Manowa Chapter 220

The story rewinds to a little before Queen Yuuko's awakening.

◎ Mins.h.i.+ana Kingdom, Royal Capital Shubain, Belsa Tavern

It was only noon, but perhaps the recent festival feeling in Shubain had yet to die out, since it seemed there were many people drinking alcohol even at this time. Among them, a slightly drunk adventurer-like man was talking about the battle called『The White Dragon King's Thousand Ogre Subjugation』with a tall beautiful women with a slender waist and, above all, extremely large b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

「So, that's how it is. Thanks to Prince Sieg.」

The man said before draining the gla.s.s he held in one hand. He said everything up until now in one go, so he probably got thirsty. It seemed there had been a unit composed of adventurers separate from the kingdom's army who had witnessed Prince Sieg's figure.

「That light was like a white wall cutting across the battlefield. That was the first time I'd seen something like that.」

The woman looked very interested in that story, but there was something else she wanted to ask about.

「Heeh. So then, Queen Yuuko still hasn't made an appearance?」

Queen Yuuko hadn't been seen since the Ogre subjugation. Although she didn't personally go to the battlefield, the people were told she overworked herself commanding the battle and collapsed, so it seemed she was now resting.

「Well, yeah. The kingdom army has been acting a little strange, so I would say I'm a bit worried, especially with the magic at the castle after the battle.」

The man was also an adventurer, so as might be expected, it seemed he didn't accept the kingdom's story without question.

「Well, it seems the queen is a considerably calculating person. There's talk that she might be deliberately not making an appearance for a while so that Prince Sieg can solidify his support.」

As a matter of fact, from the first victory party until now, Prince Sieg had been attending events without rest for some reason. There was no doubt that he had left an impression as Mins.h.i.+ana's face, both domestically and abroad. However, the man's words had implications.

「You're saying it might be due to the Civil Official Faction making a resurgence?」

「We shouldn't talk too much about that here.」

The man had a slightly distorted smiled after the woman spoke.

Back when the civil officials were openly influential, there were always some observers in taverns like this. When he was a rookie adventurer, he had seen customers being taken away from taverns many times.

However, right now the man's eyes were colored with l.u.s.t, not fear.

「Why don't I tell you more during pillow talk?」

The man said while bending himself forward, and the woman stopped him with an index finger on his lips and murmured「Sorry.」

「I have a husband. I can't take your invitation.」

「Seriously? d.a.m.n it.」

The man cursed and his shoulders fell after he was flatly refused by the woman. Then, judging that she wouldn't be able to hear any more, the woman stood up, her large b.r.e.a.s.t.s shaking as she did so.

The surrounding men were saying things like「b.a.s.t.a.r.d, do you really think the likes of you could be her partner?」「Huge!」「If I were her husband I could love her every night」as the woman silently waved with a smiling face and headed for a table deeper inside.

「Thanks for the hard work.」

Ao was at that table.

『Mother doesn't seem like Mother.』

Then a voice could be heard out of nowhere. It was probably Tatsuo, hiding himself with Optical Camouflage.

「Well, it might be a『little』different from my true appearance.」

The woman shook her b.r.e.a.s.t.s when she emphasized the little part. The truth was, the true character of the woman cramming her voluptuous body into a rider suit was Kazane.

Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin Boin

「Is that fun?」

「In its own way.」

Kazane answered Ao's question. She was shaking them over and over again.

「However, that's an Ogre Skill? That reminds me, there were rumors about them using Shapes.h.i.+fting to cause confusion.」

Like Ao said, Kazane disguised herself as a s.e.xy big breasted woman with the Ogre's Shapes.h.i.+fting technique. Surprisingly, Ogres had the ability to shapes.h.i.+ft. Although for Ogres, doing something like battling with a false appearance was probably impossible. Using the『Shapes.h.i.+fting』Skill was considered shameful, so most Ogres never used it during their lifetime.

Then why can they use it?.... The answer was that in the game Zexiaharts, it was inputted in the Ogre's monster data, so it was handed down to them.

And now she could use it as an Item Skill. It was probably the Berserk Ogre's reward for winning against him yesterday.

(But Shapes.h.i.+fting is a useless Skill for Ogres, isn't it)

Kazane thought, but it seemed this Shapes.h.i.+fting Skill was quite powerful.

It wasn't an illusion, but a physical body made of magical power, so it was difficult to see through with Magic Eyes.

「So, as expected, the story is the same as we heard elsewhere. Yuuko-nee is resting, the military is strange, and something called the Civil Official Faction? is making a resurgence.」

Kazane said while drinking carbonated juice.

Kazane and the others were currently in the middle of collecting information in the Royal Capital Shubain.

Originally, Ao was thinking they would immediately return to dispel Yuuko-nee's curse, but they noticed that the royal castle's situation was strange, so they decided to first ask about it in the city. Then they learned that the Civil Official Faction led by Cabinet Minister Boltoa had seized control.

「If I remember right, Boltoa Morgan should have been one of Loren's flunkies. There should currently only be spineless individuals left among the civil officials due to Queen Yuuko, so I'm bothered by their performance being strangely too good.」

Ao said with a pensive expression. Based on his character evaluation of Boltao, Ao didn't think he was the type to take command and do such an overly ambitious thing.

「So as it is, it would be difficult for Ao to go directly to Yuuko-nee after all?」

Ao nodded after Kazane's question.

「I don't think they'll meekly let me through if I say I have a method to dispel the curse. Queen Yuuko has been doing everything she can to shave away the civil officials' power ever since she was enthroned.」

Kazane didn't know that that was the result of a woman's pa.s.sions after her husband was killed and her child was nearly stolen.

「The current situation where Queen Yuuko is asleep should be more desirable for them. Well, even so, I sense something's off.」

Ao felt suspicious about the civil officials being able to so quickly control the situation. He couldn't help but feel like some other power was at play.

「So, what should we do? If the front is no good, shall we stealthily enter?」

While Ao bitterly smiled after Kazane spoke, he had no choice but to nod. He was also just thinking that.

「It will be ex-post-facto approval, but it would be quickest to get permission from the person herself, right?」

『Mother, stealth?』

Without her realizing, Tatuso had started lying down on top of the sitting Kazane's knees, and he asked that question in his current transparent state.

「Yes, that's right. Mother has to quickly help her close friend.」

So saying, Kazane started caressing Tatsuo's head and thought (Yuuko-nee, I'm coming soon) while considering invasion methods.

◎ Royal Capital Shubain, Royal Castle Delgura, Underground Waterway

The sound of footsteps resounded. In the darkness, a man walked with only the slight glow of a lit candle.

It was one part of the underground waterway under the Royal Castle Delgura. It was a facility for adjusting the water to the moat and supplying water to the city; it also had an escape route for royal use and hidden rooms. Originally, there were patrols, but it wasn't the kind of place that suspicious people were allowed to enter, and those patrols had been stopped for a while due to the confusion after the Thousand Ogre Subjugation. A man was walking alone in the waterway.

The man stopped at a crossroads halfway down a small pa.s.sage, wide enough for only one person, that was perpendicular to the waterway. He pushed a small cavity in that place. Then the stone wall of the pa.s.sage parted and a staircase descending into the bas.e.m.e.nt appeared

And when the man went down the stairs, there was a stone room, with a single woman there.

「How about it? It would be nice if I could receive a favorable reply soon.」

If based on her appearance, she was around her mid-twenties? The woman had short hair, a face that looked on the younger side, and she was wearing a single light cloth. She was in chains, and her breathing was rough.

「Iria, I know your strength. That's why it's disappointing. I want you to be useful to me without staying secluded down here.」

The woman's eyes were s.h.i.+ning as she glared at the man.

The name of the woman was Iria Noctal. Formerly a member of Jinrai and the other's party; a Kunoichi from the eastern country of j.a.pan, and the body double of Queen Yuuko. She was secretly a prisoner in the bas.e.m.e.nt of the castle.

「Boltoa... you...」

And the person imprisoning her was Boltoa Morgan. The man currently ruling this country was there.

Name: Yuihama Kazane

Occupation: Magic Swordswoman

t.i.tle: Ogre Killer, Dragon Slayer, High Beast Summoner, Rea King

Equipment: Staff 『White Blaze』, Two Handed Sword『Black Fang』, Adhesion Sword『Gum』, Spell Dagger Feather x2, Dragonscale Breastplate, Drake Gauntlets, Silver Sheep Clothes, Sylphyn Skirt, Plasma Pants, Dragon Eating Ogre King's Greaves, Indestructible Cloak, Mysterious Pouch, Crimson Saint Coffin, Heroic Spirit Summoning Ring, Circlet of Wisdom, Aim Bracelet, Magic Acc.u.mulator, White Magic Acc.u.mulator, Rainbow Necklace, Rainbow Dragon Ring

Level : 32

Health: 124

Magic Power: 235+420

Strength: 55+20

Agility: 50+14

Endurance: 32

Wisdom : 62

Dexterity : 39

Spell : 『Fly』『Torch』『Fire』『Heal』『Firestorm』『Healer Ray』『High Heal』『Golden Dusk「Dragon Exclusive」』『Mirror s.h.i.+eld』

Skill : 『Kick Devil』『Warrior's Memory』『Night Vision』『Crus.h.i.+ng Blow』『Dog's Sense of Smell: Lv2』『Golem Maker: Lv3』『Rush』『Fire Principle: Third Chapter』『Healing Principle: Fourth Chapter』『Air Jump: Lv2』『Killing Leg: Lv3』『Fear Voice』『Invisible』『Tiger Eye』『Wall Walking』『Intuition』『Cheat Death』『Nimble』『Charge』『Material s.h.i.+eld: Lv2』『Information Link』『Optical Camouflage』『Dash』『Bloodsucking Blade』『Dragonization: Lv2「Dragon」』『Regenerate』『Soul Breaking Blade』『Stealthy Placement』『Thunder Chariot: Lv2』『St.u.r.dier Teeth: Lv2「Dragon」』『Crystallization: Lv2「Dragon」』『Fabricated Coercion』『Stone Minotaur』『Mega Beam: Lv2』『s.p.a.ce Expansion』『Pseudo-silver Creation』『Poison Claw』『Fireball「Dragon」』『Cuticle「Dragon」』

Yumika:「Isn't it pointless?」

Kazane:「It's not pointless. It's a rehearsal for the future.」