Saikyou Mahoushi no Inton Keikaku (LN) - Volume 10 - Chapter 53

Fifty-Third Chapter 

The Transformation of Vanalis 

Alus was in the middle of Vanalis, faced with the world having transformed into silver. He took a deep breath and then exhaled, his breath turning white. 

A few days had passed since the day after the campus festival when he and Loki set out. Although they practically had the Governor-General’s permission, having both of Alpha’s Singles outside the nation was less than desirable. Because of that, they couldn’t really afford to spend too much time on this mission. But the situation before them was unexpected. 

Alus glanced over at Lettie. She simply stood there stunned, making no attempt to bat away the falling snow. 

Lettie had spent over half a year trying to conquer Vanalis and still hadn’t accomplished it, which was why she wanted to borrow the help of Alpha’s strongest card. That’s why settling this quickly was definitely her top priority. 

But that’s a little dicey now, Alus thought quickly. Including the time needed for marching, they could only really spend three days eliminating the Fiends. If you added in the clean-up of remaining Fiends afterward, five days would be desirable. 

The Devourer was only eliminated recently, and he’d heard of Fiends making strange movements in the Outer World lately. In other words, the situation in the Outer World was still unstable. 

And since Berwick sent out two Singles, he would have to consider what to do about the deployment of defense personnel while they were absent. Alpha’s defensive strength wasn’t going to waver because of the lack of Singles. However, that assumed normal activity among the Fiends. In the case that an abnormally large swarm attacked, or an S-class Fiend attacked, the defensive line would collapse within seven days according to the simulations. 

Of course, Alus didn’t take those at face value. His own prediction had the defensive line collapsing within three days in the worst-case scenario. 

The snowfall before them shouldn’t have existed in this season. And it threatened to destroy all of their intentions. 

It had been over a century since human hands were removed from nature. Even so, the changes in the natural world exceeded human imagination. Trees grew at absurd speeds, and there were new plant species and animals no one had ever seen before. The one who enjoyed the benefits of this evolution the most wasn’t Fiends or humankind, but Mother Nature. 

However, no matter how far out of the realm of imagination the scene before them was, it was definitely more than just a natural phenomenon. 

Just a few hours ago they’d been in stifling heat, but now the world had turned silver and they had frosted breaths. The temperature change was so drastic that it didn’t just rule out natural phenomena, but also illusions from dark attribute spells. 

There was a slight movement next to Alus. Having caught up to him, Loki immediately did what she needed to do and sent out a wave of mana across their surroundings. She closed her mouth and shook her head. There were no Fiends nearby. 

Alus gave Loki a passing grade for having made the correct initial move without being distracted by the scenery. He then went on to analyze the situation. 

First, there was the presence of the Fiend he was sensing. Also, the fact that Loki’s detection hadn’t caught it. It’s clear that this is not just ordinary snow, as it’s able to obstruct mana sonar. Jamming, perhaps? But he couldn’t really sense any mana from the individual snowflakes. 

Considering the amount of mana in the air, it was unnatural for there to be no mana in this vast amount of snow. It was possible this was a result of interference with the information dimension, which was even more advanced than interference with matter. But the situation being as extraordinary as it was, it was difficult to tell right away. 

Like Loki with her detection, he’d used his own attribute-less magic to expand his field of view. Basically, the three-dimensional structural information of his surroundings unfolded in his brain, and he could grasp the situation around him as if watching a diorama from above. And while it wasn’t as effective as detection, it could pick up the presences of Fiends to a degree. It had an effective radius of one kilometer. Within that area, he could vaguely pick up on a Fiend’s presence. 

But even with his power, that was the limit. And it was impossible to pinpoint its location. 

It might actually be interfering with the information dimension. It’s pretty impressive, but it appears it’s not right next to us. And it doesn’t seem like it’s making any move to attack us anytime soon. So now what? Alus pondered his next move, frowning at the unfamiliar feel of the ground. 

“It really is snow, right?” Loki murmured next to him. It was standard practice not to take anything at face value in the Outer World. But her tone mixed a Magicmaster’s caution with doubt that what she was seeing was real. 

“Yeah.” After a moment, Alus nodded, affirming that what she said was correct. He currently saw nothing that suggested otherwise. 

He then watched Loki turn her face up to take another look at the landscape. He followed suit, but only saw the same silvery world as before. The falling snow danced like ashes in the air, swallowing up everything in its path. 

Eventually the slowly falling snow began to cover Lettie’s head, changing the color of her hair to white. 

When Alus took a step, the snow reached up to his ankle. This is quite the snowfall... It’s as far as the eye can see. Not even he had anticipated this situation. Of course, he’d never experienced it in the past. 

Alus continued to analyze the situation, while Lettie snapped back to reality, barking out orders as she shook the snow off her head and shoulders. “Confirm the situation! Prioritize finding the advance party, split into five and get going!” she shouted, in a more serious tone than usual. But it was clear both she and her squad were still shaken up. 

Even so, her orders were very effective in moving the situation along. The squad hurriedly put down their packs and was about to get into action... 

“Hold up, Lettie. Give me two or three minutes.” Without even waiting for an answer, Alus ran back the way they came at full speed. He didn’t look at Loki, who gave chase behind him, as he made for the boundary of this frozen world. 

Even Loki struggled to keep up with Alus when he ran at full speed. Fortunately, she didn’t lose sight of him. “Sir Alus!” Seeing him come to a standstill, she called out to him. “What are you doing?!” 

“So it’s here.” 

By following his gaze, she easily found what he had been searching for. It was a thin line of snow that had fallen from the overlapping tree branches above. 

“What is this?” 

Ignoring Loki, Alus squatted down and swept up the snow with his fingers, rubbing them together. “I didn’t catch it right away, but I’m convinced now. This is magic.” 

It was most likely an environment-altering spell. But seeing how wide of an area it covered, its interference far exceeded Niflheim. In terms of falsifying the world, it was similar to Helheim. However, its scale easily surpassed what Alus could accomplish. “Coming back here was the right call.” 

“Yes. But this is...” Loki looked at the snow suspiciously. She couldn’t tell who had used the spell, or what their intention was. The magic that Magicmasters used was primarily intended to combat Fiends. It was a weapon. That was basically true for detection and barrier magic as well. 

When Alus created a new spell for Alice, he’d explained how magic was made by narrowing down a theme. That was why there was no such thing as the perfect spell that could do anything. 

In any event, the magic that Magicmasters used was meant to kill Fiends. That was the basic premise for it. And conversely, the magic that Fiends used was a tool to kill humans. Yet despite such a powerful spell being used, there seemed to be no intent of attack behind it. 

Well, the chilling temperature could be considered an attack, but in that case it could just be directly used against them. Turning the entire world silvery-white was simply ineffective. 

Having confirmed the truth, Alus left the questions for later, and made his way back to Lettie and her squad. 

“Let’s start from the conclusion. This snow is a product of magic.” It might not be a useful piece of information right now, but since the other party was an unknown entity, it was important to share and understand as much as possible. 

At the very least, it was necessary for how Alus operated. His experience told him that even the slightest unanswered question would come back and bite them. “However, the intentions behind it are unknown. It isn’t clear what effect it will have moving forward. If it’s just meant to slow us down, this is pretty half-assed. I can’t grasp what the plan is, to the point that I couldn’t tell it was magic right away.” 

Alus didn’t miss the look of unrest on the squad members’ faces, but he didn’t pay any further attention to it. This was a squad of elites. They had enough experience to immediately accept any situation. 

However, that merely meant they had a high degree of adaptability. And adapting and analyzing were two completely different things. Just being able to adapt to a danger wasn’t enough. You only got a passing grade if you could analyze a threat, form a plan, and then execute the plan. Simply accepting the reality of the situation could also mean abandoning the thinking needed to resolve it. 

While Lettie and her squad looked on in silence, Alus had already begun to think about their response. 

Lettie also realized that she’d lost her cool. “That was careless of me,” she said, reflecting on it. 

“There was no way around it this time,” Alus replied, as if telling her not to worry about it. Incidentally, not everything he said was with her in mind. While she was shaken, he was objectively looking at the situation. It was his habit of stepping back and considering things, which was often useful in these cases. 

“Sorry about this, Allie.” Lettie hesitated, then added, “Can you lend us your strength some more?” 

“I did make a promise, so I’ll do my job. That said, try not to rely on me too much.” Alus didn’t have much practice working with large squads, so in effect, he was telling Lettie he’d lend his wisdom but that she’d have to make the final decisions. 

Still...I don’t like this snow. There was a strange foreboding feel to it that wouldn’t leave him. It put him on edge and made him uncomfortable. 

Regardless, moving on from this place was preferable. Then again, since they didn’t know the truth of the falling snow or the source of the phenomenon, they couldn’t do anything too drastic. 

Normally, this kind of environment-changing magic was used for more than just offensive purposes. But it’s pretty weak if it’s meant to stall us, so it makes more sense to assume it’s for detection. 

Alus considered the possibility that the surface of the snow was being used as a way to detect people, similar to vibrations in a spider’s web. However, magic was the Fiends’ invention. So for them it was more primitive and instinctive, or rather, lacking in logic. Especially when compared to human magic. 

Because of that, even he struggled to decipher the hidden aim behind the spell. It was like trying to figure out the intentions behind a toddler’s abstract painting. It was possible that there wasn’t even any intention in the first place. “Let’s take it slow from here. Bring out a map.” 

It was the female healing Magicmaster who responded to Alus’s request. She ran up and pulled out a thick piece of paper from the pouch at her waist. 

He took it from her and spread it out. It was a drawing of the area that covered two kilometers by two kilometers, a wider area than his field of view, which was welcome. It was hand-drawn, but from the version number in the top right corner, he could tell it had been updated several times. The map was detailed and had been backed up by careful research, a sign of how much time they’d spent fighting in this region. 

“Is this the forward base?” Alus asked Lettie. 

“That’s right. It was made by cutting a hole in a rock face, so it’s hard to detect.” 

The forward base was created to be used over a long period of time. It was built on the steep slope of a cliff to make it difficult for Fiends to invade, and as long as they kept mana from leaking outside, it was unlikely to be found. It wasn’t very large, so it could only be used by a small number of people, but it would function perfectly as a base. 

He looked at Lettie. She appeared to have regained her calm, but her shock from before wasn’t just because of the unexpected snow. If that was all, then with Alus’s help they could just handle things on their own. Instead, her doubts weren’t focused on the squad, but on the safety of the advance party. 

If that was the case, then Alus should prioritize resolving the anxiety of the mission leader, the expedition’s strongest fighting force aside from himself. The advance party was sent ahead to carry supplies to the base as well. With these numbers, a lack of supplies will slow down the conquest. 

He was hoping for a quick resolution and wanted to avoid spending time on preparations. But Vanalis wouldn’t be so easy that they could just rush in without planning. Even if he were going in on his own, he would require a degree of planning so that he could carry it out step by step. 

So they should move now. They would search for the advance party and confirm their safety. And in the worst case, they should at least secure their supplies. Alus decided that now, before the snow got too deep, was the right time to go. 

“Lettie, let’s get to the base on foot. We can’t do anything too flashy, but we’ll use the bare minimum of mana to keep our body temperatures up. The snow doesn’t have any natural mana in it, so there’s a chance we might be found by mana emitting across the surface. So we need to keep any mana from leaking.” 

Lettie nodded at Alus’s suggestion, and immediately all squad members coated their bodies with mana. It was one of the mana control techniques, but there was a limit to how long they could keep it up. 

Alus could form a thin film of mana not even one millimeter thick around his body. Even if an ordinary person examined him up close, they wouldn’t be able to detect it. He could also maintain it for a long period of time. 

Lettie could handle herself, but her squad members were another thing. And then there was Loki. I guess she’d last two hours at most. If they only needed to keep a film up, they could all last for several days. But it was drastically more difficult to maintain without any leaks. It was like threading a thin thread through the hole of a needle and holding it there, while keeping it from touching the needle even a little. Of course that required extreme focus, which would delay their responses to any attacks from Fiends at the same time, which could end up being fatal. 

“So what do we do about searching our surroundings, Allie?” Lettie asked, understanding the difficulty of the task. 

Alus turned to Lettie as if that was a trivial matter. “I’ll do something about it. Still, I see you’re not a Single for nothing.” 

“You think?” His unusually frank praise made Lettie show an embarrassed expression. 

Lettie had a high level of mana control. He didn’t know how long she could keep it up, but just like him she had a film so thin it was questionable if a normal Magicmaster could even pick up on it. It was kind of like lotion applied to a woman’s soft skin. Seeing her pull that off without any problems sort of made Alus feel like his identity was being threatened. 

“Well, it’s still a little cold,” Lettie said. With a smile, she brought her shoulder next to Alus’s shoulder. Coated with mana or not, she wasn’t wearing a lot of clothing. Her belly being exposed in this kind of weather was a strange sight indeed. 

“Just put up with it,” Alus said, and pushed her away. He then glanced at Loki, who he was a little worried about. As for her... Well, I guess she’ll be fine. Her daily training was paying off as her mana control had improved considerably. She was practically on even terms with Lettie’s squad. 

In the meantime, Loki, who had no idea why Alus was looking her way, devoted herself to controlling her mana. 

“Anyway, Lettie, I’ll keep an eye on our surroundings too. Fortunately, my way of detection is unique and leaves almost no traces of mana, although it’s not as accurate as a spotter’s results. I believe we should continue on foot, even if it is a bit of a hassle. Also, now that we’re in this situation...we should reconsider the plan.” 

All of that was just Alus’s opinion. It was Lettie who had command of the squad. “You decide. I’ll follow your lead.” He was going to continue by saying, “My way will only bring about a lot of unnecessary animosity,” but swallowed those words. The self-deprecating tone in that would’ve come from personal experience. 

Revising the plan meant leaving the confirmation of the advance party’s safety for later. It was an efficient but coldhearted decision, especially since Lettie and her squad considered the advance party as comrades in arms. It was clear as day that there would be emotional backlash among the squad. Alus wasn’t so immature that he would make that kind of decision for another person’s squad. 

“Right. But the advance party isn’t just carrying supplies. They also have medical equipment, materiel to enhance the forward base, spare AWRs, and more. At the very least we have to recover the supplies.” 

Lettie was right. Their mission wasn’t going to end just by eliminating the Fiends. The supplies would be necessary at some point, and once the battle started, equipment and spell talismans would be needed to treat the wounded. 

“That’s a lot to carry. The plan was to meet up with them at the forward base, right?” 

“That’s right. There’s also two other temporary bases, but they’re just in case of emergency.” 

Alus gazed at Lettie. Her voice sounded calm, but her face looked like she was desperately holding back her emotions. Having spent a lot of time in the Outer World she understood the reality of the situation, but she was still worried about her subordinates. 

As a fellow Single, Alus found that a little unexpected. However, a moment later, there was an empty feeling in his chest, and he remembered that he was the strange one for thinking that way. It was that part of his heart that would likely never be filled. 

At the same time he realized why Lettie’s subordinates looked up to her. He and Lettie were similar, but different in some ways. 

Alus quietly continued speaking. “That’s true, we’ll have to get to the base first. It’ll be easier to come up with a plan if we can confirm the situation.” That might help alleviate the anxiety and frustration he sensed from Lettie, so he gave a reply that was in line with her feelings at the moment. 

Fortunately, it doesn’t look like the Fiends are making a move. If the snow was indeed being used to detect them as Alus surmised, then they were already within the enemy’s reach. But based on the typical Fiend’s habits, they would have attacked the moment they detected Alus and the others. Yet there were no signs of that so far. 

Even when compared to a spotter’s mana sonar, he would be able to detect such a powerful enemy rapidly approaching. If they show no reaction to us moving on the snow, then the snow might not be used for detection after all. That actually makes the spell even creepier. 

Alus and the others quietly continued their march over the snow. Vanalis’s topography was basically slopes surrounding a hilly area, like a ridge of small mountains. They’d be able to reach the peak of any of them in no time if they hurried. The base they were headed for was built into a slope slightly below the peaks of the ridge. 

A few hours later, Alus could see the hazy peaks at the limit of his vision. From there they would finally be able to reach the highest point in Vanalis. 

On the way there, Alus silently listened to the sound of the snow being crunched under the squad’s feet. As before, the snow had no trace of the mana that should naturally occur. It was definitely a product of a spell. But hearing the sound—which was real—he found it hard to believe that it really was made by magic. It was near impossible to distinguish from the real deal. 

The snow was nice and cold, and melted in the hand as you’d expect. If it really was created, were the sensations he felt just in his head, with the snow having no actual substance? 

The experience posed a conundrum for Alus. What was magic? And what was information? 

Then he snapped back to reality, clicking his tongue at himself for being distracted. He rechecked the map, looking around for landmarks they would use to reach the base. There should be a distinctively-shaped rock nearby. 

“Will this be all right?” Suddenly he heard a light step on the snow, and Loki’s voice calling out next to him. Her question was referring to Lettie’s state of mind, or maybe to Vanalis’s transformation. 

“It’s fine. This is common in the Outer World, aside from this snow, that is.” However, if Loki was worried about Lettie, she had a point. Lettie and her squad had been summoned back to Alpha without finishing their mission. Because of that, she expressed strong regret over having left Vanalis. She must’ve wanted to get back to the frontlines as soon as possible. 

And it wasn’t like Alus couldn’t understand that feeling. It was a mission carried out in a world full of unimaginable threats that had literally whittled away at their lives. Naturally, if she was thrown back to square one, of course she would feel it was unreasonable. 

Even though he could rationalize it away as a typical reaction, he didn’t consider it normal, though Lettie had lost several subordinates during the mission. And being so devoted to her men, she found that all the more intolerable. In fact, there were times when she had revealed as much to him. 

However, he couldn’t let Loki think about something unnecessary right now. Brushing the snow off of her silver hair, he spoke to the anxious girl in a nonchalant tone. “Don’t forget that she’s a Single. And this is the Outer World. Out here, we’re the uninvited guests. You don’t have the luxury of losing focus.” 

“Yes! Excuse me.” 

Unnecessary concerns were an unwelcome thing in the Outer World. If need be, they could return home after the mission and console each other. But here, that kindness was weakness, and even a sin. He could understand Lettie’s impatience, but out in this cruel, merciless world she would have to take care of herself. 

“Hey, Allie, I forgot to mention something...” Lettie suddenly spoke up in a blunt tone, tapping Alus on the shoulder. The way she sort of fizzled out at the end though suggested it was something important, and to be honest he had a bad feeling about it. 

“What are you saying all of a sudden? If you’ve got something to say, then let’s take this opportunity and you can tell me everything.” 

“Uh, well, it’s about the Fiend that controls Vanalis.” 

“Yeah, you told me about it before. A Chimera, wasn’t it? So did you come up with a reason why it would use such a strange spell or something?” 

After hesitating a moment, Lettie said, “It’s probably the third leader.” 

“What?” Alus had been listening, but when she said that, he instinctively turned his head to look at her. 

For some reason, she looked surprised in turn. But the next moment she smiled wryly as if to hide her awkwardness. “Sorry.” She brought her hands in front of her face and apologized, as if saying she hadn’t put much stock in that information. She then began walking again, and continued to explain. “Honestly, it wasn’t certain, so I hesitated whether to say anything or not...” 

“Now’s not the time to hesitate. So what’s this third leader?” 

“As far as I know, the highest-classed Fiend ruling Vanalis has changed twice. You know, like the turf wars that happen from time to time?” 

“Hold up. Then you’re saying—” 

“While we were gone, the Fiend ruling Vanalis might have changed again.” 

“And they might be responsible for this snow?” 

“Probably. It’s possible that there’s a different Fiend than the Chimera ruling this place now. I guess that’d make it the fourth leader.” As she spoke, Lettie looked a little calmer, a sign that she’d been able to switch her focus back to the mission at hand. Or maybe she’d just been trying to cover up the fact that she’d been slow with the information. 

That was a relief, but still, Alus had never heard of leaders changing so often. To put it simply, the fact that there were so many Fiends capable of taking control of Vanalis was abnormal in and of itself. Even if it were possible, it was only natural for the strongest to take over the leader’s position based purely on the principle of competition. So this fourth leader would be quite the formidable opponent. 

“Sheesh, talk about accepting a troublesome mission. I’m confident I would’ve refused if you’d told me sooner.” He glared at Lettie, but it was too late to do anything about it now. Seeing the edges of her lips rise, his shoulders drooped. 

“It’s too late to turn back now, A-L-L-I-E!” It was clear that Lettie would just dodge the issue if he tried to press her. In other words, he might have been led by the nose from the start. 

Alus resigned himself, and gave up even trying to complain. “I don’t intend to. I’ve already accepted the mission. I especially don’t intend to return from these backwoods empty-handed...” 

“I’m counting on ya!” 

Lettie smiled, and Alus realized she’d recovered faster than expected. Vanalis’s transformation came as a shock, but it seemed Alus’s presence had proved reliable. I feel like I’ve been duped, but oh well. 

Before long, Alus confirmed they were close to the base Lettie and her squad were using and that the mountain it was built on was covered in snow, using his field of view again. At the same time he looked around for enemies, but sensed no Fiends around. 

After marching for a while, even Alus started to feel cold. On their way to the base, they discovered a cart half-buried in snow. It seemed to have been haphazardly left there. The wheels weren’t locked and the cargo was still in it. 

The squad looked it over, and confirmed that the food was mostly preserved thanks to being frozen over. As expected, upon checking with Lettie, it seemed the advance party hadn’t come to Vanalis with a cart in tow. 

“So after coming to Vanalis, they packed the cargo on a cart before moving on, and then it was abandoned.” 

“What do you think, Allie?” 

After glancing at her, Alus gave her his frank thoughts. “If you think about it normally, they must have encountered a Fiend. That said, there’s no traces of any major battle. I can’t tell because any footprints have been erased by the snow, but they might have feared the base would be discovered and left temporarily.” 

The advance party hadn’t put up a fight against the Fiend, and instead retreated. Alus concluded that was the most likely answer. “The base is close. Let’s carry the supplies in and confirm if they’ve returned or not.” 

“Right.” Lettie’s answer was surprisingly simple. 

Alus matched her attitude, and avoided touching on the worst possible outcome. He wasn’t sure what to say to her, but nothing he could think of would be right. Expectations were often met with disappointment in the Outer World. 

After that, the squad searched as wide of an area as they could, but because of the snow they found not a single trace of the advance party. 

They’d gotten closer. The base was already within a stone’s throw. It still couldn’t be seen with the naked eye, as it was built into a rock wall on a steep hill, and would be camouflaged to hide it from the eyes of Fiends. 

“This is going too smoothly,” Alus muttered, as the squad silently marched on high guard. 

Whether he spoke from experience or his talent was anyone’s guess. But the words of the ranked No. 1 were enough for everyone to tense up and sharpen their senses even further. 

That was when it happened. A creature appeared on the path they were walking down as if it were a chance encounter. 

“?!” The squad was taken aback. Just thirty meters in front of them they saw a short and stout creature crawling, leaving rut-like tracks in the snow as it slowly cut off their path. It had a black body that looked like it was wearing a dark dome-shaped tent. Ivy grew on its body, and on the ends of the ivy were leaves that rustled as they were pulled along the snow. 

The ivy and leaves had strange shapes, and not only did they rustle with each movement, but the tips seemed to wander through the air. From the way the vines were wrapped around it, it was impossible to see its outer shell. The intertwined vines formed a natural armor, and it looked like a bundle of ivy moving on its own. 

Surprisingly, the Fiend showed no hostility. It had gotten so close to them without Alus even noticing. 

That, in combination with its strange appearance, left everyone stunned for a moment. Or not, because in the next second Alus alone kicked off the ground. 

In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance to the Fiend. It was far too fast to imagine it was pure reaction. It was as if he was moving by instinct. With an explosive burst of power, he disappeared from within the squad’s ranks like a bolt of lightning. 

His AWR appeared to shimmer in his hand for an instant. The next moment the squad was able to see him he was far behind the Fiend. The blade of mana extending from his AWR was extremely thin, and they could clearly see how long and large the swung blade was. 

Turning back to the Fiend, they saw that the ivy covering its body had been cut through in a single stroke. 

A moment later, the snow soared up as an aftereffect of the superhuman feat, and at the same time a sliced line appeared across the Fiend’s body and dome-shaped outer shell. The next moment, the two halves slid apart. And the countless cut ivy vines and leaves rustled as one and fell to the snow. 

Without making any further movements, Alus undid the mana blade. However, he didn’t feel like he’d cut the core. Tsk. He clicked his tongue in his mind. 

This was a kind of Fiend not seen around Alpha. Using a mana blade in order to keep his output of mana to a minimum made sense, but it had ultimately backfired, keeping him from finishing it off in a single blow. But he did intuitively realize something upon attacking it. 

Its core’s location is strange. And this sensation is... Sure enough, a being peeked out from under the severed vines and black shell. Its appearance looked much like the chrysalis of a beetle. It had three pairs of legs folded up across its abdomen. On its back were several small saplings in a charred black color. These were likely the origin of all the ivy. 

Underneath those saplings were thick wings that fit snugly up against its body. Rather than calling it the main body, it seemed more accurate to call it the outer shell’s contents. 

Its unique appearance that not even Alus had seen before made him feel like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on him. Even while astonished, his instincts as a Magicmaster sharpened even further. After a few seconds, he no longer felt surprise at the Fiend. Instead, his thoughts had shifted to analyzing how to eliminate this creature. 

But before he could make his next move, a gauntlet clad in electricity was swung at the chrysalis. Sajik had followed up on Alus’s slash. 

He’d swiftly picked up on Alus’s intentions and concluded that he was the most suitable. In addition to his fast steps, he used Force to move his large body at an extreme speed. His fist wrapped in lightning shook the air, and a thunderclap roared. 

The powerful blow should’ve had enough behind it to shatter the Fiend’s body. However, just before his fist reached what appeared to be the head of the chrysalis, it came to an abrupt stop. 

Looking down, he saw the chrysalis’s folded-up legs now wrapped around his arm, as at the same time undulating vines spun around his gauntlet. Then they dug further into his arm, looking to snap it. “Urk.” Pain shot through Sajik’s arm, and he bit down to endure it. 

In that case... Sajik’s mana swelled. He was going to shock the Fiend by running the power of his AWR through his arm. Determining that it was only a matter of time before his arm would become useless, he was prepared to sacrifice it to hurt the Fiend back. 

“Burn!” The veins in his arms rose as the muscles bulged and explosively expanded. Soon an ear-shattering sound was released from the top of his fist. 

“‹‹Thunder Lion››!” With Sajik’s fist as a starting point, the spell was constructed and materialized. 

It was the summoning spell Thunder Lion. Only the lion’s head appeared, and it opened its sharp lightning jaws and bit into the Fiend’s legs. Powerful lightning ran through the chrysalis’s body, and shining white light enveloped the surroundings. 

Lightning strike after lightning strike hit. Smoke rose up from the chrysalis. But even then there was no end to the attacks. 

Alus, who was watching from the other side, stared at the chrysalis as white smoke rose up from it. 

A moment later, there was movement. The wings that were sticking to the chrysalis’s body spread out and blew away the lightning that wrapped around its body. A gust of wind laced with white smoke ripped through the air. 

Seeing that, the squad tensed up at the precarious situation. Lettie alone watched the situation unfold with a calm look in her eyes. Because even though a cold sweat ran down Sajik’s back, he maintained his balance and continued attacking with lightning. 

Just as Sajik felt his arm was at its limit, a series of lines appeared on the chrysalis’s body, running from its head down to its abdomen. It looked like cracks had appeared in its body. 

The Fiend, cut into a dozen pieces, fell down on the snow with a dull thud, spraying blood as it did so. 

When Sajik looked beyond it, he saw Alus standing there with an expressionless face. 

The dark green blood that seeped into the snow soon evaporated, along with the snow it had stuck to. Without caring for the condition of his arm, Sajik straightened his posture, and gave an Alpha-style salute. “Thank you, Sir!” 

Then a fist unexpectedly swung down on Sajik’s head. “You idiot!!” It was Lettie’s iron fist. This was more or less expected, but her expression was less angry and more exasperated. “Sorry about that, Allie.” 

“I don’t mind. It only happened because I didn’t finish it in a single attack. It was a strange opponent, but everything ended well.” 

Alus looked down at the fragments of the Fiend that were crumbling apart, and let out a sigh. Sajik’s lightning and his space magic had destroyed the core, wherever it may have been, but for some reason even at this close range he couldn’t sense the Fiend’s mana capacity or its potential. Was that the effect of the strange snow too? 

Meanwhile, Sajik seemed somewhat confused at why he’d been scolded by Lettie. His colleague Mujir gave him a dumbfounded look. “You idiot, think about why Sir Alus dealt with it immediately by himself. And why the mana blade was used!” 

His words were met with an annoyed glance from Sajik. He didn’t seem to have realized his biggest mistake. But the truth was, neither had Loki. She’d been ready to help Sajik with his crisis, but it appeared that might have been unnecessary. She softly looked up at Alus with an expression of shame at her inability to understand the situation. 

Unaware of her feelings, Mujir sighed and continued, “And you have the best reactions in the squad too. Sir Alus, may I explain it to him in your stead?” 

Alus nodded lightly. He didn’t think it was a big deal either way, and he felt it best to leave the squad to its members. 

“He was being cautious of mana leakage,” Mujir began. “That’s why he didn’t use a spell but a mana blade to keep other Fiends from detecting us. And then there’s this snow. It seems to be an environment-altering spell as Sir Alus noted, but if it’s not meant to stall us, it might be some kind of trap or means to spy on us. If it’s the latter, what do you think the consequences of your actions would be?” The way he explained it in such a blunt manner made it clear he was saying the same thing as Lettie...in other words, to think through his mistake properly. 

Sajik seemed to get it now, and looked like he was about to apologize for his thoughtless actions. 

However... “It’s already done, so I’m not going to find fault with you. But I didn’t expect its insides would be like that,” Alus casually said, stopping Sajik and changing the topic. “At any rate, it was clearly an A-class or above.” 

“No way. A Missing Shell’s no A-class. It’s just an extravagant jack-in-the-box. Besides, it’s not one of the A-classes that we’ve marked, so do you mean they’ve increased?” Lettie asked Alus. 

A Missing Shell was a Fiend whose biology was shrouded in mystery. It was a relatively low-classed Fiend, and its core was located in the middle of its vines, with its surroundings being hollow. Lettie said the mysterious Fiend was like a jack-in-the-box, and its appearance did surprise many. 

There were two A-class Fiends left in Vanalis, one of which was the brain-eating Ogma, so Lettie’s answer left Alus confused. He felt like clicking his tongue as he mulled things over again. 

A Missing Shell was a C-class at most, something easily managed for this squad. However, its contents shouldn’t be included in that evaluation. In fact, this was the first time Alus learned that there was something inside. Perhaps someone had called its insides hollow from observing it after it had turned to ash. 

However, at the very least, the information on the Fiends here needed to be updated after Lettie and her squad had been away for two months. Moreover, if there were high-classed Fiends present here that they didn’t know about, that would have an impact on conquering Vanalis. 

That said, Missing Shells weren’t counted as high-classed, so it was possible that this was just an exception. At any rate, they needed to be cautious. “Looks like the Vanalis campaign has regressed more than expected.” 

Lettie’s expression turned grim at Alus’s remark. “I’m worried about my squad.” She sounded like she was talking to herself, but in reality she was making a plea to Alus. 

Of course, there was no change in Alus’s policy. First, they would get to the base and confirm the situation, including the advance party. But the unexpected factors made it clear that the overall mission would be delayed. 

That was when... “Sir Alus?!” Loki’s urgent tone immediately put everyone on guard. 

“Here they come. So it’s definitely a bad situation then.” It was because he’d sensed this ominous event heading their way that he’d instantly moved to kill the Fiend from before. 

“So that was a scout,” Lettie noted. 

“A pretty high-classed one for that.” That had been one of Alus’s concerns. The newly registered species, Ogma, was calculated to be an A-class. Yet he felt that the Fiend he’d just eliminated was around an A-class itself. Then there was the bit of information that Vanalis had seen a change in leadership. Perhaps all of the Fiends in the area were becoming more powerful. 

“Well, there’s no use thinking about it.” As Alus muttered this, all forms of Fiends came crawling out from behind the snow-covered rocks and out of the silvery ground. 

They totaled far more than twenty. But it wasn’t like they had just let them approach. Loki’s detection wasn’t flawed either...they just couldn’t be perceived. 

Alus realized that the strange snow reflected mana diffusely and in small amounts so that you didn’t notice it. As a result, there was a clean layer on the surface that wasn’t tinged with mana. The Fiends must have used that to camouflage their presence. 

Of course, the old tunnels that were in this area were probably being put to good use as well. That meant neither Loki’s detection nor Alus’s field of view could accurately locate them. If that’s intentional, this goes beyond cleverness into being strategic, as if it was planned by a seasoned army commander... 

He noticed Lettie glancing at him. She was silently asking him if they could use some high firepower magic to intercept the Fiends without worrying about mana leakage. 

Having been discovered by this many Fiends, there was no point in holding back. And if this was a scouting party, there was a good chance the other Fiends in the area already knew their location. “I don’t care. Let’s get this over with.” 

At Alus’s reply, Lettie swung her arm down and ordered her squad. “Wipe ’em out.” It was a familiar order and she had no qualms issuing it. They’d already confirmed that the Fiends around them were common species. 

And so the battle began. Mana burst and exploded here and there. The Fiends were exterminated one after another without pause. The squad was perfectly coordinated, acting with no waste. Blood splattered on the snow before dispersing into mana particles. This was a case of the right people being in the right place, with each squad member moving in such a way that their best skills were brought forth. 

At the heart of that were Sajik and Mujir. They prioritized eliminating the troublesome Fiends, leaving the rest to the squad, so the battle proceeded smoothly. In terms of coordination, they were the best in Alpha. Even without Lettie, their combat power was exceptional. 

Regardless, a scouting party wasn’t a problem for Lettie. With the highest class here being a B, they left the destruction of the cores to the following forces while they prioritized neutralizing them. There were some Fiends that could self-heal, but that was accounted for. 

The battle was handled almost mechanically and according to plan, and the result was a complete win without any injuries. There wasn’t even any need for Alus, Lettie, Loki, or the healing Magicmaster to do anything. 

Just how many squads are there that can fight this smoothly in a group in Alpha today? Alus thought, recalling the Demi Azur battle. 

Eventually, silence returned to their surroundings. But in the next instant... “?!” 

Light flashed far away. Alus sensed it, and was just barely able to see something approaching in the upper part of his field of view. 

At the same time, a series of roaring sounds rang out. In fact, by the time the sound reached their ears, the white light was already close enough to erase Alus’s and the others’ shadows. 

There was no time to analyze it. When they sensed magic, it was already too late. Only Alus and Lettie were quick enough to react to the long-range magic blast. 

Lettie braced herself, while Alus thrust out his arm as the dazzling light threatened to swallow them up. Everyone covered their ears. 

Alus promptly threw up a barrier, but having been made so quickly its durability was questionable. Even so, he just needed to buy a moment of time. 

Pouring mana into his AWR, Night Mist, one of the chain’s rings started glowing with the light of mana. Thick ice in the shape of a massive shield was layered over the barrier that was just barely holding. 

It was large enough to cover the entire squad. That said, having been created by a simple magic formula it had an unrefined shape. If skillfully manipulated, however, an ice barrier could slow down the compositional information of the spells that attacked it. And someone exceptionally talented could use the barrier to degrade the power of the spell. 

But the light contained an enormous amount of mana. The powerful glow both seeped into and refracted off of the shield of ice. The attack followed. Exceeding the speed of lightning, the tremendous heat collided with the ice shield, causing particles that resembled sparks to scatter. 

The next thing Alus saw was the light bouncing off the shield. It dragged a tail behind it like a meteor. But instead of disappearing into the distance, the tails multiplied and stopped in midair. 

It’s still active even after being repelled?! Alus swallowed his astonishment and braced for impact. 

The number of tails of light easily exceeded one hundred. Instead of disappearing as normal, they curled and attacked Alus and the others again. “Is that Brionach...? No!” 

Blocking the second wave with the ice shield, Alus groaned. The composition and amount of mana contained in the spell that assaulted them was different from what he—or even all of humanity—knew. If anything, it felt like an attack that brought out the true power of magic. 

Is it the completed version of Brionach?! It’s been said that no Magicmaster has found the quintessence of it yet, but to think a Fiend would reach it! 

It was then that the realization that magic originated from Fiends really hit home. The situation was now critical. This Brionach—or as he would call this god-level version Demis Brionach—differed from the one humanity knew. It was basically a spell that couldn’t be defended against. 

The spell only split up further and attacked anew for each time it was repelled. It didn’t matter how much more powerful the barrier might be. It was possible that the tails might actually disperse if they continued dividing at some point, but Alus didn’t have the time to test that theory. Even now the repelled Demis Brionach was splitting into more arrows of light that were raining down like meteors. By now they were close to one thousand in number. 

A moment later, Alus undid his ice shield. As dense remnants of mana danced around him like mist, he exhaled slightly. In the same moment, a black mana wrapped around him and he kicked off the ground. 

Once in the air, he spread his arms and unleashed several Gra Eaters. When he swung down his arm, the Gra Eaters were sent to devour every single piece of Demis Brionach. 

It was his first time using it since the Demi Azur battle, but even he was surprised at how much more easily controllable it was than before. His thoughts aside, the Gra Eaters danced in the air as they ate the pieces of light one after the other. 

Eventually, he landed back on the ground, and by that time the threat had been entirely erased. Dropping to one knee, Alus let out a single huff, secretly full of relief. 

Fortunately, the squad was in awe, intuitively realized that Alus was in charge of the Gra Eaters, and hadn’t made any unnecessary moves. Thanks to that, he was able to devote his full attention to controlling them. 

The strong scent of burning stung his nostrils. He’d ended up showing them one of his trump cards, but in this situation it had been unavoidable. “That might have surprised you, but we’ll talk about it later.” 

Next, Alus turned a sharp glance in the direction Demis Brionach had been cast from. The light was already disappearing, but faint white smoke remained in its trail. They’re far away. Several kilometers at least. 

Considering the fact that the spell moved faster than sound, it was no doubt meant as a surprise attack. Even Lettie could only manage to react, so Alus had been the only one who could muster a defense. 

“That’s Allie for ya! So, how far away is the enemy?” Lettie already knew about Gra Eater, having seen it before during the Devourer battle. Thanks to that, she wasn’t as surprised as her squad. 

Alus nonchalantly answered her in a blunt tone, “I can’t tell for sure.” 

“Then why are you so calm? The next one’s coming!” 

“No, it won’t come right away.” 

“Hm?” 

Alus didn’t have the time to explain, but he did have a good reason for thinking that. First, Demis Brionach was far more powerful than what humans were familiar with, but it wasn’t the kind of spell that could be cast repeatedly. If the attacker was able to do that, then Alus would’ve immediately had everyone else retreat. “In short, it’s a spell that takes the mana floating in the air and supercompresses it before it’s unleashed. Considering the power, it should take half a day before the mana in the atmosphere recovers and can be used again.” 

He had already seen through the fundamental basis for Demis Brionach. That was in part because he’d had Gra Eater devour it. “Distance is one thing, but I don’t know where they are. Just firing magic blindly would be pointless,” he concluded in a fed-up tone. 

And of course he was fed up. He’d realized the usefulness of the magic snow. While they didn’t know where their attacker was, their attacker knew the exact location of Alus and the others. 

He cast an annoyed look at the snow by his feet. He’d been on guard for the falling snow, but it seemed the accumulated snow had some effect as well. This is the reason they found us. As proof of that, any remaining mana remnants were being absorbed and accumulated into the snow. 

Mana wasn’t matter, and so it wasn’t affected by gravity. So there was only one reason it fell to the ground: the special properties of the snow. It wasn’t just diffusing but also absorbing a part of it as well. The Fiends were taking advantage of this. 

We were detected by the faint traces of mana. They know where we are. So there’s something below us. It was natural to assume that the tunnels below ground were being used as a makeshift radar network. It was the optimal environment for receiving detection results. 

The details were still unclear, but combined with long-range magic, the Fiends could stomp out Lettie and her squad from a distance. At the very least, it was proof that Fiends were working together. 

Being attacked by enemies who could hide in safety was definitely troublesome. If I could at least tell the range they’re at... 

As that thought entered his mind, the edges of Lettie’s lips curled up into a fearless smile. “We only have to find out the distance, right?” 

“But detection’s not going to do much good.” 

“Tsk tsk. I can’t stand getting attacked so one-sidedly. You too, right, Allie?” 

“Well, yeah...” Alus bitterly replied, as if saying he’d have already done something about it if he could. 

Lettie crooked a finger, and immediately one of her squad members ran up to them. With AWR in hand, he quietly cast a spell. 

Appearing before Alus and Lettie was a strange water mirror. It must’ve been a water spell, with the mirror reflecting the scenery of somewhere distant. In a sense it was like a quickly-constructed telephoto lens. But, perhaps affected by the snow, its shape was somewhat crooked. The surface rippled like water and currently showed the top of the mountain. 

As Alus leaned in for a closer look, the squad member held up his hand and fine-tuned the shape and direction of the lens. Before long, he could see something moving. It was the back of a Fiend that was leisurely descending down the mountain. 

The Fiend was three meters tall and walked on four legs. It had a wolf-like appearance and strangely-colored fur. From the way the fur blew in the wind, it seemed similar to human hair. But what stood out most was its distinctive single horn that could be seen even from behind. It was still smoking, as if it had emitted an extremely hot ray. 

“I see. That definitely looks like the guy that just attacked. It’s similar to a Lefkis, but that horn...” 

Lettie ignored Alus’s mutterings and took a bold step forward. “Right, now we know roughly where it is.” She spun her arm around, raring to go. 

Alus didn’t need to say anything. She looked like she was happy to get a chance to counter the Fiend, but in reality she probably just wanted to fire off a big spell to vent her frustration. He hoped it was just his imagination, but it was probable considering her personality. 

Lettie’s body flooding with mana was truly a dignified and powerful sight. It was the aura of someone who had absolute trust in their power. It was like a reflection of her straight and honest personality. An overwhelming amount of mana flowed from her and into her ring-shaped AWR, and her next spell would surely have extreme firepower. 

Taking a pose to aim her spell, Lettie went through the process of casting and specifying the coordinates. The next moment, no fewer than twenty red dots shone near the top of the mountain. 

After a moment’s pause, Lettie snapped her fingers. “‹‹Detonation››!!” 

When they heard the spell name, everyone aside from Alus took a step backwards. 

Immediately, a series of explosions occurred. Bright red flames covered the mountain and climbed up towards the top. It was the kind of spell Lettie specialized in, but its scale was extraordinary this time around. 

However... 

Alus, who was staring at the explosive scene, let out in an exasperated tone, “Hey, you missed.” The coordinates of Lettie’s spell were way off to the side of the top. From the distance they were at, even a slight miscalculation would lead to a difference of hundreds of meters. Fortunately the mountain didn’t collapse, but if it had hit properly, the mountaintop would have been blown away. 

“Oh?” Lettie made a dumbfounded sound. The next moment, the shockwave from her explosions hit them, ruffling her hair. 

Alus was completely unconcerned. “You were so fired up and this is the result? Are you sure your skills haven’t gotten rusty?” 

“Whaaat?! You’ve got it all wrong, Allie!” Lettie tried to make excuses upon hearing Alus’s remark. 

By now her authority as a captain had fizzled, and the coldness in her squad’s stares in her direction weren’t only from the frigid weather. 

“Don’t worry about it, Lady Lettie!” Loki tried to cheer her up, her fists tightened into balls, but it wasn’t very effective. 

“Not you too, lil Loki...” Lettie whined, but she couldn’t think of why it happened in the first place. “But why? I was a little loose with the coordinates, but I wouldn’t miss that badly.” Since Detonation covered such a wide range, there was no need for pinpoint accuracy in the targeting. Because of that, it wasn’t out of the ordinary for Lettie to have only a rough idea of what she was aiming for. Yet this time she’d missed not just the sizable target, but the terrain anywhere near it. So her question was only natural. 

Seeing that she was unable to accept the result, Alus quickly offered an explanation. “Well, that was a joke. It’s this strange snow’s fault. It appears that it doesn’t just diffuse mana, but also absorbs it. So it gets in the way of detection and middle to long range spells,” he told her. “With mana being distorted, it naturally has an influence on coordinates as well. That would be fine at a closer range but with that kind of distance, this is the result.” He reported this in a matter-of-fact way, then lifted the edges of his lips into a grin. “And so you let the target escape.” 

“Urk?! M-More importantly, why didn’t you say so sooner, Allie?!” 

“I wasn’t entirely sure. But now it’s clear. Still, you sure were flashy.” It was a serious situation, but Alus sounded frivolous. His doubts had cleared up, and now their plan going forward had become more defined. “Just learning that all magic is being obstructed is worth it. To put it another way, we’ll be able to go all out, and to try to detect every little thing will be pointless. We’ve already encountered the enemy scouts. And after such a spectacular attack, there’s no need to worry about being detected again.” 

“What should we do, Sir Alus?” Loki asked, which stopped Lettie from throwing a tantrum. 

Her question completely changed the mood, and a serious expression returned to Alus’s face. “Let’s begin with sharing information and start the plan over from square one. First, the enemy is almost definitely using the snow for magical obstruction and detection purposes. So it wouldn’t be wise to stay here. They’re not going to be able to use that spell from before over and over again, but there’s no guarantee some other spell won’t come flying our way. So I think we should aim for a base we can escape to and change our plans,” Alus said, looking over at Lettie, who nodded in return. “Lettie, we should probably split the squad. I’ll leave choosing the personnel to you.” 

“Gotcha. So we’re not letting them narrow down a target or find the location of the base.” 

Alus nodded. Whenever he had to work with a squad for some reason, there was something he was always careful of. And that was his habit of thinking of squads as fighting power rather than human beings with their own wills and lives. It wasn’t so much that he didn’t try to think that way, but rather that he wouldn’t show it. 

It was a quality that didn’t mix well with someone who cared deeply for her squad like Lettie. His coldhearted mind had already unconsciously discarded the advance party. At best, he was hoping to confirm if the spotter was alive or not. Now that the effects of the snow were clear, the spotter’s value had somewhat diminished. But he had a hunch that when dealing with this enemy, the number of quality eyes would determine the outcome. 

Under these special circumstances, any more forces—seasoned veterans or not—were probably just numbers. Taking it to the extreme, as long as they could maintain their current fighting force, they could revise their plan. It didn’t matter who was dead or alive. 

At most, he only had a preference for them being alive. His coldhearted reason for this was to keep Lettie’s mental state stable. That’s just what the life and death of other troops are to me. I’m really not suited to operate in groups. 

Alus kept his self-deprecating thoughts to himself. He wasn’t the type of person to go out of his way to spread seeds of discord on his own. 

Right now, he was feeling strangely nostalgic for his rather peaceful Institute life. After the splitting of the squad, Alus naturally ended up together with Loki. They were also accompanied by another squad member who knew the location of the base. 

Lettie’s squad ultimately was split into four groups. The plan ended up being that they would scatter and regroup at the base. That would make them more mobile, but it lowered their firepower, so they would have to avoid combat and shake off any pursuing Fiends. 

Shifting to covert operations understandably made everyone nervous, and the hope of finishing the mission quickly was looking shaky already. Anyone slipping up here could lead to the mission failing. 

“Lettie, let’s regroup at the base at 2100 hours at the latest. In the worst case we’ll need to consider pulling out of it. Tell the squad that whoever gets there first needs to be prepared.” 

“Why go through me when you can just say it yourself?” Alus had tried to go through the squad captain as usual, but Lettie just gave him an odd look. 

Alus’s own intentions aside, Lettie’s reaction made sense given the situation. Everyone already understood that there was nothing that could be done about the Demis Brionach without Alus. And while it wasn’t the case at the start, in reality, he was now the one making the plans. 

Realizing that, Alus gave up on any needless consideration, but he still left the final judgment up to Lettie. 

After some advice from Alus and sharing of information, the groups set out. 

*** 

Accompanying Alus and Loki was the healing Magicmaster. Since a healer was a valuable asset, Alus felt a little bad about having her come with them. He couldn’t tell if Lettie was being considerate, trusting him, or just pawning her off on him, but he decided not to say anything regardless. 

“Louise, was it?” Not saying anything at all was a little awkward, so Alus decided to start the conversation. At the moment they were moving at high speed, searching for the best route to the base while expending the minimum amount of mana. 

“Yes. This is my second year assigned to this squad.” Being only in her second year, she wasn’t a veteran member considering when the squad had first been established. 

Louise had a rather calm temperament, perhaps because of her role as a healing Magicmaster. She was still young, but was probably a few years older than Lettie, or so Alus thought...but then he didn’t know much about a woman’s age to begin with. 

“I see. I’m sure there must be a lot of hardships in Lettie’s squad.” 

“Huh?! Y-Yes, well...” Louise hesitated at Alus’s frank question. It seemed his words had been a little too blunt, causing an unnecessary conflict within her. At any rate, she seemed to recognize what he was talking about. 

“Of course there would be a lot of hardships in Lady Lettie’s squad, Sir Alus.” 

“I guess so,” Alus vaguely replied to Loki’s follow up. 

Louise glanced at the two, and spoke. “That’s true, there are a lot of hardships. But it’s been a lot more fun than any of the other squads I’ve been assigned to.” 

She wore a carefree smile. Despite all the fighting in the Outer World, she called it fun. That couldn’t be true if taken at face value, but Alus felt it showed she’d reached a certain level as a Magicmaster. 

Perhaps that was thanks to Lettie’s squad. At any rate, he felt her answer indicated she was rather skilled despite her youthful age. 

Unaware of Alus’s inner thoughts, Louise asked him, “Sir Alus, about that Fiend that cast that long-range spell...” 

“The Lefkis. Well, it’s probably an evolved form, but I can’t say for sure yet.” 

“It cast a spell, Brionach, you called it?” 

This was something he’d planned on bringing up when they were all together. “It was a long-range spell that looked like that, but it wasn’t any Brionach that I know of. It might be something the Fiend created on its own, or it might even be the completed form of Brionach,” Alus explained. “I don’t know if it’s an evolved version or a Variant, but I’m calling it Demis Brionach. Whenever it comes into contact with anything other than its target, it switches over to the second stage of its composition.” 

“It switches over?” Louise asked, but Loki was intently listening as well. 

“Yes. Under certain circumstances it splits and recomposes itself into a tracking projectile,” Alus politely told Louise, unaware of his tone of voice. 

Women around her age tended to throw him off. Furthermore, her attitude didn’t show the usual excessive amount of respect towards his rank as a Single. He also felt a strangely familiar sense of atmosphere with Louise. But he didn’t understand why. 

“Even if you cast an anti-Fiend barrier, it would only temporarily reflect it before the Fiend attacks again after changing its nature, is that right, Sir Alus?” 

“That’s correct.” Alus nodded at Loki’s answer. Brionach was considered one of the most powerful spells for wiping out a group of enemies. However, the spell unleashed through that horn had been further modified from the human-designed Brionach. Trying to block the spell with a barrier only made it split up more, making it exceedingly troublesome for the defending side. 

“Moreover, most people wouldn’t be able to react to that speed.” Louise was trying to come up with a countermeasure against it, but as a healing Magicmaster, it was outside her area of expertise. Even so, as a member of Lettie’s squad she had plenty of intelligence and creativity. 

“Yes. At the moment, using my special ability is the most convenient way.” Alus purposefully called his Gra Eater a “special ability” to keep it vague. It was his way of drawing a line. Even though they were both Magicmasters of Alpha, he wanted to keep his trump card hidden up his sleeve if possible. If it was only a simple special ability he’d have no reason to be nervous. 

Also, Gra Eater wasn’t all-powerful. There was a limit to how much mana it could absorb, and letting it devour everything risked having it run rampant and exposing Alus to danger. Not to mention he strongly felt the need to take his failure during the Demi Azur battle to heart. If he didn’t, his small, silver-haired partner might push herself to do something reckless again. 

As he thought that, Alus glanced over at Loki, who seemed not to notice his stare. She offered another solution. “Sir Alus, can you not use a spell to cancel it out?” 

That was a technique of using an equal or more powerful spell to collide with the other and wipe it out. Of course, only a rather high-ranking Magicmaster could use such a technique, so naturally it would be no problem for Alus. “I thought of that too, but there’s honestly no way to test it.” 

“...” His words made Loki realize the problem. Long-range or not, at that speed the defender would be at a big disadvantage. Being as powerful as it was, they would have to detect it and prepare ahead of time in order to counteract the spell. Even the barrier that Alus quickly threw up was only possible thanks to his god-like reflexes and magic construction speed. 

“This snow is working better than I expected,” Alus muttered to nobody in particular. Vanalis was a fortress that gave a topographical advantage to those who lived there. The tunnels that stretched beneath the land were one such thing, but the environment-altering snow was also persistently blocking their invasion. “As for the Lefkis, it won’t make much difference whether we focus on how to deal with it now or later.” 

He’d have to follow up with Lettie and her squad about Gra Eater. Since it was a secret between him and Berwick, he’d need them to keep quiet about it. In the end, he’d just have to trust them. Maybe the futility he was feeling was because it was Lettie. 

As he thought about these things, Alus vigilantly kept an eye on their surroundings. “Ms. Louise, as you know, I’m the only one who can deal with Demis Brionach. There shouldn’t be any danger in splitting up for now, but there will be in the future. So there is something I’d like to ask you.” 

Louise raised her head and looked at him. “If it’s anything I can tell you.” 

“Do you know if there was anyone who could use light magic in the advance party?” 

She gasped. “What does that mean?” 

“Hm? Exactly as I asked.” 

Louise furrowed her brow at Alus’s blunt and uncaring tone. He’d been considerate around Lettie, but for better or worse, Louise was the only one here now. And since it was something he’d need to confirm eventually anyway, it was better to do so when there were fewer people around to get angry. 

Loki didn’t look particularly sympathetic either. She wasn’t as bad as Alus, but she was similar to him in that she was unlikely to be moved by this. 

He didn’t see any point in putting a flower on the grave of the dead, or giving it water to keep it alive. In the Outer World, there was not even a drop of water that would be given to a flower that had already withered. 

Of course, he wasn’t one to force his values on others, and it wasn’t like he couldn’t understand how Lettie, Louise, and the others felt. He was well aware that he was capable of having inhumane thoughts. But even so... 

“...” 

Alus spoke, as Louise remained silent. “As with Lettie, I can feel a gap between me and everyone else.” 

“No, it’s just a difference in how we perceive things,” Louise answered. “You’re just the kind of person I heard you were, Sir Alus.” And she seemed to look at him with sympathy in her eyes. 

“I’m glad you’re the one who came with us,” Alus said. He strongly thought that everyone who strove to be a Magicmaster, such as his students Tesfia and Alice, should have someone like Lettie as their goal. 

However, he couldn’t see how Lettie and the squad could feel their emotions in situations like these. Others seemed to get it, but he couldn’t. Compared to them, he and Loki faced the Outer World with cold hearts. Or rather, they became indifferent to life and death. 

When they stepped into the Outer World, a lid fell that shuttered their emotions and put a cap on their feelings. They took no interest in the lives of others, and even if an acquaintance died, they’d probably just think, Again? They could always feel that cold expectation in the back of their minds. 

Even Loki could only really see colors in the world through Alus. It wasn’t a matter of right or wrong. That was just how they’d turned out. 

After a moment’s hesitation, Louise let out a sigh of resignation. Her steps turned heavier as well. “There was one...” she said hesitantly. “A Magicmaster who could use the light element. The spotter.” She turned to Alus, as if to ask why he wanted to know. 

“It’s confirmation. The origin of the spell the Lefkis used, Brionach, is a composite spell of light and lightning. In the past it’s been theorized that Fiends are incapable of handling light magic. But there’s an exception to that. And that is, if they’ve managed to acquire the magical information of the light element and take it in.” 

Alus purposefully avoided saying it out loud, but by “take it in,” he of course meant to consume it. It was then that he finally realized the reason for his politeness and sense of familiarity towards Louise. When he’d been in that squad, there had been someone very much like her. 

“Sir Alus!” As that thought ran through his mind, Loki’s tense voice reached his ears. 

“I know,” he answered in an exasperated tone, as he came to a halt. 

Once again, they hadn’t been able to detect the Fiend until it was close enough to see. And if they were using the old tunnels that reached across Vanalis, discovering them would take even longer. Even now, Loki’s warning had only come when the Fiend was one hundred meters ahead of them. 

If a part of its body hadn’t appeared above the fallen snow, they might have seen it even later. The snow wasn’t just a magical obstacle. It also worked as camouflage for the Fiends. 

A D... No, a C-class. His assessment of the situation was less accurate than usual. The medium-sized Fiend had an unusually small head and a massive body. Appearance wise, it was like a boar standing on two legs. With its large feet, it lumbered over towards Alus and the others. 

Before long, its muscular body was fully revealed above the snow. At the edges of its mouth were thick fangs that extended upwards. A large amount of steamy white air exhaled from between the fangs. 

Just as Alus put his hand on his AWR, Loki stopped him. “I will do it,” she muttered, while bringing her hands behind her back. Without waiting for his reply, she flew across the snow. 

She accelerated like a bolt of lightning, leaving behind only sparks of electricity. In the blink of an eye she closed the distance to the Fiend. But that wasn’t all. 

Loki had already gotten behind it with her eyes locked on its thick neck. She swung down the knife AWRs in her hands, unhesitatingly stabbing into the Fiend’s weak point. 

There were no wasted movements in her attack. It was the equivalent of a human’s carotid artery, but she didn’t even give the Fiend the chance to cry out in pain. Because—in the next instant—lightning ran through her AWRs and fried it from within. Kicking off the Fiend’s back as it fell forward, Loki landed back down on the snow. 

Even Alus was impressed by her skillful destruction of the core in a single hit. 

“No way?!” Louise gazed on in amazement. She’d sounded like she knew of Alus to some extent, so it wouldn’t have been surprising if she knew Loki as well. But somewhere deep down she must have underestimated her, thinking that a spotter’s fighting wouldn’t amount to much. 

In reality, Lettie had mentioned that Loki was a child soldier, one who had taken part in that horrible Magicmaster training program the military had in the past. However, that only concerned Loki. What Louise knew of Alus, she’d gotten from another source. 

The existence of the training program was a taboo subject in the military. It was an unspoken rule that they were not to talk about it. Not only had it produced a lot of casualties, but it had been deemed a failure and quietly shut down, with all major records of it being destroyed. The girl before her was a rare survivor and an even rarer success. 

Witnessing Loki fight firsthand, Louise reluctantly saw the usefulness of that inhumane training program. Even if it wasn’t ethically acceptable, the truth was that the small girl had eliminated a Fiend several times her size. And for a brief moment, Louise felt elated. If they could fill just one squad with a fighting force like this, humanity’s future would be bright. But she quickly shook her head and pressed her lips together as if to scold herself. 

Paying no heed to Louise, Alus only said a few words to Loki. “You’ve gotten better,” he said, praising her as the Fiend turned to dust. 

“I still have a long way to go,” she modestly answered, but she was unable to hide the joy in her face. Then she realized she was smiling and clamped down on her expression. 

With a wry smile, Alus looked at the Fiend that was crumbling away. “If you can take out a C-class with one hit, you should be fine against anything other than the biggest threats. And it looks like you can tell where the core is at close range. Just being able to confirm that is a great thing.” 

“Yes.” Loki was a little shaken up, but she still rejoiced. Not even she had expected she’d be able to take the Fiend down in one hit. But these kinds of things were all about testing, and she’d let a weak current run across the Fiend’s body as she launched her mana sonar at point-blank range, which had allowed her to detect the location of its core. 

Alus’s training to get her to use the mana sonar flexibly and continuously in combat had shown results and improved her abilities. That aside, his being able to accurately understand the process Loki had used, even with the snow’s obstruction, was impressive as always. Loki was used to him being amazing, but she hoped to one day be able to surprise and amaze him instead, though it looked like that day was still far away. 

“Hmm.” 

Immediately after Loki’s moment of joy, Alus’s expression turned slightly bitter, which caused her heart to skip a beat. “W-Was there a problem?” 

“Well...I don’t mind, but with this we’ll need to take a detour.” 

“Ah—!” Loki let out a yelp, but quickly covered her mouth. 

Right now, they’d split up their forces and were making their way to the base. They’d accepted that they might be detected during their march as a whole squad, but once they split up, the need to stay on guard for any mana leakage had come up again. That was true not just for Alus and his group, but for all groups. 

However, just now, Loki had used Force, mana sonar, and a lightning spell to take out the Fiend, which was likely pretty bad. It was unclear if they’d been detected by the mana emitting across the snow, but if they wanted to be sure, they would need to leave their current location and take a different route. 

“I’m sorry.” Loki lowered her head in apology. 

But Alus planted his hand on top of her head. “Just being able to skillfully deal with that Fiend was good enough. In fact, maybe looking to regroup again in two hours was asking for too much.” Having realized that his calculations had been naive, Alus suggested that they backtrack and change their route to Louise who was behind them. 

The next moment, he started up a completely different topic. “By the way, I’m curious about who it was that told you about me.” It was a question that had risen in his mind after hearing her muttering. He struggled to put it into words, but her attitude towards him was strangely nostalgic. 

Louise looked surprised for a moment, but soon collected herself, answering him with a calm smile. “From a person you know well, Sir Alus. You both started working with the military around the same time. She even visited the campus festival recently, so maybe you met her already?” 

“I don’t have a clue who you’re talking about. What’s her name?” 

“It’s Elina. Elina Ovril.” 

*** 

As the sun started to set, Alus, Loki, and Louise finally reached the base. 

Because they wanted to avoid encounters with Fiends as much as possible, they’d taken many detours, which helped Alus learn much of Vanalis’s geography. But perhaps because of that, he was in a terrible mood and had a sour look on his face. 

Loki had never seen him that upset, so even she was surprised. However, the sight of Alus sulking like a child was just so unexpected that it left a strong impression on her mind. 

Being able to hear more about Alus’s childhood from Louise as they made their way to the base was a truly happy time for Loki. Louise had only heard it from the other woman, so it was mostly hearsay. Besides, whenever that woman told Louise about Alus, she always sounded like she was bragging about him, so it was possible her stories were embellished. But seeing how Alus would frown when Louise recounted the stories gave them credibility. 

In any case, because of those stories, there was a strange mood hanging over the three as they reached the base. 

Lettie and the rest of the squad wondered what had happened. Not only did Alus have an unprecedented sulky look, but Loki had a gleeful expression she couldn’t hide, and Louise looked a little dejected, perhaps from having said too much. Incidentally, all the other groups had already arrived, and there’d been no deaths. 

“You look like you’re having fun, Allie. Did something good happen?” Lettie asked in a mischievous tone. 

Alus walked by her with an exhausted expression, and spoke without turning around. “Does this look like fun to you? Let’s start by confirming the situation.” 

The base was a hollowed-out space in a cliff face, so the rock walls were exposed, making one feel a bit cold. Nevertheless, it was equipped with the bare minimum, and inside it was spacious, going much deeper in than Alus had expected. “This place looks like an ant’s nest.” 

“It’s fine that way,” Lettie replied. “The most important thing is that the enemy hasn’t noticed it yet. So since we’re pressed for time, let’s get right to planning.” 

Alus and Loki were ushered farther into the base to what looked like a conference room with a long unshapely table in the middle of it. They’d probably just used some wood lying around to make it. They were in the Outer World, which was very different from the Inner World with its plentiful supplies. When it came to small things, Magicmasters had to be self-sufficient, so tables and things like that were mostly handmade. 

Everyone squeezed together to fit around the table. Once the Singles, Alus and Lettie, took their seats, the atmosphere abruptly changed. 

Loki’s expression hardened, and she unconsciously clenched her fists as she watched over them. 

Alus was the first to speak. “There being no deaths is great news, but how many injured are there?” 

“A handful. Well, it won’t have an impact on combat,” Lettie said. “Louise will get to work on them. They may not get back to normal right away, but at least they’ll be able to perform without problems.” 

Alus looked down at the map spread out on the table, and made a few corrections to their future route based on the information he’d gathered. 

Next, Lettie and her squad shared the information they had picked up. One group encountered three Fiends on their way to the base. While avoidance was the basic strategy, they couldn’t avoid combat in all cases. Alus and his group had been able to avoid any further encounters by taking detours, but the other groups hadn’t been as lucky. 

Lettie pointed out the locations where battle had taken place, and gave information on the enemies. 

“We’ve completely lost track of how many Fiends there are. And we can’t even make any predictions, huh?” Alus had a pensive look on his face, but then looked up from the map at Lettie as if resolving a question in his mind. 

“Oh...so ya noticed.” 

“So you think so too...” 

The two nodded as if reading each other’s minds, but most of the others were left out in the dark. Loki casually moved towards Alus and looked back and forth between his face and Lettie’s face. 

“There’s several questions on my mind, but the biggest is the Fiends’ locations and movements. Loki, imagine that there’s a military command center in the heart of Vanalis. With that premise in mind, don’t you think the Fiends’ movements and the squad’s deployment are similar to the base defense strategy often used in Alpha?” 

“I’m sorry. I don’t really understand,” Loki weakly answered in an apologetic tone, but Alus didn’t look particularly disappointed. She could make up for it with some degree of experience. If she, like Alus, experienced a wide variety of missions and was exposed to the strategizing of generals on a daily basis, she would naturally pick it up as well. Even if all she knew was the battlefield, she would easily be able to read the intentions of your average commander. 

“The Fiends have all been weaklings sent out to scout in force,” Alus said. “You could think of them as being sacrificial pawns to scout our fighting force.” 

Lettie nodded in agreement with a serious expression. She must have been feeling that something was off, just like Alus. 

All the groups had ended up in battle three or four times. At first, each group had fought weak Fiends, with the following encounters being against stronger ones. Moreover, in each battle, the type and composition of the Fiends were practically identical. 

By collating the information, they found that each squad first fought E-class Fiends with the final battle being against B-class Fiends. These weren’t chance encounters. It was clear that Fiends were being sent their way in order of strength. It was like they were being tested. 

“This smells fishy. Are these Fiends using human tactics?” Alus mused. 

“Looks like it,” Lettie said. “But that Lefkis seemed to be on its own.” 

“Yeah. My hunch tells me that it wasn’t a commander ordering it, but an entity outside of the strategy, like a lone wolf sniper.” 

“So is it the other A-class? The Ogma? That would mean it’s not just intelligent, but it’s also commanding the Fiends.” Lettie found her own words hard to believe. 

“It might be using the dark element to control them. It’s not impossible, you know. I dealt with a criminal who used magic to control others. There’s a difference between human and Fiend, but the dark element should work the same way.” 

He had a clear memory of that criminal. That dark element-using Magicmaster didn’t just command, but completely controlled their minds and manipulated them against their will. However, research on the two elements—light and dark—still lagged behind other research. So not even Alus was sure how such a thing would work. But it was clear that it was possible. 

“What’s that? I haven’t heard about that.” 

“And why would you? There’s probably more things you don’t know than you do.” 

“Sir Alus, I haven’t heard about it either...” Just like Lettie, Loki looked a little dissatisfied at his response. 

For some reason he felt like he was being accused of being unreliable. He rubbed his temple. So what if he didn’t share everything that happened with them? A woman’s heart was still something he couldn’t understand. “If saying it satisfies you...I’m sorry.” 

He apologized just in case, which prompted Lettie and Loki to giggle to one another. They made an odd pair, and for some reason he felt like he’d been had. Perhaps because he was slightly shaken by that, Alus bluntly moved to a more sensitive topic. “So, did you find the advance party?” 

“No...not yet. All we’ve done is recover the supplies.” 

“I see. Considering the situation, the fact that they didn’t bring the supplies in themselves, they’re already...” 

Lettie’s answer had been a simple one, but when Alus saw the complicated expression appear on her face, he realized his failure. 

“It’s fine. If anything, I want to hear your opinion too, Allie.” Although the truth was that Alus didn’t need to say anything, since Lettie already had a hunch about the situation. 

Alus pretended not to notice her expression, and calmly analyzed the matter. “They must have left the supplies because of an emergency, especially since they were so close to the base. They wouldn’t have wanted the main base to be discovered by Fiends. So it’s natural to assume they retreated, or moved to a more suitable place to fight.” 

“They’re probably standing by in another base,” Lettie agreed, after a pause. 

Alus felt like he’d mismanaged the discussion. He’d fought alongside Lettie plenty of times, and he was well aware of her personality and methods. This time, however, he was in her squad, so perhaps he should avoid saying anything unnecessary. He wasn’t the type to be considerate of others, but he owed Lettie for the Demi Azur incident. 

That’s when Louise spoke up. “Lady Lettie, I have something to say!” She must have wanted to save Alus from having to say it. 

But that consideration made Alus realize his own inadequacy. For a moment he’d shown Lettie unnecessary pity out of concern. They were both Singles. Doing things in that roundabout way was like undermining the other person. 

“No, I’ll say it.” Alus stopped Louise, and shared the information on Demis Brionach. Like he’d said before, Brionach was based on the light element, which was an element the Fiends normally couldn’t use. He then bluntly explained his theory on how it would be possible if they preyed on someone with that ability. 

“I see,” Lettie answered in an unexpectedly calm voice, before she fell silent. She couldn’t stay indifferent to people dying like Alus did. 

If anything, it was Alus who was flawed as a human. “I’m not the type to hang onto pointless hope. It’s probably too late for the spotter at least,” Alus said. In his own clumsy way, he was being sincere. Even if he wanted to offer some considerate words to console her, he wasn’t qualified to do so. All he could do was present the truth, even if it hurt the other party. 

In the Outer World, cheap words of comfort meant nothing. He wondered if he would be able to spit out a lie if it meant improving the squad’s morale. If it benefited him, could he fill someone’s heart with shallow comfort? 

Alus searched for the answer in his heart. His core was as cold as steel, which in turn made his heart colder. 

After a moment of silence, Lettie quietly muttered, “What are the chances?” 

“Hm?” 

“I mean, what are the chances that the advance party survived?” 

“To be honest, I don’t know. It’s possible that I’m wrong on how Fiends can learn the light element. But if you keep your hopes up, you’ll end up disappointed,” Alus said, as if he were talking to himself. Regardless if this was a lesson learned from experience or otherwise, everyone in the room understood what he meant. 

“That’s how it always goes. Thanks,” Lettie said. However, the gentle expression she had when she said this didn’t belong to a Magicmaster. She put her hand on her forehead and tugged at her bangs with a pained expression. “It hurts, having more people to mourn...” 

“Sorry. I’m not sensitive enough to be able to agree with you so easily. But then again, I’m used to seeing that expression, so I can understand how you feel.” 

Lettie let out a sorrowful sigh that was probably filled with regret. She’d been the one who gave the order to form an advance party to carry the supplies. But that was Lettie for you. “They were soldiers too. It’s not like I was babysitting some kids,” she muttered to herself. 

All Magicmasters in the Outer World were like that. They continued moving forward even if it meant stepping over their dead allies. If they couldn’t do that, they needed to retreat back to the Inner World. 

“Allie, do you know how to get over a situation like this?” 

“Not really. I’ve never thought too hard about it.” 

“Wow, that’s cold. Well, that’s probably fine too, but it’s not good for you.” Lettie was forcing herself to look cheerful. 

Alus noticed that, and decided to go along with it. Being as awkward as he was, all he could do was to act like he always did. “I don’t need you to tell me how I should handle things. But since you seem to want to say something, let’s hear it.” 

“You need to be more honest with yourself,” Lettie said, with a shrug and a wry smile. She stood and put her hands on her hips. “You spend time together. You continue going in the same direction. Those who survive just quietly continue carrying out their mission day by day! Just like they always have. That’s the only way to carry on the feelings of those who have passed.” 

“...” 

“That’s why we’re definitely going to take Vanalis. And then we’ll all have a laugh together.” 

Alus felt like she was talking about the mental side of things. He could tell she was talking about something he would probably never understand. After all, contrary to Lettie’s method of dealing with the deaths, so far all Alus had done was to turn his back and give up on them. 

Lettie might be right that it wasn’t good for him, but it was too late to change. At the same time he was envious of her way of life. That was why he said something he didn’t truly believe. “Yeah, maybe so.” 

Even he felt that was pretty transparent. He mocked himself for the cheap reply. Just knowing he would never understand the other side was a chilling feeling. 

The side that Lettie was on was full of friends, living and dead. And the side Alus was on was one of inescapable loneliness. It was cold and dark, a wasteland for the soul. There, Alus was alone. He could never come over to Lettie’s side. Even if it were just a white line painted on the ground, just one step away, he would never be able to cross it. That was why her side was so overwhelmingly bright. 

But he wouldn’t let that get him down. He was well beyond that stage. He would simply walk down that harsh, lonely path on his own until he reached its end. 

Suddenly, a tug on his sleeve brought his consciousness back to the surface. When he looked down, he could see the silver hair of the one behind the small act. 

The silver-haired girl didn’t even look up at him. She simply pulled at his sleeve as if to say this was where she belonged. That she would be by his side, supporting him, felt like a weight on his shoulders. 

She voluntarily chose to stay with him. She was a fool who chose the only place where cold winds blew. 

Alus didn’t look her way. But the sensation of her small hand pulling at his sleeve remained. 

In the end, his loneliness was easily overturned. This made him realize that he wouldn’t be left alone in the shadows, which almost made him feel sentimental. 

He felt an impulse to examine Loki’s expression, but was convinced it would look just as he imagined. Beneath that silver hair was surely an expression filled with gentleness. She was foolish enough to give up her own life over a coin-toss of a decision. That way, she could leave everything up to fate, because it was all for Alus’s sake. 

That’s why her presence, and the sensation of her small warm hand, brought a change to his expressionless face. “That’s true...it doesn’t change what we need to do,” Alus muttered. 

“Ha ha, I see you’re as dry as always, Allie. Then it’s about time we get back to work as Magicmasters. For starters, I’d like to hear what you need from us right now,” Lettie said in a playful tone. There was no longer any hesitation in her expression. Instead it was straightforward and strong, ready to fulfill her mission, the very picture of a Magicmaster. 

At this point, Alus wasn’t reluctant to give her counsel. Like Lettie, he carried the title of Single. In these situations, his personality that let him abandon any pointless consideration was a welcome thing. 

That said, he never really had much in the way of consideration for others to begin with. But now, by comparison, he felt like he was getting swept away by emotions. Perhaps that was because of his time at the Institute? Or maybe this is Fia’s and Alice’s influence...either way... 

Alus changed gears, putting on his Outer World mask once more. It was different from the one he’d used when running around the Outer World alone, and also from the one he used when he lived a leisurely life in the human domain. “All right, let’s get to business.” 

When Alus said that, Lettie and her squad changed their expressions. Sajik folded his arms with a fearless smile, while Mujir gazed down at the map with a serious expression. These two were Lettie’s right-hand men. With Alus and their captain on the move, they were full of motivation. 

“You will eliminate the Ogma and Lefkis without me and Lettie. We’ll ignore the other high-classed Fiend you’ve confirmed for now. With anomalies happening in Vanalis, there are too many uncertain elements, so we’ll prioritize those two troublesome Fiends,” Alus explained. “If we can at least eliminate the two, it’ll become a lot easier to defeat the leader. And as for those two, don’t worry, I’ve got a lead. Now then, I’m only going to tell you this once, so make sure you listen closely.” 

He confirmed that everyone was listening properly, then shared his analysis of the current situation, as well as the strategy he’d developed. 

The Fiends that the advance party had encountered, as well as the ones encountered by the groups when the squad split up, were most likely brainwashed by the Ogma. They served as the Ogma’s eyes, ears, and limbs. Surprising or not, this was the Outer World. It wouldn’t be impossible for a Fiend to evolve to attain such intelligence. 

In recent years, such abnormal evolution had become particularly noticeable. That’s why he thought the Fiend was likely analyzing them with the information it had as well. It would be best to assume that all information from the ones who’d fought had been leaked to the enemy. There were even fewer reasons to deny that the first Fiends they’d fought had been sent as sacrificial pawns to measure their abilities. 

With the environment of Vanalis itself having changed, it was now a different world that not even Alus could fully figure out. If I take the time to do it on my own, I should be able to handle it... No, there’s no point in that. If he were to make a mistake, the whole plan would be shaken up. 

Moreover, Lettie and her squad were the ones assigned the mission. Compared to them, Alus had little experience fighting in a squad, and no experience in backing others up. He and Loki were only here as helpers, but having come all this way, that wouldn’t be enough. 

“The Ogma can’t be ignored. The first Fiend we came across was definitely an A-class, and if it could brainwash even that one, then we can’t afford to ignore it. But that aside, the Lefkis’s long-range Demis Brionach needs to be dealt with immediately. In the worst case, it could wipe us all out.” 

“Hm? You’re the only one who can deal with it, right Allie?” 

“Yeah, right now I can only use my special ability.” 

Lettie lightly reacted to the words “special ability.” After the Demi Azur battle, she had directly confronted Berwick about it. In the end, though, even she was brushed off, meaning that it was an extremely highly classified matter. “That was that black haze, wasn’t it? During the Demi Azur mission, Ms. Rinne said that just touching it would be dangerous.” 

“There’s no doubt about it. It doesn’t care about friend or foe. And if it absorbs too much mana, it goes out of control.” 

Lettie looked surprised that Alus didn’t so much as hesitate to expose his secret. He’d been prepared for that since the moment he decided to use it as his trump card. Of course, if it wasn’t Lettie, he would have kept it secret. 

“Are you sure? The Governor-General never told me anything in the end.” 

“You make it sound like you tortured him.” 

“How rude! Like a frail young maiden would turn to torture. Well, I did poke him here and there, but he never spat anything up.” 

The only ones who could take that kind of attitude with the Governor-General were the two Singles. Or perhaps it was just because Alus and Lettie were special. 

“I’m not sure that’s much better. Well, either way, I had no choice but to reveal it anyway. But don’t misunderstand, there’s still a lot even I don’t know about my special ability.” 

“Gotcha! Still, I feel like you and I are much closer now.” 

“That’s just your imagination.” 

“Meanie.” 

Just like with Loki, it seemed to Alus that sharing secrets with women made them overreact. 

For some reason, Loki stepped in. “Please leave it at that, Lady Lettie. Sir Alus’s special ability is a military secret. I experienced it firsthand. Even if there’s a limit to how much it can absorb, it’s very powerful and amazing,” she said, as if to say that she knew more about it. 

Lettie grinned at her. “I know about the limit and everything else. After all, Allie just told me.” 

Realizing that her childish one-upmanship had been seen through, Loki blushed and turned her head away. 

The mood had turned pretty sloppy, but being too serious could end up backfiring too. So Alus ignored the current flow of the conversation, and continued on. “Lettie, and Sajik using Force, are probably the only ones who could dodge Demis Brionach. But even then you wouldn’t come out unharmed.” He didn’t include Loki because she couldn’t control her Force as precisely as Sajik. 

“So the top priority is the Lefkis,” Lettie said. “And the Ogma after that. So who’s behind the snow, then?” 

Alus had no immediate answer for her casual question. That was indeed the problem. Environment-altering spells were all expert level or above. Magic may have originated with Fiends, but a normal Fiend would never be able to use spells at that level. 

It was clear that a Fiend higher than an A-class was involved. Moreover, the Vanalis mission had a time limit. Ever since the Demi Azur incident the Outer World had been busy, and if an S-class marched on Alpha while its two Singles were away, they wouldn’t stand a proper chance. If that happened, the damage would be horrible. 

Not to mention that time wasn’t their only enemy. The Fiends had already detected Alus and the others. They might have been able to deceive their eyes for now, but there was a limit to the squad’s food supply. So they likely wouldn’t be able to stay under the radar until things calmed down. If the Fiends surrounded them and closed in, Alus and the others would be flushed out eventually. 

“It’s most likely the S-class that is dominant here that’s responsible for the snow, but...” Alus paused for a moment, letting the serious mood fill the room. 

While everyone was silent, Loki asked, “What if it’s not?” 

“Exactly. There’s a risk of thinking that’s the one who is responsible, and going all out against them. But either way, this snow is putting us at a disadvantage. It can throw off a Detonation, so it will be very difficult to hit from a distance. Meanwhile, they can attack us without obstruction, just like the Lefkis did.” 

Alus spoke bluntly, and with some bitterness in his tone. “At any rate, we’re limited as to time. We need a method to deal with both the S-class and A-class Fiends. I was thinking of splitting up into groups and eliminating them individually, but that lowers the chances of success.” 

It was natural for a lot to be asked of them on missions to the Outer World. Alus was used to it, and it wasn’t the kind of thing to make a fuss about. However, this time it was a harsh choice, and he had an ominous feeling. 

It wasn’t just limited to him either, as Lettie casually spoke up. “Well, that’s fine. When it’s all or nothing, the chances of success aren’t going to change even if you think too hard about it. You know that too, don’t you, Allie?” She said it so naturally that it sounded like it was something normal, instead of something that was life-threatening. 

The Outer World was constantly changing, putting Magicmasters through many hardships. And Magicmasters were the ones who used their power and wits to overcome that. Lettie and her squad had always done so before. And they would do so now as well, rather than believe in something as unreachable as perfection. 

Alus wouldn’t go so far as to call them reliable, but he did smile for a moment, before tightening his expression. If they wanted to complete the mission in a short period of time, they would need to do it the hard way. 

Knowing that, he held up four fingers. “Taking them out one at a time is impossible. We still haven’t found the S-class, not to mention all the tunnels running through the region. If we narrow down our target, it’ll probably manage to evade detection and bring things into a war of attrition...” 

“...And if that happens, we won’t have the room to eliminate it,” Lettie finished for him. 

If the Ogma was throwing Fiends at Alus and the squad as part of a plan, it would be steadily learning their strengths and weaknesses. After seeing Alus’s battle against the chrysalis-type Fiend, it probably wouldn’t bring all the Fiends down onto them. Nor would it try for a one-on-one battle. 

And by feasting on the advance party victims, the Ogma must’ve picked up a lot of knowledge and information. Of course, it was probably information it didn’t have access to before, so it was unlikely to be able to apply it. 

But maybe that was wishful thinking. That information might have already been shared with the S-class. Fiends working together was normally impossible, but in Vanalis the impossible was already happening. The basic premise should be that their prior experience was useless here. 

Taking all that into account, there weren’t many options left for Alus and the others. “We’ll have to play their game and outsmart them. There are conditions that must be fulfilled before we can defeat the biggest target, the S-class. Well, it’s not like we’re going to lose in a battle of intelligence against a mere monster.” 

Then he showed everyone the way to claim Vanalis. The strategy looked similar to a chess game, using intelligence rather than force to eliminate the king. “If the S-class appears, Lettie and I will take it on. I don’t know what kind of Fiend it is, but let’s work on the assumption that it’s responsible for the snow. There’s a risk involved if we’re wrong, but we can’t afford to ignore the enemy’s strongest piece. At the very least we’ll need to take on the leader. I also have a few ideas about where big Fiends may be lurking.” 

Alus had a sense of the terrain from an old map of Vanalis. It didn’t have detailed information on the tunnels, but he’d added in the information he’d gotten by seeing things for himself. “I’d like to leave eliminating the Ogma to Sajik, and the Lefkis to Mujir. Loki, you’ll join Mujir’s group.” 

Loki looked shocked. She’d been convinced she would stay with Alus. She turned her eyes to Alus, wanting to say something, but he stopped her with a stern look. 

Alus had his own ideas for choosing the people he did. Since he’d gone that far, not even Loki could openly show her displeasure. As his partner, she couldn’t afford to challenge his authority and risk sullying his name. So, reluctantly, she closed her eyes and backed down. 

After noting this, Alus continued. “We’ll also select a separate search party for the advance party. They’ll set out after us.” This was a suggestion that took the squad’s coordination into account. It was unusual for him, and if anything it was a bad gamble. He never would’ve approved such a plan in the past. 

Since we’re working together, their strength will be key. Still, I’m surprised at myself for thinking this is the best move. He had honest praise for Lettie’s squad, who was at the center of the plan. “I’ll leave choosing the personnel to Lettie.” 

“In that case, don’t worry. Relying on these idiots can be pretty fun. It feels great giving orders from above and watching them break their backs to get it done.” Lettie mischievously grinned at Alus. 

Humans were never perfect, and with countless unpredictable possibilities, any plan would have its holes. That’s why Alus rarely put much trust in such things. But here he was, presenting a plan to try to move the situation along, despite knowing that one’s own judgment and abilities as a Magicmaster made all the difference in the Outer World. 

“All right, let’s wrap this up. We just have to do the same thing as always, kill the Fiends. That is all.” Alus concluded the meeting, and the tension hanging over the squad dissipated as they all broke into smiles. 

While the squad members chatted away over how nice and simple that was, the long strategy meeting finally came to an end.