Kenja no Mago
Volume 9 - The Astounding Invasion of the Devils
103 – Angrier than Ever Before
[←Prev. Chapter] [Index] [Next Chapter→]
I received a report from Aug that he was engaged in a battle with devils.
Moreover, apparently the devils were incomparably stronger than the demons up until now.
What the hell was going on!?
"Hey! Why the hell are you fighting against the devils? Or perhaps I should be asking, where are you at now?"
"Disaster-grade demons are overflowing from the former imperial capital! Devils appeared, when we were trying to subdue them."
From the former imperial capital!?
Then it was as expected!
"Damn! So Schtrom hasn't stopped experimenting with demons after all!"
"Tsk! I see! Devil experiments! That's what Schtrom came to Earlshide for! How could I have forgotten?"
"I forgot about it too, because after that, there were various demon invasions in a row. It doesn't matter; we're all settled over here, so I am coming over! Where should I go!?"
"Please do! It's the garrison of Earlshide! Do you know the location?"
"Yes!"
"I need you to hurry! We may not lose, but we can't settle this either! At this rate, the soldiers may suffer!"
"Yes!"
I cut off the radio communication with Aug and turned to grandpa and Ekaterina.
"That's why I'm sorry to say, but can I stop the treatment of Miss Ekaterina here?"
"Yes. She's almost completely healed. Thank you. Pease hurry to the location."
"Yes! Then grandpa, I'm off!"
"Yes, be careful."
After calling out to the two of them, I tried to open the gate immediately, but where was the closest point?
"Hmm… oh! Over there!"
The place where the Earlshide army and the allied forces from each of the countries joined and battled.v
That's the closest position.
I quickly connected the gate and hurriedly pass through it.
"A new demon invasion…? … I think we can no longer declare an end to this campaign."
"That's right. More than that, I'm concerned about the fact that the devils, who had been quiet until now, have suddenly made their move."
After Shin hurriedly went through the gate, Ekaterina and Merlin, who were left behind, exchanged words with serious expressions.
It was naturally painful that their plan had fallen through just before the conclusion was declared, but they were even more suspicious that the devils movements had suddenly became more active.
"If Shin's hypothesis is correct, then the reason why Dahm's emissary attacked me, and the reason why he was almost turned into a demon, are all…"
"It was all… according to the devils' plan. What the hell are they scheming?"
In the first place, even magicians didn’t turn into devils when they had a strong grudge or hatred.
Moreover, Dahm's messenger was an ordinary person.
The fact that he had almost transformed into a devil meant that he was probably forced to become one, as Shin had said.
And at the same time, there was a massive outbreak of disaster-grade demons and the appearance of the devils themselves.
The intention of this was…
"I see. Splitting up the forces and reducing the threat?"
"… In other words, did you mean that they had Shin came to you and attempted to kill the Ultimate Magicians kids… in the meanwhile?"
"That's probably the case. The timing was just too good."
"Yes, that's true…"
She was the bait to lure Shin.
Ekaterina now regretted that Shin was caught in the plot with her as bait.
If she hadn't been stabbed in the first place, this situation could have been avoided.
"Really… we've been dragging our feet instead of being useful to those children…"
The country of Ys was caught off guard because of its perception of Dahm, and the act was allowed to happen.
The result was that the children were in trouble, which made her feel shameful and apologetic to them.
"Don't be so pessimistic. Perhaps even your complacency is part of their scheme."
"… Is that so?"
Merlin comforted the self-loathing Ekaterina, but he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine when he really takes into account the pride of the nation of Ys.
"But for now, we can only pray that Shin will defeat the devils."
"By the way, shouldn't you have gone too teacher? In the past, if there was a fight with a devil, you would have gone first, wouldn't you?"
It was strange for Ekaterina, who knew Merlin Merlin’s earlier years better than she knew him now, during his middle age.
"Are you perhaps mistaking me for some kind of battle maniac?"
"Huh? Are you not?"
Ekaterina had a confused expression wondering what she had said to Merlin that seemed so outrageous to him.
Even though a blue streak appeared on Merlin's temples at Ekaterina's reaction, he still explained why he had not gone with Shin.
"Hmm… I would slow him down"
"Teacher would slow Shin down?"
Ekaterina could not believe Merlin's words.
The image of Merlin's overwhelming magic strongly lingered in her mind.
For Ekaterina, who has never seen the Ultimate Magicians battling in person, Merlin still would be the first to be mentioned as the strongest magician.
"I'm about the same strength as His Highness August. If that child is struggling, I can't help Shin much."
"But… the level of experience between teacher and His Highness August is different, isn't it?"
Ekaterina couldn't imagine Merlin slowing Shin down.
This made her bite back a little.
"It's true, if it wasn't Shin the one heading there, I might have gone with him."
"Then why?"
Why was he saying that he would slow Shin down?
Merlin answered Ekaterina's question concisely.
"This time, Shin will be there."
As his grandfather said, Shin was a genius.
Even considering the power she had witnessed herself, he might not be at full strength yet.
Considering that, I didn't believe that he could be useful to Shin.
"There is an unbridgeable gap in the rankings of the Ultimate Magicians between the leader and the runner-up."
"… In other words, you are saying that there's a significant gap between you, teacher, and Shin, since you say you are equal to His Highness August, the second in rank?"
"That's what I'm saying. That's why he went out. It's not my place to be there. And…"
"And?"
"Shin didn't ask me to come with him. Maybe he wants me to take care of you Katie."
Ekaterina, who had not thought of Shin's intentions, rounded her eyes in surprise.
"Is this really so surprising?"
"Yes. I mean, sweetie Shin and I are somewhat acquainted, but I don't think we have the kind of relationship where he would be worried about me."
"Actually, I told him about it after Katie came back from his birthday party"
Ekaterina was surprised and relieved to find that Merlin had told Shin what she had been agonizing over whether or not to tell him.
But what was the connection between that and this?
"In that conversation, I told him that Katie was supposed to be our daughter-in-law."
"…That's right…"
A lover who had pledged their future to each other, but has been lost forever.
His father, Merlin, who should have been her father-in-law.
Remembering the relationship that had never come to be, Ekaterina's heart sank slightly.
"That's why I guess he wanted me to take care of my daughter-in-law."
"Ah…"
Suddenly, Merlin's expression broke down and he stroked Ekaterina's head.
His appearance was that of a father worried about his daughter.
"Don't worry, Shin will defeat the devils and come back. So, Katie, take your time and rest so that you can recover quickly."
"… Father…"
In reality, they could not become father-in-law and daughter-in-law.
But in their hearts, they were probably already father-in-law and daughter-in-law.
Returning to that relationship for the first time in more than a decade, Ekaterina could not hold back the tears that welled up in her eyes.
"You're still a crybaby."
"… That's unfair, teacher."
"Hmm. Now, as Shin said. He finished your treatment, but your condition is still far from perfect. Get some rest."
"But… I can't be the only one sleeping in this situation…"
"Why don't we ask Melinda to come and take care of you?"
"I'm going to sleep right now! Alright! But without Master!"
"How much do you fear Melinda…?"
"I don't know of any greater fear than that of master!"
"Certainly, you are right…"
In the earlier conversation, Melinda was going to be her mother-in-law, but for Ekaterina, she was probably more of a terrifying mentor than a mother-in-law.
Ekaterina and Merlin, who shared a common understanding on that regard, looked at each other and giggled.
"Master's sermons scare me, so I'll stay quiet. But at least…"
"Hmm?"
Ekaterina said so and clapped hands in front of her chest.
"May sweetie Shin have god's blessing…"
Ekaterina prayed with all her magic power as if to deliver her prayer to god.
Her appearance was so divine that if believers saw her, they would unconsciously fall to their knees and worship her.
"Does it really work? That prayer."
"Teacher… Please don't be so blunt…"
However, it didn't seem to resonate well with the atheist Merlin.
"Now that you're done, go back to sleep quietly. I'll bring Melinda later."
"… Will she be angry at me?"
"Not if you sleep quietly."
With Merlin smiling down at her, Ekaterina fell asleep as if she were a child again.
After cutting the communication with Shin, August immediately returned to the front line.
"Your Highness! How did it go?"
"Oh, I've got in touch. He's already on his way."
Thor spoke to the returning August.
He was relieved by August's reply, but quickly tightened his expression because if the devils noticed it, there was a possibility they would flee.
"Even so, this defensive magic granted to us. It would be nice if it was permanently activated…"
"It can't be helped. As long as it's a magic tool, you have to 'consciously' channel magic power to activate it."
Shin thought that it would activate if it was covered in magical power, but in reality, that was not the case.
If magic tools were activated simply by detecting magical power, there would be a constant stream of accidents caused by magic tools malfunctioning throughout the world.
The magic tool would not work unless you "consciously" let magical power flow into the tool.
Then why was Shin mistaken in such a way?
It was the knowledge of his previous life that had caused this misunderstanding.
Shin had a belief in which he saw the magical power that flowed through magic tools as equivalent to "electricity".
Shin felt that way because electrical appliances would start up regardless of the user's intentions, as long as they were powered with electricity.
Therefore, Shin believed that as long as they wore their battle uniform, the Ultimate Magicians would not be harmed.
However, in reality, when trying to attack, inevitably the consciousness of the magical power’s flow to the magic tools would be interrupted and the defensive magic would be suspended.
The devils skillfully exploited the opening and attacked.
And August and the others stopped their offensive magic and turn their attention to defensive magic in order to prevent the devil's magic.
They were not defeated, but they couldn't triumph either.
Now, they were in a stalemate.
It was the devils who were impatient with such a situation.
The only threat to them was Shin.
They thought that the rest of the Ultimate Magicians were just as strong as them.
Moreover, they were former soldiers.
They didn't think they would be suppressed by August and the others who were still students.
But when it came to it, they had a magic tool with a nasty defensive magic on it. Thanks to that, they couldn't be significantly damaged.
The devils, growing impatient with the situation, noticed something.
When the devils realized this, they distanced themselves from August and the others and suddenly shot their magic in the direction of the horizon.
"Tsk!? Damn it!!"
In the direction where the magic was fired was the Earlshide's army, who was watching the battle from the rear.
The soldiers were suddenly targeted by the devil's magic. The magic division hurriedly deployed defensive magic, but the devil's magic broke through it and landed among the soldiers.
Even though the power had been reduced by the defensive magic, it was still a direct hit from devil's magic.
A lot of people were injured.
"Damn it! Claude! I'm sorry to ask! Take care of them!"
"Ye-Yes!"
As part of the Ultimate Magicians, Sicily also participated in the battle, but due to the large amount of injuries, she stopped participating in the battle and rushed to the soldiers.
Then, in there was…
"El-Elder Sister!!"
"Sicily… Sorry, I screwed up…"
When Sicily rushed to the scene, she found Cecilia, who had deployed defensive magic, was injured by the devil's magic.
"I'll heal you right away! So, elder sister, please don't die!"
Sicily desperately casts healing magic on the injured Cecilia.
Cecilia had been injured so badly that it was impossible to say Sicily was actively… favoring her family.
Although there were no missing limbs, her skin was burnt and her arms were bent in strange angles.
If left untreated, she would die.
The injury was so severe that it looked like she would really die.
Sicily forgot herself at the sight of her beloved sister, and desperately casted her healing magic.
Her family was dying, so it was understandable that this would happen.
However, because of this, Sicily had not been able to pay attention to her surroundings.
"Claudee! Defend yourseelf!"
August's shout made Sicily realized that the devils' magic had been unleashed on them once again.
The magician who had deployed defensive magic earlier had collapsed, wounded, though not as badly as Cecilia.
And Sicily was doing her best to cast healing magic on Cecilia.
In other words, there was no one around Sicily who could deploy defensive magic.
"Ah…"
Sicily watched the magical bombardment that was looming in front of her in a horrifically slow motion.
It was so sudden that her body could not move in response to her brain's reaction.
All Sicily could do with her perception was stare at the magic that was slowly approaching.
She wouldn't make it in time.
What came to her mind, when she felt this way, was Shin.
The person from who she had first learned about love in her life.
Her days with Shin rapidly flooded back to her.
The fun, the happiness, the embarrassment.
Tears welled up in Sicily's eyes as she recalled them.
If nothing was done, she would have to say goodbye to Shin forever.
That was Sicily’s feeling.
Sicily, who instinctively rejected this circumstance, unconsciously called out his name.
"Shin!!"
After Sicily shouted this, she shut her eyes close…
The magical bombardment of the devils struck.
Sicily closed her eyes tightly, but even though the magic had struck, the impact did not come at all.
Curious about this, Sicily opened her eyes fearfully.
And there it was.
"Ah… Ah, Aahh"
What she saw with her eyes was…
"Sicily, are you okay?"
It was the one she had just been thinking of, the one she loved.
"I see it!"
I went through the gate and flew as fast as I could with my flying magic.
It was probably a blessing that there were no houses in the area, if there had been, the shockwave would have blown them away.
It was worth the effort to fly at such a high speed, and I was able to reach the battlefield quickly, but what I saw when I got there was that the devils were about to unleash their magic on the retreating Earlshide’s army.
Damn it! I knew they were targeting us!
According to Aug, it seemed like both sides were at a stalemate, so he feared that the impatient devils would turn their offensive onto the soldiers.
That's exactly what happened…
Hey?! Isn't that Sicily on the receiving end of that magic?
She was so busy healing someone that she didn’t even know magical bombardment was about to be unleashed!
Damn it! Make it in timeee!
I sped up even further, activated the magic barriers in parallel, and stood between Sicily and the oncoming magic.
Immediately after that, the devil's magic struck the magic barrier.
It was impossible for me to activate my defensive magic in time if I casted it after arriving.
I really barely made it in time!
"Sicily, are you okay?"
After blocking the magic, I turned around and called out to Sicily.
Then, after being dumbfounded for a while, Sicily began to cry, her face contorted into a crumpled mess.
"Shin…Shin! Shin! Wahhh! Shin!!"
Crying raggedly, she embraced me.
"Look, it's okay. I'm here."
"El-Elder sister *sniff* got hurt, *wah* and I thought I had to save her, *hic* and then the magic… *wah* came, *wah* and I thought I couldn't *waahh* I couldn't, I couldn't meet Shin anymore!"
"Huh?"
Your sister is injured?
By any chance, the person who she was treating earlier was…
"What?! Miss Cecilia?!"
"Oh, Shin, I've shown you a disgraceful scene."
Sicily's healing magic treatment was probably only just beginning.
Cecilia, who had been burned here and there, was lying there helplessly.
"Ah, El-Elder Sister. My Elder Sister's treatment, hold on."
Sicily hurriedly moved away from my chest and attempted to heal Miss Cecilia.
But considering her current state of mind, it was better to wait until she was a little calmer.
"Sicily, I'll do it."
"Shin…"
I casted a healing spell on Miss Cecilia.
Not only did she had burns, but she also had a broken arm, so I healed that as well.
"Fuwha… what's this?"
I saw Miss Cecilia eyes widened as she watched the healing process that was taken place.
Eventually, when the healing was complete, Miss Cecilia sat up.
"It's amazing… just as Sicily said."
Miss Cecilia stood up and touched herself here and there to make sure she was okay.
Apparently, the treatment went well.
I looked around, but it seemed that Cecilia was the only one who needed immediate treatment.
After confirming this, I called out to Sicily, who was still in a daze.
"Sicily? Miss Cecilia is already okay."
"Shin…"
"So, after you become little calmer, can you treat the others for me?"
"Ah, Ye-Yes!"
"Yeah. Good girl"
I embraced Sicily tightly, patted her back and stroked her on the head.
"Ah… I'm sorry, I lost my composure…"
"It's okay. Your own sister was badly injured. It can't be helped. Anyway, Now I've got something important to do."
As I said this, I let Sicily go and proceeded to gather magical power as I walked.
"I'm going to have to repay you for making my beloved Sicily… and her precious family suffer!"
I was angrier than I'd ever been ever before.
[1] TL Note: For those with western backgrounds, some context: in Japan's culture, daughters-in-law are basically adopted into the husband's family, in some cases completely cut their links with their birth family.