Thirtieth Chapter
Exposed Truth
Cheers rocked the building even now.
The heady excitement from the magical martial arts demonstration that had just concluded in Iblis’ stadium was still going strong. Traces of mana, remnants from the eye-popping magical exchange, were even now floating about.
The audience’s passionate cheers reverberated through the venue. For them, it was like the demonstration was still going on. There were neither words of praise, nor voices of astonishment. There were just loud cheers like a sound explosion had gone off.
The magical martial arts demonstration was only one part of the program intended to liven up the tournament, but everyone felt the level of this year’s demonstration was above those of previous years. The impressive and heated display had entranced almost everyone in the venue. And the thunderous applause continued for a while even after the seven Magicmasters stepped off the stage.
Of course, there were also some that wondered about the masked Magicmaster that had stood a head above the rest. But in the end, he was written off as being plausible for a Magicmaster from Alpha, the nation that had achieved the most out of all the seven nations. And then there was the general frenzy in the audience that swept away all of the questions.
The power of Magicmasters was the power of humanity today. And when shown magic at that level, even if one was unfamiliar with magic, the threat of Fiends felt very distant. It was a negligence born from innocence that didn’t take responsibility.
Someone with a cynical point of view would say that the audience simply wanted to rely on the insurance that their tomorrow would be just as peaceful as today. That was why citizens warmly welcomed the existence of Magicmasters who possessed power far beyond them. The audience would welcome even someone capable of such an overwhelming display of power so long as they would let them forget the threat of Fiends.
That aside... If the demonstration had a winner, most votes would go without a doubt to that masked Magicmaster. While there had been some glitches, anyone who watched the demonstration could tell that the masked Magicmaster—Alus—had an overwhelming amount of mana and precise magic construction. Moreover, it was clear who had possessed Minerva for the longest time and unleashed the most powerful spells.
However... those with a deeper understanding of magic could read a little further into what had happened.
At the end of a passage different from the ones that led to the regular stands, the top floor of the stadium could be accessed, a place where only the privileged were permitted. And right now, three people could be seen triumphantly walking through this passage. In front of and behind them were high-ranking Magicmasters serving as bodyguards, keeping their eyes open for any threats.
The beauty cheerfully walking in front was the first one most would notice. She was Alpha’s ruler, Cicelnia il Arlzeit. Her long black hair gently swayed back and forth, speaking volumes of her dignity. Ever since the demonstration, she’d had a spring in her step, as if she’d sprouted wings.
Behind her was Governor-General Berwick, and a somewhat scowling Lettie.
“That Hydrange Magicmaster is bad news. Dakia Agnois, was it...? Have you heard anything about her, Governor-General?” Lettie asked.
“Only rumors. But if you’re going to say that much, she must be quite skilled.”
“Are you serious?! You didn’t notice?”
“Do you think my senses are as sharp as yours or Alus’ senses? Well, I think I’m at least fit enough for my own job,” Berwick replied.
“That’s just neglect, you know. You should stop doing all that paperwork and move your body around at the frontlines.”
“I would just be getting in your way. I learned what I’m suited for several decades ago,” Berwick said. He looked down at his uniform, pulled taut over his excess flab, and smiled wryly as if to agree that he could stand to exercise a little more.
Despite the relaxed atmosphere, Lettie’s brow remained furrowed.
“... Was she really that bad?” Berwick asked.
“Allie managed to deal with her, but that last spell was seriously bad news.”
“That’s awfully vague.”
“What do you think I am, Governor-General? Some kind of magic nerd like Allie?” Lettie shook her head, but it wasn’t like she didn’t understand Berwick’s point. She knew her explanation was ambiguous. She relied on her senses cultivated through her Outer World missions to pick up on dangers, but it was practically pure instinct.
During the final moments of the demonstration, Lettie had gotten goose bumps from a danger she would never overlook in the Outer World. It was hard to put into words, but she tried her best to explain it to Berwick. “Well, it’s a little different from the magic I use. I guess its purpose is different. It’s definitely not a spell you’d use in a demonstration. It’s like a taboo, I guess?”
“—!! I can’t ignore that!”
“It’s just an example.”
Taboos were spells that were forbidden on a national level. Their use and acquisition were prohibited for everyone.
Looking back through history, magic had always been developed with the goal of eliminating Fiends in mind. But in the past, there hadn’t been any rules for researching magic, so it had been a chaotic, lawless field.
Back when it was difficult to test things using Fiends, the lethality and power of spells were determined by using humans. As a result, there were plenty of spells developed that indiscriminately killed on a large scale. By now, they were nearly all designated as taboo.
Simply put, taboos were spells that had the potential to be more lethal for humans and Fiends. Moreover, spells that were deemed inhumane or that carried extreme risk were labeled as taboo. Of course, such merciless and reckless research had contributed a lot to modern magic. The present day had been built upon the darkness of the past.
Considering all of this, Lettie was saying that this Magicmaster was meddling with spells in the gray zone, close to what would be labeled as taboo.
That was why Berwick pressed her for more information with a stern look. “Tell me more.”
“It’s not the kind of taboo you’re thinking of. I’m talking about how the spell came about.”
“Your explanations are too reliant on instinct. I’m not asking you to get into the gritty details like Alus would do, just explain it so I can understand.”
“Oh, fine... the composition of magic differs slightly from nation to nation because of traditions, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. While there are differences in their tendencies, they all approach magic by trying to perfect it as best they can.”
“Yes, I know that much. By introducing your own magic formula it’s possible to alter the phenomenon that is magic to put it to various uses such as defense or offense, leading to its development for military use. And when striving for the perfect magic that will allow us to control it freely, the magic that Fiends use is one of its ideal forms. Not that that is something we can say in public.”
“I see you’ve talked about this with Allie. Well, that’s right. What I felt was a danger signal coming from that way of thinking...”
“Hmm?”
“More specifically, the spell that woman was trying to put together felt like it was built on the same basis as the spells that are considered taboo today. The construction of the spells from back then go through a unique process.”
“Even if it’s not designated as taboo, I hear that a lot of spells from that era can be useful under certain conditions. It wouldn’t be strange for Dakia Agnois to be a user of such magic.” Berwick felt it wasn’t completely impossible.
But Lettie just sighed and shook her head. “No, this wasn’t on the level of just slightly unusual. It was on the level of giving me goosebumps. Not to mention Allie using such an advanced spell to overwrite it. He used Phoenix, a spell not even listed in the spell encyclopedia. He probably chose it because it was the easiest spell that could overwrite her formula. That kind of summoning magic has very detailed information requirements, but considering that the original magic was so dissimilar, it makes sense.”
“I see. I understand what you’re trying to say. Hydrange has an ace up their sleeve, it seems,” Berwick mused.
“It’s not supposed to be possible to deliberately manipulate the rankings, but that’s only really reserved for the higher rankings. It is possible to adjust a lower rank by restricting the elimination of Fiends. That woman is probably really dangerous.”
Lettie shifted her stare away from Berwick to glance at the arena below, where the stage was being cleaned up after the demonstration.
The last object on the stage—Minerva, the almighty relic—was being taken away under heavy security.
Lettie and Berwick wordlessly watched as it left the stage. When suddenly—
“You really enjoy dangerous topics like that, don’t you, Ms. Lettie?”
Cicelnia had spoken out from the head of the party. The ruler was in high spirits, and had spun around to walk backwards like a little girl. Her steps were as light as ever.
She opened, then shut the fan in her hand, as if playing with it, and flashed a mischievous grin. “Alus is number one, and isn’t it a fine thing? You could hear the cheers for him even from here. I never imagined it would feel this good to have a Magicmaster from Alpha shine in the spotlight. I feel like I can even accept Lithia’s rude behavior with a generous heart.”
“Indeed...” However, Berwick couldn’t share Cicelnia’s exaltation. After all, this was mainly just a farce meant to cheer her up. The rulers that attended the rulers conference should already have an idea of who that masked Magicmaster was to begin with.
But by having Alus participate in that farce, she might have shown off his loyalty to her. That would put a check on those who hoped to take Alus for themselves by using the fact that he was a student.
By putting Alus’ power on display, she was also able to raise the students’ morale. And if that helped the Second Magical Institute to win the tournament, then it wasn’t all that bad.
“Well, it is fine...” With all kinds of things to consider, Berwick’s answer came out rather dull.
But with her mood soaring high, Cicelnia brushed it off with a smile... or not. “What? It sounds like you have something you want to say.”
Seeing her temples twitch, Berwick cleared his throat and quickly said, “Yes, as you would expect from Alus. A demonstration it might be, but only the Singles from the other nations would be a suitable match for him.”
“Of course!”
Cicelnia nodded, her cheeks puffed up with pride. She then covered them with her pale hands to keep herself from showing an unsightly expression. She might have been flushed with a sense of superiority, but her joy was far from common.
This was the first time Lettie, and even Berwick, saw her showing a cute smile befitting her age.
If it hadn’t been for Alus, this wouldn’t have happened, Berwick thought to himself. But having succeeded at cheering up the moody ruler, a weight fell off his shoulders.
“I should thank Alus for having him go along with my selfishness,” Cicelnia noted.
“He probably wouldn’t complain over something like this,” Berwick said.
“I hope not...” Cicelnia toned down her innocent joy and spun around once more, wearing a disturbed expression.
Silence fell over the three for a time. When the exit came into view, Cicelnia seemed to recall something and looked that way. Before long, the silhouette of a woman appeared in the white light filtering in through the stadium exit.
The woman flashed a smile at them. She wore a familiar apron dress. Welcoming her master Cicelnia, Rinne gave her a graceful curtsy. Waiting next to her was a black magic car.
“I heard the reports, Rinne.” A few minutes later in the magic car gliding over the ground, Cicelnia spoke to Rinne in a dignified voice.
She should have only just returned from her infiltration mission in Balmes, but she showed no signs of exhaustion. But what she spoke of in a polite tone completely changed the atmosphere inside the car.
The reality Rinne spoke of was just so aberrant that it far exceeded Cicelnia’s imagination. While it was generally what Alus had anticipated, the shock she felt at having it confirmed was extraordinary.
It sank in even deeper when Lettie grew pale at the news.
By the time the hotel they were staying at came into view, Cicelnia was racking her brain to think up plans, her expression turning to that of a realistic veteran ruler. “Berwick, the situation has already exceeded expectations, has it not?”
“Yes... though it’s hard to believe. However, the situation is indeed serious. We must make a move as soon as possible.” Berwick covered his mouth with his thick hand as he broke into a cold sweat. It wasn’t too late yet—but he could picture the despair in his mind.
“Just understanding that is more than enough, Berwick. If this is the situation, then it is clear what we must do. I will take it from here. I really am glad I took Ms. Lettie with me,” Cicelnia said in an almost strangely calm tone.
It wasn’t like she didn’t understand the situation they were in. She understood it, but the realization hadn’t quite sunk in.
To her, the Outer World was just another factor in the game. All to freely control the world, managing the nation and seizing hold of humanity’s future through the board game that was international politics.
That was a clear sign of her lack of common sense, but because of her ability to look over everything rationally and with a cool head, she excelled as a player in that game.
The magic car carrying the four smoothly stopped in front of the hotel.
The first to step out of the door as it opened automatically was Cicelnia. Without even turning to look back, she majestically walked towards the lobby. The corners of her mouth were slightly raised, giving off a sly impression.
Sometimes not even Alus had a clue what she was thinking, and after this she would put together elaborate plans for this game in that sublime brain of hers. It could be interpreted as serious and fearless, but it would be difficult for anyone to read into the truth behind it. However, it was definitely a representation of the strange depth and complexity of her intricate personality.
“Rinne, we will be making the preparations. Make the call to the high-ranking officials from all the nations that have gathered here. We will use this hotel’s top floor. Once preparations are complete, call for Alus.”
“Understood.”
“Fufufu, it is easy to move those that have no say. The problem is how much the other rulers will butt in. But, oh well... not that I intend to let them. Lastly, is Alus. I wonder if Rinne will be enough to satisfy him,” Cicelnia said with an innocent smile. It was as if she were quietly burning with a fighting spirit, about to step into her own personal battlefield soon.
Alus wasn’t the only one about to be dragged into something no good.
***
“Sir Alus... there is work to do,” Rinne, who had shown up at Alus’ hotel room, said this with slight surprise in front of the door that had opened before she could knock. “Lady Cicelnia is calling for you.”
“Give me a moment,” Alus said. He went back into his room and quickly got ready.
Not one to obediently follow after Rinne without even knowing where they were going, Alus sarcastically said, “So, how did your ‘errand’ go?”
“... I believe Lady Cicelnia will explain that herself later.”
Rinne felt her heart skip a beat. Just how much had he seen through? While thinking this, she focused on relaxing her twitching cheeks in a way he wouldn’t notice.
Her magic eye—the Eye of Providence—gave her extraordinary information-gathering capabilities... to the point of earning her the title of Alpha’s Eye. Yet she couldn’t help but wonder if his deductive powers exceeded hers.
Rinne felt like she’d played it off well, but Alus showed no change. If anything, his sarcasm was mostly a means to vent. But venting at Cicelnia’s servant was pointless.
However... Alus thought that it seemed the warning he’d given her hadn’t been quite enough. If that was all it took for her to forget it, it hadn’t been very impactful. He would need to give a far more shocking warning if he wanted to lock her down completely.
That said, considering the scale of the trouble she was about to pawn off on him, nobody would blame him for a few harsh words thrown at her. But nothing had been decided yet, so it was still rash to assume, Alus thought, as he followed Rinne downstairs and they headed for the lobby’s back door.
Perhaps they’d cleared the people out, because there wasn’t even a receptionist at the front desk. Further down the corridor were several floating machines like the one Lettie had used. They were directly connected to the upper floors where the VIPs stayed.
Rinne slid her pass across and activated the machine. Before long, the thin board Alus and Rinne stood on began rising without a sound.
Alus leaned against a transparent wall with his arms crossed. “Is the Governor-General going to sit in too?”
“Yes. Lady Lettie has already arrived as well.”
Alus felt a serious headache coming on after hearing that answer. He only wished that this pain could be converted into mental damage like in the training grounds.
***
“And how long are we expected to wait, Lady Cicelnia?” As Alus was making his way to the room, a man wearing the uniform of some nation’s high-ranking officials spoke out with clear irritation in his tone. He wore a bitter expression in his seat at the corner of where two tables met. In this meeting room the tables had been arranged to form a rectangle.
Seated in the chairs around the tables were the rulers of the various nations, along with Governors-General, all with a serious atmosphere hanging over them. For some nations, high-ranking officials close in position took the place of rulers who couldn’t be there.
Even if it was Alpha’s ruler who had summoned them, it was still so early it was questionable to call it morning. Of course, that made it more likely that it was a serious situation, but there had been no explanations so far.
Everyone wore their dissatisfaction on their sleeves. The man who’d spoken up was just someone who’d finally lost his patience.
“Please wait just a moment. We are still waiting for one more to arrive. It will only take more time if we start without him.” Cicelnia, who had called this emergency meeting, didn’t flinch in the slightest at the stares coming her way, as she elegantly handled the irritated man.
The topic still hadn’t been revealed, but most present assumed it had to do with the recruitment of students. All rulers and high-ranking officials with a hand in politics knew that restrictions on recruiting Magicmasters in the tournament had been loosened in the last rulers conference. It was only natural that Alpha would vehemently oppose this, seeing as how the current ranked No. 1 was now also a student, but the other nations weren’t planning on overturning that decision.
Eventually, the sound of knocking on the door rang out through the room. Seeing the greatest Magicmaster appear in the doorway, the rulers and other VIPs exchanged looks, as if they had known this was coming.
Alus, who was in the eye of the storm, simply wore an annoyed expression. He left Rinne and came to stand behind Cicelnia. “You shrew,” he quietly muttered so that only she could hear, yet she just brushed it off.
“Now then—we are finally all gathered, so let us begin.”
Alus could hear the others start to stir, and with that, he looked over his surroundings.
From what he could see, the rulers gathered were Rusalca’s Lithia, Cicelnia, and Holtal from Balmes. Not all the rulers were present, but if his memory served him right, Iblis’ Haorge Maizon Jecopheres was also here at the table.
Besides them were Governors-General and high-ranking officials serving in the place of their rulers. With the urgency of the summoning, Magicmasters were allowed in the room as guards. But the only Singles here aside from Alus were Lettie and Jean, who stood behind Lithia.
Lettie’s usual innocent look was gone from her expression, as she simply stood there without making a stir. Even the bold—or rather insolent—Alus couldn’t carefreely strike up a conversation with her.
Sitting in front of Alus was Cicelnia, and in front of Lettie was Berwick. The two had important-looking documents on the table before them, and Alus had never seen such conflicted expressions on their faces before. The atmosphere around them was also tense enough to make their faces look pale.
Cicelnia had a derisive smile on her face, but the fan on her lap remained firmly closed. After a short pause she spoke deliberately. “This is an urgent situation, so I will omit any preface. However, while the information that has come to me is all but confirmed, we still don’t have a full grasp of the situation... so can I ask you to explain instead, Lord Holtal?”
“—!!”
Her demeanor was soft and graceful, but the firm will behind the words themselves was like a cold blade.
Realizing that this meeting was going to go in a completely different direction than expected, a shocked expression came over the participants as if they were struck by fear after Cicelnia’s sharp opening remarks. Their eyes also turned from Cicelnia to Holtal, who sat diagonally across from her.
Seated next to Holtal was an old female general. Her eyes, wide open in surprise, slowly turned towards Holtal as if to confirm his expression. Her gesture seemed to say that she had suspected something as well, but had no proof.
A single drop of sweat ran down Holtal’s face.
Seeing that Holtal was hesitant to speak, the other participants spoke up to confirm the truth.
“What is the meaning of this, Lord Holtal? To be truthful, I don’t even have an idea as to why we were called here.”
“Is it like Lady Cicelnia said? Do you know something?”
“...” Faced with the stares, Holtal pressed his lips shut. Surely they couldn’t know? No, this was Cicelnia; there was a chance of it. His doubts and unease were burning him up inside.
First, he’d need to suss out what they knew. Was his path of escape already cut off, or could he play it cool... Could he laugh it off? Desperately racking his brain, Holtal observed the others in silence during the brief pause.
Finally, Cicelnia, who’d grown sick of his attitude, let out a depressed sigh. “I see. Then allow me to tell everyone what I know. Perhaps Lord Holtal will be able to remember then? If I get anything wrong, you are free to correct me. Governor-General Berwick and I might just be misunderstanding things, after all.”
“U-Understood,” Holtal added quickly.
Without pause, Cicelnia flung open her fan, as her predatory hunting game began. “First, Balmes has begun a new reclamation operation as of two months ago, has it not? And it sent out a very large scale operation for it at that,” she continued without waiting for Holtal’s reaction. “From what I hear, that force included Balmes’ Single Digit as well... There is no mistaking that, is there?”
“What... what about it?” Holtal carefully replied. His fists were firmly clenched on top of the table.
However, Cicelnia’s next statement easily crushed the politician’s crafty answer. “Have you already collected their remains?”
“...!!!” The sounds of thumps and moving chairs rang out. A disturbance in the form of noises filled the room.
Holtal, who’d had the truth pointed out to him, wasn’t the only one with his eyes wide open. Lithia and the other attendees were all the same.
“What is the meaning of this, L-Lord Holtal?!”
“Just what is happening?”
Most of the people raising their voices had already lost their calm.
Holtal’s face turned ghastly pale, as he tried to answer Cicelnia with a collected voice, “What might you be talking about, Lady Cicelnia? Our forces are in the middle of an operation even now. Not to mention that the mission is not just wiping out Fiends, but also reclaiming a region that is filled with them! It’s not strange for that to continue over two months. As embarrassing as it is to admit, Balmes does have a lack of Magicmasters.”
Cicelnia held back her smile while Holtal answered, maintaining an expressionless face as well as she could, and then she coldly spoke: “As I said... we might not have all the details, but we have conclusive evidence to back up this information. From what I hear, you have sent out additional forces after the main one. So let us hear it. When was the last contact you had with any of these forces? If you are unable to answer this, our nation may have to send inquisitors.”
“Ruler or not, interfering with another nation can’t be allowed...”
“But a threat of Fiends that exceeds what your nation can handle alone is? Let me make this clear, this is no longer just Balmes’ problem. This can be interpreted as treason against all of humanity.”
Holtal gulped. “Even if that were the case—”
Cicelnia interrupted Holtal and continued to twist the knife in. “The swarm of Fiends with at least six A-class Fiends has wiped out Balmes’ forces... no, there was one survivor, was there not? But again, he’s already passed away, so one returnee would be more accurate.”
“How... did you know...?”
“You hurriedly arranged a reconnaissance unit, but you lost contact with them too. So far there are around 400 Magicmaster casualties... but the bigger problem is that you haven’t recovered any of their remains.”
“—!! What is going on here?!” The man seated across from Holtal lost his composure and stood up. His voice was loud, with anger and fear mixed in, his emotions finally having gone beyond the boiling point.
This man with a body so well-trained he could be mistaken for a military officer was Iblis’ ruler, Haorge.
Iblis shared a border with Balmes. So if the threat of Fiends went beyond Balmes alone, it would naturally reach Iblis as well. If the situation really was this pressing, they should have reported it to Iblis as well as requested aid.
If anything, after having taken two months, Balmes should have requested aid from all the nations around them. That was why there was resentment in Haorge’s voice. “Don’t you understand? If even a single nation is felled by Fiends, they will be able to sweep through the entire human domain with ease. Your actions spit on the international coordination and alliance in place to protect humanity. If you have any excuse—”
Haorge pressed the failure with a rough tone. However—
“Lord Haorge, now is not the time for that. We are already pressed for time.” With Cicelnia’s calm and correct point she managed to soothe his anger, and Iblis’ ruler sat back down, though the glint in his eye remained sternly fixed on Holtal. “We still do not have an accurate understanding of the current situation. So first, we must hear the truth from his mouth. Lord Holtal, we are not after an apology. Right now we must deal with this problem, for Balmes’ protection as well.”
Holtal’s face was sullen, and his mouth remained closed.
Now fed up with his attitude, Balmes’ female general made a sudden move. She bowed so deeply she was practically rubbing her forehead against the table, and let out in a sorrowful voice, “This is the failure of a lifetime! To think the situation had gotten this out of hand! Lord Holtal and Governor-General Gagareed kept the information hidden, but... Lord Holtal, if what Lady Cicelnia says is true, then our nation is already...” She remained undaunted by Holtal’s hateful stare, and made a desperate appeal with a heartbreaking expression.
Even then, Holtal did nothing, as if he was sulking.
Seeing this, Cicelnia gave him a pitying stare as if he was a child throwing a tantrum. “It appears you do not understand the severity of the situation at all, Lord Holtal.”
Several of the rulers and high-ranking officials felt that—while the situation was pressing—it wasn’t as bad as it could be. Not recovering the remains of Magicmasters after a battle with an A-class was a serious omission, though. Fiends became stronger by eating people and absorbing their mana. Even worse, Magicmasters had more mana than regular people, so the Fiends might even go up in class.
There were almost no records in history of Single Digits being eaten by Fiends. The only exception was the trigger for the great calamity fifty years ago. It was a horrifying incident, still fresh in humanity’s memory, but this situation was surely still better than that.
Compared to back then, magic technology had advanced, and there were a dozen times more Magicmasters now. Even if it couldn’t be handled at the time, in the present day there had been several advancements in AWRs and techniques.
Humanity had been pushed back by the Fiends, but lately they’d begun to strike back. That said, cooperation between the nations would be necessary... but it still wasn’t too late.
People with that kind of optimism would soon be showered with a healthy dose of reality.
“You still would have had a chance if you’d spoken up when you learned about it, Lord Holtal... Do you know about Devourers? I hear there is one among the A-classes.”
“A-A Devourer?!”
“S-Surely not!”
The shock that name engendered was on a different level from before. Especially so for those who knew of the calamity in the past. The Fiend that had caused that incident had been given the name Devourer, and was known as the worst of the worst.
The room fell so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
In the next moment, there were some who said nothing as their faces turned pale. Others were spacing out, refusing to accept it, and some slammed the table in anger. The fear and despair at the second coming of that dark past made the meeting participants send murderous glares in Holtal’s direction for his responsibility in bringing this about.
As for Alus... he would rather walk out of here. But unlike the others gathered in the room, it wasn’t because of fear of the Fiend. While he had anticipated it, he couldn’t help wanting to avoid this huge catastrophe that was taking shape and appearing before him, if possible. He even entertained the idea of creating a spell that would make him invisible.
One of the high-ranking officials shouted at Holtal, “You bastard! No excuses are going to make up for this!” He was so upset that he forgot to treat Balmes’ ruler with the proper respect.
Another person stepped in to mediate. “N-Not yet, we don’t know if this is just groundless apprehension from Lady Cicelnia. Lord Holtal, please let us hear the truth from your own mouth.”
Haorge then spoke up. “At any rate, sending inquisitors will be unavoidable to confirm the truth of the situation. Though it might be too late by then.” Having reined in his fury, he spoke in more of a calm, though still admonishing tone.
Balmes and Iblis were neighboring nations, and had more political interactions with each other than with the rest of the nations. The former generation of rulers had a long relationship, and they should have been able to request aid from each other.
Holtal had ended up betraying that hope, earning Haorge’s ire, but as expected of a ruler he reconsidered, seeing that there was nothing to gain from it. That sturdy body and realistic, rational mind personified Haorge Maizon Jecopheres, the ruler of Iblis.
Finally, Holtal’s hair and beard, which had started turning white in the past few days, swayed, and he muttered, “I... I will disclose all the information. But as... as Balmes’ ruler, I simply acted to keep other nations from intervening and making Balmes their puppet! I am aware that brought about an irreparable situation, but... even then...”
“How dare you! You’ve brought danger down on the other nations all for your own vanity!”
With Holtal’s admission, criticism started flying from more than just one or two people.
It was Cicelnia’s cold voice that cut off the heated abuse. “Everyone, I ask that you leave it at that. We can save the pursuit of responsibility for the time after the threat has been eliminated.”
Once silence returned, Cicelnia turned to look behind her. “Alus, can I ask you to give an explanation on Devourers?” All the attendees followed suit and stared at Alus. “This is the current ranked No. 1, Alus Reigin. He is knowledgeable not only about Fiends, but about magic and other such topics. He will be able to explain in full detail better than Lord Holtal can.”
With all eyes on Alus, not one of them showed a trace of contempt. Alpha’s No. 1 had been draped in mystery until the rulers conference. By now they knew this boy had contributed to all kinds of technological developments and magic research, as well as being the current top of all Magicmasters.
However, Alus’ eyes were solely on Cicelnia, seemingly asking if he could leave now instead of having to do this.
The answer he received came in the form of a silent, perfectly composed smile—a sarcastic smile asking him what kind of joke he was making.
With an entreating expression coming from Berwick as well, Alus had nowhere to escape to. He took the optimistic view that he was only called upon to supply an explanation, trying to keep his mind from being crushed by his fed-up mood.
Cicelnia and Berwick slid to the sides to make room for Alus at the table.
Alus scratched the back of his head, as he stepped forward in between them and began his explanation, as bothersome as it might be. “Well then, allow me to get straight to it. I’m sure the first thing that comes to mind when you hear ‘Devourer’ is the existence that brought about the calamity of the past. There might be some of you who don’t know the details of that, so I will briefly explain. First, when a Fiend eats a human, the purpose is to absorb their mana and add it to their strength...”
Fiends weren’t carnivores that ate humans as food to survive, Alus reminded everyone, continuing, “More specifically, this leads to the activation of their blood cells and the like. Fiends go through a more dramatic evolution the higher the quality of the mana, and the more mana they can absorb. Because of that, if an extermination fails, it is common to let the highest-ranking Magicmaster escape. But even if a Fiend is able to wipe out a unit, they can only really eat one or two at the most. The reason for this is that it takes a long time to convert the mana into their own.”
He looked around the room. “Moreover, it takes roughly twelve hours for a deceased Magicmaster’s mana to disperse. A Fiend will try to absorb as much as possible during that time. In short, a normal Fiend isn’t very well suited to digest mana. That is why they have a tendency to prioritize going after those with large amounts of high quality mana.”
Alus stopped there. The great calamity of the past had been caused by an SS-class Fiend making its way into the human domain. That Fiend had devoured the Magicmasters sent to hunt it down, and evolved at a dizzying speed, growing ever stronger. And unlike normal Fiends, it could eat more than one or two, feasting on the Magicmasters’ remains at an abnormal rate.
Ultimately, its unending appetite earned it the title of Devourer.
At that time, the human domain’s borders and regions had been vague and unclear, turning the nations’ militaries and chains of command into chaos. And the situation had gone from bad to worse when the ranked No. 1 Magicmaster died in battle against the Devourer, leading to their mana being absorbed.
The Fiends’ habits were one thing, but Alus probably didn’t need to explain the international situation at the time to the people in this room. Though he looked around to make sure they were keeping up. “For some reason, a Devourer’s ability to feast on and absorb their prey is strangely well developed. Their equivalent of the human digestive system has undergone an abnormal evolution. The amount they can ‘eat’ is estimated to be several hundred times that of a normal Fiend, and while it might differ depending on the quality, they can most likely absorb over a hundred people’s mana at the same time. Roughly speaking, they are estimated to go up by at least two classes after each major battle.”
The faces of the attendees were shaken and pale. For most nations, an S-class was already a threat to their survival. Fiends of this class would bring about extreme casualties, and even then victory wouldn’t be assured.
The problem was that the new Devourer had been an A-class when it was discovered. If it had since then eaten Balmes’ Magicmasters and evolved, they would be forced to assume it had evolved by two classes.
In other words—it would equal the SS-class of the calamity of the past.
With the room completely silent, Alus bluntly continued, “Of course, we can’t afford to be optimistic, but it’s still too early to call the situation hopeless. The calamity devoured the No. 1 of the time, but technologies and theories on magic were still undeveloped back then, and their ranking wouldn’t translate directly to a modern one. This is just a personal opinion, but the ranked No. 1 back then would probably be a Double by modern standards. That’s just how much the field of magic has developed since then.”
Once the murmuring of the rulers and officials subsided, Alus continued, “For now, there is only one thing that is certain. With the information we have on hand, the Devourer should be assumed to be at least an S-class. To be frank, I don’t even want to consider anything higher... it would be a pain.”
There was something he purposefully kept quiet about. And that was—just like how the standard for Magicmaster ranks had changed, so had the classification of Fiends. But it wouldn’t be wise to say that here.
Since the calamity, the number of new Fiend types had grown, and there were now over 500 confirmed species. At least a few dozen subspecies that differed from the usual classifications appeared every year, and information on them was shared between the nations.
Fiends were definitely evolving at an increased rate compared to the past. Whether that was because new techniques to detect them had been developed, or because the quality of Magicmasters, their food, was improving by the year—no one knew.
Some were of the opinion that there was a mysterious unknown factor involved, while others theorized it was abnormal growth due to cannibalism.
Alus had made conjectures on the matter himself, but there wasn’t anything he could clearly point to and say that was it. “Anyways, Fiends with an ability to absorb a vast amount of mana are called Devourers. And there is something about that power that I need to bring to your attention. It’s something that is still a theory that hasn’t been scientifically proven, but it should be of use.”
Everyone waited for what Alus would say with serious expressions.
“The gist of it is that—while the Devourer’s ability to absorb vast amounts of mana is abnormally high, their evolutionary speed isn’t all that dazzlingly fast. For now, I would like you to forget about Cronus, the Devourer this situation is reminding you of. In the process of evolution, Fiends rebuild their body and replace their mana. Pay heed to the former—the process of remaking their body. While there are differences between species, during this time a Fiend’s body is defenseless against mana. It’s assumed this is because the process of replacing the absorbed mana information is still unstable. For a normal Fiend it doesn’t take all that long because of the amount they absorb, but Devourers take in a large amount all at once, so it takes more time.”
Alus’ explanation had gone deep into important information on how to recover from this situation.
At some point, everyone had leaned in and was giving the matter much thought. Vague though it may have been, they were beginning to see possible ways of staging a comeback.
But at the same time they felt it would come at a great cost. Someone urged Alus to continue, and he nodded in response.
“The sooner a force is sent out to eliminate the threat, the better. Looking to strike while it’s in the process of resting after a ‘meal’ would be ideal. Fiends are also said to move more sluggishly during this time. The truth of it is unconfirmed, and there’s no guarantee that a Devourer would function the same way... but either way, one should aim to strike it down before it can rebuild its body. It should be possible to handle it then.”
With that, Alus brought his explanation to a close. There didn’t seem to be any questions coming his way, so he stepped back. While he was at it, he would’ve loved nothing more than to head straight for the door and leave. His leaning against the wall near the door was his way of putting up some resistance.
The reactions from the officials who had listened came in all forms. Some pinched between their eyebrows, frowning, while others shook their heads with their palms on their foreheads. All of them did their best to regain their calm. But there was no way they could relax after hearing Alus’ words.
Once things settled down, the discussions began.
“We should gather a combined force at Balmes.”
“Then we should limit participants to Double Digits and higher.”
Suggestions began popping up, but Cicelnia spoke up sharply as if to say there was still more to talk about. “Everyone, I am sure you have plenty of opinions, but first we should ask Lord Holtal to make it clear. We are better off sharing information, not to mention that Balmes has had direct knowledge since the first incident, so I am sure they have more detailed information.”
Interpreting the lack of any objections as approval to proceed, Cicelnia turned her gaze back to Balmes’ ruler. “Allow me to ask you again, Lord Holtal. Did you recover the remains of the Magicmasters who died fighting against the Devourer?”
As Holtal groaned in resignation, everyone’s eyes gathered on him in unison. It wasn’t like they arranged it beforehand, but there was no hesitation in their motion, like it was perfectly practiced.
Of course, they were all serious. And it wasn’t just because they needed more detailed information to form a better plan. They were wishing even now that it was all just some kind of misunderstanding. Even if that wasn’t true, they at least hoped that he would say he recovered all of the remains.
However—that faint hope was easily squashed.
Holtal bit his lip in the dreary silence and quietly muttered, “There was only one returnee. We lost contact with the unit sent out to recover their remains two weeks ago.”
“Aghhh...” A despairing grunt rang out, but it was the only sound in the room. There wasn’t even anyone who attacked Holtal. Some had been thinking of how to recover from this situation, but when faced with this truth, it was all pointless.
Not to mention that most people here had little experience in battling Fiends. There were only two Governors-General present, including Berwick. But among the attendees...
A soft voice broke the silence in the room. “Incidentally, how big of a force would you send, Alus?” That voice belonged to Cicelnia, lighting up a single path in the darkness.
Alus glared at the back of her head and briefly paused on purpose.
It was a one-sided question, and she didn’t even turn to look at him. Her voice had dignity, but her tone was awfully energetic, almost as if she was enjoying the situation.
She probably wasn’t looking his way because she wanted to see the despair sink into the others’ expressions instead. They were already in a state where they had no choice but to entrust everything to Cicelnia and her voice. She seemed to fully grasp how much influence her words had on her surroundings and took delight in ruling the room.
Finally, Alus let out an exasperated sigh and answered Cicelnia. “You’ll need to gather and deploy the Singles of each nation at the very least. There’s a lack of information on the Devourer, after all. Preferably you’d add in the Doubles and Triples to encircle the Devourer as a barrage is unleashed simultaneously, and then see how it reacts.”
This was the first mention of actual measures that could be used against the Devourer, and everyone present sharpened their ears and listened closely.
“That said, there’s not much time. If it gets close to the defensive lines, there will be massive casualties even if it is eliminated. You would have to prepare for Balmes to be partially destroyed. Not to mention that based on what can be expected, it’s likely more than half the Singles won’t return alive.”
Hearing that Balmes might suffer partial destruction, Holtal was sweating profusely and unable to get a word out between ragged breaths. He’d kept things quiet out of concern for Balmes, but he never expected his actions would lead to this. He couldn’t help but tremble at his own foolishness in refusing to ask for aid.
However, the other nations’ officials were equally shaken. After all, even after using all of the Single Digit Magicmasters, they would possibly lose half of them. Even if they came out victorious it would shift the balance between humans and Fiends, and they’d be forced to focus on defense for the coming few years. No, there wasn’t even a guarantee it would only be a few years...
Single Digit Magicmasters were indispensable to a nation. If they lost them, they might not find others on that level for the rest of their lifetimes.
Yet even in this situation, Cicelnia wore an almost abnormally calm smile. “But Alus, your example doesn’t include yourself, does it?”
“...”
She took his silence as a confirmation and continued, “You would be able to eliminate it, would you not?”
“No, if it were to exceed an S-class, we’d kill each other, so...”
Berwick saw his chance and interrupted Alus, shamelessly trying to make it sound like he’d only just remembered this. “You eliminated S-class Fiends on your own during the reclamation of Zentley. You wouldn’t lose so easily.”
His words shook those present in the room.
“What?! That’s...!”
“You’d need at least a battalion to take on an S-class! Doing it on your own is just not...”
Several people raised dubious voices, finding it hard to believe, but they soon lost momentum. They knew that even if they had their doubts, suspecting the truth behind those statements would be the same as rejecting their only possibility.
As if representing the atmosphere in the room, one man turned to Alus. In his eyes was the earnest hope that what had been said was true. He gulped and spoke of his idea. “T-Then would the elimination not be a complete success if we have all eight Single Digits?”
Voices of support came one after the other.
“T-That’s right, if we form humanity’s strongest force...”
“We would need to form a support unit too!”
“But if he really can take down S-class Fiends on his own, why keep it a secret up until now...?”
“That doesn’t matter! We need to establish a chain of command and mission headquarters!”
The nations’ key figures nodded to one another, their eyes sparkling with a newfound hope. But in the next moment came a voice dousing that hope in cold water.
“Who said I’m participating? Sorry, but I’ll pass on that,” Alus said in a standoffish tone.
“Y-You can’t be serious?!” Iblis’ ruler, Haorge, loudly exclaimed, boiling with rage, as the other participants were equally astonished by what Alus just said.
However, Alus paid them no heed, as he appeared to mutter to himself as if gathering his thoughts, “... That said, if the Tower of Babel were to fall, the nations’ precious academic materials might get embroiled in the battles and destroyed. I suppose I couldn’t quite bear that.”
His muttering had nothing to do with the angry response he’d received. It was simply him prioritizing what was convenient and beneficial for him, through and through.
The sound of grinding teeth could be heard. His was an incredibly improper response in the moment. One should do everything in one’s power for the sake of humanity, and even stake one’s own life if necessary.
Alus’ words differed greatly from the resolution and mindset everyone expected from Magicmasters. The rulers and figures of authority found it hard to grasp his detachment. Not to mention the severity of the crisis... They couldn’t lump him together with ordinary Magicmasters. He was almost like a foreign element.
As Alus didn’t apologize, or show any remorse, hostile stares began to be directed toward him. He appeared to be about to look calmly back at them, but that wasn’t the case. With a cool expression, his gaze passed by them and drifted to the side, going past and completely ignoring Haorge, who’d been the first to raise his voice in anger. His eyes stopped two seats beyond him.
There he saw Jean standing behind Rusalca’s ruler, Lithia. Normally, Jean would be exasperated and look to the ceiling, but his serious side came to the surface in these kinds of situations, and he managed to suppress his urge with only his cheek twitching instead.
The next person to speak was Lithia herself. “Well then, Sir Alus. Would it be possible to negotiate your participation by way of money?”
“... Lady Lithia, don’t be foolish! E-Excuse me. But a proud Single Digit Magicmaster is nothing like a sellsword!”
Alus answered Lithia, ignoring the frank opinion someone had blurted out, “Lady Lithia, I have no interest in money.”
“Then what would it take...?” Lithia’s earnest gaze had a strange draw to it.
“Well...” Alus said, and put on a sarcastic smile, having realized that he was being dragged into a negotiation with Lithia. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he’d been guided there.
Lithia stared right at him, her expression the very definition of serious, though there was room for composure in her eyes. Those eyes firmly locked on the other party flashed with business acumen that was almost a waste on a ruler. Just one look made it clear that she had absolute confidence in her ability to negotiate anything.
That’s when Cicelnia stepped in. She was able to do so, being of the same status as Lithia. “Ms. Lithia, may I ask that you leave this to us? Alus is Alpha’s Magicmaster, after all.” There was a smile on her face, but her mouth was hidden behind her fan. When it came to politics she always kept her mask on, so it was rare to see such a display of rivalry towards Lithia hidden in plain sight.
“This is perfect timing,” she stated. “How about you leave this matter entirely to Alpha?”
“...!”
The attendees at the meeting opened their eyes wide, and Alus glared at her as if to ask what the hell she was thinking.
Cicelnia brushed his glare off and elegantly stood up. She then walked over to the surly-looking Alus and hid her mouth behind her fan as she whispered to him, “It is not going to be that bad. If you are not interested, just say so, but there will be a reward... I’m sure the Eye of Providence will be very able to stimulate your researching urges.”
“...!” Alus frowned at the somewhat alluring proposal.
Seeing Cicelnia move away immediately, Alus thought she probably wasn’t expecting an answer anyway. She already knew he had no choice but to take her up on her offer.
Rinne wasn’t present at the meeting, but the magic eye she had would surely be of great aid to Alus’ research. Not to mention that magic eyes were extremely rare to begin with, making them a very attractive field of study.
Berwick, who more or less had an idea of what kind of deal Cicelnia had offered, spurred Alus on further. “If you don’t accept, the Friendship Magical Tournament will, of course, have to be cancelled.”
It didn’t take long for someone to criticize Berwick. “Lord Berwick, what are you saying?! We couldn’t keep the tournament going regardless in this situation!”
Berwick was well aware of how irrational he sounded. But both he and Cicelnia knew it was a valuable card to play in negotiating with Alus. Berwick had promised a rather compelling reward if Alus contributed to the tournament’s victory, after all. If the tournament was canceled, that promise would go with it.
Any person with common sense couldn’t imagine any personal reward being worth going up against the worst kind of Fiend, but for some reason it was weighing on Alus’ twisted scales.
Picking up on Alus’ momentary hesitation, Cicelnia went for the kill. “Indeed. That the tournament go on... that is the condition for Alpha dealing with this incident. I, of course, promise to take responsibility and have the Devourer eliminated. However, if you all were to disagree, Alpha will not dispatch any of our Singles to eliminate this threat.”
“You little brat, who do you think you are?!”
“There are two options,” Cicelnia said, ignoring someone’s outraged voice. “The first is the elimination of the Devourer without Alus Reigin and Lettie Kultunca. The other is Alpha handles this alone with Alus. It is not that I underestimate the Magicmasters of your nations, it is just that I believe the second option is more likely to resolve this. You are free to interpret this as the consensus of Alpha.”
After hearing Alus’ explanation and analysis of the situation, there was really only one option. But that alone wasn’t enough to quell the objections. That’s why Cicelnia decided to compromise. “However, I am sure that is not enough to dispel your worries. That is why, as insurance, let us establish a defensive line as Alpha makes its advance. And there we will have the other remaining six Single Digit Magicmasters gather.”
Perhaps overwhelmed by Cicelnia’s nonstop talking, nobody raised any objections. Instead, there were worried whispers.
“However, if Sir Alus were to be devour... no, if he were to fail at the elimination...” The whispering man almost blurted out ‘devoured,’ but hurriedly stopped himself.
But another voice spoke up. “Still, to think he would only move with the right conditions... the ranked No. 1 Magicmaster is supposed to be the guardian of humanity, but is more like a sellsword.”
“It wouldn’t be strange if he were.”
“...!!”
It was Berwick who silenced those who ridiculed Alus. He was here as Alpha’s Governor-General and wouldn’t stand for his nation’s Single Digit being mocked, but more importantly he knew what kind of person Alus was and so spoke up to defend him. “Alus was originally supposed to have retired to live life as he pleased. If he had gotten what he wished for, he would be a civilian in military employ. Though he is still kept in the military as a reserve for now...”
Alus bitterly listened to Berwick. Speaking up in his defense was a nice way to describe it, but it also reconfirmed to Alus that he was still a soldier.
“That’s why this is the best option that Alpha can offer. If Alus were to lose, it would lead to the demise not just of Balmes but the entire human domain, I’m sure. But an elimination without him would only have a fifty-fifty chance at best, and it would be over if even one was devoured. And it’s not like we’re bringing this up as a matter of simple comparison in fighting power.”
With a passion rarely seen from Berwick, he continued, “It is the truth that he succeeded in the elimination of an S-class several years ago. However, one of the reasons he accomplished it was because his fighting style is unique and centered in moving alone. Moreover, there are no guarantees that the Singles would be able to exhibit their full powers if they were all gathered together.”
Berwick briefly stopped. He wasn’t lying, but it wasn’t necessarily the truth—though it seemed to add up on paper.
Alus wasn’t exactly exuding an atmosphere of cooperation, but fortunately the rulers and high-ranking officials weren’t well versed in combat. The other Governors-General present might have their doubts, but it was hard to make any clear objections with the way things were going.
“Considering the compatibility between affinities and their coordination, there’s a good chance that the Magicmasters will only be able to use half of their strength. We don’t have much time, and aside from our own Lettie Kultunca, there is no time for Alus to get in sync with other Singles. That is why I believe it would be best for one of the nations that possess two Singles, Alpha or Rusalca, to send a force on their own. Simply comparing ranks, I’m sorry Rusalca, but Alpha is better suited. At any rate, the one able to move the swiftest to resolve this situation is neither Balmes nor Iblis but Alpha.”
There was fortunately no one that objected to Berwick’s long speech. That came as a relief to him. It wasn’t like Alus had no experience working with another nation, but it was hard to say that it had been a good match.
Moreover, Alus’ achievements were overwhelming. He had a unique quirk that made him stand out from the rest, with enough results and confidence to defeat any arguments. But they couldn’t bring that up for the true reason he couldn’t work with others—they didn’t want to reveal Alus’ special ability.
Berwick looked over the room. They still needed a push to get the others to agree, but the flow was definitely in Alpha’s favor.
The suggestion Berwick needed to assure that everyone agreed came straight from Cicelnia’s mouth. “Then let us say that while we gather the other Magicmasters in Balmes, we have Alpha send Alus and Lettie towards the Devourer as a scouting party. They will investigate its strength and if they conclude that they can take it down, they will change their mission from reconnaissance to elimination. I am sure Alus will be able to escape in the worst case scenario. And the information they bring back will be used by the other Singles to intercept the Devourer. Would that be fine?” she added at the end, as if to say that she had compromised that much.
It was clear to everyone that this was just sophistry. There was a very high possibility that with Alus’ strength they would ‘conclude’ that the Devourer could be eliminated upon contact. But if they agreed, the other nations wouldn’t be pressed to take responsibility.
Even without that, the other officials would want nothing more than for Alpha to eliminate the Devourer on their own. Risking their own Singles was just foolish. But on the other hand, it would also be foolish to hold back if something were to happen. There was no point in keeping strength on reserve if the world was doomed.
The various nations’ rulers and high officials were stuck between a rock and a hard place, as their two options conflicted. They still lacked information to declare one option better than the other. The nations who didn’t have their Governors-General present would simply have to go along with the majority opinion.
In other words, only one person held the key. Aside from Cicelnia and Berwick, everyone stared at Alus, questioning how strong the boy—to them he was still a child—really was. That had been one of the major reasons they’d come to Iblis in the first place. They had come from far and wide just to catch a glimpse of Alus’ power in the tournament.
Unlike Double Digits and below, a Single’s rank represented a difference in strength. There was no ranking higher than No. 1, which was why they’d wanted to see his strength with their own eyes. Was he in a league of his own even compared to the ranked No. 2, or was the difference not all that big?
Seeing as they were having these thoughts to begin with, they were already having hopes for the future. Those present at the rulers conference the other day, as well as the officials, had heard about Alus’ display of strength against Halcapdia’s Galgnis.
And Alpha’s Governor-General’s words carried weight, so if he said Alus had eliminated an S-class on his own, he probably had.
Not to mention that Cicelnia had dragged what Balmes kept hidden into the light while they had never suspected anything, so her capabilities were worthy of their trust.
The VIPs exchanged looks, and eventually all of them firmly closed their mouths and gave Cicelnia the nod.
“Then I assume we are all in agreement.”
As Cicelnia smiled triumphantly, the other female ruler spoke out without a moment’s delay. “May I say something about this matter? Rusalca has Jean over here. If we add him to the scouting party, I believe the chances of success would be much higher. How about it, Ms. Cicelnia?”
It appeared to be an offer made from goodwill, but nobody knew Lithia’s true intentions. According to Cicelnia’s original proposal, the scouting party would make a snap judgment on site if they were going to switch to elimination mode to take out the Devourer. Exposing her own nation’s Single to danger would get in the way of all the benefits the suggestion had for her.
“I appreciate the offer, Ms. Lithia. However, as Governor-General Berwick said, we need to take the possibility that they might not be able to cooperate into consideration... and not to mention, it would be a waste of time to get everyone on the same level... so I would like to decline.”
Perhaps because Lithia had interrupted her with perfect timing, or perhaps because she was her rival, but Cicelnia’s beautiful face distorted into a clear show of disgust. Everyone gulped at the sudden transformation, but no one dared to speak up.
“Oh? Were you not aware that Sir Alus and Jean have worked together in a joint operation before? As you might know, it was a great success. So would you not agree that there is no need to worry about their cooperation?” Lithia said in a disparaging tone, pouring more fuel onto the flames.
Cicelnia’s face was frozen, but her lips visibly twitched at the remarks. She was only able to stop herself from lashing back because she saw Jean whisper something into Lithia’s ear. He purposefully put emphasis on certain words, loudly enough for Cicelnia to hear them.
In the end, all it took for Cicelnia to gloatingly decline Lithia’s offer was picking up on the word ‘AWR’ and some of the context around it. “It appears that Sir Jean will require time to prepare for battle, so why do we not end this discussion here, Ms. Lithia? We really are pressed for time.”
To Alus, who remained an observer, it was a ridiculous sight. From his point of view Lithia had some thoughts on the matter, whether it be from kindness or ambition. It was clear that it wasn’t just harassment on her part.
That said, it would indeed be inconvenient to have Jean accompany them, as Alus’ special ability had to be kept hidden. Even an old friend like Jean didn’t know about it, and he had no need to learn about it now either. Cicelnia had likely heard as much from Berwick as well.
As Alus was lost in thought, the ruler was calling for him. Looking over to Cicelnia, he saw that her dark expression had been replaced with a refreshed one, her mouth hidden behind her slightly opened fan.
“Alus, I am appointing you the captain of this mission. And... Governor-General Berwick?” Cicelnia passed the baton to the top military official as the rest went past her area of expertise.
“We’ll gather Lettie’s squad to serve as the base for your force. On top of them, we have a few dozen high-ranking Magicmasters on their way here as reserves.”
Alus still hadn’t agreed, but hearing Berwick’s words, he let out an exasperated sigh. He figured that they knew he would never say yes for nothing, and had made plans ahead of time. The research project on the Eye of Providence, the Friendship Magical Tournament proceeding as planned, and who knew what else they had in store if that hadn’t been enough. Though it was questionable if these were enough to go up against a Devourer.
As for Alus’ research, anyone who possessed a magic eye would do. But when it came to someone capable of actively helping in his research with no risk of running rampant, Rinne was likely the only good choice.
Moreover, the research on magic eyes had a higher priority than the research he was doing now. That was only natural, considering it related to his own life. Truth be told, Alus’ research on his own special ability wasn’t getting anywhere. He’d never encountered anyone that had a special ability like his own, and not only were those with magic eyes extremely rare, many of them were one-of-a-kind.
Alus unhappily clicked his tongue at Berwick, not hiding how he felt anymore. “Don’t bother, I don’t need any reinforcements. I’ll grab some from Lettie’s squad. And I’ll have Ms. Rinne cooperate, too.” This last bit was directed at Cicelnia.
“I am fine with that. Rinne’s detection abilities are the best in all of Alpha, after all. I will accept on her behalf.”
Cicelnia maintained her smile, as if this was all within expectations. Maybe even the magical martial arts demonstration had been part of her plans. If the tournament got even more fired up, distracting the general population from the serious incident, it would be harder to cancel it. There would be no benefit to the citizens who enjoyed the peace within the walls but who panicked whenever anything happened, to learn about a true danger approaching.
Moreover, even Alus was reluctant to ruin his students’ first time on the big stage. They could win or lose, but it would be unfortunate if the tournament got cancelled without giving them a chance. Not to mention that Tesfia had made a promise to Frose, the head of the Fable family. It was on the stage of the main tournament where her true worth would be tested and she could fulfill her promise by showing how much she’d grown. It was all up to her.
Aside from Cicelnia’s and Berwick’s suggestions, Alus was already in a position where he couldn’t withdraw. Even if he was dancing to her tune, he was at least getting something for it.
Alus quickly changed gears. Though he didn’t care how many strangers died, he was intrigued by a Devourer that could make such a thing happen.
The other nations’ rulers and officials had left, and Alus was now in another room of the hotel that served as temporary headquarters, giving out orders. “You can’t move around in the Outer World with a pointlessly large force, so we’re going with the minimum numbers. We will depart in...”
He stopped there, and let out another sigh as he realized something. In the end he wouldn’t be able to participate in the main stage of the Friendship Magical Tournament.
Surprised by his orders, the commanders of the reserves that arrived just a while ago stood up and spoke out. “Wait a minute. Aren’t you underestimating the situation too much?”
“He’s right, we’ve brought with us an elite force. It’s only around a dozen, but please make use of them.”
Their words came from goodwill, pride, and unease, but Alus just shook his head. “No, thank you. I can’t bring anyone who would get in the way. A meat shield can be useful at times, but it depends on the situation. Frankly, no matter how many useless people there are, they’ll just die in vain. Maybe the military wants to cut down their numbers, but honestly, you’re just a nuisance. Not to mention that Balmes’ large scale operation should have reduced the number of low-classed Fiends by quite a lot. So it would be more efficient to station personnel around the defensive lines and scout the nearby areas.”
Alus had cut straight to the point, but the commanders refused to back down. They fumbled for a moment at being called meat shields, but they were prepared to lay down their lives for humanity’s sake.
Just as Alus was truly getting fed up, a sudden loud snap rang out, and the commanders turned to look in that direction.
Responsible for the sound was Cicelnia, who’d swiftly snapped her fan shut. She said in a dignified voice, “I have entrusted this matter entirely to Alus. Do you really have the time to object to that decision?”
“...” “...”
The commanders fell silent at her voice, lowering their heads and sitting back down.
Cicelnia glanced at them, and then at the rest of the room, before nodding in satisfaction when she saw there were no further objections. “I am counting on you too, Ms. Lettie.”
Lettie gave a single nod, wearing an unusually stiff expression.
Thinking about it, Alus remembered she’d been called back in the middle of a mission at the frontlines. She’d told him about her discontent with that once when the two were alone. She had been so close to completing the reclamation they’d worked so hard for, with piles of her subordinates’ bodies building up.
Of course, being pulled away from that was mortifying. But as for what kind of feelings she was keeping hidden inside...
Alus, who was ignorant of the female psyche, had no way of knowing.
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