“You guys remember how to get back to the Holy Precincts, right? Now, concentrate on visualizing the route within your mind.”
“Huh?”
I gathered the thirty Schultz warriors, Lade, and Reyha all in one spot. There was also a black horse surrounded by a pale aura. The “magical horse” that Lade had mentioned was my phantom horse. (Incidentally, I combined the spell with Infinity, so the horse would be usable for seven days.) I invoked my next spell while targeting everyone gathered nearby.
“Open, Gate of Magic.”
Those were the first magic words I’d ever spoken in this world. My imagined self passed under the thick, black Gate of Magic created in the inner world of my consciousness and then descended its spiral staircase.
I stopped on the sixth level and entered the spellbook archive. I then selected one of the nine bookrests lined up in a row. The title of the book I’d chosen was Forced March.
“As a consequence of this spell, any army that obeys me shall be granted swift and sound legs, more vigor than flame, and travel at triple their normal speed. The spell shall last until reaching the final destination of the Schultz Holy Precincts.”
As both my real and imagined selves chanted the spell, the book turned into two ten-sided dice, one black and the other white. These are often known as percentage dice in tabletop RPGs. The white die represented the tens place and the black die represented the ones place. I rolled them together to get a random number between one and one hundred. If they both landed on zero here (which technically represented one hundred, not zero), then I would fail in casting the spell.
I’m sure Diane will have some words for me if I fail. Please let this work…
Just in case, I had prepared two instances of Forced March this morning. Even so, I didn’t want to fail at spells unnecessarily, so I silently prayed as I tossed the dice onto the bookrest. They clattered around, making a sound I’d now grown accustomed to…
“It worked. Forced March!”
I’d rolled a 52. So, in short, there was a 1 in 100 chance that I would fail at casting any spell. This time, my spell was successful. The two dice turned into chaotic energy and shot upward, out into the real world.
“Hey, what are you mumbling about?!”
Just as I finished the chanting, I could see the chaotic energy envelop the Schultz clan, Reyha, and Lade, rippling through the space around their bodies. They probably felt unbelievably energized.
“Wh-what the hell,” Diane gasped.
“Holy mackerel,” one of the warriors said. “This power… It’s amazing!”
“I feel like I could walk to the ends of the world. Reaching the Holy Precincts will be a cinch!”
I allowed myself to feel a little satisfaction. “With my magic, you’ll be able to walk at triple your normal speed from now until the time you arrive at the Holy Precincts. It would take you about twelve days, normally, isn’t that right? So in this case, you should be able to arrive within about four days.”
“A-are you serious…?”
“Oh, but be careful. If you have to break ranks for something like a battle, the effects of the spell will be cut off. And once you arrive at your destination, you’ll feel severe exhaustion for half a day. Make sure you get enough rest before taking any action.” By the time I finished explaining, the attitude of Diane and the Schultz warriors toward me had changed quite a bit.
“Old m—Margilus? Just…what the hell are you?” Diane asked me.
“The lord of Castle Getaeus, a wizard, and an ally to all those who fight against daemons.”
Hey. I think I just pulled off the dignified look for once.
“Ms. Diane,” Elisabel started.
“Elisabel! Remember this: You’re just getting a temporary reprieve! Someday, I’ll take down that Darmund asshole and get Filsand back! Be ready for it!”
Elisabel’s expression was complicated. Unfortunately, there had been no progress in lessening the hatred and hostility between these two.
I’m pretty sure Elisabel wasn’t expecting a happy family reunion right off the bat, anyway. I let out a gentle sigh.
“I will not be ready,” said Elisabel.
Diane gaped. “You what?!”
“Even if I were to prepare myself, I have nothing left to protect. At the very least, I want you to protect that.”
Diane was silent for a moment. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I’ll keep that in mind.”
Perhaps being bound by blood meant that they understood each other in some way? I didn’t really get it. One thing I did know was that Elisabel’s words were depressing again. The two girls were complete opposites, but it seemed to me like Diane’s principles kept her more grounded than Elisabel’s.
“Let’s get going,” Diane shouted. “To the Holy Precincts!”
“Await my return, my lord,” said Reyha.
Lade was silent.
I watched as the Schultz warriors and my two friends headed south. Thanks to the effects of Forced March, they were making good time already. I watched until their shadows disappeared into the distance, and then turned to the allies who were still with me.
“Let’s go. Filsand awaits.”