Yuuji, while healing Kenma, who was injured and completely drained of mana, talked to Laurent:
-"Laurent-san, our goal is to understand the reason behind the heavy taxes imposed on the villages and, if possible, solve this issue. If you can, please help us."
Selena Laurent, with a thoughtful expression, replied:
-"Honestly, I am not pleased with the situation we have left the villagers in either. However, collaborating with you would mean defying the Grandmaster's orders, and doing so would make me a criminal."
Kenma intervened:
-"Whether you help us or not, we will continue, and eventually, we will be declared as criminals anyway. If you're worried about losing your job, you can travel with us!"
-"No, but this would… tarnish my knightly honor."
Yuuji:
-"Doesn't the oppression of the villagers tarnish your knightly honor? I believe a knight should stand by justice and fight for it, no matter the outcome."
After thinking for a while, Laurent answered:
-"I suppose… you are right. I should join you and help to end this oppression."
At that moment, footsteps were heard. The three stood up and pulled themselves together. At the end of the corridor, a young girl knight appeared with a lantern:
-"Oh, Selena-senpai, I thought I heard a noise here, but it's you! Who… are these… guests?"
Selena:
-"Lyria, come, let me introduce you. These people are… my… assistants."
Both Yuuji and Kenma thought to themselves, 'seriously?'…
Lyria Elwood, Commander Laurent's assistant, with a saddened expression:
-"Selena-senpai, am I… am I not enough?"
Selena, regretful for upsetting her assistant, hastily replied:
-"No, it's not like that, Lyria! These people… these people and I… I mean we, um… forming a secret operation, yes! I was just about to come to find you, you are also part of this operation, Lyria!"
Lyria's sadness turned into happiness:
-"Really? Does this mean Selena-senpai has finally accepted me and included me in her missions?"
-"Y-yes, exactly! Welcome to our team! Guys, this is Lyria Elwood, my personal assistant and mage. Lyria, these are… Ke-Kenma… and…"
Yuuji immediately intervenes:
-"My name is Kageyama Yuuji, and my friend here is Kamisato Kenma. Nice to meet you."
Lyria:
-"Nice to meet you too! I've never seen you before; are you from a secret unit or something?"
-"Y-yes, umm…"
Kenma, with his usual calmness, intervened Yuuji and explained the situation in a way Lyria could understand:
-"Yes, we are from the internal inspection unit, a secret unit of the knights. The truth is, the recent orders from the Grandmaster are against our sense of justice. That's why we asked for Commander Laurent's support to solve this issue. We plan to investigate this matter together and search for clues in the Granmaster's room when he is not around."
Lyria, thoughtfully:
-"Hmmm, the recent policies imposed on the villages are indeed nonsensical. I wanted to object too but feared being punished for disobeying orders. But, if even Selena-senpai is doing this… I'm in."
Selena:
-"Good. The Grandmaster must have returned home now that his shift is over, which means we can go investigate his office. Follow me."
The four of them started walking together. With Laurent and Elwood accompanying them, Kenma and Yuuji aroused no suspicion. They went upstairs and arrived at a room. Selena:
-"Here it is. Let's go in and see if there's anything suspicious."
They entered and began examining the room. Kenma and Laurent were checking the files on the shelves, while Lyria and Yuuji were inspecting the items on the desk. Yuuji noticed a strange mage rod under the desk and bent down to pick it up. At that moment, the door opened. Yuuji quickly hid under the desk, pulling Lyria with him. Left exposed, Kenma and Laurent found themselves face-to-face with the Grandmaster. The Grandmaster, suspiciously:
-"Wh-what's going on here?"
Laurent immediately grabbed Kenma as if arresting him and played along:
-"Grandmaster-sama, I was looking for you! I caught this suspect spying on the headquarters from the garden wall. I wanted to show him to you because he looked very suspicious!"
Kenma continued the act:
-"I-I'm telling you, I was just curious! You knights are so strict!"
Meanwhile, Yuuji whispered to Lyria:
-"Do you sense anything strange about him too?"
-"No, he is the Grandmaster, I recognized him by his mana flow. I don't sense anything suspicious."
-"No, what I mean is, your Grandmaster is a human, right?"
-"Y-yes? What kind of question is that?"
-"Then the person in front of us is not your Grandmaster. He's disguising his mana very well, but… that thing is not human, I can see that."
Before Lyria could ask 'What do you mean by not human?', the Grandmaster moved towards the desk:
-"Whatever, Commander. You deal with him. I just came here to take something I forgot and…"
He didn't finish his sentence because he sensed the mana of Yuuji and Lyria hiding under the desk. 'I let my guard down!' he thought, forming a fireball with his hand and launching it at the desk.
(Technique explanation, Fireball: is one of the most basic yet most effective techniques of the Pyro [fire] element. As its name suggests, the user creates a ball of fire, throws it at the target, and the fireball explodes. Its size and the impact of the explosion vary depends on the user's mana ability and the mana used.)
Yuuji, realizing this, created a barrier. Thanks to the barrier, neither Yuuji nor Lyria was harmed by the fireball, but the impact of the explosion shattered the walls and floor, causing the two magicians to fall with the debris. Kenma and Selena drew their swords, while the Grandmaster jumped to catch the falling rod, using a wind technique called Invisible Platform to land in the headquarters' yard.
(Technique explanation, Invisible Platform: Allows the user to create invisible platforms using the anemo [wind] element for a short duration. With these platforms user can walk in the air or land safely from high places.)
Laurent also created an invisible platform and landed to headquarters' yard with Kenma. Laurent:
-"Grandmaster-sama, what are you doing? Calm down please!"
Yuuji, shouting from within the debris while healing the injured Lyria:
-"Laurent-san, Kenma! That person is not the Grandmaster! That thing is a… Hilichurl!!"
Both of them turned to the Grandmaster. The Grandmaster was gradually transforming into his true form:
-"So you finally realized… No matter. We have already completed most of our plan. (About 30 knights gathered behind him, all turning into Hilichurls. The Grandmaster was larger than the others.) Very soon, we will rule the entire world. And you won't live to see it. My soldiers, ATTACK!"
All the Hilichurls raised their swords and began attacking. Yuuji, to Lyria:
-"Lyria, stay inside this barrier. This mission has become more difficult than we thought. We will handle it."
-"But I must use healing techniques on Selena-senpai during the battle. That's my task as a mage!"
-"Don't worry, I'll take on that duty for now. I'm a mage too, remember?"
Smiling and winking, Yuuji drew his katana and dashed out of the barrier. Left alone inside, Lyria thought to herself:
"Indeed, he created a barrier reflexively without uttering a single word and saved us from the fireball. Moreover, the barrier didn't lose its strength despite the explosion or the fall. I suppose I can trust him with magic, but… A magician who uses a sword is rare…"
The three warriors fought bravely against 30 Hilichurls. While the big Hilichurl (supposedly Grandmaster), who was healing the wounded Hilichurls, watched from behind, Yuuji was simultaneously fighting and healing Kenma and Selena. Selena used wind techniques like Gust Step, Wind Blade, and Wind Cutter, while the other two didn't use any elemental attack techniques.
(Technique explanation, Gust Step: Allows the user to manipulate the wind around them to move quickly, enabling sudden maneuvers and accelerations over short distances.
Wind Cutter: allows the user to create sharp wind waves by swinging their weapon, cutting through and injuring their targets.)
Kenma, while fighting the enemies, thought to himself:
"I can take out at most 3 targets with Lightning Cutter before my mana completely depletes. If only I could control my mana better…"
Yuuji's voice rang out:
-"Kenma! Don't worry about your mana! I'll keep replenishing it as soon as it runs out!"
Kenma hesitated for a moment, barely parrying an attack from a Hilichurl, gathered himself, and replied:
-"Don't be ridiculous! It's impossible to do it that fast!"
-"Just trust me!"
Yuuji moved behind Laurent, who began protecting him. He joined his thumbs and index fingers, looking through the frame they created:
-"Nourishing Healing Technique."
-"Electro Element, Lightning Cutter."
As Yuuji replenished his mana, Kenma swiftly sliced through the 30 Hilichurls with lightning speed and the yard was glittered with his purple glow for a moment. He directed his final attack with all his might at the big Hilichurl. The sound of a sword clash echoed from the garden illuminated by the surrounding lamps:
-"Don't underestimate me, kid!"
The Hilichurl swiftly stops Kenma's lightning-fast katanas with his mage rod. Then Hilichurl makes a sign with one hand and seals Kenma's mana, simultaneously separating the garden with a wall-like barrier. Yuuji and Selena, who are running towards that direction, get stuck behind the barrier and could not pass. Realizing he can no longer use mana and techniques, Kenma attempts to retreat but is caught off guard by the attacking Hilichurl, who manages to bring him down after a few strikes.
-"It's over" the Hilichurl declares triumphantly.
He raises his rod, accumulates mana at its tip, puts it into physical form, and the rod takes the form of a spear. Just as he is about to stab Kenma with the spear, Yuuji jumps in with his sword and starts fighting him. Yuuji deciphered the barrier's complex mantra and managed to pass through it. Hilichurl said in surprise:
-"What are you? I've never seen a human mage as talented as you. You solved a barrier in seconds that a normal human mage, no, even a really high-level human mage could solve in minutes."
Yuuji replies with a smile,
-"I am the mage who will bring your end. My name is Kageyama Yuuji!"
As Yuuji's sword clashes mid-air with the Hilichurl's spear, the Hilichurl employs elemental techniques like earth, water, and fire to defend against Yuuji's attacks and occasionally counterattack. Yuuji, on the other hand, only uses healing technique. The shocked expression on the Hilichurl's face turns into a sinister grin.
-"Is the mage who will bring my end only capable of healing magic and a few flashy barrier techniques? Don't make me laugh! Kageyama, (deflects Yuuji's sword and makes it fall out of his hand.) you can't defeat me!"
The Hilichurl swiftly plunges his spear into Yuuji's abdomen, causing him to stagger back with blood flowing from his mouth. Despite this, Yuuji refuses to give up. He grasps the spear and says through the pain,
-"I know, but he can!"
At that moment, Kenma comes jumping up from behind Yuuji with a single katana and slashes Hilichurl's chest with a mid-air attack. The Hilichurl staggers back a few steps and falls to the ground. As Kenma lands he prepares for a second attack and raises his katana, but he suddenly freezes; his eyes widening in a traumatized manner: The winged Hilichurl that killed his family is next to the other hilichurl, having taken the spear too. He touches his injured ally, spreads his wings and they both disappear instantly.
Kenma slowly collapses to the ground in shock of seeing again the winged Hilichurl that killed his family. Meanwhile, the barrier created by Hilichurl disappeared and Selena and Lyria arrived at the scene. Seeing that Yuuji has almost healed his fatal wound with his advanced healing technique, Lyria goes to Kenma for first aid:
-"Kenma-san, are you okay? Do you have any injuries?"
Kenma, with sad and angry eyes, replies slowly:
-"I'm not injured, it's just that creature sealed my mana."
-"I'll start breaking the seal, please let me know if you feel any pain."
Selena and Yuuji also approach Kenma. Selena asks with concern:
-"Kenma, are you alright? Why did you hesitate at that moment?"
Kenma replies slowly again:
-" That winged creature… It was one of the two Hilichurls who killed my family in front of my eyes 3 years ago. When I saw that creature suddenly… I didn't know what to do. (A few drops of tears flow from his eyes.) I'm sorry…"
Laurent:
-"No, Kenma, you don't need to apologize."
After thinking for a moment, she continues speaking.
-" 'Very soon, we will rule the entire world,' huh? That's very strange. It's clear that Hilichurls are dangerous creatures, but we didn't know they had such ambitions. I wonder what happened to the Grandmaster though, I should've realise earlier that he was acting strange. But who could guess that a hilichurl has replaced him? In some countries these creatures even eat at the same table with the nobles. If the situation is this serious, we need to take immediate action. Kenma, Yuuji, do you have a place to stay?"
Yuuji nods in agreement. Laurent goes on:
-"Good, then Lyria will accompany you there. Rest well tonight. I will handle the complexity here and make a report about the incident. Tomorrow morning, come back here, we should have a meeting with the other commanders to discuss ideas."
Yuuji, surprised, asks:
-"But, we're just… trave- (He remembers Lyria is present)… um, I mean, we're knights from a secret unit. Do we have the right to attend the commanders' meeting?"
Selena responds with a smile:
-"Haha, don't worry. I'll take care of that."
As Yuuji looks on in confusion, Selena calls Lyria over and gives her some instructions. Afterwards, the three of them leave the headquarters together, while Selena stays behind to talk to the knights who have just arrived.