Skip Magician 105

Test

Chapter 105. Meeting With The Important Ones

"The demons, huh... I never thought they'd be a source of information."

After extracting some seemingly useful information from Vanessa... I summoned several key figures to Chronos Magic Knight Academy.

Vanessa sat curled up on a chair in the ancient library, while Elixira read a book beside her. Jeremiah observed Vanessa with curiosity. Hilalda looked utterly disinterested, Nina yawned without paying much attention, Ivy scribbled something on a sheet of paper, and Princess Elissa and Ash sipped tea elegantly. And then, there were the people I really intended to bring in.

"I believe we should promptly inform the Magic Knights about this."

"Indeed... If this is true, the nation is in danger."

"...Is this the end that Frodil-sama mentioned?"

My father folded his arms, contemplating the content on the paper in front of him. Commander Sergei waited for his response, while Division Commander Borz appeared deep in thought, likely recalling something about Flodeel.

"The End Dragon, Cladius... I've heard about such a figure in old texts, but I thought it was just a myth, never something real."

"I thought it was a mere metaphor myself."

Well, myths from the past do tend to be just metaphors. Like describing a volcanic eruption as "the gods' wrath."

But in the case of the End Dragon Cladius... it seems this one might actually exist—and it’s a serious threat.

"Coming from the eastern seas... That area has always been unexplored by humanity. It’s swarming with sea monsters much larger than ships, which claim the waters as their territory."

Honestly, isn’t the sea itself already end enough? From what Commander Sergei said, it really seems no human has ever crossed the eastern seas... and there’s no telling where Cladius would come from.

"...I've memorized the key parts. We definitely need to bring this to the higher-ups in the Magic Knights."

"The thing is... Lord Mogus might understand, but the nobles above him won’t easily fund a fight against an invisible threat."

An invisible threat, huh... But didn’t we just have a war recently? Not that I'm one to talk, since I was partly responsible for that...

"As a nation, it's also difficult to make major financial moves, given our aid to the Elgrant Empire. Increasing taxes further would only stir resentment, especially after being attacked by the western countries."

Hmm... I get what Division Commander Borz is saying, at least partially. But politics? That’s beyond me!

"Anyway, the nation must at least come up with some kind of plan against the End Dragon. Honestly, this is way beyond what I can handle as a student."

"Yes, it’s crucial to devise a countermeasure... but can we truly oppose such a foe with just our preparations?"

"You wouldn’t want to shame the name of the Dragonheart Knights, would you, Commander?"

"Misla... stop trying to show off in front of your son."

No need to say that—I can tell! Yeah, it’s pretty obvious my father’s trying to act cool.

"That’s exactly why I said it’s foolish to fight Cladius. There's no way any living being can beat something like that. We should just flee and hide."

"...That's her take."

"We can't just wait in fear as it ravages our land—that would dishonor the name of the Magic Knights."

"I’m telling you it’s pointless! Cladius won’t go out of its way to chase and kill creatures that run and hide. Exposing the entire species to danger over some useless pride? That’s real stupidity."

"Vanessa, keep quiet."

"Mmph!?"

Vanessa scoffed at Commander Sergei’s words, her expression practically screaming, "Humans are such fools." But at my command, she clamped her mouth shut.

By invoking Vanessa's full name—Vanessa Gels Paulones Van Victor—I activated the binding magic that ties her to me and Elixira. Right now, she can’t disobey our orders.

"...Commander, her words are harsh, but she might not be entirely wrong."

"Misla, are you scared?"

"Yes. Any creature called the End is already beyond the realm of living beings... If the demons say we can’t win, I find it hard to argue."

Well, it’s a fact that one dynasty has already fallen. For humans, Cladius might indeed represent the end. If we’re going to fight it, we’ll need a plan—a strategy that transcends human understanding.

"May I speak?"

"Elissa-sama? Of course—please, share your thoughts."

"Thank you... Frodil-sama intended to oppose this End, correct?"

"Yes... I don’t know if he had a concrete plan, but it seems he at least intended to try."

I asked Ivy about it, but as an operative, she’s relatively low-ranking and wasn’t privy to much information. It was surprising to think that someone as skilled as Ivy was still just a low-level operative, but apparently, she was raised as an agent from birth and only recently started working under Flodeel.

"Didn't he leave behind any notes or strategies? I can’t imagine someone like him would plan to oppose it without any preparation."

"You have a point."

If he didn’t have any sort of strategy, even rewinding time indefinitely wouldn’t help us. I suspect Flodeel must have come up with something. Perhaps the push for a stronger nation and military was part of that plan—or maybe he obtained something first, and that led him to pursue militarization. Either way, we’ll have to investigate further.

"Ideally, I’d like to seek help from other nations... but the Elgrant Empire is at war, and the Closter Kingdom is busy aiding them. If we could pacify the western countries, we might stand a chance."

"That’s impossible, isn’t it?"

Those guys already know about the End Dragon better than we do, yet they still went and picked fights with other nations. Fools.