Chapter 306

“Hurry up! We need to finish all preparations before the beastmen arrive!”

The walls of the fortress were in chaos, bustling with sudden battle preparations. Knights in charge of each section shouted orders at the top of their lungs, while soldiers rushed around carrying supplies—silver arrows, oil barrels, braziers, and spare spears and swords.

Though these tools alone might not be enough to kill such formidable enemies, there were no other options. Against the beastmen, the only effective weapons were silver, Jin, and the blessings of the Menes Church Order.

“Move faster! We don’t have time to waste!”

“Damn it, damn it…! We have to fight them again? With just this…?”

“Of all times, why now…?”

Unlike the heated interior of the fortress, the outdoor area lacked proper heating. The cold night air cut like a blade, yet sweat dripped from the soldiers’ foreheads. Whether it was from the intense labor or sheer terror, no one could tell.

“Will we even survive…? All the commanders are gone…”

“It’ll be fine. Count Damien, the empire’s strongest swordsman, is here. If it’s him, surely…”

“Do you believe that rumor? He’s way too young to be the empire’s strongest. Sounds like nonsense spread by the Emperor to boost morale.”

“Well, the rebels have Marquis Valenstein on their side. So maybe…”

The soldiers’ whispers mixed with the wind, brushing past my ears. Fear of death, hope placed in me, and their self-deluded skepticism—it all swirled together.

…I turned my gaze away, ignoring them.

A bitter taste lingered on my tongue as I breathed in.

My chest felt cold and heavy, as if filled with a lump of iron.

How many of them would live to see the morning sun?

Of course, Karl’s strategy hadn’t been shared with the soldiers. No matter how brave the empire’s troops were—though they didn’t seem particularly brave—if they knew they were just being used as cannon fodder or a delaying tactic, morale would plummet. They might even desert or rebel.

[Feeling guilty? How weak of you. Maybe you should be the saint instead of that white-haired woman.]

Guilty?

‘Not really.’

Guilt? What’s the point of that now?

I had already decided to bury such emotions and move forward.

The duty of the army is to win, and the duty of soldiers is to fight on the front lines. There’s no room for guilt.

It’s just… I feel a little sorry for them.

Everyone living in this world is pitiful.

A world where a thousand ordinary people are sacrificed without hesitation to highlight a few who can take on a thousand alone.

A game turned reality is this cruel.

Well… the real world wasn’t exactly a paradise either.

I lit a cigarette and sat on the uneven wall, watching the inside of the fortress.

With news of the impending battle, refugees who had fled to Paleun Fortress were hastily packing their belongings and heading to the inner fortress.

Children clinging to their mothers’ hands, elderly struggling to move, and young women huddling together in fear.

No young men were in sight—most had likely volunteered as soldiers to protect their families.

The refugees trembled with anxiety. Hiding in the inner fortress would only provide temporary relief. If Paleun Fortress fell, they would all become prey for the beasts.

The young women… would probably be “used” to produce hybrid soldiers.

What a joke. No, not even a joke.

If they’re beasts, they should stick to their own kind. Why use humans for breeding?

This world is insane, really.

I exhaled a deep sigh into the air.

The cigarette smoke dispersed into the starlight.

—

“Here you are, Hasal-leur.”

How long had I been brooding like this?

I turned at the familiar voice behind me and saw Milia.

Instead of her usual white shirt and pants, she wore thick northern armor, a steel bow on her back, and a massive greatbow in her right hand. Seeing it in person, it was truly impressive.

“Milia, Damien. You’re a bit late. What happened?”

“…Who knows?”

Milia smiled faintly, her face glowing with an odd sheen. In contrast, Damien looked pale.

Still not fully recovered? Though it’s my fault… that’s a problem. This battle won’t be easy even at full strength.

“…It’s not my place to say, but take care of yourself, Damien. I hope you reach mastery, but in this uncertain situation, prioritize survival. You too, Milia.”

If you two die, even a victory wouldn’t feel like one.

“Okay. You be careful too, Hasal-leur. Your role is far more dangerous than mine.”

“Who knows? The dangerous one is the wolf, not me.”

At my quip, Milia nodded with a laugh and headed toward the archery tower, leaving Damien behind. Her steps were light and carefree.

“…She seems oddly excited. What happened with you two?”

“Uh… something did happen. Not sure if I should say.”

Damien hesitated, avoiding a direct answer.

What’s this reaction? I have a vague idea, but…

No way.

No way Milia would…

I forced the image out of my mind.

That’s just impossible.

Milia wouldn’t do something so bold in this situation. That’s not like her.

…Right?

“You didn’t… no, right? You just said yesterday you had no intention of doing ‘that.'”

My voice trembled slightly as I pressed Damien.

“…Milia has gotten a lot stronger. Especially her arm strength.”

“What…?”

Damien hung his head low, practically admitting it. The cigarette I was holding fell to the ground.

What in the world am I supposed to say to this?

It was shocking enough to completely shatter the emotional mood from earlier.

I was ready to kill him if he’d taken advantage of her feelings, but instead, he was the one who got taken advantage of? It wasn’t a confession—it was assault?

Milia, what on earth did you do…?

[To engage in intimacy before marriage—I never thought she’d be so licentious!]

Why are you suddenly acting all prudish?

Don’t add to my confusion when I’m already overwhelmed.

—

I took a deep breath and exhaled toward the sky. My cold breath spread like smoke.

I felt dizzy, as if I were drunk, even though I hadn’t had a drop.

“Well, uh… I guess what’s done is done. What do you plan to do now?”

No way…

You’re not planning to pretend it never happened, are you? You wouldn’t say something like that, right?

If you do, your middle leg will become something that never existed in the first place.

“Responsibility… I should take it, right…?”

Why are you phrasing it as a question, you idiot? Of course, you should.

“Were you planning to just ignore it? If you do, you’ll get stabbed and die.”

“You’d even use a sword…?”

Damien glanced at my left hand.

Did he think he’d die by my hand? Or maybe he thought Milia would come at him with a sword?

“It might feel a bit unfair to you… or maybe you don’t even know what unfairness feels like? Anyway, whether it’s unfair or not, what’s done is done… so think about how you’ll take responsibility later. I can’t really say much either….”

But don’t go saying something cliché like you’ll get married after this battle is over.

Guys who say that always end up dead, leaving their lovers as widows or with other men.

“…I guess I should.”

With that, Damien also headed toward the front wall—the north gate.

I’m a bit worried… but he’ll fight well. He seems to have gotten a decent weapon.

Damien wasn’t carrying his usual silver-plated greatsword but, like Nigel, a weapon mixed with Jin. Maybe Freide gave it to him. Seeing the Paleun family’s seal on it, it might have originally belonged to Duke Valdemar.

It’s not pure Jin silver, but it should be good enough. Just having Jin mixed in is enough to weaken a great warrior’s regenerative abilities.

He might have to return it after the battle, but for now, he’s got a better weapon than Milia.

Milia, despite being a master archer, still has to use silver arrows.

They can’t waste precious Jin on disposable items. Sure, they can collect the arrows scattered across the battlefield after the fight, but that’s not exactly easy.

I watched Damien’s back for a moment, then turned my gaze back to the sky.

I lit a new cigarette and took a drag.

Anyway, the two of them ended up together… so I guess you could say it’s a pure love route?

The method was a bit awkward, but it’s undeniable that he ended up one-on-one with his childhood sweetheart. So, yeah, it’s pure love.

I cleared my dizzy head with the cigarette smoke, trying to convince myself.

By the time the cigarette burned out, I finally reached a conclusion.

Hmm. No matter how I think about it, there’s no reason it’s not pure love. So, yeah, it’s a pure love route.

What a relief.

—

By the time midnight approached, the knights and soldiers were almost fully deployed.

Freide, who was checking the troops, and Leonor, who was aimlessly following her, noticed me and came over.

“Looks like you’re living the good life, leisurely stargazing.”

“It’s not like there’s anything I need to do right now. If anything, my role is to rest up and get my body in shape. You’re probably in the same boat for now.”

“I guess so?”

Freide shrugged and plopped down next to me.

She wore a light armor with a fur-lined coat reinforced with wire, and a thick chain wrapped around her. At the end of the chain hung a sharp scythe.

On the leather strap behind her back were eight weapons that looked like a mix of an awl and a syringe. The saw-toothed sword at her waist was similar to before but had a more vivid blue tint, likely due to increased Jin content. The spear she held had a blade that seemed ready to split open on both sides.

She lost all her weapons in the last battle, but now she’s got all new ones. Must be nice to have money.

“As the lady said, we’ve done all the preparations we can… so all that’s left is to wait for the enemy. Unless you want to give a motivational speech or something.”

Leonor also gestured to the empty seat next to me, asking if she could sit. I nodded, and she immediately sat down.

Unlike Freide, who was loaded with weapons, Leonor wore northern-style armor with just a single Jin sword, making for quite the contrast.

“A speech… I’m not confident in that.”

“You’ll manage.”

I wouldn’t expect Freide to have that kind of eloquence. I didn’t expect it in the first place.

“Lady Paleun, a speech is just about spouting some impressive words. Like, ‘Let’s protect the pride of the north,’ or ‘We must protect the people.’ Or you could brag about our lady and declare that we’ll win because we have the Beastman Devourer. It’s not that hard once you try.”

Leonor stretched while looking at the sky, her curves clearly visible even through her armor.

“…We’ll win, right?”

“What’s with the weak talk? Where’s the spirit you had during the great fire?”

Maybe because it was just the three of us, Freide let out some of the anxiety she’d been hiding. I patted her back lightly to encourage her.

…Though it wasn’t that light, as Freide’s upper body jerked forward.

“Ugh…! Seriously, you’re just brute strength…!”

“Ah, sorry. I thought you could handle that. Guess your core’s weaker than I thought.”

Freide, who almost fell over, straightened up and shot me a glare.

“Your strength is weird. Are you sure you don’t have some other species’ blood in you?”

“…Probably not?”

I’m a bit curious too, but since I don’t have scales or a tail, probably not. Maybe.

—

On the bustling castle walls, the three of us gazed at the starry night sky, chatting about this and that.

Silly jokes, old battle stories, and the like.

“By the way, where are they?”

“Who?”

Freide tilted her head, as if asking what I meant.

“Your friends. You said you had a lot of friends in the north, right? I’m jealous. Can you introduce me to some?”

If they’re not imaginary friends, that is!

“……”

Freide’s eyes trembled.

She looked like she couldn’t believe I still remembered that.

“You don’t have any, do you?”

“…Yeah.”

I knew it. Where did you even come up with that lie?

Did you think I’d miss a chance to tease you?

Leonor, who caught on to the situation, giggled.

I smirked at Freide too.

After that, Freide pouted, her face bright red, and kept her mouth shut.

…For a full five minutes.

Guess the light teasing hit harder than I thought.