Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Your base is under attack
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Every time Rishida's sword danced, the charging monsters were sliced into pieces.
Ordinary spears and blades could be blocked by their tough hides, but before a knight who wielded mana, that same tough skin was nothing more than flesh that a blade could easily cut through.
Moreover, Rishida was one of the elite among such knights—an advanced knight.
She was not the type to be pushed back by mere monsters.
"Hoo."
Having single-handedly slain the horde that included even trolls, Rishida lightly caught her breath and scanned her surroundings.
It was because the scene replayed in her mind: creatures that should have lived in the mountains had inexplicably descended and charged toward the castle as if forcibly herded by someone.
"Good work, Rishi."
"Thank you, Miss Lucia."
"Ugh, you're so stiff.
I told you it's fine to just call me Lucia."
"I-I'll think about it some more."
While Lily and Lucia called her Rishi casually, Rishida still hesitated a bit to treat them the same way.
It wasn't because they were women who harbored feelings for the same man and thus wary of each other or anything like that.
Simply put, by sharing intimate secrets with him, she had naturally come to realize they were important women to Sion, and since she still considered herself Sion's knight, her knightly instincts compelled her to treat them with the same respect as Sion himself.
"If you act so stiff like that, Sion won't like it."
"Eh? W-Wait?"
"Oh, or maybe not?
Showing this side of you and then revealing your cute side when you're alone together could be fatally charming.
Wow, Rishi, you're smart, aren't you?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about!"
Listening to Lucia's words made Sion's voice echo in her mind—the one where he said it would be fine if she became a woman—and Rishida's face flushed hot, her heart pounded, and a ticklish sensation stirred between her legs.
Even as she tried her utmost to restrain and control herself, just thinking of that man's face made her knightly loyalties, honor, and glory all fly out the window, tempting her fiercely to throw herself into his arms.
'Snap out of it!
This is the battlefield.
Thoughts of Master can wait!'
Rishida suddenly shook her head wildly, then even lightly slapped her own cheeks.
Thanks to that, Lucia could only panic with a 'What's wrong?'
"Ah."
Suddenly, a glint flashed in Rishida's eyes as she stared toward the mountain entrance.
She drew her sword again, nodded to Lucia standing beside her, and Lucia understood, beginning to prepare her magic once more.
"It's strange.
The castle soldiers said the monsters always attacked in waves at fixed intervals."
"...It seems like the true culprit behind this, just as Master said, has completely revised their plans."
Carruk!
Kuwaaaah!
As soon as the two women finished speaking, a group of monsters burst out from the mountain foliage.
Just like before, they looked desperately frantic and utterly terrified.
It was clear they weren't invading human territory but fleeing in chaotic disorder, as if something was chasing them to kill.
"I'll leave it to you again, Miss Lucia."
"I told you to call me Lucia.
You're really stubborn, Rishi."
"I-I'll definitely call you that later.
Right now..."
"I get it.
You just need me to use magic to threaten them so no monsters slip away elsewhere, right?"
With that, Lucia casually cast a fire spell, scattering flames around to force the monsters straight toward Rishida.
Naturally, the monsters—already fleeing madly for days under the fairies' pursuit—panicked even more, dodging the flames and charging directly at Rishida.
Sring!
With the clear ring of her sword being drawn, light gleamed off the blade, emitting a flash.
It didn't take long for Rishida's sword to weave a beautiful sword dance amid sprays of monster blood and screams.
These were merely creatures driven from their homes and territories by yet another enemy.
Beings that had simply thrashed about to survive.
But Rishida neither hesitated nor felt any guilt.
She was the sword her master wielded; she need only swing toward the enemies.
In fact, she was grateful to her master for continuing to wield her without forgetting.
While slashing through monsters for a while like that, Rishida sensed another odd presence.
Unlike the vibrations from the previous monster waves, this was a faint sign of life in the air itself.
"Rishi!
Over there!"
Lucia, acting as her eyes while she focused on combat, shouted.
As Rishida cleaved the troll charging at her, she turned toward where Lucia pointed—and immediately understood her alarm.
"A griffin?"
It was quite small, not yet fully grown, but unmistakably a griffin.
These were monsters rarely seen near human lands; they nested on sheer cliffs deep in the mountains and were among the most dangerous to humans.
With powerful talons and beaks, and above all the ability to fly, they were apex predators without question.
Combined with their ferocious temperament, once they appeared in human areas, they preyed on livestock, people, and even trained soldiers.
'Why is a griffin here?'
Lucia was shocked for her own reasons.
According to the books she'd read, Hispanya's griffins mostly inhabited the cliffs of the northern mountain ranges nearby.
For griffins, who rarely left their territories—especially immature ones still needing parental aid—to appear in Klauzen territory in such a terrified and agitated state overturned scholarly hypotheses entirely.
'As Sion said, some unidentified force is definitely involved!
There's no other explanation!
Griffin fledglings never leaving deep mountains, showing up like this, agitated into attack posture!'
Meanwhile, the griffin fledglings—apparently attacked by something—spotted Rishida and her group, let out savage cries, and charged.
Though Rishida didn't know why, to the griffins, these humans resembled the 'fairies' who had knocked them from their nest while their parents hunted, herded them here—and so they marked them as enemies and attacked immediately.
"Tch!"
No matter how advanced a knight, humans were fundamentally terrestrial creatures walking on two legs.
Even mages' flight spells were more accurately levitation; humanity hadn't conquered even a fraction of the skies.
Having cleared the other monsters, Rishida assumed her stance, gripped her sword, and eyed the diving griffin—shifting her gaze to its wings.
'Aiming for the neck or heart could backfire with those talons.
Since it's a flying monster, targeting the wings is as good as killing it.'
Just moments ago, the griffin had looked smaller than a pinky nail; now it closed in instantly.
The privilege and strength of flying monsters: striking fatally in the blink of an eye.
But Rishida didn't panic in the slightest. She twisted her body slightly and slashed upward fiercely.
Wounding the wings would send the fledglings crashing anyway.
Kieeeek!
'Huh?'
At that instant, the griffin flapped its massive wings hugely, abruptly slowing.
Rishida's sword missed its mark, slicing empty air, and the griffin—diving at her—barely evaded and leaped back into the sky.
'What?'
In that moment of thought, a chill ran up Rishida's spine; instinctively, she ducked.
Almost simultaneously, another griffin's razor-sharp talons grazed past her back.
"...Ha!"
True apex predators, accustomed even to feints and coordinated attacks.
Not just fellow knights or humans—to nearly fall for monsters' tricks, playing right into their plans—Rishida gritted her teeth.
It stung her knightly pride, but more than that, the one she absolutely didn't want seeing her mistake was standing right behind her, watching.
'...I'll just kill them all.'
Her plan to merely clip wings and ground them vanished, replaced by seething hostility and murderous intent toward enemies who had shamed her.
Mana surged wildly within her; her sword hummed in resonance as it absorbed the focused energy.
Kiek!
Kiek!
The griffins dove again, targeting her.
Now fully recognizing Rishida as an enemy, they exuded a ferocious aura.
As Rishida swung to meet them, a man's voice came from behind.
"Rishi.
Don't kill those monsters.
And do like just now.
Pretend you're struggling hard."
"Y-Yes.
Understood, Master."
Any other knight might have questioned it, but not Rishida.
She immediately complied, slightly withdrawing her mana, launching the same wing-targeted strikes as before—and the griffins, to deceive her, kept altering flight paths to attack.
Rustle—.
Watching her from afar were those nocking arrows stealthily.
Novasi, Duria, and eight fairies.
Excluding the two essential for communication, all were gathered to snipe Rishida.
"Listen up.
Don't overreach trying to kill her.
Just wound her—that's enough. Focus only on landing hits.
If you give her time to defend and expose our position, we're done."
Firing plain arrows wouldn't reveal them.
But piercing an advanced knight's defenses required infusing mana into arrows—and that could be backtracked by the enemy mage sensing mana flow to pinpoint them.
"You four first, then you four next.
Duria and I finish any openings.
If the first volley hits the advanced knight, target the mage next and withdraw immediately.
Everyone memorized the rendezvous point?"
The fairies nodded at Novasi's words.
Then, almost in unison, they slowly drew strings, precisely aiming at Rishida afar, tangled in melee with the griffins.
Twang!
Thung!
Twang!
The first four fairies' arrows flew toward Rishida.
She was seen twisting desperately amid griffin checks.
Then the next four struck.
Aiming precisely where she'd dodged before, she judged evasion too late and frantically deflected the incoming arrows with her sword.
'Not bad for a human.
To block fairy arrows like that.
But.'
Twang!
Thung!
Novasi and Duria's arrows sliced the air toward Rishida's exposed thigh and shoulder as she moved and swung.
Rishida, just deflecting arrows, instinctively sensed the new volley—but having already committed her arms, she lacked time to block these too.
'Got it!'
Novasi inwardly cheered as his arrow flew true toward her shoulder.
Then, a man who had been holding off griffins behind her burst forward with movements unseen before, placing himself in front of Rishida.
Crack!
Casually raising his sword, he sliced the incoming arrow—from tip to fletching—like cutting flowing water.
'What?'
It was a fairy ranged attack that even taxed an advanced knight.
Yet this sudden man split it effortlessly, as if it were nothing.
'S-Surely that man's not an advanced knight too?
But no reports of such an old human advanced knight!'
As Novasi floundered in chaos, the man undid his hood's ties.
Beneath wasn't plate mail or even chainmail knights wore.
It was a impeccably neat black butler suit.
"...Thank you, Sebastian."
"Not at all.
More importantly, Miss Lucia.
Have you located them?"
"Yes!
Mana traceback points to near the forest entrance!"
Lucia pointed exactly at the woods where Novasi and the fairies hid.
Then, the youthful man who had just ordered Rishida not to kill the griffins smiled brightly and spoke.
"Catch them."
I totally fooled the kids.
Kill these bastards!
You sons of bitches!
―
With the attack foiled absurdly and positions exposed, Novasi decided to withdraw.
He snapped his cumbersome bow, discarded it and his arrows, and turned to flee deeper into the forest.
"Grk..."
Duria, who had been nocking arrows beside him moments ago, foamed at the mouth and slowly collapsed.
Behind her emerged a young man who had been among the advanced knight's group just before.
"Urk...!"
It was bitterly unfair for Novasi.
Living solely in the mountains, he couldn't access news promptly.
Thus, he hadn't realized Klauzen territory harbored a monster far more terrifying than an advanced knight.
Rustle, rustle—.
"..."
Covered head to toe in fairy blood, Kim Yu-hyun raised his gleaming-eyed gaze, slowly lifting his sword.
Staring at him, Novasi finally realized everything had gone utterly wrong.
This plan seemed royally screwed, he thought with a hollow laugh.
'Just... where the hell did it all go wrong...'
Muttering that, Novasi closed his eyes and calmly accepted his end.
"Kyahahaha!"
Meanwhile, the one who had thoroughly devoured the fairies' grand scheme with a steaming bowl of soup.
Was cackling while watching the wing-injured griffins flopping on the ground.
――――――――Author's Note――――――――
Even though this work is still so lacking, thanks to you readers' interest and support, we've reached nearly 9,000 bookmarks...!
Honestly, my goal was to hit 5,000 before chapter 100...!
ㅠㅠ
All I can offer is steady updates and occasional surprise double posts ㅠ
I'll keep pushing forward...!