Chapter 675
Chapter 675
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 675
Chapter Title: Victory Feast
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CRUNCH-!
“GROOOOAR!”
A Gigantes, its hand planted on the rampart, let out a deafening roar.
SWISH-!
A flash of light sliced through the Gigantes’s wrist.
The creature shrieked as it tumbled from the wall, crashing to the ground below.
As Aina readjusted her grip on her sword.
SKREEEEE-!
A flock of Fafnirs shrieked from the sky, targeting Aina.
SWOOSH-!
“As if I’d let you!”
Iliana’s sword moved at incredible speed, bisecting a Fafnir.
With a light-footed leap, she landed on the rampart and smiled brightly at Aina.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
Iliana nodded at Aina’s characteristically expressionless reply and raised a hand.
VWOOM-!
A magic circle formed above her palm, unleashing a beam of light that swept away the monsters charging the wall.
“Senior Iliana is amazing, as always.”
Luke watched the scene in awe.
Though she had chosen the Knight Department, Iliana was a magic swordsman.
While her preference lay in swordsmanship, her raw talent for magic was no less than her talent as a knight.
She was different from Luke, who, as a fellow magic swordsman, focused on using magic to enhance his sword skills.
Just then, Haviden flew in swiftly, spear in hand, and thrust it at a demon.
“A mere human…!”
“Then what does that make you, dying at the hands of one?”
Haviden sneered, then swung his spear diagonally, cleaving the demon in two.
“Archers! Now!”
At Karl’s shout, the archers who had been on standby leaned over the ramparts and drew their bowstrings.
THWIP-THWIP-THWIP-!
A volley of arrows from the dwarves and beastmen rained down on the demonic beasts scaling the walls.
But some of the beasts were unfazed by the onslaught.
“Next, cannons! Fire!”
KABOOOM-!
On Karl’s command, the magic cannons roared to life.
GROOOOAR!
Giant demons, demonic beasts, and monsters were blown to bloody bits.
Haviden clicked his tongue in amazement.
“Senior Karl’s ability to read the battlefield is incredible.”
The section of the wall defended by the hero candidates was holding remarkably steady.
The vanguard, composed of the candidates, would push back the Giant King’s army as they clung to the wall, creating openings for arrows and cannon fire to pour through.
Thanks to Karl's coordination, they were achieving results far beyond their limits.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-!
SWISH! CRACK! CRUNCH!
“Woooooah!”
“It’s Lady Enniha!”
A cheer erupted.
The only elf on this battlefield.
Enniha was running along the face of the outer wall, slaughtering the demons that threatened it.
Her movements were a work of art, bordering on the divine.
WHOOSH-! THUD-!
Enniha leaped from the wall and landed gracefully on the rampart.
“Wow, that was amazing!”
Luke exclaimed in admiration.
“Thank you. But…”
Enniha looked up at the sky.
FLASH! KRA-BOOM-!
High above, Leo, riding a pegasus, was wiping out the monsters on the ground with his magic.
“He’s an All-Class, right? Wow… Are all surviving heroes like that?”
A gasp of wonder escaped Enniha’s lips.
Leo was one of the two great pillars sustaining this battlefield.
The other pillar was, of course…
“HRAAAAAAAGH!”
Dweno leaped high from the rampart, soaring toward the ground.
FWOOSH-!
Golden flames erupted around his body.
Like a meteor, Dweno’s body slammed into the ground.
KRA-KA-BOOOOM-!
The shockwave wiped out a swath of the Giant King’s army, and Dweno began to smash through the demons with his axe, his momentum terrifying.
Just then.
BOOO-!
The sound of a horn echoed high in the sky.
At the signal, the Giant King’s army began to retreat.
“They’re running away!”
“The enemy is fleeing!”
“WAAAAAAAH!”
Cheers erupted from all along the wall.
Morale soared at the fact that they had successfully repelled the Giant King’s forces.
“All hail Lord Dweno!”
“All hail the Iron-Blooded Gatekeeper!”
Cries praising Dweno echoed everywhere.
He had executed the notorious traitor, Gimeon.
And in defending the wall, his contributions had been undeniably the most conspicuous.
From the sky, Leo silently watched the retreating army.
“We’ve won.”
Eliza, who had been defending the skies with Leo, flew over.
To her words, Leo replied.
“It seems so.”
“Is something wrong?”
“It felt like it ended too easily.”
He was right.
The Giant King’s army still had the strength to fight.
Yet they had retreated.
Of course, Ivaldi held the upper hand in the battle.
‘But Gias isn’t here.’
Leo’s eyes narrowed.
For an army to display its true power, it needed its commander.
In other words, the Giant King’s army right now was only at half-strength.
Meanwhile, Dweno, who was heading back to the castle, also turned to look at the retreating forces.
This battle was a complete victory.
But he couldn’t shake a feeling of unease.
‘That bastard… he’s up to something.’
***
“Wahahaha!”
“It’s a feast!”
The sun set, and night fell.
A festive mood enveloped all of Ivaldi.
In the wide clearing before the walls, meat was being grilled over open fires.
Dwarven and beastman warriors emerged from the storehouses, hoisting oak barrels on their shoulders.
Those from the residential areas prepared dishes.
It was a banquet to share the joy of victory.
“Drink up! Drink up!”
Watching the boisterous dwarves and beastmen drink and make merry, Chelsea wore a bewildered expression.
“I know it was a great victory, but is it really okay to be this relaxed?”
The Age of Calamity was an era where the demons of Tartaros could attack at any moment.
She had expected the atmosphere to be constantly on high alert.
And indeed, the mood in Ivaldi had been tense.
But after a major victory, it had become completely relaxed.
“What if a battle suddenly breaks out?”
Iliana asked worriedly, to which Leo calmly replied.
“The walls are being guarded in shifts.”
Sitting before a bonfire, Leo glanced at the ramparts.
“The people here are seasoned warriors. They can shake off the effects of alcohol and be ready for battle in an instant.”
SNAP-
Leo broke a twig and tossed it into the fire.
“Besides, they probably wouldn’t last if they didn’t let loose like this.”
Back in this era.
After repelling a large-scale offensive from Tartaros, almost every city would hold a grand feast.
It was only natural.
They lived under the crushing anxiety of not knowing if tomorrow would bring their doom.
It was an age where hope was an unthinkable luxury.
Every day they survived was a day to be thankful for.
After overcoming a major crisis, they needed to lift their spirits like this.
To forget their anxiety, even for a moment.
The other hero candidates tilted their heads at Leo’s words.
They could grasp his point, yet they couldn’t truly understand.
‘It can’t be helped.’
Only those who lived in this era could fully comprehend it.
“Still, there’s a distance between us.”
Aina, sitting by the fire, murmured softly as she looked at the dwarves and beastmen keeping their distance.
“It can’t be helped. Just because we fought together doesn’t mean the gap will close instantly.”
Chelsea shook her head.
Until just a while ago, they had been outsiders under suspicion.
It would be difficult to open up after a single battle.
Just as she thought that.
“Hey, hey! Look at this! Guess what I got?!”
Karl came running over breathlessly.
Floating beside him via magic was an oak barrel.
“I got a whole barrel of booze!”
“No way! Karl! How did you do it?”
Iliana clapped her hands in admiration, and Karl puffed out his chest with a smug look.
“It’s all thanks to my amazing skills, of course.”
“You’re the best, Karl!”
Iliana gave him a thumbs-up.
While they were being treated with caution as outsiders, Karl had somehow managed to procure a barrel of alcohol.
“Are you planning to drink as students?”
Just then, Artian stepped in front of Karl, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes.
“Gasp.”
“P-Professor Artian.”
Karl and Iliana flinched as Artian’s eyes narrowed.
“W-Well… with the atmosphere like this, a little should be fine, right…?”
“A little?”
“I’ll go return it right now.”
As Karl quickly backed down, Ar and Driana approached the oak barrel.
“Heeheehee, we’re students from a different academy, so it should be fine, right?”
“Don’t you worry, Karl. We’ll make sure your efforts don’t go to waste by drinking it well.”
Beastmen and dwarves were races that generally loved alcohol.
Watching the two of them eye the barrel, Artian spoke.
“Even if you’re from another academy, are you two not still students?”
“Our academy doesn’t have a rule against drinking…”
CRACK-!
“Huh?!”
Artian’s small fist mercilessly shattered the tap of the oak barrel.
Realizing that a Heroic Spirit had possessed her, Ar and Driana immediately tucked their tails between their legs.
They had already experienced firsthand just how terrifying the Lumerne professor could be.
Leo, who had been watching, spoke with a smile.
“Let’s let it slide for today. Everyone worked hard.”
“You’re the student council president! You should be setting an example!”
“Isn’t it human nature to want to do something more when you’re told not to?”
“…”
Artian, who had been glaring at Leo with her arms crossed, scoffed.
“Pour me a glass.”
“Ooh!”
With permission granted, Karl took out a cup.
The feast began in earnest.
Buoyed by the alcohol, the hero candidates began to boast of their exploits.
Leo raised his head.
He saw no elves, humans… or dragons.
‘The only humans and elves here are us and Enniha.’
Ivaldi was, for all intents and purposes, a city of dwarves and beastmen.
And among the cities that survived during the Age of Calamity, it was one of the most isolated.
It was the most desperate of cities.
“Lord Dweno is truly amazing!”
“Ahh… I’m so glad we have Lord Dweno.”
“To Lord Dweno!”
Here and there, dwarves and beastmen were chanting Dweno’s name and raising their cups in a toast.
‘Yes… the people of this city belong to Dweno.’
Leo was murmuring to himself when a voice interrupted.
“What are you doing all alone, looking so gloomy?”
Enniha, holding a cup, approached with a bright smile.
“Where’s Dweno?”
“That dwarf is cooped up in his workshop. He loves his drink, so it’s pretty strange, isn’t it?”
Enniha shrugged and plopped down in front of Leo.
“Anyway, aren’t you going to have fun? The kids are having a pretty good time.”
Enniha grinned, watching Ar’s party holding a drinking contest.
“You have a lot of pretty friends, don’t you? Isn’t this the perfect time to enjoy a drink with them?”
“They’re too much like kids.”
“And you’re not a kid?”
Enniha sipped her drink with a look of disbelief.
The fastest drinker turned out to be Artian.
“*Hic-!* This is how an adult drinks! You brats!”
“Ooh! Little lady, you were fiery on the battlefield, and you’re fiery now!”
“She’s the best drinker among her friends!”
Drunk dwarves and beastmen approached them.
“Huh?! Who are you calling friends! I’m much older than these guys!”
“Hmm? You look about the same age.”
“How old are you, missy?”
“Twenty-six!”
“Gasp! You’re an older sister?”
“Who are you calling older sister! I’m thousands of years older than you…”
“Hahahaha! Professor Artian, have some more, more!”
Karl, sweating bullets, hastily shoved a bottle into Artian’s mouth.
It was an act he would never dare to attempt normally, but he was desperate.
Artian, for her part, just started chugging it down. Gulp-gulp-gulp.
“Bring more!”
“She’s wasted.”
Leo clicked his tongue.
Was it because of the alcohol?
The warriors of Ivaldi began to gather around the hero candidates one by one.
“Hey, you were incredible out there.”
A female beastman with glasses who looked like a mage approached Chelsea.
“You were using magic, then suddenly you were in close combat. You fought like a knight. Are you a magic swordsman?”
“I’m a pure mage.”
“What?!”
In the Age of Calamity, the concept of a battle mage didn’t exist.
So, Chelsea’s fighting style was bound to be a novelty.
Perhaps it was the alcohol.
The distance between the Ivaldi warriors and the hero candidates was slowly closing.
Watching the scene, Enniha formed a rectangle with her index fingers and thumbs, winked one eye, and framed the view within her hands.
“Mmm~ what a nice picture. It’s like… a combination of the new and old generations.”
“Why don’t you ask them to be your models?”
“Yeah, I will. But you know.”
Enniha rested her chin on her hand and looked at Leo.
“The one I want to be my model most right now is you.”
“Me?”
“Yep. You… you’re like the sun. And I love sunlight more than anything in the world. So I really want to see.”
“That’s an image that doesn’t really suit me.”
“Huh? No, no.”
Enniha shook her head.
“Will you be my model?”
‘The model for the painter who gave Dweno his artist-affliction…’
“If you’re fine with me.”
“Really!”
Enniha beamed and grabbed Leo’s shirt.
“…What are you doing.”
“You said you’d be my model.”
“And?”
“Then take it off. Become the form you were born to be for the sake of art.”
Leo stared intently into Enniha’s eyes.
Looking at them, it was clear she wasn’t in her right mind. She was drunk.
“Take it off! Take it off!”
It seemed her true nature had emerged with the alcohol.
Leo clicked his tongue as Enniha clung to his clothes.
‘Is she an elf version of Dweno?’
No.
Dweno was probably the dwarf version of this elf.
‘So she was a pervert too, in the end.’