"Get out of the way!"
At the very last instant, I sliced the incoming arm clean off, then carried the momentum through to kick Chaos away from Amour.
"Aqua Heal! Aqua Heal! Aqua Heal! Eliza, I'm counting on you to take care of Amour!"
"Understood!"
The triple cast of Aqua Heal closed every wound within sight, but Amour had lost consciousness — probably from her concentration snapping. There were likely broken bones too, and it would be better to move her gently, but with Chaos still in the picture, there was no time to take it easy. I left Amour in Eliza's hands and decided to finish Chaos off.
"Eliza, use these on the knights as well."
I handed over some of the most potent recovery potions and wound salves I had made, telling her to use as much as needed to treat Amour and the exhausted knights.
"Get them back to our place if you can. If that's too far, put as much distance between them and here as possible. While you do that, I'm going to kill that thing."
In an ideal world, I would have incapacitated Chaos and handed him over to the knights to extract information, but I judged that was impossible with the Chaos standing before me. The reason was simple — despite having just severed his arm, he had already sprouted two new ones in its place. Beyond that, his body had swelled to nearly twice its previous size, his skin had darkened to black, his eyes glowed red, his hair had fallen out, and thick veins bulged across his scalp, pulsing wildly.
"He's practically a Monster. I don't know what happened to him, but at this point, it's just pitiful."
His appearance, no longer remotely human, caused my anger to fade somewhat — but a creature capable of destroying a Golem barehanded and boasting that absurd regenerative ability could easily cause more casualties even after being turned over to the knights. More than anything, I could not forgive someone who had put everyone in danger.
"Ughhhhggaaahh!"
"Fast! But — Stone Bullet!"
Predicting the trajectory of Chaos as he closed the distance at terrifying speed, I fired two Stone Bullets aimed at his head and chest.
"He blocked those… then fine!"
Chaos had deflected both shots with his doubled right arm. The Stone Bullets failed to penetrate — they stopped partway through. Even though he'd taken the hits head-on, Chaos didn't slow down one bit.
Against this relentless charge, I swapped Kogarumaru for my halberd and, using the rotational force of my body, swept it in a wide horizontal arc.
"This finishes… no, it doesn't."
I thought I had cut him clean in two, but at the moment of impact, Chaos slammed on the brakes, throwing off my timing by a fraction. His upper and lower body hit the ground still connected by a few centimeters, collapsing in a heap.
Normally that would have been the end of it, but even in that state, Chaos was still alive. He fell to the ground and forcibly pressed the wounds of his upper and lower halves back together. Before our very eyes, the gash knitted itself shut.
"Doesn't he have even greater regeneration than the Hydra?"
As Jin and the others wondered what had become of them, imagining the Hydra in comparison to Chaos's abnormal regenerative power, Chaos rose to his feet and lunged at us.
"Tough, regenerative, powerful, and now even faster—on paper, this should be a brutal fight. But… his intelligence seems to have dropped."
Maybe his brain had turned to muscle too, because Chaos kept spitting out nothing but boneheaded attacks, making him easy enough to dodge.
"Hmph!"
I sidestepped his blow, waited for an opening, then swung a devastating strike home. This time, his left arm went soaring through the air.
"Will that grow back too? Looks like he's about at his limit, though."
Once again, two arms sprouted from the wound, but they were thinner and shorter than his right. Regenerating the torso connection must have eaten up a lot of his energy.
Chaos's momentum hadn't faded, but his left arm seemed weaker than the right. Every time he smashed the ground or a wall, his skin split open and blood sprayed, leaving bone exposed.
"Time to… finish this!"
Even a monster like Chaos had a stamina limit, and his movements had clearly slowed. I seized the moment, swinging my halberd and driving him back. Chaos no longer had the strength to resist—or at least, he kept flailing both arms…
"Hah… haa!"
A double strike from the halberd tore both arms away at the base. His overall durability must have dropped along with his stamina, because the left arm came off more easily than when I'd severed it earlier. He might have been using Magic Power to reinforce himself before.
"Ugh… aa… gub…"
"Hah! …Hm? Huff… hup!"
After cutting off his arms, I followed up with a downward diagonal slash. But the blade sank in near his left clavicle and stopped against something hard in the center of his chest. So I wrenched the angle slightly and drove the halberd through with everything I had, then separated the pieces top and bottom so he couldn't regenerate like before. Chaos appeared to be dead, but it was better to be safe.
"Jeanne, Aura—head back to the mansion and get Gramps. Slarin too. Eliza, once Slarin arrives, move Amour and the knights inside Slarin. Eimy, don't leave Eliza's or the knights' side."
"What's happened, Tenma!"
The moment I finished giving orders, Jeanne and Aura started to dash off, but before they could leave, Gramps arrived. Shiromaru was with him, but Slarin was apparently on watch duty, so I sent Shiromaru back to retrieve Slarin.
"I sensed something strange, so I came to check—but have Monsters appeared?"
Gramps apparently judged that Chaos was a Monster based on the corpse, but once I explained the situation, he was shocked. After confirming it was dead, he began examining the body.
Before long, I spotted a group heading our way, but—
"Tenma, hide this corpse before anyone else sees it."
Gramps told me to conceal Chaos's body. I was about to ask why, but he wore a more serious expression than I'd ever seen, so I put the body into the Magic Bag before asking for an explanation.
"We received a report that there was a fight in this area—Master Merlin!"
The ones who arrived were the guards who regularly patrolled around the mansion. Since they recognized Gramps on sight, they immediately realized who he was.
"What exactly happened here? Was it you who was fighting, Master Merlin?"
The lead guard surveyed the surroundings and asked Gramps, but Gramps denied it and explained that I had fought with an assailant. He then told them he had killed the attacker, and they asked me to accompany them to the guard post, but—
"I'm sorry, but that won't be possible. This incident will most likely be placed under the direct custody of the royal family. For that reason, we have to head to the royal castle right away."
With that, Gramps left the scene in the guards' hands and tried to leave, but the guard pressed the issue, unsatisfied. He wanted at least to see the body and to be told the reason it would fall under royal jurisdiction—
"I can't show you the body, but I'll tell you the reason. The perpetrator in this case is suspected of attempted murder of nobles. Moreover, the victims were the young lady of a southern viscount household and the young lady of the Sylfield household. There are other suspicious circumstances as well, so it wouldn't do to spread too many details about this case."
By threatening that these were two people who could split the country if handled incorrectly, Gramps caused the guards' faces to stiffen, and an atmosphere settled over them that said they had no idea what to do.
"That said, you still have your duties to perform, don't you? So, have someone accompany us, and at the royal castle—one of the Royal Guards will surely arrive, so you can explain the situation to them through that person."
The guard accepted Gramps's proposal, and the lead guard agreed to come along. However, he said they needed to leave a record of what happened, so I gave my testimony on the spot: Amour and the others were attacked, Amour and one of the knights were wounded, then I rushed in and fought the assailant, resulting in his death. The guard transcribed my statement right then, and at the end wrote "high probability of legitimate self-defense" on two copies—one of which was to be handed to a Royal Guard by the lead guard.
"We should probably bring Amour along, but with those injuries, it's better to let her rest, right?"
"Indeed. Amour's testimony can come later. Right now, treating her injuries takes priority. Alex and the others wouldn't force someone who's hurt to come along either."
And so, it was decided that only the three of us would head to the royal castle: me, Gramps, and Eliza. Jeanne and Aura stayed behind to watch over Amour, and Eimy was placed on standby at the mansion. The knight guarding Eimy would remain at the mansion until the relief knight arrived, then come to report afterward.
"Slarin, I'm leaving the mansion's defense to you. In the worst case, abandon the mansion and take everyone with you when you flee. Also, I'm sorry to ask this, but please notify the Duke Sanga household and the Baron Sylfield household."
After finishing Amour and the knight's treatment and giving Slarin her instructions, I suddenly remembered that we had just come back from a party at the Duke Sanga household. Since it had happened on our way back from being invited by the ducal family, I figured we should let them know. And as for the Sylfield household, their own daughter had been caught up in this—of course they needed to be informed.
I asked for that, thinking he might not agree to do it, but he accepted it in the form of contacting the victims' relatives. By the way, regarding Amour and the others' injuries, the knight had contusions all over and a concussion, while Amour had a concussion and a complex fracture of the left arm. Both regained consciousness during treatment, so there shouldn't be any life-threatening issues, but even though the bones in Amour's left arm have been set, he probably won't be able to move it for a while.
"Tenma! Merlin-sama!"
Upon arriving at the royal castle, after telling the gatekeeper the reason for our visit and having them call for someone from the Royal Guard, Lord Lyle appeared. Behind him were Edgar and Sigurd.
"Lord Lyle, I think it might be better to hear the guards' report before Tenma-kun's."
Lord Lyle intended to hear from me first, but Edgar suggested prioritizing the guards. Lord Lyle nodded at Edgar's suggestion and read the report the guards had brought. Then he said,
"Thank you for your report. I will be taking over from here. Also, regarding this incident, consider everything written in this report to be the full account."
Having received the gag order from Lord Lyle, the guards saluted and left.
"Lyle, so the fact that you've come means you were able to anticipate this to some extent?"
"Yes. A short while ago, we received news of an escape from the mine where Chaos was held, and we were making preparations to secure the vicinity of someone Chaos might hold a grudge against... Tenma's surroundings. Just as we were about to inform you of this, we received word that you had come directly..."
"So you came in a hurry?"
"Well, that's correct... I apologize! When the news arrived, I should have sent knights immediately!"
Lord Lyle admitted he had prioritized things wrongly and bowed his head in apology at the entrance to the royal castle.
"No, Gramps and I aren't hurt, and we weren't really harmed, so it's fine... The problem is that Amour and Eliza got caught up in it, right?"
Since both are daughters of powerful nobles, once Lord Lyle admitted fault, he or the royal family would need to take responsibility towards them. Moreover, in Amour's case, she had nearly been killed, so how that responsibility would be taken was the issue, but...
"There's also that aspect, so I'd like you to participate in the discussion with my father and the others. Also, at that time, I'd like you to tell them what you know about this incident."
That's what he said, so we were led by Lord Lyle to a room where the King and the others were, but... the atmosphere in the room was so heavy I nearly closed the door.
"Tenma, Lord Merlin, over here. Elizabeth von Sylfield, this way."
Gramps and I were guided to seats near Caesar-sama, while Eliza was shown to seats directly in front of the King and Maria-sama. Lord Lyle, who had guided us, sat down next to the King, and a discussion began between the three of them and Eliza.
Incidentally, in the room were the King, Maria-sama, Caesar-sama, Lord Lyle, plus Din and Jan, totaling six people. Edgar and Sigurd, who had come with Lord Lyle to greet us, had parted ways just before the room to join the knights preparing for Chaos's pursuit and vigilance, so they weren't there.
Separated from Eliza and placed in the position of going second, Gramps and I figured it was probably related to the order of apologies, so there was nothing to be done about it. Well, I thought it wasn't a problem since neither Gramps nor I particularly minded, but...
"Tenma, Merlin-san, here's tea and snacks."
Jeanne-san was being incredibly considerate. Caesar-sama and Din-san both seemed to care from their choice of words, but with Jeanne-san it was obvious at a single glance.
When I asked why she was going to such lengths, she explained that she felt responsible because her cautious proposal had been adopted, which delayed the initial response, and as a result Amour and the others had been attacked.
At first, Lyle had immediately tried to send available knights out for search and vigilance, but Jeanne-san had objected, saying that "with uncertain weather conditions, a battle against a former martial arts tournament champion should be avoided even if it's only a possibility," and further argued that "without confirmation they'd even come to the Royal Capital, it would be better to gather adequate forces before taking action." That was why she felt responsible.
"So everything backfired... but there's no helping that. Under normal circumstances, what Jeanne said was correct."
"In hindsight, there were injuries but no deaths. And also in hindsight, I think sending unprepared knights in might have actually increased the death toll."
"That's... well, when you consider they couldn't take down three opponents and Amour nearly died, I suppose it can't be called wrong."
Din-san started to object but quickly came around. Even though Amour had been outmaneuvered by Chris-san at the martial arts tournament, in terms of raw combat strength Amour was superior, and on top of that, he had nearly been killed despite the fight being three against one. Even if the dispatched soldiers had been Royal Guards, one or two of them would likely have died.
"There are plenty of things to worry about, but we should hear the details together with Father and the others."
It probably wasn't because of Caesar-sama's words, but the King and the others finished their conversation at just the right moment, and this time Gramps and I were called over.
"Tenma-dono, Merlin-dono, my incorrect judgment this time put you in danger, and I am truly sorry."
"I accept your apology. I wasn't hurt, so please don't worry about it too much."
"As for me, I only showed up after everything was over, so there's no need to worry at all."
"It's a relief to hear you say that."
"However, Amour nearly died, so rather than me, please focus your apologies on Amour."
"I understand that fully. I will certainly go to apologize to him at a later date."
Lyle seemed different from usual, which caught me off guard, but since it was an apology, I supposed that was natural.
"I will also go to apologize and express my gratitude to Amour. Without Amour's efforts, it's no exaggeration to say that the damage was kept to a minimum."
Indeed, if it hadn't been for Amour's fighting, several of us at that scene might have died, and others elsewhere might have suffered harm as well.
"That said, Tenma's contributions remain significant regardless. You truly saved us."
The King accepted the apology and moved on to the next topic.
"So the culprit was Chaos, without a doubt. Despite being completely overwhelmed by Amour at first, once Chaos drank that suspicious drug the tables turned, and even three against one wasn't enough to keep them pinned down… I don't think anyone's lying, but there's still so much we don't understand."
Since Eliza was the only one who could explain from the very beginning, she took the lead in recounting events, though the King and the others seemed to still be struggling to piece it all together.
"It's likely some sort of narcotic that drastically boosts physical ability. Of course, among the substances I know of, there's nothing that matches a drug capable of altering one's appearance and form in such a short time… but…"
At any rate, they had established that Chaos had used an illegal drug—beyond that, they knew almost nothing. Just then—
"Your Majesty, Count Sylffield and Lord Albert have arrived."
Kurif had come to inform them that Eliza's father and Albert had reached the castle.
"They arrived at the same time?"
"Yes. Apparently, Count Sylffield was on his way to visit Duke Sanga's estate when he ran into Lord Albert, who had received word of the incident and was heading to the royal castle. The two decided to come together."
"Either way, have them brought in here."
The King was surprised that the two had arrived simultaneously and immediately instructed Kurif to guide them to this room. He had clearly expected them to come separately, but I had already figured out the reason, so I wasn't surprised at all. I was fairly certain Count Sylffield had been on his way to apologize for Eliza failing to attend the party Albert had hosted. Somewhere along the way he had encountered Albert, learned about this incident, and hurried over in a panic.
My speculation proved spot-on. After greeting the King and the others, Count Sylffield immediately began scolding Eliza. He was stopped partway by Lady Maria and had apologized to everyone present for his rudeness, but judging by his demeanor, the real reckoning would come once they got home.
"Your Majesty, I'm sure Lady Elizaveta is exhausted from everything that's happened, and Count Sylffield undoubtedly has matters to discuss with her. Perhaps it would be best to call it a day for now?"
Thanks to Caesar-sama's words, Eliza was allowed to head home—though in truth, Grandpa had whispered something to Caesar-sama, and there were reasons that couldn't be shared in front of Eliza and the others.
"Also, Mother, we need to perform an examination of Chaos's corpse, so please return to your room."
"Yes, of course. That really isn't something a woman should have to see."
Lady Maria seemed to grasp from Caesar-sama's words that something serious had come up, but without asking a single question, she left the room.
"So, was there something wrong with Chaos's corpse?"
"Mm. There's information I'd rather not have others learn about… To be blunt, even I, who saw it with my own eyes, can hardly believe it."
The King, too, had apparently realized that Grandpa was the one who had instructed them to send Lady Maria away. Rather than directing his question to Caesar-sama, he asked Grandpa directly. Grandpa wore the same grave expression he had when he told the guards to hide the body.
While the King and Grandpa were talking, Caesar-sama and Lyle looked at me, but I hadn't been told the reason either, so I shook my head.
"Tenma, do you have a Dimension Bag you wouldn't mind getting dirty?"
"I've got one that's about half the size of this room?"
"Bring that one out. Though depending on the situation, we may have to destroy the bag afterward… Would that be all right?"
I had several spare Dimension Bags, so I decided to provide one with the understanding that it would be destroyed. Well, even if destruction didn't end up being necessary, I wouldn't want to use the bag that had held Chaos's corpse again, so rather than a mere assumption, it was practically a foregone conclusion.
"Um… Perhaps I should leave?"
With the Dimension Bag produced, Albert—who had been all but forgotten—spoke up timidly. The King momentarily looked as though he'd forgotten Albert was even there, but quickly composed himself and told him to stay. Apparently because he'd come as Duke Sanga's representative, and the King wanted to hear the opinions of the younger people besides me. But having heard this much, it was more like the King was pulling him into this so he couldn't run away.
Whether Albert grasped the King's intentions or not, he accepted
the order
with his face gone pale.
"Kurif, don't let anyone into this room. Not even Maria!"
"Understood."
After confirming that Kurif had left the room following his orders, we all stepped into the Dimension Bag, and it was time to bring out Chaos's corpse.
"Tenma, bring it out here."
On Grandpa's instruction, I placed the two halves of Chaos's corpse in the center of the room. The moment I did, everyone grimaced and looked away for an instant, but quickly brought their gazes back.
"Merlin, I understand there are many unnatural things about this, but why go to such lengths to keep others from seeing it?"
At Lyle's question, everyone except Grandpa nodded.
"If it were just extra arms, we could explain it away by saying magical tools or spells were used, but this can't be concealed. And this must be kept secret for as long as possible."
With that, Grandpa took out a knife and cut open the center of Chaos's chest.
We were startled by Grandpa's action, but that quickly became the least of our concerns. Because—
"Magic Core..."
Something I was all too familiar with emerged from Chaos's body—something that should only come from Monsters.