Chapter 11: Salvation

The early evening Sia Kalt Mountains were still quiet under the sky that had not yet darkened.

People were able to live here, even though the temperature was below -20 degrees Celsius, thanks to the heating system that operated on mana stones.

“Hoo… Hoot…!”

White breath escaped from Eric’s mouth as he stood guard at the watchtower north of the village.

At the end of his gaze, huge figures appeared under the twilight.

“That’s… a monster! A troll!”

Eric rang the watchtower bell with all his might.

“Dang!” “Dang!” “Dang!”

The bell sound echoed throughout the village, dividing the peace of the evening.

“Kraaaaak!” “Kirick… Kik…!”

The roars of two ice trolls and a group of ice goblins covered the bell sound.

Wherever the goblins passed, a thin layer of frost formed, and wherever the trolls stepped, the ground froze in an instant.

The cold air the trolls exhaled was so strong that the air around them was frozen white even with the naked eye.

“Why at this time…” Eric gritted his teeth.

This morning, a party of A-rank adventurers had left the village on an urgent request.

Normally, they would have been guarding the village.

In addition, the B-rank parties had been away on guard duty for a city festival at the foot of the mountain.

In an instant, the village became a scene of chaos.

The horses in the barn ran wild, and the cows broke through the fence with a cry and ran away.

The crops planted in the fields were instantly frozen by the cold air emitted by the trolls.

“Young men, take up your weapons!” With the shout of the old blacksmith, the young men of the village ran out with shovels, pickaxes, sickles, and axes.

However, their faces were all filled with fear, and the weapons in their hands were trembling.

“Please save us! Someone!” The young man working in the warehouse ran out screaming.

The ice goblin chasing him slashed the air with its blade.

“Get here, quickly!” The old blacksmith opened the door wide and called the young man in.

The young man who ran inside had a pale face and his legs were trembling.

“Mom, I’m scared…” A girl buried her face in her mother’s skirt.

They were hiding in the basement of the town hall, but everyone was terrified by the roar of the troll from above.

“Shh, you have to be quiet…” The mother hugged the girl tightly, but even her hands were shaking slightly.

The residents gathered in the basement were hugging each other without even making a sound.

“Brian! I’ll take care of your back!” The C-class adventurer party, the swordsman Brian and his companions, formed a triangle formation and fought desperately.

They were opponents they would not have dared to confront normally, but now they could not back down.

“Mikel, give strength to your servant!” The ordinary silver symbol hanging around Marianne’s neck glowed faintly.

The tree growth she was holding also glowed, emitting a divine aura.

Kevin’s pale complexion improved slightly as Marianne’s growth glowed.

He, who had almost passed out from the continuous magic casting, was able to gather his magic power again.

“Blaze Barrier!” Kevin, whose complexion had returned, drew a magic circle and a flame barrier rose up, blocking the goblins’ path.

His specialty, flame magic, was effective against the ice monsters, but there were too many enemies.

“Haa… haa…” Brian barely managed to block the troll’s attack.

If it weren’t for Marianne’s healing and strengthening blessings, he would have already fallen.

“Woooooo!” Once again, Brian blocked the troll’s club with his sword.

The impact buried his feet in the ground, but he didn’t back down.

“Now! Brian, get down!” With Kevin’s shout, fireballs flew in succession and struck the troll’s face.

While the troll staggered, Brian’s sword flashed and cut the troll’s leg.

But at that moment, three goblins rushed toward him from behind.

“Flame Rain!” Kevin deployed a magic circle.

A rain of fire poured down from the sky, blocking the goblins’ path.

Weak to fire, they could only flinch at the successive fire attacks.

“Glacial Spear!” Kevin changed his tactics and poured out cold ice spears.

The ice goblins evaded the attack as if they were laughing at it, but it was a trap.

“Brian!”

“Yes!”

The goblins slipped on the sheet of ice that formed where the ice spears landed, and Brian’s sword met them.

“Haa… haa… This won’t do…” Kevin muttered, sweating profusely.

His mana was also running low.

At this rate, they wouldn’t be able to take down even a single troll.

With two trolls recovering with terrible regenerative powers no matter how much they attacked, and a large group of goblins still around…

The entire party was running low on energy.

In the midst of this desperate situation, a sweet yet deadly scent suddenly began to spread.

The scent that seemed to be something one could only smell in a heavenly flower garden was something one could never smell in this frigid land.

In an instant, the moonlight turned red.

As the sweet scent spread, Marianne was the first to sense its meaning.

“This is… God’s mercy…” She quickly looked around.

Several residents were already trying to come out, drawn by the scent.

“Recover your senses!” Marianne’s growth shone brightly.

The residents’ hazy eyes became clear.

“Everyone, go inside! Hurry!” She used sacred magic to awaken each person’s spirit and lead them to safety.

As the blood-red moonlight illuminated the village, surprisingly, the goblins and trolls who had been going crazy all stopped.

Their bloodshot eyes turned toward the direction the scent was coming from.

“Keuuuu… Kreur…”

“Keu… Kkeuk…”

As if possessed, the monsters began to follow the scent.

The sweet scent blooming under the red moonlight saved a village.

When dawn came, the village was covered in wounds.

The northern warehouse had completely collapsed, and the crops had all frozen from the trolls’ cold.

Streetlights along the road were broken, and deep cracks were visible in the walls of several houses.

Footprints left by fleeing livestock and broken fences could be seen here and there.

Fortunately, however, there were no casualties.

Everyone had bruises and scratches, but thanks to Marianne’s healing, there were few serious injuries.

The townspeople gathered at the shrine of Mikel.

It was a simple shrine in a small rural village, but it was filled with survivors from the night before.

“That scent from last night… was it perhaps Mikel’s grace?” an old woman asked Marianne.

Marianne thought for a moment and shook her head.

“I don’t know for sure. But one thing is certain. Whether it was Mikel’s grace or not, it was definitely God’s will that saved us.”

Since that day, the small town in the Sia Kalt Mountains believed that a sweet scent would waft from somewhere when the moon turned red in the night sky, and they began to call it the “Scent of Mikel’s Flowers.”

Pink pollen scattered across the snowy mountains of Sia Kalt.

The pollen that spewed out from the purple stamens decorated the sky like an aurora.

Under the soft moonlight, the sparkling pink particles were carried far away by the wind.

“Wait a minute, the monsters will come soon. What if they run away…?”

Only after sprinkling a lot of pollen did I start to worry.

The bugs seemed to be intoxicated by the pollen, but they also began to tremble as if they knew about the future that was coming.

“No! Don’t run away! Fight back!”

You have acquired the skill Honey-Will LV1.

“Ah! Just then, I had acquired a new skill. Could it be that if I eat honey, I can sense my will?”

“Hey guys! Honey! Eat it again!”

As I haphazardly created honey, the bugs nearby began to eat it.

“Murder! Festival! Experience!” I shouted, hoping that my will was conveyed well.

Then the eyes of the bugs that had eaten the honey changed.

It was a gaze that contained the eerie determination of the royal guard or secret society that absolutely obeyed my orders.

“Oh! My will was definitely conveyed well. No, rather, it seemed to have been conveyed exaggeratedly.

More than that, could I finally shake off this terrible sadness that I couldn’t speak of?

There were so many bugs that only a few were able to eat honey, but because of the bug network, everyone’s trembling quickly stopped.

“Alright! Prepare for battle!”

Werewolf LV44

Werewolf LV38

☆☆☆ Werewolf LV41

Werewolf LV42↓

☆☆ Werewolf LV37.

Just then, the first prey, the Werewolf, appeared, drawn by the pollen.

Their cold, frost-gray fur and sharp teeth were menacing, but my bugs were already in perfect formation.

The Blizzard Hornets moved first as if sending a signal.

They flew over the wolf’s head, flapping their transparent wings, forming a triangle at a precise angle.

Their blue-tinged ice spikes glittered in the moonlight.

The wolf sensed danger and growled, baring its teeth.

White breath dispersed into the cold air.

However, already at the wolf’s feet, Hyperborean Ants were quietly approaching, digging into the snow.

“Oooh…!” The sight of the white ants moving in groups like snowflakes was like flowing waves.

It was surprising to see the antennae on their heads all facing the same direction.

The crystal beetles blocked the front, their carapace sparkling like crystals.

Every time the moonlight hit the beetle’s carapace and reflected, a rainbow-colored light spread out.

The wolf’s red eyes, searching for a way to escape, moved anxiously.

At that moment, the Frost Moss spread their wings wide and flew up.

As they flapped their wings that seemed to be decorated with frost crystals vigorously, white powder scattered like a storm.

The wolf’s vision was blocked by the white frost powder, making it impossible to see ahead.

The Blizzard Hornets, not missing their opportunity, attacked all at once.

Their sharp ice needles cut through the air and pierced the wolf’s body.

The wolf’s howl of pain echoed through the snowy mountains.

The Hyperborean Ants took advantage of the gap.

Dozens of white bodies leaped up at once, biting the wolf’s legs.

The pure white snowfield began to turn red with the wolf’s blood.

‘They’re fighting so well!!!’

Suddenly, I remembered that one species had not participated in the battle.

Looking around, I saw the Isis Flies flapping their wings diligently next to me while the other bugs were fighting hard.

‘What are you guys doing…? Cheering…?’