Chapter 41
Chapter 5 – The London Triangle Operation (3)
I turned toward the unexpected figure in confusion. In the alleyway between the surrounding buildings stood Miss Sophia, with a large group of female mages behind her, all clad in black robes.
“Miss Sophia! What’s the meaning of this?!”
Lijedahl’s voice carried a faint anger. Considering how urgent the situation was, she clearly didn’t have the patience for surprises.
“Miss Lijedahl, my sincerest apologies. Our Coven of Witches received a notice from the task force. While on our way to the Thames area, we were ambushed. Then, upon seeing you two flying in the sky, we mistook you for enemy mages and attacked. Please forgive us. Once this is over, as the leader of the Coven of Witches, I will accept any punishment you deem fit.”
Miss Sophia bowed deeply, her black robe fluttering, her expression full of remorse and composure.
Seeing this, all the witches of the Coven bowed together, expressing their apology.
“Forget it for now—listen to my orders! Due to the Academy of Sciences’ plot, many mages who withdrew from the Magic Association have been forced to gather around the Thames, forming an enormous magic circle. We must extract and evacuate all mages trapped within it. Here—this is the map compiled by the task force. Take it and move out immediately!”
Lijedahl tossed the map down toward Sophia, who caught it swiftly and began organizing her team.
Without stopping for a moment, Lijedahl flew straight toward the river’s center, and I could only follow her lead.
I didn’t really understand magic. To me, magic circles weren’t that important.
What truly mattered—what I couldn’t stop thinking about—was: why would the Academy of Sciences use a magic circle?
Could it be that there were mages within the Academy? Air mages, even?
And how could they possibly know where the hidden mages were?
It was strange—unnaturally so. And that made it all the more important.
My grip on my pistol tightened. I couldn’t keep calm.
Gradually, we left the city blocks behind and reached the riverbank.
“Lijedahl, once we go any farther, our faces will be completely exposed.”
“…”
She hesitated for a moment, then pressed forward without hesitation.
“…Heh, I knew it.”
I had already known she wouldn’t stop, yet I still tried to warn her.
I glanced toward the most prominent sight—the Tower Bridge of London. People there had stopped in their tracks, staring at the two of us darting swiftly through the air.
Tsk. No time to think about that.
“Lijedahl! Are we there? What should I do?”
“This is it!”
We had reached the middle of the Thames. Below us, ships moved in grand procession, the waters calm in their wake.
Crowds gathered on the decks, watching us. The ships didn’t stop; I could hear people shouting up at us, though their voices were lost in the wind.
“Will, we need to dive underwater—to the riverbed—to destroy the magic circle.”
“All right. You’ll use air magic to make sure we don’t drown, right?”
“Exactly.”
“Then let’s do it. I’m ready.”
For a moment, we exchanged a strange smile.
I could feel the wind rush past.
In the next instant, Lijedahl shot downward with me in tow, the world blurring past. I even heard a few screams from the onlookers above.
“Will! Hold on tight!”
Two ships passed dangerously close together. Lijedahl gripped my hand tightly as we slipped between them. In barely three seconds, I could feel everything—the heat radiating from the decks, the sailors’ frantic shouts, the chill of the damp metal hulls.
Then came the crashing sound of water. I instinctively shut my eyes, feeling the muffled silence that only water brings—and then realized I wasn’t wet at all.
I opened my eyes. Lijedahl was still pulling me down, and I saw it—a layer of compressed air enclosing us, keeping the water out completely.
Moments later, the feeling of weightlessness came. Lijedahl released my hand, and I saw the riverbed below.
We had arrived.
Lijedahl leaned close—so close our faces nearly touched—and said:
“Will, I’ve enclosed us in air and pressure. But if we want to speak, we have to stay this close—and I have to maintain the control. So…”
She turned around, pressing her back against my chest.
“…so this is the most practical way. Don’t think anything strange about it. Besides, this lets me use the mana I left within your body.”
“I’m not dumb enough to get embarrassed by that, Lijedahl.”
“Hah, good.”
She managed a faint smile, but I could tell how tense she really was.
“Don’t be nervous, Lijedahl. I don’t believe there’s a single magic circle in this era you can’t handle.”
She glanced at me, slightly surprised.
“…Haha. Thank you.”
With that, she sank us lower. When her shoes touched the riverbed, she crouched down, and I followed. She extended her hands past the air barrier, touching the ground through the water. Closing her eyes, she began her spell.
I could faintly see a soft blue glow flowing from her hands into the earth below.
I held onto her arm firmly, steadying her. At the same time, I felt the warm current within my body flowing toward her—our mana connecting.
There, in that silent world surrounded entirely by water, we said nothing—focused wholly on breaking the magic circle.
Silence was both respect for her concentration and the source of my mounting anxiety.
But I stopped thinking. I chose to trust Lijedahl.
So I simply watched her, waiting.
“Cough!”
Lijedahl suddenly coughed, her face twisting in pain, eyes tightly shut.
The tranquil water around us began to churn violently—a whirlpool forming at our side.
“Lijedahl! What’s wrong?!”
“Will! Hold my hands!”
Immediately, I pressed down on her hands through the water.
“Cough… the caster who drew this circle… has started casting. I’m… countering him!”
“Lijedahl—! Hold on.”
I changed my tone quickly, trying not to let my panic reach her.
I pressed her hands tighter. No matter how violently the water swirled, no matter how hard it tried to pull us apart, I refused to yield even an inch.
The current grew fiercer. A few drops managed to break through, splashing against my neck.
But I couldn’t afford to panic.
I moved even closer, shielding her from the leaking water.
“Lijedahl, stay calm. Nothing outside can harm you. You just have to overcome what’s before you.”
She trembled slightly. She’d heard me.
The water was pressing harder now—the air barrier wouldn’t last much longer.
The whirlpool widened, enveloping us completely.
“Will…!”
“I’m here.”
“Can I really succeed?”
For an instant, I froze.
Then I banished hesitation and said firmly:
“You will.”
I was startled—this woman, once so confident, so mysterious in her mastery of magic, was asking me that question.
“Heh… is that so?”
A faint smile touched her lips. The pain eased from her face.
“Then… I have no choice but to succeed.”
A roaring gust echoed around us. Instantly, the furious current was suppressed by an even greater pressure. The whirlpool expanded, pushing away all surrounding water and forming a vast, circular void centered on us.
Wind howled around me, spinning with the vortex. Lijedahl began her chant—her voice clear and resonant even through the storm:
“Audi verba mea, magicae aeris creator sum.
Tu es meus creatura, oportet vos subtore ad me.
Nunc, prohibere hoc farce.”
The moment she finished, the waters obeyed.
The whirlpool stilled. The current calmed. The river fell silent once more.
Relief surged through me.
“Lijedahl, we did it. Again.”
But there was no response.
She… had fainted.
I wasn’t surprised.
Still, unease rose in my chest.
I lifted her gently. Seeing her face so peaceful—like she was merely asleep—my worry eased… slightly.
…Wait, no.
I immediately covered her mouth and nose and leapt back into the water.
The winds stopped. The air barrier vanished. A massive volume of water, no longer held back, came crashing inward.
Damn it! Not good!
The rushing water struck me hard, knocking me off balance. Holding Lijedahl tightly, I was thrown and tumbled through the river’s depths.
No choice—I had to swim upward!
So, against the crushing current, I kicked and struggled toward the surface.
She really had… left everything else to me.