Chapter 47
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Knight Enveloped in Blue Light (1)
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Clemence approached the delegation's procession with a basket brimming with flowers, her face lit up in pure delight.
She wore a short cape crafted from soft leather, a knee-length traveling dress, and boots perfect for easy movement.
Her shimmering silver hair was braided into a single plait, adorned at the end with flowers and ribbons that changed colors every day.
Wedin walked beside her, his face equally bright, as if they were sharing some entertaining tale.
The bag slung over her shoulder bulged with all sorts of goods purchased from Legros's market.
Trailing behind them were Mia, Clemence's maid, and Shuren, tasked with their protection.
Though it was guard duty, he appeared to be enjoying himself immensely, munching on fried pastries while chatting casually with Mia.
...I wanted to check out the market too.
"Eldrian?"
"Y-Yes!"
I snapped to attention and spun around reflexively.
My shoulders and back, tense from two straight days of vigilance, ached as if urging my mind back to reality.
A middle-aged man with dull brown hair tied back tightly and a pale, gaunt face adjusted his glasses as he approached me.
He was Chief Administrator Wilton, responsible for the administration, operations, and management of the Lesion delegation.
Permanent administrative officer of the White Guard, secretary to the White Guard Knight... and the person who'd summoned me more than anyone else over the past two days.
"Have you been keeping a close watch on the procession? No issues?"
"Yes, everything's fine."
I answered confidently, but Wilton didn't drop his skeptical gaze.
His eyes scanned the delegation bustling with departure preparations.
I followed his gaze downward, only to lock eyes with Clemence and Wedin looking up at me.
Clemence waved at me with a wide smile.
"Eldrian."
At Wilton's stern voice, I had to turn away without even greeting her back.
"Tonight, we'll make camp for the first time. As a mage, do you have your duties straight?"
"Of course."
"Once we leave Legros, magical beasts might attack. You've memorized the protocols for that too, right?"
"Yes, don't worry."
Wilton seemed not to fully register my responses. The look of doubt lingered on his face.
"...Understood. We'll depart Legros shortly. Go down and stand by."
"Yes, Chief Administrator."
Only after confirming him giving similar lectures to the knights on the adjacent wall did I hurry down the stairs.
Clemence and Wedin, waiting by the carriage, greeted me warmly.
Wedin chuckled as soon as he saw me.
"Got scolded again?"
"What did I even do wrong?"
I shot back indignantly, and Clemence laughed.
"The Chief Administrator's just a worrier by nature. He's always been like that."
"Yeah, well, can you blame him? Having to rely on a fifteen-year-old kid who hasn't even graduated knight school yet as their mage."
Wedin's spot-on remark left me speechless.
I'd first met Chief Administrator Wilton that very morning after leaving Prion.
Even with elemental training from Luwen and a recommendation from Claus Sage, to him, I was just some novice mage dropped out of nowhere.
'A fifteen-year-old who hasn't graduated knight school? The son of a Blue Guard Knight and disciple of the Sage, no less? This sudden?'
He'd accepted it without complaint on orders from the White Guard Knight, but the expression on his face had screamed exactly that.
So I'd been careful not to ruffle his feathers, following his directives to the letter.
I'd familiarized myself with the delegation's personnel, duties, and formation, and consulted with the knights on defensive measures for combat scenarios.
The administrator was nitpicky and anxious over trifles, but not once had his instructions been unreasonable or unnecessary.
"The flower shop had so many kinds I'd never seen before. They say these wildflowers are common around Lesion."
"They were selling tons of those wound-healing potions mercenaries use. Prion barely has any since there are so many holy mages there."
Clemence and Wedin chattered away, showing off their market purchases.
I listened enviously in silence.
It was our first stop after leaving Prion. I wanted to wander the Legros market with my friends, even just for a bit.
Legros, the defensive city east of Prion Province, was the last stop before the Kingdom of Lesion.
Its commerce had flourished thanks to trade flowing in from Lesion.
"Lib, time to head out soon."
Shuren approached, leading two horses.
Rania, with her soft brown coat, bobbed her head toward me.
"Go on. You'll get chewed out again if you're late."
Wedin waved as he said it.
I swallowed a sigh and gripped Rania's reins.
The delegation departed Legros and soon entered a vast plain.
Forests had hemmed us in all the way through Prion Province, so the sudden openness felt expansive.
The sky was clear and high, the wind gentle.
To the left stretched a plain dotted with low shrubs and weeds; to the right, a hillside blanketed in bushes ran alongside the road.
The group advanced slowly toward Beldain, Lesion's border city.
The leisurely, peaceful scenery belied my own tense journey.
Riding Rania, I patrolled the front and rear of the procession, checking if everyone maintained formation and needed any help.
This was one of Wilton's directives too.
And I'd realized people needed a mage's assistance far more than I'd thought.
"Whoa, you actually fixed it."
Leila couldn't hide her amazement as she held the pocket watch I'd handed her.
Just yesterday, it hadn't ticked at all, but overnight, it worked perfectly.
I'd pored through three books—Introduction to Magic Engineering, Basics, and Advanced—constantly questioning why I had to fix such things... but it had been somewhat fun, in its own way.
"Thanks so much, Liberic! They say it has echronium inside, and the repair fees are insane."
Leila grinned shamelessly, the same as when she'd asked me to fix it yesterday.
I brushed it off with a casual "No problem" and urged my horse forward.
While imperial mages delved into abstract theories, the southern kingdoms had long advanced magic engineering using echronium.
This practical magic discipline had birthed countless devices. People incorporated them seamlessly into daily life and handled them adeptly.
Most such devices could even be made without a mage.
Skilled artisans simply engraved efficient spells onto echronium to make them work.
That widespread use was great—until one broke suddenly, with few ways to fix it.
Mages and artisans were rare, and so was echronium.
Is that why I'm here?
The carriages and wagons used weight-adjusting magic tools too, so the delegation absolutely needed a mage.
I only knew the basics of magic engineering, but with visible mana and imperial spells, I could manage repairs.
"What'd Leila want?"
Shuren appeared abruptly on horseback from the right.
I steadied my startled heart before answering.
"Uh... fixed her pocket watch."
"Oh? A pocket watch, huh."
I could tell exactly what was brewing in that head of his, even without asking.
He'd use it as an excuse to strike up another conversation.
Since leaving Prion, Shuren had circled the White Guard knights, trying to chat them up.
About their daily lives, training routines, missions...
"We're from different units anyway."
Shuren wore the same traveling knight attire as the White Guard, even bearing their emblem.
His duties in the delegation were nearly identical too.
But his actual affiliation was the Silver Moon Knights.
The Silver Guard Knight occasionally assembled Shuren and his Silver Moon knights for joint training or missions.
To the delegation, they were just a special squad on separate orders.
"Building rapport never hurts. You never know what might happen on a trip."
Shuren shrugged like a seasoned traveler.
"I'd prefer it stays peaceful..."
That was my deepest wish.
Prion and its defensive cities had powerful barriers keeping out magical beasts and demons.
But once past those cities and barriers, the odds of encountering beasts on the road skyrocketed.
Travelers and merchants from other kingdoms ran into them at least once per journey.
Hence, hiring mercenaries for road travel was common.
After hearing that, I'd asked Ash to scout ahead.
With the large delegation moving together, Ash trailed us from a distance.
He preferred bounding silently through quiet woods anyway, so he was thrilled.
'Liberic.'
I looked up at Ash's call.
I'd been riding beside the carriage, chatting animatedly with Clemence and Wedin inside.
Ash's voice came from the bushes atop the hill.
'A nearby caravan just got attacked by magical beasts.'
"...Got it."
Magical beast attack. The words alone tensed my shoulders and hardened my face.
"Lib? What's wrong?"
Clemence asked worriedly, noticing my expression.
"Gonna check something ahead real quick. You two stay put in the carriage."
A caravan under beast attack.
I had to inform the White Guard Knight and Father.
I spurred my horse toward the front without waiting for their replies.
"Father."
Father turned from his conversation with the White Guard Knight.
The knights maintaining the formation parted for me, and I slipped through.
"Ash just reported—a caravan nearby got hit by magical beasts."
"Nearby?"
The White Guard Knight's face changed. He raised his arm, and the surrounding knights gradually slowed.
"Lib, details on the—"
Then, the Melgram at Father's neck began turning black.
Simultaneously, the defensive magic on the carriages rippled, emitting mana.
A sign of approaching beasts.
"Gah! Gaaaah!"
A deafening scream rang out as a massive lizard-like magical beast burst from the hilltop.
The beast clamped its elongated maw around a plump man—today's prey, apparently.
"S-Save me! Guh!"
As countless knights froze in shock, the chubby man in the beast's jaws screamed desperately.