It was a bright morning, with the sun shining down on the flatlands below. The ground stretched endlessly, green and covered in flowers, with a long road extending toward the horizon. Scattered trees dotted the landscape, and far off in the distance, towering mountains reached the clouds. Birds chirped in this peaceful morning, dogs ran through the flowers, and squirrels hid within the trees.
Amid this long road, there was a flower—one that did not grow in the lush greenery ahead. It had separated from its companions, blooming and opening up in the middle of the path. It was a white flower with a yellow center, as bright as the sun. However, it was soon crushed under the hooves of a horse pulling a luxurious, large carriage. The carriage was crimson and adorned with gold, clearly expensive and regal. It was pulled by two horses, one white and the other black. The grand vehicle continued on its way, leaving the crushed flower behind.
"We're getting close," muttered a man in a fine suit with a long, twisted mustache, holding the reins that controlled the horses. He seemed to be the driver.
"I haven't seen the Pascal fiefdom in a long time. It'll bring back memories once we arrive," said a man in a black cloak embroidered with red. This was Beltum, Princess Tiana's personal guard outside the palace.
"I've heard rumors that some dwarves launched protests against Pascal," the driver remarked, gazing at the horizon.
"The protests were suppressed," Beltum replied.
"My God, those dwarves demand mountains that aren't even theirs. They're truly annoying," the driver muttered.
A brief silence settled between them, until Beltum fixed his gaze ahead and quietly, but quickly, said:
"Slow down!"
The driver reduced the carriage's speed, and the horses began to move more cautiously. Two figures in gray robes, their faces concealed, appeared walking down the road toward the carriage. One was of average height, while the other was shorter. They seemed like mere travelers heading toward their destination, but Beltum sensed something unusual about them. In eerie silence, the carriage moved slowly as the two figures approached with an enigmatic aura. They walked with a cold demeanor, not uttering a single word, their long robes swaying in the wind.
Step by step, the two figures got closer. The driver halted the carriage as he realized their proximity. In an instant, he leapt from his seat with astonishing speed toward one of the figures. However, in a swift reaction, the figure drew a sword from behind their back and parried the driver's twin daggers. The driver retreated, and the two figures drew their swords, throwing off their gray robes.
They were women. One was of average height with short red hair and crimson eyes, wielding a red blade. The other, nearly identical in appearance, had short red hair and red eyes but was shorter in stature, holding a long black sword. Beltum descended from the carriage and said:
"Jalen, leave them to me!"
"Are you sure?" Jalen asked, gripping his daggers.
"Yes! Go guard the princess. Don't let anyone approach the carriage!" Beltum ordered, stepping away from the carriage.
"Show me what you've got," Jalen muttered, twirling his long, twisted mustache.
The two women assumed fighting stances, gripping their swords tightly. Facing them stood Beltum, his long cloak dancing in the breeze. Calmly, he said:
"A murderous intent radiates from you. May I know who you are?"
The taller woman ignored Beltum's request, leaping forward and leaving the shorter one behind. She pulled her sword back, clearly aiming to slash Beltum from the shoulder. In an instant, a fiery shield materialized, blocking her attack. Forced to retreat, she maintained a distance between herself and Beltum. Her withdrawal was brief, however, as she quickly lunged forward again, aiming a low kick at Beltum's legs to knock him down.
"Oh, dear! A girl trying to trip me?" Beltum remarked, launching himself into the air with a fiery spell.
After a brief flight, Beltum landed far from the two women. He raised his hand and chanted:
"FOTIA!"
Suddenly, dozens of fireballs shot toward the women, resulting in several explosions. A massive cloud of dust rose into the air, and silence fell over the road. As Jalen and Beltum watched the cloud, the women emerged unscathed, charging through the debris at a terrifying speed with their swords ready.
"My goddess! How are they unharmed after enduring Fotia's attack?!" Jalen exclaimed, watching the red-haired women.
"Savios Blazios!" Beltum shouted, retreating slightly.
A fiery spiral erupted from Beltum's hand, rushing toward the women. The shorter one evaded the attack with incredible speed, but the taller one was struck and sent flying. She landed on her feet, though her black armor was scorched. Clearly crafted from a durable material, the armor had protected her body, but the attack had been overwhelming.
While the taller woman contemplated the power of the blow, the shorter one dashed toward Beltum. He fired several fireballs at her, but she dodged them all, leaping toward him with her sword raised and murderous intent evident on her face. The green-eyed mage greeted her with a sinister grin.
"Tatios Fatos..."
A fiery vortex surrounded Beltum, shielding him from the red-haired woman's assault. She attempted to strike him despite the blazing barrier, but her sword melted instantly, forcing her to retreat in shock. The vortex eventually dissipated, revealing Beltum once again.
"So this is the power of the Flame Caster... Impressive," the taller woman said as she approached her partner, who was still shaken by her melted weapon.
Suddenly, her sword reformed, appearing as if it had never melted. This time, the blade glowed red, emitting a crimson aura that radiated power from afar. The two women readied themselves for another round of combat. Beltum lowered his flames, observing his opponents carefully from a distance.
"Black obsidian armor and enchanted swords... Are you spies from Deryal? No, that's not a question—you clearly are," Beltum muttered.
"Is Deryal planning to start another war now, while we're preoccupied with the demons?" he added.
"Preoccupied with demons, yet you send your princess to celebrate her birthday? How ridiculous. While your people and soldiers suffer on the coasts, you celebrate in rural areas far from the war's troubles. What a disgrace," the shorter woman retorted angrily.
"That's none of your concern. Now, what is your purpose here?" Beltum demanded in a loud voice.
"We..." the short girl shouted, but the other one quickly stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Sister... can't I speak?" asked the short girl.
"You've already said more words than allowed," the other replied sternly, stepping forward toward Beltum, gripping her sword.
Then, the short girl pointed her blade at Beltum and said in a cold voice:
"Rubyia!"
In an instant, a ruby-colored beam shot rapidly toward Beltum, who quickly tried to adjust to the situation. However, the taller girl leapt at him from above. Acting on instinct, Beltum created a magical dome to shield himself from the short girl's beam, but it shattered instantly when the red-bladed attacker struck it from above.
Beltum jumped back, avoiding her attack, which left a deep fissure in the ground. He then raised his hand, unleashing a massive barrage of firebolts aimed directly at the attacker in front of him. Seizing the opportunity, Beltum retreated to create enough distance to cast his spells. Meanwhile, the taller girl also ran forward to support her sister, and together they leapt at Beltum like lionesses hunting a lone gazelle in the wild.
"My goddess! Their leap is terrifying!" Beltum exclaimed as he kept retreating, preparing to cast his spells.
"FOTIA!"
A dozen fireballs launched toward the two sisters, but this time, they dodged them with ease and continued their assault on the shocked mage. Unfortunately for Beltum, the short girl managed to strike him in the shoulder with her glowing blade, leaving him wounded. The injury was severe, causing blood to spill. Beltum quickly retreated and cast a healing spell, but all it did was ease the pain of the wound.
Far from the battle, inside the carriage, Tiana poked her head out of the window, trying to assess the situation while holding back her blonde hair, which was obstructing her view. After a moment, she spotted Jalen standing in front of the carriage door, watching the fight intently, gripping his daggers tightly as an ominous aura radiated from him—an aura Tiana could feel even from inside the carriage.
"Hey, Jalen, what in the name of the Moon Goddess is going on?!" Tiana shouted.
"Your Highness, we are under attack by spies from Deryal. Please, stay inside the carriage," Jalen replied, bowing to Tiana.
"Noooo!!!" screamed Tiana as she pulled her head back into the carriage.
Amid the chaos of the fight, Beltum had infused his body with an immense amount of fire magic. Suddenly, the taller girl hurled her sword at Beltum with precision, aiming for his chest. But in a split second, the sword was deflected away by Jalen, who had thrown one of his daggers.
"Jalen, you idiot! I told you to guard the carriage!" Beltum shouted.
"Guard it from what?" Jalen asked, his gaze locked on the two sisters, feeling the overwhelming aura they were now exuding.
The short girl charged at Beltum with her sword, a red aura surging from every part of her body. In a terrifying and shocking moment, she managed to deliver a devastating blow to Beltum's abdomen, causing him to collapse to the ground, spitting out a large amount of blood. She then prepared to cut off Beltum's head as he lay before her.
But in a flash, Jalen struck her head with a powerful kick, forcing her to stumble back in pain. Beltum got up, glaring at the girl who had wounded his abdomen, while she wiped blood from her mouth, a result of Jalen's kick. Suddenly, Beltum's eyes ignited with flames, and fire surged from them. He raised both hands, channeling an enormous amount of magic, and aimed them at the two sisters.
"RYUFLAMIA!!!!!!"
When Beltum roared the spell, the sisters quickly retreated, running away from the terrifying mage whose eyes burned with fire. In an instant, a massive flaming dragon emerged from his hands, launching toward the sisters at incredible speed. The spell, a massive torrent of fiery energy in the shape of a ravenous dragon with its jaws wide open, was an attack of immense heat and power. The fiery dragon charged toward the sisters, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
"What a Grandspell!" Jalen exclaimed, stunned by the magnitude of the attack.
After a long moment, the flames of the spell faded, and a thick cloud of dust settled. What remained was a horrifying sight: a scorched path stretching far into the distance, blackened and littered with ash. Trees in the area had been reduced to brittle, charred branches crumbling with the wind. The ground was stained black from the intense burns. Yet, strangely, there was no sign of the two sisters, as if they had vanished into the inferno.
"Wait, I'll grab you some healing potions," Jalen said as he headed back to the carriage.
Beltum, who had collapsed from the sheer force of the spell, struggled to his feet. He looked out at the charred horizon left in the wake of his attack, clenched his teeth in frustration, and shouted:
"Damn it! They're not dead!!"
◆ ◆ ◆
In a vast garden, behind a fence filled with red flowers, a young man sat wearing a white shirt and black trousers. He was reading a book with his emerald-green eyes, holding it in one hand while touching a red flower with the other. His name was Laos, and he seemed fully focused on the book.
God, this flower has no scent. I thought it would smell sweet… Never mind. What matters now is how amazing magic is. Reading about it is so enjoyable, especially when you know magic really exists. I've learned a lot, like how magic is tied to words when you try to release it from your body.
For example, "Mizuria" creates a balls of water, and this type of spell is called a midspell. It requires saying its name. Then there are normal spells that don't need chanting, called lowspells. My favorite, though, is grandspells. They're the best! Grandspells are used only in critical situations because they drain all your magic power, but their strength is incredible—they can kill dozens of people at once.
Yooh!! this is so exciting! When will I be able to release magic from my body? Magic works wonderfully in this world. You can even create enchanted swords powered by your own magic, which means the sword won't break until your magic runs out. You can also increase your magic capacity to hold more power, but I still don't know how that works. It's fascinating! Learning magic makes me happy.
After this, Laos got lost in his imagination and forgot about learning magic. He started picturing himself as a powerful mage surrounded by a harem, saying to them, "Ladies, one at a time."
Oh no! Unfortunately, I can't launch a fireball by yelling "Faia Boru!" or fire a flaming projectile by shouting "Faia Boruto!" Sadly, this isn't Danmachi. God, reading about magic and learning it makes me so happy... I'm going to change my goal. Once I escape this fucking palace, I'll carve my path to become the greatest mage in Staria!
Suddenly, while I was talking to myself, I heard shouting from the palace garden's entrance. I stood up to see what was happening and was shocked. It was Tiana's carriage. What is it doing here? Didn't they say her trip would take more than two weeks with rest days for the horses? And about a week if they changed horses without stopping to rest. What the hell is going on?!
"Come quickly and heal Beltum!" Tiana shouted as she lifted her dress to keep it from touching the ground and ran toward the palace entrance.
Heal Beltum? God, what the hell is happening here?! I didn't want Tiana to see me for some reason, so I went behind the palace. Seeing her ruined all the happiness I was feeling. Fuck that woman! She's the reason for all my suffering... I held my chest as I felt a heavy pang of sadness and depression overwhelm me. God, I feel like crying. I just wish some assassin had killed her during her trip so she wouldn't return! Why is that bitch back?!!