We pulled the carriage over to the side of the highway and settled in to wait for Lutz.
As it turned out, no one in our group was particularly good at the "waiting" part of the job.
By the next morning, Anton and several of the Werl knights had apparently reached their limit. They headed out early to hunt, claiming it doubled as a security patrol—though that sounded highly suspicious to me. Regardless, they returned a short while later with a boar and several rabbits. Since we’d been living off nothing but jerky during our travels, the prospect of fresh meat for dinner was a welcome luxury that lifted everyone’s spirits.
While they were out, Mira and Big Sister Therese spent the entire time sparring. Mira’s daggers moved with such blinding speed that it looked as if Therese could barely keep up, doing everything in her power just to parry the strikes with her mace. They’d promised to stop their blows before making contact, but watching them still made my heart race with anxiety.
Lina, meanwhile, had found an open patch of ground with little grass. A small flame hovered just above her palm. She thrust it forward, and the fire streaked away in a straight line—only to suddenly swerve mid-flight.
"Eh?"
The flame struck a stray stone and vanished.
"Did that... just curve?" I asked.
"...Yes," Lina whispered.
"How did you do it?"
Lina tilted her head, thinking for a moment, then shook it. "...I don't know. I just thought, 'go that way,' and it did."
Professor Berta’s lessons had never mentioned a way to interfere with a spell after it had already been cast. I wondered if this was a unique talent of Lina’s.
◇◇◇
That night, as I sat watching Lina stare intently into the campfire, her long ears suddenly twitched.
I followed her gaze toward the forest just as a figure in a gray cloak emerged from the trees.
"Ah."
The sound escaped my lips before I could stop it. Lutz walked toward us with one hand raised, looking for all the world like he was just returning from a casual stroll. A single leaf was still stuck to the hem of his cloak.
"That was faster than I expected," Katia said, standing up.
"I’m a former scout-class adventurer, Milady. I know how to see what needs seeing."
With that, Lutz crouched by the embers of the fire. Anton, Mira, and the others quickly gathered around him. Lutz picked up a fallen branch and traced a long, narrow line in the dirt, sketching out the shape of a valley.
"First off, let me tell you—we’ve got a hit, Lord Rein."
Everyone in the circle held their breath.
"The back of the valley is nothing but fields. Rye. And the tips of the ears are covered in black. I saw several men working the fields, picking only those black parts and putting them into baskets. They knew exactly what they were doing. There's no mistaking it."
"...I see," I murmured.
"There are several barns above the fields. But the real problem is what’s above them." The tip of his branch tapped the upper part of the drawing. "Double wooden fences built along the slope. Inside, there are barracks and a watchtower. The only way up is a single, narrow path partitioned by the fences."
"Double fences and a watchtower... Is it a castle?"
Lutz gave a short, dry laugh. "It’s no castle. It’s not a village or a town, either. If I had to give it a name, I’d call it a small fortress. And that path... I have a feeling it was designed as a kill zone."
"What are we looking at for numbers?" Anton asked.
"From what I could see, there are at least twenty men."
"The total strength is... well, I suppose it’s too much to ask for an exact count."
"Based on the size of the fortress, I doubt they have more men than we do. The real trouble is that I saw staff-bearers."
"Staff-bearers..." I repeated, the term bringing Professor Berta to mind.
"Several men who didn't look like soldiers were carrying staves," Lutz explained. "Magic users are usually nobles or fallen aristocrats. There’s no reason for a group of them to be out here in the middle of nowhere."
"Could Seltheim have set this up? Or is it someone else...?"
Lutz neither confirmed nor denied my suspicion. "We can worry about that later. The immediate problem is that they can rain magic and arrows down on that narrow path from above. There’s absolutely nowhere to take cover."
He traced the long, narrow section of his drawing again. I didn't need to see it in person to imagine how lethal it would be.
"Also, there’s likely a back path."
"A back path?"
"It weaves through the rocks behind the upper fence and leads out onto the ridge. It’s too narrow for horses or wagons, but a person could make it. Most likely an escape route."
"Can't we block it?" Katia asked impatiently. "Or circle around?"
"The terrain on both sides makes that difficult. To get behind them, we’d have to circle the entire mountain range."
"...Should we request reinforcements from a nearby lord?" Anton suggested.
"I considered that, but I’m not sure where that path leads. For all we know, it could go all the way to the enemy’s border. Besides, with Milady here..."
"If it's just a fence, I can use Earth Magic to build a set of stairs and go right over it!" Katia declared.
"Exactly," Lutz said. "We want to crush them quickly, so this is where we steel ourselves. We’ll have to be prepared for some casualties, though."
Lutz looked straight at Anton. "So, Battalion Commander. What about the Werl knights?"
"Absolutely not."
Anton’s refusal was instantaneous, coming before Lutz could even finish the question.
"Our mission is to escort Lord Rein home safely. We cannot leave him on the highway and enter the mountains."
"—Then I’ll go with you," I said.
Everyone turned to look at me.
"If I'm with the main group, you won't have to leave my side, right? I'm the one who brought everyone this far. I have a duty to see this through to the end."
"That is out of the question, Lord Rein."
"Father told me I should do as I see fit," I countered.
Even as I said it, I felt a twinge of guilt. It was a sly way to use his words.
"But..."
"Now, now," Lutz cut in. "We won't put the boy in any real danger. Milady and my men are the main force. He’ll just be there as a precaution, to make sure no one slips away."
Anton fell silent, thinking it over for a long moment before finally speaking.
"I have several conditions. Lord Rein, you are to stay in the rear and focus entirely on support. You are never to leave Mira’s side or mine. And if I tell you to retreat, you will do so immediately without asking why—even if the rest of the unit is on the brink of annihilation."
"I understand. I promise."
Anton turned back to Lutz. "Lutz. I will lend you my knights."
The planning moved quickly after that. The knights of House Werl would handle the frontal assault, while Anton and a few others would stay with me. Mira and Big Sister Therese were not to leave my side under any circumstances. Any wounded would be treated by Therese and myself.
Lina was technically a non-combatant, but since we couldn't leave her alone on the highway, she was assigned to be my assistant.
The moment I’d announced I was going, a look of grim resolve had settled over Katia’s face.
"...I'll take them all down," she whispered, stepping away from me. "I won't let anything put Rein in danger."
Lutz stood up and raised his voice to address the gathered knights.
"Alright, it's settled. Get your gear ready tonight. We move out while it’s still dark the day after tomorrow. We’ll reach the valley before dawn and strike as soon as the sun comes up."
At his command, the camp hummed into motion.