Chapter 884

“A collaboration...?”

Yuder stared at the long, massive trench that began in front of the branch gates and stretched out to an unknowable distance. It looked almost like a dry moat dug in front of a fortress for defense—just without the water.

“Amazing, right? Apparently, those two figured out during the battle that the monsters’ field of vision only extended forward. They used that to block the streets all over Sharloin and herded the monsters toward this branch, then lured them into the pre-dug trench where traps had been set.”

“...What kind of traps?”

“Turns out, Helrem is a master of water-based magic. He gathered all the hail that fell that day, ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) turned it into water, and then added poison.”

“Poison? Where’d that come from?”

“From... you know that creature we dragged back here? They extracted it from that thing, and Alik used a magic tool to—”

The renowned monster researcher, Helrem, had quickly figured out the monsters’ key weaknesses. The ones that appeared that day had very narrow vision, breathed through their skin, and once they started charging, their leg structure made it almost impossible to stop.

Based on those traits, Helrem planned a trap using a trench, and Alik assisted by putting his prototype magic tools to good use.

Monsters that breathed through their skin were usually vulnerable to either desiccation or skin corrosion. But with the hail falling that day, drying them out was impossible—so they used poison instead. The poison, extracted from the long-tailed, black-and-purple Penpen they’d brought back, was mixed into the trench water. That made the area in front of the branch a perfect deathtrap.

Even if mages had a smaller range of power than Awakeners, things like digging a trench, blocking roads, and distributing poison were well within their means. But the boldness it took to actually carry out such an operation in the middle of a city—that was something else entirely.

The trap those two mages constructed had devastating effect the moment it was sprung.

Forced down the barricaded roads, hordes of monsters flooded toward the trench and plunged right in. Even those that sensed something was wrong and tried to stop were pushed in by the stampede of monsters coming up behind them.

The chorus of dying monsters screaming in the poisoned water was horrifying. The smell—worse.

While Alik shook in terror, pressing a handkerchief to his face and tearing up from the toxic fumes as he used a magic tool to scoop out dead monsters, Helrem didn’t blink an eye—he simply grabbed their carcasses with a gloved hand and dragged them out.

“The noise and smell were so intense, nearby members came running to see what was going on—and they just stood there, speechless. Said it was like stepping into hell.”

“......”

Even from Gakein’s descriptions alone, Yuder could clearly picture the horrific scene that had unfolded in that trench.

“It was gruesome, yeah. But that trap seriously cut down the burden on the new recruits and regular members guarding the perimeter. Toward the end, everyone just focused on driving the monsters into that trench.”

The reason the trench hadn’t been filled in even after two weeks was simple: it had been filled with monster blood and poison, so the soil needed purification.

“They’ve started refilling it from the cleaned-up side, so only that part’s left now. The priests helping with purification say it’ll probably take about another month to finish.”

“I see...”

Yuder recalled seeing Helrem and Alik in the infirmary earlier. They weren’t part of the Cavalry, just collaborators. They didn’t have to put themselves on the line to defend this place, yet they had.

Maybe Alik, who’d seemed like he had something to say to Yuder, had just wanted to boast about what he’d done.

Thinking of the timid Alik from before, Yuder muttered softly.

“...Impressive.”

“Right? Everyone says the same thing. Honestly, it made me see mages differently. I used to have a bit of a... well, a small prejudice. Kind of embarrassing to admit.”

Gakein scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin.

“I mean, I could understand the Commander calling in Helrem, but when he said Alik should come too, I thought—‘really?’ But after seeing the courage he showed on the day of the hailstorm, and those new magic tools he brought out... I’m definitely not the only one who changed my mind.”

“New magic tools? What do you mean?”

Yuder had assumed Alik had used typical magic tools usable only by mages. But apparently there was more to the story. Gakein grinned and explained.

“He made a ton of new ones—magic tools that even Awakeners can use!”

“...What?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“Because of those, even the injured or low-energy folks could help drive monsters into the trap.”

The fact that Alik was both a mage and an Awakener wasn’t widely known in the Cavalry. But on the day of the hailstorm, Alik had openly revealed his water-manipulating abilities to the Awakeners he encountered and distributed the new magic tools he’d created.

They weren’t powered by mana but rather designed to run off Awakener energy. All they could do was emit invisible force to push enemies back—but it was perfect for forcing monsters into the trench.

Even Curegina and the recruits from the Star of Nagran, who had come to investigate after hearing the chaos, had been greatly helped by those tools.

“Both of them have been getting treatment ever since from mana depletion. I’m guessing that’s why they were at the priest’s office earlier too...”

Gakein kept talking, but the rest faded into the background for Yuder. His thoughts were focused on one thing—the shock of realizing that such a tool, based on Awakener energy, was even possible.

That’s... actually possible...?

Yuder hadn’t been surprised when Alik made a device to regulate Awakener power. That was just something that already existed in his past life—he’d simply let Alik be the one to make it this time.

But this? This was beyond that. Alik had, without even knowing it, taken things a step further.

He hadn’t seen the tool yet, so it was hard to make a full judgment, but one thing was certain—it hadn’t existed in his past life. The thought that it might one day help redirect Awakener power in a similar way to magic made Yuder’s heart race.

He hadn’t expected this at all. Whether it would lead to good or bad consequences, he couldn’t say. It was uncharted territory.

But for now, at least, it had clearly helped their side.

I need to dig deeper into this. Maybe I’ve been underestimating Alik Felkin all along.

Alik had never made a name for himself in Yuder’s past life. Yuder had met him only in this one. Until now, Alik had merely been a pitiful disciple of Tais Yulman, the first known case of a mage who happened to Awaken.

But now, Yuder wondered if his true talent lay somewhere entirely different.

He has both mana and Awakener power. That means he can understand both... and maybe, interpret Awakener energy through a mage’s lens. If that’s the case, Alik could end up giving us something completely new.

There had been a few mages who were also Awakeners in Yuder’s past life. But they rarely revealed that fact, choosing instead to live solely as mages. The divide between the two groups was too vast, and no one dared to straddle it.

But this time was different. Now that Yuder had seen Alik’s grasp of power and his talent for invention, he couldn’t let it go to waste.

He could be a tremendous asset to the future of the Awakeners.

That was an unshakable conviction.

It’s been a while... since I’ve felt something like this.

“I’m glad you liked it, Yuder. Oh, hey—there’s Curegina over there. Want to go say hi?”

Noticing Yuder’s softened expression, Gakein beamed and raised his voice. Yuder approached Curegina, who flinched slightly but didn’t avoid him, and they exchanged greetings. They continued down to the underground prison entrance, where he received a bouquet of “get well” flowers made personally by Ronev.

The Southern Cavalry Branch was more wrecked than ever—but it was also livelier than ever. Having endured the hailstorm, everyone now felt a little more solid, a little more united.

These people weren’t here relying on someone like the Commander or Yuder alone. They were proud of the strength they’d found in themselves through adversity. They knew what they had to do—better than anyone.

“Yuder, everything’s okay here! If you’re tired, don’t hesitate to rest more!”

“Stay strong, Vice-Commander! So glad you’re better!”

And as proof of that change, words like those—ones Yuder hadn’t heard before—followed him all the way back.

He held onto those unfamiliar words, chewing on their warmth, as he parted with Gakein and made his way back to Kishiar’s room.