Taking Perrian's belongings and figuring out his intentions was a good start.
"But if we don't know where the guy is, it's all meaningless."
"Even if we find out, there's nothing we can do. What's the point of knowing now?"
Rie responded to my grumbling.
Rie, Ian, and I were analyzing Perrian's data, trying to predict his next move.
While the head wizard and others continued to track Perrian, they hadn't made any significant progress.
I looked over at Ian, who was still reading through the documents beside me.
"What do you think will happen now?"
"If I knew that, we wouldn't be in this situation."
"You've been by my father's side for years; you must have some idea."
"Yes, I do know that he won't give up that easily."
"Hmm..."
"He'll show up soon, whether to take back the amplifier from us or for some other purpose."
"What other purpose?"
Rie questioned Ian's statement.
"Revenge on those who messed up his plans. That's all I can think of right now."
"Isn't there a chance he's making another amplifier?"
"My father is nearly 60, without a dukedom, and the surrounding environment isn't favorable. It's unlikely."
"So, you're saying he will appear before us one way or another."
Then Ian was the most at risk.
Perrian harbored the greatest grudge against him, and since Perrian didn't know I could use spatial magic, he would assume Ian had the amplifier.
He would target Ian for some reason.
"It might be wise for you to lay low for a while."
"There's no need for that. Even if my father appears before me, I'm stronger than him. Plus, I'm in a place where the Royal army is gathered, so a surprise attack isn't possible."
"Still, it doesn't hurt to be cautious."
"Don't worry about me. Worry about yourselves. No one knows who he'll target."
"Yes, understood."
"Speaking of which, it's getting late."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})The sun was setting, and it was time to return.
"Are you staying here any longer?"
"No, we should be heading back too."
"Rudy, how about having dinner at the palace?"
I shook my head at Rie's question.
"I need to practice spatial magic when I return, and I study some other things."
"If that's what you want..."
Rie was disappointed, which was unusual for her.
Typically, she would have insisted, but her easy surrender left me feeling uneasy.
"Rudy, how about staying at the royal palace?"
"What?"
Ian's sudden suggestion took me by surprise.
"The Astria mansion is empty; isn't that dangerous? There's no one there to protect you, and the security is inadequate. The royal palace would be safer, wouldn't it?"
Rie's eyes sparkled at Ian's suggestion.
"You actually make sense for once."
"When have I ever spoken nonsense?"
"Staying at the palace, huh..."
"There's plenty of room in the palace for magic research, right? And if you ever need anything, you can always ask the royal wizards or someone else."
It was a good idea.
It was safe, and it would be beneficial for my magic studies.
It might be a bit of an imposition, but when it comes to saving one's life, a little inconvenience is acceptable.
Even though Ian was most likely to be targeted, there was still a chance I could be targeted too.
If the details of what happened became known, it would definitely come back to me.
Ian might have planned it, but I was the one who carried it out.
"Then I'll go back to the mansion to pack some of my things."
"Great! Then I'll tell them to prepare a meal at the palace!"
Rie, delighted, spoke with an energetic smile.
"I'll head back then. Both of you, take care. If it gets dangerous, I'll come right away, so just stay alive."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})After Ian left, I too returned to the mansion to pack my belongings.
"Ah... staying at the royal palace for a while..."
"So, you should take a break and leave only a few people to manage the mansion."
"A break? But it's our job to manage things here."
I planned to send all the mansion's staff on a break.
If things went wrong while I was at the royal palace, Perrian could come looking and harm people.
With no one staying at the mansion, two or three people could manage it, so there was no need to keep everyone here.
"I'll pay your salaries as usual, so take a break. You must be worried with everything that has been happening recently."
Given the war between the empire and the rebels, they surely had concerns about their hometowns.
I thought this would be a good opportunity for them to see their families and reduce their worries.
"Thank you... We'll discuss amongst ourselves who will stay and let you know."
I nodded at the maid's words.
"Then I'll also pack your belongings."
"Oh, yes. Thank you."
I smiled at the maid and went down to my study.
The maids said they would take care of my clothes and other items, but I had to pack the magic-related items myself.
"Is this enough..."
I packed only the most essential items.
If I needed more, I could always come back briefly.
The royal palace wasn't far from the Astria mansion.
"Once the remaining staff is decided, I'll send a letter."
"Alright, everyone, take a good rest."
I bid farewell to everyone and boarded the carriage.
"Shall we head to the palace?"
"Yes."
The coachman drove towards the palace following my command.
As I felt the carriage went on its way, I heard the coachman's voice from outside.
"…Hm?"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})"Is there a problem?"
Crash!
What followed wasn't the coachman's voice but the sound of the carriage jolting.
"Ugh!"
The carriage suddenly tried to stop, and I was thrown forward.
Thud!
I fell forward, hitting my head against the front wall of the carriage.
"Ugh..."
I tried to get up, placing my hands on the floor, and opened my mouth to speak.
"What happened..."
Crash!!!
Suddenly, there was a sound of something tearing apart.
The top part of the carriage was being sliced open.
"What?"
The roof of the carriage was cleanly sliced off.
Had I not fallen forward, my head would have been where the cut was made.
"Damn..."
Without a moment's hesitation, I leaped out of the carriage.
Crash─ Bang!
Just as I suspected, the carriage was cut in half.
I muttered to myself while looking at the scene.
"Perrian..."
He was the only one who would ambush me like this.
But the nature of the attack was the problem.
A sword strike?
It was impossible for Perrian to use a sword strike.
Sword strikes were the exclusive domain of swordsmen.
Though it's possible to mimic something similar with wind magic, that was clearly a sword strike.
I looked towards where the sword strike had come from.
"What were you planning to do if you killed him? Killing that guy isn't enough. You need to steal the item."
"My goal is to kill him."
"We're allies for now. Your goal is my goal."
There stood two people.
One was Perrian Astria.
The other, a swordsman wielding a massive sword.
"Venderwood...?"
A leader of the rebels and someone I had defeated in a different future.
The swordsman with the great sword was Venderwood.
Hearing my words, Perrian looked at me.
"Rudy, it's been a long time."
"Long time my ass. Your greeting with a sword strike was well received, so spare me your bullsh*t."
I cursed at Perrian, who was smiling, and took my stand.
"You tricked me nicely. Spatial magic. You can use it, can't you?"
I scanned the surroundings.
It didn't seem like there were other people around, but Venderwood in front of me was the problem.
If it were my future self, I could easily defeat him.
But if you ask whether I can beat him now, I can't give a definitive answer.
And with Perrian there too?
Victory was impossible.
Unable to properly use spatial magic, there was no way I could take on both of them at the same time.
"No answer to father's question, huh?"
"Is someone trying to kill their son really a father? You're just a beast. No, even beasts don't kill their offspring. You're worse than a beast."
"Heh, you do have a way with words."
Perrian reached out his hand towards me.
"Whether you can use spatial magic or not, we'll see in a fight."
The space started to shift.
I quickly judged the movement.
Perrian was attempting spatial severance.
I threw myself to the side.
Then, the place where I had been standing cracked.
Space split open, creating a black rift in the surroundings.
"So, you can sense the spatial domain to some extent."
I calmly took a deep breath.
Joining forces with the rebels, they came looking for me after hearing I could use spatial magic.
"Are you planning to demand the amplifier?"
"Oh, you're more reasonable than I thought."
Perrian stepped forward.
"Hand over the amplifier, and I'll grant you a painless death."
I let out a hollow laugh.
"Not even offering to spare my life, but promising death if I hand it over? Why would I just give it to you?"
"Is that so? Then it seems you'll need to lose an arm or a leg before you hand it over."
At Perrian's words, Venderwood stepped forward.
The towering figure, over 2 meters tall, wielding a great sword, exerted immense pressure.
"Don't kill him."
"Understood."
Venderwood nodded.
"Haah..."
It was clear that I couldn't win against both of them at the same time.
So, there was only one thing to do.
Hold out.
Since the Astria mansion and the royal palace are close, if I don't show up, Rie will notice.
Surely reinforcements will come.
I just need to hold out until then.
"30 minutes..."
Just close my eyes and hold out for 30 minutes.
Just 30 minutes.
Thinking this, I began to manipulate my mana.
