The mayor of Lemang, Gote, let out an awkward laugh.
He scratched the back of his head, glancing nervously at the general.
"You really don't need to go this far. I've already verified their identities."
"You don't know Jed Arahan well enough. He's not someone to underestimate. It's better to be cautious."
Due to their significant height difference, Merlin looked down at him.
As soon as he heard that a servant had been appointed, he had led his troops here.
The Jed Arahan he knew was definitely not someone to take lightly.
"Even so, mobilizing the army… there are too many eyes on us."
"Yesterday, Jed and that junior investigator came by. What do you think their reason was?"
"Uh, well…"
"Just watch, Mayor. Has my intuition ever been wrong?"
"That's true… haha."
Soldiers surrounded the building and began to enter.
While Merlin was confident, Gote thought it was an overreaction; however, it didn't take long for his mind to change.
—Boom!
—Crash!
"What the—?!"
A flash of light erupted from the fourth floor, followed by a deafening noise.
Simultaneously, all the windows shattered, and the groans of soldiers echoed through the air.
As Gote's eyes widened in shock, Merlin's eyebrows furrowed with anger.
"Just as I thought… these filthy rats!"
"What was that?!"
"It's Jed Arahan. He said he opened his brain; it must be him for sure."
"D-don't tell me those servants…?"
"Didn't I warn you? Do you only use your head when it's time to eat?"
"...."
Gote clamped his mouth shut.
The power dynamic between them was clear-cut. Faced with Merlin's fury, he could only feel his face flush with embarrassment.
"Tsk!"
Merlin entered the building with the remaining soldiers. Meanwhile, Oned rushed in a panic. Gote immediately slapped him across the face.
—Smack!
"Mayor…?"
"You pathetic fool! What? You verified their identities?! Have you ever seen such a stupid idiot?!"
"...What's with you all of a sudden?"
"They're disguised as servants! It's Jed and the junior investigator!"
"Oh…."
So they've been found out.
Oned quickly began to think.
He had just seen Merlin enter the building. If that's the case…
"W-what are you doing?! Are you insane?"
Suddenly, Oned's gaze shifted dramatically. He pressed a dagger against the mayor's throat and whispered softly behind him.
"Be quiet. Before I cut your throat."
"O-Oned! Why are you doing this? Is it because I slapped you? Damn it! I'm sorry about that!"
"Shut up."
If the general joined in, the Seventh Lord would be in danger.
Oned made the best choice as a member of the Black Mirror Society.
Having received orders to assist Jed, protecting him took precedence over maintaining his cover.
"Hurry and bring the general! Otherwise, I'll kill the mayor!"
Oned shouted at the soldiers.
But their reactions were strange. He expected them to panic, but they didn't even glance his way.
'What's going on…?'
From what he understood, the mayor and general had a close relationship.
He thought they would respond accordingly, but instead, the soldiers remained indifferent.
"Didn't you hear me?! Bring the general quickly!"
Instead, the soldiers began to surround him.
They clearly had no interest in the mayor's safety.
"Damn it…!"
The general needed to come outside for Jed to escape.
But Oned lacked both strength and cunning at that moment.
The Black Mirror Society included not only wizards but also commoners; Oned was one of those cases.
"Don't come any closer! I swear I'll do it!"
"Heh! Did you think we'd be scared?"
"Tch…!"
"Do whatever you want. We just need to catch you. The general never forgives traitors."
There were about thirty soldiers surrounding Oned.
He had no way out.
There might be other members of the Black Mirror Society nearby, but he knew they wouldn't step in for him.
In any situation, their mission always came first.
"This is…."
The grip on the mayor slowly loosened.
It was clear this place was his grave.
Amidst his despair, a distant shout suddenly rang out.
"We must protect Lord Jed! Attack everyone!"
"Waaaah!"
The soldiers' gazes shifted toward where the voice came from.
----------------------------------------
A group of ragtag individuals, dressed in tattered clothes and wielding crude weapons, charged forward.
One squad leader, quick to assess the situation, shouted loudly, "Bandits! Everyone, prepare for battle!"
Clang! Clang!
"The local militia is just a bunch of regular soldiers without mana! Don't be afraid—let's fight!"
"Let's go!"
"Waaaaah!"
Maldini, at the forefront, skillfully rallied the troops' spirits.
The sudden appearance of these bandits was like a winter storm—fierce and relentless, driven by desperation from a corrupt city.
Slash! Thud!
"Gah!"
"Cough!"
The bandits numbered in the hundreds.
Overwhelmed by their sheer numbers and ferocity, the soldiers found themselves unable to mount any effective resistance.
The bandits surged forward like a massive wave, sweeping through the area.
"Die!"
Maldini, wielding a relatively intact longsword, managed to strike down some of the remaining soldiers.
His gaze then shifted toward Oned.
"Hmm? Aren't you the administrator who served under the mayor?"
"...."
"Why are you holding that guy?"
"… I'm here to help Lord Jed."
"What?"
"I will atone for my sins by saving Lord Jed. For now, we must act quickly…"
Oned turned his head toward the building.
The local militia was no match for me.
The problem lay in their overwhelming numbers filling the corridor.
Ugh!
Gah—!
[Magic: "Electrocute" activated.]
Zzzzt!
"Gaaaah!"
No matter how many I took down, more kept coming.
It was all thanks to that squad leader.
He seemed intent on buying time, sending soldiers at me one by one to drain my mana.
"Next squad, attack!"
Only about five soldiers charged at once.
The rest were likely waiting for Merlin to arrive.
"You think it'll go your way?"
"What?!"
[Magic: "Empower" activated.]
Zzzzzt!
I accelerated and quickly dove into the center of their ranks.
Simultaneously, I concentrated my lightning magic and unleashed it in a powerful burst.
[Magic: "Electrocute" activated.]
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Golden lightning erupted in all directions.
The soldiers that had swarmed like ants were swiftly dispatched.
Wide-area spells were truly the best.
"?!"
Crash!
At that moment, I sensed a strong energy behind me and instinctively rolled away.
A massive sword slammed into the ground where I had just stood.
It was Merlin, the general of the local militia.
He didn't hesitate and charged straight at me again.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
His strength was immense.
Even though I blocked his swing with my barrier, my body couldn't withstand it and was thrown back.
Merlin seized the opportunity and lunged at me once more. Just as his sword aimed for me, Nunes stepped in front with his own weapon raised to block it.
"I'm here too, you bastard!"
"You filthy insect!"
The heir of House Colt, Nunes faced off against the general of the local militia.
When their swords clashed, a shockwave rippled through the cramped space.
However, Nunes was not strong enough to hold back Merlin.
Ugh!
Nunes was lifted off his feet by Merlin's upward strike.
Merlin leaped up like a bee and brought his sword crashing down toward his opponent.
------------------------------------
"?!"
As I reached the second floor, a crackling sound echoed through the air.
"Ugh! This is annoying!"
This time, I stepped forward.
My energy field had blocked his movements.
While we gathered our composure, Merlin twisted his face in disdain.
"Two little rats? You're not even worth the tip of my toe."
"Watch your tongue. Are you scared?"
"Ha! Even in this situation, you're still trying to act tough."
Whoooosh!
Merlin gathered his energy.
It surged, becoming several times stronger than before.
I glanced at Nunes, who was swallowing nervously.
"Don't get scared before the fight even starts. If you do, you'll never win."
"W-Who's scared? I'm not scared at all!"
"I've never fought alongside you before, but I can only hope you have some sense."
"Hmph! Just don't hold me back. I'm the heir of the Colt family, you know."
Right, the Colt family.
Strangely, the word "Colt" kept echoing in my mind.
What was their family's signature technique again? I couldn't recall clearly due to the urgency of the situation.
It was something quite unique.
"Jed, cover me! I'm going to take him on!"
"Shouldn't you be the one backing me up?"
"You promised me revenge. This is that moment."
Well, if that's how it is…
I nodded in agreement, and Nunes smiled lightly.
"Alright! I'll take the initiative!"
"No, wait a minute!"
What kind of fool rushes in first against such a formidable opponent? It would be much better to counterattack!
"Here I go!"
Before I could stop him, Nunes was already charging ahead.
I had no choice but to follow closely behind.
Seeing us charge forward made Merlin's lips curl into a smirk.
"Just as I thought—amateurs!"
Whoooosh!
Merlin swung his sword, unleashing a massive wave of sword energy toward us.
I instinctively sensed the danger and poured all my energy into a barrier.
[Using magic: 'Electric Discharge'.]
Crackle!
Boom!
"Gah!"
"J-Jed!"
I barely managed to rush in front of Nunes and create a barrier, but a powerful shockwave hit us both.
Even though I partially blocked the sword energy, we were sent flying back.
As I struggled to rise with trembling arms, nausea washed over me.
When I spat out what was in my mouth, blood splattered onto the ground.
"Why did you jump in front?!"
Nunes turned pale at the sight of blood and clutched my arm. Despite his raised voice, his hands trembled uncontrollably.
It seemed he still lacked combat experience.
If it hadn't been for my barrier just now, Nunes would have been cut in half.
I wanted to scold him right then and there, but I was too shaken to speak.
"Ugh…!"
"Are you okay? Can you stand?"
Having taken a hit myself made it clear:
Merlin was a knight of at least 7 circles.
I couldn't fathom how a local army general had gained such power, but this was going to be a tough fight.
"…Nunes, focus on counterattacks and look for openings. Charging in recklessly won't work."
"Y-Yeah. Got it. Just rest for now. I'll buy us some time."
How much time can he really buy?
While I tried to steady myself, Merlin sneered at us with amusement.
"How touching. Two little rats looking out for each other."
"Shut up! I'll take you on myself!"
"Haha! You still don't grasp the difference in our levels. How pathetic."
"Don't underestimate me! I'm Nunes of the Colt family!"
Nunes declared with determination on his face.
Soon after, his body began to glow with blue mana.
Seeing his battle stance reminded me of the Colt family's signature technique.
Oh right! Berserk Mode!
A technique that consumes a massive amount of mana but amplifies power exponentially.
However, there was a significant drawback to this technique…
"Nunes! Don't use your signature technique! You're not ready yet!"
"Don't worry. I will definitely get my revenge here!"
No, this is dangerous!
Just like Torres had said before, one must be at least 7 circles to use their signature technique freely.
Torres had almost died after recklessly using it when his mana circuits got tangled up!
Moreover, Berserk Mode carries far greater risks than Bahal's techniques!
The side effects of Berserk Mode…
If he couldn't handle the ruthless mana consumption, his body would eventually burn out!
In that moment, one thought filled my mind:
I had to stop Nunes!
"You'll really die if you do this!"
"You called me a torturer before? No way—I'm a knight of the Colt family who fears no death!"
I needed to forcefully stop him, but my body felt heavy and unresponsive.
Meanwhile, Nunes's body began to shine blindingly bright.
After an intense burst of light, blue mana flared around him like flames.
"Aaaargh!"
Berserk Mode was already complete!