The carriage rattled rhythmically.
The carriage wheels kicked against the stones of the earth, making my vision sway up and down. Compared to the sensations of my original world, it was a terribly uncomfortable vehicle. I longed for cars with rubber tires. However, that nostalgia for my original world was now an unbearable bother.
It wasn’t the unstable jolting of the carriage that made me feel sick, but the instability of my memories.
Despite that, I endured and looked around desperately.
Everyone had grim expressions. Sitting in the seats inside the carriage, they wore faces similar to mine.
It was clear they were shocked by the recent defeat.
Yet, I explained the situation without mercy.
First, I informed the three who had retreated midway about what happened afterward. Then, we shared the information I received from Hairi and decided on our next course of action.
“—Therefore, Maria and I will go to fight Palinkron now.”
That proposal meant that the other four should not come with us.
Rustiara and the others couldn’t answer immediately.
Everyone was exhausted in some way. Perhaps their minds couldn’t keep up because of that. I continued to explain without regard for their state.
“We can’t just leave the ‘Shaka Hōkan Jin’ that guy is trying to activate… It’s dangerous.”
I really wanted to prioritize rescuing Dia. However, after hearing about the dangers of the ‘Shaka Hōkan Jin’ from Hairi, I had no choice but to change the priority.
Reaper was the first to grasp the situation.
“…Yeah, I understand. I’m sorry, Onii-chan. It seems I can’t be of any use inside this ‘Magic Circle’.”
Then, she apologized for not being able to participate in the pursuit of Palinkron.
Only then did Rustiara understand and assertingly protest with urgency.
“W-Wait, Kanami…! Take me with you…!”
Seeing her like that, I immediately shook my head.
“No, Rustiara. You’re not in a condition to fight right now. Besides, your compatibility with Palinkron is too bad.”
I had learned that painfully in the previous battle.
For those incompatible with Palinkron, the incompatibility is absolute.
He is involved in the origin of Rustiara, a ‘Magic Stone Human’. Judging by the fight earlier, he seemed to be aware of all of Rustiara’s weaknesses.
“I’m fine! I won’t be useless again! This time, I’ll fight to the end, even if I die!”
“…I could never take someone who says they’d die. Rustiara, you can’t do anything as a ‘Magic Stone Human’ inside this ‘Magic Circle’. That’s why I can’t take you. I won’t concede on this —”
“—Even so, please! Because if we separate here, I’ll regret it! I have a feeling I will! So!!”
I tried to calmly persuade Rustiara, who was shouting selfishly. However, she continued to shout hysterically without listening.
It was an uncharacteristic behavior.
Even with her aggressive personality, she had always been convinced when I explained things logically. Yet, that Rustiara was merely throwing a childish tantrum.
“It feels like—it’s going to end before it even begins—!”
From that raw emotion, it was clear that she didn’t just want to fight and follow me.
Some other emotion was snatching Rustiara’s composure away.
Ever since she fought Aid in that mansion.
“Still! I haven’t told Kanami anything—”
“—I know. Rustiara.”
Perhaps, if it wasn’t arrogance, it was the same emotion I had lost. Or a faint emotion very similar to it. But I didn’t have the余裕 to accept it. To be honest, I couldn’t afford to.
Rustiara’s hand reached out for me. I pressed it down with my own from above, making her lower it.
“I haven’t told you anything either… So, I’ll come back. I’ll come back, so please wait for me until then.”
I persuaded Rustiara with a very cowardly phrasing. I knew myself that I was doing something beyond cowardly, something truly awful. But I couldn’t afford to be concerned with appearances any longer.
When our hands touched, Rustiara flinched.
Then, with a bewildered expression, she hesitated in her response.
As Rustiara couldn’t affirm or deny, Maria spoke up.
“Rustiara-san…”
“…Ah, ah, I’m sorry, Maria-chan… I’m being selfish about my own situation.”
The moment she saw Maria’s face, she became meek.
Though Rustiara was large in build, her actions made her look like a child her age.
Perhaps that’s why Maria, as if soothing a child, pulled Rustiara’s head to her chest and hugged her.
“No. I understand how you feel right now, Rustiara-san… Please leave it to me.”
“—.”
With those words, Rustiara quieted down.
She nodded softly “yes” once and moved away from me and Maria.
Then, Rustiara slowly headed towards the ‘Connection’.
She was about to leave without saying anything. Flustered, I asked the knight waiting at the driver’s seat to take care of things.
“Sera-san, please take care of Rustiara.”
“Ah.”
As if it were natural, Sera nodded briefly in reply and passed through the ‘Connection’ with Rustiara.
I felt relieved that I could send the unwell Rustiara back to the ship and called out to the next companion.
“—Snow.”
“Yes!”
Just calling her name made Snow stand at attention.
She seemed to be making a misguided effort as a result of reflecting on her previous failure. Smiling wryly, I showed her the ‘Aleis’s Treasure Sword Rowen’ hanging from my waist.
“Snow, can you use this sword?”
“Eh, Rowen…? I can’t use swords… and besides…”
Snow mumbled and averted her eyes from the sword.
It seemed that, beyond the difference in weapons, she had an aversion to Rowen.
Seeing that, I uttered the words I had planned from the start.
“Is that so…? Then Snow, I’ll leave everyone to you. I think you’re probably the most suited to be a leader.”
“Eh, eh?”
Surprised by the sudden statement, Snow’s eyes widened.
“Being timid isn’t necessarily a bad thing. As long as you’re not rushing, it’s a strength. If you put your mind to it, you should be stronger than anyone. So, if—”
My mouth slipped, and I almost said things I shouldn’t have.
Without saying the rest, I conveyed only the most important thing.
“While I’m gone, please protect everyone on the ship.”
“…Eh, ah, yes. …I understand.”
Snow nodded readily.
It seemed she herself knew she couldn’t be of help against Palinkron—or rather, against ‘The one who steals the logic of darkness’. She withdrew without any complaints.
“Reaper, please help Snow.”
“Yeah. I understand, Onii-chan. …Please come back safely.”
Reaper also nodded and withdrew. However, being perceptive, she added a last remark.
Then, two more people passed through the ‘Connection’.
With the four companions gone, silence descended upon the rattling carriage.
The party, which initially had seven people, gradually dwindled until only Maria and I remained.
When we left Laura Via, I thought the Living Legend Party was invincible, but it had somehow become half-destroyed. In retrospect, it was hard to recall a time when we had properly won.
However, we couldn’t dwell on defeat forever. Bracing myself, I shouted from the bottom of my heart.
“Maria, let’s chase after him.”
“…Yes.”
With Maria’s reply as a signal, I strengthened my ‘Dimension’.
Moving to the driver’s seat, I took the reins and grasped the enemy’s location and route. Maria sat beside me on the driver’s seat.
The thinly stretched ‘Dimension’ conveyed Palinkron’s movements to me.
Palinkron, like us, was using a carriage and was receiving treatment while heading towards the Southern Army’s main camp. A soldier capable of Divine Magic was attending to him constantly.
Due to the delay at the fort, the distance between us and the carriage had become considerable.
While processing the information from the ‘Dimension’, I urged the horses pulling the carriage forward. Simultaneously, I confirmed the sequence of the next battle with Maria.
It was the same as when we fought at the fort. We decided things like filling in blanks on an answer sheet.
“—As expected, Palinkron’s surrounding soldiers are a nuisance to deal with. To avoid being ambushed by soldiers like at the end of the fort battle, it would be best to do it when the northern and southern soldiers are clashing…”
“Ambushing during a war? That sounds very difficult…”
“But there’s no other timing. We’ll aim for a chaotic moment when the surrounding soldiers don’t have the leisure to rescue Palinkron, and try to separate Palinkron from the soldiers. If that fails, we can just trap him with Maria’s wall of flames. At worst, we can manage after that.”
It would undoubtedly be dangerous to plunge into a situation where armies were clashing.
However, the rewards would be even greater.
If the Southern Army was losing the battle, the situation of engagement would work to our advantage. In some cases, the Northern Army soldiers might even become our allies.
“Trapping him with a wall of flames—you say? I think I can do it. But I suppose people around will try to put out the flames, so it won’t last long?”
“A few minutes is fine. I think it will be over in a few minutes.”
“Then it will be fine, but…”
Maria nodded reluctantly.
A few minutes, or even a few seconds, would be enough.
If I could have a one-on-one fight with Palinkron for even a few seconds, the outcome would be decided. Palinkron’s status hadn’t changed much since the Christmas festival.
With my current status, I should be able to overwhelm him. The characteristics of ‘The one who steals the logic of darkness’ that gave me trouble before can be resolved with Ice Magic. It wouldn’t be a problem even if Palinkron’s body liquefied like Teeda’s.
Just as Snow had brought Palinkron to the brink of death with two punches, if we could fight him one-on-one properly, it shouldn’t even be a contest.
That’s right. If only I could get a proper one-on-one…
I deployed ‘Dimension’ on the plains and advanced the carriage, avoiding the soldiers on the battlefield. The biggest problem was how to exclude these countless soldiers from the battle with Palinkron.
Having come this deep into the battlefield, there was no longer a distinction between the north and south territories. It was a mixed combat zone of friend and foe. Scouts were scattered everywhere. The closer we approached the center of the battle, the denser the soldiers became. Forts and encampments increased in number and scale, and the personnel swelled. Squads of ten were no longer uncommon, and encampments of over a hundred began to appear. By chasing Palinkron, I realized I was naturally heading towards the ‘center’.
The atmosphere of the soldiers and encampments was heavy. It strongly conveyed the air of war that I only knew from books.
I stretched ‘Dimension’ even thinner, grasping the overall situation of the battlefield. The attack on Palinkron was decided to happen during the chaos. To gauge that timing, I needed to know the movements of this war.
I enveloped all the plains north of Valt Country on the mainland with ‘Dimension’. However, I kept it very thin so as not to be noticed by my magic power. Then, I succeeded in bringing most of the Southern Army into ‘Dimension’.
But it was still not enough.
Next, I expanded it not only to the plains but also to forests and rivers—to other regions, engulfing the north as well. While comparing it with the map, I confirmed the place names. The Coast region and Cornet region, located to the east and west of Valt Country. And the Revaiura region and Ardorna region of Lavaria Country to the north. By grasping a total of four regions, I was able to recognize all the soldiers involved in the war. It felt as if I were using a satellite to look down from the sky.
Smoke was rising from many of the villages in the regions. No matter how widespread the gentle religion of Revannism was, or how advanced magic technology was, the morality during wartime seemed to be little different even in another world. There was a possibility of looting that was unbearable to witness. I consciously ignored it and focused solely on the number and movements of the soldiers. What was needed now was to know when and where battles of what scale would occur. I thought it was better to push everything else out of my mind.
I continued to observe the squirming movements of the northern and southern armies. I knew absolutely nothing about the strategy or tactics of war, but with this much overall information, I should be able to make some reasonable conjectures. Believing so, I stared intently for several minutes.
—It wasn’t going that smoothly. The movements were sparse and irregular, and I couldn’t figure out what they were doing. It would be different if I had ‘Parallel Thinking’, but I couldn’t unleash that skill now. If I foolishly unleashed it and became unable to move due to overthinking, it would be counterproductive. However, without this skill, it was true that I couldn’t predict the movements of the armies.
I pondered with a groan. During that time, a voice called out.
“—Dangerous! Kanami-san!”
Maria next to me shouted. And she took the reins from me, changing the direction of the carriage’s progress. When I shifted my consciousness back from ‘Dimension’ to my eyesight, I saw us narrowly avoiding a large rock directly in front of us. The large rock passed right beside us, and the side of the carriage was scraped.
If Maria hadn’t been there, we would have crashed head-on. I had been too focused on the distant view, neglecting my driving.
“Kanami-san. Were you perhaps looking very far away?”
“S-Sorry. I wanted to know the situation of the war, so I was looking deep into the north…”
Maria asked with a look of half surprise and half disbelief.
“…With your Dimensional Magic, can you see all the way to the rear of the Northern Army from here?”
“Broadly speaking, yes, I can see it all. And I was thinking about when to attack Palinkron while observing the overall movements…”
“Overall…? You say that so casually. That’s magic on a level that changes the concept of war, you know…”
As we spoke, Maria’s expression shifted entirely to disbelief. She immediately composed herself and asked about the battle with Palinkron.
“So, did you grasp the timing for the attack?”
“No, even though I could see the overall movements, it seems impossible…”
I honestly told her I was having difficulty. Then, Maria puffed out her chest confidently.
“Then, please leave it to me. I’m good at that sort of thing.”
“Good at it? Predicting the movements of war?”
“Y-Yes. Um, Arti is good at it. Thanks to Arti inside me, I understand war very well.”
Maria mentioned her close friend’s name. It seemed that the assimilation with the magic stone of ‘Thief of Principles’ not only inherited magic power and magic, but also affected other skills. Arti might be knowledgeable about war because she was involved in that conflict from a thousand years ago. I decided to use ‘Parallel Thinking’ as a last resort and convey the information from ‘Dimension’ to Maria.
I took out paper and a quill pen from my ‘Inventory’ and wrote down the general distribution of troops. I also took out a map of each region and reported in real-time how the soldiers were moving. Maria listened to the information without even blinking. At one point, she even predicted the army’s movements before I could ask about them based on the information from ‘Dimension’, so her claim of being good at it seemed true.
Then, gradually, Maria’s expression hardened, and she murmured,
“—The movements are becoming more active.”
“This is considered active?”
Looking at the soldiers moving leisurely, I felt a doubt. Perhaps because I was seeing it from an overall perspective, it seemed calm to me.
“With this many people, if they’re moving this much, it can be considered active. Did something happen? I’m sorry, Kanami-san. Could you pick up on our conversation, even just a little?”
“I’ll try.”
Maria showed a serious expression I had never seen before. With anticipation, I extracted what little MP I had left. Using up the MP that had been naturally regenerating, I relayed the conversations of the pompous individuals in the center of both armies to her. Incidentally, I was only catching fragments of conversations through lip-reading, so I only understood single words. Being unfamiliar with the culture of this world, I didn’t understand most of the technical terms.
However, Maria seemed different. From that jumble of words, she seemed to recall something.
“…With these movements, it’s possible that Palinkron’s injury has been conveyed to the Northern Army. He is a commander who forms the core of the Southern Army. The Northern Army might intend to exploit this opening.”
Although she said “might” to hedge her bets, her face showed certainty.
But if that were true, how did the information about Palinkron reach the north? His injury was very recent. The magic technology of this world might be deeper than I thought. However, if it wasn’t related to magic technology, it meant someone involved in the previous engagement had informed the north.
“…If the Northern Army moves, it will be convenient for us.”
“Yes. If things go well, they might make a big move as early as tomorrow.”
In any case, considering the remaining MP, I couldn’t launch an attack today. Delaying the attack to the next day, crossing over, could be considered ideal.
However, the favorable situation felt like a lure. It gave me the illusion that Palinkron was saying, “Hurry up and come.” Perhaps he himself was the one who informed the north about his injury.
“If we’re aiming for tomorrow’s timing, we should head towards this village. If we can rest there, it will be the most efficient.”
Maria pointed to one of the villages on the map. It was a village abandoned due to the ravages of war. There would be no food, but we could at least rest our bodies in the abandoned houses.
I adopted Maria’s suggestion and changed the direction of the carriage.
Once the timing for the attack was decided, there was nothing else to discuss. We sped through the battlefield and reached the planned abandoned village without any incidents. It was a desolate place. According to my ‘Dimension’, there were few soldiers around. This must be an area of no strategic value.
Feeling at ease, we borrowed one of the abandoned houses.
“It seems we can rest a little here, Kanami-san.”
“Yeah, it’s cleaner than I expected.”
We started resting in shifts to recover our lost MP. It had taken several hours just to travel, so by the time we started resting, the sun had already set.
And then, night fell.
Today, we had only traveled, and my body was completely exhausted.
However, I couldn’t sleep. I was too anxious, and I was afraid to close my eyes doing nothing.
So, I sat in the corner of the room in a seiza position and stared blankly at the wall of the rented house. I counted the stains on the burnt and collapsed walls, trying to empty my mind. After finishing counting the stains in the room, I continued to track the MP that was naturally regenerating on my status screen.
In the dark room, I waited for time to pass, blanking my mind. I wanted it to recover quickly. Having time to think was unbearably painful.
I continued to distract myself indefinitely. By the time my MP had recovered, the date had already changed.
The preparations for the rematch were complete, and I checked my physical condition. My body, after going two nights without sleep, felt strangely light—
