Ch.125125. The Battle of Mercury (6)

As Ainel cut through the darkness, night collapsed. With the crumbling shadows, the life-bearing sun began to rise. A sacred radiance descended, replacing the soft moonlight that had covered the world.

With the beheading of a mid-level Demon, the time of demons came to an end. As dawn’s twilight approached, the instincts that the monsters had lost returned with the death of the demon that had been supplying intense Magia to the area.

Survival instinct resurfaced once more. Most monsters could no longer easily charge toward the castle walls.

Ainel swung her sword with the beautiful dawn light. After slaying the demon, she was likely dealing with the remaining monsters. Her elegant sword strikes cut and sliced through enemies.

And Sione was staring blankly at Ainel with an expression full of emotion.

Her gaze was fixed on her mother’s sword. An aura incomparable to that of an expert was surging from her sword.

“Master…! Ray, I think Mother has become a Master!”

She looked ready to jump up and down and boast about it, forgetting all dignity.

Good. When a family member reaches not just some intermediate level but becomes a Sword Master, of course she’d be happy.

But right now, shouldn’t she be more concerned about her arm that’s about to be bitten off?

At close range, I pushed forward, brushing past Sione while drawing my sword.

The sword given by Eunice Kallia was better than I had expected. How much enemy flesh had I cut and bones had I crushed with this blade? Despite not being able to properly maintain it many times during the war, it still hadn’t lost its sharpness.

Slash!

That sharpness was enough to easily cut down a monster that was about to bite Sione’s arm.

This sword was worth all those practice sessions when I was summoned to her room and made to dance with a wooden sword.

“Ah!”

“It would be better to focus on the current situation. If you show such defenselessness again, you’ll obviously be attacked.”

“…I’ll be careful.”

The battle continued. But it didn’t last long.

These were creatures heavily influenced by the mid-level Demon. With the demon gone, the gears of thought that had managed their overflowing killing intent were bound to have problems.

It was easier to deal with the creatures whose momentum had been broken—

“Hurry and clear the path!”

“Secure the safety of the Lady and the Head of the House!”

Along with the knights.

“We need to clear away the Magia!”

“Call all priests who are available, including battle priests, over here!”

Priests rushed in to clear the dense Magia on the castle walls, quickly reducing the number of monsters.

The chaos that had eaten away at the castle walls quickly subsided, and during that time, the sun rose even higher.

“Another day has ended like this. I’m dying of exhaustion.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

Sione and I were finally able to catch our breath.

We had been surrounded here for quite some time, fighting off enemies. Perhaps because others knew this fact, no one looked at us strangely when we sat down to rest.

Ainel approached us with a limping gait.

“Sione, Ray, good work.”

Saying this, Ainel gave us a faint smile.

Ainel’s condition looked quite serious. Her calves, forearms, and the iron plates protecting her body were punctured or dented. She was covered in so much blood that it was impossible to tell whether it was her own or someone else’s.

Sione looked worriedly at Ainel’s leg. It was clearly visible that she had suffered a major injury.

“Mother, your leg…”

“It’s fine. This is nothing to worry about.”

“I think it would be good to call a priest. First, let’s get treatment—”

“No, I still have something to do, so I’ll receive treatment after finishing that.”

Saying this, Ainel raised the demon’s head held in her left hand.

A face resembling a human but still close to a beast with wild features. Black horns that had grown incomparably larger than those of a low-level demon, containing ominousness. It had died with an expression of astonishment.

“I’ll see you in a bit.”

With those words, Ainel climbed up to a high tower where anyone could easily see her.

She held up the head of the demon she had killed. So that everyone, without exception, could see the dead demon’s head.

“Listen!”

Ainel opened her mouth using Mana. Her voice had a charm that drew people’s attention.

“War is devastating. Fleeting lives are extinguished, and we continue the fight, carrying on their will. How fiercely both the living and the dead have struggled, and how brilliant their value is—not just I, but everyone knows well.”

A hymn for the survivors and a requiem for the dead echoed widely across the castle walls and the territory.

“But the war situation is not good. We don’t know how long this situation will continue, and even these walls built by our ancestors are badly damaged, needing repairs.”

The war situation was not good.

“Nevertheless, I promise you victory. From now on, I will fight alongside you survivors not as Ainel Sianella, the head of the County, but as Ainel, a Master’s knight—”

But that didn’t mean there was no hope.

“If no special problems arise…”

Ainel looked down at the crowd from the tower. They were all anticipating her next words.

Until now, their dependence on her words had felt like a heavy burden on her shoulders. But not anymore. It was sufficiently bearable.

Ainel continued with a somewhat relaxed expression.

“In just a few days, support from the royal family will finally arrive at our County.”

The letter sent to the royal family.

Finally, a reply to the letter had reached the County.

“By the order of His Majesty the King, the kingdom’s finest knights and mages are coming here, and that’s not all. A royal family member who has earned the loyalty of the highest mages in the kingdom.”

Ainel smiled faintly.

“Her Highness Princess Adelheid Aisilia has also said she will send those who have sworn loyalty to her to support us.”

For the victory that would come in the near future.

“Endure. The kingdom’s best forces are converging here, so somehow endure and protect your homes and families.”

Somehow, they had to overcome this long night.

* * *

In one of the tents set up a little distance from the castle walls.

Sione and I were resting in a tent that was definitely wider and better than those of ordinary soldiers.

And Sione was sitting on a cot, sighing deeply.

“Haah…”

A sound full of concern.

Moreover, the dark circles under her eyes better expressed her distress.

Even though Sione was like that, I ignored her and lay quietly on the cot, thinking I’d get some rest to relieve fatigue.

“Hmm… hoo…”

Sione’s sighs continued endlessly.

Wondering why she was sitting like that, I turned my body to look at her.

“Ray…”

“What’s wrong?”

“…I want to eat something sweet after such a long time.”

“…”

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It’s nothing.”

Well, it has been quite some time since I’ve been able to give her the cookies she used to eat every day.

But to miss cookies so much that she’d postpone resting during the day after staying up all night.

Sione is quite remarkable in her own way.

Afterward, Sione and I had a brief chat.

The topic was naturally predetermined. How would the war situation unfold from now on? Or what did Ainel Sianella feel during her battle with the demon that led her to reach the realm of a Sword Master?

Sione was naturally more interested in stories about her mother, Ainel.

And I too had a topic that interested me just as much.

‘Mages and knights under Adelheid’s command.’

I was curious about those who had pledged their loyalty not to the royal family, but solely to a woman named Adelheid.

Because I had seen it with my own eyes.

While the news of royal support coming merely lightened the gloom on Ainel’s face slightly, the mention of Adelheid’s support even brought a faint smile to her face.

It seems that those who have sworn loyalty to Adelheid are operated under a different affiliation than the royal army, given that they were mentioned separately under the princess’s name rather than collectively under the royal family.

Realizing that pondering this alone would be pointless, I asked Sione.

“Do you know anything about those who have sworn loyalty to Her Highness the Princess?”

“To Her Highness? Hmm…”

Sione narrowed her eyes.

After a moment’s thought, she shrugged.

“I don’t really know. All I know is that they’re like a knightly order that moves as extensions of the Princess rather than receiving orders from the royal family.”

“I see. Do you know how strong they are?”

“Hmm… about that…”

She seemed not to know much about that either, as Sione trailed off.

Then, a familiar voice came from the entrance of the tent.

“Two of the kingdom’s highest mages and one Master knight.”

Siabel had entered the tent without us noticing.

“Monsters that could be called the kingdom’s main forces have sworn loyalty to the Princess. More than necessary forces have entered under the Princess’s command, but well. His Majesty the King allows the Princess to operate them independently and doesn’t seem to take it too seriously.”

She had removed her armor and let down her hair, which had been tightly tied up, arranging it naturally. It seemed she too had been resting before coming to see us.

“Sister.”

“Sione, have you been well?”

Having answered my question instead, Siabel exchanged greetings with Sione.

Siabel stroked Sione’s hair. Her hair, which had been cut short last year, had grown quite long, and it swayed gracefully under Siabel’s touch.

Sione closed her eyes tightly, accepting Siabel’s caress. When Siabel’s stroking ended, she opened her round eyes and looked up at her sister with sparkling eyes.

“What brings you here?”

“Why do you think? I came because I was worried about my sister shooting arrows on the dangerous castle walls. I heard you were even surrounded by monsters tonight. Fortunately, you don’t seem to be hurt.”

“Yes, Ray protected me.”

“Oh?”

Sione’s bright smile and Siabel’s gaze, full of interest and amusement, fixed on me.

Yes, I did protect her several times.

When her arm was almost bitten off, or when her steps faltered and she was about to collide with a monster.

I helped pump Mana into her, who still showed many inexperienced mistakes during battle.

“Ray, you don’t seem to be hurt either. That’s good.”

Saying this, Siabel approached me.

“By the way, does our disciple know?”

Standing right in front of me, she stroked my head just as she had done to Sione.

“That as much as the news about Mother reaching the realm of Master, stories about our disciple’s magic are circulating throughout the territory.”

I nodded.

“I’ve noticed to some extent.”

How could I not know?

The stares that have been fixed on me since I shot an arrow cleanly at a low-level demon. When everyone around is staring like that, it’s impossible not to notice.

Only when Sione glared coldly around, as if jealous, did the stares subside.

Siabel continued, slowly stroking my head.

“Of course, the person involved would know. I heard from Mother. Even with the County’s protection, you probably won’t be able to avoid various rumors. Will you be okay?”

“As you said, the County is protecting me. With the Sianella family behind me, I have nothing to fear.”

“Oh.”

Siabel seemed quite pleased with my answer, curling up the corners of her mouth slightly.

After a brief conversation, Siabel finally removed her hand from my head.

Siabel stepped back from me. But an interest deeper than the distance she had created overflowed. Siabel’s gaze alternated precisely between me and the sword standing in the tent.

“My disciple infused magic into arrows. Then, could you also infuse magic into a sword?”

“Though my understanding of swords is not as deep and still immature…”

This is a characteristic of elemental magic.

There’s a reason those damned elves take such pride in their ability to use elemental magic. Their arrogance has its reasons.

From overwhelming violence through magic to imbuing objects with magic. Its versatility is high, so of course it can be usefully applied to swordsmanship.

“I can certainly infuse it to some extent.”

“Hmm, is that so.”

At my words, Siabel smiled with more satisfaction than ever before.

“As I thought, teaching will be fun.”

With a relaxed smile, Siabel slowly headed toward the tent entrance and bid farewell.

It was apparently time for a meeting among the staff, and she needed to go. Sione waved to Siabel, and Siabel smoothly received her sister’s greeting.

Leaving with a caution to come down from the walls immediately if it seemed dangerous, and a promise to play together once this was over, Siabel left.

As her footsteps faded away from the tent, becoming inaudible…

Tap!

Sione stood up and rushed toward me.

…What’s with her now?

As I sat on the cot looking at her with a puzzled expression, she extended her hand.

Plop!

Placing her hand on my head, Sione began to ruffle it vigorously.

“What are you doing?”

“Marking my territory.”

Afterward, my hair was thoroughly messed up by her vigorous stroking.

* * *

“Have you all prepared to sacrifice your lives for the great cause?”

The murky voice of a woman covered in black robes echoed through the gathering.

Those dressed in the same attire all bowed their heads in submission.

They were already prepared to throw away their lives like straw.

“Then tonight, with our martyrdom, we shall straighten the twisted plan.”

A turbidity incomparable to that of a Demonkin began to flow from the woman.

The Magia that eroded the surroundings exceeded the concentration that humans could possess, while containing chaos and madness below that which demons emanate.

“We will destroy the walls and gates of that cursed County.”