It had been over ten days since Ermes and his group departed the Royal Capital.
Ever vigilant of pursuers, they pressed onward—and were finally on the verge of reaching their destination in the north.
Liliana's mental state, which had been a source of concern, had settled down ever since that cathartic outburst the other day.
If anything, she seemed incapable of wallowing in low spirits—moving about with boundless energy, asking Ermes to teach her magic during the journey, and actively throwing herself into all manner of odd jobs rather than accepting the pampered treatment befitting her status as the one most in need of protection.
If anything, they were starting to worry she was pushing herself too hard. Between Liliana insisting she wanted to do her part and Ermes pleading with her to rest, a strange tug-of-war had erupted from time to time.
Put another way, there were no other problems to speak of, and the group had made it to the point where they would reach their destination without incident.
"…Let's go over things once more, shall we?"
Timing it as if waiting for just the right moment—
With the destination just one more mountain pass away, Yurugen surveyed the group and spoke.
Everyone grasped his intent. True to his words, it was time for a refresher on the Northern Rebellion they were about to walk into, its background, and the forces lurking behind it.
"What we're intervening in now is the Northern Rebellion. Originally, the six northern houses were not particularly cooperative with the current royal authority—and it was almost certainly the fall of Prince Aster as their catalyst that drove them to form an alliance and raise the banner of insurrection."
All of that had already been explained on the day of their audience. The group nodded.
Building on that foundation, Yurugen delved into the core of the matter.
"On top of that—there's an extremely high likelihood that the 'Church' is involved in this."
"……"
The Church.
An organization that wielded immense authority within the kingdom—and the very backing behind Second Princess Laila.
Yurugen provided a brief overview of its nature.
"The Traukia family doesn't have deep ties to it, so I don't know the specifics—but its founding is remarkably ancient. It probably dates back to around the founding era of the kingdom itself."
"……Is that all there is to it?"
"Yeah. And as you know, their activities revolve around the deification and control of 'Bloodline Magic.' In a sense, they're the organization that shaped the kingdom's current attitudes toward Bloodline Magic—and they possess the authority, power, and techniques to back that up."
At the word "techniques," Ermes's brow twitched ever so slightly.
"Some of the people in here might be familiar to you, but they have 'Appraisers' who can determine whether someone possesses Bloodline Magic and what kind it is. Those Appraisers belong to the Church. And beyond that—honestly, it's also true they've monopolized a great number of magical techniques whose true nature is hard to fathom."
Hearing this, Ermes felt a tug of curiosity about what those techniques might be... but now was hardly the time for that.
"'Bloodline Magic is a
Heavenly Gift
bestowed by the Star Gods.' That is their fundamental claim—the creed the Church has been backing up with all manner of special techniques. So—what do you think, Ermes?"
With that, Yurugen turned the question to Ermes.
It was a question posed in full awareness that the Church's claims ran head-on counter to his own understanding. Ermes answered.
"Of course, that is wrong... At the very least, Bloodline Magic was created by humans—by beings who possess human will. That is a fact that my master and I have directly observed."
That was his policy as someone who could analyze magic, and it was a line he would not cross.
However, beyond that.
"But—" he prefaced, and spoke quietly.
"'The beings called 'Star Gods.' I don't know if they are truly gods, but entities—or an entity—possessing power far beyond the reach of human understanding—
—
Perhaps
,
they truly exist.
"
Astonishment spread among everyone.
"Why... do you think that?"
"Because in my magic analysis, I kept finding elements that could only be explained that way. Not Bloodline Magic, but something deeper... most likely what you could call the very foundation of magic."
This was another fact that had emerged during the analysis of magic.
Regardless of personal feelings, Ermes's conclusion was that they needed to firmly acknowledge the existence of such beings.
Of course, that didn't mean there was a high likelihood of directly encountering such a being this time.
The chances of the Church actually being involved with one of those Star Gods were slim as well.
However — dismissing any connection entirely was also too dangerous.
In any case, the matter at hand, combined with the Church's possession of numerous techniques that made Yurugen "impossible to fathom"...
"It's certainly true that they're not an opponent we can afford to let our guard down around."
Everyone nodded at that conclusion.
As they talked, they approached the mountain's summit. Once they crossed this point, their destination would at least become visible.
Noticing this, Yurugen moved the conversation forward.
"That's enough about the Church for now. First, let's focus on the rebellion in front of us.
I've heard that the Northern Six-Family Alliance is currently attacking the territories of families that refused to join them at a terrifying pace. So for now, our primary objective is to cooperate with those 'families under attack' and halt the Alliance's momentum."
"I understand. But... is it truly that severe? The Northern Alliance consists entirely of baron-tier houses or below. I would have thought there were larger families in the north..."
"That's right, Your Highness. There is indeed a reason those larger families are currently being left for later in the invasion..."
Liliana's straightforward question prompted Yurugen to nod and explain the situation.
"First, the Alliance's unusually high morale. And on top of that — apparently, there's one 'outrageous monster' among their ranks."
"What on earth do you mean...?"
Hearing something so outlandish, Liliana's face tightened. Yurugen smiled wryly and—
"Well, I'm sure it's been somewhat embellished. But regardless, as Ermes says, make sure you don't let your guard down—"
And there, they crested the mountain summit.
What came into view of the group, now able to see the situation below—
—was a collective gasp.
A dizzying mass of people clashing, with shouts of rage and spells flying in every direction.
An unmistakable scene of conflict.
"This is...!"
"It seems we've stumbled right onto the scene of an invasion."
Katia cried out in shock, and Yurugen's eyes widened for a brief moment before he calmly assessed the situation.
"Forgive me, Ermes. I would have preferred to rendezvous with the local lord before making a move, but in this situation, we can't afford that luxury."
"—Would you go ahead and lend them support? The ones being attacked, the ones fleeing—those are our allies."
"Understood."
As Yurugen said, it was abundantly clear that this was no time to dither.
Ermes released the magic power he had been suppressing and holding in reserve up until now, matching his output to the others'.
Without hesitation, he launched himself from the mountain's summit in a single bound, then dove headlong toward the battlefield.
◆
Battles between armies of mages have two major distinguishing features.
One of them is that far fewer casualties occur compared to battles between armies that don't employ magic.
Mages, every last one of them, enhance their bodies with magic power to a greater or lesser degree. On top of that granting them significantly greater vitality than ordinary people—
The existence of mages itself was so exceedingly rare that, whether considering allies or enemies, you couldn't simply let them die once you thought about what came after the war.
Because of that, conflicts between armies of mages were less a war of attrition in terms of troop numbers and more a battle of magic power — a grinding contest over territory and position.
Therefore — for instance, when one side was retreating and the other pursuing, as in the current situation — the retreating side was at an overwhelming disadvantage, barring some extraordinary circumstance. The very fact that they were withdrawing meant they had failed to hold their ground.
"Chase them! Drive them into the ground! Once this outpost falls, all that remains is the main stronghold!"
"They're few in number and completely out of magic power! There'll be no counterattack!"
"There's nothing to fear — we have the blessing of the Star God! Now, deliver divine punishment upon these fools!"
And so the voices of the pursuers — the soldiers of the Northern Six Houses Alliance — echoed across the battlefield.
Voices drunk on victory, intoxicated by the thrill of a chase where no counterattack would come.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the soldiers who had been defending their rightful territory could only lament.
They were entirely out of magic power. The only thing they could do now was flee and keep themselves alive as valuable mages. But judging by the speed of the enemy's pursuit, even that was highly unlikely to succeed.
Crushed by their own inadequacy, on the verge of being swallowed by despair, they forced their legs to keep moving.
And still, even their physical strength finally reached its limit.
At this rate, they would be caught by the enemy — either dragged off as prisoners and treated like worthless trash, or their aptitude as mages would catch the enemy's eye and they would be forced to fight as soldiers for the opposing side.
Either way, there was no good future waiting for them.
They had abandoned the land they swore to protect, and they had failed to fulfill the duty of the profession they were meant to serve.
Tormented by helplessness, the soldier was about to hang his head — but then, he looked up.
Because he had seen something.
Ahead, in the direction they were fleeing — a single young boy was standing there.
He looked to be in his mid-teens. A boy with silver hair, androgynous features, and strikingly beautiful jade-green eyes.
Judging by his attire, he was a mage too. But then — why was he here?
(Reinforcements from the main family? No way — they didn't have that kind of luxury to spare, and that lord would never send anyone out of generosity. But if not that, then why...?)
Confused and unable to make sense of it, but still —
Whether out of stubbornness or a sense of duty, he screamed desperately.
"— Run, you boy over there!"
"..."
"This place is about to fall to the Northern Alliance! I don't know who you are, but nothing good will come of staying here! So —"
The boy heard his words, showed a brief look of surprise — then, with a faint smile, he —
kicked off the ground in the opposite direction from the retreating soldiers. In other words,
toward the Northern Alliance's
soldiers,
he went.
"Wha —"
He let out a cry of shock, but before he could stop him —
the boy had already blazed past them at a speed far beyond anything he could have imagined. He and the other soldiers all turned to watch.
And what they witnessed was this:
A battle between armies of mages had two major distinguishing features.
The first, as previously mentioned, was that soldiers rarely died.
And the second — the most significant feature of all — was the difference in soldiers' capabilities.
Compared to human physical abilities, human magical abilities exhibit enormous individual differences. Magic power capacity, magic power output, and above all, depending on the type of magic employed, even the very same person can display vastly different levels of power.
At the pinnacle of this hierarchy stand the Bloodline Magic users. Among the nobles born with Bloodline Magic, these are the ones who possess both exceptional aptitude and formidable power.
In addition to the number and quality of soldiers, how many Bloodline Magic users a force commands is what determines its military strength — to say so would be no exaggeration.
Let me put it this way: in battles between armies of mages, there exist things that could never appear in conflicts between ordinary armies.
A single rider who turns the tide of battle — a literal "one against a thousand" — is entirely possible.
And so, he — Ermes — declared.
"Formula Replay — '"
"Magic Bullet Archer"
"'."
This would be the strike that marked the beginning of their battle, and served as the signal for the princess's counterattack.
With the invocation of the magical inscription, countless magic bullets — each one possessing extraordinary power — were unleashed.
It was as though delivering punishment to the soldiers who had been drunk on victory and pursuit.
The soldiers at the front — those who had supposedly responded properly by erecting barriers — were blown away along with those very barriers, as if it were all a joke.
The sheer impact pinned the feet of the soldiers behind them firmly to the ground, one and all.
A single strike.
Having succeeded in halting the massive army with just that, Ermes —
"...I apologize for this intervention without regard for the occasion."
He spoke, in his usual calm tone.
"By order of the Duke, I shall be reinforcing this position. — Would you kindly withdraw? Northern Alliance — you invaders."
The Northern Rebellion arc begins now. As expected, starting with Eru's strike.
I'll keep pushing the story forward, so I hope you enjoy it!