Three colorless beams completely obliterated Fort Arcadian with three shots.
　Not a metaphor for anything, as it literally wiped what was once a fort from the ground.

I feel like I'm being watched in a weird parlor trick.
Why?

　After finishing the third shot, Eliza stood next to me and said in disgust, "I thought there were all these things inside the fort, like the barracks and the armory and the military caves and the fodder.

Inside the fort, there were barracks, armouries, military storehouses, military provisions and so on, right?
I'm sure there will be. Otherwise it's just an enclosure.
"You blew them all up together, and now they're all naked.
Go to the plow wards to complain about it.

　Yeah, it's not my fault.
　I just turned up the magic output and blew up everything else because the humans inside the fort with the plow wards are absolutely invincible.
　Humans are invincible, I blow up everything else, and the humans are all naked and safe.
　That's all there is to it.

Well. Very well. Yes, Vice-Emperor, your next command.

　Eliza said with some trepidation and urged me on.
　That's what I thought.
　You may have blown up the fort, but it's not the end.

　I pulled myself together and gave the order out loud.

"All troops, charge!　Unarmed person must be captured.

　The order has been given, and ten thousand soldiers, taken aback by the disappearance of the fort, have come to their senses and launched an assault.

　Ten thousand armed Imperial regulars, against an unknown number of rebels, all stripped naked and armed, have been wiped out.

　The game was already in hand before it began, and the other side surrendered completely as the soldiers closed in and surrounded them.

　As an aside, we also blew away what would have been a white flag, so it took a little while for the other side to show their willingness to surrender.

　　　　　☆

I'm in trouble.
I'm in trouble.

　The site of the former Fort Alkayd, in front of 3000 enemy soldiers.
　The captured enemy soldiers were stripped naked and made to sit on the ground on a dare.

　No restraints, because there was no need.
　An enemy soldier who is not injured and not cornered.
　They may look like they were pinched by a fox from being blown off the fort, but they are all still sane.

　Sane people first hide or hide in the nude《、、、、》.
　Just by leaving them naked, you are effectively restricting their movements.

　In front of 3,000 naked people, Eliza and I were rather annoyed.
　That's not what we were expecting -- well, not exactly what we were expecting given that we were all naked, but it's not what we were expecting in this rout.

"Once again, the person in charge here, the general, come out.
"A man named Camperi Frontal

　Eliza at the side to supplement.

　Camperi Frontal.
　The man who is said to be the general of the Seventh Fort and the general of the rebel army.

　Since the plough's wards make the people inside the fort invincible, he should be among this bare-chested horde.

　SCENE.

　No one responded to my call and Eliza's.
　Our captors stared at us angrily, averting their eyes and fidgeting, covering their parts with their hands. .......

　Their reactions were different, but there was no commander in sight.

I'm confused.
Status and authority depend mostly on what you're wearing. To be honest, I can't tell them apart if they're all naked.
"It would be easier to understand if it was Eliza. It would be more obvious if she was Eliza.
"What--what are you talking about?

　Huh?　Oh, no.
　I said what I thought I was going to say, but that was s*xual harassment.

I'm sorry, that was insensitive.
I mean, it's fine.

　.......

"Hey, hey.
"Huh?
"Really stand out?　Even if I'm inside the same naked woman.
"Let's see. ......

　I'm confused, how do I answer?

　Yes, I've already done it.
　So you need to take responsibility for what you say.

　I gave my honest opinion.

"Yeah, it's conspicuous. You'll know it when you see it. Eliza's just so dazzlingly beautiful.
Yes, yes ......, of course.

　Eliza sniffed and turned away.
　I wonder if she's ...... okay.
　I don't think she's at least not angry anymore.

　Then this is the end of the story.

　I looked again at the naked captives.
　Eliza pulled herself together and did the same thing.

It's going to be hard to find the one you want in here. Shall I torture them one by one?


"...... No, it's okay. I'll try to do my magic.
I'll leave it to Alec then.

　Eliza looked casual and went into watchfulness mode, leaving it completely up to me.

　Formulate your magic and use a spell you learned long ago (、、、、).
　You don't ask the Philosopher's Stone, it's magic you already know.

　You raise your dominant hand and a ray of light stretches from the tip of your index finger like a thread.
　The thread wavers and points in a certain direction.

What's that?
Keep up with this.

　Using a thread of light as a guide, we wade through the captives as we go through them.
　Eliza and I wove our way through the path the Imperial Guard had created a little later.

　A thread of light came to a man and pointed to him.

　He was a middle-aged man, and when we came in front of him, he freaked out.
　I turned my head away, but Eliza stepped in and grabbed his face and made him turn it.

"He fits the description I've heard. You must be Camperi Frontal.
"Humph!　I don't want to be found out.
What do you have to say for yourself?
"I will not be humiliated like this, kill!

"Master Camperi! "Mr. Frontal!

　The soldiers around you scream.
　Hearing this, Eliza is more and more convinced that the man in front of her is the one they want.

"If you insist--
"Hey, who's that guy?
"What?

　The voice of the man and Eliza overlapped beautifully.
　The alleged Camperi looked as if he had seen something terrible.

What are you doing?
You're not a Camperi man, are you?
"What do you mean, Alec?
"Fake--this guy is a shadow warrior.
How do you know?
"This

　I moved my fingers.
　The cord of light pointing at the man in front of me wavered.

"Isn't the color the same as the first?　It turns red when it gets to the real thing.
Really?
"Yeah. It's a spell I've learned to use when I need to get back to him from Eliza's shadow. Of course I'd go if the real one was nearby. When the time comes, I'll fly to Azazel, but there might be an exception.
"For me ......

　Eliza's cheeks flushed.
　But then she quickly pulled herself together and coughed.

Not only did you find the general of the fort, but you let him turn out to be a fake on the spot. ......
"What's the matter, Eliza, thinking suddenly and thoughtfully
"With Alec, you can find the real thing without this guy having to answer any questions.
Yeah, I guess so.

　Yes, we can find it.
　This is the magic to find Eliza, no matter what state the shadow warrior is in.

　Once it is remembered, I let go of the thread of light.
　It was sucked into the man's body and then came out as if nothing had happened, wobbling toward the day after tomorrow.

　That kind of magic, if you follow the thread of light, you'll get to the real thing.

Not as good as it sounds.

　Eliza smiled happily as if it were her own thing.