[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
Chapter 150
"It's over."
"That was easier than I thought. Even though he was a Legion Commander."
"If you set a trap like that, anyone would fall for it."
Perhaps it was because of the extraordinary things I had done so far?
My companions reacted more calmly than I expected.
Except for Vagran, of course.
"What did you just do…?"
This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.
Vagran asked, his wide eyes even wider.
Unlike the others, he didn't seem to have grasped the situation yet.
Instead of me, who was focused on the space magic, Thompson answered.
"We trapped Bune inside that magic. Mr. First Place’s specialty is space magic, you know."
And Vagran couldn't hide his astonishment at the casual explanation.
"Y-you mean… that demon Legion Commander is inside that black magic now…?"
"Yes, you're exactly right."
"T-that's absurd!"
Thinking it was a joke, Vagran raised his voice.
And it was at that moment that Bune's resistance began.
Thump!
With a dull thud, part of my space magic bulged out and then receded.
That was repeated several times.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump-thump!
'Come on, just stay still…!'
He seemed to be rampaging inside, and as expected of a Legion Commander, his resistance was fierce.
I felt like the space magic would collapse if I relaxed my concentration even slightly.
Perhaps noticing that, Thompson asked,
"Mr. First Place… are you okay?"
"So far… yes."
Thump-thump!
Another bulge in the space magic.
"Ugh!"
Every time it bulged, I felt a sharp pain, as if I had been punched hard in the gut.
'I thought this would be easy…'
It seemed I couldn't keep this up.
I felt like I wouldn't be able to hold on for long.
Of course, I wasn't too worried.
I hadn't used my full power yet.
'Though it's a bit risky…'
I had no choice but to use that method.
Swish!
With a flick of my wrist, the bracer-like object on my wrist unfolded.
[Lich's Wand].
The one I had received as a gift from Kailius.
And the change occurred the moment the [Lich's Wand] unfolded.
Slide…
The mana flowing through the wand enveloped the space magic I was casting.
At that moment.
Whoosh!
The space magic expanded visibly and became more solid.
Incomparable to before.
Thanks to that,
Thump…
Bune's resistance, which seemed to have become stronger, was much less powerful than before.
It was now bearable enough.
The problem was that I didn't have the luxury to worry about that now.
'I have to control it…'
My mind was already filled with the thought of controlling the space magic at all costs.
If I failed, I would not only lose Bune, but I would also suffer a huge shock from the backlash of the magic collapsing.
Therefore,
'Focus.'
I concentrated all my attention on manipulating the space magic.
Shudder, shudder, shudder.
Grasping the trembling [Lich's Wand], I infused the mana with my will.
'Compress it as much as possible.'
I began to shrink the unintentionally expanded space magic.
Crunch, crunch!
The space magic grew smaller and smaller.
Perhaps feeling the pressure,
Thump! Thump! Thump!!
Bune rampaged relentlessly.
The more he did, the tighter I gritted my teeth, infusing even stronger control.
How long had it been?
Pop.
When the space magic became smaller than a human torso, and the accumulated sweat droplets dripped from my mask onto the ground.
Thump…
After one last resistance, Bune's struggle ceased, and only after waiting a sufficient amount of time did I exhale the breath I had been holding.
"Hah…! Hah…!"
"Mr. First Place!"
"Are you alright?"
My companions rushed to support my swaying form.
Even then, my gaze was fixed on the space magic.
I couldn't be sure it was over yet.
Fortunately, though.
Thump.
It seemed to have ended without a hitch.
A strange arm fell forlornly through the gradually disappearing space magic.
At that sight, my companions, who had been tense, sighed in relief.
"It's really over…"
"I knew it was too easy."
"A Legion Commander is a tricky creature even after falling into a trap."
Vagran was the same.
Also relieved, he muttered, still in disbelief, his mouth agape.
"What did I just witness…"
Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, he clapped his hands.
"Th-this isn't the time for this! I'll go back first!"
Saying that, Vagran hurriedly ran off somewhere.
I could guess where he was going without having to ask.
After all, he was the leader of the dwarves.
It was obvious he was going to check on the condition of the infected dwarves.
"Let's go back, Mr. First Place."
"…Yes."
Curious about the results, we also headed back to the village.
***
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
In his urgency, Vagran's footsteps made the ground shake, unlike usual.
But Vagran didn't care about that at all.
His mind was filled with the events of just moments ago.
'A Legion Commander… alone…'
He hadn't faced a demon Legion Commander himself, but he knew well enough what they were.
Elite demons commanding thousands, if not tens of thousands, of soldiers.
That was a demon Legion Commander.
Naturally, their power was incredibly strong.
Yet, that demon Legion Commander had just been eliminated by a mage.
Without even putting up proper resistance.
'Even though he set a trap…'
It was an unbelievable event.
At least, by his standards.
And Vagran couldn't help but see it in a positive light.
'A noble benefactor has come to Kazandur!'
A mighty warrior had come to Kazandur, and he was currently on Kazandur's side.
He even seemed to be close to his nephew.
Perhaps the war with the elves could be ended easily with his help.
'First, the patients…!'
Skid!
Running at full speed, Vagran abruptly slowed down.
Before him was a large, single-story building.
It was filled with the unfortunate dwarves who were waiting only for him.
Thump!
Vagran immediately entered the building.
His heart began to pound rapidly.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
'…Cured?'
And there…
"L-Lord Vagran!"
"Ah, we knew you'd come through…"
"As expected of our leader! You saved us all!"
There were no more weak dwarves groaning in pain.
They were all full of energy.
'…It was real.'
It was the moment when what those people had said was proven.
That mage had truly captured the demon Legion Commander.
***
After leaving the Red Rock Cliffs and returning to Kazandur,
We received truly exceptional treatment.
"What's all this…"
"Please, eat to your heart's content. You are the benefactors of our dwarven people."
"This is the first time I've received such a reward."
After a short rest, we woke to find a lavish spread of food awaiting us.
It was filled with dwarven specialties.
More than 80% of the menu was meat.
"Mr. Dwarf! You were born in a great place!"
"Is that how you judge a place?"
"Not really, but this is a different story!"
Munch! Munch!
Thompson, in high spirits, grabbed handfuls of meat and gleefully tore into them.
Kayla and Barundel, who had hesitated for a moment, followed suit.
"Thank you for the food."
"…I will enjoy this gratefully."
Each of us picked up our food, and Vagran, watching us, smiled with satisfaction.
Then, his eyes met mine, and he said,
"I think I should be going now."
"Do you have something to attend to?"
"We're still at war, you know. Those pointy-eared elves, even though they're completely cured of the plague, show no signs of backing down. They seem determined to see this through to the end."
"Ah… I see. Then, what do the dwarves plan to do?"
"What can we do when they act like this?"
Humph!
Vagran raised the hammer he was holding.
"We'll show them the true difference in our strength. If they won't back down!"
His expression was resolute.
He seemed to have already made up his mind.
'So it comes to this after all.'
I felt a bit disappointed.
I had hoped that there would be no casualties on either side.
'…Well, if it comes to this even after the problem is solved, I guess it was bound to happen anyway.'
Seeing them so determined, it seemed the animosity between the elves and dwarves was deeper than I had thought.
But now that we were here, I couldn't just ignore it.
What should I do?
I hadn't planned to get too involved, so I carefully asked,
"If I said I could end the war for you, would that be alright?"
"You mean… you'd fight on our side?"
"No, I won't take sides."
I added that I could literally just end the war itself.
From a strictly neutral standpoint.
Understanding what I meant, Vagran seemed to ponder for a moment before nodding.
"We'd welcome that. Honestly, there's no need to continue this war anymore."
"Is that so?"
Vagran also seemed to want to end the war in essence.
In that case…
"Please go ahead. I'll be there soon."
I should do that for them.
Making that decision, I also tore into the meat without reservation.
I needed to recover sufficiently, as I would be heading out soon.
***
"What? Is that true?"
Ervehim frowned in displeasure upon hearing about the dwarves' situation.
"They cured the plague?"
One of the elf soldiers had reported that the dwarves seemed to have overcome the plague that had been afflicting them.
And it was an accurate report.
Soon after, reports flooded in that some of the infected elves had also been completely cured, even before using the cure.
It didn't take long to grasp the situation.
'…It's not a cure. The disease itself has disappeared?'
It seemed that whatever had been causing the plague had vanished.
There was no other way to explain this kind of recovery.
Naturally, this wasn't good news for the elves, who had secured a large quantity of Antillian Leaves.
'Then their resistance will intensify…'
Surely, the recovered dwarves would soon rejoin the battle.
If that happened, the situation would inevitably worsen for the elves, who had been pushing forward with relatively superior numbers.
Then there was only one option left.
'This is our only chance!'
Making a swift decision, she signaled with her hand, and the elf musicians who had been waiting nearby began to pluck their harps.
Strum~!
Simultaneously,
"Uwaaaaah!"
"Die! You filthy creatures!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The morale of the elf soldiers soared.
The plan was to quickly end the war by picking up the pace.
However, just as things were going well,
Thud!
Something suddenly interfered with the battlefield.
Four of them, no less.
All familiar faces.
The large human who sent elf knights flying with his body slams.
"Uwaaaaah!"
Whoosh!
The fire mage who disrupted their well-formed ranks with flames.
Crack! Crack!
The dwarf with the auburn beard who fought particularly well compared to the others.
And,
Poof!
That unpleasant black-haired mage.
'These bastards…!'
Ervehim clenched her fists.
The tide of the war was rapidly turning.
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