Monster Wave (3)

“Though my strength is meager, I promise not to be a hindrance.”

Ethan Richard Blackwood glanced at me once during Orion’s recruitment before stepping forward.

His sudden, assertive movement made a small question pop into my head.

‘What’s gotten into him all of a sudden?’

What reason could he have for showcasing his abilities and joining Orion’s proposal in this situation?

As a young noble who hasn’t even entered the academy yet, no one would bat an eye if he simply waited quietly in the main hall.

Even though he’s been dealing with monsters under Harold’s supervision, he should understand their dangers better than anyone here.

His willingness to join the frontlines, where unexpected situations like monster waves are common, was quite surprising to me.

‘Looking at Ethan’s recent actions, he wouldn’t step forward without a good reason.’

There must undoubtedly be a valid reason, but what could it be?

At a glance, it might seem like he wanted to show off his courage to the gathered nobles or impress a girl he likes.

But the Ethan I’ve observed recently wasn’t someone who acted on such simple motivations.

He had previously patrolled the territory to solidify his position as Blackwood’s heir, making his presence known.

He was raised as a calculating noble who would even feign anger over a maid’s soiled dress to place a debt on influential nobles.

For such an Ethan to willingly step into danger, he must be aiming for something of equal value.

‘The imperial family might express some gratitude to those who actively participate in the battle, right?’

‘…Ah.’

Right, the imperial family.

Ethan likely joined the monster suppression unit to seize an opportunity to build connections with the imperial family in his current situation.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that the imperial family would actually reward those who repel the monster wave-if they did, it would probably just be minor compensation and a thank-you.

But that alone was enough.

A word of gratitude from the imperial family carries significant weight in credit transactions with other nobles.

Moreover, a favor once granted could serve as an irrefutable excuse when seeking an audience with the imperial family later.

In short, it was a gamble with a decent payoff for staking his abilities.

Especially since fighting alongside the capable imperial guards would ensure a certain level of safety.

‘Damn, his mind works fast.’

To think he pieced all that together in the short time since Orion made that impromptu proposal.

Well, if Ethan had thought that far ahead, I had no reason to be surprised-or even worried, honestly.

Ethan in his current state was far from someone who could easily get hurt and retreat.

“Alright, good. Any combat experience?”

“I’ve hunted monsters in the mountains a few times. The most notable ones I’ve taken down recently would be a Spiked Boar or a Shadow Spider.”

Based on my calculations of the experience Ethan had gained, his current level was around 7 to 8.

For reference, a Spiked Boar is level 10, and a Shadow Spider is level 11.

Meaning, regardless of his base level, his actual combat ability was nearly at that level.

He would undoubtedly be a considerable help rather than a hindrance, as he claimed.

Recently, he had begun incorporating energy manipulation into his swordsmanship and could even use body-enhancing magic.

At the very least, he was already on par with elite imperial soldiers.

Orion, too, seemed to judge Ethan’s words favorably and nodded in approval.

“That level of skill will be plenty helpful. I’ll be counting on you, Lord Ethan.”

“…Likewise, Lord Orion.”

“So, is there anyone else besides Lord Ethan?”

“……”

Despite Orion’s repeated calls, the other students hesitated to step forward.

Normally, in situations like this, once one person shows courage, others tend to follow-but Ethan’s mention of “Spiked Boar” and “Shadow Spider” seemed to have set an unspoken benchmark.

They likely judged that only those with comparable skills should step forward.

Considering that, it was understandable why these students were reluctant.

Under these indirect level restrictions, the only other person in this ballroom who could qualify would be… one person.

“…Agnes Elizabeth Blaze.”

Right, someone like Agnes the Inferno, the promising heir of the Elizabeth family-wait, huh?

“Next in line for the Elizabeth family. Future head of the Academy’s Magic Department. Future master of the Crimson Tower.”

“……”

“I, ‘Agnes the Inferno,’ will join this gathering to stop the monster wave you speak of.”

A red-haired mage confidently strode forward from the crowd.

Her bright red hair stood out-she must have been using transformation magic to attend the party until now.

Her unwavering expression, self-assured voice, and shameless self-introduction that assumed she would undoubtedly be helpful.

Every gaze in the hall instantly locked onto the suddenly appearing Agnes.

And the moment the main heroine of , whom I had been searching for, appeared, a single emotion naturally surfaced in my mind.

‘…That introduction is seriously embarrassing to listen to.’

No matter how many times I heard it, Agnes’s shameless self-praise never got easier to stomach.

Even though she was such a high-performing character that I ended up using her often, hearing that self-glorifying dialogue never became any less cringe-inducing.

Despite knowing that everything she said would actually come true in the future.

In that sense, perhaps her arrogance was justified-but that didn’t make it any less embarrassing from a third-party perspective.

What’s worse, Agnes herself genuinely believed she sounded cool saying that, making it even more mortifying.

Just hearing a 3D character say those lines with a voice actor’s delivery was cringe enough-who knew I’d witness it live in front of my eyes?

The sheer shamelessness of her voice made it hard to even look directly at the main heroine of .

Just as Agnes was about to continue her brazen speech, thankfully, “Orion the Omission Expert” swiftly cut her off.

“Specialty: Fire magic. Given enough time, I can cast large-scale fire magic without issue. My unparalleled mana capacity reaches a staggering one thousand and fifty…”

“Ah, right! Miss Agnes, was it? A fire mage with a thousand mana will definitely be helpful!”

“Wait, I wasn’t done talk-“

“Come on, let’s hurry to the frontlines! Now’s the time to prove your skills!”

“W-Wait a moment, Lord Orion! I’ll guide you!”

After hastily interrupting Agnes’s cringe-inducing self-introduction, Orion grabbed Ethan and Agnes’s hands and quickly led them out of the Evening Rose Hall.

Three of the dozen or so soldiers followed them out.

Those of us left in the ballroom could only stand there dumbfounded, still reeling from that shameless monologue.

“…The rest of you, please follow us to the shelter in an orderly manner.”

…Ah.

Come to think of it, I was supposed to join the battle too. Damn it.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The long procession of evacuees descended to the first floor under the guards’ guidance.

I walked among the noble guests with a troubled expression.

“…Is something bothering you, fiancée?”

“A-Are you worried about Lord Ethan…?!”

“Ah, yes… A little… I suppose I am a bit worried…”

Worried? As if.

With Ethan’s skills, he’d manage fine without my concern.

In a one-on-one fight, he was already strong enough to overwhelm me.

Even if I seriously fought him, I wasn’t confident I could win 100% of the time, even with Mana Blast.

Mana Blast was a spell meant for monsters, not people.

The Ethan from before-the fat one-might have been different, but the current Ethan could probably dodge my Mana Blast as casually as crossing a crosswalk in front of an elementary school.

And honestly, looking back, it wasn’t like my participation in that monster wave response party would have gone smoothly.

‘If I had stepped forward, I’d just end up being treated like some weird girl at best.’

For a moment, I felt a twinge of regret seeing Orion leave with only Ethan and Agnes, but realistically, if I had volunteered, Orion would likely have cut me off.

‘Name?’

‘I can’t disclose it due to circumstances.’

‘Then, any monster hunting experience?’

‘I’ve hunted one Hookfang.’

‘Oh? Quite the skilled mage, are you?’

‘No. My main weapon is a dagger.’

‘Hm…?’

‘And I don’t have any weapons on me right now, so if you could lend me something similar, I’ll definitely pull my weight. Oh, and when I hunted the Hookfang, I didn’t use a dagger-I used a skewer, but my skills are still usable…’

‘……’

Admittedly, even I had to admit that sounded suspicious as hell.

A noble who hunted a Hookfang not with magic but with a skewer? A main weapon of daggers but asking to borrow one now?

It was too absurd and rambling to be believable.

At best, I’d be dismissed as some crazy girl.

Of course, if Ethan vouched for me, there might have been a chance-but Ethan likely wouldn’t go out of his way to endorse me.

The fewer people in the monster wave suppression team, the more his own achievements would stand out, making it far more advantageous for catching the imperial family’s eye.

And if this event truly required my participation, I would have forced my way in-but considering the difficulty, the current team should suffice.

I had a rough idea of where this episode fit into ‘s main story.

‘This must be the “Imperial Palace Assault Incident” event, happening one year before the academy’s enrollment.’

It was an event the protagonist couldn’t directly participate in, but based on the plot I knew, this had to be it.

A demon general had deliberately triggered a monster wave to destroy the Argentian Imperial Palace. Though the imperial guards and some main characters managed to repel the attack, several noble heirs were killed or critically injured.

This incident spurred the Argentian Imperial Family to take drastic measures, greatly expanding the academy’s enrollment-leading to the gathering of combat-specialized characters from all walks of life in ‘s second act.

Meaning, the originally intended characters alone should be enough to repel this attack.

Seraphine, Orion, and Agnes. Plus, Ethan, who had grown considerably stronger. The combat power was actually a net gain.

They’d likely repel it far more easily than in the original story. The current Ethan was no weakling.

He might even save some characters who would have died in the original.

‘I’d love to sneak out and hunt a few monsters for EXP, but… there are too many eyes here.’

I was already in a precarious position from drawing too much attention.

If I acted suspiciously now, I might be exposed as a commoner who could use magic-and there were far too many eyes to deceive.

I could manage to fool Ethan after spending so much time with him, but tricking a dozen guards was impossible. I had no choice but to wait quietly for the plot to unfold.

‘If I just stay in the waiting room with the guards, nothing major should happen.’

I’ll behave today. That’s the best way to avoid trouble.

…Or so I thought just moments ago.

But that resolve began to waver the moment I stepped into the imperial palace’s main hall, accompanied by an inexplicable unease.

“……Ah.”

“E-Eek…?!”

Reunited in the shelter, a familiar noble girl with sky-blue hair.

After encountering Lizzie Lynn August here again…