Chapter 55 – The Seed of Disaster Was Here #1
In the midst of the urgent situation, Freya heard Ades's words. If they were truly targeting Lady Loria, then those bastards would change their movements. And as a senior from the mage tower rather than from the family, it was her duty to block them.
Even amid the fierce battle, Freya kept her cool and observed the situation. And she soon detected the anomaly. The number of undead charging straight at them had definitely decreased.
Her instincts were warning her.
"One squad, follow me!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
She pulled out some troops on the fly and dashed into the forest path. It was the direction the man who claimed to know Lawrence had gone.
"We can't let them escape!"
"I didn't hear anything about an assassin getting involved—what the hell is this?!"
"Maybe the information leaked."
The voices of those damnable foes echoed through the woods. Freya immediately knew Ades's guess—and her and Loria's instincts—had been spot on. She began chanting right away.
It's still a bit immature, but the enemies haven't noticed us yet.
Chanting while on the move. Mages needed focus, so casting spells while moving quickly was an incredibly difficult task. Even after reaching the 6th Circle, plenty of mages didn't use Moving Casting.
"O omnipotent mana, grant me your power. To my enemies, an unquenchable disaster, to my allies..."
Snap-.
Freya narrowed her eyes and started the chant. The soldiers felt the rippling mana and matched her pace. Mages were top-priority protection targets, after all.
But the mana of a 5th Circle mage was too dense and thick—it was quickly detected.
"There! Enemies!"
"Send the minions!"
[Kieeeek-!]
They reacted instantly, sending undead toward Freya. Anyone could see they were black mages, and the "minions" they called were shockingly horrifying.
"What the—?!"
"Those filthy bastards deserve to be chewed up and spat out...!"
[Kieeeek!]
Rushing at them with shrieks were zombies and ghouls clad in ragged clothes. The materials? Nearby villagers and soldiers in armor stamped with Alzeras's emblem.
"No choice. Purge them all."
"Yes, sir!"
At the squad leader's command, they thrust out spear tips and raised shields. Pity was fleeting. If they didn't stay sharp, they'd end up just like them.
"There's a mage too!"
"Red Tower! I'll handle her!"
A black mage who seemed like an officer directed the undead to block the path. The rest swarmed toward where Ades had fled. By then, Freya's chant reached its end.
"—Rain fire upon my foes. Fire Rain!"
Her specialty, one of the most effective spells in a forest.
Whoosh-!
A massive orb of flame erupted from her outstretched fingertips toward the sky. The surroundings lit up brightly as fiery arrows poured down like rain.
Kaboom-!
Her target: the black mages pursuing in the distance. The streaking flames formed a wall of fire.
"The path—!"
"Break through somehow!"
"Argh! Hot! It's too hot!"
The forest became a scene of utter devastation from a single 5th Circle spell.
"Do you even know who you've dared to target?"
Freya's eyes rippled with mana. Targeting a daughter of the great Montemer family was a grave sin. She summoned more mana and issued a warning.
"Not a single one of you will escape. Not while I'm here."
"The Red Tower will lose a great talent today."
The black mage officer shot back defiantly. The two mages' mana clashed violently in the air.
Meanwhile, Ades and Loria had shaken off the black mages' pursuit. They found a path from the woods to the main road and caught their breath.
"Looks like they didn't follow this far."
"Let go!"
"Ow!"
Thwack-!
Loria punched Ades hard with her small fist. Her head had been dangling upside down, bound by shadows, so the blood had rushed to it. Now freed, she dusted off her armor and asked,
"You—you're really from Lawrence?"
"Yeah, told ya."
"That kid was holed up in the annex like a shut-in. How does he even know someone like you?"
It was natural to be suspicious. Seeing Loria subtly gathering mana, Ades raised both hands. No time to dawdle here.
To convince her, honesty was best. Ades spoke quickly.
"Look, I originally took a job to put you and Lawrence in danger."
"...What!?"
"Hey, doesn't that kinda stuff happen all the time in great families? Or is Montemer the exception?"
"Guess I really can't let you live now."
"But! Lawrence caught me! Haha! So we made a kinda contract. So, wanna get moving already?"
Rumble-.
A deep roar echoed from nearby—the battle was intensifying. If we get caught in the fight here, it'll be even worse. I can't fully trust him yet, but...
Those eyes weren't lying. And if he were an assassin, he'd have acted already. Loria kept her suspicions but decided to move with him for now.
"Fine. Let's go. You said my brother's there?"
"Yeah. I scouted the route on the way, so we gotta hustle."
Ades pulled a compass from his pocket, checked the direction, and led Loria.
The black mages' plans kept going awry. And behind it all was, of course, Lawrence.
#2
While Loria slipped away on a side path, Lawrence arrived at a spot with a clear view of the village. The troops on the hill checked their gear while overlooking the village at a glance.
With nothing much to do, Lawrence stood in the wind and quietly gazed at the village.
This is bad.
A repulsive stench rode the wind. Even the air felt sticky, laced with impurities—like tar mixed in. No matter how you spun it, the environment here wasn't fit for ordinary humans.
"What're you staring at so intently?"
"You're... Young Master Beatrix, right?"
"I'm a cadet now. Just call me Cadet, Lawrence."
The man approaching with an expressionless face was Beatrix—sturdy build, tall and striking.
Lawrence glanced at him, his face lighting up like he almost remembered something. Alzeras, the subjugation war...
Maybe 'cause I only heard about it. Hardly any events come to mind clearly.
Then Beatrix continued, dropping a crucial hint.
"Do any of the villagers look like normal humans to you?"
"..."
"Infecting an entire territory suggests some big purpose. Your typical black mage holes up in the shadows for research."
"You're right. Sharper insight than I thought."
"Cool judgment and precise analysis are must-haves for a knight."
Too many who can't manage that. Lawrence didn't reply, instead recalling past events—now truly a previous life.
"Why isn't the Emperor moving? I just can't figure it out!"
"The western sector's a wasteland. They summoned monsters, right? High-rank ones from the demon realm, even?"
Demon realm monsters that took over a year to subjugate. Right after, the Iron Tower Master died. Perfect timing—and from a step back, it all fit too neatly.
The issue was whether Lawrence himself could beat a massive monster.
Firepower-wise, no problem, actually...
Numerous tower masters joined, and 5th Circle mages were common. They'd charge in eyes blazing for glory. If he knew the strategy, subjugation was doable.
No—stopping the summoning came first.
"We need to move fast."
"..."
Lawrence brushed past Beatrix. Beatrix watched his retreating back—quick steps like he had urgent business. No expression showed it, but his interest in Lawrence was growing. The kid was much younger, yet not intimidated at all...
"Interesting little lordling."
Beatrix headed to the camp. A muster seemed imminent.
#3
"I see. Yeah, looks like they gathered a ton of sacrifices..."
"How much time do you figure we have?"
Lawrence quickly reported to the tower master, instructor, and high priest. Sacrifices for something... It made sense.
And one more thing.
"We still have time, but better hurry."
In his previous life, the holy grail was stolen. Meaning they had some massive portable storage. How they manifested it, he didn't know...
Wait, why didn't I think of that?
A chill hit him, and he blankly recalled his artifact. Among the facts he'd glossed over, there was something crucial.
"Then let's move the troops now. We've rested enough, and food's running low."
"Agreed. I'll ready the mages."
"Yes."
"Lawrence, you prepare to deploy too."
"Understood."
Lawrence replied with a stiff face. Some had probably noticed already. Yeah, the artifact was gone. The holy grail—material no one else could craft into an artifact. Now, Lawrence wielded its legacy by personally transplanting and using the power.
But.
"So they already know about the dragon legacy? The enemies—"
We can assume so.
"So they hunted for the holy grail too. Is targeting Loria because of that? Not sure."
Estimated unrelated to Loria Montemer.
Then...
Lawrence stared grimly at the enemy camp. Dragon legacy hunters were probably there too. It was beyond reasonable suspicion—now near certainty.
"Everyone, assemble! Operation starts—!"
Lawrence's gaze naturally turned to the Iron Tower Master. Then his death too...