of them are high-ranked nobles, Iris is the Princess of the Belzerg Kingdom herself. Why would Iris want her home in ruins? That doesn't make any sense.
So, I have striked them out of my list of suspects.
Now, now, I am not an extreme conspiracy theorist, I wouldn't doubt myself. Considering the fact that I am highly associated with Iris and various nobles of the Belzerg Kingdom, I am not the spy as well.
As for Yunyun and Loby, they are Crimson Demons, which affiliation is the Belzerg Kingdom. On top of that, Yunyun is the daughter of the village chief of the Crimson Demons. And judging from her behavior a few days ago, I have sufficient reasons to believe they are innocent.
And off they go, out of the suspect list of being a spy.
And Chris, her true identity is Eris, the Goddess of Luck. It couldn't be more obvious she wants the Demon King's Army dead. So, another one off the list.
With all of them gone, there is only one person left on the list.
That's right. The person who is most likely to be a spy would be Karu, considering the fact that he had zero connections or affiliations sided with the Belzerg Kingdom here.
While I was contemplating who is the spy here, I took a closer look at their auras. Everyone's auras except Karu, were extremely pure. Karu did quite well in trying to hide this, since I almost overlooked the barely visible sinister effects around Karu's aura.
"Oh wait, I got the wrong book." I stopped them from reading the contents of the book as I took out the Summoning Scroll. "Here it is." I grabbed a brown book.
And that book is the translation book for Wingdings.
Before you could ask when did I find it, let me answer that by saying a phrase some people would hate: It's Rewind Time.
Rewinding back to sometime about four in the morning...
I summoned the Shadow Wolf and searched for the book with Alicia. And we finally found it in three hours' work.
"This is the translation book for Wingdings. Anyway, let's go to Yunyun's house and get to work." I turned my attention onto my party members as I closed the book.
A few moments later at Yunyun's house...
"Let's get to work. Yunyun, grab some pens and paper for translation and interpretation work. Karu, Chris, Loby, you guys scout the surroundings. Help the Crimson Demons if necessary. Yunyun and Alicia will do the translation work, Iris and I will interpret the abilities written in the book. If you guys need any reinforcements or anything happened, keep in touch with the communication devices. Is that clear?" I distributed the roles to my party members and briefed them about what they are going to do.
"If no, then let's go!" I continued as my party members scattered in all directions.
After Alicia and Yunyun went upstairs, Iris gave me a look of concern.
"Hey, Onii-chan." Iris called out to me with a hint of concern with her voice.
"What is it, Iris?" I answered as I pulled my sword out slowly and channeled my mana into the sword.
"Are you really okay with the adventurers hating you for something you didn't do?" Iris asked with a touch of concern.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked back with a slightly cold tone as the blue glow emitted from the blade of my sword got brighter as time passed by.
"I have heard it from Alicia. She said the adventurers hated you for trying to save me from that narcissistic Swordmaster and almost got them executed back then." Iris said. "And then you once said that you don't care about what the adventurers think of you. However at that time, your eyes just gave it all away. I know deep down in your heart you still care about their thoughts about you. Knowing that you have faced betrayals and heartbreaks, that must be painful, isn't it...?"
"No. Not even the slightest bit." I answered instinctively.
"But-"
"Iris, I meant what I said. I am totally fine and I give zero fks concerning their thoughts about me. Never mind that, let's get to work." I summoned the blood-stained book and words appeared on the pages of the book under the glow of my sword.
On the other hand, somewhere near the front gate of the Crimson Demon Village...
"Why do we have to do all tedious work like this?" Karu asked Chris and Loby.
"I mean, he always had all the fun work. And where are we right at this moment? Walking around the village." Karu continued.
Then, Karu saw a shadow signaled him to go over.
"Give me a second, I'll be right back." Karu turned to Chris and Loby before he went off.
"So, what is his orders?" Karu asked the hooded person.
That guy stared at him wordlessly, but it seems like Karu understood what he meant, probably because the eyes literally have words in them.
"Don't worry, I have wanted to do that for a long time. Leave this to me." Karu answered in a cool way before he returned to his party members.
Back at Yunyun's house...
"Guardian-san... We followed what the translation book said, but we still don't have any clue..." Yunyun walked downstairs and told us the fact the translation book may not work.
"Hm? Let's see..." I took the books from Yunyun and started reading it.
And I flipped over a few pages and found out that the Wingdings part also included Wingdings 2 and Wingdings 3.
That cheeky little son of a gun...
"Change of roles. Yunyun, you are with Iris. Alicia and I will do the translation work." I sighed in resignation as I switched the roles.
"Actually, you know what? Iris can take a break. Yunyun, do as you please, you can either go ahead and help us out or rest for a while. I don't really care anymore." I continued as I walked upstairs.
"What is wrong with Guardian-san...?"
"I don't know as well..."
"I'll go check on him. You guys go ahead and take a break." Alicia said before she left and went after me.
Meanwhile...
'Well, she's not completely wrong. It does hurt when you become the scapegoat for something you didn't do. But it is me we are talking about. I can do this, just like before...!'
"What is wrong with you?"
"Hello?"
A gloved hand was waving in front of me, trying to get my attention.
"What?" I asked Alicia who had the perception of me spacing out.
"That's what I am asking you. What's wrong with you?" Alicia asked with a tone of suspicion.
"What the hell, young lady? I am perfectly fine." I answered in slight exasperation.
"You don't seem fine as of late."
"Look, I have zero interest in discussing this, but we can discuss it sometime later on if you are still persistent on discussing this topic. Let's get to work for now." I pushed Alicia aside gently and headed towards the room.
'I am so going to ask Eris to kick that girl's ass later on for me...' I headed towards the room as I made a mental note.
A few hours later...
"Finally. We did it." I muttered as I wiped the sweat off my forehead.
'Seriously... What a pain... Why the hell would a normal person do that...? But then again, considering how bizarre this world is, it would be rather odd if she does this the normal way.' I internally facepalmed myself.
"Charlie, Lima, Kilo, we are done. Time for dinner." I grabbed the communication device, pressed its reply button and asked the three party members to return.
At Nerimaki's pub (I refuse to say the pub's name)...
"So basically at this moment, we have translated the book completely. But the powers mentioned in the book are beyond our understanding. Let's read the book and interpret the skills together the next day. After all, the more the merrier. Also, we can end this as soon as possible. Are there any questions?" I asked as I chugged down a swig of Neroid.
"And Chris, I would like you to help me with something later on."
After dinner...
"Consider it done, I will definitely find her out." Chris answered as she nodded in response after she heard me out.
"Thanks. But sure to be back tomorrow morning, we still need your help here, Eris-sama." I joked as I gave Chris a small smile.
Chris then left the inn and vanished.
I then entered the inn and slept.
However, I woke up due to the somewhat loud rustling noises.
Oh by the way, I didn't share the bed with Alicia this time since Chris went to do something for me, just to let you know.
I slightly opened my eyes and found Karu changing into a black outfit.
And his back turned at my direction and sheathed his swords like some sort of protagonist getting ready to head out you would see in a cliche anime.
Karu then leapt out of the window.
Of course, I saw that happening, so I equipped the Shadow Core Outfit and chased after him.
But Karu moved in a fast speed and I have lost him after following for three minutes.
Hold up, since when did he become that fast? That was absurd. I mean, I am a pretty fast runner myself, but I have never lost a visual on my targets, much less losing them in three minutes.
There's literally no way you can run that fast in three minutes. Either that guy have taken some drug or that running man was just a mere illusion.
"Core change, Wolf to Pegasus." I muttered as the Light Core Outfit materialized on my body.
"Summon Core Constellation, Shadow Wolf." I summoned the Core Constellation to smell Karu (or the guy in black, to say the least) out.
However, the Shadow Wolf didn't move after another few minutes, probably because that person's scent became even fainter.
It's weird that the Shadow Wolf couldn't trace its target down, considering how sharp its sense of smelling was.
All of a sudden, the Shadow Wolf turned around with its eyes looking upwards.
I followed its eyes and found a guy leapt towards us with his swords drawn.
I took a step back, then pulled my sword out and channeled my mana into it.
The masked man swung his swords in a quick succession, even quicker than Karu did.
However, I could tell it was the same skill. That way of slashing, and that look in his eyes... They resembled Karu's Flash Slash a lot.
Wait, this isn't the right time for spacing out or thinking who that guy might be. Let me unmask that guy and confirm his identity first, then think of other stuff like how to deal with him!
Anyway, that person sheathed his swords and began to use martial arts.
He used different kinds of martial arts and changed them in a rather confusing succession.
But still, I could name some of the martial arts he used, like aikido, judo and taekwondo. As for the rest, I couldn't name them all as that guy changed the styles in an incredibly fast speed.
And the fact of this guy using martial arts from my world made me have the impression of this guy is another guy reincarnated into this alternate world, not that I really care anyway.
Anyway, I sheathed my sword and dodged his attacks as I couldn't block them all with my sword.
Even though I only got hit by a few times, he really packs a punch and it actually hurts.
After forty five minutes of hand to hand combat (even though it is one-sided), I was on the ground, being subdued by the man in a black tightsuit.
"Kudos to you for figuring out who is the spy here, Magic Swordmaster..." The man spoke in a deep voice, as if he had a voice changer within the mask.
By the way, are there any voice changers in this world? Maybe I should ask Iris or Alicia about this later on.
"But unfortunate for you, it seems like... you wouldn't be alive to tell the tale." The man continued as he drew his swords.
This isn't going to end well, huh...?
I closed my eyes and concentrate my thoughts. Or rather, say my prayers.
"Perish-" Before the man could go for the fatal blow, he stopped.
I opened my eyes and found the Shadow Wolf pounced onto the man and bit his sword arm, the right arm to be specific, considering the fact he was dual-wielding.
The man was struggling to shake the Shadow Wolf off, and raised his sword in attempt to attack it.
"You are wide open!" I turned around, kicked him and back up a little.
"Core change, Pegasus to Wolf!" The Shadow Wolf let go of the masked man and headed towards my way before it divided into a few parts.
I equipped the Shadow Core Outfit and chanted Advanced Lurk before the man went back to his senses.
'It wouldn't be wise to fight him head on. If that's the case...!'
"Shadow Bind!" I muttered as ropes tied onto the person's shadow.
Since the man was tied up, he was immobilized as a result.
"Well, it seems like it's game over for you, Karu-san." I said as I grabbed onto the mask.
Just when you think I finally caught Karu, but the person under the mask wasn't Karu, it was... something weird.
The face is a whirlpool. A dark purple whirlpool if I have to be specific.
That whirlpool was quite enchanting (I will never admit that I have said that. Also, please forget what I just said), the slow but gentle flow of the neon purple lines was quite satisfying.
It feels like I can look at it forever.
And that deep but melting voice saying "Just do nothing and look into me" didn't really help a lot.
So, I can't help but continue to stare at that whirlpool face.
On the other hand...
'Did he noticed I left?' Karu hid in one of the trees as he looked at me cautiously and nocked an arrow on his bow.
"Anyway, I suppose orders are orders." Karu muttered.
Back when Karu talked to the shadow...
"So, what are his orders?" Karu asked the hooded person.
That guy stared at him wordlessly, and the words "Assassinate the Magic Swordmaster" appeared on his eyes.
"Well, I can understand why he wants the Magic Swordmaster dead... He really force me to use this as a decoy..." Karu muttered as he took aim at my direction.
"Farewell, Magic Swordmaster."
"Onii-chan? What are you doing here?" A voice rang out.
A familiar blonde girl walked towards me slowly as she asked with a concerned tone.
It turned out Iris came along with me. Even though the reason for her doing that is she probably wants to take a stroll or something, there is a chance that I woke her up by chance and she followed me all the way here.
However, I didn't notice Iris as I got hypnotized (or at least I think so) at the moment.
"Onii-chan...?" Iris tapped my shoulder as she called me in a slightly scared tone.
Iris then pushed away that dummy in attempt to get me back to my senses.
Karu on the other hand still has his bow and arrow aimed at me and waiting for the chance to finish me off. But since Iris was in the way, so Karu couldn't kill me at that time.
He probably be like "Hurry up and get the fk outta here" or something like that.
Even though I would like to care about his reaction, unfortunately, just like I said before, I was being hypnotized back then, so yeah.
At any rate, I guess Karu ran out of patience and fired an arrow.
And... he somehow missed the shot again.
Come to think of it, I haven't seen him hit his targets once up til now, not to mention they are stationary.
But wait, I think I just bleed a little due to the piercing winds of the arrow. So does that count as a hit or not? *confused screaming*
Iris noticed someone (aka Karu) was at the scene as well by the small cut on my face, and then she pulled out my sword and channeled her mana into it.
"Who's there?" Iris asked as the blue glow of the blade began getting brighter.
Iris then looked at the surroundings alertly in attempt to find out the location of the spy.
Karu POV
'Fk it. I will just let the arrow fly and see what happens.' I fired the arrow and it flew at a high velocity.
Oh my God! I managed to hit a stationary target! Maybe I should celebrate later on.
Wait, why would I celebrate over such a trivial matter?! Isn't that supposed to be normal?
But still, I think that was my first time to hit a target properly, so I guess I should feel nice about it...
Uh, never mind, it seems like I missed the target again.
Oh hey, to look on the bright side, I think I hurt the Magic Swordmaster indirectly.
So... I see this as an absolute win!
However, I think I have alerted Iris. After all, she pulled out his sword and channeled her mana into it, considering the fact the blue glow emitted from the blade was getting brighter as time passes.
Maybe I should stick around and observe a while, since I think Iris doesn't have Farsight.
Ah shit, it's getting closer to Twilight. No, I don't know what Twilight you are talking about. I mean the time when dawn is approaching. I am going to be busted if I don't do something...!
But still, my legs were numb from crouching. What should I do...?!
Alright, problem solved.
In order to reduce the chances of me getting caught, maybe I should do this.
*rustling noises*
"Who's there?" Iris raised my sword as she looked around with caution.
"Demon King Army alert! Would all combat personnel please gather at the front gate immediately?"
'It seems like I have no choice then...' Iris dragged me and left the scene.
At the inn...
"Is he okay, Iris-sama?" Alicia entered the room and checked on me, who couldn't return back to normal from being hypnotized and lying on a bed at that moment.
"But... judging from the dull look from his eyes. It couldn't be more obvious he isn't in good shape."
"Bad news! The Demon King Army has destroyed three-fifths of the Crimson Demon Village! We need help!" Yunyun opened the door and asked for assistance from both Alicia and Iris.
Iris pulled out the red Summoning Scroll and a dagger on my belt, then prod my finger with it.
Then she summoned Calibur from the Summoning Scroll.
"We will be back, Onii-chan."
A few moments later...
"Is that the inn...?" I looked around after I regained my consciousness.
*Battle sounds*
The Demon King Army attacked the Crimson Demon Village again, huh...?
"Ah." I looked at my sword with disbelief as the blade doesn't turn blue, even with my mana channeled into the sword.
'It doesn't work, huh? If that's the case...'
"Core change, Pegasus-"
"Ow!" I cried out in pain as I received a painful electric shock.
Well, guess I will have to fight in my normal form then.
Wait, before I head out, I should try one more thing.
"Partial change, Pegasus to Aquila!"
The magic rifle appeared on my hands.
Seems like I can still change the Core Weapons, which is a good thing.
Alright, let's go!
I ran towards the battlefield and climbed on a tree branch.
"Summon Core Constellation: Wind Aquila." I summoned the Core Constellation as I used the Wind Aquila as a scout.
Let's see how well did they do against the Demon King Army.
Let's see here...
Iris, Alicia and Karu are fighting as vanguards, creating a distance between the Demon King Army and the Crimson Demons.
While Yunyun is casting spells and repelled the Demon King Army effectively along with their fellow clansmen.
I have a few questions concerning the scene unfolded in front of me.
First, why is Karu here? He is the spy, right?
Also, where is Loby-
What?! This is literally bullshit. A headstrong Archwizard like him doesn't have the ability to lead the party, much less a company-sized clan.
But that hood... It's definitely him.
"Funifura! Move a bit to the left!"
"Chief! Can you please lead a team to there?"
Looks like Loby grew up as well, good for him... Hmm?
"Lima, above you!" I shouted through the communication device as I took aim at the monster.
"Huh?"
An blue beam shot the jumping monster in the head as Loby looked up.
A few drops of blood dropped onto Loby's face.
With that done, let's finish the rest...!
I sniped monsters from a distance and took the monsters that posed a threat to the safety of my party members one by one down.
They looked around with dismay, probably trying to find where I was.
Loby POV
I was distributing roles for my fellow clansmen and party members as Guardian couldn't fight at this moment.
It seems like the Demon King Army had launched an all-out attack against the Crimson Demon Village, since countless heavily-armored monsters appeared in front of us.
Judging from the glow of their armor, I believe the armor was enchanted with various magic-resistant enchantments.
Aw shit, here we go again.
Let's hope I can do this properly... Since Guardian is usually the one who prevented us from dying by giving roles when we fight against the Demon King Army.
Well, here goes nothing.
"Yunyun, try and use Light of Saber at that direction!" I asked.
Yunyun cast Light of Saber, rocks fell and killed a few monsters in the process.
I think it should work.
"Lima, above you!" A voice rang through my communication device.
When I looked up, I saw a blue beam pierced through the head of a monster and its blood was spilled on my face.
And when I look around, I see the monsters that posed threats to me and the rest of the party members were taken down one by one.
That person always aimed for the head when shooting monsters.
That absolute precision of his... Was it him?
But still, he should be lying on the bed as he was hypnotized.
Then who would he be, if it wasn't the Magic Swordmaster?
Maybe I should contemplate about this later, I mean, we were in the middle of a battle.
After sniping the heavy armored monsters from a hidden spot, I used the scope of the magic rifle and take a look at the battlefield.
Even though I sniped some monsters, that neither change the tide of the battle, nor stop the Crimson Demon Village from burning.
And the sheer number of the monsters overwhelmed the Crimson Demons, making them to retreat.
The situation was bad to an extent that even the vanguards starting move backwards.
However, Loby himself didn't budge an inch, even with his fellow clansmen calling him to turn back.
"If no one is willing to fight, then who will protect the village?" His voice rang through my communication device.
That's the spirit.
I am not going to ask what really happened to him. After all, this is a good thing.
It seems like he have grown from a self-centered Archwizard to a selfless one.
''Summon- Core Constellation: Fire Phoenix!' I endured the painful shock and the Fire Phoenix flew towards Loby, who refused to back down.
"Hey Lima, look up." I said in a somewhat emotionless way while I pressed the reply button on the communication device.
"Eh? The Fire Phoenix?" Loby did what I said and found a blazing phoenix flying towards him.
Before he could react, the Fire Phoenix flew into Loby and the Fire Core appeared on his shirt.
"What's this? It feels like-"
'UNLIMITED POWER!' I thought to myself and laughed internally.
Well, the Fire Core doesn't really grant people unlimited power, but it actually helps amplify one's power though.
Back to the topic, a visible blood-red aura emitted from our dear Archwizard, who pointed his staff towards the Demon King Army.
"My name is Loby! The foremost Archwizard in the entire Belzerg Kingdom! Phoenix, I beseech thee, to rise and bring havoc upon the darkness and spark a light upon this world! Burn away, Phoenix-plosion!"
A large phoenix-shaped Explosion flew towards the enormous legion. Since it has the Fire Core attached. The Phoenix-plosion Loby cast a few moments ago was stronger than anyone have seen before.
The monsters' armor broke into pieces and the monsters burned into ashes after the armor was destroyed.
The reason for that is that the Core Constellation was within the Phoenix-plosion, which allows the spell to deal both physical and magical damage simultaneously.
I think that's pretty badass. Let's hope there won't be any drawbacks.
Wait, what am I saying? I shouldn't be raising flags at the moment-
"Ahhhhh!" Loby's anguish voice rang through the communication device.
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the story, and I would like to inform you that due to the fact I was getting busy, the story may be updated in a irregular pattern from there on. However, I will try and update the story once per week.
Positive critiques are appreciated, through PM or reviews.
Stay tuned for the next chapter.