523 Master Barrier

523.

,So, that’s what happened.”

Selina listened intently to my story with her arms crossed. Not only Selina, but also the other colleagues were listening to my story, which conveyed what I had heard from Robia.

,There are still many unknown aspects to the Phoenix’s power. The fact that there are no records of them being captured may be because their desire for freedom is so great that they choose to burn themselves.”

,I’m concerned about that black magician. From what I’ve heard, it seems that Robia started acting on his orders around the same time we came to this city. The black magician was even aware of that fact. I can clearly sense that he intends to pit us against each other.”

As expected, Blade is sharp. I thought the same thing. Nodding, I took Blade’s words.

,So I think we should welcome Robia as a colleague even more. Since the black magician is likely to become an enemy to be defeated, we need Robia, who knows him well. Of course, that’s not the only reason…”

,For example, he had a face that the Hero would like?”

,S-Selina-ssi!”

Selina spoke in a tone that seemed to deliberately scratch my nerves. Provocatively crossing her legs and overlapping her thighs, Selina continued.

,No, I’m not particularly trying to oppose the Hero-nim’s decision. But I’m taking a wait-and-see approach until I meet him in person. After all, being forcibly returned means he couldn’t escape the clutches of the black magician, right? Even if we take him as a colleague, there’s no guarantee that the same thing won’t happen again. If we come to trust him, and then that happens at a much more critical moment…”

That makes sense. Although her tone is a bit irritating.

When Selina acts like this, it’s usually when she wants her nipples pinched. Instead, I responded to Selina’s provocation head-on.

,Thank you, Selina. For telling me your honest opinion.”

,Huh? Ah, okay…”

Selina suddenly straightened her posture demurely. My reaction seemed different from what she expected.

,Then, Hero-nim, what do we do now? Robia-ssi has gone to where the black magician is… Our conversation might have leaked to him. If so, I don’t think he’ll let you meet Robia-ssi again…”

,Hmm, but we have no information about that black magician. Even in this city, he completely concealed his identity and only put Robia forward. Frankly, I don’t know where to start.”

,Blade, what’s the situation with the Adventurer’s Guild?”

,The Adventurer’s Guild? I heard that Karuta of the Black Sword is acting as the temporary branch manager. Grenberg is deemed to need long-term care. Since the Hero stopped Robia yesterday, they’ve been reasonably cooperative.”

,That’s a relief. Then, Blade, please find information about the black magician through the Adventurer’s Guild. There will be a vast amount, so Riel, please help. Ah, Selina, can you check with the Magic Association?”

,Okay…”

What’s with this reaction…

,What about you, Hero-nim?”

Hmm, good question.

,I have something else to do. As a Hero.”

Because there are still villains in this city who have not received the Hero’s judgment.

=======================================

,I’m sorry, Hero-nim. Goldman-nim ordered me not to let anyone in…”

,What did you say?”

Goldman’s mansion, the gatekeeper I saw last time was blocking the tightly closed iron gate. I came to question him about hiding the truth about Robia.

I can only assume that he has something to hide. But he wouldn’t think that just this iron gate would stop the Hero, would he?

,I’ll have to go in by force. Will you move? You might get hurt if you get caught up in it.”

,But, given my position, I can’t do that… Ugh…!”

I gently pushed aside the gatekeeper who was blocking my way and approached the iron gate. It seems to be securely locked from the inside, but that doesn’t matter.

,Haaat!”

I kicked the locked iron gate with the power of the Hero. The gate flew off in one piece with a refreshing sound. Passing by the gatekeepers who couldn’t even think of stopping me anymore, I passed through the yard of Goldman’s mansion.

Having received a report from the gatekeeper, Goldman and Mayor Haginess were standing in front of the mansion’s front door. Seeing me approaching the mansion, Goldman said with a slightly irritated expression.

,Oh my, what’s the matter, Hero-nim. This is a rather rude visit.”

,I’ve heard everything, Goldman. Robia wasn’t an ordinary beastman, was he? His revenge was all caused by you guys, wasn’t it?”

Psh, Goldman laughed.

,Do you believe the words of such a terrorist? It must be a lie to gain the Hero-nim’s sympathy. You’ve been fooled.”

,Who do you think you’re fooling? You’re the one who lied!”

Haa, Goldman sighed and changed his attitude. Expressing his displeasure as much as possible, he said.

,So what do you want me to do? It’s a rare creature, but it’s just a beastman. We were just collecting a little blood for the convenience of humanity. It’s no different from shearing wool from a sheep. Is our righteous Hero-nim going to get angry at every farm he visits?”

,Robia became a monster because of what you did to him. You and Mayor Haginess are responsible for putting the citizens in danger!”

,It was unavoidable to revive the city! To save this declining Irene! It was inevitable!”

Mayor Haginess shouted angrily when his name was mentioned. But compared to Goldman, who was acting arrogantly, his voice was still timid.

,For the sake of this city?”

,Of course! How else would this wasteland city prosper? If it weren’t for the advanced magical engineering technology using the blood of the Phoenix, and the events held based on the wealth it provided, the citizens of Irene would never have been able to enjoy such a pleasant and prosperous life!”

,Haa…”

Robia might have known about Mayor Haginess’s attitude. How would the citizens of this city feel if they knew they were being treated as accomplices without realizing it?

,I don’t think you have any intention of repenting.”

Then there’s no point in talking anymore. I tried to approach them. But right in front of the mansion, there was something like a transparent and solid barrier that was blocking my approach.

,This is… a barrier?”

,Yes, but it’s not an ordinary barrier. It’s a high-compression barrier that realizes the ultimate condensation of magic power. It’s strong enough to withstand a dragon’s trampling. It’s a masterpiece that fully demonstrates my skills as a master of magical engineering. As long as this is here, neither that terrorist nor the Hero-nim can lay a finger on my mansion. Don’t waste your time and just go back.”

I thought he was being too cocky. Was this the basis of Goldman’s confidence?

Just this?

As someone who has experienced breaking through the High Priest’s Absolute Barrier head-on, it looked pathetic to me.

,Overdrive!”

As soon as I activated that skill, white light emanated from my body. The hood I was wearing flew off in the force of the light, and I became the radiant winged and Sacred Armor.

In that state, I placed my palm on the surface of Goldman’s prized Master Barrier. Just as I was about to break the barrier with force, I felt intense heat from above.

Two streaks of light. Two parallel blue beams struck the upper part of Goldman’s mansion. A flamboyant explosion beautifully colored the blue sky.

,Robia…!”

Now that it was clear that Robia was no longer a match for me, and knowing that I was thinking of bringing him in as a colleague, I thought Robia wouldn’t show up in this city again. But that figure with black wings and a beak mask floating high in the sky was definitely Robia.

All the equipment that was lost in the last fight with me seemed to have been replaced with new ones. The beam he just fired was also a different weapon from the Cyclops Blaster. It was a new beam weapon with two barrels attached side by side.

But Goldman’s mansion was surprisingly intact. As expected of a master, his Master Barrier was not destroyed in one hit.

From my experience, Robia’s blaster takes a considerable amount of time to charge after firing once. Although the previous attack damaged Goldman’s barrier, it seemed that additional attacks would be needed to completely destroy it.

But Goldman, who didn’t know that, had a very flustered expression.

,N-no way… T-the magic density of my barrier… It’s been reduced to this extent with just one hit…?”

,Y-you said it was 100 percent safe! Goldman-nim!”

Hmm, it’s always nice to see villains panicking. I smiled at them and punched the barrier.

,S-stop it!”

Pachaeang! With a cheerful sound, Goldman’s barrier collapsed. At that moment, a bullet fired from high above pierced through Goldman and the mayor’s heads simultaneously at a perfect angle.