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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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When we returned to the fortress, it was in complete pandemonium.
Apparently, the soldiers had crowded onto the watchtowers to witness the battle—everything from the flash of light that pierced the enemy formation to our subsequent charge against their rear.
“Waaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
“My ears…”
I was sure there were less than a hundred people here… Yet, we were greeted by a roar worthy of a thousand-strong army as we entered the main gate.
It was a reaction beyond my expectations.
A monumental counterattack.
A renewed confidence that they could still hold out.
That was all I had hoped to achieve, but the boost to their morale was far greater than I had imagined.
“That fire magic! What’s the name of the mage who cast it?!”
“Me? Are you talking about me? Well, I’m Ainz von Wiegen…”
“Woooooo! Ainz!”
“They’re not even listening…”
“Ainz! Ainz! Ainz!”
“Oh my! How embarrassing!”
The enthusiasm for Ainz was particularly overwhelming. They must have been impressed by the magic that had split the earth and vaporized the cavalry in an instant.
The soldiers, ignoring Ainz’s exhaustion from mana depletion, carried him away and tossed him in the air.
“Ainz! Ainz! Ainz!”
“Hahahaha! Yes! That’s my name!”
He looked genuinely happy.
Just a moment ago, he had been whining about not being able to kill.
It seemed like he had overcome his trauma to some extent.
Now all that was left was Erica…
“….”
I looked up to see a silver head bobbing on the watchtower.
Did she even need to get used to killing?
“Quiet down! We’ll be deploying again soon, so change out of your sweaty clothes!”
“Yes, sir!”
I escaped the boisterous crowd and headed towards the watchtower.
I slowly climbed the ladder and found Erica sitting at the top, nodding off.
I had thought she would be asleep.
“Ah… You’re back?”
“Yes, I’m back.”
“I saw it. It was amazing… Against an enemy force dozens of times our size…”
She was still awake, though her eyes were barely open.
“You were working on it this whole time?”
“Yeah…”
I sat down beside her and focused on the flow of mana, examining the rune above Fort Four.
‘Wow…’
It was awe-inspiring.
Even a Demon would be impressed by this.
Dozens of runes, each complex and intricate, were interwoven, forming a single, chaotic rune.
And not just its size…
The flow of mana was designed to be minimal, efficient, and fast.
It would have taken at least 500,000 mana to create a rune with similar effects.
But Erica had done it with a mere 200,000.
It was a level of precision that was unbelievable for a first-year university student.
“Why don’t you get some sleep and continue working on it later?”
“No, I have to finish it as soon as possible.”
“We have plenty of time. In fact, it would be better if it was delayed.”
“…?”
We had to give them time to evacuate.
But there was something strange about Fort Four. It was too quiet.
Even if their mages were incompetent, they should have noticed a rune of this scale by now.
Had they executed all the captured mage mercenaries?
No, even a bureaucrat with a university education should be able to identify this.
‘Are they… not evacuating?’
The thought sent shivers down my spine.
Deploying a rune like this above a populated castle was already a psychopathic move, but to leave the residents there, knowing what was coming…
Duke Lorraine… He had become even more ruthless than I had imagined when I wrote the story.
He was willing to do anything to win, but this…
“We never know what might happen. We might have to move up the schedule. It’s better to finish it as soon as possible.”
“You’ll make a mistake if you continue working in this state. Do you think you can maintain your focus even when you’re about to fall asleep?”
“Ugh… Fine, you win, Schlus. I’ll rest.”
Thump.
Erica leaned against me, resting her head on my shoulder.
I was startled by the sudden physical contact and tried to pull away, but—
“Tsk…”
…she was already asleep.
To fall asleep the moment she stopped talking… She must have been working at her limit.
She didn’t even react when I poked her cheek.
“Damn it, Erica.”
“Hmm…”
I pinched her cheek, but she only groaned, still asleep.
She must be exhausted. Should I stop teasing her and let her sleep?
“She’d be so pretty if she just kept her mouth shut.”
She looked like an angel when she was asleep.
This was the same girl who had been accusing me of making a deal with a demon…
“Heh…”
I chuckled.
Silly girl.
I knew she had some ridiculous misconceptions about me, but I hadn’t expected her to jump to such a grand conclusion.
In the original story, she wouldn’t realize her mistake about Hertlocker until much later.
I had accelerated the process.
Of course, it was difficult to compare, since the target of her misunderstanding wasn’t Hertlocker, but me.
‘Does she still have any misconceptions?’
Of course she does.
She was still wary of me.
It was understandable…
“Huh?”
I suddenly remembered a certain setting from the original story and turned to look at her in surprise.
She was still sleeping soundly, her head on my shoulder.
Erica would never fall asleep in front of someone she didn’t trust.
And we were outside.
For a young noblewoman to fall asleep in a place like this, the person beside her had to be family, or someone she trusted even more…
‘No way…’
She couldn’t possibly trust me that much already.
She must have been too exhausted to care.
I shook my head, dismissing the possibility.
But she looked uncomfortable sleeping sitting up.
I gently laid her down, her head resting on my leg as a pillow.
Her breathing seemed more stable now.
“Woooooo! Mr. Ainz! Show us that magic again!”
“I’ll show you tomorrow! Tomorrow!”
“Waaaaaaa!!!”
“Didn’t you hear the Commander-in-Chief?! Change your clothes and stand by! We can celebrate after we capture Fort Four, you idiots!”
“Yes, sir! Vice-Commander!”
It was so noisy.
I wanted to get some sleep, but I couldn’t.
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“Thank you so much, Saintess! You saved my life!”
“Heehee, you’re welcome.”
Iris smiled wearily as she sent the beastman on his way, bowing repeatedly in gratitude.
The infirmary was now empty.
He was the last patient.
Iris, who had been treating patients and casting healing magic for over twenty-four hours, was on the verge of mana exhaustion.
“Ugh… My back hurts.”
I wish someone would give me a back massage.
Should I ask him?
What would his reaction be?
Would he blush and tell me to stop joking?
She chuckled, thinking about it, and then—
“Ah.”
…remembered that she was in Fort Four.
He wasn’t here.
The thought drained her energy.
Was this the effect of mana exhaustion?
Yes, that had to be it.
“Ah… I wonder when he’ll come.”
“…”
She said it out loud, but Schlus didn’t open the door and walk in.
He could easily infiltrate the castle alone using stealth magic.
But there was no reason for him to do so.
He wouldn’t waste his mana just to see her.
“Ugh…”
This wasn’t the time for such thoughts.
Iris forced her trembling legs to move and walked out of the infirmary.
There were still many people who needed treatment.
The patients who had come today were all those who could walk.
There must be many more who were bedridden.
She still had a lot to do.
“Hmm?”
She spotted a beastman soldier rushing through the city.
He was sweating profusely, carrying a scroll. He must have been a messenger.
“Excuse me!”
“Who… Ah! Saintess! Thank you for your hard work!”
“You’re welcome. Is something urgent happening?”
“N-no, ma’am! Nothing at all!”
“Then do you know anything about the rune above us? Have they figured out what it is?”
“Ah! Yes! About that… They say it’s just a test! It’s safe, so don’t worry!”
“…”
He stammered, making excuses, and then turned and hurried away.
Iris watched him leave, her expression hardening.
They should have issued an evacuation order by now.
Fort Four was too peaceful.
She had noticed the back gate opening and closing repeatedly…
It seemed like they were evacuating the army, but leaving the residents behind.
‘Duke Lorraine… He’s insane.’
He hadn’t even given her a warning.
His intentions were clear.
If the Saintess was burned to death by the rune, he would use it to portray the suppression force as evil.
Iris felt sick to her stomach. It was so despicable and disgusting.
Of course, the man who had created this situation was just as evil…
‘Communication magic.’
Iris glanced around and cast the spell.
It was a communication spell, sending a message to the suppression force’s fortress.
‘No evacuation order. Only the army is evacuating. Only minimal guards remain.’
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[Your Text Here]
The ends do not justify the means 😥