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Chapter 276 part 3

Before the alarm bells rang, Gundeus responded to Gwandan’s telepathic call and began providing escape support through shelling. He watched the colorful smoke rising from the training ground and commented on their effectiveness.

「Special sneeze bullets, stink bullets, sleep bullets, spicy bullets, sour bullets, numbing bullets… Very effective aren’t they?」

「Since their five senses are more acute than those of ordinary humans, the effects are even better. But of course, it seems that they have countermeasures in place~」

Kyrlinne, who was standing next to Gundeus, held a portable magic cannon in each hand. She honestly described the situation as she watched the large-scale air purification enchantment magic being activated over the entire training ground. Even so, she didn’t stop the shelling.

They knew The Roaring Sun’s Majesty had such countermeasures in place, so she continued to fire without panicking.

「We knew this in advance. If so, all we have to do is keep firing at a rate that they can’t keep up with.」

「Ahaha, Ber… I mean, typical of us, right?」

Push through with sheer force, push, push, push! This was undoubtedly the Bern-style thought process.

Gundeus and her generation were still able to get away with this way of thinking, but the next generation might face difficulties if they continued this thought process.

Lynette listened to her sisters’ conversation as she quickly replaced the magazine filled with shells that were extremely low in lethality but specialized in pestering.

「You two can keep chatting but don’t miss your target. Even though these 『prank shells’』are specialized for pestering, a direct hit could be fatal. Make sure you don’t hit the soldiers.」

Lynette, Kyrlinne, and Gundeus had agreed with Gwandan beforehand that they would not cause fatalities among The Roaring Sun’s Majesty’s soldiers.

If they had decided to be enemies to the Roaring Sun’s Majesty , they would have used regular shells to inflict heavy damage on the training grounds and soldiers.

「Of course we understand, Lynette. We have to cause chaos in the training ground. We support our master’s smooth escape by clearing some parts. We won’t forget.」

「Me too. I’m not great at firing cannons like this, but I can shoot without hitting them.」

「If you understand, then it’s fine. After we confirm their escape, we’ll leave this place and regroup. And with that, we say goodbye to Uminal. Is everything ready?」

「Yes, ma’am.」

「The packing and the note for Mr. Gudo are all ready!」

「So be it」Lynette looked back at the training ground and continued to bombard it with her cannon, an image quite incongruent with her innocent appearance in a maid’s outfit.

Meanwhile, Gwandan and the others, still disguised with illusion magic, hurriedly moved towards the training ground’s shortest exit, which filled with the roar of incoming shells.

「Did you manage to talk about what you wanted to?」

Gwandan, running slightly behind Fuuko and Yachiyo, used magic to carry his voice on the wind to Amria. Amria had heard this spell several times before, so she responded without showing any surprise.

Despite not needing to raise her voice, the sound of the wind cutting through the air made her raise her voice involuntarily.

「I was able to talk about most things. He was very cautious and didn’t tell me his true intentions, but I managed to get something out of him!」

「Hmm, you managed to talk quite a bit in that short time.」

「I didn’t know much about anything, so he seemed surprised. Maybe that’s why he let his guard down and started talking.」

「Was he that kind of person? He seemed like the typical reliable older brother type.」

「Yes, he does seem like a reliable person. He seemed to be very aware that he’s not suited for his current position. But he also knows that he can’t just throw it away, and that he has to become worthy of it, even if he’s not suited for it.」

「Hmm, he doesn’t seem like the kind of fool who would be blinded by power. If he can maintain the three-way balance in the Romal Empire, then he must have that level of ability. But he’s definitely impulsive. All three of you, Regul is catching up.」

「He’s fast! He shouldn’t be able to chase us straight because of the shelling.」

Yachiyo, reaching for her beloved sword disguised as a long sword at her waist, couldn’t help but look back and shout. In pure physical ability, Regul seemed far superior to Yachiyo.

Even as they talked, the three of them kept running, and they could already see the stone wall that bordered the edge of the training ground. Just then, the wall in front of them was blown to smithereens by live ammunition fired by Lynette and the two.

Amidst the debris and dust, Yachiyo and Fuuko didn’t stop but continued plunging, heading for the rendezvous point with Lynette and the others as they had agreed beforehand. Thanks to the potion that Gwandan had given them before they were captured, which had the effect of strengthening their bodies, they felt no fatigue at all.

「His physical strength surpasses Yachiyo and Fuuko, who took the potion. Even considering his Lionfolk blood, he’s on par with the physical strength of the Twelve Winged Generals. Impressive」

After watching Yachiyo and the others disappear behind the wall, Gwandan stopped and turned around. What he saw was Regul, who had left his guards behind and was chasing after him and the others alone.

The young Lionfolk leader, filled with fighting spirit, swung his beloved weapon, a huge single-edged greatsword. The blade, as well as the guard and hilt, were all dyed a sapphire blue color.

Judging it to be a very powerful magical weapon, Gwandan decided that it would be too much to try to catch it with his bare hands. He summoned his beloved poleaxe from his shadow and stopped the blue blade that was swung down from above.

「You blocked my attack!?」

「The Empire’s Magic Control Armor is no match for your strength. Young Lion.」

「How can you stop it with such ease! Who are you?」

Regul’s great sword was separated from him, and in an instant, the blade, concentrated with his fighting spirit, swung down at Gwandan, who was in disguise, and created multiple slashing sounds through the atmosphere.

The strike, like thunder from the heavens, rained down on Gwandan incessantly. Regul’s superhuman strength beyond that of a normal Lionfolk, his powerful heart and lungs, and his skill in minimizing the burden on his body made this possible. Gwandan’s impression of this was summed up in one word.

「Impressive.」

However, despite the incredible speed and number of attacks, the blue slashes, dense like a wall, were all blocked by Gwandan’s pollaxe, which he wielded with one hand, and the blade was not even allowed to touch his scales.

「Tch.」

After more than a hundred attacks failed to break through Gwandan’s defenses, Regul clicked his tongue and leaped backward, putting some distance between himself and Gwandan.

「How was your conversation with our princess? Mr. Representative of The Roaring Sun’s Majesty? From our point of view, we were able to talk enough to be satisfied. It was worth the trouble of disguising ourselves and infiltrating your territory.」

「Is that so? From our point of view, we have to review our inspection procedures because we weren’t able to see through your illusion magic.」

Regul’s body shifted its center of gravity slightly, and both his mind and body were constantly searching for a way to attack Gwandan, who was full of openings.

「If people from factions like Princess Asteria and Grand Duke Linosart could sneak in like we did, it would be a big problem for you. It’s important to be aware of potential crisis.」

「You’re talking as if it’s no big deal. So, who are you, unnamed intruder?」

Regul suddenly lowered his stance. With a movement that gave no warning, Regul lowered his body until his nose almost touched the ground, and he closed the distance between himself and Gwandan in an instant, as if he were crawling on the ground.

From this strange movement, which was more like a snake approaching its prey than a lion, Regul’s greatsword sprang up from the ground and aimed for Gwandan’s right neck.

「You’re moving in a way that I wouldn’t expect from a lion.. Is it your belief that there’s no right or wrong in battle?」

Gwundan had caught the blade with the haft of his poleaxe without showing any surprise and displayed a calm demeanor, which made Regul glare sternly at him with narrowed eyes.

「There’s no such thing as right or wrong. There are preferences, but… who are you, really? Are you one of those powerful aides that Princess Asteria has, who are said to be on par with the Twelve Winged Generals?」

「Asteria, huh? Perhaps you met Princess Asteria today, or perhaps not.」

「You’re just as evasive as that woman. Can’t you just tell me the truth?」

「I could, but… how about this? I’ll tell you one truth for every blow you land on me. Whether it’s a lie or the truth, you’ll have to decide for yourself. What do you think?」

「That woman and you guys are really getting on my nerves. You can’t take back what you’ve said」

Bathed in Regul’s escalating aura of combativeness and anger, Gwandan internally conceded that he was entirely correct. Of course, he intended to keep his promise, but he was also aware that Lynette, Yachiyo, and the rest had successfully regrouped and that they had encountered unexpected people.

「I’m the one who brought this up, but I’m going to have to put a time limit on this, young lion.」

「Young lion, young lion, you’re really getting on my nerves with that condescending attitude!」

「I apologize for that. After all, I am quite an old man.」

Gwandan, who maintained his composing attitude, was undoubtedly the most irritating adversary for Regul.