Chapter 17 - A Relentless Bastard

"So, you're not from the North?"

"No, sir. I'm from a city in the eastern part of the central region. I studied under a Mage."

"That explains your lack of fundamentals. Go on."

"Yes, after learning magic..."

"Sorry, but let's skip to why you came here. Your life story isn't to my taste."

"Yes, sir. I was serving as a noble's personal Mage at a castle in the northern part of the central region when some masked men came to see me."

"Masked?"

"Yes. Their masks looked like crows."

"Crow masks..." Galahad murmured. He knew those bastards. They had once been part of his workload.

"The Black Magic Society?"

"Yes, you know them. They asked if I wanted mana stones."

"They've changed their approach. So you came north?"

"Yes."

"And you were ordered to take mole cricket demon-beasts and dig? Inside, there's a Mage named Karl and someone you couldn't identify? Twelve mole crickets?"

"Yes, I've told you everything. So please, now—"

"Hmm. Let's start again from the beginning."

"I already told you! This is the fourth fucking time!"

"Now, now. You haven't been persuaded enough yet. You're remarkably stubborn, despite your appearance."

"Aaaagh! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll tell you again!"

"Good. Could you speak a little faster this time?"

* * *

'The Black Magic Society...'

Galahad murmured around the mana cigarette in his mouth.

There was no separate thing called black magic. Magic was simply magic. The name existed because their methods differed from those of ordinary Mages.

Black Mages praised Demons as the origin of magic and followed their example by devouring humans. They were also anarchist bastards who rejected the Empire.

The Intelligence Bureau paid particular attention to the organization, while also using it as a convenient card to play.

If a noble secretly embezzled taxes, for instance, the Bureau could quietly dispose of them and blame the Black Mages to spread fear.

Galahad had intended to eliminate them all, believing their existence did nothing to help stop the Demon King, but he had never managed to catch the core organization.

He had wondered where they were hiding.

'So they were in the North.'

He tapped his cigarette, letting gray ash fall.

'Did the demon-beast tamer join the Black Magic Society? Or did they find relics he left behind?'

It was a fairly important question.

To answer it, he first had to catch the bastards digging that tunnel.

'One Mage stronger than this fellow, one unidentified individual, and twelve mole crickets. There could be more.'

That was the information Bern had provided. Galahad had checked it enough times to rule out lies.

Still, Bern didn't appear to hold a particularly high position. There could be troops he knew nothing about.

Karl, supposedly Bern's senior, wasn't a problem.

Stronger or not, he was still a Mage, and thus no match for Galahad. Any Mage who could make Galahad feel threatened was holed up in the Twilight Mage Tower.

As for the twelve mole crickets, he could work his unit hard enough to deal with them somehow.

'The unidentified one is the problem.'

That was a considerable unknown.

The safe option was to wait for Adrianna, but he had already dealt with one of them. The others might catch on and flee.

That magic circle carved into the demon-beast's belly... He couldn't let a single person involved get away.

Ever since he arrived in the North... No, ever since he left the Intelligence Bureau, it felt as though he hadn't had a single quiet day.

'Good.'

Galahad tapped his cigarette as he formulated and checked his calculations. He was working through them again when footsteps sounded behind him.

Heavy, even strides. Gilberton.

Perhaps the circle carved into the demon-beast had touched a nerve; he was walking twice as fast as usual.

"How did it go?"

Gilberton's sword was drenched in red blood. He must have hurried: a man who cleaned his sword so diligently hadn't even shaken the blood off.

Damian, Tom, and Gwen appeared behind him, in that order. They all looked a mess. Damian, in particular, was red all over.

"You took longer than I expected."

"... They were demon-beasts, after all. The First Battalion primarily fights Demons. Demon-beasts are handled by ordinary soldiers or knights carrying large weapons."

In short, he was better against human-shaped enemies. That was understandable. A sword really was short for fighting monsters.

"A plausible excuse."

That couldn't be the only problem.

Damian and Gilberton were polar opposites by nature. Damian was a born predator, while Gilberton was an upright knight. Then there were Gwen and Tom, left standing uselessly in the back.

'We'll have to work on their coordination on the way.'

Actual combat was always the quickest way to build teamwork.

"So, how did it go?" Gilberton asked again.

"They're digging with mole crickets. There's a Mage behind this, along with someone unidentified. There could be more."

"A tunnel?"

Galahad nodded, and Gilberton's expression turned distinctly grave.

"Has this happened before?"

"Demon-beasts usually break through the walls or climb over them. But we do sometimes find tunnels like this. It's why demon-beasts and Demons keep appearing inside the walls."

"There's another possibility. It could be magic-stone deposits."

"... Magic-stone deposits?"

"Mana stones are very popular in the capital."

Gilberton narrowed his eyes.

"In any case, we need to catch whoever carved those circles into the Demons, don't we? And block that sinister tunnel."

"We must catch them. No matter what."

"Calling for support would be preferable, but they're likely to escape while we wait. We've taken down one Mage and four mole crickets. They'll notice soon enough."

"We cannot allow that!"

'What a strong reaction.'

The Gilberton he knew rarely showed emotion. Now it was plain on his face.

Emotion was a crack. A weakness—and, at the same time, a motive to act.

'Those circles on the demon-beasts must mean something more to a northern knight.'

Galahad's eyes narrowed. Then he smiled.

He'd never intended to let them go. They represented credit for his first mission, a link to the elusive rats of the Black Magic Society, and a clue to the demon-beast tamer.

He had intended to go in alone if necessary.

He was more than confident enough.

"Well, we must save the North from danger, mustn't we? Is everyone ready to become a hero?"

Gwen looked ready to cry, Tom looked ready to vomit, and Gilberton looked as if he'd been stabbed.

TWEEET!

Gilberton put his fingers in his mouth and whistled. A bird cried in answer, and a large hawk descended. It was a handsome bird with a white head.

The hawk flew straight to his shoulder and perched there. Gwen asked if she could touch it, only to be refused, leaving her crestfallen.

'A messenger hawk. How very northern.'

Gilberton opened the tube on its leg and took out a piece of paper. He wrote something on it and put it back. The hawk took flight again and disappeared.

"I've sent word to Lady Adrianna."

"Well done. Then let's move at once."

Galahad brushed the snow from his shoulders and took the lead.

Then Gilberton asked quietly, "What happened to that fellow from earlier?"

Instead of answering, Galahad waved the staff.

Gilberton asked no more.

* * *

A vast cave greeted them when they reached the place Bern had described.

The surrounding mana concentration was quite high.

'They dug through rock? Demon-beasts really are something.'

Galahad marveled at the enormous hole. Then he sensed something at the entrance.

"Wait. Stop there."

Gilberton, who was leading the way, stopped short. Galahad narrowed his eyes and scattered mana here and there.

"An alarm spell. A meticulous fellow."

"Please disable it quickly."

"You make it sound so easy. If an alarm spell were that easy to dismantle, would it be an alarm spell? It would be a welcome spell."

"You can't dismantle it?"

"No, I already have."

"Then why..."

"If I raise your expectations too high, wouldn't that be unfair to other Mages? I'm preventing that."

"You're joking even at a time like this?"

"I'm quite serious."

Galahad examined the magic circle carved off to one side, as though to conceal it. A rough stone was embedded in its center.

"A mana stone."

"This is one of those mana stones? It looks like an ordinary rock."

"Look closely. It gives off a faint glow."

Galahad carefully removed it. A mana stone's value was judged by the amount of light within it, and this one was of the lowest grade.

After removing the spell, he stepped inside.

He gauged the cave's width. At this size...

"Three mole crickets at most. Just the right size."

"Right for what?"

Galahad merely curled his lips into a smile.

"Now, Gilberton and Damian, take the front. I'll cover the rear. Tom, raise your shield."

"... What about me?!"

Galahad studied Gwen silently. To pass magic on efficiently, he needed her to beg for it first.

It would be more effective if she felt so utterly powerless that she craved magic as though taking the devil's hand. She wasn't there yet.

That didn't mean she was completely useless, however.

He dug the mana stone out of the staff he'd brought. Its head was large enough to be a good fit. After briefly examining the circles carved into the staff, he scraped away a few sections as needed.

Then he held it out to Gwen.

"Hold this end."

"... Pardon?"

Gwen tilted her head for a moment, then grabbed the end of the staff.

"Ow! What is this? It feels weird!"

"That's perfectly normal."

With a modification to the circle that drew mana from the stone, he could put the otherwise useless Gwen to excellent use.

'A large, walking, self-replenishing mana stone. A little noisy, but that's the only drawback.'

He looked at her with satisfaction.

With that unidentified individual waiting farther in, he intended to conserve as much Demon blood as possible.

"Adultery is punishable by death in the North."

"Stop talking nonsense and concentrate."

Gilberton clicked his tongue and stepped forward.

"Now, this is both our first mission and our first training session."

* * *

'Why the hell am I even here...?'

Tom swallowed hard.

They were up against mole crickets. Mole crickets!

One could overturn a platoon; two could make a platoon disappear. They were also called earth ghosts because they sprang from underground and carried people off in their jaws.

And he was walking into a place with twelve of them of his own free will.

Damian and Gilberton were here, but even they had struggled against three earlier.

Besides, unlike them, Tom was just an ordinary soldier.

"Well, they seem to have noticed us! Get ready, everyone!"

The cave shook with a deafening rumble.

In the distance, mole crickets came rushing toward them. Tom hadn't realized it when they were underground, but seeing them charging out in the open was profoundly intimidating.

"Damian, you're a born beast. Go all the way in. Think only of yourself."

"Sure, big brother."

Damian and Galahad sounded utterly relaxed.

"And Sir Gilberton, you needn't worry about the rear."

Gilberton frowned instead of answering. Blue energy surged violently into the hand gripping his sword.

"Tom, when I call, run out and block with your shield. Just think of it as throwing your body in the way."

Take his shield and throw himself in the way? Tom swallowed the question rising to his lips.

Then the cave filled with mole crickets. Their distinctive sharp teeth quivered.

"Now, focus, everyone. Damian!"

Damian shot forward. His movements were astonishing no matter how often Tom saw them.

That left Gilberton alone to stop three mole crickets. This was even worse than before.

How in the world were they supposed to—

"Flame Dance."

"... Ggh!"

Something enormous shot past from behind.

It was a torrent of fire large enough to fill the cave.

How could a human cast a spell like that? Tom gaped in awe.

SKREEEEE!

The burning mole crickets thrashed. The dark cave lit up in an instant.

Their hideous forms were laid bare. Fluid oozed between their melting carapaces. Tom feared he would see them in his dreams.

Damian slipped beneath the flames and vanished. It looked almost as if he'd thrown himself into the fire.

Blue light surged from Gilberton's sword. He easily sliced a mole cricket's head to pieces. The one beside it tried to crush him.

Gilberton stepped back and calmly slashed horizontally, unlike earlier when he had done nothing but advance.

CRUNCH!

His aura easily split a leg. The mole cricket screamed. Gilberton's sword moved smoothly, but the creature kept advancing.

His blade was sharp, but small compared with the mole cricket.

"Now, Tom!"

Tom ran out before thinking.

The ground split beneath him, and a mole cricket's leg rose up.

THUD!

The heavy impact against his shield sent him tumbling backward.

He fought to keep his wits and got up to find Gilberton cutting down a mole cricket.

They were facing three of them, yet everything was going more smoothly than before.

Only one thing had changed.

"Good! Sir Gilberton, did you see that? Tom can block a hit, too."

Galahad had joined them. That was all.

His magic was formidable, but that wasn't what explained the situation.

What mattered was how he assigned their roles.

By sending Damian deeper in, he kept him from getting tangled up with Gilberton. By actively using Tom, he gave Gilberton freedom to move.

Only then did Tom realize that Gilberton had been held back by the need to protect them.

"Tom, are you all right?"

"Yes! I'm fine!"

At Gilberton's grave voice, Tom spat out the blood pooling in his mouth and raised his shield.

Beyond Gilberton, he could see the hideous, burned mole crickets.

Their furious howls filled the cave. Their sheer presence made his legs tremble and sweat spring up on his back. Was this hell?

Why was he here? He was just an ordinary soldier.

"I'll flash a light every so often. Whatever you do, don't turn around."

That matter-of-fact command made the situation feel trivial.

He couldn't even attack; all he could do was take one hit and roll backward. But at least he could do that much.

"Here comes the light!"

With that calm voice, brilliant light poured from behind him.

Tom tightened his shield straps.

* * *

'What in the world...?'

Karl chewed his lip.

The plan had been perfect. They had diverted the North's attention and received the mole cricket demon-beasts.

They had identified an unpatrolled stretch between watchtowers and set up there.

So why—

"The mole crickets are being pushed back. Hmm. A failure, then? I didn't expect this."

At the flat voice beside him, Karl immediately dropped to his knees.

"No! I can finish this! Just give me one chance—"

The other person slowly pressed a foot down on Karl's clinging hand. It hurt, but he desperately endured it. He knew he would die if he let go of that hand.

A crow mask concealed the person's face.

"Do you know who's leading them? The knight Gilberton. He's done considerable damage to our side. Earned himself quite a bounty as a result. We couldn't dispose of him because he stayed close to Adrianna, but... You're lucky. If it weren't for Gilberton, I'd have no reason to intervene."

The crow mask spoke in an androgynous voice. Karl didn't understand what they meant, but nodded anyway.

"How many mana stones are left?"

Karl hurriedly took out every mana stone he'd set aside and offered them up.

If he failed, he wouldn't get to enjoy them anyway. There was no point being stingy now.

"... Should I wake the honored one?"

The crow mask looked down at Karl's question.

"You want to call upon the honored one? Do you want to die?"

"B-but..."

"Such a timid child. Don't worry. With this many mana stones in my hands, what threat could Gilberton possibly pose?"

The crow mask gave a sinister laugh.

"But there's someone else besides Gilberton—"

"Someone else? Oh, those hangers-on in the back. Just Gilberton's soldiers, presumably. What's there to look at...?"

The crow abruptly stopped speaking.

They craned their neck, apparently checking something in the distance.

After a moment, the crow turned their head to the side.

CRACK!

A strange sound rang out.

"What are you doing?"

"... Pardon?"

"Go and wake the honored one, now!"

Karl sprang to his feet at the crow's shout.

They'd just given him shit for suggesting it. Why the sudden change...?

"You followed me all the way here? You relentless bastard!"

The crow shouted in a voice shaking violently.

Their gaze was fixed on a neatly groomed man.

"Wake the honored one! Hurry! Wake them! Just open the cave! What are you doing, you fucking moron?! Do you want to die?! Th-that relentless bastard! You really came all the way here!"

Karl scrambled off at the crow's screams.

Who in the world was that man?