The Flame Mage's Trap
The black-haired employer commanded, "Everyone, drink the resistance potions."
"Yes, Master." Eos answered as she pulled out the potions. Syucali was already drinking hers without needing to be told.
"Syucali, head in and find the mage."
"On my way."
Shatter! She smashed black vials against her twin daggers, scattering their contents. She dashed into the forest—not in the direction the carriage was heading—and began carving through the masked figures without mercy.
"Graaagh!"
"Gurgh!"
Clatter! Clatter!
Eos and I jumped down and followed right behind her. The carriage never stopped moving behind us. We quickly distanced ourselves from it.
The deeper we pushed into the forest, the more masked men closed in around us.
"Multi Water Shot."
As if refusing to simply watch, a magic stone glowed in Eos's copper-toned hand.
Splash!
In an instant, the masked men's heads were pierced clean through and they collapsed helplessly.
It's insane no matter how many times I see it. I felt it in every battle—she was on an entirely different level. It was like she barely exerted any real effort to kill. More accurately, she simply looked completely accustomed to it.
Thankful they weren't allies, I swung my sword at the remaining enemies.
Noble Swordsmanship
"Urgh!"
"Graaagh!"
They were threatening enough, but they clearly weren't professionally trained combatants. When I tried to think of who they resembled, bandits came to mind first. Of course, they seemed slightly stronger and more experienced than the ones we'd met before. It looked like they'd hired the local bandits with money or threats.
With Margaret's level of ability, that would have been more than possible.
Whoooosh!! Boom!!
"That way, Eos."
"Yes, Master."
It seemed Syucali had run into Margaret. Explosions echoed from deeper inside the woods. We hurried to link up with her.
Creaaak... Thud!
The closer we got, the more charred trees lay toppled, flames carpeting the ground. Soon Syucali came into view, along with the golden-haired mage.
Flame Mage Margaret. Having shared a bed with her, I recognized her instantly.
"You're interfering with me again, Miss Syucali."
"I didn't want to see you either, you know?"
Clang!! The black blade struck at the back of Margaret's head, but it was blocked by her mana shield as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Margaret's eyes locked onto Syucali as she raised her mana.
Fwoooosh!!
A horizontal flame tornado erupted outward.
"Whoa!"
It caught Syucali head-on. For a second I thought she was done for.
"Ugh... it's hot."
Syucali emerged from inside the flame tornado, brushing the fire off her body.
"You didn't melt, so... you must have flame-resistance items. Or perhaps... you drank something."
"If you already know, then surrender."
"...I can't do that."
Margaret smiled and gathered her mana once more.
"You crazy bitch! How much mana do you even have?!"
Syucali cursed wildly as she dashed through the forest again.
"What do you think, Eos?"
Eos and I watched the pair from hiding.
"At our current level, victory seems difficult."
"What if you had your original power?"
"An easy opponent."
"I see."
The variable was Eos. She was the demon slave who had joined us before the carriage departed, so neither the nobles nor Isabella had any information on her. To deceive the enemy, you first deceive your own side. Margaret was bound to be thrown completely off balance.
"Is there a way to break that mana shield?"
"There is."
Eos, who had been carefully observing Margaret, answered immediately.
"Humans utilize magic through tools rather than their own bodies."
"You're talking about those mana-infused gems."
"Yes. If we target those instead of the main body, the mana shield will gradually break down."
"Understood."
Now that we knew the shield's weakness, I slowly rose from the underbrush and charged straight at Margaret.
"It's been a while, Margaret."
"My, my... so you really did make it all the way here, Mr. Kang Seo-ja."
Margaret looked at me as if she'd known I would come.
"You deceived me..."
"I truly am sorry about that."
"Hehe... It's fine. I don't mind it that much."
Margaret answered with a smile and glanced at the robed Eos behind me.
"Who is that person?"
"My companion."
"Oh~ So you brought a mage along specifically to handle me..."
Fwoosh!!
"Mr. Kang Seo-ja!"
At Syucali's urgent cry I twisted aside.
Boom!!
Margaret had hurled a fireball without hesitation. It was a clear display of her resolve not to be swayed by me anymore. In other words, it felt like she was just as pressed for time.
"How about we settle this through conversation?"
"Then would you please stop the carriage for me?"
"Understood."
"Really?"
"Yes, so..."
Fwoosh! Boom!
I tried to buy time by dragging out the conversation, but her only reply was more flame magic. Margaret showed zero hesitation. She saw us as enemies. She kept her ears open for information while never stopping her attacks. It was the behavior of someone who planned to kill us while gathering intel.
"Syucali, target the gems attached to Margaret's clothes."
"Gems..."
Syucali's gaze shifted from Margaret to the numerous gems dangling from her.
"Hehe... Do you really think my magic stones are my weakness?"
"That's correct."
"Try it if you can."
Fwoooosh!!
Margaret, having listened to our exchange, spread a carpet of flames around herself. Approaching closely now looked difficult. Of course, her own movement speed had also dropped. The situation had turned favorable.
She's definitely focused on us now. Margaret's true goal wasn't us. Her priority was attacking the carriage to cut off the merchant's supplies. Using defensive magic here was essentially the same as declaring she would hold her ground.
Was deliberately revealing the gems as the weakness actually beneficial? Meeting Margaret once had been a tremendous help. Her ears were always open and friendly when collecting information.
"Syucali! Throw as many daggers as you can!"
Even after meeting as enemies, her personality hadn't changed. Her real weakness wasn't the gems that let her use mana freely. It was her soft ear and tendency to respect the other party's words.
"It's not going to work."
Margaret was falling for our little performance once again.
Fwoosh... Drip... Drip...
Syucali's daggers flew toward Margaret only to melt away mid-flight. I couldn't fathom how hot the flames were that they could melt forge-made daggers, but I counted it as fortunate.
If Margaret had been at the carriage, it would have been a much bigger problem.
Clink...
I drew my sword and glared at her.
"You won't be able to use magic indefinitely."
"You'd be wise not to underestimate me."
Boom...!
The moment Margaret spoke, an explosion rang out.
"?!"
The explosion hadn't come from our location. It had detonated far beyond the forest.
"There's no way I would have simply let the carriage go..."
I'd thought we'd deceived her, but Margaret had already seen through our intentions and laid her traps in advance.
"Since the repairman is on our side, if the carriage breaks down you won't be able to fix it."
As expected, she was not an opponent to take lightly. She was a mage sent by the nobility—competent and trustworthy enough to be dispatched alone to deal with Isabella.
We'd been hit hard. At this point we had no other choices.
"Eos, Syucali, I'm leaving the mage to you two. I need to get to the carriage."
"Yes, Master."
I entrusted Margaret to them and turned away. Thanks to the defensive equipment, the carriage wouldn't explode in a single hit. Still, the fact that Margaret had targeted Carriage No. 6 with her first spell bothered me. That was the carriage where the traitor repairman had been seated.
If she launched flame magic at it, something was bound to react.
Fwoosh!
"Where are you going, Mr. Kang Seo-ja?"
"Tch..."
I tried to break free, but Margaret refused to allow it. A wall of flames as tall as the surrounding trees blocked my escape route. I'd thought it was defensive magic, but it was actually a flame formation meant to trap us here.
"I didn't realize you were the most trusted person in the merchant caravan, Mr. Kang Seo-ja."
"...So this was a trap too."
"If I tie down the most troublesome person in the group, everything else will resolve itself naturally."
Exactly. From Margaret's perspective, she must have calculated that they would have no choice but to send their elite forces to stop her. Once those elites left the carriages, the convoy would be vulnerable. If the trap magic stopped the carriages, the supply delivery would fail.
This world has far too many competent people. As expected, I never wanted a mage for an enemy. They created plans far more complete than anything I could imagine.
But... we have such a mage on our side as well.
"Eos, can you open a barrier?"
"Of course."
Eos nodded, pulled out a magic stone, and clenched it tightly. Water droplets began forming around her.
"Rain."
The droplets resonating with Eos's mana suddenly shot into the air. They grew larger, merged, and formed clouds overhead.
Plop... Patter...
Raindrops began to fall.
Shaaaaaaa...
The downpour steadily intensified, extinguishing the burning forest. The scorching heat of Margaret's flame magic rapidly died down.
"So you were a water mage..."
"Lucky for us, yes."
Margaret had only now realized Eos used water magic. Her flame barrier weakened, and we easily stepped free.
"Then..."
"Mr. Kang Seo-ja, stay right there...!"
Clang!
"Your opponent is me, mage."
"Ugh...! Don't interfere!"
Boom! Fwoooosh!!
Syucali, soaked from the rain, seemed delighted by Margaret's reaction and swung her daggers wildly. Flame magic continued to fire in every direction. I slipped through the gaps and successfully escaped the forest.
The stench of blood is overwhelming... Bodies of men in black masks littered the roadside alongside wheel tracks.
I ran following the tracks. The carriage had traveled much farther than I'd expected. The fact that it was still out of sight despite the magic trap proved the protective equipment had been effective.
Clang! Clang!
"Graaaaah!!"
"Protect the carriage!"
"Damn it! Hold out until it's repaired!"
After running for some time, screams finally reached my ears. I arrived at the source of the noise. The carriage was stopped just as I'd expected. It sat tilted at an angle, covered in black scorch marks—it looked like it had taken the magic trap directly.