"She actually broke through!"
Lavinia's eyes widened slightly.
She knew perfectly well what [Mass Bull's Strength] represented — it was a 6th-level spell that only a 13th-level wizard could cast.
Moreover, large-scale buffing abilities like this were the most sought-after skills in any army.
As a noble, Lavinia knew more than the average person and understood all too well the terrifying implications.
"Especially since… he's only twenty years old!"
Lavinia looked at the excessively young Leilin and felt a sudden twinge of something like loss. She herself could be considered a genius, but compared to him, she felt as though she were nothing at all…
"Aaargh!"
But losing focus in the middle of battle was a fatal mistake, and the young knight had just made exactly that.
Across from her, Aligu roared, his muscles bulging one by one, his fingernails springing out from his palms. Even the air seemed to be torn apart.
[Primal Outburst!]
The beastkin had clearly also received this blessing from Mara.
Bang! Lavinia felt a tremendous force slam through her palms, and her two-handed great sword was wrenched from her grip, hurtling away with a piercing whistle.
"This is bad!"
Lavinia tried to retreat, but it was already too late. The high-level Beastkin lunged forward, his coarse pores and grotesque skin plainly visible.
Aligu roared, his mind filled with only one thought: tear — tear apart the knight standing before him!
"Am I going to die?" Lavinia slowly closed her eyes.
"How can you lose focus in the middle of a fight?"
But the pain she expected never came. Lavinia opened her eyes and saw Leilin's tall figure standing in front of her, blocking the blow.
Then his beheading sword came down. The high-level Beastkin's head tumbled across the ground, blood spurting from the severed neck like a fountain.
"Woo woo…"
The other Beastkin saw their new leader fall to a human once more. The fear that had been building up inside them finally erupted completely.
Whimpering and panicked, they turned and fled. But the human warriors easily caught up and cut them down.
In battle, casualties were always heaviest during a rout, when the fleeing were pursued — and that was also when the greatest results were achieved.
"Perhaps… this is what a true hero looks like!"
Lavinia rose to her feet and gazed at Leilin, who stood with his beheading sword planted in the ground. A different light flickered in her eyes, so much so that a faint blush crept across her cheeks.
…
In Silver Moon City, a meeting was underway concerning the future of Leilin and his squad.
"I object!" Kaslai, whom Leilin had met before, slammed both hands on the table as though triggering a small earthquake.
"There are serious problems with the Fifth Squad's mission completion!" His face was flushed red.
"A large camp, several high-level Beastkin, even an altar to the God of the Hunt — how could they possibly have taken it?"
"If you reward and promote them based on this, I am firmly against it!"
Kaslai practically bellowed these words, and his utter lack of composure drew frowns from everyone in attendance.
"After all, he carries a bloodline — his emotions affect him far too much… completely at odds with how a wizard should behave. Lucky fellow…" More than one high-ranking wizard thought silently to themselves.
"Our people have already inspected the site. We have the corpses of the high-level Beastkin and the others as proof. What more do you want?"
The elven wizard whom Leilin had met once before asked coldly.
"And only now you realize how dangerous this mission was? Who was it that originally guaranteed it was merely a 'small' camp? Hmm?"
Unlike usual, the elven wizard was being particularly aggressive this time.
"It looks like Kaslai's faction is going to take a loss this time…"
The other senior figures in the room nodded as they watched the scene unfold, all having some understanding of the open rivalry between the elven wizard's faction and Kaslai's.
But facts were facts! When both sides held roughly equal power, there was no room for denial. Faking anything was simply impossible.
"You've seen the report yourself! That camp had already been attacked by an unknown force beforehand, so the Fifth Squad simply stumbled upon an easy opportunity…"
Kaslai seized on yet another loophole and clung to it: "Therefore, not only should the Fifth Squad not be credited with completing the mission, they must be subjected to a thorough investigation!"
"By the gods! How can you so brazenly twist the truth!"
The elven wizard trembled with fury. "Silver Moon City has no prohibition against this sort of thing. Even if Leilin brought in outside help, that is their own ability!"
"Enough!"
A deep voice came from the seat at the head of the table, carrying tremendous pressure — it had already crossed a certain threshold and entered the domain of [Legendary].
"Sir!"
Kaslai and the elven wizard both deflated immediately, bowing and offering their apologies to the figure at the head.
"We did not gather here primarily to discuss a subordinate squad's merits. There are far more troublesome matters waiting for us!"
The old wizard spoke slowly. He looked like an ordinary man — his eyes were clouded and murky, he wore a plain grey robe, and there was nothing remarkable about him whatsoever.
Yet this seemingly frail old man could suppress every high-ranking officer in the room.
"Silver Moon City is an open city-state alliance. Following the rules is the very foundation of our existence. Even if the Fifth Squad stepped out of line in some way, they completed the mission, and they must receive what they are owed!"
The old wizard delivered the final verdict. Kaslai twitched his lips but ultimately said nothing more.
After all, the squad had genuinely succeeded and completed the mission. Even he could only make things difficult over procedural details. Victory belonged to the victors — that had always been the way of things.
Watching the smug look on the elven wizard's face across the table, Kaslai's fury only grew.
The earlier scheme had been proposed almost entirely by him and orchestrated behind the scenes. He had thought it would deal a devastating blow to the other side, yet this was the result. And this failure would inevitably make others in his own faction view him even more unfavorably — the impact would be nearly ruinous.
"Leilin, is it?"
Kaslai chewed over the name savagely. "With the squad leader gravely injured and sent back, he still steadfastly carried out the mission — and then got lucky enough to stumble upon the Beastkin at their weakest… Trying to be a hero, are we? Heh…"
Before, Leilin had only warranted a sliver of attention. But from now on, this young wizard named Leilin would become the full target of Kaslai's suppression.
As a person of power and a chessmaster, there was a particular feeling that arose when a mere piece dared to move outside the rules one had set — even dancing right in front of you, baring its fangs and claws. Kaslai knew that feeling intimately.
But Kaslai would never have imagined that the creature he considered a small chess piece was hiding something truly terrifying behind it.
"Now, let us move on to the next agenda item — funding for the permanent fortifications along the Sunrise Mountain Range…"
Kaslai pulled himself together.
A single loss meant nothing. The coming orc offensive was what truly mattered.
…
"This time, everything is really thanks to you, Leilin!"
Inside an obviously high-end hospital room, bright sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the fine particles of dust floating in the air.
Aolan's complexion was somewhat pale. He lay propped up in bed, surrounded by a ring of surviving officers.
"The debt of saving my life before, and now the favor of completing the mission — you've helped me twice now. I won't forget it!" Aolan promised.
"It was nothing. I did it for myself too!"
Leilin smiled. Aolan now looked nothing like the soldier he had been before. He seemed somewhat frail instead — it was clear that the Lanxie'er affair had dealt him a heavy blow.
"After this, I won't be suitable to stay in the City Guard any longer. I've already submitted my retirement application. In the meantime, I hope you can temporarily take charge of the men — though it won't be for long. Once your commendation comes through…"
Aolan gave a bitter laugh.
"The Fifth Squad is my foundation. I won't abandon it!"
Leilin made his assurance with a somewhat impassioned air.
"Good… good…" Aolan coughed violently for a moment, then fixed his eyes on Leilin. "Your reward this time… a captaincy is a certainty. That makes you a senior officer of the City Guard. And perhaps even a title — hereditary, no less. Even in other kingdoms, it would be recognized…"
At the mention of a hereditary title, even the other officers showed expressions of envy.
Once one became a hereditary noble with one's own fief, one truly entered the upper echelons of society. From that point on, one's descendants would likewise become elevated nobility and socialites — it was a dream that these rank-and-file officers spent their entire lives striving toward.
But Leilin had been in the City Guard for less than two years and had already obtained it all.
Though a flicker of jealousy arose, the moment they caught sight of the wizard's badge on Leilin's chest, those feelings melted away like snow under the sun.
A wizard! A 13th-level wizard at that — and so young. That alone was more than enough for him to deserve everything.
That kind of gulf-like divide caused their petty thoughts to dissipate quickly.
And after returning from his visit with Aolan, Leilin received his latest appointment and other rewards.
"Just as expected — a captaincy and a baronetcy?"
Leilin sent the messenger on his way and looked at the parchment bearing a magical seal, a contemplative smile on his face.
The individual power in this world of gods was formidable indeed. The Silver Moon City Guard, in particular, was a mighty force composed almost entirely of professional warriors.
Commanding two hundred men already constituted a not-insignificant force.
In peacetime, such an appointment would have been virtually impossible. But they were currently in a period of military expansion and preparation for war, and Leilin, as a seasoned veteran, had caught a lucky break.
From this appointment, Leilin could also smell the unmistakable scent of a great battle approaching.