God must be helping me.
I can think of no other explanation. Otherwise, I wouldn't have witnessed this scene today.
I only came to see the ogre, but such an opportunity presented itself.
The future head of the Glazer family.
'Edward von Glazer.'
The greatest enemy of the Strange family, and like me, a pursuer of the legendary guardian spirit 'Brunhilde.'
"That's enough. If anyone so much as moves a finger, I'll cut his throat."
The cold blade touched his throat, drawing a trickle of blood from the lightly grazed skin.
My warning was no joke. The wizards knew this and dared not move recklessly.
"Who are you?"
I pulled him back, creating distance between us and the other wizards without answering.
Whap.
Edward rolled his eyes to confirm my identity.
"…Enveloping a sword in mana. Are you a wizard?"
"I'm a knight."
"A knight? A knight using mana?"
"Yeah. Why wouldn't it be possible?"
Powerful wizards like Edward always surround themselves with a wall of mana.
Thick enough to withstand the sharp claws of a beast, ready for any threat that might appear.
"Do you know who I am?"
"Edward von Glazer. The prodigy wizard and rising star of the Glazer family."
"And yet you dare to challenge me. You must be out of your mind."
He remained confident even with me holding him.
His reaction was perfectly understandable. The consequences of opposing the Glazer family were obvious.
Provoking them could result in a small kingdom disappearing overnight due to their overwhelming power.
"The one who's out of their mind is you."
"What?"
"This is Strange family territory. It means I can kill you right here without consequence."
Edward's eyebrows twitched.
"You think you can kill me?"
"Depends on the situation."
"If you do, you'll die too. Do you know how many wizards are here?"
I looked at each of them in turn before answering.
"It doesn't matter."
"It doesn't matter?"
"Yes, enough with the nonsense. Let's get to the point. Release the ogre you captured."
"The ogre?"
"And leave this land. This is Strange family territory. You don't belong here."
"…."
"Do this, and I'll spare your life."
A wizard with a bushy beard raised his voice at my proposal.
"You insolent bastard! You look like a mercenary of the Strange family. How dare you give orders to Master Edward!"
"Shut up, old man."
"What?!"
"If you don't want to see your master's head fly off, shut up."
I released even stronger mana as I spoke.
Hiss.
"If you think I'm bluffing, say one more word. I'll cut his throat right here."
Silence fell over everyone.
Edward, who had been quietly listening, intervened.
"I'll agree to all your conditions. So, put the sword down."
"Release the ogre first."
"Do you think I won't keep my word?"
I responded with a cold gaze.
Edward sighed deeply and addressed the oldest-looking wizard.
"Release it."
The wizard passed the command to the others.
"Release the ogre!"
The wizards ceased their binding spells and stepped back.
- Roar!
The freed ogre quickly scanned the faces of the humans and hurried away.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
'Success.'
With this, the opportunity to claim Brunhilde now shifted in my favor.
After confirming the ogre had disappeared from sight, I shouted to the wizards.
"I'll keep my promise!"
Then I kicked Edward in the back.
Whack!
"I'll spare your life."
As he staggered, losing his balance, I sliced off his right arm.
Slash.
Crack!
"Your life."
Edward screamed in agony as blood gushed from his severed arm, staining the ground.
The startled wizards tried to retaliate, but their reactions were far too slow compared to my prepared state.
"Burn."
A flash of purple light burst from my hand, spreading in all directions.
Boom!
It blinded their vision.
* * *
The operation was a huge success.
Not only did I find out the direction the ogre fled, revealing their lair, but I also severed the arm of Edward von Glazer, the future head of the Glazer family.
"Why did you spare that wizard? Isn't he supposed to be the next head of the Glazer family?"
Siegfried asked, picking his nose.
"Not now, but I might need him later."
"Huh? Need him?"
Years from now, I will seize the chance to become the head of the Strange family due to the war sparked by Edward von Glazer.
"They say today's enemy is tomorrow's ally."
"Is that a saying? Wouldn't it be better to just kill him today and again tomorrow?"
"That's what you would do, Master."
'Anyway.'
Meeting the Glazer wizards today was truly a stroke of luck.
While they were dealing with the ogre, I, hidden, memorized all the spells they used and understood their mechanisms.
It will take some time, but I now possess useful high-level magic knowledge.
'Moreover,'
By cutting off the arm of Edward, the only wizard on the continent capable of dual-wielding magic, the Glazer family has suffered a significant loss.
"Perfect."
Siegfried tilted his head in confusion.
"What's perfect?"
"Nothing."
"You boring guy. Hey, never mind that. What are you going to do about that ogre? It looks like it's going to die soon if left alone."
I looked at the ogre I had captured. It had collapsed not far away, exhausted from dealing with the wizards.
"Can you move?"
The three heads of the giant ogre looked at me with wary eyes.
The left head was supposed to be laughing, the middle head expressionless, and the right head crying, but all of them were crying now.
Well, having faced the wizards, the pain must have been immense.
"Roarrr!"
"Human. Kill! Kill!"
"I'm human too? Are you thinking of killing the one who spared you?"
"Grooann..."
"The ones you should avenge are the wizards, not humans. No matter how foolish you are, you should be able to distinguish this."
"Grooann!"
"And my question was, 'Can you move?' Answer the question without unnecessary words."
"Grooo... Yes, I can... move."
"Then get up. There's no time."
The sun would rise soon. We needed to finish the task and return before then, so we had to move quickly, regardless of the ogre's pain.
"Ughh."
The ogre groaned and got to its feet. Its staggering movement revealed a broken right shin.
It seemed to be an injury from the magical chains. To think it could break the bones of an ogre as hard as steel.
'All of those who followed must have been high-level wizards.'
I handed the ogre a large tree branch to use as a crutch.
"Return to the village. I'll protect you until then."
"You won't kill me?"
"That's right."
"...Lies."
"Lies?"
"Yes, lies. The knights of Strange aim to kill us. They are not our protectors."
Hunting monsters is the fate of knights.
The ogre was also a monster, so naturally, they would try to kill it.
I would have cut it down immediately if I hadn't been looking for Brunhilde.
"If I had intended to hunt you, I would have killed you right away. Killing you, unable to walk properly, would be no challenge."
The ogre looked me up and down.
"For a kid."
"That kid saved you."
"..."
"Stop the unnecessary talk and move to the village. Unless you want to die right now."
"Understood."
The ogre's eyes narrowed briefly, but it didn't say more and started to walk.
It had no other choice.
* * *
The Glazer family was in an uproar.
A squad of wizards had stayed in the hunting grounds for a month, only to have their target snatched away at the crucial moment.
Moreover, Edward, the only one on the continent who could use 'double casting' magic, had lost an arm.
To a knight whose name they didn't even know.
"Damn it!!"
Edward punched the wall.
Bang!
Filled with mana, his punch left an imprint on the solid granite wall, spreading spider web-like cracks in all directions.
"Why! Why was a Strange mercenary there? And one who could use mana!"
No matter how careless they had been, the fact that this had happened was a disgrace.
Something that couldn't be spoken of publicly.
The middle-aged wizard by his side spoke cautiously.
"Young master, please calm down."
"Calm down? Do you think I can calm down right now?"
"A wizard must remain composed no matter the situation. You are the future of the Glazer family. If anger clouds your judgment, we could all be in danger."
"...."
"Calm down and recall the events. Do you remember the mercenary from the Strange family?"
"A mercenary?"
"Yes, the blond mercenary."
Edward slowly regulated his breathing and sat on the sofa.
Thud.
"Yes, I won't forget that damn face..."
"Do you also remember the purple pillar of light that attacked us?"
"Purple pillar?"
"Yes. The one that subdued us instantly. What did you feel when it struck?"
Edward recalled the moment.
It was so brief that he couldn't remember clearly, but he definitely felt mana.
"Mana."
"And?"
"And? Hmm... I think I faintly sensed aura as well."
"I thought so too, which is why I asked you. We definitely felt both mana and aura, but there was only one enemy in front of us."
"Then you mean there might have been more than one enemy?"
"That's what I think. Otherwise, it would mean the enemy used both aura and mana simultaneously, which doesn't make sense."
"Right. It's impossible to wield both mana and aura in one body."
"Moreover, no matter how strong that mercenary is, he wouldn't have faced us all alone. He would know he couldn't win."
The middle-aged wizard pondered and continued.
"Could it be that Gunter betrayed us?"