The End of the Battle

The fire magic streaked forward, casting its radiance through the darkness of night.

The small fireball touched the massive battering ram that had just emerged.

The instant it made contact, the fireball exploded.

"This is… fall back!"

The enemy mage, apparently the first to sense the spell's power, frantically ordered nearby soldiers to fall back.

The soldiers managed to escape. Though it was more accurate to say they were blown away by the blast.

The magic didn't stop there, directing its force upward.

Fire shot up as if ascending to the heavens.

I had the out-of-place thought that it looked like an oversized campfire.

The fragments raining down must have been what remained of the battering ram.

It had been shattered beyond recognition and burned away.

Even though it was made from a tree trunk thicker than a man's torso, it couldn't withstand Alexia's magic.

Part of the gate that had survived was also blown away as collateral, but the enemy had bigger problems.

After all, the battering ram they'd been counting on had been obliterated in a single shot just when they thought it had done its job.

And now a massive fire, incomparable to the pillars of flame from before, was roaring away.

The heat reached us, drying my skin.

"A-a high-class mage… there's no way we can beat that."

One soldier who'd been lucky enough not to be blown away, standing relatively close to the battering ram, turned tail.

That was the catalyst. Other soldiers threw down their weapons and fled.

The gate was gone. The enemy should have realized we were few in number, but it didn't matter.

The fact that there was a high-class mage among the enemy weighed heavier.

"Don't run, you cowards!"

The enemy commander frantically tried to stop the fleeing soldiers, but once a group started moving, it wouldn't stop so easily.

In no time, the area around the gate was empty of enemies.

They'd taken their wounded with them, so at least they had some decency.

"So, it's just you now. What will you do?"

Alexia swept her bundled hair aside with her right hand and pointed her battle-axe at him.

Thinking she might fire another spell, the commander braced himself.

"Withdraw. You know you can't win now."

"… You'll let me go?"

"Yes. I was only tasked with holding the gate. It's been destroyed now, which is unfortunate, but I don't need to do anything more. Right?"

Alexia turned to me for confirmation, and I nodded.

We weren't regular soldiers of the Imperial army.

I doubted we'd get more than verbal thanks for any accomplishments.

Verbal promises from a future emperor would be reneged on sooner or later anyway.

In the first place, delivering wheat by sea this time was something like an extension of our after-service for the duke.

I didn't want to shoulder any more trouble.

"You destroyed the whole thing though… fine. We're retreating."

"Then take these people too."

Azu dragged the two soldiers she'd captured over.

Surprised that a girl was hauling two armored men, the commander took them back with some difficulty.

Now there was no one around.

We could say we'd completely fulfilled our assigned duty.

"Whew. Good work, everyone."

I stepped outside the guard post and breathed the fresh outside air.

But the heat had dried it out.

When Alexia dispelled her magic, the backlash made the air feel cold.

"Good work, everyone."

Elza poured water into cups.

Everyone drank gratefully.

"Well, it was easy. With me here. Having a mage, front-liner, and a priest makes that level trivial."

"Don't let your guard down. If they'd rushed us from the start, we would've been fine, but those two would've been in danger."

"I'm glad everything ended safely."

The tense atmosphere eased, and we talked more.

Before we knew it, time had passed, and we could see the sun faintly rising.

The sounds from the center had stopped too.

Had it been decided?

"Alexia-sama, that magic was magnificent."

"It doesn't normally turn out like that."

Alexia smiled wryly at Orleans's words.

"With enough time and magic power, maybe… but having you and the spirit as backup is different. With fire magic alone, I feel like I wouldn't lose to anyone."

"I don't really understand since I can't use magic."

"That's probably for the best. It would likely become too strong to control."

"Is that how it works?"

"Yes. After all, you set that soldier's bow on fire just by looking at it, didn't you?"

"Yes. I felt this one would help me."

Now that she mentioned it, that had happened.

I'd been too rattled at the time to think deeply about it, but that certainly wasn't normal.

"I can see why a spirit priestess would be valued. Being burned just for being looked at is kind of cheating."

Finn said that.

No matter how fast you moved, you couldn't escape human eyes.

In that sense, she was also Finn's natural enemy.

"Is it that unusual? It was my first time using it."

"Then you should probably avoid using it except in dire circumstances. People will think you're a witch. And that wouldn't lead anywhere good."

"Understood."

Orleans nodded deeply at Alexia's words.

Nobody wanted to be burned just for being looked at.

Even knowing Orleans would never do such a thing, the fact that she could would become a problem.

Better to keep it secret.

The only ones who knew Orleans was a Fire Elemental priestess were few, including the duke.

Even on the manor estate, the legends had nearly faded.

Excessive power, especially unwanted power, brings misfortune.

"Don't worry. No one here would spread it around."

"I trust you, so I'm not worried."

Orleans's reply was firm.

There was no sign of additional soldiers coming.

By morning, when the surroundings were fully bright, a messenger from Kelves arrived.

They'd managed to drive back the enemy in the center as well.

It had been a hard fight with few numbers. If they'd been attacked from the rear, the outcome would have been different.