The long-awaited fifth day.
The day Sybil is scheduled to complete her mana injection training. In other words, the morning of the day when the temporary repair of the barrier became possible.
“……”
At the sight before his eyes, Tyburn’s watchman, Hugo, froze.
He didn’t raise an eyebrow or breathe.
In Tyburn, there has always been a lookout assigned to watch the movements of monsters and to ring a bell in case of emergency.
Hugo has not stepped down from his post as a lookout in many years, the reason being that he had the sharpest eyesight of all.
“What is that…?”
And today, Hugo cursed his excessively keen vision.
It was a scale like none he had seen before. No, it was a scene that couldn’t easily be imagined. Not just in numbers, but the monsters he saw were of a level unlike any before.
Upon spotting monsters, a lookout was supposed to immediately go down and ring the bell inside the square pillar.
But for those few seconds until then, Hugo couldn’t move.
Ringing the bell this time felt like it was truly the last time in his life.
“…Ugh!”
Hugo forced himself to move towards the bell and run. He shook it incessantly. There were specific counts and intervals for ringing the bell depending on the situation, but none of that mattered now. The wildly ringing bell would clearly indicate what the situation was.
Hugo shouted as if vomiting the words.
“Large-scale monster horde spotted! Scale unestimable!!”
The knights had already quickly rushed outside. Even without Hugo shouting, everyone guessed the situation by looking at how the bell was rung.
They took their designated positions, and now in this place, there were Aten and Sybil, who had never been here before.
“Please stay away from the barriers. Among the monsters, there are those that fly and those that throw projectiles. You could be hit by a blind attack.”
Sanders told Aten. Aten nodded. Insisting on anything here would only hinder the other knights and soldiers.
“Yes. I will make my own judgment of danger. Please, commander, concentrate on the battle.”
“Yes, and.”
Sanders bowed deeply.
“If the barrier falls, do not look back and flee. Lead the entire Order of Knights in retreat as well.”
“……”
Aten came here to inspect the situation with Tyburn and the barrier.
It was unthinkable for her or any knight accompanying her as an escort to get injured in this battle.
“You too. Was it Sybil? Make sure you’re in a safe position. It’ll be fine since you have an escort.”
“Ah, just a moment─”
Sanders didn’t wait for Sybil’s response and climbed up to the barrier. Whatever was said, the decision had already been made.
‘……Horrible.’
The total onslaught of monsters that Frondier had warned of. Facing them directly, everything seemed pitch black. So black that the smell of death was in the air.
The crumbling barrier, weary soldiers and knights. The expended prisoners. The enemy’s competent commander reading the tactics.
All of it was delivering a grave sentence of defeat to Sanders.
‘……Haha. Well, good.’
Sanders laughed. It was a kind of detached sensation.
Whatever the reason for coming here from Shroud. It was to regain the pride of a knight. It would be different from the clans that hid and ran away from the monsters.
Today, here, he would end his life as a definitive knight.
“Prepare to fire!”
Sanders shouted out loud as he always had. The sound of wood and iron clashing was heard, and the aligned archers aimed their arrows at the invading forces.
Unintentionally, Sanders looked at Frondier. Frondier was standing quietly in his usual place, with his hood pulled over his head.
How many lives had been saved by that figure from behind until now? Even in this desperate situation, Sanders felt relieved that there was still something to hold onto.
The knights felt the same. Frondier had already become a lifeline for them. Even if it was a rotten one, it mattered now.
‘……Huh?’
But there was something odd about Frondier. As the order to fire was given, Frondier, who should have been drawing his bow, just stood still.
I thought perhaps he had summoned those strange weapons again, but there was nothing of the sort.
Frondier just stood there, motionless.
Sanders looked forward again. He couldn’t afford to focus solely on Frondier. The monsters had already approached within shooting range.
“Fire!!!”
Sanders yelled, and the archers’ arrows flew through the air. As a precaution against the anticipated large-scale assault, more archers had been deployed than usual, and as a result, the number of arrows momentarily darkened the sky.
But that was it.
There were no beams of light, no spears or weapons flying through the air.
“…?”
It was then that a few noticed Frondier. Sanders looked at him again.
Frondier did nothing.
It was so strange that Sanders took a closer look. Something felt off. A chilling sensation ran down his spine.
Sanders’ trained eyes scrutinized him. Frondier’s fingertips were trembling faintly. Sanders’ eyes widened.
The shoulders draped in a hood, the length of the arms and legs, the height visible from here were different. It even looked as though he was plumper than Frondier.
Sanders’ mouth dropped open. The worst scenario imaginable, one he hadn’t even conceived of, hit him.
‘It’s not Frondier…!’
Frondier had put in a stand-in and fled.