How a Wizard Survives (12)
How a Wizard Survives (12)
After the new commander took office, the daily lives of the Reshutal Heretic Inquisitors changed dramatically.
Katrina's transformation was especially striking. Demoted from Holy Knight Captain to a rank-and-file knight, she wore the look of someone profoundly humiliated. She'd never been talkative, but now there were days she didn't speak a single word.
She always did stick to the bare minimum, but... ever since she stepped down from captain, her voice has become even rarer.
She used to exchange the occasional bit of small talk with me, but even that had nearly vanished. These days, she did nothing but swing her sword from morning to night. On top of that, the training load for every inquisitor had shot up.
I couldn't bring myself to think well of the new commander, Reinhardt.
Katrina's uncle, right? Just what kind of man is he...
The atmosphere around Katrina made it impossible to ask her directly, so I went to the more senior inquisitors. The ones who'd been rolling around the training yard with me flinched the moment Reinhardt's name came up.
"So, uh, what exactly does that man do?"
"Ah, Jaeger, lad... a Heretic Inquisitor who doesn't know the Lion of the North, Reinhardt?"
"As you know, Ulysses, the Wizard of Change, is the worst mage of this generation. Naturally, we have to oppose him with the strongest Heretic Inquisitor of this generation."
He wasn't just someone who'd made a name for himself elsewhere. Judging by the other inquisitors' opinions, the man was apparently the strongest even within the Wizardvein Family.
That was easy enough to believe, and I felt a private sense of relief.
A man like that was rare, even in the Wizardvein Family that led the Inquisition. So what would he be like in actual operations?
I'm not just talking about combat skill. For mages, battle is always the final recourse. To catch them, abilities like intelligence-gathering and tracking are far more important.
For better or worse, a chance to see the new commander's skills came quickly. The inquisitors, who'd been about to take a break after lunch, dashed off at the sudden summons to a briefing much like the one we'd had before catching that Fire Mage. Still in his armor, Reinhardt began the explanation personally.
"Intel has come in regarding mages hiding in Reshutal. They're Transformation Mages, but the probability that it's Ulysses himself or his subordinates is very low."
"Tr-Transformation Mages..."
To my surprise, the people he'd tracked down were the very mages I was meant to deal with at night. This time, Ulysses couldn't have been the one to pass along information.
Having assessed the situation with perfect accuracy, Reinhardt issued his deployment orders with practiced skill.
"To prevent a mishap like last time, we move out immediately following this briefing. Unit One will guard the entrance. Unit Two will breach with me. Unit Three will prepare to pursue from the rear and cut off their escape route."
Katrina and I were assigned to Unit Three as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
After issuing that brief instruction, Reinhardt immediately pulled on his helm. At that signal, the inquisitors in the room rose in a wave.
"Transformation Mages are a versatile lot, so keep your wits razor-sharp. All units, move out."
While the other inquisitors hurried to gather their gear and fetch their horses, Katrina uncharacteristically stayed in the room. Normally, she would have been the first one out the door.
From inside his helm, Reinhardt faced her.
"Is there a problem?"
"I do not understand why I am assigned to Unit Three."
Katrina confronted him with such boldness that even I, watching from behind, grew worried. Her uncle replied with perfect calm.
"When a weak soldier takes the lead, the people below die."
"That's..."
"A mage arrest operation is not a game. I have no leeway to indulge your complaints. If you're dissatisfied, leave the branch I command."
He was a terrifying relative who allowed no objections. Left with no choice, Katrina turned and walked out of the briefing room. Not even being placed in command of Unit Three clearly stung.
I quickly brought out a horse, saddled it, and presented it to her. Not even ten minutes after the meeting ended, the Heretic Inquisitors were on the move.
Arriving at the mages' hideout, I sighed inwardly.
With this many eyes watching, I won't be able to harvest any mana. Still, I have no choice, do I?
Since these were the mages I'd planned to handle anyway, my conscience was almost clear.
But... would our turn even come?
The commander of Unit Three was a Holy Knight Reinhardt had brought from the North. He also seemed to be tasked with keeping an eye on Katrina, his gaze stern. Katrina's face looked ready to breach the hideout that very instant, but there was nothing she could do.
As I slowly circled the building, something odd caught my eye. I examined a section of wall that jutted out at an awkward angle, then called Katrina over.
"Lady Katrina."
"What is it?"
"This looks like a secret passage. It seems the mages built it as an escape route."
"What?"
Katrina, who'd answered with a touch of coldness, instantly changed expression. The unit commander from the North also hurried over to inspect the spot I'd pointed out.
"You're right. How did you know?"
"Just got lucky."
My own home had a similar passage.Ours was much better made than this one, though.
Visibly excited, Katrina seized on a good excuse and proposed to the unit commander.
"If we breach from here, we can surround them front and rear."
"W-Well, that may be true, but..."
"They might expect a pursuit coming out of the secret passage, but an ambush from inside is the last thing they'd dream of."
With a few words of support from me, the hesitation vanished from the commander's face. When dealing with mages, it paid to be thorough. Fortunately, he seemed to have at least this much authority.
"Very well. We'll breach in coordination with Unit Two's entry timing."
"Understood."
Even as a rank-and-file soldier, Katrina remained a member of the Wizardvein Family, so he could not simply disregard her. Katrina drew her sword with grim determination.
Wondering if I'd done something unnecessary, I clicked my tongue quietly.
If she let her eagerness get the better of her, this could be dangerous...Even if my teacher were not Ulysses, a Transformation Mage was no easy opponent.
Oblivious to my thoughts, Katrina moved at the sound of the horn. The secret passage, meant to stay shut, swung open with absurd ease.
Screech...
"Follow me!"
Rejection Magic! So it can be used that way, too.
Using magic in broad daylight, even after the citizens had evacuated, showed how determined she was. I hurried after her, and a steep staircase came into view.
So it comes down from the second floor.
Screams and the clamor of battle were already erupting indoors. To someone who didn't know the situation, it would sound like a bear was rampaging at the front door.
We took cover and waited for the mages to flee our way. The footsteps were more numerous than expected, suggesting a larger group than anticipated.
"Dammit, why is the Lion of the North here!"
Hrrk!
An arrow embedded itself in the head of a mage fleeing at the front. The rest were thrown into a panic but chose to face us rather than turn back to deal with Reinhardt and the main force.
"A-Ambush! How did they know?"
"Break through! If we can't, we all die here!"
"Hiyah!"
"J-Jaeger!"
I charged a step ahead of Katrina. First, I swung my sword to cut one down, but the mage waved a hand and my blade turned into a snake. Without a second thought, I tossed it away and stabbed the man with a dagger I'd already drawn.
"Gahk!"
"Wither!"
At the mage's command, the blood-soaked dagger reverted to a lump of iron, but I had already discarded it. My steel-gauntleted fist smashed into the next mage's face, and a sickening crunch sent him crashing to the ground.
Unluckily for them, my teacher was a Transformation Mage. With elite instructor Ulysses, anyone could crush a Transformation Mage like me!
"A Transformation Mage has the greatest adaptability of any mage. So assume an attack that's been shown once will never work a second time."
"So I have to keep changing my attack pattern?"
"Exactly. Always think and move one step ahead of your opponent."
That's what my teacher said as he taught me the tricks Transformation Mages commonly use. With that kind of instruction, I couldn't lose even if I wanted to.
Let's see, it's about time... It's here!
The mages, utterly flustered, cast a spell on my uniform to strangle me. Casting magic directly on another person's body is extremely difficult, so they usually attack indirectly like this...
I stayed one step ahead again. Just before the magic hit, I turned my body slightly toward Katrina. She noticed my condition and quickly activated her Rejection Magic.
"Jaeger!"
Paaat!
I'd thought she'd cut it with her sword at best, but Katrina actually used Rejection Magic. Freed from the restraint, I dropped another dagger and kicked it, embedding it in the mage's body.
"Aaaargh!"
"Whoa, that bastard fights like a madman."
"Has Jaeger always been that proficient?"
The inquisitors behind, who were clicking their tongues, launched another volley from their crossbows, and the mages all collapsed.
Reinhardt, having chased them up here, stared at me with a stunned expression.
"Hm? Why is Unit Three here?"
"Your Excellency."
The commander of Unit Three scurried over to Reinhardt and reported everything in minute detail, as if snitching. He probably even relayed that I'd discovered the secret passage.
I noticed his gaze narrowing inside the helm, and a jab of belated regret hit me.
Did I go too far? I feel like I'll come under suspicion...
As if on cue.
Standing before me like a statue, he asked in a hard voice.
"Soldier, state your name and rank."
"Jaeger, squire to Lady Katrina."
"...Jaeger. How did you move like that?"
As expected, he's suspicious.
If I gave a half-baked excuse like earlier, a blast of Rejection Magic might fly my way. I drew on the experience from the last sortie and answered.
"I-I tried thinking like a mage."
"Like a mage?"
"Yes. If I were a mage, how would I move..."
It was not exactly a lie. If anything, it was almost the unvarnished truth.
Reinhardt fell silent at my answer for a moment, then burst into a booming laugh. It was loud enough to startle everyone present.
"That's it! Let this be a lesson. To catch a lion, you must first become one. Mages are no different."
What, did that actually work?
As I let out a sigh of relief, the inquisitors buzzed with a strange admiration. It seemed Reinhardt praising someone wasn't a common occurrence.
Having barely escaped a tight spot, I returned to Katrina's side, intending to thank her for the earlier assist. But from inside her helm, she just stared blankly at me, murmuring something almost inaudible.
Her listless posture resembled a broken doll.
"I... have never once been praised by my uncle..."
"L-Lady Katrina? I truly thank you for what you did earlier."
"..."
She said nothing all the way back to her quarters.
As a woman and a member of the Wizardvein Family, she had a lavish private room to herself. I reached out to help her remove her armor, but she sharply slapped my hand away.
The voice that echoed from within the helm was on the verge of tears.
"I'll do it myself. Go back."
"Yes, um... you've had a hard day."
Unable to muster the nerve to say anything further, I practically fled the room.
I was trudging away after my shift when, before long, a Holy Knight from the North caught hold of me.
"Follow me for a moment."
Was he about to assign me some chore?
The Reshutal natives knew I was Katrina's squire, but these newcomers might not. I followed him to hear what he wanted, only to be led straight to the overall commander's office.
Damn.
Swallowing a gulp, I faced Reinhardt.
The lion's two eyes stared straight at me.