The Blaze Rises (Part 2)

Time was running out. We sprinted along the path, frantically crafting our plan. There was no luxury of sitting down for a calm discussion. It was a small mercy that our path had been clear when I checked with my familiar.

"Hmph, quite a few of them," Toby muttered after hearing the number of Boars gathered in front of the cave entrance.

"We don't have the numbers to take them on alone. The adventurers inside need to come out and fight with us."

"Is there a way to relay that message into the cave?"

No sooner had Toby finished speaking than two pairs of eyes turned toward me. They were all trusting me. I had to solve this. As long as I was a mage, I had to be the solution.

Using a familiar would allow me to deliver our message inside. But since it could be caught by the Boars, I had to use Invisibility. But what if the adventurers were in bad shape? If they were severely wounded or had exhausted their supplies, a single message wouldn't be enough to coordinate our actions. Sending a note via a familiar wasn't enough. I needed a way to hold a conversation, not just a one-way delivery of information.

"Become the wisest person in the room."

Meredith's words suddenly surfaced in my mind. She really was a teacher far too good for someone like me. She’d surely go on to achieve great things. What could I use? Magic, equipment, party members. I went over them one by one, but none of the spells I had mastered could be applied in such a way. Could I use Create Light? Like Morse code? No, that was impossible. Unfortunately, such an information system hadn't been established in Edenia. My equipment was just the basics for adventuring—reagents and materials for casting—nothing helpful. Party members? Also impossible. Invisibility didn't hide one's presence, and even if I could slip through the encirclement, it wasn't a spell that could pass through a blocked entrance. If I were to send something in, a person was out of the question; arrows, hidden weapons, or a familiar were the limits.

Wait, party members... What about a Druid?

"Toby, can Druids communicate with animals?"

"If it's a forest they have a bond with, it's possible, but... Ah! I see!"

Toby's ears twitched as if he realized what I was getting at. He signaled for us to stop.

"If we deliver the message here, we can strike from both sides. I'm counting on you."

Toby and the protagonist caught their breath and checked their gear. Every so often, they ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠glanced at me. I was being expected to perform. My heart felt as if it were swelling with something.

The crow perched on my hand distorted and vanished shortly after. I couldn't see it, but I could definitely feel its weight. I didn't even need to speak; the crow and I were connected by an invisible flow.

'Get into the crevice of the rocks.'

The moment I thought it, the weight on my hand lightened. I sat back against the cliff, leaning my spine against it to avoid another accident. And then, I became the crow.

The situation was no different from before. The entrance blocked by rocks was sturdier than I thought; it seemed the Boars couldn't easily move it. How on earth did those adventurers move such rocks? As I approached while pondering this, I saw a gap between the rock and the entrance. I had to be careful. A familiar wasn't meant for combat; if it were attacked, there was no way to deal with it. Fortunately, I managed to slip through the gap without being detected. The cave wasn't dark, as light was flowing from within. The crow landed on the floor with a soft tap.

"Something came in!"

The inside erupted in chaos in an instant. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I released one of the flows connecting me to the crow. The Invisibility must have worn off, revealing the familiar.

"Wait! Don't shoot, everyone, hold on."

A woman stepped forward. She wore a hood on her head and a holy symbol around her neck. She was a cleric.

As she chanted, the cleric's eyes turned golden. "Magic... A fairy...! This child is a familiar!"

"Did a rescue team come?"

Fortunately, the reaction was favorable. Please, let them understand me.

Caw-caw! The crow let out a cry.

"Wait, everyone be quiet."

Another woman pushed past the cleric and approached with long strides. Reindeer antlers sprouted from her head, and her white hair had transformed into something resembling woven twigs. This person was the Druid.

"Little one, tell me again."

The Druid listened ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠intently to the crow. Even I, the master, didn't know what it was saying. Was the communication working?

"I see."

She nodded as if she understood. "Mage, are you listening?"

Yes. The crow let out a short cry.

"Good. We can communicate. We finished our preparations while hiding in this cave. We will join the fray the moment you signal us."

And don't shoot the bear.

With those words, I severed the connection with my familiar.

"All three are safe. They said they'll come out when we signal. And they said not to shoot the bear..."

Was that some kind of code? The protagonist and Toby didn't seem to question it much. They were just deep in thought, wondering how to hunt the Boars.

"I wish we could lure the enemy out a bit..."

At Toby's mutter, I remembered that 'field training.' Meredith, you really taught me so much.

"I'll try."

I held a reagent in my hand and chanted softly.

I boldly moved a stone behind a rock far away. The stone rolled, making a clack, clack sound as it hit other rocks. It was hard to move as skillfully as Meredith, but two Boars were lured away from the herd by the sound. They were far from where we were hiding, but it was enough distance for a piecemeal defeat.

"Hazel, keep the main force in check. Do as you please."

With that, the protagonist and Toby darted out like arrows. Whizz! With a high-pitched whistle of metal, two Boars fell, bleeding. At the same time, the rock blocking the cave entrance rolled away, crushing the lower half of a Boar. Then, a bear with white fur burst out. A white bear in the canyon? It was the Druid. I realized it immediately. That was why they said not to shoot the bear.

The three Boars that had been blocking the entrance were immediately seized by the adventurers who had emerged from the cave. What remained were three Boars riding wild boars and one massive Boar. The Boars on the mounts were charging toward us. I gripped the oil bottle in my hand tightly. Just throw it like the stone. I repeated that to myself. I used my waist to throw the oil bottle, but I felt my arm swing too high at the end. As expected, the bottle flew high into the air. The direction was right, though!

I berated myself and pulled out a reagent containing red powder. It didn't go as planned, but I had to reduce their numbers by even one.

Perhaps it was because I used too much magic at once. My hand wasn't just hot; my entire arm was tingling. Just as I was about to throw the reagent bottle, a dagger flew in precisely and shattered the oil bottle. The angle shifted, and the oil leaking from the bottle drenched the Boars. It was different from the plan, but the result was better. I threw the clump of mana that was about to turn into fire. The wild boar charging from the front and the Boar riding it were engulfed in flames. The two wild boars following behind were startled by the fire and went wild. The Boars riding them tumbled off. After confirming the wild boars were running in a different direction, I turned my eyes to the protagonist. He was running to finish off the fallen Boars, but he gave me a thumbs-up.

With the surprise attack and appropriate responses, the tide of battle had turned in our favor. My remaining spell slots were two Level 0 and one Level 1. Just as the protagonist and Toby began to confront the Boars on the ground, the Boar leader moved. It drew the greatsword from its back and charged at the white bear with a monstrous shriek. Fortunately, the Druid dodged the descending blade, but we couldn't prevent a gap from forming in the front line. The martial artist couldn't hold off two Boars and was pushed back. They didn't seem to have suffered a major injury, but they were forced out of their defensive position, leaving the Druid isolated. Whether the Druid was struck by the Boar leader or the martial artist collapsed under the numbers, leaving that party alone would result in casualties.

I felt through my bag and picked up a glass tube. It was a low-purity cricket inside the bluish glass.

My right arm pulsed as if it had a heart of its own. The reagent in my hand turned into a single flow. I could feel it. I could feel my mana circle connecting through my right hand to the mana flowing in the world. I probably couldn't put two or three of them to sleep. Through the flow I was holding in my hand, I could gauge how effective the spell would be. My arm lacked strength, but that was fine. I wasn't the one throwing it.

The crow, having returned just in time, snatched the glass tube. The bottle turned into mana above the head of the Boar confronting the protagonist and melted into the flow of the world. The two Boars that had been tying down the protagonist and Toby hesitated, then tilted and fell to the ground. All that remained was for the other side to hold out until we got there.

"I command you in the name of the Lord, release!"

The cleric chanted and joined the martial artist with her club. The Boar leader, under the spell, dropped the greatsword from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠its hand. The massive straight sword stuck into the ground. Not missing the chance, the Druid rose to its full height and lunged at the Boar leader as if falling. Grrr-! A beast's roar echoed. The massive Boar held the bear's front paws with both hands and resisted. It was astonishing strength. However, it seemed to lack the energy to shake it off immediately, and the two fell into a deadlock. And there were two people who wouldn't miss such an opening. Toby kicked off the ground and sliced the inside of the leader's calf. Its balance crumbled, and the Boar knelt. The bear pinned the Boar down completely. The protagonist's rapier pierced the lowered torso. A wheezing sound leaked from the Boar's mouth, as if its lungs had been punctured. The Druid, now free to move, raised its front paw and struck the Boar's head. With a crack, its neck twisted violently. The massive carcass collapsed on the spot.