Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Investing Through the Status Window.

Episode 66: Crisis, And Cooperation (6).

The wind was cool, the day was clear.

However, the big city, Behimruod, was suffering quite a bit from taking in the procession of refugees. Of course, the city administration didn’t have a problem just because a few hundred more people came in, but rather, it was due to the chaos caused by the necromancers’ fierce attacks.

There had been talk for a while that the wicked dark mages were gradually swallowing up villages one by one, but now that the threat was palpable, everyone was in a state of heightened fear. Around that time, rumors spread that Hegel had also fallen, increasing the anxiety even more.

Still, people had some hope that since this place was one of the major cities in the west, perhaps they could somehow fend them off, even if those creatures appeared.

Allen, who was examining the map, now estimated that the necromancers would arrive at the Magic Tower in no later than four days. The enemies were really closing in.

From then on, the surveillance at the marquisate was further strengthened, and the mercenaries were ordered to be on constant standby. The Allen-Mercenary Group also remained on standby at their lodging, fully armed.

Allen tried to maintain a proper balance between tension and relaxation among his members. In battle, both excessive tension and overindulgent laxation were negative factors.

‘…The core of our mercenary group ultimately lies in Ordnung and Elena. If we use those two appropriately, we can firmly hold our ground.’

If it were only ghouls swarming, there would be no need for Allen to intervene, but with a Lich among the enemies, all sorts of demonic creatures were bound to attack. In facing them, it was essential to skillfully utilize the Blind Saintess’s martial prowess and the milk-jug mage’s magic.

Amidst the tension, three days passed in the blink of an eye.

It was a night when a blurry moon hung in the sky. Allen stepped out of the lodging building for a moment and walked through the quiet garden. He looked up at the night sky, where clouds like smoke clung around the moon, and sighed deeply.

‘……How did I end up here….…’

Under the goal of creating the continent’s greatest mercenary group, he was now in this distant land. As he reminisced, he felt strangely nostalgic. Wasn’t he a timid loser who got rejected while trying to hit on a married woman just a few months ago?

Pffft.

When Allen couldn’t help but laugh at how his life had changed in an instant, someone stealthily approached him. ‘…Who is it?’ he wondered and saw it was the milk-jug mage.

“Here… you are.”

“…I just wanted some fresh air. Did something urgent come up?”

“No. It’s just me too, a bit of the night air….”

The atmosphere, which had been cool, suddenly felt warm. It wasn’t like this when they were with others, but strangely, when it was just the two of them, the air became hot.

The milk-jug mage, with her massive jumbo jugs, approached like a demure bride and stood beside him modestly. Her eyes, looking up at him, were as clear and beautiful as transparent marbles.

“Are you nervous?”

“…A little.”

“Don’t worry too much. Just trust me. I’ll make sure nothing happens.”

“Yes, I trust you.”

Her tone was firm, without any hesitation.

“You followed me, only to suffer so much.”

“Suffer? To become a great group leader, this is naturally a process I must go through.”

“…I appreciate you saying that.”

“Really. I learn a lot by watching and learning. …It makes me reflect on how inadequate I’ve been as a group leader.”

The conversation abruptly stopped there. The silence was filled with warm air.

As if on cue, they looked at each other and then suddenly pecked on the lips. Followed by a deep, sticky kiss. He grabbed her chest and buttocks, kneading them as he pressed his body tightly against hers. She clung to him desperately, as if she had been waiting for this moment too eagerly.

…Just as their long-suppressed desires were about to burst forth like a flood.

“- Group Leader. Group Leader Allen—!”

There was a hurried search for Allen. “Ah.” The two quickly separated and hastily fixed their attire. Then, soon after, Kalisman appeared with an urgent expression.

“Group Leader, there’s an emergency call. You need to go quickly.”

“Understood.”

Allen immediately walked briskly towards the lodging building. The members were already lined up in front of the building entrance. Not just them but other mercenary groups as well.

The group leader on the platform, Rudra, sent the prepared mercenaries to their respective areas first.

“We are ready as well.”

“Allen-Mercenary Group, move out.”

Including Allen, a group of ten hurriedly climbed up the city walls. The guards on watch were glued to the stone wall, staring blankly somewhere with a dazed expression.

Once the mercenary group reached the top of the walls, they realized why the guards were staring out of the city like that.

‘Ah—.’

Where Allen’s gaze landed, there was a massive flame. Explosions sparkled around it, and streaks of white light poured down like rain.

A spectacle of countless magics being unleashed. …it was perhaps a grand-scale magic battle that could never be seen again, only possible within the Magic Tower.

However, there was one fatal flaw with the Magic Tower. It was that it had no walls.

No matter how much magic they used, it was bound to collapse in the face of a mad onslaught of forces. Those who had already grasped the desperate state of the battle would be desperately making their way here to Behimruod.

Allen hurriedly led his members to the area they were responsible for. The various splendid magics continued for a while, then suddenly stopped.

‘…Is it over?’

Thus, the lineage of the Magic Tower that had continued for hundreds of years was severed in just one night.

If all the mages belonging to the Magic Tower had united as one to confront the enemies, the outcome might have been different.

“Who won…?”

“Didn’t the Magic Tower win? After all, there are many powerful mages there.”

Most predicted the victory of the Magic Tower, but Allen, who already knew the future, shook his head firmly.

“No, the Magic Tower is over as of today. It was already a rotten tree from the inside. It wouldn’t have been strange if it had collapsed at any time.”

“Still… could the Magic Tower really have fallen…? No matter what, it’s the Magic Tower…!”

Allen smiled crookedly.

“Those who were going to run away must have already run away. Only those who couldn’t escape in time were left, making their last struggle. They were never going to fight in unison from the start… Tomorrow, at dawn, those who have fled here will arrive. Then you’ll see whether I’m right or wrong.”

Thus, the Allen-Mercenary Group took turns sleeping and spent the night on the city walls.

And just as Allen had confidently predicted, the mages who had fled from the Magic Tower overnight arrived at Behimruod in the early dawn. There were more than fifty mages.

—The Magic Tower has collapsed-!

This shocking news stirred up the big city. After all, no one could have imagined that the Magic Tower would actually fall.

At the same time, the members were quite surprised by Allen’s miraculous insight. …Of course, this wasn’t insight but merely reciting something he already knew, but Allen wasn’t disrespectful enough to go around boasting about such a fact. If it was something that could be used to increase their trust in the group leader, he should use it.

As dawn broke, the Allen-Mercenary Group briefly returned to their lodging. The marquisate was already in chaos due to the destruction of the Magic Tower.

What mattered now wasn’t why the Magic Tower had fallen. It was clear where the culprit who had destroyed the Magic Tower would head next.

The marquis immediately declared a state of emergency and issued a conscription order, organizing militias in each district of the city. Although there were city guards, they couldn’t cover the entire city.

While this was happening, the sun that had risen high in the sky soon set again.

After maximizing their strength at the lodging, the Allen-Mercenary Group returned to the top of the walls. As they watched the setting sun, they tried to calm their trembling hearts.

“Don’t worry too much. I’m here. Even if the Magic Tower falls, we won’t. I proved yesterday that I’m not a person who talks nonsense, didn’t I?”

Allen’s affirmation somewhat eased the tension among the members. However, they couldn’t overcome the fear of death that arose from their instincts. Of course, he was also feeling afraid.

“The Magic Tower had no walls, but we have high and sturdy walls. We also have many strong comrades. Believe in yourself, and believe in them as well.”

Soon, the reddish hue in the sky completely disappeared, and the night they had not wished for inevitably arrived.

The members felt an unusually eerie chill in that pitch-black darkness. It was a creepy aura that made goosebumps and hair stand on end….

The Blind Saintess and the devout believer clasped their hands together and prayed fervently to the holy spirit.

They did not offer a brazen prayer that everyone in the city would be safe. …What they hoped for was that, at least, their comrades who they would be fighting together with would be safe.

“Ordnung, if you feel anything strange, tell me right away.”

“Yes, Group Leader.”

The Blind Saintess was an extraordinary person in sensing energy, unparalleled by others. In particular, she could immediately detect evil dark mana. Wasn’t it thanks to her that they avoided danger in the last village?

Allen strangely didn’t feel tired, though it was probably because of the excessive tension. His shoulders were feeling incredibly heavy, especially since he had to take responsibility for the lives of each member.

…How much time had passed?

After a tediously long wait, the Blind Saintess, who had been sleeping fitfully as if in prayer, suddenly woke up, startled by a fiercely piercing energy.

“……Ah……!”

It was an immensely vast aura of dark mana, the likes of which she had never felt before. It was slowly approaching, spreading around the city.

“Group Leader, Group Leader—!”

Allen, who had briefly closed his eyes, snapped them open and looked at the Blind Saintess.

“Something is coming. An enormous, evil energy…!”

‘……Is it finally coming……?!’

Allen woke up all the sleeping members. Then, he quickly headed towards the Rudra-Mercenary Group, not far from their location.

“Group Leader Rudra—!”

She, who had been dozing off for a moment, abruptly got up.

“…What is it?”

“The enemy is coming…!”

Almost simultaneously, something began to catch the eyes of the guards as well. Beings writhing at the boundary of light and darkness.

“- It’s the enemyyy———!!!!”

– Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding.

The bell that started ringing loudly in one place soon spread throughout the entire city. The sound of the bell rang from all directions.

And then, the festival of the Dark Mages began.