Chapter 24

Even so, she couldn’t let her guard down. There were no certainties in battle. That was true of a one-on-one fight, but she also had Nova and Ottou here. If a spell went awry, it could put them in harm’s way. The first thing Yuui needed to do was to get Nova to move to another location, since her friend was even closer to the man than she was. Spells were cast at a straight line out of the tip of the user’s wand, so both Yuui and her opponent had their eyes glued to the other’s weapon. “I’m sorry,” Nova suddenly whispered. “Huh, wha—?” The man stared in astonishment. Where could Nova possibly have been hiding the short wand she now held? Naturally, the tip was pointed directly at the assailant’s face. Losing his composure, the man pulled back. Yuui sensed the flow of mana. She quickly aimed her wand at her opponent’s hand, but— The next moment, he flew backward. “Huh?” gasped Yuui. His back crashed into the wall, and he slid limply to the ground. A wand clattered to the floor at almost the exact same instant. Nova now stood in the spot where the man had been a moment before. Her knees were arched to lower her center of gravity, and her bent elbow was thrust forward. It took a few seconds to realize what had happened. Nova had tossed her wand to draw the man’s attention upward. With that opening, she’d slipped into a fighting stance and moved closer, then sent him flying backward with an elbow strike. The man was now sprawled across the floor, unconscious. “Let’s tie him, up,” suggested Nova as she came out of her stance and turned toward Yuui. They grabbed the cloth in the room to bind his hands and feet, plus gag him. Yuui picked up his wand and put it in her pocket. She found herself staring at Nova, wondering where she’d been hiding such strength in her tiny frame. Beyond that, using your wand as a distraction was a tactic that didn’t come naturally to magic users. There was no way Nova was just a student. “I’m not sure this is the right time or place to ask this”—Yuui sighed—“but you were really sent to monitor me, weren’t you?” “Yes,” confirmed Nova with a nod. “You befriended me for that purpose?” “Yes.” “And the stall incident was to draw me in?” “That was just, my inexperience.” Nova shook her head. “I was following you, and accidentally, got caught up. But since you saved me, I decided it would be easier, to get close to you.” “Is that so…? Well, that was some incredible unarmed defense.” “It is only because I have, taken special training. I myself, am not incredible.” “I’m not sure you have to say ‘only’ in this situation…” “I apologize, for deceiving you.” Nova lowered her head. Yuui was surprised, but she found herself nodding. To be honest, she’d had an inkling of Nova’s true nature from the day they met. There was no way Yuui would so conveniently find a new friend. She was a hostage, after all, and she’d done too much on her own over the summer. You could say she’d expected to be monitored eventually. She wasn’t in a position to complain about it. The Yuui from before would have been hurt by the fact that their entire friendship was a lie to facilitate Nova’s surveillance, but the present Yuui didn’t mind that much. That was probably thanks to the strength she’d found over the summer. She stared at Nova’s face. Oddly enough, Nova gazed back at her. Her expression and tone were both exactly the same as before. “Anyway, right now we need to get a grip on what’s happening,” remarked Yuui with a shrug. From a different angle, it was actually very reassuring to have someone like Nova in this situation. “That man was probably on patrol. I imagine the courtyard has already been seized…” “I, agree,” said Nova, pressing her ear to the door again and blinking several times. “But how did they defeat the guards at an event of this size? Shouldn’t there be powerful magic users on watch?” “There have been no sounds, of battle other than that spell, from before. I think, security doesn’t know, what’s happening yet.” “But you’d think they would notice soon enough—” “They have hostages,” interjected Ottou, jumping into the conversation. “So they’re seeking to negotiate? Hmm…” Yuui placed a hand on her chin and thought. She didn’t get anything about the situation. There was no reason to attack an event as highly guarded as this, out of all other options. And even if their negotiations succeeded, escape would prove difficult at best. She didn’t know who was demanding what, but it would have been easier to pick off individuals as they moved about. Suddenly, she realized the enemy was likely few in number. That would fit with Ottou’s theory of them smuggling in a wand or two. They would be at an advantage if they were attacking an area where many people were gathered. But no, she still couldn’t see the point in that. There were so many guards. Even if they took hostages, they wouldn’t be able to handle all of security. “I am having a hard time wrapping my head around this. What about the two of you?” asked Yuui. Nova and Ottou stared silently at her. That probably meant they had no ideas. If these two couldn’t hit on it, no one could. “I will go, alert the guards. We should leave this, to them,” said Nova as she took a step. “You two, wait here and hide.” “I agree we should leave this to security, but we can’t hide. They’ll send another person on patrol when this one doesn’t come back,” said Yuui. “It would be more dangerous for all three of us, to go. I’m sorry, but you two, can’t come.” “What do you mean?” “When you go down the stairs, you’re on the path that surrounds, the courtyard. They would find you. I can’t use that route. So, I will climb up, and go across the roof.” It impressed Yuui that Nova was capable of such an acrobatic feat. She hoped she could get Nova to show her when they had the opportunity. But now wasn’t the time for that. “We have other options,” added Ottou. “If they send another patrol, we can still deal with just two people. We could draw their attention with the tied-up man and attack them from behind. That should give us enough time to last until the guards arrive.” “Yes, that is another, course of action,” said Nova with a nod. “We don’t know when the interlopers downstairs will get desperate. I am opposed to a plan that just buys time,” said Yuui. The panic that she hadn’t felt at all before was starting to catch up with her. There was a large number of hostages downstairs, many of whom were elderly, like Mali. They probably couldn’t last being bound for long, assuming they hadn’t been harmed in any other way. And most importantly…was Ix. There was no one in the world better at rubbing people the wrong way than him. Yuui could easily imagine him saying something stupid like “what a shit wand” to one of the attackers and pissing them off. But unlike the rest of the guests, he was neither noble nor merchant. He was a commoner, someone who had no value as a hostage. His captors might kill him to set an example if they discovered that. Yuui raised her head and said, “Is there any way for us to save everyone?” “Why?” asked Nova, glancing back at her. “…What?” Yuui didn’t understand the question Nova bounced back at her. “Why? Because there are people in danger, and I want to try and save them…” “All those people, are kingdom citizens.” “Well, it is a kingdom banquet.” “What I mean is, there is no gain for you, Yuui. In fact, you would be saving citizens from an enemy nation. That could be a loss for you, in the bigger picture.” “That’s…” Yuui groped for words. “But it’s the right thing to do, yes?” “The right thing?” Nova asked back as if she didn’t understand. “Yes. My father left me that request, to be a good person.” “He requested that you, help the people on the side of your enemy, like you helped me?” “…Why are you asking me this?” Yuui shook her head slightly. “Father… Yes, maybe saving kingdom citizens is not what he meant, but even so, I…” Nova stared at Yuui for a while before she finally nodded. “…Understood. Let’s save, everyone.” Her bangs swayed, and Yuui saw her eyes for a brief moment. 7 What a shit wand, thought Ix. He was referring to the wand the older man who’d stepped to the front was holding. It was so horribly worked that Ix was starting to doubt it was even real. The wand the woman had used to blast him backward earlier was far superior. Ix didn’t have anything in particular to do right now, so he was spending his time staring at their equipment. As Ix sat there bored, the older man launched into some speech after addressing the hostages, which Ix couldn’t make hide or hair of. It wasn’t like the man was using words he didn’t understand; he got the gist of his individual sentences just fine. But the man was splicing in so many indirect phrases and excessive flourishes to his statement that Ix couldn’t put it all together. If he had to sum up the spiel, it seemed like the man was insisting they cancel this year’s Feast of Meat. He claimed they wouldn’t become violent or kill the hostages if they refused their demands, just that no one could leave, and he would continue to persuade them until they were on the same page. The way Ix saw things, that in itself would probably constitute an act of violence, but no one pointed that out. The speech dragged on for a long while before coming to an abrupt conclusion. Maybe it was just Ix who thought that, though. Whatever the case, the man briefly disappeared into the hall. The guests whispered to one another. Ix caught snippets, such as “the Obryles’ responsibility” or “the guards.” A commotion erupted behind him. He turned discreetly to catch a glimpse and saw a small figure standing on the stairs. It was Nova. Two servants hedged her in. “I was resting in a room,” Ix could hear her say. “Didn’t a man come to find you?” asked one of the servants. “A, man? No, I didn’t see, anyone.” “Really?” “Yes.” “……” The two servants looked at each other. After exchanging a few words, one pointed in Ix’s direction and gestured with their chin. Nova gave a small nod and walked over, where she took a seat next to him. “Are you, all right?” she asked in a quiet voice. “Someone asked me the same thing earlier,” he replied with a shrug. “Why’d you come down? Right now, there’s—” “I have a general grasp, of the situation. A man came patrolling earlier, on the second floor, but we took him out. Yuui and I have wands.” “How is she?” “Uninjured.” “But they’ll probably send someone else when their patrol doesn’t come back.” “It should be all right, for a little while.” Nova’s tone was flat. “Normally, someone who defeated a patrol, wouldn’t come down like this. They will likely, interpret it in a more convenient way.” “Like he’s busy stealing valuables?” “Yes.” “Is that why you came down? To buy Yuui and Ottou time?” “No, we have another objective.” Ix looked around them. Many of the guests were talking to each other, their expressions serious, but the servants didn’t seem to care. It would probably be all right. “And that is?” he asked. “The tarp will fall soon.” “Huh?” Nova turned her eyes upward. She was talking about the long, thin sheets of cloth that had been hung across the second floor to act as a rain guard. There still seemed to be a slight drizzle, since they could hear the pattering of rain drops. “Yuui will set it all loose, at once. Chaos will ensue.” “Probably, yeah.” “During the confusion, we will capture their leader. Both sides will have hostages, but the noise should alert the guards. If they come, we win.” “And who exactly is the ‘we’ in ‘we will capture their leader’?” “Me.” “…Can you do that?” “Yes,” replied Nova matter-of-factly. “Is their leader, that bald man up front?” “Seems like it.” Ix decided that Nova coming down here meant that Yuui had agreed to the plan. If Nova said she could do it, she could. “I can’t believe a rich person’s mansion got captured so easily,” Ix said with a snort. “Aren’t places like this supposed to have all sorts of security measures?” “They probably didn’t approach from the front,” said Nova. “Then how’d they do it?” “…Before siege wands were developed, there were two ways of defeating a secured fortress.” Nova’s voice was emotionless. “Wait until the entrenched enemy’s rations ran out or have someone on the inside to open the way. If the latter succeeded, the castle would soon fall.” “So they had a collaborator lying in wait who let them in? And that person did it all by themselves?” “They would probably hire temporary help for the feast. And if the employer trusted one of the collaborators, that would be enough to bring in the others.” Nova pulled her chin in slightly. “But I think in this instance, instead of having someone infiltrate, they…” “A guess is fine—don’t stop in the middle.” “Yes. They probably turned someone already working here, into a collaborator. That route is both simpler, and less wasteful.” “I would’ve thought that would be more difficult.” “It’s the same as when you attack, a castle’s walls. You look for a weak point, then strike there. It’s a simple skill. Anyone can re-create it so long as they have training and a contact point,” said Nova soberly. “For example, fortress under lockdown might still allow merchants in, so you could put a letter in with their goods. Throughout the history of war, there are instances where the soldiers who inspected those goods, or their superiors, betrayed their fellows.” “That kind of thing taught at the Academy?” asked Ix in a tone filled with both awe and exasperation. “Yes.” “Hmph…” He cast his eyes around the area. The tension seemed to have lifted slightly. The guests’ conversations were becoming louder, so no one noticed their own, since it was mixed in with the chatter. “It’s a little surprising, though,” said Nova. “What is?” said Ix. “That there are this few, people with wands.” Nova tilted her head. “Ottou said there were maybe two or three wands. I didn’t expect every person, to have one. Maybe we should cancel the plan.” “Wait…” Ix put a hand over his mouth. “Did he really say that?” “Yes.” Ix blinked a few times. Ottou was never off base about anything. If he said there were only two or three people with wands, then there were only two or three people with wands. Which meant… “Nova, how long do we have before your plan starts?” Ix asked quickly. “Very, little time.” “Act like you’re collapsing and knock me over.” “Yes,” she responded immediately, without questioning him. Unsteadily, she moved closer to Ix, who fell over on his back. “What’s going on?!” came a shout, and one of the servants came over. “I don’t have any strength,” said Ix, coming up with some random explanation as he stared at the individual’s hands. Placing a palm on his forehead, Ix got up slowly and checked each of the servants around him. Right… Apparently, they’d been holding his brain hostage as well. He’d been on the inside the whole time, without any way out. Being hit by a spell had left him muddled, but still, he couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed this before. “Here,” said Nova as she held a hand out to him. “Your target isn’t the man from before,” whispered Ix in her ear as he accepted her hand. “It’s the woman hiding behind that pillar.” “Why?” “She’s the only one with a real wand.” “And, the others?” “Plain old sticks.” “You’re, certain?” “It’s obvious. As far as I can see anyway.” “Understood.” But something else unexpected happened before they could put their plan into motion. Mali, who was sitting kitty-corner in front of them, suddenly pressed her hand to her chest and doubled over. She let out a faint groan amid ragged breaths. Her attendant knelt beside her and rubbed her back. Then she looked around, her expression dire. A servant approached them. “She’s unwell,” stated Mali’s attendant sharply. “She needs to take her medicine and get some rest.” “Nobody leaves until the Feast of Meat is canceled.” “How could you!” she cried bitterly. “How could you stand and watch someone die like this? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t do anything violent?” “No one’s harmed her.” “Refusing treatment is tantamount to violence.” The attended glared at the servant, tears in her eyes, but they ignored her and left. The guests near Mali looked at her with concern. “In about, fifteen seconds,” murmured Nova. She started to move from a sitting position to a crouch, tension in her legs. Without a word, she spread her hand, showing five slender fingers. Ix jolted up. “You got a second?” he said. All eyes locked on to him. A beat later, lots of things happened, leaving no time in between. With a sharp whistle, the shadow overhead grew stronger. Nova disappeared from sight, and, at almost the exact same moment, the sound of bodies crashing together rang out behind Ix. The fallen tarp temporarily obscured their vision. Screams resounded from across the courtyard. The cloth had also covered Ix, but he was the first to see what was happening around him because he was standing. Hostages and captors alike were crouched on the ground, covering their heads in a reflexive attempt to protect themselves. A few of the servants were looking over at the pillar where the wand-wielding woman had been, their faces filled with shock. Even the bald man seemed taken aback, and he held his wand in front of him with his eyes closed. Directly in line with the trajectory of the wand was Mali, lying on her back as if she’d been knocked backward. It was almost as though a spell had been loosed from that wand. What in the…? Ix stared at the scene, dumbfounded. The man waved his wand about furiously. Ix immediately ran in that direction. He stumbled over someone and almost tripped. The man noticed Ix closing in and let out a small scream. The tip of his wand fell squarely on Ix. Ix raised his arm, but he would still need about three more steps to close in. Just as he realized he wouldn’t make it, a gray shadow descended into view. By the time it landed, the bald man was already knocked over. He wouldn’t get up again. “Are you all right?” asked Yuui, her wand trained on the man. “That’s the third time,” replied Ix. “What?” Rain fell. It had grown stronger while Ix had been in the courtyard. He rubbed his eyes. Ix walked over to the bald man, with Yuui behind him. He appeared to be unconscious. Ix picked up the stick that had fallen by the man’s feet. It was a crude thing, just a stick that had been poorly carved to resemble a wand. Ix’s evaluation of it didn’t change now that he was seeing it up close. He looked at Mali. Her attendant had wrapped her arms around the woman and was trying to sit her up. It seemed she was still alive. Ix then glanced to the opposite side of the courtyard to see Nova walking in his direction. The remaining servants had thrown their sticks to the ground and were gradually moving away from her. The sound of many footsteps approaching echoed from inside the building. Everyone crouching down seemed to realize what was going on; slowly, they began to stand and exchange relieved looks with their neighbors. “Wh-why—?!” An unsteady shout rang across the courtyard. One of the guests was pointing in Ix’s direction. Their entire body was quivering from fear or rage. Confused, Ix looked to his side. He saw Yuui’s frozen expression. Her face was visible. 8 After they were taken back to the room on the second floor, quite some time passed. The chaos on the floor below seemed to have calmed significantly—perhaps most of the guests had already gone home. While they waited, Elion poked his head in, asked them to wait just a little longer, and took Ottou away with him. It was already midnight. The rain was slowing down, but it felt damp where they were. Ix and Yuui sat in chairs side by side, but they didn’t speak. He was fiddling with the stick he’d picked up earlier. Something was bugging him. Not something about the stick, but what it had caused him to remember. The door clicked open, and Nova returned to the room. She headed over to Yuui and sat across from her. Just as Ix had changed, she was now back in her normal baggy clothing. Ix had heard about her real job moments before. “How’s Mali?” he asked hesitantly. “She’s not, in good condition,” replied Nova evenly. “She can speak, but she is worse than before. It may not be today or tomorrow, but she doesn’t have long left.” “Oh no…” “I was told there are three reasons for her decline: the late administration of her medicine, the strain of being kept in the courtyard for a long time, and emotional stress.” Nova’s bangs rustled as her eyes shifted to Yuui. “If she had been held captive any longer, she would be in an even worse state. They expressed their thanks to you, Yuui.” Ix glanced at the stick in his hands, and Nova continued. “You must have been mistaken, when you thought you saw a spell. Her attendant said Mali fell, because she slipped.” “…Uh-huh.” “They did not tell me, anything else.” After that point, the guards had burst in and captured the attackers. Only two of the interlopers had been armed, both of whom Yuui and Nova brought down. The rest immediately surrendered when the guards had trained their wands on them. In the end, Ix still didn’t know who those people were or what their goal was. When he mentioned that, Nova cocked her head and said, “This is just, my guess, but…” “You figured it out?” said Ix. “Based on their message, I think they were an extremist group from the Secession Sect. Do you know of them?” “Vaguely.” Within the New Order denomination of Marayism were a number of sects. Some of the most prominent ones included the Reformation Sect, who aimed to reform the Church from within; the Secession Sect, who pushed for independence; and the Balance Sect, who took on portions of the other two groups’ ideologies. “The Secession Sect, wishes to expand the New Order’s influence, even if it means using force,” explained Nova. “I heard, when I visited the church, that some extremist groups within the sect, were planning to use the Feast of Meat to start a revolt.” “They wanted to use a festival…?” asked Ix. “Yes,” she replied flatly. “There are a few examples, of people becoming worked up at festivals, shouting anti-war or anti-country opinions, to the point where it led to a revolt. It seems they planned to start that, on purpose. I have heard they plotted, to incite the people and to destroy the Feast of Meat, because it doesn’t align with New Order ideals. This was believed to be too difficult, though, as there are few extremist groups, even within the Secession Sect.” “Did they go after this banquet because that other plan seemed impossible?” “It was, out of desperation.” “Which is why their plan was so ridiculous,” said Ix with a shake of his head. “But you know a lot, don’t you? Guess you’d need info like that with the job you’ve got.” “Correct.” Yuui wore her typical expression as she listened to them speak. After people had glimpsed face and skin, she’d quickly regained her composure and responded calmly. Thanks in part to Elion’s skillful cover-up, the attendees didn’t blame her on the spot. Still, she was subjected to horrible things from them. Some even shouted that they were certain she was the culprit. The Obryle family would likely shoulder some of the blame from this incident as well. She just hoped it wouldn’t lead to anything bad happening to Ottou… When Ix and Nova’s conversation came to a lull, Yuui made a suggestion. “Let’s go with Gidens to Notswoll tomorrow.” “All right,” said Ix, nodding. “The Feast of Meat is the day after, yes? It is unfortunate I won’t be able to see the festival in Leirest, though,” said Yuui. “Did you want to see it?” he asked. “Well, not particularly… Though, yes, I did notice those large wooden figures being built. I was somewhat curious as to their use.” “The parade,” clarified Nova. “They walk the figures down, the main road. It is a normal display in many big cities.” “Ah, is that so?” Ix’s eyes opened wide. He stared at his palms. “That’s it…,” he said. “Hmm?” Yuui blinked, not understanding. “I started it…,” he muttered. “That’s why I couldn’t remember it; it was just a stick…” “By ‘just a stick,’ do you mean that one?” asked Nova as she pointed to the one in his hands. “Hmm? No, it’s got nothing to do with this. If I’m right, that one’s in at the shop still… Yeah, I’m sure I put it in Morna’s storage.” Yuui stared into his face straight on. “Um, could you please start over from the beginning and explain things so we can all understand? This is such a bad habit of yours,” she grumbled. “From the beginning…,” he said, frowning. “Well… Right, it’s Notswoll. I told you I remembered hearing the name somewhere, right? I just realized where.” “And that was?” “We got an order from someone in that village a long time ago.” Ix sighed before continuing. “Engraved number: 3403, Passing. It was the first thing I ever made. Or the first I was supposed to make.”