* * *

“I didn’t expect to be sent straight to the outer seals’ area, isn’t he making us roll around too much, that Emperor guy?”

“Hey, what if someone hears you.”

“But I didn’t call him the Emperor bastard, Commander”

“……I’d rather you just call him Emperor.”

At the inn where they were temporarily staying, Cadel was discussing the contents of the note with two of his subordinates.

[Check the seal on the Inte Snowfields.]

It was simple and straightforward. Van complained that the Emperor was treating them like dogs, but Cadel had a different idea.

“I think the Emperor was being considerate.”

“Pardon? Considerate?”

“Look, the Inte Snowfields is this way.”

Cadel pointed to a spot on the map spread out on the table. The Inte Snowfields, where the seal was located, were in the alpine region beyond the ocean.

“Normally, this would have been done by the Dunkelhai Kingdom, as they are the closest to the Inte Snowfields. Of course, the Shadow Knight Order of Dunkelhai is still in the seal’s area within the Empire, so you would think the Emperor sent us since we’re free.”

The fingertip on the Inte Snowfields moved to the other side of the ocean, where the White Kingdom lay.

“To get here, we’ll inevitably have to go through the White Kingdom.”

“……He allows us to attend Sir Garuel’s funeral.”

“It doesn’t matter if he didn’t mean to. Because I can now directly check whether Lydon is doing well.”

Not only that, but Cadel would now be able to progress to the next main quest with Garuel by his side.

‘The next quest is in the outer seals’ area, and it looks like it’s starting in the Inte Snowfields, so I’d better be prepared.’

In the game, the player could choose the area where the quest would take place. There were three areas to choose from, one of which was the Inte Snowfields. It was just a matter of prioritization since he would eventually get around all of them, but he remembered it being a nice touch to give each player different options.

‘I can’t wait to recruit the rest of the knights.’

Establishing a complete order of knights before the Demon War begins. That was Cadel’s goal.

‘……I don’t think I’ll ever see him. I don’t know where or how many assassins I can find. I should probably give up early and find another knight.’

It was already impossible to perfectly implement the card deck in the game. In the current situation, it was difficult to find the knight Cadel was specifically targeting. Since he had met many good knights so far, he could only hope that he would be lucky this time as well.

Collecting his thoughts, Cadel said, alternating between Van and Lumen.

“First, let’s move to the White Kingdom. Let’s join Sir Garuel and Lydon as soon as possible and take down the seal on the Inte Snowfields.”

If they were to travel honestly from the Osma Empire to the White Kingdom, it would take a fortnight. On the other hand, the Twilight Knight Order had returned by the movement magic, so there were at least two days left until Garuel’s funeral. They couldn’t make it on time by moving honestly. They too could only meet the date by using movement magic.

However, the Emperor did not send a magician for them, and currently, the only magician in the Knight Order was Cadel.

“Commander, you don’t have to push yourself, it’s not like you have to watch the funeral.”

“That’s right, Leader. It’s even worse if we end up in a weird place while using a traveling spell you have never tried before.”

“There’s no way Commander’s magic can go wrong. Don’t think of Commander on the same level as you.”

“Let’s see if you can say the same thing when you get to some hellish places and back.”

Cadel cleared his throat as he stood between his two subordinates, who were busy checking each other out. His eyes were sharp as he inspected the sigils of the magic circle.

‘The theory is perfect. The magic circle is neatly drawn.’

True to Lumen’s word, Cadel had never used movement magic before. The reason was simple. Movement magic required a great deal of mana, even for very short distances. Plus, there was a lot to think about.

Unless you were a skilled archmage like Mamil, it was common for several magicians to work together to cast a spell. Cadel would have preferred to enlist the help of his subordinates if he could, but as it happened, all of his magic-using subordinates were away.

‘I can do it, I can do it…….’

If he couldn’t do it, he would have to be left on the street for over 15 days, let alone hold Garuel’s funeral. For Cadel, who valued efficiency, this was an absolutely unacceptable problem.

He rubbed his sweaty palms over his thighs, a determined look on his face.

“I’ll try to make the destination stay within the White Kingdom as much as possible, but if I don’t have enough mana, we might land nearby.”

“I’ve heard it said that if the movement magic fails, we might end up in different places. I’d like you to drop us on the side where there are no monsters, Leader.”

Even when Cadel glared at him, Lumen could only shrug his shoulders. His irritation spiked at the attitude of legitimate concern, but he wasn’t willing to bet on success.

“Ignore what that feeble-minded noble young master says, Commander. Even if I end up in hell, I don’t care at all.”

“……Both be quiet.”

How many magic spells had he done so far, so why couldn’t he do just one movement magic? Slowly, Cadel started to feel uncomfortable. Cadel gathered his subordinates into the magic circle and spoke in a vaguely solemn voice.

“Let’s start.”

Cadel recalled Mamil’s teachings as he maximized the mana within his body.

“……Movement magic? It’s just a bunch of mana, and it’s not much more than that. It’s just a quick burst of mana for the entire circle.”

“Is that it? Any tips or…….”

“You need a tip for pooping too? Just get it out. That’s it.”

Remembering his sordid analogy, Cadel unleashed all the mana in his body onto the circle, all at once.