Fragrance of Salvation
The early evening in the Sia Kalt mountains was serene beneath a sky not yet cloaked in darkness. Even in this land where temperatures plunged below minus twenty degrees, people could survive thanks to heating systems powered by mana stones.
"Hoo... haa...!"
White breath escaped from Eric's mouth as he stood watch on the northern watchtower of the village. At the end of his gaze, massive shapes emerged beneath the twilight glow.
"That's... monsters! Trolls!"
Eric rang the watchtower bell with all his might.
Dong!
Dong!
Dong!
The tolling cleaved through the evening peace, echoing across the entire village.
"Kraaaak!"
"Kirik... kick...!"
The roars of two ice trolls and a horde of ice goblins drowned out the bell. Thin frost formed wherever the goblins passed, and the ground froze solid the instant the trolls' feet touched it. The chill emanating from the trolls was so intense that the air around them visibly turned white with ice.
"Of all the times..."
Eric gritted his teeth. Just that morning, the A-rank adventurer party had left on an emergency quest. They would normally have defended the village. Moreover, the B-rank parties were away on guard duty for the city festival at the base of the mountains.
The village descended into chaos in an instant. Horses reared in their stables, cows smashed through fences with bellows and fled. The crops in the fields froze solid under the trolls' icy breath.
"Young ones, grab your weapons!"
At the blacksmith elder's shout, the village youths rushed out with shovels, pickaxes, sickles, and axes. But their faces were uniformly pale with terror, their gripped tools trembling.
"Save me! Somebody!"
A young man working in the warehouse screamed as he burst out. An ice goblin's blade sliced through the air behind him.
"Over here, quick!"
The blacksmith elder flung the door wide, pulling the youth inside. The young man's face was ashen, his legs quaking.
"Mommy, I'm scared..."
A little girl buried her face in her mother's skirt. They hid in the village hall basement, but the trolls' roars from above filled everyone with dread.
"Shh, we have to be quiet..."
The mother hugged her daughter tight, though her own hands trembled faintly. The villagers in the basement clung to one another, not even daring to breathe.
"Brian! Cover the rear!"
The C-rank adventurer party—swordsman Brian and his comrades—formed a tight triangle, fighting desperately. These were foes they wouldn't normally dare face, but retreat was impossible now.
"Lord Michael, grant strength to Your servant!"
The plain silver holy symbol around Marianne's neck glowed faintly. The wooden staff she held radiated holy energy as well.
As Marianne's staff shone, Kevin's pallid face regained some color. On the verge of exhaustion from back-to-back spells, he could now muster his mana again.
"Blaze Barrier!"
With his complexion restored, Kevin traced a magic circle, and a wall of flame erupted, blocking the goblins' path. His specialty, fire magic, was effective against ice monsters, but there were too many enemies.
"Haa... haa..."
Brian barely parried a troll's attack. Without Marianne's healing and buffs, he would have fallen already.
"Uooooh!"
Once more, Brian blocked the troll's club with his sword. The impact buried his feet in the earth, but he held his ground.
"Now! Brian, duck!"
At Kevin's shout, fireballs streaked in, smashing into the troll's face. As it staggered, Brian's blade flashed, severing its leg.
But in that moment, three goblins charged from behind.
"Flame Rain!"
Kevin deployed a magic circle. A shower of fire poured from the sky, halting the goblins. Weak to flames, they flinched under the barrage.
"Glacial Spear!"
Kevin switched tactics, unleashing icy spears. The ice goblins dodged mockingly—it was a trap.
"Brian!"
"Got it!"
The goblins slipped on the thin ice sheets where the spears landed, only to meet Brian's sword.
"Haa... haa... This won't work..."
Kevin muttered, sweat beading on his brow. His mana was nearly depleted. At this rate, they couldn't even take down one troll. The two trolls regenerated endlessly no matter how much damage they took, and the goblin horde was still vast... The party's stamina was fading fast.
In this hopeless moment, a sweet yet deadly fragrance began to spread. Like something from a heavenly flower field, it was utterly alien to this frozen wasteland.
Suddenly, the moonlight turned red.
Marianne was the first to sense its meaning as the scent wafted in.
"This is... the mercy of the gods..."
She quickly scanned her surroundings. Some villagers were already drawn out by the fragrance.
"Mind Recovery!"
Marianne's staff blazed brightly. The villagers' glazed eyes cleared.
"Everyone inside! Hurry!"
She awakened their minds one by one with holy magic, guiding them to safety.
As blood-red moonlight bathed the village, the frenzied goblins and trolls froze in unison. Their bloodshot eyes turned toward the fragrance's source.
"Grrooo... grrr..."
"Kik... keeek..."
Enthralled, the monsters began shuffling toward the scent. The sweet fragrance rising under the crimson moon thus saved an entire village.
...
By dawn, the village bore scars everywhere. The northern warehouse had collapsed entirely, crops frozen by the trolls' chill. Street lamps lay shattered, some houses cracked deeply. Livestock footprints and broken fences littered the area.
But mercifully, there were no fatalities. Bruises and scratches abounded, but Marianne's healing left few serious injuries.
The villagers gathered at the Michael shrine. Modest for a rural hamlet, it brimmed with last night's survivors.
"That fragrance last night... was it Lord Michael's grace?"
An old woman asked Marianne. She pondered briefly, then shook her head.
"I'm not entirely sure. But one thing is certain: whether it was Michael's grace or not, what saved us was undoubtedly the will of the gods."
From that day, the small village in the Sia Kalt mountains believed a sweet scent would drift from somewhere whenever the moon turned red, calling it Michael's Flower Fragrance.
Pink pollen danced across the snowy peaks of Sia Kalt. Particles from the purple stamens painted the sky like an aurora. Beneath the soft moonlight, the shimmering pink specks rode the wind far and wide.
Wait, monsters will swarm soon—if these guys run off, what then...?
The worry hit only after I'd scattered my fill of pollen. The bugs seemed intoxicated by it but began trembling as if sensing the approaching doom.
No! Don't run! Fight back!
Flower Nectar - Will LV1 skill acquired.
Flower Nectar - Will — Will infuses the created nectar.
No way!
Perfect timing—a new skill. Did that mean they could feel my will through the nectar?
Guys! Nectar! Eat more!
I churned out nectar wildly, and the nearby bugs dove in.
Slaughter! Festival! EXP!
Hoping my will transmitted clearly, I shouted. The bugs that ate the nectar changed—their eyes gleamed with fanatic obedience, like elite guards or a secret society's grim resolve.
Ooh!
It worked—maybe too emphatically. Finally, I could shake off this speechless frustration!
Not all bugs got nectar due to numbers, but through some bug network, the trembling stopped across the board.
Good! Battle stations!
Right on cue, the first prey—wulves—appeared, drawn by the pollen. Their gray fur crusted with frost and sharp fangs bared in wary threat, but my bugs had already formed perfect ranks.
Blizzard hornets moved first, signaling the assault. Fluttering transparent wings, they flew over the wolves' heads, forming precise triangles. Ice stingers glinted blue under the moonlight.
The wolf sensed danger, growling with bared teeth. White breath dispersed in the frigid air.
But hyperborean ants were silently burrowing through the snow at its paws.
Oooh...!
Snow-white ants flowed like a wave. Their antennae pointed uniformly—mesmerizing.
Crystal beetles blocked the front, their gem-like shells sparkling. Moonlight refracted into rainbows off their carapaces.
The wolf's red eyes darted anxiously, seeking escape.
Then frost moths unfurled wings adorned like frost crystals, beating them to unleash a storm of white powder. The wolf's vision blurred in the frosty haze.
Blizzard hornets struck. Stingers pierced flesh, slicing air. The wolf's pained howl echoed across the peaks.
Hyperborean ants seized the gap. Dozens of white bodies leaped, gnashing at its legs. Pristine snow stained red with blood.
They're crushing it!!!
Suddenly, I noticed one group absent from the fray. Scanning around, I spotted icys flies fluttering diligently by my side while others battled.
What are you guys doing...? Cheering...?