“There’s a leader.”
Ludwig’s concern was interrupted by another voice.
It was Frondier, descending the central staircase of the mansion. Selena was beside him too.
“A leader?”
“Yes. Like us, the monsters have someone in command. Whether it’s a monster or a human, ‘suicide missions’ can only be carried out under orders.”
Hmm.
Intrigued by Frondier’s hypothesis, Ludwig asked,
“Then, who is it? Is there a stronger beast capable of gathering the external monsters? I’ve never seen such a creature.”
“There’s no need to subdue the external monsters through strength alone. For example.”
It was on Selena, who was beside Frondier.
“……”
“……”
Aten and Sybil were looking at Selena expressionlessly.
To a third party, it would seem excessively creepy, to the point that even Selena, who maintained her composure, glanced at them briefly.
“……Oh, I forgot to greet Her Highness in my surprise. I apologize.”
Frondier greeted Aten as he noticed her. No, he knew she was there from the start, but he spoke to her because her expression didn’t look good. It was awkward to suddenly treat the student she met in Constel as a princess.
Aten, who Frondier thought was offended by her silence, replied without a single change in her expression.
“……Yes. It’s good to see you. Frondier.”
Is she a machine or something?
Frondier also greeted Sybil, who was next to her.
“Hello, Sybil. I really didn’t know you would come here as well.”
“……Yeah. Me neither. Nice to see you.”
Exactly the same expression as Aten.
At this point, Frondier started to get scared. It felt like she was watching a horror movie.
Then Aten raised her hand.
“Who’s this?”
Frondier spoke after confirming that the hand was pointing at Selena.
“Oh, I hired an escort. This is Tyburn, after all. I’m a little worried and it’s dangerous if I go alone.”
Frondier brought out the excuse he had prepared in advance.
“I see. An escort. Okay. I see.”
Sybil muttered as if she was chewing on the words.
She was clearly muttering what she heard, but it didn’t seem like she was listening.
“……I should go then. I have to check the night watch and patrol duty shifts.”
Frondier felt awkward and left the seat. Selena followed him.
Up until the moment Frondier left the mansion, Aten and Sybil didn’t say a word or even blink an eye.
And after Frondier had completely left.
Sybil gasped.
“What’s with her? What’s with that girl? What’s with that maid who is wearing that unnecessarily revealing maid outfit?”
“I know exactly who you are talking about.”
“Is that a guard? How can there be such a guard? What kind of guard wears those clothes? A guard with such a body and face─”
“I know what you want to say.”
Watching the two chatter away, Ludwig wore an incredulous expression.
However, he realized one thing.
The fact that Aten claimed to be unrelated to Frondier was a complete lie.
* * *
As Ludwig said, for the next few days, the monsters will frequently charge in small groups.
They don’t even give you time to mend the walls in exchange for your life. They plan to find a definite weak point in the wall and destroy it all at once. Until then, it’s a strategy of treating monsters as expendable.
There is a commander who concentrates the intelligent and powerful monsters from outside.
But for me, it was a good thing at first.
I needed to adapt after coming to Tyburn, and there were many things that were still lacking.
Bang bang bang bang bang──!
A loud bell rings. A sinister energy stirs from afar beyond the barrier.
The prison doors open, and one by one, the prisoners crawl out to the narrow path leading to the barrier exit.
The soldiers stood behind them, and the knights were lined up on the fortress wall.
“Hey, Madman.”
A knight next to me called out. It seemed my nickname among the knights had solidified as “Madman.”
“Cheer up. I bet on ‘today.'”
He grinned and tapped me on the shoulder.
The previous bet. On which day I would die.
To bet on the first day of battle, anyway. This guy isn’t underestimating me; he’s just addicted to gambling.
“Don’t feel safe just because you’re on the fortress wall right now. After the prisoners and soldiers, it’s our turn next. There are plenty of guys climbing the wall, knocking on the door, flying around, and leaping here from the air. Do you understand the situation now?”
The knight kept droning on annoyingly.
Meanwhile, monsters revealed themselves. Emerging from the distant fog, they all madly rushed towards this place.
“Don’t let your guard down just because it’s not winter! A single monster from outside can cause countless casualties!”
Sanders shouted loudly.
All humans gathered to defend the barrier assumed their positions, most likely prepared for death.
Especially dangerous were the ones with wings. Those who ignored the barrier were the main culprits in taking the lives of knights.
It turns out the knight babbling beside me wasn’t wrong. I also kept an eye out for the flying ones as I faced forward.
“Prepare for battle! Aim!”
Sanders’ command was heard, and I assessed the number of winged monsters in my sight.
…Hmm, with that number.
“Menosorpo.”
“…Huh? What?”
The guy babbling beside me asked stupidly.
Menosorpo
Void Weaving, Simultaneous Replication
Imperial Armory
Spear types, from first to tenth
The number possible for simultaneous weaving increased to 10 through leveling up.
Spears floating in the air around me, each targeting the fearlessly approaching monsters.
The knight beside me stopped talking and blankly watched them. While there were knights who hadn’t seen this before, those around me gradually focused on the scene.
“Fire!!”
Sanders said.
Clearly, he said to fire.
I launched all 10 of the spears I had woven,
And each one fatally struck the winged monsters.
As for what the slain monsters looked like, well, I didn’t get a good look.