Chapter 30 - The Fairy and the Black Group
Drip. A red liquid fell. The heavy droplet splashed onto the ground, soaking in to form a jagged-edged circle. Splash. Another one. It landed slightly off-center from the previous circle.
One drop, two drops. Drip, drip.
It gradually became impossible to distinguish them. The shape of the first drop was no longer preserved.
Drip, drip-drop-drop.
Drip.
"Is the Chief not back yet!?"
"It seems he is being hindered..."
Louis should have returned by now. If he had sent a white, bird-shaped letter for express delivery, it should have reached him even in the remote borders of the country in less than twenty minutes. But forty minutes had already passed since it was sent.
Those two had left the barrier.
It would be best if they were under the protection of the knights, but that hope was thin.
The knights, who had been ordered to head into the Royal Capital immediately upon recognizing the monster attack, would surely prioritize the safety of the citizens. However, those two would likely refuse protection, fearing a return.
The female mage glared at every human she could see, her eyes filled with frustration. If looks could kill, she would have killed them. She was disgusted with herself for merely standing there, watching such a nauseating scene.
Hurry, those two—!
The female mage agonized.
The mages present here were either healers or those skilled in barrier magic.
Those specialized in offensive magic were fighting outside.
In contrast, the barrier operators and healers had been instructed by the Chief to "prioritize the safety of the citizens." This was the order given—and to rephrase it as a mage, it was a "promise."
Mages do not break promises.
But this was too much.
Just as she lifted her right foot, thinking she might as well abandon such a barrier duty,
Tap, tap.
She heard a somewhat familiar sound.
Following that,
"『——』"
She heard ancient words whispered like a breeze.
A cool wind caressed people's cheeks, blowing through gently as if to tease the mages.
Instantly, all the mages who had been maintaining the barrier within the grounds collapsed.
The female mage's entire body went limp, and she could not even stand up. The tension, fatigue, and lack of mana from maintaining the thick barrier until now had taken their toll. But the heavy pressure she had endured was released all at once, and her shoulders felt lighter.
The barrier, built with the full strength of the elite mages, had been forcibly dispelled.
When the female mage looked up at the sky, she saw that a new barrier had been formed.
Only he could perform such a feat.
"My two relatives should be here... but I do not see them."
It seemed he had teleported directly to the Research Institute.
Holding his long staff, Louis slowly looked around.
How many people here were relieved to finally see his figure?
In this state, there might be more who were frightened.
People naturally made way, not obstructing his steps even once. Advancing through that path as if it were natural, he gradually slowed his pace.
Stopping, he fixed his gaze on one point.
He stared intently at a large feather held by one man.
"That is—"
"Ugh..."
"Could you return it for now?"
Without waiting for the man's words, Louis manipulated the wind and snatched the feather from the man's hand.
He gently stroked the distorted feather with his fingertips. Then, showing no interest whatsoever, he cast the man out of his sight.
Louis asked a nearby mage,
"Is the Corps Commander outside?"
"Yes."
"In that case, I suppose it's fine if I slip out alone..."
Louis muttered, half-jokingly. The silence was eerie, and no one said anything.
The torches crackled.
"All personnel, gather."
At Louis's command, the mages gathered all at once. His voice was transmitted to every mage within the grounds.
Whether their bodies were heavy, whether they were tired, or whether they felt like dying, they had to obey.
A mage who could no longer stand due to fatigue collapsed, and Louis gave him gentle words: "Please do not overdo it. Go to the infirmary." Everyone realized it was a complete declaration of being unfit for duty.
"I have re-established the barrier, both outside and inside. All Court Mages are to proceed to their designated positions and support the Interception Squad. You are permitted to consume Ether."
Ether was a drug developed as a substitute for Fairy Tale. Refined with the mana of researchers, it could restore mana.
The mages consciously swallowed, reaching for the small bottles hidden in their robes.
"Healer Division 1 is to continue treating the injured. Divisions 2 through 5 are to form groups of two or more and accompany the mages heading to various areas from this point forward. I rely on you for support and the rescue of survivors. I leave detailed judgments to the Platoon Leaders. Due to the emergency, I have issued general instructions to everyone, but if you meet the Corps Commander, obey his orders."
He stated only what needed to be said.
Narrowing their eyes, which held the fire of the torches, everyone showed the smile they had been waiting for.
But though they were smiling, they were not smiling.
"I order their annihilation."
And so, he simply said to kill. This might have been the true nature of the current Chief.
"Understood."
The mages spoke in unison. In their calm salute, with not a sound or a fraction of disorder, there was no bravery like that of knights. Every member of the black group standing there was like a mechanical doll.
Mages were not liked for having faces full of motivation.
Because it was unacceptable for their innate mana to erupt violently with a single emotion.
People, swallowed by the strange atmosphere of "With this Chief, these are his subordinates," furrowed their brows. But that was only because people did not know; all mages, the more they were mages, were greedy, calm, and heartless.
"Ah, that's right."
Louis shifted his gaze to the right. It was trivial to him whether those around his Adjutant there were frightened.
"Ars Turner. And those who know the details. I will hear the full circumstances later, so be prepared."
Louis's eyes and profile were so cold that someone gasped.
A fairy's feather was their lifeline. If lost, even an individual with strong vitality would die within two days.
Louis was not without anxiety. But he knew that anxiety would change nothing.
He had a rough prediction of what had happened to the two who had followed his instruction to go to the Research Institute if anything occurred.
It was the result of his own instructions.
It was the result of him leaving those two behind.
Before any regret, he thought to search for the two.
Louis flipped his robe as if abandoning everyone, and exited the main gate.
Walking leisurely, he gripped his staff and whispered, "『Pursue』." Then, as if the staff suddenly gained a will of its own, it headed in a certain direction. It pulled him along, hand and all.
Inside the staff was Elenoa's hair. And in his bosom, he had one of her wings. If not for the interference of pursuit magic, it would be easy to track the person themselves.
He went straight through the main street from the main gate, then turned left. He realized the two had been heading home.
—In that case, as quickly as possible!
He deployed a teleportation magic circle a few steps ahead, and—encountered several monsters there.
A monster jumped from the roof of a house, fell onto Louis's head, and let out a monkey-like cry, "Kikii,"... seemingly rejoicing that its ambush had succeeded, but,
"You are in the way."
Those crude words were the last the monkey heard.
Its body was carved by wind that had turned into sharp blades, scattering green bodily fluids with a splash, and crushing onto the hard ground. It died with a "Guge" sound. Finally, it turned into green particles, dissolved into the air, and vanished.
Louis paid them no mind, stepped into the magic circle, and teleported.
He arrived at his home in an instant. But that time felt many times longer.
It was as if he was carving out hundreds of seconds, feeling each and every one with his entire body.
There was something he wanted to say firmly to his sister, who would sigh, "Big Brother is overprotective," and he wanted to touch his lover, who would sigh, "Louis, I'm not so weak that you need to worry," with enough force to crush her.
It might have been since the day he caught Elenoa that he had run this much.
"Elenoa! Lumina!"
He called out from the familiar entrance of his home.
But there was no sign of people. Neither his housekeeper and lover, nor his sister, came to greet him.
"Ugh..."
The staff was pointing outside.
At the very least, Elenoa was not here. Then what about Lumina?
Louis deliberately went against his staff and hurried to the living room. But she was not there either.
Destruction sounds echoed in the distance, he could feel the mana released by his subordinates from various places, and he could hear the clashing of swords, yet there was no presence here.
Perhaps in a hurry, a fallen chair remained as it was. The fire in the fireplace had burned out, and the room was cold.
Giving up that Lumina was not there either, he returned to the entrance.
When he opened the door, the house across the street was burning.
Dazzled by the brightness, he stepped out onto the main street, and something caught his peripheral vision, so he glanced to the left.
He discovered a pool of blood.
The upper body was buried in the collapsed outer wall of the neighboring house, and the face of the blood's owner was not visible. But the white feet thrown out, the nightgown worn, the hair shining in the firelight, the right hand protruding from the rubble as if seeking something.
Louis knew that person.
"...Ah"
Ignoring his heart, which had jumped once greatly, Louis rushed to the pool of blood.
He blew away the rubble and lifted out the buried person.
"...Lumina"
His sister, with her eyes wide open, was not breathing.
It seemed she had been struck hard by something hard, and the shape of the back of her head was deformed. Her face was unharmed. Saliva dripped loosely from her mouth, and she had died shedding tears.
Just in case, he placed his hand on her chest to check for a heartbeat, searched her wrist for a pulse, checked for breath, and no matter how many times he called out, she did not return.
It was anticlimactic.
"——"
Louis opened his mouth again to say something, but he did not know what to say.
Half of his sister's hair was hardened with blood. It made a sticky, viscous sound as it adhered to Louis's robe.
He laid his sister on the bed in his private room and covered her with bedding. He wanted to make sure she was not cold.
There were no tears.
He just felt as if something in his head had snapped.
—Next is Elenoa.
When Louis gripped his staff again, it reacted and showed him the way once more.
That direction overlapped with the right hand of his sister, which seemed to be appealing for something.