<strong>Chapter 97: The Battle of Hisfil Castle (7)</strong>
—
Reika, a few guards assigned by Jinor, and I were speeding towards Hisfil Castle in a carriage, our faces concealed under hoods.
The soldiers, knowing of Reika’s ability to use magic, resembled a private army associated with the Nightart family, albeit on a smaller scale, which Yuri seemed not to bother with.
“Wow…”
Reika spent a long time looking outside the carriage, trying to absorb every detail of the scenery into her pink retinas where the blue world hung vividly.
“…”
I watched her profile. She was indeed quite cute. With a soft, fair face and skin not touched by the sun, contrasting with Airen’s slightly muscled, warrior’s build from the battlefield, Reika looked soft and protected. It’s rare to find someone from head to toe so evidently feminine as Reika.
“…Ah.”
Noticing my gaze, Reika became visibly flustered, her big eyes whirling as she started to wave her arms.
“I, I, It’s not… that, that’s not it… I mean! I mean…!”
I considered teasing her a bit more, but decided against it as it wasn’t my style.
“Do you enjoy looking outside?”
“Ye? Ah… well, yes. It’s… since my father joined Aeshers Army, it’s my first time… leaving the Balhart territory.”
I see. That explained her interest.
Then,
—Gurgling.
“…Ah…”
Reika’s face turned red to her ears.
Instead of making a big deal out of it, I handed her a hard loaf of bread from my bag.
“Want some?”
“Ah, I… well.”
She hesitated, so I offered it without pressing, “You don’t have to refuse. I’m not hungry.”
“…Then…!”
Reika reached for the bread and took a big bite. Well, as big as she could manage, which was just nibbling on the edge.
Watching her chew on the bread with both hands, she somehow reminded me of a hamster.
It was a peaceful scene, overly so considering the task ahead.
“It would have been nice if this were a leisure trip. With the weather nice, we could’ve packed a delicious picnic.”
“Ah… I heard from my father that I must do something very important…”
“I’m surprised Lord Jinor allowed it.”
He usually wouldn’t let her out of the mansion, but he agreed to my request without objection. It was easier for me, but why keep her confined only to relent so easily?
…Well, it didn’t really concern me.
“I was surprised too… Maybe it’s something very, very important. Munch.”
She continued to nibble on the bread after finishing her sentence.
“Do you know what we’re doing?”
“Just that I should assist you properly… I’m not really sure.”
“Aren’t you worried?”
“Hm?”
“You came without knowing how to help, right?”
One might expect Reika, given her personality, to be flustered and say something like, “How could someone like me possibly…?” Despite her skills, she always seemed to lack confidence.
However,
She glanced at me and surprisingly said,
“Not really… You called for me because of my magic, didn’t you?”
“Yes, but…”
“Then… I’m confident. Munch.”
Oh?
Her voice might have been soft, but there was no pretense in her words.
Purely, it seemed she wasn’t worried at all.
“Is that so? Your confidence is reassuring.”
“Hehe… Magic is something I can help with…”
“…?”
I sensed something subtle hidden in her words.
“What do you mean?”
“…Hm?”
As if unsure what she could have said wrong, she looked at me with clear eyes.
“You say if it’s about magic, you can help. What about other things? You’re good at other things too, like baking.”
“Ah… No. Baking is just a hobby. My true value lies in using magic and reading mana.”
Reika said, then showed a slightly sad smile I hadn’t seen from her before.
That kind of smile reminded me of Airen in the past, fragile as if it might break at any moment.
“You know I’m an adopted daughter, right?”
“Yes.”
“Actually… before Lord Jinor adopted me, I was an orphan.”
I knew this from her character description, but not her lived experience.
“So it was.”
“Lord Jinor recognized my talent and adopted me, saying my ability to read mana was meant to save the world… that if I used my power rightly, I could achieve great things.”
She spoke calmly, a contrast to her usual trembling and slight stuttering, delivering her story clearly.
“So… I must use magic. It’s what my father, and perhaps the world, expects of me.”
“…”
“Really, I’m happy. To have a family and this ability to use magic, to become a hero and contribute to peace… That’s enough for me.”
After saying that, she laughed off her seeming arrogance and scratched her cheek with her finger.
Feeling a surge of emotion, I addressed her directly.
“Reika.”
“Yes?”
“You’re lying, aren’t you?”
“…Eh?”
Her eyes wavered slightly at my words, but I didn’t plan to retract them.
“Is that truly enough? Being a hero satisfies you?”
“Well, that’s… my purpose, so-”
“No, Reika. There’s no predetermined purpose for anyone. We exist simply because we were born and are here.”
“…!”
She looked at me, shocked. Though my thoughts might be radical for this era, I felt compelled to share them with her.
“I acknowledge your prowess as a magician, Reika. Perhaps, as Lord Jinor said, you might bring peace to this land. But that doesn’t mean you have to be a magician. If you wish to pursue something else, that’s perfectly fine. No one has the right to criticize you for not choosing the path of a magician. You are still you, regardless, and that’s enough.”
“Ah…”
After speaking, I smirked to myself.
Funny, isn’t it? My initial reason for approaching her was her potential as a powerful magician, yet here I was, telling her she didn’t need to follow that path.
Why did I feel this surge of emotion upon seeing her expression? Was it because I saw Airen in her?
As I pondered the words I had inadvertently blurted out,
Her subdued voice reached me again.
“Ah, that… well…”
Once more, she lowered her head, her face turning red as she spoke cautiously.
“Thank you…”
“…”
I intended to say, “No need to thank me for this,” but the words didn’t come out easily.
Instead of speaking, I mimicked Reika: I bowed my head and remained silent.
As a subtle silence filled the carriage,
A soldier’s voice timely broke it.
“We’ve arrived, Lord Swen.”
Phew.
After wiping away the sweat that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, I looked at Reika.
“…Shall we get off?”
“Ah, yes, yes…!”
—
“Here is…”
We stood in front of a watchtower outside Hisfil Castle’s walls.
This tower, intended for archers during sieges, was empty now, not being in use.
Many such towers dotted
the walls, and this one was expectedly vacant due to its awkward position for guard duty.
“Reika, do you see that watchtower?”
“Ah, yes…!”
“You just need to destroy it.”
“…Pardon?”
Yes, the pivotal reason for bringing Reika here was to stage a ‘problem’ at Hisfil Castle.
For a successful misinformation campaign, a plausible truth was necessary to back up the deception.
“Having an intelligence of 100, I wish it could influence the success rate of this scheme.”
Though it likely wouldn’t make a difference, as it hadn’t before.
After briefly explaining my plan to Reika,
She nodded and stared at the tower, then softly spoke.
“…Yeah. I think I can do it. Destroying a watchtower like that…!”
“Typical of you, Reika. I’m counting on you.”
“Is that so? Hehe… Thank you.”
After explaining the strategy to the guards as well, they were to act once the tower’s destruction and ensuing chaos were confirmed.
They wore armor marked with Serpina’s insignia, ensuring their disguise would be convincing.
“Understood. We’ll be mindful.”
Good.
With the briefing over, all that remained was to begin.
“Reika, please.”
“Yes…!”
Closing her eyes, she extended her hands and concentrated, effortlessly conjuring a fireball.
Just as I was thinking about waiting for it to grow to a usable size,
“Uh?”
I was blinded by a sudden glare and turned my head.
My rapier, hanging at my waist, was shining intensely.
“What’s this? Why?”
For the first time, bewildered by the phenomenon, I drew my rapier.
The green ceremonial rapier blazed with a light more intense than sunlight.
And as I held it,
“Uh, uh…?!”
Reika, who was focusing on her fireball, started to panic.
The fireball… flew towards me.
Or more precisely, towards the tip of my rapier.
“Huh? Swen?”
“What’s happening?!”
The fireball at the tip of my rapier grew exponentially as I flustered.
“Uh, oh, uh, oh?!”
In this unforeseen situation, I shook the rapier, trying to dislodge the fireball.
Then, as if propelled, the now massive fireball launched towards Hisfil Castle’s wall.
Not the wall, but the watchtower, right?
Despite Reika’s enhanced magic, a few trees’ worth of destruction wouldn’t do much to the wall but merely char it.
Had I been more composed, such thoughts might have crossed my mind.
Of course,
Reality spared no room for such reflections.
Boom!!!!
“…!!!!!”
The giant fireball, launched from the rapier, hit Hisfil Castle’s walls, creating a massive explosion and a barrier of smoke before us.
After some time,
Blinking through the smoke, an unbelievable sight unfolded before us.
“There… That’s…”
In the wall protecting Hisfil Castle,
A clean, enormous, circular hole had been punched through.
