Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Eve of War
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Kazan dispatch, week 4.
Today, too, Daniel ran laps through the night, tirelessly casting spells.
The difference from usual?
"Ugyagya!"
He wasn't working—he was putting on a show.
-Thwack!
Thirty Imps fired Dark Bolts in unison.
The training dummies struck by the black lightning were riddled with holes.
"Hoo. The firepower's better than I thought. About on par with fire arrows from a crossbow?"
Rood clapped.
Daniel turned to him—the man who'd been watching the magic demonstration from the start.
"Will this be of any help?"
"Help? Is that really something you need to ask?"
Rood let out a hollow laugh, looking utterly dumbfounded.
"Those Imps of yours could be firefighters on the battlefield!"
Rood shouted.
"Battlefields are always a mess. You want to support your allies, but enemies block every path, troops get tangled up, and you can't get through—happens all the time. But your Imps are different. They fly! They can rush to wherever aid is needed, anytime, anywhere, and provide covering fire!"
His voice trembled with excitement.
"Firefighters who can swiftly put out blazes on the battlefield! Incredible. I knew you had talent, but I never imagined it extended to this. Truly amazing!"
"Is that so."
Unlike the excited Rood, Daniel remained calm.
"Good to hear. I was worried since it's my first time up north, but looks like I can earn my keep."
"Isn't your reaction a bit too underwhelming?"
"What's there to get excited about? It's just confirming I can fill that firefighter role on the battlefield."
"Heh."
Rood could only gaze at the Black Mage—who seemed oblivious to his own immense value—with a mix of admiration and exasperation.
But Daniel meant every word.
'I was just checking what I can do if fighting breaks out. Is that really worth getting hyped over?'
He was a Magic Tower indefinite contract Black Mage.
A fixer who'd roamed the empire with the Foreign Legion, resolving countless battlefields, incidents, and crises.
For a man who'd fought through perilous frontiers, the topic of "positional aptitude" sadly lacked the punch to surprise him.
To blow his mind, you'd need something three times this impressive.
'This guy's way more of a gem than I thought.'
Rood's eyes sparkled as he watched Daniel nod nonchalantly amid the rave reviews.
"Alright. Let's check some other things. Thirty's not that many, right? Summon more Imps. Don't hold back on this one. Come on, come on!"
"Yeah, yeah. Calm down. I'm not going anywhere."
Daniel gestured.
A summoning circle flashed, and another horde of Imps appeared one after another.
"The night's young. Let's take it step by step."
"You got it!"
Rood cheerfully issued various commands.
Daniel's gestures directed the lesser demon horde as ordered.
It was winter.
The beginning was simple enough.
It was evening, still hours before dawn when Rainer was due to arrive.
Daniel had just finished eating and arrived at the wall to find Rood waiting for him.
Rood's expression was deadly serious, accompanied by his escort knights and officers.
"What's this about?"
"Sir Daniel. I've come with a request."
Rood spoke carefully.
"Can you show me your power?"
"Power? You mean magic? Sure. What do you want to see?"
"Sorry. I wasn't clear. I want to see your full strength."
"My full strength?"
"Yes."
He nodded.
"I'm the commander. Before leading the army, I need to know what cards I have under my command."
Words only a veteran of the front lines could utter.
Rood watched Daniel's reaction for a moment before adding,
"I'm not doubting your abilities. What you've shown so far proves how capable you are. It's just..."
He paused, then met Daniel's eyes.
"What you've shown isn't everything, is it?"
"Hm. Was it that obvious?"
"A Black Mage who doesn't use demons or black magic? That says it all."
"Well, can't be helped."
Daniel protested.
"Most black magic is curses or attack spells. How do you expect me to use that inside the city?"
Community service in town? They'd love that.
But if it's playing with fire instead? The soldiers would come grabbing the lunatic asking what the hell he's doing.
That's why he hadn't used black magic even during marshmallow sessions.
"I get it. You're not the type to cause trouble. That's why I'm here."
Rood continued.
"I'll set up a stage where you can unleash your full power freely. So, lend me your strength?"
"To defend Kazan?"
"Exactly. Please. To devise the perfect formation using you as a card to protect Kazan, I need this."
Rood bowed his head.
For the defense commander to humble himself like this.
It felt burdensome, but it showed his sincerity.
After a moment's thought, Daniel decided.
"Got it. I'll help. So, lift your head."
'Hard to turn down a request from someone like the defense commander. Besides, it's not a bad deal.'
From another angle, it was a chance to taste black magic marshmallows—something he hadn't tried due to lack of opportunities.
For Daniel, already a severe marshmallow addict(?), there was no reason to refuse.
"Shall we start with the Imps, then?"
"Ugyagya!"
Daniel snapped his fingers.
His signature lesser demon horde appeared.
"I want to see your full strength."
It was just a line thrown out to create an opening.
'To get close, start with someone easy to talk to.'
Rood liked Daniel.
He wished he'd stay in Kazan like Rainer.
That's why he'd sought him out today.
Find common ground and chat.
Basic relationship-building.
Daniel's interests were obvious.
Swordsmen obsess over swords; mages obsess over magic.
So he'd tossed out magic as a conversation starter.
To get friendly.
At least, that was the initial goal.
But as the talk progressed, things took a weird turn.
'What kind of mage is this?'
He realized it mid-conversation.
This mage cared more about using magic to handle tasks efficiently than magic itself.
Naturally, the topic shifted from "testing Daniel's magic" to hearing stories about "how Daniel handled jobs with magic in the past."
No issue so far.
The problem was the content.
'Am I really talking to a Black Mage? Not a veteran mercenary leader who's rolled through battlefields across the empire?'
Daniel's work stories were, well...
Intensely seasoned, to put it mildly.
They felt like a compilation of every mercenary's tales from across the empire, not just one mage's.
Doubts of exaggeration naturally arose.
But they were too detailed to dismiss as lies.
They carried the unmistakable savor of someone who'd rolled in the dirt on-site.
"Man, looking back, I have no idea how I survived there without insect-repelling magic. Those bloodsucking flies are vicious—worse than mosquitoes. Heard the White Wolf Knights coat their skin with mana to block bites. Blew my mind. I seriously considered learning mana circulation techniques."
"I'm more shocked you have apprenticeship experience with the White Wolf Knights."
"Psh, apprenticeship? I was a temp. Temp. There was a subjugation op right around the corner, but their contracted archer mercs said they couldn't make it on time. Knights urgently needed replacements, and that's where the Tower came in."
"I remember. The Red Oak Tribe subjugation two years ago, right?"
"Oh, you know the Red Oak op? Then we're on the same page. So, me and five other Foreign Legion mages went in for support, but I ended up doing the whole thing solo. The others tapped out in under a month. Tsk. That's what you get for skimping on stamina training. Left me suffering alone."
"As I recall, the op lasted three months."
"You know your stuff."
"So you solo-supported the White Wolf Knights for three months?"
"More like four? We hunted other monsters too, and did fortress repairs."
"..."
"Wow. Thinking back, it's a fond memory... Is it?"
"...Is Deputy Captain Erio still the same?"
"Huh? When I was there, he was captain. Red hair, short, dual-wields swords, right?"
"That's him. Guess he finally beat the former captain and took the seat."
Rood was at a loss for words.
The White Wolf Knights.
One of the empire's five great knight orders.
Fierce guardians holding the western Ulla Mountains against swarming monsters.
They selected solely by skill, regardless of status—every member a human weapon. In raw combat power, they rivaled for top spot in the empire.
A mage tagging along on their ops for four months, providing support?
Too knowledgeable about op details and obscure behind-the-scenes for it to be fake.
"Man, the final banquet after the op was the true end of the ordeal. You know the captain's drinking habit—whining when drunk? He got wasted, grabbed my pant leg, crying to join his unit or step over his corpse. Awkward as hell. Stayed up all night refusing. Made me wanna zap him with lightning."
"Hold on. Erio offered you enlistment?"
"Yep."
"That guy who mocks magic as 'ink-stained sorcery' because he's sword-obsessed?"
"You know him well. Made refusing easy. Early on, he ragged me about it nonstop. Even got empty lunchboxes a few times. So I said, 'I'm the useless guy who got empty lunchboxes multiple times on-site. Why stick around?' Shut him up."
"...Why refuse? The White Wolf Knights, of all places?"
"Why join a place that treats mages like heavenly knights but bosses like dirt?"
"......"
"Plus, why take a drunk's ramblings seriously? Sober up, and he'd deny it, calling me the ranter."
"...Doesn't sound like rambling."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing."
Rood pitied White Wolf Captain Erio for the first time.
A sword-obsessed madman offering a mage enlistment?
He'd have yelled "Lies!" hearing it from anyone else.
But if it's Daniel the mage? Different story.
He'd seen it himself.
A mage in ability, knight in mindset!
Even a sword-crazed knight would covet such talent.
'And that's not even his full worth.'
The conversation convinced him.
This man was an army.
A veteran force with over a hundred Imp magic soldiers, battle-hardened across countless fields!
His casual work tales were textbooks steeped in battlefield grit.
How he'd used Imps to solve problems in various theaters?
Just hearing it sparked optimal Imp tactics in Rood's mind.
Deliver supplies to ammo- or potion-starved units.
Rush to needy sectors for aerial covering fire.
With Daniel's rich reconstruction experience commanding, they could even serve as engineers!
Over a hundred flying soldiers? Endless utility.
'This isn't support—it's main force level.'
Not just a talent for avoiding defeat, but seizing victory—a strategic asset.
Rood's blood ran hot.
Initial goal: befriend Daniel, lay groundwork to make him an ally.
Now? Different.
The instincts of a general and tactician whispered.
Uncover every detail of this strategic asset.
Oblivious to Rood's inner thoughts, Daniel calmly awaited his next command.
The un-mage-like mage's unconscious charm scored another win today.