The Water Magician

The battle led by the royal army is progressing smoothly overall, but there is one person who seems puzzled.

"His Majesty King Robert Pirlo?"

Noticing, Ryo calls out.

"Ah, Lord Ryo... No, I feel a strange flow of magical power coming from deeper within."

"Yes?"

At the suggestion of Robert Pirlo, Ryo also directs his awareness deeper.

Furthermore...

(Active sonar)

"There’s no response from the sonar, but the magical power certainly feels odd. It’s strong, yet... how should I put it, it feels thin?"

"Strong yet thin... Ah, yes, it might indeed be described that way."

The moment Robert Pirlo responds, he chants, "(Barrier)".

A barrier is generated in front of the Royal Knight Order, ahead of the fighting.

A mass of flame from the enemy collides with it, and both the flame and the barrier emit annihilation light and vanish.

The Royal Knight Order is taken aback by the sudden turn of events.

"It seems something formidable has arrived."

As Robert Pirlo says this, he walks forward.

As if in response, the vampires leap back in unison, increasing the distance from the Royal Knight Order.

As Robert Pirlo steps forward to shield the Royal Knight Order, a figure emerges from the depths.

"What nonsense..."

"Hey now..."

Ryo and Abel are left speechless.

That’s because they know exactly who has appeared.

The vampires, having distanced themselves from the Royal Knight Order, kneel in unison to pay their respects.

"Grand Duke Roznyark Zoltan..."

Indeed, the figure that has emerged is the target of the subjugation.

"I seldom see a magical barrier of the same level as my flames. Old man, is that barrier yours?"

Zoltan asks Robert Pirlo.

"It is true I am an old man, but you are probably older than I am."

"The lifespan differs between us vampires and humans."

Zoltan responds with a slight smile to Robert Pirlo's words.

"I see. As expected of a vampire grand duke, even the strong humans seem to be at a loss for words."

Robert Pirlo points out that Ryo and Abel are silent.

"Old man, you weren't there the other day. Even with those assembled there, they were certainly impressive. Yet now, someone like you has joined as well. I wonder, the one I retrieved... was it Hagen Benda? He must have been quite a notable figure in the human world."

"That's right, Baron Hagen Benda. Many strong individuals acted to retrieve him, there's no denying that. Well, to be honest, I couldn't care less about that."

"Oh? So retrieving him isn't your goal?"

"Ah, no. I came because I thought I might witness a serious battle among strong mages. However..."

Robert Pirlo shakes his head slightly.

"What’s wrong?"

"The vampires that are emerging are too weak."

"What?"

Zoltan's expression distorts.

"The mages I wanted to see aren’t even standing on the battlefield. It seems they don't even need to."

"I see. My preparations for entertainment may not be sufficient."

"Yes, not nearly enough."

"Then how about this? (Burn)"

"(Disappear)"

A flame the size of a human head is released from Zoltan's hand.

It is undeniable that it was released.

Almost simultaneously, something small is unleashed from Robert Pirlo’s hand.

It is likely a spell so small that even Ryo and Abel struggle to recognize it, and it moves at high speed.

The moment the two spells collide, the flames unleashed by Zoltan disappear.

To those other than Ryo and Abel, it would have appeared as if the flame directed at Robert Pirlo simply vanished midway.

"Hey..."

However, the most surprised on site is Zoltan himself.

"What was that just now?"

"What do you mean? It's magic."

Robert Pirlo responds to the astonished Zoltan with a wry smile.

After tilting his head once, Zoltan seems to understand what happened.

His eyes widen significantly.

"You cut magic with magic!"

"Ah... As expected of a grand duke, your intellect is impressive."

Robert Pirlo nods in agreement with a laugh.

"Interesting! Truly fascinating! Old man, I must know your name!"

"Stop calling me old man. Yes, I may be old, but I am Robert Pirlo, the former king of the Kingdom of Capitone."

"Former king? No, if it’s Capitone, then it’s from the Central Nations, isn’t it? You’ve come from quite far."