The subsequent two waves were a breeze.
Well, they were relatively strong, but since my three parties were the elite of the elite, we crushed them without much difficulty.
'The Blazing Coliseum' had been liberated from the nightmare. The 'Fragment of the Princess's Soul' that had been stationed in that area was also reclaimed by me.
It merged into the shard of soul that had been inside of me as if it was meant to be.
But I couldn't find it in myself to feel victorious about the triumph.
Because the scale of the enemy allocated to this stage was beyond imagination.
'25,000? 25,000 goblins?'
'Don't freakin' joke with me...' The mutter rose to just beneath my throat.
Of course, they were low-level and lacked any special features, just regular goblins.
But there were 25,000 of them. The situation had gone mad. Moreover, I had confirmed in a recent encounter that their armaments were in good condition.
The situation had vastly exceeded my expectations.
'I need to come up with a plan.'
Originally, I would have dispatched construction workers to the Coliseum or whatever to assist with the restoration, but that was now an absurd notion.
I felt sorry for Jackal, but the restoration of the Coliseum would have to wait. I requested he recruit as many monster gladiators as possible.
Right now, even the slightest bit of help was desperately needed.
"Leave it to me, Your Majesty. I'll gather as many troops as possible!"
Jackal nodded gravely.
"Thanks. I'm counting on you."
After patting Jackal's shoulder, I immediately took the teleport gate back to the Crossroad.
First, I disbanded the party members,
"Call all the head craftsmen of the production guilds!"
I called for an emergency meeting of the guild masters, originally scheduled for tomorrow.
Before evening, the head craftsmen of the blacksmiths, alchemists, stonemasons, and carpenters rushed to the lord's mansion.
"Is it because of the additional barracks construction, Your Majesty?"
The guild masters thought they had been summoned for the additional barracks construction that I had ordered in the morning.
"There is an old barracks building in the northern ruins village. It's in bad shape from being neglected for so long."
"It would take less time and save costs to repair an old building rather than build anew..."
"Good idea, but hold off on the barracks plan! We'll fix up the old barracks building after the defense battle!"
I took a deep breath and told them straight.
"In three weeks, we are expecting an onslaught of 25,000 goblin troops."
The faces of the guild masters turned pale instantly.
Other monsters were creatures of legend or rare entities hard to encounter in reality.
But goblins were different. They were a familiar disaster to them. That's why they understood the significance of the number 25,000 immediately.
Without pause, I continued.
"For the next three weeks, Crossroad will enter a wartime regime. All production guild members, workers, and even regular citizens! They will be drafted into wall repair, barricade production, and other military supplies manufacturing."
There were no complaints from the guild masters.
Perhaps it was because I was a lord who compensated them well, but more likely, they realized the crisis looming so close was extraordinary.
"Stonemason guild master."
As I called out, the stonemason guild master immediately bowed his head. I spread out a map and pointed to the south.
"We need to reinforce the defenses of the forward base. Within three weeks, I want to build multiple layers of stone walls outside the forward base walls. Is it possible?"
"I'll make it happen, Your Majesty."
"Thank you. Next, the carpenter guild master."
The carpenter guild master quickly stepped forward. I ran my hand along the route from the black lake to Crossroad.
"You'll obstruct all paths the enemy might use to advance northward, make it as difficult as possible for them to proceed. Byproducts from other production guilds will also be laid out, but the main barriers will be palisades."
"Leave it to me. If it's about rampart production, I've become quite skilled."
"I trust you. Next, the blacksmith guild master."
The blacksmith guild master, who had been standing at the front, nodded firmly. I too nodded in return.
"For the next three weeks, the forge will produce arrows and cannonballs."
Considering the number of goblins, arrows and cannonballs will be consumed in massive quantities. The more surplus we have, the better.
"Stockpile ammunition until the warehouse bursts. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Finally, the alchemist guild master."
The alchemist guild master stepped forward briskly. I pointed towards the main stronghold of Crossroad and the forward bases with my hand.
"At the alchemical workshops, repair and deploy all the artifacts capable of area attacks to be ready for use on the walls."
"Ah... Your Highness. Continuous repairs over the past year have left us with not many items left to fix."
"Then produce new ones. Senior Mage Lilly has field experience now; she should know what works best. Consult her and proceed with production and deployment as soon as possible."
Artifacts are more powerful than ordinary arrows or cannonballs, but their significant cooldown time is the biggest issue.
The way to overcome this flaw is ultimately through numbers. Securing a vast quantity of artifacts to fire in rotation is the key.
'The problem with this method is, of course, the lack of space on the ramparts...'
Artifacts are quite large items.
Even if we secure the quantity, we cannot install all on the walls.
Even the artifacts that have been repaired so far would fill all the available space on the walls and then some.
Nevertheless, we will expand.
Even if it means using them once and throwing them down from the walls, securing a means for area attacks is a must.
"In addition to the tasks I've directed, I will continuously issue production orders. I expect you to cooperate closely with one another."
I looked at each of the four guild heads in turn and spoke with emphasis.
"The effort you put in is equal to our ability to fend off the monsters. Your workplaces are the front lines of this fortress city. Do not forget this fact and work with a sense of mission."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
"Good. That's all. Dismissed!"
The four guild heads hurriedly ran out of the mansion.
Three weeks is a tight schedule to accomplish everything I've ordered. From today, we must work around the clock.
Next, I summoned Serenade.
"Your Highness."
"Serenade."
Serenade entered the reception room with a stern face. I tried to force a smile.
"I have a favor to ask."
"Just tell me."
"Evacuate to a nearby city. Take the key figures who are here in Crossroad with you."
"..."
Serenade's face hardened even more. I continued.
"In three weeks, a massive invasion will descend upon Crossroad. It's not a situation for merchants to remain here. Take your Merchant Guild people and Brother Lark's family... to a nearby city for safety."
"Your Highness."
"I'm not telling you to run away. Just to seek refuge for a while."
Serenade is not from here. Lark's wife and three children even less so.
If the invasion reaches inside the city like during Stage 10, if these people get harmed...
'No.'
That situation must not occur. Hence, the plan to send them far away.
"..."
Serenade clenched her lips, then with a determined face, seemed to want to say something. So I cut in first.
"Also, I have something else to ask of you."
"Yes?"
"Tour the nearby cities and buy up all the military supplies you can with money—equipment, magic cores, mercenaries, anything. The expenses will be covered by Crossroad."
"..."
Serenade seemed lost for words, hesitating.
My request was just a superficial reason, an obvious ploy to get her out of Crossroad. Yet, I shamelessly grinned.
"Please."
"..."
Staring blankly at my face, Serenade eventually let out a faint sigh and turned her head away.
"It's always been like this."
"Hm?"
"Whenever Your Highness asks for something, you always show that smile. And I, I always ended up losing..."
Serenade shook her head slightly and then offered a slight smile.
"Understood. I will follow Your Highness's wishes."
"Thank you, Serenade."
"However, I will leave Elize behind. She will be more than sufficient as Your Highness's guard."
Standing next to the parlor door, holding a Sword Coffin, the maid—Elize—became wide-eyed with surprise.
SSR-ranked swordsman Elize was someone I would have liked to have requested first myself. I grinned broadly.
"Thanks again. And don't worry too much. I'll fend them off safely and call you back to Crossroad."
"...Yes."
Serenade clenched her white fists tightly, then nodded vigorously at me.
"I will do my utmost to ensure that it is so."
After Serenade had withdrawn, Elize hurriedly followed the retreating Serenade.
Now, I called together all the hero characters within the city. As the late evening approached, they all gathered at my estate.
Having diligently assembled them over time, the size of the group was quite formidable.
The main party.
Three from the Shadow Squad.
Margarita and Lilly.
The Penal Squad and the Dragonblood Knights.
The newly joined Leprosy Extermination Squad. Plus seven reserve parties.
Including Elize, lent by Serenade, and the Holy Grail Seekers, who had become half my guests at the base camp.
'13 parties...'
Even if we expanded further over the remaining three weeks, the final scale would be about the same.
Six parties ready for immediate action and seven still somewhat awkward reserve parties. A total of 13 parties plus a few more... that's what we'll need to manage the defense with.
The parlor was too small to accommodate everyone. The heroes gathered in the courtyard of the mansion, and I cleared my throat before them.
"You've heard about the scale of the monsters attacking us, haven't you?"
The heroes looked at each other and stiffly nodded their heads. Rumors do travel fast.
"For the next three weeks, Crossroad will enter a wartime footing. All of you must also prepare to the best of your ability."
That preparation meant...
"We're going to scour the dungeons."
Dungeon raids!
"The goal is to improve your proficiency but... at the same time, we must procure Magic Cores."
Within the range of my ultimate skill, Imperial Edict, I can build defense towers as long as I have Magic Cores.
The performance of these defense towers far surpasses most artifacts and is just slightly less powerful than the average hero character. Sometimes they can be even more useful depending on the situation.
Ordinarily, I could only install one summon at a time.
Being able to install them without limit is an immense advantage for us.
The problem is, the Magic Cores.
Setting up defense towers more than one could during a battle has led to severe consumption of Magic Cores due to my frequent use of Imperial Edict.
To put it bluntly, we're starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel.
Moreover, Magic Cores are also essential for producing artifacts. We're running short in every way.
We need to gather them.
From where?
Obviously, from dungeons!
"We'll raid every dungeon we can. If even a slightly high-level monster appears, make sure to harvest a Magic Core."
The heroes who had been entering dungeons nodded immediately, while the newly joined heroes looked puzzled, not knowing the full story.
Don't worry. You too will soon tire of traversing the darkness beneath the lake.
"...This defense battle is going to be brutal. But I believe that all of you, and this city, can overcome this hardship."
It wasn't just talk.
Twenty-five thousand goblins was certainly a large number, but calculations showed that it was barely manageable if all available means were utilized.
Haven't we been through various hells before? This defense battle would be tough, but in the end, we would break through.
"Starting tomorrow, everyone, we're deploying to the dungeons. This place is already on a wartime footing! Get your gear ready and limber up."
After making eye contact with each of the heroes, I swiftly waved my hand.
"Rest up tonight. That's all, dismiss!"
***
After the assembly of hero characters concluded, in the now darkened time, I called Aider to the lord's office.
Other preparations within the city were nearly complete, so it was time to hold a meeting with my director and aide.
After telling Aider about the day's events, and about Kali-Alexander and his legion, I shook my head in dismay.
"Plus, they say this stage's Dark Event is 'Breeding.'"
"Excuse me? 'Breeding'...?"
"Yes. Even with such a Dark Event, the idea that their numbers would balloon to twenty-five thousand..."
I stopped mid-sentence when I noticed Aider's face hardening.
"What's wrong? Why that look?"
"...Well, my lord."
"Out with it. What is it."
"The enemy information showing up on the system window... those numbers are before the Dark Event application."
"...?"
"So, that means..."
Aider hesitated, gauging my reaction, but eventually spoke.
"The number of monsters, in reality, might be even more..."
Stunned into silence by the absurdity,
I eventually vented the frustration that had been swirling in me all day.
"Damn it, stop this crazy bullshit-!"