[Physis' POV]
On top of the Ice Wall Citadel, each of us finished our preparations and gazed at the other side of the wall with tense expressions.
The monsters were gradually forming their forces, and the sight of countless dark figures gathering was so terrifying that it was beyond description.
"This is no joke."
Everyone nodded at Adilun's words.
"But it will be fine."
"I hope so. Well then, let's begin."
Adilun closed her eyes for a moment and then cast the complete invisibility spell she had previously demonstrated on all of us.
Strangely, while under the effect of invisibility magic, we could still see each other.
However, as we suddenly disappeared, the soldiers who were seeing us off began to look puzzled.
"Oh..."
Even Sir Aidan, who had witnessed this before, couldn't hide his surprise at the sight.
Adilun eventually lightened the bodies of everyone, including herself, and made us float in the air, then slowly lowered us down the Ice Wall.
There was no sound or trace. We nodded and dashed forward.
There was no time to deal with small monsters. We had a time limit of two hours.
We planned to use Adilun's mass teleportation for the return, so we needed to leave some mana for that. Because of this, Adilun agreed to use only support magic for us in advance.
She wanted to deal with the monsters using high-powered magic, but that could quickly drain her mana, so I had to console her and make her settle for using less powerful magic.
With each step forward, the wind surrounded us, and the scenery around us changed in an instant. The monsters, unaware of our charge, just stood still.
It was a fascinating experience. Facing incredibly dangerous monsters right in front of us but feeling no threat at all. At this level, it could truly be called grand magic.
Our goal was to deal with the high-ranking monsters commanding the other monsters. They were at the superior or near-superior level, and the other monsters couldn't dare approach them.
Of course, right now, they couldn't see us at all. So, dealing with them shouldn't be too difficult.
Surprise attacks were always threatening, let alone when the enemy couldn't see you... The impact of such a surprise would undoubtedly be tremendous.
I watched the monster's figure. My eyes pierced through its essence, revealing its weaknesses at a glance.
Moreover, just in case it reacted to this surprise attack, its retreat route was already blocked by other knights.
This should be enough.
I stepped into the attack stance and infused my fist with mana.
The mana resonated and surged into my fist, and my strength grew. At that moment, the top-tier monster started to look around, sensing something strange.
But it was already too late.
Before it could notice me, I had already extended my fist in front of it.
- Kwang!
The gauntlet, condensed with mana, struck the monster's chest, and at that moment, its insides burst and exploded due to the mana.
The surrounding monsters seemed bewildered by the sudden turn of events.
"It's okay. They won't hear any sound even if we move."
Adilun said, floating in the air as she looked at the knights taking battle positions.
We quickly moved away from that location towards where other high-ranking monsters were present.
Looking back slightly, we could see the chaotic monsters losing control and attacking other monsters.
Watching them rampage, I felt that things were going quite smoothly.
***
The small ripples we caused had thrown the entire monster forces into confusion.
When the monsters no longer followed the commands of the superior monster we initially dealt with, they began to wander around attacking other monsters. It was not just a minor disturbance; it quickly turned into a significant battle.
Slaughter between monsters had begun. Adilun looked at it and made a slightly regretful expression. Apparently, she wanted to directly pour her magic on the monsters.
Taking advantage of the chaos, we actively targeted and exterminated the monsters.
Sir Lucas, without the enemy noticing his presence, thrust his sword, imbued with frigid mana, at the superior monster.
Caught off guard by the sudden sword strike, the monster's heart was pierced, and the penetrated heart began to freeze.
If Sir Lucas could land a blow on the enemy properly, it would be a fatal wound that would lead to an immediate fatality.
Since he stabbed his sword into the weakness of the monsters I had told him about, the work had to be carried out easily.
Perhaps it was due to the fact that we were all selected as skilled knights, our battle progressed very smoothly.
Of course, the enemy couldn't see us, and we were free from all their senses, so it was only natural that we achieved such results.
"Gather. It's time to go back."
The situation was entirely different from what we worried about, and as the scheduled time was coming to an end, we immediately gathered around Adilun.
Just as the transparency spell was about to be released, at the right time, Adilun's mass teleportation brought us back to the Ice Wall.
As soon as we arrived at the Ice Wall, we realized that Adilun's transparency spell that enveloped us had ended. The soldiers who were stationed on the Ice Wall looked at us with surprised expressions and then saluted.
"Thank you for your hard work!"
"Yes! The monsters are currently engaged in battles among themselves, so there has been no damage on our side of the Ice Wall!"
In response to Sir Lucas' question, the soldier yelled with a tense tone.
"Great, then let's return immediately. You guys have endured a lot."
"Alright !"
"Let's go. Princess Adilun and Sir Physis."
"Yes."
We immediately headed back to the command center. When all ten knights returned without a scratch, Sir Aidan looked at us with amazed eyes.
"...Impressive."
"It was all thanks to the princess' magic. They had no idea where we were, even as their bodies were hacked to pieces by swords. Moreover, after losing their higher-ranking monsters, the monsters started fighting among themselves, and that chaos began to spread throughout their forces. Perhaps only if the king personally intervenes can the situation be brought under control."
"I see. It's hard to believe that all of this happened in just two hours. I can't even imagine how much the soldiers' sacrifices will be reduced thanks to this. Anyway, everyone did well. Thank you, Princess, for your hard work as well."
"...Yes."
Seeing Adilun looking somewhat tired, Sir Aidan seemed to notice it and said to her.
"Well, you seem quite exhausted. Rest now. Thanks to the magic you performed for two hours, the threat approaching the Ice Wall has significantly diminished."
"Then, I'll go back to my room now."
"That's right. Rest well. You all did a great job."
"Yes!"
The expressions of the knights who returned from the successful mission were bright.
Sir Aidan felt the same way. Even though the mission was made easy thanks to Adilun's magic, the battlefield was always unpredictable. So, it was truly a relief that everything ended safely.
We headed straight to our room.
"Thank goodness no one got hurt."
"Was it tough?"
"Uh... not that much, but I'm quite tired. I want to take a bath and sleep right away."
"Then, go ahead and take a bath. I think I'll prepare some light refreshments."
"Okay..."
As soon as Adilun entered the room, I quickly prepared a simple meal and returned to the room. Although it was only around lunchtime, since we had risen early in the morning, it felt more like evening.
How much time had passed? Adilun, who had finished bathing, came out of the room with just a towel wrapped around her.
"Ah..."
With a refreshed expression and a smile, she looked at me with sparkling eyes, as if her tiredness from earlier had disappeared.
"Are you going to take a bath, Physis?"
"Of course. I've prepared a simple meal, so eat up."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
I quickly finished my bath and came out of the bathroom. Adilun, now wearing a light negligee, was eating the simple meal I had placed on the table.
"You bathed quickly."
"Men are like that."
"Huh, really? Anyway, we don't have any more schedules for today, right?"
"Probably not."
"Hehe. Then, will you spend the whole day in the room with me? I'm not sleepy, but I'm still tired... being close to you would be nice."
"It's my pleasure."
While having a chatty conversation during the meal, we headed straight to the bed after finishing. Not because we were planning anything intimate, but simply to feel each other's warmth.
"Ah, good. Now I truly feel like resting."
"Me too. By the way, your horns seem to have grown a bit."
"My horns?"
"Yes."
"Hmm... really? I haven't noticed any significant changes."
"I've been feeling that way for a while. Aren't the horns uncomfortable?"
"No, they're not heavy, and they're light. Sleeping isn't particularly uncomfortable either. Sometimes it's a bit awkward when they hit something, but I've gotten used to it. They've been there since I was born, so I've always had them."
"I see."
I nodded as if I understood and gently stroked her horns.
"Huff... don't touch them too much. It tickles."
"Because you tempt me so much, I want to make you a little uncomfortable too."
"If you keep it up, I might just pounce on you."
"That sounds very promising. But will you have the chance to pounce on me?"
"What? Why?"
"Before you can pounce on me... I'll have already pinned you down so that you can't get up."
"Hehe, really? Is that a promise?"
"Even without a promise... it will definitely happen."
"I'll be looking forward to it. Honestly, it's a bit hard for me to resist too."
"That's the same for me. Once this situation is over, let's go on a trip together."
"Sounds good!"
We snuggled up to each other's warmth and rested comfortably.
We wanted to quickly deal with the Demon King and then go on a trip together.