Ch.3939. Preliminary Skirmish (1)

I arrived at Quenore Strope’s mansion with the rest of my party members and Karin, running like mad. The Grand Duke Quenore himself seemed to have felt the earlier tremors and movements, as he was issuing various orders to soldiers and knights in front of the mansion with a very serious expression. The Grand Duke entrusted Karin to his wife, who had come out to the front of the mansion with him, and then strode toward me with a worried look.

“Ilroy, good to see you.”

Even though he was serious, Quenore Strope’s voice was calm. The man who had fought against powerful monsters in the north and defeated them all knew how to remain composed in situations like this. In contrast, my heart was pounding inside my left chest, far from calm.

“Just now, did the Grand Duke also…”

“I felt it. Very clearly. Ilroy, did you feel it too?”

I nodded. It wasn’t good. This wasn’t about a large army approaching or a sudden increase in monsters. It was something much more fundamental and frightening. The Grand Duke and I simultaneously looked in the same direction, our lips tightening.

“…What do you plan to do? I will prioritize your command.”

He would be able to make more appropriate judgments in the current situation. If there was anything I lacked, he could advise me.

“I apologize to the residents, but we’ll have to end the festival on the first day. I’ll issue an evacuation order and make sure all residents are prepared to leave within four days. Lis!”

Quenore Strope turned to the side and called out in a sharp voice. Lis, who had been giving instructions to the soldiers, quickly ran over at Quenore’s call.

“Form an emergency patrol unit immediately. Double the usual number of personnel. Have them patrol all areas with special caution simultaneously, and make sure they have plenty of signal flares. Additionally, maintain the highest level of alert from today until war breaks out.”

“Yes, understood.”

“And—”

The Grand Duke nodded slightly toward me.

“From now on, include the hero’s party permanently in the patrol unit for Zone 1. Lis, arrange for you and Ilroy to command Zone 1 simultaneously. You’ll share command, but you’ll handle the overall patrol planning, while relying a bit more on Ilroy for field command.”

“I will obey your orders.”

Lis answered briefly and ran back to the bustling soldiers. The Grand Duke quickly turned his gaze from Lis and looked at me. Blue. Steadfast eyes were rippling.

“Ilroy.”

“Yes, Grand Duke.”

“Please be careful during reconnaissance. Don’t let your guard down. Above all, prioritize returning safely. No matter how suspicious something might be, don’t try to investigate further—just move on. It’s enough to simply note that something is different from usual.”

I nodded. There was a strange resonance in Quenore Strope’s words that moved people.

“After patrolling, if circumstances indicate the fourth calamity is approaching, issue an evacuation order to the residents while simultaneously sending a request for support to the royal capital.”

“Not long after defeating the third calamity, the royal capital’s forces likely don’t have much to spare. I think it’s better not to expect large-scale support.”

“…I understand. But we must do what we can, mustn’t we?”

The Grand Duke said this and, after looking at me for a moment, raised one corner of his mouth.

“I feel like I might be working the hero too hard, but given the situation, I hope you understand.”

“You speak as if you haven’t been working me hard all along, Grand Duke.”

When I retorted playfully, Quenore Strope burst into laughter.

“Indeed. You’re still mentally sound enough to joke. I entrust Patrol Zone 1 to you, Ilroy. And the hero’s party as well.”

At the Grand Duke’s words, George and Marianne nodded, while Daphne swallowed dryly. I quietly looked at our party. Now, I had to prepare for a real war with them.

“Let’s go. Everyone remembers what Zone 1 was like, right?”

“Of course.”

“Yes.”

“Yes, I remember.”

After checking on my companions’ condition, I finally gripped the hilt of the Holy Sword firmly. The Holy Sword immediately responded to my touch.

“[It’s alright, Ilroy. Trust your companions, and trust yourself. Don’t think about other complicated matters now, just focus on what that Grand Duke told you to do.]”

I nodded, exhaling a long sigh. My pounding heart lost the strength to beat any harder and slowly returned to its normal rhythm. As the Holy Sword said, for now, I should just focus on checking for signs of calamity during patrol. As we rode out from the stables on horseback, Lis greeted us, having completed all preparations.

“First, we’ll prioritize going to the lake before thoroughly searching the area. After checking for any changes in the boundary line, we’ll inspect the rest on our way back.”

The outer fortress’s iron gate began to clank as it rose. The knights of Evernode gathered at the entrance, with the patrol unit for Zone 1, led by Lis and me, at the forefront. Lis looked around at the patrol units.

“We’re moving out! If anything happens, don’t try to be a hero—fire a signal flare first!”

“Yes, understood!”

I narrowed my eyes as I looked at the path leading to the patrol route. Was it just my imagination, or did there seem to be an ominous energy lingering at the end, more than usual?

“We’re departing, Hero. Would you like to take the lead with me?”

I shook my head. Although both Lis and I had command authority, if I stood at the front with Lis, it might unnecessarily disrupt the chain of command and slow down decision-making. It would be much better to leave the control of the patrol entirely to Lis and his deputies, while I positioned myself at the rear of the patrol to guard against possible ambushes.

“No. I’ll stay at the very back to watch for possible ambushes. I’ll only help when the situation becomes too urgent to handle otherwise. I entrust the command to you.”

Lis nodded without argument and rode his horse faster than usual. The patrol unit quickly left the outer fortress entrance and entered the coniferous forest.

“Was that tremor a sign that the fourth calamity is approaching?”

Daphne, riding slightly ahead of me, asked. I nodded stiffly.

“Yes. It was probably an earthquake caused by it rising.”

“…Just by rising, it caused an earthquake.”

Daphne, her face drained of color, gripped the reins tightly and muttered.

“Did Ilroy directly feel that?”

I frowned. Come to think of it, I not only felt the tremor but could clearly sense the giant’s presence. Are calamities normally perceived this distinctly? Judging by Daphne’s reaction, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

“[It’s my mana that changed your disposition, Ilroy. To better detect calamities and monsters.]”

You have a lot more minor functions than I thought. I glanced down at the hilt of the Holy Sword.

“[…Setting aside the fact that you’re treating me like a mere sword with various functions.]”

The Holy Sword responded as if dumbfounded.

Lis at the front gradually slowed the column’s pace. As the galloping horses quieted down, the forest suddenly became silent. So quiet that we could hear the hoofbeats of the patrol unit circling Zone 2 in the distance.

“It’s quiet.”

George muttered. I nodded and looked around. The patrol zone was usually quiet, but now it was excessively so. Not even the rustling of grass or the movement of small creatures could be heard. Not even a hint of monsters could be sensed. Rather than something lurking in the forest, it felt like the entire forest was holding its breath.

At that moment, Lis raised his left hand and drew his sword.

“We’re not far from the ‘Eye of the North.’ From here on, advance with maximum vigilance.”

At Lis’s words, the soldiers all prepared their weapons. I also drew the Holy Sword and began circulating mana to expand my senses. However, despite our vigilance, nothing happened until we reached the edge of the forest. It almost seemed as if all the monsters in this forest had been called away to form an army.

And then, the patrol unit’s anxiety materialized into a concrete form when we arrived at the “Eye of the North.”

“…Good heavens.”

Beyond the mountain range, the sky was completely ashen. The faintly visible gray clouds had gathered more densely, devouring the blue sky and casting shadows on the ridges. The air beyond was hazy and murky. Probably a snowstorm strong enough to easily blow people away was raging beyond there.

The scene the Crown of Thorns had shown me overlapped in my mind. A snowstorm raging under an ashen sky. Me walking alone through an empty Evernode. And the calamity, the giant, trampling the trees of this forest like matchsticks as it approached.

“[Ilroy.]”

I came to my senses at the Holy Sword’s voice and turned my gaze. As my senses sharpened, the chill carried by the wind reached me more clearly.

“[Pull yourself together. I told you this isn’t the time to be dazed.]”

…Sorry. I’ve never been so overwhelmed by mere presence before, so I got a little disoriented.

“[Carelessness doesn’t only stem from arrogance. Be careful, Ilroy.]”

The Holy Sword admonished me sternly, and I shook my head vigorously and headed toward the lakeshore. Like me, Lis was staring at the mountain range with a hardened expression.

“We have grave news to report. To think the boundary line has moved so close in just one night.”

“It probably advanced when the earthquake occurred.”

When I answered, Lis took off his gloves, briefly dipped his hand in the lake, and frowned.

“It’s like ice. The summer lake has never been this cold before.”

Lis shook his hand and turned his head. Just then, patrol units from Zones 2 and 3, having completed their patrols, were arriving at the Eye of the North.

“Captain!”

“This doesn’t look good. The lake seems like it will start freezing soon. Did you encounter any monsters on your way?”

The captain of the Zone 2 patrol shook his head.

“No. The forest was terribly quiet. Even the white wolves that usually appear frequently weren’t seen.”

“Zone 3?”

The captain of the Zone 3 patrol also shook his head and sighed.

“No. If we didn’t encounter monsters in Zone 1’s patrol route, there’s no way the other patrol routes would.”

“Any unusual findings?”

“None. Everything else is exactly the same as usual. Damn it.”

“Same here. I’d feel better if we had seen something.”

Lis bit his lip and turned his gaze to the other side of the lake. I was watching the patrol captains who had started another heated discussion when I suddenly turned my head at a sensation coming from within the forest.

“Hero?”

Someone was watching us. Grasping the faint but prickling, uncomfortable sensation, I opened my mouth.

“There’s something in the forest.”

“…What?”

==

Crawler, ‘Ju’ was an intelligent monster and a self-proclaimed subordinate of the fourth calamity, the ‘Giant.’ The name Ju was given by other monsters. Among those serving the giant, it was relatively weak, but it was second to none when it came to acting stealthily and swiftly.

Stupid humans.

Ju created a sound similar to laughter by clicking its mantis-like pincers. Of course, to human ears, it would sound like nothing more than a creepy bone-grinding noise. Ju heard the whispers of its blood. Kill them. Kill them and eat them.

The time was near. The day when it would advance with ‘Him’ and turn them into mere chunks of meat was not far off. No matter how much they struggled to survive, they would eventually be crushed under the approaching footsteps of ‘Him’ and trapped in eternal winter.

Click. Click.

It was enjoyable to watch these talking corpses with intelligence. It was also enjoyable to watch their paths and then appear to kill them before they returned to their nests. Then, how much more enjoyable would it be to release this blood impulse and slaughter them to its heart’s content?

Ju shook its hind legs and retreated into the shadows of the forest. Even though it gradually released its presence, they showed no signs of noticing. In the forest, Ju’s subordinate crawlers were waiting, clicking their jaws together. Yes, it wouldn’t hurt to toy with them a little. After all, it was confident it could escape smoothly.

Having decided on an ambush, Ju returned to its position and stopped moving.

What? They were definitely there just a moment ago.

Rustle.

Ju launched itself following its instinct. But,

BANG-!!

It was helplessly thrown back with a loud noise. Ju quickly regained its balance and sharpened the blades of its forelegs. How dare, which one had the audacity-!

And then, Ju’s body froze at the sight of the ‘one’ that appeared before it.

“Looks like there was a little rat hiding.”

A human with ash-colored hair and teal eyes was holding a sword high. Behind him, knights who seemed to have followed him had drawn their weapons and taken combat positions. How? Could they have followed the brief presence it had released?

“Seeing as you seem to be an intelligent one…”

The human lowered his sword. A pure white energy, most ominous to monsters, began to seep from that sword.

“We need to have a little chat.”