Chapter 55

The wolf, introducing himself as Boris, lightly leaped down and landed on the ground.

Following him, six Suins lined up on either side jumped down from the wall one after another.

Despite each being a massive figure, the sound of their landing was eerily quiet, almost unbelievable.

They growled, pulling back the cloak-like fabric draped over their armor.

The beastly aura thickened rapidly.

I don’t know the principle behind it, but it must be some kind of enchanted cloak. A magic that suppresses perception, making it nearly impossible to detect their presence until they reveal themselves.

Releasing its effect at this moment—are they wary of it being damaged in battle? Or is it simply ineffective during combat?

No, this isn’t the time to ponder such things.

I immediately drew my sword. Not the spare black iron sword, but Ai-mel-ra’s sword.

This wasn’t a situation to hold back while worrying about others’ eyes. Even if Nigel ties up Boris, there’s no guarantee I could take on six pure-blooded warriors alone.

But I had to hold them off. At least until reinforcements arrived.

I pointed the sword at the enemies.

A faint blue glow shimmered around the blade like moonlight.

Since it’s made of Jin-eun, it should be highly effective against Suins. With no option to use Ice Blade, I had to rely solely on this sword’s performance.

If I fought with it… eventually, even Nigel wouldn’t recognize me and might attack. It wasn’t something I could use to save someone. Not yet.

Boris, seeing me draw the longsword, bared his teeth. He grinned like a predator spotting its prey.

“Right. That woman beside you definitely called you Ha-shal-leur, didn’t she?”

Hearing Boris’s words, Nigel glanced at me and clicked his tongue as if realizing a mistake.

Did he know about me?

“Ha-shal-leur Ai-shan Gi-or. The bitch of Ka`har… Lucky me. I didn’t expect the top priority target to show up so soon!”

The drawn blade gleamed under the light.

Though crude in appearance, its size and weight rivaled Damien’s greatsword. Unlike Damien, for them, it was just an ordinary one-handed weapon.

“Top priority target…?”

I couldn’t help but ask.

Those words made it sound like all of this was happening because of me. As if there was no reason to go this far if it weren’t for me.

“I never thought even Ka`har would become the Empire’s dog. That’s troublesome. If the Empire’s enemies are only us left, this is betrayal.”

Boris shrugged nonchalantly. The six Suins drew their weapons and slowly approached.

I felt suffocated.

So, the peace agreement I brokered was the problem?

I never thought that far. I only worried about the relationship between the Empire and Ka`har, and how Or-han’s fate would change.

I never expected the Suins to care about Ka`har either. There was little connection between them.

How foolish of me.

The tip of the sword I held trembled.

The responsibility I overlooked was thrust right before my eyes. In the form of seven beasts and a burning city.

No, no. It’s not too late yet. I can defeat them and save everyone.

I just need to win.

Win.

…Right?

—

“Well, we don’t have much time, so let’s end the conversation here.”

Boris pointed at us with his finger while glancing at the other Suins.

“I’ll handle the blue-haired one. The rest of you, kill Ai-shan Gi-or. Natalia hasn’t arrived yet, but… six should be enough.”

“Lady Ha-shal-leur, retreat!”

Nigel pointed his spear at the Suins, stepping in front of me. His hardened eyes were filled with tension and resolve, as if he’d risk his life to protect me.

Retreat?

I can’t do that. Even if Nigel is a master, he can’t win against these numbers. Boris alone would be tough, and with six pure-bloods ganging up, it’d be hard to hold out.

“That’s a request I can’t accept, Nigel.”

“Lady Ha-shal-leur!”

Ignoring Nigel, I raised my longsword. Retreating here would be no different than handing Nigel over to these beasts.

“You care a lot for an Imperial, Ka`har. Have you already been tamed by the Empire? …Fine. I’ll kill you and that woman, and before dawn, I’ll chop up the rest of the traitors. It’s time to pay the price for wagging your tails at the Empire!”

Boris roared. The six beasts howled in unison.

I forced down the despair rising in my chest. There was no time, and the enemies were too strong. The odds were overwhelmingly against us.

“-How amusing.”

A cold voice cut through the roar.

“You beasts dare to make noise, not knowing where you are.”

A soft footstep echoed. Freide was walking out of the special observation room.

Dressed in a fur coat reinforced with metal armor, she held a large saw like an axe in her right hand. A spiked mace swayed at her waist, and a spear with a pump was slung across her back.

“Really. Nothing goes according to plan. Damn it.”

Her expression was a mix of contempt, irritation, and anger pushed to the limit.

“That silver hair and saw-blade axe… You must be Freide, the Princess of Faelun.”

“A dog dares to speak my name?”

Freide irritably threw a dagger. The thrown dagger bounced off Boris’s claws.

With a snort, Freide walked over to me.

“Freide…!”

“You were planning to fight six pure-bloods with just one Jin-eun longsword? Do you have five lives or something, savage?”

Freide glanced at my sword, seemingly recognizing its material, and mocked me. Though her reaction was surprisingly calm.

She recognized the sword’s material but didn’t figure out its identity, huh?

Well, the small emblem on the blade wouldn’t be visible in this darkness.

That emblem… last time, it seemed to glow gold. But now, it remained silent.

“Pure Jin-eun, huh? I don’t know where you got such a rare item, but that’s a matter for later.”

Freide reached behind her head with her left hand and drew the spear from her back.

“Take half. You can handle that much, right?”

“…What about the others? Are they still inside the building?”

Even if Ferne is like that, what’s Asha doing?

“Your friend is holed up preparing weapons. Since things have gone this way, it’s too late to distribute the silver arrows we stockpiled to the civilians. She’s figuring out how to use them.”

“What about Ferne?”

What’s that legendary 15th-year doing?

Don’t tell me she’s still drunk and asleep despite the situation.

“No idea. That woman does whatever she wants. Whether she fights or watches, it’s up to her.”

It was a hopeless answer.

“What kind of…”

“She’s a fairy. Stop whining and get ready to fight. They’re coming.”

Freide’s eyes were filled with tension.

Right, even for her, facing six pure-bloods would require risking her life.

I also heightened my tension.

It was time for a fierce battle.

—

“So, what should I call you? I need to know the name of tonight’s menu.”

Boris, raising his greatsword, approached Nigel.

The tension was palpable.

It was a confident stride, filled with the certainty of victory, one that couldn’t be found elsewhere.

Nigel raised his momentum and gripped his spear.

Cold sweat trickled down his back.

This was a dangerous foe. Perhaps even stronger than herself.

It was time to pour everything into the fight.

“Shield of the Empire, Knight of Randenburg. I am Nigel!”

Nigel charged toward the black wolf.

The clash of the greatsword and spear echoed loudly.

“Tch!”

The spear grazed his cheek, causing blood to spurt out.

The newly fitted armor was already starting to break in several places.

There wasn’t even enough time to catch his breath.

Even with Freide’s help, the chaotic battle against six beastmen was a life-or-death gamble every moment.

He rolled on the ground to dodge the descending axe blade.

The spear tip came close to his face. Desperately turning his head, he avoided the spear aiming for his eye and sprang up.

“Haa!”

The longsword tore through the tough fur, leaving a shallow wound that emitted faint smoke.

“Kuh… Not bad. As expected of Jin.”

The gray wolf, Volkov, groaned as his forearm was slashed.

Just as he was about to attack again, a clawed foot came flying toward his side.

It was the foot of the lion beastman, Alexei.

Twisting his waist, he barely dodged it. His skirt tore, and blood seeped from the exposed flesh.

A sharp pain spread like heat.

“Krooo!”

A massive fist filled his vision from the front.

He clenched his left hand and struck back.

– Bang!

With a loud explosion, his body was thrown backward.

It was the first time he had been pushed back from a head-on collision.

Even in fights with trolls, he had never been overpowered in strength, except when blocking a blow in an unstable stance.

Though his strength was slightly superior, the sheer difference in weight was overwhelming.

Fortunately, the black iron gauntlet held up without breaking.

Instead, the fist of the brown bear beastman, Kamenev, who was bare-handed, was severely damaged.

Though it was slowly regenerating.

Indeed, without Ai-mel-ra’s sword, it was impossible to deal significant damage.

One-on-one was manageable, and two-on-one was winnable, but six-on-two was a completely different story.

Whether they were skilled in coordinated attacks or not, the constant barrage from three or four at a time left no room for a proper counterattack.

Fighting recklessly as usual was out of the question.

He could push back one, but that left him too vulnerable to the others’ attacks.

A single mistake would be the end. Unlike humans, a solid hit from a beastman could cause serious injury.

So, he had to fight while avoiding openings and dodging.

If it weren’t for Freide, he would have been torn apart long ago.

She was truly a reliable senior.

“These beastly brats, full of life!”

Freide’s spear struck the shoulder of the hyena female, Yelena.

The shock moved the pump, and a fierce stream of blood spurted from the spear’s end.

“Kyaaaah!”

He dodged Yelena’s wildly swung sword with a clean step.

Then, pressing forward, he slashed Yelena’s side with his saw-toothed axe.

Flesh tore away, and blood splattered violently.

“Yelena!”

The female wolf beastman, Olga, swung her halberd toward Freide.

“Tch.”

Freide clicked her tongue, threw a dagger, and retreated.

“Kruuuk!”

Yelena pulled out the pump spear and threw it to the ground.

Enraged, she stomped on it, breaking it into three pieces.

The wounds on her shoulder and side slowly healed.

Whether it was due to silver in the weapon or massive blood loss, he couldn’t tell.

The battle entered a brief lull.

“Damn, it’s taking too long.”

“Be thankful we have the advantage thanks to our weapons. If it weren’t for Jin’s sword, they would have attacked even more fiercely, injuries be damned.”

Standing next to Freide, he assessed the situation.

Only two minutes had passed, but…

Freide’s fur coat was torn in several places, and she had lost one spear, but otherwise, she was unharmed.

Her body was soaked in blood, but none of it was hers.

My armor was broken in several places, and blood was streaming from my cheek and lower back.

Including my left hand, the areas that had been hit were throbbing painfully.

Still, the enemy was far more injured.

Though their wounds were slowly healing, the cuts from my sword weren’t healing.

Freide’s attacks had also caused significant blood loss.

If we kept fighting like this, I was confident we could win.

It would just take too much time.

Even now, at this very moment, someone might be dying.

The biggest problem was Nigel.

I glanced at the battlefield where the sounds of explosions continued to echo.

Spears and greatswords clashed madly, scattering sparks and fragments.

“Have you no intention of abandoning your master and surrendering? Pity. A master-class female like you could bear excellent offspring, even if mixed!”

“Do not insult the sword of Randenburg! Do not underestimate me!”

“Ha, you’re holding a spear, aren’t you!”

Boris’s ecstatic roar filled the air, and in response, Nigel shouted and unleashed a flurry of spear and dagger strikes.

A human master versus a beastman warlord.

The outcome of that duel would determine the outcome of this battle.

The problem was, Nigel was slowly being pushed back.

His broken armor was in tatters, and blood flowed from several wounds.

Boris was similarly injured, but… the fundamental difference in species was holding him back.

Nigel’s weapon, mixed with a bit of Jin’s, prevented Boris’s wounds from healing easily.

However, the body of a warlord-class beastman could endure several penetrating wounds without concern.

Time was not on our side.

No. In fact, it had never been on our side.

This was no time to be standing around.

Lowering my stance, I poured strength into my legs.

Raising my fighting spirit, I surrendered to the intense desire for battle.

Prepared for serious injury. I had to kill at least one.

I had to disrupt the balance.

Even if I lost an arm, it was a situation I had to accept.

An arm was nothing. As long as I didn’t die, it could be healed someday.

Gripping the sword hilt with crushing force, I gritted my teeth.

As long as I didn’t die. As long as I didn’t die, I would-

– Crash!

At that moment.

With the sound of shattering glass, dozens of silver arrows rained down on the beastmen like a storm.

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