Volta Base Faces Another Monster Assault
Volta Base had come under monster attack once more. I'd planned to spend the next few days lounging around like a total slacker, but I hurriedly donned my armor and bolted out of the office.
"How long has it been since their last raid?!"
I shouted as I ran, and knights with tense faces gathered around.
"Reinforcements?"
"They haven't arrived yet."
"Damn it."
A few days earlier, we'd requested backup from the surrounding bases, but it seemed they still hadn't shown up.
"No choice, then. We'll have to hold them off ourselves."
"Yes, ma'am!"
The knights responded with a thunderous roar and fell in behind me in perfect formation. I headed straight for the ramparts to assess the monsters' movements.
"Status on the siege weapons?"
"We just finished maintenance."
"Ready to fire immediately?"
"Yes."
I nodded at the soldier's reply—when a monstrous roar echoed from the distance.
"GRRROOOAAAR!"
My face hardened as I stared straight ahead.
"Tch, there's a ton of them."
Like pests that never thinned out no matter how many you exterminated. I grimaced and raised my hand to give the firing order—just as the monsters came into view.
But then something odd caught my eye.
"...Wait, what the hell is that?"
Squinting, I spotted a group charging ahead of the monster horde—people on horseback, fleeing for their lives.
"Professor Xavier!?"
I gaped and scrambled up to the watchtower. Shoving aside a dazed soldier, I snatched his spyglass for a closer look.
"Holy shit!"
Xavier, who'd gone off in search of ancient steles, and a handful of knights were galloping like mad to escape the monsters. If we'd fired the siege weapons without realizing, they'd have been skewered.
I let out a sigh of relief, handed the spyglass to a soldier on the tower, and bellowed,
"There are people down there!"
"What?"
The knights and soldiers stared in shock. I leaped down from the watchtower.
"I've got to go rescue them."
"Pardon? Wait, Lady Abigail."
Jade blocked my path in a panic.
"You can't. It's far too dangerous to go out now."
"But..."
I knew that full well. I'd been the one to establish the engagement protocols against monsters: Don't fight the horde swarming the walls head-on—repel them first with siege weapons. Have the knight orders mop up the stragglers. If no knights are stationed, keep harassing them with artillery.
Heading out now to save Xavier wouldn't just break protocol; it could endanger everyone inside the walls.
"Still, I can't just let Professor Xavier die."
I bit my lip anxiously. In the original story, Xavier was a crucial figure. And now, he was my ally. I'd received so much help from him. I was certain I'd regret it deeply if I abandoned him now.
A calm voice reached my troubled ears.
"I will go."
"...Ian."
I turned to see Ian's emotionless face. He usually kept his mouth shut and followed orders, but in moments like this, he'd fix me with that stubborn gaze.
"No."
"..."
"You're my guardian. I won't allow solo actions."
Our bond was far more subservient than with the other knights, yet we clashed surprisingly often. It had been that way since we first met. He usually yielded to my commands, but there was one thing he never obeyed without resistance: anything involving my personal safety.
"I cannot send my liege down there."
"You planning to die in my place?"
"Of course."
I clenched my fists at his response. It infuriated me every time he so casually offered to die for me. But that's what a guardian was. I was the one arbitrarily denying it. His duty was to shield me with his life when danger struck.
"I've told you a hundred times, you don't need to do that."
"...My liege!"
Pretending not to hear him, I turned away. This was pure stubbornness on my part. The duke had let the previous guardian die, but I swore I'd never let that happen to Ian.
Xavier and the knights racing in the distance grew clearer. Instead of the entrance blocked by Jade and Ian, I planned to descend another way.
"Hup!"
I placed one foot on the rampart's edge and drew up my mana. Going down the stairs would take too long now; this was the only way to drop fast and save Xavier.
Leap from the wall, repel the monsters. No need to open the gates and risk them flooding in. As someone on the cusp of Swordmaster, I could hold out until Xavier reached safety inside.
"Stop Lady Abigail!"
Jade shouted. But my body was already teetering on the brink of the drop.
That was when it came.
"Shall I assist you?"
"...?"
A voice soft as a gentle breeze rippled across the ramparts. I froze involuntarily. The knights trying to block me turned with blank expressions.
"...A mage?"
There stood an improbable figure. A man in near-white gray robes smiled at me. He doffed his hood, revealing silver hair sparkling in the sunlight, tousled by the wind.
"Who...?"
The surreal sight made me blurt the question, forgetting the urgency.
His smile deepened.
"I'm a mage dispatched from the Magic Tower."
"From the Magic Tower?"
Oh, right. I recalled Benjamin's irritable predawn magic communication. He'd abruptly said he'd send a mage. Was this him? Already? So soon?
The mage asked steadfastly, eyeing my astonishment.
"It seems urgent..."
"..."
"Shall I help?"
His voice remained serene, echoing softly. For some reason, my body—poised to plummet—wouldn't budge. Before I could even think, I slowly nodded to him.
Everything flowed as naturally as water.
The mage beamed and raised his staff.
"I'm honored to aid you, Little Duchess."
"...Urk!"
Dazzling light erupted from him. Even in broad daylight, it whitened the surroundings as a blaze shot down toward the base of the wall.
BOOM!
KABOOM! KABOOMM!
The explosions didn't stop at one. A chain of large and small blasts followed. Blinded by the intense light, it took me a while to peer below.
"Ugh, what the...?"
The blasts had swept through the monsters in a precise line, as if drawn with a ruler. I confirmed Xavier and the knights had reached the gates unharmed.
I shouted down from the wall.
"Now! Open the gates!"
My mana-infused voice boomed below. As the gates swung open and Xavier's group rushed in, I exhaled heavily and slumped to the ground.
"Haa."
"Are you all right?"
The mage approached me—
"Halt!"
The knights atop the wall drew their swords in unison, aiming at him. They'd been as stunned as I was, but now they bristled at the stranger.
Especially Jade and Ian's murderous glares. I shook my head with a wry smile and stood.
"Everyone, stand down."
"But..."
"That's a Magic Tower robe. And he just helped us."
Regaining my wits, I sized up the mage. Near-white gray robes meant he was close to the Tower Master himself. Even the senior mage who'd visited the ducal residence before wore a darker gray.
This guy was likely higher-ranked.
"Sorry my knights were rude. Mage of the Magic Tower."
"No, it's fine."
He shook his head with an easy smile. I stared at his face. Something felt familiar. Then our eyes met—vivid green, like fresh forest leaves—and I felt like I'd been struck by lightning.
"...No way, Ren?"
"..."
It couldn't be, but the mage resembled Ren. No, everything was different from that boy—except one thing. Those piercing green eyes.
But otherwise, no connection. Especially that shimmering silver hair...
Wait. What was Ren described like in the original?
It had been so long since possession that my mind turned sluggishly. Meanwhile, the mage I suspected was Ren approached slowly.
"It's been a while, my lady."
"Re, Ren."
"Yes."
The mage—no, Ren—smiled softly, kneeling on one knee before me.
"I've come to keep my promise."
"Promise...?"
"Yes. To become your mage."
"..."
Had we made such a promise? Amid my confusion, I recalled a shyly smiling little boy's face. That child, smaller than me back then, had shot up tall. Even kneeling, his face was nearly at my chest.
Abigail was tall for a woman, but still.
I struggled not to show my fluster.
"Haa, who would've thought Benjamin would send you of all people."
"Master approved it too."
"Ha, haha. Amazing."
Now I understood Benjamin's irritation. He'd lost his prized successor—his beloved disciple—to me. How could he not be pissed?
Still, it amazed me that Ren hadn't forgotten that solo promise from back then. I'd never intended to hire him as a northern mage.
Yet he'd come all the way to this northern frontline, refusing to give up until he saw me.
"Ah, let's head down and talk."
"Yes."
"..."
I pressed a hand to my erratically pounding heart, gazing at Ren's dimpled, pretty face. This was just... yeah. Shock from seeing him all grown up suddenly. The kid version was adorably angelic, but now Ren was...
I shoved deeper thoughts aside and descended the ramparts.
* * *
"Lady Abigail!"
"Professor!"
We embraced without a care for the onlookers. Xavier was caked in dirt and grime, a total mess. His escorting knights were no better.
I pulled Xavier away and yelled,
"I told you not to go too deep! That was dangerous!"
"S-sorry."
His face paled as he bowed his head. I glared, then sighed deeply.
"Haa, honestly."
He'd caused major trouble this time, but he wasn't always like this. Whenever he pushed too hard for relics, there was a good reason.
Remembering that, I asked,
"What did you find this time?"
"Ah, well..."
Xavier swayed violently mid-answer. I caught him in alarm.
"Rest first. We'll talk later."
"U-ugh. Yes."
Soon, knights half-dragged him to his room, one arm each. I tsked at his retreating figure.
Whatever the reason, I needed to break his legs for a while to keep him from chasing relics.
Then an urgent voice rang in my ear.
"L-Little Duchess! Big trouble!"
"...What now?"
I whipped around toward the shouter.