I was truly glad Ernesta wasn’t here.
Though she herself had anticipated it, she had no choice but to use Petrify Magic. However, she wouldn’t want to witness the magic that killed her older brother.
Although incomplete, Petrify Magic—with the casting of “Earth Dragon’s Lament,” Jared had succeeded in defeating nearly half the Ghouls. He kicked off the ground, further raising his Magic Power to unleash a second blast.
“Wait, Jared! —Don’t let me be the only one doing all the work, even with support. Fight for the people we must protect with our own strength!”
“OOOOOOOOOOOOH!”
Unable to simply watch the lone Magician sprint ahead, Hugo raised his lance and shouted loudly. The soldiers responded, their voices boosting their own morale.
Stepping over the petrified and shattered Ghouls, the Dukes pursued Jared, who was heading towards the vanguard at the forefront of the road.
“I’ll eliminate the rest with the next strike!”
Concentrating the fully enhanced Magic Power into both hands, Jared stopped as close as possible to the front of the Ghouls and raised his arms again.
Vast Magic Power was offered to the Spirits, transforming into the Earth attribute.
Despite Petrify Magic’s considerable drawback of draining a large amount of Magic Power, its effects were so overwhelming that not using it was out of the question.
Breathing heavily, feeling a dull fatigue, he was about to unleash the second blast when—
“Dodge!”
For some reason, Hugo’s voice, laced with panic, echoed.
He didn’t have the luxury to turn around, but he immediately understood why Hugo had raised his voice.
He felt pain and heat in his right leg and left arm, and his body began to tilt. It was a sudden event, but he understood that he had been attacked by someone.
Gritting his teeth and ignoring the pain, he unleashed the magic with the Magic Power he had enhanced to the fullest.
“—This is the second one! —Earth Dragon’s Lament!”
A fierce torrent of Magic Power and a mournful scream were released from his descending arms.
The dragon’s lament spread like a curse, petrifying Ghouls one after another.
“It’s still coming! Damn it, raise your shields and surround Jared! But don’t interfere with his magic!”
“Please don’t come—*Guh*, ah—”
Jared’s right thigh throbbed with more pain as a soldier who was trying to protect him was struck.
It seemed the enemy was only targeting him. And, whether they intended to kill him or not, their primary objective was to stop Petrify Magic. In other words, to prevent him from defeating the Ghouls.
If that were the case, while he appreciated the thought, he couldn’t use the soldiers as shields. Doing so would only create more targets for the unseen enemy.
Fortunately, he could redirect his remaining Magic Power to defense, so he should be able to avoid fatal wounds.
It would extend the time he could maintain Petrify Magic, but he didn’t mind.
“Leave the Ghouls to Jared. Find the attackers and eliminate them immediately!”
Thanking Hugo for acting on his intentions, Jared continued to cast Petrify Magic.
Eighty percent were already petrified, and in a few more seconds, all visible Ghouls would turn to stone.
But those few seconds felt like an eternity.
“—Hnngh, Guh, Damn it all!”
Magic was unleashed from both sides, piercing his arms.
He had no choice but to endure. Incomplete magic required maintaining Magic Power and concentration. Petrifying a few monsters was instantaneous, but with this many, it inevitably took time.
In combat, mere seconds could be the difference between life and death.
“Hurry up and turn to stone!””
He didn’t have time to think of consequences and poured in more Magic Power.
The torrent of Magic Power swirled, engulfing the Ghouls. He heard the sound of them turning to stone, and one after another, they stiffened.
After what felt like a long few seconds, Jared, having successfully petrified all the Ghouls, snapped his fingers lightly.
—In an instant, the horde of petrified Ghouls shattered into pieces.
“Hmph.”
Jared, having completed his task, was overcome with pain and fell to his knees.
“Jared, are you alright? I’m coming!”
This time, instead of refusing, he allowed himself to rely on Hugo.
Hugo dismounted his horse, cautiously scanned the surroundings, and approached Jared, then lent him his shoulder to help him stand.
“I’m sorry, I was careless. I never expected to be attacked by Magicians.”
“I was the one who was wrong. I never anticipated that there would be people in my country who would do such foolish things in this emergency. I was on guard against the Barbarians, though.”
He couldn’t blame Hugo. Jared felt the same way.
“But you did well. With this, we’ve defeated the horde of Ghouls. All that’s left is to crush those who strayed from the road. Leave that to us.”
“…But there are still Magicians. Likely multiple, more than four.”
“This has become troublesome. Why would Magicians target Jared in a crisis facing my Ducal Territory?”
“I have too many possibilities to count.”
“Hah, you say that!”
The first thing that came to mind was the Royal Mage Corps, with whom he had a dispute just the other day. However, they were also protectors of the kingdom. He doubted they would seize this opportunity to target him during a crisis in his Ducal Territory.
The next possibility was, though he hoped he was wrong, malicious individuals who wished to harm Duke R’s territory.
He couldn’t fathom the reason, but if there were those plotting to inflict damage on the Ducal Family, then Jared, who was trying to defeat the Ghouls, would be nothing but a nuisance.
“In any case, let’s leave this place. We can’t stay in a place where we’ve been attacked.”
Jared examined his own body, annoyed to find multiple wounds despite the lack of significant bleeding. All the injuries were from magic. He didn’t know their strength, but with his diminished ability to exert force due to significant Magic Power expenditure, he didn’t want to face them.
The consequence of using a powerful technique he couldn’t afford was now catching up to him.
“Can you move?”
“I can manage… but if I had a few more minutes, I’d be in much better shape.”
“Then don’t push yourself. I’ll carry you.”
Hugo placed his lance on the ground and hoisted Jared onto his shoulder. Jared offered a brief nod of thanks.
“Don’t worry about it, it’s a small price to pay for a benefactor. Still, Jared, you seem to be training but you’re still light. You should rest at my territory for a while. I’ll treat you to my famed grilled meats.”
The Duke laughed heartily, telling him to look forward to it, but he hadn’t let his guard down. He was carefully scanning the surroundings.
Apparently, the attackers didn’t intend to harm Hugo as well. He felt no hostile aura or Magic Power directed at him.
“Unfortunately, that boy requires no rest.”
As the Duke was about to help Jared onto his horse, a third voice drew his sword.
“Who’s there?”
“Duke R has no business with us. We are seeking the whereabouts of a young Court Mage.”
A figure clad in Magician’s robes, hood pulled deep, stood blocking the middle of the road leading to the city.
