CH 293.1

The stage has returned from the Rose Castle to the Spirit Lake, and the time has advanced back to midnight.

(So the pilot of that Knight is a survivor of the elven royalty huh? Certainly, only royalty could have that much magic power.)

The rifle is covered with a giant ball emitting a white light, ready to fire a Light Arrow. In addition, there’s a barrage of water bullets scattered everywhere around it.

『He will keep shooting Light Arrows until he can break the World Tree’s magic barrier』

『And he was able to keep the elven Knights that approaching him at bay while doing that』

It was unclear whether the enemy Knight was responsible for both, but the amount of magic power required for either one was still enormous. It was definitely more than them, the High Elves.

They were chosen by the Magi Charter based on their abilities, but they were originally just ordinary elves living in the village. The starting point of their talent is different from that of the royal family, who have continuously combined the blood of those with high magical aptitude.

(However, victory or defeat is not determined by the amount of magic power alone. At this moment, you are at a disadvantage.)

The skinny old man licks his lips with his tongue.

What he was thinking about is the difference in victory conditions. To him, as long as the Spirit Cannon is fired, the survivor of the elven royal family will lose.

Along with the next generation’s world tree in the Great Pit, his dream of 『Going back to the stage as a leading role』 will be turned into charcoal.

(First of all, the light of that Light Arrow is too bright and blinding. I’ll have you turn it off.)

He readied his wand with one hand and fired a Fire Arrow from far ahead of his subordinates’ B-class Knights.

***

Meanwhile, sitting in the cockpit of the Old Lady was Tauro. Seeing the approaching Fire Arrow, he involuntarily let out a voice.

「Geh!」

The prickly Knight, who seemed to be an A-class, was shooting from farther away than Zaratan’s barrage.

The Old Lady was stuck in a shooting stance, and Zaratan took the hit in its place by moving to the side. The Fire Arrow narrowly missed the Old Lady, hitting the turtle’s shell.

「You okay?」

『No problem』

It seems he received zero damage from that. However, if it had hit the Old Lady, I would have canceled the Light Arrow due to the pain of the burn.

If that had happened, I would have had to start all over again.

『Fumu』

The turtle recalculated his opponent’s strength and reduced the barrage that was used to keep the B-class Knights in check. Next, he began to fire long-range magic at the A-class Knight. If he had been using numerous machine guns to sweep the enemy, now he was using a single rapid-fire cannon.

The sight of them flying away, reflecting the surrounding light, was exactly like a trace bullet. The size of the water bullets was also larger than before.

(As expected from a creature that has lived for a long time. He has vast combat experience)

The A-class Knight was circling the turtle in a high-speed hover and was about to unleash its offensive magic. Zaratan was able to accurately predict the Knight’s movements and fire at it.

And yet, although it was a bit hard he was also able to keep the B-class Knights at bay.

(That was close. Just a little more)

The A-class Knight constantly changed its course, but as if the turtle knew that, it threw a lump of water in the direction it was going.

The fact that it still doesn’t hit him is probably due to the A-class Knight’s performance and the skill of its pilot. It continues to draw a right-angled trail like a lightning bolt on the surface of the lake.

(Aren’t I just his weak point at this point?)

The turtle is paying a lot of attention to make sure that no attack hits the Old Lady. If it weren’t for me, there would be no need to avoid some of those attacks.

When I nervously asked Zaratan about this, he outright denied it.

『If I use my most powerful magic, I would not be able to intercept their attacks, or even move at all』

He said that they would’ve been able to get close to him and attack him one-sidedly.

(Now that he said that, I guess it makes sense. He can do something more if there’s no need to fear being counterattacked.)

They would even be able to make a hole in his shell.

It’s hard to take down elven Knights that are always moving around at a distance. He would run out of time first before being able to stop the Spirit Cannon.

(I am glad that I can be of help)

I was relieved to hear that and fired my third Light Arrow at the World Tree and it looked as if it were hit by a white sun.

A web-like crack which clearly got larger, glowed for a moment in front of us before it dispersed.

***

In the cockpit of the prickly A-class Knight facing off the Old Lady, the skinny old man was getting irritated.

(So he’s been holding back while fighting my subordinates huh)

As his face was distorted in a frown, he looked at the reef where the enemy Knight lay down with fierce eyes.

(There is no doubt he was moving. What the hell is that? Just what is that thing he’s riding?)

It wasn’t just a rock, but more like his allies.

The water-attribute attack magic that spreads in the surroundings is also probably being cast by the thing below, not the Knight.

(Let’s sort out the situation. Our victory conditions have not changed.)

The commander piloting an A-class Knight repeatedly changes course instantaneously, which is impossible for his subordinates and continues to observe while dodging water bullets.

He came up with a plan and ordered his subordinates to retreat. He had the B-class Knights form a wall in front of him, just out of range of the water bullets.

(Now then, let’s see if you can dodge this)

The A-class Knight changed from its wand to the long rifle it carried on its back, and as it hovered on one knee, the rifle was glowing with fiery crimson color.

And right at the moment it fired the magic, he ordered the B-class Knight in front of it to jump with the hover.

***

Here, the perspective returns to Tauro.

As I was waiting for the fourth shot to activate, and watched the water barrage that kept the elven Knights at bay, a wave of warning arrived from the turtle.

When I looked diagonally below in front of me, I saw Zaratan peeking out of the water just a little bit, looking up at the World Tree.

『It will come anytime soon』

He’s probably talking about the counterattack circuit in Magi Charter’s defense mechanism. He said it’s capable of identifying and targeting those who have harmed it, which in this case, is the Old Lady.

(He warned me about it before we teleported here)

But if I were with the turtle, the defense mechanism would see the Old Lady as nothing more than an extra. That’s why he told me to never leave his shell, even if I was attacked by magic at close range.

Apparently, the Magi Charter would only recognize me as an enemy once I left his shell.

(The elven B-class and A-class Knights, plus the World Tree’s defense mechanism. Would we be able to hold up against all of this and still break through the World Tree’s barrier to cause damage?)

(Hm?)

Feeling a sense of discomfort, I search for the enemy. When I looked over at them, the B-class had retreated out of range and were forming a wall with their bodies against the World Tree.

(Where did the A-class go?)

While enduring the pain I felt in various parts of my body, I searched for the prickly Knights by moving only the Knight’s head and eyes. Suddenly, one of the B-ranked Knights that had been forming a wall jumped.

A mass of crimson flames shot out from under the Knight’s feet and charged at the Old Lady. Because we couldn’t see the moment he was shooting, my and the turtle’s reaction was delayed.

(It’s going to hit us!)

The Old Lady was paralyzed. And Zaratan won’t be able to avoid it in time.

As I stood in a daze, an overly dense mass of red flames loomed in my field of vision. But just before it hit me, Zaratan lifted his head from under the water and caught it with his face.

The mass of flames scattered and I could feel the shaking even though I was piloting the Knight. Its power is definitely much greater than a Fire Arrow.

『……I’m okay, please keep going』

He turned his head slightly toward me, there was a burn mark on his face that could be seen from the side.

(Damn it!)

I wanted to heal him right away, but I tried my best to suppress that urge and continued to supply magic power to the rifle.

I looked at the elven knights who would be attacking me at this moment, but they hadn’t moved, including the A-class, who looked surprised.

(Looks like they noticed it’s Zaratan)

But I don’t think they’re the kind of people who would put down their rifles because of that revelation. They’ll recover in no time and resume their attack.

The spiky green-black colored A-class Knight stands in front of me, glaring at us. In the cockpit seat, the skinny old man was making a pained expression.

『Commander, that was…!』

『I know!』

The old man silences his subordinate who was flustered through the external sound system with an irritated voice.

The Knight of the survivor of the elven royalty in a prone shooting stance. He had been curious about the identity of the rock on which it lay, but he hadn’t expected it to be Zaratan.

『The guardian of the Spirit Lake, the Great Spirit Beast that watches over the elves.』

Setting aside the truth, that’s how the elves see Zaratan.

(He’s been brainwashed huh? Even though he’s a great spirit beast, he’s still just a damn animal. I guess we overestimated him a bit.)

He clicked his tongue as he reached an understanding. He recalled the time when the old pharmacist woman who was the commander’s girlfriend had been attacked.

While trying to communicate with Zaratan, she suffered severe damage to her spirit. If not for her being the best pharmacist in the village and the best user of water magic, she must have been unable to withstand the attack.

(So that’s how it is. To think you are resorting to damaging something that can kill the World Enemy. What a dirty plan you came up with)

From a single event that turns out to be true, he figured out the enemy’s intentions through the chain of events leading up until now.

It was said that the World Enemy is attached to the next generation of the World Tree. He can’t comprehend why they would leave it unattended.

But after seeing this, he can understand why.

(He’s trying to use Zaratan to bring our war close to a tie.)

And that Light Arrow would be enough to stop it.

(Hmph)

An unexpectedly powerful ally of the enemy. At that presence, the skinny old man twisted one side of his face.

But even so, he could see the path to victory.

(Unfortunately, they’re messing with the wrong enemy. I am not like those elves. I’m a man who can cut down the guardian of the Spirit Lake for victory.)

With a fierce glint in his eyes, he licked his lips and asked his men through the external sound system.

『Did you hear Zaratan’s voice? He says it’s not his intention to fight the Elves, but our enemy has defeated him and taken over his mind.』.

It was something the commander’s fabrication, so naturally, his subordinates didn’t hear it. The B-class Knights looked at each other and shook their heads.

So you guys didn’t hear it huh? He mumbled via the external sound system and continued.

『He said he would rather have us kill him than become the enemy of the elves. He doesn’t want to cause us any trouble.』

His subordinates became even more shocked. However, their anger at the fact that the guardian spirit beast of the elves had been defiled overwhelmed their other emotions.

Incidentally, the identity of the enemy who controls Zaratan remains unknown to them. Without giving any more details, the commander, who looked at them with satisfaction, pointed his Knight’s finger at the Knight standing on top of the shell.

『The enemy who took over the mind of the guardian of the elves and trample on his pride. Don’t let him get away with it! Kill him and save Zaratan!』

His agitated subordinates’ spirits rose hearing that. The skinny old man narrowed his eyes and added.

『Switch to your rifles. Don’t be afraid of losing your life! We shall repay the debt of gratitude that we, the elves, have received from Zaratan.』

The commander’s plan was to fire a series of shots with each rifle from all sides.

Range and firepower. It’s better in both aspects than the wand, but it’s impossible for his subordinates to hit the moving target. Therefore, they will have to shoot while hovering on the lake.