[V9C5] Premonition of Battle
Translated by Jodas 9: Battle for the TowerApprentice Mage Gerald Anker was a boy who hated all kinds of battle.
To Gerald, martial force was no different from wanton violence, and perhaps because of that, Gerald was unusually sensitive to the signs of conflict.
At some point, his brother had told him: when he gets the feeling that a battle is about to start, his blood starts to pump faster for no reason.
Everyone in his family were the same kind of creature, and Gerald likewise felt the same thing. Regardless of his desires, by living in an environment where he could not survive without fighting, those intuitions developed naturally.
And now, Gerald felt that same rush of blood from the air around the Wedge Tower.
A battle was about to begin— That premonition quickly turned to a certainty.
“The Wedge Tower’s higher ups plan to have Sophie curse Julius, then exile him.”
In the group lesson classroom where the Apprentice Mages were supposed to be doing their self study, five of them: Gerald, Rose, Finn, Roswitha, and Ella who just returned from the Medical Office, brought their chairs together and shared the intel they’d gathered.
Gerald had seen Roswitha cast off her fish of water.
Roswitha had searched not only Sophie’s location, but also where Julius and Agniol were being kept.
Her reconnaissance fish were incredibly difficult to control with such precision. After using that spell for a whole hour, Roswitha was visibly exhausted, but she kept the same haughty attitude as always when she requested Gerald to “Gather everyone here. Get Ella from the Medical Office too.”
Then, she shared the information she’d gathering, leading to the present.
“Let’s have Julius and Sophie escape out of the Wedge Tower.”
It was Rose who suggested that.
At the moment, Rose was the oldest of the Apprentices still at the Wedge Tower. Maybe because of that, he seemed to be of the mindset that it was his duty to protect those younger than him.
Rose’s actions in that regard honestly came as a surprise to Gerald. He’d been spending a lot of time with Rose lately helping tend to his garden. That time gave him the strong impression that Rose was a laid-back guy who didn’t deal with any kind of dirty business all that well. He didn’t expect him to be the type who could come to a decision quickly when it mattered.
“What happens after they escape?”
The one to put forward that question in a quiet voice was Ella.
Ella, who had come running from the Medical Office after being called over, became very worried for both Julius and Sophie after hearing the circumstances.
That was why she thought so seriously about what would happen after they escape from the Wedge Tower.
“Agniol would be with them, so I don’t think they have to worry about being attacked by bandits, but… I don’t think it’s so simple for two children to go find a new life for themselves.”
Her point was astute. Unless they had a destination planned, there was a chance they could just collapse on the side of the road somewhere.
In response to Ella’s realistic concerns, Rose answered with a mature, collected attitude.
“I’ll look after them for a while. I think I’ll be able to put together a job and a place for them to live.”
At that point, only one word emerged in Gerald’s mind.
A place where Rose could just show up and provide a job and place to live. That meant…
“…As farmers?”
“Will Julius and Sophie be making vegetables with you, Rose?”
Finn was making a face that said ‘I don’t get it.’ Gerald felt the same way.
Rose stroked his fuzzy beard and tilted his head.
“…Do you all really think I’m a farmer?”
“You’re from a pretty old family of mages, aren’t you? We talked about something like that before, right?”
Roswitha spoke under her breath, to which Rose enthusiastically nodded.
“Yeah, that’s right. And the guy who recommended for me to go the Wedge Tower really likes hiring talented people. I bet he would be thrilled to have Julius and Sophie working for him, I think.”
Rose didn’t specify exactly who he was talking about, so it wasn’t clear if that person was a noble or a mage or something else.
But Gerald knew that Rose was great at caring for people. He was sure that Julius and Sophie would be just fine under his care.
That said, there was one thing that bothered Gerald.
“Wait, but does that mean… Rose, are you going to be leaving the Wedge Tower along with Julius and Sophie?”
“Well, I guess so, yeah.”
Rose nodded nonchalantly.
Gerald silently reacted in shock. There was still so much he had to learn from Rose.
(And not just Rose… Julius and Sophie too… I won’t be able to see them again…)
If Wren and the others who were out on that mission learned about this, he was sure they would be just as shocked.
When Gerald fell silent, Rose smiled with gentle eyes.
“I’m the adult here, after all. If I don’t look after you youngsters, I’m sure Sevil and Oliver are going to rip me to shreds. Gerald, I’m counting on you to take care of the garden!”
A little after curfew, Gerald changed out of his sleepwear into more athletic clothing.
Tonight, the operation to let Julius and Sophie escape out of the Wedge Tower would commence.
After getting dressed and finishing his preparations, the last thing Gerald did was pick up the sword he’d left in the corner of the room. The sword he didn’t even use in the magic battle. The symbol of violence that Gerald so utterly hated.
Yet for some strange reason… Some really strange reason, he had a feeling he would be needing it tonight.
—Without his claws and fangs, a wolf cannot hunt.
‘I have no need for claws or fangs, so take me off of the jobs that involve fighting.’ So he had always thought. So he still thought.
(…Sister, I’m sorry.)
After all his inner conflict, Gerald strapped the sword to his belt, then headed outside.
At the meetup point, Finn was already waiting.
Finn and Gerald’s roles would be to act as lookouts and messengers.
They needed to save Julius and Sophie at more or less the same time. If they didn’t, and anyone noticed one of them had escaped, security would tighten around the other one.
Agniol’s ring was on the first floor of the First Spire: White Smoke
Julius was being held in a basement cell in the Second Spire: Golden Needle
Sophie was under confinement in the Library Office on the second floor of the Third Spire: Water Bubble
…They were spread all over the campus. That was why timing and information sharing were the most critical aspects of the plan.
Finn and Gerald would be on standby in a central spot between the tree Spires and the gardens. Their responsibility would be keep an eye on the situation and get in touch with the others when necessary.
Finn, hiding in the bushes, stared intently at Gerald’s appearance — More specifically, at the sword on his hip.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you wearing a sword, Gerald. Not since the entrance exam… I think?”
“…That’s, probably right.”
He hated swords. He hated pain, and he hated inflicting pain on others.
“Back then, I thought ‘Wow, this guy looks so strong~’ you know?”
Gerald didn’t think of himself as strong at all. He was the weakest in his family, and always was scolded for being a wimp.
Suddenly, Gerald noticed something. He wasn’t sure how, but Finn looked a little different from usual.
Finn normally wasn’t the type to initiate a conversation like this at all.
“Finn, are you feeling nervous?”
“Less nervous, more…”
Sitting on the ground, Finn squeezed his knees close to his chest.
His young face twisted in a look that seemed like he was holding back tears.
“…I never thought I would be saying bye to Julius like this…”
He couldn’t bring himself to say something like ‘I’m sure you’ll be able to see him again,’ to console him.
Once Julius, Sophie, and Rose left the Wedge Tower, they would lay low for a while, then head to meet Rose’s acquaintance.
As far as the Wedge Tower was concerned, they would be treated as traitors. There would be no chance of them ever coming back to the Wedge Tower.
“There was so much I wanted Julius to teach me. I haven’t even finished reading the book that Sophie recommended me. And Rose only just started teaching me how to grow vegetables, too…”
Far from any magical knowledge, Finn could barely even read or write. He always dragged his feet with a lame limp. He didn’t have singing talent like Tia or crafting talent like Rukiye, either.
However, he was the one the other Apprentices doted on the most.
Gerald wanted to say something to lift up Finn’s spirits. But Gerald wasn’t one for words, and couldn’t think of anything worth saying.
At times like this, he was jealous of the way words just naturally came out of Wren’s mouth.
“When Wren and the others come back… I bet they’ll be surprised.”
“Oliver, too. He was Rose’s roommate and they got along really well, so he’ll be lonely, won’t he?”
“…Then let’s go hang out in Oliver’s room once he gets back.”
Finn’s mouth hung open when he heard Gerald’s uncharacteristic suggestion.
Feeling a little awkward after saying something he never usually would say, Gerald’s fingertips played with his long bangs.
“You know, I’ve been learning how to cook a lot lately, but I’m nowhere near as good as Oliver, so… I want to see if he’ll teach me some things… If you want to help taste-test for me, Finn, I’d be delighted.”
“Sure… Hehehe, thank you, Gerald.”
As he thought, combat wasn’t what Gerald was made for.
He wanted to make vegetables, to cook, that sort of thing.
Even if his brother might not forgive him.