Ch.4848. Hero (2)

Crash-!!

The Holy Sword’s blade swept across the demon beast’s neck. I shook the sword once and turned my head to find the next target. Before I could fully turn, demon beasts that had climbed up the castle wall lunged at me. I swung the Holy Sword again, cutting the creature’s body into pieces. The demon beasts’ offensive was fiercer than yesterday. Isis led her soldiers back up onto the castle wall. I couldn’t tell whether the intensified assault was a good sign or a bad one. We simply kept our mouths shut and continued slashing through the demon beasts.

“I’ll leave the ones climbing up on that side to you, George.”

“Got it.”

“Marianne, watch my back. I’m going to sweep the entire wall.”

“Yes, I’ll do as ordered.”

I looked around at our party members while giving instructions. George was originally an accomplished knight commander, so there was no particular change in his strength. Marianne’s skills as a spear wielder were already close to top-tier, so no special change was visible in her either. But Daphne’s growth was remarkable. The destructive magic she unleashed grew more powerful by the day, and her protective spells became increasingly solid. The unusual energy I’d been sensing lately might mean she was getting closer to reaching the 6th circle.

“Daphne…”

“Haap!”

“…Good. You’re doing well.”

A battle cry with considerable force now. And the giant ice pillar Daphne created pierced through the demon beasts’ bodies, sending them flying. Daphne didn’t stop at creating the ice pillar; she activated her magic again to shatter the pillar into pieces, creating sharp icicle arrows that she shot back at the demon beasts.

Yet, even amid all this, heavy concern lurked in our eyes. I cut down demon beasts and stood with my foot on the castle wall, looking far into the forest. The boundary line hadn’t moved closer. It just remained at the forest’s edge, that white curtain continuously spewing out demon beasts.

“Captain Isis, has the Grand Duke…”

A young knight, unable to contain his anxiety, opened his mouth. Isis stopped him before he could continue, striking the ground with the tip of her sword.

“We simply believe and wait. Have you forgotten the Grand Duke’s orders? The order to defend the castle wall well. It’s merely that the operation is taking longer than expected; this is not a stage where we should be anxious.”

Isis spoke as firmly as possible. The knight couldn’t hide the anxiety in his eyes visible through his visor. Isis took a breath as if to scold him further, but then waved her hand and sent the knight away. I looked at Isis’s face. Her eyes were also trembling with subtle anxiety, but she was trying hard not to show it to the soldiers and knights.

“Don’t leave your positions and hold the line! If the defense looks like it’s about to collapse, shout loudly! The knights will rush to support you!”

Despite Isis’s shouts, there were soldiers who stood firm until the end, fighting until they were on the verge of death. I continuously moved along the castle wall, finishing off the demon beasts that soldiers had managed to hold back at great risk to themselves. The soldiers defended the wall, and I protected the soldiers. With no reinforcements from the royal capital and Grand Duke Quenore not returning, the soldiers’ morale was steadily dropping.

“Don’t let your guard down! After holding out so well until yesterday, are you planning to give up the wall so easily?”

Isis shouted sharply as she cut down a demon beast.

“The more careless and stupid you act, the harder it becomes for the Hero! Don’t you understand? You’re just scarecrows holding spears and swords, complacently believing the Hero will save you!”

After Isis’s rebuke, some fighting spirit and determination returned to the soldiers’ eyes. They forced themselves to yell and shout to raise their morale, facing the demon beasts. Isis looked at me apologetically.

“…I’m sorry, Hero. They’re not usually ones to waver like this, but with the battle continuing for days and dragging on, it seems their morale has taken a hit.”

“There’s no need to apologize. I think I understand how they feel.”

I watched the soldiers pushing the demon beasts back outside the wall. After they regained their momentum, they weren’t being pushed back one-sidedly. I gripped the Holy Sword firmly, looking around for any areas that might become dangerous, when—

Swoosh.

I lunged to block a demon beast suddenly flying toward the castle wall.

Crash-!!!

Heavy. From the first clash with the Holy Sword, I could feel that a strong one had climbed up the wall. After the first strike, before I could prepare my second attack, the creature’s attack came flying. I withdrew the Holy Sword I was about to swing and blocked the strike with the flat of the blade.

Bang-!!

I was thrown to the ground and rolled across the top of the wall. Knights and soldiers who witnessed this called out my name and tried to rush over, but I extended my hand backward, signaling them not to approach. Their urgent footsteps stopped, and I got up to face the demon beast.

“Submit, tremble in fear. Foolish humans.”

It was a snow person. Probably not as strong as a legion commander, but close to it. I had to face this one alone. I gritted my teeth and gripped the Holy Sword. Then, the snow person dropped something it had been holding. There was a sound like an empty bucket hitting the ground, and a helmet that seemed to have rolled across the battlefield several times came to a stop at my feet. It was the Grand Duke’s helmet.

“Did you think you could stop his advance with just that? Did you have hope?”

I could feel the knights and soldiers behind me turning pale. Then, Isis’s voice, burning with anger, was heard.

“You… how dare you touch the Grand Duke’s helmet with those filthy hands…!!!”

“I killed all the knights you sent. He merely took a step, and they swarmed like ants to be trampled to death.”

The snow person burst into strange laughter. The sound of soldiers gripping their weapons could be heard. Knights who could use aura immediately raised theirs. They seemed ready to abandon the defense of the wall and tear this snow person apart the moment I gave permission.

“How amusing, those expressions of despair disguised as anger. Quietly offer your necks to us.”

“Please focus on defending the wall. I’ll handle this one.”

I immediately opened the first stage of the Holy Sword and rushed at the snow person. The snow person let out a maniacal laugh and swung its arm against the Holy Sword.

Bang-!!!

The exoskeleton covering the snow person’s fist collided with the Holy Sword’s blade. Its fist wasn’t cut, but it was enough to make it wince. I pushed the snow person back and closed the distance.

“You… That sword, different from the other knights…!”

The snow person let out a painful cry and swung its fist again to block the Holy Sword. The composure it had shown when telling us to offer our necks was gone, replaced by obvious panic. I pressed the snow person, looking for an opening. There was no room to conserve strength. The soldiers and knights, enraged by the demon beast’s words, began to lose their composure and fight with fury. Mistakes erupted here and there, and casualties mounted.

“Damn it!!”

Unable to block with just its fists, the snow person began defending by raising its entire arm. I felt my head growing cold. The more frozen flames burned in my heart, the colder and sharper my sword path became. I gritted my teeth and swung my sword. Every time unwanted images flashed in my mind, I swung the sword harder.

“You think I’ll let you get away with this!!”

The snow person pushed me back and roared. At the same time, climbing demon beasts surrounded me. I couldn’t expect support. Our party and other knights were fighting even more fiercely, covering for the Grand Duke’s absence. I looked around at the named demon beasts surrounding me and gripped the Holy Sword with both hands.

The demon beasts lunged. Time slowed as if I were holding the second hand of a clock. My arms moved reflexively. I launched myself into the air, bisected the body of the closest one, then used my momentum to spin around and cut down two more behind me. As I landed, I swung the sword widely to kill one approaching from the side, then cut down two white wolves blocking the snow person.

The snow person’s expression turned to shock. Without hesitation, I slashed its left knee and jumped up, using the knee as a stepping stone. The snow person’s body, completely off balance, staggered and fell forward.

“It wasn’t just the black-haired knight…”

There was no time to appreciate its expression further. I plunged the Holy Sword into the fallen snow person’s head. It died instantly, and I kicked its massive body off the castle wall.

Perhaps the snow person had been a commander, as the momentum of the attacking demon beasts greatly diminished. I kept the Holy Sword’s flame burning and sprinted along the wall, slaughtering every demon beast in sight. Amidst the spraying fountains of demon beast blood, I felt dizzy.

“[Ilroy.]”

I heard the voice of the Holy Sword, which rarely spoke during battle. I exhaled a ragged breath and looked around. Soldiers were throwing demon beast corpses off the wall, and the wounded were being evacuated. Today’s invasion ended much faster than before. My arms trembled slightly. It seemed I had expended too much magical power without restraint.

“[Gather your wits. There is still no definitive proof that the Northern Grand Duke has fallen. Collect your thoughts calmly. If you lose your composure, it will affect the soldiers as well.]”

…I understand.

I took another deep breath and watched the knights approaching me. Each of them wore expressions either distorted with anger or pale with fear.

A meeting of Evernode’s remaining senior officials was held on top of the wall. I recalled the flaws in what the snow person had told us and began piecing together fragments of thought.

“…The Grand Duke is probably still fighting.”

I opened my mouth to say this. Perhaps thinking it was merely words of hope, Isis narrowed her brow and asked in a sharper voice than usual:

“Why do you say that?”

“Since yesterday, the giant’s advance has stopped. The boundary line likewise hasn’t come a step closer. I can sense this more keenly than anyone, so I’m certain.”

The knights’ expressions began to change slightly.

“Then why did that snow person speak in such a way…”

“It was to break our morale and make it easier to capture the castle. If the Grand Duke had truly fallen, the giant would have continued advancing, and our walls would have already collapsed under countless demon beasts’ assault.”

Isis’s expression brightened momentarily, then darkened again.

“…I want to believe your words, Hero, but as the current person responsible for this castle, I must assume the worst. What if that snow person was telling the truth, and their all-out offensive begins again tomorrow?”

No one could speak. The possibility of failure seemed to take concrete form, flickering before our eyes.

“…We should continue fighting, carrying on the Grand Duke’s orders. The giant’s advance has stopped for now, regardless of the reason. And when reinforcements from the royal capital arrive, we’ll need to discuss again.”

Never had waiting for reinforcements felt so powerless. After uttering those words, I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood, overcome with self-loathing.

“We need to form a rescue team, Captain Isis.”

This was Knight Serin’s assertion. She had been anxiously glancing beyond the wall throughout today’s battle.

“We can’t just wait for reinforcements from the royal capital without any news. And as the Hero said, there’s a good chance the Grand Duke is still alive.”

“The Grand Duke is this castle’s greatest fighting force. How can we form another rescue team, Serin? Even if we did, there’s no guarantee we could safely bring the Grand Duke back.”

“But a defensive battle with our main forces depleted like this…”

Opinions began to divide even among the knights. I closed my eyes. Think of a way, a way to break through this situation. The taste of blood lingered. I took a long breath and opened my mouth.

“Let’s do this.”

It was a gamble, an adventure. Perhaps even reckless. But there was only one method I could think of that was worth betting on.

“Give me one hour, no, 30 minutes. During that time, Commander Isis, please organize a rescue team.”

“Hero…”

Isis’s expression filled with concern. Our party’s expressions changed similarly.

“What are you thinking, Ilroy?”

“I have a method. If it succeeds, we’ll have enough fighting power to go rescue the Grand Duke. If I fail, cancel the rescue operation and prepare for the defensive battle with all our forces.”

Daphne looked at me with worried eyes.

“Ilroy…”

“It’s okay. One way or another, I will definitely protect Evernode.”

I said this and turned to look at Marianne. Her golden eyes, meeting mine, seemed to tremble slightly.

“Marianne, help me.”

“…What can I do to assist you?”

I took a breath and spoke in a firm voice.

“I’m going to overcome the Trial of the Crown of Thorns.”

By any means necessary.

A wind swept across the silent castle wall as I finished speaking.