Chapter 223
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 223
Chapter Title: Calamity in the North (3)
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While the northern lords displayed a variety of reactions to the sudden invasion, the red army arrived at the Ron family's territory as well.
Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!
The drumbeats signaling the start of battle echoed across the northern mountains, where frigid winds howled.
"We'll have to rely on you all once again."
"No need to mention it."
The White Whale Mercenary Corps had formally contracted with the Ron family and taken the field for this battle.
The initial wave wasn't composed of a large force.
"Just testing the waters?"
Like other territories, only a small contingent of enemies appeared at first, so they opened the gates and moved out to meet them.
There was no need for Jun or the other mercenaries to step in; the territory's own forces could handle such a meager number with ease.
"Scouts, probably. The main force is further back."
As Camillo muttered, just as evening fell, the enemy main body came into view beneath the setting sun.
"Their numbers..."
"Approximately two thousand."
"We'll have to go out and fight them directly."
They could have played it safe from the walls right from the start, but given the abrupt situation, their prepared supplies were limited.
"Let's go!"
"Show them the might of the North!"
And so the full-scale battle began.
Arrows sliced through the cold air, raining down upon the crimson legion.
At the same time, cavalry mounted on monsters called Sunraks fanned out to the flanks, enveloping the enemy.
The crimson legion primarily consisted of heavily armored infantry with shields and spears, making them slow-moving.
But what they boasted was their resistance to physical attacks.
As the enemies raised tower shields to cover their bodies, a hail of arrows poured from beyond the walls.
They bristled like hedgehogs in an instant, but sustained no significant damage.
Camillo was well aware of this, however.
"Infuse them with mana!"
Mages from the Ron family gathered before a crystal orb and began channeling their mana.
Flames flickered from the tips of the arrows raining down upon the crimson legion.
Roooar!!!
Hot flames erupted from the arrows enchanted by the mages.
"It's even more impressive seeing it up close."
Jun, who had come out to the battlefield as well, watched the fight leisurely.
The White Whale Mercenary Corps hadn't faced any threat requiring their intervention yet.
However, the enemy's reinforcements weren't limited to that.
"Two thousand in the first wave, and another two thousand after."
As if savoring their reactions, the enemies tightened the noose slowly rather than charging all at once.
Just as the cavalry was about to clash with the enemy's rear guard, Jun's magic unfolded.
Heavenly Thunder
Unlike before, [Heavenly Thunder] activated without the preparatory stages of [Volcanic Tornado] or [Ice Break].
Yet its power was incomparable, on an entirely different level.
Kwarrrrum!! Kwarrrrrrum!!!
Lightning struck in a symphony from the thunderclouds blanketing the sky.
Dozens of bolts fell in that brief moment, each one tearing massive holes in the crimson legion's ranks.
The sturdy shields were useless against the relentless falling thunder, and the Ron family's cavalry charged through the cheering winds in their wake.
Like a meticulously set-up line of dominos, the collapse from one breach happened in an instant.
"Their formation's broken!"
"Strike them down individually!"
"They're circling to the right!"
"Leave those to the infantry!"
Shouts of battle echoed from all directions.
As if the North's icy winds couldn't cool this fervor, they kindled the flames of life on the precipice between survival and death, each giving their all.
"Die."
In the end, the last of the crimson legion dissolved into a red mist beneath a Ron knight's sword.
Morale soared endlessly with the successful repulsion of the first invasion.
The retainers watching from beyond the walls grew pale.
"Th-that's truly the start of a heavenly calamity..."
"But is that army created by the God of Death?"
"Doesn't seem like it. From what I've heard, they're monsters emerging from Blackout's corrosion phenomena."
"Then it's Dimension Reverse after all...?"
"But it doesn't quite match the descriptions or illustrations in the records..."
"Whatever it is, coming here was the right choice."
Just imagining facing that red army in their own territories filled them with utter despair.
The refugees who had fled to the Ron territory, abandoning their livelihoods, felt the same.
"Those things... came to our territory?"
"Not just here, right?"
"You idiot. Don't you know the map of Stunheim? Our territory's right in the path of the canyon they came from!"
"W-well, anyone could make that mistake."
"Our lord made the right call, fast. Excluding us, only one other territory's people made it out."
"Then the rest of the territories...?"
"Who knows."
They didn't want to think about it, but staring at the plains where the battle had just unfolded stirred unwanted imaginings.
'Did the other territories hold as well as we did?'
'No way...'
The Ron family, as the North's overlords, were renowned for stockpiling vast supplies each year against monster waves from the canyon.
But the other houses?
Aside from a few near the canyon, most hadn't prepared to that extent.
"And no other territory has a mage like that one."
"Is that... the legendary 7th-circle mage we've only heard about?"
"A walking calamity in his own right!"
Moreover, hadn't they said those dozens of lightning bolts were unleashed by a single mage?
Those ignorant of magic even mistook Jun for a 7th-circle grand mage.
"Maybe..."
"We can survive if we stay here."
"Oh, gods!"
Clinging to hope that this crisis would pass quietly, the people prayed to their chosen deities.
But those prayers proved futile; the very next day, their hopes crumbled.
"The beacon fires..."
"Keep rising."
Beacon fires spread across Stunheim.
Though only a day had passed, they signaled dire developments.
Camillo immediately summoned the remaining retainers for a council.
"What are your thoughts?"
The meeting room hung heavy with tension.
At Camillo's question, the three retainers hesitated to speak.
Though they had come at his letter's urging, they hadn't fully accepted the situation.
Camillo understood their mood well.
'If we hadn't believed that mage's words...'
He himself felt a chill at the thought.
"Hoo. It must be hard for you to accept too. But this is reality. Can you share your opinions?"
Then, a retainer with snow-white hair like the canyon's peaks spoke cautiously.
She had once dipped a foot into the empire's central politics.
"Allow me to borrow Your Excellency's words for my opinion."
"Speak, Nornen."
"Realistically, aiding all territories with rising beacons is impossible."
"Hm."
"The enemies' shields resist physical impacts. Thus, magic or equivalent power is essential to dispatch them effectively."
Nornen's gaze turned to Jun, who sat quietly attending the meeting.
"Superior rangers, fire-attribute enchanted arrows, and that mage allowed us to minimize casualties and conserve supplies in the last battle... but..."
Dispersing forces to other territories would leave the main body vulnerable to heavy losses.
"Moreover, I don't believe we need only prepare for the next battle."
"What worries you?"
"Refugees."
"Mm..."
"Their emergence is inevitable. We cannot ignore them."
"That's... true."
The crisis was immediate, but they couldn't ignore the future.
Abandoning refugees now would sink the Ron family's standing in the North to rock bottom.
"We must rescue them somehow."
"Is that your view as well?"
Camillo asked the other two retainers besides Nornen, but they could only nod reluctantly.
With that confirmed, Camillo spoke.
"I agree with Baroness Nornen. Saving them all now is impossible. But we must prepare measures for future refugee rescues."
And it didn't take long for those words to become reality.
The very next day.
Reports came from hunters out on reconnaissance.
"Large group of survivors spotted northwest!"
"A crimson legion detachment trails them, half a day behind!"
The refugees, familiar with the northern terrain, moved faster, but the legion marched without sleep.
They'd be caught before the day was out.
"Massive enemy movement detected between the northern canyons again!"
"Tch... We'll have to split our forces after all."
Camillo's gaze turned to Jun.
"Captain Jun. Can you handle it?"
"I've prepared, given the circumstances."
Rescuing refugees prioritized mobility.
Thus, the White Whale Mercenary Corps was the best choice for the job.
"Then we'll be off."
"No need for guides?"
"No."
Having already memorized the surroundings, Jun scaled the walls without delay alongside his comrades.
"Alright... As you heard, they're exactly three hours from here."
"How many refugees?"
"Five thousand."
"Five thousand... Smaller than expected."
The originating territory's population had been triple that, darkening Aiden's expression... but Jun thought otherwise.
'It's a miracle five thousand survived.'
The enemies descending from the rift in the sky numbered far more than a few.
At least 100,000 by estimates.
Enough to besiege multiple territories, yet refugees had escaped. What did that mean?
'Two possibilities.'
One: the lord fought to the end, buying time for escape.
'Unlikely.'
Their destination was ruled by Lord Bivalri, known for recklessness and vanity.
With three retainers and Camillo agreeing on that assessment, such a man wouldn't sacrifice himself for his people.
'And the scouts reported no lord-like figure.'
Only a grizzled knight led the front.
'The legion let them go deliberately.'
Unlike typical Blackout monsters, these foes made shrewd strategic choices.
Soon, the head of the refugee column came into view.
As reported, a weathered knight rode an aged Sunrak at the fore.
"Wh-who goes there...!"
The old knight spotted them, drawing his sword with a tense expression.
But the journey here hadn't been easy; his sword arm trembled without cease.
"From the Ron territory."
"...! You've truly come to rescue us!"
"Yes."
"Oh, Goddess of the North!"
It must not have been an easy path; thick tears streamed from his eyes.
"How did you find us all the way out here?"
"It's not a long story..."
Introducing himself as Virtanen, he glanced back and said,
"The territory is gone. Demons from the blood-red sky scaled the mountains and descended. We won the first battle, but overwhelming numbers soon besieged us..."
They'd tried to hold out, but failed against the sheer enemy count and a colossal monster's appearance.
'Mega Clover.'
Jun recalled the beast's name immediately.
It had given him trouble even in the game.
A siege monster summoned when a commander-level summoner was present in the legion.