“Boom!”
“The giants at the main gate have started throwing rocks!”
“On my way.”
The full-scale assault of the Great Horde had begun. A cunning and wise beast was leading the charge, turning their battle into a full-blown war.
“Team 5, ready.”
Silbern Caldias gripped her spear, taking her stance. Their target was a beast named ‘Giant,’ hurling rocks from a distance.
On top of the wall, Isaac and the scouting team gathered near Silbern. After confirming the team, Silbern immediately leaped off the wall.
“Whoosh!”
As she fell, Silbern swung her spear wide.
Like a descent from Helmunth, her white aura exploded like a storm, scattering in all directions as she landed. The yetis and other beasts clinging to the wall were torn to shreds by her aura.
“Thud!”
Silbern’s gaze locked onto the distant Giant. Behind her, the rest of the scouting team landed safely. From that height, broken legs or even death from the fall wouldn’t have been surprising, but Silbern’s aura acted as a cushion, allowing them to land as gently as if guided by the wind.
Caldias Spear Technique heavily restricted the use of aura, as aura was something only the chosen could wield, creating a gap between it and the more versatile Caldias Spear Technique.
But at this moment, Silbern was focusing on mastering her aura, growing stronger by the day.
“She’s growing fast.”
Though still far from Lianna, Silbern was rapidly improving.
“Tch!”
Sharen Helmunth, another aura user, pouted and grumbled. Just a few days ago, she had been more skilled with aura, but Silbern’s rapid growth was hard not to envy.
“I’ll take the lead.”
Silbern charged forward, becoming one with her spear. Her movements and spear techniques tore through the beasts before they could even swing their arms.
Close behind her were Anna, Jonathan, and Meladik. The three dealt with the beasts trying to break through the gaps Silbern left, mostly disrupting their stance or pushing them back rather than killing them outright.
The finishing blows were left to Isaac, who followed behind. His sword was lighter, allowing him to swing faster, and he never missed the vital spots of the disoriented enemies.
He was the team’s perfect finisher, backed up solidly by Sharen.
The team advanced like a tank, crushing through the horde of beasts.
“Miss! We’re moving out of the wall’s support range!”
“Pick up the pace!”
At Anna’s report, Silbern tightened her grip on the spear and sped up, the rest of the team following suit.
And then.
“Let’s begin!”
As the Giant entered range, Silbern planted her feet and took a throwing stance. Anna and Jonathan moved past her, taking positions to guard her.
“Whoosh!”
As Silbern threw her spear, Sharen swung her greatsword skyward.
The sky became a canvas, splattered with crimson streaks.
The spear, propelled by the crimson aura, pierced straight through the Giant’s forehead.
“Boom!”
The 4-meter-tall giant collapsed.
Despite the success, no one celebrated. They immediately began planning their retreat.
“Frosthowlers are coming!”
Meladik, who had been cutting through the beasts alongside Isaac, shouted urgently.
From all directions, massive ice wolves closed in.
Isaac swung his sword to block their advance, but with a single kick from a Frosthowler…
“Clang!”
His thin blade shattered like an icicle.
“Ah, seriously!”
He immediately reached for the dagger at his waist. Drawing it in reverse grip, he sliced through the Frosthowler’s neck in one fluid motion.
The seamless weapon switch was a result of having been through this situation multiple times.
“Isaac, your sword broke again! Miss, what about your spear?!”
“Wait! Come on, hurry up!”
Silbern stretched her hand toward the sky, waiting for her thrown spear to return.
“Stop throwing it so hard! It takes forever to come back!”
“I controlled my strength! It’s the Crimson Wave’s fault!”
“Do you know how hard it is to tell Helmunth to control their strength, you idiots?!”
Amid the bickering, the team continued to fend off the Frosthowlers.
“Can’t we just ditch it? There’s too many!”
“Should’ve brought a hammer!”
Jonathan and Meladik chimed in. The Frosthowlers, though beasts, felt like smashing ice sculptures, making their arms ache with every strike.
“If you knew what these were made of, you wouldn’t say to ditch them! Thanks to me, we took down the Giant without any losses—!”
“Whoosh!”
At that moment, the spear returned to Silbern’s hand with a snap. Her aura allowed her to retrieve it this way.
“Got it, retreat!”
At Silbern’s command, everyone turned and began to fall back. As they ran, Isaac clicked his tongue at his broken sword.
“What was that? ‘It’ll never break,’ you said? So confident!”
“Old man Antonio’s all talk!”
Jonathan chimed in, responding to Isaac’s grumbling.
He had laughed it off, saying the sword would never break and to swing it freely today. Seems the blacksmith was all bluster.
Thanks to the wall’s support covering them as soon as they entered its range, they quickly made it back to safety.
Once inside, everyone…
While tidying himself up, Isaac starts to grumble.
“Today, I really need to go and give that damn blacksmith a piece of my mind.”
Isaac, rarely showing his emotional side, rolls up his sleeves, ready to dash off at any moment. Anna hands him a towel and asks,
“Isaac, wasn’t there something strange this time? It felt like the Frosthowler was waiting for us.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I felt the same way.”
Jonathan nods in agreement with Anna’s words.
Silbern, crossing her arms, waits for Isaac’s opinion.
He sheathes his half-drawn sword and nods.
“That makes sense. We’ve responded like this several times to the Giant’s ambushes. The enemy must be setting traps by now.”
It was clear they had anticipated the Giant’s assassination attempt and had prepared in advance.
“Here, drink this.”
Sharen hands him a water bottle from the side.
After taking a sip, Isaac continues to explain.
“Historically, large hordes are often led by highly intelligent magical beasts. It’s probably the same this time.”
In fact, Isaac already knew.
Which magical beast was leading the horde.
And how it would meet its end.
‘It’s still not moving.’
However, it seemed it wasn’t time for it to move yet.
It was an entity that couldn’t be found on this side from the beginning.
Unless it moved on its own, humans couldn’t even lay eyes on it.
‘You told me that.’
He glances at Silbern.
Recalling what Silbern had told him in a past life, the magical beast leading the horde was no ordinary creature.
Even Uldiran Caldias had struggled against it.
“What, what is it? Why?”
“Right?! Exactly! That’s it. This operation is going to be tough now!”
Anna steps in front of Silbern, who is blushing with embarrassment.
On the battlefield, it might be different, but in normal times, Silbern still couldn’t hide her emotions well.
“Ouch!”
“Ah, sorry.”
Isaac, startled by Sharen, who is now massaging his shoulders, yelps.
But despite his protest, Sharen doesn’t stop and continues to gently massage him.
Jonathan, watching this, speaks up.
“Lately, Sharen has been really kind to Isaac.”
“Ah, right. I saw that too. Last time when Isaac said he was hungry, she went all the way to the dining hall to get him a sandwich.”
Meladik adds, and everyone’s gaze turns to Sharen.
But Sharen just shrugs her shoulders confidently and replies.
“What’s strange about being nice to my brother-in-law?”
Well, that’s true.
After all, they are family.
Though it’s a bit bewildering because it’s Sharen.
“Issac, feeling refreshed?”
“…….”
“Refreshed?”
“…….”
“Refreshed?”
Isaac, avoiding answering with the water bottle in his mouth, finally nods.
“Yeah, refreshed.”
If asked whether he felt refreshed or not, he did. Then Sharen immediately steps forward and sticks out her head.
A signal to pet her.
It was almost a demand.
Just three days ago, she headbutted him all day because he didn’t pet her.
Pat pat
“Heeheehee!”
Sharen giggles.
Seeing this, Jonathan approaches Isaac and asks.
“Anywhere feeling stiff? I’m amazing at massages, you know.”
Why, after seeing her head being petted, does he suddenly want to give a massage too?
Isaac declines and looks beyond the wall.
“They’re retreating.”
“Because the Giant is dead. They lack the firepower to break through the wall.”
The magical beasts are retreating.
In fact, the current offensive was more of a probe.
Before breaking the wall, they were knocking on it to test its strength.
‘I need to ask the border lord for his opinion.’
If he joins as Silbern’s adjutant, he can participate in the meetings.
In his past life, the Malidan Wall handled the horde on its own, so it wasn’t a big concern.
But minimizing damage would make it easier to handle future threats.
‘First, I need to go to the blacksmith.’
He moves with the intention of confronting the blacksmith about the sword that broke like glass despite being promised unbreakable.
“Issac!”
Silbern, having removed her armor and wearing a coat, suddenly points at Isaac and declares.
“Cut your hair! Stop tying it up!”
“……Huh?”
“It’s an order! Cut it! Buzz cut! I can’t stand looking at it!”
Then she storms off, clearly upset. As Isaac stands there bewildered, Sharen, next to him, whines in disbelief.
“Why’s she like that? Tied-up hair is deadly and looks good.”
“Haha-.”
Hearing this, Anna awkwardly scratches her cheek and adds softly.
“That’s why.”
