The Magic Rampage
"We begin!"
The referee who had arranged the duel shouted in a carrying voice.
Aisia drew her sword first. A faint magical light flowed along the blade, a clear sign of her talent; the air itself seemed to tremble faintly around her.
"I shall show you the sword and magic of the Liberia Empire!"
Aisia declared it in a low, ringing voice.
Adolf Kareha slowly drew his long sword. His fighting style relied on swift counters and shattering an opponent’s timing. Because she was likely to use magic, he resolved to read her patterns first.
When the distance between them closed to a step or two, Aisia struck first. She twisted her body sharply to the side and drove a piercing thrust toward Adolf Kareha’s flank. The blade flashed with vicious speed, yet he angled his armor just enough to let the strike glance away. Metal rang, and her sword cut only empty air.
"Such speed…"
A soldier murmured in admiration, and a stir ran through both lines. It was plain that the imperial princess was no mere ornament.
Adolf Kareha watched her carefully. Unlike ordinary knights, she blended swordsmanship with magic. He saw her gather magical force even as she delivered solid blows; if he misread that pattern, a single fatal strike could end him.
"Can you take this as well!"
Aisia’s voice cut sharply through the air. She raised her sword high and concentrated magical energy. In the next instant a blue-white flash, accompanied by a sound like tearing air, crashed down toward Adolf Kareha.
"A magic sword strike…!"
Imperial soldiers cried out in awe. Yet Adolf Kareha twisted his body just enough to let the attack slide past, stepped back, and leveled his blade. Ignoring the gasps around him, he continued to analyze her movements.
So this is Princess Aisia…! She is strong. But she still cannot overwhelm me.
He drew a quiet breath and prepared his counter. Sword held low, he adjusted his footwork and aimed for her flank.
"Hah!"
His blade flashed toward her side. Aisia spun her sword across and met it. The two blades collided with a thunderous impact that even the watching soldiers felt in their bones.
"Ugh… The title of hero is no empty boast."
Aisia gritted her teeth. Without pause the two exchanged a relentless flurry of strikes. Steel rang, magic detonated, and a fierce, bloody contest unfolded between them. Both armies watched, entranced; no one dared move. Each side cheered its champion, yet both stood solemn before the intensity of the fight.
After dozens of exchanges Aisia’s magic flared again. She poured power into her blade until a form like blue flame took shape along the metal, heat racing across its surface.
"Take this!"
She attacked with even greater force. Adolf Kareha shifted instantly into a defensive stance, yet the blue flame followed an unexpected arc and grazed his armor. He felt the metal heat at once and rolled aside.
"Impressive."
He spoke the single word. Aisia herself was breathing hard, sweat beading on her brow. Each had acknowledged the other’s strength, yet neither showed any sign of yielding.
Their blades met once more, locked in perfect balance. In that instant Aisia twisted her sword in a sudden technique that opened a gap and scraped across the shoulder of Adolf Kareha’s armor. Little blood flowed, but the blow landed solidly; he answered at once.
"Fall back!"
His low, heavy voice rolled out, and a reverse wave of force surged from his blade. Aisia lost her footing and staggered. That was the decisive opening. Adolf Kareha could have driven a finishing strike into a vital point—yet, knowing who she was, he hesitated.
This woman is destined to bear the hero.
In the memories of his previous life he had read that very scene in the novel. And so he hesitated. That brief blank proved fatal. In the same heartbeat Aisia unleashed her magic again. Emotion erupted from her; fierce magical force shook the surrounding air.
"It is not over yet!"
Aisia cried out in desperate resolve. Then an explosion beyond imagination tore the air. The magic pouring from her swinging blade seemed to break free of all control—a true magic rampage.
"Danger!"
The watching soldiers shouted. Adolf Kareha lunged toward her on pure reflex. If she could not master the rampaging power, both of them would suffer catastrophic harm. He brought his sword down hard, trying to sever the flow of magic.
"Stop!"
His voice rang out as the tip of his blade struck hers with crushing force. The impact hurled Aisia backward in a rolling tumble. At the same moment the magical explosion burst, a blue flash gouging deep into the earth.
"W-what in the world…"
Soldiers of both armies recoiled in horror from the vast spectacle. When the blast subsided, a great crater smoked in the center of the plain. Adolf Kareha stood, barely keeping his stance; Aisia lay several meters away, residual magic flickering and scattering around her body.
"Your Highness!"
Liberia’s soldiers started forward in alarm, yet the rules of the duel forbade interference, and they checked themselves.
"Are you unharmed?!"
Adolf Kareha called out with genuine urgency. He hurried to confirm her consciousness. From the memories of his past life he knew Aisia had to live. Even though she was a princess of the enemy empire, he understood that her existence was an indispensable pillar of destiny for the world.
No answer came. Amid shattered armor fragments and dust, Aisia bled from her left side and gasped for breath. The shocking explosion had torn a deep wound; she already seemed unconscious.
"Damn it…"
Adolf Kareha closed the distance at once. Surrounding soldiers tensed and raised their weapons, but he paid them no heed. He simply dropped to one knee to examine her.
"Are you alive?"
He asked urgently. Aisia’s breath still came, faint but present.
She still lives.
He confirmed the spark of life and glanced around. Her face had gone deathly pale; her lips were turning blue. Blood soaked armor and ground alike.
"A physician! Summon a healer!"
Liberia’s soldiers crowded in. Adolf Kareha also beckoned the empire’s own magical healers with a sharp gesture.
"Treat her at once! The duel is already finished!"
"But, General—may we intervene? They are the enemy."
The imperial healers hesitated.
"That is an order. Make haste."
His voice brooked no argument. Healers from both sides rushed forward and began emergency treatment, yet the wound was deep and the rampaging magic had shaken her internal organs; her condition remained grave. Liberia’s side prepared to carry her to the rear, but the physicians judged that her state would likely worsen on the road.
"At this rate Her Highness may not survive the journey."
One doctor delivered the grim assessment. In the end both Liberia and the empire agreed to a temporary truce and moved Aisia to a nearby field hospital for treatment. Adolf Kareha volunteered to assist throughout. Liberia’s soldiers still watched him warily, yet they were baffled that he showed no excess hostility.
That night silence hung inside the field-hospital tent. Healers employed advanced restorative magic and potent medicines, yet Aisia’s wounds would not fully close. The damage left by the rampaging magic inside her body was especially severe.
"If things continue this way, even her survival cannot be guaranteed."
An imperial mage muttered.
"We must save her somehow."
Adolf Kareha could not hide the urgency in his quiet voice.
"I ask that you give everything you have."
The others tilted their heads in puzzlement. If the Liberia princess died, the enemy’s morale would collapse and the war would tilt heavily in their favor—why, then, did he strive so hard to keep her alive? No one dared ask aloud.
After hours of treatment Aisia seemed to have clung to life by a thread. Consciousness did not return, and her magic had been so badly damaged that it was barely detectable. In the midst of this, one of the Liberia physicians examining her went rigid.
"This cannot be…"
The doctor murmured in shock.
"What is it?"
A nearby soldier asked.
"Her Highness’s internal tissues have suffered severe damage. Fortunately the organs necessary to sustain life remain intact, but… the womb… in this condition… she will likely…"
The physician could not finish. One after another the remaining doctors completed their examinations and exchanged bleak looks. The conclusion was single and merciless.
The princess would never again be able to bear a child.
"Infertile…?"
Liberia’s soldiers were seized by terror and despair.