[CHAPTER 5]
- Time until the start: 24 hours
***
Downtown Crossroad. The barracks.
The quarters of Dion Mercenary Group.
"We've seized an opportunity."
Dion stood before his party members with a smile.
"For a long time, we never received proper respect. We always played the role of a meat shield."
The four party members nodded in agreement.
Before they came to the front lines here, these five had to suffer all sorts of hardships as mercenaries.
As newbies, they were thrown into all sorts of suicide missions because they were new.
Even after gaining experience and understanding how the mercenary life worked, they were left handling the dirty work because they lacked special skills or talents.
"But Prince Ash recognized our worth."
Ash was different.
Not only did he willingly grant them an opportunity when they requested it, but he also didn't hesitate to invest in the Dion Mercenary Group after recognizing their potential.
They received high-quality armor and expensive silver swords, and were allowed to wear uniforms exclusively produced for the Southern Front soldiers.
The treatment they received here at this monstrous frontline was the best they ever had in their lives as short-lived mercenaries.
Dion was already filled with loyalty towards Ash.
"Let's show him what we're capable of in this defense battle."
Dion clenched his fist tightly.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This is our chance for advancement!"
"Advancement…"
"Let's succeed beyond everyone's expectations!"
"Success…!"
Advancement. Success.
The faces of the five brightened at the dreamlike words. Dion grinned.
"Great! Now let's talk about our ambitions. What will you do if you make a lot of money?"
"If I succeed, I'll gather funds to decorate the shop. My dream is to do business on a large scale."
"For me, it's a marriage fund! My girl is waiting for me back in our hometown!"
"I want to send bundles of money to my parents. I never properly did anything for them…"
"I'll enroll my little brother in a magic workshop. When he grows up, he'll surely take care of me."
The party members each spat out a word and then looked at Dion together.
Dion pointed at himself with an awkward chuckle.
"Ah, me? I am… um. My dream seems petty compared to yours."
Dion scratched the back of his head.
"The day I started my mercenary work, I went for a drink because I couldn't handle the reality sober… but the prices were too high. There was this brand of whiskey that I couldn't afford because it was too expensive."
A bashful smile crept onto Dion's lips.
"I still can't afford to drink it because it's too pricey. But if I succeed later… I'll drink a bottle a week."
Upon hearing Dion's ambition, the rest of the party members laughed out loud together.
"Is that all, Dion! Your ambition is too small!"
"At least aim to drink a bottle a day!"
"You fools, then he'd just be a drunkard!"
Dion, who was teased like a chick, eventually burst into hearty laughter.
"Let's commit ourselves fully this time and do it properly. We can do it."
Dion stretched his arm high up.
"The Dion Mercenary Group, the beginning of a legend!"
"My shop too!"
"My wedding too!"
"I'll be filial to my parents!"
"Wait for me, little brother! My retirement funds!"
The noisy Dion Mercenary Group of five, after shouting their dreams, began to laugh as they looked at each other.
***
In the lord's mansion. The outbuilding.
The quarters of the Shadow Squad.
The three archers were hopping around on their beds.
"Are we resting today? We don't have to go to the dungeon?!"
"Yep! His Highness said to take the day off completely!"
"Hehehe! So exciting. I really, really love doing nothing and just being in bed!"
Considering to stop the archers, who were kicking up a dust cloud as they hopped around, Bodybag decided to just leave them alone.
They had been training whenever they had even a bit of spare time.
Having a full day to rest comfortably was really a first in a long while. It wasn't unreasonable for the trio of archers to be excited.
"?"
It was then that Bodybag, who noticed something unusual, raised her head.
Godhand was nowhere to be seen.
'Where did he go?'
Leaving the hopping archers in the room, Bodybag slipped out of the outbuilding.
Looking around, she saw Godhand's back at the archery training ground behind the outbuilding.
As Bodybag was about to approach Godhand, her steps suddenly stopped.
"...Don't worry. I will... protect you…"
Godhand was quietly mumbling something.
"… Yes. If it's something I can do…"
Bodybag tilted her head.
Who was she talking to?
"Godhand?"
As Bodybag deliberately made her presence known, Godhand, startled, looked around with a bewildered expression.
"Bodybag? Why aren't you resting inside, what are you doing out here?"
"I'm just getting some fresh air… What about you, Godhand? Who were you talking to…"
However, the person Godhand was talking with had already disappeared.
They seemed to have quickly disappeared into the forest behind the archery range.
"Conversation? Cough! I was alone. I was merely talking to myself."
Godhand's face showed clear signs of discomfort.
Bodybag found this side of Godhand unfamiliar, and could not figure out what was happening. What was going on?
Just then, the trio of archers came rushing out from inside the annex.
"What's up, what's up, what are you two doing? Is there something tasty?!"
"Is it lunchtime already! I'm hungry!"
Godhand, looking at the party members clutching their stomachs in hunger, gave a faint smile.
"Everyone's hungry? Then how about we raid the Lord's Mansion restaurant together?"
"Wow, yes! Godhand, you're a genius!"
"Agreed-!"
"I want juice!"
"I want pickled fruit!"
"I need to grab plenty of walnuts and peanuts!"
The excited trio of archers ran first towards the main building of the mansion.
Godhand, who had been following the archers, turned to look at Bodybag.
"Let's go quickly, Bodybag. You should eat something too."
"…Yes."
"Tomorrow is going to be a tough day. You need to eat well today."
The archers were quite far ahead now. To catch up with them, Godhand dashed off.
"Hmm…?"
Something felt vaguely strange, but she decided to ignore it.
Bodybag hurriedly chased after her party members.
***
Temple. Damien's room.
"…"
Damien calmly looked at the weapons laid out in front of him.
Six magic guns. One crossbow.
Three quivers of holy arrows and two silver arrows.
And enchantment scrolls.
These were one-time use attribute enhancement magic scrolls that Ash had collected. In total, there were three, with the attributes of ice, fire, and wind.
Ash had given these to Damien. To use in case of emergency.
Damien slowly reached out and stroked the neatly arranged magic guns and crossbow.
In the next moment,
Click!
With his slender fingers, he quickly grabbed the handle of the magic gun, and at the same time as cocking the hammer, he pressed his face against the barrel.
Click! Click!
Aligning the sights, he brought the crosshair close to his eyes.
"…"
Damien slowly released the aiming position he had adopted in an instant.
Throughout, Damien had repeatedly trained to quickly take this aiming position.
All to shoot the enemy a little faster.
In fact, it didn't mean much for Damien to visually aim the crosshairs.
The [Far-Sight] didn't work that way.
But it wasn't bad to handle the massive recoil of the magic gun in this position. Hence, he had been practicing.
'If I could do it a little faster… I could be more helpful to the Prince…'
While thinking this, Damien suddenly felt dizzy. It seemed to be the result of staying cooped up all day training in his room.
'Maybe I should get some fresh air…'
As Damien stepped out of the room, he noticed something in the central hall of the temple.
"…"
In front of the goddess statue in the central hall, Saintess Margarita was kneeling in prayer.
With a serious look on her face, it seemed like she was praying. Damien stopped in his tracks, muffling his footsteps.
"…"
Her hands clasped tight in front of her chest, her hunched body trembling faintly.
While keeping her eyes closed, Margarita slowly let out her voice.
"I just want to faithfully fulfill the task given to me…"
Margarita, who had been whispering softly, heaved a long sigh and slowly lifted her head.
"What should I do now…"
The intricately carved goddess statue seemed to be looking down at Margarita.
Closing her eyes again, Margarita whispered faintly.
"Please… tell me…"
"…?"
This was the first time Damien had seen Margarita like this, so he tilted his head in confusion.
***
Inn Eti's Honey. Junior's room.
"Haah, haah… Cough!"
Despite continually coughing up blood, Junior manipulated her magic power to float elemental particles above her head.
"Just a little more... That spell will be mine..."
Around her, blood dripped steadily from her nose and mouth, all kinds of metaphysical magic circles were continuously formed and deactivated.
"This much isn't overdoing it, just a little more... just a little...!"
Completion was within reach.
The insight she had gained from the vampiric king's reverse spell ceremony was about to bloom.
Then,
- Are you planning to die before me?
The grandmother's voice echoed in her mind.
"..."
A smirk hung on Junior's lips.
"I don't want to die either..."
However.
If she didn't gamble with her life, she couldn't even touch it.
Wiping away the blood from her nose and mouth, Junior murmured.
"Well then, just a little more...!"
***
Mercenary guild. Jupiter's room.
"Cough, cough!"
Jupiter coughed violently. Dark red blood spattered on her pillow.
"Ah, kuh...!"
The aftereffects of her magic power explosion hadn't fully healed yet.
But because she had been relentlessly using her magic power, the recoil was attacking Jupiter's entire body.
'This feeling, huh?'
Holding onto her swaying old body, and while throwing up incessant blood, Jupiter tightly closed her one good eye.
'You really want to become a wizard to the point of enduring such pain? Even dying before this old woman?'
- That wouldn't be so bad.
The face of her granddaughter who had said so swirled in her head.
"...So, do you hate me?"
Jupiter gritted her teeth.
Yes, hate me. Despise me and curse me.
'It doesn't matter how much you hate this old woman. Still, I...'
Cough!
After spitting out blood, Jupiter roughly wiped her mouth. The single hazy eye began to shine with determination again.
"It's not yet. Just a little more."
Hold on a little more, this damned body!
***
Lord's mansion.
The backyard garden. A small training ground.
Clank! Clank! Clash!
Lucas and Evangeline were in the middle of a duel, wielding wooden swords, spears, and shields.
Ever since they lost to Celendion, Lucas and Evangeline had been sparring every day.
Lucas tried to break Evangeline's defense, while Evangeline blocked Lucas' every attack.
At first, their win rate was similar, but at some point, Evangeline started winning continuously.
Evangeline had completely mastered using her 'instinct', perfectly blocking all of Lucas's attacks.
It was no different even now, a day before the defense battle.
Clank! Clank! Clash!
It was time for dusk.
With her emerald eyes shining, Evangeline deflected all of Lucas's sword strikes with her shield.
'I can feel it. All the 'paths', I can feel them with my skin!'
Now, following her instincts and moving her body, Evangeline was right at the edge of an epiphany.
Just one more step.
At that moment when she was about to fully reach some 'ultimate' thing that the Cross family had been building for generations-
Boom!
Crash!
Evangeline was thrown backward.
At some point, Lucas's wooden sword had touched her body, and the next moment, she was thrown outside the training ground with a tremendous shock.
"Huh?"
Lying on the ground, dazed, Evangeline murmured.
Then she lifted her eyes and saw the person who had sent that sword strike.
"Hah, hah!"
Lucas was panting heavily in the middle of the training ground.
Thin steam was rising from the muscular knight's body.
The knight's blue eyes... were burning like a beast's.
"...What was that just now?"
Evangeline looked down at her chest. The training armor she wore in case of accidents was deeply indented.
If she hadn't been wearing it, she might have died.
"I couldn't even dodge with my instinct. No, I couldn't even see it properly. What kind of attack did you launch?"
"...This?"
Grin.
Sweeping back his sweaty blonde hair, Lucas curved his lips.
His usual golden retriever-like smile was nowhere to be found. Instead, a violent expression like a wolf hung on the knight's face.
"...Let's call it my desperation."
***
South from Crossroad. A plain.
The late night was approaching dawn.
Clink! Clink! Clink! Clink!
The 1,000 Blood Clan members led by Celendion arrived here.
The Alpha reported after checking out the distant Crossroad.
"I can see the city walls, Lord."
"..."
"This is a city of human scum. We should be within striking distance in a few hours."
"Hmm."
With a nonchalant expression, Celendion, who was sitting on the palanquin, glanced towards the north.
"Soon."
A slaughterhouse where both sides would kill and be killed.
At last, now, it was beginning.
Rising from the palanquin, Celendion slowly turned around.
"My dear kin."
The Vampire King smiled at his royal guards, their eyes flashing with a blood-red glow.
His fangs were pronounced, a smile befitting a vampire.
"Are you ready to cover the city with mountains of corpses and seas of blood?"
There was no need for a reply.
Covering the city with corpses and blood.
That was, after all, the very essence of their existence.
***
"They are coming."
Staring into the distant southern plains, I muttered.
Unable to sleep, I had been at the ramparts since dawn.
And now, I saw their arrival with my own eyes.
They were still incredibly far away, but they were steadily advancing.
[STAGE 5]
- Time until start: 3 hours
Hell.
Towards this monstrous front, a living, breathing hell... was approaching.
And now, it was right before our eyes.