Does the Assassin Girl Dream of the Mana Doll?

“Hello, my name is Ellie, a magician. I’ve done a lot of research on the magical weapons from the ancient magic kingdom era.”

With a nonchalant expression, she greeted the prince and Georg with a pleasant smile. The prince returned her smile, while Georg greeted her with a skeptical look.

After their conversation last night, Egret returned to the inn, and the next morning she arrived at the Third Knight Division’s barracks accompanied by Ellie, this time through the front gate. The guards had already been informed, and Georg promptly came to guide them to the location in question, leading to the present moment.

“Yes, your companion, Egret, introduced you to me as the world’s foremost expert on the ‘Emperor of Thunder’. Could you show me a little of your knowledge, as she claimed?”

“Yes, of course. … Is it alright if I tell Georg here as well?”

“Oh, it’s fine with him.”

“First of all, when we refer to the ‘Emperor of Thunder’ we’re actually talking about a set of tools.
The most fundamental component is a place where magic power is generated—a super-large magical reactor, housed in a room that’s… let’s say, quite massive. It likely takes up about a quarter of the castle’s underground space. To generate magic power, it needs to gather magical particles from its surroundings, and there are several stake-like tools that define the area over which it can exert control.
There are two tools that can wield the gathered magic: a gem owned by the highest-ranking user and a staff bestowed by that user. Both tools can be used to attack by summoning widespread lightning strikes from the sky.
The user can specify the area affected, but it’s easily capable of covering a 1-kilometer radius several kilometers away, allowing it to annihilate an army before they even make contact.
The gem, in addition to that, also continually deploys a barrier that protects its owner from both physical and magical attacks, making it quite difficult to launch any attacks against the gem’s owner.”

Ellie, prompted to speak, smoothly delivered this knowledge with almost machine-like precision. Georg blinked multiple times, as if he were seeing something unfathomable in her flood of words.

Listening to the explanation of the gem, the prince tilted his head curiously and posed a question.

“Wait a moment. I don’t know about the barrier function of the gem.”

“Ah, perhaps the queen concealed that part…
Is there anything else that seems off?”

“No, not that I know of. At least, it’s clear to me that you’re quite familiar with the royal family’s treasure of Balandia.”

He shrugged, seeming a little dumbfounded, as if to say, “Maybe even more than me, the prince.”

Georg didn’t say anything, but he looked at Ellie with suspicion, in a different way than before.

“Incidentally, assuming that barrier is real. How strong is it?”

“Well, it depends on the amount of magic being gathered, but… it can even block siege bows against physical attacks. You can assume that almost no human attack can get through.

As for anti-magic, it probably wouldn’t be penetrated even by a magic spell that could take down an iron golem in one hit.”

She replied calmly and cheerfully. The prince looked up at the ceiling and sighed softly.

“I see now that I would have been foolishly defeated if it weren’t for your knowledge. So, I guess you know the weaknesses or flaws of the ‘Emperor of Thunder’?”

“Yes, rather than calling them weaknesses, I would say there are ways to deal with it.”

According to Ellie, the staff had a clear weakness or flaw. However, the gem had no such obvious defects. Given that the gem is owned by the highest-ranking user, any weaknesses would have likely been meticulously identified and addressed.

“In that case, there’s only one way to deal with it: stop the magic reactor or seize control of it.

“How exactly? You know, that place is filled with such dense magic power that even approaching the entrance can make someone suffer from magic intoxication. I can’t imagine anyone being able to get close enough to do anything.”

“That’s true for most people. But I can erect a barrier far stronger than that of an ordinary magician. I’ll go and operate it.”

Her confident reply made the prince fall into thought once again. It all seemed too perfect. He considered the possibility of a trap. How could he confirm it wasn’t a trap? Was it worth risking the potential rewards even if it were? What would happen if he didn’t move forward?.

“If what you say is true, I would feel a great benefit from taking you in. But it would be foolish to take your word for it without any proof. I want to try something, is that alright?”

“Yes, of course. What do you want to try?”

“Well, then…”

As Ellie readily agreed, the prince felt that maybe there was no need to even test her. Still, he proposed having the magic attack of a knight division magician test Ellie’s barrier. Ellie easily nodded in agreement. Then the prince looked at Egret, who had brought her along.

“What kind of nerve do you both have…”

Georg could only mutter in disbelief.

—

Near the garrison, at the training ground, Letty, the prince, their Sentries, and the called magicians gathered. There were 50 magicians in total. It was said that only one in a thousand people had enough magic power to become a magician. The Kingdom employed around 500 magicians in total, so to have 50 assigned to the Third Knight Division of 10,000 soldiers was quite a privilege.

Upon hearing the test details, some magicians looked displeased, while others seemed uneasy. As magicians recognized by the Knight Division, they were proud of their skills. Being asked to test their powers on someone might make them annoyed, or they might fear accidentally killing a seemingly young girl.

However, the order had come from not just the commander but the prince himself, so they had no choice but to comply.

“Allow me to go first,” said one grumpy-looking middle-aged magician. The prince gave a cheerful nod of approval, and Ellie and the magician moved to the center of the training ground.

Facing each other, Ellie quietly chanted the spell to cast a counter-magic barrier.

…And as soon as it was finished, the magician could see that the barrier had been deployed.

“Okay, I’m ready. Anytime.”

“Hmph, let’s see how long you can say that. Flame Lance!”

The man suddenly cast a spell.

A giant spear of flame appeared suddenly and flew straight towards Ellie.

This was a technique called “short chanting,” where only the spell’s name is spoken without a full incantation.

It allowed for a swift attack that could catch the opponent off-guard. However, it required immense magic power and concentration, making it difficult for ordinary magicians to use effectively.

The spell he released maintained its power, making it a top-tier attack for targeting an individual.

However…

“Oh, it’s still okay~”

She replied casually, and the barrier was not even shaken, let alone broken.

Understanding the meaning of that, the magicians were stunned for a moment, and then began to murmur.

“T-then how about this… Lightning Bolt!”

Shaking off his shock in a few seconds, he concentrated carefully and chanted properly before releasing his magic.

The magic guided by the spell became a blinding flash of lightning and struck down.

Its power was enough to engulf multiple people in its vicinity and knock them down in one blow, but it was beyond the scope of individual magic.

But…

“Oh, it’s still okay~”

Ellie smiled back at him, and the magician felt something inside him break… He quickly shook his head to regain focus and started chanting another spell.

“How about this, Rock Blast!!”

The ground swelled and changed shape, becoming a giant rock.

It was fired towards Ellie.

It was a mass weapon imbued with magic, a powerful spell in terms of pressure alone, but… again, it was stopped.

“Blow, O storm! Rage, O lightning! My enemy is thine enemy! Thy victory is my glory! Come forth, O storm king! Violent Tempest!!”

“Wait, that!”

One of the leading magicians among them hurriedly called out to stop him.

It was his strongest magic.

It was a complex magic spell that involved vacuum blades attacking from all directions and wild lightning strikes, making it difficult to defend against.

A violent thunderclap echoed, sand kicked up in a huge cloud, and the vacuum created by the spell sucked in air, whipping up a storm. But as the dust settled, there stood Ellie, smiling as before. The magician fell to his knees in shock.

“Even though this was my suggestion, I feel guilty about it now…Or maybe I should just praise your outrageous talents,” the prince muttered as he looked at the group of stunned magicians.

The one who had been casting spells was the second-highest-ranked magician in the division, meaning that if he couldn’t break through her barrier with his full strength, the results spoke volumes.

“At any rate, I suppose I should just be glad. Now that I’ve seen this, my decision is made.”

“I have mixed feelings about all this, but I won’t comment for now,” Letty said with a smile as she congratulated Ellie.

The prince had already started calculating how best to use these two.

**Next: The Beginning of Great Treason**