The next day.
After finishing breakfast and preparing to head out, there was a flurry of activity outside. There was an unusual amount of talking, and as we wondered what was happening, the door was knocked on.
The innkeeper appeared, looking flustered.
“Guests, we’ve just received information that the military state of Trantinel has deployed troops near the border and begun an invasion. While it’s still some distance away from this town, please avoid heading south.”
“Trantinel!? Is war breaking out…!?”
Yvette let out a loud voice in surprise. The thought that a war was about to start was unthinkable!
The innkeeper quickly went to inform all the rooms and soon headed to the next one. Then, the male members gathered in our room.
“…Should we head back immediately? I don’t want to get caught up in a war.”
Riet and Lucia, both B-rank, said they would return to their country.
“We should go back as well. We need to report this to the Kingdom of Chenkaslar as soon as possible,” said Castis and Yvette, both A-rank. The dragon scale collection mission was canceled.
We asked the four of them to leave ahead while we continued our discussion.
After it was just the three of us, Ekvar slowly began to speak.
“This is something we should be concerned about. If the Fen Principality is annexed, the military state of Trantinel will likely turn its attention to the Kingdom of Chenkaslar next. The existence of the Fen Principality is an important matter for Chenkaslar .”
…We had just arrived, but I wonder how Ekvar already knew this. He seems to know the situation in detail.
“…Our offerings are not limited to dragons, you know?”
Oh dear. That look on your face, please stop.
“Anyway… should we go check things out? The war hasn’t fully broken out yet.”
“I don’t really want you to come, but I agree. We don’t know the military strength of both countries. If there’s a risk, I’ll also suggest evacuation to Chenkaslar .”
From Ekvar ‘s perspective, it seems he doesn’t want me involved in such a dangerous situation.
We decided to first head toward the southern border, where we could see the situation from the mountains.
There was a wall at the border, and the military forces of Trantinel were pushing close to it. The number of troops was more than five times that of the Fen Principality’s, making it clear that the Fen Principality was at a disadvantage. There were no signs of allied reinforcements at the moment.
The vast Norsanus Empire, which borders both the Fen Principality and Trantinel, is an ally of the Fen Principality. Through trade such as Gaocherena, food imports and exports, and exchanges of magicians, the Fen Principality has built a good relationship with the Empire.
On the opposite side, the mountains continued, making the neighboring countries quite distant.
It seems that a counterattack with magic was taking place, as I could see a magical unit carrying out some sort of tactical operations.
It looks like the Fen Principality is using large-area attack magic, which Trantinel is defending against and countering.
The Fen Principality is resupplying with mana potions. However, the number of mages is less than half of Trantinel’s forces. The situation seems grim.
Fen Principality, known for its specialty in Gaocherena, can produce a wealth of high-grade mana potions. This makes it a good environment for training mages, but the country itself is not even a quarter the size of Trantinel.
Originally, the Fen Principality was founded by a duke who defected from the military state of Trantinel, so the disparity in national strength is unavoidable. Fen Principality has managed to maintain its independence so far due to trade and diplomacy involving its specialties like Gaocherena and mana potions, along with defense supported by powerful magicians and large-area attack magic made possible by mana potions.
If the wide-area attack magic is blocked and they advance to the town, I think the Fen Principality will have no chance of victory.
Several decades ago, a marshal from Trantinel’s military reportedly staged a coup, killed the king, and took over the government.
“…If the Fen Principality disappears, it will be troublesome, right? This may help a bit, so let me cast a wide-area attack spell.”
“I’m looking forward to it. I’d love to see your wide-area attack magic.”
“You ruined the enjoyable hunting mood… I’ll make you feel it.”
That’s a bit…!
I carefully observed Trantinel’s forces. Several mages were divided into three squads. The defensive magic that had previously blocked the wide-area attack magic was starting to show signs of weakness. They haven’t reinforced it or made it stronger so far, possibly because they anticipated our magic attack.
The attack squad was not involved in the defense.
The command seems to be quite sloppy. If it were me, I wouldn’t leave such a poorly balanced defense spell in place. It looks like they just assembled the numbers.
“Even though the range is wide, they’re deploying twisted defensive magic. It’s weakened by the previous defense, so it should be easy to slip through.”
“…Impressive, Iriya-dono.”
Ekvar smiled, but his gaze was serious as he looked at me. I remember Belial mentioning that Ekvar wanted to test our abilities, and it seems that’s exactly what he’s doing.
“Earth, the one below, the one that lies. Raise all within your grasp, O earth! Be released from your long slumber. Let all bow before the vibration! Upheave, let the ground tremble and crack! Let those with no place to go quake in fear! Earthquake!”
As the chant ended, a jarring tremor ran through Trantinel’s camp. Then the ground shook violently, knocking everyone off their feet. I focused on destroying the weapons, causing the earth to crumble beneath them.
Trantinel’s defense magic had weakened after enduring the Fen Principality’s magic, and particularly the lower defenses were almost completely ineffective. Their resistance to earth magic had significantly diminished.
So, I chose earth magic first.
From Trantinel’s side, I could hear screams and the angry shouts of officers. The confusion from the tremors had caused the mages to neglect supplying mana, and their defensive magic collapsed entirely.
“The defense magic has broken due to the chaos. Should I use wind magic now?”
As I drank a mid-level mana potion, Ekvar watched me with a strange expression. I thought there was no need to be surprised by this level of magic—this should be something the Court Magicians of Egdualum could handle.
Actually, wasn’t he eager to see all kinds of magic? Also, if I’d used this magic normally, the cracks in the ground would have been deeper, so it’s clear the defense was weakened.
I threw the empty mana potion bottle away and refocused on the next step.
“Bring forth the blizzard, the swirling winds, black winds and dust, close the space. Raging storm, let the four winds wreak havoc, bringing disaster! Hear the four winds’ concert, crashing and rising, bringing great harm to this land! Disaster Typhoon!”
Trantinel’s camp fell into disarray. Various objects were scattered, and people, weapons, and horses were mowed down. I had cast a higher-level earth magic followed by a higher-level wind magic. No matter how well-disciplined an army might be, it was inevitable that confusion would spread.
Furthermore, within the magic’s effective range, sand and snow were flying everywhere, making visibility extremely poor. It would be hard for anyone to even assess the situation.
“What’s going on!? The Fen Principality hasn’t done anything…”
“Could it be a separate unit!? Where could they be…?”
Between the screams and the howling winds, I could hear loud conversations being shouted out.
We’re being searched. Should we retreat soon?
The Fen Principality carefully nurtures its mages. That’s why Trantinel’s military had adequately prepared for magical attacks. Despite successfully blocking the wide-area attack magic, they took severe damage and were now in an uncontrollable state.
Well, it’s not going to be easy for them to recover, and since a war hasn’t officially broken out, I might be able to buy Gaocherena and head back.
“Impressive… After earth magic, using wind to attack with opposing elements. And the range of effect is wide. I didn’t expect you to break through the military’s defense magic and cause this much damage…”
“I’m glad you liked it. But it’s only because of the previous attack magic from the Fen Principality that this worked.”
It seems that my magic had exceeded Ekvar ‘s expectations in terms of power.
“Now I really need to focus on my work,” Ekvar said, and as soon as he finished speaking, he glared at a tree behind us and immediately ran toward it, drawing his sword.
It had only been a brief moment from when he started running to when he reached the tree.
“…Eek!”
A short scream sounded, and I realized there was a figure behind the tree.
The woman barely moved, having stepped back a little, and a gray sword was pressed against her throat. Her eyes were unusually sharp, as if she could kill at any moment.
“…What’s your purpose?”
“Ah, I’m Albertina, an advisor to the Fen Principality’s knight order. I judged that this was the source of the wide-area attack magic Trantinel is using…!”
So, she had come to scout. Well, even if you’re careful, it’s hard to avoid being discovered. I’m glad she wasn’t from Trantinel’s side.
“We don’t like drawing attention. What are you planning to do?”
“…You are the ones responsible for this success. I believe you will be awarded a medal… If you prefer, I can keep this to myself.”
“…What will you do? The decision is yours. I am your bodyguard.”
Ekvar gave me a glance.
No, please don’t put the decision of life and death in my hands.
“If you won’t tell anyone, I’ll be fine with that.”
“…In that case, I won’t say anything. I’ll handle this discretely, so please lower your sword…!”
It’s still terrifying!
When I asked, Ekvar immediately sheathed his sword. While Belial could easily see through a threat, I wasn’t sure with Ekvar . His eyes were quite serious.
“Let me ask you one thing. Why attack Trantinel…?”
“…Because I live in the Kingdom of Chenkaslar. If the Fen Principality disappears, it will be problematic for me.”
After giving that answer, we left the scene.
