Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Blinded Demons and the Frontline
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Puuk! Puk! Puuk!
……Kieeeek!
The soldiers who charged out mercilessly stabbed the blinded demons.
At the same time, mercenaries rushed forward and bound the panicked residents.
Despite being an improvised plan, things were proceeding quite smoothly.
Of course, this smoothness wasn't going to last forever.
Shweee!
Among the demons, there were some unaffected by the massive flashbang.
Like the [Giant Demon Cobra] strutting around right in front of them now.
The [Giant Demon Cobra] perceived the world through its heat-sensing tongue and vibration-detecting skin, relying on senses other than sight.
No matter how powerful the flashbang, it couldn't affect this one much.
However.
That didn't make the [Giant Demon Cobra]'s presence particularly threatening.
With all the other demons incapacitated, what could this lone creature do?
"Ah, there's one that can still see! Kill this bastard first!"
"Swarm it all at once!"
"Uwaaaah!"
Shweee…… Shweee!
Slash!
As dozens of soldiers and knights charged in together, the [Giant Demon Cobra] couldn't even counter once before its head was cleanly severed.
No matter how much it didn't need sight or boasted thick, dense scales, it was no match for a group beatdown.
Anyway.
"Alright, then I should……."
I couldn't just stand around watching.
With that thought, I stepped out from the temporary outpost.
The mana I'd used for the massive flashbang had mostly recovered by now.
It was about time for me to step up.
Perfect timing, too.
"Number one, sir!"
Thompson arrived, leading Kayla right to me.
I had no idea how he'd found me in this massive crowd, but the timing was impeccable.
"Uncle, are your eyes okay?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah…… Thanks to your signal to get down. That spell earlier was definitely you, right, number one?"
"Yeah, I've leveled up my circle recently. My understanding of light magic has improved a lot, too."
"I see……."
Thompson looked at me with a subtle gaze.
It felt like a look of awe……
"What's up?"
When I asked why, Thompson replied,
"Nah, just surprised. I heard you'd gotten stronger, but I didn't expect this much."
Fair enough, he had reason to feel that way.
My power had indeed skyrocketed compared to just a short while ago.
All thanks to Ani Person.
'Going to find that guy was truly a stroke of genius.'
Sure, there were weird rumors about Ani Person that worried me, but setting that aside, seeking him out ranked among the best decisions I'd made in this world.
His knowledge of light magic far surpassed the rumors.
Every word he said brought enlightenment about light, boosting my light magic to an insane level.
No matter what his motives were, if I hadn't gone to him, I'd have regretted it forever.
Anyway, that was a good thing.
"Isn't it obvious you shouldn't be surprised, Uncle?"
Thinking about it, Thompson had no reason to overreact.
According to the academy head, Thompson had grown almost as much as I had.
Not just in basic mana control, but in spell variety, power, and more—major changes across the board.
Especially the new 'body transformation magic' he'd mastered.
It was practically equivalent to Asion Gail's secret technique, which had no suitable inheritor until now. Worth looking forward to.
Did Thompson realize that?
"Haha, yeah, you're right……?"
He scratched his head sheepishly.
His expression didn't look bad, so he seemed aware of his own growth.
And fortunately, he didn't seem worried about his growth speed like before.
Catching that, I voiced the idea I'd been mulling over.
"So, how about heading to the front with me? Time to show off your skills."
"To the front?"
"Yeah. We'll go to the rift and take out the demons crawling out."
Dealing with demons already hit by the flashbang was no issue.
But the ones emerging from the rift afterward were in perfect condition. Handling them could lead to troop losses.
If we picked them off as they came out, we could prevent unnecessary casualties.
'And rack up some achievements along the way.'
Above all, having specced into the magic swordsman tree, I was optimized for frontline combat.
Thompson, wielding earth attribute transformation magic, was the same.
It was more efficient than spamming spells blindly from the rear.
When I explained that,
"……You think so?"
Thompson nodded with a positive expression.
And so, our two-man frontline DPS duo was formed.
Kayla was the only one left.
"……What about me?"
Right on cue, Kayla asked with a sullen face.
She still seemed thrown off by the situation.
Not surprising—demons from her homeland had suddenly poured out of a rift and attacked, only for my wide-area spell to shut them down.
It was totally unexpected, so accepting it fully wouldn't be easy.
Which is why.
"Kayla, head back to that outpost and provide support fire."
Kayla was best suited for the rear.
It minimized risks from her unstable mindset while maximizing her specialty: long-range casting.
"Got it."
With roles assigned to the group.
Thompson and I approached the site's acting commander, the knight captain, explained the situation, and he naturally looked taken aback.
"……You're saying you want to fight up front? Just the two of you?"
"Yes."
"Hah, first time in my life hearing a mage say that on a battlefield."
I understood the knight captain's position.
What sane mage would ask to be sent to the front?
Let alone two of them.
He'd probably only ever sent them to the rearmost lines— this had to be a first.
But.
"Very well. Permission granted."
Getting his approval wasn't hard.
No special reason……
"Just don't go dying on me, not at your level."
The knight captain simply seemed to have some faith in me.
My massive flashbang spell must've earned it.
"But if I order a retreat, you follow it. That's an order."
"Yes, sir."
With his stern warning, we were officially frontline mages.
Without delay, we pushed through the shield wall of soldiers.
What unfolded was a scene of true war.
Utterly different from viewing it from the distant outpost.
Kieeeek!
Gurook! Gurururook!
Groooo…….
Grotesque demons endlessly poured from the rift amid the clamor of blood, flesh, and clashing metal.
A hellscape of endless killing.
"Huu."
I exhaled slowly, taking in the sight.
Now.
"Ready?"
"Yeah, absolutely!"
Time to shine.
***
Elbert Tairan, the 7th Knight Captain tasked with defending the 7th District walls and destroying the rift.
Ta-at!
Leaping high with aura, he stroked his chin with a troubled expression.
"Hmm."
From this height, the chaotic battlefield was laid out before him.
How many demons remained, how much his forces had lost, the current state of the battle.
He could grasp it all.
And the reason for his troubled look wasn't the dire situation.
"Too easy. Way too easy."
It was only the first day of war, but things were going far too smoothly.
Compared to past wars he'd fought in, the gap was jarring.
Elbert Tairan knew the reason better than anyone.
"All thanks to that young punk's magic."
The 5th-circle mage, Yoo Han, who'd barged in and boldly proposed a rescue op.
When he claimed he could incapacitate every demon here in one go, Elbert had scoffed inwardly.
A mere 5th-circle mage neutralizing hundreds of demons at once? Who'd buy that nonsense?
From his vast war experience, that required at least a high-rank mage.
Not something a greenhorn 5th-circle could touch.
Yet.
-Don't worry. I have a way.
The kid's eyes held no lie.
Having dealt with countless soldiers and commanders, Elbert Tairan knew that look well.
Conviction.
The kind only those who truly believed in themselves possessed.
So he'd rolled the dice……
"And he pulled it off flawlessly."
With one spell, he'd neutralized hundreds of demons and bought time to save the district's residents.
They'd even captured most of the surviving ones alive.
An undeniable perfect success.
How could his heart not be conflicted?
Especially since he'd deemed it impossible for a 5th-circle.
One question had been nagging him.
"……Was my judgment wrong? Or is that guy just special?"
This mattered greatly to Elbert Tairan.
Placing capable soldiers where they shone was a commander's core duty.
Failing that meant he wasn't fit to lead.
"Hmm?"
Elbert Tairan's gaze locked onto one spot.
He tilted his head, as if doubting his eyes.
"……What am I seeing right now?"
There, right before the rift, a mage fought relentlessly without pause.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
No illusion.
A mage was truly throwing himself into that deadly frontline, clashing directly.
Even wielding some glowing sword.
Whoooong!
The sword shimmered with obvious magical light—a blade conjured by magic.
Elbert Tairan, veteran of countless battlefields, had never heard of a mage fighting like this.
"He said he'd go frontline, but this way……."
The mage had even wrapped his body in spells, pushing his physical limits.
But that wasn't all.
The truly astonishing part wasn't his novel style or the magical sword.
As a knight captain, Elbert's swordsmanship knowledge was unmatched.
That's why he saw it.
How extraordinary the mage's swordplay was.
"……Is that really a mage?"
The sword's trajectory, power in each motion, focus, flexibility, precision.
All top-tier, even by a knight captain's standards.
At that level, most knights under him wouldn't stand a chance.
'I want to spar him.'
Even knowing he was a mage, the urge kept rising.
He wanted to cross swords with him.
The thrill only exceptional talents sparked.
Silently mesmerized by the fight, Elbert finally answered his earlier question.
"Guess that guy's the exception."
A 5th-circle mage wielding wide-area magic and knight-level-or-better swordsmanship.
No doubt about it.
Only this Yoo Han could pull that off.