Skirmish (1)
I ran like mad with the rest of the party and Karin, finally arriving at Grand Duke Quenor's mansion. Grand Duke Quenor must have felt the tremor and movement from earlier as well; he was barking orders to the soldiers and knights in front of the mansion with an incredibly grim expression. Entrusting Karin to his wife, who had come out to the front of the mansion with a worried look, the Grand Duke strode over to me.
"Elroy, I am glad you are here."
Even in this dire situation, Grand Duke Quenor's voice remained calm. A man who had fought against the powerful monsters of the North and vanquished them all knew how to maintain his composure in moments like this. In contrast, my own heart was hammering frantically against my ribs.
"Your Grace, did you also just..."
"I felt it. Quite clearly. Elroy, did you feel it too?"
I nodded. This was bad. It wasn't a matter of a massive army marching upon us, or a sudden surge in monster numbers. It was something far more fundamental, far more terrifying. Grand Duke Quenor and I stared toward the same horizon, our expressions hardening in unison.
"...What are your orders? I will defer to your command, Your Grace."
He would be able to make a more appropriate judgment in this situation. If there was anything he missed, I could offer my advice then.
"I feel for the citizens, but the festival must end on its first day. I will issue an evacuation order and have everyone prepared to leave at a moment's notice within four days. Rees!"
Grand Duke Quenor turned and called out sharply. Rees, who had been busy directing the soldiers, ran over immediately at the Grand Duke's summons.
"Form an emergency patrol immediately. Double the usual number of personnel. Pay extra attention and have them sweep all patrol zones simultaneously. Make sure they are heavily stocked with signal flares. Furthermore, starting today, we will maintain the highest level of alert until war breaks out."
"Yes, Your Grace."
"And—" Grand Duke Quenor gestured toward me with a nod. "From now on, the Hero's party will be permanently assigned to the patrol of Zone 1. Rees, you and Elroy will share command of Zone 1. While you will handle the overall patrol planning, rely on Elroy for on-site tactical decisions."
"Understood, Your Grace," Rees replied briefly before rushing back to the bustling soldiers. The Grand Duke quickly turned his gaze back to me. His deep blue eyes flickered with unwavering resolve.
"Elroy."
"Yes, Your Grace."
"Please, be careful out there on patrol. Do not let your guard down. Above all else, prioritize returning safely. No matter how suspicious something seems, do not try to investigate further; just let it go. Simply knowing that something is amiss is enough."
I nodded. There was a strange, moving resonance in Grand Duke Quenor's words.
"Once the patrol is complete, if we find clear evidence that the Fourth Calamity is approaching, I will send a request for reinforcements to the Royal Capital and issue the evacuation order to the citizens."
"Since not much time has passed since we defeated the Third Calamity, the Royal Capital's forces are likely stretched thin. I believe it would be best not to expect any large-scale reinforcements."
"...I understand. But we must do what we can." The Grand Duke stared at me for a moment, then smirked slightly. "I feel as though I am overworking the Hero, but given the circumstances, I hope you understand."
"You speak as if you haven't always overworked me, Your Grace," I retorted playfully, prompting a hearty laugh from Grand Duke Quenor.
"Indeed. I am glad to see you still have the wits to joke. I leave Zone 1's patrol in your hands, Elroy. And the rest of your party as well."
At his words, Georg and Marianne nodded, while Daphne swallowed hard. I quietly observed my companions. Now, I had to prepare for a real war alongside them.
"Let's go. Everyone remembers what Zone 1 was like, right?"
"Of course," Georg said.
"Yes," Marianne replied.
"Yes, I remember," Daphne added.
After checking on my companions, I finally gripped the hilt of the Holy Sword. She answered my touch immediately.
I let out a long sigh and nodded. My pounding heart, having lost the energy to race any further, gradually slowed back to its normal rhythm. Just as the Holy Sword said, I needed to focus only on checking for signs of the Calamity during this patrol.
When we rode out of the stables on horseback, Rees was already waiting for us, fully prepared.
"We will skip the thorough sweep of the zone for now and make the lake our top priority. We'll check if the Boundary Line has shifted, then inspect the rest on our way back."
The iron portcullis of the outer castle began to rise with a heavy clanking sound. Led by the Zone 1 patrol, which included Rees and myself, the knights of Evernode gathered before the gate. Rees turned to look back at the patrol.
"Move out! If anything happens, do not try to be a hero—fire your signal flares immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
I narrowed my eyes as I looked down the path leading to the patrol route. Was it just my imagination, or did an ominous energy seem to linger at the far end of the trail?
"We are off, Sir Hero. Will you ride at the front with me?" Rees asked.
I shook my head. Although Rees and I shared command, riding at the front together might disrupt the chain of command and delay decision-making. It was far better to leave the leadership of the patrol entirely to Rees and his lieutenants, while I brought up the rear to guard against any potential ambushes.
"No. I will stay at the very rear to keep watch for any sudden attacks. I will only step in if the situation becomes too dire to handle. I leave the command to you."
Rees nodded without argument and spurred his horse forward at a faster pace than usual. In an instant, the patrol cleared the outer castle gates and entered the coniferous forest.
"Do you think that tremor meant the Fourth Calamity is approaching?" Daphne, riding slightly ahead of me, asked.
I nodded stiffly. "Yeah. It was probably an earthquake caused by it rising to its feet."
"...An earthquake just from standing up?" Daphne muttered, her face pale as she gripped her reins tightly.
"Did you feel it directly, Elroy?"
I frowned. Come to think of it, I hadn't just felt the tremor; I had distinctly sensed the presence of the Giant itself. Was a Calamity normally felt this clearly? Judging by Daphne's reaction, that didn't seem to be the case.
You have a lot more handy features than I thought. I glanced down at the hilt of the Holy Sword.
The Holy Sword replied, sounding utterly exasperated. At the front, Rees gradually slowed the column's pace. As the galloping horses settled down, the forest fell into an instant, heavy silence. It was so quiet that we could hear the distant hoofbeats of the Zone 2 patrol.
"Quiet," Georg muttered.
I nodded and scanned our surroundings. The patrol routes were always quiet, but this was excessive. Not even the rustle of grass or the movement of small animals could be heard. There wasn't even a trace of monsters. It didn't feel like something was lurking in the woods; rather, it felt as if the entire forest was holding its breath.
Just then, Rees raised his left hand and drew his sword.
"We are not far from the Eye of the North. From here on, we advance with maximum caution."
At Rees's command, the soldiers readied their weapons in unison. I also drew the Holy Sword, circulating my mana to expand my sensory perception. Yet, despite our high alert, nothing happened by the time we reached the edge of the forest. It made me wonder if the Calamity had summoned every single monster in these woods to assemble its army.
And the patrol's anxiety manifested in a concrete form once we arrived at the Eye of the North.
"...My god."
Beyond the mountain range, the sky was completely ash-grey. The faint grey clouds had gathered into a dense mass, swallowing the blue sky and casting deep shadows over the ridges. The air beyond was hazy and white. A blizzard capable of easily sweeping a man away was likely raging just over those peaks.
The vision shown to me by the Crown of Thorns overlapped with reality. A howling blizzard beneath an ash-grey sky. Myself, walking alone through a deserted Evernode. And the Calamity—the Giant—approaching, trampling the trees of this forest like matchsticks.
Snapping out of it at the Holy Sword's voice, I turned my gaze. As my senses sharpened, the chill carried by the wind bit into me even more clearly.
...Sorry. I've never been this overwhelmed by sheer presence alone, so I lost my focus for a second.
The Holy Sword admonished me sternly. I shook my head vigorously to clear my thoughts and headed toward the lakeshore. Rees stood there, his face as rigid as stone as he stared at the mountains.
"This is a grim report indeed. For the Boundary Line to draw this close in a single night..."
"It probably advanced when the earthquake struck," I replied.
At my response, Rees pulled off his glove and dipped his hand into the lake, his brow furrowing. "It's freezing. The lake has never been this cold in the middle of summer."
Rees shook the water from his hand and turned around. Just then, the patrols that had finished sweeping Zones 2 and 3 were arriving at the Eye of the North one after another.
"Captain!"
"This is highly unusual. The lake looks like it's about to freeze over. Did any of you encounter monsters on your way here?"
The captain of the Zone 2 patrol shook his head. "No, sir. The forest was dreadfully quiet. We didn't even spot a single white wolf, and they're usually everywhere."
"What about Zone 3?"
The captain of the Zone 3 patrol also shook his head and sighed. "No, sir. If Zone 1 didn't run into any monsters, there's no way the rest of us would."
"Any anomalies?"
"None. Aside from that, everything is completely normal. Damn it all."
"Same here. Honestly, it would have been more reassuring if we'd actually seen something."
Rees bit his lip and looked across the lake. I watched the patrol captains as they began another heated discussion, but then I suddenly whipped my head around, drawn by a sensation emanating from deep within the forest.
"Sir Hero?"
Someone was watching us. Grasping onto a faint, skin-prickling sensation of malice, I spoke.
"There is something in the forest."
"...Pardon?"
The Crawler, Ju, was an intelligent monster who claimed to be a servant of the Fourth Calamity, the Giant. The name Ju had been given to him by another monster. Although he was relatively weak among the monsters serving the Giant, he was second to none when it came to stealth and speed.
Foolish humans. Ju clicked his mantis-like mandibles, producing a sound akin to laughter. Of course, to human ears, it would sound like nothing more than the chilling grinding of bones.
Ju listened to the whispers in his blood. Kill them. Kill them and devour them. The time is nigh. The day was fast approaching when they would march alongside 'His' footsteps and reduce those humans to mere chunks of meat. No matter how hard they struggled to survive, they would ultimately be crushed beneath 'His' advancing feet and entombed in eternal winter.
Click. Click. Ever since he gained intelligence, watching these walking corpses had been a delight. It was amusing to watch them go back and forth, and it would be even more amusing to ambush and slaughter them before they could return to their nest. If so, how much more exquisite would it be to unleash the bloodlust he was currently suppressing and butcher them to his heart's content?
Ju's hind legs trembled with excitement as he retreated into the shadows of the forest. Even when he let a fraction of his presence slip, the humans showed no sign of noticing. Deep in the woods, Ju's subordinate Crawlers waited, their mandibles clicking in unison. Yes, it wouldn't hurt to play with them a little. He was entirely confident in his ability to slip away whenever he pleased.
Having resolved to attack, Ju returned to his vantage point, only to freeze. What? They were just there a moment ago...
Rustle. Ju threw his body aside, acting purely on instinct. But—Boom! He was violently slammed to the ground with a deafening crash.
Ju quickly regained his balance, raising the blades of his forelegs. How dare they! Who has the audacity to—! But the moment he saw the 'thing' standing before him, Ju's entire body froze.
"So, a little rat was hiding here."
A human with ash-grey hair and teal eyes stood there, holding his sword high. Behind him, the knights who had followed him drew their weapons, taking up battle stances. How? Did he track me down just from that brief leak of my presence?
"Seeing as you possess intelligence..." The human lowered his sword. A pure white energy, infinitely ominous to a monster, began to slowly seep from the blade. "I think we need to have a little chat."