Chapter 89: Education

“Y-You know her…?”

Still unable to hide my shock at seeing Shia—someone who absolutely shouldn’t have been here—standing before me, Lieutenant Castor, beside me, voiced her confusion.

“Know her? She’s not just an acquaintance—she’s my real sister. She’s supposed to be in the royal capital… so why is Shia here of all places?”

“From the House of Willard… could she be… that Shia Willard?”

“That’s right. I called her ‘Shia’ just now, didn’t I?”

“…Y-Yes, you did. I see… that explains it.”

“Explains what?”

“Well… this entire area was protected because that lady—the young noblewoman of House Willard—deployed an anti-magic barrier instantly. She even drove the enemy back herself. With a fire spell that blanketed the entire sky, she blocked their vision completely… and forced them into retreat.”

“…I see.”

It made sense. If it was Shia, she could pull it off.

She might not be able to wield a gun anymore, but her skill as a mage hadn’t faded in the slightest. Unlike me, she couldn’t see magical power directly—but that hardly mattered. With a single, overwhelming fire spell, she could easily erase the enemy’s vision.

Anyone relying on flight magic would have no choice but to flee under those conditions.

And yet… even so—

“Shia!”

I hurried toward her, closing the distance between us.

“Noah!? W-What are you doing here!?”

Noticing me, Shia raised her voice in surprise, her expression a mixture of shock and disbelief.

“That’s my line! Why are you here, Shia!?”

Shia had lost both of her hands. Even living an ordinary life was supposed to be difficult for her.

And yet… and yet, why was she standing here, in a place like this?

“I—I just thought I could be of some help… You once said, didn’t you, Noah? That in war, there comes a time when morality dies.”

“…Yeah.”

“So I thought it might be better if ordinary people learned how to use anti-magic barriers too. I’ve asked members of the merchant guild to help, and now we’re traveling all across the Kingdom of Lunoa, teaching people how to deploy them.”

“Even so, you shouldn’t have to do something like this yourself—!”

“But I understand magic… don’t I? Hmph. You of all people should know that best. I’m your big sister, after all. When it comes to magic, I’ll teach it better than anyone. You’ve learned flight magic recently and seem to be getting ahead of yourself, but there’s no such thing as a younger brother more talented than his big sister!”

“…!”

…It was logical.

She wasn’t wrong. Shia was a genius when it came to magic.

In fact, it was almost unbelievable that she couldn’t see magical power—her understanding of it ran so deep that it defied explanation. When it came to teaching magic, there was no one more suited than her.

Even so—

“…Shia, you…”

The words caught in my throat.

Something I mustn’t look at. Something I mustn’t let surface. As if sealing away the dark desires lurking within me, I shut my mouth tightly and forced the rest of my thoughts down.

“…Just don’t push yourself too hard. I’m worried.”

“…I’m sorry. I didn’t expect the attack to come so soon… I thought I was somewhere safe.”

“…For now, I’m just glad you’re safe.”

For a moment—just a moment—I imagined it.

What if Shia had died here?

The thought sent a chill down my spine, and before I knew it, I had pulled her into a tight embrace.

“I’m sorry… for making you worry.”

Shia gently returned the embrace, holding me just as firmly despite everything.

For a while, we simply stayed like that, wrapped in each other’s presence, as though trying to confirm that the other was truly alive.

“…Ah…!”

At last, I came back to my senses. This wasn’t a private place—there were eyes on us.

As a brigadier general, this wasn’t exactly appropriate behavior in public.

From somewhere behind me, I could feel Lieutenant Castor’s gaze. It was… a little intimidating.

“Ah… I wanted to feel your warmth a little longer, Noah…”

“Right now, I’m a brigadier general. My rank is higher than yours was—you only made it to colonel, remember?”

“Hmph! What’s that supposed to mean!? Are you saying you’re more capable than me just because of your rank? You’ve gotten quite arrogant!”

“But, Shia—”

“What!?”

“You can’t actually see magical power, can you?”

“…Huh?”

At my words, Shia—who had been puffing out her chest with pride just like she used to—froze completely.

“I heard it from General Newsbeck. In that regard, I’ve clearly got the upper hand. You can’t see magical power either, Shia.”

“…Mmph! You’ve started talking back! How cheeky!”

“I’m not a child anymore. Lieutenant Castor, sorry for taking up your time. Let’s hurry and meet the city’s representative.”

I didn’t want to turn around.

Without looking back toward her, I raised my hand and pointed at the largest building in sight.

“That’s the command headquarters, right?”

“Yes, it is.”

The answer came from behind me.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

Still not turning to face Lieutenant Castor, I stepped forward, walking ahead toward the command headquarters.