Nacht casually overpowered the monsters that came to attack them as they flew through the sky, humming cheerily the whole time.
“It looks like there are fewer and fewer monsters around...” Aisha said. “Am I just imagining it? I mean, I’m glad to be safe, it’s just...”
Aisha’s perception was just a little off. In fact, the monsters had started getting out of the way as the pair approached as a gesture of goodwill. They passed three, then four more peaks, and finally, the plains of Estoll stretched out before them.
“We’re almost out of the mountains,” said Nacht. “Soon, we’ll be in Estoll.”
“That was fast!” Aisha marveled. “You know, flying wasn’t so bad once I got used to it.”
“I used my magic to shield you from the outside world, after all,” Nacht said, puffing out her chest. “Isn’t it fun?”
“Why didn’t you do that from the start?” Aisha demanded.
“It’s delicate work, you know!” said Nacht. “It took me a while to get it right.”
Aisha saw through Nacht’s excuse. She narrowed her eyes. “And the real reason?”
“I wanted to see your face when you got all spooked! I’m not sorry and I’d totally do it again.”
“Mistress, you dummy...”
Nacht didn’t want to push her servant’s patience too far. For the rest of the trip, even after they’d made it over the mountains and slowed down, Nacht kept using her wind magic to shield Aisha.
“Um...” Aisha said, “Do you think it’s about time to land...?” Even with the shielding, she was getting tired of flying and wanted a chance to rest. And now that flat ground was within sight, she was positively excited about the prospect.
Nacht, of course, had no intention of forcing Aisha past her limits. She nodded and made to descend—but then immediately pulled up.
“Weh!” Aisha cried. “Wh-Why are we going higher?!” But the answer was right before her eyes. She heard the sound of metal-clad men marching in orderly files. She looked and saw an army of tens of thousands of humans advancing with great force. “Is that...the Estoll army?”
“Yeah. That’s the attacking force. They look pretty disciplined, but...” Nacht’s golden-ringed eyes opened wide, revealing the true nature of things. “Something’s off. There’s something else mixed into their ranks...”
The first thing that caught her eye was a unit dressed in black robes. There was something unnatural about their movement. Marching at their head was a woman wearing red robes. Or, to be more precise, something that had taken the form of a woman. It was strange. For as much as the army looked like a unified force on the outside, it seemed that it was actually composed of two armies marching together.
“Did they see us?” Aisha asked.
“Maybe. We flew right over the attacking army, after all. They might even construe that as hostile behavior!”
“Why does it sound like you’re having fun?!” Aisha lamented.
It wouldn’t be out of the question for a major kingdom like Sindoria to employ flying scouts. If they mistook Nacht and Aisha for something like that...
“Aisha, I’m speeding up.”
“Weh?!” Aisha cried out, her voice cracking as Nacht did just as she’d said, streaking through the sky fast enough to leave afterimages as a ball of fire zoomed past her, narrowly missing. She rose high in the sky, speeding through the clouds and coming to rest high above the heavens. The woman in the red robe had to be a pretty good mage to launch an attack against Nacht when she was so high in the sky.
“Weeehhh! They’re attacking us, Mistress!”
The attacks were pretty forceful too. Nacht wheeled around twice, then a third time, holding Aisha in her arms as she dodged them at speeds that would put any roller coaster to shame.
“Wait! W-Waaahhh! Mistress! Stooop!” Aisha pleaded. She could hardly tell what was going on around her. Not wanting to leave the muddled girl behind, Nacht stopped in midair. She sighed as Aisha struggled to catch her breath.
“Are you sure you want me to stop, Aisha?” Nacht asked.
“Weh?”
The pair was still under attack. Hanging still in midair like that, they made for an excellent target. Even Aisha realized it when she calmed her nerves and looked down—an enormous ball of fire was flying in their direction.
“Is it hot in here or is it just me?” asked Nacht.
“I-It’s hot! It’s hotter than hot!” Aisha squeezed her eyes shut, preparing herself for impact as the heat washed over her.
“Then let’s turn down the heat!” Nacht said, smiling reassuringly. “Ars Glacies: Immortal Crystal!” Her mana surged up and an array of magic circles appeared beneath them, each transforming into a great mass of clear blue ice. They fell like snow from the sky, swallowing the world beneath them in a field of blue and extinguishing the fire. It was as if the blazing inferno had never existed in the first place. The ice began to crack, shards falling to the earth and robbing it of its heat. The soldiers shivered, their breath coming out in steamy white puffs as they faced the beautiful but fierce torrent of ice.
“That might have been a bit too much ice, Mistress...” Aisha muttered, shocked.
“Ha ha ha! It was self-defense! Don’t blame me!” Nacht grinned.
The Estoll army was in a bit of disarray after such a bracing counterattack, but they were lucky that Nacht was merciful. None among their ranks were badly injured.
“I’m not gonna get involved in the war or anything...” Nacht said, “But maybe I’ll ask Theresia for a reward for that one.”
“Kerchoo!” Aisha sneezed.
~ ‡ ~
“Reanna!” barked Grascas. “What are you doing?! I didn’t tell you to attack!”
Reanna, however, didn’t seem to be listening. She was hunched over, grinning raptly. “Ah!” she exclaimed. “What elegant magic! Just imagine the kind of control one would need to perform a spell of such a caliber! And to do it while flying and utilizing wind magic as well.”
“Tch. No mind for anything but magic, eh?”
“Oh! General Grascas!” Reanna said without a hint of contrition in her voice. “I didn’t realize you were there!” The young prodigy, who had earned the office of chief court wizard, had a hunger for magic that went beyond that of anyone Grascas had ever known. She was practically an addict, spending every second of every day mastering her spellcraft. All she seemed to have a mind for was honing her own abilities. It seemed as if she thought of the war itself as just another training exercise. To Grascas, she was quite the headache.