In the Persia territory.
"How does one even come to a place like this?"
Soldiers were talking atop the city walls.
"How could we possibly understand the thoughts of our superiors?"
"Don't you sometimes think we're better off than those people? It's ridiculous. With mountains like these standing between the rebels and our territory, do they really know nothing?"
"Watch your words. Things visible from a high place are different from those seen below."
"And there are things only visible from below. Speaking as if war is upon us, while keeping us on constant guard."
"At least the pay is generous."
"Generous? That money vanishes after a few drinks."
"That's because you drink too much."
As the soldiers leaned against the wall, chatting leisurely.
Tap tap tap tap.
They heard footsteps approaching.
"Is it the captain? Stand up."
"Yes, yes. Understood."
The grumbling soldier quickly resumed his vigilant stance.
A man approached the soldiers rapidly.
"Loyalty, there's no sign of troubl..."
The man who approached wasn't the captain.
"Sigh..."
It was Keln Rinsburg, the Royal Head Elementalist rumored to have come from the capital.
"Loyalty! To the Head Elementalist..."
But Keln paid no mind to the soldiers.
He ignored the two soldiers and walked past them.
"What..."
Keln looked shocked as he approached the end of the wall.
"Elementalist, sir! It's dangerous at the edge of the wall!"
A soldier, looking alarmed, tried to stop Keln.
"Don't worry about it."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Keln didn't even glance at the soldiers, focusing only on the mountains.
'Something is coming.'
During his stay at the castle, Keln sensed something unusual.
The rustling sound of elementals in the mountains.
As the Royal Head Elementalist, Keln could sense the emotions of elementals not bound to him.
The emotion felt by the mountain elementals was fear.
He didn't know exactly what they feared, but it was a bad sign.
"Sylpherion."
As Keln spoke, the wind gathered, forming the shape of a giant bird.
It was Sylpherion, a high-ranking wind elemental.
"What's happening?"
"Go to that mountain and check what's going on. And Sylph."
A small bird appeared beside Sylpherion.
It was Sylph, a lower-ranking wind elemental.
"Sylph, go to the Persia lord. Inform them of the situation."
"Understood!"
The soldiers looked bewildered at Keln's urgent actions.
"My lord, what is happening?"
As a soldier asked, Keln turned his head.
"War is beginning."
"Professor, have you been well?"
"Well? It's been a continuous struggle."
Cromwell greeted Ian with a calm face.
"I haven't seen you in a long time, Principal. I heard your health wasn't good, are you alright?"
"Haha, I can't just lie in bed because I'm unwell. Please, have a seat."
McDowell extended his hand towards a chair in front with a hearty laugh.
Ian sat down and looked at McDowell.
"Have you heard about the current war situation?"
"Yes, I've read all the materials you sent over."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"Then it'll be easier to discuss. Have all the students of the academy been sent back to their homes?"
McDowell shook his head.
"Not all of them. With the empire in turmoil, students living far away couldn't return. But since it's the vacation period, there aren't many left."
"How many students are still here?"
At Ian's question, Cromwell spoke up.
"About ten or so. The remaining students are being protected along with the residents, so there's no major issue."
"Do you have a list of these students?"
Upon Ian's question, Cromwell handed over a document.
"Some stayed because it's dangerous to return home during the war, and some stayed out of their own will."
As Ian read through the document, he narrowed his eyebrows and pointed to two names.
"What about these kids?"
The two names were Evan and Yeniel.
Next to their names, it was written that they participated in the war.
"These two students volunteered to participate in the war."
"Where are these students now?"
"They move independently. They said they have tasks to attend to."
Ian put down the document and spoke.
"Send them back to the academy or their homes immediately. We can't allow students to participate in the war. Individual movements not even officially sanctioned by the military? That's unacceptable."
"These students have outstanding records at the academy. Yeniel comes from a lineage of rebel assassins, and Evan has been the top student at the academy several times. This decision was made based on their background."
"I am the commander of the Royal Army. I will not permit this."
"Ian Astria."
As Ian's tone heightened, McDowell spoke up.
"Is it because of the responsibility? Then let me take responsibility."
The responsibility that comes when students are injured or killed was more serious than imagined.
Even though Evan and Yeniel were not from prominent families, any harm to academy students would cause a significant reaction from the empire.
It would not only be awkward for the academy, but also leave a major scar on Ian's achievements as the commander of the Royal Army.
If the commander of the Royal Army, who came to protect the academy, allowed students to get hurt by the rebels, he would undoubtedly bear the responsibility.
That's why Ian was vehemently opposed.
"And do you think they won't participate just because we oppose it? They're stubborn, so it's safer to keep them where we can manage."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Ian looked intently at McDowell as he spoke, then nodded in agreement.
"If the Principal insists, I will comply. However, I will not assume any responsibility."
"Do as you see fit."
McDowell said this and then glanced at the ceiling with a slight smile.
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing. Let's continue discussing the war."
They continued their meeting.
Having both faced the rebels directly, they could provide Ian with detailed explanations.
In their discussion, a critical issue arose: Aryandor's time magic.
This was the biggest headache.
If the enemy could attack and then reverse time, they could continue the war indefinitely.
Worse, they could do so while erasing their own memories, leaving only the rebels with knowledge of their tactics.
"Does that mean time could already have been reversed?"
"Possibly. We can only hope it hasn't."
The magical device Luna obtained during the last rebel attack was analyzed, revealing it could erase everyone's memories.
The device, combining Jefrin's illusion magic and Aryandor's time magic, could manipulate both memory and time.
Though Jefrin was dead and no more such devices could be created, the number remaining was unknown.
So, it was possible they were already in a reversed timeline.
A situation where all Royal Army members lost their memories, and time was reversed.
This was the worst-case scenario for the Royal Army.
"Our first priority should be to unravel Aryandor's time magic. We need to determine whether we're in a reversed timeline."
Ian stroked his chin thoughtfully at McDowell's words.
Time and space were somewhat similar realms of magic.
However, without having faced Aryandor directly, Ian couldn't know the specifics.
"If I encounter Aryandor, I'll take him on. Perhaps I can find the answers there."
"Understood. Let's plan for that."
Just as they were about to move to the next topic...
"Commander!!!"
"What's the matter?"
Ian's aide burst into the tent where they were meeting.
"We've received a request for assistance from the Persia territory!!"
"Rebels? How could the rebels..."
"I'm not sure of the details. It's not an attack yet, but the Head Elementalist urged us to send word quickly."
"How large is the force?"
"It seems to be a significant force. What will you do?"
Ian made a swift decision.
"Proceed as planned. Professor Cromwell will go first, followed by the troops. Also, check the movement of the academy's forces."
"Understood."
Ian heard his aide's response and then looked at Cromwell.
"Professor, I'm counting on you."
Cromwell clenched his teeth at this.
The situation seemed to involve a large enemy force.
Flying from the academy to the Persia territory to face such a force?
They might manage to handle the lesser foes, but facing Aryandor or other leaders was out of the question.
Then, McDowell spoke up.
"Ian, can't you transport someone using spatial magic?"
He was asking whether Ian could move others using spatial magic, an idea inspired by the time when future Rudy used it to transport Rie and Yuni.
"There are limits to spatial magic. I lack the skill to transport others as of yet."
"I see..."
Cromwell sighed upon hearing this.
"Then I shall leave immediately."
"I'll assess the situation and follow promptly."
As a user of spatial magic, Ian could transport himself there directly.
However, if the enemy deployed a pincer attack, their current location might be jeopardized.
Even Ian couldn't continuously use spatial magic, especially over distances like between the Persia territory and the academy.
Therefore, they needed to gauge the rebels' movements before deciding whether to assist the Persia territory.
"Gravity."
Cromwell used magic to levitate and started moving towards the Persia territory.
McDowell watched him ascend.
"Be careful out there."
"Understood."
Cromwell promptly headed towards the Persia territory.
"Then."
Ian stood up and looked at his aide.
"Let's get moving."
Cromwell clenched his teeth as he flew through the air.
He regulated his mana usage, flying as fast as he could.
It sounded contradictory, but he was trying to maintain a balance.
Soon, he reached the vicinity of a mountain range.
'If I follow the mountain range...'
The Persia territory lay somewhere in between.
"Hmm?"
Just as he was about to follow the mountain range, he spotted a huge object in the distance.
A giant creature covered in red scales.
"...A dragon?"
It was a Red Dragon, sitting squarely on the path along the mountain range.
Cromwell's eyes widened at the sudden appearance of the Red Dragon.
And a flurry of thoughts crossed his mind.
Was this dragon prepared by the rebels?
Or was it just a coincidence?
He couldn't afford to fight this dragon now.
He needed to reach the Persia territory as soon as possible.
Cromwell tried to pass by quietly.
"Professor."
"...?"
Someone called out from the direction of the dragon.
"Professor. Over here."
A man stood atop the giant dragon's head.
A man with black hair, wielding a sword.
It was Evan.
