Battlefield 2: The Mountain

Crossing the mountain was going extremely smoothly.

Not everyone was pleased with that.

A nobleman named Aaron believed that battle should be more life-threatening and intense.

But in reality?

The fight never even occurred, thanks to the sudden appearance of an abnormally powerful mage. Swords were never drawn.

To make matters worse, the mage was also an esteemed vessel, bearing the imperial decree of the Empress.

There was no room for complaints.

He didn’t realize it, but the imperial decree was the empress’s words themselves—temporarily equating him with the empress. Utterly repulsive.

Being forced to keep pace with the carriage only worsened the irritation.

He had come all the way to a dangerous combat zone, yet here he was, unable to earn a single military honor.

Perhaps it would be risky, but should he separate from this group?

Fortunately, all necessary forces were present.

There's also the spellcraft four-wheeler—a fast and sturdy vehicle.

It's settled then.

I'll relay the mission to the elite troops I brought from my own territory and send them out to investigate first thing tomorrow morning.

Only the old steward, who has served since my father's time, objected.

He claimed I was repeating my father's mistake and that I'd likely die if I continued like this.

With such a strong force at my disposal, dying is utterly impossible.

Ignoring his grandfather's warnings, I set out on the advance march the next morning.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

Just as we crossed the mountain pass and entered the kingdom's territory.

When Taro woke up, he sensed that the number of people in the group had decreased.

His intuition quickly turned into reality.

"Alek, something's wrong! The nobles have disappeared!"

"I know. They left ahead early this morning, acting on their own. Probably trying to earn glory."

"Why did they do something like that? Splitting up our numbers in a situation like this..."

"It's almost certainly a trap set by the enemy. From their perspective, this is the perfect opportunity."

"We're in trouble too—what about him?!"

"Is that so? We have skilled adventurers here. With you on our side, a surprise attack isn't impossible. They also have well-trained soldiers. Let's prepare ourselves accordingly."

"But... still..."

"To be honest, you should have stopped your lord."

Sometimes, it's the duty of a subordinate to stop their lord—even at the cost of their life. What will you do about it?"

"...What do you mean, 'what will you do'?"

"Are you dazed? You must decide—continue forward or regain your footing."

"You're right about that..."

Returning now won't cancel the mission, but fleeing back while abandoning the noble would leave a poor impression.

On the other hand, advancing with such limited forces carries great risk.

Should I let Alex take command while I maintain constant surveillance magic? Good thing my practice has paid off—no fatigue at all...

Maybe this isn't so bad after all.

Alright, let's go with this!

"Alex, take command of everyone—I'll keep using scouting magic. Let's follow after those noble travelers ahead!"

"Understood."

Alex began speaking to the other adventurers.

Fortunately, Alex is quite a well-known adventurer.

There was no resistance at all—everyone readily followed our plan.

The group abandoned by the tyrannical noble continued forward steadily, as usual.

Just after noon, the scouting magic detected activity.

They were at the crest of the hill.

The view was blocked, and the path ahead was invisible.

"Multiple readings ahead. Given the number, they're likely in combat. Prepare yourselves."

At my words, the adventurers readied their weapons.

Moving slowly, they reached the top of the hill.

Stunned by the scene unfolding before them.

The noblemen who had moved ahead were locked in combat, surrounded by guerrilla fighters composed of royal soldiers.

It seemed the nobles were at a disadvantage. Several soldiers had already fallen.

"Shit, Alek, if we don't help them, they'll be wiped out."

"You're just as foolish as they are. You've been humiliated yourself, haven't you?"

"At least I'm not as bad as you."

Before I could even finish speaking, Alex had already raised his battle axe and begun charging.

I activated my wind magic, soaring into the air in an instant. The enemy soldiers, noticing Alex, turned to face him.

Seizing the moment, I descended upon the central mass of imperial troops.

"Y-you... why are you here?"

Our eyes met with Aaron.

"Now's not the time for that."

I used a healing gem to begin restoring the injured soldiers.

Thanks to Alex drawing the enemy's attention, I was able to focus on healing them.

But even Alex couldn't handle all the enemy soldiers at once.

Noticing me using the healing gem, several enemy soldiers turned toward me.

I rose into the air once more and unleashed a lightning bolt at the approaching enemy troops.

The enemy soldiers struck by the lightning collapsed one after another without being able to do anything.

Soon after, all the enemies were rendered powerless.

I confirmed my safety and slowly descended from the air.

The imperial soldiers watching me couldn't see me as just a mere magician.

They couldn't understand how I was flying, yet I danced through the sky, touched enemy soldiers with mysterious light, felled them without a single injury, and returned gracefully.

A messenger of the gods, or something akin to them... I could only tremble in awe at the sight.

"Why did you save me?"

"What's with that? I just helped you as a human."

"To you, our existence must be nothing but a thorn in your side. Even so, you still chose to help as a human?"

"I don't really understand it all, but it's not about positions or such things."

"Then, as a noble ruling over your domain, I shall offer my thanks. Well done."

You... ah, it's fine, really. Just stop.

Honestly, why are nobles always so troublesome?

Having finished healing everyone, they quickly returned to the adventurers' group. Fortunately, no one had died.