The Black Mage's Sorrow
While the battle between the adventurers and the special species wrapped up on the northern hill, the armies from the east and west finished their brief rests and assembled their forces.
Clorin stood at the head of the subjugation army, her deer helmet gleaming as she stared down at the swarm of thousands of ants. A security force captain approached her side, thumped a fist to his chest, and reported, "All five hundred and twenty personnel have assembled."
"Good. What's the status of the key strongpoints?"
"The south is unchanged. Our forces hold sixty percent of the positions. As for the north..."
"That's enough. I can guess the rest."
She didn't need to hear the captain's explanation to crack a smile. The situation on the northern hill was so obvious that both sides could read it clearly without any reports. At the summit, the adventurers who had built a small fortress raised their weapons and let out triumphant cheers.
"Hahaha! We won!"
"Never underestimate adventurers again!"
"Hill secured! Fire the signal flare, quick!"
Their voices carried so far she could hear them from here. She didn't even need to watch the green signal flare shoot into the sky to know what had happened up north. With a light step, she advanced forward.
By then, eighteen knights had formed up behind her. Ten mages in blue deer robes lined up behind the knights wearing blue deer helmets. Following them came a hundred white-clad paladins and priests, along with one very unlucky black mage. Finally, four hundred security troops fell into neat ranks.
In contrast, the enemy numbers were estimated at three thousand eight hundred. Despite the clear numerical disadvantage, not a single member of the subjugation force showed any fear.
"This is insane...! We killed so many, and there are still four thousand orc-level ants left?!"
Well, everyone except the black mage from the Central region, that is.
Clorin turned her back on the ants that looked ready to charge at any moment and faced her troops. Despite the intense fighting over the past several days, none of the soldiers' faces showed any fatigue. Receiving the burning gazes of these battle-hardened veterans, she smiled brightly.
"The adventurers have captured the northern hill. While we couldn't win in a head-on fight."
Her words shifted the mood among the troops in a subtle way. For hundreds of years, the Adventurers' Guild and the subjugation forces had shared a quiet rivalry. Both organizations existed to protect the North, and they competed in a way that never quite boiled over. That same competitive spirit lived on here.
Knowing exactly how the security troops felt, Clorin gave a light shrug.
"You're not thinking of losing like this, are you?"
"Ha!"
The instant reply from the security forces made her chuckle. If adventurers were swords, the security forces were shields. Normally they maintained public order in the cities and operated regular supply convoys to keep materials and personnel circulating. Their heavy workload required large numbers, and with so many people, their overall skill level was lower than the Adventurers' Guild. But that didn't mean they lacked a warrior's heart.
She turned back toward the War Ant legion and raised her sword.
"Then prove it! Show those things who you are! Show them who the shields of the North are! Carve the terror of the shield into their bones!"
"Ha!"
At Clorin's shout, the security forces answered with powerful voices and began their advance. Since the majority of the subjugation army consisted of security troops, raising their morale was enough for her role. The priests and paladins would maintain their own high spirits.
"As the gods will it."
"Victory to be offered to the God of War lies ahead."
"For order."
The paladins spoke in quiet but powerful voices as they received the priests' blessings and advanced at a measured pace. Clorin glanced at them, then walked leisurely at the front of the army.
Beside her was Neon, the black mage, his face pale. He kept glancing around nervously, clearly uncomfortable with being at the front.
"Um... can I withdraw to the rear now?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Ah, ahaha. Isn't it dangerous for a mage to be at the front? I've been working hard from the back until now, so I'll continue spreading curses diligently from the rear this time too."
He seemed to have sensed danger as a mage and was desperately trying to retreat to the back, but it was already too late. Clorin smiled sweetly and patted the black mage on the back.
"There's no rule saying mages have to stay in the rear, is there? This is a good chance for you to fight at the front too."
"I'm not some amazing person like them. In the North, moving while casting is everyday life, but in the Central region, mages who can cast while moving are considered veterans. Our overall level is that low."
He fought desperately to escape the trap after Clorin suggested fighting together, but it was meaningless resistance. Surprised by his unexpectedly sharp tongue, she delivered the finishing blow to make sure he couldn't escape.
"Sorry, but your role is bait."
"...What?"
"The monsters of the North show extreme hatred toward dark magic power."
And look, they just happened to have a black mage. One who was trying to atone for his past mistakes and become an officially recognized black mage, no less? She didn't need to say anything more. Under Clorin's kind gaze, Neon smiled awkwardly and cursed his past self.
I shouldn't have become a black mage! Why did I let jealousy blind me like an idiot!
He wasn't like the battle mages in blue deer robes who possessed exceptional skill. He was just an ordinary Central region mage who found it difficult to cast while running, let alone perform moving casts. That made this an incredibly dangerous role, but he couldn't refuse.
He hadn't completely crossed the line, but he had still committed wrongs. And more importantly, standing silently behind him was that person.
When he glanced back, a middle-aged man with a gentle face smiled softly. To ordinary people, he was kinder than anyone. But to heretics or unofficial black mages, he could become more terrifying than a devil. He was an inquisitor—one rank higher than ordinary inquisitors.
"Helping to subjugate the monster forces threatening the North would surely bring great joy to the gods."
"Y-yes, of course! That's right! As an official black mage, I should proudly fight from the front!"
"I'll make sure to tell the church about your efforts, brother."
The moment he tried to run or refuse, he would be having an intimate "date" with this inquisitor in the church's underground prison. Feeling unnecessarily guilty under the inquisitor's gaze, Neon forcefully radiated dark magic power to assert his innocence and shouted.
"I'm right here! If you want me, come and get me!"
The moment he boldly revealed his dark magic power at the front, the ants' heads all turned toward Neon at once. The gaze of thousands of human-sized ants focused on him made his legs go weak, but there was no getting off a runaway train. Confirming the legion charging toward him, Neon looked up at the hill with a pitiful expression.
Please, Argo! For the sake of everything we've been through, protect me!
The only ones he could rely on were the adventurers who had taken the hill. The Central region's subjugation force would be too busy fighting the ants, so he desperately called out to Argo on the hilltop. He hoped the man would spot him and provide long-range support once he realized the danger.
"Whoa. Quite the spectacle."
I let out an impressed whistle as I watched the thousands of ants all turn toward Neon at once. It made me seriously wonder what dark magic power meant to monsters.
"Now I understand why there are no black mages in the North."
"If they sneak in, the monsters would detect them like ghosts and eliminate them immediately."
"And if they try hiding in a city, given those things' level, they'd probably fall at the civilian stage."
Every Northerner was a mana user. In Central region terms, that meant apprentice knights or veteran mercenaries were everywhere. No matter how skilled a black mage was, they would quickly be hunted down. And if they tried moving through the forests, monsters driven mad by dark magic power would come charging to kill them.
I finally understood how the Northerners felt when the Flame of Doom had risen. I rubbed my chin while watching the two armies clash in earnest, their forces locked in a contest of strength.
At the center of the battlefield, Neon was frantically firing off dark magic spells in a desperate bid to survive.
"Should I help him after all?"
"Is he an acquaintance?"
"He's the guy I brought with me. Thanks to him, we were able to locate the black mages."
He's surprisingly good at talking and pretty entertaining. He genuinely seems to regret becoming a black mage.
At my words, Arash looked at Neon with interested eyes. He was certainly too valuable a connection to lose like this. Since I eventually wanted to visit other regions through the Central area, having Neon as a connection there would be useful. He was entertaining, so I personally liked the guy too.
Having made up my mind to take at least minimal measures to keep him alive, I gave an order.
"Target the ants around Neon first."
The Ikelos nodded silently and fired their arrows. The ants charging into Neon's blind spot were thrown into chaos by the arrow barrage and collapsed. Neon, who had been holding on by spamming dark magic, looked in our direction and drew a heart in the air.
I frowned without thinking.
"Maybe I shouldn't have helped."
"I agree."
Male hearts were declined.
We turned our gaze away from Neon and crouched down below the ramparts to watch the battle.
"Magic! Bigger magic! Hit them with even bigger magic!"
"Every shot hits! This is what hunting should be!"
"Engineers, up here! Reinforce the walls!"
With the hill captured, the slow-moving types who couldn't attack from range had finished their work. I watched enviously as Gora shot arrows with an excited expression and observed the rapidly dwindling War Ant legion. Still, thanks to the Ikelos, experience points were coming in steadily.