Orlin silently considered my words for a while. “That means...we’ll have to ensure His Highness is sent back to Altiuccia on the next trip. My men and I will remain here for the final teleport. It’s our duty to defend Tachyrinn, after all.”
“So all we have left to worry about is whether Khrasiel’s transmigrators will arrive while we’re still here,” I mused.
While I discussed this with the general, I mentally reviewed the plans for evacuating the people who still remained here. Given the number of people who hadn’t left yet, we would have to activate the portal to Altiuccia at least two more times.
Right now, Bondaughn and the other mages who had just returned from Croway were running low on MP and were recharging the portal with what little they had left. It would fall to me to make sure that everyone could leave here safely. Then, I’d remove the core from the portal and use Return to teleport myself back to Gaelius.
Unlike Jump, which cost a lot of MP to cast, Return could be used as long as the caster had any MP remaining. That was because it was an ability that could be learned at any proficiency level.
The real problem we were facing now was that it’d already been over four days since our defeat at Croway Plains.
Khrasiel’s transmigrators, or even their cavalry, could arrive at any minute—
“Crap.” I couldn’t stop myself from vocalizing my surprise.
Unlike in Golden Dawn, convenient pop-up windows with important messages didn’t exist in this world. Instead, I had heard that mysterious voice that was only audible to the person it was directly contacting.
It echoed in my mind as I confirmed my escape route.
Return cannot be used.
“General Orlin!” I urgently hissed in a low whisper. “I believe Tachyrinn’s been surrounded by the enemy. I can’t use Return.”
“Are you certain?” he whispered back. “That spell can’t be used in enemy territory, if I recall. Does that mean they’ve taken control of this entire area?”
“That’s right. I can still use Jump, so all I need to do is teleport out of the besieged area. After that, I can cast Return to escape. The only problem is—”
“Khrasiel will launch their attack soon,” he cut in, finishing my thought.
I nodded. “I’ve set up an alarm that’ll sound off if the gates are breached.”
“Then let’s buy us some time,” he responded firmly.
As we arrived at the teleportation portal to Altiuccia, I noticed Wald was already there. He had clearly finished changing his attire for the trip and was awaiting us on top of the portal.
His return to Tiuccia would be the arrival of the land’s new king. He must’ve thought it best to dress appropriately for his station before his subjects. He was wearing deep green regalia resembling a military uniform with a cape draped over his shoulders. At his waist hung a longsword. Lastly, the Heraldry he never removed in public, the Royal Diadem, rested atop his head.
I shook myself from my admiration, reminding myself that we had no time, and hurried to the control panel to help the mages refill its MP.
General Orlin, on the other hand, walked over to Prince Wald. He must’ve been explaining the situation, seeing as how the younger man’s refined face stiffened.
Wald closed his emerald green eyes, and a few moments later, I heard a single quiet word leave his lips.
“Please.”
“By our swords,” Orlin responded.
General Orlin and his men were lined up before Prince Wald. They drew the swords from their waists and, gripping the hilts tightly, thumped their chests.
“For King Wald! For our homeland!” shouted the general.
“Long live Tiuccia! Long live King Wald!” echoed his men.
The knights turned around and began to dash away, their armor clanging as they ran. Just as they exited the portal chamber and approached the stairs, a high-pitched, oscillating ringing began to reverberate through the air.
The alarm I had set up at the citadel gates had been tripped.
“Don’t let a single enemy soldier get to the underground!” roared Orlin.
At his command, the knights charged through the low-hanging cloth and up the stairs.
Bondaughn, who was standing at my side, turned to look at me. He was noticeably tense. “Sh-Should we go up to help once we finish refilling the portal MP?”
He and the other mages were pallid, but the enemy’s attack wasn’t the only reason. They must have been feeling the potion sickness set in—they’d been drinking MP potions for a while now. The mages were already nearing their limits, especially because they hadn’t been able to get any decent rest between when they’d retreated from Croway and now.
“No. Go ahead and get into the teleportation portal now,” I said tersely.
“But Kariya—”
“All of you have already worked more than enough. But the portal at Altiuccia still needs to be sealed, so I need you to save your strength for that.”
The youth hung his head. “I’m sorry.”
I wanted to pat him on the head to reassure him, even just once. But I couldn’t remove my hand from the control panel, so I spoke to him as gently as I could manage.
“I swear I’ll head over afterward, so go on ahead to Altiuccia,” I said. “Now hurry!”
The sounds of battle could be heard ringing down from the stairs that led to the teleportation station. The alarm, however, had stopped. Someone had probably destroyed it, given that it’d been loud and annoying.
After ensuring that all the mages had gotten into the portal array, I checked the control panel.
This portal should be operational if I keep charging it for another twenty minutes.
Some of that time had already been shaved off, thanks to Bondaughn and the other mages, but we were still short of MP. If we could remove some of the weight being teleported, then maybe we’d have enough...but there was nothing left to remove. The portal had people in it and nothing else.
I activated the light orb attached to the bracelet on my wrist and replenished my MP. It was my very last one that I’d saved for an emergency.
Just a little longer. If General Orlin could just buy us a little more time...
The cloth hanging around the stairs was blown away by the blast of an explosion.
✦ ✦ ✦
The man executed a perfect, model Jump. He’d cleared his intended endpoint with magic and then warped.
This man confidently strode directly toward the room containing the teleportation portal to Altiuccia, as if he’d known its exact location. He wore the Levinlord’s Armor, an SS-rank piece of defensive equipment. The greatsword strapped to his back was also an SS-rank weapon from the same set of gear. He wasn’t wearing a helm, so I could see that he had short, ashen hair.
“It’s been six years since we last met. You’ve grown, Prince Wald.”
“Sakita,” Wald said plainly.
The man who had abandoned Tiuccia six years ago narrowed his stormy gray-blue eyes.