Chapter 136 - Empty House Raid

"Wow..."

"Wow..."

Zed and Penelope stared at the wound on Ferda’s chest.

The two of them let out the exact same exclamation.

"How did you survive?"

"It wasn’t a fatal wound, so I simply lived."

"Still, it’s a relief it missed your heart."

"There wasn’t much bleeding either, so there’s no reason to make such a fuss."

The object had been lodged fairly deep, but since there was little damage and very little bleeding, it ultimately amounted to nothing more than a minor injury.

Ironically, it was precisely because Ferda’s body was so frail that the injury had ended up being so light.

"So..."

Peering into the hole in his chest, Penelope flashed a smug grin.

"So you’re saying you hugged her, and during that hug she didn’t even realize she had horns sticking out of her head?"

"...Yeah."

"Is that Grand Duchess... an idiot, by any chance?"

"..."

Ferda couldn’t bring himself to deny it.

So instead, all he could do was glare at Penelope as though he wanted to kill her.

Without paying the slightest attention to his murderous gaze, Penelope continued staring fixedly at his chest as she muttered,

"Man, all I can do is admire it. You really were about to go straight through the chest... all the way to the other side, huh?"

"..."

"You left a hole in my heart~. Now you’re my lifelong partner~. Oooooh~. Forever my compa— Pffgh!"

Before Ferda could make a move, Zed smacked the back of Penelope’s head first, knocking her unconscious.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he casually changed the subject.

"So you’re still planning to depart?"

"There wasn’t really any problem, so of course I am. Besides, doesn’t this count as enough bad luck to get it out of the way?"

"Well, that’s true. And we’re really supposed to just stay here?"

Except for William, the knights’ primary order was to defend the main fortress.

In other words, they had essentially been told to take it easy.

"There won’t be anywhere for you to distinguish yourself during this operation. It’s better for you to remain here, guard the castle, and report anything unusual. And..."

"And?"

"As long as Garnet is still inside this castle, we can’t let our guard down."

For this campaign, both Luri and Ferda would be leaving.

With all the key personnel gone, if Garnet remained behind, there was no telling what she might do to this empty house.

"Keep an eye on Garnet. Can I trust you with that?"

"Don’t worry. Even if we’re old friends, I’m a knight of this castle now."

"Good. I’ll trust you."

"Then we’ll be going."

Dragging the unconscious Penelope around like a sack of luggage, Zed headed toward the door.

Just before crossing the threshold, however, he hesitated and looked back.

"Uh..."

Looking as though he had been dying to say it, Zed finally spoke.

"Congratulations... on your first time."

"...?"

Giving him a thumbs-up, Zed disappeared.

Ferda didn’t understand what he meant, but he could tell it came from the same line of thinking as Penelope’s.

I forgot those two are exactly the same kind of idiots.

Too exhausted to get angry, Ferda simply closed his eyes and decided to rest until tomorrow.

...Or at least, he tried to.

Every time he was about to fall asleep, the ridiculous melody Penelope had sung echoed in his ears.

The moment Ferda woke up, he resolved to beat that devil of a woman senseless.

***

Morning arrived.

The soldiers, who had finished all preparations the previous night, bustled about as they prepared to begin their march.

The army was divided into three groups.

The first was the 1st Regiment under the overall command of Olivia.

The second was the 2nd Regiment, commanded by the son of Duke Lutenia, the chief operations strategist.

The third was the main force remaining behind to protect the civilians and noble ladies staying in the castle.

Their strategy was to lure the monsters in from two different locations simultaneously, eliminate them, and then secure two colossal monsters.

In total, the temporary allied forces had to deal with four of them.

The Far East Alliance, which had concentrated its forces in Count Consilus’s territory, would also move, but since they lacked Magitech Engineering, they would take on only one colossal monster.

Meanwhile, Erika would handpick twelve adventurers to form the Eri Adventurer Party, carrying out a special operation to defeat another colossal monster, bringing the total to six eliminated.

Their primary objective was to completely destroy the front line within three days, including travel time.

No one wore a cheerful expression.

Even though the entire monster army was effectively leaving to raid the Empire, turning the Grand Duchess’s territory into an empty house.

Because they were still marching toward a battlefield where death awaited.

After all, this was war.

The very word war was enough to wear people down.

"The Imperial Capital shall become the shield, while we become the sword that severs the source of this disaster. For your homeland and your honor..."

The Imperial Princess’s practiced speech inspired everyone.

It raised morale, but not enough to completely erase their anxiety.

In fact, Olivia herself hadn’t expected dramatic results.

She had another plan.

"We’ll force-march and approach the monsters as quickly as possible."

"And what effect do you expect that to have?"

"We’ll use the Magitech Rifle troops—the Tactical Infantry—to raise everyone’s morale."

The Tactical Infantry had already proven their effectiveness several times.

If they could slaughter the charging monsters with minimal casualties, morale would undoubtedly soar through the heavens.

"Then I’ll contact you once we reach the first point."

"I wish you good fortune."

Looking at Ferda, she gently rubbed the Alte Church amulet in her hand.

It was her way of saying she would pray for him.

More than three thousand soldiers, along with wagons carrying supplies, advanced along the road.

The two fully prepared armies split apart and moved separately.

The 1st Regiment marched with Imperial Princess Olivia and the Imperial Army at its head.

The 2nd Regiment was led by the son of Duke Lutenia and his forces.

Ferda marched alongside the 2nd Regiment.

His own force consisted of fifty Tactical Infantry soldiers, Isabella—the commander and one of their main fighting forces—and Luri.

Following the road, they were welcomed by a dense forest.

"I can’t shake this uneasy feeling. It feels like we’re walking straight into Leviathan’s stomach."

The chief strategist, Lutenia, muttered as he gazed into the dark forest ahead.

Surely he wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

Everyone stepping into this place did so knowing they might die.

Ferda himself felt exactly the same.

Just then—

A sudden gale swept through the sky, and an enormous shadow blotted out the sun.

"W-What is that?"

"I-Is it a monster?! Already?!"

Everyone immediately looked up toward the sky.

It seemed as though battle had begun the instant the march started.

But that wasn’t it.

"Ah...!"

"That’s...!"

The moment they recognized what it was, everyone gasped in awe.

Even Ferda couldn’t help reacting.

Scales burning even redder than the sun despite flying beneath it.

Two pairs of horns.

Massive wings that seemed capable of covering both heaven and earth.

"A Red Dragon!"

"I-It’s Grand Duchess Valdrova!"

"Her Highness the Grand Duchess has revealed herself!"

Valdrova circled once across the sky before descending onto the summit of the Lonely Mountain.

She looked as though she ruled the entire mountain itself.

The Red Dragon, who had remained unseen for so long, had proudly revealed herself.

Why did she come outside?

She should have been able to sense the monsters perfectly well even while remaining inside her lair.

For her to reveal herself like this...it meant she had a reason.

As Ferda silently looked up at her, their eyes met.

Though separated by a great distance, he knew.

She was looking directly at him.

She gave the slightest nod, as if trying to say something.

"I’ll do what I can."

That was what it felt like she was saying.

Then she turned her gaze toward the east.

As the saying goes, interpretation is everything.

Seeing her, Ferda shouted at the top of his lungs,

"Her Highness the Grand Duchess is watching over us!"

"Long live Hestia! Long live Grand Duchess Valdrova!"

No one had instructed them to do so, yet thunderous cheers erupted from every direction, lifting everyone’s spirits.

This was what she could do.

Gone was the image of the Evil Red Dragon infamous for slaughtering people like insects.

If that truly were an evil dragon...

Could people possibly cry out her name with such passionate admiration?

Overwhelmed with emotion, Ferda unconsciously placed a hand over his chest.

My heart...

Watching her, Ferda smiled.

Your courage... I will engrave it upon my heart.

The bitter morning cold could no longer make the soldiers shiver.

With victory engraved in their hearts, the army resumed its march.

***

The borderlands of the Grand Duchess’s territory were nothing but undeveloped plains.

The ground was so full of stones that plows constantly broke, making it useless for farming.

The only traces of humanity were a few hunting shelters built by hunters who came to catch animals nibbling on young leaves.

Even those traces of humanity were now gone.

Surrounding the Grand Duchess’s territory were colossal monsters.

They resembled gigantic caterpillars, though they couldn’t move.

They merely remained in place, repeatedly contracting and expanding.

Feeding on the vitality of the earth, they produced eggs.

And from those eggs, they endlessly spawned monsters.

After being left alone for an entire month, every inch of land within a two-kilometer radius had turned black.

As always, they continued reproducing and gathering their army.

But today...

Something was different.

Sensing the change, one beast-type monster twitched before raising its head.

The only thing visible was the sun rising in the east.

Beneath that rising sun appeared countless banners...and the silhouettes of humans.

Kiiieeeek!!

It shrieked, sounding the alarm.

At once, every monster turned toward the sound.

The very reason for their existence stood before them.

Kiiieek!

Kiiieeeeeeek!

Using the beasts’ piercing screams as their battle cry, the monsters charged.

Without any formation whatsoever, they rushed forward on pure instinct.

The blonde commander at the front raised her sword high.

"All forces, prepare for battle!"

Olivia’s voice thundered across the battlefield through amplification magic.

She no longer resembled the delicate Imperial Princess.

She possessed the charisma of a legendary war hero.

"Tactical Infantry, form a wing formation! Mages, prioritize the aerial monsters! Tactical Infantry, focus on ground targets!"

Olivia had devoted herself entirely to planning troop deployment for this very moment.

The infantry carrying Magitech Rifles moved in perfect unison, forming a single line at the front.

All fifty soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder, aiming their rifles forward.

"Activate!"

As they pressed the buttons, a deep humming sound resonated from inside the rifles.

Pure mana bullets glowed brightly within the pipes.

The beast-type monsters charged on all fours.

The moment those monsters slammed into them with their bodies, they would disappear without even realizing they had died.

When the distance became close enough—

Her sword sliced through the air.

"Fire!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Thunder roared across the battlefield.

Even the soldiers standing behind them flinched in surprise.

And it wasn’t only the sound that astonished them.

Before anyone could even process what had happened, the beast-type monsters at the front line began collapsing one after another.

They had not died instantly.

However, it clearly demonstrated just how extraordinary the stopping power of that attack had been.

The front ranks fell like leaves before an autumn wind, but monsters knew nothing of fear or hesitation.

The monsters charging from behind continued rushing forward without slowing.

The Tactical Infantry had to prepare for their next attack.

"Rotate the front line!"

As though they had been waiting for the command, the Tactical Infantry quickly withdrew.

At the same time, knights clad in heavy armor strode forward and formed a defensive formation.

Every one of them had come to protect the army, bearing the pride and reputation of their respective territories.

The monsters that sought to destroy everything collided head-on with those determined to defend it.

The knights held their ground magnificently.

As soon as the initial clash ended and both sides entered a standoff, one of the knights shouted,

"Spearmen! Attack!"

"We must hold the line!"

"Stab their eyes! If you can’t reach the eyes, stab inside their mouths! If not, stab their groins! Anywhere that feels dishonorable—stab it!"

The knights held the line while the spearmen thrust through the gaps and over the knights’ shoulders, preventing the monsters from advancing.

Their objective was simple.

To buy time.

"The second volley is ready!"

William, serving as adjutant, reported.

Olivia, who had been issuing commands nonstop, raised her sword once again.

"Tactical Infantry, close formation! Shield-wall knights, form lanes!"

Bwooooo!

A voice alone wasn’t enough, so a horn was blown to relay the command to the knights.

Hearing their commander’s orders, the knights in the center calmly stepped backward.

It was as though the wall of men had transformed into a gate.

A path opened straight through the middle.

The monsters poured into the opening.

They never realized...that it was a passage leading to their deaths.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!

Fifty mana bullets flew toward the densely packed monsters.

There was no need to aim for their hearts.

They simply dropped one after another.

The monster corpses became a threshold...and obstacles blocking the advance of those behind them.

The monsters were trapped inside the killing lane.

"Die! Die!"

"Be purified by Alte’s light, you wicked creatures!"

The beast-type monsters, once the greatest threat, were now trapped in the lane, unable to advance or retreat.

The knights’ swords, empowered by Aura, tore through their bodies.

Yelp!

Keeeek!

The monsters screamed in agony, even mimicking the dying cries of beasts.

More than a hundred beast-type monsters were reduced to only a handful in the blink of an eye.

"The remaining enemies have all been eliminated!"

"Commander, your orders!"

Excitement shone in the adjutant’s eyes.

The same was true for Olivia.

She raised her command sword high into the air and shouted,

"The army will advance in two battalions! Stay alert until the very end!"

The dependable wall of soldiers surged forward at remarkable speed.

The Melteds that had followed behind the beast-type monsters were quickly overwhelmed.

Before long, they had successfully advanced to the vicinity of the colossal monster.

"1st Battalion has secured the colossal monster!"

"2nd Battalion has secured theirs as well! The operation is a success!"

Preparations had already been made to eliminate any new monsters the instant they were created.

Unless the colossal monster possessed abilities beyond laying eggs, it had effectively been neutralized.

"We’ve won!"

"Long live Count Kali!"

"May Alte watch over us!"

Some soldiers shouted the names of their lords.

Others cried out the name of their god.

Each did their part to raise everyone’s morale.

Standing behind them, Olivia listened to their thunderous cheers.

This is the first step of my plan.

Joy welled up inside her.

It became so overwhelming that she struggled to keep it from showing on her face.

If the 2nd Regiment succeeds as well... then my plan will be perfect.

Olivia had no doubt they would achieve victory.

Because Ferda was there.

Perhaps that was why...she could no longer suppress her smile.

She raised her sword high and celebrated the victory of the first battle.

***

The success of the 1st Regiment was, in effect, the success of the 2nd Regiment as well.

Aside from their locations, both forces were fighting identical monsters, and every aspect of their strength had been carefully balanced before deployment.

Amidst all this, the son of Duke Lutenia—the chief operations strategist and supreme commander of the 2nd Regiment—found himself thinking,

Is this... really the kind of war I used to know?