Water Magician

Editor: Tseirp

“…Hey, are we really doing this?”

Scout Oriana asked anxiously.

“…We’ll proceed after confirming no one else is around.”

The leader, swordsman Hector reassured.

“…I-Isn’t there any other way?”

Spear-wielder Isaiah prompted for reconsideration.

“…We discussed it, but no other options came up, right?”

Hector replied somewhat exasperatedly.

Priest Tarlow asked, his face tense.

“…We have to confirm it ourselves.”

Hector nodded as he answered.

“…I don’t want to.”

Earth-attribute magician Kenzie said plainly.

“…Stop whining.”

Hector said firmly.

“The preparations are complete. If the timing is right tonight, we’ll execute it tonight.”

Hector stated, and the other four frowned.

It seemed like they were about to do something unpleasant.

“I don’t want to do it either… but can you think of a better way?”

“Maybe Hector could infiltrate the ‘annex’ alone and directly confirm if the Duke and the Djinn’s followers are meeting?”

“Might as well kill me now!”

Hector vehemently objected to Oriana’s outrageous proposal.

The other three nodding in agreement with Oriana’s suggestion only added to Hector’s misery.

This was his party.

Hang in there, Hector.

“Our King and Marquis Heinlein gave this to us for times like this.”

“I don’t think so.”

All four chimed in, denying Hector’s assertion.

They had been given something, and it seemed they were supposed to use it.

“Anyway, we have to find out as soon as possible.”

“I’m not disputing that… But it’s a government building, right? Are we really going to use black powder…?”

“If things go as planned, no one will get hurt.”

“Sure, if everything goes as planned, any plan will succeed. But… you know.”

Oriana countered.

And the other three nodded in agreement.

And thus, against the strongest opposition from party members in the history of ‘Morning Star’, the mission proceeded…

“It’s just two people on patrol as usual.”

“Well, there’s nothing really valuable there. Attacking a government office and making enemies of a great Duchy is not something sane people do… except for a certain group of five.”

“…Are you still going on about that?”

Hector shook his head, trying to dismiss Oriana’s sarcastic comment.

“We knocked out the two guards, tied them up, and left them at a distance.”

“There’s no one else inside the building.”

Priest Tarlow and Magician Kenzie reported.

“Alright. Then as planned, you two handle things here. And we’ll check over there.”

“I prefer to be over there…”

Hector said, and Kenzie frowned and expressed his wish.

“No, Kenzie needs to be over there. Same with Tarlow.”

Hector preempted Priest Tarlow, who was about to say me too.

“We only have three binoculars to begin with. So we’re counting on you guys.”

Hector said, and Kenzie and Tarlow nodded reluctantly.

Hector and Oriana, who had moved from the government building, joined up with Spear-wielder Isaiah.

“A few minutes ago, the Duke of Shrewsbury entered the annex. The followers from yesterday went in from that distant mansion and it’s been an hour. If we haven’t missed it, the Duke and the followers should be together in that annex now.”

Hector and Oriana nodded in response to Isaiah’s report.

Then, they checked the clock.

“It’s almost time.”

Hector muttered, and Oriana also prepared her binoculars.

One minute later.

Boom. Boom…

A surprisingly loud explosion reverberated.

Yes, it was the sound of an ‘explosion’.

Consecutive explosions emanated from the government office.

The Duke’s residence immediately lit up.

And people opened their windows to look outside.

Or stepped out of doors to check the direction of the government office.

The sound continued, but the government office itself remained unchanged.

There was no collapse or destruction.

However, if anyone looked closely, they might actually notice.

Several black stone walls near where the sound originated.

Of course, these were constructed by the earth-attribute magician Kenzie.

Who had received ‘training’ when handed the processed ‘black powder’.

During the training, a water-attribute magician had said;

“The essence of this lies not in the explosive force but in the sound it produces.”

They had experienced how the walls amplified the sound.

Kenzie, being an earth-attribute magician, could construct walls with earth or stone, so he took the training seriously.

And it paid off here.

…The sound was much louder than anticipated, causing quite a surprise.

“Okay, let’s get out of here.”

Priest Tarlow said, and Kenzie nodded.

They needed to escape before anyone arrived.

Dispelling the walls, the two of them started running.

Meanwhile, the three monitoring the ‘annex’.

“Oh, someone is coming out.”

Scout Oriana murmured.

“It’s Duke Shrewsbury.”

Spear-wielder Isaiah replied, looking at a boy who had come out from the door and was looking towards the government office.

“Another person is behind him…”

As Hector said, another person came out from the door.

“Isn’t that…?”

“The follower from yesterday.”

Oriana and Isaiah confirmed.

“It looks like… the duke is giving orders to the follower…”

Hector muttered.

Upon hearing that, both Oriana and Isaiah nodded.

After a moment’s pause, Oriana spoke up.

“Is Duke Shrewsbury… one of the higher-ups among the followers…?”

Gasping for breath, Isiah continued.

“That follower is one of the Four Generals of the Djinn, right? So, does that mean the Duke…”

Nodding once, Hector stated firmly.

“There’s a possibility that the Duke is the Djinn himself.”

Two days later. In the king’s office.

“Your Majesty, we’ve received information from ‘Morning Star’ in Wingston. It’s already been vetted.”

The Prime Minister, Marquis Heinlein, reported to King Abel.

His expression was clouded, but there was no hesitation in his demeanor.

He seemed to have made up his mind.

“It’s been two days since Zack and Scotty’s report, right? And this is about confirming whether Erwin himself is involved with the Djinn’s followers. It’s pretty fast, isn’t it, to have already concluded a thorough investigation.”

“Yeah. To cut to the chase, the conclusion is that there is a connection.”

“I see…”

Upon hearing Marquis Heinlein’s report, Abel sighed softly.

While the possibility had been in his mind, he wasn’t overly surprised now.

However…

“Rather, it’s suggested that Erwin Ortiz himself may be the Djinn.”

“What!”

Abel exclaimed, genuinely shocked at this unexpected revelation.

Marquis Heinlein calmly met Abel’s gaze.

And waited for him to calm down before continuing.

“We don’t know if Erwin-dono has been possessed, if the current Erwin is someone else entirely, or if there’s something else at play… However, three members of ‘Morning Star’ directly witnessed Erwin-dono giving orders to the follower Oranj.”

“I see…”

Abel covered his face with both hands.

It seemed like he was desperately trying to compose himself.

Or perhaps recalling something from the past.

“I should have… pushed for a visit to the eastern region after the northern inspection, even if it was difficult.”

During the northern inspection, the Empire attacked, and various other issues prevented him from inspecting the eastern region.

Abel lamented.

“No, Your Majesty, you were fortunate in a way. Jumping into the situation without any prior knowledge could have endangered Your Majesty.”

Marquis Heinlein commented, shaking his head slightly.

That Abel’s decision wasn’t wrong.

Nevertheless, it was a difficult situation…

“We must deal with the Shrewsbury Duchy… don’t we?”

“Yes…”

Abel asked reluctantly. Marquis Heinlein nodded with a pained expression.

The Kingdom was once again on the verge of division.

In the capital of the Handal Union, Jayclaire, the Governor’s Office.

“Your Excellency… King Abel is certainly resolute.”

“Well… three years ago, he led half the country and defeated the prince and the Empire. He’s undoubtedly a remarkable figure.”

The Governor, Lord Aubrey replied with a nod to Lamber’s words.

Until now, he had been communicating with King Abel of the Kingdom of Knightley on a direct line.

It was a direct line via alchemy devices set up between the Crystal Palace in the royal capital and Jayclaire, established by Kenneth Hayward of the Kingdom and Frank De Verde of the Union.

Activation and use of the line can only be done by three registered high-ranking officials from each government.

Essentially, the Kingdom and the Union were virtual adversaries to each other.

The ‘Great War’ thirteen years ago and the Inbury Duchy conflict three years ago had resulted in actual military conflicts between them.

However, despite being potential adversaries, or rather because of it, they couldn’t afford to avoid negotiations altogether.

Both nations represented major powers in the Central Countries.

Their conflict would have a significant impact on neighboring states.

Therefore, it was crucial to prevent unexpected clashes.

That’s why the direct line was established.

Within that context…

“The Kingdom is prepared to open its borders to the Union forces. Words like that… are not said easily.”

“No it’s not. The Union’s intrusion and the potential threat to the Kingdom’s vulnerabilities… All these must have been thoroughly considered. The decision was likely made by King Abel himself, despite counsel from Marquis Heinlein. Thanks to that, we are facing an age-old dilemma.”

“An age-old dilemma?”

“Is it better for neighboring leaders to be competent and decisive? Or foolish and erratic?”

Lord Aubrey said half-jokingly.

After tilting his head slightly, Lamber asked.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Competent and decisive leaders won’t easily start a war. But if we show weakness, they might take advantage. On the other hand, foolish and erratic leaders may be exploitable, but they pose an unpredictable threat… we must always consider the possibility of war. Well, something along those lines.”

“I see. So, the former is preferable if we consider the well-being of the people.”

Lamber responded without hesitation to Lord Aubrey’s explanation.

Observing Lamber’s response, Lord Aubrey chuckled and remarked;

“Lamber sure is a good lad.”

“Eh?”

Lamber tilted his head again, not understanding the meaning.

“Don’t worry about it. Just keep being yourself and dedicate yourself to your role as my aide.”

“Yes? Of course, I intend to do that…”

Lamber tilted his head once more, and Lord Aubrey laughed.

Perhaps these two also made a good team.

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