Became a Medieval Fantasy Wizard

Chapter 146

TL/Editor: raei

Schedule: 5/week

Illustrations: None

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People often say that we learn from our mistakes.

The mercenaries had clearly seen Ian burn someone alive yesterday.

They must have also noticed that the red-haired woman clinging to Ian's side was no ordinary traveler.

If they had any sense, they wouldn't have been stupid enough to run their mouths in front of Kira.

But the mercenaries forgot, for just a moment, how capricious wizards can be.

"Ugh..."

Ian watched the fleeing mercenaries with indifference.

I've become so accustomed to this godforsaken medieval fantasy world that I don't even react when someone gets hurt anymore.

This is a society without the solid power of a community or the power of law enforcement to uphold justice.

One had to defend their own honor with their own hands.

And that method usually involved violence.

"Kira. Try to use magic more carefully from now on. You're a fire wizard, after all. If you lose control for even a moment, who knows what might happen."

"...Okay. I'll keep that in mind."

Ian didn't scold Kira for burning the man.

Kira hadn't simply lashed out in anger. She had taught those men a painful lesson on behalf of all the weak - especially wanderers and jesters.

Now those men will think twice before robbing someone.

The only issue was that Kira had used magic impulsively out of emotion.

If the fire had misinterpreted Kira's will and tried to incinerate this entire area, what would have happened?

The terrifying aspect of fire magic is how difficult it is to cancel.

Once a fire starts, it's not easily extinguished. It won't die down unless it reduces everything around it to ashes.

"You need to convey your exact intentions through the Maronius language when casting magic. Don't let your emotions take control."

Ian kept his lecture brief.

"Well then, shall we get going?"

---

---

The weather grew more humid as they traveled south.

"It's getting a bit hot."

The sweltering heat was quickly draining Ian's stamina.

He was surprised to find himself affected by the heat.

"...The north was much cooler."

Not long ago, Ian had been traversing snow-covered mountains in the north.

While that region could be dismissed as the far north, even the northern part of the Empire wasn't a frigid wasteland covered in permafrost like barbarian lands.

Yet it was still much cooler than the southern Empire.

Now that they had come south, Ian could clearly feel the difference.

The sun was unnecessarily bright, and the vast fields were overrun with green monsters - weeds growing at an alarming rate.

Seeing the shepherd boy and his goats grazing in the distance filled Ian with an inner peace.

Ian briefly stopped his donkey to admire the peaceful countryside.

There truly wasn't a soul in sight.

He could acutely feel the Empire's pitiful population density.

The entire country was just one big rural backwater, so of course there were no people to be seen.

"Ian. There's a shepherd over there."

Belenka took a swig from her waterskin as she spoke.

"There must be a village nearby."

Livestock herding is a profitable business even in the most primitive environments.

In theory, if you have enough livestock, you can survive without farming. Nomadic tribes are a prime example.

All you need to do is protect the animals and increase their numbers. It's a straightforward method.

Such shepherds were a common sight in the Empire.

"Hm?"

Ian furrowed his brow slightly.

While shepherds were common in the Empire, thieves targeting those shepherds were equally common.

The smarter ones were human bandits. The dumber ones were wolf packs.

And what caught Ian's eye now was of the dumber variety.

"Aren't those wolves?"

"I think so..."

Belenka also squinted her eyes.

They were wolves alright. But something about them looked off.

As if they'd been starving for days, they looked terribly gaunt.

It was as if their bellies were stuck to their backs...

"What the f*ck?"

Ian rubbed his eyes.

Those bastards.

Their bellies really were stuck to their backs!

"Those poor things! How long have they been starving!"

"...Is this really the time for jokes? They're undead!"

Belenka shot Ian a sharp glare for his nonsensical comment.

The wolves now charging towards the shepherd were undead wolves.

As befitting a world with souls, gods, and afterlives, undead monsters exist in full force.

"Ugh..."

"There's a weird smell..."

Kira and Jubal pinched their noses simultaneously.

True to their nature as undead dragging around decaying corpses, the stench could be detected even from the distant hill.

The stench of death permeated the air.

"Ian! Let me go out there!"

Belenka shouted.

Regardless of Ian's opinion, she intended to join the fight.

Belenka was a knight, and knights were always in need of good deeds.

Because they inevitably killed people, they needed to accumulate enough good deeds to get into heaven when they died.

From Belenka's perspective, this was a good opportunity to farm some virtue points.

"You think I'd send you alone? I'm coming too!"

Ian didn't hesitate to join Belenka.

The first reason was the overwhelming biological revulsion towards undead monsters.

The second was that Belenka had helped him a lot so far, so this was a good chance to return the favor.

"Jubal! Can you fight?"

"Yes! I'm good at fighting!"

Jubal joined in, brandishing his massive mace.

Kira's eyes gleamed as she rushed forward as well.

Ian quickly devised a strategy.

A wizard can control the battlefield with magic.

This was a feat only wizards could accomplish.

"Kira! Let's use fire to narrow their path!"

"Got it!"

Ian waved Anor-lsil through the air, conjuring flames.

Kira then amplified the flames Ian had summoned with her magic.

"[Flames!]"

As Kira's eyes flashed, the fire responded to her will and began to dance.

[Time to burn!!!]

As sparks flew across the field, flames spread at a terrifying speed.

Kira shouted, blood trickling from her nose.

"Ian! The flames... they're spreading too fast!"

"Don't strain yourself trying to control them! Just let them burn!"

"But if we do that, there'll be a wildfire...!"

Ian spread his arms wide and closed his eyes.

He could feel the wind surging through his outstretched arms.

"[Wind!]"

[Oh, it’s really hot here!]

[This is fun~!]

Thanks to the raging flames across the field, the wind was excited.

The burning flames created an updraft.

Ian controlled the wind to direct the flames towards the undead.

"[Sweep them away!]"

Ian was a level 4 air wizard.

The gale he summoned swiftly and precisely engulfed the undead wolves.

And that gale moved the wildfire at an insane speed.

Whoosh!

The undead wolves that had been charging towards the shepherd frantically scattered.

Their movements were unnaturally jerky.

Ian observed the undead wolves carefully.

'Those bastards. They don't want to burn, do they?'

You might think, well of course they wouldn't, but generally, undead don't fear the destruction of their bodies.

After all, they're already dead!

Undead feel no pain and have no intelligence. There's no reason for such undead to fear flames.

But these wolves were deliberately avoiding the fire.

The implications were clear.

'...A necromancer?'

There must be someone who doesn't want these undead wolves to be destroyed.

A necromancer.

Ian was certain.

These weren't naturally occurring undead.

They were undead raised from corpses by a necromancer.

"Hah!"

Belenka let out a battle cry as she swung her longsword.

The rotting flesh of the wolves sliced apart like rain-soaked mud.

Thanks to the two wizards creating a wall of fire, only a few undead reached the shepherd.

A number that Jubal and Belenka could easily handle.

'...Hm?'

However, Belenka couldn't cleanly dispatch the undead.

Something leapt out from the grass.

"Receive the sword of heaven!"

"The sun shall judge you!"

They were well-armed men-at-arms.

Not only were they wearing expensive chain mail, but they had even color-coordinated with green surcoats.

The men-at-arms methodically dispatched the undead wolves.

Ian watched from afar.

And... he was somewhat impressed.

I don't know who these guys are, but they look like proper soldiers!

As you've seen the atmosphere of this medieval fantasy world so far, this place doesn't have a single thing that's done properly.

From nobles to commoners, everyone seems a bit unhinged and sloppy.

But... to think they even matched their uniforms!

To have matching uniforms, you need an organization that can afford to pay for uniforms.

Of course, in this post-apocalyptic...

No, medieval fantasy world, that's a difficult feat!

In a world where people typically just wear whatever clothes they have at home, the existence of uniformed soldiers was no ordinary matter!

Ian quickly wrapped up his magic and ran to meet the soldiers.

Belenka had already removed her helmet and was chatting with the soldiers.

"Ian."

Just then, someone walked out from the soldiers' side.

Light brown hair and chestnut eyes. A typical Imperial appearance.

If there was anything distinctive, it was his sharp features that made him quite handsome.

"Are you the wizard who conjured the flames?"

"And you are?"

Ian and the man briefly sized each other up, checking for any suspicious points.

The man extended his hand first.

"Knight of Saint Casius. Cleric Leshach."

'Saint Casius?'

Ian was slightly surprised.

Saint Casius was at the top among the 13 saints of Heaven's Faith.

Thus, while the disciples of other saints are called [Cardinals], the direct disciples of Saint Casius are elevated with the title of [Pope].

So...

This handsome knight was a knight of the Pope!

"Disciple of Eredith. Wizard Ian."

Once he knew the man's identity, those color-coordinated heavy infantry made sense.

As a knight of the Pope, he could certainly afford to have armored infantry as subordinates.

'...But what's a Pope's knight doing here?'

Sensing Ian's suspicious gaze, Sir Leshach spoke first.

"We're investigating the evil magic incidents occurring throughout the Empire."

"Evil magic?"

"Demon magic. Transmutation. And necromancy... Currently, an unprecedented number of dark magic usage cases are being reported across the Empire."

Ian glanced at the fallen undead wolves on the ground.

Indeed.

When Ian was young, he hardly ever heard rumors about undead.

"I heard there were signs of necromancer activity in this area... It seems the rumors were true."

Ian understood clearly now.

Sir Leshach was a Pope's knight tasked with finding and eliminating necromancers and demon wizards.

'Oh ho.'

Ian pondered for a moment.

As it happens, he had just killed a demon wizard on the road...

Wouldn't it be sweet to stick with Sir Leshach for a while?

There probably aren't many lunatics who would attack a party composed of a cleric and well-armed soldiers.

While Ian was considering this, the shepherd came running up and bowed his head.

"Th-Thank you for saving me! Sir Knights!"