Joint Extermination Operation I
“It’s good that it worked, but… what do we do now?”
Lia asked me that with worry in her voice.
What could I do with Explosive Flame Vortex at power thirty?
Then, just as I was wondering that, a messenger arrived at our tower.
“It’s a messenger. He’s from the Vilheim Magic Tower, but… what on earth could they want with a little tower like ours?”
Lia unfolded the letter and began to read.
“Emergency beast-subjugation assignment. Unusual mass migration of a Grimwolf pack has been detected near the northern border of the Empire.”
Her voice trembled.
“Estimated size: over two hundred. They’re threatening nearby villages, and the Vilheim Magic Tower will be leading a joint subjugation operation with the regional magic towers.”
“A joint subjugation?”
“Yes. It says a fourth-circle mage from the Vilheim Magic Tower will serve as overall commander, and the surrounding towers are to dispatch mages of second circle or higher.”
Lia kept reading.
“At least thirty mages are expected to participate. The Empire will also be sending soldiers.”
“And the reward?”
“One moment. Rewards will be paid according to each participant’s performance in the subjugation… five gold coins per Grimwolf, and the hide and mana stone belong to the individual subjugator.”
Five gold coins.
If I could take down even a few…
I might be able to repay at least some of the interest I’d fallen behind on.
The debt I currently owed was three hundred gold coins.
Just when I’d been agonizing over when I’d ever pay it back.
“But…”
Lia, watching my face, spoke with obvious concern.
“Even if it is a joint operation, real battles are still real battles. Grimwolves are fast and vicious. And you, Tower Lord, can’t even cast a proper second-circle spell…”
She was right.
Even if I went with other mages, for a third-rate mage like me to throw himself into a real fight was dangerous.
And yet.
I looked down at the red bead in my hand.
Explosive Flame Vortex. Power thirty.
Wouldn’t that at least be enough to do my share?
“By when do I have to give them an answer?”
“By noon tomorrow. If you intend to participate, we have to head to the rendezvous point at dawn the day after tomorrow…”
Lia trailed off.
“Tower Lord, you’re not actually planning to go, are you?”
“I am.”
I answered without hesitation.
“Tower Lord!”
Lia cried out in alarm.
“You can’t! Even if it’s a joint operation, Grimwolves are…”
“Lia.”
I cut her off.
“In a week, we lose the tower. Then I die. You know that.”
“Th-that’s true, but…”
“There’ll be other mages, and the Empire’s soldiers are coming too. I won’t be fighting alone.”
“But you have no combat experience…”
Lia was right.
The original owner of this body had been a third-rate mage with no connection to combat, and the me who had possessed him was even more so.
In the game, a battle ended after a few clicks. In reality, it would be a fight for my life.
Still.
“I have to go.”
I took out the bead glowing a fierce red.
“I have this. A fusion spell with a power of thirty. It’s far stronger than an ordinary second-circle spell. With this, maybe I can at least handle one of them.”
“……”
Lia said nothing else.
As though she knew this was the only way.
***
Dawn, two days later.
The Empire’s northern border, the rendezvous point.
The instant I climbed down from my horse, my legs gave way beneath me.
No way… I actually came.
I’d thought I’d steeled myself in my head, but now that I was here, every muscle in my body had frozen tight with tension.
Looking around, I saw that more than a dozen mages had already gathered.
They were all properly robed, and I could feel their mana flowing with calm stability.
At minimum, they were second-circle mages. Some of them even seemed to be third circle.
And then there was me.
A third-rate mage in a worn-out robe, with mana that could barely keep itself together.
“Hey…”
One mage glanced at me and murmured to his companion.
“Who’s that guy? Look at his robe.”
“Beats me. I heard Vilheim sent messengers to every tower in the area… Looks like they really scraped up the dregs.”
I could feel the open stares.
Looks full of dismissal and suspicion.
In the game, I’d never noticed how sharp that kind of gaze could feel.
“Are you from the Fusion Magic Tower?”
Suddenly, a voice came from ahead of me.
I looked up to see a middle-aged man in a dark navy robe standing there.
The flow of mana around him was steady and powerful.
He was clearly at least fourth circle.
“Yes, that’s right,” I answered.
He gave me a once-over from head to toe.
“…The Tower Lord came personally?”
“That’s correct.”
“Hmph.”
He let out a short grunt and shook his head.
“I’ll be blunt. At your level, you’ll probably only get in everyone’s way. And you still want to participate?”
It was a stingingly direct remark, but I couldn’t deny it.
“…I need the money.”
“Ha.”
He gave a hollow laugh.
“Debt, then. I’ve heard the smaller towers are in rough shape these days. Still…”
His expression turned serious as he looked at me.
“Is it really worth risking your life? Grimwolves are more dangerous than you might think. They aren’t the sort of opponent a beginner can just charge at.”
Beginner.
He wasn’t wrong.
This body had no combat experience, and neither did I, as the one who’d possessed it.
“I understand. But…”
I toyed with the red bead in my pocket.
“I’ve already made up my mind.”
“Made up your mind, huh…”
He sighed and shrugged.
“Well, it’s your choice. But once the fighting starts, follow my orders. If you go charging around on your own, you could put everyone else in danger too.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
He turned as if to leave, then paused.
“Oh, and my name is Mel. I’m from the Vilheim Magic Tower, and I’m the one in charge of this operation. Also…”
Mel looked at me again.
“Just survive. The gold can be dealt with afterward.”
With that, he walked off toward the other mages.
I stood there and looked around.
More and more mages were gathering. Imperial soldiers were starting to arrive too.
It really was a joint operation, word for word.
Seriously… did I really come to the right place?
Fear rose up inside me. But I couldn’t turn back.
In a week, I’d lose the tower, and then I’d die.
If I ran away now, I’d only be waiting around for death.
Then I felt a strange warmth from the bead clenched in my hand.
Explosive Flame Vortex.
That was everything I had.
“Gather up!”
Mel’s voice rang out.
The mages and soldiers moved to cluster around him. I quietly took my place in the back.
“Headcount confirmed. Twenty-eight mages, fifty Imperial soldiers. Fewer than expected, but we’ll manage.”
Mel said, scanning the crowd.
“Our target is the subjugation of a Grimwolf pack. Current estimate: at least two hundred individuals. One leader-class beast is believed to be present.”
Two hundred.
At that number, the faces of several mages tightened.
“I’ll take on the leader-class Grimwolf myself. You handle the ordinary ones.”
Mel unfolded a map.
“The operation is simple. The soldiers form the front defensive line, and the mages provide fire support from the rear. No one acts alone. Understood?”
“Yes, sir!”
The mages answered in unison.
I echoed them, though my voice was trembling.
“Grimwolves are fast. On average, they run over sixty kilometers an hour, and they move in packs.”
Mel continued his briefing.
“If one comes at you, assume at least five more are coming with it. If you get surrounded, even a second-circle mage is in danger.”
The mages around me nodded with tense expressions.
Sixty kilometers an hour…
Could I really keep up with that speed?
Would I be able to time Explosive Flame Vortex properly?
“We’re moving out. It’s about a two-hour ride to the combat zone.”
At Mel’s order, everyone started moving.
We rode north.
The Imperial soldiers led the way, and the mages followed behind.
I took my place at the very back of the mage formation.
The others talked among themselves, exchanging battle experience, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything.
Battle experience? None.
Beast subjugation? First time.
I’d only ever seen it on a game screen.
Was this really going to be okay…?
About an hour into the ride, the forest came into view.
Darkness lay beneath the dense trees. Even though it was midday, the woods looked grim and oppressive.
“That’s the Grimwolf pack’s territory.”
Mel’s voice reached us.
“Be careful from here on out. Their sense of smell is sharp; they’ve probably already picked up our scent.”
The mages’ faces tightened with tension.
Without meaning to, I squeezed the bead hard. Sweat dampened my palm.
So this is it.
I climbed down from my horse. My legs were still shaking, but I forced them to hold.
The other mages dismounted one by one and took formation.
Imperial soldiers raised their shields in front, forming a defensive line, while the mages stood behind them.
“Ready?”
Mel asked, but the only answer was silence.
Then it happened.
Uuuuuuu—
A low howl rolled out from deep inside the forest.
And then.
Crack! Crack!
With the sound of branches snapping, red eyes began appearing in the darkness.
Grimwolves.
They were at least twice the size of ordinary wolves, and their red-glowing eyes beneath black fur looked truly sinister.
“Begin the attack!”
At Mel’s command, the mages raised their wands and began chanting spells.
“Fireball!”
“Ice spear!”
“Wind blade!”
Basic spells rained down.
Fireballs flew, ice spears split the air, and blades of wind spun through the ranks.
BOOM! THUD!
Several Grimwolves in the front line were struck and toppled by the magic.
But the number of beasts rushing behind them did not decrease.
“Forward!”
The Imperial soldiers advanced with shields raised.
The Grimwolves slammed into the shield wall, growling fiercely.
I watched from behind, took out the bead, and fitted it into my wand.
My hands were shaking.
Focus. Don’t miss the timing.
Beside me, another mage cast his spell.
“Fireball!”
A red blaze shot out and slammed into a beast’s side, and one Grimwolf let out a scream before dropping.
One second-circle spell per Grimwolf…
The others were similar.
Each mage was firing off spells and taking down one beast at a time.
Then it happened.
Keeeeee—!
Two Grimwolves broke through the soldiers’ shield line and raced toward the mages.
Straight for me.
“Look out!”
Someone shouted, but it was already too late.
The two beasts closed the distance at terrifying speed.
Their red eyes were fixed on me.
Now!
I lifted my wand and poured mana into the bead mounted on it.
“Explosive Flame Vortex!”
Kwaaaah—!
My mana surged through the bead and into the wand.
At the tip of the wand, a massive red vortex erupted into being.
It was at least one and a half times the size of an ordinary second-circle spell.
The vortex swallowed the two charging Grimwolves at once.
Keeeeee! Kiiiii!
The beasts’ screams were swallowed by the searing heat.
Three seconds.
In just three seconds, both of them collapsed to the ground, blackened by the flames.
The area fell silent.
“…What was that?”
“Just now… did he take out two of them? Wasn’t that the second-circle fusion spell Explosive Flame Vortex?”
The nearby mages stared at me in astonishment.
“It was definitely Explosive Flame Vortex.”
“But what the hell was that power? At least twenty-five… no, twenty-seven? That had to be at least third-circle level.”
“Two Grimwolves just got blown away.”
“So then…”
“Normally a second-circle spell can’t even kill one Grimwolf in a single hit, but he took out two at once? Who the hell is that guy?”
The other mages were staring at me in shock.
But there was something they didn’t know.
…What the hell? This?
I was shocked too.