Ch.286286. Six Clock Hands (6)

“Again…!”

Even when rumors were spread to corner him, the Tembris Party didn’t mind and protected Junon. The intervention of the core members, Goden and Michelle, repeatedly foiled Kelnur’s plans.

And this time was no different. Michelle had asked all members to save Junon, who had arrogantly walked to death’s doorstep by insisting on carrying out the plan to lure Ashpern alone.

Why on earth?

Isn’t he just filth among the rare diamonds of Tembris? Does a weakling pretending to be strong among the strong actually change anything?

After the Pimpert subjugation, he can’t even serve as a vanguard properly anymore—why does Tembris need such deadweight? Kelnur couldn’t understand the members’ psychology at all.

“Michelle. So, are we supposed to secretly follow Junon and help him lure Ashpern? With the goal of buying time until communications are established?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

But the atmosphere was quite different from before.

“Has the magical communicator, which never connected in Lebrant, actually worked here?”

“…It hasn’t been confirmed to work, but there’s been a response.”

“So it’s just speculation! It’s not that the communicator definitely works and connects to the Empire, but that it might connect, so you want to try luring! What if someone else dies in the process?”

“Michelle, I’m sorry, but I agree with Erika. This is a reckless operation. We should be talking him out of it!”

“So you’re saying you want Junon to die?”

“I’m saying don’t attempt something that will obviously lead to death! With such an unbelievable plan and unclear motives, it’s obvious it will only cause confusion in the command structure!”

“We don’t want a second Senia. Junon isn’t reliable right now. Michelle, don’t you agree?”

The two who had previously defended him as a fellow member and comrade were now actively opposing.

“…Fine. If you can’t trust Junon, I’ll go alone.”

“What?!”

“Junon will never back down from this operation. So if you won’t go, I have to. What else can I do?”

“Why? Why that guy of all people…!”

Ignoring Erika’s bewildered reaction, Michelle ties her hair and answers.

“He’s been surviving on catnaps, pushing through sleep deprivation. While others drink water, Junon uncomfortably collects morning dew to save every drop. What he discovered through all that blood and sweat was that communication with the Empire might be possible.”

“It’s still speculation. Nothing’s certain, right?”

“Aris. By the way, I wasn’t the first to discover this. Lord Chimor told me. Do you know what he said when he came to me directly? Just one thing.”

-Please help.

Just that one sentence.

“Lord Chimor…?”

“Yes. I wondered where he was after retiring from the Imperial Guard, but he’s already joined the Duchy’s army.”

The Duchy’s former Imperial Guard Captain, Chimor.

Both Aris and Erika knew that name even before joining the Tembris Party.

“If he’s willing to gamble with his life to establish communication with the Empire because he knows it’s true, I absolutely cannot let Junon handle this alone.”

After that, neither of them objected further.

However.

Kelnur’s gaze, which had been watching Michelle with frustration, had grown cold.

‘Because of that damn bastard, Miss Erika and the others are undertaking what amounts to a suicide mission…! Next time, I’ll have to make sure to bury him properly.’

***

There was a time like that once.

When facing magical beasts became routine, and the death toll increased daily.

The thought occurred that one might end up on the casualty list oneself.

-‘Are you not afraid of death?’

Of course, death is frightening. That wasn’t empty talk then, and it still isn’t now.

But doing nothing is the same as accepting an approaching death sentence.

So he struggles. Committing the madness of directly drawing in a Named magical beast and its elite guard to buy time.

He packed everything necessary.

Protective equipment, as light as possible. A knife for emergencies, though weapons wouldn’t be of much use. A chain shield he modified to avoid relying on his dulled magic barrier. And a small medical kit for self-treatment of the inevitable injuries after the operation.

Finally, a special aggro potion to lead the magical beasts. With this, he would challenge Ashpern in a race against time.

-Whoosh!

The light he said he’d use as a signal flared up.

‘Let’s go.’

Seeing the light, magical beasts drawn by the magic gather toward it.

Like animals, these monstrous magical beasts also possess senses.

In order of priority, the third and second are sight and hearing, and the first is smell.

-Hissss.

As Junon opens the lid, the concentrated liquid in the glass vial rapidly vaporizes.

Now the priority of the magical beasts’ senses begins to change.

The scent of the vaporized liquid they’ve already inhaled becomes secondary. The sound of opening another potion cap has little effect.

What they see.

Only what enters their field of vision stimulates the instinct-driven magical beasts’ sensory domain.

-KYAAAAAAAK!!

“…!!”

The frenzied magical beasts are no longer the same.

It would have been a given that they would target the human standing conspicuously in their path, but the beasts, maddened by magical beast blood, no longer obey Ashpern’s commands and begin to rely on sight, driven by instinct.

Though he had intended to bring these magical beasts to collapse the last human defensive line and erase them from this world, Ashpern’s subordinates, regardless of strength, all began charging at Junon.

He couldn’t just stand by.

With Peltibourgos sealed and stopped, for Ashpern, having this magical beast army in such a frenzy was definitely not positive for the coming battle.

He had to follow. Somehow follow that man who had driven the magical beasts into a frenzy, making them focus on him alone.

“That’s right. Follow me well.”

Junon smirked at this and planned to run toward the old Sirah Road School, in the opposite direction from the Ross region.

But before long, the magical beasts’ aggro was pulled elsewhere.

Whoosh-

BANG!

Amid scattered lotus petals, an explosion blooms, and a rain of arrows filled with blue flames blocks the magical beasts’ path.

“This is…”

Junon’s head turned immediately.

Michelle, lowering her blue flame bow, approaches and asks him:

“Briefing. Can you start?”

Suggesting they move together.

***

He didn’t ask why she came. He didn’t ask how she knew to come.

Now that she had arrived, now that she had drawn her bowstring against the magical beasts, there was no choice but to act together.

Junon had no choice but to carry out the operation with Tembris. Spilled milk.

The magical beasts’ attacks rang out loudly. In the eyes of the drug-crazed monsters, they saw only one human as prey, but with several people added to lure them, the volume visibly increased.

With Tembris working together to lure the magical beasts, a second signal soon rose from Alperatz.

Aris, confirming the signal, asks Junon curtly:

“That thing visible at 7 o’clock, what does it mean?”

“…It means the communication connection was successful. And judging by the blue circle added, preparations are complete too.”

“What preparations?”

“Since we’ve contacted the Imperial army, we’ll need to buy time with all our might for them to arrive. The all-out battle with the magical beasts will be defensive.”

Professor Muniher had mentioned there was an object that could open a transfer gate.

He also said that if they could just contact the Empire, they could alert them to the emergency and have troops sent within two days.

That time is…

“Two days. If we can just hold out for two days, the Imperial army can arrive.”

It was time we needed to minimize damage to the Duchy’s army by keeping these magical beasts occupied.

“…Lure them for two whole days?”

But easier said than done—luring them for two days is impossible.

They’re all strong specimens. Considering their rank and grade alone, it’s overwhelming, and those that follow Ashpern’s instructions and adapt to human tactics are effectively several ranks higher.

The only consolation is that they’ve stimulated the magical beasts into a frenzy, making them unable to follow Ashpern’s orders, but the downside is that the stimulated beasts are abnormally powerful.

One direct hit means certain death, and even a scratch from something sharp would tear skin like paper.

Luring such creatures alone, traversing rough mountains, blocking attacks while running—it can’t be sustained for long.

“Just lure them as much as you can. We just need to make the Duchy’s forces able to divide and face them from Sirah.”

But his whole body aches. The hand holding the chain shield trembles.

For a human body, especially one with limited mana control like his, he was approaching his limit.

PABAK!

“!!”

-KYAAAAK!!

At such moments, blue flame arrows unfailingly flew to pierce the magical beasts’ vital points, covering for Junon.

But this too was an excessive cover.

“Ugh…!”

“Michelle!!”

Having shot blue flame arrows forward, her flank was exposed. Michelle had expected that after covering for Junon, she could barely create an opening if she counterattacked, but Ashpern wasn’t idle either, and one beast that had regained its senses attacked her precisely.

“This is why…! This is why I said we shouldn’t do this!!”

Erika, somehow casting healing magic with holy power, glared at Junon with resentful eyes.