Chapter 4: Battlefield (3)

After repelling the attack on the White Wolf Brigade, I still wandered through countless battlefields.

To be honest, there was a sense that I had sought out the battlefields myself to some extent.

That was because I felt myself developing with each battle I fought.

Both the vessel for containing mana and my control over it felt like they were developing brilliantly, incomparable to the past.

Now, I could even use large-scale magic as easily as breathing.

I blankly watched the rain of flames I had created sweep away the enemies.

For a while, I hadn’t used large-scale magic because its efficiency dropped when enemies were scattered, but now it didn’t matter.

I had realized that if enemies were spread out, I just needed to cast magic over a wider area.

Of course, this was an art not permitted to other mages.

They wouldn’t even think of doing such a reckless thing in the first place.

However, my mana capacity and control were venturing into a realm no other mage had ever dared to covet.

It was truly bizarre.

The talent that was so terrible in the Magic Tower that I couldn’t even sell my soul to a demon for it, had transformed into a heaven-sent gift upon arriving on the battlefield.

However, all these achievements were ultimately built with blood.

The fact that Calix Pailyn, the disgrace of the family, had transformed into the war mage Kyle, didn’t change that.

No, rather, because my name and face had changed from the past, the only things that proved who I was were the battles and slaughter I had experienced themselves.

As I was gazing at the battlefield with such thoughts, a soldier spoke to me.

“Thanks to you, we’re alive.

We were at a loss on how to deal with them, but Sir Kyle alone wiped out all those enemies.”

“I just did what was obvious.

I am a soldier of the Empire too.”

“That’s not true!

When this war ends, Sir Kyle will probably be the biggest contributor.”

Had I become that significant?

I unconsciously let out a small smile.

“The Commander would be disappointed to hear that.”

“She herself has been saying that Sir Kyle is the greatest contributor from the start.”

Duchess Kadia saying such things?

At this unexpected news, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes.

“It seems you didn’t know.

I did hear that Sir Kyle left the White Wolf Brigade, but….”

“Yes, this is the first I’m hearing of it.”

That was right.

I had withdrawn from the White Wolf Brigade not long after the attack.

There was only one reason: Duchess Kadia had told me to.

She had said that since I possessed legion-level combat power on my own, keeping me tied to the White Wolf Brigade would actually be a loss.

Since then, I had moved independently, roaming the battlefields, yet Duchess Kadia’s favor towards me seemed unchanged.

At that fact, I let out a small laugh.

“More importantly, it seems the tide of war has definitely turned in favor of the Empire.

I can feel their offensive weakening.”

“Indeed.

That’s fortunate.”

“After all, you’re the greatest contributor to this war, so what do you plan to do once it ends?”

At his words, I frowned slightly.

Not because I was annoyed, but simply because I had never considered what I would do.

I suddenly recalled the Magic Tower and the Pailyn estate.

The landscapes had become blurry after so many years since I left.

Should I return there?

It might be possible for me now, but… I didn’t particularly want to.

My dream of becoming a mage had already been fulfilled on this battlefield.

The bloodbath on the northern front had, by now, become my very life.

And I also didn’t know how I should face them.

“Well… I don’t really know.”

I don’t know.

That’s all.

There was nothing else to say.

What I would do after this war, what I wanted to do… I knew nothing, and was simply confused.

To me, the soldier said with a small chuckle.

“It seems even a mage who can do anything has something they don’t know.”

At his words, I quietly looked at the sky and replied.

“Indeed.”

And at that moment, a messenger appeared before me, kneeling, and said.

“Sir Kyle!

It’s an emergency.

The enemies have attacked the command center where Commander Duchess Kadia Malibes is!”

“…What?”

At the sudden news, I opened my mouth in surprise.

The messenger bowed his head deeply and continued.

“Furthermore, among the attacking enemies is Valion, the King of the Barbarians.”

Valion, King of the Barbarians.

As soon as I heard that name, I understood the situation.

Valion was not only the instigator of this war, but also undeniably the strongest among the barbarians, on a completely different level.

His direct involvement meant he had chosen a desperate gamble to turn the tide of a disadvantageous war.

“Enemies are appearing simultaneously in other locations, making it impossible to send reinforcements.

Only Sir Kyle can go to aid the command center.”

I nodded at the messenger’s words, then said.

“I’ll go.”

****

Kadia gritted her teeth and glared at the man before her.

A large, rugged middle-aged man with disheveled reddish-brown hair and a beard.

He, in turn, was smiling as he looked at Kadia.

“Hmph… Valion.

Do you think you can win the war like this!”

“No matter how disadvantageous the situation, if you obliterate the command center, a way will open.

Any beast, if its head is cut off, will die.”

It was a voice that held considerable insight, too much to dismiss simply because it was uttered by a barbarian.

Indeed, even if the Empire had a favorable war situation, if all the command staff were killed, they would undoubtedly fall into disarray.

Valion tapped the wound near his eye and said.

“This wound.

You haven’t forgotten it, have you?

You, Kadia, inflicted this wound near my eye.”

“Making such a fuss over a small wound.

Looks like you’re more afraid of pain than I thought?”

While making an effort to sneer, Kadia glanced around.

It was effectively a situation where the enemies had pooled all their stakes for a final gamble.

And that gamble, so far, seemed to be succeeding.

Imperial staff members in the command center were losing their lives everywhere.

No, it wasn’t just the staff to worry about.

Kadia herself wasn’t even sure if she could survive.

In fact, it was a situation where it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say her chances of dying were much higher.

This was because Valion was not an easy opponent even for her, who was called the Grand Duke of the North and was one of the Empire’s strongest.

Furthermore, if the enemy forces overwhelmed their allies, it would not be wrong to say she was practically dead.

However, Kadia glared at Valion without losing an ounce of her momentum and said.

“Even if I die, it’ll be useless.

As long as Kyle is here, the Empire’s victory is already a foregone conclusion anyway.”

“Kyle… that damned mage, you mean.”

“Yes.

You know, too.

Who sent the most of your allies to the underworld in this war, what kind of mage he is.”

Valion, with his disheveled hair, roared.

“Don’t talk nonsense.

Do you really think a mere mage can turn this battlefield around!”

“Well, he already has.”

At those words, Valion too could not help but fall silent.

He knew that the long-drawn war between the Empire and the Northern Tribes had begun to turn after the appearance of a mage named Kyle.

“Shut up.

I will kill you here and lead this war to victory.”

Saying so, Valion began to swing his massive battle axe.

Kadia parried it with her sword, yet felt her strength gradually waning.

Dark mages cast curses on her, and barbarian warriors targeted her intermittently.

No matter how skillfully she dodged attacks, the decline in her stamina was by no means negligible.

Thus, Kadia, continuously pushed back by Valion, finally realized that she was completely surrounded by enemies.

“Now, it’s over.”

Saying so, Valion raised his axe.

Kadia knew she couldn’t deny that declaration.

‘Is this truly the end?’ she thought, closing her eyes tightly, and at that very moment, someone embraced her.

“…What?”

Opening her eyes, she saw a transparent shield blocking Valion’s battle axe, and a mage who was holding her while maintaining that shield merely by looking at it.

“Kyle?”

Valion faltered, taking a step back.

The mage, looking at him with red eyes, carefully set Kadia down and said.

“If I kill that guy here, it means the war is over, right?”

A declaration that felt not just confident but arrogant.

Yet, Kadia could not deny his words.

Because she knew that mage was a being with truly absurd power.

“Yes.

Finish him.”

Kadia smiled, looking at Kyle.

Flames began to course along the mage’s arm.