The Magic Academy's Physicist
Chapter 283: Locking The Door After The Horse Is Gone (5)

Chapter 283: Locking The Door After The Horse Is Gone (5)

0% After debating for some time, Renawill spoke.

“We will go through.”

“Father!”

Klais and Klara yelled.

In one voice, the sisters did all they could to stop their father.

“You can’t rush this decision. We could all die if things go wrong!”

“I am aware of that, but we have no other way.”

The Demon Army’s scheme was quite cunning.

If they stayed put and let this stalemate continue, there was going to be a significant drop in morale due to supply issues.

On the other hand, it would be a gamble to try and break through the salient.

Caught in a dilemma, or burden that couldn’t be abandoned.

Those were the words that perfectly described this situation.

“Let’s ask Kaurelia for reinforcement and wait.”

“The communication lines are down so we cannot know if they will arrive in time, yet you want us to wait here?”

Unlike the sisters, Renawill was certain that they wouldn’t last long in this current stalemate.

“It is far better to take over the eastern stronghold and defend it with the mountain in between.”

“Father....”

His daughters desperately tried to dissuade him, but they knew in fact that they couldn’t. After all, once his mind was made up, their father stubbornly pushed ahead.

“Even if I die here, I will be buried on my estate so there are no regrets. I have lived thus far being granted the title of Duke from the Empire, so what will I not do to be remembered as a loyal subject of my country!”

Resolute, Renawill shouted to the officers around him.

“Prepare an assault force of only tactical mages! I will lead it myself and strike the eastern front!”

“Yes, sir!”

Full of military spirit, the elites of Hasfeldt stepped forth.

All of them had been peers, seniors, and juniors to another at Tilette Academy, meaning they were all veterans.

“We’ve contacted the Eastern Command; they said backup is always welcome.”

“Good. Get the White Night scrolls.”

White Night.

If there was a top contributor in this war, it would be this scroll.

Did they say this was incomplete?

Currently, Aether was revealed as Winter Heaven. The Beast Rosemary had told him that this was her younger twin’s Innate Magic.

─ It’s incomplete, but it hurts like hell when hit by it. You could also die.

Even she, a Cataclysm, had said that, so even if the Demon King appeared, they should be able to deal an effective blow.

Am I vouching for her properly?

If he came out of this alive, he wanted to meet once more the girl who might have already surrendered.

He wanted to meet her and see the results of his trust, see if he had made the right decision. If this White Night was the result of vouching for her.

With such a future in mind, Renawill’s 30 000 elite soldiers headed towards the eastern front.

“What do we do, Klara.”

“It’s okay, Klais. It’ll be okay.”

Watching their father’s back as he moved further away, Klais bit down on her nails.

Many relatives had already died at the hands of Beasts; she didn’t want to lose any more of her family.

“...Still.”

She wanted to do it even if she knew she shouldn’t.

Desert the camp.

Not to flee, of course, but to prepare for what might happen. If she followed after her father, then she could prevent unexpected accidents.

But with the two of them being tactical mages, it was impossible. If the generals left their positions, who would command the western front?

In the end, all she could do was watch the easter sky with a mournful face.

But after some time–

“──!!!”

A massive white light rose in the eastern sky.

What they had feared had happened.

**Duke Hasfeldt was leading the mages heavily equipped with White Night.

With the help of the soldiers in the eastern front, they managed to break through the salient, drive out the Beasts, and take over the mountain.

- Waaaaaaah!

“We did it.”

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked around.

It was the same this time. Their troops had captured the base with only minor losses thanks to White Night.

Even ‘Castle Bravo’ who had been in the lead stumbled and retreated after being struck by a bunch of White Nights.

“We camp here and strengthen the borders. Our goal is to hold out until the elves arrive!”

Just as he was saying that–

A giant shadow was cast across the sky.

“......!”

One by one, the mages who had been shouting in victory looked up.

“W-what is that.”

“D-dear Goddess.”

Something... big–

Was descending towards them.

We’ve been tricked.

It looked like a bomb no matter how one looked at it, and Renawill had to feel his vision go dark.

“Everyone retreat, retreat!”

Neiiighhh!

Whether it was a horse or golem, he grabbed something to get on and took the reins.

A gut feeling that they would all die if they stayed here.

The instinctive fear–imprinted in the genes of humans as they had survived thousands of years–flashed through Renawill’s eyes in the form of a bomb.

He had to avoid it. Run away. Get out.

- The enemy is returning!

- Help me!

- Kuaaaargh!!

- Don’t step on me!!

It didn’t even take three seconds to get here.

When the atomic bomb, falling at terminal speed, was full of heat and soon ready to detonate–

“My daughters.”

Renawill was ready to die.

“──!!”

In the next moment, a clear sound of an explosion burst in his ears.

His head rang, his mind was stunned. The ground shook like crazy and made it difficult for him to uphold himself.

A shudder ran through his whole being.

Renawill felt something extremely hot at his back.

Wait. I can feel?

Barely pulling himself together, he turned around. The robe and winter military cap he was wearing were lightly caught on fire.

Renawill hurriedly rolled in the snow. The temperatures were below freezing, thankfully, so just burying himself in the snow prevented the fire from spreading.

He composed himself and quickly made a makeshift igloo. When he poked his head out of the snow cave, his subordinates were doing something similar as they were trained to do.

Did we... survive?

How?

Just a moment ago, they had definitely been at ground zero.

Renawill turned his head to where there was an unusual amount of clouds in the far distance. There, a mushroom cloud he had never seen before was rising.

- What on earth is that?

Indeed, just what kind of monster was that?

“Is it indeed a new weapon of the Demon Army?”

As Renawill was muttering this–

“Father!”

“Fatheeer!!”

His two daughters, the apples of his eyes.

Klara Hasfeldt and Klais Hasfeldt swiftly ran over to where he was, and behind them were backup forces as well.

“Father...!”

“Thank goodness. Thank goodness.......”

Klais sank to the ground, and Klara hugged him tight.

Renawill also felt something overwhelming at his daughters’ reactions.

It was relief.

“I’m sorry, I went out and worried you.”

“No, we’re just happy that you’re alive.”

At the thought that he might have passed from this world leaving these children, a belated chill ran down his spine.

- What. We’re alive?

How are we alive?

What the hell is that magic?

“Everyone over here!”

Renawill gathered the scattered soldiers troop by troop.

And amazingly, there wasn’t much of a difference in the number he had counted right after the battle at the salient.

“My lord, I don’t know how this happened.”

“You don’t either? Is there anyone who knows?”

“.......”

It was truly strange.

“Klais, where is this?”

“It’s the western front, at least tens of kilometers from the east over there.......”

“We were over there for sure. We should have died.”

Renawill looked over the ground, then sky, and frowned.

Did the Goddess protect us?

“It could be teleportation magic.”

“Teleportation? By whom?”

Teleportation was a high-level magic. There wouldn’t be many who were able to use it.

And to be able to teleport 30 000 people at once, it would require incredible finesse and calculations to build that magic circle.

It would be a realm that was simply impossible for the human brain.

“The enemy is coming again!!”

He didn’t think long.

Stepping on the bodies of their comrades, wolf-like Beasts were coming over the mountain.

“Get into interception postures!”

They were already at their limit due to constant battle, but they still had to join together and stop those things.

They had just survived a massive explosion; they couldn’t die here.

“...Urgh!”

“Father!”

His vision suddenly blacked out.

“Not good. It’s mana-deficiency.”

“Klara, take Father to the back. I’ll manage here somehow.”

“You rested for only a little yourself. How are you going to kill all of those!”

“......So I’ll do something about it.”

Thududududududud.

A horde of Beasts was charging ferociously like white horses across the wilderness.

There wasn’t a single one that was a Calamity or higher. Tough opponents unless they had Flare.

They were out of Flare scrolls due to over ten rounds of battle. Now Klais had to take them down with pure skill alone.

“Kugh....”

Just as she was thinking that it was a hopeless situation–

[~♪ ♬]

Music pierced through the sky.

“......?”

“What is that?”

“Where did the violin come from?”

The mages who had been ready for combat searched for the source of the sound with dazed expressions.

Scrrr.

One by one, the charging Beasts came to a halt.

Creak, scrr.

The Fenrirs that had been aggressive a moment ago turned around making relatively gentle mechanical noises.

Crunch!

Then taking one, two steps, they began clawing and biting at their comrades who were following behind them.

[──!!!]

The violin played faster and faster, and the number of Beasts that seemed to be bewitched by something increased exponentially.

And it didn’t end there.

Dead Beasts, metals buried in the ground.

Anything related to cold machines transformed into allies and were fending off all of the Demon Army’s attacks.

“This is....”

The Hasfeldt sisters rubbed at their eyes and looked dazed.

Magic that was at a level equal to or far exceeded the Ultimate Earth Magic ‘Mecharomancia’.

[Legendary Innate Magic ─ Requiem]

The violin came to a stop.

The solo performance from the first movement to the final announced its end. At the same time, the movements of the Beasts that had been acting possessed also stopped right there.

Having fulfilled their roles, the Beasts staggered and just fell dead.

“Ahahahahaha─!!”

Then followed a mad laughter.

Unlike the sound of the playing, they were able to locate it.

Everyone’s eyes turned there.

“Yes, this is why you command an army. The euphoria of turning the tide of battle in an instant! The exhilaration! It’s why I can’t quit the guerilla, you know?”

Flowing blueberry-colored hair. Titanium prosthetic hands shining as if they had been painted silver. Gold eyes burning yellow like the sun.

And finally, an evil expression that couldn’t be made by a human.

“You inferior humans, bow your heads right now if you know how to be grateful!”

A Cataclysm, and Quartus of the Great Nine Mechas.

“Rosemary the Requiem is here!”