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Battle at the Royal Palace – Part 08

“Wait a sec! No one told me they had an Anti-Mage on their side!” Serika cried.

The elemental magic she had been relying on had been completely nullified. Still the armed soldiers hadn’t managed to approach the storehouse yet, thanks to Serika’s relentless casting. But she didn’t have an unlimited supply of mana.

Anti-Mages referred to individuals specializing in countering elemental magic. It wasn’t limited to just military personnel; even adventurers had such specialists, which was why the Four Eastern Stars were aware of their existence.

In this world, there were surprisingly many monsters that had amassed significant amounts of magical power and could use elemental magic. Elementals were entities that were “real but not alive,” integrated into the physical laws of the world alongside magical energy. As a result, they couldn’t be measured on a moral scale of good or evil, and anyone could use them as long as it aligned with the logical framework.

Conversely, if that logical framework was disrupted, elemental magic wouldn’t activate. Anti-Mages employed various means to hinder the use of elemental magic.

“Serika, I think that’s the C-Reject Anti-Mage.”

“I think so too! It’s Tobido Westernland!”

Selyse furrowed her brow. “So that’s Tobido…”

“Is he someone famous?” Paula asked.

“Yeah, if you pay him enough, he’ll do anything. He’s the epitome of a scumbag adventurer who even takes on assassination jobs.”

“Hey, Four Eastern Stars! I can hear you, you know!” A voice came from behind the armed combatants raising their shields.

The storehouse doors had already sustained heavy damage, providing a good view of the other side. As the group turned their attention, a small man pushed past the shield-bearing fighters and stepped forward.

“I just can’t stand you women being Rank B! Just give up and accept the death penalty along with the princess!”

“A scumbag with perfect hearing, and jealous to boot,” Selyse commented.

“I said I can hear you!”

He was a man with a red nose and scruffy beard, likely in his forties. He could remain an active adventurer despite his age because he wasn’t the type to fight in the frontlines; instead he made use of his specialty in anti-magic.

Multiple vials hung from his waist, each containing pills corresponding to different types of elementals. When elemental magic was cast, these pills disturbed mana formation, effectively neutralizing it. In addition, he was equipped with various anti-magic gear such as cloths and swords, further enabling magical interference, making him stand out among the others.

“Wind Shot!” Serika seized the opportunity and unleashed wind elemental magic.

“Hmph!” Tobido crushed a pill in his palm, releasing its powder. Serika’s magic dissipated midway through the corridor. “Hah! I heard that the Four Eastern Stars’ Elemental Mage was pretty skilled, but is this all you got?”

“What did you say?!”

“Stop, Serika,” Selyse intervened.

Serika, driven by anger, continued to cast several more spells, only to have them all blocked by Tobido.

“Ugh!”

“Stay calm, Serika. Don’t waste your mana.”

Tobido had an overwhelming advantage in this situation.

The power of elemental magic was virtually limitless with enough mana. However, in this building’s confined space, where there was no water or earth, the two elements couldn’t reach their full potential. Their only viable options were fire or wind. But using fire carried the risk of endangering themselves, so they had no choice but to rely on wind elemental magic.

Wind Magic could blend with the air, making it difficult to see and providing a significant stealth advantage. However, long-range attacks were weak due to increased air resistance.

“I was a little cautious ‘cause you’re all Rank B, but it seems you’re not much of a threat. All right, let’s wrap this up quickly.”

As an Anti-Mage himself, Tobido was well aware of the circumstances. He produced a few pills and handed them to the fighters equipped with shields.

“Let’s destroy the storehouse!”

They opted for an all-out assault, deploying their full force.

“Grr! Wind Magic still packs a punch when you’re up close!”

Since the fighters at the vanguard had anti-magic pills, it was safe to assume that Serika’s spell wouldn’t work.

“I believe it’s best to avoid shedding blood within the palace.”

Selyse positioned herself in front of the approaching enemy, gripping the sheath of her sword, the White Ray Blade, capable of slicing through anything by feeding it mana.

“Lavia,” Paula whispered.

“Yeah.” Lavia nodded.

Even with Selyse’s skill, she wouldn’t be able to defeat them all. Witnessing her battle with the White Dragon in Cotton-elka made it evident. Selyse excelled in fighting monsters, and with a party.

“If things get tough, I’ll use magic as well, and I don’t think Serika will hold back.”

“O-Okay.”

While they quietly discussed their options, the enemies closed in, charging forward. Simultaneously, Selyse sprang into action. Her sword flashed, leaving behind a trail of light as it sliced through shields and weapons.

“What the hell is that weapon?! It’s ridiculous!” Tobido exclaimed, witnessing the White Ray Blade effortlessly cleave through their equipment. “Just kidding.”

He reached for a leather bag hanging from his waist and hurled it toward Selyse.

“Don’t cut it!”

Serika’s warning failed to reach Selyse in time. She swung her sword to dodge the direct impact, but a whitish powder was released from the leather bag, dispersing into the air.

Selyse coughed. “Wh-What is this?”

“Selyse, retreat!”

“Now! Crush them!”

The armed fighters surged forward. Despite her vision being obscured, Selyse refused to yield easily. Gripping her sword tight, she launched a precise strike at the enemies’ armor.

“Huh?!”

Astonishment filled Selyse’s face. She was sure she channeled her mana, yet the White Ray Blade did not respond.

“Anti-magic is effective against magic items as well. You don’t even know something so basic?”

It was an elementary mistake, but the Four Eastern Stars had never fought an Anti-Mage before. Their expertise lay in defeating monsters, which didn’t employ tactics like anti-magic.

“Ugh!”

Selyse was tackled from the side and received a kick, causing the White Ray Blade to fly out of her grasp.

“Selyse!”

Serika attempted to jump to her rescue, but Paula held her back. Meanwhile, the enemies swarmed Selyse, and though she managed to push some of them away, she found herself cornered against the wall.

“Let go of her!” Serika shouted.

“Just wait a little longer, please!”

“What do you mean wait—”

At that moment, Serika felt a chill crawl up her spine.

“Take back our once pure world and burn everything down to ashes.”

Unbeknownst to Serika, an incantation for elemental magic had begun. Light from Lavia’s mana filled the storehouse.

“Tobido! Magic is coming from within the storehouse!”

“I know that!”

However, the enemy remained composed. When Tobido realized that Lavia was unleashing Fire Magic, he took out pills that nullified it.

“Flame Gospel!”

“Magic won’t work on me—Huh?”

Tobido couldn’t believe his eyes. From the magic circle that materialized in the corridor emerged an enormous fireball unlike anything he had ever seen before.

“Wh-Whoa! More, more!”

Over and over he tossed the pills. Gradually, the fireball shrank in size until it vanished completely.

“Th-That was close… I’m guessing that used up all of the Mage’s mana. Sneaky little turds saved that one up, huh? But it won’t work on me!”

As the spell dissipated, cheers erupted from the armed fighters who had momentarily forgotten to attack Selyse.

“Anti-magic is fuckin’ amazing!”

“So powerful!”

“Let’s go back to beating these women up—”

“Take back our once pure world and burn everything down to ashes.”

The same radiant light spilled out from the storehouse once more.

“Huh?”

A magic circle of the same size as before materialized.

“Flame Gospel.”

A colossal fireball emerged from within.

“Tobidoooo!”

“I-I know! I know! Hyaaah!”

There weren’t a lot of anti-magic pills lift. Tobido found it too bothersome to take them out individually, so he threw the entire leather bag at the fireball, causing the spell to dissipate into sparkling light.

“Another close call… I didn’t expect two of those things—”

“Take back our once pure world and burn everything down to ashes.”

“Gyaaaaaaah?!”

“R-Run! We’re out of anti-magic pills!”

A new magic circle materialized, and a fireball emerged. Tobido was the first to flee, followed by the armed mercenaries, sprinting away.

“Flame Gospel.”

The fireball pursued the retreating enemies. Screams filled the corridor. They ran as fast as they could, but their focus on what was behind them caused them to neglect their footing.

“Gotcha.”

No one noticed the person hiding in the shadows. He was holding a rope, the other end tied to the opposite side of the corridor, and pulled it taut.

“Huh?”

“Uwoooooooh!?”

“Gyaaaaaah!”

The person in front tumbled, and the others toppled over one after another. As the fireball closed in, the inferno suddenly changed course and collided with the ceiling. With a deafening explosion, the ceiling began to crumble.

“Ugyaaaaaah!”

Debris buried the mercenaries, incapacitating them.

“Wh-What…?” Selyse was left speechless.

“What kind of magic was that?! How can you just keep casting it?! Who are you?!” Serika struggled to comprehend what just happened.

“Phew…” Lavia emerged onto the now-empty corridor, letting out a sigh of relief.

She knew all too well who was responsible for the enemies tumbling down. He would have immediately sensed Lavia’s Fire Magic incantation and set traps for the fleeing soldiers.

“If he’s not showing up, it means there’s still unfinished business.”

Even after the battle concluded, Hikaru didn’t show himself. He was probably gone.

“Be careful out there,” Lavia said with unwavering trust in her voice.

Kujastria observed her from behind, wearing a complex expression.