He tried to think it through, but still couldn't understand. After a long pause, he finally muttered, "So back then, after I finished chatting with Lawine and Kanne, you were actually mad before you sat on my lap."
"Mm," Linie gave a slight nod, but kept staring at him without blinking, "But now… Lord Ash, after they were hit by the meteor, I immediately led the magical beasts to disrupt their formation. I worked really hard. Can I get a reward?"
"A reward? What do you want?"
"First, wipe me clean, and then I want to sit on Lord Ash and have you feed me apples. No, wait…", Linie shook her head halfway through, suddenly turning serious, "It's better if we eat together."
"So in the end, it still comes back to apples?"
While complaining, Ash still let out a soft sigh and reached out, using his sleeve to wipe the blood off her face.
As Linie happily curled her lips into a smile, he suddenly noticed something and sharply turned his head to look not far away, where Solitar had cut her wrist and was starting to smear the blood onto her face.
"Stop! Solitar, are you a yandere or something?"
"What's a yandere?"
"It's this kind of self-harming behavior you're doing."
As he spoke, he grabbed Solitar's hand, stopping her strange action.
But he had only stopped one when the other, Linie, grabbed his other hand with dissatisfaction, wanting him to keep wiping her face.
For a moment, stopping a "yandere" while being tugged by a "cute girl," Ash almost doubted whether he was really on a battlefield.
———
With the enemy's main force captured, over forty thousand prisoners, some buried corpses, while others began constructing a forward base in front of the Empire's pass under the supervision of the kingdom's soldiers.
The defending army, which had been ready to support the vanguard at any moment, woke at dawn only to see that the enemy had already built fortifications right up to their doorstep.
This made Ludwig's father, Baxter, the former of the Three Great Knights, now nearly fifty, who had already passed down his title and retired to the second line, stand on the walls of the pass with a furious expression, his eyes wide as if they might split.
Meanwhile, Ludwig's eldest son, the family's most promising rising star, Kainz, saw his father's remains thrown outside, clearly meant to lure someone out to retrieve them. He nearly charged out with troops to avenge him.
"Those animals! To insult Father like this!", Kainz stared at Ludwig's remains, crushed into a lump by some brutal force and tossed beneath the stone walls that had risen from the ground through magic. If not for his grandfather holding him back, he would have already rushed out.
"Lord Baxter, Lord Kainz, there's a report from the barrier core. Someone is analyzing the national defense barrier… what should we do?"
"Let the Magic Special Force handle it. Isn't that their job?", Baxter waved his hand impatiently, not in the mood to deal with such matters that happened from time to time.
The reporting mage hesitated for a moment but still prepared to withdraw silently. However, before he could take two steps, Baxter suddenly thought of something and abruptly turned back.
"Wait! Tell the Magic Special Force to capture those who are trying to analyze the barrier! Capture them all alive! I'll use them to exchange for the one who killed Ludwig! And… Ludwig's remains."
"But… Lord Baxter, the other side must have quite a few people protecting them, so that would definitely—"
"That's their problem. If they can't do it… then they can all go to the front lines as expendable troops!"
"Understood, Lord Baxter."
The elderly mage sighed inwardly. Though he felt this task wouldn't be easy, the other party was still someone they couldn't afford to offend.
No, now he should be called the grandfather of a noble. Ludwig was already dead. But either way, not someone they could cross.
He could only go inform the Magic Special Force that was on standby.
———
On the other side…
Solitar pressed her hand against the barrier. Several magic circles spread out from her palm, attaching themselves to the national defense barrier.
"I see, I see~ the main structure is the pinnacle work of the unified empire's court magic for national defense. The isolation barrier is a modified version… I've encountered something similar when analyzing Macht's barrier before. This one is more complex, but with prior experience, it's not too hard," Solitar closed her eyes, quietly sensing it, then turned back with a smile, "It'll probably take five or six days."
"That slow?"
"Oh my, that's already very fast. And this isn't something hastily set up. It's wisdom passed down from ancient times. Compared to the Golden Land's grand barrier on Macht's side, this is far more complex. If I didn't have prior experience, and hadn't studied detailed human magic theory at your place these past years, starting from scratch would take at least half a year."
Solitar didn't even open her eyes, completely immersed in exploring this legendary construct. Even while explaining, her tone carried an odd excitement, clearly thrilled just by studying it.
Behind her, Ash sat on a fallen tree trunk, feeding apples to Linie sitting on his lap while worrying that his plan to return to the magic city by noon was probably no longer possible.
But there was nothing he could do. The barrier was already under attack, and the battle had begun. He couldn't just stop and go back halfway… at the very least, he had to take the enemy's border pass, Demont Fortress.
Otherwise, withdrawing now would only give the enemy time to recover and wait for reinforcements from the Empire, which would be troublesome.
Though he wasn't afraid and had plenty of time compared to humans, there was no reason to let an opportunity right in front of him slip away.
And besides, those harassment-loving members of the Magic Special Force probably won't let do int in peace, that's what he thought
In reality, not long after Solitar began analyzing, Ash saw five mages appear on the other side of the barrier. They wore uniforms resembling secret police, peaked caps like ceremonial police hats, and light-colored cloaks.
"I just thought of them and they showed up?", Ash couldn't help but look speechless. Solitar turned back with a smile, "I'll leave them to you then?"
"Yeah, just five slightly capable small fries. Nothing to worry about."
Though he said that, only someone like him could speak so casually.
The mages of the Magic Special Force looked at him as if he were some ignorant country bumpkin.
The Shadow Warriors had existed since the Empire's unification a thousand years ago, a special organization dedicated to assassination, warriors trained specifically to kill mages.
The Magic Special Force also had a long history. It was an imperial unit composed of mages. In other words, the Empire's strongest mages. They were responsible for suppressing internal rebellions and guarding the borders.
First-class mages of the Continental Magic Association were indeed considered the strongest on the continent, including the Empire. But since a thousand years ago, the Empire had actively applied magic to warfare. These were battle-specialized mages, highly skilled at hunting other mages. As a unit that suppressed internal uprisings, they had extensive experience killing human mages and didn't bother with taking first-class mage exams.
In one-on-one combat, they might not defeat veteran first-class mages. But against newer ones like Fern or Ubel who had only passed the exam… it would be quite difficult to beat these specialists.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that the Magic Special Force alone could wipe out a country.
"Let's capture them quickly. If Lord Baxter gets angry, we'll all be in trouble."
The captain, Hyde, whose strength rivaled veteran first-class mages, an old man in his sixties, lowered his cap and began walking forward.
""Understood!""
Facing this nightmare of imperial mages, the feared captain, even his proud subordinates didn't dare talk back. They quickly followed, waiting for the barrier to open so they could capture the three alive and hand them over to Baxter.
————
Solitar remained fully focused on analyzing, completely ignoring the Magic Special Force and leaving everything to Ash.
"Those people look really annoying. I finally got a reward from Lord Ash, and they just show up out of nowhere," Linie muttered unhappily, biting into the apple in his hand. She raised her head innocently and asked, "Lord Ash, when they come over, can I kill them too?"
"I'll handle that. Your job is to protect Solitar."
"Eh… I want to fight too."
"Don't be stubborn."
Taking a casual bite of the apple Linie offered, Ash suddenly thought, 'Apples really do taste better when shared,' He even felt a bit worried that Linie might be influencing him.
After thinking about it for a moment, he finally set Linie down beside him. After waiting a short while, a small opening suddenly appeared in the barrier not far away.
The members of the Magic Special Force rushed through all at once.
Well-prepared and skilled in close combat, the leading member raised his staff, about to launch a surprise attack on the three.
However… just as he raised his staff, before the magic circle could even form, before his angled body and staff had even crossed the outer layer of the double barrier, his body suddenly lost control. His vision twisted strangely, and he couldn't even see his target anymore.
But the mages behind him clearly saw that Ash had suddenly vanished, leaving only an afterimage. Like teleportation, he appeared beside their comrade, brushed past him, and arrived behind him.
Yet their comrade seemed completely unaware, still standing there without moving.
Only their captain faintly saw it, Ash's hand strike passing across the subordinate's neck.
It should have been just a hand strike, yet it traced a strange path, carrying a blade-like force and sharpness. The neck and body were split cleanly in two, so sharp that the body seemed to realize it a moment later.
As Ash stepped aside to make space for them to pass, a thin line of blood finally appeared.
The mage standing stiffly had his head slide off in the next moment, blood spraying like a fountain. Only after Ash had walked away did the body collapse.
It all happened in an instant. Truly, in an instant, and then it was over.
It was so fast that thought couldn't keep up. At first, they even thought their comrade had just frozen. Only when his head fell, and they themselves crossed the barrier as it closed again behind them, did they realize what had happened.
Looking at the subordinate collapsed on the ground, blood pouring out, Hyde frowned but immediately understood, it wasn't a hand strike. It was the impact formed in front of the hand that caused it.
"High-speed movement… are you from the mountain tribes of the southern nations?", The experienced Hyde identified the source at a glance and released his magic power, preparing to counter another possible high-speed attack.
Ash didn't answer. He looked him up and down, then smiled.
"You're pretty strong. Join the Kingdom, and I can give you the lowest rank of nobility. Then you won't have to be the Empire's dog anymore. Your teammates can also enjoy wealth and status. What do you think?"
"How many times do you think I've heard that kind of offer?"
"Refusing?"
"Of cou—"
Before Hyde could finish, Ash, who had been walking toward him step by step, vanished again.
Hyde had been prepared. He wasn't some fraud living on reputation. Though he couldn't sense magic fluctuations, in his heightened state of alert, he immediately deployed full defensive magic.
A hexagonal grid formed a dome, protecting everyone inside.
Though it looked like a dome, the defense was actually complete, including underground. From the surface it appeared as a hemisphere, but in reality, it was full protection, isolating all external magic.
However—
BOOM!
A sudden explosion erupted in front of them, tearing through the defensive magic without warning.
Like a meteor strike, overwhelming mass, strange magic, and purple lightning shattered the barrier the instant it was formed.
The delayed sonic boom reached their ears a second later, sending a wave through the air like a tidal surge, scattering leaves and nearby bushes.
Caught off guard, the mages clutched their ears in pain. The captain standing in front, however, gave no reaction, still holding his staff raised.
Their clash lasted only an instant. The outcome was decided immediately.
Because the upper half of his staff had already been blown away in the air wave, and his body had been cut diagonally into two halves. As Ash suddenly came to a stop, the impact from his supersonic movement blasted the remains away.
Blood filled the air. The stench of organs, half-digested food, and waste splattered onto them under the force of the shockwave. Even these mages, hardened from suppressing rebellions and killing countless people, felt nauseated.
No one complained. No one dared to.
They all just stared blankly at the boy in front of them, who quietly put away his blade without a single drop of blood on it.
At this point, they couldn't even tell, was he a mage or a warrior?
———
The brief skirmish ended in the blink of an eye.
Yet time seemed to stretch unnaturally, and shock and disbelief filled the mages' faces.
"Just… one move?"
"H-how is that possible!"
Someone's trembling voice broke the silence, each word echoing like a hammer strike.
The blood-covered mages reacted differently, some covered their mouths, eyes wide with fear and confusion; others sucked in cold air, stepping back instinctively, as if even the air had grown heavy.
It felt like facing a nightmare beyond words, where all logic and common sense had collapsed.
The atmosphere was suffocating. Every heartbeat raced as if it might burst from their chest.
Because now that even their powerful captain had been killed in a single move, they couldn't imagine how to fight this monstrous opponent.
Among the remaining three, a middle-aged woman suddenly dropped to her knees.
"I… I surrender… please, let me join the Kingdom! I want… I want to follow you"
"Dale? You're the vice-captain, how can you—"
A companion turned in shock to stop her, but before he could finish, another flash of blade.
Half of the man's head fell to the ground, his body collapsing beside it.
The last remaining member immediately dropped to his knees as well, afraid of suffering the same fate.
Though they were highly loyal to the Empire and would never betray it under normal circumstances… this situation was anything but normal.
"Good. I like people who understand the situation. Tell me everything you know," Ash sheathed his blade again, returning to that harmless-looking demeanor, then crouched down and patted their shoulders in a friendly way.
But the two trembled like frightened chicks, their bodies shaking as they hurriedly told him everything they knew.
Allowing him to learn more about the Magic Special Force.
However, in truth, neither of them knew much. Though skilled, they were still just lower-ranking members, mere pieces who followed orders.
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