170-Episode 168: Makoto Takatsuki uses secret measures




General Talisker's point of view.

 A "comet" is dropped by the Order of the Snake.
 A crisis unheard of in a hundred years that threatens to devastate the Fire Nation's royal capital.

(...did I underestimate the enemy?)

 No matter what kind of enemy forces came, no matter how many demons came in, the protection of the royal capital was supposed to be perfect.
 But this is not the way it was supposed to come.
 We are not prepared for disasters from outer space.

 The royals and the nobles are being evacuated by teleportation magic.
 They will be safe soon.
 However, there are hundreds of thousands of people living in the royal city of Gamelan.
 Those who have vehicles and can use magic will be able to leave the capital even for a short time.
 But what about the ordinary people who can only go on foot?
 

''Don't you have a plan? Can't we gather all the senior wizards in King's Landing and above and blow up that huge rock?
 I couldn't help myself.

"They can't wait! We're dealing with all of our king-grade, super-grade, and advanced wizards! 
How does it work?
I can't see it.
 It would be, and I don't see any change in my eyes.

'What about magical weapons? There will be siege weapons and demon eradication stuff.
'All out of range.... We're ready to fire, but we need to draw them in more.

 It makes no sense.
 When the huge object falling from the sky was crushed just barely above the king's city, all of the fragments would fall on the king's city and destroy the city.
 As I was about to hold my head in my hands, one of my subordinates came over.

''General. A brave man from the Water Country is here. He wishes to speak with the General.
...What?
 I turn my gaze to see a slender young man looking at our troops curiously.


 --Takatsuki Makoto, the hero of the Land of Water (Roses).


 Two years ago, he was the most under-appreciated person among those who moved to another world with the brave men of light.
 None of the countries judged that they 'didn't want him' and didn't take him back.
 Of course, he was reported to the Fire Nation (Great Keith) and I checked his abilities.
 His status is the weakest, and his skills are not as good as they should be.
 He was not someone who could fight the resurgent army of the Great Demon King.
 Naturally, his acceptance was foregone.

 And after more than a year had passed, his name suddenly spread as a nationally recognized hero of the Water Country (Roses).

 However, few were interested in Takatsuki Makoto at that time.
 After all, he was a hero from the weak nation of Roses.
 They thought it was nothing of importance.

 Later, in the Land of the Sun, he won a stray match against Gerald the Lightning Hero.
 He fought off a cult of snakes and a horde of demons that attacked the royal capital, Symphonia.
 In the Land of Water, you defeated an ancient dragon.
 In the Land of Trees, he defeated the Demon King.

 A thousand years ago, he was the first water hero to die in a battle against the Great Demon King.
 Rumor has it that he is favored by the goddess of water, Eir, in order to shake off that stigma.

 Now, his fame is comparable to that of the 'Reincarnation of the Savior', Lord Sakurai, the brave man of light.

 I guess that wasn't funny.
 His foolish daughter Olga and her childhood friend Dahlia had conspired to mess with the brave man of the Water Kingdom.

 Olga, the hero of the Fire Goddess, flaunted her power.
 Dahlia, the priestess of the Fire Goddess, seemed to be using the people in the temple to spread the bad reputation of the brave men of the Water Kingdom.
 I told them to stop, but they wouldn't listen to me.

 To top it all off, Olga had suffered a major defeat against the Water Kingdom Brave Men.
 The newly appointed Great Keith's Nationally Certified Brave is the Water Country's heroic subordinate.
 The future relationship with the Water Country has become a delicate one.
 But that's not the point now.

 I walked closer to Takatsuki Makoto.
 I turned my gaze to him and prompted a conversation.

'General, can I do something about that thing in the sky?'
 The brave Makoto of the said Water Country told him plainly.

 The people around him were desperately trying to deal with the crisis, but he had an out-of-place, calm expression.
It seems that he is the holder of the "Clear Water" skill, but is that all there is to it?
 Do you feel no fear?

What do you think?
 I asked the question in short terms.

'That's a trade secret, isn't it? There's some magic I'd like to try.
 A meaningful reply came back.
 Is the unfamiliar word a term from another world?
 There seems to be some kind of secret plan, but they don't intend to tell you the contents.
 The skill of the brave is a state secret. 
 He won't be speaking in a babbling manner.

'Haha! Speak up, brave man of the watery land! I can't stop that one any longer!
 A member of the snake cult who had been captured - a man calling himself Archbishop Isaac - shouted loudly.
 But after questioning him, he turned out to be a fanatic who knew nothing about it, only a puppet manipulated by Archbishop Isaac.
 Earlier, he had been quiet, but the moment Takatsuki Makoto arrived, he became more talkative.

'Listen! That comet wasn't made by magic! Once every hundred years, he twisted the orbit of a giant comet that happened to be passing near this planet with his summoning magic! Over the lifetimes of hundreds of slaves! To do the same thing would require hundreds of human lifetimes devoted to the chanting of a few hours of spells! But the comet will be falling here soon! We'll never make it in time! It's over! You people! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
 What's so funny is the fanatic who keeps laughing like a madman.

Shut him up.
 I ordered my men to put a noose over the snake cultist's mouth.

'You're a delightful fellow every time,'
 The brave man from the Water Country is scratching his cheek with a dumbfounded look on his face.

''Roo-chan, why do I have to go to the trouble of explaining this to you? Do you have time for this?
It's a twisted personality, that's for sure. She's a puppet, she's a puppet who works undercover. You should have never seen her face, for God's sake!
 The female members of Takatsuki Makoto are dry.
 But I generally agree.

''Yuusha-dono, you have a chance to win. .........If it is your Aya Sasaki-dono, the one who defeated my daughter, is she a force to be reckoned with?
 I asked, guessing.
 The ability I had shown in the earlier game.
 It was terrifying.
 To be able to silence Olga, the second in the pecking order, with a single blow.

''Well, that's why Sa-san seems to be exhausted from the fight earlier...''
 Takatsuki Makoto denied it softly.

''What? I'm fine?''
Hey.
Muga.
 For some reason, I'm hurriedly covering Sasaki Aya's mouth, which has been overtaken by Takatsuki Makoto's words.
 Even from my eyes, she doesn't seem to be exhausted.
 Perhaps there's some reason she doesn't want to fight.
 Or is there a price to pay for using some skill?

''Sa-san! Just get some rest!
Aya, come here.
 Aya Sasaki was dragged away by her fellow red-haired elf.
 Well, I don't want to force her to do anything either.

''Then you think you have other means?''
Yes, I have an idea.
 I could see the confidence and composure in Takatsuki Makoto's eyes.
 'Right, then there's no pros and cons.

''Then I'll leave it to you. Hey, show the hero-dono around.
 I ordered the executive knight who brought Takatsuki Makoto to guide me.
 I'm sure he'll be able to help the heroes and also gather information.
 I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this.

I'm going to take you to the place where the military wizard is. This way, please.
 Makoto, the hero of the Water Country, and his companion, the red-haired wizard and the female warrior who won the tournament, have left.
 The two companions are anxiously accompanying the hero of the Water Kingdom, but the hero is walking as if he were going for a walk.
 But the brave man himself is walking as if he is going for a walk.

(Just as it was reported...)

 Makoto, the brave man of the Water Country, puts himself in a dangerous place.
 This is what was written in the investigation report that came up from his subordinates.

'The heroic Makoto Takatsuki of the Water Country lacks a sense of danger.
'I heard that he faced the old dragon with only a dagger. McAllen's adventurers were appalled.
In the Land of Trees, he challenged the Demon King by himself. That's insane.

 When his men returned from their investigations, they spoke out.
 That his people lacked sanity.

 Normally, brave men were an important force in the country and had to be heavily protected for the war against the Demon King.
 However, the brave men of the Water Country rush into the fires of war on their own accord.

 --But the brave men and women of the Water Kingdom rush into the fray on their own accord - just like the legendary savior Abel.

 A thousand years ago.
 Abel, the ancient hero, rode into the Devil Continent where the Great Demon King was waiting for him with just four men.
 According to the legend, Abel the Brave tried to challenge the Great Demon King alone so as not to sacrifice anyone.
 But the First Great Sage, Saint Anna, and Magical Archer Jonny persuaded him to join the party of four.

 These days, it's impossible to have a few friends who are brave enough to challenge the Demon King.
 Even his daughter Olga has a special division of several hundred people made up of senior and higher level warriors and wizards.
 It is the Fire Nation's largest unit for the forthcoming 'Northern Expedition Plan'.

 I once again followed with my eyes the figure of the brave men of the Water Country walking with their two companions as if they were taking a walk.
 In the sky, the huge rock that was finally approaching cast a huge shadow over the royal capital.
 As yet, there is no way to break the crisis.

(.........let's hope. The power of the brave men who saved the Land of Water (Roses) and the Land of Trees (Spring Rogue)).


 Makoto Takatsuki's point of view.


This way, please.
 The place where the executive knight led me to is the top level of the amphitheater.
 There were wizards lined up in a row there, shooting magic at the approaching comets and using magical tools.

'Would you like to go that way?'
 I picked a place with as few people as possible and headed out.
 I didn't want to get caught up in the wrong crowd.

Hey, Makoto. What are you going to do...?
 Lucy is holding her wand anxiously as she glances at the sky.
 'Yes, I'll have to explain this to my friends properly.

'Lucy, what's falling right above us right now?
 I said, pointing to the sky.

'What? It's so sudden. You'll see! It's not a supermassive meteorite!
No, it's not. It's not a meteorite, it's a comet.
...what's the difference?
 I don't have time to waste, so I'll just conclude.

'I mean....'
Okay! The comet's main ingredients are ice and dust! That's why you're going to do something with Takatsuki-kun's water magic method!
 Sa-san has spoiled it for me.
 Don't go ahead and say it.

''Are you sure it's possible to do something about it! Mr. Brave!
 The executive knight who was listening to the story packed up with great vigor.

''Well, well, we won't know until we try.
 My water magic skill level is over 250.
 Even the Great Sage Master was taken aback by my water magic specialization.

''That's great!
 I haven't even succeeded yet, but he's very impressed with me.
 Well, let's see if I can't do something.
 I rolled up my arms, tried to use water magic on the comet...


I can't, Makoto.


 Suddenly, what I heard was the cold voice of Master Noah.
 Why is it impossible?

The comet is surrounded by ice, but the nucleus is rock. A comet falling right now would have a nucleus several hundred meters across, and a comet of this size can't be stopped by Makoto's water magic. Makoto's water magic can't protect it.
 Speaking of which, do comets have a rock at their center?
 I'm not very bright on astronomy.

(And besides, Mako.)
 Oh, Mr. Eil.
 Long time no see.

It's been a while. But listen to me. The comet that was summoned from outer space is an alien being from outside your world. That's why it's harder for Mako's water magic to reach you than normal ice. (If you want to control a comet on the scale of what's falling right now, you'll need a tremendous amount of magic (mana).
 With a melancholy tone to her voice, Eir-sama told her.

 I see.
 Nothing goes as it is supposed to, does it?

''Takatsuki-kun?''
Makoto?
'Brave Lord what's the matter?
 I suddenly stopped moving, and Sa-san, Lucy, and the execution knight asked me anxiously.

''It's okay, it's okay,''
 This much difficulty is to be expected.

 Then I'll do the "thing", Noah-sama.

 I told the goddess that I was going to do the secret plan that I had been thinking about for a long time.

(You're serious........Makoto.)
Please, Mako. Don't do this.
 Goddess, the reply from the two of you was not a colorful one.
 But I wouldn't have it any other way, would I?

((.........))
 No response.
 But no opposition.
 All right, let's do it.

Hey, you know what? The comet is approaching, and we have to prepare for the space transfer. I'm going to make preparations for spatial transfer just in case.
Takatsuki-kun.......I'll run away with the two of you if the need arises, okay?
 I made my two friends very uncomfortable.

We'll see.
 I rolled up the sleeve of my right hand clothes wide.
 And then I applied the 'Change' skill to my right arm. 


 ........It's hard to control.

 Blurbs, I felt the space around my right arm blur.
 At the same time, my arm begins to glow blue.

''........Makoto? What are you doing?
That's a change skill, right?
Oh, partial change. Just your right arm.
 I set my 'Meikyondo' skill to 1(⋅)0(⋅)0(⋅)%(⋅) and focus my attention on it.
 If you're even slightly distracted, you'll be robbed of your consciousness.

 With a bang, I heard something pop in my ear.
 Knowing that it was the magical power emanating from my body, I shivered with discomfort.


 --Spirit's right hand.


 I named this magic as a pseudonym, which was not found in any magic book.

 It turns one arm into a spirit.
 That's all there is to it.

 However, spirits are nature itself.
 The small spirit you usually see is a single life.
 One and all.

 The water spirit is synonymous with all the water in the world.
 That's what I learned from Master Noah long ago.
 That's why the magic power of spirits is infinite.

 Gradually, my arm itself turned into a blue light.
 It was not a physical body, but a nanika connected to 'all the waters of this world'.
 It was a shard of magic power that went on infinitely.


 Thinking back, the first demon I defeated when I came to this world was a goblin.
 I defeated them using the water from a nearby river.

 In the Great Labyrinth, I fought an abominable dragon with the help of a water spirit.
 In the King's Land of Water, he defeated an abominable giant with the help of Princess Sophia's magic. 

 In the Land of the Sun, he is the Great Spirit of Water.
 In McAllen, he borrowed the power of the Fire Spirit in sympathy with Lucy.
 In the Land of Trees, he gave his life to Master Noah and borrowed his strength.

 We managed to get by with the help of everyone else.
 But........I want to win on my own for once.


 The hint was the words of the Great Sage Master.
 He said that the only way to become strong........is to 'quit being a human'.

 
''Yes, to be strong, you can't stay human!
 I found myself unconsciously saying out loud. 

'I can be a genie myself!
 I said to Sa-san and Lucy with a determined look on my face.
 Huh, that's decided.

"[....]" *sa-san, Lucy and the executioner.
(....) *Noah-sama and Eir-sama

 Why aren't people talking?