Summoned by Alfred, Kuroichi let out a thunderous howl.
The air itself trembled with the vibration. I wondered if the shockwave had reached all the way to the Royal Capital. That would be a bit of a problem. Still, I was relieved it was Kuroichi who had answered the call. He was level-headed; he wouldn't just go on a mindless rampage without assessing the situation first.
Then again, seeing Alfred in his mist form was likely all the proof he needed that we’d been attacked. That alone was enough to make Kuroichi’s body swell in size. He had entered Combat Mode. He always did have a soft spot for Alfred.
But things were getting out of hand.
"Rigne-san, my weapon."
I was currently unarmed. I had entrusted my sword to Rigne-san before we left because whenever I held it, I found myself wanting to swing it around. I was trying to show some self-restraint to avoid a repeat of the disaster I’d caused back in Village Five. I figured I could handle a few assassins even without a blade.
I had been naive. I wouldn't let my guard down again.
"I’ll give it to you if you insist, but are you sure?" Rigne-san asked.
"I can't restrain Kuroichi barehanded."
"...Fair point. Do you need backup?"
"I’ll be fine. I'm just going to try and talk him down."
I gripped the hilt of the sword Rigne-san handed back to me. It was a gift from my father. Uncle Gatto had forged it specifically to match my current height and reach, so it felt like a natural extension of my arm. The moment I held it, a sense of omnipotence washed over me.
No, this was bad. I could feel my expression softening into a grin.
I stepped toward Kuroichi... but first, I pointed my sword toward a patch of ground. "Rigne-san, there's someone hiding over there. Take care of them for me!"
The one who had thrown the seventh knife at me was surely lurking beneath the soil. They seemed like a professional, but if it was Rigne-san, I could leave it to her without a second thought.
While I was moving, Kuroichi lunged at the group that had attacked Alfred. There were about twenty of them—the ones who had riddled Alfred with arrows. They were well-equipped; not common bandits, but an armed group likely employed by some major organization.
Several of them were sent flying by Kuroichi’s initial charge. Despite that, the group seemed determined to fight back. I couldn't tell if they simply didn't understand the gap in power or if they were just that disciplined. Either way, it was foolish to stand against an enraged Kuroichi.
I didn't particularly care what happened to the people who had tried to kill Alfred, but if they died, it would make Father sad. I had to move in a way that avoided casualties as much as possible.
I delivered a deliberate slash to Kuroichi’s shoulder. Sensing the strike, he leaped to the side to dodge. He bared his fangs to counterattack, but he froze the moment he saw me. He’d recognized me. Thank goodness.
Now was my chance. "Kuroichi, you mustn't kill them! Father will be sad!"
Kuroichi gave a small, obedient bark in response. Good. I could leave the armed group to him now. That just left Alfred.
Alfred, still in his mist form, had been suddenly enveloped in shadows. I wasn't even sure when it happened, but I didn't have time to be surprised.
"Alfred, snap out of it!"
I slashed at the shadows surrounding him, but several tendrils of darkness lashed out to intercept me. Too slow. I cut through the reaching shadows in a single motion and delivered a kick to the central mass. It felt elastic, bouncing my foot back.
Fine, then. I carefully sliced into the shadowy cocoon, making sure not to wound Alfred inside.
...I was too late.
A man stepped out from the rent in the shadows. He looked to be in his twenties, draped in Shadow Clothing, and he was standing mid-air.
"I am the King of Darkness!"
This was the adult version of Alfred. Striking a theatrical pose and covering half his face with one hand, he began launching attacks at the armed group. He was even barking orders at Kuroichi. At least Kuroichi was listening to me; he was clearly holding back.
Alfred’s attacks, on the other hand... they were powerful, but they weren't hitting a thing. I was always telling him he needed to practice his aim more. Well, in this case, his poor accuracy was actually a blessing.
I was retreating at full speed. To be honest, Alfred in this state was a massive headache. You could land a hit on him, but he’d just regenerate instantly. He was effectively invincible. On top of that, he was spamming magic. He was only using flashy, inefficient spells against the armed group, which was why he was missing, but if he ever decided to use practical combat magic, I wouldn't stand a chance.
I had a few ways to suppress him, but with my current equipment, my only options involved dealing massive damage. I wanted to avoid that at all costs. My plan was to regroup with Rigne-san, bolt back to the Royal Capital, and get Tiselle.
Just as I made that decision, I saw a cloud of dust rising from the direction of the city. A massive force was approaching—all cavalry. There were over two thousand of them. From their banners, they were Demon Kingdom Regular Soldiers. I wondered if they’d come to arrest the assassins.
I was wrong. The cavalry immediately identified Kuroichi as a monster and began their charge.
Of course they did. Kuroichi didn't take any real damage, but his retaliation meant Alfred automatically flagged the soldiers as enemies.
"Fools! How dare you attack my companion!" Alfred cried. He unleashed a barrage of spectacular magic, raining destruction down on the cavalry. With so many targets, it was harder for him to miss. Two thousand horsemen wouldn't be enough to stop Alfred and Kuroichi, especially since Alfred was already starting to summon more shadow soldiers.
The collateral damage was going to be astronomical if this kept up. I really needed Tiselle.
"Will things really be okay if Tiselle gets here?" Rigne-san asked.
I nodded emphatically. Tiselle was the only person who could pacify Alfred in this state without making things worse.
"Then I suppose things will be fine."
Rigne-san was looking past the cavalry toward the main force emerging from the Royal Capital. They numbered over ten thousand. It seemed the two thousand horsemen had just been the vanguard. I had been worried about a ten-thousand-man army joining the fray, but it turned out to be a needless concern.
Leading that massive army was Uncle Demon King on horseback. And there, perched on his back, was Tiselle, waving her hand at us.
"Big Brother Alfred, is it that thing again?"
Tiselle had read the situation before I could even open my mouth. That certainly saved time.
"Yes! Please, take care of it!" I yelled back.
"Well, if Big Sister Urza asks, I suppose I have no choice."
I signaled to Uncle Demon King to let her down. He untied the safety cord at his waist and set her on the ground. The moment her feet hit the grass, Tiselle went sprinting toward Alfred.
Alfred and Kuroichi had just finished routing the two thousand cavalry. They were now staring down the ten thousand soldiers behind Uncle Demon King, Alfred looking completely unfazed as he stood in a defiant, arrogant pose.
"Urza," Uncle Demon King asked, his voice full of worry. "Is it really safe to let Tiselle go out there alone?"
"It’s fine," I assured him.
As if to prove my point, Tiselle dropped to one knee before Alfred and called out to him. "O Great Elder Brother! Your loyal sister Tiselle is here to aid you! Let us crush that army together!"
...
"Uh, Urza? It looks very much like Tiselle just staged a massive betrayal."
"It's an act," I said.
Tiselle chanted a spell, softening the earth around her. The ground began to swell and churn, rising up to take a specific shape. It was a golem—but not just any golem. It was a 12-meter Class Super Giant Golem.
"You're telling me that's an act?" Uncle Demon King asked, staring up at the massive construct.
"It’s an act."
The only golem Tiselle could create was this specific super-giant model, and she could only make one at a time. It lacked any capacity for fine movement; she could only give it simple orders like "move forward" or "smash." Furthermore, Tiselle had to remain in contact with the ground for the golem to stay active. It was riddled with weaknesses and generally useless. Not to mention, the process of creating it churned up so much earth that she’d gotten into huge trouble back at the village for accidentally destroying Father's fields.
However, there was one way to bypass all those flaws: someone other than Tiselle had to pilot it. Normally, controlling a golem created by someone else was impossible, but Earth had managed it. Since Earth was originally a Soil Doll, he had perfect compatibility with a golem made of earth. When Earth was inside, the golem could move with the fluidity of a living creature.
"So she’s going to have Earth launch a surprise attack from inside? Wait, where is Earth?" Uncle Demon King looked around, but Earth was nowhere to be seen.
I knew that. This was the real trick. Once Alfred saw that Earth could move the golem by riding inside it, he’d decided he wanted to try it too.
"Brother, let us combine!" Tiselle cried.
The golem’s chest plates slid open, revealing a cockpit-like space with a chair. Laughing manically, Alfred flew straight into the golem’s chest. The plates hissed shut behind him.
"Alright, isolation complete," Tiselle announced.
She had successfully locked him in. While being inside allowed one to pilot the golem, that was only if the creator—Tiselle—permitted it. Alfred thought the idea of 'combining' with a giant robot was so cool that he fell for this trap every single time. This was already the third time it had worked.
Kuroichi just paced around the base of the golem, looking deeply troubled.