If You Would Shoot the General

"… Got 'em."

"Us? In a net?"

"No, them. For now, we don't have to worry about taking any attacks."

Yoal hurriedly retraced his steps, gently setting Nyrn down.

Escaping wasn't particularly difficult, but facing them head-on would be a death sentence.

"By the way, how did you manage to dodge that…?"

"Combined sensory and physical enhancement. I accelerated my subjective time while increasing my movement capacity per unit of time. I prefer this over a straight power contest."

"… Yoal, you…"

"Yeah."

"You're not just some lewd mage, are you…? Wait, ahh, n-nooo! S-stop, this is too much…! It's too strong…!"

"Reflect on that for a bit."

He activated her lewd crest—Nyrn writhed, crouching with her hips raised, trembling in agony.

Ignoring her, Yoal focused on neutralizing the enemy.

The reason they'd escaped Airy Heilem's detection was simple.

First, they concealed their magical signatures, then fabricated a decoy mana source.

The decoy? A disposable puppet he always carried for deception.

It was a one-use trick, but the odds were in their favor, entirely because this was the Witchlands.

In a place where mana flows were utterly chaotic, distinguishing the decoy from the real thing was near impossible.

The moment the enemy registered it as a genuine mana source, they fell into the trap.

Using the enemy's vast detection range against them, Yoal traced their mana signature.

In an instant, he planted a backdoor in their mana circuit, gaining control over it.

A mana circuit refers to the collective system of mana conduits and the mana core within a body.

Interfering with it meant directly manipulating the flow of mana itself.

The lewd crest on Nyrn was merely an application of this—she was forced to channel her own mana into a crest that induced arousal.

The stronger the target's mana, the more potent the crest's effect. Yoal didn't need to possess vast mana himself.

"W-Wait, please, make it stop…! Hngh, ahh…!"

"I've still got work to do."

Brushing her off, Yoal confirmed the trap had worked.

Opening a communication line, as expected:

"—Communication restored. My apologies, Char."

"It's fine. More importantly, Airy, what's the deal with this?"

"It appears to be a mana signature deception. It caused a temporary freeze in communications. It won't hinder our pursuit. How shall we proceed?"

"… Just to be safe, narrow the search to our territory. They might try to slip a spell into our systems. I'll handle things here. Got it?"

"Understood—proceeding as instructed."

Communication ended.

No sign they'd noticed the interception.

It wasn't a bluff either. Airy's detection range had indeed been significantly reduced.

"Let's move."

Yoal hoisted the writhing Nyrn into his arms.

With physical enhancement via mana manipulation, this was child's play.

"W-Wait, what…!? So we're just retreating anyway!?"

"One down. The other's a pain, but we'll manage."

"… Huh?"

Nyrn, still in his arms, tilted her head in confusion.

Yoal ignored her, channeling his mana. The spell he was about to cast required nearly all his reserves.

The next moment—

He sensed an overwhelmingly massive mana signature.

Faced with an incoming torrent of raw violence, Yoal was forced to dodge instinctively.

"Damn it!"

Cutting his focus short, he activated his unique spell.

Extreme sensory and physical enhancement—Subjective Time Acceleration (Accelerator).

In an instant, he darted through the forest, a blast wave roaring behind him.

The ground was torn up, countless trees were felled, and a searing heatwave scorched the foliage.

"… Found you."

Far beyond the blast's heat—

A glint of teal eyes flashed sharply.

"Lady Charlotte, it seems—"

"… Too fast."

They'd escaped Airy's vast detection range.

But that didn't mean the other enemy lacked detection abilities.

At close to mid-range, they might be even more formidable.

"You there. How about letting her go? Do that, and I might just spare your life."

A brick-colored cape fluttered in the wind as she emerged from the forest depths.

Charlotte.

Slinging her recently fired sniper rifle over her shoulder, she drew a silver sword from her waist.

"… That's what she's saying, Yoal."

"No chance I'm listening."

Nyrn let out an exasperated sigh in his arms.

She probably wanted to be saved, no doubt.

The lewd crest could be undone later—if it was even possible.

"Hmph. Not one of the Magic Association, huh?"

"Nope. I'm just forcing her to guide me. So, what was that greeting just now?"

"What a cheeky guy. Sneaking in without even talking to us, thinking you can take on a witch single-handedly? I could cut you down a hundred times and it still wouldn't be enough."

"No point talking, so I just came. That's it."

The Witchlands would never entertain an individual's request anyway.

"… For someone who looks like that, you're pretty capable. I might hear you out, just this once."

"Your 'looks like that' comment is unnecessary."

Trading banter to buy time, Yoal focused. He couldn't afford to miss this chance.

Charlotte readied her sword, adopting an aggressive stance, half her body forward.

"Yoal. Mage Yoal is here to take the Witch‑Queen Almaeira Serenarie. That's all you need to know."

"… You."

In an instant, Charlotte's eyes widened.

Her slender form blurred.

An explosive acceleration that dazzled the eyes.

"Where did you hear that name!?"

"Since I was a kid."

"Shut up! Don't you dare defile the name of the dead, you filth!!"

The distance closed in a flash.

A speed worthy of being called divine.

Nyrn trembled in his arms.

Yoal focused relentlessly. His mana was barely enough.

To make up the shortfall, he gently placed his palm on Nyrn's lower abdomen.

"I'm borrowing this."

"W-Wait, huh!?"

Drawing mana through her lewd crest.

Preparations complete.

Before Charlotte's silver arc could cleave him, his woven spell activated.

"This is it…!"

"Sorry."

Charlotte's blade sliced through Yoal's shadow.

No resistance. Like cutting through mist.

Return Spell, activated.

"… Running away?"

"I'll be back."

With that, the two vanished completely from the scene.

Left alone, Charlotte lowered her sword, muttering with a scowl.

"… Alma's beloved's name. How the hell did he know that…?"

 

 

The designated return point (Home Point)—the witch Nyrn's cabin.

After setting up every possible concealment, deception, and perimeter detection spell, Yoal finally sank into the sofa with a sigh.

The fire crackled in the fireplace, filling the warm, cozy room with a calming glow.

"… So, what exactly got 'taken care of'?"

Stirring a pot of stew over the fire, Nyrn glanced back at him.

"No name, but a petite silver-haired witch. Wore a maid-like outfit."

"That would be Airy Heilem, the Ladies' Maid—wait, hold on a second!"

The ladle slipped from her hand, clattering to the floor.

"Y-You haven't even met her yet, right!? Even Charlotte would be one thing, but her?"

"No way I could beat someone with that ridiculous amount of mana. What are you thinking?"

"That's logical, but it's still infuriating…"

Nyrn scooped the fully cooked stew into a bowl.

Yoal stood to take it from her.

"Airy, was it? Seems like going to her is a no-go, so we'll make her come to us."

"… H-How? That's absurd. Do you have some kind of bait?"

"Nope. We'll just make her come here of her own free will."

"… That's even more absurd."

They sat across from each other at the log table.

After a brief pre-meal prayer, they brought wooden spoons of stew to their lips.

Then, Yoal's hand paused just before his mouth.

"… Hey."

"W-What?"

"Your voice is shaking—what'd you put in this?"

The moment he pressed her, Nyrn's eyes darted away conspicuously.

"N-Nothing harmful… I mean, I didn't put anything in it, okay?"

"You're a terrible liar… Are you sure you're okay? How'd you even manage as a witch? Don't you get tricked all the time?"

"That's none of your business…"

Nyrn clammed up, then deliberately took a bite of the stew herself.

Probably to insist it was safe.

Yoal had a hunch about its contents but reluctantly ate anyway.

The taste was good—hot, nourishing, and delicious.

"See? Nothing weird, right?"

"It's weirdly making my lower half feel… energized."

"… Tch, probably just your imagination, right…?"

Nyrn averted her gaze, continuing to eat.

Since they were eating from the same pot, the effects would likely hit her too.

"So, about how we'll do it—it's mental interference, basically."

"… Huh?"

"I traced her through her detection spell and seized control of her mana circuit. I know where she is. Now, we just wait for her to be alone and make her come here."

"Even if you could pull that off… couldn't you just make her do anything from the inside?"

"Doing that would instantly tip her off that we're interfering. It's like hypnosis—it only works when no one else notices."

"So you're saying we use it to isolate her first."

"Exactly," Yoal nodded, shoveling stew into his mouth.

Nyrn stared intently at his throat bobbing with each swallow.

"Then, it's the same as with you—except more thorough. I'll make sure she follows orders even when she's out of my sight. Charlotte seems to trust Airy, so we'll start by breaking that trust."

"… That's so devious, even a witch would pale."

"Says the one with a flushed face."

To him, everything was just a tool to be used for her sake.

He was acutely aware of his warped nature, and Charlotte's words echoed in his mind: "Don't defile the name of the dead." It made sense.

The Yoal of today was a far cry from the Yoal of twenty years ago.

Over two decades, he'd transformed into something entirely different.

The current Yoal was, in a way, the wreckage of the mage named Yoal who died twenty years ago.

All that remained was his longing and obsession for her.

"So, starting tonight—probably. I'll need to borrow this place for a few days. It might get noisy."

"There's a guest room you can use. I can handle soundproofing—wait, huh?"

Nyrn pointed to the spare room, then tilted her head in confusion, her bangs fluttering slightly.

"What?"

"When you said 'the same as with me'… you mean, like… that, right…?"

Nyrn's cheeks flushed faintly, her skin reddening, her breath quickening.

Her shapely thighs, barely covered by her robe, rubbed together restlessly.

"Yeah. I'll probably be tied up with that for a while."

"W-Wait, that's cruel!? I went out of my way to spike this with an aphrodisiac for a reward, and now…!"

"Shut up and deal with it yourself."

"C-Come on, couldn't you spare just one round…!? I mean, if it's going to take days, I could at least help with your needs…"

Nyrn twisted her body seductively, trying to charm him.

Yoal glanced at her, then stood with his bowl in hand.

"Let's at least finish eating first."

"Absolutely, you promised! You can't just leave me like this—it's so frustrating, I'll die…?"

Even as she emptied her bowl, Nyrn kept squirming impatiently.

For all her protests, she willingly took the aphrodisiac, revealing her shameless indulgence.

"She's your fellow witch, isn't she? You don't mind me messing with her?"

"Airy? … Well, yes. She's always at Almaeira's side, so petite and cute, always so prim and proper. I can't even imagine that adorable face melting in pleasure… but if I get to see it, well, that's…"

Nyrn's cheeks flushed hotter as she spoke dreamily.

"… No thoughts of saving her?"

"Huh? O-Of course I'll help her! I mean, if—if you share some of your essence with me, I could make her behave extra nicely for you…?"

"You're getting too good at buttering people up…"

Yoal glanced at her while refilling his bowl.

Nyrn lowered her eyes, as if embarrassed, and silently brought more stew to her lips.