Chapter 67
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: 14. Crisis, and Cooperation. (6)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The breeze was cool, the skies clear.
However, the great city of Behimruod was nursing a considerable headache from receiving the endless streams of refugees. Of course, it wasn't as if a few hundred extra people had caused any real administrative issues. The chaos stemmed from the ferocious assault by the necromancers.
Rumors had long circulated that those vile black mages were slowly devouring village after village. But now that the threat felt so close to home, everyone was gripped by fear. And with word spreading that Hegel had fallen, the anxiety only deepened.
Still, people held out hope that as one of the west's premier cities, Behimruod could hold off the enemy even if they came.
Allen, poring over the map, predicted that the necromancers would reach the Magic Tower no later than four days from now. They were almost upon them.
From that point on, surveillance intensified from the marquess's castle, and orders came down for the mercenary corps to remain on constant standby. The Allen Mercenary Corps stood ready in full armor at their lodging.
Allen worked to strike a balance between tension and relaxation among his men. In battle, excessive tension or laxity could both prove fatal.
...Our corps' core is ultimately the Blind Saintess and the Red Robe Mage. If we use them right, we'll hold firm.
Ghouls alone wouldn't require Allen's intervention, but with a lich on the enemy side, all sorts of magic beasts would swarm. Countering them demanded skillful deployment of the Blind Saintess's combat prowess and the Red Robe Mage's spells.
In that tense atmosphere, three days flew by in an instant.
It was a night with a hazy moon. Allen stepped out of the lodging for a stroll in the quiet garden. Gazing up at the night sky where smoke-like clouds drifted around the moon, he let out a long sigh.
...How did I end up here...?
Having come to this distant land with the goal of building the continent's greatest mercenary corps, reflecting on the past felt strangely poignant. Just a few months ago, hadn't he been a timid fool rejected after trying to bed a married woman?
Pfhh.
As Allen chuckled at the sudden transformation of his life, someone approached him stealthily. Who is it? It was the Red Robe Mage.
"There... you are."
"...Just getting some air. Is something urgent?"
"No. I just... wanted some night air too..."
The cool atmosphere suddenly warmed. It never happened around others, but when they were alone, the air between them always heated up like this.
The Red Robe Mage approached lightly on dainty steps, her ample bosom swaying gently like a demure bride. She stood modestly beside him, her upturned eyes clear and beautiful as glass beads.
"Nervous?"
"...A little."
"Don't worry too much. Trust me. I'll make sure nothing happens."
"Yes, I trust you."
Her voice was steady and unwavering.
"Sorry for dragging you into this. Must be tough, right?"
"Tough? It's just part of becoming a great leader."
"...Thanks for saying that."
"I mean it. I've learned so much watching you... It makes me reflect on how lacking I was as a leader before."
The conversation paused there. The silence filled with that warm air.
As if by unspoken agreement, they locked eyes and pressed their lips together. What followed was a deep, sticky kiss. He grabbed her breasts and hips, kneading them like dough as he pulled her body flush against his. She clung to him desperately, as if she'd been waiting for this moment.
...Just as their pent-up desires were about to burst forth like a dam breaking.
- Captain! Captain Alllleeeen!
A frantic voice called for Allen. Ah. They pulled apart hastily, straightening their clothes. Kallisman soon appeared, his face urgent.
"Captain, emergency summons. You need to go now."
"Got it."
Allen hurried straight back to the lodging. His men were already lined up at the entrance, along with other mercenary corps.
Rudra, the leader on the platform, dispatched the prepared corps to their assigned sectors first.
"We're ready."
"Allen Mercenary Corps, move out."
Including Allen, the group of ten rushed up to the ramparts. The guards on watch were plastered against the stone walls, staring blankly into the distance with dazed expressions.
Once atop the walls, the mercenaries understood why.
Ah...
In the direction of Allen's gaze burned massive flames. Explosions flashed around it, and streaks of white light poured down like rain.
A barrage of countless spells. A grand-scale magic battle, perhaps one only the Magic Tower could unleash—maybe one he'd never witness again.
But the Magic Tower had one fatal flaw: no walls.
No matter how much magic they hurled, they couldn't withstand the enemy's mad horde. Those who saw the hopeless tide were desperately carving a path here to Behimruod.
Allen led his men swiftly to their sector. The dazzling display of magic continued for a while before abruptly ceasing.
...It's over.
Thus, the Magic Tower's centuries-old legacy ended in a single night.
Had the mages united as one against the foe, the outcome might have differed.
"Who won...?"
"The Magic Tower, maybe? They've got powerful wizards there."
Most predicted victory for the Tower, but Allen, knowing the future, shook his head firmly.
"No, the Magic Tower fell today. It was a rotten husk from the inside. Bound to collapse anytime."
"Come on... No way the Magic Tower crumbled...? It's the Magic Tower...!"
Allen gave a wry smile.
"Anyone who could flee already has. The rest put on that last show. They couldn't even fight united... Come dawn tomorrow, refugees from the Tower will arrive. Then you'll see if I was right."
The Allen Mercenary Corps took shifts sleeping on the walls through the night.
And as Allen predicted, mages who fled the Tower all night reached Behimruod at early dawn. Over fifty of them.
- The Magic Tower has fallen!
The shocking news rocked the city. No one had imagined it possible.
His men were duly impressed by Allen's uncanny foresight. Of course, it wasn't foresight but prior knowledge, but Allen wasn't so dense as to broadcast that. If it boosted trust in him as leader, all the better.
As dawn broke, the Allen Mercenary Corps returned to their lodging briefly. The marquess's castle was in uproar over the Tower's fall.
The why didn't matter now. The culprits who toppled it were clearly heading here next.
The marquess declared a state of emergency, issuing a muster order to form vigilante groups in every district. The city guard couldn't cover everywhere.
Meanwhile, the sun that had risen high swiftly set again.
After resting and recovering stamina at the lodging, the Allen Mercenary Corps returned to the walls. Watching the fading sunset, they tried to calm their pounding hearts.
"Don't worry too much. I've got you. The Tower fell, but we won't. I proved yesterday I'm no empty talker, right?"
Allen's assurance eased their tension somewhat. But they couldn't shake the primal fear of death. He felt it too.
"The Tower had no walls, but we do—tall and sturdy. And we've got strong comrades. Trust yourself, and trust them."
The ruddy glow faded from the sky, and the unwanted night descended.
The men sensed an eerie chill in the pitch darkness, one that raised goosebumps and stiffened every hair.
The Blind Saintess and the Chatterbox clasped hands, praying fervently to the Holy Spirit.
They didn't pray selfishly for the city's safety. At least, let their fighting comrades survive.
"Odd-Eye, tell me right away if you sense anything strange."
"Yes, Captain."
The Blind Saintess's senses for auras were unmatched. She'd detect evil black mana instantly. Hadn't it saved them back in that village?
Allen felt no fatigue, oddly enough. Probably the extreme tension. His shoulders bore the weight of every man's life.
...How much time passed?
After a tediously long wait, the Blind Saintess jolted awake from her shrimp-like doze, pierced by a fiercely stabbing sensation.
...Ah...!
It was an enormously vast black mana aura unlike anything she'd felt before, spreading across the city outskirts and closing in slowly.
"Captain! Captain!"
Allen snapped his eyes open and looked at her.
"Something's coming. Something huge, massive, and wicked...!"
...They're here at last...!
Allen roused his sleeping men and rushed to the nearby Rudra Mercenary Corps.
"Leader Rudra!"
She bolted up from her brief nap.
"...What's wrong?"
"The enemy's coming...!"
Almost simultaneously, the watchmen spotted them too. Shapes writhing at the edge of light and dark.
- Enemy! Eeeeeenemyyy!
- Ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong
The clamor of bells from one spot spread across the city. Alarms rang from every direction.
And the black mages' festival began.