My responsibility. Agnes bit her lower lip.
She tried to concentrate herself – A blunder is a blunder. The court people - they are still my responsibility.
One musketeer whispered into Agnes’s ear.
“…we could send a courier to Tristania and ask for reinforcements.”
“It is useless. It doesn’t matter how many soldiers we have, as long as they hold hostages.”
Seeing such a consultation, Menvil shouted.
“Hey, remember. Whenever you call a new soldier, one hostage is killed. The only ones you can invite here are the Cardinal or Henrietta. Be nice. Clear?”
Agnes said nothing.
Then, Menvil shouted again.
“Decide it in five minutes. Call Henrietta or not. If there is no answer after five minutes, one hostage will be killed every passing minute.”
Another musketeer poked Agnes.
“Commander Agnes…”
Agnes painfully tightened her lips.
That moment…
A voice sounded from behind.
“Commander.”
Turning around she saw Colbert standing and staring with surprise at Alvíss Dining Hall.
“Do not get involved,” Agnes said, trying to cover Colbert with herself.
“You'll be caught.”
“My laboratory is in the tower. What happened?”
Agnes got angry at Colbert's carefree attitude.
“Can’t you see? Your students were captured by Albion’s henchmen.”
Colbert looked over her shoulder and, once he noticed the mage standing in front of the dining hall, his face turned pale.
“Enough already. Go back.”
Annoyed, she sent Colbert off.
“Psst, Miss Musketeer.”
She was called from behind again. This time it was Kirche and Tabitha, who stood in the shadows smiling.
“Aren’t you students? Thank goodness you are all right.”
“Hey, we have a good plan…”
“Plan?”
“Yeah. Right now you can’t reject any help.”
“And what is that plan?”
Kirche and Tabitha explained their plan to Agnes.
Agnes, after listening to it, laughed.
“Sounds fun to me.”
“How about it? That’s the only plan we have.”
Colbert who heard the plan opposed to it.
“It is too dangerous. The enemy is a mercenary. You can’t be seriously thinking that such cheap tricks will work.”
“No one cares about your opinion, teacher.”
Kirche said, not trying to hide her contempt.
Agnes stopped paying attention to Colbert altogether.
“They do not know about your existence. The key here is surprise.”
She whispered while pointing her finger at Kirche, Tabitha and herself.
Menvil sat on a chair looking at the pocket watch on the table.
*Tick tick* the clock hand moved.
“Five minutes passed.”
Hearing that, the students shuddered. If there were no words from Agnes about calling Henrietta after five minutes, Menvil said he would kill one of them.
“Don't hold a grudge against me,” Menvil said, pulling out his cane.
“Take me instead.”
Osman muttered, but Menvil shook his head.
“You are necessary as a key in negotiation. Hey, who will it be? You choose.”
An indescribably cruel question. No one answered in shock.
“Understood. Then I will choose. Do not hold a grudge.”
But the moment when Menvil said that…
A small paper balloon flew into the dining hall.
And once all of their eyes were focused on it…
The paper balloon exploded with a very loud bang.
With it, yellow blinding phosphorus flew out of the balloon.
It was directed to fly into the dining hall by Tabitha’s Wind and was lit up by Kirche's Fire magic.
The schoolgirls screamed.
Those mages that looked at it directly were now holding their faces.
Then Kirche, Tabitha, and the musketeers with muskets prepared broke into the room.
The strategy seemed to be successful.
But…
A lot of fire bullets flew up aimed at Kirche.
Kirche, who lowered her guard thinking about success, fired her own fire bombs at it.
In such violent flames, the gunpowder of a nearby musketeer's gun exploded.
Fingers were blown-off, and the musketeer started rolling on the ground holding her hand.
Kirche tried to stand up but did not notice the spell aimed at her.
A fire bomb exploded in front of her belly, and she received the full force of the shock wave from a close distance, knocking her outside.
Wrapped in flames, it was an effective attack. It takes time for flame to burn ... but an explosion gives an instant impact. Opposite to burning slowly.
She saw Tabitha staggering trying to stand up.
But then another shock wave hit her head… and she fell onto the ground again.
Menvil showed up from the white smoke.
Spell! But there was no wand.
Then she noticed one lying on the ground.
She reached for it, trying to pick it up but he stepped on it.
Menvil towered above Kirche, looking down on her.
“Too bad… Light bombs only blinds one's eyes…”
Menvil said while smiling.
That moment Kirche noticed.
Menvil's eyeballs were not moving at all.
“Your…eyes.”
Menvil extended his fingers towards one eye.
And took it out. An artificial eye.
“Not only were my eyelids burnt, but my eyes as well. I can’t see the light.”
“H-how…”
But Menvil moved as if he was able to see.
“A snake finds its prey by temperature.”
Menvil laughed.
“I’m a Fire user, thus I am very sensitive to temperature. Distance, position - one can know everything in full detail by knowing how high or low the temperature is. You can even recognize different people by knowing their temperature.”
Kirche‘s hair stood up on her head from fear.
Who is this man…
“Are you scared? Afraid?”
Menvil laughed.
“When one’s feelings turn in turmoil, one’s temperature changes as well. Temperature changes tell a lot of things about one’s thoughts.”
Menvil’s nostrils widened upon taking a full inhalation of the scent.
“I want to smell.”
“Eh?”
“The aroma of you burnt, I want to smell it.”
Kirche trembled.
For the first time in her life she felt pure fear.
The fear that made a Queen of Fire whisper ‘No…’ like a small girl. However, Menvil just gave an anxious smile and said.
“How would you like to burn? There are many different ways of burning. This time you will be the one to burn.”
Not willing to see it coming, Kirche closed her eyes.
Menvil put out his cane, but the moment when flames started gathering around Kirche…
The flame was pushed back by another flame.
And once Kirche cracked her eyes open, she saw…
Colbert standing next to her, with a wand in his hand.
“…Mister?”
With an ice-cold face, Colbert muttered.
“Get away from my students.”
As if noticing something, Menvil looked up.
“Ooh, you… You! You! You!”
With a joyful expression on his face, Menvil roared.
“Is my temperature sense tricking me?! You! Colbert it’s you! I've missed you! It’s Colbert’s voice!”
Colbert's expression did not change. He stubbornly stared at Menvil.
“It’s me! Have you forgotten? It’s Commander Menvil! Aaah! So long ago!”
Menvil spread out his arms and shouted happily.