Ruthless? Maybe. Inhumane? Also maybe.
Necessary? Absolutely.
Jean might think of Kevin as a lunatic.
Her first instinct was to evacuate the soldiers while on the other hand, while Kevin's first impulse was to have both parties lose their wits and lives.
It couldn't be helped— Kevin desired running through a test; whether or not the quantity of souls could make up for the quality.
Kevin didn't have the time or energy to run around searching for other magi for the sake of his own convenience. Even if he found a mage or two, in this secular world distant from magic, every mage is a strategic weapon of a noble household rarely exposed into the open.
Furthermore, whichever magi roaming the secular world are at the very least confident in themselves— a fledgling novice like Kevin can't overpower them even if he tried.
Kevin wasn't lying when he mentioned destabilizing the entire political situation of the seven kingdoms by climbing the social ladder.
He wasn't wrong about his conjecture either; two armies each with at least 4,800 soldiers.
If close to 10,000 recruits were to lie forever after in the cold snowy fields, leaving behind families unattended and farms uncultivated; that would shake the foundations of a few dominions.
This matter might blow up so badly, pulling a duke or two from their high horses.
Kevin wanted to enter the political scene with a bang.
He smiled. A cool smile that made the winter sky seem cozy.
With great anticipation of what to come, Kevin weaved through the barracks, scouring for whatever combustive materials and explosives there were to find.
Standard explosives, stationary and throwables, weren't that difficult of an innovation in a world rich with magic. Surely, it wasn't up to par with missiles and rocket launchers, but these would work just fine.
Furthermore, he needed but a few to detonate the tall hills behind the barracks, sealing the army's path to retreat.
Stimulated by facing certain death, anyone would go crazy. Morale wouldn't even matter at that point.
It'd be akin to walking down a narrow path and settling at a crossroads where if you turn left, you find hell; turn right, you find hell.
The atmosphere in the barracks felt a bit off as one high-ranking officer after another went in and out of Jean's tent.
In no time at all, books and scrolls about novice magi were delivered to Kevin's tent, and he spent the rest of his waiting hours reading through them.
Half a day later, issues started picking up.
The transport carts had a wheel broken, a horse died, and another fell ill. A coachman went missing, and troubles were logistics, contradicting commands, and small skirmishes.
This chaos was music to Kevin's ears as he interpreted it as Jean's okay signal. With that in mind, he also withdrew from the barracks and into the high hills behind.
As he walked into the hills, he sank into his mind and searched for that mysterious existence through the subtle link of his third eye.
"I know you can hear me," said Kevin in his mind, "I need you to give me a catalog of spells, anything will do."
No response.
Kevin kept his patience while trekking the rocky hills, waiting for a response. It was this voice that granted him the spell upon his awakening.
Although the two didn't communicate much ever since the advancement in power should have stimulated the voice enough to pass down one spell at least.
What distinguishes between a newly awakened mage and a novice mage? Other than their mental power capacity, the mastered spell charts count.
A newly awakened mage's mental powers are barely sufficient to operate
According to the records;
Kevin didn't have a single model for novice-level spells— these things aren't common knowledge, unlike the speculated levels of magi.
He wasn't discouraged, however, he was certain that the voice in his head would sooner or later convey a catalog of spell models with sufficient nodes. Thus, for a while now, Kevin kept on stimulating his third eye with mental energy.
Time and time again, despite the mental fatigue.
His memory told him the road is narrow and straight yet his eyes told him otherwise. He Lost track of how many times he almost stumbled off the edge and into a pit of certain death, instinctively pulling back.
Quite dangerous it was; mentally exhausting himself in such an oxygen-deprived environment.
Just as he brushed shoulders with death for the umpteenth time, his eyes blanked out for a moment.
A model for the spell
Once known as the flame of redemption. Since then, it fell from grace and became the flame of the sinful. Excited by the negativity and gloom of the lowly mortal souls, these contagious flames bloom in the hearts of the disgraced.
Furthermore, the accompanying chant and connotations for the spell were also engraved into his soul; word by word. Literally so.
Knees buckled and body swayed.
Head buzzed. Eyes sealed.
Veins throbbed. Blood thrummed.
Painful, very painful. Delightful, so delightful.
The chart of the
"Too unstable," Kevin furiously kneaded his forehead, feeling incapacitated.
Oh, how he desired to channel his mental energy and connect the different nodes in accordance with the model, but he couldn't deviate the slightest sliver of mental energy from his third eye at the moment. He could— at the cost of crippling his third eye… Yeah, not so practical is it?
"How frustrating," mumbled Kevin, chuckling to himself. A new spell, right there by his fingertips, yet he couldn't use it for more than one reason.
Tossing and turning these thoughts in his head wouldn't lead anywhere. Thus, with great reluctance at that, Kevin struggled to his feet and continued to scale the hills one at a time while planting explosives.
Just like that, the day roughly went by. Around dusk, Kevin glimpsed in the direction of the northern borders habitually, only to spot a black river of steel creeping over.
…
"They're coming," lightly commented Kevin as he stormed into Jean's tent. However, he almost tripped over the moment he saw her. "What are you doing?!"
Reeking of liquor and drowsy eyes.
Military uniform in pieces on the ground.
Pursed lips. Red eyes.
"Oh my days, aren't you worried someone might have seen you in this mess of a state? Get a hold of yourself," it took a moment for Kevin to collect his thoughts and bind the curtains closed.
Thinking about it, she had sent all of her close-aids away by now; no one would dare barge into her tent without permission.
Well, Kevin found himself to be an exception.
"Who is coming?"
Asked Jean, though her head lay heavily on the desk in a clear display of lacking interest.