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Chapter 68 - Monster Stampede (2)

"A monster stampede... We need to exterminate them before they reach the townspeople...!"

Her disheveled hair fluttering, Sylvia rode her horse at full speed, rushing toward Arient territory.

Ants mutated into monsters are usually the size of a carriage, and their shells are so tough that blades can’t pierce them.

But with a Bang, she could easily reduce them to puddles of goo.

If Bang wasn’t enough, she could use Boom, or even Boom-Bang if necessary.

As she neared Arient territory, Sylvia began gathering mana inside her, preparing to activate Bang.

"Ah."

And then, the wave of ants came into view.

Monsters covering the entire mountain, leaving no gaps.

Sylvia quickly let her mana settle back down.

"Yeah. Let’s just give up."

There’s no way I can handle that.

Even if I used up all my mana, it wouldn’t be enough.

Sylvia made a quick decision to retreat.

Even if the royal knights came, they’d be fighting day and night for three full days, and still wouldn’t finish. The sheer number is absurd.

Where did so many monsters come from?

Is this someone’s plot?

What kind of twisted person would release this many monsters onto the mountain...?

Trembling at the thought of such villainy, Sylvia altered her course.

Fighting them all was out of the question.

The walls of Arient Castle seemed high and sturdy, so getting everyone inside was the only realistic option.

"Hey, you worms! Get out of hiding and get to work! It’s time to earn your keep!"

Boom!

Sylvia rode straight into the training ground, stomping her foot forcefully as she shouted.

Only then did the employees, who had been cowering inside the dormitories, begin to timidly show their faces, fear written all over them.

"You idiots! Didn’t we train for this? When you saw that, you should’ve been out here already! What are you doing? We’re going to start evacuating the residents! Teams 1, 2, and 3, head to districts 3, 4, and 5 on the outskirts of Arient and get everyone inside the castle! Now, move!"

"Yes, ma’am!!!"

Their voices rang out loudly, and, as if they’d never been scared, the employees began moving in perfect coordination.

Perhaps it was the repeated training.

The staff, without a moment of hesitation, sprinted full-speed toward the endangered Arient territory, now facing imminent disaster.

"Knight Sylvia! One of our members has already gone ahead to assist with the evacuation!"

"...!"

Someone took the initiative and started guiding the evacuation without being told?

Who is that brave soul!?

"Who? Who is it?"

"It’s Yuri! He said he’d try to hold off the monsters to buy us time!"

"What...!"

Of all people, that brat?

He was only participating in training because the Lord had recommended him, and though he was earnest, I didn’t expect him to actually do anything.

If he could just stay out of trouble, that’d be the best we could hope for—so why did he run off?

"Damn it!"

Sylvia’s legs filled with mana, and she accelerated with lightning speed.

It was her own spell, one she’d invented and named Shasha-Shak.

That brat can’t die!

He’s under the Lord’s care, and if I bring him back dead...!

\'It wouldn’t just be a pay cut, I’d lose my head!\'

Grinding her teeth, Sylvia scattered mana in all directions.

This spell was called Wiiing.

It was a search spell, sending out mana to detect and analyze objects in the vicinity.

It wasn’t long before an unusual source of mana was detected.

\'That’s his mana...!\'

That way!

Sylvia shifted her direction, accelerating further toward the origin of the mana.

What a fool!

If he keeps expending mana like that, he’ll collapse from exhaustion in no time.

What if he collapses in front of a monster in the middle of the fight...? Ugh.

That’s why sending a novice into combat, especially one who doesn’t fully understand their own mana capacity, is so dangerous.

\'Please, just stay alive!\'

Just as Sylvia leaped over a wall in desperation...

Sssshing!

A sharp sound split the air, and a blue flash shot past Sylvia’s eyes.

A long beam of light grazed her face and shot forward.

"Kieeeek!!!"

Crack!

The light struck a charging ant monster, crushing its head instantly.

Ssssh.

Like a whip, the light retracted.

"Are you alright? I didn’t expect someone to suddenly appear from that direction."

"..."

At the end of the blue flash was none other than Yuri.

He stood holding a baby in one arm.

Sylvia glanced at the pile of ant monster corpses stacked like a mountain.

Then, she looked back at Yuri, clearly astonished.

"Did you... take all of these down by yourself?"

"Yes? Yes. And I found this baby while searching an empty house. It seems to have been separated from its parents..."

"Alright, that’s enough explanation. Now, run! We’ve finished evacuating this area, so there’s no need to keep fighting!"

"Understood!"

Kieeek!

As more ant monsters crawled over the pile of corpses, one by one, Sylvia took the baby from Yulia and began running.

\'He doesn’t look tired at all.\'

Yuri sped ahead, not showing any signs of fatigue.

He wasn’t using any body-enhancing magic, yet he was moving almost as fast as Sylvia.

Is it even possible to move that fast without magic...?

Was he holding back during training?

Sylvia couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

"Knight Sylvia, you’ve arrived! We’ve completed the search and rescue, and we’re now leading the evacuation!"

"Hurry up! The monsters are right behind us! They’ll catch up soon!"

Guarding the rear of the evacuation line, Sylvia’s hands trembled with urgency.

Had they really searched every building, every corner?

Was there anywhere they missed?

Should I go back to check?

\'Trust them. They’re the ones I trained.\'

She squeezed her eyes shut.

Here, she had to rely on her staff.

It had been less than a month since she started training them, but...

She had taught them a lot in that short time.

She’d instilled in them the boldness and courage to jump into harsh conditions.

And she’d taught them that the only way to overcome such situations was through the tight bonds of camaraderie with their comrades. That was enough.

Her staff moved as if they’d been working together for years, seamlessly coordinated.

Their performance in this crisis was proof that their training had paid off.

They were already capable of being deployed in the field.

Sylvia felt a small sense of pride.

"Aah! Knight of Vermont! Thank you! You’ve safely brought back my taxpayers—I mean, my beloved townspeople! Once again, you’ve done me a great..."

With a loud thud, the gates opened, and the Count of Arient emerged, tears of gratitude streaming down his face.

"Be quiet and step away from the gate! Evacuations come first!"

"Guh!"

With a single body-check from Sylvia, the Count was sent flying backward.

As the refugees poured into the wide-open gate, Sylvia anxiously tapped her feet and glanced behind her.

\'They’re coming.\'

The black wave was approaching.

A horde of ant monsters, filling the horizon as far as the eye could see, surged forward.

Could they close the gates before the monsters reached them?

Impossible.

Sylvia finished her calculations quickly and drew her sword, running toward the oncoming tide.

\'I can’t kill them all. I’ll have to use a stalling spell...!\'

The answer is Freeze.

Gritting her teeth, Sylvia prepared a spell she hadn’t used in ages, one she had sealed away long ago.

By now, she had distanced herself from the refugees.

This should be far enough.

Sylvia took a deep breath and exhaled, frost escaping her mouth as the air around her rapidly cooled.

"Freeze!!!"

With the incantation, she slammed her palm into the ground.

From her hand, a wave of winter cold spread, turning the earth white with frost.

"Kieeeek!!!"

The ants that had been rushing at her found their feet encased in ice, their movements slowing.

"Grrrrr!"

"Stop! Just stop!!!"

The monsters were only a few steps away, but Sylvia didn’t lift her hand from the ground.

The intense mana drain caused the area around her to turn into a frozen tundra, and the monsters gradually slowed, freezing solid.

An ant’s jaws were inches from Sylvia’s head when it finally stopped, frozen in place.

She did it! She froze them all!

"Haa...!"

Sylvia staggered as she turned to look back, seeing that all the refugees had made it through the gate.

Now, I just need to head back... head back...

Huh?

"I’m an idiot..."

I forgot to think about how I’d get back.

Now I’m out of mana...

Crack, crack.

The joints of the frozen monsters began to move, ice cracking as they started to break free.

Her legs trembled, and she couldn’t muster any strength.

Am I going to die like this?

Sylvia let out a hollow laugh as despair set in.

"What’s with that resigned expression? Wipe that look off your face. It’s annoying."

"...!?"

Thump.

A rough hand grabbed Sylvia just before she collapsed, accompanied by a voice so sinister it sent a shiver down her spine.

It was a voice that shouldn’t be here.

"M-my Lord!? What are you doing here...!?"

"You’ve got a lot of work left to do. I’m not letting you escape your duties and pay cut by dying here. Put off dying for a while."

"No! It’s too dangerous here! Let go of me and run! Please, hurry! If those things break free, we’ll both die!"

"Don’t worry. I’m not an idiot who rushes into danger without a plan."

"...?"

Sylvia stopped struggling, caught off guard by Aslan’s wicked smile.

For some reason, that smile filled her with a strange sense of reassurance.

"Kieeeek!!!"

The monsters, having shattered the ice completely, charged at them again.

But as Aslan muttered something quietly and extended his hand...

"Kee? Kiek!?"

"Gurk?"

Thud, thud, thud.

The ant monsters let out their death cries as they collapsed, one after another.

What... what just happened...?