Episode 33

“Shit, I thought I was going to die!”

“Don’t panic! Magic power itself is not strong!”

Quickly, he broke the protruding thorns.

I couldn’t cope with it, but the level of magic was definitely low. If it was a battle mage’s equipment, it could block blind arrows.

[Extrusion] was just fast, but didn’t do much damage. It is for disturbance.

“Up! The real thing is in the sky!”

“Is that Ai-sama’s magic?”

“How many are there?”

Hundreds of fireballs are pouring down. A dual attribute magic that combines the 5-star fire magic [Fire Rain] and the 2-star earth magic [Coal].

「A shooting star」.

One, “Shooting Star”, is a wide-range bombing magic. Those things are valid for monsters. A 5-star wizard like him has enough time to prepare to defend it.

It might have been dangerous if the power of earth magic had been a little more outstanding, but it was a poor connection like a young student.

“It was a bit risky.”

“How did you get out of there?”

A variety of defensive magic was unfolded toward the indiscriminately falling fireballs.

A rapidly deploying seven-layered shield. The entire area will become a sea of fire, but even a handful of flames will not reach the inside of the shield… … .

“Reverse calculation”

third there.

The child clasps his hand.

“What… … .”

“Sarah, did you lose?”

In fact, even “Shooting Star” is fake.

The bright red fireball that covered the sky disappeared in an instant. This is a skill only a child who fully understands ‘Imagination Theory’ can do.

It’s midnight, and I’m in a dense forest where not a single ray of moonlight penetrates.

What struck them was a sudden difference in the amount of light.

cancer adaptation.

For an instant, vision is blocked.

If you can’t see properly, you can’t cast proper magic.

The mercenaries were told to close their eyes until the signal was given, so now they open their eyes.

“-attack.”

Tuduk!

With Akil’s deep, low voice, the mercenaries jumped from the trees.

The weapons of the mercenaries are swords and spears, cold metal that can tear through the skin.

All the defense magic that was deployed with full force becomes useless.

In the first place, dealing with the Battle Mage with the students’ magic, there’s no way that’s possible.

“Quaaagh!”

“Oh, I can’t see! Bastards!”

“X-arm, where are you! Whoops!”

“Everyone retreat!”

Screams erupted from everywhere.

Eight people were moved to the retreat, so there were only twelve battle mages here.

Even if they assemble and face each other, there is no chance of victory in a night battle in the woods, in a full-on battle with forty mercenaries who have completed all-out preparations.

The surviving battle mages widened their distance and retreated.

“Sir, did you succeed?”

“It’s not safe yet.”

There are three people in the narrow pit where I am.

Ainim and I carrying Ainim on my back, Broman, the 3rd Prince of Enfirian, a 3-star earth magician who helped me cast the “Shooting Star”.

This guy has a lot of accidents, but his magic skills are at the top of the list.

“Are you all right, Rockstrin?”

“Ugh. Take some out.”

With Frid’s help, I got out of the pit. Achill dragged a man in rags.

“Don’t put that out in front of the kids.”

“I am still breathing.”

“What are you going to do quietly? You’re not going to save me by blowing, right?”

“right.”

puck. The kicking in the face is brutal. Achilles bent over.

“I won’t ask for much. Just tell me who you guys are. Then I will kill you in peace.”

“… … .”

“If you want to keep your mouth shut, fine. I’ve been rolling on this floor for about 30 years. He knows very well that when someone is injured, it hurts, and that he does not die no matter where he is injured. Do you have any thoughts to learn?”

Achill took out a hand-length dagger from his chest and spun it around in his palm.

After not hearing an answer for about three seconds, Achill raised his hand.

“Quaaagh!”

“You must have heard of the one-eyed fairy tale, right? Surprisingly, at this depth, a person does not die even if they are stabbed in the eye.”

“Ahh, uhh!”

“Eighty people died. Don’t worry, I’m willing to give you as much pain as 80 people.”

Flip flops, limbs fluctuated randomly. It was a grueling struggle.

“Rox, I can’t see you.”

“What do you do when you see something like that? Even if you live with only pretty things in your eyes, you will die without seeing everything. And under Imperial law, such torture is forbidden.”

“Can you hear everything with your ears?”

“Because all emperors have to understand even the lowest level. Please listen.”

I covered the child’s eyes. They only have two arms, so they can’t block their ears.

It wouldn’t matter if it was already a corpse, but torturing a living person is not a very good spectacle.

Broman, who was next to me, screamed, “Ahhh,” and I closed my eyes tightly on my own, but it was obvious that he was watching.

Fortunately, whether it was patience or patriotism, the answer came quickly.

“Lee, Den… … .”

“Leeden guys?”

The crushed man nodded his head with difficulty.

After reciting a few more questions, Akil killed the man without further torture as promised.

“Battle Mage… … Can you think of it as an anti-personnel-only magic corps?”

“You can think of it as similar to Aindarok’s special lease. It seems like everything is 5-star or higher.”

“That’s enough to enjoy wealth and fame in my country. To the point of targeting the students of Summer Turge, it only seems to mean that you will stand up to the Empire head-on.”

This is an incomprehensible behavior.

He had the ability to kidnap students from the middle of the empire, and from among the talented faculty.

In that case, it would make more sense to kidnap the first prince or the emperor with certainty. It was neither me nor me, but I only grew hostility.

“Captain, what are the rest of them going to do?”

“Did that dark fellow run away?”

“I guess so.”

“Hmm.”

Two killed, seven captured.

There were 11 battle mages who survived.

“Even your belongings will suffice as evidence.”

“What is the value of being a prisoner?”

“Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”

It’s hard to get more than that.

They are mostly 5-star wizards, just like the special lease, and there are a few 6-stars as well.

If you want to take them as prisoners, they can regroup and attack again. From then on, the chances of winning cannot be guaranteed.

A compromise is needed.

They should reduce the party to attack students again. Riden’s wizards, who have strong self-righteous tendencies, do not particularly burn with vengeance, even if they are colleagues.

Achilles nodded.

“Kill.”

“Kill.”

It determined life and death.

The nine corpses were lumped together and burned. On the one hand, it was disappointing.

‘It would have been nice if it had been reduced further.’

The Battle Mage is a valuable force in Riden as well.

Some of them escaped alive, so the event that hits the back of the northern wall will occur in the eighth episode as planned.

It’s easier to progress the episode if you kill them all beforehand, but unfortunately, that was overlooked.

“Everybody can come out.”

“Shut up, are you done?”

“Sniff, sniff, something savory.”

The rest of the students hid in a hole dug at a distance to avoid being caught. So, there are quite a few people. 71 including me.

“Once again, Rocks did everything.”

“I can’t deny it.”

It was thanks to Aini-nim for trusting me and bringing me the right to command. There is a saying that if you lose weight, you win 100 times.

“Camping is carried out near the road.”

The students whose sleep was disturbed by uninvited guests and the mercenaries who had been chased all along were tired. After setting up the camp with magic, he fell asleep within ten minutes.

All the mercenaries decided to stand by for the vigil.

“You’d better go to sleep too.”

“I can’t sleep well if someone is nearby.”

“It’s troublesome.”

I was nervous for the first three hours, but the Battle Mage seemed to have completely retreated.

From then on, I passed the time by chatting with the mercenaries.

Like most mercenaries, there are many interesting things to talk about as the ups and downs of life are rough.

“Three years in Areas, five years in Credia. Until the beginning of this year, who would have known that I would work as a mercenary in the Empire.”

“To be honest, Aindarlock, that’s the problem. Are there mercenaries in the north?”

“It can’t be.”

“okay! There are monsters all over the place, and people get hurt. That way, guys like us are fucking living.”

Because the barriers of the Aindarok Territory were in good health, monsters could not cross the empire’s territory.

However, from the beginning of the episode, monsters began to infest the inland, and Achill quickly penetrated the gap and established a position in the islands.

It’s good enough to be called a resourceful.

“Well, this is such a big deal, there were a lot of guys who quit after finishing this.”

“It’s all gone.”

“Ah, shit.”

Thuh, the mercenary with a full head spat into the fire.

Chiik, the bonfire scolded.

“I mean, what does that really mean? Even if we can’t take care of the ones we bought, we’ll take care of the ones who lost, but since he’s dead, don’t look for more… … You have to tell your family about it.”

“What kind of letter do you write, write 80? eighty? X arm. Hehehe.”

“I don’t write. The captain will do it.”

And there was silence for a while.

It was night watch, with five people standing in turns, but no one opened their mouth.

It’s a fairly old mercenary group. The feeling of loss is indescribable as the years of shared joy and sorrow are long.

“… … Are you always like that?”

“The captain pays special attention to it. But well, most of the mercenaries send money home after completing a request, leaving only the money for a drink.”

“Actually, you don’t even need a letter! It’s a problem because I’m waiting anxiously to see if I survived.”

“Anyway, if the money is cut off after about a year, it is dead. Isn’t it simple?”

From then on, I just kept my head down without speaking. I don’t know why I was so sleepy that I said I would hold on.

“Sleep, wake up!”

When I opened my eyes, it was already morning.

By hunting deer and even large wild boars, the mercenaries were able to eat the skillfully cooked food.

The boat was called in no time.

“No, you mean it’s been like this all along?”

“This thing is completely shattered… … .”

“The princess is quite an iron man too.”

“If you eat this, you’ll feel better.”

It wasn’t until then that the condition of Ainim’s leg was revealed to the mercenaries. There was a pain reliever that I thought there was no surprise.

It was a simple pain reliever made by decoction of thinly sliced willow bark and dried with some fruits.

“Exactly what goes in?”

“First of all, even the peel alone is effective, but it is usually edible to mix fruits. I mainly use cherries. But aren’t there light attribute mages in Summer Turge?”

“There is nothing wrong with knowing. Boil for at least 20 minutes… … .”

There is a notebook to take notes, but the pen seems to have been taken from prison. I made notes with the pen I borrowed from the mercenary.

“How, do you feel better?”

“It’s much better.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“I don’t really like it.”

“It’s wider and better than my back.”

Ainim got on the horse brought by the mercenaries.

Horseback riding has traditionally been a basic skill of the nobility, so it is not difficult for a child to ride a horse alone.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the middle of a long time since I’ve been in the middle of a long time. It seems that the bent back is straightened.

“How long will it take to the Confederate front?”

There were 71 people, so even if there were horses, there was no such thing as speeding up the march. Some struggling students would take turns getting on.

“If you allow enough time, it will arrive in ten days.”

“Ugh.”

Originally, you could ride the wagon pulled by the mercenaries, but it was said that all of them were destroyed in Liden’s attack, so they had to walk for 10 days without moving.

The students didn’t show much reaction because it was a fact they knew, but I was the only one with a bitter taste.

Two days of walking was enough.

“Well, if you’re lucky, you won’t be able to meet a carriage on the way.”

“We can’t burn 70 people, can we?”

“I don’t know. On the Areas Highway, even large-scale going up and down tends to come and go.”

After such a grueling march, another two days had passed.

A grand procession was approaching down the hill of the highway.

“What’s the use of coming from the front?”

“Haha, that’s ironic.”

“There might be some snacks.”

“For now, everyone, be nervous.”

The direction of travel is opposite, so you can’t get it and ride it. At least, if they dealt with food, they might be able to find something.

If another enemy… …

I don’t want to assume that much, but I told the tired children to prepare.

“what.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

But the closer the distance got, the clearer it became. It’s not uphill. It wasn’t even a wagon loaded with goods, it was just an empty convoy wagon.

When the distance got closer, a few with good eyesight shouted.

“Isn’t that the imperial emblem?”

“Are you the knights?”

“What, what happened?”

“Areas still here?”

“It took ten days… … .”

The voices of the children who were tired from the long march rose. The troops escorting the wagon were not mercenaries hired for an ascending journey.

Heavily armed with shining silver armor, knights under direct control of the imperial family.

“Wait a minute.”

Ai-nim stepped forward while riding a horse.

chuck. chuck. chuck.

The knights lined up in front of the carriage knelt at once. I couldn’t see them at first, but the knights came out of nowhere from the forest outside the road.

How many people is this? At first glance, there are hundreds of them.

“ha.”

Ai let out a sigh.

“I’m-“

“It’s too late!!”

kang!

Even after being hit by a pitch, the faithful knight corrected his posture in one second.

“I apologize. I have nothing to say.”

No, it’s never too late.

Rather, it is surprisingly fast.

It would take at least a week for the Imperial rescue team to arrive in Areas. You haven’t been able to analyze the traces left in the classroom yet, have you?

“I managed to come to know.”

“The Margrave of Aindarok confirmed that it was Riden’s attack, so he belatedly convinced of Areas. I have no face.”

“The kids are on the verge of collapsing, so put them in the wagon. Even mercenaries.”

“Yes!”

Guided by the knights, students and mercenaries climbed onto the wagon one after another.

I tried to go to the carriage behind the students, but I was caught by the child and ended up sitting in the same carriage. Seeing how gorgeous it is, it looks like it’s only for the royal family.

that’s it anyway.

‘Cyryn met Heera and Coltman.’

If it went as planned, Shilin, who was busy preparing 1 billion G right away, shouldn’t have had time to meet them.

‘Is it because of the special lease?’

Because Euxilla was quickly restored. Even with 1 billion G, the burden was not as great as I thought.

In the first place, they even planned a fake remarriage, so it’s not even a normal relationship.

Your son came into my daughter’s room… … What kind of story would have been going on.

‘No matter how it is.’

Laughter came out.

Even so, all Coltman found out was that I hired a mercenary corps with 1 billion G. With just that alone, he was convinced that it was Riden’s work and sent troops.

Anyway, there are many smart people in the world.

Oh, then maybe?

“Didn’t anyone run away this way?”

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Just in time, Ai-nim asked a nearby knight.

Seeing that they were spread out far away, it seems that the knights were even searching through the forest.

“There was.”

“How did you do it?”

“I was hiding and camping, and they said I was suspicious because I didn’t seem to be from Areas, so I ambushed you.”

“Well done. They are the ones who tried to kill us.”

“… … I’m sorry. They were supposed to be captured, but all eleven committed suicide. My body burned.”

“That’s enough. Because you all watched.”

This is a great harvest.

There is no need to capture them alive.

The battle mages committed suicide in the same way as the ones behind the night raid that Kanin had tracked before.

Since Kanin said it was recorded, it would be very easy to trace the person behind it by putting together the testimonies of the knights of the imperial family.

“Abama hasn’t written it recently, so I hope you can write it well.”

“What do you mean?”

Ai replied with a wide smile.

“Declaration of war!”

The fourth episode, ‘Class A Kidnapping’ ended like that.

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Just 12 days after the abduction, 31 class A students returned safely to Summer Turf.

About Akil’s mercenary corps, where all 40 of them were given titles, and about the imagination theory that went wild among the wizards of the empire.

The spring breeze that came to the campus belatedly, Yuxilla’s foresight, Rocktrin’s heroic story, Aindarok’s remarriage news, and the instant ramen in the student cafeteria… … and so on.

There are many things that have changed, but in the end, the most important thing is one.

[…] … Therefore, as of the present time, Riden is considered an obvious enemy of the Empire, and the war is declared open.]

One step at last.

You have taken the first step towards a happy ending.