Chapter 32
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 032
Chapter Title: Really, There's No One But You
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Krarrr rumble!
A barrage of intense lightning bolts began sweeping through the area in all directions.
Blue bolts of electricity spread out among the Empire soldiers charging toward Andy.
"Aaaagh!"
A flash of light bleached their vision white, followed by the soldiers' screams.
Dozens, hundreds of branching arcs of lightning whipped through their ranks. The charging soldiers charred black and rolled across the ground.
A familiar lightning. A familiar spell.
And a familiar presence, too.
-Thud!
A heavy thud echoed behind the boy. Andy turned around with eyes full of anticipation.
There it was.
Gleaming white fur. Mystical blue eyes. A massive frame that dwarfed any horse.
And horns crackling with blue lightning.
"Kurt!"
-Woof!
The white wolf Kurt had appeared at the boy's side.
Andy was overcome with emotion.
'He came to save me!'
Kurt kicked off the ground and charged.
Dudududu!
The white wolf barreled forward with earth-shaking booms. It shot past Andy straight at the Empire soldiers.
The Empire soldiers let out cries of alarm.
"W-What the hell is that?!"
"A magic beast! It's a magic beast!"
"Why would a magic beast show up here...!"
They plunged into chaos in an instant.
This wasn't a mountain or forest—some natural habitat. It was a city, firmly in human territory. A place ruled by people, not beasts.
So why had a magic beast appeared here? It shouldn't have been possible.
But their questions didn't last long.
-Krarrr rumble!
The white wolf had charged right up to them and unleashed a ferocious bolt of lightning.
Electricity arced everywhere, and soldiers toppled like dominoes. Faint smoke rose from the fallen bodies. The air reeked of burnt flesh.
The beast didn't just fire off lightning.
It plunged into their midst.
Thud! Boom! Crunch!
The white wolf battered soldiers aside with its massive bulk, trampling the fallen. Blood sprayed, and bones shattered.
"Aaaah!"
"Save me!"
Soldiers screamed as they died.
Some tried to fight back with swords and spears, but their weapons were useless against the wolf.
Its size was immense, its strength unbelievable.
As the wolf rampaged wildly, soldiers dropped and their lines crumbled in seconds. The beast's momentum was terrifying.
Panic and fear spread like wildfire.
"Run! Run for it!"
The Empire soldiers fled screaming.
Two hundred strong, yet none dared face the beast.
Its ferocity was overwhelming, like it was battling a mortal enemy it had to kill.
Empire Captain Hartmann couldn't believe his eyes.
"A magic beast? And right now of all times...!"
They'd barely taken down the mage after a brutal fight.
Now this beast had ruined everything.
Soldiers were dying—electrocuted by its lightning, crushed and trampled by its bulk. Dozens fell in moments.
Grit.
Captain Hartmann ground his teeth.
'I can't back out now.'
He'd sacrificed over a hundred men to kill that mage.
It was an acceptable loss if it worked. That's why he'd thrown in more troops by force.
But if he failed even then?
His future looked bleak. Branded an incompetent commander, promotion would be a distant dream.
No—demotion would be the least of his worries.
The Empire's military wasn't foolish enough to keep a failure who'd lost over a hundred men with nothing to show for it in a captain's seat.
He had to kill the mage. To save his position. That thought consumed him.
He bellowed in fury.
"Don't run, you bastards!"
Slash!
Hartmann swung at a fleeing soldier's neck. The man clutched his throat and collapsed.
But the rout didn't stop. They discarded weapons and ran like a rabble, just like the Federation stragglers they'd mocked.
No discipline. No order. Just chaos.
Slash!
He beheaded another. Blood poured as the body hit the ground.
"I said no running, you vermin...!"
Still, they kept fleeing.
The commander executing his own men was less terrifying than the beast at their backs.
"Damn it!"
Even executing his troops failed to restore control. Over a hundred bolted down the alleys and vanished.
He muttered a curse.
And in that moment...
"..."
Hartmann froze. A presence loomed behind him.
No way. It can't be.
He stiffly turned around.
And saw it.
-Grrrrr...
A massive white wolf with fur like snow, glaring at him with murderous eyes.
"...!"
Meeting the beast's blue gaze, he understood in an instant.
A magic beast. A superior creature infused with mana. No ordinary human without powers could stand against it.
Why his soldiers had ignored orders and fled—it hit him staring into those eyes up close.
-Crackle! Zap!
Electricity sparked from the horn on the wolf's forehead.
Captain Hartmann sensed his end.
Andy sat dazed, staring blankly ahead.
The spirit beast Kurt was tearing through the Empire soldiers.
Lightning flashed, thunder roared. Kurt barreled into their ranks, and over a hundred fell helplessly.
Andy murmured, watching Kurt's back.
"You've grown, Kurt."
The white wolf was stronger than before.
The mana in its lightning was denser, the bolts more powerful. It struck a wider area with greater force.
Its body was slightly larger, too.
The old Kurt had already been huge, dwarfing horses easily.
Now it was the size of a small cart.
'Was it going through a growth spurt?'
Lost in that absurd thought, Andy kept watching Kurt's back.
-Krarrr rumble!
Lightning flashed, and the last enemy commander collapsed.
No foes remained. All dead or fled.
-Thud. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Kurt slowly walked back after finishing the last one.
Its pristine white fur was splattered with red bloodstains—the marks of its desperate battle to save Andy.
He'd thought it was just enemy blood. But no. Kurt was injured.
Even a spirit beast wasn't invincible. It had taken cuts and stabs from soldiers' weapons while rampaging.
Seeing the wolf's wounds hurt the boy's heart. He spoke to it with regret and gratitude.
"You saved me again. Even getting hurt like this..."
-Woof.
"Thank you, Kurt. Really, there's no one but you."
Kurt nuzzled against Andy's side. Andy reached out and stroked its forehead.
He was grateful anew for having Kurt. Twice now, the wolf had saved his life...
Once against the Empire cavalry, and now again. Whenever he was in danger, Kurt came running.
-Grr.
Kurt flopped down beside him, pressing close as if inviting the boy to lean on it.
With tension gone, Andy slumped against the wolf's warm fur and body heat. It felt wonderful.
The boy whispered softly.
"I survived."
Against hundreds of Empire soldiers.
Using magic until his mana ran dry, with Kurt's help.
He'd made it.
He looked around. The city was a wreck.
Burning buildings. Electrocuted or charred corpses scattered about. Hazy smoke. The stench of burnt flesh and blood...
Total devastation.
No living souls in sight. Just him and the wolf at his side.
-Whoooosh.
A cold wind blew.
Fires on buildings flickered out. Unpleasant smells and acrid smoke drifted away.
The chaos of moments ago felt like a lie. Silence descended.
In that quiet corner of the ruined city, the boy murmured.
"...I'm tired."
Mentally, physically. Even his soul pushed to the limit.
He was utterly exhausted.
His mind foggy. Fingers too heavy to move. Profound fatigue enveloped him.
The wolf's warm body heat against his back felt so good. Irresistible drowsiness overtook him.
His eyelids drooped slowly.
Finally...
"..."
Andy drifted off, cradled in the wolf's warmth.
Kurt shifted, draping its tail over the boy like a blanket. His face relaxed in the soft, warm fur.
Heavy snow began falling from the sky.
"A mage and a magic beast...! What the hell happened?! More than half are dead!"
"The captain and squad leaders are all gone. Who's in command now?"
"No idea. Some lieutenants or squad leaders might've survived... Getting out of the city is priority one. Move!"
Clatter, clatter. Thud thud thud.
Soldiers occupying the city hall rushed out in panic, faces taut with fear and tension.
The mayor, bound and forgotten in a corner of the office, cracked his eyes open.
'A mage?'
Mayor Dietrich pieced together their words.
Half the invading soldiers dead. Commanders like captains wiped out.
And the word "mage" from their talk.
It wasn't hard to connect the dots.
'Could that boy... have repelled the Empire army?'
Unbelievable.
As far as he knew, Andy wasn't some elite mage.
The magic books he'd requested were apprentice-level texts. The boy had called himself a one-circle mage.
No way such a mage could face hundreds of soldiers.
Magic was powerful, but mana had limits. He'd run dry mid-battle.
Yet these men talked like they had to flee because of a mage. Like Andy had beaten them.
What had happened?
He had no idea.
Whether Andy truly drove them off, or another mage appeared—no way to know.
But one thing was clear.
'...Time to prepare a reward.'
Whoever saved the city from hundreds of Empire troops deserved it.
But the feat was so grand, the mayor agonized over what to offer.
His dilemma lasted until returning citizens freed him.