It wasn’t long from where I walked out with my new rod to the army base. When I told the guards at the front gate what I wanted, I was quickly led inside and eventually found myself in front of a mage officer. “I am Lieutenant Deigal, in command of the city's mage division. I understand you wish to volunteer.”

I took the seat I was offered, and Deigal continued, “any fool can swing a sharp metal stick, but the difference between a mage who's just cast their first spell and one really ready for battle is like the difference between the earth and the sky. We all have to do what we can to survive right now, but if you want my support, I’ll need to see that you won’t slow us down. Follow me.”

He led me to a shooting range, one that appeared not to have targets set up at the moment. Another mage, in charge of this yard, greeted us. “Test this volunteer,” said Deigal, and left without another word.

This new mage began an explanation. “On this field, the targets appear by magic. The minimum standard for a trainee to join the mage division is to hit five of them in 30 seconds. If you don’t think you can manage that, best turn around now and do your best to evacuate.”

“I’m sorry, I’m supposed to think that’s hard? Just you watch me.”

Although, if my magic hadn’t been released, I reflected a moment later, it would been literally impossible. With the Tower's casting time of 6 seconds, you’d already be out of time the moment you got off your 5th shot, every time.

As it turned out, the illusion targets moved as well. But that wasn’t a problem for me either. One of the first things I had learned to do with my special ability was to make my aim with Mana Bolts more true. Usually adjusting a shot only took 0.1 or 0.2 stamina, too unless I would genuinely miss otherwise.

30 seconds? With the rod improving my casting time I barely needed 10 to fire 5 bolts. And you can’t miss when you’re using an auto-aim cheat. 5 up, 5 down.

“With skills like those, I’m sorry I doubted you. What’s your name, traveler?”

“Lheticus.”

It’s a shame you haven’t reached the skill level of putting more mana into your bolts than normal. If we had one more who could deal with more than one wolf per cast, we might really be able to pull off the evacuation plan.

Wait, is that a thing you can do?!

I readied another Mana Bolt, trying to put more mana into it this time. To my own surprise, it worked. It took considerably longer, about the same time as the Tower's casting time, but I got it to 3 mana before I felt it was dangerous to do more. When I threw it, it made a big flash and crack, compared to a normal bolt's small bang.

“Are you kidding me? I’ve never seen such a quick study. Looks like a real talent has visited our city.

Okay, I’ll put you with the special mixed task force in the west. You’ll report to sergeant Xilder there as a temporary brevet corporal.”

He handed me an insignia. Not a bad start to this part of my plan. “As for compensation…”

I raised my hand at that. “Just feed me and keep up my mana. Frankly, I don’t intend to stick around this city to the bitter end. I just want to do what I can, until I…resume my travels.”

To that, the trainer sergeant mage only gave a thoughtful grunt.

As I approached the west gate, I made sure my corporal insignia was clearly displayed. To join the task force, I had to go deeper into the plain surrounding Bront City, almost to the woods.

The special task force was a mixed force of archers and foot soldiers, and a few mages. As I approached, they were just finishing clearing the wolves around them.

I introduced myself to the mage with sergeant insignia, who I correctly assumed was Xilder. “Temporary brevet corporal Lheticus reporting.” Then, I gave him a brief rundown of my capabilities as a mage so far.

“Mana pool is a little low, but I’m glad someone with your talent has come to us. Were you briefed on our objective?”

“Not really.”

“We’re tasked with clearing the area west of the city enough for the citizens to evacuate along the west road. The monster army is focusing less on this side of the city than the others, but more keep arriving on all sides every day, enough to turn even the weakest side into a meat grinder for civilians if we try to lead them out of the city in any proper numbers.

Even though we killed them by the hundreds yesterday, even more came to replace them. I’ll be honest, it’s not looking good.”

Wow, this is too perfect. They should be pretty receptive to my plan. Then again, if it was any kind of easy to evacuate this city, getting only 20% of them out wouldn’t be a mission.

“Well, let’s see what I can do.”

I wasn’t about to present my idea right away even so. To clear the mission of killing 1,000 wolves with flying colors, I needed the army’s help for my plan, I couldn’t do without it. I had to gain their trust first.

We launched several offensives against packs of monsters that weren’t grouping up too greatly for us to deal with. Actually, since I had grouped up with the task force, at the rate we were going I would be able to at least pass the mission even if my plan was vetoed.

Still, if I could get a good shot at not only clearing it, but completing it with a genuinely good Mission Rating, I still wanted to try.

That evening, since I was an honorary corporal I was able to eat in the officer’s mess back in town. The army base had some kind of magical protections on it, so even if the nightly meteors were being directed, as I theorized, it wasn’t likely they’d do much to me in here.

Now was the time. “Sergeant Xilder, is there anywhere the wolves in the west are congregating in great numbers? A mustering point, a ‘pack camp’?”

“Of course. But there are thousands of them there, more than we can deal with without redirecting so many troops that the city would be overrun elsewhere.

On top of that, there’s bound to be a Wolf General there. Those things are real trouble—they’re magically empowered by the Wolf King to be much stronger and faster, and worst of all smarter than the normal monsters. The entire task force might be able to handle a single one by itself, if we had the initiative and a good plan. Even Commander Zeller might not survive fighting one if it got the drop on him. Though he’d probably take it down with him.”

Well, that’s me glad I didn’t take that mission.

“What if an entire one of those camps in the west got taken down all at once? Would the town forces be able to escort a great many civilians out then?”

“I’d say we would, but how do you plan on doing that?”

“Funny you should put it like that. As it happens, I’ve had an idea in mind since I realized how surrounded by forests this city is.”

“Wait. If you really have a serious plan, we’d better take this to lieutenant Deigal.”

I explained my plan, with the sergeant’s backing, to the lieutenant. He said that we needed to talk to Commander Zeller.

It was quite late when I got in front of the commander. He didn’t look like I expected—between the bald head and the oddly fussy looking mustache, I couldn’t take my eyes off the latter.

He was also quite easygoing for someone commanding the forces of a city under siege. “So, you’re the chancer my lieutenant tells me has a plan to save the people of this city. No need to be nervous lad, just tell me what you told Deigal.”

“I have a certain ability beyond that of a normal beginner mage—an ability I can use to set things on fire. I’ve only tried it with small things so far, because of the danger, but I believe that I can help you burn out one of the major camps in the west. That should poke a hole in the siege enough to evacuate most of the people in this city if they’re prepared to go.”

“Don’t think I haven’t thought of burning them out myself, lad. The problem there is, those forests are Bront City’s lifeblood. It’s not many cities that can supply their militia with all the potions we have, and those woods are where the ingredients thrive.

Now, I’d be willing to cut off the city’s arms to save its neck—between the meteor strikes and the constant stream of reinforcements in the monster horde, things are looking worse and worse. But the local nobles would cry havoc, never mind I’d be saving their own skins too. There’s simply too great a risk that starting a blaze would go out of control and burn down all the moneymakers on their land.”

“That’s exactly where I come in,” I said, excited now, “My power doesn’t just let me make fires—I can control them. I can keep the blaze from spreading where we don’t need it to. Then they’ll be complaining about a much smaller sacrifice.”

Deigal nodded. “We split the special mixed force into two. One part starts the blaze on the east edge of the western woods near the enemy’s vanguard camp. The other half, with Lheticus here, maintains a fire line on the other sides to encircle them.

Wolves fear fire. Any who get past the fire line will be disorganized and weakened—easy pickings for the other western forces, and our other recent volunteers. But it’s very likely that the vast majority of them will simply panic and get completely burned out.”

Zeller stroked his mustache. “If you believe you’re up to the job of keeping the blaze under control, it could work lad. That’d be no more than a third or less of one minor noble’s land, and we should be able to compensate and appease them, if the city still stands later.

I’ll authorize this operation, on two conditions. First, the fire line needs to be started against the wind. It’ll do us no good if the buggers get a whiff of what we’re planning and run before we encircle them.

Second, this calls for me to personally take the field. A normal forest fire won’t do much against one of those Wolf Generals. Once the blaze gets the normal ones, that’s when it’ll be my turn.

We’ll announce the evacuation order in the morning, then at noon, we’ll commence the operation. Sergeant, meet with the other officers of the mixed force and decide how to divide the forces. And you, Lheticus, get yourself as many potions from the base as you think you’ll need for your part in this—tell logistics that those are my exact words if they give you trouble. Just don’t clean us out or something, we do have other mages who need them, ha ha.”

Hey, I could get to like this guy.