The sewer rats had been entirely eliminated.
The monsters, lured by the Margrave, all left their backs vulnerable to us.
With the castle gates flung wide, Lucas and his troops attacked from the rear, and the volley from the castle walls persisted.
The sewer rats were impaled from the back, clear to the core.
Sporadic resistance was still evident, but those left, no longer a wave but mere droplets, were utterly weak.
Facing the human swords and spears, the swarm of rats was hunted down. It took no time at all to exterminate the lingering rats.
But.
"..."
Treading across the battlefield where the soldiers were wrapping up the leftover sewer rats, I hastened towards the spot where Lucas and the seasoned soldiers were assembled. Damien, who had healing magic, was at my side.
"Your Highness."
As I neared, Lucas looked at me.
Lucas's fresh armor and new sword were smeared with rat blood.
But Lucas, devoid of any intention to clean it off, lowered his head heavily.
"It appears we are too late."
"..."
I pushed through the crowd and stepped into the center of the gathering.
The Crossroad Margrave was lying there.
The condition of the veteran knight was ghastly. His armor, shredded by the swarm of rats, was unrecognizable, and his limbs were almost gone.
Where the monsters had bitten into his body, his bones were visible.
Damien rushed over and applied his healing magic to the Margrave, but.
"I apologize, Your Highness. This injury..."
Right after, Damien closed his eyes tightly and bowed his head.
He must be implying that his healing magic was futile. Even if an SSR-ranked healer arrived, these injuries were beyond repair.
Nevertheless, I quickly drew a high-level stamina potion from my bag.
It was a superior potion that came from the last reward box. If it's this, somehow...
"Stop it."
Just then, the Crossroad Margrave murmured feebly.
"That's not a wound that will heal if you douse it with that, it's only going to cause more pain."
"Margrave!"
"Just help me sit up a bit. I can't see a thing."
Damien and I slowly lifted the Crossroad Margrave's upper body.
Each time the Margrave coughed, blood flowed from his lips.
"...The battle, it's over?"
"Yes, Margrave. Your efforts were monumental."
"The walls... they weren't breached?"
"They were breached, but no monsters made it inside. Everyone in the city is safe."
"Thank goodness..."
The Crossroad Margrave, with trembling eyelids, scanned around.
The veteran soldiers, who had defended this place with him their entire lives, were standing around him with stern expressions.
A faint smile rested on the Margrave's lips.
"Don't look so glum, everyone. This is the monster frontline. It's only natural for someone to die here. It's just my turn."
"..."
"Do not mourn each death. Instead, rejoice in our victory, in our survival."
The retiring lord, with an expression of calm, looked at me.
"This city is a city on a grave. It's a moniker earned from the many fallen warriors, but it also means that even if it's on a grave, life continues."
I strained my ears to catch his words.
"A city halts if we only dwell in sorrow and loss. Young lord. While it's important to mourn, grant an equal measure of joy to all."
"I'll bear that in mind."
"Because hope is what keeps us alive..."
The Margrave, with remarkable effort, gently shut his eyes.
"So if someone has to die, it might as well be me who has no more hope to lose."
The bleeding, which had been momentarily stalled by Damien's healing magic, started anew. Blood gushed like a river from the old knight's body.
Damien looked at me, shaking his head sorrowfully. The Margrave murmured with a pallid face.
"Promise me one thing, Prince Ash."
"Speak, Margrave. I'll do my utmost if it's within my power."
"If my daughter ever comes here... tell her her father is sorry."
"..."
"Please live freely... live as you wish..."
I nodded.
"I'll ensure your message is conveyed."
"Good, that's sufficient."
The shadow of death flashed across his face.
With his dimming eyes, the Margrave muttered as he stared into the emptiness.
"I'm sorry, my love..."
He was expressing his regrets to his departed wife.
"I couldn't safeguard anything... not the orchard, not you... not our daughter... nothing..."
"No, Margrave."
I gently held his hand that barely retained its shape.
"You saved the world. Not just this once, but over your entire life. You defended all humanity on the front lines."
"..."
"The world is heavily indebted to you."
There was no reply.
Whether he could no longer hear my words, the Margrave didn't look at me, speaking only to himself.
"I'm sorry... I couldn't... protect... anything..."
Only regret filled the Margrave's blood-soaked eyes.
Suddenly, I recalled. I hastily drew a pouch from my pocket.
The pouch containing the dried fruit that the Margrave had gifted me.
I didn't even know why I'd been carrying this tasteless thing around. Perhaps it was for this exact moment.
I opened the pouch and gently placed the dried fruit into the Margrave's mouth.
"Ah..."
As he held the tart fruit in his mouth, a faint smile traced across the blood-stained corners of his lips.
"This grape, really..."
He couldn't chew or swallow it, but a moment of serenity crossed the Margrave's face.
I wonder if he was envisioning the tranquil orchard from happier days when he was with his wife and daughter.
"Sweet..."
And then, the Margrave drew no more breaths.
"..."
I stared down in despair at the face of the man who had just exhaled his last breath.
I couldn't comprehend.
This man, who had given everything in defense of the city, had once been so bitter towards it that he wished to relinquish his family's responsibilities.
I pondered why he had come back in the end.
For what cause had he fought and died?
What was it about this battlefield that consumed an entire lifetime?
"The burden is heavy, Margrave," I murmured, gently closing his blood-streaked eyelids.
"The city's throne... it weighs too much."
It felt as though thousands of pounds bore down upon my shoulders.
For a while, I sat quietly beside the lifeless body of the Margrave.
The soldiers who had gathered around me slowly bowed their heads one by one.
Ding- Ding- Ding-
The distant tolling of a bell echoed.
It was the signal that the monster invasion had ended and the evacuation order lifted.
The setting sun and the tolling evening bell blanketed the now-desolate battlefield.
***
[STAGE 2 - CLEAR!]
[STAGE MVP - Lucas(SSR)]
[Level Up Characters]
- Ash(EX) Lv.11 (↑2)
- Lucas(SSR) Lv.31 (↑2)
- Jupiter(SR) Lv.37 (↑1)
- Lilly(R) Lv.21 (↑1)
- Damien(N) Lv.24 (↑3)
[Dead and Injured Characters]
- Charles Cross(SR): Deceased
[Aquired Items]
- Ratman Legion Magic Stones: 562
- Ratman Champion Magic Core(R): 3
[Stage Clear Rewards have been given. Please check your inventory.]
- N Grade Reward Box: 3
- SR Grade Reward Box: 1
>> Get Ready For The Next STAGE
>> [STAGE 3 : The Continuation]
***
In the heart of Crossroad, at the Lord's Mansion.
I shuffled towards the mansion's entrance.
"Oh, Lord!"
On spotting me, Aider scrambled over, alarm written across his face.
"Are you injured? We've been worried sick."
"...Aider."
"You've done well in this stage too. It's truly remarkable..."
Ignoring his chatter, I seized Aider by the collar.
"Cough? Lord?"
With a firm push, I pinned the disconcerted man against the wall. Bang!
"Cough, Gulp. Lord, what..."
"Talk."
My growl rumbled as I tightened my grip on his collar, causing Aider's face to blanch with bewilderment.
"Yes? Gulp! Yes?"
"Talk."
"What, what are you..."
"Quit playing innocent, you Director bastard!"
My roar echoed, my grip around his neck verging on throttling.
"The situation is blatantly odd. What's with this absurd difficulty level?!"
"...!"
"I overlooked it because the tutorial stage is meant to be that way. I thought maybe I'd just drawn the short straw when Living Armor showed up in Stage 1. But!"
My tirade continued unabated.
"A hostile NPC showing up in Stage 2 and commanding the monsters? That's not even a feature in hell difficulty!"
"..."
"Spit it out! What in the world have you done? Why is the game this challenging? What other odd twists will there be in the upcoming stage?"
Aider's pallid eyes, peering out from behind his bangs and glasses, quivered with bewilderment.
Grasping Aider's collar with both hands, I gave him a violent shake.
"Why are you concealing these things when you claimed you'd assist me? I want a straight answer!"
"...Even though you may not believe me, my lord."
Aider, who had been anxiously biting his lower lip, began to speak hesitantly.
"I am aiding you in the only way I know. Truly."
"Don't give me that! You're aiding me while all of this is going on? And you're withholding information while claiming to help?"
To that, Aider pointed at my neck.
"That necklace."
A leather choker-like necklace adorned my neck. It was a reward from the tutorial stage.
"The necklace you received for completing Stage 0, its functionality will be revealed once you clear Stage 3."
"And then?"
"Once that function is unlocked, you'll understand the matters that are puzzling you now."
Aider spoke with a trace of bitterness.
"You'll know once you clear one more stage. The reasons for these events unfolding..."
"..."
I maintained my distrustful glare at Aider, finding it hard to take his words at face value.
"Please, my lord. No, RetroAddict."
Aider called me by my Earth-given nickname.
"I sincerely hope you can manage. Continue battling as you are now, even once you uncover the full truth of this insane world."
"What?"
"Because the moment you do, there will be no turning back."
I queried Aider, who was making no sense, with a note of apprehension in my voice.
"Turning back from what?"
Despite the chokehold on his collar and the pressure on his throat, Aider managed a slight smile.
It wasn't his typical cheerful grin, but a complex expression, as if a tangle of emotions battled within him.
"...From this world itself."