Chapter 5

The Story of the Second Son of a Baron - Chapter 5 (5/123)

< The Story of the Second Son of a Baron – Chapter 5 – >

"From now on, I will teach you a magic that you must know, one that is most useful here and that you must be so proficient in that you can even cast it in your sleep."

Swallow-

A magic that you must know, that is useful, and that you must be so proficient in that you can cast it in your sleep. This was emphasized to the extent that Ild could emphasize it. As such, Gaius and Laurent focused their attention on what magic it could be that Ild was talking about so seriously.

However, I thought the magic waiting for us wouldn't be that impressive. After all, at the 3rd Circle level, there couldn't be any truly remarkable magic, and Ild had already said that mages here must be used efficiently. My prediction didn't miss the mark.

"The name of the magic you will practice from today is 'Greas.'"

"......What?"

"Greas?"

Gaius and Laurent, who were tense, asked as if they had heard wrong. If they had some idea, it might have been different, but given their high expectations, this was a natural reaction. After all, Greas was a magic that even newcomers to the world of magic could easily cast.

"You all look like you think I'm joking. I'm not joking, so stop making those faces."

"But, but Greas is a magic that any mage can use. Why do we need to practice it separately...?"

"Most mages react this way when they hear me say this. There are some who don't, though."

As he said this, he looked at me. I shrugged, and Ild, looking back at the two mages with incredulous expressions, continued his advice.

"From your reaction, it seems you know how to cast Greas. Would you like to try it once?"

"Sure. It's not difficult, after all."

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

Gaius cast Greas in a short time, as if to show that anyone could do it. Gaius looked at Ild as if to say, "See?" But Ild wiped the smooth floor with his finger and started clapping.

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap

"Excellent! Excellent! With this, you and the soldiers in your assigned area will have to deal with monsters right in front of you! Be happy. Because of your complacency and arrogance, the red alert was triggered, and you accomplished what hundreds of criminals couldn't do with your own power, so you're worthy of being called a mage!"

It was a scathing criticism. Gaius's expression turned cold and rigid, hearing such harsh criticism. Laurent, standing beside him, was the same. They couldn't understand why Ild was saying such things.

"What are you talking about...!"

"You're taking it too far!"

"Taking it too far! Do you think I'm teaching you, spending my precious time, just to play a joke?!"

Ild's angry voice echoed through the space. But Ild's anger didn't end there. While Gaius's expression was icy, Ild's was as cold as liquid nitrogen, yet simultaneously hot.

"You fools! Is this the level at which you were so proud? The result for fools like you is obvious! If you die alone, it's fortunate, but you'll put the soldiers assigned with you in danger too!"

"That's unfair! We did our best...!"

"Unfair? Did your best?! Try shouting that in front of a monster! If you say that, will the monsters say, 'Oh, you did your best to stop us. We commend your effort and passion' and retreat? If you have that kind of mindset, I recommend you commit suicide! You're going to die anyway, so don't drag others down with you and die alone, at least that would be the best!"

Ild, fuming, grumbled. They couldn't understand why they were being scolded so harshly. Ild calmed down to explain.

"I hope you think a bit. Yes, Greas is a magic that, as you say, any mage can use.

But if I emphasized it so much, shouldn't you think about why? Is the conclusion that mages came up with just a joke? Do you think I gathered you here, using my position as a squad leader, just to play a joke on people I don't even know? If you really think that, I'll tell Lady Wonder. I'll say that people without the qualifications of a mage have come!"

As Ild spoke, their gazes gradually fell to the floor, and their faces turned red. Before their faces turned even redder and exploded, I stepped in.

"Because it's efficient."

"Efficient?"

"Yes. As Ild said, killing monsters is inefficient for us. Soldiers can do it, or perhaps do it even better. So, our job isn't to kill monsters.

Our job is to help soldiers kill monsters more easily. In that sense, Greas is a very efficient magic.

It hinders the approach of monsters, so you can achieve your goal, it consumes little mana, and the casting time is short, so you can use it multiple times when needed, making it efficient. Plus, all the mages here can use it."

"You're not just a fool, then."

Ild finally nodded in satisfaction.

"It's not for nothing that you could create three Circles before turning twenty. If you don't give up on your sharpness and will to survive, you might survive and return home."

"Thank you."

"Battle with monsters isn't a short-term fight that ends with a bang. It's a long-term battle that can last for hours, or even days.

Therefore, conserving mana is not a choice but a necessity. Moreover, if you let your guard down for a moment, many monsters can climb the walls here. Three seconds? At least try to cast Greas as soon as you see a monster. Otherwise, monsters will quickly climb the wall and cause chaos."

This time, Ild cast Greas himself. Despite the difference in Circles, the floor Ild smoothed with Greas was different from what Gaius showed. Unlike Gaius, who took three seconds, Ild took less than a second, and the floor was so smooth it could fall over with a slight breeze. And his final words.

"Remember. No matter how many monsters you kill, it won't lead to victory. Not letting a single monster cross the wall. That is the path to victory. Even if you kill many monsters, the moment one crosses the wall, it's a defeat. Do you understand me?"

With that, Ild handed us a few sheets of paper and left. When I looked, they contained information about Greas, the experiences and expertise of the mages at the Terra Wall.

How to conserve even a little mana, how to cast it faster, how to set the desired range. Information that you couldn't get even if you paid for it outside was freely shared for the sake of survival and the safety of the empire.

"I'll go back first."

Before I could say anything, the two were already heading to their rooms, staring intently at the papers. If they didn't improve after hearing such words and receiving such information, they wouldn't be mages.

I also quickly headed to my room. I wanted to start researching seriously. Fortunately, there was no alarm that day, perhaps because it was the day after a large-scale attack. But the next day, I could feel with my whole body why this place was called the worst battlefield of the empire, a place of certain death.

#

"Don't let your guard down!"

"Don't let a single monster climb the wall!"

"Snap out of it! Do you want to die? If you die alone, it's your problem, but don't drag us down with you!"

Just two days ago, there was a large-scale attack. The monsters climbed the wall, triggering a red alert, one of the few large-scale attacks in a year. The soldiers' hope that it would be quiet for a few days was betrayed. Although it wasn't a full-scale attack that would trigger a yellow alert, it wasn't a time to be complacent.

Moreover, it was A Squad's first turn this week. Even with the well-explained strategy and the ease of Greas, the time was too short. As a result, we had a tough time. The only fortunate thing was that without it, we would have faced an even greater crisis.

"Tch!"

Monsters filled the area below the wall. Among them, the ones climbing through the gaps in the wall were, in a sense, more dangerous than the large monsters, the top priority to watch out for.

If you let your guard down, one or two would climb the wall and cause chaos, making it impossible to deal with the monsters below. So, my job was to stop them from climbing. But it wasn't an easy task.

They were so quick that even with my best speed, I was often a step behind. Thanks to the support of the experienced soldiers and the occasional attention from the senior mages, I managed to knock them down as soon as they climbed.

"Watch out! A rock is coming!"

Boom-

A giant monster threw a huge rock with both hands. Fortunately, the target was far from me, but the impact shook the wall and reached me. If I had dodged, at least a few would have been killed.

How long had it been? The smell of blood, sweat, and the stench of monster corpses mixed to create a foul odor, but my nose had long gone numb. Despite the not-so-hot weather, my body was drenched in sweat, and my mana was running low.

"Just a little more! We'll retreat soon!"

In contrast, the other mages seemed relatively calm. This must be the difference in experience. As he said, the monsters soon started to retreat. It was really fortunate. If the battle had continued a little longer, we would have had nothing to do but throw the prepared explosive rocks.

'Mad. Mad.'

Not even a red alert, not even a yellow alert. If this is the state with just a blue alert, the lowest level, what kind of carnage would happen during a higher alert? It gave me chills.

"Good job."

"Ild."

"You did well for your first battle. See over there? You did much better than the two newcomers. You can be proud of yourself."

During the battle, there was no time to pay attention to anyone else. But now that the battle was over, following Ild's finger, I saw Gaius and Laurent. Even from a distance, their pale faces from mana depletion and the glares from the surrounding soldiers were evident. When everyone needs to perform at 100%, if someone only does 60%, the others have to make up the remaining 40% to meet the total.

"At least I didn't become a burden, which is fortunate."

Now, I could take a little rest. But the true nature of the Terra Wall was revealed a little later.

< The Story of the Second Son of a Baron – Chapter 5 – > End