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“What the hell is that?” One of the soldiers shouted high, pointing to the sky.

High, high, far up in the sky, at the top of the sky where the soldier had pointed, a divine being was soaring. It had taken on a human form. Her golden hair flowed down to her shoulders, and her deep blue eyes were filled with the color of melancholy.

Two pairs of pure white wings, twice as tall as she were, extended from her back, soaking in the azure of the sky as if they were swaying.

She was beautiful. Her face was so beautiful that anyone who saw her would be impressed by her beauty. Perhaps due to her short-cropped golden hair, her neutral face, which could be described as boyish or girlish, seemed somehow sacred.

People dared not recognize her as a person. Her beauty was captivating. When searching for the right word to describe her, this savior who had appeared on the battlefield in the depths of despair, there was only one word that came to mind.

“An angel!” someone said, and everyone echoed after him.

The resonance filled the whole army like a chain explosion and swirled around. Blind expectation and relief swept through them. The incredible emotion and picturesque scene brought everyone to their knees and to tears.

Some offered prayers in thanks to their lord and the angels. They all believed that the Lord was watching them. In their time of a need an angel had come to their rescue.

They couldn’t help but feel immense emotion and gratitude trembling within them towards the angel. The angel’s pure white wings moved and she began her slow descent into the middle of the battlefield, where blood and smoke were flying.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

“So, what do we do?” Lichter posed the vague question.

In the distance, at the bottom of a hill, a sea of blackness formed by a multitude of Demons came into view. No matter how battle-hungry or battle-hardened they were, it would be too reckless to dive into such a place.

Lichter sighed with sorrow in front of the Fortified City of Ulbdor, which floated unreliably in the black sea.

“It’s okay. As I’ve said before, we have plenty of entry routes,” Seletina said as she dismounted and began to massage her aching body.

Eupho and Yopha, both with their cold eyes, stepped forward to Seletina.

“Wait. It’s impossible, No matter how you look at it, there’s no way we’re getting inside.” Eupho said.
“I agree with Eupho. It’s insane. Just look at those numbers.”

Yopha added. Seletina, however, remained unmoved by the two boys’ persuasions. Rolling her shoulders, she exhaled and pointed to the sky.

“We won’t be going by land. We’ll go by air.”
“Air?”

Lichter asked with a puzzled tone.

“There’s no way we can get into Ulbdor by land. But, going by air shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Did you hit your head somewhere? Last I remember, you aren’t a Dragia.”
“Turn around?”
“What?”
“Just trust me and turn around. Now!”

Seletina urged Lichter to turn around, saying, “You too.” as she made Eupho and Yopha turn around as well. The three men were unsure of what was going on, but they reluctantly agreed to hurry up as she insisted.

“Don’t turn back no matter what.” Seletina urged, before she placed her hands on her pants.

She slipped them down, revealing her white thighs, pure white underwear, and a small piece of parchment tied to the string of her underwear. Seletina grabbed the parchment and quickly pulled up her pants, fastening the leather belt back on.

“You taking a piss?”

Lichter nonchalantly remarked, receiving a sharp and unreserved chop to the back of his head.

“You idiot… I’d be going farther away if I was going to relieve myself.”
“I-It’s not like it hurt, but what was that for?!”

Lichter mumbled, having been hit lightly by the hand-chop.

The three men looked curiously at the parchment in Seletina’s hand as she rubbed her tingling, aching hand.

“Don’t tell me that’s…”

Both Eupho and Yopha’s attentions were immediately captivated. Their usually flat tone of voice was tingling with slight interest. Surprise and slight excitement oozed from them.

Seletina nodded as she checked their reactions.

“This is a Magic Scroll imbued with Flight Magic. We’ll use this to go from the sky.”
“A Magic Scroll?! Flight Magic?!”

Even Lichter could not hide his astonishment at Seletina’s words.

A Magic Scroll, it was a portable magic circle, so to speak, with delicate Mana woven into a precise formula drawn on parchment. Even non-mages could activate the spell by applying a small amount of Mana to it.

Although it was widely known it was still an incomplete technology. Only a handful of Mages could produce elaborate Magic Scrolls and obtaining one was so hard that it easily cost a small fortune. Due to its nature the main use of the Magic Scrolls was to simply admire them as a piece of art rather than use it practically.

And Seletina had strapped such a thing to her underwear.

The three men’s jaws were left wide open. They couldn’t begin to comprehend the boldness and immense wealth of the Aldelight family.

“Wait just a minute. Why are you keeping such a valuable thing over there?!”
“Because it’s valuable. This way, I can keep it close at hand and hidden at the same time. It helps because women, unlike men, are more likely to put things away in their private zones.”
“That’s a Magic Scroll, you know?! You’re unbelievable.”

Lichter said, still astonished. This scroll was something Melia had given Seletina just in case. Seletina herself never thought the opportunity to use it like this would present itself.

“Wait… Flight Magic? Are you sure?”

Eupho asked, a little flustered. Seletina shook her head vaguely in response.

“Probably. I’ve heard that it contains Flight Magic, but today is the first time I’ll be using a Magic Scroll, so we won’t know what happens until I try it.”
“Shocking. I can’t believe this is a Magic Scroll imbued with Flight Magic.”

Eupho marveled, still rolling his eyes at Seletina, who was spreading the Magic Scroll on the grassy field. He understood magic because he knew magic.

Flight Magic… Magic that could make one fly was classified as High Magic, regardless of how simple its formula may seem. Just by being able to use Flight Magic, a Mage would be welcomed by any country as a leading force or as a magic teacher.

Which was why Eupho was so taken aback. The very existence of Magic Scroll, especially those with Flight Magic woven into them, was truly extraordinary. Eupho couldn’t contain his excitement as he gazed at the scroll spread out on the grassy field.

“Say, if you had something this useful, why didn’t you use it in Leverence?”

Lichter asked, curiosity visible in his eyes. Seletina shook her head in response.

“What if the archers shot me down? I couldn’t use it under those circumstances.”
“I see… I certainly don’t see any winged demons around, and it seems safe to use it now.”
“My thought’s the same.”

Seletina finally unfolded the Magic Scroll and placed her silken hand in the center of it. As she did so, the magic circle on the parchment glowed a pale gold and began to beat briefly.

It seemed as if the power contained in it was trying to unleash itself.

“Guys come closer.”

Seletina said, and the three of them surrounded her. She took a small lungful of air and let it out in a small gulp.

“Now’s your last chance to turn back. I won’t stop you. Neither do I have the right to do so, nor the power.”

No one spoke a word in response to Seletina’s words. Instead, three hands were placed on her back as if to say, “Just hurry up!”

“Okay…”

Seletina let out a giggle and made up her mind as she chanted an incantation. The words slipped into the Magic Scroll and suddenly, Seletina’s vision was enveloped in a white light.