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I handed over the female Rolmund soldier I knocked unconscious to the Belrusa Land Force.

“Sorry about this. Please take care of protecting and guarding the prisoners.”
“Leave it to us, Boss Veit! Hey, bring some water and a cloth!”
“We’ll need blankets, too.”

The vicious mohawks moved briskly with iron discipline.
I know he’s a bit of a show off, but now I see why Garsche went out of his way to send them over.

After treating the enemy survivors, I decided to treat them as prisoners of war.
We’re going to keep rounding them up left and right at this rate.
I’m going to take all of you hostage.
I laughed as I toyed with the communications ring I’d seized from the enemy in the palm of my hand.

“Captain, it’s him again! The Black Werewolf!”
“Don’t let him force a close-quarters fight!”

I’d been intercepting enemy communications and cornering the “Thirdrd Light Cavalry Squad.”
They’re the ones riding those bird-like things. The Berlusa soldiers seemed to be having a hard time dealing with them as they darted around, but I’d intercepted their communications and was already one step ahead.
Here they come.

“What the hell is that monster?! Why won’t it go down?!”
“Fire! Keep firing!”

Bullets of light flew at me in rapid succession.
I didn’t want stray bullets to hit houses or my allies, so I held out my hand.
As I visualized the “vortex” in my mind, the light bullets were drawn toward my palm. Of course, I didn’t take a single hit; instead, my mana was being restored.

I knew it, this is part of Master’s ability.
My academic curiosity is piqued, but for now, I need to neutralize the enemy right in front of me.
I splurged on a strengthening spell and accelerated to my absolute limit. Normally, accelerating like this would drain my mana far too quickly, but right now, the enemy is actually restoring my mana.

“He’s gone!?”

He hasn’t gone anywhere.
He’s just behind you.

After what happened with that young female soldier earlier, I know the Rolmund soldiers won’t surrender willingly.
That’s why I plunged right into the heart of the enemy ranks and roared with all my might.
It’s my one and only signature move: “Soul Shaker.”
But this time—perhaps because I was overflowing with mana—its power was on a whole different level.

“Wh!?”
“Guh!”
“Hya!”

The Rolmund soldiers were all blown away, passing out along with the birds they were riding.
The surrounding buildings shook violently, and all the window panes shattered into pieces.
Why am I the one destroying the town?

But even though everyone was unconscious, I heard a voice from somewhere.

*“……ou copy!? I’m authorizing a retreat—withdraw immediately!”*

It was Princess Eleora’s voice. It must be coming from her communicator.
I spoke into my communication ring:

“The Third Light Cavalry Squad has been wiped out. Now it’s your turn, Your Imperial Highness, Princess Eleora.”
*“Are you Lord Black Wolf!?”*

Hearing her surprised voice, I burst out laughing.

“Go ahead, run as far as you want. Make this werewolf’s hunt more exciting.”

Without waiting for a reply, I cut off the communication.

That was, of course, a provocation designed to exploit Princess Eleora’s personality.
She values her subordinates above all else—perhaps even a little too much.
She’s lost a large number of them, and the attack on Lüenheit is beginning to falter.
If an enemy tells her to “run away” at a time like this, what will she do?
She won’t run.
Normally, provocation like this wouldn’t work on her, but I think it’ll work now.

It seems organized combat has largely ended on the western side of Lüenheit’s New Town.
For some reason, the enemy hasn’t reached the East Gate, and the dragonkin cavalry—renowned for their bravery—are stationed there.
I think we’ve managed to weather the initial offensive.

Messengers have already been dispatched to each city. By dawn, reinforcements from the surrounding cities should arrive.
If that happens, even Princess Eleora will surely flee.
The invading enemy forces were organized into squads of twenty; as far as I could confirm, there were Squads 2 through 5. I have not confirmed the presence of “Squad 1.”

I dash out through the castle gate and head toward the western forest.
My senses are currently enhanced by magic, allowing me to sense mana over a fairly wide area.
Since they use magical weapons, their mana is stronger than that of ordinary people. If there are about twenty of them, tracking them down will be easy.

I don’t need to worry about their magiarms staffs, but entering a forest where twenty elite soldiers are lying in wait is nerve-wracking.
But since I’m alone, I’m sure I’ll manage somehow.
And sure enough, I found Princess Eleora right away.

In a small clearing in the forest, Princess Eleora was sitting alone on a rock.
All around here was a strong killing intent… or rather, mana of a large group. There were eighteen of them in total, hidden in the underbrush and up in the trees.
Staying on guard, I walked straight toward Eleora.

“Eleora. It’s no use hiding your soldiers.”

She gave a wry smile.

“So you knew, after all?”
“Unless you hold your breath and blend in with the scent of the earth, you can’t escape my senses.”

Eleora stared at me with a surprisingly calm expression.

“What’s the matter? Aren’t you going to kill me?”
“Well, what should I do…”

I could kill her anytime I wanted, but killing a princess would be a real hassle.
Eleora then flashed a mischievous expression.

“If you don’t intend to kill me, why don’t you offer me terms of surrender?”

I laughed.

“I don’t waste my time on such pointless things with someone who has no intention of surrendering.”

That young soldier just now tried to kill herself without hesitation the moment she realized she couldn’t defeat me.
Presumably, in Rolmund, becoming a prisoner of war is forbidden. That rule is strictly enforced.
If that’s the case, there’s no way Eleora, as a princess, would surrender.

Sure enough, Eleora nods.

“Even though I’m a princess—no, precisely because I’m a princess—I have no choice in the matter. As you predicted, I will not surrender.”
“In that case, I’ll have to take you into custody by force. You won’t even have time to kill yourself.”

Eleora looked resigned at my words.

“So I really do have no choice, do I?”

She tossed aside her magiarms book and saber and stood up, unarmed.
Then she slowly approached me.

“Lord Black Wolf.”
“What is it?”
“I lost to you. A complete defeat.”

Perhaps because she had admitted defeat, Eleora’s expression was strangely composed.

She continued:

“You and I are both invaders. But it seems our capabilities were simply different.”

I shook my head.

“That’s not it. I was just constantly blessed with good luck.”

I was blessed with good superiors, good subordinates, and even good enemies. It wasn’t like I was particularly great.

Eleora let out a sigh.

“If you just brush it off as luck, what becomes of my position now that I’ve finally resolved to accept defeat?”

Even so…

I thought for a moment and answered in my own way.

“If there was a difference between you and me, it’s that I intended to live as a guest within their society. That sets me apart from you, who came as a conqueror.”

Eleora seemed a little surprised by those words.
But she immediately gave a slight nod.

“I see… So that’s how it is.”

At first, I relied on brute force, but after that, I had to be careful not to be resented or hated—it was a real struggle.

Eleora moved even closer to me. We were close enough to feel each other’s breath.

“In the end, it really came down to a difference in character. It was a good lesson.”

And then she smiled.
A gentle, yet slightly wistful smile.

“But I’m a little tired now, Lord Black Wolf.”

Eleora and I were enveloped in a whirlwind of flames.

In the scorching hell where crimson lotus flowers bloom, Princess Eleora is smiling.
It’s a truly beautiful smile—a smile of one freed from all burdens.

“I’m a Destruction Mage, you see. If I’m prepared to destroy myself, I can handle this much. I’ll have you accompany me all the way to the Underworld.”

Don’t joke with me.

But these flames—they’re hot to me, too.
Well, of course they are. Any phenomenon caused by destructive magic follows the normal laws of physics once it’s been created.
In other words, this is no different from ordinary fire.
I can absorb mana, but unlike my master, it seems I can’t absorb heat.

Princess Eleora smiled contentedly as she lost consciousness and collapsed right there.
This princess is still as reckless as ever.
No, this isn’t the time to be exasperated. If I don’t do something, I’ll die too. I can’t use any magic that would help put out the flames.
The flames swirl like a tornado, forming a wall that blocks my path. I have absolutely no idea what’s going on outside. Jumping in would be reckless.

But I haven’t spent over ten years training under Master for nothing.
Whether it’s protection against heat or a supply of oxygen, I can make it work by brute-forcing it with enhancement magic.
As is standard in battle, I’d prepared for fire attacks, so I hurriedly cast heat-resistant magic on Eleora and myself. To ensure a supply of oxygen, I also cast a spell for underwater breathing.

Eleora’s respirator was probably scorched as well, so I cast a healing spell on it too. All of these spells consume a significant amount of mana, but I’m not holding back.
However, the healing and heat-resistant spells are only affecting the living parts of Eleora and me.
Eleora’s cloak is burning, but I’ll just have to let her give up on that.

*“Your Highness! Your Highness!”*

A heart-wrenching cry came from her earring.
It must be a Rormund soldier hiding nearby. Since she has a communication ring, he’s likely one of her aides.
I leaned close to Eleora’s ear and declared:

“Princess Eleora has lost consciousness but is unharmed. I, Lord Black Wolf Veit, have taken custody of her. If you value her life, know this: you are permitted neither to flee nor to die. Prepare to surrender.”

If I say this, the Rolmund soldiers probably won’t try to escape or commit suicide. Probably.

Eventually, Eleora’s magic was completely burned out, and the tornado-like inferno died down. Summer grass was burning here and there, but I’d have the werewolf squad put out the fires later.
As I carried Princess Eleora in my arms—literally like a princess—soldiers emerged from the darkness of the forest. Eighteen in total. That’s everyone.

After confirming Eleora’s safety, they tossed aside their magiarms staffs and swords.
Then the oldest man stepped forward and addressed me.

“I am First Lieutenant Borsche Nolensky. Since the battalion commander is unable to continue commanding, I am assuming command in accordance with combat regulations.”

After making that declaration, he continued.

“The 209th Magic Attack Battalion surrenders to the Miraldia Federation. As a condition of this surrender, we request that you guarantee the safety of Her Highness Eleora.”
“As a member of the Miraldia Federation Council, I promise to do so. I also guarantee your safety.”

When I said that, they all saluted in unison, without a word.