The pride of the Military State, the Mage Marshal, was a majestic heroine. Prelvior, the model soldier as well as a figure of respect by many citizens, looked quite ridiculous spinning around in the air emitting light.

Considering her lofty status and urgent situation, no one thought to laugh. Except for one person.

“Haha! Granny! Is your power so depleted that your stream of urine is in such a weak and deplorable state? It's practically scattering everywhere!”

Patraxion laughed uproariously, almost to the point of rudeness. The general officers running beside him couldn't laugh for a different reason. It was because the joke was too lowbrow to join in.

The loud voice reached Prelvior as well, who grimaced fiercely.

“Quiet! An adult is working here, yet you are not even coming promptly to help!”

“Just wait a bit longer! I’m almost there! Hey! Gand! Spear!”

“Here it is!”

Receiving a spare spear from his adjutant, Patraxion planted his right foot firmly on the ground, then stopped abruptly. The tendons on his shoulder practically burst out. Pulling his arm back, he threw the spear with all the momentum carried in his sprint.

Whoosh. The spear was launched heavily. Just before it left Patraxion's fingertips...

“Heup!”

His fingers, suddenly filled with strength, gripped the shaft of the spear again. At the same time, he straightened his bent knees and kicked off the ground. Patraxion flew through the air, clinging to the spear he had thrown.

After drawing a parabola through the air, he landed in the middle of the battlefield. After rising by planting his spear in the ground, he charged forward heroically.

The Sunderspear had joined the battle. The Regressor leaped and shouted.

“Tyrkanzyaka! Face the Sunderspear for me!”

“Wait just a moment. Let me teach this insolent thing a lesso….”

“We need to finish quickly and help that guy out!”

Tyr glanced at me, then pressed her lips tightly together and followed the order. She moved to face the Sunderspear and the general officers that followed him.

“Progenitor! Your opponent is….”

“Me! I’ll take you on!”

“Ho. This utterly green youth dares…!”

“Why does everyone make such a big fuss about age?! Telling me to do this and that! It’s so annoying! Do you know how complicated I feel every time I have to go through it?!”

“I see that even your manners of speech are foul!”

Prelvior gathered her magic while admonishing.

Though all the stored light had been depleted, flames produced not only light but also heat. And that heat possessed the power to turn air into wind. As such, Ugong-isan recycled the accumulated heat to push out the wind, thus making the cloak spread wide.

“Preset, Pascal!”

The breeze lifted Prelvior high.

Even a heavy container was powerless against the north wind's violence, tumbling on the ground. It was more akin to the turbulent power of a waterfall than wind.

And within that maelstrom, the Regressor brandished Chun-aeng.

“Hmph. Sorry, but the wind isn’t yours alone!”

Chun-aeng, a treasure with the power of the heavens; it was capable of freely manipulating wind and clouds by containing space itself.

The Skyblade Art was a Magic Swordsmanship that used both mana and Qi to draw out its power. And that very strength was used as the Regressor sliced through the pouring wind with Chun-aeng.

Skyblade Art, Wave Breaker.

“This is… magic!”

The Regressor cut through the raging storm with a single stroke of his blade. Witnessing this, Prelvior shouted in outrage.

“If you have mastered both magic and Qi Arts at that age, then why…! Why are those known as geniuses so willful, doing as their hearts please?!”

“...Thanks for the compliment, but now, even if I heard the word genius, it doesn’t phase me at all!”

“Unforgiveable! With such talent, you should be grateful before even thinking of wielding it! I will not let you act like an impetuous, brutish daredevil on this nation’s land any longer!”

Prelvior's angry voice echoed loudly.

***

Compared to the ongoing battle over on that side, there was nothing particularly exchanged between Ria and me. No attacks, criticisms, nor shouts; nothing but a brief exchange of glances.

However, we couldn't stay like this forever. Setting down the box on my back, I took out a stick of mana herb and offered it to Historia.

“Want to smoke one?”

Historia looked at me intently before accepting the mana herb. As if it was foretold, or rather, promised, she put it in her mouth and I naturally touched the tip with my finger.

“Set, Re. Fahrenheit.”

Flames sprouted from the tip of the gauntlet. As Historia inhaled, the hot flame was drawn into the mana herb, which then began to burn slowly, thoroughly enveloping its entire body.

A deep drag. Historia's face momentarily relaxed after tasting the smoke.

｢The taste is… oddly good. What is this? Is it because he lit the fire…?｣

“It’s good, right? Even calling it a top-class product wouldn’t do it justice. I heard it’s made with the leaves of the World Tree.”

｢...Right. Of course, that isn’t the case. It’s just that the mana herb itself was of good quality.｣

The mana herb has a calming effect. Among these, this mana herb is a special product made from the leaves of the World Tree. As high quality as it was, it also significantly calmed Historia's excitement.

As expected, smoking took precedence over school ties. Since I fed her the smoke, maybe now was the time to emphasize the connections we had at school to buy some time.

“Being here like this brings back memories. Right? You were so clumsy with Standard Magic, so you always needed someone else to light your mana herb for you.”

I spoke of old memories to pass the time, but it seemed Historia was not in the mood for further chit-chat.

“What is with that ridiculous armor? You armed yourself, huh? Why? Are you trying to have a go at beating me?”

“There’s no way I could beat you. This is just for self-defense. I wore it to avoid being swept away in the heat of battle.”

“That’s it?”

“Of course. What good would wearing armor do in this situation?”

Historia exhaled smoke as if to agree with my words. Perhaps because I was facing the wind, the smoke drifted towards me. The scent lingering at the tip of my nose was refreshing, even though it had been a while since I quit mana herbs.

The desire to smoke another one— Was it because the mana herb was high-quality? Or was it because I met my smoking buddy for the first time in a long while?

“If you have no intentions of fighting…”

Historia caught a chain with the tip of her finger. The long chain obediently returned to her hand like a well-trained animal. Then, she menacingly rattled it at me, issuing an order.

“Extend your arm. I’ll restrain you and take you to the Public Security Agency.”

“Just me?”

“You first.”

“What am I charged with?”

“You decide. What do you want to be charged with?”

｢Murder, perjury, rebellion, fraud, and obstructing official duties. Any charge would do. Since he killed the 161 people of Hamelin in that manner, any further charges are meaningless anyway.｣

It seems she still firmly believes that day's events were my fault.

How should I clear up this misunderstanding?

No, wait. Do I even need to?

Avoiding capture was the priority for now. I made the most harmless gesture possible.

“Ria. You know already. I didn’t do it.”

“I’ll hear the details in the interrogation room, Huey. You will not be leaving until you spill the entire truth.”

｢And even if you did cough up everything, there is no guarantee you’ll get out. At any rate, I will not let you yap around with that silver tongue.｣

Damn, it’s frightening when a past acquaintance becomes an enemy. Look at how well she knows me. She isn’t even bothering with any conversation and is trying to restrain me already.

Since she's someone I've teased countless times in the past, she won't easily engage in some psychological warfare. Then…

I didn't want to do this, but let's dig at her guilt.

“Why are you blaming me? You’re the one who should be spilling the truth.”

I grabbed and lifted the mask with my hand. My bare face was exposed. The wind against my face dried my eyes, making it hard to keep open.

Yet even so, with wide eyes, I filled each aspect of my expression with deep resentment.

Then, I blamed her.

“You were the one who did wrong first.”

“....”

“If you had saved me in time, none of this would have happened. Why did you turn away from me at the last moment?

I pressed on against the silent Historia as if to hammer the nail in.

“How are you any different from them?”

Honestly, I knew. Because I had read Historia's thoughts, both then and now, there was no need for me to question her. That was why I headed to the capital without any lingering regrets and pretended to be dead.

This clingy, hateful facade was, as always, merely to provoke her guilt. Nothing more. Nothing less.

But Historia was much more unshakeable than I expected.

“I’m no different.”

She had so much to say to me.

She had so much to hear from me as well.

And so, she wasn't the type to miss an opportunity over a bit of guilt.

Historia's lips released the cigarette. The cigarette's ember briefly paused, then exhaled a filtered, clear smoke.

“So, surrender. While I am still one of the Six Star Generals.”

｢While I am still the Daughter of the Military State, as well as a faithful soldier. If it’s any later or if you become even more dangerous…. Even I will not be able to save you then.｣

If that was the case, she shouldn't have tried to capture me in the first place. Why keep pursuing me, thinking I'd still be alive even after she became one of the Six Star Generals?

If she had pretended to forget about me, I would've lived well on my own.

As I looked at her resentfully for a moment, Historia offered me the half-smoked mana herb, in as friendly of a manner as possible.

There was a time when mana herbs were hard to come by and we used to share even a single stick. It seemed she wanted to show at least a minimal amount of trust through the action we took during those days.

If captured as is, I could still live well. I was willing to faithfully spill all the information I had to save my life, and maybe, the Military State might believe and forgive me. After all, my classmate was a Star General, so there was that backing as well.

But then again, wasn’t it a non-issue if I just didn’t get caught? Why bother relying on just one rope and fall into a more dangerous place?

And before that….

“Ah. I didn’t tell you this, but…”

Despite the cool scent of the mana herb tickling my nose, I averted my gaze and shrugged my shoulders.

“I quit smoking mana herbs.”

The silence that followed was heavy. It was so quiet around us that for a moment, I wondered if the wind had stopped. Historia murmured half a beat late.

“...Is that so?”

At the same time, Historia dropped the mana herb. The flame that fell to the ground was fiercely stamped out by her military boot. Historia, steeling her heart with that action, glared at me sharply.

“I’ll resolve this with strength then, Huey. You might get knocked out, so make sure to clench your teeth.”

“Wait a moment. Before that, I have one more gift for you.”

Just before Historia approached, I kicked open the lid of the box with my foot. The lock was released, and the surprise box, which had been tightly closed, unveiled itself. White smoke billowed out from inside.

As if she expected this, Historia instantly raised her guard and took on a fighting stance.

｢Of course. I knew it. There is no way you would come empty-handed. But, Huey. This time, merely surprising me will not be enough.｣

Amidst the tense atmosphere, the first thing to emerge from the thick smoke was a languid, thrilled sound.

“Myaaa-. Mya. Ah?”

The scent that came along with the cat's meow was so very rich yet also refreshing. Historia frowned as she sniffed the air.

｢Wait, isn’t this smoke from that mana herb just now?｣

“You like cigarettes and you adore cats, right? Here, a gift. This surprise box contains a cat that smokes cigarettes. Basically, it’s a gift you’ll like twice as much!”

In the box, filled with such happy smoke, was Nabi, peacefully asleep. However, as the fierce wind above the belt whipped around, the smoke was quickly scattered. Nabi reached out her hand as if trying to catch the dispersing smoke.

But all she felt was a cold, fierce wind.

Nabi opened her eyes. After futilely grabbing at the smoke, she once again realized just how fierce the wind was in her surroundings.

“MYAAAAAAAAAA!”

And then, she expressed her anger at the wind that stole her happiness. For the sake of venting her frustration, she jumped out of the box and looked around.

Naturally, a shape resembling a human was far more likely to attract animosity from a beast than a steel mannequin.

Especially if there was a burnt-out mana herb at the person's feet.

“Huey, you crazy bastard…!”

Historia began her second round of battle against the rampaging King of Cats.