Volume 7 Chapter 126, Magic Sword ~ 34
It was after the sun had set and it was dark when she heard the horses whinnying. Isolde, the head of the Holy Sword Clan, had finished her inspection of the area and returned, and everyone had already finished their dinner.
At the moment, the road through the valley of Horwood is blocked because of a large explosion near the Dark Green Forest, which is the destination of the road, and the road has been lost. In other words, there is no way for people to pass through.
The High Mentor's secretary steps out from the tent set up for the nightly camp to make sure―As Sheryl had predicted, the horse was controlled by the deputy leader of the task force, of which she was the leader. Sheryl also steps out of the tent with a lit torch to greet him. The cold night air stung Sheryl's skin.
「Team Leader」
Derek looked at Sheryl's face in the light of the torch, and his voice was filled with relief. His complexion showed considerable fatigue.
「Thanks for your hard work, deputy leader.」
「Don't be.」
He replied simply, but his horse was one step away from blowing bubbles, too. After dismounting and asking the secretary of the High Mentor to take care of his horse, Derek finally sat down on the ground and breathed heavily. It was evident that he had pushed himself very hard to get this far.
Derek thanked Sheryl briefly for the bottle of water and gulped it down.
「There's not much left, but there's still some dinner left」
「Oh, thank goodness」
Finally catching his breath, Derek smiled at Sheryl as she said this. Sheryl reaches out a hand to Derek on the ground.
「The report comes first, though.」
「Oh man. That's a harsh team leader, you are」
Derek finally got up with Sheryl's help and stretched a little, slapping the butt of his pants. Derek's attitude was a little shaky. But to Sheryl, he is more approachable that way.
「I'll have your report to High Mentor in the presence of the Head of the Clan., is that all right?」
「I don't mind, but......If possible, I thought it would be more accurate if I could report the incident with Zelphys-dono of the Holy Sword Clan, who was watching the event with me.」
「Zelphys is not here. I sent him to check on the target.」
Derek was taken aback by the sound of a woman's voice coming from behind Sheryl. He guessed that she was the head of the Holy Sword Clan. The head of the clan Zelphys had been talking to using the calling stone was a woman ― although he did not expect her to be wearing a rugged mask.
When he made a small nod and apologized for allowing Zelphys to contact him, the head of the clan shook her head from side to side and made a small, deep behind-the-mask laugh.
「That's mutual. Well, then, deputy leader and all that. Let's hear your report.」
Derek gave a wry smile and entered the tent, his tired body whipping around. Inside the tent, the Mentor, who had already finished his meal, the three lecturers who were following him, and the secretary to the Mentor were all looking very serious. Behind the tent was a wooden box resembling an altar with candlesticks on either side. A cloth with a complex pattern on it is laid on the floor. This would be the center of the inverted magic circle, the place of the ritual.
Acknowledging Derek's appearance, the High Mentor nodded and ordered the meal to be cleaned up. The meal, however, was a simple affair, at least not the kind of meal one would expect a High Mentor of his status to eat ― though it was far better than the food Sheryl had eaten on her journey with Isolde before coming here.
On a tidy desk, the secretary briefly unfolds a map of the neighborhood: five, marked, four of them the location of the altar for the inverted magic circle, the other in the center of the circle. This would be where the head of the Holy Sword Clan would wield her sword.
With permission, Derek placed one of the pieces on the map. This was the spot where Baron Dantes' army and Satoru and the others fought. It was a popular battlefield since ancient times, and it was called Kurt's Garden.
It is about 50 miles (about 65 km) from Kurt's Garden to this tent. The tension of everyone present was heightened by the location, which conveyed the idea that tomorrow or the day after tomorrow would be the day.
The High Mentor, showing some concern for Derek's tired face, slowly opened his mouth.
「First, let's talk about the target's surroundings.」
「There are five women, one of whom is 【Immortal King】 Leia Löwenstadt, and another woman with light blue hair, who I believe is also a high-level sorcerer. She was the one who took out the spectators sent by the Senate who were watching over Baron Dantes' army and those who were far away, such as the patrol of the Academy of the Wise, and she soared through the air and controlled as many as 15 fireballs at will.」
The three lecturers were all in an uproar. It is no ordinary skill to manipulate as many as 15 fireballs at will while soaring in the sky. For example, two of the lecturers here could make as many as 15 fireballs. The ability to manipulate fireballs at will is also a feat that these two are capable of. But if you ask them to do both, it is impossible. They were surprised that it was not the target person or Leia Löwenstadt who could do the feat, which could not be done in the instructor class of the Academy of the Wise.
「Of the remaining three, two appeared to be girls. Their fighting strength is unknown.」
Derek nonchalantly laid out only the facts. If the remaining two girls also had high combat power, he would honestly be at a loss, but as expected, Derek added, he doubt it would go that far.
The High Mentor stroked his beard thoughtfully.
「The remaining one was Minerva, the daughter of a flying dragon, was it? If she became a flying dragon, it would be troublesome. ......」
「We have taken steps on our end to deal with that.」
The High Mentor breathed a sigh of obvious relief at the sound of the head of the Holy Sword Clan's voice. It's honestly tough to have to deal with the king of the sky, who is near the top of the hierarchy among the beast races. And Minerva was a woman, in other words, a Nushi(lord)-class (class) even among flying dragons, and since she possessed the intelligence to speak human language, she was the daughter of the five dragons. Her fighting ability is unmatched by ordinary flying dragons.
The fingers of the head of the Holy Sword Clan gently caressed the map. That place is just around the exit of the valley. She stroked the road to Ares.
「The time required for chanting was about two minutes. It would be a good time to start chanting as soon as the enemy's figure entered the circle. I will order Zelphys to give the signal.」
「Indeed ......, we will start chanting as soon as the signal is given. Everyone is ready.」
The three instructors nodded in unison. These men have shown absolute loyalty to the High Mentor personally. If the High Mentor says something white is black, they will admit it. It is a hardship to wait at a post for a long time for a subject who is not sure will be there, but they do not consider it a hardship either.
The High Mentor nodded to his immediate subordinate and then turned his attention back to the deputy.
「You can't read Satoru's ability?」
「Yes. According to the Holy Sword Clan member who was accompanying me, it was Leia Löwenstadt who slaughtered most of Baron Dantes' army of 500. The first vanguard was decimated by 【Scorching Sun (Flame Road)】, and then the three attackers attacked simultaneously, but 【Storm Wall】 blocked the projectile attacks, and 【Ice Storm Blade】 almost wiped them out. The few survivors were quickly killed by the numerous 【Ice Spear】 that were fired at them. I lost count of the number of 【Ice Spear】, but whether it was the 【Scorching Sun (Flame Road)】 or the 【Ice Storm Blade】, both the attack power and range were far beyond anything we had heard of. I apologize for this is just a guess, but even a rough estimate would be 5 to 10 times stronger」
「...... even though the sun is still up?」
The High Mentor winced at Leia's bizarre magical power.
The High Mentor also has a great deal of respect for Derek's abilities. Although his soul is not that big, his breadth of knowledge and calmness, backed up by a great deal of experience, is enough to serve as a general of a country. Sheryl's previous leader of the team was the one who did his best to surround the department with a lot of ennui, and while it is true that there was only one department, the High Mentor knows that it was this deputy leader who actually ran that department up to this point. It was his decision, so there was no doubt about it.
The 【Immortal Family】, as represented by the 【Immortal King】, are weak against sunlight, and their abilities are maximized under the moonlight. The battle with Baron Dantes' army took place in the evening when the sun was still shining, and yet Leia Löwenstadt's magical power was so vicious that one become speechless.
However, the head of the Holy Sword Clan dispelled such fears of the High Mentor by pounding her desk with her fist.
「There is no problem. No matter how powerful she is, Leia Löwenstadt is a being of magic. With the High Mentor of the Academy of Wise Masters in hand, there is no problem if Leia Löwenstadt has another sorcerer in her ranks.」
The voice of the head of the Holy Sword Clan, full of herself, encouraged the High Mentor as well. As long as she has the Holy Sword, no magic or sorcery can penetrate it. The Holy Sword Clan has been able to maintain its isolation in the world of evil that has continued from the Ancient Magical Kingdoms because of its uniqueness.
But, of course, there are still fears in High Mentor's mind.
「But.....We still don't know what Satoru is capable of.」
The head of the Holy Sword Clan did not reply to the High Mentor's mutterings. Perhaps that is her concern as well. Derek shook his head from side to side.
「......The target, Satoru, as we reported, only defeated Baron Dantes using the 【Giant Killer】. What was his strength?(?)」
And Zelphys only caught a glimpse of him, but Derek could not see him in the dust of the battlefield. Well, there is no doubt that he is a different kind of person when he wields the 【Giant Killer】 with ease.
The head of the Holy Sword Clan flipped her hand and slammed the desk with her palm. Everyone's attention was drawn in that direction.
「Well, it can't be helped. If push comes to shove, we should fight in such a way that we can contain Satoru within the circle. No matter how much soul Satoru has, he will lose his magical power as long as he remains within the circle.」
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the confident voice of the head of the Holy Sword Clan ― No, there is an exception. It's Sheryl.
If Satoru indeed had over 100,000 soul, how long would it take to reduce them to zero? No one knows. Isolde said that the way to fight is to contain Satoru within the circle, but in the end, it is an endurance battle. She certainly had excellent skills against a big man with a big sword, but was it really possible for a woman slightly smaller than herself to control him?
Two people noticed Sheryl's expression of concern. Isolde and Derek. Sheryl is an outsider in this situation, so she needs to be careful about what she says. Just as Derek was about to throw a question at Sheryl, the High Mentor's words fell.
「Then, we must do our best to maintain the circle as planned. Head Clan, please give us a signal when everything is finished.」
「Mm.」
After smiling at the head of the Holy Sword Clan, who nodded composed, he turned his smile away and turned to Sheryl.
「Team leader Maylander. You and the deputy stay at a little distance.」
「......Understood」
As for Sheryl, she has a slight objection. It is true that from a distance, one can see the whole scene, but it is difficult to take immediate action if something happens. However, as long as the High Mentor, who is in charge of this place, has instructed her to do so, it is only logical that she should follow his instructions. In the first place, she is not supposed to be in this place.
After seeing his granddaughter's face as she nodded grudgingly, the High Mentor gave Derek a soft smile.
「Deputy Leader. I know she's a rebellious granddaughter, but please supervise her for me.」
「It's a difficult task, isn't it? But I accept.」
Derek's response elicited a small chuckle from the room. Everyone present knows that Sheryl is the granddaughter of Graham Coogan. Sheryl, her face flushed a little red, looked at her grandfather and the deputy leader as if she wanted to say something, but did not interrupt them.
「We'll be finished tomorrow or the day after tomorrow at the latest. Everyone except the secretary on watch should be well-rested and ready.」
The High Mentor looked around at everyone and his declaration once again filled the room with tension.
This incident was not something to be taken lightly. It is a historic event for the Academy of the Wise, the symbol of knowledge in this world, and the Holy Sword Clan, which has been in existence since ancient times, to fight together against an enemy.
It will be over tomorrow or the day after. Derek looked at Sheryl, exposing himself to the undeniable tension that was passing.
「That's all well and good, but I'm hungry and can't stand it. Please give me something.」
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