UHWKT 24

Chapter 24

Kairos walked over slowly and drew back the curtain.

Charlotte was fast asleep on the two-seater sofa, her small body folded this way and that without a care in the world. A soft, gentle snoring sound rose and fell.

Without realizing it, Kairos let out a brief chuckle—then his lips stiffened.

Did I just laugh? At this witch?

Yet contrary to his thoughts, his gaze lingered on her for a long time.

Charlotte’s sleeping face was excessively defenseless.

For someone who had lived her entire life being called a vicious witch, she looked unbelievably innocent—almost pure and transparent.

Chirrr—somewhere far away, insects cried.

It was a quiet night. A lukewarm breeze drifted in through the open window. Charlotte’s silver hair loosened slightly along its strands. A faint shadow of moonlight settled over her closed eyelids.

“…Mmm.”

Charlotte let out a faint groan and shifted in her sleep. Her small, round shoulders curled inward.

Watching her silently, Kairos suddenly felt that this night was peaceful.

Peaceful.

The idea that he could feel peace.

He wanted to deny it as nonsense, yet at the same time he was vaguely acknowledging it.

Charlotte was clearly different from the black mages he had always hated.

Through countless dreary years, he had developed an instinct—an instinctive discomfort he felt every time he faced a black mage. But in front of Charlotte, that feeling lost its power. At times, he even found himself smiling instead of tensing up, and became aware of the sense of incongruity.

It wasn’t simply because Charlotte was clumsy despite her infamy, or because she was docile, or because she had noticed something suspicious about Robert and helped persuade Damon.

“I know you’re awkward with things like this, but still—try saying it. Sometimes honesty is the best weapon.”

At that moment, Kairos felt relaxed and light. It was only an instant, but it felt as though she were someone who understood him very well. He wanted to deny it, but it was true.

And because of that, Kairos no longer felt the urge to kill her.

Instead, he was curious.

Was it really possible for a black mage not to be someone you had to hate? Was Charlotte truly such an existence? Why did he feel different only in front of her?

Absentmindedly, he brushed over his hair where her hand had passed before.

One year—the time he had promised Charlotte.

Kairos thought that perhaps this had turned out to be a good thing.

It would be a chance to find an answer about her existence.

The next morning, before the sun had even risen, we gathered in front of Damon’s house.

“Sir Nilsen, you’ve finished packing, right? You’ve brought everything you need?”

“For eight years, the only thing I’ve done is take care of myself. Now that I’ve received a new command, it is only right to discard all personal matters and depart.”

Saying that this alone was enough, he lifted a single sword bearing the imperial seal. He said it was the only thing he had never let go of during his eight years of seclusion.

What a romantic old man.

“Then let’s depart.”

With Damon and Kairos on either side of me, I cast a teleportation spell. Blue light spread out, and the scenery changed.

Boom!

But before our feet even touched the ground, a thunderous sound rang out.

“Huh?”

Startled, I turned my head. Smoke was rising from the mountain range at the edge of the grand duchy’s territory.

“Your Highness the Grand Duke!”

A soldier came running from afar in a panic.

“It’s an attack! A black mage has brought magical beasts and is assaulting the territory!”

At that moment—

Kieee—!

Along with a tearing shriek, a storm suddenly swept through, and a massive shadow passed overhead.

I reflexively looked up and froze on the spot.

“…A griffin?”

There are griffins flying in the sky right now?

Apparently, I was the only one flustered.

Kairos accepted his weapon and asked calmly, as if this were routine.

“What’s the situation?”

“Fortunately, the archers are holding them back, so the beasts haven’t reached the village yet. Sir Basel and the elite unit are pursuing the black mage, but they haven’t captured him yet.”

“Damon, go.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Kairos, who had been about to head toward the plain where the explosion had sounded, stopped and turned to me.

“You go to the village. There may be injured.”

Leaving only those words behind, they turned and ran off again.

Left alone unexpectedly, I snapped back to my senses and sprinted in the opposite direction—the direction the magical beasts had flown.

“Ma-Mage…!”

By the time I arrived, hundreds of archers were locked in a desperate battle against the griffins.

“The magical beasts keep trying to charge into the village. We’ve already evacuated quickly, so there are no civilians who’ve been directly attacked yet, but at this rate, there will be an enormous number of casualties.”

[Kyuu, kyuu!]

I don’t know when it appeared, but Golsuni grabbed the hem of my clothes and hopped up and down, pointing toward the opposite side of the territory wall where the golems were stationed.

“I appreciate the thought, but if the golems move now, it’ll only cause more chaos. Sir, please guide me to the center of the temple first.”

“Yes!”

The soldier escorted me while providing cover. And when I saw the scene up close, I was left speechless.

“Are you kidding me—where did all those griffins come from?”

Contrary to my expectations, there weren’t just one or two griffins gathered at the village entrance.

There had to be dozens of them, weaving through the rain of arrows and threatening the people.

“Fire! Aim for the head!”

“We’re running out of arrows!”

“What’s the rear doing?!”

No—this won’t work.

Ordinary arrowheads can’t even pierce a griffin’s hide.

I bit down on my lip without realizing it. At this rate, not only the archers but even civilians would be seriously injured.

What kind of lunatic brings magical beasts into a territory? And before that—can a single black mage really control this many griffins? Does that even make sense?

“Even for me, this is….”

With my magic, I could cast a barrier—but driving away the griffins was another matter entirely. More than anything, if I spread a barrier over such a wide area, there was a high chance I’d collapse from exhaustion before the griffins did.

And then everyone would be left completely defenseless.

“This is bad.”

As I was deep in thought, something suddenly flashed through my mind like lightning.

If I raised my mana output to its limit.

“…Am I crazy? What am I even thinking?”

I can’t use my precious Ilaune for something like this!

I slapped both cheeks hard.

No matter how urgent the situation is, using the herb that can send me back to my original world here and now?

“Absolutely not.”

I can’t. I shouldn’t.

I shouldn’t—

“Damn it, this is driving me insane!”

I lifted my head again.

The number of griffins was steadily increasing, while the Lucifenia soldiers were growing more and more exhausted. At this rate, the defensive line would break soon.

More importantly, where did this many griffins even come from?

No matter how skilled a black mage is, commanding magical beasts on this scale all at once should be impossible.

Is there more than one culprit?

If only we had just one more mage on our side, we might have been able to do something….

But in the current situation, that was a meaningless assumption.

“Haa….”

A sigh escaped me on its own.

Ilaune in its natural state, without being processed into an elixir, has significantly reduced effectiveness.

If I consumed Ilaune to drive away the griffins, I probably wouldn’t even have the strength left to open a dimensional gate. Honestly, I’d be lucky if I didn’t pass out from hunger.

“…Ah, screw it. I don’t know anymore.”

First, I have to save people.

And then I’ll demand compensation from Kairos. Or I’ll lie down and refuse to move until he sends reinforcements.

I turned around and gave instructions to a nearby soldier.

“Notify all nearby villages. Tell them to go indoors, lock their doors, and draw the curtains. Basements without windows are best. I’m going to release a magical flash to drive the griffins away.”

“Yes! Yes!”

The soldier snapped to attention and began directing the scene.

I slumped weakly onto a nearby rock and took out the Ilaune from subspace.

At the sight of the luscious fruit, the stem, and the root without a single damaged hair, I felt like crying.

Do you know how hard it was for me to dig this up?

“Ughhh.”

[Kyuu…?]

“It’s okay, Golsuni. There’s such a thing as adult circumstances.”

Actually, it’s not okay.

Once I use this, the only path left for me to return home will be obtaining the Stone of Longing.

It felt like the escape difficulty had dropped to B-rank, only to shoot back up to S-rank in half a day.

Yeah, I knew it. Things were going too smoothly.

There was no way it would all work out this easily.

A few dozen minutes later, a soldier ran up to report.

“Mage, all the territory’s residents have been evacuated to basements and indoors! Is there anything else we should do?”

“No, that’s enough. You all go inside now as well.”

After sending all the soldiers away, I brushed myself off and stood up.

Then I squeezed my eyes shut and shoved the Ilaune into my mouth in one bite.