LIGHTNOVELONLINE Book 9: Chapter 22
The vice city Kashnart had made a complete change from the hustle and bustle of when the
armed tournament had started, and time flowed in a relaxed manner. It was simply because the
participants weren’t in the town, but people who were making bets on who would end up in
highest position could still be found here and there, and it wasn’t like the festive atmosphere had
completely disappeared.
Even the knights on security duty had accepted that atmosphere, and there was no mistake
that they had relaxed to some extent.
Speaking about it even further, the Kashnart Defense Chivalric Order that was doing the town
gate’s security were more precisely not serving the royal family, but a local Chivalric Order that
was employed in the town of Kashnart.
When compared to the Chivalric Orders that served the royal family, their loyalty to them was
low, and weren’t all that serious.
There were even people who thought that no matter who this civil war fell to between Narika
and Celis, they didn’t care since they had prepared the excuse that 「we will simply carry out
our duty of defending Kashnart」.
Maybe because of that, even when that group came walking towards the town’s back gate,
they didn’t think of it as anything but an Adventurer party coming in.
The knights on security called out to the blonde woman that stood at the front of the group
with a light tone.
「Ou, sorry, Nee-chan! If you’re gonna pass through here, you’re gonna have to either present
some identification, or put your hands on a Reveal Crystal.」
「The Kashnart Defense Chivalric Order huh. Looks like they’re following Narika.」
「Ah?」
「Well, that can’t be helped either. She is a member of the royal family too after all. That choice
was correct on their part.」
「……You……?」
One of the knights that felt that something was strange tried to get a better look at the
woman’s face, but at that moment.
A fist in a gauntlet was driven into the knight’s bare face.
「Gufueh……!」
「O, oi!? Y, you……Gaah!?」
The other knight tried to draw his sword while being surprised, but he was punched and
defeated before that could happen.
At the same time, the sound of something falling over with a thud resounded from the
watchtower as well.
What could be heard after the sound of what seemed like someone running down the stairs
was a short angry voice and scream. However, that also immediately concluded and things
became silent.
「That was quite easy.」
「More like, aren’t they a bit too lax? Ah, that jerk Brutus went and attacked what looks like a
waiting room.」
Sending her gaze to Shironos and Olred who came down from the watchtower, Eltrinde
shrugged her shoulders.
「I can’t deny that but……Normally, even if the guards below were to be defeated, the guards
on the upper floors would sense the disorder and ring the alarm bell. It’s because the device
that opens this gate is also in the upper floors after all. If not for people like you all who could
move up to the upper floors with just your physical abilities, there is no way they would have
fallen with an attack like this.」
「It’s probably because of thoughts like that that this sort of thing happens.」
Vermudol, whose armor made a clanking sound, placed a hand on the gate that was still
closed.
During that time, Olred turned his gaze towards the upper floor once again.
「Although this is the back gate, as long as it is a key point for even an instant, the organization
of the security should be more strict. To be placing only the minimum amount of security there,
they must either have great confidence in the gate……or if not, they must have highly evaluated
that nothing major would happen even if it was attacked.」
「……It’s probably both. The gates of the royal capital Elarc and vice city Kashnart are made
with hard metal. Even if battering rams were used, they aren’t things that would be broken so
easily.」
「Hey, could you leave the chatter at that? In the end, what should we do to open this gate?」
At the same time as those words of an irritated Ykslaas, the tightly shut gate made a
*gigigi……* sound and started to open.