Battlefield in the mountains 2

Through the telescope mounted like glasses, I could see the center of the flames. There was no mistake—William.

It felt strangely familiar, yet somehow larger than before.

Boys in their growth phase change noticeably in just a short time.

As I stared, William had drawn much closer.

Rather, something else entirely was flying toward us.

Lowering the telescope and taking in the whole scene, I saw only a mass of flames.

It was William launching something toward the imperial forces.

Instinctively, I formed a mass of air and shoved it forward.

The mass of flames dispersed into the air, suddenly losing momentum.

William was startled by something unprecedented, freezing mid-air. Eventually, the flames cleared, and we faced each other.

"Long time no see, William."

"Why... how did you end up here..."

Slowly, both William and I began descending.

Since both of us were moving at high speed, we were about to land in an empty field.

"I was instructed by your sister and the maid to bring you back."

"What... what is your sister doing right now!?"

"She's currently in the Empire. Her safety is secured."

"I see... So it was Taro who rescued you. That's good to hear."

"I didn't do anything heroic... How about joining me in the Empire, William?"

"Eh?"

William looks stunned, unable to believe what I just said.

After a brief hesitation, he speaks clearly.

"I'm truly honored by your invitation, but I can't accept. I still have a battle ahead of me."

"Why? Your sister isn't even in the kingdom anymore."

"It's not just my sister... Father is there too..."

What a revelation.

I'd heard that William's father had appealed directly to the king. Honestly, I thought that kind of reckless act would cost him his life...

Honestly, this is the worst possible outcome.

"I'm a noble! I can't just abandon these soldiers fighting right now and run away by myself!"

William steeled himself, flames gathering in both hands.

"Wait, William. I didn't come here to fight! Think carefully."

"Mr. Taro, you should think carefully too. It's war right now—this is a battlefield! How could I possibly believe such an offer?!"

There's no other choice...

"Besides, how do I even know if you're the real Mr. Taro? If you're determined to take me by force, then defeat me and capture me as a prisoner."

Tears streaming down his face, he offers what he believes is the only solution.

Even though he knows I might not survive capture by the enemy, he still says something like this, trusting me...

Then there's no choice but to win.

Defeat William and take him prisoner.

I'll find any excuse—whether it's for personal interrogation or some other pretext—to bring him back with me.

I've made my decision, focusing my consciousness on the magical energy within my body and beginning to absorb more from the surrounding environment.

The two armies are closing in just behind us. There's no time left.

Focusing on William right before me, a mass of flames rushed toward me.

"Whoa, that's dangerous!"

I blew wind at myself, accelerating rapidly.

"Sorry! Next one's coming!"

With an apology, an attack flew toward him.

I struck the mass of air and stopped the flames.

The two collided, spreading out and igniting everything around them.

"Damn, if we keep going like this, it'll be a sea of fire."

While releasing wind with one arm, I charged electricity into my free arm.

I aim at William and unleash it.

It flashes brightly and stands out, but it's a lightning bolt moving at high speed—there's no way to dodge it.

But William wraps himself in flames around his body, deflecting the lightning strike. What kind of reflexes does he have?

His mastery of flames is on par with even a mage.

Impressive.

William creates a cage of flames, surrounding the two of us.

What intense heat. I'll be roasted alive by this overwhelming warmth.

Manipulating the surrounding air, I blow away the cage of flames.

"Amazing, Taro. No matter what you do, it just bounces back. How about this?"

William wraps flames around both arms and legs, launching himself at high speed. It seems he's enhancing himself with the power of fire.

I dodge upward into the sky, evading William's attack.

Where William strikes, an explosion erupts, scorching the ground.

William ascends into the sky and pursues me.

A cluster of flames extends like an arm, burning fiercely.

I attempt to paralyze him with an electric attack, but it's blocked by his fiery defense. Of course, I could overwhelm the defense by increasing output, but William won't let me get away so easily.

Then, the only option is to neutralize the flames and touch William directly to deliver the electric shock.

What now!?

Ransacking my mind for knowledge to protect myself from the flames.

I'll try whatever comes to mind first. I must disable the torrent of flames emanating from it before I can safely approach William!

"Here I go, Taro-san!"

Just a moment ago, I thought it was crying, but now it's smiling. Maybe I've started treating this like a sport, facing an opponent who doesn't even get a scratch even when I'm serious...

Such intense emotions. It's still just a child.

Dodging William's attack, I descend rapidly toward the ground.