Chapter 64. Reappearance (1)
In the pitch-black darkness of night.
The dried grasses of the rocky desert rustled loudly in the wind blowing with a rumbling vibration.
And over those grasses.
Two Elsyde operation vehicles sped through the midnight darkness, illuminating it with blue headlights.
Inside the vehicle.
The ceiling lights dimly lit the interior.
The family combat mages sitting in their seats silently checked their respective magic gears, preparing for the upcoming battle.
Just then, a voice was heard from the side.
“Lord Enoch.”
It was Askel. He sat in the seat beside, holding a long metal magic gear slanted under his left armpit.
“First, I will report the current situation transmitted via communication by the village standby team.”
Reporting the current status to Enoch, who had been at the fortress until now, Askel continued in an organized tone.
“Currently, dark mages affiliated with Vendetta are gathered in the Beast-kin village. The number identified is over 200.”
“Not a small number.”
“Yes. I didn't expect the low-ranking Annihilation Officer called Tantalus could mobilize so many Vendetta members.”
Askel shook his head, looking somewhat overwhelmed.
Practically the largest scale encountered so far.
Furthermore, Elsyde had to fight while protecting the Beast-kin in the village as much as possible.
Needless to say, the situation was extremely unfavorable.
But the family combat mages participating in the operation simply looked this way silently with their respective gazes. Not a single one showed agitation.
Askel continued.
“Judging by the circumstances, subduing all the Beast-kin in the village at once seems to be the first stage of Vendetta bastards’ human experiment.”
“Meaning, preparatory work.”
“Yes. Currently, they are said to be preparing underground for the activation of a large-scale magic circle intended to ‘turn the unconscious Beast-kin into Magical Beasts all at once’.”
“A large-scale magic circle capable of simultaneous Magical Beastification?”
Enoch frowned briefly.
“Is such a thing possible?”
“Yes. It’s interrogation information obtained from the Beast-kin exiles. I don’t think it’s a lie, but…”
Askel clicked his tongue lowly and said.
“Honestly, I’ve never heard of such magic myself. Perhaps because he’s a dark mage surpassing Rank 10, the magic itself transcends imagination.”
Just then.
“Well then! It transcends imagination~”
A woman’s languid voice interjected.
“From experience, the magic used by high-ranking dark mages of Rank 10 or higher always exceeds prediction, right?”
Askel glanced that way briefly and sighed.
“Sir Luca.”
“Hey, I told you to call me Sis, didn't I? Hope you haven’t forgotten losing the group drinking bet last time, Askel.”
Short hair revealing a slender nape, small cheeks chewing as if on gum.
“Well, whatever.”
And the shadow of a formal cap deeply covering such a small face. The female knight called Luca smiled brightly.
“It’s annoying precisely because they cause trouble with such unpredictable dark magic.”
Luca, sitting in a unique posture hugging one raised leg.
She slightly lifted her head, which had been resting on her knee, looked at Enoch, and gave a faint smiling wink.
“Isn’t that right? Lord Enoch Elsyde?”
She lightly removed her formal cap towards Enoch, placed it on her chest, and introduced herself briefly.
“Luca. Reconnaissance knight of Nemesis.”
Wink.
She looked at Enoch once, then briefly winked her cat-like eyes beneath the shadow of her formal cap.
“First time greeting you since the operation started, right? Though I actually saw you during supervision at the 1st examination site last time.”
Enoch simply nodded.
“Enoch Elsyde. Current 9th Circle.”
“Ahaha, I gathered courage for a first greeting, but… wish you’d receive it a bit more warmly. What a pity~”
Luca playfully chided Enoch with her characteristic relaxed tone, devoid of any tension.
Enoch glanced sideways at her.
But contrary to such playful speech. Luca watched him with sharp eyes beneath the shadow of her formal cap, a faint smile playing on her lips.
“Anyway.”
She shrugged slightly and continued speaking to Enoch, her voice turning more serious.
“I will add key information discovered while subduing ambushers during reconnaissance earlier. That’s why I interrupted in the first place.”
Enoch nodded.
Luca held up one finger.
“First. The Magical Beastification magic circle is being constructed directly underground by the dark mage named ‘Tantalus’.”
“Tantalus alone?”
“Yes, constructing and activating a magic circle large enough to cover the entire village requires a mage of Rank 10 or higher anyway.”
Luca summarized in one sentence.
“Judging from these circumstances, it is assessed that their objective from the start was to use the entire Beast-kin village as a stage for biological experiments.”
“No!”
At those words, Sirocco, listening from the front seat of Enoch, stiffened her ears with anger.
“…I absolutely won’t let that happen.”
Enoch also nodded silently.
His objective wasn't much different from Sirocco’s goal.
Prevent the predetermined death of Enoch Elsyde. That was the top priority objective.
‘And Tantalus’s Magical Beastification experiment is directly linked to the original Enoch’s death.’
This was precisely why the future awaiting the Beast-kin village absolutely had to be changed.
‘To survive Enoch’s predetermined death, Tantalus’s human experiment, successful in the original work, must be stopped.’
If so, the fate of the Beast-kin, destined for destruction through Magical Beastification, absolutely had to be changed.
And the same applied from the Elsyde family’s perspective.
Askel continued gravely.
“Since we at Elsyde have been dispatched, we must stop Vendetta. It is also presumed that the missing Elsyde mages dispatched here are likely still held captive there, if alive.”
If Vendetta’s experiment succeeded here, Elsyde’s position would become ‘failed to resolve despite dispatching even a direct descendant and Nemesis’.
Needless to say, that would have a tremendous negative impact on the Empire’s ‘reputation’.
Therefore, Elsyde, a Main House obsessed with reputation, absolutely had to stop their experiment.
Meaning, a direct confrontation with Vendetta was unavoidable.
Enoch, listening up to that point, suddenly recalled something from moments ago and asked Askel.
“Come to think of it, you mentioned concerns about personnel ambushing on the way back. What about that?”
“Well, that…”
Askel shrugged and gestured sideways with his eyes.
“As you can see. It’s Nemesis.”
At the end of his matter-of-fact tone stood Teano, wearing her formal cap as usual.
She looked towards Enoch from beneath the dark shadow of her formal cap and spoke in her usual definitive tone.
“We have subdued all ambushes.”
……Indeed.
Enoch glanced sideways at the Nemesis knights for a moment.
Mages clad in black uniforms came into view. Luca beside him, perhaps sensing his gaze, made a V-sign with her hand and smiled brightly.
As expected of the elite Knight Order.
Even if the number of enemies wasn't large, securing the safety of the route to the village in such a short time was nothing short of astonishing.
“Impressive.”
“We merely fulfilled the duty we had to.”
She answered curtly.
“Evil deeds cannot be tolerated.”
Teano glanced briefly at her own reflection in the car window glass and spoke monotonously.
“Nemesis will stop the dark mages, whatever it takes.”
She glanced sideways towards Enoch.
And added one short sentence.
“……Definitely.”
Saying so, Teano looked away from the window. Then she spoke calmly.
“We will arrive at the village soon. From now on, I will explain the operation.”
“Listening.”
She looked towards the village direction for a moment and said.
“As you heard earlier. Those guys are preparing large-scale dark magic covering the entire village to turn the unconscious Beast-kin into ‘Magical Beasts’ all at once.”
Turning her gaze this way, Teano added.
“However, their experiment method has one clear flaw.”
Enoch also nodded at her words.
Enoch too could sufficiently predict the next words. Because there existed a fundamental countermeasure to the human experiment method Vendetta planned.
She added briefly.
“If the target moves out of the village where the magic circle is spread, the Magical Beastification magic circle will have no effect even if activated.”
Meaning, if the Beast-kin could just escape the range of influence of the magic circle covering the entire village, Magical Beastification itself could be avoided.
Enoch summarized simply.
“Rescue the unconscious Beast-kin out of the village?”
“Yes, before the magic circle activates.”
Teano answered with a clear voice.
“Therefore, we must secure the Beast-kin as much as possible while checking Vendetta and carry out the rescue operation to the best of our ability. Nemesis will handle rear cover and command.”
“Time remaining until activation?”
“According to the mages on site, the Magical Beastification magic circle seems set to activate in 30 minutes. We must proceed with the rescue operation as much as possible until then.”
Teano’s words certainly described an ideal operation.
However, putting this operation differently…
“No!”
Sirocco.
She looked towards him with red eyes. The wolf ears atop her head trembled as if agitated.
“Our tribe’s village is huge, and there are many people! Doing that, we can’t save everyone in time!”
Sirocco spoke desperately, looking flustered.
“If that happens, the Beast-kin who couldn’t be saved will all…!”
However, Teano opened her mouth with a chilling tone.
“It cannot be helped.”
She added, as if reminding Sirocco of reality.
“Realistically, we cannot rescue all the unconscious Beast-kin while engaging Vendetta.”
“But……!”
“The number of enemies is large, and the Beast-kin unconscious throughout the village are all effectively hostages. Securing all hostages is practically impossible.”
Teano spoke curtly to Sirocco.
“This is the most ideal method.”
Other family mages sitting in the seats lining the car seemed to agree.
Engaging Vendetta forces while simultaneously rescuing all the Beast-kin throughout the village was impossible.
The mages here, having experienced all sorts of hardships, all understood this fact.
Enoch silently watched Sirocco for a moment.
‘If it were just a matter of facing all the Vendetta mages in the village, Sirocco would surely have charged forward alone.’
If it were merely such simple combat, Sirocco, having surpassed the Rank 10 wall, could likely defeat all of Vendetta’s regular members by herself.
But this wasn't a simple brawl.
Unconscious people scattered throughout the village had to be safely protected and rescued amidst fierce battle.
A task daunting even for Elsyde’s elite, Nemesis. Furthermore, no matter how powerful Rank 10 Sirocco was, it was certainly not something she could accomplish alone.
“Uuuh……”
Meanwhile, Sirocco lowered her head, clenching both fists placed on her knees tightly.
Her eyes reddened, vision blurring.
Utterly unacceptable.
She wanted to refute those words.
But even she, always treated like a child among the tribe warriors, could easily tell.
-Those words were right.
Realistically, saving all the Beast-kin was impossible.
Sirocco bit her lip.
To be able to do nothing in such a situation.
‘…And I call myself the tribe’s heir?’
Shame and guilt crawling up all over her body wrapped around her small frame.
Crushed by guilt, her breathing gradually quickened.
Even if she ignored these mages and acted alone, there was still no way for her alone to rescue all the village Beast-kin.
At this rate, most of the tribe members would be sacrificed.
Yet, in such a desperate situation, to be merely a powerless bystander who could do nothing.
‘Ah. I see.’
Sirocco lowered her head, curling up.
‘No matter how strong I become…….’
Her vision blurred suddenly with moisture.
Before long, teardrops fell one by one down Sirocco’s soft cheek.
‘Being strong alone means I can’t do anything.’
That silent realization became a weight of guilt, dragging Sirocco’s vision into a deep abyss.
Sounds reaching her ears seemed muffled. Overwhelmed by despair, Sirocco lowered her head.
Her powerlessly fallen hair cast a dark shadow over her expression.
Tremble.
Her slender shoulders trembled slightly.
“…….”
Teano watched the slightly trembling Sirocco for a moment, then spoke to Enoch with a calm expression.
“The operation outline is as stated. Therefore, Young Master Enoch too, please act together with us and minimize…”
“No.”
Just then, Enoch suddenly opened his mouth.
Enoch declared curtly to Teano.
“We can save everyone.”
Instantly, Sirocco, who had been downcast, sharply lifted her head and looked at Enoch.
From her slightly parted lips, looking at Enoch with a pleading expression, a small gasp escaped.
“Ah……!”
Transparent moisture gathered in her clear eyes looking earnestly at Enoch.
Meanwhile, Teano tilted her head at Enoch’s words.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I just need to move the same way this time too.”
“Same way? Surely not……”
“Just like during the fortress operation earlier.”
Enoch added simply.
“If Elsyde proceeds with the operation to rescue the Beast-kin as planned, Vendetta will be distracted trying to stop it. Then the underground area will have few enemies.”
Vendetta’s forces weren't infinite.
Inevitably, if personnel gathered on one side, the other side would become relatively undermanned.
If so, there was exactly one more option he could take at that timing.
“I will infiltrate alone and stop Tantalus, the caster constructing the magic.”
Empty house raid.
Instantly, silence fell inside the vehicle at his words.
The family mages sitting in their seats all stared at Enoch with expressions asking if he was serious.
“That is too reckless.”
And, Teano too quietly shook her head.
Neither Teano nor the family mages were fools. If such a plan truly had potential, they would have planned the operation in that direction long ago.
But it was impossible for anyone to see.
“According to information, Tantalus in the underground residential area is a Rank 10 dark mage, furthermore, all Vendetta personnel seeming to be his subordinates are gathered there.”
Teano spoke as if telling him to face reality.
“The scale of the enemy is different from the fortress earlier. Dangerous solo action absolutely cannot be condoned.”
……Of course.
Enoch didn't deny it.
He wasn't unaware either.
Logically, Teano’s assessment was absolutely right.
However, he had absolutely no intention of giving up entering the underground area. Especially not for this matter.
Because…….
‘─In the original work's official history, Elsyde fails to stop Vendetta’s experiment!’
That was the predetermined future clearly recorded in the official history. The cold facts soon to unfold flashed through Enoch’s mind.
「Nemesis, the elite Knight Order, along with Elsyde combat mages, fail to complete the mission.」
「The Beast-kin village, fully Magical Beastified by the activation of the magic circle, engage in battle with Elsyde mages, who end up eliminating all the Magical Beastified Beast-kin.」
「Thus, the Beast-kin met their end, leaving only one survivor, Sirocco, who had left the village with Elsyde to attack the fortress.」
‘In other words, their rational operation ultimately couldn't stop the Magical Beastification experiment.’
Exactly why and how did they fail?
Unknown.
But if the process was the same, the result would only be the same.
That much was certain.
Therefore, if they proceeded according to Elsyde’s plan as is, they were destined to fail equally in rescuing the Beast-kin.
If so, a variable absolutely had to be thrown in.
Enoch slowly opened his mouth towards Teano.
“……There is a reason.”
She glanced briefly at Enoch and asked.
“Do you have a separate plan for the operation?”
Enoch nodded.
“First, the place the enemy hides is an underground tunnel.”
Teano quietly watched him, as if willing to listen first. Enoch continued calmly.
“Due to the risk of tunnel collapse, geographical constraints prevent the enemy from fully utilizing their firepower. Of course, the same applies to us. Therefore, having a small number of personnel break through quickly is most efficient.”
If the entire tunnel collapsed carelessly, Vendetta’s plan would also go up in smoke.
Therefore, Vendetta’s combat personnel likely couldn't recklessly spam high-power magic inside the tunnel until the human experiment magic circle activated.
Meaning, the enemy’s firepower was also partially restricted.
“Certainly, your words are not entirely wrong, but……”
Teano answered, seeming slightly hesitant. Seeing that, Enoch’s eyes narrowed slightly.
If things went well like this, persuading her seemed possible.
However, one biggest problem still remained.
“But, the underground residential area is super complicated?”
Meanwhile, Sirocco, listening, popped her head sideways from the front seat and said.
Enoch asked back.
“How do you know that?”
“Well…”
Sirocco hesitated for a moment, then answered.
“Actually. When I was very little, I secretly went exploring several times and got lost.”
“Seems there’s nowhere you haven’t been.”
Perhaps taking Enoch’s jab as a compliment, Sirocco wiped the tears that had gathered in her eyes earlier, smiled proudly, and retorted.
“Yup! Thought there might be treasures. Of course, no matter how much I looked, there were no treasures, and back then, naturally, there were no hiding dark mages either…”
But having said that much, she looked up at Enoch with a worried expression and said.
“The underground area is bigger and deeper than our entire village. It’s truly like a maze. If those guys are really hiding in such a place, can you even find them?”
“Probably.”
Enoch answered only that.
It wasn't a lie. He didn't know the tunnel paths, but even so, he certainly had a way to find the guy.
At Enoch’s confident answer, Sirocco tilted her head slightly but nodded.
However, even so, he didn't think everyone would accept his calculation like this.
Especially Teano, who held practical command authority over the operation.
Enoch glanced sideways at her.
Teano narrowed her neat eyes slightly and opened her mouth.
“…I may not know your separate thoughts, but for the direct descendant to move alone in enemy territory itself places a very large burden on all Elsyde members.”
She added coolly.
“I trust you are not unaware of that.”
Enoch was Elsyde’s direct descendant.
If he were to die or get injured during the operation, Elsyde’s reputation would plummet.
Therefore, if Enoch got into danger while acting alone, they would have to split their already insufficient forces further for rescue.
If, by chance, such a situation truly unfolded?
Then it was self-evident that the entire group of family mages might be endangered.
Teano’s words, effectively the overall commander of this operation due to her rank, were also natural.
Swish.
Enoch briefly checked outside the car window.
Before long, the Beast-kin village came into distant view.
Arrival was near.
Time to make a decision.
Amidst everyone’s focused gazes.
Enoch slowly opened his mouth.
“…I am aware of the risks involved in me, the direct descendant, moving alone in this operation.”
Inside the car shaking as it ran on the unpaved road, Teano’s eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at him.
“Let’s do this.”
Enoch raised his head and met her gaze.
There were likely two main reasons why she, the Nemesis Deputy Commander, was reluctant about his solo action.
First, the fact that he was Elsyde’s direct descendant.
And the other reason was─
“If, I enter the underground tunnel and fail to stop Tantalus, retreating in defeat…”
─The suspicion regarding Enoch’s connection to Vendetta hadn’t been completely erased yet.
Teano’s reluctance towards his solo action likely stemmed from concerns about the direct descendant’s safety, as well as issues of trust regarding Enoch potentially colluding with Vendetta.
Of course, if Enoch showed himself fighting directly, she might trust him, but unfortunately, he couldn't reveal the swordsmanship he used yet.
In this dilemma.
There was only one card Enoch could offer Teano for persuasion.
He raised his head and said.
“…I will reveal everything about the questions Sir Teano holds regarding me.”