*Ee-ee-ee-eeing…!*
Trie swallowed nervously at the chilling sound.
“It seems trouble has finally struck!”
Kain and Trie unsheathed their swords almost simultaneously.
Standing back to back, the two quickly scanned their surroundings to assess the situation.
Citizens startled and fleeing back home.
A chaotic atmosphere.
Yet, they sensed no thugs approaching with weapons drawn.
For now, this place wasn’t the enemy’s target.
At least, not for the moment.
“The alarm could be malfunctioning. Let’s check the fortress. Are you coming with me, Schlus Hainkel?”
“No. I will guard this place. That’s my mission.”
“Is that so…?”
If there were indeed intruders, they could wipe them out and earn a significant achievement.
However, there wasn’t a hint of wavering on Trie’s face.
As if she harbored not a shred of greed for accomplishments, she stood steadfast.
How could this young girl be so mature?
Kain felt a twinge of respect as he turned away.
“I will leave the enemy eradication entirely to the Imperial Knight Commander.”
“Right. Make sure to wipe them out.”
Kain kicked off the ground and vanished in the blink of an eye.
If he wore a helmet, no one would mistake him for anything but a seasoned veteran.
He emanated more threat than any elite knight as he headed toward the castle’s defenses.
“What? What’s going on?”
“Is it an enemy attack?”
Voices echoed from above, sounding alarmed.
Looking up, Trie felt her breath catch in her throat.
Why show their faces outside instead of hiding quietly inside…?
“Get inside and lock the door immediately! It might be an enemy attack!”
“Y-Yes!”
Still, her friends didn’t seem wholly unaware of the gravity of the situation.
Erica and Aintz accepted it wasn’t a joke and hurried to conceal themselves.
*I must protect this place!*
Even without Schlus’s request, this was a place that must be defended.
She wasn’t very close to them, but she couldn’t leave two fools exposed to the enemy just for trivial reasons.
As a knight, she would protect her friends.
As a strong one, she’d guard the weak.
With that single-minded determination, Trie narrowed her eyes and heightened her vigilance.
If there truly was an enemy intrusion, there were numerous potential paths: sewers, tunnels, or previously planted spies.
Regardless of the route, unless they had barged through the castle gates, their numbers would hardly exceed a hundred.
With that limited number of combatants, she needed to inflict a lethal strike, and three targets came to mind.
First, undoubtedly, was the castle gate.
If they could seize the gate, they could let in a large number of allies.
But considering that, knights were already stationed there, guarding it.
Next was the fortress and other defensive facilities.
Within the fortress resided the commander’s residence, and they could fortify themselves in an emergency.
However, even if they tried to fortify, they would soon perish when confronted by knights, making the chances of choosing the fortress exceedingly low.
The last location remained the magician’s residence.
Of course, that was only if the enemy knew where it was.
The fact that this was the magician’s residence had been kept confidential.
They had even intentionally minimized the number of guards to avoid drawing attention.
However, if they had been surveilling for a long time, the enemy might have noticed that two magicians were stationed here.
So, she had to be on high alert.
The probability that this place was the enemy’s target was significantly high.
*Boom!*
“……!”
Suddenly, an explosion echoed from a distance.
Such a huge sound indicating powerful magic.
It seemed the enemies had infiltrated with some elite personnel.
It was slightly eerie, yet also reassuring.
If chaos erupted elsewhere, it meant this side was relatively safe.
With such a small strike force, there was no reason for them to split their troops and reduce their chances of success.
“……!”
*Thud.*
With amplified footsteps, Trie flinched and turned her head.
Someone was approaching.
She wasn’t alone.
At least three people.
Trie, sword raised high, was met with—
“Ah! Lady Trie!”
“Hah……”
Seeing familiar faces appear at the front gate, Trie breathed a sigh of relief.
They were familiar faces.
Members of the 4th Castle Guard.
They had surrendered to the suppression army and were now fighting against the rebel forces.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Yes. You’re doing well too. Are you on patrol?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Do you happen to know the current situation?”
“I’m not entirely sure yet, but it seems the enemy is trying to blast a hole in the castle gate with explosion magic.”
“Ah……”
In that case, the enemy must currently be launching a full-scale offensive at the gate.
Trie felt even more reassured.
Just as she was relaxing her grip on her arm, Trie narrowed her eyes again and raised her sword.
“Stop! You can’t come in here!”
“Ah! I thought you might be limited guarding alone, so I wanted to help.”
“That’s unnecessary. No one can enter here during an emergency.”
“I’ll just guard the entrance. Wouldn’t that reassure you more?”
“If you approach any further, I’ll consider you an enemy and will strike.”
“……”
The guard’s expressions went pale at Trie’s firm warning.
She was serious, valuing principles over everything.
“Ah…… I’m sorry. Then I’ll finish my patrol nearby.”
“Yes. I’m sorry for being a bit harsh.”
“It’s fine. It’s understandable to be sensitive. Haha……”
Embarrassed, the guards turned to leave.
Soon, other guards followed suit.
At that moment, Trie tilted her head in suspicion.
One of the guard’s arm movements seemed suspicious.
Just as she was about to call him back—
“Graahhh!”
“Ugh……!”
He suddenly turned and hurled an axe.
Startled by the flying axe with fierce speed, Trie raised her sword to protect her face.
*Thud……!*
But the axe halted mid-air, bursting out in a shower of blue light.
As it bounced back, the guards clicked their tongues.
It was a barrier.
Schlus Hainkel had poured immense mana to create a barrier that detected and deployed upon attack.
“Mad……”
Trie’s mouth fell open.
Footsteps echoed incessantly.
Simultaneously, enemy numbers were steadily increasing.
Ten…… Twenty…… No, thirty……
The exact number was uncertain.
But what was clear was that the enemy had designated this location as their attack target, and their forces had gathered here.
“Erica! Aintz! Can you hear me?”
“……”
There was no response from inside when called.
In the meantime, the enemy approached the barrier, tapping at the air around it.
Yet the solid barrier bore no scratches no matter how hard they struck it with an axe.
Whether they understood that or not, the enemy didn’t seem to be wasting their strength.
But for some reason, those supposed to be trapped here seemed to only chuckle.
“*As long as you can hear me, I’ll speak! Send a message now! The enemy’s attack target is here at the magician’s residence!*”
“……”
Had it been communicated effectively?
As Trie nervously fidgeted, a window burst open.
“Wrong! No way!”
“What?”
“The interference from mana waves is too much! Communication is impossible right now!”
“Ah……”
So they had something to rely on.
These weren’t simple fools who could merely swing swords or axes.
They were mages who understood magic well, capable of countering or reverse-engineering it.
Even if they weren’t adept at using magic, they knew it as well, if not better than a magician.
*Assassins……*
They were professional magicians’ assassins.
Remembering this sent chills down Trie’s spine.
Assassins were nurtured in any land with a significant magical presence.
The Southern Republic was no exception.
They were undoubtedly the remnants of such.
“Stay hidden inside! Whatever you do, don’t come out!”
“Support with magic—”
“I said don’t come out! Do I look like I’m joking?!”
“Ah, alright……”
At her shout, Erica and Aintz quickly disappeared without further retort.
She was relieved they seemed to understand.
Magicians and assassins were truly a deadly combination.
If things went wrong, the spells she attempted to cast for assistance could easily be seized by the enemies.
To face them, she could only use internal circuits with no risk of interception.
“Heh. How long do you think it’ll take to break through this barrier?”
“Hmph. Even with a century, it would be impossible for you.”
“Indeed, it’s a substantial output barrier. However, it’s more focused on resisting physical damage than magical dispersion. It might be useless to shatter it, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to disrupt it.”
“……”
With a smile plastered on his face, the enemy placed his palm against the barrier.
No way.
Could a mere pest like him really break Schlus’s barrier?
Just as she was about to laugh—
Suddenly, all the guards raised their arms and pressed their palms against the barrier.
“Could it be…!”
It wasn’t just this one guy who could dismantle the magic, but all those subhumans?
Trie’s mouth fell open.
If they all gathered and began calculations, it might indeed be feasible for them to break the barrier spells after all.
“……Hah…… Ah……”
Trie took a calm breath and tried to organize the situation.
Communications were impossible.
The enemy was a dozen master assassins specializing in magicians.
The defenders were just her.
The barrier was on the verge of breaking.
The situation was indeed dire.
“Ugh…… Hehe……”
Yet suddenly, she couldn’t help but chuckle.
Trie herself was surprised.
Why was she laughing in this situation? The absurdity bewildered her.
But soon, she reached a conclusion.
Trie was enjoying the situation.
Feeling a certain joy in the dire circumstances where her friends might die.
*It’s time to be honest now.*
Though pretending not to care, she had been gradually feeling inferior as she watched her friends achieve and receive praise.
And finally, with the opportunity at hand to make an achievement, she found herself glad that a crisis had struck.
Recognizing that alleviated any remaining tension within Trie.
“Come at me.”
Feeling a sense of distaste towards herself, Trie smiled at the foe.
—
Schlus Hainkel had indeed secured a negotiation with the Great Forest.
Half of the Southern Republic’s forces were about to be wiped out.
Thus, there was no longer a time to be nitpicky about methods and means.
Representing the Emperor of the Empire, a messenger and whatever else, Schlus must be eliminated right away.
Even if it meant ambushing on the way back to the castle with cowardly tricks.
And capturing the Saintess to use as a hostage would be beneficial.
Given the dire circumstances, they had to resort to extreme measures to survive.
—
“……”
“……”
In the dark forest.
Feeling the faint mana pressure weighing down on their bodies, the subhumans remained motionless.
Their gazes were fixed upon the road dimly illuminated by light.
Hiding behind the trees, they continued to wait and wait.
Yet, as night fell, and pitch-black darkness engulfed the path, no sounds of hoofbeats could be heard.
It was eerily quiet.
“……”
One of the subhumans quietly tapped their commander on the back and asked with hand signs.
While it might be dark for a human’s eyes, a subhuman’s keen sight enabled them to discern hand movements at close distances.
– Is the operation a failure?
– Not yet. We wait just a bit longer.
The fact that Schlus and the Saintess hadn’t yet crossed the road by such a dark hour clearly indicated they must have chosen to rest in the Great Forest.
Nevertheless, not knowing for certain, the subhumans kept their tension high and waited.
Considering Schlus’s combat strength, they mobilized hundreds of elite soldiers, including knights.
Their firm resolve was to ensure Schlus would die, no matter how many lives it cost.
Yet the problem was that Schlus had yet to appear.
The soldiers slowly began to grow tired.
The sun had long since set, and not a single sound of horses could be heard from Schlus or even the slightest stir.
Today just wasn’t their day.
Just as everyone was about to give up—
*Rustle……*
“……?!”
A sound from behind made the subhumans startle and turn, gripping their weapons.
However, all they saw was the dark, dense thicket.
Did they have allies lying in ambush nearby?
The subhumans questioned with puzzled looks.
– Who was that?
– I don’t know.
The commander merely shook his head in uncertainty.
Everyone lowered their bodies, tensed, but no further sounds emerged.
It must have just been a falling leaf.
Everyone thought so.
“Hey?”
“Shut it, idiot.”
“No, look over there… Who is that?”
At that moment, one subhuman soldier caught sight of a faint silhouette.
It was hard to see, but it definitely resembled a human figure.
Just as he leaned forward to scrutinize it closely, the silhouette began to move.
“Who do you think I am?”
“……!”
A deep voice echoed.
Simultaneously, a blue light shattered the darkness, erupting forth.
The elongated flash brightened the surroundings, revealing the figure of a man.
Though none had seen him before, everyone recognized that void-like, condescending gaze instantly.
“It’s over. You mutts.”
The blue light held in Schlus’s hand transformed into a sword in an instant, exuding overwhelming pressure.
His left hand moved toward the scabbard, gripping the handle of his longsword.
A second sword emerged, reflecting a menacing glimmer.
The subhumans froze in terror before him.
