Water Magician

Editor: Tseirp

“I think now is the best time to rally our troops.”

“I agree. Right now, we can rule out any possibility of reinforcements coming from the imperial mainland.”

Abel asked Marquis Heinlein, who agreed with him.

Ryo who was beside them, also nodded his head.

Somehow, Abel could tell that Ryo was only nodding his head to go along with the mood in the room.

Ryo then made a suggestion.

“The departure ceremony will be held in the square, right? Do you want to try flying again? Or…”

“Nah, no flying this time. Though I would prefer if I could make my speech from a higher ground… Maybe construct a platform…”

“In that case, would you like me to create a platform out of ice?”

“Oh, that sounds great!”

The setting of the venue for the departure ceremony was designed between Abel and Ryo.

Marquis Heinlein had no say in the matter.

His initially skeptical evaluation of Ryo had already been replaced with genuine trust.

And also a little bit of resignation.

(Ryo can easily kill anyone, anytime, if he wants to. And no one can really stop him…)

Something like that.

On top of that, he was also relieved to see that King Abel had Ryo firmly on his side, not because of personal interest, but by choice.

Your worst nightmare as an enemy, but no better source of hope as an ally.

“I’ll get in touch with Ilarion. <Amplification> magic I believe it’s called, we’ll need it to get your voice out far and wide.”

Apparently, they had finished discussing how to set up the venue.

“I suppose I’m going to get busy. To the point that it won’t be too much asking to change our once-a-month cake to once-a-week!”

Ryo glanced at Abel as he said that.

“Yeah right, aren’t you just going to make the platform on-site on the day of the event? Sounds easy enough for you.”

“Wha…”

Ryo was absolutely mortified by Abel’s calm point of view. And speechless that he nailed the fact right on the head.

“I-I need to start training my mental image of it now or it will be a disaster on event day if it collapses or something… besides, it’s going to use up a ton of my magic power, so I need to start reducing my consumption now…”

Ryo was flustered when his request for more cake was rejected.

“Your cake privilege was settled at once a month.”

“Ugh…this is plain tyranny. The stereotypical conduct of an oppressor!”

Ryo was frustrated that his request for more cake had been officially rejected, while Abel was completely unmoved.

Watching the two, Marquis Heinlein chuckled.

The day of the Liberation Army’s departure ceremony.

“What a great turnout.”

“Damn~ looks like we’re a little late.”

“Well, that’s cause there are adventurers from not just Rune, but Acre as well as Whitnash, and Kyradea attending.”

The three D-rank adventurers were surprised by the number of people there, although they were disappointed that they did not get a front-row seat in the square.

They were, of course, Amon, Niels, and Etho, the three from ‘Room 10’.

“Look at that beautiful fence set up beyond the front row.”

“That’s probably, ice…”

“Ryo’s handiwork, I guess…”

The ice fence was set up, glistening in the sun with no sign of melting.

“But there’s also the possibility that it’s the work of Ryo’s apprentice…”

“Right…”

Amon’s point reminded Niels of something.

When he went to report to the Gecko Trading Company after completing a quest from them, he saw a scene unfolding in their backyard.

There, children who were still minors were playing with <Ice Wall> and <Icicle Lance>.

It was not so bloody as a mock battle, but a pleasant atmosphere of young children wielding sticks and imitating knights and swordsmen.

That’s right, it was such a cute scene… for those who do not know the truth.

But the three were in the know…that those <Ice Walls> could repel most attacks, and the <Icicle Lance> had unparalleled penetrating power when used to attack.

Since that very magic belongs to the water-attribute magician they knew so well.

“So you noticed?”

Gecko, the chairman, called out from behind the three of them, smiling.

“Ryo is their teacher.”

“I knew it! ”

Gecko revealed the truth to the three, and they all shouted in unison.

“Well, I can’t deny the possibility that it’s the work of Ryo’s students, but I believe that is Ryo’s ice fence after all.”

“I agree. The modeling is very detailed.”

“Sometimes, Ryo is very particular about such things.”

Niels came up with a hypothesis, Amon affirmed it, and Etho described Ryo’s characteristics.

The three of them from ‘Room 10’ then heard a voice right next to them saying something.

“Look, that’s the one, right? Wow, they’re really frozen over…”

“Yeah…. There’s even some kind of plate embedded with his name on it.”

“It says ‘Five Dragons Connor’, wait, as in Connor the Spear-wielder? Holy shit, Connor, Bruno, and Calvin, all three are trapped in ice.”

“While San was defeated in single combat by King Abel. Doesn’t that make him the top adventurer in the country, both in name and in reality…damn, he’s one hell of a King.”

They were not adventurers from Rune, but apparently from other cities.

“Well, Abel…I mean, of course His Majesty the King is strong, but freezing the other three is as impressive as it gets…”

Niels said to Etho and Amon in a hushed voice.

“And now it has become a well-known story that Ryo came to the rescue for Rihya in the showdown between the Five Dragons and the Crimson Sword.”

“Nice one, Ryo!”

Amon told the slightly distorted version of the story that had been circulating, and Etho complimented Ryo for rescuing Rihya.

Needless to say, Etho wasn’t his usual self, since, sure enough, the subject involved Rihya.

Right behind the three of them, they heard the voices of adventurers from other cities who had finally arrived.

“Thank God, we made it in time…”

“Geez! Thanks to Van insisting that we do one more quest…see now, we barely got here in time!”

“My bad, Ash. But thanks to that, we’re now loaded enough to make our stay in Rune more comfortable.”

“Speak for yourself, we sisters have always had our rainy day stash.”

The last voice was that of a woman who seemed to be the youngest sister.

Hearing such a conversation from behind, the three from Room 10 tilted their heads.

Thinking the voices sound vaguely familiar.

Then all three turned around.

“Six Petals!”

The three of them said in unison.

“Ooh! Room 10! Long time no see!”

The Six Petals leader, Vandash, said happily, and the nine were glad to see each other again.

Room 10 and Six Petals had defeated a wyvern together once before.

Not as official participants in a wyvern subjugation quest, but in an encounter when a village was being attacked.

The tale of the wyvern subjugation with only nine people was still told in many towns and cities.

It elevated the reputation of ‘Room 10’ and ‘Six Petals’.

As proof of this, seeing their happy reunion, the adventurers around them could be heard conversing in low voices.

“Is it just me, or did I just hear them say ‘Room 10’ and ‘Six Petals’ just now?”

“Yeah, I heard it too. They’re the ones from the rumor, that took down a wyvern with just nine people…”

“I thought it was just a tall tale…”

“No, they sure look strong…maybe it’s true.”

While Ryo had become famous, the three from ‘Room 10’ had also become famous in their own right.

As the nine were rekindling old friendships, the departure ceremony finally began.

There were heroic music performances by the Rune city band, introductions of the various captains and so on….

But there was only one thing, or rather person, that all of them there wanted to see.

They had gathered in the square to see that person, to hear his voice.

“Finally.”

Only God knows who muttered that.

Probably many of the people there must have muttered the same in their hearts.

Then, that person, King Abel, appeared and climbed the ice platform.

The moment he ascended the platform, the crowd exploded with cheers.

Exactly the kind of cheer that can only be described as ‘explosive’…and that cheer was, no doubt, accompanied by pressure….

Then, as at the coronation, the exploding cheers converged into one word.

“Abel! Abel! Abel! Abel! ”

All those present in the square…old and young, men and women, no matter their status, job, or anything else, were all united.

Abel was the only one standing on the platform taking in the collective voices.

It was an awe-inspiring spectacle.

The light shining out, reflecting and shimmering, and the King standing alone and unwavering in the midst of it all.

The sight of him stirred the hearts of the people gathered there even more.

The frenzy seemed to last forever.

However, the cheers of the assembled people died down when Abel lightly held his right hand out in front of him…a gesture that seemed to quieten the crowd.

When he was sure they had completely calmed down, Abel began.

“First of all, I want to thank you all for being here. And let me apologize to everyone for one thing. I have been unable to do anything until now and the Kingdom, including the royal capital, has remained overrun.”

Abel took a short breath.

Then he continued.

“You all must have been worried. When will Abel stand up to this madness? Does he intend to just watch without fighting back? Will the Kingdom remain divided forever? I heard you, and here’s my response. Now is the time. We’re going to rise and reclaim our stolen Kingdom!”

Abel said out loud as he raised his right hand, and at the same time, the cheers exploded.

Not only in the square.

Thanks to Ilarion’s magic <Transmission>, Abel’s speech was transmitted throughout the city, even to every corner of Rune city.

Two days later, the Southern Army, composed of troops of the Rune Frontier County, the troops of the Marquis of Heinlein, and adventurers, marched toward the royal capital.

Along the way, they marched northward, rallying the armies of the southern lords and adventurers.

Thus, the battle for the liberation of the Kingdom of Knightley began.

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