Vol. 1 Chapter 3 – The Two Clad in Black

The time shifts back a little.

From the location where Shalka and the others were, about ten kilometers south, on a small elevated hill.

There stood two figures, both wearing black hoods pulled deeply over their faces.

“Lynx, did you see that light just now?”

“Yeah, I saw it.”

“Kukuku, who would have thought that the fool of Ortenos turned out to be the Demon-Extinguishing Mage.”

“Weren’t you already aware of that, Aquila?”

The one called Aquila, clad completely in black, was peering into the distance through a long, tubular instrument.

The one called Lynx, also dressed in black, was looking at Aquila with a slightly dubious expression.

“No, I actually thought Shalka was the least likely.”

“…Then why did you tell me to leak Shalka’s information to Naia? In the end, it turns out Shalka really was the Demon-Extinguishing Mage.”

“That was just intuition, of course.”

“Hah?”

“Life only has meaning when you gamble. Hitting the jackpot on a long shot like this is the most delightful thing.”

Aquila proudly revealed his personal philosophy.

At Aquila’s words, Lynx let out a sigh.

“Haa. I’d like you to experience being the one forced to infiltrate Ortenatris because of your gamble.”

Seeing Lynx’s exasperated expression, Aquila chuckled meaningfully.

“This time it’s a huge success, Lynx. Learning about Shalka’s existence early is a great advantage. And with Balbat dead, the only ones who know his true identity are us. Now we can take countermeasures ahead of every other nation.”

“Hm. But what if Shalka notices?”

“We’re this far away. We won’t be picked up by magic detection. We’re not even within naked-eye distance.”

Because Aquila himself was of Stellar-class, he understood the specs of Stellar-class to a certain extent.

Therefore, he had absolute confidence that Shalka would not notice his presence.

“I can see him normally though.”

“That’s because you’re abnormal, Lynx. Honestly, I truly envy that body of yours.”

“…The way you say that sounds unpleasant.”

Lynx cast him a chilly glance while hugging her chest protectively.

“There’s no hidden meaning. I prefer human women after all.”

Aquila brushed off Lynx’s cold stare with complete indifference, unfazed and casual.

“Yeah yeah. So what are we doing next?”

“I’m heading back to the headquarters of the『Union』 in Azarash.”

The Azarash city-state was southeast of Ortenos, bordering the Elsheen domain.

At present, for certain reasons, the center of its territory lay in ruins, and Stellar-class individuals everywhere were claiming kingship, plunging the nation into chaos.

“The Union headquarters, you mean that desolate, ruined castle?”

“That’s right.”

“I’ve always wondered, why is that ruined castle the Union headquarters? There must have been far more suitable places.”

“That’s exactly why it suits us. Ending the meaningless world of nobility and building a new order. Isn’t it the perfect place to fly such a banner of ideals?”

Lynx did not harbor any good feelings toward the Union’s headquarters.

However, complaining about it to the others only brought back words like Aquila’s, so she had grown weary of doing so.

“The Boss too, I don’t get how he can establish his base in that country. Attacked by six nations, ravaged domestically and in a state of fractious warlords. I don’t understand how anyone can eat and sleep in that ruined castle.”

“For those who cannot comprehend our noble ideals, let them scramble over scraps all they like. The more chaos there is, the easier it becomes for us to operate.”

“I wonder if that’s really true.”

“That’s how it is. Besides, if we placed our headquarters in a specific country, the nobles would discover us and completely wipe us out, right? In that regard, Azarash was a nation that fairly recently perished due to a『Magical Beast Disaster』. It’s the perfect place to hide.”

The Union was an organization held together by ideology.

Therefore, it did not have a permanent base, and its current headquarters was nothing more than a temporary lodging.

“Even so, I feel like there should be limits.”

“That’s only because you just joined. Well, placing our base in a land destroyed by a Magical Beast Disaster, like Azarash, is almost a tradition for us.”

“Tradition?”

“Yes. In fact, it’s said that in such lands, lost things are easier to find.”

“Lost things?”

At Lynx’s question, Aquila grinned as though he had been waiting for it.

“Isn’t it obvious? The same as us—『Heroes』.”

“……”

Heroes.

That was the collective term for individuals across the continent of Atla who possessed powerful abilities, appearing like sudden mutations.

For example, Stellar-class individuals were said to only be born from the union of two Stellar-class parents, but on extremely rare occasions, one could be born from two Dust-class parents.

Existences that should be called such anomalies were given the name Heroes.

The conditions under which such anomalies were born were uncertain, but Aquila placed considerable credibility in what he had just spoken.

“The discovery of Heroes is the Union’s top priority. We must secure them before the nobles find them. That is why right now in Azarash we are desperately searching for existences that carry the『Hero Factor』.”

At Aquila’s words, Lynx’s expression clouded.

Lynx himself had once been discovered in that way and raised as a sharpened weapon to strike down the nobles.

He held no direct grudge against the nobles.

Rather, Lynx even knew of cases that were the opposite.

“…That’s because it’s necessary to destroy the nobles?”

“? Ah, of course.”

“…Then, will you kill Shalka too?”

Lynx timidly asked Aquila.

“Of course Shalka will be killed. Or rather, killing the Demon-Extinguishing Mage is our supreme mission. That power should only be wielded within the Union.”

Aquila’s speech carried force.

Most Heroes, like Aquila, deemed the nobles to be the root of all evil, but Lynx felt doubt about that.

“Shalka… doesn’t seem like such a bad noble.”

“What?”

The moment Lynx muttered that, Aquila’s eyes turned crimson.

“Hey, do we really have to kill all nobles? Maybe, just maybe, there could be some good ones—nya guhh!”

What Lynx had intended as a simple question was, in truth, a doubt cast upon the very ideology behind the existence of Heroes.

It was absolutely intolerable.

Before she realized it, Lynx was being strangled by Aquila.

“Shalka isn’t a bad noble? Not kill all nobles? Lynx, what in the world are you saying? I cannot understand your thinking at all.”

From beneath his hood, Aquila’s eyes seemed to lose all light, appearing only as spreading darkness.

His voice trembled with fury.

“Guhh… bu-but, Sh-Shalka… saved my family when they were about to be executed…”

“Hah? A noble saving commoners? What nonsense are you spouting? Nobles exist only to gorge themselves on luxury, squeezing everything they can from the commoners into their coffers. No matter how much the commoners suffer, they would never show mercy!”

“Ughhh…”

That nobles were the ruling class of this world was clear to everyone’s eyes.

A hierarchical structure had formed, with nobles at the top collecting taxes either in coin or wheat, based on the harvest yields. Beneath them, greedy tax collectors often skimmed more than the actual tax required.

“If there is even the slightest thing they dislike, they lop off heads on the spot, fabricate crimes at will, and seize money. That is what nobles are. In this world, Lynx, there is no such thing as a good noble anywhere.”

“But, but…”

Lynx had not been with the Union long and was not yet completely indoctrinated into its ideology.

On the other hand, Aquila had been raised since childhood with the idea that nobles were enemies to be killed, so there could never be common ground between him and Lynx.

“There is no but! Or do you want to be put on the re-educator’s list?”

“!! I don’t want that!”

Lynx shuddered as the trauma resurfaced in his mind.

Seeing this, Aquila felt a bit of his anger subside.

“Hey Lynx, do you have any idea how much those people have oppressed and tormented us? They roam their domains under the pretext of『Hero Hunts』,searching for those who possess the『Hero Factor』. The men are killed, the women are turned into tools to give birth to Stellar-class. Do you think such things can be forgiven?”

“……”

“Think about it. When your family was suffering, did the nobles ever extend a helping hand? Were they kind? And who was it that tried to execute your family in the first place? …It was the nobles, wasn’t it?”

“…Ugh…”

What Aquila was saying was not wrong.

There had been an incident where an external organization within the Ortenos domain committed atrocities and Lynx’s family had been caught up in the chaos.

“Nobles are evil. Because they exist, the order of this world has been twisted. Not the Kaname of Divination Stars, not the Eastern Star Church, but we, the Hero Union, must destroy the nobles and bring true order to this world.”

Aquila’s eyes gleamed with fanaticism.

For Heroes, nobles were a malignant disease that must be eradicated.

“…I-I understand.”

All Lynx could do was nod.

Satisfied with Lynx’s reaction, Aquila released his grip from her neck.

A clear imprint of fingers was left around Lynx’s throat.

“Khah, khah…!”

Lowered to the ground, Lynx coughed violently.

Aquila gazed at the suffering Lynx and thought.

‘…As always, Lynx is so easy to handle, it helps.’

The Hero Union was absolute.

There could not be anyone who held doubts about its way of existence.

“Yes, as long as you understand. From now on, let us fight together as fellow Heroes.”

“……”

As if declaring the training complete, Aquila returned to his usual uncanny smile.

Watching this, Lynx felt cold sweat run down his back.

“Well then, shall we return?”

“…Yeah.”

Just as they decided to return, Lynx happened to notice a human silhouette in the north.

“Aquila, looks like someone is coming this way.”

“Hmm? That’s impossible, we’re both wearing robes that obstruct recognition. There’s no way this place could be exposed.”

“But he’s heading straight for us… and unbelievably fast.”

“That’s ridiculous…”

Unable to believe Lynx’s words, Aquila extended the tubular device in his hand and peered through it.

“What? …No way, that’s… could it be Shalka?”

A boy, around youth age, with black hair and golden eyes, his face unremarkable in features, was rushing toward them at tremendous speed.

The very subject they had been observing from afar until moments ago, why?

Aquila’s thoughts came to a complete halt.

“…Hey, shouldn’t we run away?”

Lynx’s words snapped Aquila back to reality.

At the same time, the worst possible thought flashed across his mind, and he felt a chill run down his spine.

“Th-that’s impossible! It must be some kind of mistake. Y-yeah, maybe he just came here to relieve himself or something like that!”

“But he’s coming straight at us. And beyond this point, there’s nothing but the border…”

Lynx’s observation hit the mark.

Even if Aquila did not want to admit it in his head, the situation left no room for denial.

“Why! Why, why! How did he find out where we are?”

“Aquila, make a decision quickly.”

Faced with Lynx’s pressing expression, Aquila was forced to decide whether he liked it or not.

“Tss!! …Damn it! We’ll escape to Azarash on horseback!”

Aquila chose flight with bitter regret.

For a Hero like him to choose to flee from a noble wounded his pride deeply.

Yet even if he had to twist his dignity as a Hero, his instincts screamed that confronting Shalka head-on must be avoided.

The two of them dashed down the hill at once and mounted the horses they had kept waiting at the foot.

Aquila cast Mana Envelopment on both himself and Lynx, and they sped southeast.

“Impossible, impossible, impossible…”

Aquila muttered curses on horseback, unable to believe what he had seen.

“No good! At this rate he’ll catch us.”

“How? We’re escaping with Mana Envelopment!”

“It’s probably because of Shalka’s horse.”

“Horse?”

Aquila looked back and was left speechless.

“…Wh-what is that?”

The horse Shalka was riding was no ordinary horse.

Its coat glowed with a pale blue light, and two antler-like horns protruded from its head.

Between those horns, thin pale blue bolts of lightning crackled and danced.

To call it a horse was clearly a distortion of form.

Its strides, however long they were, were clearly twice the speed of the horses Aquila and Lynx rode.

Aquila could not understand and fell into confusion.

“That’s probably a phantom beast…”

Lynx’s murmur passed hollowly through Aquila’s ears.

Phantom beasts were creatures spoken of only in legends, whose existence was uncertain.

“A phantom beast? A phantom beast, you say? Shalka was riding a black horse, wasn’t he! Where on earth did a phantom beast come from?”

“But no matter how you look at it, that’s not a horse…”

A horse wreathed in lightning was unheard of.

Aquila felt a wave of panic from this unknown phenomenon.

“Damn it! At this rate he’ll catch up…!”

“What do we do, Aquila?”

From having observed the battle between Balbat and Shalka earlier, they knew Shalka’s combat ability was blood-chillingly high.

If they fought head-on, they most likely would not win.

It would probably take the Union’s full force to subjugate Shalka.

‘Unpleasant though it is, maybe we’ll have to seek cooperation from the upper『Ranked Stars』as well…’

For now, bringing back the information took priority above all else.

Aquila glanced sideways at Lynx riding beside him.

Despite being a newcomer, Lynx had been recognized for her unique ability and had already risen to the level of『Ranked Stars』among the Heroes.

To Aquila, Lynx was a colleague, but also a rival threatening his own position.

‘Heh-heh, can’t be helped…’

Aquila came up with one idea to get out of this situation.

Put simply, it meant deceiving his comrade.

“Lynx, at this rate we’ll both be killed by Shalka. Let’s split up. I’ll head to Azarash, you turn back toward Ortenatris.”

“Eh, but then…”

“For the future of the Union! In this situation, one of us has to survive to pass on the information. Please, understand!”

“…Alright.”

Aquila’s plan was to use Lynx as bait.

Seeing Lynx nod, Aquila’s lips curled into a crescent moon smile.

‘Kukuku… Sorry, Lynx, but die for my sake.’

For Aquila, this was the greatest gamble of his life.

He felt his brain awash in unprecedented euphoria, his face twisting in intoxication.

Overcome by the thrill and ecstasy, drool dribbled from the corner of his mouth.

◇◇◇◇

Learning magic requires two things: a vague image and trying it many times.

The one who taught me this was my senior disciple, Eucrane de Nevilim.

Eucrane himself apparently learned magic directly from grandfather.

For grandfather to recognize someone’s talent and take them as a disciple was rare, so in my mother’s family, the Nevilim household, it caused quite a stir.

As I learned magic from Eucrane, I gradually became interested in magic development.

From the beginning, I had doubts about the existence of 『mana』. While mastering various kinds of general-purpose magic, I started to think: Isn’t mana a kind of quantum?

Intimidation had the properties of a wave and Meteor Ray was a mass of energy.

In other words, mana was itself a quantum, possessing both the properties of particles and of waves.

Incidentally, it was this discovery that gave birth to the Intimidation Orb.

Designing it so that the particle and wave properties alternated before and after impact — I might honestly be a genius for coming up with that.

With this as a catalyst, my research into mana accelerated, and I began to consider various applications even for existing magic.

One widely known fact was that precious metals, like gold coins, had the property of Mana Conduction, being able to carry mana.

When I thought about the absurdity of storing mana in metal, my mind jumped: Wait, isn’t mana kind of like electricity? From that, I discovered that mana had two types — yin and yang.

Whether or not it was truly the same as『electricity』 from my previous life was highly questionable, but after long research, my first original magic was finally born: Lightning Magic.

As one experiment in learning magic, I once tried to drill my younger brother in Spartan training so he could master Lightning Magic.

However, this proved more difficult than expected.

The problem was that the『vague image』of electricity didn’t exist in my brother’s mind.

Therefore, until he could form an image of electricity, I had to directly imprint it into his body and make him try over and over again, until at last he succeeded in mastering it.

From this experiment, I learned that because I had the knowledge of my previous life, I could form images easily, and thus master magic faster.

It goes without saying that this result gave a huge push to my development of original magic.

“Well then, here we go, Dolly-chan! We’ll be in contact any moment now.”

“Gooo-oon!”

Perhaps happy at being addressed, Dolly-chan neighed once.

Then, with a fierce explosive sound, lightning struck all around, spreading destruction.

“……”

At present, I was astride Dolly-chan, whose head had sprouted two horns and whose body was surging with pale blue electricity — I named her Lightning Dolly-chan— heading toward Stellar-class A.

Of course, there was a proper reason why Dolly-chan had become like this.

The Lightning Magic I first developed was, at its core, the same as the lightning magic anyone would imagine.

That is to say—

First, Lightning Magic as an offensive spell that simply discharged electricity.

Second, Lightning Magic as an enchantment spell that strengthened the nervous system of oneself or another.

But six years ago, due to a certain incident, my mana had increased dramatically and for some reason Lightning Magic underwent a startling transformation.

Especially the second type — what had originally only enhanced the nervous system now apparently could raise the very potential of the living being itself.

‘In a way, this is evolution.’

So I thought as I looked at Lightning Dolly-chan.

My Lightning Magic no longer acted just on nerves, but on genes themselves.

It was no longer the same as conventional Lightning Magic.

Because it acted on living beings, I gave it a new name: Living Lightning Magic.

As for why Dolly-chan became this way, I still didn’t know.

Perhaps when I thought, “Dolly-chan, become faster!』 while casting, my will was reflected and turned her into Lightning Dolly-chan. That was not impossible.

This magic itself was still full of mysteries.

By the way, I hadn’t dared to try it on humans yet.

There was always the chance they might suddenly start saying,『Me, human, kill them all』.

For now, I planned to continue testing it on nearby insects, beasts, and plants.

Of course, only within a range that would not impact the ecosystem.

◇◇◇◇

‘Now then, it looks like I’ll be engaging soon.’

I turned my gaze forward.

Just a few dozen seconds ago, I had finally caught sight of the two figures in black.

First of all, the fact that there were two of them was unexpected.

Suspicious, I once again activated a Detection Spell but as before, there was only one mana reaction.

“…A combination of a Stellar-class and a Dust-class? That’s unusual. What kind of pair are they?”

Ahead of me, the two figures were galloping their horses while using Mana Envelopment.

Since Dolly-chan was moving at what felt like nearly 200 kilometers per hour, at this pace I would catch up within minutes.

“For now, the fact that they’re running means they’re enemies, right.”

I decided then and there to treat the two in black as enemies.

As the distance between us closed to a few hundred meters, they made a move.

Of the two, the Dust-class suddenly veered northeast, turning sharply.

From my viewpoint, it looked like he was slightly angling rightward but still coming toward me.

“What are they planning? Could it be a decoy?”

If it had been two Stellar-classes, that would be another matter, but the one breaking off was just a Dust-class.

“Well, if that’s the case, I’ll just finish it with Intimidation.”

At this distance, I didn’t need an Intimidation Orb.

The horse might die from the fall if I knocked it out, but for a Dust-class, the priority wasn’t so high.

I unleashed Intimidation.

A powerful wave of mana spread outward from me, striking directly at the Dust-class and his mount.

But before my eyes, something unbelievable occurred.

“Hiiiiin…”

“! Intimidation!?”

The horse collapsed unconscious, but the one I thought was a Dust-class endured my Intimidation and remained perfectly conscious.

Then, with light movement, he leapt from the unconscious horse and landed silently on the ground.

“What?”

My eyes widened in shock, my mind halting at the unexpected development.

Thinking it must be some mistake, I unleashed Intimidation again, but it seemed to have no effect.

Which meant I hadn’t failed in casting Intimidation.

While I hesitated, the black-clad figure darted off toward Ortenatris.

At a furious speed that made me wonder if he had even needed a horse in the first place.

‘What is that speed… comparable to Stellar-class, no, even faster.’

In any case, letting someone who knew of my abilities escape was dangerous.

Though I had wanted to capture him as a prisoner, at this point it didn’t matter.

An『unknown Dust-class that nullified my Intimidation and possessed outrageous physical ability』would be safer erased from existence.

‘Hm?’

Amid the chaos, one possibility came to mind.

“…Ah, damn it, so he’s a Hero!”

Come to think of it, there were some Heroes who didn’t possess Stellar-class mana, but instead had their raw physical abilities enhanced to ridiculous levels.

I had completely overlooked that.

So this was what it felt like to be chewing bitter worms.

“In that case, I’ll have to hit him with something a bit stronger.”

I focused my mana, forming a sphere of flame in my right hand.

Then I compressed it down, until it became a marble-sized orb — a tiny, pure-white sun.

It was a 《Long-Range Bombardment Spell》.

Though『long-range』meant only one or two kilometers, its area-of-effect firepower was unrivaled.

It was an orthodox siege spell, one that nobles had used since ancient times.

“Sorry. But I’ve been told never to hold back when facing a Hero.”

I muttered a perfunctory apology to the faceless figure in black.

If nobles had a natural enemy, it was said to be only two things:『Magical Beasts』and『Heroes』.

Both had killed countless nobles, and while the former might still be tolerated, the latter was treated like a cockroach — if seen, they were to be killed on sight.

I took aim and released this small yet immense mass of energy.

Since Detection Magic wasn’t functioning, precision targeting was impossible but if I swept the whole area, it would be fine.

The black-clad figure visibly showed panic.

“Y-you’ve got to be kidding! Wait, wait! I wasn’t planning to be your enem—nya…!”

Her words were in vain, as the marble-sized sun traced an arcing trajectory and struck the ground.

It seemed like she had said something, but it was too late.

The pure-white sun erupted in a massive explosion with a deafening roar, producing a giant mushroom cloud.

Shockwaves pierced through layer after layer.

The surrounding trees were blown away, rocks reduced to dust.

Violent winds raged, transforming the entire area into a scorched plain.

“Good, that’s the first one down.”

If that hadn’t finished her, then there was nothing more I could do.

Even if she had survived, without mana I had no way of knowing it.

I turned my gaze from the blast center and switched my target to the other one ahead — likely the second Hero.

The other Hero looked dumbfounded from the force of the explosion.

“Dolly-chan, chase him down!”

“Gooo-on!”

Dolly-chan let out a fierce roar and gave chase.

“Damn it! Why are you coming after me, you monster!”

When only a few dozen meters remained, the black-clad Stellar-class A, realizing he could not escape, fell into near hysteria and began firing magic bullets wildly.

I deployed a Mana Shield over myself and Dolly-chan to block them.

“Gooo-on!”

“Ah, Dolly-cha—”

Perhaps excited by the lights of Stellar-class A’s magic, Dolly-chan raised her battle spirit and accelerated even further.

At this rate, she would crash straight into him.

I tried to steer her to run alongside instead, but I was too late.

“Goooooaaaaaaan!”

“Gweh…!”

Dolly-chan slammed her horned head into Stellar-class A and his horse, sending them both flying.

“Ngwaah… gi… guh… buhehh-chahh!”

Launched at high speed, Stellar-class A smashed his head against the ground, bounced several times, and finally slid across the earth like a moose struck by a school bus, before coming to a stop.

His black robe tore apart from the impact, but, as expected of a Stellar-class body, he had almost no damage.

“Dolly-chan…”

“…Gooo-on.”

Most likely her wild instincts had taken over.

Perhaps realizing what she had done, Dolly-chan drooped her head in guilt.

“…Well, what’s done is done. Just be careful next time, alright?”

Since Dolly-chan seemed to be reflecting, I stroked her neck.

As for Stellar-class A, I would deal with him here.

I couldn’t let Dolly-chan be thought of as a hit-and-run offender.

◇◇◇◇

Hero Aquila was furious.

Struck and sent flying by an unbelievably fast Phantom Beast that had suddenly attacked, he had been forced to taste the dirt.

His Recognition Inhibition Robe had been torn apart, exposing his bare face.

‘To think that I, a Hero, was made to let out such a pathetic cry…!’

What a vile, contemptible opponent — unforgivable.

“What the hell was that for! You damn nobleeee!”

Aquila’s head boiled over in an instant, and he bellowed furiously.

But when he saw the one he was yelling at, he froze in realization.

It was Shalka, staring at him with emotionless golden eyes, astride a monster surging with streaks of pale blue light.

‘This is bad, this is bad, this is bad…!’

What came back to his mind was that impossible, overwhelming explosion of earlier.

If something like that was aimed at him, he would not survive.

‘No way, no way! If I get hit by that, I’ll definitely die!’

If he fought head-on, it was absolutely impossible.

“Considering how terrified you were a moment ago, you’re quite spirited now, Hero. Have you accepted your fate, now that you can’t escape?”

Damn it, he knows…

If he admitted to being a Hero, battle was inevitable.

He had to deceive Shalka somehow and find a way to slip through.

Confronted with an unprecedented crisis, Aquila’s brain was drowning in a flood of adrenaline.

‘Even if he’s a noble, in the end he’s just a child… This gamble, I can win!’

Drawing on his innate gambler’s soul, Aquila steadied his shaken heart.

Then, wearing the expression of a victim caught up in an incident, he faced Shalka.

◇◇◇◇

As for me personally, I bore no particular grudge against the Heroes.

That was because I had not yet heard of Ortenos suffering any damage at their hands.

However, in the western regions of the Empire, there seemed to be a fair amount of damage caused by Heroes — banditry, murders, and various other incidents.

The reason why Ortenos had seen little damage was probably because we had plenty of hot-blooded, battle-hardened Stellar-class who could fight on equal terms with Naia’s forces.

Heroes understood well enough that if they attacked us, they would be struck down in return.

Besides, given the choice between someone wealthy but weak and someone not so wealthy but strong, it was clear they would target the former.

“What the hell are you doing all of a sudden, you damn noble!”

The Stellar-class A who had been knocked down by Dolly-chan stood up and spat out abuse.

His black robe had been torn to shreds, revealing his face.

He looked to be in his mid-twenties, an average build with brown hair — the kind of man you might find anywhere.

“Considering how terrified you were just a moment ago, you’ve become rather spirited, Hero. Have you steeled yourself now that you can’t escape?”

I decided to call out to the Hero.

“! …Ah, pardon me, it was just a joke, a joke. I lost my composure for a moment. Let’s calm down and talk this over, surely we can come to an understanding.”

Trying to cover it up now?

That was far too much of a stretch.

Just moments ago he had called me a damn noble — and now he had the gall to put on such a thick-skinned act.

“Wipe that disgusting smile off your face, Hero. You were trying to kill me, weren’t you?”

“No, no, of course not. To begin with, I’m not a Hero at all, but a former noble from Azarash. I only came here to ask for help for my domain…”

“Dolly-chan, do it.”

I gave Dolly-chan the order to attack.

“Gooo-on!”

“Gyaaaahhh!”

Dolly-chan unleashed a lightning strike on the man before me.

That smirking grin had been far too suspicious.

The Stellar-class A’s body now gave off the acrid stench of burning flesh.

“Ghh… wh-what are you doing all of a sudden!”

“Because you tried to keep steering the conversation your way. First, tell me your name and who you are.”

“Kh… I-I am called Aquila. I am a descendant of the Shurago family. You know about the Magical Beast Disaster in the Shurago region, don’t you? Right now, the Shurago lands are suffering in poverty and…”

“Dolly-chan.”

“Gooo-on!”

“Gyaaaahhh!”

I had Dolly-chan strike him with lightning again.

The man calling himself Aquila did not seem to be telling the truth.

That insistence on trying to seize control of the conversation reeked of a guilty conscience.

“Ghh… I-I told you to stop that!”

As expected of a Stellar-class, he was tough.

Maybe I’d change my approach.

“Then tell me the noble rank the Shurago family once held. If you can answer, I’ll let you go.”

“…The Shurago family, you say? …They were a Marquis house.”

“Wrong. Shurago was a Count house.”

He didn’t look like the child of a noble, so I decided to test him with a trick question.

“…Hah, that was a joke. They were Counts. I just wanted to test if you knew.”

“Wrong again. The truth is they really were Marquises.”

“……”

“The Shurago Marquisate was the center of the Magical Beast Disaster. According to the records, not only the family but every last inhabitant of the Shurago region was wiped out. So what exactly does that make you, claiming to be their descendant?”

Even I knew about the recent Magical Beast Disaster.

The Magical Beast Disaster that destroyed Azarash had greatly impacted Ortenos as well.

“…I secretly survived the calamity. Since my life was being targeted, I could not appear in public.”

Always with an excuse.

“Then you should be able to use the Bloodline Magic of the Shurago family. Prove it.”

“!”

Bloodline Magic was, in Ortenos, like 《Meteor Ray》— a spell unique to each noble house.

For that reason, it could not be faked.

As expected, Aquila faltered.

No doubt he had thought he could talk his way out of it, believing me just a child.

“…I’m sorry, I just panicked and told a lie. But I’m really not a Hero. I’m actually the son of Mayor Barbedi. Right now, the city is under attack by Heroes and it’s terrible! Please, I beg you, let me go!”

Did he truly think he could escape with such a pathetic lie?

Or was he simply a fool?

“It’s useless, Hero Aquila. The one who was blown away by my magic earlier withstood my Intimidation and even displayed physical ability on par with Stellar-class. How do you explain that?”

“That’s… tch, damn it! That bastard Lynx, making it so easy to be traced! Now my escape plan is ruined…!”

The man apparently could no longer deny it.

He no longer tried to hide and instead began cursing.

“Lynx…?”

But more than that, the name that spilled from Aquila’s mouth caught my attention.

It matched the name Balbat had spoken of.

“…Ah, I see. So the one blown away by my magic earlier, that was the one who leaked my sortie information to Naia.”

A Hero without mana could pass freely through Ortenatris’s checkpoints and the mana-detection devices of the outer walls.

But for a Hero to have infiltrated Ortenatris Castle was a grave situation indeed.

Countermeasures would be needed from now on.

“Kukuku, ahahaha! Oh, so that had already been exposed? Then it’s fine. That’s right. It was Lynx who leaked your information.”

“Oh? Dropping the farce already, Hero?”

“What’s the point of covering it up any longer? So tell me in return — how did you know where I was?”

Did he really think I would reveal something so important?

Like a child who had grown older without ever maturing.

“Do you think I’d tell a Hero?”

“Hahh. This is why I hate nobles. Selfish, always thinking only of exploitation. If you won’t tell me… then die here!”

Aquila’s expression twisted violently, and he suddenly hurled several knives.

Of course, thrown knives wouldn’t be enough to kill a Stellar-class, but a Hero wouldn’t waste his movements.

Looking at the blades in flight, I saw they had discolored into a sickly hue.

“…Poison, is it.”

Normally, poison had no effect on Stellar-class but there was still an unpleasant feeling.

I swung my pipe, knocking each knife out of the air one by one.

“Kukuku, correct answer. Now, let’s continue!”

How many did he even have? By now, the number he had thrown already reached into the dozens.

‘Pointless. At this rate he’ll only wear himself down.’

Aquila’s skill in throwing was certainly impressive, but not enough to endanger my life.

And yet, despite his attacks being ineffective, Aquila showed no sign of panic. Clearly, he had some hidden plan.

“It’s useless. Tricks like that won’t work on me.”

“Ahahaha, that’s what nobles always say right before they die.”

“?”

Even while throwing knives, Aquila began gathering mana.

I felt the signs of spell activation but nothing happened.

Still feeling something was off about Aquila’s behavior, I activated Mana Detection.

At once, I caught a fast-approaching mana reaction from behind.

“!”

Bending my knees and lowering my stance, I swung the pipe.

A sharp clang rang out as I deflected a thrown knife from behind.

“Wow, what a sharp reaction!”

“Knives imbued with mana…? Don’t tell me, you were manipulating them remotely?”

“Kukuku, I didn’t expect you to see through my Puppet Magic so quickly.”

“Puppet Magic?”

I had never heard of such magic.

But judging from the name, it must be a spell that infuses small objects with mana and allows the caster to control them freely.

Wait a second — isn’t that just an application of my own discovery of Mana Conduction?

Fascinating, but it irritated me immensely to feel like he had gotten ahead of me.

“Ah yes. This Puppet Magic is my trademark, you could say. Indeed, I am none other than Aquila the Puppet Hero, ranked eleventh in the order of the Union’s Thirteen Ranked Stars! With this Puppet Magic, I have sent countless nobles to their graves. You too shall soon join them.”

Aquila proudly declared his name.

“So it really was the Hero Union.”

The Union — or Hero Union.

From my father, I had heard that they were nothing but a militant terrorist organization made up of Heroes.

Across the continent of Atla, they carried out terror acts, and at their top stood thirteen Heroes of immense power.

So this man before me was one of them.

“That’s right. Sorry to say but your defeat has already been decided. The stage is already set.”

“What?”

All around me, countless mana reactions appeared.

The thrown knives rose into the air, completely encircling me, every blade pointed directly at me.

“…The inescapable dome of death,《Deadly Dome》! Even if you’re a Demon-Extinguishing Mage, you can’t possibly block this many!”

“…I see.”

So the reason he had thrown so many poisoned knives wasn’t to kill me immediately, but to surround me with them.

A practical tactic, I had to admit.

“These knives are coated with a poison mixed with the fluids of Magical Beasts. Even with a Stellar-class body, one touch is enough to bring death! Of course, even a Demon-Extinguishing Mage wouldn’t survive it!”

It seemed my unpleasant hunch had been correct.

But still — why was it?

‘This poison… it doesn’t feel nearly as dangerous as Aquila claims.’

I could only describe it as instinct, but I felt as though I had some natural resistance to poison.

Several ways to break through Aquila’s technique came to mind but what lingered in my ears was the word he had repeated.

Since he seemed overconfident, I might as well probe him a little.

“Tell me, why was the Hero Union monitoring me?”

“Kukuku, fine. As a memento for the afterlife, I’ll tell you. We were monitoring you for a certain purpose.”

“A certain purpose?”

“Yes. It was… to confirm the existence of a Demon-Extinguishing Mage newly born in Ortenos.”

“…Huh? That’s a strange way to phrase it. If that Demon-Extinguishing Mage existed, why not just say so?”

At my words, Aquila looked at me in disbelief, his face blank with astonishment.

“What? You mean you don’t know what a Demon-Extinguishing Mage is? Pffft, ahahahaha! That’s priceless! To have become one without even realizing it — that’s too hilarious!”

“?”

As Aquila burst out laughing, I tilted my head.

“Well, whatever. A Demon-Extinguishing Mage is someone who slays a Magical Beast, the greatest calamity of Stellar-class, and only then do they gain that title. By defeating a Magical Beast, they make that power their own and become an existence beyond Stellar-class.”

“……”

So that was what a Demon-Extinguishing Mage was.

An existence that destroyed Magical Beasts, hence the name.

Which meant that I had apparently become one by defeating a Magical Beast.

But that was absurd.

Because I had never once defeated a Magical Beast in my life.

Encircled on all sides by poisoned knives, Aquila spoke with smug confidence.

“You asked earlier why I said『possibly born』instead of speaking with certainty. That’s because the prophecy of the Kaname of Divination Stars failed. That’s why the Union began its investigation.”

“A prophecy… that was supposed to be an absolute future, wasn’t it?”

If Balbat’s words had been true, it was the prophecy that Naia had been spreading widely.

Now that I thought about it, thanks to those rumors, commoners had been fleeing my lands in droves, and Ortenos’s economy had suffered greatly.

And perhaps as a backlash, now the exact opposite phenomenon was occurring.

“That’s right. If the prophecy had gone as foretold, Ortenos should have perished six years ago in a massive Magical Beast Disaster. But when the lid was opened, not even a single Magical Beast was confirmed. Don’t you think that’s strange?”

If no Magical Beast had been confirmed, then a Demon-Extinguishing Mage could not possibly have been born.

My existence itself appeared inexplicable.

“Indeed, it’s an interesting story.”

“You do realize, don’t you? Of all those involved, you are the one in the most suspicious position.”

I replied with indifference but Aquila seemed unsatisfied with that.

Regardless of what he thought, there was nothing I could do about having no clue.

“Well, then, someone must have slain the Magical Beast. Slain so quickly that its appearance went completely unrecognized.”

“Kukuku, ahahahaha! That’s far too ridiculous for a joke. The prophesied Magical Beast was a true monster, the kind that even a bundle of Stellar-class couldn’t bring down. Even if there had been a single Demon-Extinguishing Mage, the situation wouldn’t have changed.”

“…Well, I suppose that’s true.”

Even as I said it, I recognized how strange it sounded.

Magical Beasts were the most feared calamity of the Atla Continent. Once they appeared, culture and civilization could be wiped out in an instant. They were feared the way pandemics were on Earth.

Yet even the very existence of Magical Beasts was shrouded in mystery.

Chief among those mysteries was:『Where do Magical Beasts come from?』

Some claimed they came from the north, others from the south. Still others claimed they appeared from nowhere at all. It was all terribly vague.

And as Aquila said, they were so powerful that there were only a scant few records of their subjugation.

“And so, at last today, a lead has been found. The new Demon-Extinguishing Mage is you. …So tell me, just what exactly are you?”

“What…? I am but an ordinary noble.”

Though admittedly, with an unreasonable amount of mana.

“No, that can’t be. The light when you killed Balbat was unmistakable — the Radiance of the Stellar Vein. That proves you’re a Demon-Extinguishing Mage.”

“I don’t know anything about that.”

“So you’re really going to feign ignorance. Truly a slippery noble, aren’t you.”

“It’s not a lie, though…”

Despite my words, Aquila’s suspicion only deepened.

Radiance of the Stellar Vein? Yet another term I had never heard before.

Well, in my previous life I had arrhythmia, but in this life I’d rather keep my heartbeat steady.

“…Then I’ll kill you and ask your corpse instead!”

With his Puppet Magic, Aquila launched dozens of poisoned knives at me.

‘Now then, how best to deal with this?’

I didn’t believe each knife was moving autonomously.

To control dozens of knives remotely, he must have connected each with a mana link, diverting a considerable portion of his resources into operating them.

In that case, if I scrambled those links, the Puppet Magic should cease functioning.

‘Time for an experiment.’

I began to focus my mana.

“Trying to cast now? It’s useless, useless, useless! You can’t possibly escape my inescapable dome of death, the Deadly Dome!”

The air around me stilled, as though motion had stopped and sound was swallowed.

Then, the very next moment, it was as though the air went mad, a strange metallic ringing echoing all around.

“Hah?”

Aquila looked bewildered.

The knives that had been floating around me suddenly lost all momentum, like severed puppets, and clattered to the ground.

“No way… my Puppet Magic was canceled? Impossible! What did you do, damn noble!”

“Just as I thought. Seems your Puppet Magic is ill-suited to dealing with me.”

All I had done was crudely focus my mana and let it leak out around me.

Normally, this was a technique used in persuasion, since it strongly affected the human mind. But this time, through resonance effects on objects, it forcibly tore away his Puppet Magic.

“Lies, lies, lies! Just focusing mana could cancel it? My Puppet Magic should be able to withstand even Intimidation! There’s no way someone else’s mana could interfere — impossible, damn noble!”

Aquila began to lose his composure, but it was about time to finish this and head for Bangwall Fortress.

“Sorry to interrupt your confusion, but I’m pressed for time as well. Let’s end this here, Hero Aquila.”

“Damn, damn, damn! I won’t forgive you, damn nobleeee!”

I gripped the pipe under my right arm and stomped hard against the ground.

The sound of the earth splitting behind me told me I had already surpassed what could be called human strength.

In an instant, I closed the distance to Aquila.

His eyes widened in shock.

I thrust the pipe forward like a spear, straight for his heart.

“Guhh!”

It pierced through the thick flesh of a Stellar-class body as though compressed by deep-sea water pressure.

I drove through with such force that I crashed into the rocky outcrop behind him.

◇◇◇◇

“…For a Hero, I expected more resistance. Is this really all?”

“Ghff… d-damn noble…”

Maybe because I still had the impression of my battle with Balbat, I felt a little let down.

This one wasn’t the type to fight head-on, but the type who won through underhanded tricks.

Still, once the heart was pierced, even a Stellar-class would die.

“Kukuku… it was impressive that you broke my Puppet Magic, damn noble… but that’s all… Against the true power of justice, you are helpless…!”

Blood dripped from Aquila’s mouth, yet his eyes had not lost their will to fight.

There was no way anyone could survive after having their heart pierced.

Yet something felt wrong. Immediately, I yanked the pipe from his chest and raised it to behead him.

“We, the Thirteen Ranked Stars, have welcomed a true leader and gained new power! I’ll show you… this is the power of a true Hero!”

Just before I could finish him, Aquila’s body erupted in a blinding light.

‘Could it be self-destruction?’

I stepped back cautiously, bracing myself for impact.

In the next moment, an enormous surge of mana overflowed from his body, shockwaves blasting outward.

Not self-destruction — it felt similar to my own mana overflow, but more unstable, almost berserk.

As the light subsided, Aquila’s transformed body appeared.

His frame had swollen to several times its size, streaked with glowing mana lines, his form grotesque.

“Ahahahaha! This is the power of justice that crushes the tyranny of nobles!”

His eyes were bloodshot, his sanity clearly slipping away.

Near his dantian, a『door』shone brilliantly, surrounded by a strange sigil resembling two arms.

‘His mana has ballooned out of control… what kind of mechanism is this?’

Even the heart I had destroyed seemed to have regenerated — utterly abnormal.

“Damn noble Shalka, I’ll show you hell!”

Aquila closed the distance in a flash.

His sheer physical ability left me wide-eyed.

But that wasn’t the only shock.

“What is that… your right arm?”

To my astonishment, Aquila’s right arm had transformed into a sword.

That grotesque, pulsating thing was no longer human — it was a monster’s limb.

“Dieeeeee, damn nobleeeeee!”

Aquila roared, bringing the sword-arm down.

The strike was heavy.

I caught it with my pipe, but my stance gave way, and I was blasted backward.

‘In terms of raw power, he’s at least twice that of a Stellar-class.’

While flung through the air, I gauged Aquila’s combat ability.

“Two hundred and fifty years ago, when the nobles first appeared, this world was warped beyond repair! Innocent people were despised as nothing more than Dust-class, reduced to mere tools to labor for the nobles! Descendants of the traitor, Seymour’s line!”

“…?”

Each word was loaded with emotion, as his heavy slashes came down.

Clearly, his strength surpassed that of a normal Stellar-class, carrying more than enough force to wound me.

“Nobles like you, who always stand in the place of oppression, could never understand our suffering! You don’t know what it feels like to cultivate barren land with our lives on the line, only to have all our wheat seized as『taxes』!”

Admittedly, his words stung a little.

What came to mind wasn’t Ortenos itself, but rather a troublesome group festering within.

“…I see.”

“Ahahaha! So you understand now? Nobles have no place in this world! The ones truly meant to rule are the Heroes, not the nobles! A world unified under our leader is the rightful form of order!”

Seeing my reaction, Aquila seemed to think I had submitted.

I endured his rant, but my answer was unchanged.

“Hmph. You talk on and on, but in the end, the Hero Union is nothing but—vermin.”

The blissful smile vanished from Aquila’s face, replaced with twisted ugliness.

“What did you say?!”

“Don’t spout humanitarian ideals when you’re nothing but terrorists. What you do is nothing more than a shallow rejection of authority. Those who drag the era backward, trying to plunge the world into chaos again, are unfit to be rulers.”

“Shut up! Shut up! You nobles are nothing but pigs fattened on the people’s blood taxes! Don’t you dare lecture meeee!”

“True, we nobles collect taxes from the people. But that’s also for their sake. It takes money to create an environment where they don’t have to cower in fear of external threats. Do you not even understand that much?”

“Lies! Nobles are nothing but fools drowning in luxury!”

Aquila’s already bloodshot, veiny face turned even redder as he screamed.

“And it’s you, who recklessly disrupt the order nobles have built, who are the true fools. Do you not realize you are making things worse for future Heroes?”

“What?!”

“You talk about justice, about ideals, but you lack any vision. You’ve never once considered what comes after destroying the nobles.”

Of course, I had a vision.

A grand one — to build a paradise of sticky-sweet love with my yet-unseen adorable brides.

“Silence! None of that matters so long as you nobles are erased!”

Born a noble, and choosing to live as one, I had long since passed the point of denying that path.

“Then it’s a stalemate. Well, I’m generous, so after the Hero Union is destroyed, I’ll think plenty about the people. And about the Heroes yet to be born. So rest easy and die here.”

“Ridiculous! The ones who will perish are you nobles!”

Indeed, it seemed Heroes and nobles were destined to annihilate one another.

I began gathering a sufficient amount of mana to bury him.

“I’ll teach you something. Fake power like that is useless before polished, pure violence.”

“It is not fake! This power, granted by our leader, is the sword of judgment to execute the nobles!”

Enormous mana began to converge in Aquila’s sword-arm.

“Die! Hero’s Finishing Strike:《Brave Blow》!”

A mass of power that could easily bring down a single Stellar-class was unleashed.

An unfamiliar, ominous black slash —

It ripped up the earth as it came roaring toward me.

‘…Well, looks like brute force with super-mana is the optimal solution here.’

I was already prepared to counter.

It took less than two seconds to activate and with its overwhelming density and searing heat, it incinerated everything in its path — the one and only, greatest spell that Ortenos prided itself on.

All I had to do was release it.

“Meteor Ray.”

From my right hand, I unleashed a massive beam of light.

The overwhelming heat scorched the air, warping the scenery around it as it surged straight ahead, in an instant reaching the magic of Hero Aquila.

And then, Aquila’s so-called strike of justice was swallowed up without sentiment, without resistance—swallowed almost absurdly easily.

“Impossible! You mean to say the power of justice bestowed upon me by our Leader could be defeated?!”

The beam continued forward, slamming directly into Aquila, mercilessly beginning to vaporize his body.

◇◇◇◇

“Gyaaaaahhh! I’m disappearing! I’m disappearing!”

“……”

As his body faded, reflected in Aquila’s eyes was the black-haired boy staring at him with utter indifference.

He understood—he had lost. He had been defeated.

His strongest technique had been shattered in an instant before his very eyes. There was no choice but to acknowledge it.

And yet…

If there was one thing he regretted—

‘What… such cold eyes…’

Far too merciless for one merely watching an enemy vanish.

He wanted to scream: at least show a little emotion.

But the black-haired boy’s gaze was utterly devoid of feeling, like someone staring at a line of ants for hours on end.

For Aquila, who had spent more than half his life gambling, such indifference was the most unforgivable thing of all.

Summoning the last of his strength, he tried to land at least one blow of spite.

“Guooooohh! Damn you noble Shalka! Even if you defeat me, the Union will send assassins after you, hound you down. In the near future, you’ll regret ever defying our Leader…!”

“You’re one persistent bastard.”

Seeing Aquila’s resistance, the black-haired boy poured even more mana into the beam.

“GyaaaaAAAAhhhhh…!”

The massive beam swelled in intensity, completely engulfing Aquila’s body.

Resistance was no longer possible.

‘Such tranquil, unclouded mana… Unlike the arrogant nobles, this bore the marks of true refinement. Cold, inorganic… and yet—beautiful.’

With that final thought, Aquila was swallowed by the torrent of light, and vanished.

◇◇◇◇

The air gave a sharp biiiin sound.

It was a strange sensation, as if Aquila’s mana was dissolving into the sky.

“Phew… finally, that’s settled.”

Aquila had called himself one of the Thirteen Ranked Stars.

If he was ranked eleventh, then that meant there were still ten more above him.

‘And then there’s the Demon-Extinguishing Mage, huh.’

Honestly, even if I was told I was a Demon-Extinguishing Mage, it didn’t really click.

If I truly possessed overwhelming mana, that was a good thing.

To build a paradise of love here in Ortenos, I could never have too much power to repel external threats.

‘Or perhaps…Grandfather might know something.’

The possibility that my Grandfather was a Demon-Extinguishing Mage had grown stronger. But the truth was, I’d hardly had any contact with him.

Because of a certain binding pact he had made with Lanekki, my grandfather had been confined to Ronchant Fortress.

Ideally, I’d want to share information with him as soon as possible, but given his elusive nature, it wasn’t very realistic.

…And another thing gnawed at me: whether or not there existed someone with mana exceeding my own.

I’d rather not believe such a person existed, but since Aquila had hinted at a『Leader』, it was clear I’d need to keep close track of the Union’s movements from here on out.

“…Really, the future’s already looking grim.”

That he used a magic I’d never even heard of — Puppet Magic — proved that Heroes could not be underestimated.

Unlike Balbat, who excelled purely through combat sense, Aquila had come at me with poison and tricks, determined to ensure his kill. Typical of Heroes, whose battles always reeked of dark struggles.

‘To think I’ve taken down two Stellar-class in just one day…’

There was an old saying in this world:『Once rotted, the star returns to the star』.

The first『star』likely referred to Stellar-class, and the second could mean『this planet』or『the earth』in a transitory sense, or in a religious interpretation, reincarnation into a new Stellar-class.

Because Stellar-class corpses contained immense mana, they resisted decay and remained intact for quite some time.

The common view was that this saying was a way of honoring Stellar-class, but to me, it sounded more like: 『What a pain to deal with the corpse…』

After all, here I was, brooding over how to deal with Balbat’s corpse.

Whoever had first spoken those words had probably been offering a witty, concise truth about the inevitability of Stellar-class death.

Getrad and his lot might very well just put heads on display, but I personally disliked defiling the dead.

Coming from a set of values where mourning the dead was a virtue, I found the opposite — desecration — deeply repulsive.

That said, obliterating someone until not even a corpse remained, like with Aquila, also had its problems.

“…Maybe I should’ve at least left a head.”

As it was, with nothing left, I had no way to prove his death.

Even if I said I’d killed Aquila, without proof people would just ask, 『And who the hell is that?』

My eyes fell upon one of the poisoned throwing knives Aquila had hurled.

“Might as well bring this back. It’s technically a Stellar Tool after all.”

Stellar Tools were weapons crafted from rare, special metals.

Because only specialist artisans could process them, their acquisition was extremely limited.

This time, it would serve as proof of subjugation and if sold, would fetch a decent price. As spoils of war, collecting it was a must.

Bringing back dozens of knives was a hassle, not to mention they were coated in poison.

After thinking it over for a bit, I came up with a good idea.

‘I could just tie them together like dried persimmons and drag them back.’

Not exactly the most noble thing to do, but it wasn’t as if anyone was watching.

“Let’s see… something to tie with. A string, a string… ah.”

My eyes landed on Dolly-chan’s long tail hair.

I decided to borrow a bit and use it as a substitute string.

“Dolly-chan, I’m just going to take a little bit of your tail hair.”

“Goooon?”

Riiip.

Since I obviously didn’t have scissors, I yanked out a tuft of Dolly-chan’s tail hair.

“GOOOOOOON!”

Dolly-chan exploded in fury.

Apparently, ripping it out so suddenly was a very bad idea.

Like a beast reclaiming its wild nature, Dolly-chan went berserk.

“Whoa, whoa, I’m sorry, Dolly-cha—buhehh!”

She kicked me with her hind legs, sending me flying through the air.

◇◇◇◇

After that, it was a real struggle to calm Dolly-chan down.

I used healing magic to restore her tail hair, then massaged her with mana like a dog at a grooming salon, and only then did she finally forgive me.

Even with one’s own steed, proper manners were important — something so obvious even a child would know, and yet I had to relearn it the hard way.

“Hihiiin.”

“I said I’m sorry. I won’t ever do something like that again.”

Now, I was heading toward Bangwall Fortress as originally planned.

I had Dolly-chan return to her normal form.

After all, leaving her as Lightning Dolly-chan would have drawn way too much attention.

“Oh, there it is, Bangwall Fortress.”

Bangwall Fortress lay about 150 kilometers east of Ortenatos, within the territory of the Kingdom of Naia.

Situated on the west side of the Elhoro River at Naia’s westernmost edge, it had long been famed as an impregnable fortress. Yet now, it was surrounded by men clad in familiar uniforms.

“Lord Shalka! We’re relieved you’re safe!”

“Ah, looks like Getrad and the others have encircled it well.”

“Yes. As expected, it seems there are no Stellar-class inside the fortress. But more importantly, Lord Shalka… what is with that massive bundle of knives?”

“They’re spoils of war. Don’t mind them.”

“…Which means, then, that you brought down a Stellar-class.”

Getrad narrowed his eyes.

It was clear he was burning with curiosity about the identity of the fallen foe.

“Yeah, but we’ll talk later. Right now, I want to focus on capturing the fortress. Getrad, do you have a plan?”

Since I had no experience in fortress assaults, I intended to entrust everything to Getrad.

“Lord Shalka, I have two requests. The first is that you grant everyone Mana Envelopment. With the enhancement, we’ll all storm the fortress at once and take control of the inside. Considering what comes after we seize it, we should focus on the western side of the fortress…”

There’s a theory that besieging a fortress requires three times the defender’s manpower, and in this world that understanding still generally held true.

But since the concept of mana existed, simple numbers weren’t everything.

“…And the other request is—”

I cut Getrad off with my hand.

The intention was obvious without him saying it.

“—Of course, the opening strike.”

Getrad gave a sharp grin and nodded silently.

‘Now then, how should I do this?’

Long-range bombardment magic had long been a siege tactic of nobles, but precisely because of that, countermeasures existed.

Even if I fired a spell, it would likely be intercepted by Stellar-class magic barrages, and the outer walls were made with materials that attenuated magical effects.

On the other hand, using something like Meteor Ray would be so overpowered it might pierce straight through the fortress.

‘Blasting away with magic like an idiot isn’t very stylish’

It would be better to focus solely on the outer wall, and destroy it in one certain strike.

I pulled a gold coin from my pocket and flicked it into the air.

Catching it, I clenched it in my fist and poured in a massive amount of mana.

“Alright, let’s go with a full-power pitch for the first time in a while.”

As far as ranged attacks went, this was the most primitive: throwing.

Aquila had used it too, but when something was hurled by a Stellar-class body, the result was terrifying.

With speed many times that of a professional major-league pitcher, an object hurled at such velocity could be mistaken for a cannon shell. Its destructive power was brutally simple.

‘This time, though, what I’m throwing is this gold coin.’

If thrown flat and level, a coin minimized air resistance, achieving even greater speed than a baseball.

And best of all, being a physical attack, it couldn’t be obstructed by magic interference.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve always liked throwing things as far as I could.’

As a kid, I’d gone all out with paper cup rockets and watermelon seed spitting contests.

I still remembered the TV footage I once saw of an overseas『pumpkin chucking contest』, which had absolutely gripped my heart.

Firing pumpkins more than a thousand meters with contraptions that looked like weapons of war — there was nothing more romantic.

‘Never thought I’d be doing something that seriously in another world, though.’

The pitching form I’d once dabbled in during childhood baseball—

Now, with mana added, it had gained literally murderous destructive power.

From the setup, I flowed into a smooth motion, swinging my right arm down with all my might.

At the release point on my index finger, I poured in the maximum force.

“Raaaahhhhhhhh!”

With a shout, the coin blasted forth at supersonic speed.

The gold coin generated a sonic boom as it instantly reached the western outer wall, embedding deeply with almost no resistance.

Naia soldiers guarding the wall flinched in surprise, but realizing there was no serious damage, they laughed.

That was their downfall.

Inside the outer wall, the gold coin detonated in a massive explosion.

The western outer wall was blown to pieces, reduced to dust.

“Good.”

Confirming that the wall had collapsed and the fortress interior was exposed, I immediately granted the soldiers a heavy dose of Mana Envelopment doping.

“This is it… it’s coming…”

“Oooh… power…?”

“Ahhh, it’s too much…”

“What is this… amazing… shugo, shugo…”

Red auras began rising from the soldiers.

Since conscripted citizens were mixed in this time, I held back a little compared to before.

“Listen, everyone! From here we will seize the fortress! Now is the time to take Bangwall Fortress and reclaim the western Elhoro River region for Ortenos! Show Naia that as long as Shalka stands here, they will never set foot on this land again!”

Rousing the troops with my words, I raised my pipe high into the sky.

Perfect. At times like these, saying something grand always got the blood pumping.

“「「Zozzozozozo!」」”

The soldiers’ morale was high.

Each one now bore red lines across their faces, but they were managing to control the power.

Repeated exposure to Mana Envelopment had gotten them used to it.

“March forth!”

This time, I would not be taking the field.

It might seem cold but as a commander, stealing the credit from my subordinates would only be boorish.

As their commander, it was also my duty to silently watch the soldiers march off.

“「「Hyaaaahhaaaaaa!」」”

“…”

Shouting strange cries, my subordinates charged into the fortress.

From within the fortress came the sounds of screams and chaos.

“Gahaha! Finally, I get to go wild!”

“Hehe… at last, I can unleash this power to its fullest… Nuuooohhh! Naia, annihilation!”

“Die, you Naia scum! Until I make a river with your blood, I won’t stop!”

…It felt like, since they still retained a shred of reason, their cruelty had only increased.

As I suspected, restraining my magic while using it was something I still wasn’t very good at.

“Lord Shalka, the capture of Bangwall Fortress is proceeding without incident. At this pace, it should be secured within half an hour.”

A female officer with a blank expression reported in a flat tone.

It was a somewhat anticlimactic outcome, but it seemed the capture of Bangwall Fortress would present no problems.

“Ah…”

“Is something the matter?”

“No, I just let my guard down a little.”

“Considering you’ve been active since morning, that is only natural.”

Now that she mentioned it, the mental fatigue had indeed piled up.

That aside, once I calmed down, I began to feel a creeping sense of dread.

“This is bad.”

“Bad… you say?”

“Yes. This has become very bad.”

“W-what on earth do you mean?”

The female officer gulped audibly, watching me with nervous eyes.

Up until now I had tried not to think about it, but from the perspective of a modern Japanese person’s tendency to avoid trouble, this was an extremely serious matter.

“…I may have achieved too much.”

“…Yes.”

Today’s results:

• The subjugation of Balbat von Naia 

• The subjugation of Hero Aquila 

• The capture of Bangwall Fortress