Thirty-Fifth Chapter
Chaos in the Outer World
Returning to the early morning hours during the main tournament...
The artificial sun still hadn’t risen, and the room where Cicelnia had called the emergency meeting was dead quiet. Despite the lively dispute earlier, there was nobody in the room now.
Everyone at the meeting had already started to take action, hurriedly reporting the important information they’d learned to their nations.
The first thing they did was to contact the supervisors back in their own nations, and have them ready their high-ranking Magicmasters and form units to depart for Balmes. Even the nations that had their Singles out on missions gathered the strongest force possible, because of the similarities to the calamity of the past.
Alus was in a room being utilized as the temporary headquarters with Lettie and her squad, memorizing their affinities, spells they specialized in, and more.
“Lettie, we won’t need a lot of simple firepower or numbers. Instead, I want you to pick out around ten Magicmasters skilled in detection, barriers, and obstruction. And since it’s yours, I figure I should leave keeping the squad together to you. Things will go smoother if I run my orders through you.”
He gave out all kinds of instructions on the course of their mission. The temporary headquarters was a single room on the fifth floor, though it was relatively large. It was dirty, but they’d just have to bear it.
“Gotcha, captain! All personnel are fully ready here. I bet the Governor-General must have seen this coming...” Lettie said in a joking tone, wearing an affectionate smile she hadn’t shown during the emergency meeting. She seemed to have a thing or two she wanted to say to the Governor-General, but she didn’t say anything further for now.
“Sir Alus, it’s been quite a while since I was last on the frontlines...” Rinne, wearing her maid outfit, was also present. She’d been worked into the plan as well.
“You’ll be accompanying us as a spotter, Ms. Rinne. Just stay out of any actual battle. I won’t be able to research your magic eye if you die.”
“O-Okay...” Rinne’s answer tapered off due to her apprehensions, not over Fiends, but over being seen as a research subject.
Seeing this, Alus frowned with regret for a moment. He shouldn’t have stayed in the military, even if it was at Berwick’s request. Though he couldn’t have expected to be asked to clean up after not only Alpha, but the other nations as well. “On the surface, it’s meant to be a mission to measure the Devourer’s strength, but...”
“... In reality, it’s definitely a mission to exterminate it,” Lettie finished for him. “It seems Alpha has decided to address this threat on their own. Lady Cicelnia looks like she made preparations for that.”
“I bet. Which means we can’t waste any time. Take too long, and the other nations that can’t stand waiting around will intervene, so we’ll need to settle things before then.”
That’s when two male Magicmasters, among the best of Lettie’s elite squad, Sajik and Mujir, asked some questions as if representing the group. They were the ones who had guarded the ruler during the tournament with Lettie.
“Sir Alus, may I ask about the details of this extermination? I hear we will be going with a select few this time...” The older-looking Sajik had a well-trained body, seemingly sculpted out of rock, but his polite tone clashed with his appearance.
“It is an honor going with Sir Alus, but does the greatest Magicmaster himself really need to do this on his own?” the rational-looking Mujir added, urging Alus to explain further.
Of course, they didn’t have much time, so Alus kept it short. “As you’ve probably realized, we’re up against a Fiend. But we don’t have the detailed information on it yet. Or rather—nobody does. All we know is that it probably rivals an SS-class. And on top of that, it’s a Devourer.”
“—!!” Sajik reacted.
“You mean that it’s the second coming of the calamity fifty years ago?” Mujir asked in a panicked tone. Even a fearless, battle-hardened warrior would find themselves unable to brush off that shocking news.
While it had been reported that the Fiend had been exterminated, the SS-class responsible for the calamity fifty years ago—referred to by its moniker of Cronus by the military—hadn’t actually been killed. They had, through countless sacrifices, left it near dead, but in the end it had escaped their clutches.
Of course, the Magicmasters didn’t just sit idly by as it ran off. But there was no one left who was capable of stopping it. With one of its arms cut off, the Fiend—of all things—took to the sky with its massive body and flew off.
The nations intensified their Magicmaster training in preparation for its possible return. This was also around the time inhuman experiments began, the result of humanity being flung into a hysterical urge to protect itself.
After a decade, Cronus still hadn’t reappeared, and humanity finally calmed down. Realizing that that kind of research should be avoided, it was abolished as an abhorrent practice, and international policies took completely the opposite turn. Many who participated in the experiments were also punished.
“It’s hard to imagine this will be a second coming of the calamity. According to the database of Fiends, Cronus would be discovered immediately if it got close with that huge body. Well, it wasn’t Alpha in charge of dealing with it but Balmes, so who knows how accurate that information is.”
Fiends ate Magicmasters—and sometimes their own—to absorb their power and transform their bodies. The changes became more extreme the higher the class, the most common change being either growing larger, or conversely shrinking and becoming more compact. In those cases, their appearance wasn’t as twisted as low or mid-classed Fiends, but instead resembled more of a complete life form.
“For the time being, it’s clear we need to head to Balmes right away. So make preparations, we’re leaving in thirty minutes,” Alus announced.
Lettie’s elite squad saluted, and left the room in an orderly fashion without making a sound. They were the finest Magicmasters around, and they’d soon realized they were short on time. If they had any more questions, they could ask on the way there.
Alus and the others took up the rear.
Lettie asked, “What will you do about the tournament, though?”
“I’ll be absent, of course. But I’ve made enough preparations for Alpha to win.” Alus had a daring smile, and Lettie responded with a child-like smile of her own.
“I love that part of you.”
“Well, considering the situation, I’ll take whatever I can get my hands on to make it worth my time... and Ms. Rinne, there’s still something you haven’t reported to us yet, isn’t there?”
Lettie wordlessly nodded at Alus’ sudden change of topic.
“...!!” Rinne reacted.
If that nasty Cicelnia was going this far, there must still be more to it. Alus figured that Rinne must know what it is, seeing as how her cooperation would be indispensable to gather that kind of information.
As expected, Rinne awkwardly drew her mouth shut.
“What’s the point in hiding it now? Or did Lady Cicelnia tell you to keep quiet?” Lettie asked.
“... I am sorry.”
“Ms. Rinne. Does this mean that the information won’t have any impact on the extermination whatsoever?” Alus didn’t overlook the fact that Rinne looked away for a moment when he asked.
He sighed. “I understand. I’ll ask the Governor-General about it later.”
While Cicelnia was at the helm, she was the ruler of a nation... and though she had the authority, her primary role was standing above people and controlling them. So it couldn’t be helped that she could only see things from a human or political perspective, but the situation was different when Fiends came into play.
It was the Governor-General who handled military affairs, and it was standard practice to disclose all information beforehand to assist him in carrying out his duties. If not, Magicmasters ran a higher risk of being sent out to die for nothing. In other words, it was the same as the person giving the order not truly wishing for the subject to return alive.
Of course, they might not tell the rank and file everything, but in those cases there was often a warning included. Including an apology for not being able to reveal everything to the person who’d have to stake their life... that was the responsibility of those who stood above others.
To say nothing of how this was an international incident revolving around a Devourer... It might be revealed eventually, but Alus and the others were staking their lives on it now.
“Aww, geez. What does she take my squad for?” Lettie said. While it sounded like simple grumbling, there was a smoldering rage mixed in underneath the words. And of course there would be. She trusted in her subordinates, and also valued their lives highly.
“Perhaps the Governor-General is planning to reveal the information when the time is right. Either way, it’s a good thing we caught it early.” Alus showed no further signs of pursuing the matter, simply leaving those meaningful words.
***
Gathered behind the hotel was a group wearing black coats, lined up in an orderly fashion.
The times were tense, but the expressions on the faces of the black-clad group didn’t look all that nervous. Some even looked quite relaxed, practically kicking back. Their methods varied from stretching to carefree yawns.
However, the mood did a one-eighty as the commander for this mission appeared alongside their original captain, and they all saluted with perfect coordination.
“Here, this one’s yours, Allie,” Lettie told Alus, giving him a custom-made cloak.
As the temporary commander, Alus quietly accepted it. Custom made it might be, but this was the same thing he had worn during the magical martial arts demonstration. The cloak he’d returned to the top brass after he’d finished with it had returned to him.
Though it was a coat, protecting the wearer against the weather was only its secondary function. This special coat was made out of reinforced fiber with a variety of other useful effects, and its primary function was that of anti-magic defensive gear.
Each nation had various anti-magic equipment, and Alpha specialized in things that were easy to move in, like cloaks.
For example, Halcapdia had knight-like armor, giving it a national flair. The Balmes military struggled financially, so their Magicmasters were required to provide their own armor that varied wildly in quality. It was said that problems with military equipment like this was one of the reasons Balmes had fewer Magicmasters than other nations. In other words, they had a low supply of Magicmasters with a relatively high rate of death.
As Alus finished his final preparations, Rinne whispered to him that the ruler had arrived.
He turned to look over at them, acknowledging Cicelnia as well as Berwick. “Since you’ve come all this way, are you here to tell me something?” Alus said, skipping any greetings.
The ruler tilted her head in an adorable fashion, while Berwick stroked his chin with a troubled frown. “Alus, Vizaist has set up out there. When you reach him, he will give you the plan and information.”
Cicelnia looked to feign ignorance at Alus’ question, but her expression then turned serious, and she presented something to him with both hands. “This is a letter I received from Balmes’ Lord Holtal. It specifies the temporary delegation of command, complete with his signature.”
Alus casually accepted the letter that rested in an ornate box, and shoved it into his pocket.
“And take care of Rinne.”
“Of course,” Alus answered, but at the same time, he hoped she’d give him more to work with if that was what she wanted.
Many rulers knew next to nothing about the Outer World and the battles that took place there. That was a result of sharing political duties with the Governors-General, but it also meant that there was a subtle shift concerning the important things. Not even someone as intelligent as Cicelnia could fully put herself in the shoes of a Magicmaster.
Alus didn’t even try to hide his weary sigh. And that was when Berwick moved to him and spoke in a low voice, “Sorry about that. It seems there’s a mineral deposit near the Fiends.”
“—!! What kind?”
“I hear it’s mithril. And I want you to ask Vizaist about the details, but Kurama may have been brought in for this incident.”
Feeling a sudden headache coming on, Alus firmly planted his face in his palm. But realizing that nothing would come from losing his composure, he gave Berwick a simple “I see.”
It was like bad news gave way for more bad news. He gave Berwick a cold glance. “Governor-General, it will be your fault for failing to act when you should have.”
“I know. It might be late, but I’m doing what I can.”
Alus gave Berwick a meaningful smile when he left his side, as Cicelnia gave Berwick a doubtful stare.
But with the wisdom that came with age, Berwick brushed it off with a cool look. Yet even with that, he had a bad feeling about the smile Alus gave him.
“It’s about time for us to head over. Leave that work to us. I’m sure you haven’t forgotten, but get those rare books and credit waiver ready. And seriously, I want you to spare me from any more missions like this for a while.”
“I know. You be careful out there.”
The squad members who overheard their conversation were reminded that their commander was still a student when they heard credits being brought up. That said, nobody here would make light of Alus. They more or less knew what kind of hard missions he’d gone through.
The Magicmasters here weren’t all that fixated on rank, but Alus was a Single like their captain, and the ranked No. 1 at that. His rank carried a huge weight. In fact, they couldn’t imagine entrusting their lives to anyone other than Lettie or Alus.
This was an elite squad, and they were confident that they wouldn’t waver for a moment even if left behind to face a horde of Fiends.
Alus lightly cast his eyes down and faced the orderly lined-up squad.
Lettie must have misunderstood his action and raised her voice in an uncharacteristic fashion. “Everyone, listen up.” After setting the table, Lettie quickly passed the baton over to Alus.
“I don’t know what you’re expecting, but I’m not doing it.”
The squad stared at him with expectation, but Alus gave them an annoyed look back. He slowly raised his hand, saying, “Hurry and go already,” giving out a marching order after his appointment.
It wasn’t a loud domineering voice by any means, but nobody missed it and the squad members moved like the wind, heading in the direction of Balmes, the place of reckoning. They moved fast—to the untrained eye the group looked like they’d just vanished. As expected from an elite squad, their marching speed was extreme.
After seeing them off, Alus put on his own cloak, fastened it around his neck, then disappeared with the flutter of his cloak.
“I could not see it clearly... but are they really moving on foot?” Cicelnia asked.
Rinne hid her exasperated look. “For Magicmasters of that caliber, it’s faster than going through several transport gates.”
Berwick added on to her explanation. “Not to mention that Iblis is close to Balmes. I imagine they’ll arrive by noon. And knowing Alus, they’ll set out to exterminate it by tomorrow,” he surmised.
He shifted gears as he realized how busy things were going to get. First off is Kurama. Berwick already knew that Balmes’ Governor-General, Gagareed, was considering making a request to Kurama. He didn’t have anything conclusive, but in the worst case, Alus and the squad might end up facing them.
Alus had secretly assassinated one of their executives in the past, so there was a high chance that Kurama saw him as a hated enemy. They easily changed their point of view if it profited them, but that was why they couldn’t be trusted. Perhaps it was best if they were eliminated as soon as possible.
“I will be heading over to Balmes, too. Rusalca’s Lady Lithia should still be here, so make preparations to send her an encrypted message,” Berwick loudly ordered the Magicmaster behind him.
And behind that Magicmaster was Cicelnia, gracefully returning to the hotel. In Alus’ mind, Cicelnia didn’t know anything, but she wasn’t a fool. She knew that as someone with no knowledge of battle, there wasn’t any point in her going to Balmes.
Instead, she would negotiate with Balmes’ ruler, who would stay behind. That was likely going to be very one-sided, but Cicelnia was thrilled to continue playing her game where she could enjoy her superiority over another nation’s ruler.
Suddenly she raised her head. “Hm? Rinne, are you sure you should be dawdling around here?”
“Ah! I’m sorry. I’ll be off right away.” After a short bow, a cloaked Rinne took off at great speed, following after Alus and the others.
The AWR Rinne had brought for this mission was a bow as tall as she was. She looked a little awkward as she ran while holding onto the quiver at her waist, but the worry Cicelnia felt as she saw her off must have been needless fear.
Cicelnia’s elegant servant was a high-ranking spotter, and was quite experienced in her own right. Though lacking in combat abilities, her well-trained physical abilities exceeded the average person’s.
And so, as silence filled the world this early morning, Alpha’s strongest force set forth to eliminate the threat to humanity that appeared outside of Balmes in the Outer World.
***
A black-clad group cut through the wind, making their way through a forest.
Alus and the others were taking the shortest possible route to reach Balmes’ border. Right now, they were probably in between the Tower of Babel and the upper-class district.
Despite the abundant overgrowth in the forest, they kept up their speed, nimbly evading the trees and their branches.
On the way, Alus glanced around to confirm that everyone was there, before adjusting his speed and taking a big leap.
That was when Lettie showed up next to him. “What did the Governor-General say?”
“It seems there’s a mineral deposit near where the Devourer appeared. Balmes’ forces must have bumped into the Devourer when they were investigating the deposit. We could’ve ended up with a lot of troubles if we’d gone in without knowing.”
“I know Fiends can use it as a nest, but is it really that bad?”
“No, the problem is the deposit itself. Supposedly it’s mithril.”
Behind Lettie was Rinne, who’d caught up along the way, and was awkwardly listening in.
Normally, like Lettie said, where Fiends made a nest wasn’t all that much of a threat, but this time was an exception. That couldn’t be helped, as there had been no nests in deposits of material used to make AWRs in the land that Alpha had reclaimed.
“Typically, materials used for AWRs are good conductors for mana. Places filled with those materials make their detection through mana much more difficult. And the effect with mithril is more pronounced than most. If you’re not incredibly skilled, you probably won’t be able to use magic there. So in that sense, bringing Ms. Rinne with us was the right call.”
Knowing she was part of the mission, Alus wasn’t going to leave her behind. But with her abilities, he figured that she’d be able to catch up right away and went on ahead. He assumed that she must have had something to explain to Cicelnia. He had no idea that she’d just accidentally forgotten. But it was true that Cicelnia had told her to keep quiet about the mineral deposit.
“Really? So I guess the Eye of Providence isn’t magic then,” Lettie said.
“Not at all, Lady Lettie. Using the eye requires a lot of mana. So it should count as magic.”
“Yes, I believe the eye expends mana and it manifests as magic,” Alus noted.
“Then won’t it be impossible to use it for detection at the deposit?”
Not even Rinne herself could answer Lettie’s question, and they silently waited for Alus’ answer.
“I believe it’s possible. I’ve only given it a quick look, but the magic itself is reliant on the eyeball, with no traces of mana remaining at the observed location.”
“Oh? That’s amazing! I guess I can’t have any more secret meetings with Allie in the Outer World,” Lettie teased.
“Lady Lettie, it’s not all-powerful.”
“Whatcha mean?”
Rinne realized that hiding the truth here would only hurt them. While it was at Cicelnia’s instructions, it was true that she’d hid the existence of the deposit and wanted to make up for it. “I see hundreds of views, so it’s impossible to observe for a long period of time because of mana constraints. And if the target notices me looking, the effect disappears and my sight won’t recover for a while.”
Alus remembered something that had happened, and groaned. It was back when Rinne had come to get him for the guard job at the rulers conference. He’d quickly noticed the strange gaze. Back then, he felt like someone was looking down at him from above. After that, he used his other sense and concluded that she had been responsible for the sensation. That must have been her ‘looking.’
“In other words, if the target directly senses you, it’s over,” he said to Rinne.
“Yes, but it’s not as vague as just sensing. The failure condition is making eye contact with the target. The strength of that recoil depends on the target and the situation, but it tends to be more powerful the more aware the target is, and sees through me.”
“So what then, you can sort of look at them?” Lettie said. “And it shuts down when you make eye contact and you take damage?”
Rinne nodded, affirming this with a bitter expression. Having her weakness exposed didn’t feel all that great. “A-Also, I would like to ask you two to keep quiet about this...”
“I know,” Alus said.
“Of course! Geez. We’re Magicmasters too; we’re not that mean, so we’ll keep our mouths shut.”
Rinne felt some degree of relief at Alus’ nod and Lettie’s bright smile.
Alus might end up having to use his own special ability. That’s why he’d prefer no questions be asked. His Gra Eater wasn’t just a convenient special ability like Rinne’s magic eye. It was an unmanageable power that stirred up a sense of fear among those who saw it, and if possible he’d like to keep it hidden. So whether he used it or not would depend on the target.
“Still, the more I learn about it, the more interested I get,” Alus said.
“I-Is that so? There are other magic eyes aside from the Eye of Providence,” Rinne noted.
Lettie put a finger on her chin, bringing up one example after another. “If I remember correctly, aside from the Eye of Providence, there’s the Blue Eyes of Hequatra that can overwrite all magic, the One Eye of Salem that governs over life...”
“And the Clear Eyes of Ezefore that harbor death,” Rinne added.
“I thought they were all bull, but after seeing yours, I’m not so sure anymore.”
“I can understand that. The existence of magic eyes is undeniable, but it is said that extremely few people live after awakening to one... and I hear that the Eye of Providence is relatively easy to control. That’s why I am somewhat reluctant to call it one. Apparently, those who awaken to the One Eye of Salem only live for a few days, so it’s strange to say that they govern over life. The users don’t live long enough to truly confirm its effect. The Clear Eyes of Ezefore kill their user upon their awakening, which is how they got their name. I personally believe that magic eyes are special symptoms brought about by some form of mana disorder,” Rinne explained.
“So you’re saying there are no other magic eyes?”
“I wouldn’t go that far, Lady Lettie. But please think about it. The One Eye of Salem being able to create life exceeds human knowledge, and those with the Clear Eyes of Ezefore die when they awaken, so doesn’t that kind of make sense? It’s obvious that magic eyes have special powers, but I think that these are just rumors from when research on them was flourishing.”
“Apparently, the majority of those who awaken die from mana disorders. You’re pretty knowledgeable about this, Ms. Rinne,” Alus said. “Normally it’s hard to gather that much information about just your own magic eye.”
“Yes, I looked up a lot of things to control my magic eye. Perhaps to erase the failures of the past, the military is burying knowledge on magic eyes, including the term itself. Even if those special abilities are real, there’s nothing that can be done for them, after all...”
Rinne’s words trailed off at the end. Ultimately, the principles of the Eye of Providence were largely unexplained, and even if the other magic eyes existed, there probably wasn’t any way to protect the wielders from their negative effects.
In fact, not a single magic eye test subject had been saved in the past. Knowing that, it was thought that completely erasing all the information on magic eyes would prevent any needless confusion.
Back when there were still some who knew about the special abilities of magic eyes, there was an unspoken rule that if someone showed signs of it, it needed to be reported to the military immediately. But that was in the past. By now, even fewer people knew about magic eyes.
“I see... but there is something I should correct you on,” Alus said. “There is a special power similar to the One Eye of Salem that governs over life. There’s been a case of someone wielding the One Eye of Salem losing control. And when they did—a phenomenon of life being created happened. Though no detailed information was received on it, so we don’t know what caused it.”
Rinne’s eyes opened wide. Alus probably didn’t notice because she was behind him, but she still stumbled over her words. “W-Where did you hear about that?! I’ve dug into this a lot, but I’ve never heard anything about that.”
It was only natural that Rinne would be surprised. Even for military personnel, gathering information on that sort of research was difficult. Research was classified, and there probably wasn’t much data to be found throughout the entire human domain, and of course, there were no such records in Alpha.
Once Rinne became able to control her magic eye, she’d asked for the Governor-General’s cooperation through Cicelnia, so there were no doubts about that. So perhaps it had come from another nation. But that was even stranger. As Alpha’s most important asset, they wouldn’t allow Alus to freely visit another nation so easily. Before becoming a student, he’d spent practically all of his time in the Outer World.
However, Alus’ next words stunned her. “I bet. I learned that during a mission in the Outer World. I wrapped up early, and found it by accident while taking the long way home. The information was inside of a facility, but shortly after that it collapsed during battle, so I’m probably the only one who knows.”
“—In the Outer World?! So that means magic eyes first appeared quite a long time ago...”
“That’s right,” Alus answered her. “At the very least, it’s been over fifty years.”
“From way back then, huh? If there was even one case of it running out of control, would they have been able to stop it with their techniques back then?” Lettie asked Alus curiously.
“Who knows, but I believe that magic eyes have a reason for being called what they are, regardless of their origin or how they came about.”
Before she knew it, Rinne’s fist clenched. If this had been known sooner, research on magic eyes and how to restrain them would have advanced further, possibly reducing the number of people who’d died when awakening to their power.
“I’ll only say this because it’s you, Ms. Rinne, but have you heard of the Four Books of Fegel?”
“No. Is there information about magic eyes in them?” Rinne stared straight at Alus as she asked this. She’d spent so much time in her life trying to explain magic eyes.
As for Lettie, this was the first time she’d even heard of those books.
Incidentally, the other members had realized the secrecy of the topic when Alus said ‘I’ll only say this because it’s you’ and moved away from the three. That’s an elite squad for you. They have a knack for this kind of thing.
“The Four Books of Fegel is an interesting collection of research data. I hear that it’s packed with so-called prophetic and fantastical descriptions. Their contents can’t even be verified by current methods. Supposedly the improbable points of view and strange ideas would be very valuable to the right reader. And even copies of these books are considered rare and highly confidential documents.”
“But you’re really talking trash about those super confidential documents...”
“—!!” Rinne reacted to Lettie’s statement.
Lettie smiled dryly, but Rinne seemed to quickly pick up on something.
Alus nodded at her. “Indeed, rare or not, the books being designated as confidential doesn’t make sense. If the rumors are true, the originals exist. Not to mention that I’ve seen something like it lately.”
That was during the Godma Barhong incident. It was unclear when the man taken by madness had gotten his hands on that.
“S-So you mean that there might be something shocking about magic eyes recorded in those Four Books of Fegel?”
“That’s just what I suspect. The copies being what they are, not much can be gleaned from them. But if the originals actually do exist, there should be very interesting things written in them. After all, the primary reason they were called prophetic was that they had writings about Fiends before they ever appeared. So it wouldn’t be strange for there to be topics touching on magic eyes. Not that I can say for certain since I haven’t read the originals.”
Neither Rinne nor Lettie could hide their surprise. Alus had only seen it as a way to kill time on the way there, but it seemed the information was more shocking than expected for them. “Let’s leave the fun topics at that. We’re almost at Balmes’ border, so let’s pick up the speed.”
At Alus’ call, the squad increased their pace, moving at the speed of wind.
Rinne sped up and ran side by side with Alus. She had something she wanted to ask. It seemed like she’d calmed down from her shock.
She glanced at Alus with a stiff expression, and carefully chose her words so as not to expose her feelings. “Sir Alus, may I ask why you kept that information about the One Eye of Salem to yourself?”
“Hm? I didn’t keep it to myself. I’ve only taken up an interest in it lately, but I reported it to the top brass immediately. Though, as a result, it got concealed. Without any evidence, you could call it a reasonable decision... but you get why, don’t you?”
Rinne felt a chill as she nodded. As far as she knew, there were only a few examples of research on magic eyes. All of them ended up without anything to show for it, and their test subjects died. Just being linked to that would ruin one’s social standing.
Having to deal with criticism to acquire special abilities was one thing, but things were different when there were no results to show. The special abilities disappeared even if the eyeball was gouged out. And those who awakened to them would die within a few days.
On top of that, there were only around a dozen who had awakened. And considering the number of people who managed to control it... now that humanity was reduced to a tenth of its population, it was far more realistic to focus on the more cost-effective solution of magic.
“Besides, with people fearing magic eyes running out of control, and the inhuman research of the past, those who awaken likely won’t willingly come forth,” Alus said.
“That’s...” Rinne began to speak, but swallowed her words.
Ultimately, the death rate was practically one hundred percent. She was one of the lucky few. After being picked up by the military once they’d finished their research, Cicelnia had taken her into her graces on some whim.
And like Alus said—the bad reputation remained. It had a dark past, like with taboos, so few would treat her fairly.
“So in that sense, it would be better to cooperate with my research than rely on some shady book, Ms. Rinne. It’s very likely that some discovery will reach a new development,” Alus said with a carefree expression.
Rinne smiled wryly at his sly statement.
***
A sturdy bulwark had been built around Balmes’ military headquarters, and some of the walls were just on the outside of Babel’s barrier.
At the top of the twenty-meter wall were sentries cautiously keeping watch over the outside.
There were devices to detect high-classed Fiends, but security was tight around this strategic position. With almost all the high-ranking Magicmasters having left for the Outer World without returning, the security had gotten even tighter.
Those related to the military had stopped thinking about their remaining military strength, as if to escape from reality. Hopefully they’d be able to do something if an A-class Fiend showed up. Or maybe a B-class... that kind of negative thinking was clearly spreading through the headquarters. Even if the devices picked up a high-classed Fiend, there was no one left to send out to eliminate it.
Of course, those who called themselves Magicmasters couldn’t just look on from afar.
“I hope Sir Duncal, or even Lady Gileada, returns,” one of the sentinels solemnly muttered to himself.
None of the other sentinels answered, the words painfully melting into the heavy atmosphere looming over them. This kind of statement had been said every day lately, with nobody seriously answering anymore.
Most people had family on the inside of the barrier, which was why they felt a strong sense of duty to become the shield that protected them. As a result, they were prepared to give up their lives if needed. If that act would protect their loved ones, they would take pride in it, even if they had regrets. But there was no guarantee that they would be able to protect anyone even if they died right now.
“It’s already been so long since we lost contact with the extermination force...” Suddenly, an unexpected answer came from one of the other sentinels... perhaps just on a whim.
“Never mind. I was just talking to myself.” The first man to speak raised his hand to stop the other. There wasn’t much dignity in his behavior, but it couldn’t be helped. He had just been a normal sentinel, not someone who commanded Magicmasters. In fact, he had been one of the underlings tasked with cleaning up the weak Fiends around the walls.
The captains had been taken into the extermination force, leaving just them. While he fumbled around trying to imitate the captains, it just felt wrong. But as this fill-in sentinel captain realized he was complaining in front of the others, he hurriedly shut his mouth.
Seeing how the comrades he fought side by side with had been completely changed out, that couldn’t be helped. If it was just a change of comrades, he could have continued encouraging himself. But considering how few were left, naturally feelings of helplessness would well up. And that inevitably led to thinking about being left behind, which made him feel even more helpless, and it continued in a negative spiral.
He even felt like the AWR he’d used for years was unreliable. Looking around, there were some who didn’t even have their AWRs. Morale was at rock bottom.
“Captain, why won’t Governor-General Gagareed ask for aid from other nations? There are rumors saying he won’t even respond to the other nations’ requests for information.”
“How should I know,” the sentinel captain said. “Our job is to shut up and follow orders. But I hear that the Governor-General is very conservative. So there must have been a good reason for him to take such drastic measures. Maybe he’s decided reinforcements won’t be needed at the moment,” he said to his younger subordinate, but inside, he cursed the upper brass for not calling in reinforcements already.
The captain had volunteered to be on lookout since last night, so there was no energy in his voice, and he’d rubbed his eyes countless times.
That was when five of his subordinates who were also on lookout approached him. “Captain, it’s time to change over.”
“Finally. I can’t wait to go home and get some sleep. I have lookout duty in the evening again. You men make sure you rest, too. I don’t want you overlooking any Fiends because you’re too tired to focus,” he said, preparing to go down the stairs and walk to the military headquarters.
The other sentinels couldn’t hold their yawns back, as their mouths opened wide. But the sentinel captain didn’t feel like telling them off. If he was in their position, he would have done the same.
They’d been allotted a few rooms in lodgings a ways from the base for resting. And so they went out from the ground floor.
“It’s pretty noisy, Captain.”
“Yeah. I wonder why.”
“Why don’t we take a look? Seeing how they’re crowding around over there, I don’t think it’s a Fiend,” one of the captain’s subordinates said, and pointed. There were guards there too, but they showed no movements as they stood on each side of the door.
It couldn’t be an emergency. And yet there must’ve been over fifty people gathering there, gossiping about what was going on outside. There were even people on the second floor looking out the windows.
The sentinel captain was confused. “Yeah, what’s going on?”
“It’s something out of the ordinary for sure. But it doesn’t look like a crisis. Security is acting like normal, and there’s no alarm,” said one sentinel.
“But even the outside response personnel are here... What are they going to do if a guest shows up?”
“Haha, a guest’s not going to get inside in this crowd, Captain.”
“I guess that’s true,” the sentinel captain said in astonishment, as he looked over at the entrance.
Taking his subordinates with him, the captain casually asked one of the people who had gathered what was going on. “What’s with this ruckus? We’re supposed to be on guard.”
“I-I’m sorry, but there’s something going on over there...”
If the captain’s memory served him right, this woman was part of the outside response team and a non-Magicmaster. Seeing how timidly she bowed, she must have been a newbie who still wasn’t used to things.
She pointed towards a large glass window on the second floor with a bewildered expression.
After confirming that there was nobody higher ranking than him present, the captain commanded his subordinates and cut through the crowd. “Open up, let me through.”
His subordinates pushed the crowd aside, and the captain climbed up to the second floor to look out the window as people around him gave him annoyed stares. “—!! What the hell is this? There’s a suspicious group approaching! Why hasn’t anyone sounded the alarm?!”
“Sorry. Does anyone here know anything about the group in black?” one of the more considerate subordinates asked.
“Someone said that the woman at the front with braided reddish hair might be Alpha’s Lettie Kultunca,” somebody said.
This earned a reaction from the sentinel captain. “What?! Why would Alpha’s ranked No. 7 be here... no, wait, it’s still not confirmed. We can’t rule out the possibility that they’re bandits yet.”
Having unconsciously shouted this out, all eyes focused on him. If it was a squad from Alpha then that was fine, but they could still be criminals looking to take advantage of the weakened Balmes. If they were, it would be strange for them to show up at the military base, but caution was still needed. There were also some people who worshiped Fiends, so it might be a terrorist attempt by one of those cult groups.
At any rate, I can’t show any weakness in front of my subordinates. Why is it always me who has to play the role of captain at times like this... the captain couldn’t help but complain to himself about the situation.
“C-Come with me.” He unfastened the clasp so he could draw his AWR at any time. He’d survived in the Outer World for seven years, and he knew that even a bare minimum of preparation would help him respond to the situation.
With his five subordinates at his side, the sentinel captain decided it would be best to act undaunted as he stepped outside. How successful he was depended on who you asked, but personally the captain wanted to pat himself on the back.
He also made sure to keep his legs at shoulder width to keep them from shaking. As for my arms... I guess I should cross them. He purposefully hit the sheath of his sword AWR with his knee to create a metallic sound, doing his best to look like a soldier. This was as threatening as he could make himself look.
However, the group clad in black didn’t even look fazed by his attitude as they continued forward.
The redhead at the forefront, as well as the other members, gave off a strange pressure. Soon, the person alleged to be Lettie Kultunca was close enough to see clearly, and the captain tensed up.
He’d fought Fiends in the Outer World himself, so he could tell. The pressure she gave off was not normal. Even if he didn’t know the others in the group, he could see she had the proper presence a high-ranking Magicmaster would have.
Alpha would’ve been able to determine if the person in front of him was Lettie herself, but as a member of Balmes’ military, there was nothing he could do to confirm it now.
Suddenly, he heard a clattering sound.
Before the captain knew it, his own hand on top of his AWR’s handle was shaking. He was undeniably feeling fear. It was only natural he’d want to draw his AWR out of self-preservation, but if the captain did so, his subordinates would follow suit. If he lacked self-control, things could spiral out of hand quickly.
As these thoughts ran through his mind, he suddenly snapped back to reality. “Idiot! Don’t move without orders!”
At the captain’s shout, the young subordinate who’d begun to draw his AWR returned to his senses, and hurriedly corrected his behavior.
The captain, of course, had only noticed it because his hand was starting to draw his own AWR. I can’t really blame him. Looking down at his sweat-soaked hands, the captain took a deep breath. His lips trembled as he exhaled, but he didn’t see any shame in that.
After a moment, he seemed to resign himself and took a step forward. “You’re Alpha’s ranked No. 7 Magicmaster Lettie Kultunca, are you not? I am a patrol captain of Balmes’ military headquarters,” he said in a soft manner, in an attempt to show his lack of hostility.
There was still some distance between them, but this was a way for him to determine their true intentions. If this wasn’t a squad from Alpha with Lettie at the lead, and the black-clad gang were bandits or terrorists, he could at the very least use his life to buy some time for the others.
In response to the captain, the woman took a step forward and waved with a smile on her face.
The sentinel captain, who’d frankly felt like he could drop dead at any moment, let out a sigh of relief. As Lettie continued approaching, he was taken in by her beauty. She had large, innocent-looking eyes, well-shaped facial features, and a toned body visible even through her cloak. He’d heard the rumors, but never imagined they’d all be true.
The rest of the group with her had equally strong presences. Each and every face in the black-clad group was far more powerful and fearless than his own.
Yet Lettie’s beauty stood out from the fierce group, like a bright flower in the desert.
As the captain thought such things, he felt like something was off. The center of that sensation was the hooded figure standing next to Lettie. He was no woman, and from his appearance he didn’t look like the other seasoned veterans. If anything he looked frail, like a young boy.
Lettie whispered into his ear, and he started walking forward in her place, his hood still hanging low.
“Captain, I apologize for not contacting you before now, but we’re pressed for time. I ask that you please forgive me and my subordinates for our rudeness.”
“I-I don’t mind...” While the captain said that, he furrowed his brows at something odd. Did he just say his subordinates? It was hard to believe considering how young his voice sounded. He was still young enough to be called a boy.
Yet in spite of that, his voice had calmness and depth to it, leaving a lasting impression.
The captain’s doubts eased, and he hurriedly but politely spoke to confirm his suspicions. “Can I ask for your name? I wouldn’t want to be rude myself.”
“It’s Alus.”
“... Ah, o-okay. Sir Alus, is it?”
He felt like he’d never heard that name before, but he didn’t want to risk asking for proof of identity for fear of upsetting him.
The captain would just have to make it through with his own clumsy ways. For starters, he seemed to have the same position as Lettie, so he could assume that he was someone important from Alpha.
But that was when a carefree laughing voice came from next to the boy. “Hehehe... hahaha, w-what’s with that, Allie...”
“What else was I supposed to say?”
“... Allie?” That wasn’t the kind of tone you took with someone above you. If anything it sounded like carefree behavior between friends. Balmes’ captain had been convinced that the hooded figure was a VIP from Alpha, but this only confused him more. Suspicious or not, though, he could only carefully observe the situation.
“You’re confusing the poor thing by not telling him your rank first.”
“I can’t help that. I’m not even known in my own nation, let alone any other.”
“This is rough, huh. At times like these... ah, this is a pain.” Lettie took a step forward and respectfully stretched her hand out towards Alus as if presenting him. “Before you stands our prideful Alpha’s strongest... the ranked No. 1, Alus Reigin.”
“Wha—!!” The overwhelming shock froze the captain in place as he impulsively let out a wild voice that took away any dignity he might have had left. He didn’t have the composure to look at his subordinates’ faces, but he knew what kind of expressions they were making anyway. They surely looked as flabbergasted as he did.
“Hey! You could have put it better,” Alus told Lettie. “This is only going to take more time now.”
“You don’t get it; this is the only way. And it’s a good opportunity since you’re always gloomily shutting yourself away in Alpha.”
“That’s just going to cause misunderstandings! ... That’s enough. More importantly...”
When Alus turned to look at the captain, the captain flinched and kneeled on the spot. This was the only thing he could think of as an appropriate response to the situation. He was a Magicmaster in his own right, and before him stood not just a Single but the greatest Magicmaster who was above all others. This was the best sign of respect he could think of.
In fact, he felt more respect for this Single, foreign nation or not, than for the top of his own nation, who’d only made one blunder after another.
The subordinates took a cue from their captain and kneeled in respect before the strange yet great Single Digit Magicmaster.
“You don’t have to go that far. It’s only going to create a bigger disturbance.”
“Not at all, this is my personal sign of respect for you. But if you say so...” The captain slowly stood back up, with his subordinates following suit.
As he raised his head again, he looked at the boy. With the hood now removed, he could clearly see his face and the atmosphere around him. The captain didn’t know if it was just him, but he looked displeased without any trace of affability, like the teenager he was.
Though surprised to see his age confirmed, the captain’s behavior didn’t change: because to him, Alus looked like a savior. “So Sir Alus, why have you come to Balmes?” he hopefully asked. There was more vigor in his voice now as if he’d come back to life. He was ashamed of his own self-interest, but couldn’t keep himself from asking. The relief he felt wasn’t so much because of his position as it was as an individual.
Alus pulled out the ornate box he’d received from Cicelnia and removed the thick letter on expensive paper from within. It was a note of authorization signed by Balmes’ ruler Holtal himself. He figured that getting the captain to understand the situation would be enough. “We have received orders to aid your nation and eliminate a certain target. We’ve also received temporary full authority to take command by Lord Holtal Qui Balmes. As such, we’d like to meet with Governor-General Gagareed for now.”
The captain stared wide-eyed at the letter held in front of him. Once he confirmed his ruler’s signature, he gave his answer. “U-Understood. However... the Governor-General hasn’t met with anyone these past few days.”
“Don’t you get it? I have been given complete temporary control of Balmes’ army. With the ruler’s approval I have higher authority than the Governor-General. So take us to Gagareed right now; we don’t have the time for this.”
“Yes, sir!”
With that, Alus and his party finally entered Balmes’ headquarters.
The crowd that had gathered naturally parted to make way for the captain’s return with Alus and the others in tow. But they all had mystified stares.
The number of Magicmasters they passed as they made their way to the top floor of the headquarters was far fewer than in Alpha. There might even be fewer here than in the Institute. Alus realized Balmes was in a very poor state.
Eventually, the captain stopped before a door and turned around. “This is it... Governor-General, I have brought an elimination force from Alpha.”
There was no response to his knock.
“Good work; that’s enough,” Alus thanked the captain and rudely opened the door.
“Who said to let anyone in?!” At the same time, an intimidating angry shout rang out from inside.
“Why should I care about your orders?” However, Alus casually brushed it off and stepped in regardless of what the room’s owner felt. Of course, there were too many in their party, so only Lettie accompanied him.
“Who the hell are you! What is security doing?!” With bulging veins on his face, the middle-aged man got up from his chair.
That was when another person in the room turned around and called out to Alus, “You’re faster than I expected, Alus.” He greeted him with a smile, but Alus simply shrugged as if he’d expected this.
“Lord Vizaist, I see you were waiting for this.”
“That’s correct. I tried to talk things through ahead of time, but this man is just too stubborn.”
Alus wordlessly handed Vizaist the letter. Upon receiving it, Vizaist turned to Gagareed, showing it to him. “Will this suffice, Lord Gagareed? With this, command of the military is transferred to us. We need information, so I ask for your understanding.”
“L-Like hell I will! I have no intention of asking for help from the likes of Alpha! This is Balmes’ problem, and it will soon be settled...”
“It seems you still don’t understand the situation,” Vizaist said. “Once things are under control, you will likely be court-martialed. To think that you don’t even understand that this incident doesn’t just concern Balmes anymore... Everything has already been decided.”
He forcefully sat back down, crossing his legs. However, he knew that they didn’t have the time for this as well. So he decided to go with the carrot instead of the stick, changing to a softer tone. “Lord Gagareed, you are just a step away from a capital crime. Any further obstruction of the mission will threaten humanity and only further deepen your sins. Don’t think extenuating circumstances will be taken into consideration. If you will be cooperative, Alpha will gladly make accommodations once the dust has settled. You are fortunate that we are the only people outside of your nation who are present. Though I am sure that the other nations will gather in another two, three days. If this hasn’t been resolved by then... you will be made to face responsibility for all the soldiers who have died. If that happens, you’ll be lucky to get a death sentence, and at worst provisional punishment.”
Gagareed turned pale at Vizaist’s mention of provisional punishment. That was the most serious sentence there was. The condemned was forced to provide mana for as long as they lived through a special tube. It was said to be painful enough to make anyone beg for death.
There were some who said that it was far too brutal, but with the world being threatened by Fiends, it was a deterrent in place to eliminate conflict between humans. And when faced with that, it put a damper on even the stubborn Gagareed’s spirits.
Considering his achievements, he normally wouldn’t face such a severe punishment. But the situation being what it was, having put humanity at risk, if one of the rulers demanded capital punishment, it was likely he would receive it.
By keeping the casualties to a minimum through a swift resolution, it would end up saving Gagareed as well. “How far... would I avoid only the provisional punishment, or the death penalty too... and what will happen to Balmes?” Even if he knew he was playing into Vizaist’s hands, he couldn’t help but want to avoid that terrifying punishment. His voice sounded terribly hoarse and muffled.
“I would say that depends on your cooperation. If you were to retire, I would speak out in your favor. But know that it won’t be an honorable discharge. As for Balmes... its national body won’t change. The other nations will need to follow up on the overall lack of Magicmasters in some way, but none of the nations have enough leeway to make Balmes a vassal state. From the citizens’ point of view, the nation’s top leadership will simply change.”
“... I understand.” Gagareed nodded weakly.
Seeing that things had wrapped up, Alus discreetly walked up to Vizaist and spoke in a quiet voice, “That promise will only last until the other nations’ forces gather. If Alpha doesn’t solve this on its own, it will be hard for us to force our will through.”
“Sorry about having to put you through this.”
“It’s not your fault, Lord Vizaist. Besides, I’ll just demand adequate compensation.”
“Ha ha ha! A small price to pay to eliminate the target.”
“I sure hope so.”
Vizaist must have been at work forming a plan before Alus and the others arrived, because on the table was a large map, with its blank spaces hanging off the edges.
“How’s the current situation?”
“Lord Gagareed stubbornly refused to help, so I had to borrow a map and investigate on my own, sending my subordinates to ten kilometers out from the wall. At the moment we have no clues. The target remains unconfirmed. Of course, I’ve only had them confirm that there’s nothing there. I can’t ask them to die, after all.”
Alus nodded, and Lettie, who’d sat down and made herself at home, joined in the meeting as well. Gagareed was still seated in his own chair, but he could only groan.
“Long time no see, Lord Vizaist.”
“I see you haven’t changed, Lettie. Now then, with Alpha’s strongest gathered, we should be able to beat this thing.”
“That said, I hear it’ll be hard to kill with just one nation’s forces,” Lettie said.
“That’s exactly why. The top brass seems to have something in mind, so this isn’t just for Alpha’s sake; it’s also meant to lead to a stronger partnership between the nations. Standing against Fiends already demands international cooperation, but those at the tops of their nations already put too much value on their pride and ask for excessive compensation. That’s what leads to situations like this,” Vizaist noted.
He continued, “It’s true that unfair negotiations backed up by force were rampant in the arena of international politics, but that’s in the past. The nations were divided up for the sake of stimulating economic growth, but there won’t be a future for humanity as a whole if all nations only act out of self-interest. I won’t say that helping a nation for no compensation is better, but demanding compensation beyond what that nation can give will negatively affect future cooperation.”
“You say that, but I’ll pass on being loaned out to other nations,” Alus said.
Vizaist smiled wryly. “We’ve gone a little off-topic.”
Alus nodded, then said, “Still, it’s incomprehensible... is the enemy really a Devourer?”
He meant his question for Vizaist, but it was Gagareed who answered. “We don’t have any decisive evidence. It was a lone survivor who carried a message from Gileada. And that survivor died a few minutes after passing on the message.”
As she was a former Single, even Alus remembered Gileada’s name. And if she’d said so, she was probably right. “If that’s the case, it’s strange for a Devourer that’s constantly on the hunt for prey to not have attacked Balmes immediately. Is it actually digesting its food, or something?”
“Yes, this is just my guess, but it’s probably still in the area around the deposit,” Vizaist said. “Information is scarce, but for the sake of convenience let’s call the target a Devourer.”
“There’s not much we can do about a lack of information. So we’ll choose a few from Lettie’s squad and head out to eliminate it. Even if it doesn’t work out as planned, we’ll get more information. Lord Vizaist, please work with the other nations that will be arriving to harden the defenses. Lettie, pick out some members that fit the criteria and have them memorize the topography of the area.”
“Gotcha, captain.”
Seeing Lettie salute, Alus narrowed his eyes. “If you have the time to play around, get going.” He then continued, “Lettie, I’ll pass on any new information as well.”
Once he saw her leave the room, Alus moved to gather more information based on the thoughts he’d had on the way here. “So, Lord Gagareed, the mineral deposit is the only point of interest around that area, is that right?”
“That’s right. The area around the deposit is barren, with its surroundings being the same old forest as elsewhere. When we sent out scouts, we found the area wasn’t all that different from the ancient maps,” Gagareed said, pointing at the large map. Like he said, the mineral deposit had been drawn on it, with no other adjustments being made.
“And how did the extermination force move?”
“They advanced, surrounding the deposit, and gradually closed in on it as they smoothly eliminated the Fiends in the way. In their last report, they mentioned encountering six A-class Fiends within the deposit... and after that we lost contact.”
“Six of them, huh... so one of them was the Devourer,” Alus mused.
“What will you do? We can only leave the decisions to someone who’s in the field,” Vizaist said.
“Lord Vizaist, I’ll have to take a look with my own eyes first. So we’ll just have to head out to eliminate the Fiends as planned. Ms. Rinne will be with us, so they shouldn’t be able to get a jump on us.”
“Indeed. While command has been officially transferred to us, there are still things for you to do in your position of Governor-General, Lord Gagareed. Give orders to the remaining soldiers, and leave a few units nearby as messengers so we can stay in touch,” Vizaist said.
“I understand. I can understand that... but are they going out to eliminate Fiends with those few numbers?”
“Like I said, this is Alpha’s strongest force. Alus and Lettie are both Singles.”
“—!! So you are the strongest among the Magicmasters. In that case, that’s all the more reason not to move in such small numbers...”
Alus was sick of the same arguments being brought up again and again. He bluntly said, “The decision is already made. I will be going out to eliminate the Devourer. But don’t worry, I’ll succeed. I think it will be in your own favor if you hurry with preparations to depart right away, Lord Gagareed.”
“... I know.”
“I imagine it would be best to choose the messengers from the Magicmasters on guard at the wall.”
“I guess we can’t avoid the destruction of nature this time around,” Vizaist sighed.
The opponent was an extremely high-classed Fiend. And the battle was expected to become exceedingly fierce. Vizaist recalled how the entire area around a certain research facility had been leveled. Taking into consideration the fact that humanity would someday retake the Outer World, he wanted to avoid pointless destruction.
That was a common view in the upper echelons of government, which was why there was a forest within the human domain. That was partly to keep the will to reclaim the Outer World from being diluted, but also because of the feeling that human beings belonged in nature.
“I’ll try to keep any damage to the deposit to a minimum. I’m planning on fighting some distance away from it anyways.”
“Please do,” Vizaist said dryly.
“We’ll leave once preparations are ready... no, by tomorrow morning.”
“Hm? I figured you would want to go right away.”
“Lettie might be with me, but there will be a squad too. This situation is filled with unknowns, so we need to expect the unexpected. Not to mention that we don’t know the topography, so it’d be pretty lame if we got lost after the mission was completed. And most of all, I want to avoid a battle at night. Besides...”
“So you’ve heard about those other problems from Berwick as well... How about it, Lord Gagareed?” Vizaist asked meaningfully.
The Governor-General responded by making a bitter expression.
Alus furrowed his brows, realizing that his bad feeling was right on the mark.
***
The discussion was proceeding under the assumption that the Devourer would be eliminated. That hurt Gagareed’s pride and caused him some resentment.
He was aware that his nation wasn’t powerful compared to the others. But even so, Balmes had sent in hundreds of Magicmasters and not been able to win, and he struggled to hold back a scornful laugh at Alpha thinking a dozen or so would be enough. Because of his current position he was staying silent, but on the inside he was saying, Try it if you can. My military career goes a long way back, and I understand that Single Digit Magicmasters are in a league of their own. But even then, just two of them aren’t going to have the edge of several hundred.
True, Balmes didn’t have any Singles to be proud of. But their other Magicmasters weren’t so weak that they should be taken lightly. If anything, he was confident that their Doubles and below were of the same quality as any other nation.
Gagareed kept his frown from showing, observing the situation, but he was surprised when Vizaist brought up a new topic. And he wore a somewhat bitter expression as he could clearly see where Vizaist was going. So he resigned himself, realizing he wouldn’t be able to smooth things over. “I-Indeed, I’ve requested aid from Kurama.”
“...!! You idiot!” Alus spat out.
“—! I didn’t have a choice. Besides, the request can be immediately recalled. That’s the kind of agreement we came to. Kurama is supposed to contact us once the elimination is complete, so there’s still time to take it back.”
“That’s why I’m calling you an idiot. They’re a criminal organization that can take on nations. There’s no way they’ll step down from a chance to show off their existence on an international level and grab their reward. I doubt they’ll back off with just an exorbitant cancellation fee.”
Vizaist nodded at Alus’ words. “I suspect not. We’ll be keeping our eyes open to prevent them from getting in Alus’ way. They’re far too big to be discarded as a trifling matter. There’s nothing we can do here, but Berwick should be working on it.”
“As you probably understand, I won’t be able to focus on the Devourer if they interfere,” Alus warned.
“I know. Say, Lord Gagareed... if Kurama won’t step down and starts rampaging about, ruining everything, I won’t be able to cover for you,” Vizaist said.
Perhaps finally realizing his blunder, Gagareed’s expression turned even more bitter and he nodded in resignation. Before he knew it, his supposed support meant to keep him alive had turned into a sharp blade threatening to behead him, as everything backfired on him.
“Yeah, I doubt we’ll be able to depart right away with this. Prepare rooms for us.” Alus had already given up on showing any signs of respect for the former Governor-General. Kurama, is it... To think a criminal organization is pretending to be mercenaries. But they really are a headache at times like these. This is what happens when you don’t crush them ahead of time.
The situation wasn’t going to improve if Alus clicked his tongue. Even though he knew that, this was a serious pain. The Kurama executives were quite elusive. Not only was the location of their hideout unknown, but they typically used hooligans and criminals as fronts so as to leave as few tracks behind as possible.
On top of that, its members were all first-class magic criminals, each one boasting considerable strength, and they also tended to collude with various central figures in each nation. Gagareed’s careless request was also a result of their shady connections.
That said, there was a reason why Kurama was allowed to run around freely. And that was because the ones strong enough to face them were in the Outer World. Even Alus had only been able to take out one of their executives after returning from a mission. He’d sounded the alarms back then, but the nations were slow to act. Because of that delay, the only thing known about some of the executives were their names.
Alus ended up with another cause for concern, but he’d just have to rely on Berwick and Vizaist.
That’s when Vizaist spoke up. “I will send one of my subordinates to you, Lord Gagareed.”
“... I understand.” It was easy to figure out that they meant to keep an eye on him, Gagareed thought. He was a criminal now, after all.
Alus bowed to Vizaist and left the room, saying, “Tomorrow morning, then.”
As he stepped out, the others were nowhere to be seen. Only the sentinel captain who had escorted him there remained, standing as still as a statue. “I had the others removed to another place to be on standby. They’d stick out here, after all.”
“Thanks.”
When Alus honestly thanked him, the captain lowered his head with, “It’s an honor.”
Alus was guided to a meeting room used by Magicmasters. The room had a massive table, a display screen, and there were even drinks and snacks that had been prepared.
“We don’t have any Magicmasters who will be using this room, so feel free to use it as you please. Once your rooms are prepared, I will come get you.”
A sorrow seemed to hang around the captain as he left, as he casually reported that they didn’t have enough Magicmasters left to use the room.
The door closed, and once Rinne confirmed that nobody was listening in, Alus told the squad what he’d heard.
“Sorry, Lettie. I’d like you to focus your selection criteria a little more on their combat capabilities. We’ve got more trouble on our hands.”
“Sir Alus, in that case, allow me to accompany you,” the mountain of a man, Sajik, said. From the sound of it, he hadn’t been selected.
“How about it, Lettie?”
“I think it’s fine, but fighting is the only thing this old man can do,” she said, and a couple of laughs came from around the room.
Sajik wasn’t quite that old, but the others had taken to calling him ‘old man’ because he looked older than he was. The scar on his cheek was another reason. “What are you saying? My nose can pick up even the stench of Fiends.”
“Oh, so you can detect, too?” Alus said, as if he was impressed, but he wasn’t really all that interested. They had Rinne for detection with them, so all he needed from any extra squad members was simple power. There was nothing wrong with having a talent, but as long as they could fight that was fine.
“Geez, you’re making a fool of yourself again, aren’t cha?” Lettie lamented.
Another member spoke up in exasperation. “Sir Alus, please don’t take him seriously. The only thing this one can smell is a Fiend’s shit.”
At that point, a couple of members burst out laughing. Typically Fiends didn’t need food, so what they excreted instead were the remains of bones, or scraps of meat from prey they’d absorbed mana from.
The squad had taken to calling this ‘shit,’ but Alus, who had no way of knowing that, just looked on dumbfounded.
With an almost fed-up expression, the member who’d spoken up—Mujir—continued explaining, “His nose is more sensitive than others, and when he tried to, he successfully found their shit. He’s quite proud of his nose, even though it only responds to the shit, even if a Fiend is right in front of him.”
“Hey, don’t put it like that,” Sajik protested. “It ends up finding us Fiends, doesn’t it?”
“That’s some rare magic. Does it make use of the nature of change in the mana itself, or does it work under some other principle?” Alus asked.
“Oh no, it’s more like a wild sense of smell. Like a male seeking out a female.”
“Hey! Mujir, if you keep talking shit about it, my cute nose will fire off.”
“I bet it’ll have some amazing firepower if it’s using shit as fuel,” Mujir replied.
Sajik stood up as Mujir rolled up his sleeves.
Even more laughs were heard from around the room, as the atmosphere became like that of a rowdy bar. Some were even egging them on.
Lettie rubbed her forehead and sighed, saying “They’re at it again...”
Looks like this happens all the time, Alus thought, shrugging as he thought what good friends they must be. Then he spoke up to settle things down. “If it was just a joke then leave it at that, Sajik. I don’t mind you tagging along, but if you’re only going to focus on shit, I’ll leave you behind.”
“Not you, too...” Sajik said in a weak tone, and hung his head. The other squad members patted his shoulders.
“Now then, I still haven’t explained why we’re delaying our departure. We don’t have any time to spare, but according to Lord Vizaist, the Fiends are still not making any moves.”
The atmosphere in the room completely changed as Alus had a serious look on his face. “It seems this nation’s Governor-General is completely incompetent too, as he’s requested aid from Kurama. Apparently he honestly believed them when they said he could recall his request at any moment.”
Lettie asked, “Then why don’t we capture them while we’re at it?”
“No, we won’t have the time for that. I don’t hate the idea of focusing on the criminals and crushing that Governor-General’s ulterior motives, but you’d give up your chance to make a name for yourself and I’d lose my reward. Instead, we’ll prioritize the elimination and just hope that Kurama doesn’t interfere.” Even though this battle could determine the fate of humanity, Alus was being pretty carefree in his words.
That’s when Mujir put his hand on his chin and asked the question on everyone’s mind. “What if they decide to meddle with us?”
“We’ll avoid direct conflict and keep them in check. If our hands are free after eliminating the target, we can deal with them, but they won’t be stupid enough to wait around for that.”
“You bet. It’s just one problem after another,” Lettie sighed.
“You can complain all you want afterwards. We have Lord Vizaist working on it, so we just need to accomplish our own mission. I don’t mind sending some attacks their way if we discover them, but avoid combat.”
Considering Kurama’s executives were equivalent to Singles, they might end up poking a hornet’s nest, making the situation even worse. Then again, it was hard to imagine that Kurama would overstay their welcome with the elites from all nations gathered nearby, but they wouldn’t lose anything by staying alert.
“What about supplies?” asked a squad member. “Should we prepare equipment for retreating as well?”
“No, that’s fine. Bring the bare minimum equipment; I want you as lightweight as possible. There shouldn’t be a lot of small fries this time, so leave behind all equipment used to hide traces. Just take what you need to protect yourself. If there are no other questions, we move out as the sun rises.”
“Yes, sir!” The squad members stood up and saluted in perfect unison.
That was it for today, Alus thought. He finally breathed out and recalled the tournament. It should be coming to a close around now. He’d left things up to Loki and Felinella, so he had nothing to worry about, but he had left Alpha in the first place to participate in the tournament.
The image of Cicelnia’s alluring smile popped into his head, making him feel a small amount of resentment. It wouldn’t be interesting to leave it at this, he thought to himself, regretting that he hadn’t demanded a bigger reward when he’d had the chance.
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