17
The globe of light plummeted from overhead at a severe angle but was batted off course by a neat flourish of a saber. The luminous sphere bounced away with a crash like breaking pottery, and Balleroy whistled from his place in the sky. “Good arm, good eye, good hustle, good call. Ahh, so nice t’ have a worthy opponent.”
A knight was moving straight toward Balleroy. The man charged across the expanse of the plain, the forest at his back. This man of the Kingdom of Lugunica, who had called himself Julius Juukulius, was turning out to be a foe who merited genuine respect. His swordsmanship and spirit magic were both first-class. On strength alone, he probably could’ve risen to the rank of general second-class within the Empire. Perhaps he could have reached an even higher station. Excepting, of course, the fact that the way Julius fought was too honest and courteous.
“In the empire, victory goes to him who wins… Compared with that, your kingdom chivalry is just a lotta nonsense.”
If they were to cross swords in one-on-one combat, even Balleroy might’ve had trouble overcoming Julius. But the whole trick of combat was making the most of your own strengths and not letting the enemy make use of his. Balleroy’s strength was long-distance sniping, and he was going to take as much advantage of it as he could. Even better, the Divine General shot from the back of his sky dragon, so that he could always be moving faster than the speed of sound.
“Cheaters always win, and there’s nothing like a surprise attack. Don’t blame me, chivalry boy—I’m just doin’ what works.”
He was a Dragon Rider, able to take to the sky on the wings of his mount. Balleroy was among the few in Volakia with the ability to control a sky dragon. The winged creatures were temperamental and refused so much as a saddle. In other words, Dragon Riders flirted with death. There were no reins or belt, nothing that would halt their fall should they ever slip off. Even attempting the task demanded a rare sense of balance—and a trust in one’s dragon partner that could best death.
On the backs of soaring dragons, these riders took no heed of terrain, for they struck suddenly from the sky. Crucial to Volakia’s military might, these troops were skilled in attack, support, and message carrying. What’s more, Balleroy Temeglyph brought something else unique to the profession. Namely…
“I can use light magic to bend light around me and wind magic to diffuse my aura. Now, think y’ can find me and Carillon here?”
Using magic to make himself and his mount appear as if they were part of the scenery, he flew where he pleased and shot at his leisure; he was functionally invisible. If there was a downside, it was that Balleroy himself couldn’t hear anything, but there was no chance of his being discovered. It was a small price to pay to become a sniper who was constantly in motion—a battlefield nightmare.
Invisible, unsearchable, unblockable. This unique combination of dragon-riding talent and an exceptional capacity for magic had earned Balleroy the nickname of Magical Sharpshooter. His actions had brought honor to the imperial army and, ultimately, ushered the man into the ranks of the Divine Generals.
And now he had thrown away all that prestige to turn heart and soul against the emperor. All of it to repay the one who had taught him how to live, who had helped him forge his connection with his dragon.
Everything Balleroy had done today was in mourning over his brother-in-law, who had gone to the Kingdom of Lugunica promising great things—and who had never returned, even as a corpse.
“Still, can’t let the preliminaries go on too long now…” Balleroy raised an eyebrow. His target was deflecting all his shots, even if only just, and forcing a stalemate. It was the first time he had done battle against a spirit mage in proper combat, and he was discovering what fearsome opponents they were. Unlike normal mages, they used spirits to exploit the mana in the atmosphere, so they never had to risk running out of fuel. The trade-off was the fact that the greatest amount of mana they could use at one time was dictated by the spirit they were contracted with, but…
“ ”
Just below Balleroy, Julius batted away another globe of light. He was obviously enhancing his own body with a greater spirit; that was what allowed the knight such superhuman reactions. It served to minimize the burden of the several spirits he had made pacts with. What’s more, the spirits would salve the strain on his body almost as it happened. The choice demanded a good deal of pain, but so long as Julius’s spirit didn’t break, he would be able to continue fighting. In fact, if it came to a contest of endurance, it was Balleroy who was most at risk. The rebellious general had trained only for short, sharp engagements.
“I’m gonna cry uncle before he does at this rate…”
Traditionally, a sniper hid in one place, keeping his opponents pinned down for hours or even days. But there was a time limit on this coup. He couldn’t spend long here.
He glanced down again and saw Julius with his back to the woods, as if to say You shall not pass. Balleroy knew the wounded emperor was somewhere in there, as was the knight-girl with the cat ears. Balleroy’s true enemy couldn’t have been far, either—the red-haired Sword Saint, the world’s strongest knight: Reinhard van Astrea.
“When Cecils came back, I thought he might nab my chance.”
The single greatest uncertainty in this plan was what Volakia’s strongest warrior and greatest optimist would do. Balleroy might be merciless, stopping at nothing, but in the end, he wanted to do the deed himself. From that perspective, he could’ve practically applauded the three visiting knights for getting away from Cecils alive. It ensured he would have his revenge and that his brother-in-law could rest in peace.
“Hmm…?” Balleroy adjusted the grip on his spear so it was good and firm, but then he was taken aback by something happening below him. A small figure rushed out of the tree line toward Julius. From his perch on his dragon’s back, he quickly saw that it was the third Lugunican knight, the girl with the cat ears. He had never paid her any mind; she clearly wasn’t a fighter. Balleroy wasn’t the type to relish unnecessary killing, so he had gone out of his way not to target her, but now…
“This is how the battlefield works… I’ll let you get things moving for me!”
Change could break a stalemate, and victory went to the bold. He who did not hesitate would be triumphant, for the goddess of victory loved best those who were most cruel.
“…!” The girl shouted something at Julius. Her voice was drowned out by rushing air, and Balleroy didn’t hear what she said, but Julius did, and his face changed color.
Balleroy was not the only one who could benefit from a change in circumstances. He moved to strike before his opponents could construct any advantage against him.
“Carillon…!” He sent his partner dragon plummeting from the clouds toward the ground. The man had cared for his dragon partner since before she emerged from her egg and shared his Odo with her; their souls were bound together. The bond between a rider and his dragon was much like that between an Insect Cage Clan member and his bugs. For the memory of the one who had given them that opportunity and shown them the way, Balleroy and Carillon would wreak vengeance as one.
“ ”
They sliced through the air, leaving sound behind as they plunged through the blue sky, lining up a shot that would pierce Julius and Ferris both. Balleroy unleashed a globe of light at the nearest one: the girl.
There was a spray of blood across the plain, and her body went flying through the air like a rag doll. The light passed through her back and out the right side of her chest, tearing up her bones and organs beyond repair.
“Sorry, little lady.” Balleroy no longer felt any guilt about killing women or children. To stand between him and his goal was to forfeit one’s life. He understood how brutal that was. That was why he refused to avert his eyes from the sight.
But that commitment, that sniper’s ideal, would be his undoing.
“Wha—?!”
Suddenly, the body of the cat-girl, who should have died instantaneously, was engulfed in an incredible light. It shone so brilliantly that it seared the traitorous general’s eyes; it was an explosive, blue-white shine that Balleroy didn’t recognize as the light of a healing magic beyond all comprehension. Still, he was instinctively cautious, ordering his partner dragon into a steep and urgent climb. They had to gain altitude, get ready for another pass…
“C-Carillon?!” Balleroy almost choked with astonishment as his mount did something he never expected. His fingers brushed along the protrusions on her back—the ones the man normally held on to—and as the dragon twisted up through the sky, Balleroy was shaken loose.
His dragon’s sudden outburst had stumped the sniper, but soon, the reason became clear.
“ ”
The sky, the blue expanse into which the creature should have been heading, was awash in a vortex of rainbow hues. Carillon was flapping her wings, struggling to escape the colors, but even a dragon that traveled faster than sound could not travel faster than light. She was enveloped by the rainbow and flung from the heavens by its shock wave.
“Carillon…!”
His dragon, his beloved partner, gradually dropped from the air with her wings broken. It was all Balleroy could do to reach out to her, but his hands never found their perch. He stared as the creature plummeted before his eyes.
Farther and farther, the dragon dropped, until she crashed upon the ground.
And all Balleroy could do was watch.
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