Chapter 20

"…………"

Elise, her hair disheveled by the wind, blinked at the surrounding devastation. Serena and Nina, standing beside her, also had their hair in disarray and blinked in shock.

"Hehe, hehehe…"

Aika, surveying the scene, couldn't help but let out a wry smile. The walls of the hut had collapsed in all directions, no longer resembling a hut at all. The children, frozen in place, stared wide-eyed in surprise. It seemed no one was injured.

On the opposite side, atop the back of the wind wolf, the one responsible for the destruction wore a delighted smile.

*How was it, Will?*

"It was fun♪"

The satisfied Will exchanged a high-five with the spirit boy. A piece of the wind, with a sigh of exasperation, looked down at the men who had collapsed at their feet.

"Get lost. Don't make such foolish moves again. Next time, I'll eat you myself."

"“H-Huh!?”"

The men, trembling, retreated on all fours and then turned to run away. They didn't even wait to regroup with their companions, fleeing as fast as they could.

"They're gone…"

Will pouted.

"I wanted to scold them."

"They have repented. That's enough, isn't it?"

The piece of the wind let out a dry laugh. It seemed that the magic Will had just used wasn't a scolding at all. Despite his cute pout, if Will were to use more magic, it could result in fatalities.

"Hey… look, there's Shiro over there! Let's deliver the magic sword, okay? Okay?"

The piece of the wind pleaded rather desperately. In the center, surrounded by the private soldiers, Shiro was watching the situation.

"Daddy♪"

Will, spotting his father, waved enthusiastically, and Shiro waved back.

"Let's go, Hitoira-san."

"Y-Yes."

The piece of the wind heaved a sigh of relief internally. This way, Will wouldn't hurt anyone. He was entrusted with the important task of protecting the young lord. He couldn't let anything happen to him.

Contrary to the piece of the wind's thoughts, an unpleasant roar echoed through the air.

"What are you doing! If you're just standing there, why don't you take the children as hostages!"

The private soldiers hesitated at Gram's command. The large wolf behind Will was far beyond their capabilities. Logically, it was the cause of the previous magic. In reality, Will had used the spirit's power to cast the spell, but those who hadn't seen it couldn't imagine that.

"I'm paying you a lot of money!"

The private soldiers were paid by Earl Cardy, and Gram was just using them for pocket money. Despite their frustration, the private soldiers stepped in front of Will and the piece of the wind, who were heading towards Shiro.

"That's right! Let's hunt that monster and make a fur coat out of it!"

Pleased by the private soldiers' compliance, Gram's face twisted in pleasure. The private soldiers, weapons at the ready, stood in front of Will, who tilted his head in confusion.

"Scolding…?"

Will's words made the piece of the wind shudder. The enemy commander, who had called him a monster, was not worth worrying about.

*Uf, ufufu…*

The gentle spirit smiled as the spirit girl, covering her mouth, giggled.

*Next is my turn!*

The spirit girl whispered in Will's ear, and Will nodded vigorously. Sensing this, the piece of the wind, seeing the approaching private soldiers, barked in panic.

"Run! Quickly!"

The private soldiers looked puzzled at the sudden panic of the piece of the wind. Elise and Aika, sensing something was wrong, tried to run to Will, but it was too late. Will raised the magic sword to the sky, and the spirit girl behind him placed her hand on it.

*“Gather, spirits of the wind! Rain of air currents, crush my enemies with the shock of wind pressure!”*

The magic activated without hesitation, causing the private soldiers to murmur. The spell hung in the air and then scattered over a wide area.

At this point, the private soldiers realized that the wolf wasn't the one casting the spell. It was the child on its back.

In this absurd scene, the private soldiers looked up at the sky in disbelief, their faces gradually turning pale. A large amount of wind, charged with magic power, rained down on them like hail.

"Uwaaaah!"

"Kyaaaaah!"

"Hiiiiii!"

The private soldiers ran in all directions. The relentless rain of magical projectiles pounded the ground. The impact gouged the earth, sending dirt and dust flying. Some ran, some leaped sideways, and some tried to erect defensive barriers to weather the storm.

The piece of the wind, witnessing the carnage, closed his eyes tightly and turned away.

"Spirits…"

The gentle spirit, trembling, turned to the piece of the wind.

*W-What is it?*

"…How many are dead?"

The magic Will had cast, invoking the spirits, was a higher form of elemental magic, more powerful and inevitably more lethal than ordinary elemental magic. It had been unleashed without mercy. It wouldn't have been surprising if there were fatalities. But—

*No one is dead.*

"…What?"

The piece of the wind cautiously opened his eyes and surveyed the scene. Indeed, the private soldiers were injured and shaken, but none seemed to have suffered serious wounds.

*That would be rude.*

The spirit girl, holding Will on her back, puffed out her cheeks.

*If they died, they wouldn't be able to reflect on their actions! I made sure to hold back.*

"Okay."

Will nodded in understanding. It seemed he had learned the importance of restraint. Will glanced around at the private soldiers.

"Let's try it again."

A murmur of panic rose from the private soldiers as Will raised the magic sword. The piece of the wind, panicking, tried to stop him.

"W-Wait, Will!"

"Huh?"

Will, looking down at the wind wolf, blinked.

"Even for a spirit, elemental magic is too difficult for Will!"

Even with the piece of the wind sharing his magic power through a temporary contract, elemental magic, due to its power, was more difficult to use than ordinary elemental magic. Without a proper contract with a spirit, Will couldn't easily use it.

Ignoring the piece of the wind's concerns, Will smiled.

"It's okay."

Will raised the magic sword.

"Summon, Wind Spirit Serene."

"“Waaaaah!”"

The private soldiers fled in unison as Will began to cast the spell. He aimed the magic at their backs.

"Rain of air currents, crush my enemies with the shock of wind pressure."

Will chanted the incantation in a dubious tone, and the completed magic scattered into the sky. Once again, a rain of wind projectiles fell on the private soldiers.

"“Gyaaaaah!”"

The private soldiers were blown away by the impact of the projectiles.

"How… how ridiculous…"

The piece of the wind watched the scene in disbelief. A mere three-year-old, Will, had cast elemental magic. It was no wonder.

Will, panting, received applause from the spirits.

"Restraint is difficult…"

The piece of the wind, nodding in agreement, tried to encourage Will. No one had suffered fatal injuries. That was excellent.

*Only practice will do!*

"Stop it…"

The piece of the wind glared at the enthusiastic spirit boy. He couldn't handle the use of such powerful combat magic on a regular basis.

"Let's go."

The piece of the wind started walking. No one was left to obstruct their path. He needed to get the magic sword away from Will as soon as possible to protect the private soldiers. Why did he have to worry about the enemy?

Thinking this, the piece of the wind sighed in exasperation.