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A hail of arrows closed in on us. To be told to charge straight into that was, to say the least, a spine-chilling order. However, the protective magic enveloping my body proved its worth, granting me the stroke of luck to take down several of the enemy’s higher-tier goblins—who had let their guard down—with a single surprise attack, and the tide of battle swung decisively in our favor.

High-tier creatures—which normally would have taken several of us working together to bring down—were being swept aside as easily as paper, throwing the enemy into disarray. The scene unfolding around me seemed to flow as slowly as if in slow motion, and amid it all, my physical abilities—which allowed me to move just as I always had—had surged to such an extent that I was effortlessly overcoming a power disparity that would normally have made a hard-fought battle inevitable.

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The mission of our First Squad is to swiftly deal blows to the enemy. For this reason, our squad is composed of elite members who excel in combat—even within the unit—and I have the honor of leading it as the vanguard commander.

First, we must take down the enemy commanders. At a glance, the enemy commanders consisted of two: a monstrously massive Goblin General—a creature that appears only once every decade or so and is regarded as a calamity among humans—and a High Goblin Leader—as the companions traveling with us this time called him—who served as his aide. These two were commanding the enemy forces deployed on the right and left flanks, respectively… I locked onto one of them.

I took the lead, tearing through the enemy lines and cutting deep into their ranks, while the others widened the breach and ran roughshod over them. Our usual tactics, nothing changed. However, there was nothing that could stop me now. Thanks to the protective magic of the “Princess,” my body—much lighter than usual—was in peak condition, and I was already locked in combat with the Leader, while my comrades around me scattered the surrounding foot soldiers in all directions. Our numerical disadvantage was clear, but even so, with this much support, we weren’t the kind of group that would fall behind against enemies of this caliber. Knowing that behind us, that lovely Princess, fluttering her divine wings, was praying for our victory and safety, lifted the spirits of our usually gruff, all-male group to new heights.

And above all, there was her healing magic. To put it bluntly, the effects of the healing magic she wielded were extraordinary. Normally, healing magic enhances a person’s own healing ability, allowing them to recover from their wounds over time in the safety of the rear. However, the faint light of healing that flew from her instantly restored even those who had sustained injuries that would normally force them to withdraw from the front lines to a state where they were immediately combat-ready.
While practitioners capable of such potent healing magic do occasionally appear, most are revered as “saints” or “holy maidens” and end up confined within the Church. Yet even compared to those we’ve heard of, her healing seemed to be on a whole different level. And above all, she was able to cast it simultaneously on multiple people from a distance.

Although she showed signs of fatigue, and strict orders had been given not to push her too hard, the mere presence of this ability provided a mental buffer. This allowed everyone to demonstrate a level of prowess far beyond what they were capable of under normal circumstances—when they were forced to maintain a safety margin to avoid becoming incapacitated on the battlefield. As a result, it accelerated the rate at which enemies were wiped out and played a key role in minimizing casualties.

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Every time the sword in my right hand flashed, shards of ice danced across the battlefield; every time the sword in my left hand flashed, bursts of flame did the same. I parried the enemy commander’s fierce sword strikes left and right, seizing openings to slam my blade into his hardened skin. All the armor he wore at the start of the battle had been shattered, leaving him exposed in a pitiful, half-naked state—yet I hadn’t yet landed a fatal blow. I see. This enemy might indeed be a formidable opponent for my subordinates, but he was not someone I couldn’t handle right now. It’s true that his strength and speed were formidable, but that was all there was to it.

“Hehe, hehehe, hahaha!!”

I felt my face twisting into an elated smile, but I couldn’t stop it. Yes, I was very happy. I was truly happy.

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――It was pure coincidence that I saw her that day, when I was still young, in a room tucked away in a secluded spot. Driven by a whim and a slight rebellious streak born of my burgeoning adolescence, I sneaked into that room—the very one my father had strictly warned me to stay away from—and simply stared, dumbfounded, at her mysterious profile, bathed in the blue moonlight, as if she were not of this world.

That celestial girl, who was said to have lived hidden away in a remote area, had a perfectly symmetrical profile that remained as still as a doll, even in such circumstances—despite her young age. It was impossible to believe she was merely a village girl; she looked as if she might melt away and vanish if touched. Though it may not be the right word to use for such a young girl, she was simply, utterly beautiful. On that day, while I had been on a path to become a knight—a path I had been following chronically in order to inherit my parents’ estate—I found myself thinking for the first time that I wanted to serve this person of my own free will.

I heard that my father had abducted her from somewhere. The moment I heard that, I could not forgive my father for trying to subject this innocent, childlike girl to his clutches out of selfish desire, and from that moment on, I began to act out of a childish sense of justice.

I informed my uncle, who was an upright knight. Taking advantage of the fact that I wasn’t viewed as a threat simply because I was a child, I gathered the necessary information one piece at a time and secretly passed it on. I’d heard that some of the information I leaked contributed significantly to my father’s downfall. Yes, for her sake, I betrayed my own parents without a moment’s hesitation.

I lost my home, the future that had been promised to me—everything. But if that meant she would be freed from her bonds and spared from becoming a plaything, I thought it was worth it. Later, it was revealed that her true identity was that of the very princess I was meant to serve. As someone branded as the son of the man who had attempted to abduct her, the path to becoming a knight was already closed to me, and I wept over that fact—yet I still had no regrets.

Having lost my home, I relied on the sword skills I’d honed over the years. Together with my younger sister—who, for some reason, had insisted on tagging along—I knocked on the door of a mercenary company. As I distinguished myself in battle after battle, I was recruited by Captain Walter and rose to my current position. I had already given up on her, considering the matter closed. However, in a town I happened to stop by, that dream—which I thought had long since withered away—suddenly knocked on the door of reality.

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Ah, I suppose I’m feeling quite elated right now.

—Didn’t she look exactly the same as she did seven years ago? A trivial matter. It didn’t matter either way.

—The Lightwing Clan, which was supposed to be extinct? No problem at all—as someone to whom I can dedicate my sword, it’s actually exactly what I’ve been hoping for!

Captain intends to protect her, and for now, we’ll likely walk the same path. However, should our paths diverge, I would not hesitate to become your knight. If that is what you desire, I will dedicate my sword to you without hesitation and become your knight.

The path of a knight vanished like a dream, and you—the first person I ever wished to pledge my sword to—slipped away beyond my reach. That’s how it was supposed to be, yet here I am now, able to wield my sword for you. The dream that was supposed to be shattered had returned—and in the face of this joy, no obstacle stood in my way!

“Curse your own misfortune for standing before me, right here, right now!”

Feeding on my surging loyalty, a fierce fighting spirit raced through my right sword, transforming it into a chill so intense it caused frost to form all around. With my left sword, I forcefully parried the enemy’s attack. Unable to withstand the explosive flames and shockwave, my enemy—the High Goblin Leader—lost his balance, awkwardly exposing his torso.

No matter how tough the skin may be, if it’s constantly chipped away, it will eventually be pierced. I’ve been preparing for this very moment all along. That spot, which had been exposed to cold and fire—attacks of completely different natures—was now ragged and cracked… I’d pierce it!

“Espinas Azules!”

Sharp, utterly sharp—that single strike pierced right through the weakened spot, allowing no resistance, all the way to the hilt.

“…Disperse!”

In the next instant, all the fighting spirit enveloping the sword transformed into icy vines within the enemy’s body, bursting through its soft interior to tear it to shreds. Before his very eyes, the ice flowers bloomed, siphoning away the enemy’s life and piercing it through until there was nothing left.

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—He didn’t know. He didn’t know that the technique, by chance, was very similar in nature to the one used just moments before by someone attending to the girl he adored and called “Princess,” to slay the same enemy.

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A few seconds later, one of the two High Goblin Leaders—pierced countless times by icicles sprouting from within and devoured from the inside by vines and flowers—decayed without even being allowed to fall, reduced to a bizarre, unrecognizable form.

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There was no time to bask in the afterglow of victory. If I finished my job quickly, I could lighten her load that much more. Next was that guy. I pushed off the ground and sprinted toward the enemy commander on the opposite side—the enemy’s right flank—who was still locked in combat with my sister… Phirias.

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“Hahaha… This is really tough, isn’t it…”

I grumbled while locked in combat with the enemy commander. After all, I was commanding while holding off the enemy commander. I almost deserved a pat on the back. Fortunately, as long as I was just holding him off, I thought I could manage.

Originally, our Second Squad was a unit centered around mages and archers, designed to provide support for our allies. We’d borrowed a few members from the Third Squad—led by the squad leader, who was operating independently—to maintain the front line, while the Second Squad provided support on other battlefields. That’s right—our objective was to hold the line. We didn’t need to win; we just needed to stop the enemy here so they didn’t spill over elsewhere, and hold out until my older brother’s First Squad—which had charged into the left flank—broke through their lines and rushed back to us…

“Phirias! Leave this to me—you go support the princess!”
“Wait, that was fast!? Huh, did you take him down already!?”

My idiot Aniki charged like a whirlwind at the High Goblin Leader I was locked in combat with. Looking over, I saw that the enemy’s left flank—which had been his responsibility—had lost its commander and was beginning to rout in disarray, with Aniki’s men mopping them up. By my estimation, it should have taken a little longer—isn’t this way too fast, no matter how you look at it!?

I thought that, but then I spotted a look of sheer delight—one that probably only I could recognize—on his usually calm yet distant profile, where his expressions are hard to read, and I realized.

Oh no… he’s totally giddy. I guess that makes sense—he’s finally reunited with his “princess,” just as he’d always hoped.

I pictured that girl in my mind—so different from the fleeting glimpse I caught years ago, now expressive and adorable.

…Yeah, I can protect her. If she were still that cold, expressionless girl, I wouldn’t feel the urge to protect her above all else like Aniki would, but with the expressive girl she is now, I wanted to protect her too. Those eyes, wavering with anxiety, were just like a small animal’s, and they stirred my heart—which has a soft spot for cute things—so intensely that, to be honest, even back in the cafeteria, I had to fight with all my might to resist the urge to hug her and rub my cheek against hers, which looked so smooth and soft.

It was strange even to me how much I wanted to protect that girl. I did have a faint doubt about it, but she wasn’t a bad kid—in fact, she seemed like a kind-hearted, good girl—so I figured, “Well, I guess that’s okay.” It was probably the same feeling you get when you can’t help but want to protect a little kitten, yeah.

Wait, no. I had to focus on the mission. Before I knew it, the arrows coming from behind had already stopped. It seemed the squad leader had already taken care of them. We’d probably be rejoining the group soon.

“Second Squad, provide cover for First Squad. Finish this quickly and rejoin the group. Third Squad, come with me to provide cover for our guests. Second Squad, get ready to fire; Third Squad, withdraw in coordination with that! …Fire!”

In response to my command, arrows and magic rained down on the enemies attempting to pursue the Third Squad, which had just turned around to make their escape. Taking advantage of the momentary hesitation caused by the attack, I confirmed that they had safely withdrawn, then followed close behind them as I ran.

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“…Phew, I guess that’s about it.”

I surveyed the enemy rear guard, now immobilized. Now that we’d penetrated this far, they weren’t much of a threat. In addition to the goblin mage, we’d taken out most of the archers behind us. Since we’d also eliminated their reinforcements, we should head back quickly to support those guys…

“… Huh? What the hell is this?”

An unnatural object was peeking out from the shabby clothing of one of the enemy corpses. When I picked it up, it felt just like clay… no, surely not.

“These guys, they prepared something like this…! Hey, you guys, let’s hurry back!”

No sooner had I said it than I pushed off the ground and sprinted back the way we came at full speed.

I don’t know who taught them, but these guys… they’d actually prepared something like this!

As long as everyone did their part, there wouldn’t be any problems—but that assumption was completely overturned by the unexpected presence of “this.”

“Stay safe…!”

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Had my mana already dropped below half? Panting heavily, I desperately tried to steady my ragged breathing by gulping in oxygen. And with every jolt of my body, I could feel the sloshing of the numerous mana potions and water I’d downed in my stomach… I drank too much; it was painful. I couldn’t drink any more. My stomach must be bulging right now—it’s disgusting.

Using my vision enhanced by “Eagle Eye,” I surveyed the battlefield from above and cast healing spells on those who’d sustained injuries severe enough to render them largely immobile. It sounded simple enough, but handling this many people on my own—while maintaining buffs, counting their durations and cooldowns, and doing it all simultaneously—placed a massive strain on me, both magically and physically. My overworked mind was starting to scream in a faint, throbbing pain.

However, things began to ease considerably when the stream of arrows fired from the enemy’s rear ranks ceased, and half the enemy forces began to rout. I watched the battle unfolding before me while catching my breath.

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From above, Sol-niisama’s “Chain Bind” wrapped itself around the Goblin General’s arm. A distinctive feature of this magic in this world—which was designed to fix a spell’s target on oneself rather than someone else—was that “the point of origin does not move from its point of casting.” Thanks to this, the arm holding the sword he was just about to swing down came to a halt mid-motion. Though, of course, that would only hold him for a brief moment.

“Rage!”
“Not another word!!”

By then, “Flashing Blossom”—which had already finished charging—pierced the Goblin General’s torso, clad in that wide-open armor… but.

“Damn it, it’s hard!!”

The released fighting spirit erupted, shattering part of the Goblin General’s armor and scorching its surface… yes, just the surface. This technique was only effective when it penetrated the interior; exploding on the outside like this didn’t produce its intended effect. As Rage-san froze in the stance of having just swung his greatsword, the Goblin General’s face twisted into a smirk of delight, and his boulder-like arm—now free of the sword—came crashing down.

“Not yettttt!!”

With a bloodcurdling scream, Sol-niisama accelerated from above and dove in, landing beside Rage-san with the force of an arrow. From a low stance upon landing, he leapt upward at a sharp angle, unleashing a blinding sword flash.

“Blow up!! ‘Lightning Vapor’…!!”

The thrust, launched from a crouching position, scattered flashes of lightning and pierced the Goblin General’s torso just as he was about to bring his fist down. Blinding lightning burst from the tip of the sword, which had penetrated only slightly, scorching the Goblin General’s massive body. Staggering back a few steps from the impact, he retreated.

……?

Huh, I just felt something off… It was as if, just like when Sol-niisama used “Lightning Vapor” earlier, he’d spread his arms and used his own body as a shield to protect the goblins behind him from the lightning strike…?

“……Damn, not only are they not backing down a single step—aren’t those two actually pushing him back?”

I snapped back to reality at the voice coming from behind one of the mercenaries who had been approaching as my escort to eliminate the enemies closing in on us. That’s right—the two of them were taking turns at a dizzying pace, attacking nonstop to cover each other’s weaknesses, and slowly but surely forcing that massive body to retreat.

……However, its endurance was truly fearsome; no matter how many attacks the two of them landed, they still hadn’t managed to land a decisive blow. Our role was to pin down this boss—the most dangerous threat on this battlefield—right here. Meanwhile, Zeltis-san and Phirias-san would clear out the surrounding area, and we’d pool all our strength to take down this single creature in the end. True to its status as a raid boss in the game—a being said to appear only once every dozen or so years—it was a threat in this world that demanded we muster every available force to confront it.

“I won’t lose. Someday, I’ll definitely…”

With an intense, almost demonic look on his face, the mercenary who had been standing slightly ahead of me since a little while ago—Vice-san—fired arrows that pierced through the goblins lurking behind the General, who was stomping his feet, waiting for an opening… The reason the other two were able to focus entirely on the General was likely because he was keeping them in check, preventing the enemy goblins lurking behind from interfering. So as not to interfere with his mission, I just offered my thanks in my heart for now.

Realizing the situation was turning against them, the enemy tried to retreat with his remaining comrades. However, the Third Squad, led by Phirias-san, was already closing in from behind.

“Guuuuuuurururuuuuaaaaaaaah!!”

Seeing this, the Goblin General let out a roar and hurled what appeared to be some kind of magic at the ground.

“Guh-ak!?”
“Gah!”

He’s cornered… I thought at that moment. The magic unleashed by the Goblin General—which closely resembled the mage’s basic spell “Spark,” which scatters lightning over a wide area—swept across the ground and the goblin corpses lying there, engulfing part of the Third Squad that was just about to regroup. Though it wasn’t particularly powerful, its effect caused Rage-san—who had been numbed by it—and Sol-niisama, along with several mercenary vanguards who had closed in nearby, to drop to their knees.

“Rage-san! Nii-sama!? I’ll heal you now… ‘Rest Fi’…?”

Since I was outside the spell’s range and unharmed, I began chanting to dispel the paralyzing effect holding them back… and at that moment, I happened to make eye contact with him—truly by chance—and it seemed as though the Goblin General’s face had twisted into a grotesque grimace. As if he were struggling to suppress some kind of delight…?

“…!?’ ‘O Light that rejects all malice and protects us, be with us… Wide Protection’…!’”

A fiercely unpleasant premonition ran down my spine, and I reflexively switched spells, finishing the recast and activating the Wide Protection I’d been saving. The abrupt cancellation of my spell and the immediate casting of another caused my magical energy to fluctuate violently. As I felt my already dwindling reserves—already depleted by significant loss—dwindle even further, my vision swayed, but my instincts were screaming that I had to do this.

“…! Everyone, take defensive positions! Those with shields, move to the front…”

Noticing my condition, Phirias-san instinctively shouted orders, and the mercenaries reacted immediately, trying to respond—but even so.

At the same time, a blue light flared up from the pockets, loincloths, and inside the clothing of the surrounding goblin corpses. It looked exactly like the color of the lightning strike from earlier…

(……Please, let this be in time……!?)

Unable to grasp what was happening, I stared at the expanding light of Wide Protection as if in prayer. That light enveloped Rage-san and Sol-niisama, raced through the ranks of the mercenary corps, and reached Phirias-san at the very rear of the group—at that very moment.

A blinding flash and a deafening roar—which I could only interpret as a massive impact—filled the space right before my eyes, the very spot where everyone was fighting――……

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When the scorching wind that had battered my entire body finally subsided and I raised my head, I saw a scene completely different from just moments before: debris was still raining down with a clatter, and the earth—gouged out and blown away—lay bare, exposing its raw, muddy surface. This was…

“…E-explosives?”

Not gunpowder—explosives. Stunned by the sight of the devastation wrought by the shockwave that had swept through the area, I muttered in disbelief.

Due to the goblin corpses suddenly exploding, most of the Third Squad—the mercenary unit led by Phirias-san that had been rushing toward us at that very moment—was engulfed in flames and knocked down by the shockwave. As for Sol-niisama and Rage-san, who were even closer and took the direct hit… they didn’t stand a chance… Or so it should have been, but it seems Nii-sama’s “Invisible Shield” spell—which he managed to cast just in time—and the effects of my Protection spell left the ground around them completely unscathed. Both were safe and sound, and were now trying to get back on their feet.

“Assess the damage…”

Perhaps due to the earlier deafening roar, I heard Phirias-san’s voice giving orders in a faint sound that felt strangely distant.

The damage to the surrounding area was extensive… but everyone’s alive!

“I’ll heal them now…”
“No! Run!!”

Just as I instinctively looked up at the sharp voice of Rage-san, who was shouting at me as I frantically tried to heal everyone…

“…Huh…!? Ugh!?”

A goblin—thrown at me like a cannonball, still electrified—struck my protective barrier head-on. The impact from its weight and the speed with which the Goblin General had hurled it was too much to bear; I was blown away, rolled across the ground several times, and finally came to a stop.

“…U… ugh…”

This wasn’t the time to be lying on the ground—there were plenty of people who needed healing. But as I tried to stagger to my feet with legs that wouldn’t hold me up, I couldn’t manage it because of the impact from slamming into the ground, the electric shock running through my body that was numbing my limbs, and my sense of balance, which had gone haywire from rolling around so much. I had to get up quickly. Even as I was standing here like this, everyone was in danger right now… But just as I was trying to get up, from behind me came the sound of something clinking—as if someone were trying to unfasten a metal clasp…

“Hey, kid! Crap, get away from there fast!!”
“…Huh?”

It was Vice-san’s desperate voice. When I looked up, right beside me was the goblin who’d just thrown something at me, frantically pulling something out of his clothes and trying to toss it away. The white, clay-like object in his hand… something tube-shaped embedded within it began to… emit light…

“…Ugh, ah!”

There was no time left to do anything.

“GOD DAMMIT!!”

Staring in stunned disbelief, I watched as the goblin—who had been desperately trying to toss away that ominously glowing clay—was engulfed by a deafening explosion and blown to smithereens, the scene playing out before my eyes like a slow-motion replay. A screaming figure plunged right in front of me. I felt myself being grabbed by someone and pulled down to the ground… I didn’t even have time to figure out what was happening.

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The next instant, a flash of light—exploding over the body of whoever was in front of me—engulfed me, engulfed us—……