How a Wizard Survives (10)
How a Wizard Survives (10)
We returned to the Inquisition Branch and attended the meeting without delay.
The large conference room was packed with not only the command-level Inquisitors but every ordinary Inquisitor as well.
Normally, sharing detailed intelligence with common combatants would be pointless...
But Heretic Inquisitors are different.
Every combatant here is capable of holding a post anywhere else.
Besides, knowing what magic the enemy will use is critical.
"Two days ago, we received intelligence that the Fire Mage Loren has infiltrated our Reshutal."
The moment I heard the briefing, I breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
As I thought, it wasn't my master or Ash.
After all, if their identities had been exposed, I would have been the first to suffer.
More experienced Inquisitors clenched their fists at the name Loren.
"A big one's shown up."
"The Fire Mage... the one who burned an entire castle?"
"You know the Wall of Shame, right? With him, you might as well start at the top."
While everyone was already on edge, more bad news arrived.
"Furthermore, Loren was designated a Permanent Sealing Target at the last Continental Conference."
"Well, his magic is meant for war..."
"This is a headache. He's a tough opponent even when we're trying to kill him."
Permanent Sealing.
A punishment that plunges a target into eternal sleep so that death does not turn them into a demon's thrall.
Even on the Wall of Shame, it's said that very few mages are designated as Permanent Sealing Targets.
The most prominent mage so designated is Ulysses.
Obviously, to permanently seal a mage, you must first capture them alive.
Subduing an already formidable adversary without killing them is exceedingly difficult.
Because of that, even the Heretic Inquisitors, who rarely complain, were already groaning.
Meanwhile, from the moment the words "Permanent Sealing" were uttered, Katrina clenched her teeth tight.
As the Holy Knight Captain, she steadied everyone.
"The man is already hiding inside Reshutal. He's practically caught in a trap. If we strike carefully by surprise, we can win."
"Right. Let's not let that mage bastard run wild in our jurisdiction."
"In this fight, I will take the lead."
At Katrina's words, the Holy Knights finally regained some color in their faces.
She had never been the type of commander to simply send her subordinates...
But that declaration carried a hidden meaning.
'She means to use magic. Rejection Magic, which is especially strong against mages.'
If Katrina openly used magic, the chances would certainly improve...
But I was already beginning to worry.
Whether I worried or not, the Inquisitor at the podium brought the meeting to a close.
"The operation will commence in three days. We will muster every available asset for a surprise attack. All of you, get sufficient rest."
Likely fearing information leaks, they did not disclose his exact location.
I slowly left the conference room together with Katrina.
Her face was even colder and more rigid than usual as she spoke quietly.
"... Jaeger."
"Yes, Katrina."
"Go home for now. You don't need to report back until the day of the operation."
"What? But..."
The tone was almost as if she were telling me not to return, to just run away instead.
She, too, knew how dangerous this battle would be.
I reluctantly nodded, then swiftly returned to the smithy.
Ordinarily, I would have had to stay on standby inside the compound until the operation, but her order let me leave.
Other Inquisitors already seemed to be preparing wills and the like.
As soon as I arrived at the smithy and told him about today's events, my master's handsome face colored with surprise.
Already teasing me while I was inwardly groaning, he said, "The Fire Mage Loren... Apart from his arsonist streak, he's a really good friend. So he's been designated a Permanent Sealing Target now, is he?"
"He doesn't sound like a good person at all... Is that mage strong?"
"Of course he's strong. Not so great one-on-one, but in large-scale warfare he's practically the strongest."
Still, there wasn't the slightest hint of alarm on my master's face.
At least he's below Ulysses, the Wizard of Change.
Reassuring myself, I turned to Ash.
She had been chewing her nails for a while and now offered a fresh suggestion.
"Let's run away, even now."
"Ash. You're too timid."
"No, listen—that bastard Loren has nothing in his head but setting fires. He's a complete lunatic."
Hadn't my master said he was a really good friend apart from his arsonist streak?
When I looked at my master with that gaze, he prodded me onward.
"So. What does our dear disciple want to do?"
"...I want to take him out before the Heretic Inquisitors move."
"What?"
Ulysses laughed it off while Ash recoiled in alarm.
Step by step, I explained to her.
"Ash. There's a reason."
"What reason?"
"Well, the captain I serve at the Inquisition Branch, Katrina... She's weak."
"Huh?"
While Ash stood there dumbfounded, I quickly added, "Katrina's swordsmanship is certainly top-tier, but her magic is terrible. At best, she takes down a few Destruction Mages and then collapses from exhaustion."
The Wizardvein Family's Rejection Magic is supposedly tremendously strong against mages...
But even so, I don't think she could beat an opponent who burns down an entire castle.
No. To be more precise, she could win.
No matter how strong the Fire Mage was, he was still just one person.
If the Heretic Inquisitors of Reshutal go all out, they can manage to capture him.
But in the process, Katrina might die.
The mages I had met before didn't seem terribly fond of the Wizardvein Family.
If the Fire Mage Loren deliberately targeted only Katrina, there was no guarantee she could be protected.
"And this time it's a capture operation. In the worst case, even I, who would be assigned to escort Katrina, could die..."
"Th-then just let a woman like that die."
When Ash said it with a slight grumble, Ulysses silently scolded her.
It was merely a gentle look, but Ash flinched as if a hawk had swooped down on her.
"Ash. You're being too emotional. If Katrina Wizardvein dies, the Inquisition Branch will have no further reason to keep Jaeger alive."
"Urgh..."
My master was right.
Katrina was essentially my lifeline.
And above all, I didn't want to let her die after she'd treated me so well.
My master, seemingly satisfied with my explanation, mercilessly struck at the core.
"You think you can beat Loren? That guy's pretty strong."
"I'll have to try and see."
I didn't plan to charge at him recklessly.
Would my master really allow his adorable disciple to just go off and die?
Receiving my earnest gaze, my master burst out laughing.
"Fine, shall I do something masterly for the first time in a while? If you're that determined, give it a try. I'll be watching."
"Thank you."
"But first, increase your mana reserves a bit and attack tomorrow night. Actually, I've already pinpointed Loren's location."
"As expected of you, Master."
Having established himself in Reshutal earlier, he had apparently been monitoring the man's movements already.
I consumed the mana he had gathered and forced myself to go to bed.
My heart was pounding so hard I couldn't sleep, but I had to rest now.
The next night, deep into the night.
After completing every preparation under my master's guidance, I took out the carefully hidden mask.
Just as I was about to leave the smithy without hesitation, Ash caught hold of me.
"Wait a moment. I'll put Communication Magic on you."
"Communication? Ah..."
After tilting my head for a moment, I had no trouble understanding the spell.
Ash's voice came from the edge of the mask I had just put on.
"Alright, be careful."
"Thank you."
I slipped out of the smithy through the window without a sound, and the cool night air greeted me.
My master had already climbed atop the bell tower.
Surprisingly, the Fire Mage's hideout wasn't far from the smithy.
Perhaps because both were mage hideouts, it was far from the Inquisition Branch.
'Jaeger, remember. You don't need to win. Just injure him moderately, and the Inquisitors will finish the job.'
I recalled my master's instruction as I leaped across rooftops and reached the destination.
I wanted to wear my uniform, but the white garb of a Heretic Inquisitor was too conspicuous.
Arriving at a small merchant company warehouse, I glanced toward my master once more.
Perched atop the bell tower, my master moved his hand slightly, as if telling me to get on with it.
'That's right, this is the path I chose. At the very least, I should take the first step.'
I adjusted my mask one last time, then crept into the warehouse, muffling my footsteps.
'Please be asleep!'
But my prayer was in vain.
The moment the warehouse door opened, the Fire Mage fired a crossbow.
From the look of it, he had apparently been huddled like a frightened sewer rat.
Though, a mage like him would mainly be active at night.
'Even so, you couldn't fight during the day.'
I grumbled inwardly as I dodged the shot.
Thanks to having heightened my entire body's senses to the limit, I was able to react in time.
From the dark interior, a fierce shout flew at me.
"Who goes there!"
A foolish question, no answer.
Instead of replying, I used Destruction Magic.
My first time using combat magic in actual battle!
A colorless, odorless, formless shockwave bore down on the Fire Mage.
But the Fire Mage threw himself aside without delay and evaded it.
Although the spell was colorless, odorless, and formless, its mana still moved, so another mage could read it easily.
'Destruction Magic is far too common to begin with.'
"Are you out of your mind? Attacking a fellow mage!"
The Fire Mage seemed oddly indignant about that point...
But having already killed a slew of fellow mages, I felt little.
Besides, I had received confirmation from my master.
The Fire Mage Loren.
The arsonist who burned an entire castle to the ground three years ago!
He was a worthless wretch who, even while being hunted by the Heretic Inquisitors, had burned down several villages.
If there were a list of mages who deserve to die, he would rank fairly high.
'The surprise attack failed. I have to finish him before he seriously starts using magic!'
However, the moment Loren realized I was a mage, he raised his mana without a moment's hesitation.
True to his notorious fame as an arsonist, the man set the entire warehouse ablaze.
Acrid smoke filled the interior, but he seemed unaffected.
[Whoa, look at him setting fire without a second thought. A leopard can't change its spots, huh.]
Listening to my master's laughter, I pulled back and faced the man wreathed in flames.
The longsword I had drawn just in case grew hot enough to scorch my hand.
I decided to use Transformation Magic, the one I was most confident in.
Magic I'd seen once could be roughly imitated, they say, but what I'd seen repeatedly felt most natural.
"Transform!"
Chaararak!
The flames enveloping his body instantly became iron chains.
Objects I'd handled countless times in the smithy, so turning them into something by magic was that much easier.
But the Fire Mage summoned even stronger flames and swiftly melted the heavy iron chains.
Molten red metal ran down his entire body, yet he showed not the slightest sign of pain.
Apparently, he was completely immune to temperature changes.
"Tr-Transformation Magic?"
Despite his adept response, he was greatly startled.
A mage who uses more than one school of magic, like me, is exceedingly rare.
He soon forced it into his own assumptions and accepted it without question.
"A bungler who can't even properly use Destruction Magic, getting greedy!"
The body revealed beneath the flames was powerfully built.
Truly a bear-like build.
Wreathed in fire, he charged straight at me.
"Urk!"
It was a brutishly simple tactic, but more troublesome than it looked.
His flames were hot enough to melt thick iron chains in an instant.
If I let him get close, the chainmail I wore would turn into molten metal as well.
Then I would be boiled alive.
I had not been idle, either.
The next magic I chose was none other than Fire Magic.
I just haphazardly copied the fire resistance he had demonstrated.
"You little—melt and die... Huh?"
"Get back!"
A long sword wound appeared across the chest of the man who had been charging, trusting in his flames.
But it was shallow.
In that brief instant, he had melted only the tip of my sword, drastically shortening its length.
While the frantic man momentarily put distance between us...
Ash's scolding came through the mask.
[You can even copy something mid-battle... Jaeger, do you have enough mana?]
Only then, at Ash's words, did I manage to collect myself.
Fire Magic consumed mana far more fiercely than I had imagined.
It felt as though the spell were burning through my mana.
Before I knew it, I had already expended more than half of my mana.
Meanwhile, the opponent still looked full of vigor.
Now convinced he had been discovered, the man began hurling fireballs in every direction.
The fireballs he threw caused massive explosions and fires in various parts of the city.
In front of the dazzlingly blazing warehouse, the mage laughed.
"Even my Fire Magic... An Awakened One, are you? But even you can't do anything about mana reserves! Now, come at me!"
"Tch..."
I gritted my teeth against the thickening smoke.
At this rate, there was nowhere to run.
This was the caliber of a mage engraved on the Wall of Shame.
He was not yet an opponent I could handle.
The arsonist, having completely trapped me in flames, slowly approached with his thick frame.
As if already certain of victory, a greasy smile hung at the corner of his mouth.
"Is the little show over, fledgling Awakened One? Now I'll let you taste my fire fist. If you want the mercy of the great archmage Loren, then beg me to take you as my discip—"
"Hey there. You used to have a disciple, didn't you? Did you burn that poor kid too?"
"What? You..."
Fortunately, I had a reliable master.
Step, step.
Walking utterly nonchalantly through the air, Ulysses approached, and genuine horror dawned on the arsonist's face.
After glancing at the sword wound on Loren's chest, Ulysses chuckled.
"Better than I expected. All right, now it's time to step in."
"U-Ulysses! What are you doing here?!"
Like a shriek, the arsonist shouted and charged with desperate resolve.
Ulysses lightly snapped his fingers, and a torrential downpour began.