1006. Kill me
You remembered my name.
Nephir Tesher rejoiced like a flower seeing the sunlight, but Esther was colder than ever.
“There’s no way they would have just left a wizard in hiding alone.”
The Wizard’s Tower is a magic research group backed by the Empire. Did they just sit back and take it?
Of course not. They caught the witch three times; the first time, she transformed into a fox and vanished, concealing her tracks, causing them to lose her. The second time, they retreated when she summoned a fairy knight to attack. A knight
attacking while wearing armor impervious to all spells was no easy feat.
The third time, they finished her off by killing one of her fake lives. Regardless of anything else, the witch was truly astonishingly skilled at hiding and escaping.
Her third escape, in particular, was so impressive that even Esther was surprised.
“Entering another dimension?”
Esther asked back through the communication channel.
“Yeah, that witch would have died if she stayed put, so it must have been her last desperate struggle. We thought she was dead, but she was still active, leaving people bewildered.”
A wizard projects their spell world onto reality, while a more powerful wizard extracts the spirit contained within a body to float through the spell world.
Theoretically, a disembodied spirit can cross over to another dimension, however.
The probability of it returning is infinitely low.
However, the witch on the run managed to do it.
Was it luck, or had she realized a new principle?
By the time this was said, Esther had realized the intentions of those remaining in the Wizard’s Tower.
So you didn’t kill him.
Nephir Tesser was a typical wizard. And as you can see from Nephir, wizards are those who have a stronger sense of superiority than nobles.
“Right, since that talent is too good to waste, there are more than a few spells worth studying to figure out. She is a genius.”
It was as if they acknowledged his spellcasting skills, even though he was an enemy.
“What about the people who die in the meantime?”
Esther discussed sacrifice.
You’re talking like an enforcement officer.
What does it matter if dozens or hundreds of people died for a conversation between wizards?
People would die anyway, even without this. They die in wars and disasters. Yes, this is a catastrophe brought about by spells. So, it can’t be helped.
Through their sacrifice, the Wizard’s Tower will advance even further. All that matters is using that advanced power to protect the Empire once again.
Esther read the will of them—those who had taken over the Wizard’s Tower. So she scoffed.
Is there an end to the thirst for knowledge? No. Even after this, they will endure it, claiming that sacrifice is for the next, for tomorrow.
They will live like that forever.
Esther shifted her gaze beyond the communication mirror. She saw a man standing there staring blankly at her. Encred, the Captain of the Order of the Mad Knights, the Knight of Bewitchment.
And a man harboring a strange passion.
That man does not live like that. Even while living a fierce today for the sake of tomorrow, he does not turn away from those who pass by in the process.
Is it noble? It is noble.
Is it great? It is great.
At least, that is how Esther feels. As she looked at Encred, her thighs tensed and goosebumps spread all over her body.
Meeting you was a stroke of luck.
It was a thought that crossed my mind suddenly. Following that, my desire to do what he wanted boiled up even more.
“Nephir Tesher, tell me what you found out about the witch at the Wizard’s Tower. We need to capture her.”
“……What? That’s our business.”
“Won’t they tell me?” Another person’s voice came from beyond the communication tube Nephir was holding, but it was too whispered to be understood. Nephir, who had remained silent for the time it took to exhale three or four breaths, spoke again.
“That witch uses the spell ‘Fox Hut’ to shrink her hut and hides by perching on a fox’s back. She conceals her magical power, leaves no trace, and neither contacts nor supplies anyone, which is why she is so hard to find. However, we have identified a few suspicious areas and are currently monitoring them. Do not let your guard down. There is a highly skilled Death Knight by her side… ah, well, you should be fine.”
Nephir spoke in a stream of words. His last remark was particularly striking. He, too, looked at Encred and his party. The swordsman standing beside Esther was a fellow he truly dreaded meeting as an enemy.
Both his appearance and his swordsmanship.
He knew it better because he had faced him once, though it was only once. He was a monster. Nephir spoke his final words toward the communication port.
“If you bring her back alive, the Tower will give you a precious gift. A very precious gift.”
“Alright.”
While I’m at it, if I can bring her back alive, that wouldn’t be a bad idea. After all, if she gets trapped in the Wizard’s Tower, that witch will never see the light again.
Esther cut off the communication.
I made this too long. I guess I can’t use this anymore.
Trimache spoke as she took the mirror back. Even this mirror, which facilitated convenient communication, had various limitations. It
could not be used over excessive distances and was only valid within the Empire. The towers erected here and there across the land and the tools buried in the ground were the core principles behind how the mirror communication conduits operated. Furthermore, if the magical power was completely depleted from prolonged use, it would not regenerate.
Esther had used it herself and roughly understood its mechanism.
It was an object not worth researching. Looking at it now, it was built purely by laying down infrastructure with the power of the Empire; it was not a magical tool imbued with a special spell.
It is not much different from communicating with goggles.
In that case, the object he had made himself was better.
Having come this far, he realized that the Wizard’s Tower built by the Empire wasn’t all that impressive. It was something they would have known with just a little thought, yet they had no choice.
Gathering wizards together to build their power?
It wasn’t just a matter of rebellion; they already had a history of summoning demons and causing massive catastrophes.
Just because times have changed and years have passed, is there any guarantee that they won’t repeat the same mistake? There is none.
A gathering place for amateurs.
The Wizard’s Tower is a group of people who are at least loyal to the Empire and can communicate in some way.
Well, even so, it cannot be called an ordinary group, but it is not a place filled with so-called genius-level wizards.
‘but.’
Wouldn’t things change with time? What if we studied and researched magic so that everyone could use it comfortably?
What if we established a system that allowed even the average person to use it easily, rather than just the exceptionally talented? What if someone with a compassionate heart taught such values to the mages?
If that is what the Emperor of the Empire is trying to do right now, isn’t it right to help?
In some ways, aren’t Encred and Luagarne doing similar things?
They, too, are trying to create systems and train knights.
Esther vaguely felt a desire growing within her.
‘me too.’
As my desires become clearer, what I call aspiration—read as a dream—becomes vivid. It is an inner desire I was unaware of when I was raising the magic corps. That said, it wasn’t something I needed to do right now.
I just need to find the fox, but locating it is beyond my power. I can confirm its existence and prevent it from escaping once I come face-to-face with it, though.
Esther said as she gathered her thoughts.
So the Wizard’s Tower is finally cooperating. They refused until now.
Leaving Trimache’s muttering behind, Encred asked back, “A fox?”
“Where? If you tell me to find a single fox in this vast land, that’s basically telling me to spend my whole life chasing foxes until I die.”
Rem chimed in. Sinar nodded, agreeing that it was true. Temares, for reasons unknown, suddenly crouched to one side and gazed at the flower blooming between the stones.
Excellent.
Yongin crouched down and muttered. He had suddenly lost all interest and was just looking at flowers, yet no one said anything. How could anyone understand Yongin?
Esther selected and mentioned a few regions she had heard about from Nephir, and Trimache took charge of the guidance.
Are we going to keep going like this?
Trimache asked again, wondering if this was the right thing to do, as the time to return had long passed.
In any case, they were guests, and the one being pursued now was one of the Empire’s Three Villains. This was the job of the Imperial Knights; was this the right thing to do?
Enkrid stared intently at Trimache in response to her question.
“If you don’t go?”
In that single word of questioning, I could feel the stubbornness of the man before me. The fairy’s keen senses glimpsed his determination.
“Anyway, since it’s been a while since I went fox hunting, it’s going to be fun.”
Rem said while running.
All those who play in the forest are friends of the fairies.
This is what Sinar added. The meaning of those words was clear: it meant that a beast that wasn’t a friend couldn’t live in the forest. In other words, it sounded like he was saying that if you didn’t become friends, he would cut you down or beat you.
In a way, weren’t fairies the truly wicked group?
Are you going to live in this forest? Oh, let’s be friends.
No!
Then go die.
Ah, sorry. I’ll be your friend too, I said I will.
Well, isn’t it no different from a conversation like this going back and forth?
It was a useless thought. The reason for such distracting thoughts was obvious.
I want to catch it.
A being who turned an entire village into a living hell.
From the perspective of the empire as a whole, the damage was minor, but to those who experienced it firsthand and those who witnessed it before their eyes, it held a different meaning.
The death of a stranger is different from the death of an acquaintance. Death known only as numbers is different from death right before one’s eyes.
So, what do you want to do?
Encreed faced the question that arose within him. He approached in the guise of a boatman and asked. However, his attitude was unusually lighthearted today.
“So, you’re saying you’ll save every single one of them?”
No, I can’t. I am a swordsman. No one can save all of them.
“Then it’s completely meaningless, isn’t it? Stop it. The dead won’t come back, and even if we kill that one, the world will remain the same.”
He is pessimistic. He dismisses his efforts as futile. Turquoise eyes and milky white skin were revealed beneath the robe. A distinct scar, previously unseen, was also visible. It was a line running horizontally across his face. Blood trickled down from the line across the bridge of his nose.
It’s obvious. The ending is always predictable.
The boatman spoke. Encreed looked at the boatman silently and replied.
“You never know.”
“What?”
“I haven’t been there, so I don’t know.”
He won’t be satisfied until he tries. Encreed is that kind of person. If things remained the same even without doing it…
“Why are you stopping me when you say it will stay the same even if I do it?”
Right, isn’t it pointless for that boatman to try and stop him right now?
“…Hey, Captain!”
Encred opened his eyes at the shout.
Are you tired?
Rem asked. Was he worried about the child in those eyes?
Before he knew it, his people had completely filled the surroundings. It was Rem, Sinar, Esther, Temares, and even the Fairy Knights of the Empire.
“Why are you butting in? Stay away.”
Sinar pushed Trimache with his words. Trimache unconsciously pressed close as if guarding him, then took a step back.
Just thinking for a moment.
Encred answered. He was briefly dragged away by the boatman while standing. It was a separate matter from his steadfast will. Since this was a curse, it was a blessing to Encred, though.
It is because we have grown closer.
I heard a hallucination. It resembled the voice of a boatman showing needless kindness.
“let’s go.”
Encred spoke, and Trimache visited four forests based on the information given by the Wizard’s Tower.
The first forest was the Iron Forest, the Forest of Ironwood. It was a place where the trees making up the forest were said to be as hard as iron. The Empire had particularly many forests. Perhaps it was only natural, given that the Emperor was a fairy.
It is a good land to live in.
Judging by how Sinar spoke, he was certainly friendly toward the fairies.
Over the course of three days, the party passed through the Ironwood Forest and reached the Deep Green Forest where the Druers lived. Each of their forests was a city in itself.
It was a place where their own culture had taken root in lands suitable for fairies to live in. It was a path they merely passed through. Although Sinar encountered places different from his own city, he paid little attention to them. He might have been interested inwardly, but being a fairy, he showed no emotion outwardly.
So, where was the fox? He thought it would not be easy to find.
Then, just before passing the third forest, everyone turned their heads to one side. It was because screams were assaulting their ears.
Bang!
Enkrid kicked off the ground and ran.
mom!
Such a scream shook the ears. Gangak, Will possesses the legs. With every step the foot took, Encred’s body flew like an arrow shot with all its might.
Pararak!
The cloak, carried by the wind, transformed into a long line, tracing a stretched path as he passed. A dark green brush drew a trembling line across the twilight-tinged canvas.
Just as the sun was about to set, Enkrid arrived at a small village. The makeshift wooden fence seemed unlikely to stop monsters, though it might hold back wild boars.
He leaped over the fence in a single bound and stepped inside. His eyes fell upon the flagstones covering the ground and the edible crops scattered around.
Unless monsters suddenly burst forth, monsters, magical beasts, and bandits are rarely seen in the Empire. That is why small villages like this spring up here and there.
It was visible the moment he entered. A black line was just beginning to fall over a child’s head. There was nothing to think about. Enkrid’s body narrowed the space.
Is it insufficient?
That is how it looks. What should I do? Thoughts were brief, actions swift.
Encred threw his sword. The imprinted weapon, Oneul, carried on its master’s will and soared through the air.
Bang!
The air burst and a shockwave exploded, sending the child’s body flying to one side as he fell to the floor.
Rem caught the child who had been blown away without even being able to scream.
chin.
Dangling precariously from a single leg, Rem looked ahead. The guy who had drawn a black line there spoke.
Kill me.
It is a fairy gazing at this place with cold, pale blue eyes, with today stuck in her body.
Kill me.
The fairy wished. That will is genuine. It is overflowing with sincerity. However, the guy’s touch was different.
He pulled out Today and plunged it into the ground with all his might, then used his greatsword as a hammer to strike it repeatedly, driving it into the earth. He stomped on it with his feet, wiped the wound in the chest with his hand, and dripped black blood onto Today’s grip.
Kill me.
Saying that, he sealed the sword Encred had thrown just as it was. He was a man whose words and actions didn’t match.
