Twenty-five mages. The Second Knight’s Brigade, to serve as their guard. The Fifth Knight’s Brigade, to deal with monsters.
I gazed at the gathered troops. The Second Brigade seemed a little uneasy, though their commander, at least, looked more confident. The Fifth Brigade, with their Magestone-reinforced strength, were usually at the forefront of any battles—they just seemed eager to start the bloodshed.
“Apparently they’re going to burn down the forest,” muttered my friend. It was a miracle he’d escaped without punishment—the king must have been shocked indeed. And who hadn’t been? The slaves had escaped. The power of the Magestone was no longer absolute.
A few days had passed since the Fourth Brigade’s return, and since a strange stillness had fallen over the castle. Until today. The mages had been summoned, along with the Second and Fifth Brigades. The king seemed to have made his decision—the forest was to be destroyed.
The ancient texts say that magical power dwells within those trees, particularly in the center of the forest. No one’s ever been able to verify those claims. But if those dusty books are right—if incredible magic resides inside the forest—what will happen when it goes up in flames?
But the mages had poured over every tome, and still there was much we didn’t know about the forest. Burning it down might do nothing—that is, if the forest could even be burned down in the first place.
“You look worried. If we destroy the source of the problem, everything’ll be settled, you know?”
He knew me too well—could read my troubled expression. Of course, if the problem did dwell in the center of the forest, then reducing the whole place to ash would also remove the problem. It was a reasonable decision, but at the same time, it was an outrageous one. I wondered how many of those gathered here truly understood what they’d been signed up for.
“Well, it should help, of course—if the changes in the forest are occurring because of the monarchs.”
“It will help. The mages he’s sending are the most powerful we have.”
He was right. The mages selected for today’s mission boasted the highest reserves of mana in the entire kingdom. They seemed assured in their success, and the king, too, had regained his temporarily unsettled composure.
“As you say. They do possess incredible power.”
And this time, they would join forces to lay waste to the forest. Their collective power would probably be unlike anything ever seen before. There wasn’t a single human in this world who didn’t fear the might of our mages.
But there was every chance that we were no longer dealing with humans.
“Is a human capable of overthrowing a being more powerful than a king, do you think?”
“Huh?” replied my friend, bewildered. “That’s...”
An indescribable sense of anxiety and fear had dominated my mind since I’d heard about the plan to burn down the forest. Something was going to happen; I was sure of it.
“Commander, the sky...”
My ears pricked up at the sound of my vice commander’s voice, and I turned to look out the window. My eyes widened.
Today’s weather was fair. I’d been outside at training until minutes ago, and there had been nary a cloud in the sky. But then, what’s...
“Those clouds...”
Ominous black clouds covered the sky like a roof. A rumble filled the air, reverberating in my eardrums, and then—
Crack.
A bolt of lightning shot through the sky, and the whole room shook. Screams sounded around me—not just from those gathered in the throne room but from all over the castle. The sky lit up again and again, each time accompanied by a crash of thunder that shook the ground beneath our feet. Glass rattled in every window. No one moved—not even a single knight. For what could we do?
Crash.
The next moment, every window in the throne room shattered simultaneously. Screams rang out, but they were quickly drowned out as—
Boom.
A bolt of lightning streaked through the window. For an instant, the throne room transformed into a scene from a nightmare, like being trapped inside a raging volcano. Lightning striking was terrifying enough, but it coming through a window? That wasn’t natural. I glanced toward the king, and my gaze was pulled to the ground at his feet like a magnet. Dark smoke coiled up from charred ground. That was where the bolt had struck.
The thunderstorm lasted for a minute, maybe two, at most. But that was long enough for it to strike fear in the hearts of those gathered. I could hear renewed screams and frantic footsteps as people fled. I just stared at the rising smoke.