Battlefield in the mountains 1

At the base of the mountains stood a lodging facility managed by the guild.

During dinner, Noel asked with a serious expression.

"What if William, that kid heading off to rescue people, is fighting for the kingdom out of genuine concern? What would you do then?"

"..."

I was at a loss for words.

I had assumed he was being forced into battle against his will, but what if he had actually chosen to fight on his own? What then?

"Hey now, don't stay quiet. There's no one who'd willingly rush into war unless they're crazy, right? Is that guy crazy?"

"No, actually, he's incredibly smart."

"Then it's fine. Don't worry—stand tall and go help him!"

"Yeah, Noel, thanks as always."

"Y-yeah. That's right. It's because of me."

Noel really does care deeply and offers such sincere encouragement. It's moments like these that make it all the more precious...

The sun rises, and we cross the mountains to enter the battlefield.

As we approach the front lines, we can see the distant sounds of artillery fire and flashes of explosions.

Fortunately, we enter the battlefield camp maintained by the Empire without having to engage in combat.

I meet with the battlefield commander.

As expected, showing the letter of command from the Empress grants me freedom of action. Incredible...

I immediately begin gathering information.

In a battlefield crowded with countless people, I thought it would be nearly impossible to find just one individual.

Yet surprisingly quickly, someone who seemed to fit the description appeared.

It seems William is quite well-known.

They say he uses fire magic to cause massive explosions on the battlefield—extremely powerful magic user.

However, he's also said to be inexperienced in combat, with his attacks often misfiring or slightly off in timing.

Still, fire magic is excellent. It can't just be ignored simply by existing, let alone a massive explosion.

His presence had caused the battle to stall. Fortunately, casualties had remained low so far.

But this situation couldn't continue.

The Empire had planned a large-scale offensive.

This is bad.

Even William, as powerful as he is, wouldn't stand a chance against a large force.

It's all about numbers. That principle remains unchanged, even in this world.

If we continue like this, William will lose. It would be better if he simply retreated and survived.

If captured, he'll have no chance of survival.

He's an excellent mage from the enemy nation. There's no reason to keep him alive.

At best, he'll be used as experimental material.

Before that happens, I must settle this without a scratch...

It'll be fine.

I just have a feeling... that it will be fine.

William is skilled. He couldn't possibly miss his target or fail to time his attacks.

No, precisely because he understands it so thoroughly, adjusting the timing must come easily to him.

Returning to the tent they had set up.

Everyone was already gathered.

They were pooling together all the information they had collected.

Noel seemed to have just been thoroughly harassed and snapped, starting a fight—nothing more.

The information gathered by Coil and Alex roughly matched the details I had collected, confirming without a doubt that the fire mage was William.

Whenever combat began, he would deliberately appear above the heads of the kingdom's soldiers, flaring up with flames, then vanish, causing massive explosions that threw the battlefield into chaos.

Since he was the one who had to bear the brunt of the attack, the Empire's initial assault was entirely directed at William, but it was completely repelled by his powerful flames, leaving no single strike to land.

After that, it's said William launched a one-sided offensive.

However, his attacks were slightly off-target, allowing his opponent to escape.

As the Empire continued its assault, it seems William's magical energy eventually ran out, and the Empire's attacks began to land.

Normally, by the time the Empire's attacks finally reached him, a considerable amount of time had passed, making further combat impractical, so the fighting would pause for a moment.

To break this deadlock, the Empire plans to unleash a massive barrage of attacks on William at once, aiming to overwhelm him with sheer force—a brute-force strategy.

The Empire's next assault is scheduled for early morning the day after tomorrow. There's simply not enough time.

"If it comes to this, there's no choice but to confront William directly on the battlefield and negotiate with him."

"What do you plan to do about it, exactly?"

"He's a fire mage. Only I can suppress his flames using magic. I'll try to restrain William's magic while attempting to reason with him."

"Very well. Then we'll stay in the background this time, making sure Taro can fight without worry."

"Sorry for the trouble. I'll count on you."

Time passed quickly, and soon it was just before the battle.

Rehearsing the hastily made plan over and over again.

"Tarou, are you scared?"

Noel asks, leaning in curiously.

"To be honest, I am scared. Fighting is still scary. But it'll be alright. We can't stop now."

"I see. If you're afraid, you can always rely on me, you know."

Saying that, he puffs out his chest. He genuinely seems ready to jump in right now.

The signal for battle sounds, and the advance begins.

At the same time, a crimson flash ascends into the sky from the direction of the enemy forces—almost like fireworks.

"Taro's here!"

Answering Alex's shout, I launch into the air. I'm ejecting nothing but pure air, which should be invisible to the enemy.

A single line of flame shoots upward at high speed, then halts far above human heads before veering toward the imperial army.

It approaches with dazzling light and thunderous sound.

It seemed as if it were issuing a warning.

Your will won't go to waste... I adjust the air around me, contrasting sharply with the flames before me, and approach silently at high speed.