“Huff… cough, right now, there’s no time to explain. For now… ugh- wheeze… we need to evacuate the people. All the monsters from the ruins and the plains are gathering here! Wheeze… So hurry up… cough…”
Blood rose up my throat, blocking my words.
Rubia, who was beside me, gently wiped my mouth with a handkerchief and embraced my trembling body.
“Monsters from the ruins and the plains…?”
“Just now, the guy who used that flute… ugh… brrr… that flute has the effect of gathering monsters in one place… plus it also causes frenzy… cough…”
“Okay. I understand. You don’t have to say more. So, right now… we need to evacuate the villagers, right?”
I could only nod as I couldn’t find my voice.
“But… they’re rushing in from both entrance… We’ll have to block the entrance as much as possible and get the residents to hide inside their houses.”
Nod, nod-
“If what the kiddo said is true… there should be around 20,000 of them.”
“Right, now that we’re in such a mess, I’ll try to deal with it.”
Luchi yelled as he walked toward the people.
“Hey! There are 20,000 monsters approaching from afar; are you just going to stand here?!”
The villagers, hearing Luchi’s words, only murmured to each other, showing no intention to move at all.
“And I need quite a few items right now; are there any merchants willing to part with them? I’ll pay a generous price.”
The people’s reaction remained unchanged.
Watching this unfold made me want to pull my hair out.
Even Rubia, holding me, let out a deep sigh.
“Right… then it can’t be helped. I’ve asked once, so it’s your choice now.”
With that, Luchi brushed the blood off his sword and approached the villagers.
Heinzel, sensing something was off, followed Luchi and grabbed his shoulder.
“Luchi. What are you planning to do…?”
“Even if they don’t understand, surely this will get through?”
Luchi, whose shoulder was grabbed, subtly raised his sword and answered.
Heh heh… this is maddening.
I could somewhat understand that mindset.
In a situation where every second counts, there’s no time to persuade with words.
Of course, it’s true that this dire situation led to this mess…
But judging by the villagers’ responses… they would have treated him like a madman regardless.
So…
I have no choice but to step in.
They need a little scare.
After all, I’m somewhat known as the red beast that tears apart monsters, so I could instill some level of fear.
I downed the potion I had in my pocket once more.
Then, stepping out of Rubia’s embrace, I grabbed my great sword and followed Luchi.
What if I just smash the building next to me?
I’m not sure if I can do it in my current state…
If I can just break the pillars…
Recalling the sensation I had when I broke down Hablon’s barrier, I gripped my great sword tightly when…
“…Noah. Just a moment.”
Rubia grabbed my shoulder.
“Ugh… Rubia, this is… something I must do. If I don’t—”
“No. That’s not it. Let me take care of this. It’ll be much easier that way.”
With that, Rubia passed by me and quickly approached Luchi.
“Mr. Luchi. I’ll handle this. You and Mr. Heinzel just prepare for combat.”
“Are you sure, young lady?”
“I don’t want to, but… I have no choice. I can’t just sit back in this situation.”
Rubia finished her words and slowly walked toward the people.
Then, taking off her hooded robe, which was pushed down over her head, she spoke in a bright, overly formal voice.
“Hello, everyone. How have you been?”
“Mu, M-Miss Shaman?!”
“It’s the Shaman!”
“Oh, oh dear… Miss Shaman! It’s been a while!”
As the people saw Rubia’s true face, one by one, they knelt and bowed, and she began a lengthy greeting before explaining the situation.
“Wow… Rubia… you’re amazing…?”
“Rose better than the sword, huh…”
“Well, thank goodness. This will make preparations easy. Kiddo, do you know which entrance they’ll come from first?”
“Probably… since Normals are faster, they’ll come from the ruins first.”
“Then the ruins are to the south. From what I could see, there are quite a few adventurers in the village. If we send them all east and the rest of us block the south, how does that sound?”
Luchi looked between me and Heinzel.
“The three of us?”
Luchi nodded his head.
Heinzel also nodded at me.
“…but there are over 8,000 of them?”
“8,000 of them… we’ll kill 3,000, and you’ll take care of the weakest 2,000.”
“Hmm, that’s a good idea.”
Luchi and Heinzel exchanged smirks as they looked down on me.
Killing thousands of monsters is getting tossed around so casually.
Even as a joke, it needs to be taken seriously…
Despite Luchi and Heinzel, they should also consider the implications of death.
This is definitely not an easy situation.
Yet, talking like this…
It must be their way of making a firm resolve.
So, I decided to play along.
“…I’ll take care of 4,000 monsters. You guys only have to take care of 2,000. If you kill any more… I won’t let you off easy.”
“Kwahaha! Sounds good! How about the loser buys breakfast tomorrow morning!”
“It’s unusual for you to make a good suggestion. I agree.”
“I’ll ask for all the jelly in this village… You guys go south first. I still have some things to gather…”
I turned my back on the dark-skinned uncle and headed toward Rubia.
“Rubia…!”
Hearing my voice, Rubia stopped and gently turned around.
“How about it…? Are you okay?”
“Ah, Noah. The explanation is over. Now you’ll be giving me the items I need. But… it feels like you’re trusting me too much. The pressure is heavy.”
Rubia sighed deeply and waved her arms.
“It seems everyone still doesn’t realize how serious the situation is. That’s to be expected, but… I’m a little anxious.”
“Well, it can’t be helped. If they don’t step out of their homes, it should be fine. The villagers are fine… but what about the adventurers?”
“The innkeepers are waking all the adventurers and gathering them in the plaza. The merchants are also collecting the items we need into the plaza.”
“Hmm… then for now… wait, can you bend down for a second?”
“Sure. Got it.”
Rubia gently bent down.
I stood on my tiptoes and whispered the necessary items.
I asked her to keep it a secret.
It wouldn’t matter if the villagers found out… but I thought it’d be easier for me if they didn’t know for now.
I whispered very quietly.
“I didn’t hear that wrong, did I?”
“Yes. Rubia heard correctly.”
“Then… all of those… Ugh?!”
“Ah, no! Shh…! I said it’s a secret…!”
Rubia covered my mouth with both hands.
Silly Rubia…!
I just asked her to keep it a secret!
“Mmm- mm!”
Rubia nodded to signal she understood before finally removing her hands.
“Okay, understood. Just get those for me, right?”
“Yes. The more, the better, so please bring as many as you can.”
“But… why do you need that in the south? Why not just split them between both sides…”
Rubia cocked her head, looking puzzled before pausing for a moment.
“Noah, don’t tell me…”
“Hmm… yes. That’s right. Heinzel uncle, Luchi uncle, and I will block the south gate. So please tell them to bring the items I mentioned to the south gate. And also, please bring 10 great swords, plus… just one potion should be enough.”
“Only three of you blocking?”
Rubia’s voice sharpened.
“Yes. Rubia will… go to the west. Stay close to the adventurers and help ensure the formation doesn’t break. If the adventurers in the village put in the effort, it should be enough… Oh, and remember that thing we used in the forest to block the smell… whatever it was, make sure to set that up too.”
Rubia’s trembling hands grabbed my shoulder.
“Don’t say such insane things. How is that…”
I firmly gripped her shaking hands.
“It’ll be okay. It’ll be fine, so just listen to me and do it this way. Once this all ends… the four of us will go for a meal together, right? The one who kills the least will pay. But I’ll make sure it won’t be me, so you can eat to your heart’s content.”
“How do you expect just three of you to deal with all those monsters… it’s absurd. No matter how top-tier Luchi and Heinzel may be…”
“Rubia. Please trust me. We don’t have time for further debate. Let’s move. I’m counting on you to get those items.”
I finally removed Rubia’s hands from my shoulders.
“Well then, I’ll see you later, Rubia.”
I tossed a light farewell and turned around, heading toward the south gate.
But wait, didn’t I just set up a guaranteed death flag…?
“Uh, uh…! Don’t let’s meet later…!”
“What did you just say?”
“Ahh… oh, nothing! Goodbye…!”
*
“Wow, it’s quite a sight… Even in the dead of night, I can see hordes rushing in like a pack of dogs.”
“Luchi, can you see it too? I thought you wouldn’t because you only have one eye.”
“Don’t worry about it; it’s all thanks to your stupid shiny head.”
As I listened to Luchi and Heinzel’s silly banter, I expanded my senses.
The vanguard in front is a group of six.
About 1,200 monsters.
“Just as expected, a group of six. We’ll proceed as planned?”
“We have to. It’d be a waste to use those already.”
“Hmm. Good idea.”
Luchi drew his sword.
Heinzel gripped his halberd.
And I planted the 10 great swords around me.
“Count carefully, don’t forget the numbers. Especially you, Heinzel.”
“I shall count well this time. But what about the leader? No extra bonuses for you?”
“If we add bonuses… it’ll just confuse you, Uncle Heinzel, so no.”
“Kuhuh… Noah’s right.”
“Hmm… well, that’s true.”
The three of us fell silent.
The monstrous howls of Normals.
The tremors of the earth.
The vibration in the air.
“Let’s finish this well and go eat without losing our limbs, okay?”
“Kuhuhuh! That’s self-evident!”
I nodded at their words.
And opened my eyes.
Yeah.
These are all just characters in a game.
Not real.
This is a game.
So…
Don’t be scared.
Just do what you’ve done in the game.
You can absolutely do this.
