Chapter 438: The Hero Climaxes in Defeat Again Today[R-18] (28)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 438: The Hero Climaxes in Defeat Again Today[R-18] (28)
The southern nobles, whose lands bordered the West, hastily gathered in the conference hall.
“You’ve all heard, I presume. The West has been annihilated, and the monster horde is now advancing this way. We will now discuss how to respond.”
One noble spoke up cautiously.
“…What of Alcladion? Will their reinforcements arrive in time?”
Another shook his head and replied.
“The Marquis is currently in the capital, and all the influential figures in the territory were executed in the last purge. As a result, the chain of command is in shambles.”
“Good heavens, didn’t the Marquis go too far? To behead so many nobles…”
“Hush, watch your tongue. What will you do if word of that reaches the Marquis’s ears?”
“Ahem… In any case, I don’t know if we can stop those monsters on our own.”
“The sixty-thousand-strong army of the West was annihilated in a single day. Even if we defend our castle walls, the outcome is obvious. What’s worse is that the horde is pillaging and burning every village it passes through.”
“Damn it, tsk tsk… Well, this year’s taxes are a lost cause. Our farmlands and our population are about to be wiped out.”
“Is this any time to worry about taxes? If our castle gates are breached, our own heads will be the first to roll!”
“…Still, if the Marquis returns, we should be fine. He could wipe out mere orcs in an instant.”
“The problem is… can we hold out until he arrives?”
“Hmm, the soldiers are deeply unsettled, too. The atmosphere is grim.”
“We have to hold on and trust in the Marquis… Who else can stop them?”
Just then, the doors to the conference hall burst open, and a messenger rushed in, panting.
“A report! The Seven Nights Knights and the territorial army from Alcladion, ten thousand strong, have been dispatched!”
“What?!”
“Is that true?!”
Expressions of relief spread across the nobles’ faces. Then, an old noble spoke up cautiously.
“But… it will take time for the reinforcements to arrive. The key is how we can survive until then.”
“If we just shut the gates and prepare for a siege, we should be able to hold out, no matter how numerous they are.”
“That’s right. And we must evacuate everyone from the surrounding villages into the castle…”
The atmosphere in the hall had completely changed. From despair to hope, from terror to relief.
*
Marienne sat with her division on the outskirts of the camp. She shivered as the cold night air seeped through the gaps in her heavy armor and let out a quiet sigh.
“Haaah… I don’t know if this was the right thing to do…”
The words escaped her lips unconsciously. Her gaze was momentarily captured by the crackling campfire beyond the torchlight.
Eira had tried to stop her until the very end. She’d said it was reckless to march out while the Marquis was away, that war wasn’t a path of flowers but a hell of blood and screams… But Marienne had come anyway.
‘Even if I stay behind in safety… I’ll just keep being ignored.’
Though she had convinced herself with that logic, an undeniable anxiety lingered in a corner of her heart.
Looking around, she saw knights sharpening their swords or inspecting their armor. A few were quietly exchanging reports from the messenger who had just arrived.
Just then, someone approached her side.
“You should get some sleep.”
The voice belonged to Barzes, the third-ranked knight of the order.
He was a cold and blunt man, but his skill was among the best in the knighthood. He was absolutely loyal to the Marquis and so trusted on the battlefield that he was called the “Iron Wall Shield.”
“…Ah, yes.”
As Marienne gave a startle-faced reply, Barzes stared at her silently for a moment before speaking.
“Frankly, I don’t like that you’ve come along. You may be learning the sword formally from the Marquis, but it’s only been a few months… You’ve barely mastered the basics.”
His words were cold, but they weren’t wrong.
“I don’t know what you were thinking, coming here… but this isn’t a game. The enemies we are about to face are monsters beyond the logic of man. So when you find yourself in danger, don’t expect anyone to help you. If that frightens you… go back now.”
“…I’m sorry. Still, I will do the best I can.”
Barzes watched Marienne in silence for a while longer before tossing out one last remark.
“…Get some rest.”
He turned and walked away without another word. Marienne slumped back down with a sigh.
A few days later, shocking news arrived.
The southern territories bordering the West had all fallen, unable to hold out for even a single day.
“……Sir Barzes, I think we should turn back.”
At his fellow knight’s words, Barzes remained silent, his gaze fixed on the distant direction from which the orcs would come.
After a moment, he spoke slowly.
“No, we are not turning back. The Marquis ordered us to protect the South before he left. We cannot forsake that command. We have a duty to protect the Marquis’s property and this land.”
Barzes silently gripped the hilt of his sword.
“If there are any villages that haven’t been invaded by those orc bastards yet, we go there first. We will evacuate the remaining people—”
He slowly pulled his helmet on.
“All members of the Seven Nights Knights—!”
“Sir!” the knights answered, leaping to their feet in unison.
“We are the sword and shield of Alcladion! It is our duty to protect the people of this land!”
“Sir!”
“Prepare to depart! We move before sunrise!”
At Barzes’s command, the camp instantly bustled with activity. Marienne also hurried to check her armor and get ready. The anxiety was still there, but there was no turning back now.
*
The moment Graz set foot on southern soil, his heart began to pound like a drum. The rough, heavy thumping was loud enough to echo across the battlefield, and his instincts immediately sent a warning.
‘The Hero.’
He flared his nostrils, taking in the air. The scent of flesh, the scent of blood, the scent of burning ash—and mixed within it, an alien presence.
“Grrrrr… Close.”
His blood-red eyes flashed, burning fiercely. Graz, who had been breathing like a beast, ordered a halt to the pillaging. Prey could wait. Finding the Hero came first.
“Halt!”
The orcs and goblins froze at his shout.
“My sons! We hunt the Hero, now!”
His roar shook the earth. In its wake, the horde of orcs and goblins gasped, their bodies trembling. A thrill, a madness, the blood-soaked scent of the battlefield enveloped the army.
Then, with a smile more brutal than any beast’s, Graz roared again.
“Find them! To the one who finds the Hero, I will grant the right to use the Hero’s back hole!”
An echo of madness swept across the fields. The orcs and goblins roared and scrambled forward, tripping over each other in their haste.
They were running not on orders, but on instinct.
Before long, Graz sensed a powerful presence from a village not far away.
“There…! The Hero is there!!”
His blood-slick eyes and teeth, more savage than a beast’s, were bared as a crazed smile filled his face.
“Khahahaha! I’ve finally found you!”
Graz hefted his massive iron mace and began to walk. Tens of thousands of orcs and goblins followed behind him.
The earth trembled, and even the sky seemed to darken.
And in that village… was Marienne, protecting the refugees alongside the Seven Nights Knights.
*
“Something… is wrong.”
Marienne muttered with an uneasy expression. The murmuring from outside the village was growing louder.
Barzes climbed the watchtower to check the situation, and his face went pale.
“All units, prepare for battle! A massive orc army is approaching!”
His shout echoed throughout the village, and Marienne’s heart began to pound.
‘This… this is real war.’
Marienne bit her lip hard. Her breath came in ragged gasps, and her fingertips trembled. But she couldn’t back down. The refugees would only survive if they held their ground here.
Just then, Barzes approached her.
“Marienne, you will support the refugees.”
“What? But I can fight—”
“That’s an order.”
His words were brief but firm. For a moment, Marienne’s lips trembled. But she soon nodded.
“…Understood.”
After watching Marienne leave, Barzes drew his sword and yelled.
“Everyone, do not let a single one of them inside this village!”
At his thunderous command, every member of the Seven Nights Knights drew their swords in unison.
And at that moment, the orc horde appeared over the horizon.
At its head was a monster with a giant mace slung over his shoulder. His blood-red eyes gleamed as he let out a maniacal laugh.
“Khuhuhu… More riffraff.”
Graz raised his mace high and roared. The monstrous cry was enough to make the very earth shake. As he stirred, the orcs and goblins, driven by his madness, screamed in response.
“Uwoooooooh!!!”
The army of monsters surged forward like a tsunami.
Graz bared his teeth and smiled.
“My sons, tear the men apart and bring me the women!”
At that moment, as if he had been waiting for it, Barzes took a step forward.
“Hold the line! Shields forward!”
His voice rang out, short and powerful, and the ranks of the Seven Nights Knights tightened. The soldiers, adjusting their armor and overlapping their shields, moved as one, like a single iron wall.
Barzes quietly pointed his sword forward and said, “Do not retreat a single step from this spot.”
“Wuaaaaaah!”
The orcs and goblins charged with a roar. The fields trembled, and a vibration that felt like it could split the earth itself rushed toward the village.
But Graz suddenly stopped.
His eyes had caught a faint presence, seemingly trying to flee in the distance.
‘Running away…? I won’t allow that.’
Graz’s red eyes flashed and burned.
“You all can have your feast. I’m going after the real prey.”
He put power into his legs, which were harder than steel.
—CRASH!
Covering dozens of meters in a single bound, Graz began to sprint, following the Hero’s aura. His massive body flew through the air, carving deep gouges in the earth with every step.
The place he arrived at was filled with countless refugees and humans gripping their weapons with tense eyes. And standing among them was a single person.
Graz’s eyes flashed.
“Hero──!!”
Drooling, he roared and launched himself toward a woman, tearing up the ground as he went.
It was a charge filled with a desire more primal than any beast’s. Graz saw only the prey before him as he rushed forward.