…Just what was my disguise even for…
Hello, I'm Lunaru Fenris, and I've been disguising myself and cross-dressing and whatnot this entire time for no apparent reason.
Haha. Come on, laugh, Prince Vegetable.
I went out disguised and everything, but Tayuya saw through it with a single look. But… Well… You know…
At any rate, I just barely made it. My hand kinda stings a bit, but it's no big deal. I was more surprised by the fact that I'd just punched Tayuya's skill away.
I'll say this clearly. I have no skill that does that.
Basically, my skills tended to be either attacks or self buffs. I figured my Alchemist and Acolyte skills were enough for support. I also felt that anything else I was lacking could be supplied by my party members or one of the Twelve Zodiac's Guardians. As for heaven-arts, I did have one that would defend against others's magic, but I never had the free time to use it.
In other words, I simply punched the skill so hard just then that it went away.
This world really isn't a game, though it's similar to one. I could do things here that I couldn't in the game, and there might also be things that were possible in the game but weren't here. In the first place, in the game you couldn't interrupt someone else's attacks and stuff, either.
At any rate, as for Tayuya, who was right in front of me… Yeah, she really does look sinister. Like the spitting image of what a person imagines a demon to be. And a person with that demonic form was currently kneeling before me, worshiping me while soaked with tears and blubbering strange things.
What the hell? Is this some sort of new cult? Is it satanism? Wait, no. Actually, stop worshiping me. You're a demon. Do you think I'm a demon king or something?
…Oh, I was something pretty similar.
"Ahh… Uhh, well. It seems We have worried you quite a bit."
Even now, Tayuya was crying rivers, creating a puddle of tears while making strange inhuman sounds.
Well, uhh… I'd been thinking of giving her a good punch when I saw her, but with how she was now I lost the will to do that. I knew that she'd been truly worried about me—or rather, Lunaru Fenris—from the way she was crying so pitifully. There was no way I'd still want to hit her after seeing that.
I patted Tayuya, whose cries were shaving away at my sanity, on her head.
"We appreciate your loyalty. Raise your head, Tayuya."
"Y-yes!"
"Fiona must have already told you, but We do not wish anything upon this country or its people. We understand that you did this for our sake, but having this country fall would actually be a problem. Would you undo the Berserk status you affected the people with? Then We will pretend like this never happened."
"Of course! If that is what you wish, my king!"
Tayuya lowered her head and started to mutter an incantation. She was most likely releasing the spell.
Meanwhile, Fiona pouted. "She didn't listen to me when I said it…"
"However, if I may say my king. Even if I were to release my spell, the citizens would most likely not stop."
"What?"
"In the first place, my spell only amplifies emotions that already exist. I simply gave the people a small push. So, I must conclude that even if I were to release the spell myself, they would not stop."
…What? That's bad, then.
While I tried my best not to let my unrest show, I was panicking heavily on the inside.
No, wait. It'll be fine. It's not time to panic yet. Penny will… Penny will definitely do something about this. Penny should have captured Mercury by now, so if I shove him out in front of them we should be able to fix everything.
I can't go out there myself, but it should be fine if I just leave the convincing to Haruka or Penny.
"Well, We still have options. We just need to expose the one who was pulling the strings and have the people point their anger at him. Haruka, can you handle convincing them?"
Haruka popped out from the tree she had been hiding behind so as not to be caught up in the battle. "Of course. Leave it to me."
She manages to cheekily secure a safe spot every single time, doesn't she? I don't know if I should call that hardy or something else…
Haruka's voice overflowed with confidence as she returned a thumbs up. "I, Haruka, may be completely useless in battle, but my words can work wonders! Watch as I perfectly settle this incident that Lady Tayuya stirred up!"
"…My king." After giving Haruka a confused look, Tayuya turned to me.
Ah, I recognize this pattern. It's happened three times already. Of course I'd be used to it.
I was already predicting what Tayuya would say next, but I decided to listen anyway. In any case, she'll just say that she doesn't know Haruka—
"Is that girl your advisor? The one who always stealthily blended into the background?"
What… did she just say…!?
***
Although there was some fuss with Fiona and I being surprised that Tayuya remembered Haruka, we all managed to safely return to town, Tayuya included.
It doesn't really matter, but I had Tayuya change to her human form. Her human form was just her without her horns and wings and tail. While disguising as human, I made her wear a sleeveless, ankle-length black dress with a pleated skirt. The chest is adorned by a large, purple bow, and similarly colored trimmings frame the neckline, acting as straps, and circle around the waist. I also gave her high-heeled shoes that match her dress, and accessories with a small chain necklace with a blue oval gem attached to it, and a bracelet made of white flowers circling her right wrist.
Apparently Tayuya could hide inside someone's shadow, and she was currently inside mine.
Hey, you didn't have that skill in the game, right?
After thinking about it carefully, I vaguely remembered that demon-type monsters had some lore that said that they could do so.
Oh, right. Let's go ahead and confirm Tayuya's stats while I have the time.
[ Twelve Zodiac's Guardians: Tayuya of the Capricorn Constellation]
[Level]: 800
[Race]: Archdemon
[Attribute]: Moon
[HP]: 72000
[STR (Strength)]: 3150
[DEX (Dexterity)]: 4148
[VIT (Vitality)]: 3453
[INT (Intelligence)]: 6183
[AGI (Agility)]: 4140
[MND (Mind)]: 5280
[LUK (Luck)]: 3000
Hm. Well, she's subtly leaning towards being a magic type, I guess.
There's no doubt that magic was her main means of combat, but she wasn't heavily specialized toward it.
Anyway, her role was to obstruct the enemy with spells, so this was actually perfect for her because not being done in by the enemy was very important.
Also, I'd fixed Fiona's clothes. Her state was just too lewd, I couldn't help but worry that someone would try to do something to her.
Now then, we've returned. But… What to do?
The Berserk status was already removed, and people were currently glaring at each other from opposite sides of the center castle. They should have long been free of Berserk, but the desire to kill in their expressions hadn't abated at all.
Ahh, that's no good. They're making themselves Berserk.
However, the only reason they had yet to clash was probably the woman standing in between them, holding them back.
Her long hair was pure white like snow. She was so amazingly beautiful, but it was ruined because of the stress on her face. She had pale lavender eyes, and wore excessively expensive-looking white robes with a purple cloak on top. From a gap in that cloak protruded a single, large white wing.
She looked a lot more worn out than how I remembered her, but there was no mistake.
She was Hinata Aera, one of the Seven Maidens of Midgar.
Just in case, I should check her stats.
[ White Princess Hinata Aera ]
[Level]: 500
[Race]: Flugel
[Attribute]: Wind
[Class Levels]
・Acolyte: 100
・Priest: 100
・Esper: 100
・Archer: 100
・Monster Tamer: 100
[HP]: 55200
[SP]: 5301
[STR (Strength)]: 3750
[DEX (Dexterity)]: 2920
[VIT (Vitality)]: 3009
[INT (Intelligence)]: 2003
[AGI (Agility)]: 2444
[MND (Mind)]: 4980
[LUK (Luck)]: 2711
[BAD STATUS] Half-Winged
[BAD STATUS] Mark of the Vanquished
I reflexively averted my eyes after seeing Hinata's stats with my Observing Eye.
"…So her wing was taken."
Wings were a symbol of pride for the flugels. If Hinata was like me on the inside, she probably wouldn't mind that much. She would have 'lost' half of a limb she never had in the first place, so she'd probably be like, so what? At the very least, she would probably think it was way better than losing an arm or a leg.
However, if Hinata was a true resident of this world… If she was the same as Juvia…
…Most likely, there would be nothing more cruel.
Even while being the hero of the flugels, she could no longer fly. She might've been able to substitute heaven-arts for her missing wing, but in the end, a substitution was just that—a substitution, not the real thing.
"Yes. The Grimm King stole a part of each of their bodies when he defeated them one thousand years ago. Erza and Jenny lost an arm. Juvia and Neo lost a leg. Hinata lost her wing. And Lisanna lost her fangs and claws…"
"…How cruel. By the way, what happened to Ruby?"
"She didn't participate in the battle in the first place. Once you were gone, Big Sis, she spent some time like a walking corpse before finally cooping herself up in her coffin."
"What the hell is up with her?"
I couldn't really describe what I felt after hearing of the tragedy that happened to the Seven Maidens of Midgar and the strange actions of Ruby.
In the game he was referred to as the "Grimm King (lol)", but in real life I guess he's actually really scary. I suppose that's what you should expect out of the official last boss. Well, if he could be beaten one-on-one, then he wouldn't be the official last boss.
No matter how lacking in leadership the Seven Maidens of Midgar were, they had still managed to defeat me, so they were definitely stronger than me.
"Stop, citizens! We are playing into the grimmfolk's hands by hating each other and warring against one another! Why won't you all try to get along?!"
Hinata was desperately calling out to the crowd, but it had no effect on the insurgents.
No, it probably did. If it didn't, then they most likely would have already started to fight. Just having a hero standing between them was something. But it wasn't enough to get them to stop.
It was easy to see that, as things were now, something would eventually spark another explosion.
Now then. What should I do…?
"Stop right there!"
While I was worrying about what to do, someone else dropped in between the two sides. Yes, literally dropped.
Cutting through the air high above, the figure dropped in a straight line along with the sound of a thunderous explosion, and the ground crumbled where they landed.
Of course, there should be no need to say who it was.
She had short, curly orange hair and doll-like looks. And that wasn't a metaphor. She had her Sky Jets deployed out of her back, and in her right hand she held a grimmfolk-seeming man who was beaten up so badly it was almost pitiful.
Penny, one of the Twelve Zodiac's Guardians, had arrived.
"So you made it, Penny."
I couldn't stop myself from doing a fist pump.
She's here! The main golem is here! Now everything's over! Just as she'd promised, she brought the grimmfolk with her. She did perfectly.
Now, all that's left is to expose him as the mastermind behind everything and end this.
"Y-you are… That figure. No way…"
Hinata, who of course knew Penny, was staring at her, surprised. However, Penny stopped her from talking with a hand. Then, she started nonchalantly spouting lies with so many holes in them they might as well have been Swiss cheese.
"No, I am simply a golem that was passing by. My name is Super Starslayer TY-PHON Sky Crisis."
"Umm, weren't you Divine Arsenal AA - Zeus Sky Thunder…?"
"That is also true."
Hey Penny, stop changing fake names. Even the townspeople are calling you out.
Penny tossed the grimmfolk man she had captured before both sides. "Now, you may do with this man as you please, whatever that may be!" She announced in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear.
"…"
"…"
"…"
Uhh, hey. No one's gonna understand if that's all you say.
Look, Hinata's frozen, and the other townspeople are all like, "What the hell did she just say?"
Like… shouldn't you say he's the mastermind or that he's the one who incited this war or something?
There are way better ways to put it. Right?
But Penny wouldn't say anything more.
It seemed like the crowd was curious about the grimmfolk guy. Several of the white-winged people recognized the guy's face and were turning pale.
But as it was, this situation was frozen.
She's useless… It's like she's completely worthless at talking…!
I facepalmed and made Haruka go forward. "Haruka, you really do have to go. The situation won't progress as it is now."
"Leave it to me!"
Yeah, it looks like I really will have to rely on her for diplomacy. Though I'd do it myself, if only I could appear in front of people.
Haruka jogged over in between the two sides, raised her hand, and yelled for their attention. "First of all: everyone please calm down, and listen to what I have to say. I'll start from the conclusion. That man over there is named Mercury, and he is one of the Seven Grimms of Destruction under the Grimm King. There should be several people among the white-winged who remember his face."
The grimmfolk were humanity's greatest enemy. So bringing up one of their leaders, the Seven Grimms of Destruction, was enough to gather everyone's interest. Haruka first said something to gain as much notice as possible and gather all their attention. That should have been her plan.
Now everyone's gazes were pinned on Mercury, and the nature of the noises the crowds were making changed. The atmosphere was overtaken by doubt, bewilderment, fear, and hesitation…
The situation was that one of the Seven Grimms of Destruction was present, and some of the most powerful people in town knew him by face. That fact seemed to have cooled all their heads.
"Right now, all of you hate and are trying to destroy each other. But please think. Just who would most stand to benefit from this?"
She's good… I think.
Haruka started with the conclusion and gave them a shock. Then she told them that they were playing into the grimmfolk's hands. By doing that, she managed to drive a wedge into their actions. Certainly, by doing it this way rather than explaining in proper order, what she said might get through better to people who were excited.
Now that it was in front of them, they couldn't just ignore it.
"That's right. The ones who stand to gain the most are the grimmfolk. Their aim is to have you all kill each other, thereby destroying the country. Please, calm down and think. Just who is it that you all should really hate?"
I couldn't help but realize that I was scrunching my face while in hiding. So she went with 'who you should really hate.'
People often said that nothing came from hate, but if negative emotions like that were so easy to get rid of, then nothing bad would happen in the world. However, spreading and changing the vector of a person's hate was much easier. It was one of the defense mechanisms in the field of psychoanalysis. Its name was substitution.
People had needs, and if they couldn't fulfill those needs, their mental state became unstable. That was why people had many different methods of dispelling those needs that couldn't be met in order to protect themselves.
Right now, they wanted to destroy the other side's town. However, realistically, the country would be destroyed if they did that, and that would benefit the grimmfolk. And in the midst of that situation, the grimmfolk behind it all was tossed in front of them with a "Here you go."
He was a perfect target for their hate—their unfulfillable desire.
Yeah, I understand. There's no other way.
Also, he actually was the mastermind behind it all, so Haruka wasn't wrong in the slightest. Above all, I was the one who'd told her to do it that way.
So what I'm feeling right now is just… mistaken emotions brought about by my senses as a normal person. This wavering is just insignificant feelings.
…They should be, at least.
"You… YOUU!"
While I was fighting my emotions on my own, Mercury, who had gone quiet, suddenly shouted loudly. His face was distorted with even more hate than the two crowds had before, and he glared at Haruka as if he had killed his parents.
I guess he just realized what kind of situation he was in? It feels kind of different, though. He probably realized that Haruka was trying to make him into a scapegoat.
He continued to shout angrily. "I see! No wonder that golem returned so quickly! You were… You were planning on taking me down from the beginning. WEREN'T YOOOUUUUUU!" Mercury shouted before using wind and running.
Isn't this bad…?
I reflexively prepared myself to cut in.
He's certainly fast. He was fast… But he was slow to me. Even from this distance, I could easily come in between the two of them.
However, it seemed that I wasn't needed.
Penny stuck her arm out from behind Mercury and pierced through his body.
"Ah… Ghah…!"
"I will execute you summarily if you attempt to attack someone without my permission. I believe I have warned you of this."
"W…ait… Listen, all of you…!"
"I will not. You have already fulfilled the conditions for elimination. Revoking agreement to allow you an audience with my master to plead for your life… I will deal with you myself."
Apparently Penny allowed him to beg me for his life in order to get him to come quietly. But I also wondered if he would be killed by the crowd before that could happen.
…Ahh, whatever. That's probably not true. He's level 300. He probably wouldn't die.
Or he might have extracted that promise just before he would have died. However, that promise was undone when he tried to attack Haruka, so he was executed. From their conversation, I guessed that was what had happened.
"No… ooo… ! You all… All of you… By her…" Mercury was trying to say something, but before he could, Penny cut off his head.
Wow, no mercy. I don't know whether I should call her reliable or terrifying, even though she's a friendly.
Penny dropped her foot down and crushed his head, which had fallen to the ground, and she expressionlessly brushed away some filth that had gotten on her dress. There was not a single hint of emotion on her face; it was as if she'd just crushed a bug.
Pitifully enough, Mercury's crushed body disintegrated on the spot. He didn't even leave a speck behind.
…I'm so glad Penny's a friendly.
Still, I'm kind of concerned about what he said at the end.
There was no doubt that he was tricking everyone from the start. Penny captured him and dragged him out in front of the townspeople, and we made his crimes clear. Everything had gone according to plan.
However, there were his last words and the fact that he looked at Haruka with such hate. I couldn't help but feel that there was something else going on.
…I'm totally missing something, aren't I? It's definitely not just my imagination.