Chapter 16
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Chapter 16 - Hidden Evil in the Shadows (3)
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Hidden Evil in the Shadows (3)
An icy spear flew toward Lumia. If she hadn't instinctively dodged the murderous intent she felt in that instant, she would have been pierced through and turned into an ice skewer.
The moment the missed spear stabbed into the ground, the movements of the assailants paused briefly.
"I sense a faint presence of mana. It seems she is a mage."
"She appears to be a lone straggler. What should we do?"
Could they be the remnants of the thieves who escaped the fortress?
'A mage among thieves? No, that can't be.'
A mage would have no reason to join a bandit group. It simply didn't make sense logically.
Moreover, the last scene she witnessed before leaving the battlefield was of thieves desperately breaking through the defensive line.
Their attire and atmosphere were far too different from typical bandits.
'What should I do? This is too suspicious.'
The thought of wanting to flee seized her mind. These people were firing magic at her without hesitation, and she was in uniform. Lumia's instincts were already screaming at her to get out of this place quickly.
However, her feet couldn't move so easily. A Flare magic spell had risen from behind, illuminating the area completely. Escaping from several mages at once wouldn't be easy.
In the worst-case scenario, she might be killed on the spot while trying to run. Unidentified mages who were casting intermediate magic so nonchalantly at a woman in a military uniform.
It even crossed her mind that this might be related to the fall of Belgorod Fortress. No, she was almost certain of it.
In fact, according to Squad Leader Enok Levandel, the fortress walls had collapsed along with an explosion.
Having reached that conclusion...
Lumia suppressed her trembling breath and ignited a ball of fire before her.
"Hoo...!"
Her vision trembled. How long had it been since she actually demonstrated an attack spell?
Since that day, Lumia Blue had lost the most important value she possessed as a combat mage. Even if it was a mistake, the fact that that horrific incident had started from her hands remained unchanged.
But the situation now was vastly different from just a little while ago.
She was alone in the forest, facing a group of unknown men. There was no place to hide her, no place to protect her.
'This idiot...!'
It was shameful that the will to use magic only came to her after she was cornered with no way to escape.
Glup.
Lumia gritted her teeth and glared at the assailants. She had to; otherwise, the surging fear would make her teeth chatter incessantly.
'I need to let the others know my position first.'
The magic she cast was Fire Ball.
It was the most stable and reliable magic because it was the most basic.
Even if she was as frail as she could be, she might be able to control this spell to some extent. Besides, its explosive nature could serve as a signal for the friendly forces waiting in the rear.
"W-Who are you...!!"
Lumia said, her voice tight with tension. They remained silent. Were they gauging the situation? She couldn't begin to guess what they were scheming.
"If you don't answer, I'll fire!!"
Counting to three in her head, Lumia squeezed her eyes shut and launched the Fire Ball.
The scorching fireball flew toward the suspicious men. Kwaang! A refreshing explosion sound rang out as flames surged. In the flickering fire, the face of a former comrade she had momentarily forgotten appeared.
"Ugh...!!"
A hallucination. How could someone who no longer existed in this world be alive?
She tried to hold onto her sanity, but a wave of nausea forced her to clamp her mouth shut desperately.
However, it didn't take long for her to realize that her attack, which she had poured her very soul into, was completely meaningless.
A faint, shimmering mana shield.
It was defensive magic.
"What should we do, Comrade Squad Leader? If she's a mage, she could be a valuable asset..."
"Capture her alive. If it proves difficult, cut off her arms and legs and bring her."
"Understood."
Cut off her arms and legs?
Lumia couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Dangerous. On top of that, she felt nauseous, and her mind was far from stable.
'I-I used Fire Ball, so I'll have to wait for the others to arrive...! And, no more magic...!!'
Just one use had left her in this state. She felt that if she tried a second time, she might really fall into a panic or lose consciousness. In the end, Lumia drew a pistol from her pocket. She wasn't an expert marksman, but it should be enough to buy some time until her allies arrived.
However.
Boom!
A gunshot rang out suddenly. It wasn't Lumia's. Before she could even process what was happening, an excruciating pain followed. Blood gushed from her right shoulder.
"Ugh...!"
A groan escaped her lips involuntarily.
She was hit. She had been shot. Clutching her shoulder with her other hand, Lumia collapsed.
"Ugh, heuuh—."
"It's not like you're the only one with a gun, Comrade Mage."
Her head was spinning. They said you don't think of anything when you get shot, and it was true.
A searing pain, as if her skin were being burned by a torch, spread from the wound. Her breathing became ragged, and her vision turned white.
"We'll take her to the main building. We can extract her mana, or find some other use for her. It's better than just killing her."
"Yes, Comrade."
No.
Lumia tried to resist, but her body wouldn't obey. The assailants, now close by, reached out their rough hands toward her.
In her rapidly closing vision and overwhelming fear, the last thing she saw was...
Kwaang!!!
A blonde man who appeared amidst an explosion.
***
Boom, a clear gunshot rang out. Could Lumia be engaging in combat with a thief who had broken out of the encirclement?
'It's this way!'
It was a bad omen, not just a signal shot. I quickly pushed through the bushes and advanced.
The Flare I had shot up was still providing a strong light, so it wasn't difficult to find the location.
When I arrived at the scene...
Lumia, whose shoulder was soaked in blood, was surrounded by men wearing robes pulled over their heads.
A gunshot wound. Judging by the circumstances, it was 100% those bastards who shot her.
"You bastards...!!"
Cautious judgment? That's not a word to use at a time like this. Mana control and whatnot—I can't just stand by and watch my squad member get killed.
I fired a Fire Ball. A spell I had already used once. Having firmly grasped its structure, manifesting it was a piece of cake.
Kwaang!!
"Keok!!"
A massive explosion occurred, blowing away the two men who had been close to Lumia.
"What?!"
The one who had luckily escaped the range of the Fire Ball immediately drew his gun.
Boom!
I pulled the trigger without hesitation. The man, hit in the thigh, screamed and rolled on the ground.
"Kraaaah!"
Three down in an instant. Two left. I quickly and calmly loaded my gun and took cover behind a tree.
"You're surrounded! Lay down your weapons and surrender!"
"An Ukran officer. Looks like you're this woman's superior."
They were all wearing robes pulled deep over their heads, so I couldn't identify them, but they were clearly different from the bandits we'd encountered earlier.
'It's unlikely they just happened to pass by. If they were lurking around here, they might be the real masterminds behind the attack.'
The explosion.
I easily recalled the briefing Captain Arendt had given me.
At first, I thought they might have used explosives, but it turns out they mobilized mages to collapse the fortress wall.
No—more accurately, these bastards were the ones who used the bandits to conquer the fortress. I aimed directly at the one who seemed to be the leader and spoke.
"You're the ones who took Belgorod Fortress."
"..."
He didn't answer. He just stared at me with a sharp gaze. I'll take that as a yes.
"S-Squad Leader...!"
The man who was shot staggered back, and the others who had been knocked into the trees by the Fire Ball began to get up one by one.
My firepower wasn't enough to neutralize them in one blow.
I released my mana once more. Numerically, we were at a clear disadvantage, but Bell and Claude would be here to support us soon. The main force was behind us. I was worried about Lumia, who had been shot... but if I didn't do this, both she and I might die.
The mountain was full of cover and hiding spots. If I planned to stall for time properly, I could handle five of them.
"Let's go back."
Before they could react to my blunt remark, the men all pulled out small pebbles from their pockets.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
Boom! I pulled the trigger a moment too late, but the men vanished from sight in an instant. They had slipped away right in front of my nose.
Teleportation.
Even if it was a short-range movement spell, there was no catching them if they were serious about escaping. Unless I formed a special pursuit squad, it was impossible for me as a regular mage officer.
"Heu, heuuh...!"
But that wasn't the problem right now.
Lumia was trembling all over and groaning. It seemed she had lost consciousness.
I quickly checked her wound.
"Lumia, Lumia?!"
The only saving grace was that the bullet had missed a major blood vessel. At least, she wouldn't go into shock from excessive bleeding.
I took off my coat and tightly wrapped it around Lumia's wound. First priority was to get back to the allies who could provide proper treatment.
"Krrgh...!"
My body ached as if it were breaking apart from the series of battles, and my legs trembled.
I couldn't collapse here. How could I call myself an officer responsible for people if I couldn't even save a subordinate who had been shot?
"Just wait a little longer, Lumia!"
I put all my strength into it, hugged her tightly, and began pushing through the dense forest.
"Squad Leader! Lumia!"
I was finally discovered by Bell and Claude, who had arrived late. The moment I handed Lumia over to them, the last of my strength was gone, and I passed out.