*Thud!* It was a grand sight.
Students who’d never undergone military training stood orderly in front of the barricade, on high alert.
Considering the types of special magic and the amount of mana, Sergey had designed this formation on the spot.
If the 1st line of defense is breached, we abandon the fields and pastures and fall back into the village…
If the 2nd line is breached, we give up on the homes and retreat to the central keep…
If the 3rd line falls as well, then it’s over.
The faces of the students were a mix of tension and fear.
They’d heard they were going to practice fighting magical beasts, but never could have imagined they’d have to stop a magical beast wave!
Before long, darkness loomed over the village, and a strange energy began to swirl.
“Have the residents evacuated?”
“Yes, Professor. Everyone has moved to the bomb shelter.”
There shouldn’t be anyone missing.
Such situations aren’t common, but since the residents have been conducting evacuation drills almost every month…
“They’re coming.”
Sergey muttered in a low voice.
The students merely tilted their heads, but I could feel it too.
The ground trembled as the magical beasts approached, *thud thud*.
Fundamentally, magical beasts tend to fight among their own kind.
However, when they sense something completely alien, they don’t rally together but rather stop bickering to eliminate that foreign presence instead.
Like right now.
“My word…”
The tremors grew louder, and small trees at the edge of Whist Forest snapped and fell.
At the same time, black hounds, orcs, and… oh hell, is that Fenrir?
It was a rare sight to see various kinds and sizes of magical beasts rolled into one chaotic mass.
“Everyone, take up defensive positions! If your mana runs out, top off with your provided mana stones! If you show signs of mana energy poisoning, drink the antidote! But be sparing, as we don’t have much!”
Sergey darted around, relaying commands.
He could’ve amplified his voice with magic, but it seems he wanted to conserve mana as much as possible.
This is where it truly begins.
This battle, which I had previously described in print as the worst fight…
The tough Hertlocker confided that this battle had been immensely difficult for him.
Now facing it, I felt utterly blank.
All that came to mind were the tasks I needed to handle.
“Teacher.”
“…?”
A hand suddenly landed on my shoulder.
I turned to see Trie grinning at me.
By now, she had donned the village guard’s armor and had a sword at her waist.
“I only have one real sword, so it’s a shame. If I had two, I could’ve given you one.”
“No, it would’ve just been a burden to me. Magic is more convenient.”
“Even someone who will be a magic knight in the future saying that sounds like deception.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Hehe.”
Could it be that I’m not feeling all that tense thanks to her?
Trie really should be a bit more dependable.
Especially with her holding a sword.
“I did prepare a little gift… but I’m not sure it’ll arrive in time.”
“A gift?”
“Don’t get your hopes too high! Well then, I’m off to my position!”
“…?”
Chirping some nonsensical words, Trie dashed towards the 1st line of defense with the guards.
“First wave will arrive in 30 seconds! Prepare wide-area magic!”
“….”
Sergey shouted, signaling the students in the front line.
I was also supposed to use wide-area magic from the front line, but I intended to only pretend to cast it.
Even with my mana of 1000, it wouldn’t make a difference.
I planned to keep ‘selection and concentration’ for later use.
“Wide-area magic! Fire!”
Fire, lightning, sound waves, and etc…
Each of the wide-area magic spells shot forth.
Individually, they weren’t particularly remarkable, but when grouped together, they unleashed an overwhelming firepower that wiped out hordes of magical beasts blindly charging in.
This might be why mages are treated as tactical weapons on the battlefield.
It really seemed like there could be specialized troops like Hertlocker that are solely dedicated to taking down mages.
“Second line! Initiate sniping!”
*Flash!* *Thwack!* The sounds of arrows and wind pressure shot forth.
The magical beasts toppled, and while some stumbled over the corpses behind, they weren’t entirely blocked.
In the end, they only delayed time, and the barricade was nearing its end.
Now, the real deal starts.
“Hang on!!!”
The magical beasts were crashing into the wooden barricade.
The guards fought back, jabbing spears between the gaps of the pillars.
Despite their efforts, the magical beasts kept piling up, and the barricade was gradually leaning.
They managed to erase a significant number of the approaching magical beasts with the constant downpour of magic, though.
“Abandon the barricade! Retreat!”
At Sergey’s shout, the guards turned and began to run.
It seemed as if the magical beasts rushing in would engulf them…
“Graaaaaaaaah!”
“Whoa….”
A massive barrier Sergey had deployed intercepted the beasts and bought the guards a chance to escape.
He was holding back the weight of thousands of magical beasts with that wide-area barrier.
In the original work, Sergey hardly displayed any magic, so it didn’t really set in…
But that guy really is something else.
The barrier held for around 30 seconds before ultimately breaking.
Well, it was an unrealistic desire to protect both the fields and the village with a fragile 1st line of defense.
From now on, we could defend from the higher, more solid castle walls made of stone.
Soon, the magical beasts reached the castle wall, having crossed over the fields.
“When your mana runs out, step back and replenish! In the meantime, the second line need to take over!”
Sergey had his own systematic command, but soon chaos ensued.
Fireballs rained down and arrows flew in every direction, creating pandemonium.
The mindless black hounds simply charged forward and died crashing into the wall, with their bodies serving as a stepping stone for others.
Orcs stood some distance back hurling rocks, steadily increasing our casualties.
The sturdy Fenrir filled the role of a shield with its enormous frame.
Scouts, ranged damage dealers, and tanks all rolled into one.
Is this some kind of dream team or what?
A magical combination for sure.
*Cough!* *Hack…!*
Students started to vomit or bleed from their noses.
The mana energy in the village had thickened too much already.
Antidotes were gulped down from everywhere.
If they drank that fast…
“Professor! We’re out of antidotes!”
Of course, they would be depleted quickly.
They’d only saved enough for the village guards, and suddenly having dozens of students come wouldn’t allow for much surplus.
And those students consumed mana wildly, breathing several times faster than regular people.
But at this point…
“Professor! We found antidotes in the storeroom!”
“What?! How many bottles?”
“Ten. But… they’re all very high concentration and seem equivalent to about 100 regular ones!”
“Whoa…!”
I figured the mana energy antidotes I had prepared would surface around now.
With this, we could hold out a bit longer.
“Oh, they’re coming…!”
“An orc! An orc is climbing over the castle wall!”
While we had been caught up in the battle, one side had gotten noisy.
Indeed, an orc was using the castle wall to navigate, with guards and students trying to stop it.
Damn, it looks like the pile of black hound corpses had become a hill for them to climb over the wall.
The 2nd line of defense would likely collapse next.
“Clear a path!”
“Schlus Hainkel, I’ll go on ahead.”
Something zipped past, creating a *whoosh* of wind.
Trie and Sergey.
Sergey was wielding a massive club he must have picked up from somewhere, and Trie unsheathed the training sword she had brought, charging in.
They relentlessly sliced and bludgeoned the advancing orc horde back outside before they could even spill over.
With Trie and the tenacious Sergey together, it was a guarantee that they’d hold the line.
Even if high-grade beasts like Fenrir came en masse, they could hold their own.
However, what if other segments of the wall started to give way as well?
“AAAAAH! Over here too!”
“GRRRR!”
Damn it. The scenario we dreaded came true faster than expected.
Fenrir was climbing over the opposite wall alongside orcs.
The students facing the beasts fell into a panic.
“Retreat! Fall back to the 3rd line of defense! If you have the opportunity, do so slowly to help cover the retreat of our comrades!”
Unable to bear it any longer, Sergey ultimately had to issue the command to abandon the wall.
The 3rd line of defense was a high tower, making it impossible for the beasts to break through.
But they’d surely ravage all the residences.
We’d only salvage our lives, resulting in our loss.
Sergey likely realized that, making it hard for him to hesitate.
“Anyone who can still fight, stay behind,” he said in context.
The panicking students wouldn’t be of any help, so they were pushed to the back while those with combat skills would fight and, if the opportunity arose, drive the beasts back for another stand at the 2nd line.
“Is that Schlus Hainkel?”
“…?”
At that moment, someone tapped me on the back.
Startled, I turned around.
There stood an old woman holding something wrapped in white veils.
Despite the students screaming and running, she remained upright, gazing at me.
She seemed to be a resident of this place and wasn’t scared at all.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then take this.”
“What is…?”
I took a long object wrapped in a veil from the old woman’s hands.
At that instant, she pulled back the veil, revealing a dazzling sword glimmering in the dark.
This is… the training sword I had used during my duel with Trie earlier!
No, it looks like the training sword, but it’s different.
The blunt blade that only hurt a bit when hit was now sharper than a razor.
Could it be that she took it to the forge to sharpen it for me?
“Who… who is this from-”
“….”
Before I could ask, the old woman had disappeared.
A truly elusive person.
I turned back to see Trie, still slicing through magical beasts at the castle wall.
She seemed too busy to even glance my way.
A gift from Trie.
With my current inability to use magic or powers, I had received something precious.
*Grrr…!*
At that moment, a Fenrir stood right in front of me.
The students and guards who had been protecting this side of the wall had all retreated.
Or rather, since it was said retreating was fine, perhaps ‘fled’ isn’t the right term.
In any case, it was now just me.
No matter how strong Sergey and Trie were, there’s no way they’d come to my aid with so many beasts around.
*Grrr!*
*Huff…*
Damn, this is terrifying.
But I had no choice but to fight.
If it were a slow beast like an orc, I could escape, but if Fenrir got send in, the fleeing students would be torn to shreds.
I raised the sword over my shoulder and took my stance.
A position more favorable for facing an enemy larger than myself.
Suddenly, the scenery before me shifted.
In an instant, the environment was engulfed in white.
‘Huh?’
A pure white snowy mountain.
Before me stood a massive wolf monster, baring its fangs.
A boy stood alone in front of it.
It was a scene I’d seen before in the ‘Memory of True Self’.
Aside from the fact that everything was covered in snow, it felt almost identical to the current situation.
Yeah, Schlus accomplished this at such a young age.
It’s somewhat ridiculous that as an adult, I’m scared now.
Realizing that made my confidence swell, and a smile crept onto my lips.
As the white wolf lunged at me, the snowy landscape melted away, returning me to reality.
“Come at me, pup.”
“RAAAAAAH!”
Fenrir charged at me, its movements appearing oddly slow.
