3 bar menu

Volume 1 Chapter 2 Part 9

「So what you are saying is… should I kill all those enemies? 」

 

Aishela said such a cruel thing with a voice that was perfectly calm.

 

「No, this time, we should aim for not killing as many of them as possible. 」

 

「Okay, I get it. Just leave it to all to me. 」

 

Aishela said so and hit her chest confidently. Also, maybe the steel with whom the armor was made was softer then Theo originally thought, because when Aishela hit her chest, it swelled up and then sank for a moment, shaking up for a while due to the recoil. Every evidence seemed to be pointing to the fact that it was not her armor that was shaped like that, but that it was her actual breasts that were pushing up against the armor from the inside so much.

 

Aishera approached the white horse that was riding, and lightly lowered the two boxes that were tightly tied with two chains and hung on the left and right sides of the horse to the ground. A loud metallic sound echoes from inside the box as she did that.

 

At the same time, a black mass appeared from behind the box, spun around a few times before crashing to the ground and clung to it as if it was melting. At first, Theo thought it was a dog, but upon closer inspection, it looked more like a cat.

 

「His Highness Balgary!「

 

Siluca hastily ran to the cat and held closely to her chest.

 

「Do not worry about me. I am just a little dizzy, that’s all. 」

 

A cat spoke to her in human language and wagged its tail twice.

 

「What exactly is that thing? 」

 

Theo stared at the human-speaking cat with an eerie look on his face.

 

「He is a Cait Sthi, the fairy cat from the world of Tir Na Nog. His Highness Balgary has the right to succeed to the throne, and he is the one who will eventually become King of all Cait Sith. 」

Siluca answered Theo while stroking the fairy cat.

 

「Please make sure to remember that and not do any mistakes when addressing me. 」

 

The Cait Sith said limply in Siluca’s arms.

 

Meanwhile, Aishela opened the two boxes. Inside, a number of long-handled weapons was lined up.

 

「One knight, fifty soldiers, and a few mercenaries. To neutralize such a group without killing them… 」

 

Muttering t herself, Aishela made her choice and took out one of the weapons from the box. It had a massive, head that was bulky and flat on one side, and on the other side it had a pointy tip that was akin to a spike.

 

「Lucerne Hammer, I choose you. 」

 

Aishela smiled affectionately at the tip of the weapon of her choice.

 

Seeing that, a chill ran down Theo’s spine.

 

Aishela removed the tip of the spear from the long shaft and picked the weapon up, checking if it was ready for battle. She swung it around for a while to see how it would fit into her hand, and finally hit the ground hard with a sledgehammer end of it.

 

「Now then, we are ready to dance. 」

 

Aishela nodded to Siluca in an old-fashioned way.

 

Before Theo knew it, Irvin had also appeared right by Siluca’s side.

 

「The enemy is going to arrive at the outskirts of the castle soon. However, I have lost sight of the enemy’s Mage halfway along the way. 」

 

Irvin reported quietly in the same kind of tone as if he was announcing that the dinner is ready and it is going to be served soon.

 

「Light travels in a straight line. But sometimes it bends, reflecting the invisible and hiding the visible. 」

Siluca muttered the incantation for a particular spell.

「The Transparency Magic, huh? Now, what exactly is he planning? 」

 

Apparently, Moreno is not going to be cooperating with his Lord during the attack. Perhaps they are planning to use guerilla tactics with him launching a surprise attack against them after he is going to see how the situation is going to develop.

 

Now that she was thinking about it, she noticed that the concentration of Chaos in the entire area has increased. Moreno must have been the one who temporarily increased it.

 

(Is he going to be casting some advanced magic? Or is it just a ruse?)

 

In a battle between Mages, tactics are as important as magic abilities. You have to read the opponent’s intentions and take advantage of the gaps in them in order to neutralize them. Conversely, even the slightest misreading or carelessness on your part can prove to be a fatal one.

 

(If it is a faceoff with magic that you want, then I will gladly accept that challenge!)

 

Siluca decided to increase the concentration of the Chaos around them even further.

 

She sharpened her five senses to feel the Chaos around her, and then she wielded her magic wand in order to excite it. Since chaos is always fluctuating, its concentration can be increased or decreased at will if it is only a temporary occurrence.

 

Now that Siluca has increased the concentration of Chaos even further, casting advanced magic in this area should be relatively easy, and the power of the spells what she is going to be using is also going to be increased, but the same will apply to her opponent, so Siluca started envisioning various situations and imagined in her mind how to cast the most suitable magic in order to counter each spell that the other Mage might use.

*          *          *

The enemy forces are stationed in a horizontal line at the foot of the hill on which the castle stands.

 

Theo stands with his back to the main gate of the castle, lining up his soldiers in front of him, just as Siluca said, while Aishela wears her helmet and holds a long Lucerne Hammer in both hands, staring blankly down at the enemy. Her appearance was just like that of a Valkyrie, a battle maiden in the divine realm of Valhalla. She probably dressed like that on purpose. Among the mercenaries, the gods of Valhalla, such as Odin and Thor, are the object of their faith, and Valkyries, who are considered to be the messengers of the gods are also an extremely popular figures.

 

Irvin was dressed in his usual servant attire and looked as if he was nowhere near ready to go into battle like everyone else

 

However, Siluca was well aware that such clothing of his was a deliberate choice, because he had many daggers hidden all throughout it.

 

As for Siluca herself, she has changed inti the robe that was given to her by the Earl of Artuk, although she was not too thrilled about that change of attire. However, her usual Magic University uniform would make it too difficult for her to move freely, so she had no choice but to cast it aside for now while being alert of everything in her surroundings at all times.

 

The enemy Mage, Moreno, has yet to make his appearance. He seems to be maintaining his Invisibility Magic without losing his focus. Because of that, Siluca was unable to predict when or where he would show up, or what exactly he was planning to do.

 

There are two Artists with superhuman strength on their side, Irvin and Aishela. The number of their enemies is not small, and they are still at a numbers disadvantage, but Siluca was convinced that they are not going to be the ones losing this battle.

 

But if Theo is killed by a surprise attack, the battle is going to end with their undisputed loss, so it was imperative for their victory here that Theo needed to stay still.

 

And then the enemy forces finally moved.

 

The enemy Lord drew his sword on horseback, held it high, and swung it down sharply as he himself lead the attack, charging ahead straight up the hill. The mercenaries followed him, and his soldiers split left and right. It seems that their intention is to take advantage of their superior  numbers and overwhelm them.

 

「Aishela, go to the left. Irvin, go on to the center. I’ll stop them from the right. 」

 

Siluca gave her orders and wielded her magic wand.

 

「Charging forth! 」

 

When Aishela smiled back at Siluca, she then leapt high into the air, just like a real Valkyrie.

 

「Well then, I will see you all later. 」

When Irvin said so, he slid across the ground at a terrifying speed, with his footsteps not even making a single sound.

 

And then, both of them activated the Arts that were carved onto their bodies, and Siluca moved slowly while holding her wand.

 

「The earth is immovable. However, it is not immutable. Sea becomes land, land becomes mountains…! 」