Volume 19 Chapter 2 Guardian
"I see, so you want to know about the mages of Tempest Kingdom."
Lord Zora, who entered the tent with Naresh, listened to Serena and then stared at her face, nodding slightly.
"That's right. I've heard about your background. Don't worry, I have no intention of spreading it around. Indeed, as Alfred said, you're probably the most knowledgeable among the delegation. Let me ask again, is there really such a significant power gap between the mages of Tempest Kingdom and our magician troops, as Alfred is concerned?"
"Yes, there definitely is."
Lord Zora declared this firmly.
"In preparation for serving Sir Naresh this time, I've done quite a bit of research. It seems that there are significant differences in the use of magic between the two nations. The magicians of Sylvester Kingdom have used magic against Barbarians and magic beasts. Therefore, it was probably sufficient for them to master simple magics for detecting approaches, like 'Floating Eye', or for annihilating attackers, such as 'Magic Tornado' and 'Magic Shockwave'. In other words, they became satisfied with just that."
"Is it different in Tempest Kingdom?"
Serena asked, and Lord Zora nodded.
"Unlike Sylvester Kingdom, which was founded while fighting against Barbarians, Tempest Kingdom is a collective of those who trace their bloodlines to ancient civilization tribes. On the surface, they serve the Tempest royal family, but the Marquis Prentis family, the Marquis Tagard family, and the Count Senet family also possess legacies that connect them to ancient civilizations, and they were constantly fighting for dominance within the kingdom. There were frequent secret battles, and many magicians had spells that were suitable for battle and could outwit the other side. It also seems that there are some spells that are now lost in the Sylvester Kingdom."
Serena glanced briefly at Audrey's face.
She bit her lip.
Then, as if suddenly coming up with an idea, she shook her head.
"However, 30 years ago in the Battle of Gladys Plains, the Sylvester Kingdom defeated Tempest Kingdom. At that time, it was publicly credited to the knights, but the real turning point was due to the magician..."
"Ah, the Sylvester Kingdom's magicians were amazing in that battle. Back then, the magicians approached the Tempest Knights without using magic and successfully ambushed them. As a result, the knights fell into great confusion and retreated. Many mages from Tempest Kingdom share the assessment of the Battle of Gladys Plains. It's strange that within Sylvester Kingdom's sources, the magician's contributions are unjustly undervalued. This might also be one of the reasons why the magicians became complacent afterwards."
Lord Zora paused as he said that.
Serena and Audrey exchanged glances.
"Could you tell us what specific kinds of magic the mages of Tempest Kingdom use? Of course, only what you can share without any issues."
In response to Audrey's question, Lord Zora thought for a moment.
"Well, at least I constantly use 'Detect Magic' to know if there's anyone using magic around me. Other than that, there's the quick-type magic. Many are capable of using (Quick Missile). It seems they believe that speed equates to strength."
So it really is like that.
Al nodded several times.
The Quick Missile spell must be the one the mage used when he defeated the goblin in front of Lamia.
Serena sighed deeply.
"Audrey, what is your 'Detect Magic'?"
"Well, I can use 'Magic Sense', but each building has its own security magic tool, so I left it to them. I don't really think of that magic tool as something to carry around, so I didn't bring it."
Saying that, she shook her head.
"What about Alfred?"
"Um..."
Al was caught off guard by Serena's sudden question and stumbled over his words.
He was unsure of how much to say.
This time, he wanted to prevent his brother Gustave's crisis, but he worried that if he got too involved, he might miss out on exploring ancient ruins.
"I can use the 'Detect Magic' spell. As for the quick spells, I'm not really sure, but I can use 'Quick Shield'. I got that spell in the Rain territory, you know?"
"I see. And you can also use the 'Record & Play', 'Floating Eye', and 'Fly' spells that you showed me earlier, right? You must be able to use 'Telepathy' as well?"
Al nodded honestly.
"Now I understand why Lord Duran decided that Alfred should be assigned to protect me during this mission. It's also clear that our Margrave's magician unit has nowhere near the power of the Tempest Kingdom's magicians──or was it mages?──let alone that of an adventurer like Alfred. Thank you, Naresh, Lord Zora. I'm sorry for asking something difficult to talk about."
Serena then turned her gaze to Gustave.
"Gustave, as per Lord Duran's advice, I'm going to assign you as my personal guard during this diplomatic mission. You don't need to move today, but I'm ordering you to set up your tent right next to my tent from tomorrow onwards. Understood? I'll discuss the details with the junior leader of the second group, so can you call him when we're done?"
"Yes... so... may I ask you one thing?"
Gustave seemed to still be struggling to control his emotions, hesitating a bit as he asked.
"What is it?"
"Um... it's about the act of providing food to the Barbarians... the magician involved... I believe based on Alfred's story that it's probably a mage from the Marquis Prentis family of the Tempest Kingdom, so how should we handle this..."
At Gustave's question, Serena let out a big sigh and nodded deeply.
"Lord Duran is distributing wanted posters for that mage. Listening to what you've said, I'm a bit anxious, but this delegation is for preparing for war against the Marquis Prentis family. When it comes to war, we can publicly denounce them. What do you think about that?"
Gustave slightly lowered his face.
"Alfred here had a twin sister named Ingrid. Both were attacked by Barbarians when they were young, and only Alfred survived. I harbor a deep resentment towards the Barbarians. And there are those who would help them. I cannot forgive that. An opponent who will stop at nothing to gain the upper hand in war... I understand. I will do everything in my power to ensure the success of this delegation."
Gustave declared that with all his might.
Audrey glanced at Gustave in a slightly hot-blooded manner, but Serena looked satisfied.
This is how Al was decided to serve as Serena's bodyguard as Gustave's retainer.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)