Just as Aila and Rosal were still reeling from the shock, Midir suddenly appeared beside them, faint white smoke still drifting from his body.
He was covered in black ash, and his figure swayed; he had to lean on Starflame just to keep from collapsing.
“Mr. Midir! Are you alright?!”
Rosal rushed forward to steady him, but a wave of terrifying heat radiated from his body. She jerked her hand back the moment she felt the searing temperature.
Seeing this, Aila immediately manifested a small pistol from the Arms Crafter. She pulled a blue magic crystal from her pocket and slotted it into the weapon’s chamber.
The pistol in her hand began to glow blue after absorbing the water-attribute power from the magic crystal.
Without the slightest hesitation, she pulled the trigger.
Instantly, a stream of cool water element surged from the barrel and splashed over Midir. The water rapidly turned into plumes of steam upon contact with the high heat.
Midir finally showed a look of relief as the water hit him. After exhaling a long breath, he sat down against the battlements, letting the jet of water wash over him.
“What on earth did you do? How did you end up like this?”
Aila asked with concern as she put the pistol away, leaning down once she was sure he was out of danger.
By now, the heat on Midir had gradually dissipated, and the black ash had been washed away. He looked into Aila’s beautiful blue eyes, which were filled with worry, and replied with a smile.
“I’m fine. I just misjudged the power of the new spell and nearly got caught in it. It won't happen next time; I'll make sure to get far away first! Besides, the results were pretty good, weren't they?”
“What? You’re planning to do that again?! Are you trying to scare us to death? You’re a grown man—how could you miscalculate your own magic’s power?”
Aila didn't know whether to be angry or laugh. She felt like her worry had been for nothing, yet seeing how little regard Midir had for his own safety, she couldn't help but feel concerned.
She gave his shoulder a heavy, muffled thump.
“Cough... Alright, don't dwell on it! That strike should buy the fortress at least ten minutes. And if my math is right, it reduced the swarm by about a fifth, didn't it?”
Midir, who hadn't quite recovered from the aftereffects of the explosion, nearly rolled his eyes from her punch. After a series of coughs, he used the wall to pull himself up and looked toward the scattered swarm in the distance.
Rosal could only whisper from the side, “Sister Aila, be gentle. Mr. Midir clearly hasn't recovered yet!”
“Oh? You’re already taking his side after he gave us such a scare? Rosal, don't let him charm you!” Aila teased with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.
“W-what are you saying?! I just mean... Mr. Midir is a mage, after all. What if you knock him out with a punch like that!” Rosal’s face flushed bright red as she stammered her explanation.
Midir watched the atmosphere soften slightly before waving at No. 23, who was crouching nearby, and asking loudly.
“Ronald, a question just occurred to me. Since those Void Demons were originally locusts, is there some kind of special medicine or insecticide that works on them?”
“Hiss... That’s a unique thought. I hadn't even considered that. A simple insecticide is unlikely, and too large a dose would harm everyone on the field. But I can check if these locusts have other weaknesses.”
Ronald’s surprised voice came from within No. 23.
“My Lords, if you're looking for a weakness... there is one! Normally, those locusts and other venomous creatures in the Wind-Eroded Desert are terrified of a certain ore found in the Korana Mountains. That’s one of the reasons why locust plagues usually don’t spread into the Azure City-State.”
Just then, a soldier standing nearby overheard their conversation and walked over to share what he knew.
“Hm? There’s such a thing? Is there any in the city’s warehouses? If so, send someone to bring it here immediately! We’ll process it on the wall and see if we can catch them off guard.”
Hearing this, Ronald immediately shouted to a messenger. Midir had just bought the fortress a precious ten minutes; they had to do everything possible to increase their chances of victory.
“Yes, sir! I’ll go right away!” The messenger turned and ran toward the city upon receiving the order.
Once the messenger was gone, the group gathered again to discuss their next steps.
Aila watched the swarm regrouping in the distance and spoke to Midir with concern.
“According to you, these insects are being controlled by that woman, so we can't lure them into dispersing. That means the front of the fortress is going to take immense pressure.”
“But if we concentrate all our firepower on the front, will it leave the flanks vulnerable? We have fewer than ten thousand troops in the fortress. The rank-and-file soldiers won't even be enough to fill the insects' bellies if they all charge at once.”
Ronald used chalk to draw a rough offensive and defensive diagram on the ground, pointing at the arrows.
“Um... Can the fortress's defense array focus its power on the flanks? If we only leave a gap in the front...” Rosal suggested, crouching down and pointing to the ends of the wall with a slender finger.
“But we can't be sure if they’ll be manually steered to turn again. Honestly... maybe I should go out and give them another blast? I should be fine as long as I control the distance this time.”
Seeing their distress, Midir stretched his limbs, preparing to charge out again.
“No. Setting aside whether you’d actually be safe, the swarm is already close to the fortress. If the shockwave from an explosion like that hits the walls, it’ll be more trouble than it's worth.” Aila immediately grabbed him, seeing his eagerness.
Thinking of Midir’s disheveled state earlier, Rosal also stood up quickly.
“She’s right! Mr. Midir, if you use it again and they dodge it, that would be a disaster. More importantly, if something were to happen to you... that would be terrible.”
“Actually, Rosal’s suggestion is quite good. It’s feasible to leave only one opening in the fortress’s shield. We just need to see how long the magic crystals from the Azure City-State can sustain the array. Aila, didn't you say the Royal Capital’s reinforcement unit would arrive this afternoon? If they can pincer them from the rear or the side, we still have a chance.”
Ronald drew another arrow on the ground, pointing from the side toward the mark representing the swarm.
“That’s what their report said, but we don't know what the enemy’s trump card is. Isn't it too risky to pin all our hopes on them? Ah~ whatever, I’ll notify them first and tell them to hurry!”
Aila rubbed her long golden hair as she spoke, pulling a communication stone from her bag to contact Ferdinand and the others.
Ronald stood up and climbed onto the battlements. After using his goggles to calculate the swarm’s position, he roared at the soldiers standing ready all around.
“It’s time, boys! Prepare to fire! The first round of bombardment is fire at will!”
“Yes, sir! Notify all artillery units: first round, fire at will!” The signaler who had been following them immediately relayed the command. At the same time, he pulled a flag from his back and began signaling beside the magic crystal cannons.
Confirmation signals soon returned from all along the defensive line. In the next moment, nearly four hundred massive magic crystal cannons seemed to be granted life. Their enormous energy cores hummed in unison, letting out a deafening roar.
Rate on N.U.
