Family heirloom, then turned into a demon girl

Chapter 45 Mission: 05-2 Conquering the Knight
"Indeed, there is an evil aura here."

Georgos, sword in hand, took the lead and entered the forest that Ritsuka had not passed through yesterday.

They followed the path and arrived at the small forest that Nero had destroyed with his sword the previous day. The monsters' blood had already congealed, and the oxidized iron molecules had dyed the ground black.

But the body disappeared strangely, without even a bone left.

Ritsuka could imagine that the monsters killed by Nero had probably been eaten by other monsters. It was even possible that new monsters would be born in a few days, replenishing the Demon Pillar's forces and launching another attack on the town.

Ritsuka's attack this time was also for this purpose. Even if they still couldn't rush into the seaside cave today, they would at least use Georgos's Noble Phantasm to strike at the monsters' vitality and delay the arrival of that moment.

But... the forest that was eerily quiet yesterday is not so peaceful today.

A cannon shot rang out from the shore. The three looked up and saw a massive wooden warship anchored on the far shore. It lay sideways, blasting the forest with its cannons.

This was truly bizarre. The coast near Ratvinchi was rocky and mountainous, with strong winds and rough seas, and no harbor at all. So why would a warship arrive here at this moment?

"Mashu." Ritsuka calmly asked her little girl, "Can you find out the origins of that ship?"

"There's a high fluctuation of magic power!"

After a brief observation, Mash replied, "There's a high possibility that the ship is a summoned Heroic Spirit!"

This means that Ritsuka has finally found the fourth Heroic Spirit scattered throughout this singularity.

Another cannon shot rang out, followed by a dull crash in the forest, followed by the sound of falling trees and startled birds. There was no doubt that the monsters in the forest had been attracted by the artillery fire.

So Li Xiang made a quick decision and commanded: "Let's go!"

She would go to that heroic spirit and invite him or her to join her team.

Judging from the fact that he possessed a ship, a massive wooden warship, this Heroic Spirit must have been a navigator active in the 15th and 16th centuries, a participant in the Age of Exploration. Ritsuka couldn't help but think of Columbus, whom he had met in the previous singularity...

I hope this heroic spirit will be easier to talk to than that guy.

Thanks to the warship being a clear target, Ritsuka and the others encountered almost no monsters along the way, but it was obvious that this good luck would only last until they stepped onto the battlefield.

From a distance, Ritsuka could already see the monsters gathered on the coast. The warships occupying the area were across the sea, firing at them so hard that they could not raise their heads.

Only a few flying monsters could harass the warships, but whenever they approached, the dense hail of bullets would force them back.

It is amazing that the captain was able to suppress all the monsters by himself.

At this moment, Georgos stopped and stopped Ritsuka and Mephisto behind him. They couldn't go any further. If they continued forward, they would not only be attacked by the monsters, but they might even be accidentally injured by the artillery fire.

But this does not conform to Lixiang's idea: she came here just to get to know this heroic spirit of unknown origin, so how could it be appropriate to stop here?

"Is there any way to let them know we're here?" she asked.

The answer is simple—Noble Phantasm.

Georgos observed the land bombarded by artillery fire, the number of monsters, the intervals between the artillery fire, and the bloodstains on the ground, and said, "Although it's not as strong as last time, it's enough for me to release my Noble Phantasm. Master, give the order." "Be careful!"

So, Georgos left Ritsuka to Mephistopheles' protection and drew his sword to charge into the monsters. A moment later, a loud roar accompanied by a bright holy light rose from the forest.

"Ascalon!"

This unusual movement was immediately noticed by the heroic spirits on board, and the bombardment ceased. Simultaneously, a golden star lit up from the ship's hull, accompanied by another resounding declaration: "El Dorado!"

This should be the heroic spirit announcing his own treasure, but after this announcement, there was no light cannon, no change in the weather, and no fires.

Under the bright sunshine, the sea breeze was still blowing, but it was just a little bit chilly.

And it was this chilly sea breeze that blew, sending the flying crows plummeting into the sea and the howling wolves falling to the ground. It was like... a gust of death.

"Master, did you see that?"

Mephistopheles looked at the flock of birds falling down in exhaustion, and looked at Ritsuka with a playful smile.

Ritsuka nodded, but before she could say anything, she heard Mashu's voice again beside her: "Oh no, Senior, Miss Nero just called, the town is about to break out with the Black Death!"

What a coincidence? Ritsuka was slightly taken aback, but she didn't believe the Heroic Spirit's Noble Phantasm could instantly affect Ratvinchi. Although she felt a little anxious, she calmly addressed Mashu, "I understand. Mashu, please search for the navigator associated with the widespread plague."

There shouldn't be many such people. If the other party's Noble Phantasm can truly control plague, then perhaps he has a solution for the Black Death that is about to break out in Ratvinki.

"Yes, yes!" Mashu replied.

"Let's go over there." Li Xiang said.

The golden light from the boat had faded, and Ritsuka concluded that the power of the Noble Phantasm had worn off. The boat had already started moving again, slowly approaching the shore.

"Master."

Georgos also returned to Ritsuka's side.

Ritsuka didn't hesitate to ask, "Doctor Giorgios, did the gust of wind that killed the monster just now carry the plague?"

"Indeed, the other party is probably not an easy guy to get along with."

Now that he had received a positive response, he couldn't give up on this contact. Ritsuka briefly explained the current situation of the town to Georgos and said, "We have to hurry."

The three of them hurried toward the coast. The warship had already come to rest amidst the rocks, clearly unable to advance any further. A figure leaped from the ship and landed on a raised rocky ridge.

"Senior, I found it!"

Mash's figure reappeared, holding a thick stack of documents. "The other party's real name is most likely 'Hernan Cortes,' a Spanish navigator active in the 16th century."

Of course, the focus they needed was on the part related to the plague. So Mash continued, "He was known as the 'Conqueror of the Aztec Empire,' and he once brought a massive smallpox plague that swept across the entire Mexican region!"

(End of this chapter)