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Chapter Eight: The Atonent of Fla[]
Early morning, four o’clock. The sun had not risen yet, the sky was dark.
In the sky above the Academy of Magic one small war frigate appeared.
nvil stood on the deck, watching the sky right ahead. Wardes, with inaudible steps, approached nvil from behind.
The wind’s square indicated by itself that it was the sa sky.
Wardes ca out to test nvil.
Can this man lead such a difficult plan to success? He had his doubts.
However, Wardes’s doubts seed to be unfounded.
Not taking his eyes from the sign, nvil called Wardes out of distance,
“So what trial is it now, Viscount?”
Wardes was surprised.
nvil did not even turn around.
Even if he had turned around – it was just too dark. One couldn’t even make out an approaching silhouette.
Yet... what kind of skills did he use to notice Wardes approach from such a long distance?
“Now then, we’re almost there.”
nvil muttered without turning around. Wardes, while feeling admiration, carefully approached nvil.
“We’re lucky. Oh dear, as an attacking side, we should not let them know from which side they will be attacked.”
They managed to avoid mage’s familiars that were patrolling in the air... it was fortuitous that they managed to get this far without being spotted.
“In order to express our gratitude, when you return to Albion, please let treat you to sothing, Viscount.”
“Don’t think too much about it, think about surviving first,” Wardes said. nvil suddenly pulled out a cane and pointed it at the scruff of Wardes’s neck.
“Watch your mouth youngster. Or do you want to turn to ashes right here and now?”
Wardes expressionlessly watched nvil.
“I’m joking, Viscount. Don’t stare like that.”
Laughing, nvil jumped from the deck into the air.
One after another, all of the other team mbers, wrapped up in black cloths, followed nvil.
A lot of people disappeared from the deck with a surprising swiftness.
Fouquet, who ca up there, muttered in an unpleasant voice.
“Creepy guy. And scary.”
“But he has the skills needed. We can’t hope for more.”
“Is he more skilled than you?”
Fouquet laughed, asking Wardes a mischievous question.
“Maybe.”
The Musketeers Corps assigned two musketeer crew mbers to an artillery tower to watch over the cannon.
That was the greatest number of military troops that the army could allow to stand as sentinels.
Sothing moved under the moonlight.
The older mber of the two squat down in silence, and unwrapped gun powder and bullets from small paper bags.
Another musketeer, following her partner’s movents, also loaded her musket with gunpowder.
And when she looked carefully... she saw sothing moving in the darkness.
But before she could open her mouth, both guards’ throats were cut by Wind magic.
Two bodies were caught before hitting the ground. Not making any noise, nvil laid the musketeers on the ground.
“Won. Still young. Sha.” One assassin inford nvil with a smile.
“There is no place for old courtesy, n or won have to be treated the sa.”
nvil said, smiling rapaciously.
“Equally when death is given.”
“Only nobles’ children should not be killed. They must be taken as hostages.”
“Apart from them, I can kill everyone else?”
nvil, while fiddling with his cane, muttered in a happy voice.
One mber took out the map.
It was the map of the school drawn by Fouquet. It was covered with a special cloth that didn’t leak out light, but slightly illuminated the map itself.
Looking at the corpses of the guards, one mber muttered.
“Guards only ard with guns.”
“How many mages are there? Not counting the regular musketeers.”
The mber who was studying the map inford nvil.
"Commander, there are three targets. This tower, the dormitory tower and the tower nearside.”
nvil handed down the orders quickly.
“I’ll take the dormitory tower. Jean, Ludwig, Germain, Attas – you four together with Giovanni take this tower. Celestin and the rest take the last one.”
The mages nodded.
Tabitha woke up.
There were strange sounds coming from the courtyard.
After thinking for a mont, she decided to wake Kirche up after all. She went out of her room and headed to Kirche’s room downstairs. After she knocked against the door, Kirche, dressed only in a thin nightgown on her bare skin and still rubbing her eyes, appeared.
“You what... it’s too early... even the sun hasn’t started to rise yet.”
“Strange sounds,” was all she said.
Kirche closed her eyes.
“Uwaaa.” Kirche felt her salamander, Fla, beating against the window.
“You too?”
The mont Kirche opened her eyes again, her sleepiness was gone.
Kirche hastily began putting clothes on.
The mont when she took her wand, the sound of a breaking door echoed.
Kirche and Tabitha looked at each other.
“Retreat,” Tabitha murmured.
“Agreed.”
Not knowing the enemies number or location, one had to pull back to recover. It was war basics.
Kirche and Tabitha jumped down from the window and hid themselves in the bushes and from there watched what was going around.
It was getting brighter - the sun started rising.
At that ti, Agnes woke up in her bedroom and grabbed the sword placed at the bedside.
Pulling it out from its sheath, she waited at the door.
It was the second floor of the artillery tower. The room was always used as a warehouse and was only recently made into a bedroom.
In all, twelve mbers lived here.
They all resided in the room next door.
Agnes noticed the mirror placed in the center of the room. It was the "Liar’s Mirror". The ugly made into beautiful, the beautiful into ugly – everything was turned upside down by the mirror. Agnes tried not to look at the mirror while setting the trap.
Four people led by the rcenary mage Celestin went up a spiral staircase to the second floor of the artillery tower. They queued at the two doors.
Two n were positioned at each door while another one waited in the hall.
The doors were kicked open.
In the middle of the room a handso mage set up his wand.
Alard, the mages started to chant their spells.
“Bam...”
However, they were also hit by magic. With his heart pierced by an ice spear, Celestin fell on the floor.
Agnes, who hid herself behind the door, noticed the success of her plan.
Celestin mistook his own reflection in The Liar’s Mirror, which was placed here by Agnes, for an enemy and released a spell which was reflected by the mirror and pierced his heart.
Agnes felt gratitude to Celestin, who had been foolish enough to shoot himself with his own spell reflected by the mirror.
Another assassin, hastily flounced into the room.
But his throat was cut deeply from the side by Agnes’s sword, and he fell down.
Then, her musketeers jumped into the room.
“Commander Agnes! Are you all right?”
She nodded answering their question.
“I’m all right.”
“Two people sneaked into our room. However, we finished them...”
Two people in my room. Two people in the next one. Four people in total...
Apparently these thieves crept into the artillery tower to kill them off...
“Albion’s dogs.”
Muttered Agnes, quickly understanding where they ca from. The squad consisted only of mages. It was impossible to mistake them for simple thieves. They must be rcenaries employed by Albion...
Then, Agnes beca worried about the situation outside.
Right now, there were only schoolgirls left in the academy.
“In two minutes I want you fully armoured and following ,” Agnes ordered her subordinates.
nvil took over the won’s dormitory without any problems.
Noble daughters were so frightened by his invasion that they showed no real resistance. He took all the schoolgirls’ wands and rounded them up, still dressed in their nightgowns, and confined them in the dining hall. There were approximately ninety people.
While he was doing that, his partners from the other tower joined him.
Seeing the academy’s headmaster Old Osman being one of the captives put a smile on nvil’s face.
nvil gathered all of the captives in the dining hall and tied their hands behind their backs.
Thanks to a magic spell that soone recited, the rope moved and twined around their wrists by itself.
All the teachers and students were female and were trembling.
nvil sweetly muttered to everyone,
“Whaaat, calm down, if none of you try to stand out or make noise and if you do what you are told to, no one will get hurt.”
Soone began to weep.
“Silence!”
However, the schoolgirl didn’t stop crying. nvil ca closer and pointed his cane at her.
“Do you like cinders?”
The words were not a direct threat, but it could be understood as one. The schoolgirl stopped crying.
Osman opened his mouth.
“Hey you.”
“What?”
“Don’t use violence against won. Albion wants us as hostages, yes? To use us as additional cards in negotiations, yes?”
“How do you know?”
“Experienced persons from far away barged in here – it’s easy to see what you ca here for. Not for the riches for sure. So, please be more patient.”
“Old man, what value do you have?”
The rcenaries laughed loudly.
“How important is one old man for the country? Consider this.”
When Osman ducked his head, the intruders started to look around Alvíss Dining Hall.
One could clearly read, “I don’t want to be here,” on the mages faces.
Fuuun, Osman thought. They might still have a chance.
“Old man, are these people all the mbers of the academy?”
Osman nodded.
“That’s right. That’s all of them.“
Then the rcenaries noticed that their comrades had not returned from the artillery tower. Are they taking their ti? No, he shook his head. The longer it takes, the more chances for the enemy to get reinforcents. And they should be aware of that. Therefore, nvil ramified.
From outside the dining hall a voice was heard.
“Those that shut themselves up in the dining hall! Listen! We are Her Majesty’s musketeers!”
nvil and others looked at each other. Apparently Celestin failed. However none of the rcenaries changed their facial expression. A single rcenary glared at Osman.
“Hey hey. Didn’t you said ‘That’s all of them’?”
“Musketeers are not part of the staff,” Osman said calmly.
With a smile on his lips, nvil stepped to the doors to negotiate with the musketeers outside the dining room.
Agnes hid herself behind the tower staircase landing. She drove one group of commoner staff away from the courtyard so that they would not get too involved with the incident.
The morning sun had not risen yet.
At the door of the dining hall a tightfisted mage appeared. The moonlight from a gap in the clouds lit his figure.
Agnes held her finger on the trigger, while aiming her pistol at the mage.
“Listen! Thief! We are Her Majesty’s musketeers! One battalion of our troops has you and your damned accomplices surrounded! Release the hostages!”
Agnes’ “one battalion of troops” was a bluff. In reality, there were only about ten people.
From the dining hall she heard voices laughing hard.
“We couldn’t care less about a single battalion of musketeers!”
“These musketeers have killed four of your partners already. If you surrender peacefully, we’ll spare your lives.”
“Surrender? Isn’t it the ti to start negotiations now? Call Henrietta here.”
“Her Majesty?”
“Indeed. And for the ti being, promise to withdraw your soldiers from Albion. My client seems to hate it when your soldiers dirty the country’s land with their shoes.
Usually the army didn’t turn back because of a hostage. However... because ninety children of nobles were taken as hostages, this might be a different matter. The invasion troop’s withdrawal was a real possibility.
My responsibility. Agnes bit her lower lip.
She tried to concentrate – A blunder is a blunder. The court people - they are still my responsibility.
One musketeer whispered into Agnes’s ear.
“...we could send a courier to Tristania and ask for reinforcents.”
“It is useless. It doesn’t matter how many soldiers we have, as long as they hold hostages.”
Seeing such a consultation, nvil shouted.
“Hey, rember. Whenever you call a new soldier, one hostage is killed. The only ones you can invite here are the Cardinal or Henrietta. Are we clear?”
Agnes said nothing.
Then, nvil shouted again.
“Make a decision in the next five minutes. Call Henrietta or not. If there is no answer after five minutes, one hostage will be killed every passing minute.”
Another musketeer poked Agnes.
“Commander Agnes...”
Agnes painfully tightened her lips.
At that mont...
A voice sounded from behind.
“Commander.”
Turning around she saw Colbert standing and staring with surprise at Alvíss Dining Hall.
“Do not get involved,” Agnes said, trying to cover Colbert with herself.
“You’ll be caught.”
“My laboratory is in the tower. What happened?”
Agnes got angry at Colbert’s carefree attitude.
“Can’t you see? Your students were captured by Albion’s henchn.”
Colbert looked over her shoulder and, once he noticed the mage standing in front of the dining hall, his face turned pale.
“Enough already. Go back.”
Annoyed, she sent Colbert off.
“Psst, Miss Musketeer.”
She was called from behind again. This ti it was Kirche and Tabitha, who stood in the shadows smiling.
“Aren’t you students? Thank goodness you are all right.”
“Hey, we have a good plan...”
“Plan?”
“Yeah. Right now you can’t reject any help.”
“And what is that plan?”
Kirche and Tabitha explained their plan to Agnes.
Agnes, after listening to it, laughed.
“Sounds fun to .”
“How about it? That’s the only plan we have.”
Colbert, who had heard the plan, was opposed to it.
“It is too dangerous. The enemies are rcenaries. You can’t be seriously thinking that such cheap tricks will work.”
“No one cares about your opinion, teacher.”
Kirche said, not trying to hide her contempt.
Agnes stopped paying attention to Colbert altogether.
“They do not know about your existence. The key here is surprise.”
She whispered while pointing her finger at Kirche, Tabitha and herself.
nvil sat on a chair looking at the pocket watch on the table.
*Tick tick* the clock hand moved.
“Five minutes passed.”
Hearing that, the students shuddered. If there were no words from Agnes about calling Henrietta after five minutes, nvil said he would kill one of them.
“Don’t hold a grudge against ,” nvil said, pulling out his cane.
“Take instead.”
Osman muttered, but nvil shook his head.
“You are necessary as a key in negotiation. Hey, who will it be? You choose.”
An indescribably cruel question. No one answered in shock.
“Understood. Then I will choose. Do not hold a grudge.”
But the mont when nvil said that...
A small paper balloon flew into the dining hall.
And once all of their eyes were focused on it...
The paper balloon exploded with a very loud bang.
With it, yellow blinding phosphorus flew out of the balloon.
It was directed to fly into the dining hall by Tabitha’s Wind and was lit up by Kirche’s Fire magic.
The schoolgirls scread.
Those mages that looked at it directly were now holding their faces.
Then Kirche, Tabitha, and the musketeers, with muskets prepared, broke into the room.
The strategy seed to be successful.
But...
A lot of fire bullets flew up, aid at Kirche.
Kirche, who had lowered her guard thinking about success, fired her own fire bombs at it.
Due to the resulting violent flas, the gunpowder of a nearby musketeer’s gun exploded.
Her fingers were blown-off, and the musketeer started rolling on the ground holding her hand.
Kirche tried to stand up but did not notice the spell aid at her.
A fire bomb exploded in front of her belly, and she received the full force of the shock wave from a close distance, knocking her outside.
Wrapped in flas, it was an effective attack. It takes ti for fla to burn ... but an explosion gives an instant impact - the opposite of burning slowly.
She saw Tabitha staggering trying to stand up.
But then another shock wave hit her head... and she fell onto the ground again.
nvil showed up from the white smoke.
Spell! But there was no wand.
Then she noticed one lying on the ground.
She reached for it, trying to pick it up but he stepped on it.
nvil towered above Kirche, looking down on her.
“Too bad... Light bombs only blind one’s eyes...”
nvil said while smiling.
That mont Kirche noticed.
nvil’s eyeballs were not moving at all.
“Your...eyes.”
nvil extended his fingers towards one eye.
And took it out. An artificial eye.
“Not only were my eyelids burnt, but my eyes as well. I can’t see the light.”
“H-how...”
But nvil moved as if he was able to see.
“A snake finds its prey by temperature.”
nvil laughed.
“I’m a Fire user, thus I am very sensitive to temperature. Distance, position - one can know everything in full detail by knowing how high or low the temperature is. You can even recognize different people by knowing their temperature.”
Kirche‘s hair stood up on her head from fear.
Who is this man...
“Are you scared? Afraid?”
nvil laughed.
“When one’s feelings turn in turmoil, one’s temperature changes as well. Temperature changes tell a lot of things about one’s thoughts.”
nvil’s nostrils widened upon taking a full inhalation of the scent.
“I want to sll.”
“Eh?”
“The aroma of you burnt, I want to sll it.”
Kirche trembled.
For the first ti in her life she felt pure fear.
The fear that made a Queen of Fire whisper ‘No...’ like a small girl. However, nvil just gave an anxious smile and said.
“How would you like to burn? There are many different ways of burning. This ti you will be the one to burn.”
Not willing to see it coming, Kirche closed her eyes.
nvil put out his cane, but the mont when flas started gathering around Kirche...
The fla was pushed back by another fla.
And once Kirche cracked her eyes open, she saw...
Colbert standing next to her, with a wand in his hand.
“...Mister?”
With an ice-cold face, Colbert muttered.
“Get away from my students.”
As if noticing sothing, nvil looked up.
“Ooh, you... You! You! You!”
With a joyful expression on his face, nvil roared.
“Is my temperature sense tricking ?! You! Colbert it’s you! I’ve missed you! It’s Colbert’s voice!”
Colbert’s expression did not change. He stubbornly stared at nvil.
“It’s ! Have you forgotten? It’s Commander nvil! Aaah! So long ago!”
nvil spread out his arms and shouted happily.
Colbert puckered up his brows.
That face had sothing dark in it.
“You...”
“How many years passed since our last eting? Haaa! Captain! Twenty-years! That’s right!”
Captain?
What does that an? The students started to whisper.
“What? Captain! You are a teacher now?! Isn’t it funny? You - a teacher! What precisely do you teach? You who were nad ‘The Fla Serpent’... Ha, ha, ha! Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!”
nvil shouted with laughter.
“I will explain to you. This man here is a fla user that was called ‘The Fla Serpent’ before. He was a commander of the special troops... Won or children – he did not care, he burned them all completely.”
Kirche stared at Colbert.
“And he was the man... who took my eyes!"
Colbert was emanating sothing scary.
The aura around him felt very different from normal.
Burning his own people, even Kirche’s Zerbst lineage never engaged in such atrocities. After all, those were nobles’ duels.
However, the air that Colbert emanated today was different.
If you touch – you’ll burn.
You’ll burn and die.
The sll of burning flesh, the sll of death.
From the tip of Colbert’s casually thrust out wand, a huge snake of fla, that looked too big for the delicate wand, sprang out. The snake bit the wand of one mage, who had silently started to chant a spell.
The wand turned to ashes in an instant.
Colbert smiled.
A cold smile without feelings, like a reptile’s.
Colbert asked Kirche who stared at him in shock.
“Miss Zerbst. Do you rember the Fire elent’s characteristics?”
From the edge of a bitten lip, a stream of blood trickled.
Red blood, like fla, like Colbert’s mantle.
“...fire’s characteristics are zeal and destruction.”
“Fire’s zeal and destruction are its sole purpose. That’s what you think. Twenty years ago I thought so too.”
Colbert muttered in an unusual voice.
“However, it is as you say.”
The moon hid behind a cloud again.
Their surroundings turned black as if painted by a dark brush.
A fight in the dark is difficult for an ordinary man. Because one cannot see his opponent.
However, for the blinded Fire user there is no light to begin with, thus darkness is not a handicap at all.
nvil thought while gripping his cane and preparing a spell.
20 years ago my fla was defeated.
It was because of immaturity.
However, it is different now.
With ti I beca much stronger.
Though I lost light, I gained strong Fire instead.
Inner body senses were straightened and the nerves beca twice as strong.
Now I can detect even the most subtle changes in the air.
Temperature of a person, flow of air coloured a shadow and the sight was projected into nvil’s mind.
“Take your friend and run away from here.”
Kirche nodded, and supporting Tabitha, tried to run away. However, the mage that lurked in the dining hall shot an ice arrow aid at their backs.
A thin fla dashed out of Colbert’s cane and entwined the arrow.
The arrow of ice lted and fell.
Once Colbert’s fla was unleashed, nvil’s fla flew.
Fireball.
A ball of fla that followed Colbert’s movents...
However, it was instantly burned down by the fla escaping from Colbert’s wand.
“Fufu, don’t.”
nvil launched one fla after another, aiming at Colbert.
Suddenly Colbert was cornered into defense.
In the darkness he ran from side to side trying to escape them.
Even if one wanted to attack, challenging nvil in the dark was not easily done.
“What’s wrong?! What’s wrong captain?! Don’t just run around!”
nvil shot one fireball after another. The edge of Colbert’s mantle flad up.
“Too bad! Just your mantle turns into scorch! Next is your body! I want to sll your burning body! This is ! Uwaha! Uha! Hahahahahahahaha!”
Wearing a smile tinged with madness, nvil launched his flas.
“Kuu...”
Colbert shot his own fla of magic aiming at the source of nvil’s fla.
However, there was no response.
nvil moved at once when the spell was cast and disappeared in the dark, not giving Colbert the chance for a counterattack.
One cannot attack an opponent whom one cannot see. Colbert frowned.
“Here! Captain!”
Yet his position was fully exposed to nvil who could "see" in the dark.
Colbert hid in the bushes, then tried to hide himself in the shadow of the tower. However, it was not possible to escape from nvil, who could track one’s temperature very accurately.
Colbert, while running around and trying to escape, soon found himself in the center of the plaza. There was no place where he could hide.
“The best stage is prepared, Captain. You cannot run away anymore. There is no place where you can hide yourself either. Give up.”
Colbert took a deep breath.
And spoke towards nvil’s direction in the darkness.
“Young nvil, I have a favor to ask.”
“What? You want to burn without suffering? Well for old ti’s sake, I will burn you in an instant.”
In a perfectly composed voice, Colbert said,
“I want you to give up. I already decided not to kill anyone with magic.”
“Hey hey, have you lost your mind? Can’t you understand the current situation? You can’t see . However, I can see you perfectly. Where do you see a winning chance for you?”
“Still, I am begging you. This is true.”
Colbert fell on his knees and bowed. The nvil’s voice was filled with disgust,
“I... I was chasing such a coward for twenty years... you good-for-nothing... I cannot permit that... I cannot permit that for myself. I will roast you bit by bit, taking my ti, without any sympathy, from head to toes.”
nvil began to utter an incantation.
“Even if I ask, you won’t listen.”
Colbert continued.
“I am not a persistent enough guy.”
Colbert shook his head in sadness and pointed his wand to the sky.
The ball of a small fla shot up.
“What? An illumination plan? Unfortunately for you, the fire size is not enough to light the area around.
It was as nvil said. The small ball of fla only lightly shined upon their surroundings. It could not replace the sun.
The mont when nvil’s spell was completed...
The small fla ball that was hanging in the sky exploded.
The small explosion turned into a huge one in an instant.
Fire, Fire, Earth. One earth and two fires.
Using "Gold transmutation" water vapor in the air was turned into oil.
With a spark it turned into a huge raging ball of fire...
The combustion of the raging ball of fire sucked up all oxygen around, causing every living thing within its range to suffocate and die.
It was a matchless "Fla bomb."
nvil, opening his mouth to chant the spell, felt the oxygen being plundered from his lungs and suffocated in an instant.
If the enemy hides in the darkness... consign him to the darkness.
However, this spell kills everyone nearby. Therefore, Colbert did not use it until they had moved to the center of the plaza.
Colbert turned around and, while holding his mouth, approached the lying nvil.
“You couldn’t turn into a complete snake, Lieutenant.”
Colbert whispered, while coldly looking down at nvil’s face drawn with pain.
News about nvil’s defeat shook the morale of his rcenaries.
Kirche, Tabitha and the musketeers who escaped injuries did not lose montum and rushed into battle again.
Inside, between the screams of schoolgirls who stretched out on the floor, a single mage who had barricaded himself in the dining room was knocked down.
Agnes stabbed the last mage with her sword.
“Kuu!”
However, the sword did not co out.
The last mage released a spell aiming at Agnes’s back...
Many magic arrows flew.
Kirche, Tabitha and other musketeers were not able to react in ti.
A black shadow jumped into the way.
He blocked the arrows from reaching Agnes with his own body. He uttered a spell and a snake of fla flew out the wand’s tip burning up the wand that the other mage was using.
Agnes stared in blank surprise at Colbert.
Colbert’s eyes opened wide.
The voice that escaped his mouth was full of concern for Agnes.
“...are you all right?”
chanically, Agnes nodded.
The next mont Colbert toppled to the ground, coughing blood.
Students ran up in panic and began uttering the recovery spells for Colbert.
However... the injury was severe.
During that ti...
Agnes recovered and pointed her sword at Colbert.
Shocked, students stared at Agnes.
“Wait! What are you doing?!” shouted Kirche.
Colbert with a weak face looked up at Agnes.
“You... You are the leader of the Magical Research Experintal Group platoon? Were you also the culprit who tore the na list in the Royal Military Archives?”
Colbert nodded.
“I will tell you. I am D’Angleterre‘s survivor.”
“... I see.”
“Why was my hotown destroyed? Answer.”
“Stop! He’s injured! Badly injured! Don’t talk!”
Montmorency, who was desperately trying to chant a Water healing spell, cried.
“Answer!”
Colbert answered looking down.
“...the order.”
“Order?”
“...it was reported that an epidemic occurred there. To prevent it from spreading we were told to burn it. We burned it reluctantly.”
“Idiot... That is a lie.”
“...Ha ha, afterwards, I learned about that too. In short, it was the ‘New Religion Hunt.’ I am tornted by guilt every day. It was... like nvil said. Won, children - I burned them all. It was not permitted. But the mory still haunts . I left the army. I swore... never to use Fire for destruction again.”
“...but those feelings didn’t stop your hand?”
Colbert shook his head.
After that... he slowly shut his eyes. Though Montmorency desperately kept uttering an incantation... her willpower was drained with ti - she fainted and toppled to the ground. For the spell of "Recovery" to heal such a serious injury, special dicine was necessary... but at this mont there was none.
Therefore, though willpower tried to replace the specific dicine... it had its limits.
Other Water users ran out of willpower one after another and fainted. With many fainted mages surrounding Colbert, Agnes raised her sword.
However, Colbert was protected - Kirche covered him with herself. Her ever-present silly smile was now gone from her lips. Making a serious face, Kirche said.
“Please stop it!”
“Get away! I was living for this day! Twenty years! Twenty years I have waited for this day!”
“Please. Please.”
“Get away!”
Agnes and Kirche glared at each other.
The mont when tension in the air was about to break loose...
Kirche grabbed Colbert’s wrist.
“Get away I said!”
Kirche answered in a stone-like voice.
“Please, lower your sword.”
“Stop joking!”
Kirche shook her head and muttered.
“He’s dead.”
With those words, Agnes’s wrist lost its strength.
Shocked, Agnes fell to her knees. Her body began shaking little by little.
“...Hold your grudge if you want. However, at least pray. Teacher Colbert may certainly be your enemy... but he is your saviour right now. He shielded you with his body and saved you.”
Kirche said in a constrained voice.
Agnes stood up again without power, and said two words, three words, words that could not reach one’s ear. Then she lifted her sword and lowered it. The students averted their eyes, only Kirche alone did not shut her eyes and watched.
The sword stuck deeply into the ground next to Colbert.
Turning on her heels, Agnes began to slowly walk away.
After Agnes disappeared... Kirche tried to carry Colbert’s body, a red ruby ring shone on her finger.
A crimson ruby, like burning fire.
While watching the ruby... tears escaped Kirche’s eyes.
It was the ring that he gave .
He said, “I’m giving this to my student,” and gave the ring to her, who was acting like a spoiled brat. Rembering that, Kirche started to weep.
On the deck of Redoubtable Malicorne and Styx sat down with blank surprise all over their faces..
The number of warships had decreased to two-thirds while making a sortie aid at Albion’s fleet.
Tristain’s fleet won the battle. Sohow they were able to repel Albion’s fleet. Albion’s fleet lost more than a half of their ships and scrambled to get away.
It was a big victory.
But... Malicorne thought.
Is this a victory?
He was alive just to see such devastation. It was like a painting of hell. The deck was burning like kindling, heavy losses everywhere. The number of naval guns in the portside was reduced by half, as for the starboard - the battery was completely lost on every deck.
After receiving as many as five direct hits, the starboard of Redoubtable was annihilated.
200 hundred people from the 600 crew were either killed or injured.
However, Redoubtable was still slicing through the sky.
Malicorne was alive too.
To survive among flying spells, bullets and cannonballs – he must have been lucky. Whenever a new enemy ship passed, Malicorne created a dark cloud while yelling. Otherwise, he would have fainted from fear. He had no idea whether it was effective or not.
“Styx,”
Malicorne said in a dying voice.
“What?”
Styx responded in an exhausted voice.
“Life is a weird thing, don’t you think?”
“I fully agree with you.”
On the deck, Bowood and the commander of a warship walked. They were talking about the battle progress.
The officer cadet that was guiding them both spotted the two people sitting on the deck and bellowed.
“Hey! You! No ti to sit around! Stand up! Stand up now!”
Hastily Malicorne and Styx stood up.
“Start preparing. Wait with the commanding officers and officer cadets inside.”
Malicorne and Styx looked at each other. They just survived one deadly battle. How can they vigorously start preparing for another one?
“Move it! Don’t make officers wait!”
Then... Bowood admonished the officer with a smile.
“Ah, senior, they just experienced their first battle campaign. You must let them take a rest for today.
“Ah! But, however...”
“I guess, that this is your first ti slling the smoke of powder as well? Once I had, too.”
Hearing the Albion officer speaking like that, the senior officer nodded.
“Very well, you may take a rest for tonight.”
Relieved, Malicorne and Styx saluted. Malicorne watched them leaving and muttered.
“Ironically, we were saved by a person from Albion.”
“Indeed.”
Styx weakly muttered and they both slumped on the deck again.
In the strategic conference room of Varsenda, General De Poitiers received the report.
It ca from Rosais, from one dragon scout of the first unit. General De Poitiers smiled gloatingly.
Chief of Staff Wimpffen watched his superior officer’s face.
“Must be good news,” he muttered.
“The troops in Rosais area are said to be gone. Void managed to lure the enemy to Dartanes.”
“That’s just the first obstacle.”
De Poitiers nodded and gave the command.
“All fleets ships head to Rosais. We must decide upon landing. Gather all commanders.”
The ssenger received the General’s instruction and dashed out.
De Poitiers nodded.
“Now then, I wonder if I can beco field marshal now or not, I don’t want to wait for one more week.”
Even if the landing succeeds, it will still probably be a tough fight.
Albion still had 50,000 untouched troops resting.
In the sky of Dartanes, Saito’s plane headed towards the confluence point with the Tristain fleet.
The plan was to join the fleet at Albion’s boundary.
Saito, who sat in the pilot’s seat, was silent for a long ti.
Whatever Louise tried to speak about, he did not answer.
Only once Saito opened his mouth.
“They...”
“Yes.”
However, Saito did not say anything since then.
Louise found a letter within Colbert’s manual. But because of all the craziness around she did not pay attention to it.
“Letter.”
This got Saito’s attention.
“Letter?”
“Yes. Mister Colbert’s. Read it?”
Saito nodded.
Louise spread the letter and started to read it aloud.
Saito-kun, was my invention useful?
If it is so, then I am glad. For you... no, to all students, not just as a teacher, it would make happy if it would be of any use to you. Very happy.
Now, why did I decide to write this letter today – I have a request. No, nothing weird. And be relieved it is not about money either.
As to what this discourse is about, it is so dream of mine.
That things, which one can only do by magic, could be done by technologies that everyone could use.
Have you seen? Happy Little Snake.
Well, that certainly is not just a toy...
I hope that there will be a use for every splendid technology so day.
It is my dream.
Let’s get to it, though I‘m still worrying whether to say it or not...
In the past, I committed a cri.
Too big of a cri.
It is so big that it will never be forgiven.
As a redemption for this cri I have devoted myself to research...
Recently I thought.
No, my cri will never be forgiven.
Even if my inventions are useful... It won’t erase the cri I committed.
Therefore, I want you to promise one thing.
Look, you will be facing a lot of difficult situations.
And you will go into war, and you will see many people die.
But...
Do not get used to it.
Do not beco accustod to people’s death.
Do not think that it is natural.
The mont you do that – sothing will break.
I do not want you to beco like .
Therefore, I ask repeatedly.
Do not beco accustod to war.
Do not beco accustod to killing each other.
Do not beco accustod to death.
Behind the clouds... one could see the Tristain-Germania united fleet heading to Rosais.
The number of ships had decreased a lot.
Still... most ships were still intact, so they likely won the battle.
Even though they had won, the ones that survived looked worn-out. Many of the ships’ hulls were damaged, masts were broken. There was a ship that lost all of its cannons completely as well.
Louise continued to read the letter aloud.
Well, my request is coming to an end.
Rember, what you said to once?
That you ca from a different world.
In this world of yours, the flying machines that you use pierce the sky, and technology is much better developed than in Halkeginia, right?
This is what I would like to see.
I could use it in my research.
Therefore, when you go east... I want you to take with you.
No, I am not joking. Seriously.
Therefore, do not die.
Return alive absolutely.
Even if I can’t go to the east with you.
P.S.
In that world, are there "cars" that everyone can use and they drive them on the roads?
Are there little boxes with which one can communicate over long distances?
Has a person really reached the moon?
To be able to do that without magic, it must be really wonderful.
I want to see that kind of world.
“That’s it. What a weird person. He really wants to go to your world.”
Saito, while sniffing, thanked Louise.
“Thank you.”
Louise gently embraced Saito’s neck. And murmured,
“Idiot. Why are you crying?”
“...felt like crying.”
“...Many things happened today, you’re just tired. Once we’re back on the ship, let’s just get so rest.”
Louise closed her eyes, and softly kissed Saito’s neck.
Once Varsenda appeared, Saito turned the nose of the plane towards it.
On the bright sunny day, the sooty fleet looked as though it was dyed in a beautiful black paint.
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