Chapter 655
Tommy and Nakina were taken aback by the unexpected sight. Stepping out of the painting, they found themselves in the hallway of an empty building.
It looked like a hotel, but there wasn’t a single sound of life. Not even the usual noise from outside. And it was broad daylight, with the sun high in the sky.
Had they come to the wrong place? Had something gone wrong?
“Merellof, right? Is it always like this here?”
“There’s no way it’s normally like this. Looks like everyone evacuated.”
“But the building’s still intact. Not a single structure damaged.”
“That probably means the main damage was over in Hielo. Anyway, we’re definitely in Merellof.”
Tommy muttered as he glanced at the address plaque beside the hotel entrance.
The two quickly left the hotel. Outside, the silence was even more profound. The sky was clear and bright, but the city below seemed to be asleep.
“…Let’s head to Hielo first.”
“Right. It’s to the south, so that way.”
They took to the sky. From above, Merellof stretched out beneath them, and in the distance, they spotted smoke rising.
That was Hielo. Even at a glance, it was clear the situation there was drastically different. Buildings were crumbled and shattered, everything coated in ash-gray. The flames still burning told the story: Hielo was a complete ruin.
“Oh my… Ian’s house…”
Now they understood why Ian hadn’t returned. He had surely gone to hold those responsible for this devastation accountable.
At that moment, Tommy, who had been observing the movement near Hielo, gestured to Nakina.
“Senpai, over there!”
“People?”
“Yes, looks like residents of Hielo.”
A long line of refugees had reached the edge of the territory, moving inland.
The two lowered their altitude and approached cautiously, but the refugees panicked at the sight of unfamiliar mages and scattered.
“W-wizard! They’re back!”
“Run! Run!”
The enemy’s mages had destroyed Hielo like this. Tommy and Nakina stepped forward calmly, blocking their path and introducing themselves.
“It’s okay! We’re Ian’s subordinates. I’m Nakina, a palace-affiliated mage. This is Tommy.”
“Yes, we’re from the Magic Operations Department, directly under Ian. We came to support him. Have you met him?”
“Y-you’re Ian’s subordinates?”
Those who had been ready to resist, brandishing sickles, pocket knives, and hammers, hesitated. Among them, a woman leading some children stepped forward and extended her hand.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Hana, the butler of the Hielo estate.”
“Ah, pleased to meet you. What happened here?”
“Well…”
Hana briefly explained the recent events: the attack by the Ruthwena mages that burned Hielo, and that Ian and Beric had gone down to the Ruthwena border with just the two of them.
Tommy and Nakina exchanged glances. No matter how capable Ian was, facing an army of Ruthwena mages alone was impossible.
“I understand. Sorry we can’t assist with the evacuation. We’ll follow right behind Ian.”
“Support from Bariel’s mages should arrive in the afternoon at the great desert bordering Ruthwena and Hielo. There won’t be any more damage, so please find safety and wait for contact.”
Hana nodded. Then, as the two prepared to leave, she stopped them with a request.
“And, if—”
“Yes, please.”
“If anyone meets the warriors of Cheonryeo, if any are still alive, please tell the people of Hielo that the residents have safely evacuated. I beg you.”
Her voice trembled slightly, revealing the depth of her concern. Cheonryeo was more than an ally to Hielo—they were like family. Hana must have had a bond with them as well.
Nakina gently patted her shoulder.
“Don’t worry. We’ll make sure anyone still alive returns safely to their families. I promise.”
“…Thank you.”
“Oh, and if you meet anyone from Merellof, please tell them that Clark, whom Lady Lien is looking for, is currently at the Kalamath Palace in Burgos. His status hasn’t been resolved yet, so he’ll probably return through the palace.”
“Ah! Really?”
Hana gasped, knowing well how much Lady Lien had longed for him. Her yearning was like a forest that grew denser with time.
Hana nodded repeatedly, pleased.
“Yes, understood. I’ll be sure to pass it on.”
“Well then.”
“Good luck. Please return safely.”
“Thank you. May the gods bless you as well.”
Tommy and Nakina exchanged a brief nod and took to the sky. Amid the ruined landscape, only the Hielo estate on the hill remained intact.
At that moment, a pigeon flew up from the estate. Something glinted in the sunlight—it was a magic stone.
“Tommy!”
“Yes, got it!”
Following Nakina’s command, Tommy descended toward the estate to find the pigeon. Judging by the timing, the central authorities probably hadn’t learned of Hielo’s disaster yet. They didn’t know where the pigeon came from, but first, they needed to understand the contents of its message.
Tap.
The pigeon, as if familiar, perched on a window and pecked at the glass. Tommy caught it, untied the string from its leg, and quickly read the letter.
“Ah.”
It was a letter from Lady Philia to Lord Nersarn.
—Lord Nersarn, this is Philia. Are you well? I apologize for not contacting you directly until now. Many things have happened, but in the end, they were resolved. The letter is too small to explain everything. Lord Nersarn! Soon, I will come down with Roel. When that happens, please hold me and stroke my hair as you always do. I miss the moment when we look into each other’s eyes and smile so much it makes my heart dizzy. I miss you.
With all my love, Philia.
They still didn’t know what had happened in Hielo. Tommy carefully folded the letter and slipped it inside the window. It would be best for Lord Nersarn to read it once things settled.
Having done his task, Tommy scratched the pigeon’s neck affectionately and flew back to Nakina, who was waiting.
Whoosh!
“Ian! Are you okay?”
Tommy and Nakina shouted simultaneously as they turned to Ian. A sudden gust whipped through Ian’s hair, and the ropes holding him snapped and vanished like smoke.
“Tommy, Nakina.”
“You didn’t come back, so we came looking. We heard the situation from Butler Hana.”
“Wow. Ruthwena’s no joke. When did they build up such a force? If not for Lady Merellof, we’d be in serious trouble.”
Crack.
The two took their positions on either side of Ian, facing off against the Ruthwena mages. The numbers seemed roughly even, but the state of the enemy mages was strange.
“Ian, do you think those guys—”
“There’s a puppeteer behind them.”
“Annoying, really.”
Nakina rubbed her closely cropped pink hair in frustration. These pests had been a persistent problem since the Siege of Agiar.
“We’ll handle this. Ian, you go!”
“Yes. Even if Nakina isn’t what she used to be, I’m here, so it’s fine.”
“…Tommy. You’ve grown a lot, haven’t you?”
“Ha, I’ve still got a long way to go to catch up to you, senpai.”
Zzzzz! Zing!
Fwoosh!
The two pressed their shoulders together, took fighting stances, and summoned their magic.
At the same time—
Kraaaang!
The hand holding the shield slammed down on the swirling cloud formation.
“…!”
With a thunderous roar and a blast of cold wind, the ranks of thousands of soldiers scattered. When the Ruthwena mages tried to interfere, the arm wielding the sword blocked their attacks.
Chaaang!
“Fierce Strike.”
Tommy unleashed his magic in rapid succession. His whole body glowed red-hot, steam rising from the heat.
With his enhanced body, he charged at the gaps Nakina’s shield had missed, knocking down enemies one by one with his fists.
Bang! Boom!
“Ughhh…”
Meanwhile, Lady Darcy was completely overwhelmed, frantically manipulating five puppets at once. She stared blankly into the air, her arms flailing about like a mad pianist lost in a fevered performance.
Sweat dripped down her double chin. The attacks and defenses from the wizards Tommy and Nakina were so unpredictable that even with her senses linked, keeping up was nearly impossible.
“Lady Darcy!”
“Shut up! Just shut that mouth of yours already!”
Martin shouted as Ian flew toward them, and Darcy snapped back irritably.
At the same time, the soldiers advancing ahead ran into trouble.
“We can’t move forward!”
“What do you mean?”
“The magic swordsman keeps pushing through!”
“It’s only one guy! Where’s the Black Armor?”
The situation was the same as up above. Just as Ian had bypassed the wizard Luswena without engaging, Beric hadn’t confronted the Black Armor either—at least, not yet. His goal was to break deep inside first and throw the entire formation into chaos.
“Get rid of the small fry! They should know how precious their lives are!”
“K-kill him!”
“Forward! Keep pressing! There’s only one opponent!”
“Black Armor! To the front lines!”
Beric charged forward, trampling over soldiers’ heads and shoulders as he ran. The Black Armors swarmed him one after another, but he dodged and parried without stopping, his gaze locked on a single point.
At the end of that gaze, Martin realized—it was him standing there.
“Hah…”
Dizzy, Lady Darcy closed her eyes tightly and sighed. Her dress was soaked through with sweat.
“This won’t do.”
She roughly cut the string of one of the puppets she was holding.
Ting!
“Unknown wizard, let’s make a deal. Answer me one thing, and I’ll grant you freedom. How does the Forbidden Magic activate? I’ve given commands, but it’s not working. Hmph… so frustrating.”
Another lie. She wiped sweat from the back of her hand and listened closely to the puppet’s cries. Martin heard nothing, but Darcy muttered quietly, continuing a conversation with someone invisible.
“Ah, really? It activates when blood is mixed?”
Her eyes sparkled. To prevent the awakened wizard from doing anything, she immediately sealed off all their senses completely.
At that moment, one of the Luswena wizards in the sky flailed helplessly before plummeting down. Though they could fly with magic, panic and disorientation left them unable to tell up from down, and they fell helplessly.
“Ian Hielo—!”
Darcy shouted with a voice full of rage, tugging sharply on the puppet strings. Then she selected another puppet and triggered the Forbidden Magic.
Ziiing! Ziiing!
A wave of blood-infused magical energy spread through the area.
Feeling a sinister presence behind him, Ian instinctively stopped mid-flight. Tommy and Nakina, stunned, watched the Luswena wizard with vacant expressions.
Kraaaang!
Boom! Bang!
The wizard’s body swelled grotesquely, transforming into a bizarre shape. At the same time, a suffocating magical aura blanketed the area—just facing it was unbearable.
It was the power of the Forbidden Magic.