The morale of the knights and holy knights soared to the heavens.
At that moment, as if in perfect timing, a dimension gap tore open. From that gap, countless monsters began to pour out.
The knights charged with a loud roar, veins bulging in their necks. In the moment the monsters hesitated, caught off guard by their momentum, a sword swiftly severed one’s neck.
While many fell easily to the knights and holy knights, their numbers were anything but ordinary. The creatures were at least twice the size of those they had seen before.
As a result, unlike before, the knights showed no mercy in their sword strikes.
Mmm…
Even Abel, who was at the forefront, lacked the usual composure. Countless white magic circles appeared in the air without a second’s delay.
The rain of spears pouring from those circles acted as a wall, blocking the monsters.
For a brief moment before turning to dust, the bodies that fell prevented the monsters from pushing forward. Taking advantage of that gap, the holy knights and knights cut down their enemies.
Their coordinated attack was flawless, but there were still plenty of monsters that managed to break through and charge at the escort team. Most of these were small enough to slip past unnoticed.
Silphy checked the number of monsters and shouted at me.
[There are twenty in total, Contractor!]
“I know!”
I let the wind wrap around my legs.
With a feeling of lightness flooding my body, I took a deep breath. Then, I stomped the ground roughly and charged at the monster horde.
My sharp rapier glinted as I easily beheaded a monster. The azure wind expertly masked my unnatural movements, allowing me to continue with fluid attacks.
“Hah!”
Despite the numerous kills in front of me, the number of monsters targeting me steadily increased. I clicked my tongue and gripped my rapier tightly, entering a combat stance.
At first, it seemed absurd that the holy kingdom and the empire formed an alliance just for a horde of monsters.
But facing them like this, I couldn’t help but understand.
There was simply no way to stem such a monstrous tide without gathering strong allies like these.
Even with the great mage Abel almost wiping out monsters up ahead, the sheer numbers were overwhelming…
[Contractor! Stay focused!]
At Silphy’s shout, I stopped my frantic attacks and looked around.
To my surprise, I had advanced much further than where I was supposed to be.
“Sorry, I got a bit carried away.”
[No, it’s my fault. I should have been the one to assess the situation in a place like this.]
I was at a loss for words at her self-reproach. Even she, who always maintained her composure, was now rambling nervously.
Perhaps as a result, the wind wrapping around my body was trembling uneasily. The azure wind that had enveloped my arm rippled for a moment before disappearing completely.
I sighed at the sight and flicked Silphy’s forehead.
[Ouch! What was that?!]
“Just a little payback for teasing you earlier, Silphy.”
As I said this with a grin, Silphy frowned deeply. Seemingly annoyed, she shot me a sharp glare and protested.
[Is that the time for that?!]
“Calm down. Now is not the time for excitement.”
[..Ah.]
At my words, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut and fell silent. Silphy let out a sigh and began taking deep breaths, a habit I often practiced.
Then she lowered her head.
[I’m sorry, Contractor. I shouldn’t let myself waver like this.]
“Just being aware is enough. You alright?”
[Yes.]
Well, since it was my first time seeing Silphy in such a flustered state, I didn’t mind letting it slide. It was quite a rare sight to see her acting like this with Abel.
“Let’s go.”
Silphy nodded without a word. As if to respond, the wind began to whirl around us.
“O wind.”
With my single utterance, the azure wind swirled around my entire body. I gripped the rapier firmly in my right hand and peered ahead.
At that moment, the rapier sparkled with a golden aura.
Turning around, I noticed Yurph standing with a staff and a smile. I grinned back at her and then stomped the ground.
With a loud crash, the earth shook, and my view shifted.
As I retreated, I began to slice through the surrounding monsters one by one. I ignored the green blood splattering on my face as I stabbed and cut with my rapier.
The swordsmanship I had struggled with just starting out had become quite refined by this point.
‘The basics of the rapier are cutting and stabbing.’
That annoying advice from Arin rang through my head. Following her teachings, I moved; she had told me I couldn’t extract the rapier’s strengths by only stabbing.
During the process, I recalled she mentioned that with Silphy’s wind, I could face even the average swordmaster as a worthy opponent.
I might not have reached that level yet, but at least I was much better than I was at first.
Whoosh.
Green flames ignited in the air, striking at a monster that was about to ambush me. In an instant, it was reduced to ashes, and its remains scattered across the ground.
Turning my head, I saw Arin wielding a one-handed sword with an expressionless face. Looking concerned for my safety, she asked,
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, thanks to you.”
“That’s a relief.”
While Arin exhaled slightly, her spirit, Pi, floated around her with enthusiasm, waving both hands. Seeing this, Silphy moved closer to me, seemingly tired.
[Ugh?]
[Go away. I’m too tired to deal with you today.]
Silphy said this with a look of disgust to Pi, who seemed insistent. Well, after a month of training, it was understandable.
[How about tomorrow then…?]
[Think about it.]
[Yes!]
[But I didn’t say I would fight!]
Even though her words were sharp, the fact that she couldn’t refuse outright showed that they had developed a good bond. Thinking that, Silphy shot me a bewildered look.
“Then I’ll return to the hunting team.”
“Yes. Good luck, Master.”
“Ahem, calling me Master is too much.”
She seemed a bit pleased with the title of my master, her lips curling up into a smile. Waving her hand, she stepped forward.
Pi looked a bit disappointed as she waved goodbye several times but then turned back to the front. Taking a deep breath, I began to survey the battlefield again.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Yurph had come closer to me. She asked, her tone curious,
“Master, right?”
“Ah, yes. She’s my spirit conduit master.”
“The leader of that knight order, isn’t she?”
The leader of the Black Raven Knights, Arin. With the long-standing collaboration between the holy knight order and our order, her reputation had spread far and wide.
Known as the “Knight of the Green Flame,” Arin was actively incinerating monsters up front, living up to her title.
Knowing that the master who taught me spirit magic is so renowned among others made me feel rather buoyant. Still, as this was a battlefield, I had to suppress those emotions.
“That’s right. But Yurph, aren’t you a bit too far forward?”
In response to my concerned question, she shook her head and pointed to Kal beside her.
“It’s okay. I have Kal with me.”
Her tone was kind and pleasant as opposed to the previous dismissive air she usually exuded. Kal, though trying not to show it, sounded slightly happier as his voice rose a bit.
“Yes. You don’t need to worry about me.”
Had he come to enlightenment in the days since? His demeanor toward her had noticeably changed.
Silphy seemed equally surprised by the change, her eyes widening as she shifted between Kal and Yurph.
[..What happened?]
‘Well…’
I might have advised them, but I had no idea what emotional changes she underwent. All I knew was that she seemed to be in much better spirits than before, and that felt good.
Mmm…
A loud cry filled the air. The sound echoed from the dimension gap, heightening the tension for both me and Kal.
Not long after that, a gigantic whale soared through the sky, revealing itself.
The massive black whale, with its red-glowing eyes rotating furiously. While I quietly watched, Kal’s arms twitched slightly.
“W-What is that…?”
“What is it?”
“Why is the Forgetting Whale here…?”
The Forgetting Whale. It was a monster I had never heard of before.
Wasn’t it strange for a monster emerging from another realm to have a name? Just then, I noticed the visible drop in morale on the side of the holy knight order.
“If this is real…”
KUUUUUU!
It roared like an explosion, sending a wave of paralysis through my entire body. No, it wasn’t just a sensation; my body felt almost frozen.
Among us, only Yurph managed to block her ears, allowing her to move alone.
The Forgetting Whale’s red eyes glinted as it locked onto us, charging straight towards us.
The moment its eyes met mine, my mind went blank. It felt just like when I first encountered a disaster-level monster during the Hunt Festival.
I gritted my teeth, trying to move, but my paralyzed body wouldn’t respond. It felt as if fear had rendered me immobile in front of a wild beast.
Suddenly—
Thump.
A tiny hand rudely pushed me forward. It felt as if an immense force had shoved me.
With all my might, I turned my head to see Yurph standing close, smiling and radiating holy power with her arms outstretched.
At the same moment, the whale’s mouth, wide and ready, approached her.
“Thanks for the advice, Sister Id.”
“Wait—?”
Those were Yurph’s last words before she was swallowed whole by the whale, disappearing without a trace.
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