Volume 9 Chapter 17 Strategy Meeting
"Is it magic that stops other magic?"
At Al's question, Eric tilted his head slightly and thought.
"Well, the most famous one is the Anti-Magic Field spell, I guess. It's a well-known story. Al, you must have heard of it too."
The Anti-Magic Field spell is part of the Sylvester Kingdom's history. When the first king, Knight Sylvester, defeated the evil magician Arthur, Merlin used this spell on Sylvester. This spell cancels all magic, making it the ultimate magic.
Al has heard of it before. However, it's a 4th-tier spell, and only the Sylvester royal family and the Marquis Merlin family are allowed to use it. The spellbook is also strictly controlled.
4th-tier spells are not only hard to use, but they are also secrets the country wants to keep, or privileges given to certain families.
The country decides which spells are important, but the magicians who help──known as strategic spell users──agree on similar standards. Most countries recognize spells like Teleportation and Falling Star as 4th-tier.
If someone finds these spells in ancient ruins, they must give them to nobles or the royal family. In return, they'll receive something valuable
"Other than that, there are protective spells, like the 'Shield' spell and the protection spells mainly used by priests. These are mainly focused on preventing damage. To defend against weak spells like 'Paralysis', you can use the 'Magic Resist' spell, and also the priest's blessing spell (Divine Protection). There are also spells that increase resistance to specific spells, like 'Paralysis Resistance' and 'Slow Resist'."
Al understands this too, and he has already learned the 'Shield' spell. Is there no other way?
"The only other thing I can think of is the 'Spasm' spell. This spell can stop the opponent's movement for a moment. If you use this spell, the opponent's body will feel a sharp tingle, and it seems you can stop not just spells but also 'Fighting Skills'. However, the timing for using it is very strict, and this spell has almost no damage effect. Because of these reasons, it's said to be impractical. I haven't learned it myself, so I can't say for sure..."
It would indeed be difficult to use. But in a situation like this, it might be useful. Al has a rough idea of the attackers and the timing.
"Is that in the 3rd tier? Or the 2nd tier?"
When asked, Eric tilted his head. He remembers the general idea of the spell, but not the details. It might be a spell that is not very common.
"It must be the 2nd tier. I think it's similar to 'Magic Missile'."
If that's the case, he might be able to learn it before the attack happens. Eric had said before that he would lend him as many spellbooks as he wanted. If he has one, can he borrow it? When he asked, Eric smiled and said, "Of course," and happily went to get it from the library to hand it to him.
"Thank you very much."
Al took the spellbook and couldn't help but make a fist. This might give him a way to fight back.
"Well then, I'm heading home."
Holding the spellbook carefully, Al stood up. Eric and Leda smiled and nodded as they watched him.
* * *
The next day at noon, Al showed up at the back office of the Levy merchant guild. Guildmaster Levy, Ruella, Barbara, and Reginald were already there, looking serious and discussing something.
"Hello."
As soon as Al entered, they urged him to take a seat.
"Unfortunately, we didn't find out anything about the Viscount that the Tempest Kingdom's spy mentioned. I'm sorry to ask again, but did he really say 'Viscount'?"
Al nodded at Guildmaster Levy's question. The older man, who was called Big Bro An, definitely said "stupid Viscount." Hearing Al's answer, Guildmaster Levy tilted his head in thought.
"If I think about it, the spy that the stupid Viscount is talking about might be someone from the Tempest Kingdom who is working as an informant. It's possible that this person has also infiltrated Lester in the same way. I can see that His Excellency Viscount Eugene is a bit 2-faced, but I have no solid proof to say he is a traitor. I really need to gather more information from the capital to make any judgment. For now, there's just not enough time."
Ruella nodded at Guildmaster Levy's words.
"If we can be sure that His Excellency Viscount Lester is safe, can we discuss this matter?"
At Al's question, Guildmaster Levy hummed thoughtfully.
"Of course, I will instruct the guard to investigate the possibility of an attack. But..."
From Guildmaster Levy's tone, it seemed he was quite hesitant.
"Al, it's a complicated situation, but right now, the governor of this border city, His Excellency Baron Scully, is the real brother of Lady Agnes, who is the second wife of the Viscount and the biological mother of his legitimate son, Sanjay. It seems he doesn't have very good feelings towards the first wife, Viscountess Tara, or Sir Naresh. Also, the captain of the guard for Viscount Lester's territory, His Excellency Baron Pankraft, is very close to His Excellency Baron Scully."
It feels like a story about enemies and allies related to Naresh, something Al has heard before. If the guard captain thinks Naresh is a problem, then things should look fine on the outside. But he's not sure how much protection he can really count on.
Maybe it's not even worth talking about.
However, if Serena──Sanjay's fiancée or the Margrave's daughter──is attacked along with Patricia, then maybe they aren't enemies after all.
This is getting more and more confusing
"Can I trust Mr. Eric?"
When Al asked this, Guildmaster Levy nodded slowly but firmly.
"I don't know him well, but I haven't heard he belongs to a faction. He's closer to His Excellency Baron Hawthorne, who manages the border. We have a good relationship with His Excellency Baron, and when Ruella was kidnapped, Mr. Eric handled it well. If you trust him, it should be fine."
Then, maybe he should’ve talked more. It’s easier to judge alone, but family and national issues make things complicated. That’s why he stayed out of it
"According to what Mr. Eric said, Sir Stroud will be arriving in 3 days, or rather, 2 days. There will be a welcome party that evening, where he is supposed to meet Lady Patricia for the first time."
"Yes, I heard that too. It seems that Lady Patricia wishes to accompany him when he returns to the capital."
Barbara shook her head, saying it was no use.
"Sir Levy, we've talked about this, but we don’t have enough info to decide. For now, let’s forget the Viscount and focus on the attackers. Al found their hideout. Shouldn’t we capture them and get info?"
Maybe feeling impatient, Barbara brought up a pretty rough idea. Fighting in the city?
"Their hideout is in the slums of West 4th Town. That area has had some gang conflicts, and the Sunny Holiday Inn was a place where such groups used to gather. According to what Reginald found out, that group was originally a small organization with about 20 members. It seems their boss recently changed, and the place has been closed ever since. With a group that size, I think we can manage with Al's help."
Guildmaster Levy shook his head at the suggestion.
"It would be arrogant of us to take justice into our own hands. We shouldn't make such a choice lightly. If it's ultimately for our protection, then it can't be helped, but that should be a last resort."
Barbara bit her lip and nodded, understanding. Ruella spoke up in her place.
"Father, I think we've covered everything. We can't conclude yet, so let's keep investigating. We should inform Sir Naresh and Bro Edmund. He can check on Viscount Eugene in the capital."
"I see. We'll send a messenger to them, but contacting Lady Patricia is on hold. We don’t know who's watching, and I’m worried about the magic hairpin Lady Agnes sent her. Our talks might be monitored. Al, can you and Barbara investigate the people using the (Sunny Holiday) inn? Get clear evidence of their crimes."
Compared to Barbara's suggestion, this sounds more reasonable, but it's still a pretty dangerous approach. If it were easy to get clear evidence of their crimes, she wouldn't have suggested an attack. This is harder than an assault. But there might be a way.
"I have one request. The other side is on alert using detection magic. I want to think about how we can get around that. We should have magic tools with functions like 'Detect Invisible,' 'Detect Illusion,' and 'Detect Magic.' Could you lend them to me?"
The story is complicated. But:
The heir issue of the Viscount Lester family (Sanjay faction and Naresh faction) and the Tempest Kingdom issue (the unknown stupid Viscount?) are all mixed up, and even Guildmaster Levy and the others are scratching their heads.
To clarify a bit, I'll list the main Baron families supporting the Viscount Lester family. I'm sorry if this makes things even more confusing.
- Baron Hawthorne: Volume 4, appears as the leader of a caravan traveling through the borderlands for a bodyguard request. He is in charge of frontier development. He is close friends with Guildmaster Levy.
- Baron Scully: Probably makes his first appearance this time, he is the brother of Agnes, who is Sanjay's biological mother and is in charge of governance in Lestercity.
- Baron Pankraft: Appears only by name in Volume 4 for the bodyguard request, he is the leader of the guard team in the territory (kind of like a police chief?).
- Baron Oliver: Appears in Volume 6 for frontier development, he is the leader of the Viscount Lester family's knight order.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)