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#115. Flowers blooming in the mud (4)
“If we use the flame magic circle we’ve set up, we can annihilate the enemy magicians all at once. Flame magic is the most powerful of all natural magic. After that, we can bombard the enemies on the ground who haven’t entered the building yet with magic.”
Flame magic?
The magic circle you’re drawing now?
Ray’s words were laced with lies.
But for now, I just nodded and listened.
This was because Ray had told him not to show it even if there was something strange in his words.
But that wasn’t the only strange thing.
‘That wasn’t an explanation to me.’
Ray’s flat tone of voice was no different than usual.
But Veronica Rader caught the subtle difference.
Although the person he was looking at and talking to was clearly this side, Ray’s attention was focused elsewhere.
It felt like he was speaking as if he was trying to get someone else to listen.
‘But on the rooftop, there was only Ray, me, and those mean old men over there.’
I tilted my head and thought about it, but I couldn’t figure out what exactly Ray’s actions meant.
“… … .”
After thinking about it for a while, Veronica decided to focus on drawing the magic circle.
Since it was Ray who said it, there must have been a reason.
So I was wandering around here and there again.
Bam.
Something touched my back.
Veronica was about to scream in surprise, but was relieved when she realized that the object she had hit was the railing.
And then he discovered something and his eyes widened.
“… … !”
It was a small, circular beam of light.
A section of the railing was being illuminated like a stage light.
Veronica hurried to the rooftop entrance and placed something where the light was shining down.
widely.
It was a small flower pot.
Not yet sprouted.
After adjusting the position of the flower pot so that it would receive enough sunlight, the girl slowly raised her head and looked up.
Black dark clouds covering the sky.
A ray of sunlight was streaming through the tiny gap between them.
*
D-0.
The rooftop of the supporters’ hideout.
McCully stood at the railing.
“… … .”
The air is stuffy and rough.
Like sticky grains of sand floating around.
A familiar feeling for those who live in the lower sectors.
This was a sign of something to come.
McCully, who had been looking up at the dark clouds covering the sky, lowered his gaze to the side and asked.
“Aren’t you nervous, Wizard?”
“I’m not nervous.”
A dry reply came back.
Don’t be nervous.
At first I thought it was just some kind of bravado that boys of that age tend to display.
But after seeing the boy’s magic for himself, he realized that it was not a bluff.
Confidence in one’s own abilities.
‘Of course that’s also true.’
It seemed that simple confidence alone could not fully explain the conviction contained in the boy’s words.
What should I say?
It feels like he’s just telling the truth rather than being confident.
The boy’s sentences had similar endings to propositions such as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, or water flows from top to bottom.
McCully suddenly wondered.
I wonder what kind of life the boy has lived.
“Magician.”
“yes.”
“If I ever get the chance to vent my frustrations later─.”
At that moment, enemy vehicles unloading supplies came into McCully’s sight, far into the distance and along the streets.
“─If it happens─.”
For a moment another thought crossed McCully’s mind.
If it were like any other time, it would be like that.
Allied forces will infiltrate enemy territory knowing it is a trap to secure supplies.
The enemy will play around with us to the fullest and only lift the siege at the last moment.
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Like a cat deliberately saving a mouse for the next game.
“─If it happens─.”
His fist was clenched.
Today will not be the same as before.
Because the destination of the allied forces that seized the supplies will not be the hideout as usual.
I’ll lure you to a place where I can put an end to all this commotion and conflict.
McCully, who had been holding back his anger, continued his questioning.
“─If so, could you tell me the story of the wizard? How did you live, and what was Sector 50 like?”
Ray was speechless.
McCully added hastily.
“Ah, ah. I’m sorry if it was burdensome. Please ignore what I just said. It’s not clear whether I’ll have time for that─.”
“There will be time.”
“… … .”
“Because we will win the war.”
It was the same this time too.
The boy’s emotionless face and voice were filled with strong conviction.
What a paradox.
“… … .”
But in that moment, McCully could feel the anxiety building up in his chest disappearing and being replaced by a strange sense of stability and confidence.
Yeah, that’s why.
The reason I accepted the boy’s plan.
It wasn’t that I supported the boy with a self-abandoning mindset, thinking that he would die anyway if he didn’t do something.
“I’ll tell you as much as I can. I’m not very good at talking, though.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
He had confidence in himself.
That this boy would lead the war to victory.
“I think that’s the last vehicle to unload the supplies.”
“Yes, I think so.”
After checking the location of all the supplies, the boy turned and headed towards the exit.
The man followed.
Knock, knock, knock
While the regular sound of footsteps was ringing.
“But Mr. McCully, what kind of flower was it?”
The boy asked.
*
Ray and Shabet Tulip came down to the first floor of the hideout.
Guns and goggles. Bulletproof vests and helmets.
And lightweight radio equipment.
Members of the organization, armed from head to toe, lined up in a wide space between the pillars.
Total personnel: 66 people, divided into 11 squads.
Excluding the wounded, the total number of troops currently available for combat was limited to a minimum number of sentries left on the rooftop to avoid suspicion from the enemy.
Colin stood at the very front.
Knock. Knock.
Knock. Knock.
The creaking sound of stairs echoing throughout the room.
No one opened their mouths while the boy came down.
No, it would be more appropriate to say that I couldn’t open my mouth.
Because of the tense air and dull tension surrounding me, I felt like my heart was going to burst at any moment.
widely.
Coming down the stairs, the boy’s walker stopped right next to Colin.
The boy’s gaze scanned the faces of the organization members.
I concentrated and became aware of facial expressions.
Everyone’s eyes, nose, and mouth were frozen like stone.
The boy’s lips moved as if whispering, as if they were the only living part in the still landscape.
“Let’s get started.”
The actions were carried out in perfect unison.
The 66 soldiers boarded the trucks and tow trucks parked in a line in front of the hideout, divided into squads.
Squeak─ bang!
Ray and Phillip were placed in an eight-person van driven by a squad including McCully.
Ray sat in the passenger seat, and Philip, holding the radio, sat right behind him.
“My heart feels like it’s going to burst out of my chest. I’ve only ever seen gang wars from afar, but I never imagined I’d get to fight in one myself.”
Ray answered Philip’s whisper.
“You should get used to it. You might encounter much more dangerous things than this in the future.”
“Still, you’ve become a lot bolder since I first saw you.”
I became bold.
That would also apply to Veronica, who was doing a final check on the magic circle in the abandoned building on 38th Street.
“Let’s go.”
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch──
The engine started with the driver’s tense voice.
“Don’t worry, Davis. We trust your driving skills. The operation will be successful.”
“Yeah. You didn’t earn the title of best racer in Nishohwa by foot, did you? Just show off your skills like you usually do.”
“Strictly speaking, I did kick it with my feet. I pressed the accelerator and brake with my feet.”
A small laugh burst out.
The tense atmosphere eased a little.
After that, the vehicles started leaving the hideout one by one and heading to their destination.
Ray, Philip, and the van carrying the 1st squad.
Colin, and the van with the 2nd squad on board.
The two vans headed toward the border where the enemy had dropped supplies.
The remaining nine vehicles headed to an abandoned building on 38th Street.
The aim was to lie in wait in a lured area in advance and strike the incoming enemies from an advantageous position.
Ray thought as he looked out the window at the alleys and streets passing by.
‘Two are enough to lure the enemy.’
Operating many vehicles only causes unnecessary confusion and conflict in conveying instructions.
A small number of vehicles is appropriate for efficient use of traffic routes and flexible response to emergencies.
Then Colin’s voice was heard from behind.
“But we never figured out how the enemy reads our movements.”
Ray snapped out of his thoughts and answered.
“But there will be no problem in luring the enemy. We have prepared countermeasures as well.”
Ray did not reveal to his allies that the enemy was using ministry magic.
“This mouse can be used for reconnaissance… W-Wouldn’t it be possible! Could it be that the enemy has been reading our movements up until now using a work of magic?”
Colin and the squad leaders’ reactions when they showed off their ministry magic.
“I checked, but that’s not it.”
I answered like that intentionally.
His big picture required two conditions to be met before he could fill in the final lines and planes.
The first condition is that the arrogance displayed by the enemy officials is not a temporary whim.
The second condition is that the opponent must not know that you have noticed his observation method.
‘That way, it’s possible to spread false information.’
Just like the conversation I had with Veronica on the rooftop a few days ago.
Using mouse and ministry magic, I was able to gather a lot of information about the enemy wizards, but I didn’t share all of it with my allies.
I hid it on purpose.
For the perfect trick.
It was something that could have been revealed to the enemy’s servants, even if it was unconscious, by an ally who was aware of the truth.
‘There are two main types of information that have been intentionally exposed to the enemy.’
The fact that the supporters will attempt to turn the tide of the battle through a decoy operation.
And the fact that you can activate a magic circle in Yuinji to annihilate the enemy.
‘The enemy is aware of that fact. He overheard Veronica and I talking through the messenger.’
The boy started out from one family.
If the abnormality of emotions shown by Curiosa applies to all executives of Murcred.
If the arrogance displayed by the enemy officers in Sector 46 here stemmed from something more than just such feelings.
‘They’ll take the bait.’
There is a high possibility that enemy officers will be deliberately lured into a bait operation.
To give false hope to the opponent.
But in the end, it breaks the board, bringing despair and defeat proportional to the height of the falling hope.
This way, you can effectively inflate the gap between your own superiority and your opponent’s inferiority.
‘We’ll prepare countermeasures based on the information we’ve gathered. Although I think the probability of that happening is low, they might make a frontal breakthrough using force.’
The arrogance of enemy officials.
And the information gap.
From a boy’s perspective.
Both conditions were met more than amply.
The intuition that had helped him overcome all the dangers and preserve his profits during his slum life was telling him so.
It’s a bet worth taking a look at.
But what was different from the past was that he now had many people’s lives on his shoulders.
To ensure the plan is sound, we’ve prepared a few more arrangements.
That was the jewel and the knife.
“We have arrived!”
Arrived at destination.
The outskirts of 19th Street.
Enemy-occupied zone bordering the border.
The first platoon quickly disembarked and began loading the supplies piled up in the center of the intersection into the cargo hold.
“Faster! Faster!”
McCully directed his squad while keeping an anxious eye on each direction of the intersection.
Ray also came out and looked at the end of each street.
And when the box was half loaded.
“The enemy!”
Ear-piercing gunshots instantly filled the streets.
Doo doo doo doo doo doo───!
At both ends of the T-shaped intersection.
The enemy, who appeared as promised, used the pre-built batteries and benches as cover and fired at the 1st platoon and Ray.
Tiddik─! Tiddik─!
But it couldn’t penetrate the defense Ray had set up.
‘Both sides. About 10 people each.’
Compared to Veronica’s defense, it has a narrow range and low durability, but it is enough to cover a van and a squad and withstand this much gunfire.
“Rainy is protecting us! We don’t need to return fire, so focus on loading the supplies!”
McCully’s confident shout was heard behind him.
Woof──!
Ray raised his mana.
At the same time, the red mana spread throughout the body and arrived at the feet.
bang!
The whole body was fired.
A knife was suddenly in his hand, and he was headed towards the end of the street on the right.
“Shoot! Shoot!”
“Go, don’t let them come near you!”
A boy closing the distance in an instant at a threatening speed.
The panicked opposition members hastily turned their guns.
But because the boy’s movements were so quick, the impact points were all on street tiles and telephone poles.
Occasionally, there were a few bullets that hit the boy’s body─
Boom!
─Bounced away.
The bullet, which would have easily pierced a human body, only left a small hole in the boy’s clothes and did not draw a single drop of blood from his body.
[Metalization]
Metallization operated by two rings of mana definitely showed higher effectiveness than before.
It blocks external cold air, but the effectiveness of shock absorption decreases sharply when in contact with the skin.
However, the metallization almost completely shattered the impact.
‘It stings a little, though.’
He was a boy who had a sense of pain, but was so numb to it that it was almost non-existent.
That’s not a problem at all.
Rather, in simple comparison, Veronica’s palm, which occasionally clapped for no reason, had a stronger impact.
When you have narrowed the distance between you and your enemies to some extent.
fault!
Ray, who had suddenly stopped, changed the direction of his speed with a gesture that showed urgency.
It was a 180 degree rotation.
Back to the center of the intersection.
It looked as if he could no longer withstand the gunfire and was retreating.
Ray’s palm, which was in his arms, felt the smooth, sharp texture of a yellow sapphire.
‘The first piece of information not revealed to the enemy.’
The fact that this side has an object that is presumed to be a fragment of a rainbow.
It was the moment to expose the information by pretending it was a mistake.
If you’ve ever seen this, you’ll definitely have to run at it with all your might.
But the moment I was about to take out the jewel in my bosom and spill it.
─A, please return it without any damage if possible! C, even if there is even the slightest scratch or something, the value of the product…!
A voice flashed through my head.
Ray nodded inwardly.
and.
slap!
He picked up the jewel and threw it on the floor.