Chapter 70: Car
The automobiles of this world were still in the midst of technological development. They weren’t capable of much speed yet, nor could one call the ride particularly comfortable. The interior space was, to put it mildly, rather cramped.
“The roads are in better condition than I expected.”
“We’ve begun deploying other earth mages to the battlefield as well. They can’t quite perform monstrous feats like standing alone on the front lines and carving out trenches of unbelievable scale… but with small units, they can handle paving roads. Thanks to those combat engineers who use earth magic, a great many routes have been properly maintained.”
“I’m glad to hear that others like me are able to make themselves useful.”
As we spoke, I sat beside General Newsbeck inside the vehicle, the two of us riding together as we made our way toward the western front.
“Even so, the reality is that no one can wield earth magic quite like you can, Brigadier General Willard.”
“Well, that’s only natural. I’m a noble. The way I was trained in magic is entirely different.”
People among the common folk used magic in their daily lives—for cooking, for work, for household chores. In such contexts, earth magic naturally found plenty of uses. In farming, for instance, it was nothing short of invaluable.
But that was never the role expected of nobles.
For those born into nobility—whose purpose was to fight and protect the people—earth magic, which had no clear application in warfare, had long been regarded as unfortunate, even worthless.
It was only recently, with the advent of firearms and anti-magic barriers modernizing the battlefield, that earth magic had been revealed as potentially the strongest of all. Those born with the earth attribute—despite their noble status—had long since abandoned the path of magic, resigning themselves to its perceived uselessness.
As far as I knew, I was the only lunatic who had stubbornly continued refining earth magic to such an extreme.
“Even so, I never expected earth magic to end up being this useful in war.”
“Hm? Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Sure, based on knowledge from my time in Japan, I had thought it might become powerful if warfare devolved into trench lines… but like any noble of this world, I hadn’t believed that magic itself would ever fall out of favor in war.
“I just thought I should have some way to defend myself—that’s all. A rather pessimistic reason, really. As the third son of a marquis family and an earth mage at that, I couldn’t exactly afford to live comfortably forever. At least… not until recently.”
“…Ah. That’s true.”
General Newsbeck nodded, her expression tinged with bitterness.
“If I could just create extremely durable barriers with earth magic, I should be able to protect myself even against powerful spells—that was the idea. So I trained with that in mind. The fact that it ended up being genuinely useful in war… even I find that surprising.”
“And not only are you protecting yourself—you’re protecting your allies as well. That is something truly commendable.”
“Thank you very much.”
“…Mm. We’re nearing headquarters now.”
“Yes, it seems so.”
We had already been riding in the vehicle for quite some time. After spending the night at a nearby town’s hotel, we were now on the second day of travel. The sun was climbing toward noon.
“There’s a chance we may be ambushed. Make sure you’re ready to move at a moment’s notice.”
“Of course.”
“This will be your last chance to rest.”
General Newsbeck slipped a hand into her coat and pulled out a small wrapped package.
“It’s chocolate… It’s melted a little, but it still tastes fine. Would you like some? I recall you saying you didn’t like it, but perhaps white chocolate would be easier for you.”
“No, I’m fine for now.”
I’d already had my fill of sweetness.
Just the scent alone was enough to overwhelm me.
“I see…?”
“As you said, I can manage white chocolate without much issue. I’ll gladly take you up on it another time.”
“Oh? …Very well. Then just let me know when you want some.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
I nodded in response to her words, and just as she popped a piece of chocolate into her mouth—
“—!?”
In that instant, I sensed a surge of magical energy. Without hesitation, I reached for General Newsbeck and kicked open the vehicle door.
At the same time, she acted in much the same way. Our outstretched hands met and locked tightly together, and in that momentum, we tumbled out of the vehicle in an almost embracing tangle.
“Ghk—!”
Still reeling from the impact of hitting the ground, I found myself half-crushed against her as she planted her feet firmly and shouted with a booming laugh.
“Hah! Hahaha! It seems my instincts are still as sharp as ever!”
“…Above.”
Slipping free from her grip, I lifted my gaze toward the sky.
“…So that’s flight magic.”
The sky—a realm humanity had long yearned to reach, only recently touched with the aid of iron machines.
And yet, just as General Newsbeck had said, there were figures now drifting above us—people who had entered that domain with nothing but their own flesh and magic.
“Are they… covering their bodies with anti-magic barriers?”
The flow of magical energy around them was… peculiar.
Flight magic itself appeared to be an attribute-less form of magic. From the way their mana circulated, I could roughly grasp how it functioned. But what I couldn’t understand was the barrier enveloping their bodies.
“…What is this…?”
They were performing what should have been an impossible feat—activating flight magic while simultaneously deploying anti-magic barriers to protect themselves.
“Hey! Don’t just stand there staring at the sky! Move!”
Before I could make sense of it, General Newsbeck grabbed my hand and pulled me along, forcing me into motion.
“Wha—whoaaa?!”
In the very next instant, the two soldiers in the sky unleashed a rain of bullets down upon us.