How a Wizard Survives (24)
How a Wizard Survives (24)
The battlefield, frozen for an instant by Ulysses's entrance, lurched back into motion.
Sensing a new challenger, the demon flung itself at him without a shred of hesitation.
"A mere mage dares to stand in my way?!"
The Wizard of Change stood unwavering atop the spire, his true face fully exposed.
Seeing my teacher like that, I held back tears inside my helmet.
Even someone of his caliber probably couldn't fight a demon while maintaining a transformation...
But to show his real face so openly.
The situation was nothing like when we faced the Fire Mage, Loren.
From now on, my teacher would be hunted relentlessly by the Inquisition.
'He couldn't have barged in just because of me...'
Boom!
The demon's fist struck Ulysses's slender body mercilessly.
A blow that looked as if it could shatter the sturdiest castle gate in a single hit.
In fact, the spire beneath him collapsed.
But Ulysses himself was not hurt in the slightest.
Given the difference in mass, he should have been sent flying. Instead, he remained suspended in midair.
The Binding Demon, Chainfist, withdrew his fist and let out a ferocious roar.
"This is... Immobility Magic!"
"Clever of you."
The next moment, a fist-sized hole appeared in Chainfist's side.
Most people probably didn't notice... but Ulysses had countered with the cane he was holding.
The reason the demon's skin, which could withstand spears and blades, was pierced by a mere cane was simple.
My teacher's Transformation Magic was advanced enough to affect the demon's body itself.
You might think that merely lowering its hardness is no big deal.
But the very act of casting magic directly on someone else's body is absurd.
A realm that ordinary mages can't even imagine!
"Keeugh!"
Chainfist did not simply absorb the hit.
He gathered the chains he'd been using on Reinhardt and the Einhold family, and hurled them all at my teacher.
Those chains were imbued with Binding Magic.
It was a poor matchup for the Immobility Magic he had just used for defense.
Even if he withstood the impact, he'd be captured the moment they touched him.
Even Ulysses seemed not to dare attempt a dodge and stood motionless...
Just before the chains could bind him, his body vanished like smoke.
Thanks to that, I managed to stifle my near-scream in time.
'Where is he? Ah...'
The chains clattered shut around empty air.
My teacher reappeared a short distance away.
Looking genuinely wronged, Chainfist raised his voice in protest.
"Th-that's not Transformation Magic!"
"Spatial Shift."
Aha.
Nearby, Charlotte, who had just recovered, muttered in disbelief.
"What nonsense... Does just slapping the word 'Spatial Shift' onto anything automatically make it Transformation Magic now?"
Yes.
Ulysses was a mage of that caliber.
That was true magic.
The pinnacle of the techniques my teacher had perfected.
No matter how much mana a human body accumulates, it can never catch up to demons, who are born different.
Therefore, to defeat a demon, you must overwhelm them with skill.
You have to use mana more effectively than they do, even though they're born with it.
Having finally freed himself from the chains, Reinhardt struggled to his feet.
Apparently changing targets, Chainfist shot his chains at him again, but... this time, we did not take it lying down.
"Form ranks! All units, assemble!"
"We reject all heresy!"
Clash!
A hastily formed wall of shields and armor withstood the barrage of chains.
The fruit of the deadly group drills the Holy Knights had undergone.
In that time, Ulysses had inflicted another wound on the demon.
"Y-you insects!"
"Hector!"
As Reinhardt, who had readjusted his grip on his sword, leaped forward and shouted, Hector Einhold cast his magic.
It was Gravity Magic much like my own.
Reinhardt, who had begun a light leap, shot forward like an arrow.
"Knights! Switch to fire support!"
"Don't let the demon or the mage get away alive!"
Thanks to Ulysses, who could take the brunt of the demon's attacks head-on, the tide of battle turned.
As he'd boasted, Transformation Magic possessed the ultimate adaptability.
It could adapt to any kind of attack and launch a counterattack in turn.
It made me doubt whether the Transformation Mages I'd faced before even belonged to the same school.
When I forced my creaking body to move and join the fray, Angelica created a foothold for me.
Though she was younger and had less mana, her technique was superb.
"Yes, Jaeger!"
"I reject you!"
Katrina belatedly tried to catch me, while Charlotte calmly provided magical support.
Suddenly surrounded, the demon finally decided to flee.
"You bastards... everyone stop!"
"Urgh?!"
"Kghuk!"
Proving that his magic extended beyond chains, Chainfist imbued his voice with magic and shouted.
Most people froze under his command.
At least I was safe because I was holding the Adamantite Sword out in front of me.
Reinhardt also remained unscathed thanks to his Rejection Magic and armor...
But the Einhold family, who were supposed to be creating footholds, had frozen in place.
We stamped our feet in frustration.
Chainfist, his face lit up with hope, made a desperate dash for escape.
"I'll get you for this! Next time..."
"No."
It was none other than Ulysses who blocked his path alone.
He withstood the Binding Magic as if it were nothing, dropped his gentleman's cane, and stretched out both hands.
Chainfist dodged by twisting his body in midair.
As a result, Ulysses's palms merely grazed him.
"Wizard of Change! I'll definitely... khoff?"
As he passed him, Ulysses's face wore a triumphant smile.
Chainfist, who had launched himself into the air with all his might, suddenly plummeted like a cannonball.
Even before hitting the ground, his skin was cracking and splitting horribly, gushing black blood.
Crash!
"W-what is this...?"
Having cratered the palace floor with his landing, Chainfist murmured weakly.
A single blow had dealt the demon a critical wound.
He was clearly in no condition to continue the fight.
As a parting gift to the dying demon, Ulysses kindly explained.
But in reality, it was probably a lesson meant for me.
"A combination of Transformation and Immobility Magic. A spell that deals greater damage the faster the target moves."
"So that's... it..."
Both the demon and I belatedly grasped the principle behind it.
That split second of contact was all Ulysses needed.
Not only had Ulysses lowered his opponent's hardness, but he had also bound parts of his body with Immobility Magic.
The parts of his body not affected by Immobility Magic had simply torn themselves apart due to acceleration.
'He said there was nothing left to teach me... but he's a total monster, isn't he?'
His whole body torn and twisted, Chainfist hung his head weakly, as if accepting defeat... then, mustering the last of his strength, he let out a roar.
"Grooooargh!"
A roar that could stop the heart of an elderly or frail person at close range.
It contained magic, so it wasn't just an exaggeration.
I tried to struggle to my feet, but I could not move after the impact of my landing.
Even though I was wearing armor, the height was considerable, so I was lucky not to have fallen to my death.
Angelica must have caught me with her magic at the last moment.
I struggled to keep the demon in sight through my shaking vision.
Shuk! Along with a gruesome sound of tearing flesh, the roar stopped abruptly.
It was none other than Reinhardt who delivered the decisive blow to Chainfist.
Unlike me, he had managed to rise, and he plunged his sword into the demon's back.
Reinhardt was in no better condition than I was.
His left arm seemed completely broken as it hung limply inside his armor.
It was his determination not to yield the finishing blow to a mage.
He had forced his body to move for that single purpose.
"Urgh..."
With a sound like escaping air, the demon's massive body slumped lifelessly to the ground.
Reinhardt pulled out his sword with his good right arm and looked up at Ulysses.
Despite the fierce battle with the demon, the Wizard of Change looked perfectly fine.
'Honestly, he could not possibly believe he could win.'
Even the other Inquisitors didn't dare oppose him.
Yet Reinhardt raised his voice and shouted.
"Ulysses, the Wizard of Change! Is that you?!"
"So what if it is?"
Chainfist had recognized Ulysses immediately using his unique demon senses, but... it was the first time Reinhardt and the other Inquisitors had seen his true form.
After a brief confirmation, Reinhardt aimed his sword at him and made an offer.
"Come down and surrender right now, and on my honor, I promise you the best possible treatment!"
That was insane.
Even in this situation, Reinhardt intended to fight Ulysses.
As I, the other Inquisitors, and even Katrina and Charlotte froze, my teacher laughed out loud.
It was the same lighthearted, unpretentious laugh he always had.
"It's not that I doubt the Lion's name... but at best, your kind of 'best treatment' means freezing me without pain, right? Ah, yes. Perhaps you could serve some refreshments during the interrogation. I'd like that."
"That's right."
Reinhardt affirmed it without hesitation, not even thinking of lying.
I doubted he had ever intended to persuade him.
Ulysses laughed again, lowered his altitude slightly, and addressed Reinhardt with a smile playing on his lips.
"Anyway, Cold Sleep again, is it? The Wizardvein family really lacks imagination, I must say. Lion of the North, have you ever smelled a rotting corpse?"
"Of course. Corpses rot in the North too."
Reinhardt responded to the conversation, hoping to gather as much information as possible.
Ulysses nodded in satisfaction and continued.
"It smells quite foul, doesn't it? But if you neither bury nor burn a corpse, and just leave it there, will the smell disappear?"
"..."
Reinhardt, now realizing Ulysses's intent, twisted his face in displeasure.
My teacher was mocking the Wizardvein method.
Freezing mages in place was nothing more than a stopgap measure.
No matter how cold and hard the ice is, it will melt someday.
"Urgh..."
Katrina also let out a small groan, as if she felt something.
Having said his piece, Ulysses transformed into an eagle and vanished.
"I will create a world without corpses. If you interfere, you won't remain unscathed either."
"Don't run away!"
Reinhardt's magic aimed for Ulysses, but... a flock of birds appeared from somewhere, took the hit for him, and vanished.
He had blocked magic with magic.
"Oh my..."
"I-is it over then?"
The Holy Knights, who belatedly let out sighs of relief, quickly began retrieving the demon's corpse.
Though they likely had no intention of holding a funeral for it, a demon's corpse holds immense magical value.
I secretly smacked my lips as I stood up with Katrina's support.
Fortunately, it seemed no bones were broken, and I could move after a short rest.
"Jaeger. Are you alright? This is what happens when you charge out on your own..."
"I'm sorry, Katrina."
"...I understand now."
Charlotte glanced at me with a meaningful smile, then turned and hurried over to Reinhardt.
The nobles who had fled in panic earlier slowly returned to the garden after hearing that the demon had been killed.
"Oh my, truly that mighty demon..."
"The Binding Magic is completely gone today! I'll have the musicians compose a song about this victory."
"Einhold and Wizardvein... I believed in you!"
It was amusing to see them act like this when they'd bolted the instant the demon appeared, but it didn't feel too bad.
As I stood there leaning against Katrina with a smirk, Reinhardt strode up to the king.
Meanwhile, standing before the demon's corpse, the king actually wore a deeply worried expression.
It was now his turn, as the head of Reshutal, to offer public praise...
But he was strangely hesitating.
'Wait, don't tell me... that petty man?'
My teacher had already left, and the nobles hadn't even been able to see him properly, so excluding him, the one who had contributed most in this battle was Reinhardt...
But it was obvious the king had absolutely no desire to praise him.
If he praised Reinhardt, who had warned him countless times, it would be like admitting he himself had been wrong... and the Wizardvein family was already one of immense influence.
But if he gave the credit to the Einhold family, they too were overwhelmingly powerful.
The Einholds were, after all, the King's Mages. In other words, the king's servants!
It wasn't good for him if their status rose too high.
To whom exactly should he attribute the immense feat of killing a demon?
After pondering this for quite some time, the king ultimately passed the decision to Reinhardt.
He was a man who at least had a modicum of conscience.
"You've done a great service, Duke Reinhardt. In your view, who contributed the most in this battle?"
Even so, there was no way Reinhardt would recommend himself in this situation.
Reinhardt saw through the king's calculation and fell silent for a moment.
Suddenly, the princess standing beside the king interjected, her eyes shining.
"Your Majesty! I saw it."
"Hmm? S-saw what?"
"While everyone was evacuating, there was a knight who bravely confronted the ferocious demon without fear. It was a valor I could hardly believe even while seeing it with my own eyes. Surely, it must have been that person who plunged a sword into the demon's heart as well."
"Who is it? Speak up at once!"
A knight, she said.
Was she trying to recommend a friend here?
I didn't think she was that kind of woman...
Just as I lamented inwardly, the princess's slender, beautiful hand pointed straight at me.
"That man over there!"
"...Huh?"
I quickly looked around, wondering if there was someone next to me, but the princess walked straight up to me, took my hand, and raised it high into the air.
Upon being informed that I was a commoner-born squire, the king finally nodded in satisfaction and declared.
"Jaeger of the Inquisition has slain the Binding Demon! Let bards extol this day's victory at once!"
Suddenly receiving applause and cheers, I had to try very hard to hide my dumbstruck expression.