Battlefield in the mountains 4

William is completely unconscious, slumped forward.

His right arm is badly injured.

I myself seem to have sustained injuries in various places—throbbing pain is spreading through my body.

A healing crystal’s distinctive glow surrounds the two of them.

Alright, emergency treatment is done. We need to get William out of here quickly before his stamina drops further.

We’ll head to the location where the Imperial Army’s forces are stationed.

Everyone rushes over quickly.

"How's it going, Taro?"

Noel looks at William, whom I'm carrying.

"So that's William... He's younger than I expected."

"Of course he is. We need to treat him now! He's used up a massive amount of magic essence. If we don't, he'll collapse from exhaustion."

"What do you plan to do? The Empire won't treat him. He's an enemy soldier after all."

"I could... end up being taken prisoner, you know."

"You really planning to take him prisoner? You know how this will turn out! Why did you push him so hard!?"

"I didn't expect it to be this difficult. I'll treat him inside the magical quadruped."

"I knew you'd end up like this. I was prepared."

Coil, as if waiting for just that moment, brings the magical quadruped close.

"Thanks. I really appreciate it."

He was carried onto the cargo platform of the magical quadruped, where William was secured.

He swiftly applied emergency treatments he'd learned from past adventures.

I think I've done something like this before... Though it was just a short while ago, it feels oddly nostalgic.

After a while, William's breathing stabilized, and his condition settled.

He's now quietly asleep.

It's worked out, thank goodness.

For a moment of relief, he stepped out of the cargo platform.

The sentries outside were Noel and Alex.

"Thank you both. Anything unusual?"

"Nothing in particular."

Alex replied quietly.

"Victory was ours, that's all."

"Wait... really? Well, I guess we were stronger to begin with..."

I was left bewildered by the matter-of-fact declaration of victory.

Scanning the area, I saw a few familiar faces from the battlefield resting quietly.

Trying desperately to take in the situation, I scanned the area when a soldier approached me.

"Man, you were awesome, seriously. That magic thing you did—blasted all the enemy flames away. At the end, it was like this bright flash, you know? Thanks to you, we wiped out that troublesome royal army. Much obliged!"

Without waiting for my reply, the cheerful soldier headed back to his comrades.

That's right—now that William was gone, the soldiers he had been protecting had no choice but to flee...

I caused this outcome.

I'm shocked by the result I brought upon myself, and gradually, regret begins to overwhelm me.

After all, two nations are at war. If we gain the advantage, we should press forward.

That's just how it is.

As I'm lost in thought, I'm called to meet the commander of the battlefield.

"Magician Taro. Thanks to you, we've secured this battlefield. Now the sacrifices of our fallen comrades have been honored, and the safety of the soldiers here is assured. Our deepest gratitude."

Before me, a figure far more senior than I stood, expressing heartfelt thanks.

Yet I'm the one who caused people to die...

And now I'm being thanked for the lives that were spared because of me.

War is truly terrible...

I couldn't find a single word to reply.

"Indeed, all of this is thanks to the magical quadracycle. I heard you were involved in its development, too."

"Eh? Well, yes... I suppose I was involved in the development, yes."

"The lead developers were the ones who kept preaching ideals like opposing war at a time like this, which was quite troublesome. But it's a relief that there are people like you who actually come out to the front lines. Everything here is thanks to you."

Despite being praised so highly, I feel no joy at all.

Would the war have even happened without the magical quadracycles? No, the war began regardless of the magical quadracycles. It wasn't the tool that caused it.

But would it have turned into such a quagmire? That, I don't know.

If there had been no magical quadracycles in the war, the conflict likely wouldn't have ended so one-sidedly.

If William's magic hadn't reached such a high level of mastery, he never would have thrown himself into this battle.

Of course, that's all hypothetical. There's no point in overthinking it.

Still, I can't help but wonder—was it because I was there at that time, in that place?

I'm not truly a human of this world. Could that be affecting the world in some way?

After that, I think important people said something, but I didn't hear it. We ended up returning to the place where we'd set up camp.

We gathered around the campfire and ate our meals.

As we ate rice, I kept thinking the same thing over and over.

"Taro, we've achieved our original goal. What should we do from here?"

Lost in thought, I suddenly heard Alex speak.

"Huh?"

"No, that's not it. We've successfully secured the boy. I'm asking what comes next."

"Oh, right. For now, let's take William back. Then..."

"Then?"

I was about to say we should go rescue William's father next.

But I couldn't speak. I feared the same thing might happen again.

"Most likely, his father is being held captive—or something along those lines. However, I cannot support your further involvement in this war."

"W-why!?"

"Given how long we've known each other, I can just tell. You're not suited for war."

There's no one suited for war! I can't understand Alex's words.

"There's no choice! I have to go help them."

"Why? You don't even know them."

"..."

Speechless. Not only have we never met, we've never even spoken.

"Taro, you seem to be carrying many burdens lately. You should step back from the front lines."

Being directly lectured by Alex face-to-face. The other two nearby look at me with concern.

Alex's words strike deep. Indeed, lately I've been obsessing over things I can't possibly solve no matter how hard I think.

"Take a step back and clear your mind. You're not foolish. I expect you to make sound judgments."

With that, Alex turned and walked back into the tent.