Multiple spells activated in sequence.
Seeing the magic rise around me without the slightest sign of exhaustion on my face, my opponent's expression stiffened.
He clearly hadn't expected me to cast another barrage of spells without a second's hesitation right after conjuring dozens of wind blades.
Even so, I didn't let my guard down. Even a low-rank knight was a superhuman capable of cleaving through steel and bone with an ordinary sword.
A moment's carelessness could prove fatal.
FWOOSH—
Fire flared up in front of me. Conjured above the bare dirt, a fireball trailed a red tail as it hurtled straight toward him.
"...!"
He threw himself aside in a hurry. Dodging a Fire Strike instead of meeting it head-on was a sensible choice, though unfortunately for him—
FWOOOOSH—
I hadn't conjured just one fireball. Flames formed one after another, cutting off his avenues of escape.
On top of that, several remaining Wind Blades sliced in toward his flank.
Spinning blades of wind whipped up the flames of the adjacent Fire Strikes, wrapping themselves in fire as they tore at his side.
"Ugh...!"
With a sharp grunt, he twisted his arm.
CLANG—
A sword wreathed in faint blue light knocked away the flame-wrapped wind blades.
Proving he really was a former knight, he managed to block attacks coming from angles an ordinary bandit wouldn't even have been able to react to.
To an onlooker, the fluid motion would have been worthy of applause, yet it did nothing to change his predicament.
Freshly cast Wind Blades were already surging toward him again.
"...Goddamn it. Call this a low-rank mage?"
Seamless, non-stop spellcasting. Rattled by a fight playing out nothing like he had pictured, he glared at me and spat a curse.
I never once called myself a low-rank mage, though.
Well, fair enough. Judged strictly by the circle of the spells I knew, since I only had spells of the 3rd Circle and below, classifying me as a low-rank mage wasn't wrong.
The one difference was that I could spam those spells tirelessly.
FWOOSH—
He was being pushed further and further onto the back foot. Unable to even think of closing the distance against the combination of fire and wind blades, he was reduced to frantic defense until a grim resolve settled over his face.
He sucked in a short breath. Twisting his foot at an angle, he kicked off the ground. Rather than staying pinned on the defensive, he clearly intended to eat the flames and go for a single lethal strike.
I couldn't match his physical speed, but having already anticipated that move, I widened the distance while casting a new spell.
Ice Touch.
Heat filled the air all around us. Then, like a sudden draft of icy wind, a blue hand materialized and slammed into his foot mid-charge.
"...!"
His stride snagged and slowed for a split second.
The gap between us had still closed considerably in the meantime, of course, yet that brief opening was more than enough for my next move.
There was only one reason I had baited this nimble, dodging bastard into charging straight at me and hampered his movement.
To land a surefire finishing blow.
Whoooosh. A massive amount of mana drained away in an instant.
At the same time, the tip of the metal rod I had drawn beforehand pointed squarely at him and unleashed a tremendous explosion.
KABOOOM—!
A deafening blast rocked the ground. Unless he was some transcendent powerhouse, there was no way a low-rank knight could take a Dwarven Hand Cannon point-blank and walk away intact.
As if to prove it, shattered bits of armor and spatters of blood flew across the area.
Hit dead-on, Barak died instantly. Turning my eyes away from the remnants raining down a beat later, I let out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
Even after spamming dozens of spells and firing the Hand Cannon on top of that, I felt no pain whatsoever.
Still, as the focus and muscle tension I had maintained throughout the fight ebbed away, a slight wave of fatigue washed over me.
Well, from the outside, I probably looked completely unharmed without a single scratch on me.
"My god..."
A voice drifted over from a short distance away. Sitting just outside the range of the clash, the Count's son was staring blankly in my direction.
He had a few bruises, though nothing that looked like it needed immediate first aid.
"Can you walk?"
A simple question. Still looking a bit dazed, Harsen nodded slowly.
Brushing the dirt roughly off my shoes, I spoke in an even tone.
"Then get up and follow me."
Good thing I don't have to bother carrying him on my back or propping him up.
The surrounding smoke was gradually thinning out. Turning my gaze from Harsen as he staggered to his feet and began following me, I walked on.
***
The battle wrapped up quickly.
Left to their individual fighting strength, the bandits were no better than a rabble; the only thing holding them together had been Barak, a former knight.
With him blown to pieces by my hand, the enemy had no hope left.
What was more, the other half of our forces—who had been waiting in the rear to cut off the enemy's retreat—spotted the smoke rising from our side and closed the encirclement.
Although our side had suffered quite a few casualties, in the end, we had scored a decisive victory.
Even so, the mood was closer to relief than celebration.
Had I not stepped up, the main force would have been caught dead to rights in a textbook trap and wiped out.
"Did you see that earlier? How the wind carved out a path and drove back the black smoke?"
On the march back, people kept sneaking glances at me with eyes completely different from when we had set out, muttering quietly among themselves.
"...I have never seen anything like that in my life."
"A mage? Didn't they say he was the Adventurers' Guild representative?"
"Adventurer, my ass! I'd bet everything I own he's at least an intermediate mage."
Voices drifted over from all around. Giving a wry smile, I rode my horse forward.
Black smoke had blinded everyone on that battlefield. Ironically, because of that very smoke, everyone had clearly seen me carving an open path through the haze with Wind Blades.
"...That really was something."
Riding alongside me, Renia murmured softly in agreement with the chatter around us.
I shifted my gaze and glanced over at Harsen.
His expression looked complicated.
Between shock at my unexpected strength, relief at barely escaping with his life, and the trauma of watching the knight who had loyally protected him die right before his eyes, he didn't seem to be in any state to open his mouth.
"..."
As if sensing my gaze, he glanced back toward me. I didn't look away, and after a moment, he gave me a slight nod before facing forward and riding on.
The weather was gradually warming toward summer. In the distance, the outline of Cailen's outer walls came faintly into view.
***
Word of what had happened at the bandit stronghold spread like wildfire.
After all, the expedition had included not just regular soldiers, but adventurers and mercenaries as well.
"...Kael, word has arrived from the castle!"
I was resting at the Adventurers' Guild when Branch Manager Dennis walked up, his face slightly flushed with excitement.
In his hand fluttered a single sheet of paper. Since he was waving his hand around, I couldn't make out the writing, though the lord's official seal stamped at the bottom was unmistakable.
'They processed things faster than I thought.'
We had only returned from the expedition yesterday. With all the aftermath to sort out, I had figured it would take at least a few days.
"Does it mention the special reward?"
Sitting a short distance away, Renia chimed in abruptly. At her question, a smile tugged at the corners of Dennis's mouth.
"Of course it does. Care to hazard a guess?"
"...Well, isn't it obvious? Everyone there saw what happened."
She glanced my way as she spoke. Beaming, Dennis nodded.
"Indeed. It says the special reward promised at the start will be bestowed upon you, Kael. To think you actually pulled it off!"
Count Cailen wouldn't have had any choice in the matter.
He had staked his own name on the public proclamation that the special reward would go to whoever achieved the greatest merit.
He could never have imagined an outsider would outshine the expedition commander by such a margin.
"Haha. This must be a bitter pill for the Count to swallow, eh? Having to hand over that pricey elixir pill just like that."
Branch Manager Dennis looked thoroughly pleased in more ways than one.
More than simply being happy that I was getting the reward, of course, he was thrilled that having a powerhouse represent us had sent the Adventurers' Guild's standing in the city soaring.
"Hmm. It says for you to visit at your convenience, Kael."
Having snatched the letter from the branch manager, Renia skimmed down the lines and spoke.
With the knight's death and casualties running higher than expected, it seemed the Count had no intention of throwing a grand victory banquet.
Well, hosting a party where a stranger took center stage instead of his own son would have been awkward anyway.
It made no difference to me. All I cared about was collecting my reward.
"Is that so? Then I might as well head over right now."
Nodding, I took the letter from Renia and stood up.
"You shouldn't need any special preparations. The Count will probably just want to hand over the reward quietly."
"Hey, make sure you tell us how that obscenely expensive pill tastes after you eat it!"
Giving a casual nod to Renia and Dennis, I stepped out of the guild building and headed toward the lord's castle visible in the distance.