King Bernhard III of the Kingdom of Filat was on an inspection tour of his kingdom with his daughter, Princess Lovisa, and a retinue of guards.
Upon returning to the Royal Capital after completing their duties, they were attacked by a pack of Wyverns.
The guards fought back with all their might, but it was unlikely they could hold out for long.
“Lovisa, I beg your forgiveness, but you must prepare yourself.”
King Bernhard III spoke to his daughter, who was riding with him, his face etched with anguish and sorrow.
While the guards might have been able to repel a single Wyvern, they were no match for six of them.
Their horses were the first to fall, and no hope of rescue was in sight.
“I have been prepared for some time, Father. However, I feel pity for the guards. If someone had to die, it should have been only you and I…”
Unlike her father, who had ruled his kingdom for over two decades, Lovisa was not yet prepared to see her subjects die.
It was not her Father King, but Emma, the Princess’s maid and guard, who served as their attendant on this journey, who rebuked her.
“Our duty is to die for the Royal Family. Your kindness is paramount, Princess Lovisa, but in this situation, it is, dare I say, an insult to us.”
Emma offered her admonition emotionlessly and calmly.
Seeing her maid and friend’s demeanor, Lovisa couldn’t help but break into a smile.
“To think I’d be scolded even at a time like this. I don’t see any opportunity to truly utilize our skills yet.”
“While I appreciate your words, you two are not yet dead.”
Emma retorted without missing a beat to Lovisa’s slightly cheerful reply.
King Bernhard III spoke in her stead, as Lovisa was left speechless this time.
“Indeed, as long as there are those striving to keep us alive, we cannot afford to give up.”
Emma nodded in agreement with his sigh-laden remark.
Although Emma was as capable as the other guards in combat, she was ultimately Lovisa’s personal guard.
She couldn’t possibly hope for the same synchronized teamwork as the other guards; in fact, she might even be a hindrance.
This was frustrating, but she didn’t show it on her face.
After all, the father and daughter she served were likely suffering far more.
“Let us at least bear witness to their loyalty.”
At King Bernhard III’s words, three pairs of eyes gazed out the window.
The guards, though unaware of the conversations within the carriage, sensed that their liege was preparing herself for death.
This was precisely why Alvin, the leader of the guards, cursed his own inadequacy.
Though they were inflicting damage little by little, it was not enough to turn the tide of battle.
The Wyverns were not foolish; they seemed to see through the humans’ strategy of wanting to take them down one by one, circling relentlessly and constantly changing their positions to avoid being targeted.
Two of the twelve guards had already fallen.
They couldn’t even confirm if they were still alive.
In this desperate situation, no one had given in to despair.
This was purely due to the sense of duty of the Royal Guards.
Marius found himself in such a situation.
(We haven’t defeated even one… I might scare them if I use high-level magic.)
Wyverns were formidable foes, but anyone above level 120 could fight them with ease and wouldn’t fail to defeat even one.
The fact that they were struggling this much despite having the advantage in numbers meant that they were likely all below level 100.
In that case, they might not have even seen magic above fifth tier.
However, to defeat the Wyverns without causing further casualties, high-level magic was unavoidable.
Marius decided to use it without hesitation. He’d rather be feared than watch them die before his eyes.
(First, a defensive barrier.)
It would be difficult to annihilate them in a single blow, and he couldn’t be confident of not involving them by accident.
“＜Let the world distort, and become my shield, repelling all power＞ Dimensionshield!”
With the power of the Ring of Divine Words, the spell was completed in an instant.
An invisible barrier appeared between the Wyverns and the humans, deflecting the breaths that two of them exhaled at the opportune moment.
“……Huh?”
Alvin and the others were astonished. The scenery before their eyes seemed to shimmer for a moment, and then a barrier suddenly appeared, blocking the Wyverns’ attack.
“What did you say…?”
“Eh?”
Bernhard III, Lovisa, and Emma were unable to comprehend what was happening.
The Wyverns, perhaps thinking the humans had pulled a dirty trick, began circling in the sky with growls.
Marius then launched his attack.
“＜I shall bring down the iron hammer of thunder, to cleave the heavens, shatter the earth, and reduce all to dust＞ Tonitulus!”
A first-tier wide-area annihilation magic of lightning. Dozens of pale blue lightning bolts appeared and struck the Wyverns’ bodies.
And the real show was about to begin. By using magic with the power of the Ring of Divine Words, he could cast two spells almost simultaneously if he chanted them himself.
“Tonitulus!”
Dozens more pale blue lightning bolts appeared and assaulted the Wyverns. And at that moment, the effect of the Ring of Divine Words became reusable. This was the true essence of a game-breaker.
“＜I shall bring down the tombstone of ice, where all shall freeze and all shall sleep＞ Congelatio!”
Space froze. A colossal block of ice appeared in the sky, encasing all six Wyverns.
“Oh…”
Alvin, one of the mages, and King Bernhard III let out exclamations. The three men were finally beginning to catch up to the situation.
(It seems I’m being assisted… by a powerful mage.)
He hastily looked around and saw a figure in a crimson robe, holding a white staff, beyond a bend in the road.
(Is that them?)
Words like “When did they appear?” and “From where?” came to mind, but he snapped back to reality by a cracking sound from above. Marius, seeing this, began preparing his follow-up spell. However, as the ice shattered, the Wyverns were nowhere to be seen.
“Huh?”
Marius’s eyes widened in disbelief at the unexpected turn of events. Wyverns were boss monsters; they weren’t so easy to defeat with two or three spells, even at level 200 or higher. At least, that was how it was in the game. Yet, in reality, the Wyverns were scattering into ice fragments. The way the ice fragments shimmered in the light of two suns as they rained down was so magical that several guards and Lovisa themselves let out sighs, forgetting their predicament due to its beauty.
(So the monsters’ strength is also different now.)
He had already experienced numerous times that there were differences from the game. Marius quickly refocused and walked towards those who had helped him.
As the ice fragments finished falling, the barrier disappeared. Alvin was the first to regain his composure and asked the mages, “Can you describe the magic specifically?”
Two of the three shook their heads in a daze, but the remaining one, the eldest, Raymond, stated with a preface of “Perhaps,”
“The first spell was a defensive barrier that warped space. All the subsequent spells also appear to be first-tier magic.”
“F-First-tier!? And all of them!?”
It was no wonder Alvin and the others were astonished. Even the Royal Court Mage of the Kingdom of Filat, considered one of the strongest humans, could only use up to third-tier magic. It was said that only two legendary archmages could cast first-tier magic.
“I can only go by what I’ve seen in texts, so I can’t say for sure… but the fact that they destroyed those Wyverns in just three spells will be the best evidence.”
“That’s true.”
Alvin nodded emphatically. Wyverns were indeed that formidable. He was confident they could handle one with their current strength, but six was a hopeless situation.
“You never know what life will bring.”
King Bernhard III, who had somehow come outside, murmured in a contemplative tone. The guards, startled, stared at their liege.
“Y-Your Majesty, it is dangerous for you to be outside.”
Alvin’s panicked admonishment was met with a snort from his liege.
“Facing a mage who can annihilate a pack of Wyverns in an instant, it makes no difference whether I am inside or out.”
No one could refute their liege’s words. The opponent was so overwhelming that it felt futile to try to escape.
“What, they defeated the pack of Wyverns for us. Perhaps they are allies?”
Alvin and the others regained some of their spirits at their lord’s words, spoken with a dry chuckle. The sheer power had instilled fear, and they had forgotten the possibility that the mage had helped them purely out of goodwill. And none of them thought this was mere optimism.
“I do hope that is the case.”
Alvin attempted to laugh but failed, his face contorting into an unidentifiable expression. It was a perfect representation of everyone’s state of mind. Marius sensed their feelings somewhat. After all, he had helped them with full knowledge of the potential consequences.
He was surprised to see a middle-aged man wearing particularly luxurious clothes and a crown emerge from the carriage.
(Is that… the King?)
As far as Marius knew, there was no one else who wore a crown. If that was the case, then whatever happened was likely to escalate to a national level. As he closed the distance, the knights moved into a position where they could shield the King with casual movements.
(They’re wary.)
They looked at Marius with tension, fear, and a sense of duty. Marius was aware of his own power and had anticipated being feared, and he also sensed the strength of the knights’ sense of duty, so he didn’t take offense. He wished to establish a friendly relationship if possible, but he didn’t harbor any grand expectations. He stopped about ten paces away. The atmosphere emanating from the guards suddenly became hostile. Since he had no intention of being aggressive himself, provoking the other party would not be wise.
Alvin, facing Marius, made up his mind and spoke to him.
“○▼□※……○△■”
However, Marius couldn’t understand him.
(W-What is he saying? I can’t understand.)
From his expression and gestures, he could tell he was being thanked. However, he didn’t know how to respond. He thought that ignoring him would be the worst option. With that in mind, Marius opened his mouth.
“We all need help sometimes, so please don’t worry about it.”
As Marius had feared, his words were incomprehensible to Alvin and the others, and they looked bewildered. An awkward silence began to settle between them.
(I didn’t anticipate this turn of events…)
In the world of FAO, there was only one language and one currency. Therefore, the moment he could cast spells by simply chanting them, he had assumed he could speak the language of this world. The common language was supposed to be Firmiyan, but what language was he speaking? Could it be Japanese? As Marius pondered this, Alvin spoke again.
“It seems you are from a foreign land, but regardless, I wish to express my gratitude.”
He tried his best to communicate, but the mage’s reply was in an unintelligible language. He felt no animosity, nor was he attacking. He could only sense their confusion. He wanted to tell him to at least take off his hood, but without a common language, that was impossible. Still, he wondered what language it was. The continent was unified by a single language, so perhaps he was from another continent? As Alvin pondered this, a graceful figure and a faint fragrance passed before him. At this moment, there was only one such presence.
“P-Princess!”
Ignoring the flustered men, Lovisa boldly spoke to the mage.
“Are you perhaps using Firmiyan, the language you have been using since a moment ago?”
