Taking Part in the Cool

Ferdinand eyed the group of Mage Guards that tried to run past him. Apparently, his declaration was not clear enough.

He threw his newly picked up shield like a discus at the closest one, sending the man flying backwards. The impact was light, meant as a warning shot, but as he tried to get up, it was like he weighed several times more than normal.

“Ha, looks like the girl’s magic worked for this one as well! Oh, how much fun I’ll have with this! Return, my shield!”

The Mage Guards briefly looked back at their encumbered companion before charging ahead once again. They had gotten a few more steps closer before Ferdinand grabbed the returned shield and flung it again.

“It seems you haven’t learned yet. Take this! Retardis!”

Ferdinand didn’t think about the name at all. It simply slipped off his tongue. But as the shield bounced off several opponents, causing them to move like snails, it felt oddly satisfying.

He charged forward, catching the shield boomerang before slamming it into the nearest slowed person. He kicked another, sending him into the air. A blacksmith needed the proper skill to test his own weapons, particularly legendary ones. That made him more than a match for the typical combatant.

Seeing their captain, first sent skyward, and now, their companions taken down easily, the rest scampered away. The mighty blacksmith was not their target, so they didn’t need to engage him.

“Tch, barely even got started.” He was a bit disappointed that he couldn’t play around more, but there would be ample opportunities on the road.

He would have to meet up with his new companions, but where?

It was then that he noticed something unsettled in his pants pocket. He pulled out a rolled-up note and examined it.

“Heh, not sure how I feel about another man sticking something in, but that Gideon sure is an interesting enough fellow to forgive.”

Ferdinand grabbed the bag that he had been packing, full of tools he would need for makeshift repairs. That and a little bit of space was all he needed to create a forge on the road.

Slamming the door shut, he locked up. Finding a way to surpass his father was far more important than tending to any regulars that passed by. The royal armory could take care of those requests in his stead.

v

Roze ran through the streets as quickly as she could, avoiding pedestrian traffic. Fortunately, she only had to focus forward as any Guard Mages that happened to cross paths with her were instantly taken out, either by a gust from Milipitas or a drum beat from Gideon.

The cityfolk took cover as bodies were casually tossed aside like a slap from an invisible giant. Certainly, those not attuned to battle were better off considering the event a natural disaster.

Roze didn’t settle on slacking when it came to doing something herself either. A group of enemies crowded up ahead, so she gave a nearby cart a push forward. Chanting Accelerare, the hobbling start became a barreling, runaway vehicle that threatened to bowl over anyone in its path. She was sorry for the people not after her, but not sorry for those that were.

Having cleared a straight shot down the main street to the North Gate, it was just a matter of getting through the guards stationed there. She bit her lips, annoyed that she was the only one that couldn’t just slip past them.

Her eyes fell on another cart, thinking that she would do the same but having her hop on for a quick ride. But then, a hint of cold tickled her senses before a blinding flash stopped her plans immediately.

A large icicle skewered the cart up ahead, demolishing the wooden vehicle and her great idea to plow through the gates. The shattered pieces of the cart froze in mid-toss, sticking to the hefty ice that continued to rise upward.

“Well, their backup has arrived. It’s Mr. Dashing and Frosty,” Gideon said, suddenly appearing by her side.

Roze squinted through the ice that had swallowed the path forward. Sure enough, the figure of a blond knight with his sword held upright showed every indication that the magic was his.

“Hasta Glacialis.”

There was a chill to his words as the ice spear shattered, releasing its imprisoned contents with a glimmer. Gravity brought wood shrapnel down, along with a fresh coating of snow.

Gideon dusted himself off and walked forward. Roze, on the other hand, felt like moving at all would be a death sentence. Most of their opponents hardly had magical prowess up to this point. While she had gotten used to Milipita’s Wind magic, it didn’t hold a raw destructive capability that could be instantly felt from a single spell. Her skills were meant more for support in a hunt.

“We meet again, my fair lady. And you as well, Sir.”

Rafaello gave them a cordial meeting, as if expecting an acquaintance for tea. However, any chances of that happening cooled with the magic he displayed.

“To think that I let such curious guests walk away from me once. I should have held you in town until the investigations were complete. Fortunately, I was not too late this time.”

Roze wanted to run. The aura of magic coming out of the knight captain was so impressive that she inherently knew that she was outmatched. Before she could even launch a single chant, she would be frozen solid.

However, that apparently did not deter Gideon. He could stop time before Rafaello could even mouth a single syllable. She let out a breath in relief that he was her ally, seeing him disappear for a moment.

A crackle echoed through the street, ending with a loud impact. Ice shattered where Rafaello stood, but to Roze’s surprise, the man remained standing.

“Ha, how cold of him. Shrugging off all my attempts.”

Gideon was next to her again, shaking his head at the result. He had certainly frozen time to deliver a bunch of strikes, but they had merely shattered a thick coating of ice that the experienced mage used as a barrier. Just like the magic imbued in Ferdinand’s new shield, it was automatic, so there was no opening for Gideon to simply bypass that defense.

Instead, Rafaello looked even more intrigued by the situation. He turned his sword at him instead of Roze.

“I could hardly believe my own conclusion. Imagine a legendary ability such as Time Stop happening right before me! Too bad I cannot see the magic used itself, but merely, the resulting effects. Gideon, you call yourself? Being a chef is most obviously a lie. You are Miss Roze’s protector, are you not?”

How?

That single word was all Roze could muster. They had been careful around him, in hopes that Gideon’s secret would be safe. While the others merely knew something was off about him until the secret was revealed, Rafaello had guessed correctly from the start.

“Whew, sharp as the pointy ice you wield. What tipped you off this time?” Gideon asked.

“The damage inflicted didn’t match with the dimensions of the objects Miss Roze had thrown during the fight. I recalculated the impact based on the speed and weight from various reports, and there was a major discrepancy in the simulated results.”

Rafaello formed a bunch of pellets made from ice, similar to Roze’s beads. With a wave of his hand, they shot around him, shooting holes into the surrounding objects. It was a very close re-enactment of Roze’s Accelerare magic.

“Given the mercenaries’ equipment, there should have been more piercing damage inflicted. However, the reports show blunt force trauma, enough power to launch enemies backward. That would require striking the opponent with a great force spread across a larger surface, something like the sticks in your possession.”

With a snap of Rafaello’s fingers, a band of ice wrapped around Gideon in an instant, restraining his arms like a straitjacket.

“However, your body hardly looks that strong. Not to mention, how you could deliver the attacks without being seen. Looking at the rumors of Miss Roze, I was presented with the possibility of Time magic being the source. A haphazard guess at first, only supported by the growing evidence as I researched more.”

The ice around Gideon shattered. He managed to break free of it somehow, which only made Rafaello smile.

“Again, you have reinforced my point. Were you to have a hidden strength to break free, stress on the ice would have broken from the inside outward. But it has shattered from a sudden impact upon the surface, an action unseen. Did you perhaps, not consider that I could tell the difference from how ice fractures?

Roze felt defeated by this thorough analysis. Her thoughts couldn’t hold up to an expert magician, someone used to dealing with problems that threatened the kingdom. For the first time, she felt like Gideon could be outmatched.

However, Gideon stood proudly before him, like he had not given up. He puffed up his chest and let out a big sigh, feeling strangely relaxed despite the circumstances.

“If you know all that, then that means you’ll let us go, right?”

Pardon?

Roze had no idea how he had come to that conclusion. But looking between the two of them, it felt like there was no real bloodlust developing. Gideon walked casually forward.

“Given all that you know about me, I can simply show you this and you know exactly what our goal is.”

Gideon pulled up his sleeve, revealing the countdown that was magically etched on his arm. It had ticked down considerably since she last saw it, now sitting at just over eight months. Just how much time did Gideon spend in a frozen landscape, perfecting attacks to get the results he wanted? She was afraid to ask.

“Months, not quite a year. I assume this countdown pertains to the reason for your travels?”

“Man, I wish I had coworkers that pick up on things as good as you, Rafaello. If I ever get sent back to my world, I’m linking arms with you right before it.”

“An otherworlder? I do not sense any deviations in your body temperature. Such things are myths of olde, but I cannot deny that its origins bring up that possibility.”

“You know, being a walking lie detector won’t earn you any admirers.”

‘That’s not an issue. This face of mine does more than an adequate job. If you add societal status and proficiencies-”

“Yeah, yeah, your resume is freaking amazing. That’s why I’m going to say this. Join us. I need your help. The path up north is a bit of a struggle with just the few of us, especially with some unhappy fellows chasing.”

“No. I cannot.”

Rafaello’s answer was blunt and unyielding. He was the captain of a large group that answered directly to the kingdom. Of course, he couldn’t just drop everything and journey. However, Gideon laughed.

“Well, look at that. You didn’t follow up with a list of all the reasons that my proposal is dumb. I can see it in your eyes. You want to come, but-”

“As Captain Rafaello Segurio of the Guard Mages, I have to unfortunately deal with the aftermath of a couple of suspicious individuals that have escaped my grasp. It is quite unfortunate that I will have to give chase, leading a party of purists who do not believe in the legendary majesty of Time magic. Surely, such an organized force cannot be taken down by mere heretics, can it?”

“Appreciate it.”

Gideon nodded to Roze who finally grasped the intent of the exchange and trotted over to them. She stared quite a bit at Rafaello, whose gaze remained toward the city center as if he was blind to them. Gideon and she walked passed him and to the gate leading out of the city, which was strangely unmanned. Whether it was Gideon or Rafaello that had dealt with them, it didn’t matter. They were apparently on the same side now.

Milipitas dropped down from wherever the wind had carried her. She joined their pace as they leisurely headed down the path. She had been watching from afar, her hunting sense realizing that Rafaello did not seem like an enemy.

“Can we trust him?” she asked.

Gideon did a lazy stretch as he looked up to the sky.

“Enough to let him borrow my prized game collection, if I ever make it back. He looks like a man that could use some culture.”

“An otherworlder, huh. No wonder you smell funny.”

“I do not. You take it back. Elves and their lack of exposure to ultra-processed commercial goods.”

Roze hid a chuckle. She had no idea what the hell Gideon was talking about, but it mattered little to her. If he could banter like this, she knew they were in good hands.

All they had to do was wait for Ferdinand and Rafaello to catch up.