Chapter 136

Chapter 136: Empty House Raid

— Wow…….
— Wow…….
Jed and Penelope, looking at the wound on Ferda’s chest.
Both let out the same exclamation.
— How did you survive?
— It wasn’t a fatal wound, so I lived.
— Even so, it didn’t reach the heart, so it’s a fortune.
— The bleeding wasn’t severe either, so it’s nothing to make a fuss about.
The penetration was deep, but the damage and bleeding were minimal, so in the end it turned out to be a minor wound.
Ironically, it was precisely because Ferda had a frail body that it could end so lightly.
— So.
Penelope peered into the hole and grinned brazenly.
— You hugged, and during that hug, you didn’t notice the horns on your own head?
— Yes…….
— Is that Archduke person an idiot?
— …….
Ferda could not answer no.
So he could only stare at Penelope with a murderous gaze.
Penelope didn’t even bother to look at that expression, only staring intently at Ferda’s chest and muttering:
— Wow, seriously, only exclamations come out of me. You literally almost went straight through the chest? To that faraway place?
— …….
— You who left a hole in my chest. You are my companion~. Woooo~. My eternal compani—mph!
Before Ferda could even move, Jed struck the back of Penelope’s neck first, knocking her unconscious.
And then he changed the subject as if nothing had happened.
— Do you still plan to go on the raid like this?
— There was no particular problem, so I have to go. And isn’t this enough as a ritual to ward off bad luck?
— Well, that’s true. And do we really just have to stay still?
Excluding William, the primary order for the knights was to guard the main camp.
It was practically no different from being told to take it easy.
— There is no place for you to shine in this operation. It would be better for you to guard the castle and report if anything happens. And…….
— And?
— We cannot let our guard down while Garnet is in this castle.
Both Ruri and Ferda will be out on this raid.
With key personnel absent, if Garnet stays behind, the thought of what she might do in this empty house was a major concern.
— Keep an eye on Garnet. Can I trust you?
— Don’t worry. Even if we are old friends, right now I am a knight of this castle.
— Good, then I will trust you.
— Then I will get going.
Jed dragged the unconscious Penelope as if she were luggage.
But then he hesitated at the threshold, turning his head back.
— T-that…….
Jed spoke as if he had been dying to say it.
— Congratulations on your first… exploit.
— ……?
Jed gave a thumbs up and disappeared just like that.
Ferda did not understand those words, but felt they stemmed from a similar place to Penelope’s thoughts.
“I forgot they are the same kind of bastards.”
Too exhausted even to get angry, Ferda closed his eyes and resigned himself to tomorrow.
……He tried, but.
Every time he tried to fall asleep, the tune Penelope had spat out lingered in his ears.
Ferda woke up and immediately resolved to tear that demonic bitch apart.
Dawn broke.
The soldiers who had finished preparations last night bustled to begin the march.
The forces were divided into a total of three.
One was the 1st Regiment under Olivia’s supreme command.
Another was the 2nd Regiment led by the young master of Duke Lutenia, the operations staff officer.
The other was the main force staying behind to protect the citizens and the young ladies in the castle.
Their strategy was to lure monsters from two places simultaneously, deal with them, and secure two of them.
The provisional alliance side had to eliminate a total of four.
The Far East Alliance gathered in Count Consillus’s territory would also move, but since magitech was not applied, they would handle a single colossal monster.
Erica, carrying out a special operation, selected 12 adventurers under the name of the Eri Adventurer Party to take down one colossal monster, for a total of six eliminated.
The main objective was to completely destroy the line within three days, including travel time.
No one’s expression looked good.
Although the monster’s full force was heading toward the empire, practically conducting an empty house raid.
The fact that they were walking into a death trap did not change.
No matter what they called it, this is war.
The word war alone is enough to exhaust a person.
— The imperial capital becomes the shield, and we the sword, to eliminate the root. For your homeland and honor…….
The princess’s skillful speech inspired everyone.
It boosted morale, but tilting it completely seemed difficult.
In fact, Olivia herself said she did not expect a great effect.
Her real operation was separate.
— We will conduct a forced march to close in on the monsters as quickly as possible.
— What effect do you intend to achieve by doing that?
— We need to raise morale by deploying the magitech riflemen, the so-called tactical infantry.
The efficiency of the tactical infantry had already been proven several times.
If they could strike down the charging monsters without major casualties, morale would undoubtedly skyrocket, she judged.
— I will contact you once we reach the first point.
— I wish you luck.
She looked at Ferda and fiddled with her Alte Order amulet.
It meant she would pray for him.
Over 3,000 troops and supply carts moved along the rough road.
Two forces in perfect condition split and advanced.
The 1st Regiment led by Princess Olivia and the Imperial Army,
The 2nd Regiment led by the young master of the Duke Lutenia household, the operations staff officer, and his army.
Ferda moved alongside the 2nd Regiment where young master Lutenia was.
Ferda’s forces consisted of 50 tactical infantrymen, the commander and central combat power Isabella, and Ruri moving alongside him.
Moving through the rough road, a dense forest greeted them.
— I worry for no reason. It feels like we are entering the belly of Leviathan.
The operations staff officer, Lutenia, said that while looking into the dark interior.
Surely he was not the only one feeling that way.
Everyone must have set foot here carrying the thought that they might die.
Ferda was thinking the same thing.
It was then that.
A sudden gust of wind blew, and a massive shadow momentarily covered the sun.
— W-what?
— M-monster?! Already?
Everyone looked up at the sky at this anomaly.
They thought the battle might erupt the moment the march began, but it was not that.
— Ah……!
— That is……!
The moment they confirmed its identity, everyone let out a gasp.
Even Ferda did the same upon seeing that figure.
Scales burning redder than the sun, though lower than the sun.
Two pairs of horns and wings large enough to cover heaven and earth.
— Red Dragon!
— V-Valdrova-nim!
— Her Highness the Archduke has revealed herself!
Valdrova circled majestically through the sky, then perched atop the Lonely Mountain.
Her figure looked as if she dominated an entire mountain all by herself.
The Red Dragon who had not shown herself for a long time revealed herself proudly.
“Why did you come out?”
He could sense the presence of the monsters well enough from inside the lair.
Deliberately showing herself like this meant something was happening.
As Ferda stared silently over there, his eyes met Valdrova’s.
They were far away, but Ferda could tell.
That she was staring intently at Ferda.
She tilted her head slightly as if saying something.
— I will try to do what I can.
That is how it sounded to Ferda.
Then she directed her gaze toward the east.
As the saying goes, interpretation surpasses the dream itself; seeing that figure, he shouted aloud:
— Her Highness the Archduke protects us!
— Long live Hestia! Long live Her Highness Archduke Valdrova!
No one specifically ordered it, but thunderous cheers erupted, raising morale.
This was something she could do.
There was no trace of the evil dragon with the notorious reputation of killing people like insects.
If that were an evil dragon, could they cheer and chant her name with such passion?
Overwhelmed with emotion, Ferda unconsciously placed a hand on his chest.
“My heart…”
Ferda smiled as he watched that figure.
“I will engrave your courage in my heart.”
The freezing morning cold could no longer make them shiver.
The march of the soldiers who had engraved victory in their chests began again.
The border region of the Archduchy was an undeveloped plain.
Filled with pebbles that constantly broke plows, it could not be used as farmland.
Only a few hideouts made by hunters to catch animals coming to eat young leaves remained as human traces.
Even those human traces had disappeared now.
Colossal monsters surrounded the Archduchy.
They resembled caterpillars, but could not move, only repeating contracting movements while remaining seated in place.
They sucked the vitality of the earth and formed eggs, endlessly producing monsters from those eggs.
After leaving them alone for a month, all the land within a 2 km radius had turned black.
They repeated breeding and assembling armies as their daily routine.
But today, something was different.
A beast-type monster sensed the airflow, shuddered, and lifted its head.
What was visible was the sun rising in the east.
Countless human flags and crests appearing, bearing that sun.
— Kieeeek!!!
It screeched as a danger signal.
At that sound, all the monsters turned their heads in unison.
The reason they lived and breathed was right before their eyes.
— Kieek!
— Kieeeeeek!
Monsters moving with the high-pitched screams of the beast types as their battle cry.
Without an established formation, just charging at them on instinct.
The blonde commander in the vanguard raised her sword high.
— All forces, prepare for battle!
Olivia’s voice echoed thunderously through amplification magic.
She exuded such charisma that one would believe she was a commanding war hero, not a fragile imperial princess.
— Tactical infantry, line formation! Magicians, focus on aerial types, tactical infantry, focus on ground types!
Olivia had immersed herself in force operation plans solely for this moment.
The infantry holding magitech rifles moved in perfect sync to form a single line at the front.
All 50 lined up, with barrels pointing forward.
— Begin ignition!
Upon pressing the buttons, a humming sound began from inside the rifles.
Pure bullets made of mana emitted light inside the barrels.
Beast-type monsters charging on all fours.
The moment they ram with those bodies, they will disappear without even realizing their own death.
When the distance closed enough, her sword slashed through the air.
— Fire!
Bang-bang-bang-bang!
A thunderous roar echoed from the ground.
Even the soldiers standing behind flinched in surprise.
What was surprising was not just the sound.
Without even realizing anything, the front-line beast-type monsters were dropping like flies.
It was not an instant death.
But it proved how exceptional the stopping power of that attack was.
The front line fell like autumn leaves, but monsters have no momentum.
Those charging from behind kept lunging forward.
The tactical infantry had to prepare the next attack.
— Rotate the front line!
As if waiting, the tactical infantry stepped back.
At the same time, heavily armored knights advanced with momentum, forming a shield wall.
All had come for escort purposes, carrying the reputation of their territories.
Monsters that destroy everything and those trying to protect clash head-on.
The knights held out splendidly.
When the clash ended and a standoff began, a knight shouted:
— Lancers!! Attack!
— We must hold the line!
— Stab the eyes! If not the eyes, the mouth! If not that, even the crotch! Stab every place that makes them think ‘that’s dirty’!!
The knights held firm while the lancers stabbed through gaps and over heads, halting their advance.
The purpose was to buy time.
— Second attack ready!
William, the sub-commander, said that.
Olivia, who had been frantically giving orders, raised her sword again.
— Tactical infantry, tight formation! Shield wall knights, encirclement formation!
Vwoooong!
Since voice alone was not enough, she blew a horn to transmit orders to the knights.
The central knights calmly stepped back at the commander’s order.
As if that human wall turned into a gate, a path opened toward the center.
Monsters poured down that open path.
They did not realize until the path was breached.
That it was a passage leading to death.
Bang-bang-bang-bang!!
50 mana bullets flying toward the densely packed monsters.
There was no need to specifically aim for hearts; they dropped like flies.
The corpses of the monsters turned into thresholds, into boulders blocking the path.
The monsters became isolated in the encirclement pen.
— Die! Die!
— Be purified by Alte’s light, evil creatures!!
The most threatening beast-type monsters were trapped in the pen, unable to do anything.
The knights’ swords imbued with aura shredded their bodies.
— Screeech!
— Keeek!
Monsters screaming their death rattles, even mimicking the sounds of dying beasts.
Over a hundred beast-type monsters turned into a small number in an instant.
— Remnant sweep completed!
— Commander, your orders!
Light shone on the sub-commander’s face.
Olivia was the same.
She raised her command sword to the sky and shouted:
— Split into two battalions and advance! Do not let down your guard until the end!
The reliable human wall moved swiftly.
The melted types following the beast types were suppressed in an instant, successfully pushing up to the vicinity of the colossal monster.
— 1st Battalion, colossal monster secured!
— 2nd Battalion secured as well! Operation successful!
They prepared to immediately deal with any new monster that appeared.
As long as it had no abilities beyond procreation, it was practically neutralized.
— We won!!
— Long live Count Cali!
— Alte protects us!
Each shouted the name of their lord or the name of their god, working to boost morale.
Olivia, standing behind, listened to their cheers.
“With this, I have taken a step in my plan.”
Elation welled up.
That elation kept brushing across her face, making it difficult to control her expression.
“If the 2nd Regiment simply succeeds, the plan will be flawless.”
Olivia did not doubt victory even for a moment.
Because Ferda was there.
Could that be why?
The laughter she could not hold back burst out in the end.
She raised her sword high, celebrating the victory of the first battle.
The 1st Regiment’s occupation was practically the same as the 2nd Regiment’s victory.
Excluding the location, they faced identical monsters, and the forces were dispatched considering a perfect balance of power.
In this situation, the operations staff officer and supreme commander of the 2nd Regiment, young master Lutenia, thought:
“Is this truly the war I knew?”