Chapter 8: The Four Grand Magi of the Demon Lord’s Army
Chapter 8: The Four Grand Magi of the Demon Lord’s Army
I don’t believe my eyes. Our village was just invaded by the remaining two Grand Magi of the Demon Lord’s Army. The names I muttered reach Saint Aela’s group sitting at the table and make them nervous.
“Sereniel the Temptress? Isn’t that the Demon Lord Army’s second in command?!” Golem guesses and rushes over to look out the window. He groans when he confirms it’s her. “I’ve seen her on the battlefield before. That’s Sereniel all right!”
Yes, as he said, that’s Sereniel standing in the center of the village. Regulus is there with her. There’s also some hunched weakling wearing round glasses I don’t know. Wait. I might’ve seen him somewhere before… Hmm. Can’t remember.
But why are Sereniel and Regulus here?
What did they come for? To get us? How did they find this village…?
“Hoo-hoo! I figured it out! You villains! You set us up! Aela! You can’t believe these evil generals! They gathered these villagers here to kill us!”
I whirl toward that shrill voice. Fairy Lylish is glaring at us with her arms crossed and cheeks puffed out.
Huh? She’s casting doubt on me and Julius?
Julius places himself between me and Saint Aela’s group as if they are now a possible threat. I poke my head out from behind his broad back.
“Wh-Why are you jumping to conclusions?!” I shout. “We aren’t involved with them! I have no idea why those two came here, either…!”
“Hmph! Save your blatant lies for the deaf and blind! The proof is in all four of you Grand Magi showing up at the same time!”
Lylish’s accusations are actively turning the rest of Aela’s group against us.
“That can’t be true! They haven’t done anything evil!” Aela argues on our behalf, but it does nothing to erase her party’s grim scowls.
“…Our discussion was a trap?” Prince Guido asks Julius.
“Didn’t you hear me?! I said we don’t know what’s going on!” I insist. “Come on, Julius, tell them! These guys are doubting us— Whoa, Julius?”
What kind of face is that to make? Julius is assessing Saint Aela’s group with hatred like I’ve never seen before roaring to life in his stormy blue eyes. Chills scrape down my spine. That’s how much rage is billowing off him.
“You were in cahoots with Analia?! How dare you give away our location…!” Julius growls, infuriated. I sense wind magic surging through him.
Julius, the calmest and strongest sorcerer, is so angry his magic is going out of control?
“J-Julius. Calm down…,” I urge, reaching for his arm, but his rampaging magic pressure prevents my hand from reaching him.
“I’ll kill you all…!” he swears in a deadly voice. The frigid magic pouring off him unleashes on the room with the explosive power of a tornado.
The pressure is so great it’d whip me into the air if I didn’t brace myself with magic. Many of Chef's special dishes are ripped into the whirlwind along with the tablecloth.
Julius! You know better than to waste food! If he can do that to Meide’s awesome food, he’s seriously gonna annihilate Aela’s group, too!
I get why he doubts them, but they aren’t bad people. They can’t die now.
I look at Aela’s group barely holding their ground against the tornado-turned-blizzard and shout, “Run! NOW!”
One look at this scene and it’s easy to see that Aela’s group isn’t strong enough to stand up to Julius yet. Even in the manga, they never defeated him since he joined their side before it mattered.
One of Aela’s group flies into the overwhelming pressure straight at Julius.
The fairy Lylish.
She’s so light and dainty like a flower, the raging winds look like they’ll tear her wing from wing. But magic pressure seems to have less effect on fairies.
Unable to push through Julius’s blizzard, Lylish flies in front of Aela and spreads out her arms. “Aela! I’ll handle things here! Run away with the others!” she orders, glaring at Julius.
“B-But I can’t leave you!” Aela objects, but Lylish shakes her head without looking back, her eyes locked on the enemy.
“You can’t stay. You’re the saint I picked. I can’t let you get killed. Guido! Golem! Hurry up and drag Aela away!” she begs of the others.
Indecision wavers in Guido’s tormented eyes as he looks from Aela’s face to Julius’s. “Forgive me, Lylish… Gaea needs Aela. I can’t allow her to die here.” He scoops Aela into his arms and runs to the door.
“Wait, Prince Guido! Lylish is still there! Lylish will—Lylish will!” Aela screams, but he still reaches for the door with her locked in his firm grip.
“I won’t let you!”
Julius holds out his right hand. From it, something pyrokinetic spawns and fires toward Saint Aela and Guido, but before it hits them, Lylish forms a barrier and stops it.
“Are you deaf? I’m your opponent!” Lylish taunts with a grin.
Ooh, Lylish is so cool! Was she always meant to be such a cool character? I’m pretty sure in the manga she was more of a support character meant to be the series’s mascot.
The way she blocked Julius’s attack falls more in line with the big-sister archetype than the cute-mascot type. Then again, her barrier was more of a faulty last-minute defense, leaving her hands scorched black.
Will she be able to survive another hit…?
Bah! This isn’t the time for me to be sitting around watching like some sort of bystander. I’m not reading a manga here! I’ve gotta stop Julius! Even if he scares me!
“Julius! Calm down and think this through! Why are you so angry all of a sudden?!” I shout, but he’s too furious to notice as he activates several magic circles at the same time.
Several dozen Light Bullets generated by his magic hover around Julius.
Not even Lylish can block that many!
“Why aren’t you calming down like I’m asking you to?! I-Ice Gate!”
Desperate to protect Aela and the others from Julius’s spell, I do a quick cast.
Although the thick wall of ice successfully prevents Julius’s bullets from flaying Lylish, it doesn’t mean I’ve gotten any better at controlling more delicate spells like this. And it’s even worse when I’m under so much pressure; I can’t stop the output! The ice spreads from the floor, freezing over the furniture and crawling up the walls.
Brrr! It’s cold.
Golem yelps and pulls his hand back from the doorknob. “Ow! What the magic hell?! The door is frozen shut! She locked us in!” he roars.
Oh dear. My attempt to help them escape trapped them… Really gotta work on my rescue skills.
“Elle, you froze the room…to tell me to cool my head?”
Yay! Julius interpreted my magic slipup in a helpful way! Better yet, when he looks at me, his eyes aren’t full of just hatred, but emotional turmoil. I’m so relieved he’s no longer the frightening Julius controlled by his own anger.
“Because you won’t listen to me! Do I have to freeze a room for you to chill out?!”
“But they’re in league with the Demon Lord,” Julius says in a low voice, his glacial eyes narrowing on Aela.
Her group is watching us with the same level of confusion.
“Th-They can’t be. I mean, she’s Saint Aela?”
“Then what other explanation is there for Analia’s Grand Magi to come when they’re here?! How was our location leaked? This village is protected by my magic. And yet they were able to teleport right into the center of those defenses! That can only be possible if a Demon Lord spy is with them!”
“That’s…a possibility I can’t deny, but— Crap, Julius! Sereniel and Regulus are already here! Now’s not the time for a debate—”
Julius pulls me to his chest while I’m still talking.
What?! Wh-Why is he suddenly hugging me?!
The answer comes in a powerful shockwave that cleaves through the area I was standing.
I’m in one piece thanks to Julius’s Shield, but the room, along with the furniture, walls, and the thick layer of ice, is shredded into tiny pieces and blown away.
The whole room, including the ceiling, is ripped off its foundation, revealing the blue sky above. I glance down the hill to where Regulus has one fist thrust in our direction and Sereniel’s crimson lips are curled in a pert smile.
“Ohh, my precious Lord Julius. I’ve missed you, darling. You’re such a cruel man, taking off without me,” she purrs. She’s dressed in nothing more than black-and-gold armor lingerie and a purple cape.
Beside her, Regulus swings his right arm to loosen the joint. “Hrm. Can my Fanged Wolf King Fists kill Julius?”
So the magic that blasted half the house away was Regulus’s doing. He gave his attack a cool name like Fanged Wolf King Fists, but all he did was apply basic wind magic to enhance the pressure and power of his punch.
I hear a sound behind me and look back just as Saint Aela and Prince Guido are climbing out of the rubble. Their clothes are covered in dust and dirt from the collapsed building, but they’re otherwise unharmed.
It seems Lylish protected the other three with her last ounce of strength. She’s lying unconscious on Saint Aela’s palm. Aela cradles her in both hands.
Lylish…
I won’t let Sereniel and Regulus get away with this! I raise my sharp gaze from the rubble to glare at the Grand Magi and gasp.
It’s only now that I’m looking around that I realize…my beloved Elle Village has been partially destroyed!
Regulus’s single attack wiped out not only the room we were in, but also half the mansion behind it, and shattered every single window of the buildings within a half-mile radius.
But who the hell cares about the buildings?! What matters most is—
“H-How are the villagers?!” I scream. Hot wind roars to life around me. My magic is starting to go out of control in tandem with my emotions.
Stop! I have to suppress my feelings and my magic! But I don’t see anyone around… I can’t stop worrying… I can’t suppress my emotions!
“Calm down, Elle. It’s all right. I entrusted the villagers to Laurent,” Julius soothes.
I jerk my head up and look at him. He slips his fingers into mine and squeezes my hand reassuringly. The burning heat radiating from me shuts off like a valve was turned.
“You left them with Laurent? Meaning they’re safe?”
Julius gives a big nod.
They are?! Now that I’m a little calmer, I don’t see any injured or unconscious villagers strewn about the half-destroyed village. Then that means everyone got away safely?!
“They should be safe for now. We need to focus on what to do about these pests first. And we also need to eliminate the Gaean pretending to be a saint,” Julius whispers next to my ear.
The Gaean pretending to be a saint? That’s Aela, right?
“Wh-Why won’t you listen?! Aela isn’t…” I pause in the middle of defending her, because her group does seem suspicious.
Are they linked to the Demon Lord? The manga never covered that.
But, wait, I haven’t read the last volume… Was a traitor uncovered in the final volume? Or are there people acting out of character just like I am not like manga Elle?
I turn around and take a good look at Aela’s group. Aela is desperately casting recovery spells on Lylish, but they aren’t having any effect. It’s probably too late for her…
Even so, Saint Aela casts spell after spell through her sobs while Prince Guido watches over her, grieved. And then there’s Golem, who’s keeping a careful eye on us and Sereniel. He looks prepared to sacrifice himself to protect the other two should the need arise.
From what I can observe of these three, they are the mirror images of their manga counterparts—there’s nothing suspicious about them. They are strong, kind people who reject evil and believe in justice. I just can’t see them as the bad guys…
“Julius…Aela isn’t evil. If defeating the Demon Lord is your goal, then you will absolutely need her.”
“But…,” he mutters, a pensive look on his face.
I leave him to his thoughts and face Aela. “You three should run away. Staying here will only get you killed!”
“But Lylish is—”
“Lylish won’t be able to rest in peace if you die!” I tell her. Her face crumbles.
“…Aela, we have to go,” Prince Guido says in hushed tones. Aela stands in silence. Strong determination to live on replaces her tears.
That’s the Aela I know. She won’t give up no matter the obstacle that gets in her way. She has the power to stand up after she’s been knocked down and push forward.
“Sorry… And thank you. I’ll return the favor someday,” Prince Guido vows.
I nod without a word. And then I hear the pitter-patter of feet hitting the ground running.
I’m so glad they ran away. Because Saint Aela is an absolute necessity. Saint Aela is the one who will end the Demon Lord’s reign.
“Elle…you are too soft,” Julius sighs in exasperation, although he overlooks their escape. He could stop them if he wanted to.
“I’m not as soft as you might think… Besides, we lack the luxury of dealing with Saint Aela anymore,” I say, returning my gaze to Sereniel.
We’ve got bigger fish to fry. Because whoever is responsible for bringing them doesn’t change the fact that two of the Four Grand Magi are here and waiting for our next move. Trying to take on Saint Aela with them present would put even the strongest Grand Magi at a disadvantage.
Most of all, I can’t forgive them for destroying my precious Elle Village! Everyone should be safe if Julius is right, but the buildings are toppled, and when I take a good look around, ice has spread everywhere. What did they have to gain from freezing over Elle Village?! The monsters!
Er…wait, is my magic responsible for freezing the village? I d-don’t have time to overthink things right now! This is all Sereniel and Regulus’s fault! Yeah! I won’t let them get away with it!
I glare at Sereniel and her coy smile.
“Hm-mm? I was watching to see what you would do, but I didn’t think it’d be that. Are you attached to those Gaeans, Elle? You’re as strange as they come,” Sereniel says with a chuckle.
“Shut up! Zip your trap, you old bat! You show off too much skin for your age! It’s been bothering me since the day we met, so dress more age appropriate, would ya?!” I nag, crossing my arms.
“What?” Sereniel utters, looking like she didn’t understand what I said at first. Red rapidly rushes to her cheeks. “Wh-Wh-Wh-Wha-What did you just call me?! An old bat?! You just crossed the line, Elle!” she screeches like a messenger from hell.
Her polished composure slides off her face as she looks at me, crimson with rage. Her face says it all: “I despise the young.”
Oh my, how scary. Maybe I went a bit too far goading her…
I hide behind Julius to escape from Sereniel’s high-voltage anger.
“Whoa, hold your horses there, Sereniel. Please don’t tear Elle apart in your rage, okay? We have to return with her heart in perfect shape,” says the glasses-wearing weakling hiding in Regulus’s and Sereniel’s shadows, sounding exasperated.
Er, did I just hear him say something super disturbing about my heart? Moreover, who the heck is that? I kinda recognize him from somewhere…but where? Since he’s working with Sereniel and Regulus, is he a new Grand Magi? If he’s my successor, then he might be someone from the Centers for Magic Research. Maybe that’s why I recognize him.
But the majority of people working there throw themselves into whatever research the Demon Lord orders them to do and rarely ever interact with the other researchers.
“I know my orders! I’ll make sure to bring Elle back alive! I don’t want to hear another peep out of you, Clark! You’re such an arrogant prick for a new guy!”
“So you say, but I’m mostly in agreement with what Elle said. You show off too much skin, Sereniel. According to the data I’ve collected, walking around in Gaea in that getup will have you mistaken for a nymphomaniac or a slut.”
“HUH?! Clark, I’d shut that arrogant trap of yours before I sew it shut with magic! Oho, I get it now! You only have the hots for younger women! Every foolish male who doesn’t understand my mature beauty can drop dead!”
“Did you hear a word I said? It’s a matter of integrity, not youth,” Glasses Man stresses.
Sereniel looks like a demon ready to bite his head off.
Scary.
Wait, Sereniel just called Glasses there Clark. I’ve heard that name before. But where? Mm…was it a long time ago…or recently?
I’ve got it…!
That’s right! Clark’s one of those! A character I saw in the manga! Saint Aela’s enemy who shows up in the last half of the series. He’s the new villain who pops up on the Demon Lord’s side after Saint Aela defeats three of the Grand Magi and Julius switches sides, drastically decreasing Analia’s firepower. Mad scientist Clark!
Instead of fighting on the battlefield like the rest of the Grand Magi, he’s a nuisance of an enemy who uses the DemiOracle’s blood to make homunculi that he sics on Saint Aela. I remember he was doing some sorta special research, too. I never found out what it was because I didn’t read the last volume, but it was hinted to be extremely dangerous and end-of-the-series worthy.
Did he already rise to power because Julius and I left the Four Grand Magi early on? But I just don’t get the same deadly vibes from this guy, especially while Sereniel has him by the collar and is shaking him around like a rag doll.
“Sereniel, let go of Clark. He helped us find this place. Besides, I know the true answer. A woman’s beauty isn’t in her youth…it’s her breasts. And I have a clear view of yours in that outfit—I love it,” Regulus comments from the side. And it’s a comment that crosses right into sexual harassment.
Sereniel instantly stops thrashing Clark and slowly turns toward Regulus.
“O-Oh my, Regulus. You’re flirting in front of all these people? What am I supposed to do with you?” she simpers, her cheeks turning pink, and fidgets like a school girl even after she drops Clark on his butt. She casually rests her arm under her breasts, emphasizing her cleavage.
Wow! Just how easy are you, Sereniel?!
“I’m starting to feel ashamed of myself for losing my cool that badly over these fools invading our territory,” Julius mutters under his breath.
I nod in complete agreement.
He softly exhales and directs his gaze, radiating the full extent of his exasperation, on them. “Are you finished with your worthless skit yet? What are you after? You said something about Elle’s heart…”
Regulus stops stretching and drops into a fighting stance facing Julius. “It’s none of your business, Julius. After all, you are going to die by my steel fists today!”
“You think you’re strong enough to kill me?”
Regulus flashes a confident smile. “I surrendered the spot of strongest Grand Magi when you showed up, but I only ceded to you because of your bag of useful magic tricks. I’ll never lose to you in battle!”
Regulus expels the air in his lungs with an explosive pop, and his muscles swell like a balloon. His clothes tear off him.
“Blech! Now even Regulus is half-naked! Why do our side’s commanders have to show so much skin? Let me make it clear that I am absolutely not joining you exhibitionists in removing my clothing,” Clark states, distancing himself from the other two Grand Magi. “Also, I’m not a fighter, so I’m just going to enjoy observing the fight from the sidelines. I will run away if you guys come close to losing.”
“I never expected anything much of you anyway,” Sereniel throws back, pushing her long flaxen tresses over her shoulder.
They’re ready to fight. But so are we!
“Julius! You can have Regulus! Leave Sereniel to me!” I announce in a loud voice. Julius looks like he just ate sour grapes.
Hey! Why do you look displeased with that? You must think it’s impossible for me!
I’m about to confirm how Julius feels when I hear “Master! I escorted the villagers to where we set up the barrier!” and Laurent comes running over.
“Everyone is safe, right?!” I spring on him. He nods with a big smile.
Aaah, Laurent! You really must be Laurent! You genius sorcerer, you! Genius! Genius! Laurent is a genius! No wonder you’re the man who defeats manga me!
“Good job, Laurent! I knew I could count on you!” I shout as he runs over to me.
I appoint you as one of Elle Village’s Four Grand Magi! I pat him on the back with the accolades he deserves.
He grew up to be such a good boy. He was such a snotty brat when we first met, too.
Okay, now I really can’t lose! I’ll pulverize Sereniel with my grand magic!
As I’m plotting the destruction of my old comrade, Julius flickers. And as soon as he disappears, Regulus has his fists out. I can feel the aftershock of Regulus’s wind all the way to where I ran from Julius to meet up with Laurent.
J-Julius? What just happened?! I’m a little confused until I see him reappear directly behind Regulus.
I’ve seen Julius use that unique dodge ability before! He used the same skill to avoid being blinded by me that time I snuck into the inner sanctum to uncover the Demon Lord’s identity.
What kind of cheat spell is that? It’s so cool! I also want to escape my enemy’s most powerful attack and reappear behind them as they panic, and say, “That’s my afterimage.”
As I’m envying one of Julius’s many useful spells, Regulus continues his relentless assault, slicing his fists through the air at Julius.
Julius disappears and reappears away from those attacks with an air of calm, but then his gaze flickers over to Laurent and me. “…Laurent, support Elle.”
Oh! Looks like I was just given permission to take on Sereniel with Laurent as backup!
“Okay!” Laurent’s down for it, too!
“Stay behind me, Laurent,” I tell him and warn, “Sereniel is an expert at telepathic magic. If she can exploit any weaknesses in your mind, she will gain control of you. Avoid looking at her eyes…or her chest.”
I criticized Sereniel’s outfit earlier, but she’s dressed that way for a reason. The less clothes she has on, the easier it is for her to bewitch men.
“I won’t,” he responds, which is just what I wanted to hear.
I have to do whatever it takes to keep her attention off Laurent. Because in the manga, Sereniel defeats him.
Sereniel’s telepathy can work on someone with strong magic resistance by taking advantage of the weaknesses and darkness hidden in their heart. The painful experience of returning to his village after it was wiped out by the plague casts a dark shadow on manga Laurent, giving his character a dark undertone he doesn’t have now. Sereniel infiltrates his mind through that darkness and hijacks his consciousness, getting him to temporarily betray Saint Aela and serve Sereniel instead. At the very end, when it counts the most, he regains control and sacrifices himself to protect Aela…
The Laurent I know isn’t a gloomy kid, but knowing that scenario, I don’t want him to fight Sereniel. I step forward and stand akimbo in front of her, blocking her path to him.
An amused smile turns up her painted lips when our eyes meet. “How sweet. Elle is going to play with me. Will you be able to entertain me?”
“Sereniel! You committed a grave sin obliterating half my precious village! I’ll make you regret coming here and underestimating me!”
“Regret, eh? Why don’t you be a good little girl and return to the Demon Lord before you have nothing but regret? Foolish little Elle. Julius tricked you, didn’t he? I wouldn’t have guessed he was your type. Well, I have a thing for strong men, too. And his face is right up my alley. But you should know he’s the kind of man who completely ignored my breasts when I shoved them in his face. His type doesn’t go for women. Move on, Elle.”
“J-Julius isn’t gay! …I think! And besides, the one doing all the trickery is the Demon Lord!” I assert and activate my favorite explosive magic circle in the sky.
Inferno Prison is a spell packing a tremendous amount of magic capable of locking everything beneath the circle in a sea of flames. I’ll trap Regulus and Glasses while I’m at it. Although it doesn’t ignite the captives, it’s a cruel restraint spell that encloses the victims in flames and makes them struggle for air as their lungs collapse and their skin burns. I feel bad for Sereniel, but I’m dealing with members of the Four Grand Magi. No holds barred.
Taste the resentment of the half-destroyed Elle Village!
But for some reason Sereniel is smiling at the massive magic circle unfurling in the sky, a circle that should bring her nothing but despair.
Where does that confidence come from?
“Your attacks are as crude as ever, Elle. But are you sure you want to use such a large spell? Not afraid to burn up what matters to you in the process?” she coos.
“Some hot gales will whip through the area, but Julius, Laurent, and I can handle ourselves!”
“Good for you. But can you say the same for them?” Sereniel purrs, flicking her gaze suggestively in another direction.
I follow her gaze and see lots of people…? Ah! Isn’t that Jasper and the rest? Jasper the Trembler is leading the villagers to us.
“Wh-Why?! What are you all doing?!” Laurent cries when he sees the villagers staggering toward us. “Return to the evacuation area! It’s dangerous here!” he pleads, but his voice doesn’t reach them as they amble slowly in this direction like zombies.
The way they’re acting has to be the work of Sereniel’s Bewitch…! Bewitch can temporarily take over the mind of the person it has been cast on. Complex commands don’t work well, but it’s possible to make them obey basic orders.
Magic users like Laurent and I have a high resistance to spells, but normal people without any magic are highly susceptible to it. Right now the villagers are only under the influence of Bewitch, but if she casts another spell to completely take over their minds, they will happily obey the order to kill themselves.
I disengage the Inferno Prison. How could I not? My grand spell will absolutely hurt them.
“I’m glad you’re perceptive, Elle. Come now, my precious henchlings, capture foolish Elle and her friends.”
Upon Sereniel’s orders, the villagers rush at me with glassy eyes like they’re sleepwalking.
Scary! Their zombiness is frightening!
What can I do? Summon an ice wall to block their path? No, that won’t work. Jasper and the rest are like puppets without a mind of their own. They don’t have the wherewithal to avoid obstacles and will ram right into the wall without minding the injuries they might get.
I don’t want to hurt the people I care about!
Laurent steps between the villagers and me and begins chanting a spell.
“Laurent, don’t,” I stop him. “I don’t want to hurt them.”
“But—!”
“Please.”
“If that’s what you want,” he quietly concedes and lets Jasper capture us without resisting.
I’m sorry, Laurent. I swear I will save you and the others. I glare at Sereniel for forcing me into this dilemma.
“So Laurent’s defenses weren’t enough to protect them after all… Your telepathic magic is still a cut above the rest.”
I hear Julius’s levelheaded voice.
How? I thought he was fighting Regulus?! I look over and find Regulus on his knees at Julius’s feet.
Seriously?! It’s over already?! That was fast! I know Julius is the strongest of the Four Grand Magi, but couldn’t Regulus have tried a little harder?!
“Regulus, you dolt! How could you let yourself be beaten so fast?!” Sereniel complains, in just as much shock as me.
Regulus lifts his head. “Yeoch. I give, I give. Julius moves around like a whippersnapper and I accidentally twisted my ankle tryin’ to catch up. I haven’t fought like that in a long time, so my lower back gave out…”
He looks a lot older to me when he says that…
“Oh my Demon Lord! You’re utterly useless! Not that it matters. I’ve already got Elle. I can do this on my own,” Sereniel snips and looks Julius over. “Don’t get any funny ideas, Julius. You’re smart enough to see who has the upper hand. I have hostages. You care about these country bumpkin Gaeans, right? They’re my pets now. They’ll dance to whatever tune I play.” She sneers with cherry red lips.
“You seem to be acting under a misconception, Sereniel. You think these Gaeans mean something to me?”
I’m startled to hear him say that to her with such a coldhearted gleam in his eyes.
“H-Hey! Where did that come from, Julius?! I won’t let you off the hook if you hurt Canna and the others!”
Julius glares at Sereniel without responding to my shouts.
Ignored! Julius just ignored me!
“I see. You’ve always been that kind of man, Julius… What’s your game that you felt the need to drag Elle into this with you?” Sereniel asks, panic edging into her voice.
“My game? I have none, but being hunted by the Demon Lord is a nuisance. I’ll spare your lives if you forget you ever saw me here.” Julius flashes an indomitable smile.
What the heck?! What’s gotten into you, Julius?! That’s totally a line from the villain playbook!
“Lady Elle, Master Julius has a plan,” Laurent whispers to me.
What? A plan? When I wonder what that is, the hands holding me in place loosen their grip.
I activate Analyze in my right eye and watch as various magic circles appear and disappear around the villagers. Could this be a spell to deactivate Sereniel’s Bewitch? There are too many circles flickering in and out of view to distinguish their code, but it seems like Julius is trying to regain control of the villagers from Sereniel.
Ugh! The circles are changing too fast for me to parse!
Sereniel is too focused on Julius to notice.
The twinkle of a sound mind begins to return to the villagers’ empty eyes.
“Wha…? Where am I? Lady Elle?”
“Jasper! You’re back!”
The rest of the villagers recover in the same way. Sereniel’s beautiful face scrunches in a grand scowl when she notices a little too late that everyone has regained consciousness.
“H-How did that happen?! I can’t believe it. My Bewitch was deactivated? When did you do that…?!” Sereniel roars with a start.
When did he do it? In the few moments since Mr. Strongest Grand Magi has been chatting with you, that’s when. There’s too great a strength gap between Julius and the other Grand Magi.
The undeniable top dog of the Four Grand Magi lifts his lips in a goading smirk.
“Don’t think you’re the only one capable of using telepathic spells, Sereniel.”
“Grr…Julius!” Knocked off guard by an unexpected counterattack in her own specialty, Sereniel stares down Julius, her face redder than her cherry lips.
“Laurent, gather Elle and the villagers in a circle and create a powerful barrier around them that will block out telepathic spells. Copy the exact same circle as the ones I just used. You’re up to the challenge, yeah?” Julius tells Laurent, who had stepped out to protect the villagers.
Julius makes it sound easy, but how does he expect Laurent to copy the circles he had appearing and vanishing every few seconds? There’s no way a novice sorcerer like Laurent can pull off a barrier like that! Silly Julius! It’s not nice to assume other people can do something just because you can!
Laurent promptly nods, despite my misgivings, and replies, “You’ve got it, Master Julius!” He chants the spell, activating the circle in the sky above us.
Right. I forgot. Laurent is a genius…
In a matter of seconds, he creates a barrier and leads me and the villagers into it. Then he continues chanting to strengthen the barrier.
I-Is it just me or am I the only one not doing anything useful? It’s all because Julius’s powers are too much of a cheat… He doesn’t even spare an ounce of mercy for his former allies.
I kinda feel like I should side with the other Grand Magi because they were defeated so easily; they need someone else to even the odds.
Julius is managing this bad situation with his quick thinking. He ruthlessly captures Glasses before he can sneak away and deploys a gravity spell that brings the three idiot Grand Magi who dared invade Elle Village to their hands and knees.
“So who wants to tell me how you located this village first?” Julius looks down his nose at his former allies crushed against the ground.
“Didn’t you ever learn to respect your elders?” Regulus painfully hisses through his teeth with his forehead pressed into the dirt.
“Oh? Are you going to teach me about respect, elder?” Julius says drolly as another pained moan rips from Regulus’s throat.
He probably increased the weight bearing down on them. I hear cracks and pops coming from Regulus. No mercy. Julius shows no mercy. He doesn’t spare even an inkling of leniency for the people he used to fight alongside!
But they deserve it. After all, these bothersome Three Grand Magi committed the grave sin of obliterating half of my precious Elle Village!
“Ahhh. Don’t put any more pressure on us! That guy in the glasses called Clark discovered your location! Regulus and I don’t know anything about it!” Sereniel confesses, at the end of her rope.
“Hey! Sereniel! It’s horrible to sell out your colleagues!” wails the four-eyed weakling.
Sounds like Glasses here is the culprit. Julius’s icicle-sharp gaze stabs into Clark.
“I see. You’re the one? How did you pinpoint this location?”
“Eek…! I didn’t do anything…special…,” Clark blurts out in a feverish haste.
In the manga, Clark’s magic skill set was making homunculi and controlling them.
Homunculi… What if Glasses is just as skilled fighting with homunculi as his manga counterpart? Is there one hiding somewhere nearby?
I survey the area, hoping to disprove that theory. I don’t see any especially suspicious shadows…
Or so I think, until I notice a shift in magical energy out of the corner of my eye. That’s the exact direction that would be a blind spot for Julius! I break into a run.
“Julius, move!”
I jump in front of Julius and thrust out my right hand to protect him from the ball of magic propelling toward him at earth-shattering speed. Between my fingers I glimpse what looks like a tiny person encased in magic zooming at us like a fiery bullet.
Without much of an incantation, I unleash a massive amount of magic from my hand to stop the mysterious blazing humanoid before it can attack. My magic and the living bullet clash, creating an intense burst of light that I squeeze my eyes against.
Magic pressure explodes like a bomb blast, and something squeals.
My hair is yanked back by the hot wind and I’m almost blown away, but I plant my feet and endure the pressure. The roaring winds are too loud to hear anyone.
But I’ll stave off this attack! After all, I was once one of the Four Grand Magi who could silence the crying winds!
I keep my arm out with a constant flow of magic until I sense whatever was charging us disintegrate. I stop emitting magic.
A strong wind ravages the area for a brief moment, immediately followed by absolute silence.
I slowly open my eyes, afraid of what I’ll see. The ground directly in front of me has caved in, and the forest area beyond has been scorched worse than if a forest fire had burned through.
I look down as I catch my breath. Some black lump is curled up on the sunken earth. It looks like the magic light ball that was gunning for us.
I did it! I stopped it! You’re amazing, me! That’s why you’re Elle!
I’m celebrating my success when my stretched out hand flops against my side. I drop my gaze to it and gasp.
Lacerations cover my right arm, blood is seeping everywhere like a water balloon with a hole in it, and a portion has been seared right off. Did I fail to fully block that attack? Or was I incapable of withstanding my own magic? I don’t know.
I don’t know which it was, but…
“Holy crap that hurts…,” I unconsciously mutter as tears prick at my eyes.
I mean, it hurts. Hella bad. I’m bleeding. A lot. And my skin has turned black! It hurts, it hurts so much, but if I break down crying here, it’ll ruin my super cool moment saving Julius from danger!
“Elle!!!”
I hear Julius’s panic-stricken voice behind me as I’m trying not to cry. He walks around until he’s in front of me and looks at my mutilated arm. His cool-blue eyes waver with unspeakable distress.
“E-Elle…your arm…blood…,” he stammers in a threadbare voice, looking like he’s in more pain than me. His cheeks are ashen.
Somehow, seeing someone else panicking more has helped ground me in reality and fight back the pain-induced tears.
“I-It doesn’t hurt that bad! I’m just glad you’re okay, Julius!” I bluff and manage to hold my head high.
It really doesn’t…hurt at all. This little injury will heal with the DemiOracle’s elixir. Oh, right, I used it up when I was persuading Laurent’s village to join us. Julius said he doesn’t have any potions, either…
Wait, will my arm hurt like it’s burning in hell forever? I’ll never be able to use it again? Tears sting the back of my eyes again.
It doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t hurt. I won’t cry. It doesn’t hurt. I’m an adult. Adults don’t cry…!
Except repeating that desperate litany in my head does not make it true.
Julius lifts his worry-darkened eyes from my arm to my face, his expression grim. “You’re just glad that I’m okay? There is not a single damn thing to be glad about when you’re hurt this bad!”
Julius’s furious shout stops my tears from falling.
He seems pissed for some reason! I’m too shocked for words. He grabs me by the shoulders. His tortured face is only inches from mine.
“Why don’t you ever listen to me?! You let those suspicious spies pretending to be saints escape and even threw yourself into danger to protect me! You’re their target, Elle!” he thunders.
“Y-You say I don’t listen, but I know that Aela…that Saint Aela isn’t a bad person. And don’t pretend like you weren’t starting to like her and Prince Guido, too! Plus, if I didn’t make a move just now, you would’ve been in worse danger than me, Julius!”
“I don’t matter!”
“O-Of course you matter! You could’ve died if I didn’t do something!” My words come out shrill and deafening because I can’t believe what he just said.
There’s no one who doesn’t matter! Julius would’ve gotten seriously injured if I let things be and that magic bullet hit him when his guard was down. It might’ve even taken his life…!
Imagining a world without Julius makes me feel like I’ve taken a knife to the chest.
I don’t want a world without him! I’d gladly offer up one or two arms in return for keeping him alive and well. Besides, this is a world of magic. We can figure out a way to heal my arm…probably.
“You fool! Why must you do such senseless things? Enough! Just sit by and let me protect you, Elle! All you have to do is listen to me! Then you will be safe! Why don’t you understand that?!”
Huh? Just sit by and let him protect me? All I have to do is listen to him? What the heck! Putting it like that is the same as saying he doesn’t need me to worry or look after him. Like my efforts are unwanted!
“What the heck! I’m not just some damsel in distress waiting around for you to save me! Being protected by you and doing whatever you say…makes me the same person I was when I foolishly entrusted everything to the Demon Lord. I’m not who I was in Analia. I am not a puppet who rejoices when someone else pulls my strings!” I lay into him with unbridled annoyance.
Julius goes wide-eyed and those pools of blue waver like a storm is brewing within. This is the first time I’ve seen him this flustered; I’m so surprised I forget my anger. And then he’s suddenly leaning on me!
Er, uh, why is he hugging me now of all times?! Also, my arm is killing me!
I think he’s doing it until all his body weight crashes down on me and I’m crushed underneath him.
This isn’t a hug. Julius lost consciousness?!
I roll him off me with my one working hand and examine his face.
Is he sleeping? He’s breathing, but his eyes are closed and he’s unresponsive. What in the world happened?
“Ufufu! I did it! I can’t believe Mesmerize worked on Julius!” Sereniel cheers even though she was supposed to have been smushed against the ground by Julius’s gravity spell.
I look in Sereniel’s direction just as she rises to her feet, then back at Julius—his eyes are still closed and he isn’t moving.
Mesmerize? Julius was mesmerized?
I’m pretty sure Mesmerize is the spell Sereniel casts on manga Laurent. It forces the victim to sleep and shows them illusions. Losing to the illusion while asleep will turn the victim into a living puppet who obeys Sereniel.
How did Julius fall for it? Mesmerize is another mental spell that takes advantage of a person’s emotional instabilities. It’s the type of spell that rarely works on a sorcerer of Julius’s caliber. I mean, he’s the strongest Grand Magi and a confident man. Mesmerize shouldn’t have any effect on a stable mind!
When Julius went unconscious, it lifted the gravitational spell he had restraining our enemies, and now they’re all standing up.
“I never thought I’d live to see the day Julius would fall to Mesmerize! Ufufu! Lucky me. Perhaps I should thank you for arguing with him. You created a crack in his mental defenses. Thank you, Elle.” Sereniel winks at me.
Next to her, Regulus is rubbing his lower back. Clark is checking out the forest I obliterated and whistling an amused tune.
“You’ve been away from home long enough. Time to go back, Elle. I’ll apologize to the Demon Lord with you and have you reappointed as one of the Four Grand Magi.” Sereniel smiles like she’s won the day.