Moonlit Night, Parade of Corpses【４】

「……Sections『ein』[1] all the way to 『sechs』[2] have been opened. ……Re-connection, spell circulating.」

There was a bizarre spectacle there.

「Connection of the barrier confirmed, simultaneous repair is, commencing.」

Immediately outside, even now, blood was streaming, angry roars were flying, and screams were resounding.

However, it was only there, that it seemed like the world was different.

The stench of blood that turned one’s stomach sour, and the echoing in the ears of severed demons could not leave.

However, it was only there, that it seemed like it was a sacred place.

「Draw the 『kreis』[3], and mold the formation……」

A silver haired young lady stood at a point where the faint light that ran on the ground had collected, then went on her knees as if she were praying.

「Where I stand is the merkmal[4] of the hexagram.

The leitung[5] connected by my fingertip runs, and carves out the formation.」

With a process that was like an aria for magic but was entirely different from one, that young lady connected the magic formation of the clock tower, which was the main and center point of Lizwadia Academy’s barrier.

Bernadette had seen the clock tower’s transference formation but, Bernadette had not noticed the “true meaning” of this formation’s existence.

This magic formation, just like the others that had their production done by the 『Witch of Time』, looked like just a transference formation at a glance but, if a specialist were to look at it, they would probably notice that there were a lot of useless things in it.

But, there aren’t any useless parts in this magic formation. There shouldn’t be.

Things like the magic formation’s characters that were thought to be pointless, the lines, the points, and the patterns, every single thing intervened together with each other, and produced powerful protective barrier that was so huge that it could envelope a single town and also not allow a monster invasion in these several thousand years.

The 『Witch of Time』 Norn was also a genius in formation molding.

But, consequently, because she was a genius, this magic formation had a grave fault to it.

It was the fact that, when it is broken just once, it can only be repaired by “either her or a magician equal to her” in ability and wit.

Naturally, she had also thought of that possibility.

Because the magic formation had a premise of using the enormous amount of Maryoku that flowed from the Dragon’s Pulse, magic that could be infused into it was infused into it.

Due to an anti-deterioration check and the circuit that connects the six main points, something like the dispersal of the accumulation of Maryoku, every possibility should have been cleared.

However, it was broken.

The reason is still unknown. But, the protective barrier that the 『Witch of Time』 had set up was definitely destroyed.

「『The running leitung is to connect to section ein by my word, and be spun to section zwei[6] and section drei[7]. The running leitung is to connect to 《sechs》 by my word, and be spun to section vier[8] and section fünf[9].』」

The silver haired young lady continued while still on her knee.

「J, just, what in the world is happening?」

One of the ones that were gazing at that scene, a student of the academy muttered such.

Atop the magic formation that was emitting a faint light, a young girl was kneeling on her knees as if she were praying to God and, with another “something” that wasn’t a magic’s aria, was repairing this Lizwadia’s protective barrier’s magic formation.

Contrary to the fairytale-like shape, the elaborately drawn magic formation gradually began to change.

She was, rewriting the magic formation.

「Don’t take your eyes off of her. ……For this 『prodigy』to be repairing the 『Witch of Time』’s protective barrier, such a historic event won’t be able to be seen a second time, you know?」

Lizwadia Academy’s student council president Conis replied with those words without looking at who she was talking to.

It wasn’t just the student council president.

The teachers, other than the ones that were repairing the barrier’s main points and the ones that were sent out into battle, were all watching her repair work of the protective barrier as if they were hooked onto it.

Outside, the fighting was still going on.

However, the magicians that were pursuers of the magic arts, were excited by this situation that may or may not have happened once before in these several thousand years.

After all, the 『Witch of Time』 Norn was said to have been a genius, and the 『prodigy』 Alicia Lark Sheriotto Leezelion was revising the protective barrier that the 『Witch of Time』 had performed.

Altering a magic formation that another person had laid out is a very difficult thing to do. It’s because it cannot be done unless they deeply know about the caster that laid out the magic formation.

What the caster was thinking, for what reason they spread it out.

The type of magic that magic formation was invoked with, the scope, those various other things. On top of grasping all of that, if it doesn’t amend the worn out parts and the imperfections, the magic will “become unable to be invoked”.

And then, above all else, it had to be revised so that the caster “can’t revise it”.

（This really is a dirty trick, isn’t it, Norn-sama. It’s fine because it’s me but if someone else were to try to do the solution spell, they’d have their brain fried and it’d be certain that they’d become crippled, wouldn’t they!?）

Alicia was reading the enormous amount of information that was flowing inside of her head, and while she was sorting it out, she involuntarily bitterly smiled.

Overflowing like hot water, that which tormented Alicia like it were boiling water, was the information of the protective barrier. That information volume, and quality, both of them were of the highest authority.

Although she had bitterly smiled, she took a sigh of admiration.

「『I hier neue diagram (I spread out a new formation here)』」[10]

The moment Alicia muttered that, the magic formation under her feet shined intensely, and enveloped her.

◇

「Nu? ……This light, could it be!」

The head of the Magic Academy Lizwadia, Rougaron turned around and saw the light that ran in all directions with the clock tower as the center, and shouted.

「Your Excellency! The defeated Skull Warriors have turned to ash!」

「You fool! You should be calling me Headmaster!!」

Rougaron shouted back at the teacher that called him. When Rougaron returned his gaze back from the light to in front of him, the Golem that was accompanying him was bisecting a Dragon Tusk Warrior with its steel sword.

The bisected Dragon Tusk Warrior made a *karakara* (clacking) noise, turned to pieces, and then became ash.

「OOhh!!」

The teachers and the academy’s upperclassmen that were desperately defending the main street reflexively shouted. That is how it should have been.

No matter how many times they defeated them, the Dragon Tusk Warriors would rise back up and attack.

That was why, in order to not show their backs to the enemy, the counter attack was halted.

「Hoho! The time has come!!」

Stepping over the corpse that had turned to ash and flew in the wind, the steel Golems commenced their march.

「Follow after me! All of you young people!!」

「「「OOOOoooh!!」」」

Together with Rougaron’s command, the teachers and Lizwadia’s students unleashed their magic, and a fight that was even more intense than just a few seconds ago had unfolded.

Fireballs flew, sword flashes ran, and they slaughtered the Dragon Tusk Warriors that had boasted of immortality.

The humanity that had been driven into a corner until just now, had finally commenced its counterattack right now.

◇

「Ah……っ」

With the protective barrier starting up, when Alicia, who had finished her duty, tried to walk, on her first step, she was collapsing.

With repair work that required processing an enormous amount of information that could probably cripple an ordinary person as well as high concentration ability, no matter how much of a prodigy she was said to be, she was just a 12 year old girl.

She had lost the supporting strength and energy in her legs.

「Your Highness!! っ!?」

Conis, who was about to rush over to her side, shouted, and then her feet stopped right there.

「Ugh……ah? …Yuu?」

The collapsing Alicia was carried by a black something that had appeared with a speed that was like the wind, and had ended with her not collapsing.

Understanding that she herself was about to collapse, she was also surprised by the instant event, but, recognizing the black eyes that looked at her as if they were peering into her, she involuntarily muttered his name.

「Yeah. Thanks for the hard work, Alicia.」

Translator’s Notes:

[1] German word for “one”

[2] German word for “six”

[3] German word for “circle”

[4] German word for “a distinctive mark, characteristic, or feature”, I think.

[5] German word for “wire”? I did a machine translation of Japanese to German of 線 and this was the outcome. The Japanese to English of 線 was “l(fā)ine, wire”. I’m not sure if “l(fā)eitung” is the word the author was looking for. The kanji was 線 but was read as リーニテ. I would appreciate it if someone could clarify this stuff for me.

[6] German word for “two”

[7] German word for “three”

[8] German word for “four”

[9] German word for “five”

[10] I just did a translation of the novel here without worrying about the German I don’t know. Original: ここに新たな陣を敷く (ヒーア?ノイ?ディアグラム)