"Felix, step on the mana platforms I'm creating ahead."
I activated [Reflective Wall] parallel to the ground and called out to Felix, who was running alongside me.
After receiving a "Got it" from Felix, I stepped onto the [Reflective Wall] together with him and leaped into the sky.
At the peak of our jump, I used [Gravity Manipulation] to reverse the direction of gravity acting on both of us.
This let us "fall" horizontally toward Lugau.
"You're not using teleportation like before?"
As we hurtled sideways through the air toward Lugau, Felix asked from beside me.
"I don't have enough reserves left for a long-distance jump like that. Plus, using [Space Leap] without knowing the situation at the destination is way too risky. With this falling method, we'll still reach Lugau pretty quickly, so let's go with it this time."
"...Understood."
We continued our horizontal descent through the sky until, after a while, the outer wall of Lugau came into view.
Before the wall, attack magic flew back and forth, with smoke rising in several spots.
It was unmistakably a battlefield.
As we drew closer, the details became clearer.
I halted our [Gravity Manipulation] movement and stood on a mana platform high enough to be out of range of attack magic, looking down over the battlefield.
The situation was as predicted: the Legliff territorial forces held the advantage.
The imperial side only had a handful of people, so normally the territorial army should have won long ago.
Yet the battle was still raging even now.
What was closing the gap in military strength was the unique ability of Folk Heier, the Defender from the Western Great Labyrinth conquest party.
His ability was [Earth Clod Manipulation].
Numerous golems of various sizes, created by that ability, appeared across the battlefield, forcing the Legliff territorial army to deal with them.
"The situation is exactly as expected. Felix, we're still going with the plan we discussed, right?"
"No problem. It's a fact that I lost to you."
"Got it. Then I'll make contact with the greatsword-wielding imperial as planned. You're in charge of persuading the golem user. We can't afford any more casualties."
"I know."
After finishing our exchange, Felix descended straight toward a wooded area.
Folk Heier was probably over there.
I turned my gaze back toward the battlefield.
(Now then... where are the members of the Silver Moon Rabbit of the Night Sky?)
While searching for my comrades, I spotted Lucre first.
She was positioned at the very rear, protected by barrier artifacts.
There, she was using recovery magic to heal the injured being carried in.
Whenever attack magic came from the imperial side, she would intercept it with the bare minimum necessary and use [Flash] to alert the territorial army to the caster's location.
This latter role was something she often handled during labyrinth exploration with the First Unit.
When attacked by magic from monsters, she would immediately use [Mana Tracking] to lock onto the source.
Then she'd relay the monster's position to the party, allowing Selma-san or Rain-san to bombard it with magic—that was one of the standard tactics of the First Unit.
The imperial mages were skilled, but as individuals, their doctrine was to hide and launch attack magic from concealment on the battlefield.
Against Lucre, however, every time they cast, she pinpointed their position, drawing concentrated fire from the territorial army's magical artillery. That forced them to spend far more time evading than attacking.
One major reason the territorial forces maintained their advantage was undoubtedly Lucre's presence.
She was already an invaluable comrade in labyrinth exploration, but I felt her abilities shone even brighter on a battlefield like this.
She was definitely someone you never wanted as an enemy in a war.
Next, I spotted five members of the Second Unit—the party that had conquered up to the eighty-third floor of the Great Southern Labyrinth and ranked among the strongest in the Silver Moon Rabbit of the Night Sky—battling the largest golem on the field, one nearly four meters long.
Against a golem that moved like a beast, they would almost never be at a disadvantage.
As expected, they repelled it effortlessly through perfect coordination.
However, the golems had the troublesome trait of immediately regenerating to full condition after being destroyed and resuming their rampage.
As long as the human caster remained, they wouldn't go on endlessly, but the longer this dragged on, the clearer it became that the advantage would shift against us.
We needed to end this fight quickly, but that side was Felix's responsibility.
If Felix struggled, in the worst case I might have to consider obliterating the area around where he descended with grand-class magic or something similar.
That said, doing so would almost certainly knock me out cold, so I'd really prefer Felix handle it.
Finally, I located Will, who was a short distance away from the main battlefield.
Will was facing off against the greatsword-wielding imperial.
(So that's the one Felix mentioned.)
I kicked off my platform and headed toward Will and the imperial.
Just as I approached, the two closed the distance between them.
Both were radiating killing intent, weapons raised to slay the other.
"[Magic Sword Fusion: Alteration], [Form II: Mont Zwei]!"
Activating my ki, I transformed Schwarzhaize into twin magic swords.
I cut between the two who were about to clash violently, catching the double-bladed sword and greatsword with each of my own blades.
"...Orun!? What the hell are you doing! That's dangerous!"
"Sorry. But if either of you got seriously hurt here, it'd be a problem—so I had to intervene a bit forcefully."
Will raised his voice in surprise and anger upon confirming it was me who had barged in.
He was completely right, but I judged this the best way to prevent the situation from deteriorating further.
"That crest on your chest—you're an explorer from the Silver Moon Rabbit of the Night Sky too?"
As I addressed Will, the greatsword-wielding imperial on the opposite side spoke up.
"That's right. I defeated your general. You've lost. Lower your weapons!"
My words made not only the imperial but Will gulp as well.
"Wha—!? His Highness... Impossible! There's no way that person could lose..."
The imperial's sword tip wavered as he was visibly shaken.
"Believe it or don't—soon the golems will stop moving too. Once that happens, you have no chance of winning anyway."
As I said that, golems actually began halting their movements one after another, their numbers steadily increasing.
In response, bewildered voices rose from the territorial army.
Felix must have already stopped Folk Heier.
With this, large-scale fighting should no longer continue for the time being.
"The [Hero] is with Folk Heier. Shouldn't you head back to him?"
I advised the greatsword imperial, whose agitation was impossible to hide, to return to the [Hero]'s side.
If he stayed here, he'd only earn the territorial army's resentment, which could spark another round of conflict—I didn't want that.
"...His Highness...!? Thanks for the information."
The imperial took my words in a positive light and immediately dashed straight toward where Felix should be.
Just to be safe, I activated [Target Marking] on him.
This would let me know Felix's location at all times, effectively.
I didn't think he'd do anything suspicious now, but better safe than sorry.
"Will, do you know where the territorial army's headquarters is?"
After finishing with the imperial, I spoke to Will.
"...Yeah, I know."
"Great. Could you guide me there? I need to talk to them right away."
"...Sure. This way."
Will gave a curt reply, then turned on his heel and began walking toward Lugau.
I followed silently behind him.
◇
Once we entered the city, I looked around.
The streets were relatively well-preserved.
There were a few collapsed buildings, but they were likely military-related facilities.
Sobs and muffled crying could be heard from various places, but unlike the day my hometown was destroyed by bandits, the air wasn't thick with the stench of blood.
Felix really had gone out of his way to avoid harming civilians.
That didn't erase the residents' anger, sorrow, or hatred, though.
I just hoped this stress didn't turn in a troublesome direction...
While thinking that, I walked through the subdued streets until Will led me to a certain building.
Inside, old man Edington was directing operations.
"Ah, Orun-kun. The enemy golems suddenly stopped moving, and at that very moment the person who was supposed to be facing the [Hero] shows up here—so I take it you're involved in this matter?"
"Yes, that's correct. I'd like to report on that and related matters, but first, could I ask for the room to be cleared?"
"...Hmm. ...Very well. Everyone, out of the room."
At the old man's command, the several people in the room exited.
Will—who had come with me—also left without saying a word, though he looked like he had something to say.
"Now then, let's hear your report."
"Understood—"
I then gave a concise summary: how the [Hero] had changed his thinking during the battle, how the wooded area near the Cryo Mountains had been devastated by the aftermath of the fight, and the high likelihood that the Empire and the Cyclamen Order were working together.
"...Calling you to this territory was the right decision. Orun-kun, thank you for minimizing the damage."
The old man bowed his head after hearing my report.
"I'm honored. I hope I can continue to receive your support going forward."
"Of course. I've stepped down as head of the family, but I still hold considerable influence in the faction. I'll help however I can."
This incident had been extremely dangerous, but in the end, I'd created a massive debt of gratitude with the Edington Count family.
I never wanted to go through something like this again, but looking at the results alone, it had brought significant benefits both to me personally and to the clan.
"Then, as originally planned, we'll return to Tsutorairu. Regarding the remaining labyrinth investigation, please contact us again once things have settled down here."
"Understood. I really would have liked you to join me as an escort for the upcoming negotiations with the Empire, but I suppose it can't be helped."
"I'm sorry. I intervened this time because there was a risk to our members' lives, but explorers shouldn't get involved in politics. We can't offer any further cooperation."
After informing the old man that we couldn't assist any more, I left the room.
It wasn't quite "case closed," but for the time being, our part was done.
We'd fulfilled our obligations, and we'd received the old man's permission.
There were no suspicious movements from the imperial I'd marked with [Target Marking] either.
Before getting dragged into any more trouble, it was time to head back to Tsutorairu quickly.