Gunmage
Chapter 73: No strings attached

Chapter 73: Chapter 73: No strings attached

The battle had long died down. Adrenaline had been replaced by exhaustion, and the single-minded struggle for survival—the force that had driven them to cast aside all unnecessary thoughts—had faded as well.

Now, hardened by the deaths of comrades and loved ones, only cold logic remained. And with that clarity came a pressing question.

Who were these people really?

Lugh immediately sensed the shift. The atmosphere was changing, the initial gratitude giving way to suspicion. He felt the weight of countless stares, assessing and calculating.

A voice, silent yet clear, slipped into his mind.

It was Xhi.

I’ll create an opening. We should flee.

Wait

He stopped her. They had revealed too much. Too much about magic. He understood their fear, humans weren’t supposed to be able to wield magic.

That was common sense. But how common was it, really?

Vaelith hadn’t reacted with shock when they had used magic upon their initial meeting by the Devil Sea’s shores. And then there was Lovainne.

The prince’s first response upon hearing the word ’magic’ from their lips wasn’t disbelief or fear, it was curiosity.

More than that, when he had inquired about the men he had sent with Vaelith and she had confirmed their deaths, his only reply had been:

"Good."

At the time, Lugh had found the reaction strange, but he hadn’t questioned it.

Even when Lovainne had later asked the priestess why they could use magic when humans weren’t supposed to, she had merely responded:

"They can’t"

It was a simple answer, yet its implications now loomed over him. What did she mean? The idea of truly dissecting those words now was something he wasn’t ready for.

But one thing had become clear, humans weren’t as clueless about magic as he had first assumed.

And more importantly, that knowledge had to be kept secret, hidden, for fear of something...

something he couldn’t yet name.

A word flashed through his mind.

The Empyrean Court.

The prince had mentioned it only in passing, but now, as Lugh pieced together the fragmented puzzle, the significance of that name became apparent.

Lovainne had deliberately tried to gauge their reaction to it. But at the time, they had none, because they truly knew nothing about it.

Yet, according to the Major General’s words:

"If we get proof that Heieg has mages on their side, we can appeal to the Empyrean Court to put an end to this war."

Lugh clenched his jaw. How had he overlooked this? What kind of organization held enough power to single-handedly halt a war that had raged for nearly a decade?

His gut told him that these were the people he needed to find.

For now, however, there were more immediate concerns. He had to handle the present situation carefully.

"It doesn’t matter who or what we are"

He spoke at last, his voice calm, unwavering.

"What matters is that we’re on your side. At least, for now."

"As expected"

Natalia cut in sharply.

"So you aren’t actually the prince’s personal guards."

The moment the words left her lips, the people around them raised their weapons, aiming directly at him and his group.

Lugh merely shrugged, refusing to answer. His demeanor was aloof, almost arrogant, but inwardly, his thoughts raced.

Xhi? Xhi, are you there?!

What do you want?

Don’t let them kill me!

A long, deep sigh reverberated in his head. Transmitted directly into his mind, for whatever reason.

She hadn’t responded, but she hadn’t refused either. That gave him some confidence.

"Currently, we all have the same goal,"

Lugh reasoned.

"It’d do you well not to make enemies out of us, considering how much we’ve done for you."

Bam! He played the guilt card.

Natalia and her crew hesitated. He was right. They owed them. However, the new arrivals weren’t as forgiving.

"You still haven’t answered the question"

A gruff voice interjected.

"What question?"

Lugh responded, puzzled.

"Are you with Ophris or not?"

Lugh could’ve sworn nobody had asked that before, but he didn’t have time to argue semantics.

"No, we are not."

Lyra and Vaelith glanced at him but remained silent.

Lovainne had treated them as part of the Ashborn Corps, granting them the pseudo-rank of sergeant and forming the Black Powder Taskforce around them.

But this task force had never been official. No records. No documentation. Even their uniforms were all-black, untraceable to Ophris.

They had been ordered to conceal their faces. It was clear. The prince had never intended for their existence to be tied to the kingdom.

And now, Lugh understood why.

In front of this crowd, he renounced any affiliation with Ophris.

"We are not with Ophris" He reiterated.

"But our interests don’t collide. We have no reason to fight you."

This was his best attempt at diplomacy. If they refused to stand down, there would be no choice but to fight. Victory was impossible, but with Xhi’s help, escape wasn’t.

The people pondered his words. Weapons remained raised, wary. They had seen the devastating impact this small group of six had brought to the battlefield. Their caution was justified.

"I think we can trust them"

Natalia finally spoke up. She was about to continue when another voice cut through the tension—a voice that resonated with authority and disdain.

"If you truly aren’t from Ophris, then where did you savages come from? What is it that you hope to achieve?"

A sharp silence fell over the crowd.

The voice had not come from anyone in their immediate vicinity.

Someone else had been watching.

A pair of eyes locked onto a figure perched on the roof of a crumbling building. Lugh turned his head upward. There she stood, silver hair shimmering beneath the fading light, eyes like liquid mercury.

The same woman who had trapped them in an illusion before.

But she wasn’t the person who spoke.

Lugh felt a presence behind him. He turned. And there he was.

An elf.

Like an eerie specter, he had appeared without notice. The moment the people caught sight of him, they staggered back. Some in fear, some in awe.

Lugh’s fingers tensed around his rifle.

He had found his target.

Emrys.