Fear Not The Elf Who Knows 10,000 Spells - Chapter 21

"How did she sense me?" I wondered out loud. Yes, the assassin didn't have time to react once I planned and acted in Jilwer time, but the fact that she sensed me is still something to note. "Actually how do people not sense me in general when I use mana detection?"

I floated in the sky about three kilometers above. Using the Line Mode of mana detection I could see that at least the army still isn't close yet. Because they didn't enter Line Mode's range.

"It's because of your mana suppression." Minus unexpectedly answered.

"Hmm?" I made a noise, tilting my head as I was listening to someone next to me.

Hour. Hour, fifteen till the army arrives. I could attack far before then. The question was which way to go about it.

"When you try to sense someone with mana detection, they can instinctively sense you back. Some people develop that sense to actively use mana detection when they are being sensed. But due to your mana suppression your mana levels are too low for them to register and thus don't feel your mana detection. Your mana levels are below the threshold for them to sense someone is detecting them, and likely because their mana sensing isn't as refined as yours to tell something with 'seemingly' low levels of mana is trying to sense them." Minus explained. "It would be like noticing a fly around in a forest, are you going to pay it any attention? What about a frog? Those can be found in a forest too. But a cat? A dog? Or something bigger? That's something to pay attention to as it's unusual to find in a forest. And that's how a mage could detect someone seemingly suppressing their mana.

"But for you who always restrain their mana to unnatural levels, when you detect people so far away, of course they won't sense you. Who would have the instinct to notice an fly is sizing them up as a threat and see that in itself as a threat?"

"Right. You're detected when you use mana detection, but if you're mana is low, most won't even notice." So letting out no mana at all is the best way to try and spy on other mages. Of course that's not something I can manage yet. There will always be leakage, even if it's minute.

For a while I stayed quiet, trying to think on how to take on an army with minimal mana usages. I still have to make the trip to the Death Tunnel, get the Shineglow Moss and come back. Most definitely I'll have to take down the Ancient Einsam to manage that.

I have fourth-fifths of the tank still filled. Most of it Minus' mana. The mana fever is still a pain in the ass. Although... my own mana seems to have recovered a bit. Not a lot, but enough to be noticeable. It's faster than I'd have expected. Like this is what I'd recover resting focusing on recovering, yet I was running ragged doing everything I was doing. Weird.

"So, tell me, young Trenn, how will you face a whole army? I hope you're not thinking of some silly last stand for this whole affair." Minus asked.

"No." I said definitively, shaking my head. "It takes me and Schroff nine days on foot to make it from Schwanz to Ackerheim without using magic. I don't think a whole army can use speed movement magic, or have it applied to them all the time. The army should have taken double the time it takes a normal person to travel alone, due to logistics and everything." I said. "Sure, I'm making those numbers up, but I'm eyeballing it. Eighteen days for an army to cross that distance seems reasonable. Yet they are here in thirteen days. Their commander is pushing them too hard, they have to be tired by now."

"If you think that means they will rest in front of the town once they reach it, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but they will most definitely push their advantage in order not to lose their morale and momentum." Minus said, amusement in her voice, while not saying my guesses were wrong.

I probably shouldn't trust or depend on her. It might be the fever talking, but I have a feeling that she wouldn't try to deceive me for now. I present a source of entertainment, and she still wants to cash on the deal she made with me.

"Minus," I hoped she's feeling generous enough to indulge me and tell me more about how an army with mages would operate. "Are magic-nullifying crystals are something that would be divide across all the army's mages?"

After all, having those crystals would ensure mages could fire spells on others, while being immune to enemy magic.

I felt strong mirth from Minus via the magic link.

"Minus?"

"Hahahahahaha, aaa, with how you act young Trenn, I forget sometimes that you're still a child." Minus giggled and laughed out loud.

I frowned, annoyed at the reaction, but wondering what was she talking about.

"What do you mean?"

"Young Trenn, do you think those crystals would work on enemy mages, and not the ones holding them?" Minus asked patiently. I could feel the smile on her face.

"...The mana fever is fucking up with my ability to think." My ears felt particularly hot.

"Sure it is." She said cheekily.

"Okay, I can ambush the mages without worry. Now all I need to worry about is any warrior that has one of those crystals." I pushed on from my mental lapse.

"They will likely only give them venerated and skillful knights." Minus said. "Conscripted peasants and those of lower noble birth wouldn't have such resource wasted on them."

I let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank god for nepotism." I said sincerely. Minus laughed.

Comfortable silence returned between us. I felt like... like I'm suppose to feel disgust or anger that this comfort exists. Like chatting with Minus was somehow something I can do casually without any underlying spite or hatred.

...No. This isn't important for now.

Army. Monster. Save Schroff.

Focus on other things later.

I needed to ration my mana reserves. All of it, Minus' and mine. Zoltraak before the mages could react, obviously. Maybe have it so that the beam becomes faster by focusing into into a smaller volume. Upping the speed by upping the penetration power? I mean, if it's piercing faster, it's going through the air faster. That roughly makes sense right.

But for everyone else?

As I flew forward, just enough to get the army in my range, while scanning them (hopefully) away from anyone's ability to notice. Also using Line Mode should hopefully mitigate anyone's chance to sense me due to how quick the line would move over them. And I was still suppressing my mana as much as I can through all of this. Well suppressing more than usual.

My usual reached a point where I can make myself seem like an experienced warrior for my age. At least given Minus' reaction, before she suspected me of hiding my mana levels.

So, for the army—Hmm?

One, two, three...

I clicked my tongue. Twenty seven.

Twenty seven people had magic-nullifying crystals. I could feel it with how my mana shifted in motion when I passed over them, similar to how it did when I held that assassin lady's crystal myself.

Of those twenty seven, five crystals seem to have the same effect as the assassin lady. Could those be other assassins? Hmm, gonna have to target them first to make sure they don't escape or react, or sneak up on me once the ambush starts.

The other twenty two, twenty gave my mana a stronger reaction. And the last two made me feel like I couldn't make spells no matter how I tired. My mana felt, how to explain it in water-term. Something that can't be grabbed, cupped or contained.

Superfluid. That's it.

With normal magic-nullifying crystal, like the assassin's, my mana felt too liquid-y. It was flowing too much. With the stronger ones like those twenty, it felt like a river that can't be easily tamed or stirred. With the last two, it was a superfluid, impossible to grasped, only directed.

Odd though. Those last two strongest crystals seem too close to each other. Was one person holding them? Why?

No. Not important.

So alright, no magical attacks. Not directly. But maybe something physical that isn't magical in origin? Like throwing a big rock with magic. Even if the spell is cancelled, it's still a big rock.

"Young Trenn." Minus spoke up.

"Yes?" Why does she seem eager about something?

"I have a proposition for you." Minus said, as I listened with attention. "I think I'd like to see what you'd do unencumbered by mana costs."

"And what do you want in return this time?" I asked with suspicion.

"Survive."

===x===

Ruhm Verfehlt, Defector Warrior POV:

Verfehlt, son of the house to Ruhm rode forward toward the next town. Their next conquest.

If he could quickly solidify the Coalition's control over the Anfang Region, then the Schildhain would be open to attack from two directions, with one being a place it never expect assault from.

There were five regions in the Southern Lands.

Eisenruh, the heart of the Southern Lands, and the biggest region that borders direction with the Central Lands.

Hintersturm, the south-westward end of the Principality.

Brückenmark and Schildhain, the central regions of the Southern Lands divided by the Stromfall River that divided those two regions.

And finally there was Anfang at the far southward far east end of the Principality. It bordered only Schildhain thus only accessible through it.

Verfehlt had went on a daring mission with the permission of the former Vizegarf—Herzog Gierig as he took to calling himself now.

Taking a banner of a thousand hundred men, having the mages hide them under the cover of their spells, while making sure the knights stayed far away from the mages. This was to ensure the knights' magic-nullifying crystals did not interfere with the mages' spells.

Coordinating everything was an annoyance and tiring, yet the results spoke to themselves. Steadily and with patience they marched across the tail end of Schildhain Region undetected, into Anfang.

From there, it was a straight swift gauntlet. They would attack one town after the next, leaving a hundred men behind to hold it once they were sure of victory, and continue on to the next. All for the sake of conquering the region before anyone noticed.

Anfang was ignored by the rest of the Southern Lands, and that's what made it perfect.

Once Anfang was taken, the Coalition could build a naval base in secret in the northern part of Anfang, and then along with their base in Brückenmark, they can launch a two-pronged attack upon the Schildhain Region, finally overwhelming it, and from there they could finally focus on their grand prize.

Eisenruh. Just a few years. A few short years. Less than a decade and they can overwhelm the Royal Family and the Elves Shields by attacking them from three sides. And finally the Principality would be theirs.

Verfehlt knew that Gierig was slimy. An opportunist who would bow to whenever the wind blew. Yet, he was the only direction Verfehlt had to save the Principality till a better solution showed itself.

He didn't know how or from where did Gierig's newfound funds and resources came from. Even if he was embezzling the Principality's taxes for years by misreporting his earnings, he couldn't have amassed that much wealth as to fund the Coalition all these years.

Verfehlt added that as another conspiracy he would get to the bottom of.

For now he focused on the task at hand. He was running his army ragged, but they can rest after taking the next town.

The Coalition for all their fervor was slowly but steadily losing this fight. The Royal Family were holding the line due to the rich magic-nullifying crystal vein they build the capital on top of.

The Royal Family's power came from their secret knowledge to mining the magic-nullifying crystal successfully. And through it, the principal knight family of Ruhm acted as the Royal Family's sword and shield.

Verfehlt's family.

Which he had to turn his back on and oppose once he discovered the truth.

They don't know. They couldn't understand that they, the Ruhm House, that everyone, even the Royal Family were tricked by that elf. All this time, centuries stringed like puppets by her actions.

How could he not do everything to oppose her, even if it meant joining and leading an idiotic despicable movement like the Anti-Elf Coalition?

"Something's off." A feminine voice spoke at Verfehlt's side. A female rogue on horseback riding next to him. They were both riding their horses in the middle of the army. "I think we're being spied on through mana detection, Captain."

"Lauer, I told you not to call me that when in public." Verfehlt chastised his friend and bodyguard who followed him even into this crazy endeavor.

"Ah, apologies 'your grace.'" Lauer, the black haired rogue and childhood friend of Verfehlt, said back to him. Her voice was monotone-ish, yet one could almost hear the teasing quality in it. "No one is around, close enough to hear us, in case you're worried."

At the moment Verfehlt had his magic disguise on. An amulet given to him by Herzog Gierig that allowed Verfehlt to assue the Herzog's form.

Throughout this expedition he would interchange his looks, to either motivate and keep morale up by pretending to be the Herzog, or return to himself and actually lead the army.

The idea was that should this venture failed, it could cause rumors to circulate about the Herzog's death causing the Elves Shield and the Royal Family to act recklessly, only for the "return" of the Herzog to devastate them.

Or should their army be discovered, the Elves Shield forces in Schildhain would mistaken him for the real Herzog and rush over to try and take him out, thus leaving themselves open to the Coalition forces in Brückenmark.

Regardless, right now due to how hard he was pushing the army, he wanted to show the troops that their "leader", Herzog Gierig was right with them in the thick of it.

"You sensed something? Where?" He said with some urgency, ready to switch looks and return to his true image and act as a knight against as need be.

"Far to the east of us. Twenty kilometers." Lauer said, eyes narrowed in that direction, voice no longer playful. "It was something too small that I'd normally dismiss it, but I'm sure it was sensing us, which means it's a Mage with mana detection."

To sense something that far away and that small, Lauer was the most exceptional Rogue within the current banner by a mile. Then again she grew up with Verfehlt, with access to resources of the Ruhm House, allowing her talent as a rogue to flourish.

"Mage, singular?" Someone unaffiliated with the upcoming town, or someone idiotic.

"Yes. Given the size of their mana, likely an apprentice trying to hide their mana level." Lauer frowned. "But if they can sense us from that far away then... then it doesn't add up. What kind of mage apprentice could sense us from twenty kilometers away? And be able to suppress his mana on top of it?"

"Are you sure you're sensing a mage and not that Stille that passed us by a few times?" Verfehlt offered as an explanation.

"And as I told you 'your grace'," a chuckle passed between them. "Whatever that was, that wasn't a Stille, they don't live..." Lauer paused as she sensed fluctuation in that far away mana. Then her instincts screamed. "WATCH OUT!"

Lauer threw Verfehlt's crystal shield to him and readied her vambrace made of magic-nullifying crystals.

Beaming of energy rained down upon the army, faster than anyone could blink. The rays where thin and focused specifically on the mages, many who didn't sense the assault in time.

Yet no one had time to react. Just as shouts of pain and death started, the Coalition army was bombarded by trees smashing down upon them followed by the crack of thunder.