Ignatz Wimper. That is my name.
I am serving as the assistant to Master Baraha, the chief mage of the defense city. Currently, Master Baraha is accompanying Commander Ranvald Heegstett to the royal capital. I must stay focused… Just as I was steeling myself, this happened.
“Enemy attack! A man believed to be a mage is launching wide-area attack magic at us alone!!”
“Wide-area attack magic!? Why suddenly in the middle of the night!? …Anyway, we’ll use defensive magic. I’ll take charge. You send a messenger!”
The first magic used was the Blizzard Legion’s wide-area attack spell, Gross Turbillon du Neige.
We succeeded in defending against it.
Just as I sighed in relief, another attack came. This time, four wind-based wide-area attack spells, Desastre Typhon, were cast. These were from a separate team, and we, not sensing their presence, took the full brunt of it, resulting in many injuries.
People fell or were thrown, and the formation broke apart. This magic is meant to disrupt the enemy, blowing them away with wind, obscuring vision, and attacking with cutting winds.
As our control faltered, yet another spell was cast. This one, we managed to respond to individually, and somehow weathered it.
In the midst of being caught off guard by the sudden ambush and unable to defend properly, it was unclear how long we could hold out. If only Master Baraha were here, we wouldn’t have been exposed like this…!
But there was no time for regrets. With the knights and mages who were still unharmed, we formed a small mixed team and attacked the left and right flanking forces. However, retaliation was expected, and they had swordsmen and archers ready.
We were unable to deal any significant damage and had no choice but to retreat. While the operation was not going well, the man who had initially launched the magic attack began using another wide-area attack spell.
Laughing at our inability to defend, he drank what appeared to be a mana potion and then cast the first spell again, taunting us, asking if we were ready for it. He coughed and choked while provoking us.
What a fool, drinking and laughing at the same time…
But here it comes again, the Blizzard Legion’s magic! If it hits us directly now, there will be many deaths. I can’t even think about treating the injured right now, just cast the defensive spell, knights fall back, I shout. A few mages step forward, attempting to cast defense.
However, they had already used defensive and healing magic multiple times and likely didn’t have much mana left. They hadn’t had time to replenish with mana potions yet.
Finally, the man began chanting again.
“Blizzard Legion, O cold harbinger of death that blows through the withered fields, come forth! Kneel before me and show your power!”
A cold wind swept through and chilled the barrier, snow fluttering down as if heralding the tragedy that was about to unfold.
At that moment, someone who could be called our hope appeared.
The woman with the lavender hair who had taught magic to Master Baraha.
She seemed to have already grasped the situation and said she would cast a defensive spell by herself. Who is she, and how did she hear the messenger’s report…?
And why was she able to arrive here before Master Baraha?
“Freeze, freeze! Let not a single drop of blood warm! There is nothing to stop the march of the Legion! Advance! Gross Turbillon du Neige!“
“Holy one with a sacred name! O Agra, who looks down upon all from the heavens, show your authority! Protect us from unseen threats, bestow upon us the Aurora! Magie Defence!“
The defensive spell she cast was one I had only heard of by name, a light attribute magic. There was no place in this city to learn it. Perhaps she studied in another country.
She easily suppressed the Blizzard Legion’s Gross Turbillon du Neige. The range, the effect, it was a magnificent spell.
She also cast a mysterious wide-area healing spell, saying that her so-called disciple would come and ask for her cooperation, then left with a red-haired demon to confront the malevolent mage.
It was like something from a fairy tale. The injured were mostly healed, and we quickly reorganized our forces, strengthening our vigilance.
She was facing off with the enemy mage, but it seemed they were talking, and the magical battle had not yet begun. Perhaps she was trying to negotiate… I hoped she wouldn’t overdo it.
After a while, a mage in a deep blue robe, looking noble, arrived. Was this the so-called disciple she spoke of? He appeared more authoritative than her… He wore a hood so low that his face was hard to see in the darkness.
“Where is the master?”
“Ah, are you the one who claims to be her disciple?”
“Claim to be…?”
He seemed somewhat disappointed. I couldn’t quite grasp his character.
At that moment, a thundercloud swirled rapidly, signaling the beginning of a lightning magic chant. Was she really going to face this powerful lightning spell alone?! How cruel could one be…!
Was this disciple going to assist her?
“Are you not going to help her?”
“There is no need. That magic will disperse soon. We must focus on our tasks here.”
Disperse…? What did that mean?
I was puzzled, but sure enough, no lightning was cast. Eventually, the cloud cleared, and the stars returned to the night sky. Was this the effect of defensive magic…?
The so-called disciple looked around, assessing the situation. We had managed to recover considerably, and it was a relief not to have made a fool of ourselves in front of outsiders.
Although, it was thanks to her…
“Indeed, the master’s defense against lightning magic was superior. Now, is there a knight here?”
“Ah, Baron Barnabas…”
Baron Barnabas, Master Ranvald’s adjutant, was currently overseeing the knight corps and reorganizing the units.
“I wish to speak with him.”
This man was clearly used to giving orders. He must be a mage from some military force. He is on our side, so it’s best to just follow his instructions without asking questions.
I relayed the following to Baron Barnabas.
The timing of the attack was too perfect, there must be an insider. This could be a precursor to an invasion from another country. At dawn, that country might start its advance.
If there is an insider, they will try to lower the drawbridge. We must ensure they cannot. We should be on the lookout for the drawbridge and capture the insider.
It was a simple yet profound observation. Indeed… I couldn’t imagine this ending as mere coincidence. We were on the defensive, and our confusion had prevented us from thinking ahead. There was a country that had used underhanded tactics before, but I have no proof of which one it was. I must endure and gather the evidence.
Baron Barnabas immediately put trustworthy individuals on guard at the gates.
The woman, on the other hand, was using light magic to crush the enemy.
Ciel Judgment. I felt I had seen this before, but was it this dangerous…!?
The so-called disciple nodded with satisfaction.
A little later, the demon returned with the mage in his arms. The disciple, waiting for her, kneeled to greet her.
“Thank you for your hard work, Master.”
“I’d prefer if you just acted normally…”
“This is normal. I’m a normal disciple. Has the other squad been left for me?”
I’m not sure “normal” disciples act like that…? Master Baraha interacted with his mentor in a much more casual way.
But it seems this disciple is quite sharp. He had already sensed the presence of the other squad. With so many mages at our disposal, we could probably thwart any magical ambushes. I regret my own inexperience…
“He didn’t cast any attack magic, so I was wondering what to do.”
“He must have been frightened by that attack magic… I understand.”
If I had witnessed that firsthand, I definitely wouldn’t have dared to make a move. The disciple wore a confident smile.
“Master’s magic is strong, but especially light magic surpasses all others. Naturally!”
While the enemy mage was unconscious, restraints were placed on him to suppress his magical power, with the demon keeping watch over him. There was some uncertainty about whether these restraints would be fully effective. I had him put into a suitable room, and I asked the red-haired demon, Belial, to prepare some drinks and snacks for the mage.
In the end, the remaining group from the retreat had a disciple of the man launch an offensive spell. Apparently, he wanted to showcase it in front of his master. With excitement, he eagerly cast an Earth-based magic that created an earthquake. As expected, the effects were far beyond normal.
Afterward, the two of them expressed a wish to confirm whether the enemy army was truly approaching, and since I was equally concerned, I decided to accompany them. We guessed they would be coming from the direction the magical units had retreated, so we made our way there and, sure enough, we spotted a large army advancing toward our country. From the flags, we could tell which nation it was.
However, since the operation was not going well, the enemy’s morale would likely be quite low.
“Let’s give them a little surprise. Sebirino-dono, please provide support.”
“…Master.”
“…Sebirino, support.”
“Yes!! I will serve you with all my strength!”
He placed his hand on his chest and bowed with great energy.
What is going on with this disciple? This woman must be at least ten years younger than him. Does she really want to be treated that way…?
“Swirl and rise high, a tornado that pierces the sky. Take everything away, the fierce force of nature. Spin like a top and explode, wrap the sandstorm around you as a cloak. Reap everything created and raise it high, high. Cast it aside and crush it, the relentless spiral of destructive winds! Calamity Tornado!”
A whirlwind appeared before the enemy army, quickly gathering winds and growing into a monstrous tornado. Those at the front could only try to endure the pressure of the wind. The wind was so strong it was throwing clumps of dirt and uprooting trees, reaching high into the sky.
Things caught in the tornado spun around it, getting thrown off and flying in all directions.
“Flow, obey my summons. Advance with your skirts fluttering. Expose the earth’s entirety!”
The man recited another chant, and the tornado began to slowly move forward. The enemy troops, in a panic, attempted to retreat. Some tried to flee, others stood frozen, while some waited for their commander’s orders. Chaos had fully taken hold.
Even just this tornado magic would be an ability only a few of the royal palace mages could use. And now he was adding another chant!?
With the additional chant, he could freely control the tornado, and the duration seemed incredibly long. The wind didn’t even weaken. What immense magical power!
“Ignats-sama, please give the enemy a harsh warning.”
For some reason, the woman spoke to me with a mischievous expression. Is this really such a fun situation…?
We first approached while avoiding the tornado’s winds. The enemy troops were already in disarray, fleeing in panic.
The flags, driven by the wind, were flying away, so they had been discarded on the ground. The cavalry horses were scared and neighing, struggling to maintain control. It seemed the mages were present, but no defensive magic had been used. They must not have had time.
A commander, perhaps, was frantically waving his hands and shouting.
I raised my voice as much as I could toward him.
“…To the enemy commander! If you intend to invade our country, you will use something greater than the magic you have cast. This tornado is merely a warning. Furthermore, the vanguard has already been captured. That is all!”
Was that good enough? I wasn’t sure what kind of statement would be threatening enough, so I couldn’t speak for too long. This sort of thing is usually Lord Baraha’s job. I was very nervous for my first time in such a situation.
That man may be careless, but his speeches are quite impressive. But if this causes them to retreat, it will be a great help.
When we returned, the two were smiling, so I believed there were no issues.
The tornado stretched and weakened, dissolving into the atmosphere in a brilliant display. The sand and debris, like threads cut loose, plummeted to the ground.
The finesse in magical control was exceptional. Anyone capable of magic would surely hesitate to challenge us after witnessing this.
When we returned to the defense city, we found Lord Baraha and a man on a wyvern we didn’t recognize had just arrived.
“Iriya -dono…! I told you to stay away from the military!”
“I just summoned a little tornado to entertain them! It didn’t hit anyone, so I haven’t really interfered… right?”
“The absurdity of that excuse… Even Sebirino-kun is with you…”
The man with navy-colored hair immediately scolded her. Well, that’s a normal reaction. Even though she’s a mage, what she did was still reckless.
We had been in a tight spot, but we had still gotten considerable help from civilians, so we were partly at fault too…
“I’m sorry, I just wanted to see my master’s magic…”
“I’m so jealous! I wanted to see it too! Teach me later, Ignats.”
“…Both of you!”
The man seemed ready to snap, so it seemed best to stop the conversation there.
“More importantly, Lord Baraha, we’ve captured the man who first cast the large-area offensive magic. He wasn’t conscious when we found him, but she’s keeping watch over him, so let’s go check on his condition.”
“Good job! Now we can finally get the full picture…”
This time, Lord Baraha was determined to officially protest, fired up with energy.
The captured man had regained consciousness, his dark green robe torn to shreds, and his equipment was broken. Furthermore, since we had put restraints on his magic, he couldn’t resist, though we still had to be cautious.
He confirmed that his hands were tied, slowly scanned the room, then noticed us. He gave a disgusted look at the demon who sat in a chair, feet crossed, and then turned his gaze to Iriya and the others, pausing on the man who claimed to be his disciple.
“Y-you… wait, you’re…! Sebirino Osa Arens!! The court mage of Egdualum… Why are you here!?”
“Oh dear. Sebirino-dono, you’re famous.”
“I might have been a bit careless in coming here… Also, master, please address me without honorifics.”
“Egdualum’s court mage!?!? How… why are you here!? And that name… isn’t that the author of the magical tome that Lord Baraha admires!? Is she his… master?”
“…Well, you know, in order to create healing items, you need to defeat a dragon of at least intermediate rank to get Dragon Tears.”
“However, I still can’t strike like my master yet. I still need more training…”
“Wow! This person is really scary! If I knew that, I’d never consider opposing him…”
“I-I mean, master, what… does that mean? That terrifying woman… I mean, that lady…?”
The captured man’s tone started becoming more respectful as he realized who was in front of him.
“She is my master. She is a mage beyond my reach.”
Hearing those words, the captured man opened his mouth in shock and immediately prostrated himself.
“Please forgive me! I never imagined someone like that would be here! I was forced to cooperate in exchange for being forgiven for my crimes in my country…!”
So the man was saying it wasn’t his fault. Well, it definitely was.
The treatment of the prisoner was left entirely to us. Interrogation would begin soon. Since he was so rattled, he was likely to talk a lot. The spy had also been captured and would be interrogated with him.
Iriya and the man on the wyvern headed back to Renant, while Sebirino Osa Arens seemed to be going elsewhere. He seemed quite reluctant to part from her.
“Master, I will definitely come back.”
“Well, yes… Sebirino, take care.”
The woman still wasn’t used to being called by just her name. It must be difficult for her, since it looks like a commoner is being overly familiar with a noble mage.
“…Sebirino-kun. I trust you understand, but don’t come back until everything is over.”
“Why don’t you bring the head mage along as well? I’ll personally deal with him!”
“Belial-dono!!”
The man with navy hair raised his voice.
Lord Baraha was watching the scene with a bitter smile.
