episode_0046
by fnovelpia“Ah …
“You idiot, I told you to back off!”
“Sir, help me out here! I’m going to lose everything!”
The shouts and curses of mercenaries can be heard from all over.
Ayla and Mathias glanced at each other and saw that the two were working together to fight the monsters. The monsters had suddenly become stronger. The monsters that had been mostly goblins just a moment ago had changed.
The beast-like monsters that I had fought against earlier, or the intermediate-level monsters that had intelligence like beastmen or subhumans and formed groups. Even in their normal state, they were strong monsters that mercenaries would have a hard time fighting, but now that they had been strengthened by some power, it went without saying.
As if it were a lie that we had endured without any wear and tear until now, those with relatively low skills or physical problems began to get injured one by one, and once the camp was injured, it was unable to function properly and was greatly shaken. Casualties were pouring out everywhere. Should we run away? I don’t know about Ayla and Mathias, but Yugram, who was waiting, and I were still strong. Could we escape through a momentary breakthrough?
‘Should I just throw it away?’
There was no reason for me to feel responsible or guilty for the deaths of those in this expedition. That was why I was prepared to abandon them at any time, but I wasn’t sure if that would be now. The increasing casualties were only mercenaries. The knights, who could be considered the main force, were still intact. The knights, who wore iron armor and were trained to use shields, were efficiently and quickly dealing with the monsters.
The knights will probably be able to deal with monsters of this level without much difficulty. Even if not all of the knights are capable of dealing with monsters alone, they are trained to fight in formation together. But what if the level of the monsters increases?
I avoided the lycanthrope’s claws by nodding my head. The hair that couldn’t keep up with my movements was caught in the sharp claws like swords and a few strands were cut off. I cut off the arm that was swinging and stabbed and dug into its chest. The characteristic of the subhuman race is that most of its vital points are similar to those of humans, making it easy to kill.
“Haa, haa.. Princess. Are you hurt?”
“Il─ The wings and golden sand don’t seem to be hurt either.”
Of course, Ayla and Mathias’ whole bodies were soaked in blood. It was all monster blood. I used magic to clean Ayla and Mathias’ swords. They would get dirty right away anyway.
“Whew.. I’m really jealous of magic. The blade has been sticky since a while ago, so it’s hard to cut properly.”
“I’ll let you know when I get back to the Academy. By the way… How much longer can you both hold out?”
“If this group coming now is the last one, it’s enough to hold out until the end. But… the ogre hasn’t come out yet.”
Ayla hesitated and said. The ogre that was the target of this expedition… was an opponent that Mathias and Ayla could never deal with. Of course, the Knights’ skills seem quite good, so dealing with it might not be that much of a problem…
“Both of you, when I give the signal, unconditionally follow me and Yugram. I’ll clear the way.”
There was no answer as to why. Both Mathias and Ayla would already know that it was to turn their backs on the expedition and run away.
.
.
.
‘..the offensive is coming to an end.’
The Knight Commander surveyed the battlefield with half-open eyes. The Knights had suffered no casualties, and the mercenaries had suffered casualties, but this was mainly due to the large differences in individual skill levels and the fact that they were not used to group combat. Those who were called veterans were still swinging their swords in good shape.
In the midst of the chaos of the battlefield, what stood out was a girl with blood-soaked blonde hair fluttering as she slashed monsters. According to reports, she was a second-year student at the Academy. She was a great talent, with such skill at an age when she hadn’t even had her coming-of-age ceremony yet. Although they couldn’t match the blonde girl, the other girls in the group were also quite active.
The captain swallowed his sorrow at the fact that even young girls like that would not be able to escape this battlefield. As a knight, as an adult, I wanted to protect their future, but… would my and the knights’ abilities be enough to achieve that?
His eyes turned to the monsters that had overturned the battlefield. Starting with the relatively ‘common’ ones like lycanthropes and ghouls, and even the Kiban Tigers that would cause the Knights to report even if just one appeared… He thought to himself that he was doing a good job of gathering and commanding these monsters.
Even with such thoughts, his sword did not stop. Although they were stronger than ordinary monsters, they were not enough to block his sword, so monster corpses piled up wherever he passed. Although he still had plenty of stamina and magic power, a feeling of unease continued to grow somewhere in the captain’s heart.
In that moment, the captain unconsciously strengthened his legs with his magic and jumped back with a great leap. He flew several dozen meters further and landed while cutting down nearby monsters. Why? The reason was immediately revealed.
─Kwaang!
A huge sound and impact that could shake the entire mountain resonated. A huge rock, large enough to be called a person, flew and hit the ground. Naturally, the beings below were crushed without distinction between monsters and people. Before the knights could even lament the first casualty, the captain’s eyes turned to the direction the rock had come from.
So to speak, he was a giant.
It was a giant that must have been over 10 meters tall. Not only was it big, but its dark green body, which was mostly exposed except for its lower body, was covered with rock-like muscles. It had shoulders as wide as mountains, and its arms were thick as logs, with blue veins that seemed impenetrable to a sword. It had dirty fangs sticking out of its mouth, and it had a disgusting smell and a terrible murderous intent that made it hard to meet its eyes. That was the ogre.
As the ogre slowly walked towards them, the mountain that had been noisy with shouts and curses became as quiet as a mouse. The monsters that had been attacking the expedition team had long since disappeared.
Some of the mercenaries who came back from the dead were on guard, some were lying down on the ground and starting to treat their injuries, and some were secretly searching through the bodies of dead mercenaries to take valuables.
The knights prepared to face the ogres. Among the knights, the largest and strongest ones raised their huge shields and formed a phalanx, and they brought crossbows that were prepared on carts. The tension was so great that they could not be pulled by hand, but had to be wound up. The preparations were complete as the ogres walked calmly toward them, and the vice-captain shouted.
“Fire!”
Since they were marksmen who had improved their accuracy through numerous training sessions, there was no chance of their bolts missing the already large target. But that was all. The bolts that would easily tear through the skin of an ordinary ogre and cause a large wound were completely ineffective against the ogre walking toward them. They bounced off the ogre’s skin without causing any damage, or were simply blocked by the ogre’s hand that waved it around in annoyance. The knights were shaken.
It is said that it is less powerful than a sword strengthened by magic power.. The heavy bolt fired with strong tension has excellent power on its own. Even if it didn’t have an arrowhead, the arrow flew with such great power that it could break a rock. However, the ogre ignored it as if it was nothing.
The captain’s judgment after seeing that sight was quick. According to the existing hunting rules, they would all be annihilated. The captain shouted with mana planted in his voice.
“All retreat! Only me and the vice-captain will fight! If you don’t want to die, retreat!”
Without waiting for the knights to repeat their chant, the captain ran to the cart, threw down his sword, and grabbed his spear. It was a spear with a thick handle and a blade suitable for cutting, so much so that it seemed more like a staff or a halberd than a spear. It was a weapon that everyone who saw it was puzzled by, but when its owner said it was a spear, they called it a spear. As you can tell from its appearance, it was quite heavy, and for an ordinary knight, it would be difficult to even lift it, let alone handle it like an arm and a leg.
‘I thought I would never have any use for it..’
When the vice-captain insisted that it would be time to write, I criticized him for being worried, but it seems his foresight was right. When I return to the territory, I will have to buy him a lot of alcohol as the price of my life. If I can return alive.
The captain leaped towards the ogre with a great leap, clutching his beloved weapon so tightly that his hand was about to break. His body, which must have been clad in full armor, soared high into the sky, and the spear he raised vibrated violently. It was the sound of the spear body shaking due to his mana being filled to its limit. As fast as he was rising, the spear blade and the captain’s body rushed towards the ogre with a terrifying momentum.
“Haaap─!”
This time, the Ogre did not dare to take the attack lightly, and it seemed as if he was raising both hands in defense. The captain’s eyebrows twitched. It was as if he was thinking, “Will you block my attack with your body?”
The moment the spear and the ogre’s arms clashed, a huge sound that could not be described in words rang out. The spear won in that clash of great power. However, can we say that it won completely? The spear’s blade dug into the ogre’s crossed wrists almost to the point of severing them, but conversely, it was only barely enough. The commander’s thoughts, which were to split the ogre’s head and cut it in two, were completely different.
The ogre smirked. It was because he had sensed the leader’s power. If that was the best attack the opponent could do, then he couldn’t kill himself. However, what the ogre overlooked was that the opponent was not just one person.
“Crunch?”
The blade pierced through the ogre’s neck and came out. Unlike the arm that was used in battle and unconsciously used the mana to increase its strength, the ogre’s neck, which was defenseless, could not block the sword that the vice-captain thrust with all his might. The captain, who was in the air holding the spear embedded in the ogre’s arm, also let go of the spear and stepped back.
The ogre reached out and pulled out the sword stuck in his neck, but the bleeding only got worse. For a moment, the captain had a terrible thought that he might have regenerative powers, but fortunately, it didn’t seem to be the case. However, even though blood was pouring out of his neck, the ogre did not just sit there and die.
They swung their half-severed, dangling arms and iron-hard legs, aiming for the captain and vice-captain. However, even in normal conditions, these were attacks that could be countered to some extent, but the ogres’ attacks, which had already lost most of their power, did not pose much of a threat to them.
Soon, the ogre lost its balance and fell, and the leader’s sword cut off its head. In an instant, a loud cheer erupted from the knights and mercenaries who had been watching with bated breath. It was a cheer that came naturally from the relief that they were alive.
The captain, who had used up all his mana in the first attack, was just holding on with evil, so he forgot about his pride and sat down on the ground, leaning on his sword. Although he had no strength, his mind was clear, so as a commander, he had to command his troops. Just when he was about to give orders to his troops─ the cheering stopped as if it were a lie.
With a crack and a thud, a tree was uprooted or broken, and two ogres of similar size to the ones just felled appeared. And behind them, a man was walking slowly.
The man was wearing a robe with a large insignia engraved on it, and not only the knights but also the mercenaries, many of whom were untrained and uneducated, were all familiar with the insignia. A suffocating silence enveloped the expedition.
It was a sign of the sect.
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