How a Wizard Survives (6)
How a Wizard Survives (6)
The mages' ambush had been devastatingly effective, and by now hardly any Heretic Inquisitors were left standing.
I ducked behind a gleaming set of plate armor and clicked my tongue softly.
No matter how I looked at it, using magic here was suicide.
I might be able to deal with the surviving Inquisitors amid the chaos... but after a massacre in the middle of the capital, more soldiers would come swarming at any moment.
Once they did, using magic to survive would only doom me afterward.
My teacher had explained the Mana Trace Examination. I'd be exposed as a mage in an instant.
'First rule: absolutely no magic. If I survive by using magic, it's meaningless!'
Steeling myself against any accidental casting, I focused on the mages closing in fast.
More than half the Heretic Inquisitors were down, while only a single mage had been taken out.
The situation was obviously desperate.
For all the trouble they gave mages, they were really this easy to knock down?
Just as I was mentally cursing the Inquisitors, one of them, who'd been lying there shot by a crossbow, suddenly lurched up and drove his sword into a mage!
"Aargh!"
"H-how the hell is this bastard...?"
"Die, mage!"
Looking closer, there was almost no blood where he'd fallen. Though he wore the uniform, it was an escort mission, so he'd had chainmail on underneath.
The ones hit in the head were beyond help, but there were far more survivors than it had first seemed.
I cheered inwardly and adjusted my grip on my sword. Never thought I'd see the day I'd be rooting for Heretic Inquisitors, but right now every single hand was precious.
As if to mock that hope, the resurrected Inquisitor was sent flying through the air.
The mages attacking us had finally resorted to magic.
Hurled backward as if struck by a carriage, he flailed for a moment and then never rose again. Where he collapsed, a pool of dark-red blood was spreading. The chainmail fragments must have shredded his blood vessels.
'That simple, brute-force attack spell... these must be Destruction Mages.'
Mages contracted with Bael, the Destruction Demon, were common, but that did not make them weak. Destruction Magic was easy to learn, easy to use, and powerful. According to my teacher, few branches could rival it in raw combat strength.
Now the ones openly casting spells began driving back the Inquisitors one-sidedly. They were going at it so wildly you'd almost worry about how they planned to cover it up.
"Kill them! Kill them all!"
"This is vengeance for our teacher!"
The mages were now right in front of me. But even in that chaos, the plate-armored commander stood firm.
Destruction Magic that sent people flying didn't even faze him; he shrugged it off and cut down mages with ease.
'That armor... it's something special. Is it made of Rare Metal?'
"Damn it, rush him all at once!"
"Waaaaah!"
By now, the commander and I were about the only ones still properly on our feet around the handcart. The mages charged from every direction to overwhelm him.
I had no choice but to swing my blade and cut down the first one. Just as I'd suspected, the mages weren't wearing proper armor.
"Kugh! This bastard!"
'They really sank all their money into the crossbows, huh? I can hold out against this!'
Most mages were constantly hunted by the Inquisition... so their income was never much. Ulysses was the odd one, raking in money with a false identity and Puppet Magic. For broke Destruction Mages, even getting a decent set of armor must have been tough.
I moved my feet as lightly as possible, exactly as I'd been taught at the Swordsmanship Guild. The guilt of cutting someone for the first time in my life made my whole body feel heavy... no, it didn't. Honestly, what had I done wrong? It was those idiots' fault for jumping in without a clue.
If you're going to pull something like this, you're supposed to dig your own grave first.
"Hiyah!"
"Don't even try."
I easily caught a wildly telegraphed slash and countered. The reckless mage collapsed, spraying a torrent of blood.
The thing my guild drilled hardest of all was the dueling of blade against blade... Blade Bind.
A textbook system painstakingly developed and tested by sword masters far more skilled than me! It accounted for every possible movement, so an opponent who did not know the system simply had to take the hit. With proper swordsmanship, I could take down opponents bigger and stronger than myself.
Armored opponents were a different matter, but these men wore none. This was exactly the kind of fight where my Unarmored Swordsmanship shone.
I deflected a blade aimed at my throat, then swung the sword I held in a crossed two-handed grip in a crescent arc, cutting down yet another. The mages who'd dismissed me as a mere porter quickly changed their tune.
"What the hell is with this one?"
"Guess he wants to die together!"
As my threat level rose, Destruction Magic started flying my way. Shockwaves with no shape, color, or sound! But by reading the flow of mana, I reacted before they landed. Even intercepting one with my sword ahead of time, I still got knocked off my feet.
CLANG!
"Cough!"
I slammed into the alley wall, forcing out every bit of air in my lungs before I struggled upright.
Compared to my teacher's and Ash's magic, this was bottom-tier garbage, yet it still hit this hard. Destruction Magic really was powerful.
The armored Inquisitor glanced at me from inside his helmet, then shifted position to shield me. He clearly knew I was the only ally left.
"..."
This guy, even in this mess, hadn't uttered a single word, not a shout or a groan. Maybe he couldn't speak at all. I fixed my stance with that thought.
"Bring it, you coward mages!"
"You little Inquisition stooge!"
Impressed by my performance, the mages started hurling spells again. Back to back, I swung my sword frantically.
"Hurry!"
"Finish it before more of them come!"
Fortunately, time was on our side. Even for a quiet alley, a fight this loud would bring guards and Inquisitors crashing in any moment now.
The mages had already reloaded their crossbows and fired at the commander, but he just twisted his body lightly and deflected the bolts. He knew how to exploit the angled plates of his armor. If the neighborhood blacksmiths had seen that, they'd have been deeply satisfied.
The volley of magic that followed, however, was impossible to simply endure. When the armored Inquisitor lost his balance, the mages scrambled forward with drawn daggers.
Even the guild taught that if you faced more than one opponent, you ran. I wanted to turn my back and bolt this instant, but there was no opening to slip through.
"Damn!"
Just as I braced to keep fighting with my blade, another blast of Destruction Magic detonated. I'd been bracing my whole body and didn't fall, but the sword that blocked the spell snapped clean in two. A long shard grazed my cheek, and I couldn't even close my eyes.
'Damn, at this rate I'm really going to—'
BOOM!
Right before the mages could overrun us, a thunderous noise erupted, and their bodies were sent flying backward.
Thinking I'd reflexively cast magic, I clenched my molars so hard they nearly cracked.
'I'm screwed! No... wait. It wasn't me, was it?'
The magic had come from slightly behind me... right where the plate armor had been lying!
The mages who realized the same thing screamed.
"Wi... Wizardvein!"
"Why is a traitor mage here!"
"Gaaaaah!"
The plate-armored figure clenched a fist, and the bodies of every surviving mage began to crumple in on themselves. So every last person here was a mage. The figure in plate armor was simply a member of the Inquisition's Wizardvein Family, known as the God's Mages and one of only two families legally permitted to use magic in the kingdom.
'This is a total disaster...'
Reflexively, I shrank back, holding up my broken sword. The existence of an Inquisitor who could use magic was not exactly an honorable secret. If it were, there was no way that person would have stayed still while their subordinates were all crossing into the afterlife. That person had only used magic when their own life was in danger. And most Heretic Inquisitors didn't come installed with anything like a reverence for life. Meaning, the odds were extremely high this individual would try to shut me up too.
Thankfully, the armored figure seemed drained by that last spell, sagging limply in place.
I saw guards, far too late, clamoring at the alley entrance.
Only two people had survived the crime scene: me and the plate armor.
And so, I was dragged to the Inquisition Branch alongside the heavily armored Inquisitors.
In the temple's largest and finest chamber, Inquisitors stood before us, discussing the matter with grave expressions. These were the kind of high-ranking people you normally never even saw.
"It seems they may have... used a miracle."
"There were no other witnesses, correct?"
"That child would have seen. I'm told they held a sword until the very end."
The corpses left at the scene made it easy for the other Inquisitors to figure out that the plate armor had used magic. But the Wizardvein Family led the Inquisition. Blaming them now was never an option. So the best solution was to eliminate the witness and pretend nothing had happened. A perfect method, except for the part where I got sacrificed.
"..."
The plate armor still had their helmet on and remained silent. No matter how pitifully and innocently I stared at them.
The senior Inquisitors in the chamber reached a decision in an instant.
"Take them away."
"W-wait a moment! I didn't see anyth—"
The words were mild, but that was an execution order. The moment the command fell, Inquisitors moved to seize me. As I desperately braced to resist, the plate armor suddenly grabbed my shoulder.
Wait, was this them telling me to stop struggling and die quietly?
The other Inquisitors also hesitated, not daring to approach. From beneath the helmet came a surprisingly delicate female voice.
"Leave him be."
"B-but..."
"The secrets of the Inquisition Branch and the family must be protected. Captain, please make your decision..."
A senior Inquisitor who could not stand by any longer finally stepped forward. They addressed the commander by title, not name, perhaps mindful of my gaze on them. But the plate armor did not back down. I just stood there frozen in a daze.
'It was a woman?'
She finally removed her helmet, revealing striking silver hair. It must have been sweltering inside the armor, yet she barely looked sweaty. The impression she gave was fiercely cold and aloof, but if you picked apart the details, there were features even finer than Ash's.
While I stood there speechless, she turned back to the senior Inquisitors and asked. The Inquisitors now seemed almost afraid of her, now that her face was revealed.
"What is the problem? Is it that he's an outsider?"
"That is correct."
"Then if I make this person my squire, the problem is resolved."
"Pardon? Captain, no matter the circumstances, a mere blacksmith's apprentice..."
"It does not matter. I am Katrina Wizardvein. From this moment forward, this child is my squire and under my protection. If anyone has an objection, step forward."
The female knight in plate armor actually drew her sword and declared it. This woman was going this far to protect me. As I stood stunned by such an unthinkable privilege, she turned her cold eyes back on me.
"If there are no objections, this inquiry is over. Let's go."
"I-I will serve with my body and soul."
I stuck close to her back and escaped from hell.
