Chapter 30
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 030
Chapter Title: Innate Nature
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"My God..."
The city guards stared out beyond the walls in horror.
They saw it: hundreds of troops marching across the distant plains. And the banner held high by the lead rider.
A black eagle on a red field. It was no Federation flag—it was the Empire's.
"Empire soldiers! The Empire's coming!"
"Shut the gates! Ring the alarm!"
The guard captain bellowed urgently.
Dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong!
A soldier pounded the alarm bell frantically. The main gate slammed shut. Shouts rang out announcing the Empire's arrival.
That was all the guards could do.
-Boom! Thud! Thud!
Empire soldiers began hammering the firmly barred gate with a siege ram.
It wasn't reinforced with iron—just plain wood. It wasn't all that sturdy.
Sure enough, the gate shattered after just a few blows.
Boom!
The gate splintered open helplessly. Empire troops poured through from beyond.
"R-Run!"
The terrified guards screamed and tried to flee.
But it was too late.
Whish-whish-whish-whish!
A volley of arrows rained down on the fleeing guards' backs. Dozens of shafts sliced through the air.
The guards' crude leather armor couldn't stop those sharp arrowheads.
"Aaaagh!"
The guards screamed as they collapsed.
Like hedgehogs, they writhed in agony, arrows bristling from their bodies.
Slash! Crunch!
Charging Empire soldiers swung their blades, severing the guards' necks. One by one, the guards fell silent. Blood soaked the ground. The metallic stench of blood filled the air.
Hartmann, captain of three hundred, murmured indifferently.
"Easy as expected."
The gate guards were swiftly subdued.
Three hundred Empire troops against fewer than ten guards—it was like kicking over straw men.
In the end, the Empire forces entered the city without a single loss.
Hartmann surveyed the town. A typical rundown small town met his eyes.
Low buildings, outdated facilities, narrow streets. The usual frontier village vibe.
After a brief scan, he issued orders.
"First century, you're with me. We'll seize the city hall and capture the mayor alive."
"Yes, sir! Captain!"
In a backwater town like this, the mayor held the highest status. Capturing and interrogating him would yield valuable intel.
Hartmann's top priority was taking the mayor alive.
"Second and third centuries, sweep the town. Subdue the militia and guards. Kill civilians if needed."
"Haha! Leave it to us! Guards, militia—we'll slaughter them all!"
"Move out!"
The soldiers split up.
Two hundred to crush all resistance, one hundred to seize city hall and the mayor.
Empire troops flooded the streets. Screams grew louder across the town.
Clatter!
A guard burst into the mayor's office. He'd come to evacuate him.
"Mayor! We have to go—now!"
"...I need to burn the confidential files first! Wait!"
Dietrich tossed documents into the fireplace frantically, sweat beading on his brow.
"Empire troops...!"
He glanced out the window. People fled from the Empire soldiers.
Screams echoed through the town. Smoke rose from scattered fires.
Dietrich bit his lip.
'I thought they wouldn't push south anymore... but now?!'
The Empire army had broken through the front lines and surged south relentlessly.
Then they halted abruptly, setting up camp. For weeks, they hadn't budged.
People assumed they wouldn't advance further.
It was winter now—a tough season for armies to march. With the Empire stalled, folks figured they'd hit their limit and stay put until spring thaw.
But they were wrong.
The pause was just a breather. Reinforced with troops and supplies, the Empire resumed its southward push.
Now their vanguard—hundreds strong—had invaded here.
The town's meager dozens of defenders couldn't hold them off.
He had to escape.
"Files are all burned. Let's go!"
"Horses are ready! This way, sir! I'll guide you!"
Dietrich, finally done, hurried out of city hall under the guard's protection. He planned to mount up and flee the town.
But then.
-Whish!
An arrow streaked in, piercing the guard's throat.
A wet thunk, and red sprayed out. Blood splattered across the mayor's face.
"Gurk...!"
The guard gurgled, collapsing in a heap. He convulsed briefly before going limp.
The arrow had severed his carotid—he was done.
"..."
Dietrich wiped the blood from his face. He looked toward the arrow's origin.
Empire soldiers stood there.
"No running away, Mr. Mayor."
They'd breached the gate and raced straight here, bows trained on him.
Hartmann, the Empire commander, called out casually.
"Better surrender quietly if you don't want holes in your limbs. Our archers are pretty good. Or go ahead and run—we'll ventilate your legs."
"...I surrender."
The Empire soldiers bound the mayor.
"Empire troops! Empire soldiers!"
"Run!"
"Kyaaah!"
Screams filled the air. Fires broke out everywhere, smoke billowing up.
Andy poked his head out the inn window to check outside.
In the distance, a hellish scene unfolded before the boy.
-Slash! Splatter...!
Blades swung, blood spraying red.
Empire soldiers rampaged through the streets, cutting down people. Each sword stroke spilled blood; each spear thrust impaled bodies.
Thud-thud-thud!
Arrows pierced the backs of fleeing townsfolk. Crowds toppled and rolled across the ground.
The Empire troops slaughtered without mercy—civilian or soldier, anyone in sight.
"Kill everything you see! Kids, elders, women, men—no exceptions, wipe 'em out!"
The century captain bellowed. His men roared in response, swinging their blades wildly.
Their mission was to crush the militia and guards.
But in this chaos, who had time to sort militia from civilians?
Just kill everyone in sight—that was easier.
Empire weapons tore through flesh. Blood misted the air. People died by the moment.
'...I have to run.'
Andy hurriedly packed his things.
He crammed his few belongings into his pack. It didn't take long.
The boy slipped out of the inn and joined the exodus.
As he ran, he thought.
'This is beyond me.'
Andy was a mage. One who wielded mysteries through mana. Far stronger than any ordinary person.
But he was only a 1st-circle mage.
No matter his superior strength or overwhelming talent.
He lacked the experience and skill.
Andy couldn't handle hundreds of troops.
One or two soldiers? Easy. He had Lightning Magic.
Dozens? Risky, but doable with Fire Magic.
But hundreds? No.
Even his brilliant talent had limits on mana reserves.
Andy didn't have enough mana for that.
And besides...
'I'm scared.'
The boy was terrified.
The sharp blades. The spraying blood. The soldiers' bloodshot eyes brimming with killing intent.
He'd killed Empire guards before, even hunted beasts.
But he was still just a 12-year-old boy.
His mind wasn't hardened enough for the frenzy of battle and slaughter.
Young and fragile as he was.
He just wanted to flee this massacre.
Andy bolted south from the inn.
"Empire troops from the north!"
"Flee south!"
"Cross town to the south gate! That's our way out!"
"Run! Keep running!"
Andy blended into the panicked crowd, just another fleeing resident heading out of town. He ran south amid the chaos.
In the frantic escape.
He caught sight of it by chance.
"Die!"
An Empire soldier swinging his sword.
At a mother who'd tripped while fleeing.
"No! Baby...!"
The woman huddled, clutching her infant tightly. A mother's desperate bid to save her child.
The sharp blade sliced toward her neck.
A person about to die right before his eyes.
Andy reacted on instinct.
-Krarararung!
Blue lightning burst from the boy's hand.
A brilliant flash, thunder crashing through the air. The bolt tore across space, striking the soldier dead-on.
Massive current ravaged the sword-bearing body.
"Aaaagh!"
The electrocuted soldier charred black and collapsed, rolling on the ground.
By a hair, his blade missed the mother and child. She remained huddled, shielding her baby.
Clang!
The soldier's dropped sword bounced off the ground with a metallic ring.
"..."
As if the chaos had been a lie, silence blanketed the area for a moment.
The Empire soldiers cried out in shock.
"...Magic. It's magic!"
"A mage!"
"What the hell? A mage here?!"
Their horrified eyes locked on the young mage. They nocked arrows, aiming at Andy.
Andy gritted his teeth.
'This is stupid.'
His head knew better. Stepping up in this danger wasn't smart.
Too many foes—too overwhelming. He couldn't even guarantee his own safety.
Wise to ignore strangers dying and run.
But seeing that sword swing at the mother... Andy acted without thinking.
His soul whispered to him.
Turning away would breed regret.
Even if he survived, guilt would haunt him forever.
So he cast the spell.
To save a stranger. To protect the innocent from cruel steel.
Lightning fired on pure instinct.
The boy exhaled softly.
"Is this my innate nature?"
In saving the imperiled mother and child, he realized his soul's true calling.
To shield the innocent, eradicate evil.
Purely righteous, nobly so.
Born benevolent, and now elevated by magic—his nature had risen to instinct.
Thus, this moment.
"...A mage? But just a damn kid! Can't be that strong!"
"Fire!"
Aware of the mage now, the Empire soldiers focused on him.
Whish-whish-whish!
Dozens of arrows launched in unison, hurtling toward the boy.
Andy swept his right hand wide, scattering flames.
-Rooararar!
A wall of fire erupted in midair, incinerating the arrow volley.
"Captain! Emergency!"
At city hall—now under Empire control—a soldier rushed in. The messenger.
He reported.
"A mage appeared!"
"...A mage?"
Hartmann's eyes widened at the report.
A mage.
Terror of the battlefield, incarnation of war. He still remembered one hundred mages shredding a legion of tens of thousands.
A mage in this nowhere town...?
Shock crossed Hartmann's face.
"A mage? You're serious?!"
"Confirmed! Fighting one in the southern district now!"
"Insane... A mage in this dump?! Impossible!"
He sensed things had gone seriously sideways.
A skilled mage could slaughter hundreds alone. Three hundred men couldn't handle that.
But luckily.
The messenger wasn't done.
"But it's just a kid. Not a full mage!"
"Not skilled?"
"Right. Looks like an apprentice."
Apprentice mage: typically 1st-circle, unskilled in real spellcasting.
Not for major battles—just training. Far weaker than combat mages.
If just an apprentice, not a veteran... three hundred should suffice.
Hartmann glanced aside. The mayor lay bound and unconscious.
He thought.
'Capture that mage... and this town's just the start. Real merit.'
Kill a mage? Medals, promotion.
An infantry captain slaying a mage? Huge deal.
After a moment's deliberation.
Hartmann decided.
"First century! Leave minimal guards at city hall—head south. Hunt the mage!"
Commit troops to kill the mage.
A few dead soldiers? Worth it if the mage died.
A kid, they said. No frontline combat mage prowess.
He had a shot. Willing to sacrifice some men to take the mage down.
Hartmann led his century south.