Awakening to the Absolute and Unchanging Truth
The composition of the subjugation force was as follows: a group of 32 adventurers led by 10 members of the North's Blue Deer Knight Order. Fifteen members of the South's Clockwork Knight Order and thirty from the Southern Security Forces. Four professors from the Central Academy and ten of their students. In total, the large-scale force of 101 people advanced without hesitation toward the location where black magic energy had been detected.
You're wondering who would protect Aron and the non-combatants? The best defense is a good offense. If we wipe them out before they can attack, the problem solves itself. Just kidding. Of course we prepared a separate defensive unit. Aron alone was an outstanding mage worthy of his position as president of the Royal Academy and a Mystery holder. The eight guild staff members were all at the level of apprentice knights by Central standards, and we'd left ten guards behind at the main camp. Even if they launched a surprise attack, there was no way we'd lose. Besides, the whole point of organizing this subjugation force was to crush them before they could strike first.
"We'll head out first, then."
While the main subjugation force moved at a steady pace, I took Neon, Adela, and a few other adventurers as the vanguard, riding ahead on Ikelos. It was the privilege of the first discoverer, and since my skills were at Silver rank, I had the authority to operate independently in situations like this.
"Let's go!"
"Ooh!"
The moment I kicked off powerfully, the Ikelos that received the signal broke into a run. Through consistent reinforcement over time, the Ikelos had grown strong enough to sprint so fast that the surrounding scenery blurred. We had no idea what kind of schemes those black mages were cooking up, so we needed to crush them as quickly as possible. I'd already decided to soften them up halfway before the main force arrived, so I urged the Ikelos to go even faster.
Thanks to that, it didn't take long before we reached a clearing thick with the lingering traces of black magic energy. There, we spotted black mages busily preparing something.
"About two kilometers from the campsite."
"How could you smell it from this distance?"
"They were openly using black magic to set up a magic circle. That's how."
Well, that made sense. These guys probably didn't know much about monsters sensitive to black magic energy. Even Neon, after suffering in the North, had evolved his control to minimize residual traces as much as possible, yet he still got caught and chased down quickly. If even Neon—a specialist in this field—could only manage that much, it was obvious how sloppy the others would be.
I watched the black mages scrambling about, completely unaware they were about to be ambushed, then signaled to Goro, a familiar adventurer among those who'd followed us.
Creak.
"Huuup."
Confirming the signal, Goro adjusted his breathing and drew back the bowstring. A terrifying sound rose from the monster-material bow. If not for the noise-dampening enchantment carved into it, the black mages would have heard the skin-crawling noise. After a brief silence, he released the string.
Bang!
The sound of air exploding rang out as arrows shot forward with such speed they left afterimages, bursting the heads of five black mages who had been preparing a ritual. Seeing the result, Goro whistled cheerfully.
"I used a technique I learned recently. The effect is pretty good."
"Splitting Arrow, was it? The skill that separates the mana in the arrow to create new ones."
"That's right. It's a must-learn technique for any archer aiming for Silver rank."
The archers really weren't to be underestimated. I clicked my tongue at Goro's words and drew a summoning circle in the air. As over a dozen summoning circles appeared, spawning Ikelos and Rune Golems that charged forward, the adventurers hidden in the bushes launched their surprise attack on the black mages.
"It's an ambush!"
"Continue the ritual!"
"Damn it! They noticed already?!"
The moment the five black mages lost their heads, the rest realized they were under attack and reacted in various ways. Some cast black magic, others summoned contracted demonic beasts, and a few raised the corpses they'd prepared in advance. From the aura I could feel, they all seemed like fairly skilled black mages. But that was all.
Umbra sliced a black mage clean in half with its spear-sword. An Ikelos tore out another's throat. A Rune Golem dragged one in with its Gravity Field and crushed it flat. The summoned creatures dispatched the black mages in all sorts of creative ways, while the adventurers used them as shields to rampage freely. The enemy casualties mounted rapidly.
"That's enough! The scattered forces have gathered, so we can push them back!"
"Gather all the elites! Take out the summoner first!"
Some of the scattered black mages managed to regroup during the fight, but it didn't matter. Our role as the vanguard was simply to disrupt whatever scheme they were plotting. And above all, we weren't weak enough to fall to the likes of them.
"Strike while they're exhausted from using black magic! Unlike regular mana, black magic energy is wild and difficult to handle, so black mages always need time to recover after casting!"
"That bastard...?!"
"Why is a black mage on their side?!"
As I pressed the attack while listening to Neon—the one-hit instructor—deliver a real-time lecture on how to counter black mages, several of the enemies realized the situation was hopeless and tried to flee.
Crunch.
"Guh... hek!"
"KyaAAAAAAGH!"
Those who ran were, without exception, torn apart by the Ikelos or crushed under the Rune Golem's fists.
"Damn it, if it's come to this, we'll summon a demon!"
"We don't have enough sacrifices. What do we do?"
"Offer the useless subordinates as sacrifices!"
Realizing there was no escape, the black mages made one final desperate move. They plunged daggers into their comrades' hearts to complete the ritual. After a grotesque scene of mutual slaughter, they barely managed to gather enough offerings. The surviving black mages squeezed out the last of their strength to activate the circle. The magic formation glowed with an ominous light, tearing open a rift connected to hell.
A two-meter-tall demon stepped out from within, looking around with dissatisfied eyes.
[An incomplete summoning with insufficient offerings, but a price has been paid. Who must I face?]
"Ooh! Knight who serves the Count of Hell!"
"Please eliminate the wicked enemies who persecute us!"
The black mages cheered at the demon's appearance. Although they hadn't managed to summon the Count they'd aimed for, they had called forth one of his closest knights. A chance to turn the tables had appeared. As the black mages planned to support the demon knight or flee while it dealt with the enemies, their gazes turned toward me.
I responded by summoning a Lesser Dragon.
If they had a demon knight, we'd bring a dragon.
"That thing's useless to me even if I take it, so burn them all."
[Krrk.]
Since a demon would vanish without leaving any materials upon death—pure garbage—I handed full authority over to the Lesser Dragon. It let out a cry as if to say it understood. I was impressed by the way its eyes curved like crescent moons as it moved its massive body and ignited magical flames across its entire form.
So dragons can smile too? I'd thought biological limits would prevent it, but apparently not. Maybe because it was a special being, its expressions were surprisingly varied.
As the Lesser Dragon approached, the demon knight stared at it with a dumbfounded look.
[It's not a true dragon. A half-breed? No, not even that.]
[KRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!]
The Lesser Dragon charged at the demon knight, who had unwittingly touched a reverse scale. The demon knight recoiled in terror at the ferocious momentum. Thanks to burning countless monsters and gradually building up its power, the Lesser Dragon was stronger than others of its kind. On top of that, the demon knight had been summoned with insufficient offerings and an incomplete ritual, so it hadn't brought its full strength. Even in perfect condition the odds would have been fifty-fifty; with those penalties, the demon knight was completely helpless.
It couldn't put up any proper resistance and was pushed back without a chance. Convinced the Lesser Dragon would win, I turned my attention to the black mages. They watched in utter despair as the demon they'd gone through so much trouble to summon was being miserably overwhelmed. When they noticed my gaze and looked over, I smiled brightly and pointed to the side with my finger.
Following my gesture, the black mages turned their heads.
"What? It's already over?"
"There must be dozens of black mage corpses here."
"Judging by the unfamiliar patterns engraved on them, it doesn't look like a named organization."
"What has this country been doing until a black mage faction could form?"
The main subjugation force strolled in as casually as if they were on a picnic. I lowered my head. They'd prepared to ambush us, but once they realized the level of the subjugation force, they gave up on running.
"....We surrender."
"Please spare our lives."
"We'll tell you everything we know."
I looked at the pathetic bunch with satisfaction, then transformed the Ikelos into restraint forms to bind them. Lining up the helplessly captured men, I asked,
"Where is your base? What hidden assets do you have? Tell me everything about the people cooperating with you."
It was time to collect the spoils. While I was at it, I'd gather internal information and sweep away all the annoying pests. Seeing that an ambush had occurred just days after leaving Morken, there was a hundred percent chance more attacks would follow. In any other situation I might not have been certain, but now...
"H-how many black mages...?"
"No matter that they're black mages, seeing this many corpses is rather hard on the stomach."
"Still, if we've wiped out this many, we probably won't face any more ambushes during this request, right?"
The moment the Academy got involved, additional ambushes became inevitable. Even without that, the students had so casually planted a flag that it might as well have been nailed down. The Luci siblings, perhaps from accumulated experience, wore uneasy expressions as well. It seemed they'd half-expected more attacks.
"Now you can be certain, right?"
"The Academy is the same kind of existence as the black mages in the North. Understanding complete."
Satisfied with Neon's perfectly coded response, I nodded with a pleased expression. With this, my party members had awakened to one of the absolute and unchanging truths of this world.