Chapter 65

"Who's there!?"

Right after something interfered with me and the knights.

We took a step back, and our gazes shot in the direction from which the disturbance had come.

A single girl stood there, her black robe fluttering, sword at the ready.

"...Fissel!?"

That person was undoubtedly Fissel Harber, the young ace of the Mage Corps, my former disciple. I hadn't recognized her at first, but there was no mistaking her since our reunion.

"Why...?"

Ignoring the fact that I had been locked in combat with the knights, my first reaction was to ask the question.

There was no apparent reason for Fissel to be here. The Mage Corps was not supposed to be involved in this series of events related to the Sphen religion. Even Lucy, the head of the Mage Corps, couldn't participate. It was odd for the Mage Corps as an organization to get involved in this incident. If they did, it would negate the point of me accepting the request from Ibroi and acting alone.

"Just a coincidence. I happened to pass by and saw the commotion, so I stopped it. That's all."

Fissel answered my question succinctly, her sword still at the ready as she glared at the knights.

A coincidence, huh? It can't be that simple.

Probably Lucy's doing.

It would be too difficult for the head of the Mage Corps to get directly involved, no matter how she framed it. So she sent Fissel, pretending it was a coincidence. That seems reasonable.

"Ugh!?"

"I'm here too! Just a coincidence!"

From the opposite direction where Fissel had appeared, a sudden angry voice rang out. I turned to see a petite woman swinging a large weapon with both hands, engaging one of the knights.

"Kurni...!"

I couldn't help but blurt out the name of this unexpected arrival.

This one was probably sent by Alyssia.

But it's dangerous. If anything happens to these two, it will affect the reputation of both the Knights and the Mage Corps.

Even if the worst happens, the damage to my reputation would be limited to me alone. Still, it's reckless of them to take such risks.

Besides, if they went to all the trouble of setting up this request for me, they could at least trust me a bit more. They didn't need to send two of my former disciples. This makes it hard to understand why I was sent alone.

After all that thinking, I felt a bit of the tension in my shoulders ease. I guess I was a bit tense. The stiffness seemed to have eased in a good way.

"Tch...! Reinforcements!"

The unexpected reinforcements didn't just surprise me. The knights guarding Bishop Levious were even more shaken.

The knights began to regroup in a panic.

Until now, they only had to surround me, but the situation had changed. They had to deal with a mage casting spells from a distance and a knight swinging a large sword who had suddenly charged in. They seemed to hesitate for a moment about how to divide their forces.

"Be careful, both of you! They use body-enhancing magic!"

It was better that they didn't have ranged weapons, but being attacked by opponents with enhanced physical abilities was a simple threat to a swordsman.

Kurni, in particular, was still developing. She was a step behind the top-tier knights. I wanted to complain that Alyssia had made a mistake in her selection, but it was too late now.

"Stay calm and respond. Our advantage remains unchanged."

Amidst the chaos, only Spur remained calm.

Fissel had only launched a few ranged attacks, and Kurni was currently engaged with one of the knights. This alone didn't significantly change the battle situation. An experienced observer could tell that while Fissel was unpredictable, Kurni was still rough around the edges.

However, from my brief engagement, I felt that in a one-on-one fight, I could probably win.

If Kurni and Fissel could effectively divide the knights' attention, we might be able to gain the upper hand. The key was that they had to hold their own.

Well, I can think about all this later.

Thinking alone won't change the situation.

"...There's an opening!"

"Ugh!?"

I took the initiative to subdue a nearby knight who was still reeling from the sudden intrusion.

I didn't want to kill him, so I adjusted the distance and force of my strike. The sharpness of my weapon made it easy to cut through the armor, but this level of control was still unfamiliar. My swordsmanship is focused on self-defense, not killing.

One of the knights fell to the ground from my strike.

Seizing the opportunity, Fissel closed the distance with another knight while casting a restraining spell.

Indeed, this was a good opportunity.

The knights still outnumbered us, but it was best to reduce their numbers as much as possible before they could regroup.

"Damn it...!"

One of the knights, sensing the weakened formation, charged at me.

"Shh!"

I deflected the estoc that came at me from the side. The high-pitched sound of metal clashing echoed in the dark night. At the same time, a slight numbness shot through my arm.

Hmm, I can't afford to take too much time.

Their sword strikes were now enhanced by magic, and if I kept blocking them, my body wouldn't hold up. My weapon was fine, but I'm an old man. I have my limits.

"Ha!"

I switched my wrist from the defensive stance and delivered a diagonal slash.

A single line was carved from the knight's shoulder to his torso, and a significant amount of blood splattered into the dark night.

Oh no, I might have cut a bit too deep. The knight groaned and fell to the ground, lifeless.

It's impressive how a metal armor can be sliced like cheese, but the force control is tricky. I can only hope he's not dead. A sense of guilt began to rise, but they attacked first. I had to respond and move on. If I hesitated, I would be the one to die.

"Well, the two of them...!"

I had taken down the knight in front of me and still had some stamina left.

What I was concerned about was the situation with Kurni and Fissel. If they were at a disadvantage, I needed to help them quickly. I didn't want to see my former disciples fall in front of me.

"Phew!"

"Damn you...!"

I saw Fissel engaging one of the knights.

It seemed she had already taken down a few. As expected of the Mage Corps' ace. Her skills, despite her youth, were well-known.

Watching her, she was skillfully maintaining distance while casting spells, and when the opportunity arose, she would close in and deliver direct strikes. It was a unique fighting style, not just hit-and-run, but a strategic approach that played to her strengths. She seemed to be maintaining the upper hand throughout the fight. She didn't need my help.

That left Kurni.

"Roarrrr!!"

"Wh-What is this...!"

She seemed to be doing well, but it was too early to relax.

Kurni was locked in a fierce battle with one of the knights who had initially attacked her.

She still had a lot of rough edges. The long reach and powerful attacks from her zweihänder were intimidating, but the knight was exploiting the gaps in her swordsmanship and closing the distance effectively.

The knight was not weak, but the estoc and zweihänder seemed to have a good synergy. The situation was not in her favor, but it wasn't a complete disadvantage either. I let out a sigh of relief.

Between Kurni and Fissel, if I needed to help, it was clearly the former.

I gathered my strength to move towards her.

"---Great god, grant your blessing. With the power of your serene self, bestow the pulse of life upon this one."

It wasn't Spur, the leader, or any of the other knights.

A different incantation, with a different voice, echoed softly in the dark night filled with the sounds of clashing swords.

The voice belonged to Bishop Levious.

He was kneeling in front of the wooden box the knights had left behind, seemingly praying with all his heart.

For a few moments, the wooden box was enveloped in a pale blue light.

With a creak, the box began to shake and slowly revealed its contents.

"...!"

What rose from the wooden box was a person.