Mission:052 Conqueror Knight

Mission:05-2 Conqueror Knight

"Indeed, there is the aura of an Evil Demon here."

Doctor Giorgios carried her sword and was the first to enter the stretch of forest Ritsuka had not passed through yesterday.

Following the path, they arrived at the small patch of forest Nero had destroyed with a single swing of her sword the day before. The blood of those monsters had already congealed, and the oxidized iron molecules had stained the earth black.

But the corpses had strangely vanished. Not even a single bone remained.

Ritsuka could imagine that the monsters Nero had killed had likely all ended up in the bellies of other monsters. It was even possible that, in a few days, new monsters would be born from them, replenishing the Demon Pillar's forces until they attacked the town once more.

Ritsuka's sortie this time was for that very purpose. Even if they still could not charge into the seaside grotto today, they at least had to use Doctor Giorgios's Noble Phantasm to strike at the monsters' living forces and delay the arrival of that moment.

However... the forest that had been so unnervingly quiet yesterday was not nearly as peaceful today.

The sound of a cannon shot came from the shore. The three of them looked up and saw that, on the distant coast, an enormous wooden warship had stopped there. It had turned broadside and was bombarding the forest with the cannons on board.

This was truly a strange thing. The coast near Rattvench bordered the mountains, full of jagged rocks and heavy wind and waves; there was no harbor there at all. So why had a warship come here now?

"Mash," Ritsuka calmly asked her little padded jacket, "can you figure out where that ship came from?"

"There are very strong magical energy fluctuations!"

After a brief observation, Mash answered, "There's a very high possibility that ship is a summoned construct of a Heroic Spirit!"

In other words, Ritsuka had finally found the fourth Heroic Spirit scattered across this Singularity.

Another cannon boomed. A dull impact sounded from within the forest, followed by trees collapsing and birds startled into flight. Without question, the monsters in the forest had all been drawn over by the cannon fire.

So Ritsuka made an immediate decision and commanded, "Let's go!"

She was going to meet that Heroic Spirit and invite him or her to join her team.

Judging from the fact that they possessed a ship—and a huge wooden warship at that—this Heroic Spirit should be a navigator active during the fifteenth to sixteenth centuries, one of those who had taken part in the Age of Discovery. Ritsuka could not help remembering Columbus, whom she had met in the previous Singularity...

She hoped this Heroic Spirit would be easier to talk to than That Guy.

Thanks to the warship serving as such a glaring target, Ritsuka and the others encountered almost no monsters along the way, but it was obvious that this good luck would only last until they stepped onto the battlefield.

From afar, Ritsuka could already see the monsters forming ranks along the shore. The warship, holding the geographical advantage, was across the seawater, using cannon fire to beat them down until they could not lift their heads.

Only a small number of monsters capable of flight could go over to harass the warship, but each time they drew close, a dense hail of gunfire and bullets forced them back.

That captain had suppressed all the monsters single-handedly. It was impossible not to be amazed.

At that moment, Doctor Giorgios stopped and held back Ritsuka and Mephisto behind her. They could not go any farther. If they continued forward, not only would the monsters attack them, they might even be accidentally hit by the cannon fire.

But that did not match Ritsuka's intentions. She had come here precisely to meet this Heroic Spirit of unknown origin. What sense did it make to stop here?

"Is there any way to let the other side know we're here?" she asked.

The answer was simple—a Noble Phantasm.

Doctor Giorgios observed the ground being bombarded by cannon fire, the number of monsters, the intervals between shots, and the bloodstains on the ground, then said, "Though it is not as much as last time, it is still enough for me to release my Noble Phantasm. Master, give the order."

"Be careful!"

And so, Doctor Giorgios entrusted Ritsuka to Mephisto's protection, then drew her sword and charged into the monsters. A moment later, a loud cry rose from the forest along with bright Holy Light.

"By the Cross of Blood, I swear—Ascalon!"

That disturbance was immediately noticed by the Heroic Spirit aboard the ship, and the bombardment stopped at once. At the same time, a golden Star lit up from the ship's hull, accompanied by another ringing declaration: "El Dorado!"

This should have been that Heroic Spirit declaring his Noble Phantasm, but after that declaration, there was no Light Cannon, no change in the wind and clouds, no signal fires rising everywhere.

Under the brilliant sunlight, the sea breeze still blew. It had only taken on the faintest, faintest trace of chill.

And it was precisely that chilly sea breeze that swept past, making the flock of crows in flight plunge into the sea, making the howling wolves collapse one after another. It was as if... it were a Wind of Death.

"Master, did you see that?"

Mephisto looked at the flock of birds falling powerlessly, then turned toward Ritsuka with an amused smile.

Ritsuka nodded. Before she could speak, Mash's voice sounded beside her again. "This is bad, Senpai. Miss Nero just contacted us. The Black Death is about to break out in the town!"

Such timing? Ritsuka was slightly startled, but she did not think the Heroic Spirit's Noble Phantasm in front of them could instantly affect Rattvench Town. Though she was somewhat anxious inside, she still spoke steadily to Mash first. "I understand. Mash, please look up navigators related to large-scale plagues."

There should not be many such figures. If the other party's Noble Phantasm could truly control plagues, then perhaps he would have a way to deal with The Black Death about to break out in Rattvench.

"Y-yes!" Mash answered.

"Let's go over," Ritsuka said.

The golden flash on the ship had already disappeared, and Ritsuka judged that the Noble Phantasm's power should have ended. That ship had also started moving again, slowly approaching the shore.

"Master."

Doctor Giorgios also returned to Ritsuka's side.

Ritsuka did not waste time on pleasantries and immediately asked, "Doctor Giorgios, that gust of wind just now that killed the monsters—was it carrying a plague?"

"Indeed it was. I'm afraid the other party is not someone easy to get along with."

Since she had received an affirmative answer, they absolutely could not give up on making contact this time. Ritsuka briefly explained the town's current situation to Doctor Giorgios, then said, "We have to hurry."

The three of them quickly approached the coast. By then, the warship had already moored amid the reefs, clearly unable to advance any farther. A figure leaped from the ship and landed on a protruding rocky point.

"Senpai, I found it!"

Mash's figure lit up again, holding a thick stack of materials in her hands. "The other party's true name is very likely 'Hernán Cortés,' a Spanish navigator active in the sixteenth century."

Of course, the key point they needed was the part related to plagues. So Mash continued, "He was known as the 'Conqueror of the Aztec Empire,' and once brought a massive Smallpox epidemic that swept through the entire region of Mexico!"