Watching Callion say he hated her, Erna, absurdly enough, finally became certain that the person in front of her was indeed Callion. Right, that’s the kind of guy she knows who has to act like that.
She hasn't verified it herself, but she heard that Callion is the strongest among the Knights of Hessengard. What if someone like him were to join her?
She can succeed without any problems.
If he could hold off the surroundings while she infused her magic, they could wipe out these monsters in one fell swoop. Erna hesitated no further. Any moment she hesitated here and now could have resulted in the casualties of dozens. There were only two choices: complete the magic formula or retreat. And naturally, both of them completely erased the option of retreating from their minds.
“Alright, here I go! Follow me!”
Erna turned and ran into the forest. She heard the sound of footsteps running alongside her from behind. Hearing that sound, Erna realized.
The fact that it is the first time she has moved around with someone like this.
“Alicia! Are you okay?”
“Yes, yes! B-but the knight over there!”
Erna found Alicia, a member of the Wizard Order, in the forest and helped her up in her battered state. Her face and clothes were splattered with monster fluids, as she had been fighting monsters with magic just moments before. Erna looked where Alicia was pointing. There stood a knight slumped on the ground, clutching his arm.
“He got bitten by a monster while trying to help me!”
Just then, Callion approached the knight, bent down, and examined him. Then, he quickly tore off the decorative cord hanging from the knight's ceremonial robe near his forearm and wrapped it tightly around his arm.
“Norman, how are you doing now?”
"My vision is starting to get blurry. My hearing is deteriorating as well."
"Then you won't be able to contribute to the force."
"I am ashamed to admit it, but that is the case."
“Understood. Retreat.”
At Callion's words, a knight named Norman staggered to his feet.
Insisting on refusing to leave the battlefield out of useless stubbornness was of no help to either themselves or their comrades. For them, it was an important mission to quickly escape the battlefield so as not to be a hindrance.
However, in Norman's condition, it seemed difficult for him to even retreat alone. It was certain that he would be unable to handle a monster attack if it occurred again during the retreat. Seeing this, Alicia spoke to Erna.
“I’ll escort him back! He got hurt protecting me.”
Alicia was the third most magically gifted member of the Order of Wizards, following Erna and Orpheus. Erna, who had intended to take Alicia with her, hesitated for a moment, but seeing Alicia already gripping Norman's arm, she nodded as if she understood.
“Alicia, can you use protective magic?”
“...Honestly, I’m still not confident.”
Uniquely, Alicia was a mage specializing in offensive magic. While she may have been confident in burning monsters to death, she was not good at protecting herself; consequently, despite being an offensive specialist, she was always stationed in the rear of the mage corps.
Erna quickly drew a magic formula in the air.
"Cast this with your magic power."
At Erna's command, Alicia immediately focused and infused her magical power into the magic formula Erna had drawn. Because the magic was incompatible with protective magic, the letters in the formula Erna had drawn spun around several times before stopping, but fortunately, they soon began to move properly. At that moment, a white light enveloped Alicia and Norman.
"It’s sturdy, but the range isn’t wide. You have to stay focused no matter what until you get out. Got it?"
"Yes!"
“Then go on. I won’t let you get away with it if you get hurt.”
At Erna's words, Alicia looked up at the sky. She was worried about the magic formula, whose movements were slowing down.
“Hey, that’s...”
“I can do that by myself, so don’t worry, hurry up!”
Alicia hesitated despite Erna's urging voice, but as soon as she heard the sound of a monster crying nearby, she seemed to make up her mind and bowed her head to Erna.
"Thank you, Erna."
As Alicia helped Norman up and disappeared over the bushes, Erna sighed and ran her hand through her hair. Noticing that she was in a difficult situation, Callion asked a question.
“Why is that?”
"Without Alicia, it takes longer than expected to infuse magic. I’ll have to keep concentrating for at least 10 minutes. I can’t do anything during that time. I can’t use other magic, either. But it’s impossible to go to a safe place to work."
"So?"
“I mean, I need people to protect me in the meantime. I need all my wizards and your knights...”
"Did you say 10 minutes? You mean I just need to hold out for that long?"
Callion cut her off. Seeing that he remained unfazed even when she mentioned that more people were needed, Erna felt hopeful. Was he planning to call the Knights over here?
However, instead of calling others, Callion gripped his sword tighter, stood before Erna, and spoke.
"Then I alone am enough to protect you."
“Alicia!”
Orpheus rushed toward Alicia as she emerged from the forest, supporting a knight. Small monsters swarmed behind Alicia and the knight like madmen, as if they had found prey, but the protective magic Alicia maintained rendered all of their attacks futile.
Orpheus quickly cast a simple attack spell. A massive, arrow-like object made of fire appeared in the air and flew rapidly past Alicia and the knight.
Kieeeeee!
The monsters that lived in the water rolled around wildly on the ground as soon as fire touched their bodies, then soon slumped down.
"Norman is here!"
“Son, you’re alive?”
“To think you’re being supported by a wizard. Shouldn’t it be the other way around!”
The knights busily slashed through the monsters, yet they did not forget to tease their comrade. When Alicia brought him to the wizards, one of them, skilled in healing magic, quickly examined Norman and cast a spell.
“It’s a relief you tied it up tightly so the blood couldn’t flow. Alicia, did you tie it up? And you’re good at using protective magic now, too?”
“No. Grand Duke Callion bound them. And Lady Erna cast the protective magic.”
Orpheus, who was using magic to deal with the monsters attacking from a distance, was surprised by Alicia's words and approached.
“Were you with the two Grand Dukes? What about them?”
“Both of them are in the forest. Lady Erna went inside, saying she had to cast that magic, but...”
“You should have stopped jer!”
Orpheus shouted loudly. Alicia flinched at the thunderous rebuke. Orpheus roughly swept his hair back and gazed at the forest. Orpheus was not the only one glaring at the forest.
"So, you mean our Grand Dukes are inside there?"
Cedric brushed the monster's blue fluid off his sword. Having just returned from dealing with the monsters behind the people, he also gazed at the forest with a complex expression. Recalling the appearance of the wizards he had seen just moments ago, he asked Orpheus a question.
“If Grand Duke Erna wants to cast that spell, can’t she use another spell while preparing?”
“That’s likely. Since all the other wizards have stepped back, Lady Erna will have to handle all of that by herself.”
"Then I see it as meaning Grand Duke Callion must stop them all, no matter what."
“I guess so.”
Just then, the cries of monsters were heard again from within the forest. Kiiieeeek! Kyaaaak! It was clear just by the sounds. That even more monsters than before were heading deeper into the forest. Cedric easily split the attacking monsters in half with the shield created by the wizards, then shouted to the knights around him.
“The 1st Knight Order protects the wizards here. And the 2nd and 3rd Knight Orders, all draw your swords!”
At Cedric's command, the knights moved swiftly and reorganized their ranks. Orpheus also shouted.
“The 1st Division, skilled in protective magic, uses your full power to cast spells. And the entire 2nd Division, over here. Draw as many spell formulas as you can cast!”
At the same time, the Order of Mages and the Order of Knights formed their battle lines and entered combat readiness. There was no longer any awkwardness between them. They had already become comrades-in-arms, having stood back-to-back in the forest to save each other's lives from monsters. Without hesitation, as if they had become a single unit, they finished their preparations for battle, facing the same enemy.
Orpheus and Cedric shouted at the same time.
“From now on, we will search for our Grand Dukes!”
Puck!
At Callion's kick, three monsters flew through the air simultaneously. But Callion was not satisfied with that. He swung his sword-wielding hand without restraint. With every flash of sunlight filtering through the leaves on his blade, the cleanly severed corpses of the monsters tumbled down in front of him.
Erna covered her mouth at the sight. She considered herself to have a fairly strong stomach, but as the monster's bodily fluids—which reeked of rotting fish along with the stench of water—kept splashing onto her clothes, it seemed her entire body had permeated with a disgusting odor. However, she couldn't grumble about it right now. After all, Callion, standing before her, was completely drenched, as if he had just stepped out of the monster's fluids.
"A vicious bastard."
At that level, one would expect him to gag at least once, but he remained calm as if nothing were wrong.
It is not just that enduring this foul smell is great.
He must have slaughtered hundreds of them.
One might expect him to struggle under that, but Callion showed no particular change other than his breathing becoming slightly ragged. Seeing this, Erna was reminded once again that he was called the strongest knight of Hessengard.
She hasn't verified it herself, but she heard that Callion is the strongest among the Knights of Hessengard. What if someone like him were to join her?
She can succeed without any problems.
If he could hold off the surroundings while she infused her magic, they could wipe out these monsters in one fell swoop. Erna hesitated no further. Any moment she hesitated here and now could have resulted in the casualties of dozens. There were only two choices: complete the magic formula or retreat. And naturally, both of them completely erased the option of retreating from their minds.
“Alright, here I go! Follow me!”
Erna turned and ran into the forest. She heard the sound of footsteps running alongside her from behind. Hearing that sound, Erna realized.
The fact that it is the first time she has moved around with someone like this.
***
“Alicia! Are you okay?”
“Yes, yes! B-but the knight over there!”
Erna found Alicia, a member of the Wizard Order, in the forest and helped her up in her battered state. Her face and clothes were splattered with monster fluids, as she had been fighting monsters with magic just moments before. Erna looked where Alicia was pointing. There stood a knight slumped on the ground, clutching his arm.
“He got bitten by a monster while trying to help me!”
Just then, Callion approached the knight, bent down, and examined him. Then, he quickly tore off the decorative cord hanging from the knight's ceremonial robe near his forearm and wrapped it tightly around his arm.
“Norman, how are you doing now?”
"My vision is starting to get blurry. My hearing is deteriorating as well."
"Then you won't be able to contribute to the force."
"I am ashamed to admit it, but that is the case."
“Understood. Retreat.”
At Callion's words, a knight named Norman staggered to his feet.
Insisting on refusing to leave the battlefield out of useless stubbornness was of no help to either themselves or their comrades. For them, it was an important mission to quickly escape the battlefield so as not to be a hindrance.
However, in Norman's condition, it seemed difficult for him to even retreat alone. It was certain that he would be unable to handle a monster attack if it occurred again during the retreat. Seeing this, Alicia spoke to Erna.
“I’ll escort him back! He got hurt protecting me.”
Alicia was the third most magically gifted member of the Order of Wizards, following Erna and Orpheus. Erna, who had intended to take Alicia with her, hesitated for a moment, but seeing Alicia already gripping Norman's arm, she nodded as if she understood.
“Alicia, can you use protective magic?”
“...Honestly, I’m still not confident.”
Uniquely, Alicia was a mage specializing in offensive magic. While she may have been confident in burning monsters to death, she was not good at protecting herself; consequently, despite being an offensive specialist, she was always stationed in the rear of the mage corps.
Erna quickly drew a magic formula in the air.
"Cast this with your magic power."
At Erna's command, Alicia immediately focused and infused her magical power into the magic formula Erna had drawn. Because the magic was incompatible with protective magic, the letters in the formula Erna had drawn spun around several times before stopping, but fortunately, they soon began to move properly. At that moment, a white light enveloped Alicia and Norman.
"It’s sturdy, but the range isn’t wide. You have to stay focused no matter what until you get out. Got it?"
"Yes!"
“Then go on. I won’t let you get away with it if you get hurt.”
At Erna's words, Alicia looked up at the sky. She was worried about the magic formula, whose movements were slowing down.
“Hey, that’s...”
“I can do that by myself, so don’t worry, hurry up!”
Alicia hesitated despite Erna's urging voice, but as soon as she heard the sound of a monster crying nearby, she seemed to make up her mind and bowed her head to Erna.
"Thank you, Erna."
As Alicia helped Norman up and disappeared over the bushes, Erna sighed and ran her hand through her hair. Noticing that she was in a difficult situation, Callion asked a question.
“Why is that?”
"Without Alicia, it takes longer than expected to infuse magic. I’ll have to keep concentrating for at least 10 minutes. I can’t do anything during that time. I can’t use other magic, either. But it’s impossible to go to a safe place to work."
"So?"
“I mean, I need people to protect me in the meantime. I need all my wizards and your knights...”
"Did you say 10 minutes? You mean I just need to hold out for that long?"
Callion cut her off. Seeing that he remained unfazed even when she mentioned that more people were needed, Erna felt hopeful. Was he planning to call the Knights over here?
However, instead of calling others, Callion gripped his sword tighter, stood before Erna, and spoke.
"Then I alone am enough to protect you."
***
“Alicia!”
Orpheus rushed toward Alicia as she emerged from the forest, supporting a knight. Small monsters swarmed behind Alicia and the knight like madmen, as if they had found prey, but the protective magic Alicia maintained rendered all of their attacks futile.
Orpheus quickly cast a simple attack spell. A massive, arrow-like object made of fire appeared in the air and flew rapidly past Alicia and the knight.
Kieeeeee!
The monsters that lived in the water rolled around wildly on the ground as soon as fire touched their bodies, then soon slumped down.
"Norman is here!"
“Son, you’re alive?”
“To think you’re being supported by a wizard. Shouldn’t it be the other way around!”
The knights busily slashed through the monsters, yet they did not forget to tease their comrade. When Alicia brought him to the wizards, one of them, skilled in healing magic, quickly examined Norman and cast a spell.
“It’s a relief you tied it up tightly so the blood couldn’t flow. Alicia, did you tie it up? And you’re good at using protective magic now, too?”
“No. Grand Duke Callion bound them. And Lady Erna cast the protective magic.”
Orpheus, who was using magic to deal with the monsters attacking from a distance, was surprised by Alicia's words and approached.
“Were you with the two Grand Dukes? What about them?”
“Both of them are in the forest. Lady Erna went inside, saying she had to cast that magic, but...”
“You should have stopped jer!”
Orpheus shouted loudly. Alicia flinched at the thunderous rebuke. Orpheus roughly swept his hair back and gazed at the forest. Orpheus was not the only one glaring at the forest.
"So, you mean our Grand Dukes are inside there?"
Cedric brushed the monster's blue fluid off his sword. Having just returned from dealing with the monsters behind the people, he also gazed at the forest with a complex expression. Recalling the appearance of the wizards he had seen just moments ago, he asked Orpheus a question.
“If Grand Duke Erna wants to cast that spell, can’t she use another spell while preparing?”
“That’s likely. Since all the other wizards have stepped back, Lady Erna will have to handle all of that by herself.”
"Then I see it as meaning Grand Duke Callion must stop them all, no matter what."
“I guess so.”
Just then, the cries of monsters were heard again from within the forest. Kiiieeeek! Kyaaaak! It was clear just by the sounds. That even more monsters than before were heading deeper into the forest. Cedric easily split the attacking monsters in half with the shield created by the wizards, then shouted to the knights around him.
“The 1st Knight Order protects the wizards here. And the 2nd and 3rd Knight Orders, all draw your swords!”
At Cedric's command, the knights moved swiftly and reorganized their ranks. Orpheus also shouted.
“The 1st Division, skilled in protective magic, uses your full power to cast spells. And the entire 2nd Division, over here. Draw as many spell formulas as you can cast!”
At the same time, the Order of Mages and the Order of Knights formed their battle lines and entered combat readiness. There was no longer any awkwardness between them. They had already become comrades-in-arms, having stood back-to-back in the forest to save each other's lives from monsters. Without hesitation, as if they had become a single unit, they finished their preparations for battle, facing the same enemy.
Orpheus and Cedric shouted at the same time.
“From now on, we will search for our Grand Dukes!”
***
Puck!
At Callion's kick, three monsters flew through the air simultaneously. But Callion was not satisfied with that. He swung his sword-wielding hand without restraint. With every flash of sunlight filtering through the leaves on his blade, the cleanly severed corpses of the monsters tumbled down in front of him.
Erna covered her mouth at the sight. She considered herself to have a fairly strong stomach, but as the monster's bodily fluids—which reeked of rotting fish along with the stench of water—kept splashing onto her clothes, it seemed her entire body had permeated with a disgusting odor. However, she couldn't grumble about it right now. After all, Callion, standing before her, was completely drenched, as if he had just stepped out of the monster's fluids.
"A vicious bastard."
At that level, one would expect him to gag at least once, but he remained calm as if nothing were wrong.
It is not just that enduring this foul smell is great.
He must have slaughtered hundreds of them.
One might expect him to struggle under that, but Callion showed no particular change other than his breathing becoming slightly ragged. Seeing this, Erna was reminded once again that he was called the strongest knight of Hessengard.
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