Groggy (4)
Iruki would be a successful mage.
"I'll arrive in an hour."
He had risen to the position of Grand Marshal even within Valkyrie's command, where the greatest minds gathered.
Someone who thought like an Ex-Machina.
The gray matter inside Iruki's skull functioned at the world's highest level.
The forces under his command numbered over a million elite troops, and even the archmages and great swords were not exceptions.
"I need to get some sleep. Wake me in thirty minutes."
The carriage he rode in, guarded by two hundred state-certified second-rank knights, offered supreme comfort thanks to the pinnacle of engineering.
'Is this really the right thing to do?'
It was a matter of seconds, so he'd made the quick decision—but doubts lingered.
'Now that the spiritual barrier is closed, the demons' numbers have been made objective. This is the time for a weapon of mass destruction, but…'
The weapon Iruki had designed was the elemental bomb he first conceived back at Alpheas School of Magic.
Its power would far surpass anything known, and if mishandled it could bring about the annihilation of humanity.
'It was a weapon that would eventually be made. If we can't wipe out the demons, humanity will be destroyed anyway.'
As he deliberately loosened the tension, fatigue washed over him so strongly his nose tingled.
When Iruki's breathing steadied, Aromi, leader of the escort team, carefully flipped through the file folders.
She looked intellectual with horn-rimmed glasses, and in fact had led Jive's think tank.
"Where we're headed is the dwarf ruins in the Arca Mountains, southwestern Tormia Kingdom. A nationally certified excavation team is already doing mining work there. There may be resistance, so attach all the paperwork without fail."
The head of the legal division spoke.
"They can't sue us anyway. The Tormia Kingdom's approval has already been granted."
"That may be, but… the excavation team being Iruki's classmates could cause trouble."
"Koff! Koff!"
Iruki coughed and Aromi spread a blanket over him from beside the carriage.
"It's gotten worse lately."
Suddenly opening his eyes wide, Iruki sat up and clapped a hand over his mouth.
"Krrk! Krrk!"
After the ragged breaths, a handful of blood seeped through his fingers.
"Grand Marshal!"
Aromi called out as she supported him.
"Get the medic! Quickly!"
"I'm fine. I want to go quietly."
"No. If the Grand Marshal's condition is critical, all decisions about emergency measures fall to me. That includes the authority to cancel the mission entirely."
Iruki grinned, blood at the corner of his mouth.
"But you won't do that, will you?"
Aromi, who usually kept a cold expression, softened and pleaded.
"So get examined. You're someone humanity can't afford to lose."
Only an Ex-Machina's intellect could stand against Havitz, who existed beyond probability. Still, overdrive was surely steadily gnawing at Iruki's life even now.
"I'll come in."
A medic waiting in the auxiliary carriage boarded and checked Iruki.
Even while measuring his blood pressure and testing eye movement, Iruki lay listless.
If he stopped overworking his brain now, he might live a reasonably normal lifespan like others, but…
'Don't worry, Father. I know what you'll say.'
Like combustion pushed to its extreme, Iruki intended to burn his life away in an instant.
'Please, just hang on until the war's over.'
When Iruki's eyes cleared once more, Aromi bowed her head heavily.
"Thank you."
It was the only thing she could say to a man standing before death.
There were dwarf ruins in the Arca Mountains that had flourished two thousand years ago.
The dwarves' craftsmanship was known to be so precise it surpassed current humanity.
Because its archaeological value was matched by artistry, striking it rich was almost guaranteed if the excavation succeeded.
"Center! Center! No, a little to the side!"
On an 80-meter-high, 320-meter-wide cliff, a team was mining.
They were all mages, former classmates from the same school.
Rumble! Rumble!
A gigantic machine, thirteen meters tall and over seventy tons, was gouging the cliff.
Its lower body rode on continuous tracks, and its humanoid upper body's two arms ended in enormous drills.
"That's it! Dorothy! Keep it rotating just like that!" The woman operating the machine had dropped out of Alpheas School of Magic last year—Dorothy.
"Ugh! Here we go!"
Mimesis—sharing consciousness with the mage—increased the controlled device's efficiency by leaps and bounds.
Kakakakakaka!
As the two giant drills spun, sparks flew and petals of afterimage glittered before their eyes.
"Come on, Hickory-19!"
Hickory-19, repeatedly upgraded, accepted Dorothy's mind and raised its output.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Then the machine took a dull blow and its hefty frame jolted.
"Stop! Stop! It's blocked!"
Sabina, who had once attended the School with Dante, waved the halt flag.
"Ugh, damn it!"
Dorothy slammed on the Hickory's cockpit and stepped out, frowning.
"What is it? More iron ore?"
"Yeah. The mineral content is way too high. No wonder they were so quick to grant the permit."
Historically, the Arca Mountains had been a difficult region to mine.
"I'll check."
Closer, who specialized in earth magic, approached Hickory-19's drill.
The heat was enough to cause burns.
"Phew! Completely clogged. Clearing this will take two days. Why don't we just go back to Excavation Site One?"
Canis, who had joined the dig as an archaeology major, brought Arin over.
"We can't. If we keep drilling with a crude machine like that, the dwarf ruins will be destroyed."
Dorothy narrowed her eyes.
"Hey! Don't call this machine crude! If I wanted to, I could play games with it!"
"Still, no. If the ruins or artifacts get damaged, all this will be for nothing."
Closer scoped the cave's strata using his expertise.
"If we break through just this point, we should be able to descend easily. From the flow, it doesn't look deeply buried."
"Then I'll smoke a cigarette and try again."
Dorothy lit a cigarette and leapt down from ten meters high.
They were mages who had dropped out after the war began, but there was no danger of them getting hurt.
"Hoo, nothing's ever easy. I quit school and wagered my life on this."
Dorothy threw her hard hat on the ground and exhaled a long puff of smoke.
Not wearing a bra, the black running shirt made her chest protrude noticeably.
Closer handed out a water bottle.
"Still, we're lucky compared to some. Heard about Prings? Graduated and became a magic kindergarten teacher."
Sabina frowned.
Prings, who majored in ice magic, was remembered as both extremely talented and a voyeuristic pervert.
Dorothy burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! A kindergarten teacher? Well, given his personality, it might suit him. Probably sniffing the kids and asking what they ate for breakfast while flaring his nostrils."
"We've changed a lot, haven't we? Thinking back, school was really fun."
Dorothy reminisced about her final year.
The person-to-person combat, the Scramble Royale maneuvers, the brutal graduation exams, and… she smiled faintly, remembering someone, then snapped back and shouted.
"All right! Let's start again! This time do it properly!"
"Yeah!"
As everyone returned to their stations, Arin looked off in the distance and said, "Canis, look over there."
A massive carriage escorted by armed guard knights was speeding down the hill.
"Is it the kingdom?"
"No, the mark's different."
When the excavation team all cast air magic to compress the air, the carriage's insignia became clear.
"The Order?"
It bore the Valkyrie unit's seal under the Order.
With strange expressions, they waited as the carriage rolled to a stop, tossing up dust.
The door opened and Aromi stepped down.
She adjusted her glasses and walked toward the excavation team with a catlike stride, her posture neat.
"Hello. I'm Aromi, Chief Secretary to the Strategic Command of the Valkyrie contingent under the Order."
Closer replied bluntly.
"That's a long title. What's this about?"
Aromi didn't bother with small talk and produced a document.
"This is the Tormia Kingdom's authorization transferring excavation rights over the Arca Mountains to Valkyrie effective immediately. Please verify and sign."
"What—"
Before Dorothy could spit out a retort, Canis shouted.
"What's this about?"
He snatched the paperwork roughly and scanned the ten pages of pre-contract terms.
"Don't talk nonsense!"
Then he flung the folder to the ground and set his gaze squarely on Aromi.
"Until I finish my investigation, I haven't even found evidence for the dwarf ruins. A project we planned and started, and now you want to take it from us? I absolutely won't allow it!"
Aromi remained calm.
"It's not about the dwarf ruins. This is a matter of global significance that transcends the nation. Compensation will be provided."
"Who are you to put a price on the value of these ruins? The dwarven artifacts are—"
"Wait a moment."
Dorothy, the team leader, stepped forward.
"You said it's not about the ruins. Then what is Valkyrie going to do here? Build a military base?"
"It's classified."
"Sure it is. But shouldn't you at least bring a rationale we can accept?"
"Why should we?"
Aromi gave them no opening to argue.
"The Order requested it and the kingdom approved. This isn't a matter for a private excavation team. Step aside."
Dorothy couldn't hold back.
"Who's in charge here? We need to meet the top person. The Chief Secretary isn't the decision-maker, is she?"
"Again I say—"
"I'm the one."
Before Dorothy finished, Iruki disembarked from the carriage and approached them.
"I—Iruki?"
They had heard through the mage community that he'd left Tormia, but they hadn't expected to see him here.
"Long time no see."
Forty knights flanked Iruki as he walked, deployed left and right to escort him.
Each of them was a rare master in society—mages knew that better than anyone.
Sabina asked, "Iruki, what's going on?"
Aromi stepped aside and said, "If you're Tormia citizens, show some respect. He's the Grand Marshal of the Valkyrie contingent under the Order."
"Grand Marshal?"
Closer blinked.
"Then he's the commander?"
Iruki answered casually.
"Yes. Sorry about that. I don't mean to interfere with what you're doing, but we're going to need this place."
As a mage, he assessed the situation in an instant, and Sabina asked with a bitter edge.
"So you knew already? Then you must know what we're like. Even if it's the Order, taking someone else's work is too much."
Dorothy felt betrayed too.
But it was Iruki—so she suppressed her emotions and tried to talk.
"What are you planning to do here?" Dorothy's eyes hardened.
"Alright, I understand. You're in a high position, so people like us probably don't even show up on your radar…."
"A very dangerous weapon."
"Grand Marshal."
Iruki ignored Aromi's signal.
"To build that, we need special minerals. Survey results show they're buried in large quantities in this mountain range."
It was clearly confidential information that should not be revealed in enemy territory, and Dorothy's heart tightened at the thought.
'Iruki.'
He was the protagonist of her most precious school memories.