“···What? Th-The entire military tent?”
Adeline’s eyes widened the moment she heard Roan’s plan.
She had never heard of such a reckless plan before.
He intended to destroy the mage’s entire tent in the middle of the enemy camp!
Putting aside how audacious the plan was, was such a thing even possible in the first place?
Adeline looked at Roan cautiously and voiced her doubts.
“Lord Roan, i-is that really possible?”
But Roan merely answered with a confident smile.
“If I go all out, it is entirely possible.”
In truth, Roan’s original plan had not been this bold.
At first, he had intended to strike the military tent with a moderate amount of force and then retreat immediately. After all, he absolutely needed to have enough strength left to escape after the attack. There was no way he could make it out of the enemy camp after exhausting all of his power.
But Adeline’s arrival had changed the situation significantly.
Now, Roan no longer had to worry about retreating. Even if he poured everything he had into attacking the tent, Adeline could take him out of the enemy camp afterward.
That gave Roan an enormous strategic advantage.
He could now focus every bit of his strength on the attack.
“So while I am bringing down the mage’s tent, Lady Adeline, I want you to quietly secure a horse. That way, the moment this is over, we can escape immediately.”
Adeline remained silent for a moment.
Her eyes shifted from side to side.
Anxiety and worry still swirled in her heart, but at the same time, she found herself gradually being convinced by Roan’s confidence.
“···A-All right.”
In the end, Adeline had no choice but to nod.
Then she added one final remark, her voice filled with genuine concern.
“Please be careful, Lord Roan.”
“Lady Adeline, you must return safely as well.”
After Adeline left, Roan took another deep breath and looked toward the mage’s tent.
It was far larger and sturdier than he had expected.
The enormous structure of red cloth resembled a small fortress, and countless soldiers stood guard around it.
Of course, its outward appearance would not be the whole of it.
Roan could sense it with his keen instincts.
There were undoubtedly layers upon layers of protective magic set up both inside and outside the tent.
‘But··· with my two skills, I should have more than enough of a chance.’
Reassuring himself inwardly, Roan drew his sword.
A moment later, he began very slowly infusing the blade with the power of [Sylph’s Gift (C)].
Whoooooosh···!
A faint breeze soon began circling Roan’s sword.
At first, it was little more than a gentle flutter, but gradually, it grew stronger.
Roan’s hair and clothes began whipping in the wind.
It was said that a frog thrown into boiling water would immediately jump out and survive, while a frog placed in cold water that was heated little by little would fail to recognize the danger it was about to face and eventually die.
Perhaps that saying really was true.
Even as the sound of the wind steadily grew until it had become a ‘howling gale,’ the nearby soldiers still failed to notice anything was wrong.
Even if they heard it, they probably only thought, ‘The wind suddenly got stronger.’
“···Wh-What is that?”
But even this subtle trick could not conceal Roan’s presence forever.
About three minutes after Roan began pouring the power of [Sylph’s Gift (C)] into his sword, the situation finally began to change.
Some of the soldiers at last realized something was wrong and started gathering around Roan.
Wariness and confusion mingled on their faces.
Several of them had already spotted Roan and were preparing to shout.
But by then, it was already too late.
A victorious smile appeared on Roan’s lips.
“Haaaaah!”
At last, Roan swung his sword with all his strength.
ROOOOOAR—!
An immense storm blasted toward the mage’s tent.
“Gah!”
“D-Dodge!”
The soldiers guarding the mage’s tent panicked and scattered before the attack.
Their sense of duty to protect the mage had long since vanished from their minds.
And for good reason.
The storm bearing down on them was truly horrifying.
Their faces were filled with terror, and several of them even fainted where they stood.
BOOOOOOM—!
A moment later···!
The enormous storm finally slammed into the mage’s tent.
CRAAAAACK!
The instant it took the storm head-on, the tent was torn to pieces in the blink of an eye.
Shreds of red cloth went sailing through the air.
But this was only the beginning.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions suddenly erupted all across the remains of the tent.
It seemed the spells the mage had installed had triggered one another and exploded in a chain reaction.
It was nothing short of a grand festival of explosions.
Flames and smoke covered the sky.
BOOOOM!
“Aaagh! Save me!”
“Retreat! Everyone, retreat!”
Roan’s attack inflicted enormous damage not only on the mage’s tent, but also on the troops stationed around it.
Roan judged that no matter how powerful the mage was, there was no way he could have come through damage like this unharmed.
‘Good···! Now I just have to hold out until Lady Adeline gets back!’
Roan steadied himself and prepared for the next step.
All he had to do now was endure until Adeline returned.
He stayed alert and searched his surroundings for any sign of her.
“···Ignis Spira Volaris!”
But at that very moment—
The mage’s sinister voice suddenly rang out from within the blazing wreckage of the tent.
Roan was so startled that he twisted his body aside on instinct.
The movement was instantaneous, but that split second saved his life.
BOOOOM!
“Urgh!”
A massive fireball skimmed past Roan’s shoulder and smashed into the tent behind him.
Scorching heat brushed across his face, and the smell of burning reached his nose.
If he had reacted even slightly later, his body would have been reduced to ash by now.
‘Damn it, what the hell? He’s still alive?’
Cold sweat ran down Roan’s back.
The mage’s survival was completely unexpected.
With the power behind that previous attack, Roan had been certain it would be enough to kill him···!
“You bastard···! So this was your doing!”
Pain mingled with fury in the mage’s voice.
He staggered out through the burning wreckage of the tent.
But the moment Roan saw him, his expression turned strange.
The mage looked far worse than Roan had expected.
He looked as though he might die at any moment.
“Y-You bastard···! I’ll tear you apart and kill—!”
Thud···!
Sure enough.
The mage collapsed to the ground almost immediately.
Thinking it might still be a trap, Roan drew the dagger he always carried and hurled it at the mage’s head.
His movement was cautious but swift.
SQUELCH!
But what was this?
The dagger sank astonishingly deep into the mage’s head.
It was not a trap.
The mage really was dead.
‘Phew···! Looks like that fireball he launched earlier really was his last desperate struggle.’
Only then could Roan finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The tension drained from his shoulders.
The mage’s death was now certain.
All that remained was to escape this place safely.
But then an important thought suddenly flashed through Roan’s mind.
‘Wait, this isn’t over yet! I need to check the mage’s Skillbook!’
Roan had originally planned to check the mage’s Skillbook later.
He had assumed there would be no time during the assassination itself.
His original plan had been to carry out the assassination quickly and flee at once.
After all, Skillbooks were visible only to him.
He could always inspect the mage’s corpse later, after the enemy had completely withdrawn.
But that plan had one major flaw.
There was no guarantee that a Skillbook would still remain on an old corpse.
The enemy might also take the mage’s body away entirely.
‘So this is the best chance I’m going to get to check the Skillbook.’
Roan’s heart began pounding with anticipation.
He carefully looked around the mage’s corpse.
‘What kind of Skillbook will it be? That mage used all kinds of magic. Maybe I’ll get several Skillbooks···!’
Roan calmed his excitement and examined the corpse more closely.
But soon, his expression turned complicated.
Contrary to his expectations, the mage had left behind only a single Skillbook.
‘Come on, only one? ···No, I shouldn’t be too disappointed. At least I got one.’
Roan gave a bitter smile and picked up the lone Skillbook.
Its appearance was quite different from the ones he had seen until now.
Unlike the Skillbooks for [Half-Ogre Strength (B)] and [Sylph’s Gift (C)], which had been soft shades of green and blue, this Skillbook was extremely dark and ominous in color.
‘What does the color matter? What really matters is what’s inside.’
Roan steadied his pounding heart and checked the title on the cover.
All sorts of possibilities ran through his mind.
Could it be the powerful fireball spell the mage had just used?
Or perhaps an even stronger freezing spell?
But the words written on the Skillbook’s cover shattered all of his expectations.
[Seal of the Shadow Council]
“···What kind of skill is this supposed to be?”
Roan was baffled.
The name was far removed from the flashy, powerful attack magic he had been expecting.
In fact, he was not even sure whether it was a magic skill at all.
‘I’ll take it for now.’
Although he was puzzled by the skill’s identity, Roan carefully put the Skillbook away.
No matter how incomprehensible the skill seemed, it had come from defeating a powerful mage, so he was certain it had value of some kind.
“Lord Roan!”
At that moment, Adeline’s voice came from afar.
Her arrival could not have been better timed.
The enemy soldiers around them were gradually recovering from the chaos and beginning to notice Roan’s presence.
Adeline rapidly approached Roan on horseback.
Her face was filled with tension.
“Quickly! They’re going to surround us any moment now!”
Without hesitation, Roan grabbed the hand Adeline extended toward him.
For an instant, Adeline’s body tilted sharply toward Roan, but she recovered her balance with remarkable skill.
“Hyah!”
The moment Roan settled safely into the saddle, the horse burst into a full-speed gallop.
“After them! It’s the enemy!”
The enemy soldiers shouted from behind, but it was already too late.
Roan and Adeline quickly vanished from their sight.
‘···We did it! It worked!’
A while later, after they had completely shaken off their pursuers, Roan cheered inwardly.
Only now did it truly begin to sink in.
His plan had succeeded completely.
“Your help was invaluable, Lady Adeline! Thank you!”
“N-No, Lord Roan! I hardly did anything··· B-But, um, I think you may be holding me a little too tightly···”
He could hear Adeline muttering something in front of him, but Roan paid little attention.
Because right now, he was simply too happy!
And so, the two of them returned safely to Gallard Castle.
It had truly been a long day.