Chapter: 156
As the construction for the teleportation barrier magic circles across the Boundary Area was nearly complete.
Once the construction was finished, the teleportation gates that had served as a bridge for the heroes would no longer be usable for a while, causing most of the heroes to head towards the frontline to prevent any gaps in the defense.
Of course, strengthening the frontline’s barriers would inevitably create vacancies among the personnel protecting the surrounding city. Therefore, the Central Committee stationed the most reliable individuals near the city in case of any emergencies.
This time, the one assigned to guard the Boundary Area just outside the barrier was Lucas Eloise, the deputy commander of Astrape’s 3rd Squad.
Though there were occasional rumors questioning whether he was merely a deputy commander since he seemed to lag behind his wife, Natalia Eloise, who was the squad leader, every hero actively serving knew the truth.
At least in the domain of “protecting something,” he possessed the most exceptional abilities among the existing heroes.
The tale of him enduring the attacks of high-tier beasts by conjuring ice walls using his chilling abilities had already spread like a legend in the whispers of the people.
Although he was a deputy commander, Lucas was a member of the golden generation alongside squad leaders Leon, Martina, and Natalia, making it entirely plausible for him to become a squad leader at any moment.
Thus, as long as Lucas was guarding the city, everyone firmly believed there wouldn’t be any issues, allowing them to worry-free carry out the construction that temporarily made reinforcements to the city impossible.
And in the midst of such a heavy role, Lucas was currently,
“Aah, I really want to go home and clock out… I want to play with my daughter, aah…”
He was constantly voicing his longing to go home with deep sighs.
Seeing Lucas looking completely unmotivated, his aide muttered with an exasperated expression.
“… Do you even realize how many times you’ve said you want to clock out today? Could you please stop?”
“But, it’s been ages since I last went home! I had to give up my last holiday because of the construction, and now I can’t leave until the teleportation gates are active again? What if Marin forgets what her dad looks like…?”
“Haah, it’s hardly been a few weeks, how could that happen? Marin is no baby; she’s already grown old enough to be attending the academy…”
“No matter how grown-up she is, in my eyes, she’s still a little one that needs my care! You don’t have a daughter, so you wouldn’t understand! She’s really so cute!”
As Lucas rambled with a proud face, his aide let out a deep sigh.
How did I end up serving under this person? he thought.
At first glance, Lucas, with his sky-blue hair and sharp features due to his ice-manipulating abilities, seemed like a cold city guy, but in reality, he was quite the fool, and a devoted husband under the grip of his wife Natalia.
Who would have guessed that the star of the infamous premarital pregnancy scandal would be such a softhearted guy?
Now, with the mere mention of his daughter, his expression changed, and his aide shook his head, but Lucas’s mouth was already on a roll.
“Did I show you the photo the other time? That one of Marin in a dress. She usually doesn’t dress up, but when she does, it’s just so adorable!”
“… I think I’ve heard that story at least a hundred times. It was about the matchmaking, right?”
“… Right. That scumbag actually kicked my beautiful daughter! Not only do I not forgive him for hitting on her, but I can’t forgive him for actually kicking her! I’m definitely going to give him a piece of my mind someday.”
As Lucas displayed a father’s ugly jealousy toward his daughter’s suitor, he let out a deep sigh, hanging his head.
“Ugh… talking about my daughter just makes me want to clock out even more.”
“… I get it, but please stop already. This work was initiated precisely because your daughter was in danger, wasn’t it?”
“… You’re right. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have taken on this role at all.”
Lucas muttered with a serious expression.
He recalled how enraged he had been upon hearing that the academy students, including his daughter Marin, had nearly been killed by a witch during a field trip to the frontline.
“That witch, I’ll kill her if I ever run into her again.”
How dare she try to harm my precious daughter?
As Lucas muttered this with a fierce expression, his aide couldn’t help but tremble at the cold aura radiating from him.
No matter how foolish he seemed on the surface, Lucas was one of the strongest heroes on par with the best.
Realizing this anew, his aide steadied himself and spoke to Lucas.
“… Commander, I think the time’s almost up.”
“… Really? Then let’s go check it out.”
Upon his aide’s remark, Lucas headed towards the location where the last magic circle installation work was ongoing.
Next to the site where the magic circles were being installed, ordinary citizens who had remained in the Boundary Area were returning through the still-active teleportation gates.
This was the last gate left for evacuating the citizens because the safety of the Boundary Area couldn’t be guaranteed until the teleportation gates were reactivated.
Once the last magic circle installation was complete, that gate would also halt, and for a time, the entire Boundary Area would be cut off from teleportation, so Lucas had to thoroughly ensure that no citizens remained in the area.
“Everyone who went out, they all returned, right?”
“Yes, there seem to be no missing personnel.”
“Then that’s good. The checks are done. Please proceed with the final adjustments!”
It appeared everyone that had received prior permission to use the Boundary Area had returned. The aide looked over the documents several times while checking with the returning citizens before nodding at Lucas.
Seeing this, Lucas signaled the mage in charge of the magic circle installation, and the mage gestured with his fingers a few times.
Soon after, with a sound like ‘Voom’, the last remaining teleportation gate shut down.
With that, the Boundary Area became a fortress impossible to breach via teleportation from the outside.
At that moment, as Lucas watched the people entering the city, he felt a strange sense of relief that his daughter would no longer be in danger as before.
“… Huh?”
At the sound made by his aide standing beside him, Lucas turned to look.
His aide wore a clearly bewildered expression.
“What’s wrong? Did you miscount the number of people? It would be a big problem if someone hasn’t returned.”
“No… it’s not that. I clearly checked that everyone needing to return has…”
Puzzled, the aide murmured, tilting his head.
“It seems like… one more person than I just checked has returned…”
At that, Lucas quickly turned to look at the crowd returning to the city.
And there, he noticed someone wearing a hood who appeared to have been there for some time.
“… What the hell, damn it…”
With his head lowered, the suspicious figure kept mumbling something incomprehensible, causing Lucas to harden his expression as he approached the person to inquire.
“… Excuse me. I need to verify your identity, could you please show your ID and remove your hood?”
At Lucas’s question, the individual in the hood paused, then slowly raised their head, muttering.
“… An order? You worthless insects… Are you all ignoring me…? Damn it… damn it…”
“… I said, the ID.”
“… To me, to me—!!”
And Lucas saw it.
From beneath the hood, the glinting, rage-filled eyes of a beast.
“—DON’T ORDER ME!!!!!!”
With a roar, the claws swiped through the air.
In the blink of an eye, an attack was launched towards Lucas, sending nearby people screaming and fleeing into the city through the barrier.
Just as the hooded figure turned to follow the panicking crowd, a sharp sound cut through the air, and an ice spear hurtled towards them.
With a loud ‘Thud’, the spear collided with the slashing claws.
While the attack didn’t inflict damage, the resulting blast swept the hood away, revealing long black hair like a lion’s mane and beast ears perched on top.
At first glance, she appeared beast-like.
Lucas, who had attacked earlier to divert his gaze from her, was taken aback and shouted to the rushing aide.
“… Warn the city of an emergency! Evacuate the people!”
“Y-yes, Commander!”
Leaving his aide hurriedly evacuating the citizens behind, Lucas faced the beast-like woman, swallowing hard.
Trickles of blood were beading on the wound on Lucas’s neck, a sign he had just barely avoided a critical attack.
He had intended to completely immobilize his opponent, yet it had merely come to a delayed response.
If he hadn’t used his ability the moment their eyes met, her attack would’ve graciously claimed his head.
He had heard that beastfolk were extinct; what the heck was she?
He didn’t know how or where she had entered, nor who she was, but the fierce aura radiating from her made Lucas realize that she was no ordinary foe.
It felt somewhat familiar, akin to when he had confronted high-tier beasts, perhaps even a greater pressure.
Yet, Lucas believed he could win.
Judging by her claw-swing attack, she specialized in close combat.
Such physical assaults could never pierce the ice walls he created.
Just when he was evaluating his chances of victory, the woman fixed Lucas with a furious, glaring gaze and hysterically shouted.
“… Don’t you dare order me, you human! That irritating voice of that woman keeps echoing in my head, making me feel like I’m going insane!!”
With that scream, the woman lunged toward Lucas.
The distance between them closed in an instant with terrifying speed.
But Lucas, already prepared, summoned his powers to create an ice wall in front of him.
The strongest shield that had withstood the attacks of high-tier beasts without breaking a sweat.
So Lucas was confident he’d easily block her attack as he readied his counterattack beyond the wall.
And obviously, he believed he would block it.
That overconfidence led to a momentary lapse in caution.
And what followed was utterly terrible.
A sickening ‘slice’ was heard as something was severed, and bubbles of blood seeped out from Lucas’s half-severed neck.
Then came the resounding ‘thud’ as his body collapsed.
Accompanied by the sound of the mighty shield he trusted so much being sliced through like paper.
As Lucas’s gaze slowly turned to the woman, disbelief washed over him.
How… how did it end so easily…
Receiving his accusatory gaze, the woman burst into laughter.
“Ahaha… AHAHAHA!!! How dare a human try to block an attack from a witch! I am a witch! The Witch of Arrogance, Freede! Nothing can withstand my attacks!”
After laughing for a while, her gaze gradually shifted toward the city.
Though invisible, she stared at the place behind the barrier that had continually protected humans from witches and demonic beasts.
Raising her arms high, she shouted.
“What you hide behind that firm belief—!”
And at the moment her arm swung down, what appeared in Lucas’s anguished eyes was
“This pathetic magic!!”
The last barrier that had always protected them was being torn apart before them.
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