Chapter 206

All the inquisition soldiers and the mercenaries came at Ardis at the plump-eared priest’s order . Was it bravery that allowed them to charge in without hesitation, or was it their belief in the goddess .

Just glancing, many were already injured . It’s probably the price of forcing their way through the forest . There might’ve been more people in the beginning .

「This wouldn’t have happened if you behaved well . 」

However, Ardis is not a benevolent person to stay quiet in a fight .

「There’s no holding back . 」

There’s no need for Ardis to be purposely holding back at this point . Only enemies are around Ardis currently . There’s no need to be bound by others’ opinions or laws at this point .

Since the other party was already coming at him outside the bounds of law, Ardis has no reason to deal with them like a gentleman .

「Don’t allow him the chance to use arts! 」

The priest gave out a useless order . After all, for Ardis who doesn’t need any chanting, distance and time is meaningless . All he needs is to properly grasp the situation .

Ardis’s arm swung to the side . Several sharp spears made from stone appeared from the earth lining up, then in the next moment shot out together .

「Ugaah―! 」

「Gahk! 」

「Don’t falter! Push through with numbers! 」

「Don’t just face him from the front! Circle around! 」

The mercenaries who were at the front suffered from Ardis’s first attack . There were about ten who received severe injuries, and also those that managed to defend with a shield .

Seeing that, the inquisition soldiers further back circled around the mercenaries to the side .

Ardis opened a 『Gate』 to summon his swords from the other world . A distortion in space appeared from nowhere, and within that tiny slit, 『Springtime Mist』 and 『Moon’s Blizzard』 showed their blades .

「Heads up! It’s sword magic! 」

One of the mercenary warned his other comrades . Sword magic that allows sword to fly in the air without a human wielding it . It is the arts that can be said as Ardis’s second nature .

Following behind the yellowish green and pure white blades, more appeared .

「Wha, how many swords are there……! 」

One of the inquisition soldiers was speechless . It was not just two or three swords summoned over from the other world .

As if the escorts of Ardis protecting him, the swords continued to appear and float in the air . Their numbers are already in the twenties .

Although Ardis’s performance in the war with the Empire showed his capability of manipulating close to a thousand blades, there wasn’t a single person here who had witnessed that .

For them, twenty swords are already a surprising number .

「Ignore the sword magic! Charge in! 」

A reckless order from the plump-eared priest .

「Try and see! 」

With Ardis’s words, the flying swords lined up . Despite it being a little spacious around the house, it is originally a narrow forest terrain .

Even with about a hundred people, only at most twenty or thirty people are able to take the front . The flying swords were stopping them from putting up a formation . Even without wielders, they are swords manipulated by Ardis .

Twenty swords is Ardis’s current limit where he can still perfectly perform his swordsmanship . It’s obvious that any normal opponents would be sliced as the result .

Although some managed to slip past the flying swords’ guard, it’s still considered advantageous for Ardis . A normal sorcerer wouldn’t be able to cast several arts at a time .

However, for Ardis who doesn’t need chanting, activating arts is as natural as moving his body . While manipulating the flying swords, multiple spears of earth shot towards the enemies .

「Kuh! Why is he not finished yet!? 」

Beside the plump-eared priest’s angry howling, the previous Marquis Holguin muttered to himself .

「But just a while more . A while more and……」

As if waiting for that moment, the previous marquis exclaimed .

「They are here! 」

Responding to his voice, soldiers appeared from both east and west encircling Ardis .

「With this, you’re as good as dead! 」

The previous marquis shouted as if the outcome is set . The soldiers’ equipment had the emblem of the Holguin house . It’s probably the territorial army that the previous marquis brought over himself .

While Ardis is busy with the mercenaries and the inquisition army at the front, they will hit him from the sides . It’s undoubtedly their plan . However, Ardis saw that from a mile away .

「Did you think I won’t notice? 」

With Ardis’s ability to sense mana signatures, it’s practically impossible for him to be surprise attacked .

He knew in advance that a considerable force had circled to the east and west, and it was obvious in their movements that they were trying to sandwich him .

Welcoming the new enemies, a sphere shining in rainbow colors appeared above Ardis . Waves appeared on the surface of the sphere, and the peaks of it became arrows of lights .

「L-Litte・Kyuol・Ro・Berne (Bow of Rainbow)!?」

The plump-eared priest’s face suddenly turned green . With light streaks numbered in the tens showered towards the sides, twenty or so vanguards had their body punctured and fell like dominos .

「Aa-aah……, no……」

Beside the speechless plump-eared priest was the previous marquis shouting .

「Don’t falter! He’s only one person! He can’t manage if we charge! 」

Were they highly trained, or influenced by other factors, the soldiers were charging at Ardis without fear . As expected, with attacks coming from three directions, just twenty flying swords will be difficult to deal with them .

Ardis himself was swinging Skies of Myriad Colors in his hands as well, disposing of the soldiers nearby . The current Ardis has not a sliver of thoughts of mercy or sympathy .

He had endured over and over, respected the law and the society, this is the result of approaching it docilely . If the opponents are coming at him unlawfully, then Ardis’s choice of method would be the same .

Fortunately, there’re only enemies all around Ardis . If so, without any witness left behind, there’s probably no aftereffects .

No matter if his opponents are nobles or clergymen here, no one would be able to tell what happened here if no one will be alive to tell . There’s nothing holding Ardis back in this remote place that law doesn’t reach .

「How!? How is dealing with just one sorcerer this troublesome! There’re only trained mercenaries and soldiers here! 」

Although the previous marquis was furiously denying reality and shaking his head, the future will not unfold in the scenario he imagined .

Even for the group of two hundred people that came from the east and west, their numbers had decreased by more than half . On the other hand, although Ardis himself was swinging his sword without pause, there wasn’t a single injury on him,

Just when the outcome was about to be clear―― .

「Reinforcement? 」

Another group appeared in the north direction . As expected, for Ardis who is busy dealing with all the enemies in his sight, there was no room for him to be sensing presences .

Ardis whose expression hardened a little widened his eyes when he saw the new group .

「Thoria soldiers!? 」

It is a group that appeared with uniform equipment . However, the problem was their familiar equipment . The insignia carved on their equipment are undoubtedly the Thoria’s .

Although their numbers was only thirty, Ardis was surprised to see opponents that he didn’t expect to see . Without regards of him, the Thoria soldiers shot fire arrows designed to set things on fire . Their aim was on the house where Nere and the twins are in .

「Tch! 」

They must’ve thrown in molotov cocktails as well . The flames engulfed the roof within no time, as the house was covered in a shapeless red . It had already spread to the entrance .

The flames that licked at the walls of the house was like a prison made out of heat . There’s no way people inside could escape unscathed . Their only choice would be dying in the burning house, or resolve themselves to die and run through the flames .

But however, that only applies if the people living inside is normal . The flames engulfing the house suddenly froze in time without any precursor .

The translucent ice covered the entire house, making the heat from a moment ago disappear like an illusion . The frozen entrance was then kicked open, and the beautiful but noisy self-proclaimed servant with Aliceblue hair appeared from within .

「The cleaning will be a headache, I suppose . 」

With an intonation as if the laundry won’t be drying because of the weather, Nere exited the house . And following behind her was Fillia and Riana .

The plump-eared priest and the inquisition soldiers who saw their figure were shaken .

「Filthy twins! 」

「He’s an apostle of the Evil God! 」

「It’s really there! 」

At the same time, voices originated from the other side as well .

「Long white hair with tinge of blue……! 」

「It’s her! 」

「So you were hiding in this kind of place! 」

They were from the Thoria soldiers .

I see, as Ardis somehow understood . Rather than Ardis or the twins that Lord Thoria had nothing with, Nere was the one they’re aiming for .

Ardis and the others had already left Thoria for more than six years . He didn’t think back at all about it recently but, it seems like Lord Thoria was a person to remember grudges and had been investigating him all this time .

「Was it the church? Or the previous marquis? 」

It was Ardis’s mutter directed to no one . Ardis’s name was something known within the Kingdom . Naturally, it should be also known by Lord Thoria and his soldiers . However, none of them should’ve known that Ardis and the others were living secludedly in the Corsas Forest .

The church and the previous Marquis Holguin had assaulted the house, so one of them must’ve called out to Lord Thoria, and had him sent over reinforcements as well .

「Get her! Capturing is unnecessary! 」

An order came from one of the Thoria soldiers . Another volley of arrows was once again released . About thirty arrows flew in the air, aiming for Nere .

「Futile efforts . 」

Nere’s hands swiped horizontally gracefully . Suddenly, the arrows flying towards her were blown away by an intense wind . Arrows that aren’t even reinforced with mana is not a threat that would need Nere to even deploy a physical barrier .

「Here is my return gift . 」

Saying so expressionlessly, several blocks of ice manifested ahead of Nere .

「Do well to receive them . 」

They were shot out the same time with her words, and the soldiers standing at the forefront collapsed defenselessly .

「Me too! 」

「I-I can do it too! 」

Fillia and Riana started going against the soldiers as well . Dense cloud of mana appeared beside Nere, and manifested as masses of ice and wind .

「Eii――! 」

「Yaa――! 」

The blocks of ice and wind blades were thrown at the Thoria soldiers with a shout . The one surprised seeing that was not the Thoria soldiers, but the plump-eared priest and the inquisition soldiers .

「Without the needs of chant!? 」

「The works of a devil!? 」

Although still cutting them down, Ardis felt irritated, about the fact that why using magic without chanting even relates to a devil .

After all, Ardis and Nere had been using magic without chants for a while now . Despite so, both of them never got that attention, Ardis was stupefied at their thinking ability seeing the twins do the same thing .

People with narrow vision are fools . Ardis recalled the words of a past comrade who likes to talk hypocrisy .

However, now is not the time to be nostalgic . A momentary glare at the plump-eared priest, Ardis continued cutting down one mercenary after another .

He didn’t intend to show killing people to the twins but, it’s already too late to change to a no-killing policy now . With Lord Thoria involved in this matter now, even if he cleaned up the situation here skillfully, a next time would surely happen .

But in the end, the conclusion hasn’t change . That is, to not allow any one of the enemies here to return .