Chapter 238 : The First Wave

"...Damn it."

Duke Elsbears muttered under his breath as he saw the wave of magical beasts rushing in from beyond.

He had been in a meeting with Princess Lilia when he heard the urgent news and had rushed up to the barrier.

Dofang, who had come up with him, whistled.

"It's the monster wave. It seems to be earlier than usual."

Linda, unafraid of the height, leaned precariously against the railing and watched the scene beyond the barrier.

"Woooow... are those all magical beasts?"

Schmidt, worried about Linda, was holding onto her clothes from behind.

Princess Lilia had wanted to follow, but she had been left behind at the residence under the duke's strict orders.

By now, she was probably grumbling and taking out her anger on her guardian knight, Monde.

Duke Elsbears muttered slowly.

"It's begun."

Even though they had prepared early just in case, it was earlier than expected.

It usually started in the dead of winter when the temperature was at its lowest, but for it to come rushing in at the beginning of winter like this.

Did this mean that the worst monster wave in history was different even from the start?

"Everyone to your positions!"

"Move, move, move!"

"They're coming!"

The top of the wall was in a state of chaos due to the sudden start of the monster wave.

Clang, clang, clang, clang—

Under the loud ringing of the alarm bell, the soldiers quickly found their positions and moved in an orderly fashion.

Soldiers hastily loaded crossbows, and soldiers loaded cannonballs into the cannons installed on the wall.

And there were also soldiers carefully carrying arrows and magically inscribed cannonballs.

The top of the wall, which usually seemed to be dead and cold, was, paradoxically, moving most vigorously at the moment of crisis.

The duke, who was watching the rushing wave of magical beasts, opened his mouth.

"Fire as soon as you're ready."

"Yes, sir!"

Soon, the adjutant, who had received reports from the soldiers running along the wall that they were ready, shouted.

"Fire!"

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

Magically inscribed cannonballs flew in a parabola toward the rushing wave of magical beasts.

Just then, an astonished voice came from Dofang, who was watching the scene with one leg on the railing of the wall, unafraid.

"...Huh?"

At that, the duke next to him glanced at him.

"What is it?"

Dofang pointed to a spot beyond the barrier and said.

"No, those two guys running up ahead. They look like guys I know."

The duke followed his fingertip.

Beyond the all-white barrier.

He could see two small dots running hard toward this place.

They were like grains of sand rolling hard to avoid being swept away by the wave of magical beasts.

Linda leaned her body out over the railing and shouted.

"It's the devil!"

Schmidt, startled, pulled Linda back inside.

Soon, the magic cannonballs that had flown in a parabola fell on the wave of magical beasts, causing a huge explosion.

KWAGWAGWAGWANG!

Leaving the noise behind, the duke asked his adjutant.

"Has the Demonic Swordsman not returned yet?"

"No, he has not."

"And the new captain of Sherwood went out beyond the barrier?"

"That is not certain."

The duke's cold gaze fell on the adjutant.

"Not certain?"

Did it make sense for you, the person in charge of the barrier, to not know the entry and exit personnel?

The duke's stern gaze seemed to be reprimanding the adjutant.

"That is..."

The adjutant said in a slightly flustered tone.

"Strictly speaking, I have not authorized anyone other than the Demonic Swordsman to enter or exit the barrier."

"Then?"

"The soldiers have not opened the passage either. Also, we have not sent anyone up the barrier via the lift."

The duke looked at the adjutant as if telling him to speak.

"There was a report from a soldier. According to him, he suddenly appeared on the barrier without any presence. When he asked how he got up, he replied that he walked up."

"...What did you say?"

The duke's eyebrow twitched.

At the adjutant's words, Dofang and Schmidt also looked at the adjutant.

"Do you think that makes sense right now?"

The duke asked in a stern tone.

"I am also flustered, but... after investigating, his name was not on the list of lift users."

"...!"

When using the lift, the names of all who boarded the lift were recorded.

The duke was no exception, and even if the king of Maia came, there would be no exception.

The barrier was that important and dangerous a place.

"Furthermore, the lift was not even in operation at the time the soldier reported."

"...Then, are you saying he really climbed the barrier on his own two feet?"

"At present, that is the only conclusion we can draw."

"Hmm."

The duke let out a low hum.

The adjutant continued, as if slightly hesitant.

"And..."

"Speak."

"According to the soldier, he threw himself over the barrier before he could be stopped..."

"...?"

The words were so absurd that the duke stared at his adjutant for a moment.

"So you're saying that man committed suicide from here?"

"Ah, that's not it. I was just reporting what the soldier told me, so I don't know what to say."

"Tell me exactly what you were told."

"Yes. He said that after throwing himself over the barrier, he ran through the air and disappeared beyond the blizzard."

"..."

The duke looked at his adjutant without a word.

The story was so absurd that he didn't know how to interpret it.

Dofang, who was listening from the side, chuckled and gently shook his head.

"What an impatient fellow."

Schmidt also chuckled and, with the hand that wasn't holding Linda, made a sign to Dofang.

Dofang smiled and replied.

"I know, right."

The duke looked at the leisurely smiling Dofang.

"Did he really run through the sky?"

Dofang replied brazenly.

"If I said so, would you believe me, Your Grace?"

"..."

"I understand. To be honest, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. You can check for yourself later."

The adjutant glanced at the two dots running hard to avoid the wave and said.

"Your Grace. Should we cease the bombardment?"

The duke shook his head.

"Keep firing."

"Yes, sir."

"With their skills, it won't be a big threat. They'll dodge it themselves. But keep the passage open."

"Understood."

The adjutant immediately carried out the duke's order.

"Fire!"

At his shout, another round of various cannonballs cut through the sky and fell toward the rushing white wave.

One of them fell directly on the two grains of sand running at the very front, and for a moment, the two of them were out of sight.

"Waaah! Devil!"

Only Linda had a tearful face.

The rest were calm.

A moment later, the acrid smoke from the bombardment cleared.

The two grains of sand had gotten noticeably closer in that short time.

So their figures were more clearly visible...

"Hmm?"

The duke doubted his own eyes.

They were attacking each other as they ran.

One moment, one would shoot out sword qi, and the other would counter with glowing blue ice magic, and then the first would counter that with pouring blue flames.

The two were bickering hard as they ran toward the wall.

"..."

The duke was at a loss for words for a moment.

In a touch-and-go situation where a monster wave was rushing in from behind, they should be watching each other's backs.

But they were attacking each other?

It was a truly heartwarming sight.

"I've seen all sorts of crazy bastards."

At the adjutant's words, the duke looked at him.

The surprised adjutant immediately bowed his head.

"Ah, my apologies. I didn't mean to."

Dofang chuckled as he watched the two who were running so amicably.

"It seems they've had a good enough greeting."

Schmidt also grinned and nodded.

"Hehe, it's the devil."

Linda was just smiling because she could see the devil again, regardless of whether the two were exchanging attacks or not.

Like two peas in a pod.

Duke Elsbears looked at Ashuban and his companions as if he were at a loss for words, then ordered his adjutant.

"Fire the crossbows as well."

"They might get hit."

"Let them."

"...Yes, sir."

The adjutant ordered.

"Fire!"

Large, sharp crossbow bolts rained down on the wave of magical beasts.

* * *

The first monster wave was stopped.

The soldiers of the barrier dealt with it calmly and skillfully under the duke's command.

It was a job that had been passed down for decades, and they had practiced for this moment countless times before winter came. It was only natural.

The duke poured crossbow bolts and magic cannonballs on the rushing countless magical beasts, and then, when things were roughly sorted out, he led the knights who were waiting below and went out beyond the barrier to clean up the remnants.

The Sherwood Mercenary Corps, including Dofang, did not stand still.

They focused on eliminating the large, C-rank and above magical beasts that were difficult for the knights to deal with.

Magical beasts that would normally take several knights to barely defeat fell easily with a single attack from them.

"Wow..."

"Are they really the same as us?"

"Indeed, the Sherwood Mercenary Corps...!"

The soldiers could not help but admire the great performance of the Sherwood Mercenary Corps.

The knights of the Elsbears family, and the knights dispatched from other families, also could not close their mouths at the sight of their martial prowess.

"They are truly monsters...!"

"I can't feel more reassured thinking that they are on our side."

"Does a poison that can poison magical beasts really exist?"

Regardless.

The subjects of the praise themselves were not very interested in it.

Dofang looked around to see if there were any surviving magical beasts and habitually flicked his butterfly knife in his hand.

Then, the thread attached to its end came slithering over as if it were alive and wrapped itself around the handle.

It was a thread so thin that it was invisible if you didn't pay attention, but it was sharp and strong enough to cut through the thick bones of a magical beast.

Dofang's main weapon was a dagger, but it was quite inconvenient to cut down huge magical beasts with a short dagger.

Therefore, he preferred to use the thread when hunting magical beasts.

It was a silver thread blessed by the Hope Cult, a weapon Dofang enjoyed using when hunting magical beasts.

As he reeled in the thread and looked around, the corpses of large and small magical beasts were scattered near the barrier.

The battle was over, and the soldiers were coming out to clean up.

But the battle was not over.

This was just the beginning. In terms of a meal, it was about the appetizer.

Because this was just the first wave, signaling the start.

And yet, a scale of this size.

'The words 'worst monster wave in history' were not an exaggeration.'

So far, the vast majority were D-rank and below magical beasts.

But as they went into the second and third waves, not only the quantity but also the quality of the enemies would rise.

Perhaps, there was a possibility that several A-rank magical beasts would appear at once.

Of course, the worst case would be the appearance of an S-rank magical beast.

Dofang sighed.

"Sigh... how did I get involved in something like this."

Dofang wanted to be drinking and playing card games in front of a warm fireplace.

But his new captain would not let him.

"I killed more."

"Idiot. You have to look at the quality, not the quantity. I killed two B-ranks."

"I killed three."

"You're full of shit."

Dofang looked at our proud captain of Sherwood.

He was bickering with a member, the Two-Faced Demonic Swordsman—Hartz.

Sorrow seemed to want no part in their childish squabble and was quietly inside.

Schmidt was watching the two from a short distance with a bitter smile, and Linda had already clung to Ashuban's back like a turtle shell.

"Hehe."

Dofang approached them to calm down the childish captain and his member.

"Seeing our two little brothers getting along so well warms my heart. Hahaha."

At that, Ashuban and Hartz stopped their bickering and looked at Dofang.

"It seems you've already had a good greeting. It must have been a touching reunion that couldn't be seen without tears. How do you feel about meeting up again after so long? How about we go for a drink and catch up? Are you in?"

Then, Hartz exchanged a look with Ashuban and glared at Dofang with eyes that seemed to be burning.

His beast-like yellow eyes shone brightly.

"Dofang, you son of a bitch. Good to see you."

"Huh?"

"You've been secretly receiving 30-year-old Zilentyn from the captain behind our backs, haven't you?"

When Dofang hastily looked at Ashuban, he chimed in mischievously from the side.

"It's a report from Hudmilla. Meaning the source is reliable. If it's wrong, you can beat Hudmilla to a pulp."

"So it seems."

Hartz strode toward Dofang.

The flustered Dofang took a step back.

"Uh, uh uh. Wait."

Just then, Hartz's left eye glowed blue, and a cold voice flowed out.

"Dofang. I am beyond disappointed."

"Sorrow?"

"Was our resolve all a sham? Was the noble will of the Zilentyn Suicide Squad just a plaything for you?"

Even Sorrow was angry.

A cold sweat broke out.

Dofang took a step back and laughed awkwardly.

"Ha, haha... there seems to be some misunderstanding."

Ashuban looked at Dofang and raised one corner of his mouth.

"The truth will prevail."

Hartz cracked his knuckles and strode closer.

"You petty thief. Did you have fun tricking your comrades all this time?"

Sorrow finished his words with a cold voice.

"You have to pay the price."

Dofang, who had been backing away, quickly turned around and ran.

"Get him!"

Hartz chased after him in a flash.

Whoosh!

A sharp ice spear that had been created in the blink of an eye grazed Dofang's shoulder.

"Little brother! Our Demonic Swordsman little brother! Listen to me!"

"I'll listen after I take one of your arms."

Ice magic flew at Dofang relentlessly.

"Aaaah!"

The phantom thief and the demonic swordsman ran across the battlefield, which was littered with the corpses of magical beasts.

The soldiers who were cleaning up watched them blankly.

A short distance away, Duke Elsbears was watching them.

The adjutant standing next to the duke tried to defend them.

"Um... it seems they have a lot to talk about since they haven't seen each other in a long time."

"Shut up. If I had my way, I'd kill them all."

"Yes, sir."

A deep sigh escaped Duke Elsbears's lips.

He felt like he could finally understand Guston's feelings when he used to grumble about wanting to kill his members.

(End of Chapter)

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