If Noyn grants us the right to use magic, the dark spirits will immediately try to take her life. That means she can't use her magic until the dark spirit breaks her bonds.

(Noon's fog can cover the entirety of the fort. If you can work with me ...... No, that idea was never in the beginning.)

　And then there's the question of whether I can really make the treatment against the underworld spirits successful. If I fail, His Highness Astina has some power against the spirits, but Raquel-san and the other three knights will be in danger.

　The underworld spirit is not a boon to the creature, but a curse itself. In accordance with the covenant of binding the Noyn with restrictions, they attack indiscriminately those who interfere with it - there are records of one village that was destroyed just because they made a mistake in dealing with the Underworld Spirit.

　Hence, it is forbidden. In the back of the academy's archives, there are said to be books written about the underworld, but they are not available for the average student to see.

　However, Neun is in fact inhabited by the underworld spirit. It was suggested that there was a possibility that some of the books in the academy had been viewed and misused.

　It's not all on our side anymore, not even the academy. It's unthinkable that your sister-in-law would know about it and overlook it - I'd like to think that she, as the head of the academy, doesn't know everything about the academy's staff, and even her personal connections to the court mages.

'...... Glass, are you concerned about Millennia?'
...... I'm sorry. Now is not the time to go to .......
'Dean Millenia Weed was never involved with me. I'm only at the end of the line, so I can't say that for sure, but ...... I haven't heard of her being involved in any conspiracy from the time she was in the military until now. On the contrary, I've filed a superscription asking for a proper report on what happened to the student who became a court mage.

　Was your sister-in-law concerned about the disturbing movements of some of the court mages? Or was she trying to show the success of the students that the academy had produced as an encouragement to the juniors - considering the character of the person I know as Millenia Weed, I think it's both.

''If the head of the academy is truly an 'ally of the kingdom', I don't have any problems with that. ...... If you can, I don't want you to be an enemy.'''

　If the pressure was even applied against the academy and forced to turn against His Highness Astina. I would eventually have to fight the mages who studied in the same academy as me and the court mages who are more powerful than Noyn.

''If word gets out to the center that we attacked Zirconia, there's a chance that hostile forces within the royal family will move in for violating our orders. No ...... sure, they will try to capture me. They want me gone. And imprisonment.

　If His Highness went into battle and suffered a heavy defeat, she would be blamed for it as a weakness and the center, which was supposed to be her ally, would try to get rid of her.

　How could she fight her way through in such circumstances? After crossing over thin ice and leading the Knights to this point, there was no way she could be punished for her actions to protect her men and people.

''Your Highness ...... there is something I can tell Your Highness now. Your Highness's mother ...... the First Queen and her son, the First Prince, and her sister, the Second Princess.
'Noin, if you say that, it could cost you your life. You need to put yourself first for now.

　He would really like to know at once. But His Highness refused without showing the slightest bit of regret.

　We get out of the path we used to break in and out of the commander's quarters. Vale, who is unconscious, is hoisted up with plant ivy and put out the window - after using the same ivy to get out, we meet up with Raquel and three others who were hiding in the materials shed.

'This man is ...... your highness, do you take him as a prisoner?'

　Seeing the commander's insignia on Bail's shoulder, Raquel-san immediately understood the situation. His Highness nodded and I summoned Alraune and let Bail sniff her pollen.

'U......'
You're coming with us now. We won't let you disobey.
...... I understand. ......

　His eyes are blurred, but his hypnosis is working well. Now we will not be disturbed by Vale.

"You will be escorted to the warship. Is there a way out of here that won't be obvious?
Go to ...... here: ......

　Vale wobbles at first, but gradually his footsteps become more sure, and he leads us to a landing adjacent to the river, by a path out of sight of the guards.

　There are two service entrances to the landing from inside the fort, only one of which is guarded by guards, and one of which seems to be guarded from the turret, but it could be easily neutralized with the use of a hypnotic air ball.

　There are guards inside the landing area as well - but when you get this far, it wasn't difficult to eliminate the enemy soldiers, who are not mixed up with the handlers. They hid in the blind spots of the guards, breathing down their necks and making them comatose in turn. The last one was guarding the jetty to board the warship, and just as Vale showed up and fished it out, Presha-san, who had come around behind him, struck him with the hilt of his spear, making him comatose.

'It's going so well it's scary. ......
'Yes ......, but the wind direction is still not good. We won't be able to get out of the canal at this rate, and we'll be swept away to the Zirconia territory side.
'With the water spirit magic, you can move your ship at will. ...... With these headwinds, it's tempting to hope for a change in wind direction.

　Noin chuckles when Deethe says it, holding her fluttering hair. He didn't expect her to show such an expression, and it felt surprising.

'We have to go against not only the wind, but the river's current as well. 'Let the water cooperate' is the only way we can get this warship to the canal in the current weather.
''...... Spirit magic is still a terrifying thing, isn't it? At the same time, it's also very encouraging.

　Mr. Deate looks at me and says. He's counting on me, but I guess that means it's risky to trust Noin.

　I was there to bring Noin to our side - I'm responsible for bringing him to our side - but my experience as a doctor has taught me that Noin isn't lying.

'Wait for ....... What's the sound ...... this is, a horn ......?

　Raquel is right, a sound can be heard from the west - a group of enemy soldiers are approaching this fort, trampling through the grass and other grasses.

'No way ...... no, you're not. It's the eyes that are already ready for you.
...... Alejandro sensed that I had betrayed him. If that's why he sent troops to ...... them, they will go into the fort and try to find me.
''We can't afford to get lost. ...... Everyone please board the warship. I'm here to 'exorcise' the Neun's dark spirit.
'Brother Glass, I can witness the rituals too. I can even draw a magic circle for an exorcism.
Okay ......, Leslie, please. Noin, let me put you under a little hypnosis.

　If the underworld spirit reacts to her 'will to resist restraint', there is a danger of just having her watch the ritual progress.

''Huh ...... Summoner-sama, this person is resistant to my children.
...... I'll try to weaken the resistance somehow. I'm sorry, I'm a mage, I'm a mage ......, d*mn it .......

　Combat mages seem to be trained to react to and defend against enemy magic that affects their minds - but Noin weakens his defenses of his own volition.

　As the hypnosis takes hold, Noin's eyes throb and his body weakens. Leslie drew up a magic circle at his feet, using the paint that allows magic power to pass through it.

'Brother Glass, is that ......?'
''What we're trying to exorcise is an 'underworld spirit' ...... and we need to use the 'spirit wedge method'. If we're exorcising normal spirits, we don't need a 'wedge'.

　Now Noin is forced to make a contract with the Underworld Spirit. In order to break that contract, it is necessary to have another spirit - a third spirit - intervene between the water spirit and the underworld spirit that Noin originally contracted with, to play the role of a 'wedge' and have the 'third spirit' temporarily take over the contract.

　But what happens if we do this - because Euceresis will temporarily take over the contract of the Underworld Spirit, it means that we can have compulsory power over Noin.

　But there's no problem because Euceresis will not threaten Noin's life. The question is whether I can use my current power to contain the underworld spirit that I made manifest to transfer the contract.

'...... Okay. Leslie, I need you to stay away with Lune.
"Brother Glass, ...... be careful. Don't ever take it easy.

　There is no time to get lost. Leslie understands this, and as I instruct her, she takes Alraune in her arms and approaches the rope ladder to get to the warship.

　I remain alone on the landing, and I sip the extract of 'Coastal Pine' to suppress my nerves. It's something I had Raquel drink, but I know the effects best because I made it myself - the distractions disappear as I look at it, and my vision becomes clearer.

'Noin, tell me the name of the water spirit you originally contracted with.
...... Suiten ...... Apsaras ......

　Even in the books that have written about elemental spirits, the upper-ranking spirits among those belonging to water - after all, Neun's abilities are quite impressive. The names that often come up are 'Undine' and 'Nereis', and although these spirits are also elemental spirits, they don't have the power to cause natural disasters.

　Apsaras is said to have the form of a beautiful woman. What kind of state is it in after being inhabited by an underworld spirit--.

　I will get rid of the disease as soon as possible. I made up my mind and began chanting to borrow the power of the divine tree.

''Dwelling in Noin Flores, spirit of the underworld. Transfer that covenant to my spirit and return to the place where it belongs: ......!

　She chanted and thrust her hand to the ground. At that moment, the evil presence that was tangled up in Noin's chest like it was eating away at the spirit guide mark engraved on her chest appeared as if it was being ripped away from her body.

''W-...... glass brother ......!
Don't come here, Leslie!

　A black snake - an existence opposed to the water spirit, the water spirit of the underworld. It sucked up Noin's magical power and forcibly manifested itself, coiling and tightening around Apsaras' entire body.

　The fact that the contracted spirit was weakened and on the verge of death eroded the mage's own life force. The black serpent that bit into Apsaras' neck sucked up the water spirit's limpid magical power, fattening and fattening its own stagnant body.

(Is this the disease ...... my power to seal it? No, I will seal it ......!)

　It was the moment I swore that, on the line of the magic circle, the grass rapidly sprouted and became ivy, spreading out across the ground, forming a huge cage that wrapped me and Noyne as a whole.

　This is a warding - woven by the Divine Tree's attendants. Euceris created it to contain the underworld spirits without allowing them to escape.

　Now there was no longer any fear of involving everyone. However, Noin's life force is still being sucked up by the black snake - all of its power must be returned to its owner.

'...... You must be gone from here. That's no place for you ......!

　The black snake detaches its fangs from Apsaras' neck. In the next moment, the snake with its jaws (agitated) open attacks with unseen speed - but.

'Summoner, it doesn't matter if it's dirty water!　If you're a god tree, you can go to ......!
Huh. ......!

　Yes - the outcome was already decided.

　When the Divine Tree's gendarme, rooted at Noin's feet, twisted its ivy around her body.