Saikyou Mahoushi no Inton Keikaku (LN) - Volume 10 - Chapter 58

Fifty-Eighth Chapter 

That Reaching Hand 

When the group arrived back at the base, healing Magicmaster Louise took over. Her moment to shine was, in a sense, once the mission was complete. With her rapid and accurate instructions, the base was quickly converted into a treatment ward. 

A strange scene took place at the entrance to her treatment ward, with a bunch of grown men squeezing together waiting to be examined. Beginning with Mujir and followed by Loki, Louise treated person after person. 

Though they were called healing Magicmasters, their abilities typically stopped at enhancing the injured party’s own ability to heal themselves. There were of course differences between practitioners, but they were all fundamentally the same. 

However, there were exceptions. The first-rate healing Magicmasters known as master physicians didn’t fall into that category. 

When it came to the level of Magicmasters that a Single like Lettie scouted, they’d likely be among the best in the nation. Louise was no exception, and within a few hours most of the injured had recovered enough to stand on their own. 

Alus wasn’t well-versed in healing Magicmasters, but their techniques were impressive even to him. It appeared they were now a necessity in the Outer World that they couldn’t afford to ignore. 

However, Mujir had been instructed to rest for a while. The person in question was unhappy with being told to lie down, but no matter how much he insisted he was fine, Louise’s orders were absolute here. Lettie was probably the only one who could go against her. 

The surrounding squad members weren’t taking it too seriously, poking fun at Mujir instead. 

Even Alus had his frostbitten hand healed and had no choice but to follow Louise’s advice. That said, what am I supposed to do about not using my arm? Being told not to use his dominant arm in the Outer World was a rather strict condition. He’d overused his hand despite the frostbite, which was how it had gotten aggravated to that level. Fortunately, he could still use magic. 

Having finished his treatment, Alus headed for a small room in the back. The base was about as large as it needed to be and no more. Though whether it could even be called a small room was up for debate, seeing as it was just an area separated by a cloth hanging down. 

Alus pushed the cloth aside and signaled the owner of the room with his eyes. Since the cloth had been half-open to begin with, Loki had already noticed him coming to visit. 

She was currently recuperating on a roughly-made wooden bed, her leg hanging in a sling. As a Magicmaster she must have felt that dreary look was unbecoming of her. Like Mujir, she wore a complicated expression. 

Alus seemed to pick up on her state. “The aftertaste of defeat is bitter, I imagine.” 

“...” With a slight frown, Loki looked at Alus like she wanted to say something. 

“Just surviving was fortunate. This time everyone was saved by that recklessness.” With a slight smile, he gave her some credit for that recklessness. If the snow had still been around, the battle against the Shem Azah would’ve been a lot trickier. 

Lettie’s M2-Polaris flashed through his mind for a moment. If she’d used that spell while the snow was still there, she would either have been unable to use it or unable to control it. Since that spell could easily hit the caster as well, it would be difficult for anyone not considerably skilled in barrier spells. Similar spells existed, but all were designated as taboo spells out of fear of what might happen if they were abused. 

For example, someone in high authority could manipulate a disposable pawn to use on the assumption that they’d get blown up too. 

“Why did that man coordinate and side with the Fiends? He was all alone next to a Fiend’s nest... It’s not normal. And he mentioned Godma,” Loki asked Alus. The question lurking in her mind was shared by the rest of the squad. It prevented them from honestly rejoicing in their reclamation of Vanalis because of their discomfort. 

“Are you discussing something interesting? I can’t have secret conversations in my base,” Lettie said, as she embraced Alus from behind. She put her chin on his shoulder and whispered into his ear, “Don’t leave me out of this.” 

But judging from her relaxed atmosphere, she probably didn’t have ulterior motives. She was sticking close to Alus, but Loki, lying in her bed, wasn’t particularly shaken. Actually, she regretted bringing it up when it was just the two of them. It would’ve been better to discuss it with Lettie around. 

Loki slowly closed her eyes, but Lettie didn’t seem to mind. Or rather, she wasn’t even looking at her. There were many injured people in the base. And there was the advance party as well... The result left a bitter aftertaste in her mouth, and wasn’t something she could take pride in. But Lettie, the captain, was no doubt hurting much more than she was. 

The next moment, the squad members seemed to have read the room, and their eyes began to turn to them. It was time to listen to the summary of their mission. Since Loki was lying on a bed in a corner of the base, she couldn’t help but feel cramped. 

Alus waited for the right moment and continued the topic from before. “In terms of international politics, the reclamation of Vanalis is a great accomplishment for Alpha. It will take some time to build this place up, but the other nations will come to see its value as a frontline base for expansion.” 

Mujir listened, as he gazed up at the low ceiling from his bed that he’d been carried in on. 

Sajik’s large frame leaned against the wall. He was being unusually quiet. 

Lettie let go of Alus and remained silent. Everyone listened in their own way, but their reactions were all muted. 

Well, there were casualties after all, Alus rationalized. There were no bodies or remains left behind so the number of dead couldn’t be determined, but their comrades-in-arms had been destroyed. Many of them were treated as “missing” but that was just a euphemism. 

However, Alus could neither feel a unity with them, nor could he share their feelings. At best he understood how they felt and kept quiet. 

There was one thing that hadn’t met his expectations. The group sent to search for the advance party had miraculously returned with a few survivors. They’d been caught in the sudden blizzard and attacked. Following that, exhausted, they’d found a place to hide. 

Hearing their report, Alus didn’t think much of it. At most it was good news that they hadn’t all been wiped out. But he could understand Lettie’s grief when she saw the others weren’t with them. She was normally so outgoing that it was easy to tell when she was faking it. 

Alus was on the verge of reflecting on similar memories, but they belonged in the past. “There were more than a few casualties, but I’m sure you’ll be able to repay them one day. Everyone, you did a good job.” The words echoed hollowly. Even he thought they were tasteless. 

“Allie, you can save that for the old geezers in the top brass leaning back in their comfy chairs. I’m sure they’ll be buttering us up once we get back.” 

“I guess that’s true. Then let’s move on to the main topic. You want to know about that man, don’t you, Lettie?” 

The mood in the room completely changed. There weren’t supposed to be any enemies in the Outer World aside from Fiends. Yet it was an outsider believed to be a Magicmaster who was behind the events, a mysterious man who had injured Mujir. 

“Let me start with the conclusion. I don’t really know who the man controlling the snow was. It’s not like I’m friends with all the Magicmasters.” 

“Wouldn’t you at least have heard about someone that skilled? Not to mention that strange exchange you had with him,” Lettie said, referring to when they talked about Godma. 

It was a military secret, but Alus decided he had no choice but to discuss it. “I’d like to say you should ask the Governor-General for the details, but whatever. You probably didn’t hear about it, but some time ago I was given a mission to apprehend a criminal named Godma...” 

Alus told Lettie and the others about the incident in an indifferent manner, noting that Godma was a researcher deeply involved with the Element Factor Separation Project, part of the military’s dark past. That illegal human experiment had since been erased from the records. He then explained that Godma had been killed by someone while in military custody, and that Berwick believed there was a co-conspirator behind Godma, tasking Vizaist to investigate it. 

Having been in the Outer World all this time, Lettie and her squad had no way of knowing this. “And then he never found him. Man, Vizaist’s gotten senile,” Lettie joked, but she looked nostalgic at the mention of a familiar name. 

“You’ve got it the other way around. Not even an intelligence professional could find any clues,” Alus told her, covering for Vizaist and telling himself they were even now. “I believe it was a man called Enouve pulling the strings.” 

“Then our snow man was this Enouve?” 

“Seeing how he knew about the Four Books of Fegel, there’s little doubt.” The Four Books of Fegel were the rarest books in the world. Some people considered them prophetic, though there were squad members present who hadn’t even heard of their existence. 

“Could Kurama be involved in that?” Lettie asked. 

Even Berwick suspected that the criminal organization Kurama was behind it. There’d been no proof of it, but Alus, who had a history with Kurama, felt it was the most likely scenario. The mysterious man who was such a skilled user couldn’t have been unknown to the world. Moreover, Kurama had become more active this past year, spreading their name around. 

During the Demi Azur incident, Alus and Lettie had come across Elise and her accomplice. It was a long-distance exchange, but they’d had a firsthand experience of her power. That was why it was natural for their minds to go in that direction. 

“Yeah, that’s a strong possibility.” 

“What are they after?” Mujir, lying on his bed, quickly asked. He couldn’t move his head so he’d spoken to the ceiling. It was someone who’d seriously hurt him, so he wanted to know who was behind it. 

“I don’t know. According to the man himself, his mission was complete.” 

The man had the skill to freely control the snowfall in the vast region of Vanalis, and he didn’t hesitate to incapacitate Mujir and injure Loki. With an exhausted Lettie present, the man was dangerous. That was why Alus had immediately decided to kill him. 

“Either way, the dead don’t speak. So that’s all we’ve got for the time being. It’s Berwick’s job now. If the man really was a member of Kurama, killing him was big. Weakening them will make it easier for us to deal with them if they come at us,” he added jokingly, but he knew that with Elise, the Kurama member who’d attacked the Institute, they couldn’t beat Kurama without him. 

He didn’t particularly want a rematch with that little visitor, but he had a hunch she wouldn’t appear before him in that way again. Besides, with that Magic Eye, it wouldn’t even turn into a battle to the death. 

The One Eye of Salem was said to govern over life. And Alus knew what that meant... Elise wouldn’t die. She couldn’t die, even. Because of that, he’d prefer not to have that rematch as well. 

However, the squad members didn’t look particularly satisfied. They seemed to be searching for a way to express their conflicted emotions. 

Lettie was a little different. She gazed at him with a sort of innocence in her eyes, and he couldn’t tell what she was thinking. 

“...?!” Following her gaze, he finally saw that she wasn’t looking at him but past him...at Loki. He didn’t understand what he’d been charged with exactly, but he was aware any supposed sins would come to the surface if examined too hard. There was still something he hadn’t told Lettie and Loki. 

“Allie, there’s something else, isn’t there?” As expected, Lettie took a step closer and peered directly into Alus’s face. She was so close that the tips of their noses almost touched. 

“There’s nothing else! I have no intention of hiding anything.” 

“Hmm, that so?” 

He would have loved to say he was innocent until proven guilty, but there was no escaping Lettie’s gaze. In reality, he’d only spoken the facts as they were. He’d left out his baseless guesses. 

However, Loki was shaken up by Lettie’s implicating tone, and seemed curious about what she was referring to. 

Sensing Alus was at a disadvantage, Lettie leaned forward, as if asking if he was really going to hide things even from his partner. As a result, she’d practically taken Loki’s trust hostage. 

And it was then that Alus gave up. Perhaps he should be praising Lettie’s ability to pick up on things. “Fine... What caught my attention was the ice sword the man was using.” 

“It was my first time seeing it. What a pain to use it by controlling mana, instead of just wielding it directly. Well, you did cut off his arm.” 

It was definitely a useful technique, but it wasn’t worth the effort. A high level of information processing was required to overwrite the coordinates and move the sword quickly. “That’s true. But, well, it was an unusual spell. That’s all. Just forget about it.” The details of the sword’s nature stood out, but it wasn’t anything to worry about. 

Loki, on the other hand, was a little shocked. She must have noticed that the ice sword was similar to the spell that someone else used. 

“Anyways...” Alus tried to wrap things up. 

But Lettie stopped him with her hand. “All right, I more or less get it, so that’s okay for now! I’ll take it from here.” She turned and faced her squad. “Right! Let’s celebrate the retaking of Vanalis!” she shouted in a cheerful manner, raising her fist. 

It was boyish behavior and they were all taken aback at first, but then they looked at one another. The next moment, they let out cries of victory. Some hugged, some clapped others on the shoulder, and some smiled from their beds. Raising their brawny arms, they danced with joy, howling loudly and whistling and making all kinds of noise. The gloomy atmosphere from before was gone, being replaced with a great clamor. 

Alus and Loki were a little puzzled, but understood this was how the squad Lettie built up was like. No matter how many hardships they might experience, when the time came and their grueling mission was complete, their sorrow was temporarily replaced with joy. 

But the loud bellows were so powerful that they blew even those thoughts from Alus’s mind. It no longer mattered how meaningful their results were to humanity and Alpha. They were only moved by the achievements that mattered to them. 

However, Alus didn’t let himself get caught up in the atmosphere. Instead, a doubt came to his mind. Maybe the snow man only looked like he was cooperating with the Fiends on the surface, while in reality he was doing something else. As the Ogma could control its allies with the dark element, maybe he was trying to control the Fiends too. He had mentioned Godma’s research results after all. 

Incidentally, all of Godma’s research materials were supposed to have been erased at Vizaist’s direction. But what if the snow man had been working behind the scenes with Godma? It wouldn’t have been strange for him to have received some research results. 

Of course, it wouldn’t be research on the elements...but the magic that turned people into Fiends. 

Suddenly, images popped into Alus’s head. The eye-like pattern on the wings, as well as the mane of human hair, and the patch of human leather that Mujir and Sajik had reported. Those human traits had taken on too obvious of an appearance as the result of predation, not to mention Fiends wearing human skin was abnormal. Which meant that maybe... 

Shortly thereafter, Louise appeared from the back of the base carrying a wooden tray. On top of the tray were a lot of cups. They must have been handmade as well since they looked uneven, but they’d been filed down beautifully. 

Louise picked up a cup and bottle from the tray and began pouring a transparent liquid. “Here you are, Lady Lettie.” 

“Thank you for the help and for healing everyone,” Lettie grinned, and thanked Louise. After composing herself, she raised her voice. “Everyone take a cup.” 

She then turned to Alus and Loki. “Sorry, but kids will have to settle for water.” As Alus gave her an exasperated look, she continued, “That’s a no even if you give me those puppy eyes. This is strong stuff.” 

Hearing that, Alus recalled that there had indeed been alcohol among the things the advance party brought with them. 

With a wry smile, Mujir added his own excuse. “Sir Alus, it’s not like we’re always drinking. It’s more like a tradition for this kind of occasion.” His eyes were gentle, but with a degree of sadness in them. 

Come to think of it, after all that commotion, the toast had a sort of ceremonial solemnity to it. In other words, the kind of occasion Mujir referred to didn’t mean finishing up a big mission, but mourning their fallen comrades. 

In Alus’s hand was a cup with enough water to drink in a single swallow. But he felt like that swallow had a lot of meaning. Loki sat up in her bed and held the small cup in both hands. 

After confirming everyone was ready, Lettie raised her cup high. As she did, some alcohol spilled out, but she didn’t mind. The squad raised their cups in response. Alus and Loki followed suit, slowly raising their cups, careful not to spill the contents. 

“Now we’ve cleaned up your mess. I don’t know if heaven or hell lies beyond this, but there’s no time for you guys to rest. As long as we wield our power in the Outer World, you have an obligation to witness it. That’s your punishment for taking a long vacation before the rest of us.” Lettie spoke as if she envied the dead, but her expression was cheery and innocent. Her words were very like her, far different from the formal language one would usually expect at these occasions. 

She then tilted the cup and downed the drink in one gulp, and sharply exhaled. It seemed it really was a strong drink. 

The surviving squad members followed Lettie’s lead and downed their drinks. Some were like Lettie, showing expressions like they were putting up with something, while others stuck their tongues out, and still others held their cups upside-down with unsatisfied looks on their faces. 

Sajik furrowed his brow, looking like he was choking on it. Mujir drank his down, but showed no expression. He looked like he could hold his liquor. 

Finally, Alus downed his own cup, but as expected it was just water. Thinking Loki’s was the same, he glanced over at her. “!!” ... Only to see her face turn red after drinking it. Her eyes went unfocused as well. 

Alus turned around and snapped, “Hey!” Louise gazed back at him with a vague look, leaving it unclear if it had been intentional or not. 

“Aw, lil Loki drank some alcohol? Well, this is the Outer World, so it’s like we’re outside our own nation... Actually, I didn’t think you were such a lightweight.” 

“Hah...this is noshing...really! I’m fine. I can make a mountain of Fiends outside!” Not only was she slurring her words, but she was being strangely confident. It seemed she’d even forgotten her injuries. “Sir Alusss, don’t you think you take your eyesh off of me too much?! I need you to see tha-that I...I can handle my-myself too!” There were even hiccups mixed in with her speech, so there was no doubt that she’d lost control. 

“She’s a fun drunk, Allie. Well, I’m just glad she’s not stripping or getting violent.” 

“Don’t act like this doesn’t concern you! What are we supposed to do about this?” 

Lettie looked like she was enjoying herself. “By the way, I’m the type that gets clingy!” 

Alus ignored her, and when she tried to lean on him, he silently pushed her away. One look at Mujir’s and Sajik’s dry expressions revealed she was far from the clingy type when drunk. 

“Let’s goooo. We-We’ll get this corpse party started!” Loki said, and jumped out of her bed. 

Alus wrapped his arms around her stomach and held her aloft, but she started thrashing around like a child. “Hey, do something!” 

“What are we supposed to do? Right, Louise?” 

In the meantime, Loki slipped out of Alus’s grasp and used Force to move a distance of two meters. Drunk or not, her body movements were flawless. The fact that she had no difficulty with mana control and spell construction in her state was surprising. 

Seeing Loki’s smug face, Alus slapped his forehead. At this rate, she might make her way outside to the Fiend-infested lands without anyone being able to stop her. Squad members hurriedly moved to block the passage out. 

The next moment, Loki showed a strange smile and then...vomited a stream of blood. 

“Aaaaaaa!!! Her wounds opened up!!!” Louise shrieked. She had restorative herbs in her hand, but it was already too late. When she saw Loki like that, her shoulders slumped. “I told her she needed to rest too.” 

Those didn’t sound like the words of someone who was responsible for her drinking alcohol in the first place. Louise quickly picked Loki up and took her back to the treatment ward. 

Lettie was laughing out loud, but now wasn’t the time for that, Alus thought. At least though, he’d gotten a glimpse of a rare side of Loki and her real feelings. Moreover, he’d learned never to let her have a drink. 

Feeling exhaustion hitting him all at once, Alus fell back-first onto a bed. That said, it wasn’t actually cushioned, so it hurt his back a little. 

Eventually Lettie stopped laughing, and she exhaled as if savoring the moment. The strong smell of alcohol tickled her nose. 

It was a brief pause for the Magicmasters who moved from battlefield to battlefield, when time slowed down as it passed. To think a time like this would come in the Outer World, in a small base built in a cave. 

Spending time with people in the Outer World brought back memories of a distant past...of the fulfilling days he might have had then. 

“This kind of thing isn’t too bad, ya know,” Lettie said, as if reading his mind. 

Without answering, Alus simply closed his eyes on top of the hard bed. They were both Singles, so they had something in common. Moreover, he’d known Lettie for a long time. They weren’t too close but they weren’t distant with each other either. It was an inseparable relationship in a way. I’m beat. With that thought, Alus’s consciousness drifted beneath the surface and he fell asleep. 

A long overdue stillness settled on Vanalis. 

In his comfortable sleep, his consciousness sank even deeper. 

*** 

Vanalis had once housed a fortified city. After the high-classed Fiends that had made their nest there were eliminated, the map of the area needed to be redrawn. Some of the terrain had been altered after all. 

If the likes of Vizaist or Berwick found out, they’d be holding their heads in their hands. The place where Alus and Lettie eliminated the Shem Azah in particular was unlikely to see any plant life for the next half-century. The earth was burned, and it had a big hole that reached deep into bedrock. 

The ground was upturned everywhere as a testament to the intensity of the battle. A lot of manpower would be necessary to fix it back up. But since he wasn’t going to be doing that himself, Alus didn’t particularly care. 

With the battle over, Vanalis was quickly regaining its previous climate. It was a warm region to begin with, and with the strange snow melted away, the original scenery was rising to the surface. The air was crisp, and it no longer hurt to breathe. 

The skies of Vanalis were clear and without a cloud in sight. With their mission complete, they were free to be captivated by the beauty of nature in the region. It might be a long ways off, but the flora and fauna would eventually return to carpet the land in green. 

After the decisive battle, the appearances of Fiends had been drastically reduced, but that wasn’t a rare phenomenon. Once the highest-classed Fiend ruling over the region was eliminated, the remaining Fiends tended to scatter. With the head gone, the proliferation of Fiends would dramatically decrease until another leader appeared. But since they’d gone out of their way to clean up Vanalis, they would’ve preferred that no new leaders show up for a while. 

“I really want lil Loki for myself,” Lettie suddenly blurted out, while they were patrolling through the region to make sure there were no more high-classed Fiends. 

Loki wasn’t back to normal yet, but she could still use her mana sonar with no problems. Louise strictly forbade her from taking part in any battle, so she was limited to just detection, which she was carrying out just fine. 

“Someone on my level would only get in the way.” The way Loki firmly declared this was both emphatic and stubborn. She was embarrassed, and regretted running rampant yesterday. There were a lot of memories she just wanted to erase. 

“Well, the way you threw up blood was pretty bad,” Lettie noted. 

“Th-That was because of the alcohol!” Loki wanted to pretend like it never happened, but her reaction made it obvious that she was bothered by it. She turned to Alus to appeal to him that it was the alcohol’s fault and not her own. But then she saw Alus’s surly face. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused you!” she apologized, and bowed. 

“Well, it was funny, so it’s all fine.” 

“La-Lady Lettie!” 

Lettie ignored the blushing Loki’s protests, and chuckled to herself as she remembered yesterday. 

Exasperated, Alus spoke up to interrupt the flow. “This area should be fine now. Sorry, but we’ll be heading back first.” Other squad members in charge of different areas were reporting in via their Consensors, and there were no problems. They were gradually making their way back to Lettie in small groups. The next step would be a detailed clean-up of the region, but Alus’s job didn’t include dealing with the small fry. 

Lettie smiled. “I guess there’s no choice. That’s what we promised.” 

“Of course. Any more of this will affect my academic records.” 

“So not even you are a match for Sisty. That witch is really scary.” 

“Yeah, something like that. So good luck over here.” With that, Alus prodded Loki and turned around. Their packs were waiting for them at the base. 

But Lettie called out to Alus from behind. “Also...I’d like to hear your answer to that question, Allie.” Her manner of speaking remained unchanged, but the way she looked away and sounded a little brusque made her seem like a girl waiting for the answer to a confession. The words rang through the clear air with their delicate nuances standing out. 

Only Alus knew what question Lettie was talking about. Ignoring Loki’s puzzled gaze, he glanced over at Lettie. However, he didn’t stop walking. 

It would’ve been a lie to say he didn’t have the time to think it over. There was no need to think about it. No matter how long he would reminisce or consider it, he wouldn’t find an answer. 

Just the fact that he’d been invited into Lettie’s squad felt like he’d been saved. Ever since he started going to the Outer World alone, nobody would step in regardless if he lived or died. And he felt the same way towards others. 

Alus asked to retire from the military because he’d gotten tired of that kind of world. But the world inside was too different for a Single Digit Magicmaster like Alus. There’d been times when he felt his only place was on the outside. So maybe that was why he’d always been waiting for someone to reach out to him. 

Lettie interpreted his pause as hesitation, and a smile appeared on her lips. “It’s good to have a place where you can run around the Outer World together with others. These guys won’t die so easily, ya know? Oh, I guess you’d become the captain if you joined. Well, that would be fine too.” She said those heavy words in a rather lighthearted manner, but the squad members that had gathered round didn’t look upset in the slightest. 

Instead, they all looked ready to accept it. Some smiled faintly while crossing their arms. Others looked interested, stroking their chins. Still others leaned against nearby trees looking on. However, they were all silent, watching over Lettie’s and Alus’s discussion. Each face was as fierce as the next. They were all powerful veterans who’d lived through their fair share of battles. 

“You don’t have to be alone anymore. If you can’t live anywhere other than the Outer World, you should find a place where you belong... This is one such place. Allie, you’re already like family.” Along with her cheerful smile, Lettie held out her soft, supple hand. 

When Loki saw that, she was unable to hide her surprise. She realized everything and broke into a smile. Alus had endured inhumane treatment in the military, and all he’d gotten in return was superficial praise. The pain in his heart and his own wishes had been completely disregarded. 

Now his wounded soul would finally be saved and rewarded a little. Lettie was one of the few people who could truly understand Alus, and taking her hand would surely lead to happiness. 

Loki would stay by his side as he walked down that path. They wouldn’t be able to leave the military and the path would be filled with dangers, but that was no different from now. 

More importantly, the squad was where the people who understood Alus’s true worth were, and they were there for him. She felt like the things Alus wanted were here. She had lost her parents and was raised in the military. That was why she could understand what he’d choose and what he wanted. Compared to the military that only valued his ability to kill Fiends, Lettie’s squad was like a dream. It was both a family and a place to call home. 

Loki was unable to verbalize the feeling in her heart. It was warm, but there was also a slight bitterness. The invitation was meant to be good for him and for her as well. But she did feel a difference in what was supposed to be an equal relationship. In the end though, she never said anything out loud. 

“That way we won’t have to scout for a new spotter either. Lil Loki will be with us after all.” 

“But aside from that...having two Singles in one squad would completely ruin the military’s power balance.” 

“I don’t care about those little things. What matters is what you want to do. Just so you know, I’m not inviting you on some impulse here. I’ve been thinking about this ever since I created this squad.” What Lettie said was the truth. As they were two Singles fighting on the frontlines, she’d always remained aware of Alus’s movements, as well as the orders that were given to him. “I won’t let anyone complain. Even if the Governor-General is the one in authority, it’s the Magicmasters on the scene who have the actual power. If you join my squad, Allie, we’ll be in control of sixty percent of Alpha’s military power.” 

Alus stopped himself from saying she was exaggerating. Lettie’s inappropriate statement made it sound like she was fine with turning against the military. 

But it was actually a sign of her resolve. That was how much emotion she was putting into her offer to Alus. No matter which choice Alus made, nobody would complain. There might be some dissatisfaction, but the power and value of a Single was enormous. And if two of those came together in a single squad, nobody could touch them. 

However, Lettie’s offer held no political considerations. In essence, she was asking what he wanted and how he wanted to live. If he wanted to live out here, then the existence of comrades was necessary. And she might have been trying to tell him that they’d stay at his side and support him. 

Alus already knew that nothing lasted forever. He knew the memories of comrades would always be in the corner of his mind, existing like persistent ghosts. 

Throughout his military life, which was the only life he’d experienced, Alus had always cut out anything unnecessary. That was how he kept himself alive. Even emotions were something to be cut out. 

But now Lettie was extending her hand to him, and for a Magicmaster, it was a very pure hand. 

Alus knew the limits of being alone, but so far he hadn’t reached that point yet. So if asked if this was necessary or not...he’d have to say it was unnecessary. Everyone would die someday, and for Magicmasters the Outer World was where they would spend the rest of their lives. 

For a moment, the question arose in his mind. Would he sit back and watch as more people died in front of him? No matter how much he helped them, the same scene would play out. And so, it would eventually become a pain and unnecessary. 

But maybe this time it would be different. With comrades-in-arms, they would be able to cover for each other when the time came. That kind of thing would be nice. 

Even after getting tired of fighting and retiring, there were always excuses to drag Alus back out. Not even a year had passed at the Institute and he’d already been sent out several times. He was just fooling himself. His situation hadn’t actually changed. Retirement had just been an excuse for him to find a place where he belonged, a place where the honor and title of the greatest Magicmaster didn’t matter and he could just be himself. 

He wanted to find a place where he could do what he pleased. That was all. He wanted to let go of his title and even leave his name behind... 

Alus was also aware that his desire was stronger than most people’s. At the same time, he wanted to see what lay farther beyond in the Outer World. Perhaps Lettie’s hand would grant that wish of his. 

Someday, he would be freed from his days of fighting. When all the Fiends had been wiped off the face of the planet... I guess that’s not going to happen. Even if all the Fiends were somehow wiped out, fighting would still go on. The art of killing will always come in handy no matter how the world might look. 

Alus laughed inwardly, and pondered it a bit longer. Eventually he reached his own hand out towards Lettie’s hand. If he took her hand, his days of fighting would begin anew. But it would be completely different from what he experienced in the past. It would surely lead to a different future than the path he was on. 

However...just before he touched her supple and beautiful fingers that held a sweet future, his hand stopped. “I’ll pass. I still have some unfinished business to handle.” 

That might just have been an excuse he made up. But Lettie silently accepted it with a smile, and withdrew her hand. “At the Institute, huh.” 

“...” Alus’s answer was silence. He didn’t really know if there was something he still had to do there. But looking after Tesfia and Alice could certainly be considered unfinished business. 

Lettie stared at Alus. She knew the Institute was an important place for Alus, and the same was true for Loki. 

Alus had changed a lot since he went to the Institute. Some things were good and others bad, but he wasn’t the same as before. That was what you called growth. In that sense, the troubles that had come to him one after another might not be as worthless as his complaints made them out to be. 

“Well, it’s a shame, but I kinda guessed that would happen. That’s why I didn’t plan on saying anything,” Lettie grumbled. Still, she must not have wanted to miss the opportunity of working together with him in the Outer World. 

She was also one of the people who’d sensed the changes in Alus. That was why she’d made her offer while more or less expecting to be rejected. At the same time, she was unable to hide her reaction. Despite knowing she’d probably get rejected, she found she was more depressed about it than she thought she would be. 

She hid that inner turmoil behind an easygoing tone. “If you’re ever looking for a place to belong, you can always come to us. We’ll be waiting. Always.” As she ruffled her hair, Lettie’s smile wavered. She felt true gratitude, hope for the future, and faint regret. 

“Yeah, it was only for a short time, but I owe you... No, I guess you owe me,” Alus jokingly replied. 

With a big grin, Lettie grabbed hold of Alus’s shoulders and forcibly turned him around. “Why, you little...!” She then embraced him from behind, whispering into his ear so that only he could hear. “I really owe you... Still, I wish I’d invited you before you enrolled at the Institute. Well, if you’re happy with it, that’s for the best.” 

Hearing that heartfelt voice in his ear, Alus gazed at the empty skies above. If she really had invited him before he enrolled, then maybe... 

But that would never happen now. At the same time, he felt like her approaching him meant that all of his work in the past had finally paid off a little. As long as someone was around to acknowledge him, Alus couldn’t fully leave this world or the military. Most of all, he didn’t dislike Lettie. 

“Lil Loki helped out a lot as well. You can stay behind on your own, ya know,” Lettie said in a joking tone, but with an outstretched hand. That meant she’d recognized Loki as a Magicmaster, a huge compliment coming from a Single Digit. 

However... “It is an honor, thank you, Lady Lettie. But I will follow Sir Alus anywhere,” Loki said clearly. She apologized with a bow. 

Lettie smiled wryly. “Right, I guess that’s for the best. But the Outer World’s a surprisingly small world, so I’m sure we’ll meet again somewhere. Next time, I hope you’ll properly call me Sis.” 

As she brought up the farce of what happened at the Institute, Loki hurriedly raised a finger to her lips. It was the kind of atmosphere unique to women that even Alus hesitated to interrupt. At the very least, their relationship had deepened on this mission. 

After watching Alus and Loki turn back to the Inner World, Lettie’s shoulders slumped. 

“Ha ha, guess you got rejected, Captain,” Mujir said, as if trying to comfort her. His tone was cheery, but had a forced feel to it because it just didn’t suit his character. It might end up backfiring and offending her, but his loyalty pushed him to take the risk. 

And it wasn’t just him. Everyone in the squad knew that this had been her dream since forming the squad. She’d wanted to bring Alus into her squad and fight side by side. Doing so was next to impossible...but it had been Lettie’s personal desire. 

Still, wanting to push her will through was something all Magicmasters understood when they gained experience. A Single Digit Magicmaster was a keystone in a nation’s military power, so they tended to get stuck with all sorts of bonds as political considerations inevitably twisted themselves around their feet. Lettie’s squad only learned about the constraints that came with power through spending time with a Single like her. 

And that was why they were all positive about Alus joining them. Together, Alus and Lettie could mentally support each other. Not to mention that the squad should be quite comfortable for a Single Digit Magicmaster. Those feelings only grew stronger after the battle against Demi Azur. 

“It’s fine. He’ll come around someday...or maybe it would be better for Allie if he didn’t.” 

“Make up your mind!” Mujir said in exasperation, as the falling hammer he’d braced for never came. 

Ignoring his remark, Lettie just vaguely smiled. In reality, all of the preparations for the squad to receive Alus had already been made. But at the same time she felt Alus wouldn’t have agreed to it, until she heard rumors of his retirement and felt that was her chance. She was going to make her move using whatever means possible. 

That was when she learned that he’d enrolled at the Institute, and she put her recruitment on hold to observe what happened. If it worked out positively for him, then there might not be a need for him to join her squad. 

But when it came to her personal feelings... “I feel like I missed my only chance. What a heavy loss.” With a sigh, she put her hands on the back of her head and turned around. In front of her was the recently reclaimed land of Vanalis. 

“What’s with that? It wasn’t a loss, it was a huge help. Without him, we might’ve had to spend another half a year on this mission,” Sajik pointed out. 

But Lettie couldn’t help but feel he was being naive. “Don’t be stupid. It wouldn’t take just half a year. We’d be lucky to get out with our lives, lil Sajik.” 

Sajik immediately tensed up at her unfamiliar way of calling him, wondering if he’d screwed up and angered the captain. But no angry outburst came, as Lettie simply began to wander off, her brain already moving on to figure out how to proceed from here. 

Thinking back on it, the mission had been full of mysteries. Not only did a lot of high-classed Fiends rapidly change in leadership, but there was also the Lefkis that had the horn of an evolved species capable of firing spells at long range. And too, the unprecedented case of Fiends coordinating with each other... Not to mention that leading them wasn’t the leader—the Shem Azah—but the Ogma, which was all the more strange. 

Then again, whether it had actually been the Ogma was doubtful now. The presence of that man cast a dark cloud over Lettie’s thoughts. 

She felt like her head was going to explode from considering all the complicated factors. She groaned and shook her head to clear her mind. “Our priority for now is to maintain this place and prepare for the handover. Sajik, write a report and clean up the perimeter. Mujir, update the map and write the necessary documents.” 

Misfortune suddenly befell Sajik and Mujir, as they realized that they would pay for their previous gaffes. Even their pleas for just one night’s rest were mercilessly denied. 

Shortly afterward, Lettie received some ominous news brought by the unit she’d sent to the top of the snowy mountain. The area was supposedly cleared of any scavenging Fiends. 

Yet they reported that the man’s corpse had disappeared...