「Kyrill! They’re on our right! 」

「Got it! 」

   Replying shortly to Ellenoa’s warning, Kyrill swung his staff at the newly approaching enemies.

「The penetrating pebble of the unwavering heroism of the knight ――― Dessel! 」(Earth)

   It struck the ground in an attempt to throw them off instead of hurting them directly. The first soldier tripped over, and then like dominos, the other soldiers behind fell over one after another. Then, the arrows from friendlies were released, piercing the enemy soldiers that was struggling to get up.

「Kyrill is really proficient with these――」

   Ellenoa seemed impressed as she muttered.

「I will have to practice making use of my magic better too. ……Though it’s a concern after we make it back. 」

   The left wing of the Kingdom where Kyrill is at is in peril. With half of the wing members pulling out to head for the crumbling headquarters, the already disadvantageous situation tilted for the worse even more.

   Although Kyrill never stopped casting spells in order to slow the enemies, the Kingdom is still evidently being pushed back. There are not enough people around to stop the enemy’s advance, neither there’re enough people to defend against the spells and arrows.

   And even students of the same magician’s course as Kyrill had casualties from the enemy arrows.

「Ellenoa! Change your position after casting! Don’t be an easy target for them! 」

   Albeit rearguards, they must change their position often. It’s a natural thing for Kyrill who had piled up experiences in the Corsas Forest, but it’s isn’t something the students that hadn’t experience a real fight knew.

「I know! But, I can’t easily do it, like Kyrill――! 」

   Ellenoa who was retorting widened her eyes. Just as Kyrill’s premonition, towards Ellenoa who was out of breath after casting spells nonstop, multiple arrows were shot.

   Kyrill immediately put up a physical barrier.

「The blessing residing in the nameless shield, the calming of blue――Fiel ・ Garos! 」(Physical Barrier! )

   The arrows deflected away along with a high-pitched sound. The thin bluish barrier that was activated in the last moment protected Ellenoa.

「Kyrill! From the back! 」

   But it was only that moment they were able to take a breather. Kyrill who turned around as prompted by Ellenoa saw the arrows that flew towards him, and understood his mistake in his judgement immediately. The enemy wasn’t aiming at Ellenoa alone.

   There were three arrows released at him. As expected, even Kyrill couldn’t put up another physical barrier in time now.

   His body moved first than his thoughts finished. Ignoring one of the arrows that looked like it would miss, twisting his body away from one of the arrows that would definitely strike a vital spot in the next few moments.

   But that’s all he could do. The last arrow wasn’t avoidable.

   The moment he thought to use his arms as a shield for his body, something unimaginable happened.

   The white gloves on Kyrill’s hands let out particles of light. The particles as if covering for Kyrill, they converged and formed a hexagon in front of him.

   It was a shape just like a barrier spell, but, different from the purple magic barrier and the blue physical barrier, its color is pure white like the clouds.

   The pure white barrier defended Kyrill from the last arrow. The next moment, as if a sound of a drop of water evaporated from a heated pan, the arrow disappeared into nothingness.

「Eh? 」

「Kyrill! Are you okay!? 」

   Ellenoa hurried towards Kyrill’s side while he was still surprised at the phenomenon.

「What was that just now? It was an unfamiliar color but, it was a barrier spell? 」

「Eh, uhhm……」

   While looking at the gloves on his hands, Kyrill was looking for words to reply.

   The pure white gloves were a gift from Ardis. Ardis had said that the gloves is imbued with defensive spell. That probably refers to the pure white barrier that appeared just now.

   Is it a one-time use, or reusable, how tough is the barrier? He didn’t know even a single trait about it. But what is clear is his life was saved by the gloves. Even while giving his deepest appreciation to Ardis, Kyrill immediately returned his focus.

「I’m fine. What about Ellenoa? 」

「Yes, I was fine thanks to Kyrill. 」

   After seeing that each other was fine, Kyrill nodded and stood up.

「At this pace, we will get targeted again. Let’s get back a little, and support the vanguards. 」

「Alright――Though, we are really getting pushed back. 」

   The two was alert to the surroundings for any long-ranged attacks as they retreated to a safer place. And during that, Ellenoa pointed out that the Kingdom is clearly being pushed back.

   Although Kyrill and the others, a portion of students are doing better than expected, there’s no telling how much influence it can have in the grand scheme of war.

***

   An hour after the students of the academy participated in the battle, the collapsing of the frontline is so obvious that an amateur could even see.

「The retreat order, will it not come? 」

   Rai spoke of his wish while swinging his sword covering for Kyrill and Ellenoa. The line composed of warrior students had already crumbled, and now they’re doing all their best just to fend off the enemy soldiers in groups.

   Around Kyrill is Rai and Ellenoa that had retreated from the frontline, and then two other students who were familiar faces. With the two others from the same warrior class as Rai guarding their flanks, Kyrill and Ellenoa would put up barriers to protect everyone against the arrows that come their way occasionally, and also cast spells towards the enemy soldiers.

   Only the numbers of friendlies went down while the enemy’s gained in momentum. It’s only a matter of time before the enemy break apart their defensive line. Even Rai who would be saying cheerful things usually seemed a little grim at the current situation.

   Although not much time had passed since the real fight begun, unlike Kyrill, the students that had no experience were all fatigued. In fact, Ellenoa and even the two other students from the warrior class didn’t seem much energetic. Only Kyrill and Rai who had been welcoming the enemy attacks till now still had breaths in them.

   There’re no signs of retreat orders. If no reinforcements were to come, Kyrill and the others would be swallowed by the waves of Imperial soldiers soon.

「How much longer do we have to――」

   Just as Rai said so, a loud horn was sounded from the Imperial army. And then signals fired from magic spells into the air, three of them.

   What kind of signal does that mean for the Imperial army, of course no one there knew. But whatever signal is it, they would know of it in the next moment.

「Please not be an attack order. 」

   Rai clicked his tongue as he glared at the enemies.

   Till then, the enemy soldiers that had held back from advancing too deep suddenly raised a war cry towards them. Together with that, the enemy soldiers that formed the frontline pushed even harder.

   The signal just now was probably for them to assault. Seeing the resistance from the Kingdom weakening, the Empire must’ve thought to crush them now.

「We must retreat! 」

「Where!? 」

   Rai was shouting to retreat, but Ellenoa screamed back a question.

   Their surroundings were all enemies. They had no choice but to breakthrough Imperial soldiers if they wanted to retreat. Their rear seemed easier than their front but, the Imperial soldiers aren’t that kind to just let them go.

「No choice but to do it! The right side is the thinnest! 」

   And Rai responded with what seemed like only guts were in them. But it was the exact predicament all of them are in.

「Ellenoa, can you still run? 」

「Still, can. No choice but to run right? 」

   Although Kyrill asked worryingly, Ellenoa forced a smile back.

   Even while so, the Imperial soldiers were approaching. With dusts raising in their wake, the reverberations of their footsteps can be felt through the ground.

「The penetrating pebble of the unwavering heroism of the knight ――― Dessel! 」

   Casting 『Dessel (Earth)』into the ground, Kyrill tried to topple the enemy soldiers.

「Kyrill! Even if you do that now――」

「It will slow them down a little! 」

   Rai was about to stop him but, Kyrill raised his voice in response.

   Of course, his legs never stopped. While running behind Ellenoa, he would turn around and cast 『Dessel』 to break the enemy soldiers’ footholds sometimes. It was a plan he thought up in his experience of holding back the beasts in the Corsas Forest.

「How, can you, run and, cast……」

   Of course, seeing such recklessness from Kyrill, Ellenoa muttered as if she can’t believe it.

   While removing enemy soldiers that steps in their way, they were running away from the enemy soldiers. But that was something easily said than done.

   On top of that, Kyrill and the others weren’t like experienced mercenaries that had many combat experiences, they are students that had participated in a war for the first time.

   Even if Rai’s combative capability is much higher than other students, even if Kyrill was there to disrupt the enemy soldiers behind, they still couldn’t ignore the numbers of enemy soldiers.

「They will, catch up……」

   The student of the warrior class that had guarded Kyrill’s rear said words that is obviously filled with despair.

   Of course, without saying, Kyrill could understand that too. The group of enemy soldiers that were closer every time he looked back and casted 『Dessel』. It is now a distance where they can make out each other’s facial features.

   They can’t get away.

   Just as he thought it was up to here, countless flowers bloomed on the battlefield.

   The flowers releasing a heated ray like a scorching hell, together with a roaring sound that destroyed everything, it burned the bunch of Imperial soldiers in the area that is most packed.

   The flower that bloomed and showed an overwhelming power easily ended the soldiers’ lives before they could even feel pain.

   The engulfing fireball of about ten meters wide swallowed the surrounding soldiers and turned them into ashes. Collapsing onto the ground after their body were burned, the soldiers from behind stopped with that scene in front of their eyes.

   The battlefield that showed the Imperial soldiers overwhelming power so far suddenly changed in atmosphere. It’s the same for the students and the enemy soldiers, stunned at the overwhelming violence.

   While the two sides were shrouded in confusion, Ellenoa made out the identity of the flowers.

「『Flames of Purgatory』……? But there’re so many of them……」

   The 『Flames of Purgatory』 that had bloomed in an instant, more than twenty of them can be counted just by glancing. In other words, there are more than twenty first-rate magicians that had entered the battlefield.

「Did reinforcements came? 」

   One of the students of the warrior class said some hopeful words.

   Certainly, it would be normal to think so. As the 『Flame of Purgatory』 was only targeting the Imperial soldiers, it can be deducted it’s their friendlies. Thinking that reinforcements came is natural. As for twenty magicians that could use upper-grade spells, the scale of the expected reinforcements is also considerable.

   But Kyrill had a different answer to that.

   There aren’t many magicians who can use upper-grade spells in the army. At most there would be fifty in the entire army.

   And half of them probably belongs to different territorial armies, even for the remaining half, not all of them would be in the standing army. Even if they are from the standing army, most of them would be placed at the headquarters or the main unit.

   To save a unit of students and drafted soldiers on the left wing, Kyrill couldn’t imagine they would use such precious assets.

   If it’s not magicians from the Kingdom’s army, then whose magic was that? That many magicians are not in the army?

   No, the numbers aren’t important.

   Kyrill knew.

   It’s possible for a capable magician to cast multiple spells at the same time. There are even people who can cast upper-grade spells without uttering a single chant.

   Even the name of the person who can do it easily.

   Beside Ellenoa who was rejoicing over the prospect of reinforcements arriving, Kyrill who was thinking of the other possibilities in his mind suddenly noticed a presence.

   A shallow presence that appeared from nowhere and had a light footstep landed beside him. That reassuring atmosphere, Kyrill understood that his thinking was correct as he felt the first sense of security ever since standing on the battlefield.

「You’re still alive and kicking? Good job. 」

   Together with a hand on his shoulder and kind words, it was as if a mentor happy over his disciple’s growth.

   Kyrill who heard those words and seen his figure was crushed by an inexplicable emotion, it was as if his breath had stopped. The moment that he spat out the air that had been stuck for a while, Kyrill named the person in front of him.

「――Ardis-san! 」