Episode 43: “First Battlefield”
“In the current conflict, the Magic Corps is suffering a chronic shortage of manpower. Because of that, a request for reinforcements has come through to the magic academy’s students as well. It isn’t mandatory, but I want especially those of you in your final year to consider answering the call.”
An emergency assembly had been called, and Burkhardt announced this from the podium.
“Students who take part in the fighting will be assigned positions according to their ability. Even those who can’t serve on the front lines can still be of use to the army in a rear support role.”
There had been quiet rumors for a while now that a call-up might reach the academy’s students eventually.
That was how badly the Magic Corps’ manpower had run short.
“Anyone willing to answer the request should submit an application form to me by tomorrow afternoon, after classes end. The morning after that, I’ll be departing the academy along with whoever’s volunteered.”
Once he finished speaking, Burkhardt stepped down from the podium and left.
With that, the assembly was over.
“…Fiine.”
Yuria took her hand where she stood beside her. At her chest, an emerald pendant caught the light.
The emerald pendant marked third place in the year’s rankings.
Yuria had earned that pendant in the summer of their fourth year.
It was winter now.
Just a little longer, and spring would come, and with it, graduation from the magic academy — she’d never once imagined, back when she first enrolled, that a call to war would come at a time like this.
(We were going to join the Magic Corps next spring regardless.)
Once enlisted, an order meant being sent to any battlefield, immediately, without question.
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t afraid of stepping onto a battlefield.
No matter how much training she’d done, real combat was something else entirely. In training, no one ever actually died.
(There’s probably not much I can really do. But if I go, there are surely lives I can help save.)
Maybe a soldier she’d meet for the first time on the battlefield. Maybe a civilian caught nearby.
And by extension, she’d be saving their families too.
(That day, I couldn’t protect my parents. So this time—)
She clenched her fist, filling it with resolve. This time, for sure.
“Yuria. This is definitely going to be the first step toward our dream.”
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(So this is what a battlefield is…)
Screams rang out from every direction, the sound of limbs being torn apart, the wet crunch of monster bodies being crushed.
No matter how many she brought down, the monsters never seemed to run out.
They kept emerging from deep within the forest, one after another, and with each wave, more of the Magic Corps’ soldiers vanished.
There was no room for tactics or strategy here. This was nothing but a war of attrition.
“Fellner!! Enemy on your right, next!”
Reacting to the order from her superior officer, she tightened her grip on her wand once more.
Just as Burkhardt had said, the academy students had been assigned positions according to ability.
But even among those with real capability, some noble students had specifically requested rear support duty instead.
They didn’t want to take part in actual combat — they only wanted the honor of an official record showing they’d answered the Magic Corps’ call.
(…At this rate, there’s no end to this at all.)
She traced a magic circle on the ground and summoned ten earthen golems.
The ones she’d made just moments earlier had already been destroyed by the monsters.
“Yuria!!”
A monster closing in on her was blown away with a blast of wind magic. It had been a close call.
Yuria kept sprinting across the front line without pause.
That was because her unique magic was transport magic.
Unique magic was different from elemental attribute magic — a special kind of magic that only a limited number of people could ever use.
It wasn’t unheard of for more than one person in the world to share the same unique magic, but as a rule, it was generally considered something only that one individual could use.
Yuria’s unique magic, transport magic, allowed her to send people or objects across a distance.
The range had its limits, but on a battlefield, it was tremendously valuable.
Transporting wounded soldiers from the front line — that was the job entrusted to Yuria.
She kept racing across the battlefield, ferrying injured soldiers away to the medical tents, over and over without rest.
It was clear Yuria was nearing her limit.
She was moving more than anyone else out there, and transport magic itself consumed a large amount of magic power.
On top of that, she still had to dodge every attack the monsters threw at her.
(If only I could stay by Yuria’s side the whole time…!)
BOOM! — a massive explosion rang out, and she snapped her head up in alarm.
A short distance away, something had clearly just detonated violently.
As the smoke cleared, a fire surt appeared — a monster wreathed head to tail in flame, with two horns jutting from its head.
(Something troublesome just showed up…!!)
Fire-attribute monsters tended to be significantly more aggressive than monsters of other attributes.
Attacks from other-attribute monsters could usually be endured to some degree, but flame injuries were a different matter entirely.
Worse, fire carried a high risk of spreading. If it wasn’t dealt with immediately, the damage could spiral out of control.
“Fellner! Take the fire salt!!”
“Understood!!”
Half out of desperation, she shouted her answer at the top of her voice.
There was no one else nearby who looked capable of helping.