Chapter 61

After a split second of deliberation, I decided that holding back was unnecessary.

The Status and skills displayed told me everything I needed to know about the Black Knight’s sturdiness.

This wasn’t a knight who relied on cheap tricks or specialized gimmicks. They had high, well-balanced stats and two rock-solid skills. It reminded me of a Paladin from the games back in my world.

I activated my magic, Dimension: Winter, from a distance.

It wasn’t a spell with great fuel efficiency, but I didn’t have the luxury of conservation when facing a powerful foe for the first time.

“——Magic: Dimension: Winter!”

“——Holy Magic: Growth!”

In response, the Black Knight chanted a holy spell.

Growth.

It was the same support magic used against me during my duel with Sera Radiant.

I tried to suppress them with my freezing magic, but it seemed to have a poor compatibility with support spells that acted on the inside of the body. If the mana was outside the body, I could interfere with it as much as I wanted, but the difficulty of affecting mana within someone else’s body was several times higher.

As a result, I couldn’t block it, and Growth finished reinforcing the Black Knight’s body.

The pre-battle buffs were complete. The distance closed, and our swords crossed.

However, I didn’t put my strength into the blade with the intent to overpower them. Based on the information I had, I already knew I was outmatched in raw Strength. Above all, our positioning wasn’t suited for a contest of power. With the Black Knight on the upper steps and me on the lower ones, I was at a disadvantage in a head-on clash.

I shifted my sword toward the back-left, intending to parry the incoming strike and let it slide off.

But the enemy’s blade didn’t flow away.

They hadn’t swung with full force either. They immediately pulled their sword back, erasing any opening.

In that single exchange, I realized the enemy’s caliber and understood that a quick breakthrough was impossible under the current circumstances. I would have to resolve myself to either higher mana consumption or a long, drawn-out battle.

I chose to spend the mana without a second thought.

Experience drove that decision. It was likely because I had the experience of knowing that, in a pinch, I could supply mana even by shaving away my maximum HP.

I retreated slightly, using the distance and time gained to construct a spell.

Since Dimension: Winter was already deployed, the magic construction felt smoother than ever before.

“——Magic: Ice Snow, Magic: Form!”

“——Holy Magic: Divine Wave!”

I caused magical bubbles and snow to fall within the wintry domain.

However, they were instantly popped and erased by the shockwave of the magic released by the Black Knight. The shattered cold turned into light and dissipated, coloring the grand staircase with particles that looked like Tear-lay.

“Tch—!”

I shivered at the Black Knight’s speed of judgment and reaction.

If the Black Knight had tried to move in and exploit the gap when I retreated, I was prepared to land a counter. My magic had activated faster than ever before, and the type of magic was a trap-style suited for counters.

However, the Black Knight didn’t choose to pursue.

Without moving a single step, they judged my magic with their eyes and activated a corresponding spell without hesitation. Furthermore, they had seen through the fact that I couldn’t use Dimension: Winter to interfere while I was busy constructing a different spell.

I felt the gap in our combat experience acutely.

I immediately gave up on fighting from the front.

While maintaining my distance, I moved broadly to the side. I intended to outpace the opponent, banking on their heavy equipment slowing them down.

But the Black Knight followed me without issue.

Looking at their Status, the hope of surpassing them in speed had been nothing but wishful thinking. Still, I hadn’t truly believed it until I saw this giant mass of iron keeping up with my full sprint.

On top of their already high Strength and Speed, the magical self-reinforcement had stacked to turn them into a terrifying physical monster. The influence of their original physique probably played a part, but for the Black Knight, this heavy equipment wasn’t a shackle.

The best equipment chosen by an experienced knight. That was what this mass of iron was—

The Black Knight, running alongside me, swung their black sword.

I didn’t take it with my blade; instead, I dodged it, letting it graze past the tip of my nose.

Since I was inferior in strength, I avoided sword-on-sword collisions. However, that judgment led to a bad turn of events.

The black sword rent the air, and with that momentum, it struck the stairs directly.

The stone staircase shattered, and fragments flew everywhere along with a cloud of dust.

The Black Knight in full plate armor was likely fine, but for me in cloth equipment, it was the same as being showered with buckshot. If a fragment hit me in the head, it would create an opening. I hurriedly used my sword to parry the flying debris.

The Black Knight’s next slash followed immediately.

I had no choice but to leap down the stairs to dodge the strike.

The stairs were cleaved vertically by the black sword, and more dust billowed up.

The Black Knight stood still within the dust cloud.

They didn’t pursue.

They were strictly dedicated to guarding the top of the stairs and refusing me passage.

It was too dark to see behind the visor, but I knew they were still observing me closely. They were likely grasping the situation with perfect composure.

I was the one who would be in trouble if they continued to stall for time. Even though Hein was there, I couldn’t say for sure that there were no threats behind me.

—The Black Knight’s movements were perfect.

“…!”

I felt my heart give a small bounce.

A childish part of my nature was praising the enemy. I almost felt a sense of admiration for this taciturn, powerful foe.

My mouth started to twist into a natural grin.

Realizing this wasn’t the time for that, I immediately pressed my lips into a firm line.

Then, I recalculated.

I had decided not to hold back on my magic, but I had been holding back on my mana. I hadn’t used my true new magic yet. However, I realized that such reservations were useless against this Black Knight.

After checking the surroundings, I shrank the domain of Dimension: Winter from a diameter of about a hundred meters down to about three meters.

I flooded that domain with an excessive supply of mana.

This was the ideal form of the magic Dimension: Winter.

If the opponent doesn’t rely on magic and fights at close range—especially one-on-one—then this is the ideal form.

High-density cold air flowed outward, freezing the floor beneath my feet.

I felt the Black Knight catch their breath behind their visor.

It was only natural.

Right now, I was venting mana with a higher density than even the magic-specialized knights down the stairs.

From their perspective, they thought they were facing an enemy who specialized in agility and swordplay, only to be met with this level of mana. If I were the Black Knight, I would surely be infuriated by such an unreasonable power.

However, this mana was only natural.

I wasn’t a swordsman or a knight.

I was a Mage—one who controlled dimensions and frost.

“——Magic: Dimension: Overwinter!!”

It was simply a mana-charged version of the previous spell, but I spoke the grandiose name aloud. If I could make the Black Knight feel even a bit of mental pressure, it would be a win. It would save me the trouble.

I put strength into my legs and kicked off the stairs.

My charge was at the same speed as before.

However, the one whose speed changed was my opponent.

This was because the movement-impeding effect—which was merely a strange sensation back when Dimension: Winter had a hundred-meter diameter—had intensified significantly.

Anyone who entered the domain of Dimension: Overwinter would be slowed down as if they were moving through midwinter snow.

Right now, the Black Knight was likely falling into the illusion that the very dimension of time had shifted. This was the true worth of the Mage “Kanami Aikawa,” the one who commanded dimensions and cold.

I dodged the black sword with minimal movement and dove into the Black Knight’s personal space.

In response, the Black Knight made a split-second decision to throw away their sword and tried to grab me with both arms. However, I perceived every single one of those movements. This midwinter domain was also within the range of my magic, Dimension: Gladiator. My perception during close-quarters combat remained unchanged.

I parried the oncoming arms and slid my sword into a gap in the armor’s joints.

I didn’t stab deeply.

However, I made sure to pierce enough to hinder their movement. Furthermore, I funneled cold air into the wound, aiming for frostbite. I froze the joints of the armor, bonding them together so the limbs couldn’t bend.

As I slipped past the Black Knight’s body like a needle through fabric, what remained was a frozen mass of armor.

Even so, the Black Knight’s fighting spirit didn’t wither; they made the armor groan as they tried to turn toward me.

To finish it, I gave the Black Knight’s back a push.

Unable to maintain their balance, the Black Knight had no choice but to tumble down the stairs.

The giant mass of iron rolled down, crushing the stone steps as it went.

I watched the Black Knight—who was heavier than I’d expected—fall away while sweat dripped from my brow.

Th-They shouldn’t die from that…

Probably…

I deactivated Dimension: Overwinter and switched back to a wide-range Dimension spell.

The battle with the Black Knight had lasted only about ten seconds, but even so, the knights from the lower floors were already drawing close. However, seeing the wretched state of the Black Knight who had come rolling down, they halted their advance. From below, I heard a commotion and voices calling for healing.

Having finished my situational check, I tried to run up the stairs—but my feet faltered slightly.

“…!”

As expected, Dimension: Overwinter not only consumed a lot of mana but also put a heavy burden on my brain.

That magic required me to constantly perceive and calculate the opponent’s movements and keep applying mana to those specific points. Even for someone like me who was good at calculation, suppressing a human being felt like it was going to fry my brain.

I had likely only suppressed the Black Knight with Dimension: Overwinter for about two seconds. Even so, the load was heavy enough to make me stumble. It was a magic strictly for one-on-one, early-settlement battles.

However, it was worth it; I had remained unscathed against a powerful foe.

For someone like me who couldn’t use healing magic, not getting injured was vital. Since there was a possibility I’d have to carry Lastiara on the way back, I couldn’t afford to be wounded from here on out.

Though stumbling, I climbed the final step.

Spread out before me was a flower garden similar to the one where I had fought Hopes. That said, it wasn’t as large as the area below, and I soon reached the front of the Great Cathedral building.

Standing at the entrance of the cathedral was a single man.

On the way here, I had broken through five knights who seemed to be members of the Celestial Knights. Excluding Hein, there was only one left.

The seventh member of the Celestial Knights, Palinchron Legacy, was standing there.

Palinchron greeted me with a round of applause.

“Heh, you really are interesting. You’re right on time, Big Brother. Welcome to our Huzya Great Cathedral.”

That smirking face of his was unbearably repulsive.

I suspected this man was the one who had cast a spell on Maria.

However, I had no proof. More importantly, for this moment alone, he wasn’t an enemy.

I suppressed the rising fighting spirit and spoke to him.

“It galls me to play into your hands, but I’ve come to take Lastiara away.”

“Yeah. That’s a good answer.”

Hearing my words, Palinchron snapped his fingers.

With that, the doors of the Great Cathedral opened on their own.

I sensed the mana enveloping the cathedral dissipate as some kind of spell formula was undone.

Palinchron explained with a satisfied look.

“There, the barriers and wards of the cathedral have been deactivated. Well, I think you would’ve been fine regardless, Big Brother… but consider this a courtesy. After all, you’re the hero coming to kidnap the princess.”

I didn’t stop walking even as I listened to his explanation.

Staying alert, I slipped past Palinchron, entered the Great Cathedral, and proceeded through the deserted entrance hall.

It was unnaturally empty.

“There’s no one here…”

“Those guys feel safe enough with just the knights outside and the barriers here. Even if someone were here, they wouldn’t be the fighting type. It was easy enough to clear them out.”

Between the barriers and the clearing of the staff, I couldn’t trust Palinchron’s character, but at least I could see he had the intention to cooperate.

“Are you going to help me too?”

Unlike Hein, Palinchron likely didn’t have any deep feelings for Lastiara. At the moment, he only gave off the impression of a twisted thrill-seeker, and I hadn’t expected his help until I met him here.

“Of course. To show my respect to the hero who made it this far, I’ll take care of all sorts of things for you. I’ve just reset the cathedral’s barrier. That should buy us some time before the reinforcements can get inside.”

Palinchron answered as if it were a matter of course that he would help rescue Lastiara.

…I appreciated it, but I couldn’t trust him.

I kept my guard up against Palinchron as I walked straight through the interior of the cathedral.

“Brother Christ. First, try checking the temple room where the ritual is being held with your perception magic. I think it’ll be canceled immediately, but you should be able to get a grasp of the situation. Oh, don’t worry about your back; I’m watching it. It’ll still take a little while for the knights to catch up.”

“…A little while? You can tell from this far away?”

“My perception magic probably has a wider range. …Man, though, Hein is amazing. All by himself, he’s holding his own against all the knights of Huzya. For his sake, shouldn’t we get this done quickly?”

Palinchron informed me of Hein’s situation in a light tone.

I didn’t know if it was the truth, but it was certain that Hein was putting his life on the line to stall them.

I hurried to grasp the temple at the innermost part of the cathedral with my Dimension magic.

—The area was probably about the size of a school gymnasium. The interior was almost exactly like a temple from a fairy tale. If there was a difference, it was in the brilliance of the decorations. In this world, decorations naturally used a lot of gemstones. In such a glittering temple, stone pillars and pews were lined up, and well-dressed guests who seemed to be dignitaries were seated. However, among the guests, there were some who clearly exuded an extraordinary aura.

I felt uneasy about the caliber of the guests in attendance.

At the end of the guests’ gaze was Lastiara, offering a prayer before a massive stained-glass window.

She sat alone on a platform, wearing a pure white dress with very little ornamentation. Next to her was a man who looked like a priest, and opposite him was a woman. They were clearly of a different caliber. These two might be the Fedelt and the woman from the Senate that Hein had mentioned.

“Did you get a feel for the inside?”

“Yeah, I did. There are some incredibly strong-looking people in the audience…”

“Right. That’s what I wanted you to realize. You’ve got the VIPs of various nations and their guards in there. I know I told you to go smash things up, but for you to do it all by yourself, Big Brother… it would be veeeery difficult.”

Palinchron playfully emphasized the high level of difficulty.

However, since I knew Dia would back me up if things got dangerous, I didn’t think it was that difficult. Of course, I had confirmed that Dia was among the attendees during my check. I wondered if Palinchron hadn’t managed to fully investigate my relationship with Dia.

“Even so, I have to do it.”

“I’m not telling you not to do it. But as an intellectual type, I’d prefer if the forceful kidnapping of the princess remained a last resort.”

“Kidnapping is the last resort?”

“Hein said it too, right? You’ve got to outtalk the organizer. If it goes well, you can take Lastiara back without a fight and without a scratch. I can use my momentum to manufacture a bit of a soapbox for you.”

Saying that, Palinchron smirked.

It was a smile that suggested he had a chance of winning. No, it would be more accurate to describe it as the smile of someone certain that Huzya was about to fall into chaos.

Normally, I wouldn’t want to follow someone who smiled like that. But it was true that our interests regarding Lastiara’s rescue were aligned.

I decided to hear the details from Palinchron. If the explanation was short, I still had time to listen.

“So, what do you want me to do?”

“Let’s see. To put it simply—”

Palinchron’s smile twisted even deeper as he began to explain what was necessary inside.

And by the time we had solidified the procedure for Lastiara’s rescue… we arrived right in front of the doors to the temple where she was waiting.

“—and that’s the gist of it. Don’t worry, it’s just a bit of stirring the pot. Same as provoking anyone else.”

Palinchron laughed like a child about to pull a prank.

As expected, he was an unpleasant guy.

Palinchron’s combat ability was low. I decided in my heart that if it came down to it, I would use him as a hostage, and I smiled back at him.

“Alright. I’m in.”