Defense Against the Orthoptera (1)
The Orthoptera were descending south, and the western reaches of Schytz Province had been completely emptied of both garrison troops and civilians. Hearing this unnatural report from Dahlia, Supreme Commander Muniherr could only let out a grim, hollow sigh.
To think they would pull an underhanded stunt like this just to manufacture a scandal.
The withdrawal of garrison forces from a territory could only mean one thing: the handiwork of the very nobles who governed the land. It was as if they had known all along that the Orthoptera would surge south, deliberately pulling out their soldiers and serfs ahead of time.
In the face of an encroaching beast wave, they refused to let their own domains suffer any loss, yet had zero intention of dirtying their hands to resolve it. Instead, they dumped the catastrophe onto someone else's lap, waiting for a slip-up so they could tear down a rival's standing and prestige. It was a move entirely typical of men driven purely by greed and political calculus.
Yet I cannot afford to abandon this post.
There was no need for repeated scouting. A single reconnaissance run had confirmed that Canolatl still swarmed thick and fast. The moment he pulled troops away from Lemtert Village, those monsters would descend upon the remaining villagers without mercy to gorge their voracious appetites.
Muniherr had no choice but to entrust the rear to those left behind.
"Dahlia. Take a squad and advance toward Lebrant Academy immediately."
"What? To the academy?"
The southward-marching Orthoptera would soon realize the barren plains held nothing left to eat. Driven by hollow bellies, their ferocity would multiply as they hunted for human prey. Given their trajectory, there was only one plausible destination in their path.
"Make haste. If the squad cannot keep pace, you must push ahead on your own."
Left to whatever dregs remained at the rear, there would be no defense—only a one-sided slaughter to line the bellies of the beasts.
They're gone! Finally!
Just in case, Junon kept a cautious eye fixed on the cafe window. Fortunately, once the hovering students saw him buy Sylvia a slice of cake, they seemed satisfied enough to retreat. He could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
He had spent the entire walk sweating under their murderous glares, but at least he had managed to shepherd her indoors, shielded from prying eyes, where she could eat something in peace. He had intentionally chosen an upscale, pricey establishment to ensure those watchdogs wouldn't pool their pocket change to buy a table and keep tabs on him.
Who would've thought I'd blow the stipend I saved up at the academy like this?
Soothing a crying girl was demanding far more mental fortitude than any combat drill. A grueling training session felt infinitely more relaxing by comparison.
"Junon, why aren't you eating?" Sylvia asked abruptly, noticing that he hadn't touched his plate.
"I've been here plenty of times. Go ahead, eat as much as you like."
The pastries here were undoubtedly exquisite, but with his stomach tied up in knots, he couldn't bring himself to lift a fork. Not that he could ever confess the real reason to her face.
"Still..."
"I'm fine, really. Don't worry about me and just eat."
Truth be told, his nerves were still frayed. He had no desire to endure any more vicious glares from the devout disciples of the Church of Sylvia—male and female alike—all silently warning him, Lay a single finger on her and you're dead.
His gaze naturally drifted toward her plate.
Then again... it really has been drilled into her bones.
Cake was soft and delicate; cutting it usually left loose crumbs, and cream inevitably smeared around one's lips. Yet the silver knife in Sylvia's grip carved through the sponge with immaculate precision, dividing it into bite-sized portions without spilling a single speck of frosting. Even the way she held her teacup was painfully rigid and upright, observing aristocratic etiquette down to the angle of her wrist.
She moved like a paragon of demure, refined nobility, as though allowing a drop of tea to touch her lips improperly was an unthinkable crime. Junon couldn't help but think that this was precisely the living doll Count Coutelli had sought to mold for his own ambition.
"Now that I think about it, you haven't been back to the count's estate since then, have you?"
Sylvia paused, having just placed a neat morsel into her mouth, before nodding quietly. "I was only an illegitimate child anyway. The Coutelli family rolls in wealth, so they won't bother coming after me for money, and high society hardly notices if one stray daughter disappears from the parlor."
It was a relief. Things would get messy if the count's household came picking a fight. Some parents were petty enough to demand reimbursement for the cost of raising a child, holding debts over their heads like chains. Given the avarice of the high nobility, the head of the Coutelli family seemed entirely capable of such cruelty.
Yet, the complete absence of contact from the estate was an ominous sign in its own right. With the nobles preparing to purge weak branches and disposable pawns in this upcoming turmoil, silence meant abandonment.
They really intended to let Sylvia get swept away in the chaos.
It was brazenly ruthless. When Sylvia had broken down in tears earlier, he had been thrown into total disarray, but in hindsight, it had been a blessing in disguise. Bringing her out toward the western district of the Revrant capital, well away from the academy grounds, put ample distance between her and danger. At this range, there was no chance she would be caught in the crossfire.
"I don't think I can finish all of this... Would it be alright if I boxed the rest to take with me?"
"Of course. Do whatever suits you best. Oh, and I heard a traveling troupe set up a stage just down the street. Want to go check it out?"
"Yes! Let's go!"
So long as they steered clear of the academy's eastern wing, nothing bad should happen. Aris and Erika had both missed the subjugation expedition—one had overslept, and the other cited personal matters. Having seen Erika return to campus earlier, Junon assumed the two of them would manage the situation competently.
Even if the campus was short a couple of senior students compared to the past, those two possessed memories of the previous timeline. They would surely take thorough precautions against the coming beasts. At least, that was what Junon believed.
"Still, I should really be the one paying for the bill..."
"Uh... Lady Sylvia? I beg of you, would you please do me the honor of letting me pay?"
"Why are you suddenly using honorifics again? You're acting so weird today."
"Honorifics...? Ah... right! Totally weird! Anyway, I've got the tab! Come on!"
With Sylvia practically glowing with joy at the prospect of spending more time together, Junon led her further and further away from the epicenter of the looming crisis—completely oblivious to what was unfolding behind them.
Meanwhile, along the main thoroughfare of Lebrant Academy, a stone statue lay battered and cleaved.
Two passing students halted in their tracks, staring at the shattered masonry in bewilderment.
"Wait, was this statue always broken like that?"
"No way. I walked right past here on my way to class yesterday, and it was completely fine."
"Don't tell me some arrogant nobles smashed it just because they didn't like how it looked?"
"Come on. Even they wouldn't go that far. Look at that cut—it's way too clean. Something sharp sliced clean through it."
"True. If it were nobles, they'd use staves, orbs, or some flashy magic artifact. This looks entirely different."
"Right? It doesn't look smashed at all; it's almost like someone took a giant blade and... wait... what is that...?"
"What's with the face? Did your crush just walk by or something?"
"T-That... THAT'S A MONSTER!"
Thinking his friend was making an absurd fuss, the other student followed his trembling finger. There, perched atop the severed torso of the stone monument, stood a grotesque creature, noisily gnawing on the sheared marble as if mistaking it for prey.
Caw. Caw.
A solitary crow fluttered over the wooden stage as the performance drew to a close. Like the bird's dark plumage, the setting sun dipped below the rooftops, painting the surrounding streets in shades of dusk. The first play had wrapped up in an hour, and the second was reaching its finale, signaling that it was high time to head back.
"Sylvia."
"Wah...! I-I wasn't sleeping!"
"Must have been pretty dull, huh? Sorry, Sylvia. I didn't realize it would be this kind of show."
"No, no... It wasn't boring, really! It was just a little long, so my eyes felt tired... ugh..."
"That's what people call boring. I felt the same way halfway through and was about to suggest leaving, but you were already fast asleep."
Truthfully, Junon had found the play tedious as well, but he had lacked any better way to kill time. They had already eaten a hearty lunch, and while they had stopped for cake, dessert could only stall for so long. All that had mattered was burning away the hours in a safe location, and in that regard, the theater had served its purpose.
The timing worked out well enough.
They had met at an awkward hour, so his only goal had been to keep her occupied until twilight. Now that night was falling, all that remained was escorting her back to the academy. But just as he opened his mouth to tell her it was time to leave—
"Wh-What is that?!"
"Run! Somebody help!"
Frantic shrieks tore through the evening air. Panicked citizens sprinted through the cobblestone streets as if pursued by demons, and right before Junon's eyes, an impossible sight materialized in the western downtown district.
Why... why is that thing here?
Its carapace bore the mottled hues of dry grain—streaks of sickly green, dull brown, and pale yellow. Powerful hind legs, built for explosive leaps, supported its bulk. A pair of long antennae twitched atop its triangular head, while a set of middle legs protruded beneath a folded pair of leathery wings. To an untrained eye, it might have resembled an oversized insect or herbivore.
Yet it was anything but harmless.
The beast was the size of a dire wolf, heavy enough to shatter a grown man's center of gravity upon impact. While it looked like a grasshopper, its mandible bristle-lined jaws were clearly adapted for tearing flesh, dripping with rancid saliva. Most terrifying of all were its forelegs—curved, jagged scythes designed explicitly for butchering meat.
It was an Orthoptera.
The moment he recognized the creature, there was no time to deliberate.
"Sylvia. Can you back me up?"
"Yes. Tell me what to do."
"Crushing them with heavy magic is ideal, but they're agile jumpers and can manage short bursts of flight despite their weight. Slow spells won't land. Just keep those front scythes suppressed."
"So... don't bother manifesting complex weapon forms. Understood."
Sharp as ever. A quick rundown of its traits was all she needed to grasp the tactic. Junon promptly kicked the leg off a heavy wooden chair, hoisting the splintered timber like a club. It was crude, but it packed enough blunt force to shatter an exoskeleton.
Slipping past the fleeing crowd, he surged forward and swung the makeshift bludgeon with full force straight into the locust-like monstrosity.
CRUNCH!
A sickening burst echoed from within the Orthoptera's torso as its internal organs ruptured under the impact. Yet the blow failed to kill it instantly. Thrashing in a desperate death struggle, the beast lashed out with its scythe-like forelegs, aiming to sever the fragile human flesh before it.
Skrrrrt!
The razor-sharp limb scraped violently against thin air, screeching like metal on glass as its trajectory was forcefully deflected. Junon's transparent Mana Shield hung between them, perfectly parrying the lethal strike.
Before the deflected limbs could recover, a crisp gust of wind whistled through the gap. Sylvia seized the opening, releasing a pair of compressed wind blades that sheared clean through the monster's front scythes in a spray of pale ichor.
Without missing a beat, Junon drove a heavy, reinforced fist into its exposed underbelly. The Orthoptera violently convulsed, collapsing flat against the cobblestones as shattered shell fragments pierced its vitals. Within moments, the twitching legs went still, and the beast drew its final breath.
"I-Is it dead...?"
"I think so... Heavens, we're alive thanks to those two..."
"Where did that thing even come from? We're right near the city center, monsters shouldn't be able to get anywhere near here!"
The gathered townspeople murmured in trembling voices, their faces pale with lingering dread. Junon couldn't fault their terror; having a man-eating horror drop into the middle of their peaceful evening was enough to shatter anyone's composure.
However, Orthoptera were pack hunters. It was foolish to assume this one was an isolated stray. More of them were likely already crawling through the downtown streets.
Worse still was the academy's proximity.
The students of Lebrant Academy were the Principality's foremost line of defense, trained to eliminate such threats in times of crisis. For an Orthoptera to appear here meant it had slipped right past the academy's perimeter.
What on earth happened back there?
Had Aris and Erika simply sat on their hands and allowed this disaster to unfold? If the academy grounds were currently swarming with beasts just like in the previous life, he couldn't afford to sit idle.
If Lebrant Academy fell, the final pillar supporting the entire Principality would crumble with it.