xvii

Before Isaac and Newton used his grip on gravity, he had always thought that tonight's mission would go well.

His army made it to the outskirts of his former camp without touching any monitoring magic. There were only a handful of men standing guard on the walls, and they clearly didn't know how to activate the defensive circles on the walls, which should have turned the entire wall into a wall of fire in an instant. They relied on only artillery: the Empire-made twenty-four-pounder standard cannon, which weighed five thousand pounds. This is a nightmare number for traditional telekinesis magic, and no mage in the world dares to say that he can move an object of this weight, but the weight of the target is not a serious problem for gravity-based magic.

At the very least, Newton climbed to the top of the parapet with ease, ready to use a light spell to send the cannons flying thirty meters into the air and then crashing to the ground and smashing into scrap metal.

However, he never expected that the 5,000-pound cannon would try to bite him when it flew up!

"Damn! Is the other party's high-level mage crazy?

If it weren't for his quick reaction, his entire right arm would have been trapped in the muzzle. Newton cursed the opponent who had left the magic trigger, canceled the reversal of gravity, and quickly withdrew from the threatening range of the cannon's muzzle. As the twenty-two-pounder standard cannon of the Activated Empire, which was about the same intelligence as a goblin and had no eyes—a mouthy creature's name—searched for his location, he keenly noticed the stacked barrels of fire.

The position of the fire bucket seemed quite abrupt, but at this moment, Isaac really didn't have time to think about whether this was a trap or not. He reflexively fired a flaming arrow at it, then ......

Naturally, almost the entire camp of Free Army soldiers was brought in. A simple but effective alarm device for advanced spellcasters...... No, it's like it was made for him.

"Throw the light stick!"

Listening to the voice, the commander of the other side looked like a woman. At her command, thirty or forty iron rods engraved with simple lighting circuits were thrown over, illuminating the walls of the city within a hundred meters of Newton as if it were daylight. In that moment, Newton felt like a rat in a cage. Knowing that he would soon become a target for muskets when exposed to such light, he hurriedly threw a dark spell to cover his whereabouts, and he added magic to speed up his movement and ran to the safety of the darkness. Who knows, the other party actually issued an even more exaggerated order immediately after.

"The illuminated area extends to the left and right, and the throwing volume is doubled! Each platoon takes turns shooting at suspicious targets!"

With the footsteps of reinforcements arriving, the number of lighting sticks thrown was doubled! This number startled the youngest professor at the Imperial University: the cost of each lighting stick was four or five gold coins, and the Southern Army actually equipped this thing with the lowest soldiers! In the Emperor*, many low-ranking knights had no intention of equipping such expensive auxiliary supplies - they would rather use the money to improve their weapons and armor.

Immediately afterward, the sound of flint and bolt colliding rang out, and I don't know how many propellants were ignited at the same time. The cacophony of gunfire and the cracking of lead bullets made him throw aside the idea of conserving mana. The question now is not how to complete the task, but how to save one's life.

“...... Reversed gravity ell!"

Hearing this incantation he uttered, Anne, who commanded the Free Army in the fortress, Sephir immediately identified the attacker. If Newton's invention of gravity control was a versatile universal spell, then the gravity reversal well he used to save his life was an explosive, purpose-built killing spell. Compared to traditional meteor showers, high-explosive fireballs, blizzards and other pure killing magic, which consumes amazing amounts of pure killing magic, the power of the Gravity Reversal Well is not great, but the cost performance in range is much higher, and it can instantly paralyze a large number of people with a small amount of magic power.

Of course, this "not too powerful" is compared to the more advanced specialized killing magic: if you just want to take out ordinary soldiers who are not trained to fall from a height, it is more than enough. You know, when there is more than one of these magic lines, the entire queue will be pulled into the sky by gravity like a wave - and fall down hard after ten seconds!

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, ......"

Anne immediately began to detect the magic, reading out the number of gravity-reversal wells that Newton was or was about to activate, and was secretly stunned. It was clear that the great young scientist had already put his blood on his face and was intent on crushing all of her main forces in one fell swoop.

"If it's Isaac or Newton, you can't kill him, and if you kill him, you'll be in big trouble......"

Before she could think of a countermeasure, the screams of the soldiers rang out. The first and second gravity wells were struck on the two wings of the group, and the third gravity shaft was simply aimed at her position! More than one soldier pulled the trigger or dropped his gun in a panic, and the screams and crashes of panic completely disrupted the original discipline. Anne, who was flying in the air, reflexively pressed the hem of her coat before remembering that she was wearing military pants instead of her usual skirt.

"Damn, it's so ruthless...... If it weren't for the fact that this person really couldn't be killed, I really wanted to kill him here!"

She cursed Newton with the same ferocity, raising her right hand in the air and throwing the corresponding magic at her own "above"—that is, below in reality.

(Ultra Magic: Extended)...... (Softening)!"

As the magical effect spread, the hardstone foundation suddenly turned into a sponge mat, and the crushed pebbles used to pave the road became like colorful rubber gummies, which had a strange touch to the touch. Newton's gravity well continued to erupt, but it was no longer able to do any real damage. Even if you fall from a height of 50 meters and fall onto the infinitely thick sponge pad, you can only create a large humanoid crater. Seeing this, Newton suddenly felt a little unsteady under his feet, and a little dizzy in front of his eyes—not because of stepping on a sponge mat or seeing colorful gummies flying in the air. He subconsciously took two steps back and touched the city wall. The walls were as soft as mud, and a hole was made when you pressed your hand.

"This army actually has such a powerful spellcaster? Such a large range of instant superpowers! This is really troublesome...... Wait a minute, the walls ......."

Newton had a flash of inspiration and hurriedly raised his head. Sure enough, the queue of the Free Army on the opposite side was chaotic, and many of their guns sank below the ground, and they were trying to dig up their weapons.

Opponent mistakes will only exist for a short time. He crossed his arms over his chest, took a deep breath, and slammed it towards the wall.

"Ave!"

The formless force slammed into the gummy-like wall, instantly creating a crater, and countless bricks that had become soft flew out with the blow. Before the deformation could be restored, Newton made up another shot of the same magic, and this time the walls could no longer hold up.

This scene was like a dream for the emperor * death squad waiting for the raid outside the city. No one expected that such a strong masonry fortress would tilt completely like a mud city, dramatically pouring and collapsing to the ground. Until it fell to the ground, the soft cake-like wall remained a single unit, and the wedge-shaped bulletproof structure happened to be transformed into a staircase for people to climb. For a moment, all the officers were stunned, and no one thought of stepping on this thing to attack it.

"Reinforcements, reinforcements, what are you waiting for!"

In the end, it was Newton's shouts that pulled them back to reality. The Emperor* people raised their guns and weapons, stepped on the collapsing walls like gummy candy and charged.

*** ***

As the fighting near the parapet intensified, Naimon and the platoon of guards guarding the prisoners of war were fighting the invaders in the unbearably absolute silence.

Said to be fighting, but until now they have not seen a trace of the invaders. But the lieutenant was pretty sure that the enemy had indeed arrived: beyond the range of the anti-magic array they had set up, there was a larger silence array that enveloped the entire camp where the officers were being held. Judging by the range and duration of this silence alone, there are definitely famous spellcasters in the enemy ranks. But for some reason, the opponent did not immediately release all the prisoners of war to riot, and did not even go to the buildings where the soldiers were held, but went directly to the area where the officers were held and set up this silent circle.

"Why don't you release all the prisoners of war?" Naimon pondered the other party's motives, but could not grasp the context of their actions. "Is it going to be a silent kill of us, and then use our uniforms and weapons to let all the prisoners escape......?"

He slammed open the door of a bungalow and rushed in silently. The miniature anti-magic array in the room was still working, and the silence magic had not affected the area. Several Imperial * officers, who were playing cards, stood up in panic and looked at them, as if they did not yet know what was happening.

"Tie it up. Don't give the enemy a chance. Naimon commanded simply. His current course of action was simple: subdue all the prisoners before the enemy could revolt, so that even if they did sacrifice the enemy, it would take more time to organize the insurrection. At that point, Anne would probably have arrived with the main force to support.

"Wait, wait, sir, what did we do wrong?" protested the captives, clutching their cards, "it's against custom......

"It won't hurt you, I'm sorry, please bear with me. The second shift carries out the order, and the others go to the next room!"

He left a few soldiers here to bind the captives and return to the silence outside the house with the rest of the men. In total, there are still three prisoners' residences for prisoners, two for men and one for women. The three houses were originally school residences and were housed in a separate courtyard. Every house in the courtyard is darkened, and it looks very abnormal. Naimon took out his pistol, took off his belt and held it in his hand, and made a gesture to everyone to be vigilant. They cautiously felt their way into the courtyard—

A thunderous voice rang out: "Foolish heretics, lay down your arms and listen to the teachings of God!"

The effect of the Silence Technique suddenly wears off. All the walls of the entire courtyard lit up at the same time, as if it were daylight! Every soldier, including Naimon, was attracted by this sound, and subconsciously turned their heads to look.

It was a crystal ball that was emitting divine light, floating in the air and spinning. For some reason, as soon as they stared at the crystal ball, they couldn't take their eyes off it. The sound seemed to get louder and louder, and everyone was speechless. Naimon became alert, bit the tip of his tongue hard, and regained his senses. He turned his head and tried to reorganize his troops, only to find that all the soldiers had fallen to the ground—four or five officer captives had knocked them down.

"There must have been a small number of people on the other side, so they used this tactic to attract the attention of all of us...... I knew that the troops should be properly dispersed!"

Before he could see the situation clearly, the attackers led by him had already rushed in front of him. The man was no longer young, wearing a plain Orthodox priest's robe, and he could not tell the level of the priesthood, but the various colors of protective light around his body proved that he was by no means easy to match. In desperation, Naimon threw his most proficient attack magic in an attempt to disrupt his opponent's attack.

"Burning Hands!"

Flames erupted from Naimon's left hand, but the priest in front of him seemed completely undisturbed by the magic, and his right fist slammed through the web of fire into him. Jett: Newton was a very traditional priest who had to control the situation with control spells before fighting.

"Immobilization!"

Both sides use very low-level magic, but the effect is completely different. All of the attack spells thrown by Naimon, who only had the lowest level of magic, were absorbed by the protective magic on the priest's body, but the priest's immobilization technique seriously affected his movements. Naimon only felt that his hands and feet had become very heavy, and no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't seem to break open......

Suddenly, a yellow glow emanated from his shoulders, dispelling all the effects of the immobilization. Naimon didn't bother to think about the origin of this spell, and took advantage of this time to crawl to the ground with a house protected by an anti-magic array. The priest recognized the magic and stopped in surprise.

"Triggered free movement, how can someone who can get this kind of magic item use an attack spell so conservatively?"

For a while, the battle-hardened cardinal was a little puzzled by the actual strength of this young opponent. The other party cleverly escaped into the protection zone of the anti-magic array, and if he also chased after him, he would completely lose his magical advantage. If it was another house, he might have given up, but this one ......

"It's not good for young people to choose which building, but they want to choose the girls' dormitory with bad intentions. If you don't follow up, you won't be able to. ”

Jett sighed, pulled out the priest's cane as a weapon, and cautiously followed in with a few officers.

"Damn, are the Empire's high-ranking priests so willing to be cannon fodder? Not only women, but even uncles who should retire are sent to the front...... Isn't it good to be a missionary for the elderly?"

The lieutenant, who had abandoned the ranks, scorned the enemy and advanced through the dark corridors. The dwelling allocated to the female captives was the largest of all the officers' quarters, and was originally intended for Her Royal Highness Princess Olya Hugh and Princess Corman—of course, Naimon did not know this. He didn't choose the living room, he didn't choose the dining room, these places were dead ends, and there was nowhere to hide when he entered. Even though he still had a repeating pistol full of bullets, he still had no confidence at all: a high-ranking priest in the midst of an anti-magic array was also dangerous, not to mention that there might be other enemies inside and outside the house.

All he could count on was reinforcements—if the soldiers who stayed at the front were smart enough and the battle on Anne's side was going well enough, they should arrive in about fifteen minutes.

"Fifteen minutes. That's probably enough to be killed about thirty times, right?"

He hurried to the third floor and quietly pushed open the door to the bedroom on the top floor. It was also pitch black inside, with only moonlight shining through the windows on the floor. Just as he was about to break the window and escape, the oil lamp at the bedside was suddenly lit.

"Is the battle over, Uncle Jett......? Are you?"

The speaker's gaze met that of Naimon, and the two looked at each other for about thirty seconds, neither of whom acted. Olya was shocked, and Naimon was helpless. At this moment, he thought of many different plans, but he didn't think of even a way to keep the woman in front of him from screaming. As soon as she screamed, he was doomed to die here. Regardless of the country's order, such small commandos do not leave prisoners.

"I'm sorry, Miss Reverend, don't scream, okay? Naimon took two steps forward and broke the ice with a wry smile. He didn't know why he said such stupid lines.

"Ah...... Huh?" Olya's long-held scream was suddenly swallowed by the words. "Ask for ...... Are you an idiot, Lieutenant?"

"Perhaps. You know, when people are desperate, they always do stupid things. Naimon raised his pistol and pointed to the window of the room, "Can you borrow a way from your boudoir?"

Olya stood up, walked to the window, and looked down. "Seems a bit of a hassle. You're picking the wrong way, there's no balcony down here, and I'm afraid you'll break your leg if you jump down. ”

Naimon approached the window and looked down, nodding in agreement. He leaned against the windowsill, his index finger tapping on the lattice. There is no way forward, there are pursuers behind, even if it is in the anti-magic array, what is the use? If the anti-magic array is disarmed, it is indeed possible to land safely, but this will definitely not escape the pursuit of the high-ranking priest......

"Look, what if we get out of the attic? Is it too late?" Orya suggested.

Naimon sighed: "Thank you for your kindness, but I'm afraid it's too late." ”

As soon as he finished speaking, the door was kicked open. The lieutenant raised his gun and fired, but it missed, and the other party had already estimated his possible reaction. The two guns outside the door responded to him accurately, and he grabbed the priestess beside him and lay down to avoid the shot. Stray bullets broke windows, glass shards splashed, and he subconsciously protected Olya with his body.

"Stop!" shouted Jett outside the door, "let her go!"

Hearing this, Naimon, who had just picked up Olya, grabbed her collar without hesitation, and aimed the muzzle of his revolver at the forehead of the female priest. Of course, he wasn't so savage as to press the hot muzzle of a freshly fired gun directly against a woman's skin—something he couldn't do at the moment.

"It's you who should stop!

Hearing his words, Olya struggled slightly, blushing and whispering, "Will you turn your face too quickly?" ”

"I'm sorry, I can't help it. Naimon replied in a voice that only she could hear, "It's not the first time anyway...... Uh, why is your forehead so red? Are you alright?"

"Probably...... I can't take it anymore. Olya's face flushed, and her voice grew thinner.

From outside the door came Jett's shout, Newton's voice: "No, it is you who should lay down your arms, lieutenant, do not point a gun to her head......!

After that, Naimon didn't hear it. Because at that moment, the mysterious talent of Olya Hugh and Kirman's blood, known as the "Royal Cocktail", came into play.

A crimson Olya smiled and turned her head sharply, reaching out and grabbing his right hand holding the gun, staring into the young magician's eyes. His lips, coated with dark purple lipstick, were so close to him that Naimon naturally hesitated at this moment, not pulling the trigger.

After that, he never had a chance.

*** ***

It was a long, long time before he learned that the life of a true Corman royal family must not be directly threatened. As long as this condition is met, the instinct of this bloodline will be stimulated...... Then, put down all threats. In Lenny's time, it was Olya's instinct that blocked an implosion, and now, all the anger of that instinct poured out on him.

The "Royal Cocktail's" attacks are fast, accurate, and powerful, using everything that can be exploited.

First a knee hit him in the abdomen, followed by a beautiful 180-degree turn and a powerful chest-length elbow. Naimon's gun-wielding right arm had been clutched by her, and she couldn't use any strength.

After that elbow knocked him off balance, Olya threw him over the shoulder, throwing him with his gun on the side of the wall. Even so, she was not satisfied, grabbed a chair and approached Naimon, who had collapsed to the ground, and held it high in the air—with her current arm strength, the chair legs were no different from a sharp blade.

"Just kidding, it's really going to ...... you die"

Naimon sat up with great difficulty against the wall, looking at Her Royal Highness the princess who was approaching like a tiger in front of him, and a strange sentence suddenly came out of his mouth.

"......'I saw the morning glow fall on the walls of Lenny. 'Confirm. ”

Newton's eyes widened suddenly. The protective glow on his body that had been suppressed by the anti-magic array was almost gone, and only one of the divine spells with a permanent effect was still in effect. That's a benefit given to cardinals by the goddess of fate, who can see the possibility of a short-term future to a certain extent. That sentence is the password to lift the anti-magic array!

He foresaw the lieutenant of the Free Army quietly raising his right hand and aiming it at Olya's heart.

"I really don't want to use that...... Sculpt ...... Burning Hand. ”

The controlled flame deftly spread from the tip of Naimon's right finger —

The magic wasn't capable of hurting Olya, who was under the protection of the Royal Cocktail, but it was enough to ignite all five of the remaining projectiles at the same time. This is the last resort he hides to save his life because he doesn't know how to do high-powered magic, and he just bets that ordinary magicians won't deliberately protect ridiculously powerful bullets.

The five gunshots were so close that even the person who fired them could hear only a deafening loud bang.

"Bang !!!!"

The huge recoil force made it impossible for him to hold the pistol. The five silver bullets were concentrated in the palm of his hand, hitting the nearest target—

Newton. At some point, the high-ranking priest rushed over, standing between Naimon and Olya. At this distance, the silver bullets with magical power undoubtedly struck the cardinal, who had no protective magic, piercing his chest and nailing them all into the ceiling.

"Uncle Jett......!!You're protecting me......"

The effect of the "Royal Cocktail" is over. The power disappears as quickly as it comes. Olya's face turned from crimson to bloodless pale, and she struggled with the last vestiges of consciousness to get to Jett Newton's side. From a very young age, she had known this eminent priest who served as a court priest.

"Don't grieve for me, and don't blame yourself. I am here not of my own volition, but by divine revelation. ”

Newton said this serenely, closing his eyes.

Olya fell to her knees with her knees limp, her upper body falling forward weakly. Naimon hurriedly dropped the gun, caught her body, and helped her to her feet. Several prisoners of war hesitated, not knowing what to do now.

"Drop your weapons. Without this Mr. Bishop, you would not have escaped. Even if you kill me, it's useless. ”

Naimon turned to face the window, listening to the sound of guns falling to the ground behind him. He was surprised to find that the top of the Orthodox church not far away actually radiated a white holy light. He also vaguely remembered a brief history of the Orthodox Ecumenical Church that he had read before, and what it said about this divine sign......

"The death of the Pope is the glow of all colors on the top of all Orthodox churches, and the white light is ...... It's ......"

He suddenly understood. As he had speculated, the elder in front of him was indeed a bishop......

A bishop who should be dressed in red.

The pope is the earthly spokesman of the gods, and the cardinal is the earthly agent of the gods. He killed one of the twelve giants who supported the mountain of the Orthodox Church. The cardinal's death was nothing heroic or meaningful—but that's how things are. Few people are able to die the way they want.

"I ...... Will it lead to war?"

Naimon took the fainted Olya by the waist and stood in front of the window, staring at the light, crying and laughing at all this. The sound of gunfire in the distance gradually became quieter, and finally quieted down.

After more than ten minutes, the holy light at the top of the church finally faded, and the Free Army holding a light stick finally appeared in his field of vision. Anne was the first to push open the door and rush in, and excitedly reported to him the situation of the battle: "Soleton, the enemy suddenly retreated when they saw that light! We were so lucky that we were almost broken through just now...... Wait a minute. Who is this young lady? What happened?"

"She's supposed to be called ...... Reif: Namlock, right? As for what's going on, that's a bit of a hassle. Naimon turned and handed Olya in the crook of his arm to Anne. "You saw the light, right? I just killed a cardinal. Don't ask me why there are cardinals here, because I don't know either. ”

"Ah...... Yes. This sentence was so astonishing that Anne could only give the simplest answer.

Her reason was working quickly, and she felt a great danger from the name and the appearance of the cardinal. Namlock...... namrok...... Turn...... korman...... Coleman. Things got out of hand. She wiped her sweat and reluctantly said, "I think we can ask this young lady in detail later, this matter should have something to do with her." Let's all go out, this room is too bloody. ”

At the very least, let her go to a place where she can think easily. Soleton seemed to think the same thing, and they walked out of the building with them. Victory and defeat tend to bring just as much trouble –

It was Election Night on March 21, and there was no champagne, no beauties, and no celebrations. Under the silent moonlight, the peace that had lasted for nineteen years was destined to come to an end.