The Lord of the Ruined Capital (2)

"Huh...? What the hell's going on here?"

"This is hardly something to joke about, Eighteen."

"Grrrrrrrrr!"

Jigoro interrogated Eighteen in an intimidating tone, while Genjuro did so with anger bleeding into his voice. Cal, meanwhile, glared at me bloodthirstily and growled low. Hey, don't provoke her too much! What'll you do if I get shot?

"Simple, earthworm. I had given this one, Eighteen, the task of bringing ignorant, reckless fools like you before me."

"I apologize for deceiving you."

Eighteen apologized in a voice that was at least polite, but made no move to lower the gun aimed at the back of my head.

"However, it was unavoidable. It was the only way to get Nkerfour-sama, the Harpy Chief, to leave."

"What do you mean?"

"Heh heh heh, allow me to explain."

The Harpy Chief, apparently named Nkerfour, began boasting with a grin that made no attempt to conceal his malice.

"The two of us had a contract. Until my Race level reached 60 and I evolved, this one was to offer me sacrifices. And once I evolved..."

"So the contract was that you'd clear out this nest. What a convenient arrangement for you."

"A fair contract, I say! I absolutely wanted to evolve, and this one absolutely wanted us to leave. Our interests aligned, did they not? Heh heh heh!"

Nkerfour laughed heartily, looking genuinely delighted. Like the evil monster he was, his personality must have been sadistic. Watching him laugh as he further contorted his ugly face was intensely unpleasant and repulsive.

"My level is 59! If I devour you earthworms, I will finally become the true king—the legendary Harpy King passed down through my clan! Gyeh heh heh heh heh!"

I see... After Chief comes King, huh?

"I will become a King! I will lead my clan, kill the boss of those lizards over there, and eventually rule this land!"

Nkerfour's ambition was not merely to become a Harpy King. He also intended to slay the Dragon God, leader of the Dragons, and rule this Vethus Floating Island. Blabbing about his goals in triumph like that made him seem like some talkative, idiotic villain from a comic book.

"Geh... enough chatter. Eighteen! Bring that skeleton here!"

"Yes, sir."

Eighteen nudged the back of my head with the gun muzzle, urging me forward. I had no choice but to raise both hands in surrender and slowly advance. Jigoro, Genjuro, and Cal glared at me with sharp eyes. They were probably waiting for even the slightest opening to destroy Eighteen.

"Don't move, you hear? I heard this fellow is your leader. Do you not care if your leader is killed? Heh heh heh!"

Eighteen understood that perfectly and always moved with me between herself and the others. That was why the three of them did not pounce until I reached the front of Nkerfour's nest.

"Heh heh heh heh heh! I'm kind, you see! I'll crush you all in a single stomp!"

Nkerfour rose to his feet. He intended to use me as a hostage while killing my immobilized companions. If he stepped on us with those talons, not only would a frail person like me die instantly, but even sturdy Genjuro, with his abundant vitality, would be killed without a second thought.

"You're the fool here, you idiot—Eighteen!"

"Yes!"

I leaped to the left as I shouted. At the same time, Eighteen leaped to the right and fired at Nkerfour. The bullet, shot at high speed, struck him squarely in the face!

"Geh?! Gegyaaaaaaaaaah?!"

Nkerfour let out an unbearable, garbled scream. Having taken an unexpected attack while one of his talons was raised to take a step, he lost his balance and fell over.

Heh heh heh, surprise attacks feel so good when they land! You were the one who got deceived, Nkerfour!

"Man, acting's exhausting."

"Really? I rather enjoyed it."

The tense atmosphere suddenly relaxed. Everyone was probably relieved that the plan had succeeded. The boss battle itself was only beginning, though, so letting our guard down too much would be a problem.

This surprise attack was, of course, my idea. It all started with Eighteen. When she and I were alone because of her supposed forgotten item, she told me the truth.

Apparently, she had been obeying Nkerfour and luring the rare people who managed to reach Central Building to him as sacrifices, in exchange for being allowed to leave the rooftop. Eighteen had not expected Nkerfour to keep his promise, but since she was malfunctioning, she had no other choice.

Though it was unexpected, after seeing our skill in exterminating the Harpies nesting on the rooftop of a low building and dealing with the Harpies who came later, she changed her mind. She decided to genuinely defeat Nkerfour together with us.

I was a little surprised when I heard that, but more than that, I felt the nagging feeling in the back of my mind come loose. Things had been progressing far too smoothly since we arrived here. In particular, I had indeed found her generosity suspicious.

We had only just met, so I wasn't particularly angry about having been deceived. Rather, hearing the truth gave me the idea for this surprise attack: approach while taking me hostage, then land a painful first blow.

Eighteen had apparently already told Nkerfour the rough information she had gathered from the few surveillance cameras still working in the underground district. We decided to use that against him. I figured Nkerfour would be even more careless if he managed to take me, the leader, hostage.

"I was surprised when you sent me the plan through the party chat, but it really worked!"

"It was good that we didn't say anything. We probably would have sounded like we were reading lines..."

I had also shared Eighteen's circumstances and my plan with everyone through the party chat. That meant the menacing atmosphere Jigoro and Genjuro had created was all an act. This let Cal, who could not act, react naturally while still allowing us to share the plan.

There is a saying, 'To deceive the enemy, first deceive your allies,' but that would not have worked well this time. If I had not told them the plan, Jigoro or someone like him might have charged in without regard for my safety.

To put it plainly, a Player has no value as a hostage. We respawn when we die, after all! For us, who can come back to life as many times as necessary, life is always on sale. I normally try not to die in stupid ways, but still.

"All right, let's get out of here. Short Teleport."

"Yes."

I used Short Teleport via 【Spacetime Magic】, while Eighteen used the Short Teleport talisman I had given her to put some distance between us. I moved to Cal's side, and Eighteen moved behind Iris.

"Eighteeeeeen!!! What do you think you're doing?!"

Nkerfour bellowed, his voice trembling with pain, confusion caused by the sudden betrayal, and the fury born from both. Several streams of blood ran down his face as he glared at me with hate-clouded eyes.

Oh? One of your eyes is crushed. No wonder you're in such a rage. Ooh, scary, scary.

"Are you really that angry about being bitten by your own dog? Or are you embarrassed because your smug, triumphant victory was overturned?"

"Y-youuuuuuuuu!!!"

I asked as though I were genuinely curious. Of course, it was a taunt, but he took the bait beautifully.

"Cal! Let's go!"

"Roooaaaar!"

As planned, Cal and I took off into the sky. Just as Eighteen had told me, Nkerfour was poor at flying and glared up at us resentfully.

"You dare fly through the sky, earthworm?! Go, all of you! Drag that insolent wretch down!"

"Gegyaaaah!"

At Nkerfour's command, the four Harpies that had been waiting near his nest took flight toward us. All right, let's Appraise them!

――――――――――――

Name: Nkerfour

Race: Harpy Chief Lv59

Job: Demon Bird Warrior Lv9

Skill: 【Gluttony】

【Great Fangs】

【Sharp Claws】

【Strength Enhancement】

【Defense Enhancement】

【Fire Magic】

【Storm Magic】

【Hardening】

【Flight】

【Launch】

【Capture】

【Surprise Attack】

【Command】

【Coordination】

【Wind Resistance】

【Fire Resistance】

Race: Harpy Priest Lv47

Job: Healer Lv7

Skill: 【Gluttony】

【Fangs】

【Claws】

【Water/Ice Magic】

【Healing Magic】

【Flight】

【Capture】

【Surprise Attack】

【Command】

【Coordination】

【Water Resistance】

【Earth Vulnerability】

――――――――――――

This is the status of Nkerfour and his group, with the Harpy Leaders' status omitted. Of the four flying toward me, three were Harpy Leaders, while the last was a Harpy Priest.

As its name suggests, the Harpy Priest could use 【Healing Magic】, just as a priest should. Grrr, that's more combat-oriented than my 【Soul Arts】! I'm jealous!

The real problem was Nkerfour. His level was 59, just as he had claimed, higher than that of any monster we had fought. He did not have 【Small Stature】, nor did he have any elemental weakness; in fact, he had even acquired resistance to fire and wind.

In addition to Skills that boosted his stats, he also possessed Skills that appeared to be evolved versions of Fangs and Claws. This guy might even be stronger than the Tarasque. We couldn't let our guard down.

"The plan will proceed as arranged! I'm counting on you!"

"At last I can fight!"

"Let's go!"

"I'll try to keep them under control somehow."

"Let's do our best to support you, Eighteen-san!"

"Understood."

I reminded everyone to follow the plan once more, but the two men were already leaping at Nkerfour. Did they want to fight that badly? I knew they were like that, but still!

"We'll leave the ground to everyone else. Let's fight our own battle."

"Grrr!"

I gently stroked Cal's neck and turned to face the Harpy Leaders. All right, it's been a while since a boss fight!