Chapter 173: The True Victor

“Greater Air Boom!”

I cast a 7th Circle offensive spell that I created for aerial combat.

Despite being a 7th Circle spell, the incantation wasn’t very difficult. I densely compacted the mana density of the 4th Circle spell Air Boom to maximize its destructive power.

This was the moment marking this new 7th Circle spell’s worldwide debut. Having absorbed its fill of mana, the magic shot off, leaving a trail of blue light.

“Air Shield!”

We were about 2 km away from the enemies. Since I hadn’t had a chance to determine the exact performance of Greater Air Boom, I cast an Air Shield around Bebeto that could simultaneously offer physical defense and block air waves.

‘It’s exploding!!!’

As expected of 7th Circle magic, Greater Air Boom absorbed a great deal of atmospheric mana as it flew at a speed slightly slower than a spear. Then, it reached the place directed by my will.

Flash!

At first, there was no sound. Like a pouch of light bursting apart, blue kernels of mana scattered into innumerable fragments and spread.

Boom!

There was only a small boom to begin with.

‘Hrm?’

It was so quiet that I started to wonder if something had gone wrong with the mana or the incantation. I watched the spell radius with eyes of alarm.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! BOOOOOOOOOOOOM! Ruuuuuuuumble! BOOOOOM!

‘Gahh!’

However, I need not have worried. Explosive booms with the auditory impact of hundreds of lightning bolts striking in one concentrated spot rocked the air.

“A-Air Shield! Silence!”

The massive explosions even rattled my eardrums. I hastily cast Air Shield and Silence simultaneously around me.

“…..”

Boooooooooooooom! Boooooooooooooom!

With Silence and a doubled Air Shield, the explosions were muted to the level of popcorn kernels popping. The sound was reduced, but my eyes were growing bigger and bigger.

‘Holy… holy shit.’

It was utter chaos.

The kingdom wyverns and their Skyknights had been posed to attack, ready to throw spears at me and the imperial troops as we came into firing range. The moment the spell exploded in close quarters, the ten or so wyverns at the center of the explosion were strewn into thousands of fragments, turning into a bloody rain.

That wasn’t all. The explosive power of the spell was so insane that most of the wyverns in the sky were sent crashing to the ground, their eyes rolled back. Air Boom didn’t have much physical force, but because it was fueled by a mana quantity near the 8th Circle, the kingdom wyverns dropped from the sky like dust motes being scattered by a broom.

I could hardly believe my eyes. I might be a 7th Circle mage close to an 8th Circle mage’s level, but I had never imagined that my spell would bring about such devastation.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The kingdom wyverns crashed haphazardly to the ground from hundreds of meters in the sky. I saw dozens of Skyknights among them casting Fly and jumping off, but they, too, ended up crashing to the ground just the same.

“Haah…”

I had achieved an overwhelming victory, but what left my lips wasn’t a whoop of exultation, but a long sigh. Today, I keenly felt the danger of magic. I felt like I could understand why the people of Kallian feared Master, calling him the Golden-Eyed Reaper. Even 7th Circle magic was difficult to deal with, but Master Aidal had ascended beyond the 7th Circle squarely into the 8th. I could only say that he was truly amazing.

‘This happened because of your greed. Do not resent me.’

A score of wyverns that had been flying defenselessly this way, far removed from the epicenter of the spell, turned and fled for their lives. But I could see hundreds of wyverns flailing in agony, having crashed down from taking a direct hit. As I watched, many of them slowly stilled.

It was a moment marking yet another divergence of life and death.

‘Altakas.’

And then, the name of the Black Magic Swordsman of Destruction, Altakas, came to mind. The tenacious 8th Circle black magic swordsman was likely brewing an evil scheme somewhere on the Continent.

I began to fear him.

Only a few dozen of the kingdom wyverns had left the battlefield alive. I landed Bebeto in order to handle the aftermath of the battle, and the Bajran Skyknights landed one after another behind me, their gazes towards me full of fear and awe.

“C-Congratulations on your great victory!”

“Congratulations, sir!”

Most of the Skyknights had received noble peerages. Despite their status, all of them bowed, congratulating me in the most respectful manner.

“Use holy water to save the surviving kingdom Skyknights.”

“As you command!”

The Skyknights scattered towards the survivors, briskly shouting to acknowledge my command despite not being my knights.

‘It was a battle that could only be ended with one side’s demise, but this is just terrible.’

I numbed myself to murder because if I didn’t stop the people invading Nerman, my beloved knights and people would be killed. But I, too, was a human with blood running through my veins, a human with feelings. As I looked at the battlefield littered with the badly mangled bodies of wyverns and Skyknights that had crashed from my spell, my feelings grew complicated.

However, life was a tenacious thing. The cries of groaning wyverns and Skyknights echoed endlessly around me. They crashed from high in the sky, but the characteristic sturdiness and resilient lifeforce of wyverns meant that some were still alive, and many Skyknights had also managed to survive thanks to their wyverns absorbing most of the impact.

‘I’ll have to restrict magic use whenever possible.’

To be honest, the Kingdom Coalition didn’t have much to do with me. I did send Duke Hardaim a warning, but who would stop a national war on the words of a mere lord? Plus, I could guarantee that Hardaim hadn’t even told anyone.

“Your Excellency Commander Kyre! Please come over here!”

A Skyknight that had been saving some knight called me over.

“What is the matter?”

“I-I believe this person here is Duke Setnion.”

‘Setnion?’ Duke Setnion was said to be one of the important commanding officers of this Kingdom Coalition army. ‘He’s still alive.’

The impact of his crash landing had knocked the helmet off his head. Unlike the other Skyknights, his airplate was elaborately embellished with gold. However, his face was such a mess that he couldn’t speak.

“Recovery!”

His lips were so swollen that he couldn’t drink holy water. I cast the 6th Circle Recovery spell.

Flash!

The spell, glowing with the yellow light symbolizing lifeforce, covered the Duke’s body.

“Nghh…”

Like all magic, the potency of recovery magic varied depending on the caster’s mana. After receiving healing magic from me, someone with mana nearly on the same level as an 8th Circle mage, the man thought to be Duke Setnion groaned as he opened his eyes.

“Are you Duke Setnion?” I asked the man, who stared at me as he came to his senses.

“I-I am. You must be the Lord of Nerman, Count Kyre…”

‘He knows me?’

I’d never seen him before in my life, but Duke Setnion recognized me at a glance.

“That is correct.”

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“Haah… I heard your black hair was very striking, and it truly is.”

He received magic treatment, but it wasn’t like everything would be fixed in one instant. The Duke’s brows were furrowed like he was in great pain as he looked at my hair.

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“It is a great shame that we had to meet like this.”

He was an enemy, but because he didn’t cause damage to Nerman, I relayed my sincere regrets.

“I-I think the same as well. If I had known that the Count was here, we would not have brazenly crossed the border…”

As he spoke, the Duke looked all around himself. His eyes were full of bitterness and regret.

“Little one… you have left me behind and gone ahead, haven’t you.”

He stroked his utterly motionless wyvern. The loyal wyvern had hit the ground straight on, trying to save the Duke on his back. It was laying on its side, the enormous amount of blood spilling from its mouth an indication that its insides were completely destroyed.

“I believe any further fighting would be meaningless. Please lead the kingdom soldiers back.”

I offered this man the greatest goodwill I could give. From what I heard, the Kuviran and Krantz Kingdoms had stepped onto imperial land with all of the wyverns they could muster. Because of their uncontrolled greed, the very fate of their kingdoms was teetering on the brink.

“I am extremely grateful for your consideration. It seems… the time has come for me to rest.”

It looked like the tall and slender Duke Setnion had aged several years in one moment. He was at an age where he could no longer dream.

It was a sad sight.

“All knights, do your utmost to save all the lives you can! Keep in mind that the people laying here could be you one day!”

Turning my gaze away from the Duke, I gave a sharp command to the knights.

We had won today, but at this moment, you couldn’t say that anyone was a victor.

It occurred to me that the only true victors in the world were the gods, the divine beings that could escape death.

* * *

“W-What did you say?! The Kuviran and Krantz Kingdom Coalition army stationed at Pepeon Castle was annihilated?!”

“Y-Yes. According to what the intelligence division found out, the kingdom troops have abandoned Pepeon Castle and are rapidly retreating. Also, the kingdom wyverns number less than 100 in total.”

“My god… How can this be.”

When Hardaim showed the Bajran nobles the Emperor’s letter, he stopped the attack on Fort Halberk at the same time. Just as he expected, the nobles and knights were sickened by the Emperor and nobles who threw them onto the front lines and only thought to save themselves. One after another, they left the fort through the opening in the siege that Duke Hardaim facilitated. He was watching them leave with satisfaction when he found himself reeling from the bad news that suddenly flew in.

“Who! How! How did they defeat them?! Are you telling me the Empire still has a force that can face 600 Skyknights?!”

Unable to hide his agitation like he normally did, Hardaim peppered the adjutant with questions.

However, there was no way the adjutant would know the answers. “According to the information that came in yesterday, the movements of the Bajran North under Duke Garvit have been suspicious. I believe it was them.”

The adjutant serving the general of the Kerpe Kingdom, Hardaim, hadn’t risen to his post on empty flattery. He was able to approximately deduce the driving force behind this incident.

“Duke Garvit? No. He may be called a famed general in Bajran, but Kuviran’s Duke Setnion is no easy foe. Moreover, annihilating them would have called for an overwhelming power differential. The military power gathered in the Bajran North isn’t powerful enough to achieve that.” As he spoke, Hardaim’s agitation settled and he began to analyze the situation with a rational mind. “There’s no doubt, a variable has appeared. An enormous variable that we don’t know about.”

If he waited a little longer, more detailed information would come from the kingdoms. However, until then, Hardaim would have to stew in doubts that made his head feel as though it would explode.

“For now, I believe it would be best to capture Fort Halberk.”

“Sigh… Indeed.”

It was shocking news, but that didn’t mean they could idle around. After breathing a long sigh, Hardaim slowly opened his mouth. “Have the soldiers advance. By now, the fort must be completely empty.”

“As you command!”

Duke Hardaim’s clever resourcefulness had ended the fierce battle in an instant. His adjutant shouted to accept the command of his reliable lord.

* * *

“Thank you.”

“It was nothing.”

We returned to Garvit Duchy without a single hurt wyvern. A Skyknight had departed to deliver the news, so people here knew the result of the battle.

“I have no other words to say except that you are truly amazing. How is it possible that you reached archmage level at such an age? If I didn’t know about you, I would have thought you were a dragon that descended to amuse itself.”

There were many legends about dragons in Kallian. Dragons had a habit of never revealing their identity to anyone while they were out amusing themselves. Even I had to admit that my rate of growth was dragon-worthy.

“Kyre-nim, thank you. You walked a difficult path because of us…” Igis was unable to continue. I could guess that even my low mood after the battle had been reported as well.

“What thanks. I’m still far from repaying the kindness you have given me, Princess Igis.”

“What did I… oh my!”

When she saw my smouldering gaze, Igis stopped mid-sentence, startled. It seemed she belatedly remembered the hot(?) night she had spent with me.

“Let us go inside. I have a special wine that should be drunk on a day of great victory such as this.”

Delighted by the unimaginable victory, Duke Garvit’s face had become much brighter.

‘I want beer more than wine.’

As it was, the sight of Duke Setnion full of regret at the death of his wyvern and his defeat refused to leave my head. It wouldn’t happen, but I kept having invasive and unintentional thoughts of what I would feel if Bebeto ever died like that. The mere thought of it caused agony to wrack my body. Now, Bebeto went beyond being like a brother to me—he was my very blood. I was sure that simply looking at a sky without him would make my chest ache.

“I would like to attack the capital immediately, as soon as tomorrow.”

“T-Tomorrow?”

“Ah…”

All the nobles that had a will to oppose me had participated in the battle. The nobles that were completely intimidated by the overwhelming magic I unfurled expressed their shock at my desire to attack the capital immediately.

“Why, do you have complaints to voice?” I smoothly turned my head to look at the nobles trailing behind me.

“No, sir!”

“We are under your command!”

Startled, the nobles straightened briskly with impeccable military discipline.

‘Looks like they’re properly straightened out now.’

Just like how the hot fist of loving discipline was necessary for children to grow into well-mannered adults, the Bajran nobles had been molded into a state that pleased me.

“Would that be possible?” I turned my head again to look at Duke Garvit, who looked just as surprised as the nobles.

“O-Of course. As long as it’s fine with you, it’s fine with me.”

“I will come with you,” said Igis resolutely.

“I’m coming too.” Razcion’s eyes flashed at the mention of the capital.

I heard that Igis and Razcion’s mother, the Empress, was likely still in the capital. Shortly after Poltviran ascended to the throne, she disappeared. Her life or death was not yet confirmed.

“Then today, I will send a Vow of Loyalty Letter stamped with the Imperial Seal to the important nobles and important regional lords in the capital.”

Duke Garvit looked at the Princess and Prince as he spoke. It was my first time hearing about a Vow of Loyalty Letter, but I assumed it was something similar to a written notice asking whether the nobles would vow their loyalty to Razcion.

“Please do so. In addition, please hold onto the Imperial Seal as you have been doing until Razcion formally ascends to the throne.”

“It would be my honor.”

The Imperial Seal symbolized the legitimate Bajran crown. Igis had the guts to have the Duke hold onto such an important object. If she hadn’t been born as a woman, she would have definitely become a wise king who would have gone down in history.

‘She’ll be great at taking care of the household.’

I thanked the gods for allowing Igis to be born as a woman. Once the Empire was stabilized, Igis wouldn’t be devoting her life to the Empire, but to a life with me. After all, the position of the lady of Nerman wasn’t one just any ordinary woman could assume.

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