"That's all."
“...”
Orpheus hunched over in tension as she observed Callion's complexion. It did not seem that he particularly hated wizards, but it was clear that if simply backing down was a disgrace to a knight, as Cedric had said, he would not be willing to back down easily.
I'm the only one suffering in the midst of all this!
Orpheus, who was well aware of Erna's stubbornness, wanted to cry. What sin had he committed to have to suffer like this, caught between Erna and Callion? Just then, Callion spoke.
“Understood. I will have the Knights withdraw to the rear.”
"Yes?"
Orpheus and Cedric, who had naturally expected a refusal, looked at Callion with surprised eyes at his completely different answer, then turned their heads toward each other. Seeing that they were both surprised, it was certain that they hadn't misheard.
"Did you say the magic would start around noon tomorrow?"
“What? Yes! That’s right!”
“Then the Knights will begin their withdrawal in the morning. Tell them so.”
"All right!"
Fearing that Callion might change his mind in the meantime, Orpheus hurriedly said goodbye and left the room. Cedric, who had been staring blankly at Orpheus as she left, spoke loudly.
“Grand Duke!”
“Shut up. As I said earlier, have the entire Knights withdraw to the rear tomorrow morning, and make preparations to look after the residents of Haldis once the magic casting is finished.”
“We brought three units, and are you telling us to go back without even drawing our swords once?”
"Think of it as going for a walk."
At Callion's answer, Cedric clutched his head with both hands and let out a groan. It was obvious to him, without even looking, how much the knights would complain if he delivered this order. He turned his head and glared at Callion with eyes full of resentment.
'I'm sure of it.'
The usual Callion would never have backed down on a matter like this. To him, the Knights of Hessengard were his pride and joy. To think he would push that aside.
He definitely let Erna win!
Cedric trembled. It hadn't been long since Callion started sharing a room with Erna, and if it was already this bad, what was going to happen later?
The next day, Erna stood on a hill near the lake, rubbing her stiff neck.
"Ouch..."
Unlike the previous day, her physical condition was a mess. When she opened her eyes to Orpheus's voice waking her in the morning, the bed sheets were soaked with cold sweat. Moreover, because she had slept curled up tightly like an animal trying to ward off the cold, her neck and shoulders were stiff and aching with pain whenever she turned them.
It's strange. How can my body be in such a mess in just one day when I slept in the same bed?
Nothing particularly had changed...
Callion, who thought he would go to another room if he had any sense, stubbornly entered the couple's bedroom despite her glare and lay down on the sofa. Erna, who was about to ask the closed-eyed Callion if he had sat on the bed yesterday, cast a spell instead of asking. A few letters moved rapidly across her hand and glowed red, and soon a transparent red curtain formed around the bed where she was lying.
“What is this?”
Callion, who had risen up before anyone realized it, watched the magic she had cast with eyes full of wariness.
“A magic that burns upon contact. It burns down until the bones turn to dust, leaving not a single drop of blood behind.”
“...”
“Don’t worry, I cast this spell because I thought someone somewhere might forget that I would kill him if he crossed the carpet. It has nothing to do with you, does it?”
“...”
When Erna said with a smile, Callion averted his gaze and soon lay back down on the sofa. Erna lay down on the bed after confirming that her magic had been cast safely. In fact, the claim that it was a magic that would burn to death upon contact was a lie.
Who would be crazy enough to cast such a spell and go to sleep?
Magic capable of wielding such power requires a considerable amount of magical energy. With such an important task ahead, she could not afford to waste magical energy on frivolous antics. Besides, this is not the Grand Duke's castle, but someone else's mansion. She cannot be so lacking in common sense as to hang something so dangerous in someone else's home.
Even if she provokes it, it'll probably just end with a sting.
Erna fell asleep thinking it would be interesting to see if they bumped into each other, even by mistake.
Then, when morning came, Orpheus scolded her for casting such a spell, dispelled it, and woke her up. As soon as Erna regained consciousness, she looked around. On the bed, only the marks of her curled up where she had slept remained.
She heard that Callion had already left before Orpheus arrived. He must have avoided it out of fear of possibly being touched by magic. Erna spun her shoulders wide. Each time she did, she felt a stinging pain in her neck and shoulders.
“Why are you asking why it hurts...”
"The building is full of knights. Why? How?"
Actually, she wondered if she had mistaken the fact that she slept soundly yesterday because she was so tired from the knights, regardless of anything else. Orpheus approached as Erna turned her head, making a cracking sound.
“Grand Duke! The entire Knights have withdrawn from the planned operation area.”
“Where are the wizards deployed?”
"We have finished placing everything in the designated spots."
“Good. Then signal that we’re starting.”
At Erna's words, Orpheus began to draw magical letters of light in the air. It was a very simple magic that used only two letters. As she infused the letters with magic power, a huge ball of blue light appeared in front of Orpheus and rapidly soared into the sky.
Pfft!
The ball of light rose into the sky, making a sharp sound like a hawk crying, and burst beautifully over Haldis. Despite it being daytime, people gazed at the blue flames, which appeared as vivid as midnight fireworks.
The blue light bursting in the air was a signal to prepare. The air in the forest changed, as if everyone was tense. Was it because of the light, or had the monsters also noticed that the wizards were nearby? Due to the increased number of people, the monsters, who had been holding their breath in the lake, began to surface one by one.
"It's packed."
Erna rubbed her arm at the sight of the monsters floating densely on the surface of the water like turtles out for a sunbath.
“...It’s disgusting.”
Although she had said she would handle it herself, seeing the appearance, she felt a slight pang of regret, wondering if it wouldn't have been better to just leave it to the Knights. However, Erna soon shook her head.
The Knights shouldn’t suffer unnecessary damage, either.
They are Callion's loyal followers, yet at the same time, they are citizens of Hessengard. Furthermore, they are the greatest force currently maintaining order and security in Hessengard. Therefore, it is right to treat them with respect, no matter how much they are Callion's people. For their power is the power of Hessengard.
Erna once again cast the magic formula she had shown Orpheus yesterday into the air. As she waved her hand widely toward the sky, the formula grew massive, rose into the heavens, and covered the void.
No matter how strong Erna was, it was no easy task to withstand massive magic alone. Moreover, since the Order of Mages still needed her command, she could not simply draw out and use up all her magical power and collapse. Therefore, Erna arranged for herself and the other mages to partially divide the power and infuse it.
She's in the middle, and the other wizards on either side fill it with magic power.
No special movements are required to infuse magic. One simply needs to understand the meaning of the letters and concentrate. As magic slowly filled the spell, the letters began to shine brilliantly from the bottom up. Erna patted her stiff neck and gazed at the sky.
It's going to take a while.
"It seems like it's slowly coming together."
Cedric spoke, still speaking in a sullen voice while looking up at the sky. As lunch approached, the magic floating above Haldis began to emit a gradually stronger light. The letters, which had remained motionless when they first appeared, now began to twinkle and rotate at a furious speed. When Callion turned around, the Knights were also gazing at the sky in awe with curious expressions. Cedric watched them with a look of utter displeasure.
“Pathetic fools. If the wizards take over everything, you guys will be unemployed. You need to realize the danger.”
The knights nearby gave a wry smile at Cedric's rebuke.
"Still, isn't it a good thing that we can deal with the monsters without coming into direct contact? After all, monster extermination is the job of mages, while war with humans is the job of knights."
“That’s true, but... I still feel like I’ve been deprived of my work.”
Saying that, Cedric glanced at Callion. Callion clicked his tongue at the sight, which looked as if he were shouting, "Do you see? I'm hurt because my job was taken away!"
"Enough with the useless chatter. It looks like it is nearing completion, so get ready to look after the citizens of Haldis."
Cedric grumbled, but he faithfully carried out Callion's orders. The Knights finished preparing to rush toward Haldis as soon as the spell was cast. Just as they had to wait for the magic to be completed, someone shouted.
“Look! A monster is coming up!”
"What?"
Monsters coming up? Callion hurriedly looked where the knight had pointed. He could see the monsters, which had remained only in the lake until now, crawling out onto the land one by one. They seemed unaccustomed to the dry land and struggled to breathe properly, but they steadily began their advance toward the earth. Callion could immediately tell what they were aiming for.
Wizards!
It was clear that they realized the magic the wizards were preparing would kill them. That is why they had come up to the ground, despite their agony.
Callion shouted to the knights standing behind him.
“Knights! Protect the wizards from the monsters!”
“...”
Orpheus hunched over in tension as she observed Callion's complexion. It did not seem that he particularly hated wizards, but it was clear that if simply backing down was a disgrace to a knight, as Cedric had said, he would not be willing to back down easily.
I'm the only one suffering in the midst of all this!
Orpheus, who was well aware of Erna's stubbornness, wanted to cry. What sin had he committed to have to suffer like this, caught between Erna and Callion? Just then, Callion spoke.
“Understood. I will have the Knights withdraw to the rear.”
"Yes?"
Orpheus and Cedric, who had naturally expected a refusal, looked at Callion with surprised eyes at his completely different answer, then turned their heads toward each other. Seeing that they were both surprised, it was certain that they hadn't misheard.
"Did you say the magic would start around noon tomorrow?"
“What? Yes! That’s right!”
“Then the Knights will begin their withdrawal in the morning. Tell them so.”
"All right!"
Fearing that Callion might change his mind in the meantime, Orpheus hurriedly said goodbye and left the room. Cedric, who had been staring blankly at Orpheus as she left, spoke loudly.
“Grand Duke!”
“Shut up. As I said earlier, have the entire Knights withdraw to the rear tomorrow morning, and make preparations to look after the residents of Haldis once the magic casting is finished.”
“We brought three units, and are you telling us to go back without even drawing our swords once?”
"Think of it as going for a walk."
At Callion's answer, Cedric clutched his head with both hands and let out a groan. It was obvious to him, without even looking, how much the knights would complain if he delivered this order. He turned his head and glared at Callion with eyes full of resentment.
'I'm sure of it.'
The usual Callion would never have backed down on a matter like this. To him, the Knights of Hessengard were his pride and joy. To think he would push that aside.
He definitely let Erna win!
Cedric trembled. It hadn't been long since Callion started sharing a room with Erna, and if it was already this bad, what was going to happen later?
The next day, Erna stood on a hill near the lake, rubbing her stiff neck.
"Ouch..."
Unlike the previous day, her physical condition was a mess. When she opened her eyes to Orpheus's voice waking her in the morning, the bed sheets were soaked with cold sweat. Moreover, because she had slept curled up tightly like an animal trying to ward off the cold, her neck and shoulders were stiff and aching with pain whenever she turned them.
It's strange. How can my body be in such a mess in just one day when I slept in the same bed?
Nothing particularly had changed...
Callion, who thought he would go to another room if he had any sense, stubbornly entered the couple's bedroom despite her glare and lay down on the sofa. Erna, who was about to ask the closed-eyed Callion if he had sat on the bed yesterday, cast a spell instead of asking. A few letters moved rapidly across her hand and glowed red, and soon a transparent red curtain formed around the bed where she was lying.
“What is this?”
Callion, who had risen up before anyone realized it, watched the magic she had cast with eyes full of wariness.
“A magic that burns upon contact. It burns down until the bones turn to dust, leaving not a single drop of blood behind.”
“...”
“Don’t worry, I cast this spell because I thought someone somewhere might forget that I would kill him if he crossed the carpet. It has nothing to do with you, does it?”
“...”
When Erna said with a smile, Callion averted his gaze and soon lay back down on the sofa. Erna lay down on the bed after confirming that her magic had been cast safely. In fact, the claim that it was a magic that would burn to death upon contact was a lie.
Who would be crazy enough to cast such a spell and go to sleep?
Magic capable of wielding such power requires a considerable amount of magical energy. With such an important task ahead, she could not afford to waste magical energy on frivolous antics. Besides, this is not the Grand Duke's castle, but someone else's mansion. She cannot be so lacking in common sense as to hang something so dangerous in someone else's home.
Even if she provokes it, it'll probably just end with a sting.
Erna fell asleep thinking it would be interesting to see if they bumped into each other, even by mistake.
Then, when morning came, Orpheus scolded her for casting such a spell, dispelled it, and woke her up. As soon as Erna regained consciousness, she looked around. On the bed, only the marks of her curled up where she had slept remained.
She heard that Callion had already left before Orpheus arrived. He must have avoided it out of fear of possibly being touched by magic. Erna spun her shoulders wide. Each time she did, she felt a stinging pain in her neck and shoulders.
“Why are you asking why it hurts...”
"The building is full of knights. Why? How?"
Actually, she wondered if she had mistaken the fact that she slept soundly yesterday because she was so tired from the knights, regardless of anything else. Orpheus approached as Erna turned her head, making a cracking sound.
“Grand Duke! The entire Knights have withdrawn from the planned operation area.”
“Where are the wizards deployed?”
"We have finished placing everything in the designated spots."
“Good. Then signal that we’re starting.”
At Erna's words, Orpheus began to draw magical letters of light in the air. It was a very simple magic that used only two letters. As she infused the letters with magic power, a huge ball of blue light appeared in front of Orpheus and rapidly soared into the sky.
Pfft!
The ball of light rose into the sky, making a sharp sound like a hawk crying, and burst beautifully over Haldis. Despite it being daytime, people gazed at the blue flames, which appeared as vivid as midnight fireworks.
The blue light bursting in the air was a signal to prepare. The air in the forest changed, as if everyone was tense. Was it because of the light, or had the monsters also noticed that the wizards were nearby? Due to the increased number of people, the monsters, who had been holding their breath in the lake, began to surface one by one.
"It's packed."
Erna rubbed her arm at the sight of the monsters floating densely on the surface of the water like turtles out for a sunbath.
“...It’s disgusting.”
Although she had said she would handle it herself, seeing the appearance, she felt a slight pang of regret, wondering if it wouldn't have been better to just leave it to the Knights. However, Erna soon shook her head.
The Knights shouldn’t suffer unnecessary damage, either.
They are Callion's loyal followers, yet at the same time, they are citizens of Hessengard. Furthermore, they are the greatest force currently maintaining order and security in Hessengard. Therefore, it is right to treat them with respect, no matter how much they are Callion's people. For their power is the power of Hessengard.
Erna once again cast the magic formula she had shown Orpheus yesterday into the air. As she waved her hand widely toward the sky, the formula grew massive, rose into the heavens, and covered the void.
No matter how strong Erna was, it was no easy task to withstand massive magic alone. Moreover, since the Order of Mages still needed her command, she could not simply draw out and use up all her magical power and collapse. Therefore, Erna arranged for herself and the other mages to partially divide the power and infuse it.
She's in the middle, and the other wizards on either side fill it with magic power.
No special movements are required to infuse magic. One simply needs to understand the meaning of the letters and concentrate. As magic slowly filled the spell, the letters began to shine brilliantly from the bottom up. Erna patted her stiff neck and gazed at the sky.
It's going to take a while.
***
"It seems like it's slowly coming together."
Cedric spoke, still speaking in a sullen voice while looking up at the sky. As lunch approached, the magic floating above Haldis began to emit a gradually stronger light. The letters, which had remained motionless when they first appeared, now began to twinkle and rotate at a furious speed. When Callion turned around, the Knights were also gazing at the sky in awe with curious expressions. Cedric watched them with a look of utter displeasure.
“Pathetic fools. If the wizards take over everything, you guys will be unemployed. You need to realize the danger.”
The knights nearby gave a wry smile at Cedric's rebuke.
"Still, isn't it a good thing that we can deal with the monsters without coming into direct contact? After all, monster extermination is the job of mages, while war with humans is the job of knights."
“That’s true, but... I still feel like I’ve been deprived of my work.”
Saying that, Cedric glanced at Callion. Callion clicked his tongue at the sight, which looked as if he were shouting, "Do you see? I'm hurt because my job was taken away!"
"Enough with the useless chatter. It looks like it is nearing completion, so get ready to look after the citizens of Haldis."
Cedric grumbled, but he faithfully carried out Callion's orders. The Knights finished preparing to rush toward Haldis as soon as the spell was cast. Just as they had to wait for the magic to be completed, someone shouted.
“Look! A monster is coming up!”
"What?"
Monsters coming up? Callion hurriedly looked where the knight had pointed. He could see the monsters, which had remained only in the lake until now, crawling out onto the land one by one. They seemed unaccustomed to the dry land and struggled to breathe properly, but they steadily began their advance toward the earth. Callion could immediately tell what they were aiming for.
Wizards!
It was clear that they realized the magic the wizards were preparing would kill them. That is why they had come up to the ground, despite their agony.
Callion shouted to the knights standing behind him.
“Knights! Protect the wizards from the monsters!”
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