“Monster rampage. We need to eliminate them quickly before they reach the civilian areas!”
With her disheveled hair flying in the wind, Sylvia, mounted on horseback, charged rapidly towards the Ariente territory.
The mutated ants, typically the size of a cart, had shells so tough that blades couldn’t penetrate them.
However, with Kaboom, she could turn them into a puddle of goo.
If Kaboom wasn’t enough, she could use Boom or Boom-Kaboom.
As Ariente territory came into sight, Sylvia prepared to channel the mana accumulated in her body to initiate Kaboom.
“Ah.”
Finally, the wave of ant armies appeared in Sylvia’s view.
Monsters covered the entire mountain without a gap.
Sylvia quickly let her mana dissipate.
“Yeah. Let’s give up.”
It’s impossible to capture all of them. Even if she used all her mana, it wouldn’t be enough.
Sylvia decided to give up quickly.
With that many, even the Imperial Knights would have to fight day and night for three days straight.
The amount is ridiculous.
Where did all these monsters come from?
Is it someone’s scheme?
Which wicked person released so many monsters in the mountains…!
Sylvia shuddered at the cruelty and changed her course.
Capturing all of them is not an option.
The walls of the Ariente castle look high and sturdy, so the goal must be to evacuate everyone.
“Filthy bugs! Don’t hide; come out! It’s time to earn your keep!”
Boom!
Sylvia charged towards the training grounds, stamping her feet and shouting energetically.
Only then did the staff, who had been hiding in the dormitory, start showing their terrified faces one by one.
“These guys. Was the training all for nothing? Seeing that, you should have come out quickly. What are you doing? Starting now, initiate the evacuation of residents! Teams 1, 2, and 3, divide into zones 3, 4, and 5 of the outer town of Ariente and evacuate all the residents into the castle! Execute!”
“Yes!!!”
The staff’s responses echoed loudly.
They began moving in an orderly manner as if they had never shown a frightened expression.
Thanks to repeated training, none hesitated; they rushed towards the endangered Ariente territory at full speed.
“Knight! Someone has already gone out for rescue!”
“…!”
They took the initiative to start evacuation without being told?
What a commendable kid!
“What? Who is it?”
“It’s Yuria! Yuria went out to hold off the monsters and buy time!”
“What…!”
Of all people, it’s him?
He’s someone she reluctantly included in training because of the lord’s recommendation, and while he’s been working hard, she had no expectations for him to make an impact.
It would be best if he just stayed put, so why did he jump out?
“Ugh!”
Mana flowed into Sylvia’s legs, accelerating her instantly.
It was a spell she invented herself and named “Shashashak”.
That kid mustn’t die!
He’s a child entrusted by the master, and if he returns dead…!
‘If that happens, it’s not just a pay cut; it’s a beheading!’
Sylvia gritted her teeth and scattered mana in all directions.
A spell known as Wiiing.
It was a magic used to detect objects by bouncing back dispersed mana. Soon, she detected an unusual mana.
‘That kid’s mana…!’
It’s this way!
Sylvia’s legs changed direction and accelerated again.
The source of the mana was getting closer.
What a foolish kid!
Using so much mana non-stop will lead to exhaustion quickly.
If he collapses from exhaustion right in front of the monsters…?
Ugh. It’s extremely dangerous for a rookie who doesn’t know their own mana capacity to be in combat.
‘Please, just stay alive!’
That was the moment when Sylvia desperately jumped over the wall.
Weee!
With a sharp sound, a blue flash split the air in front of her eyes.
The long flash stretched out, barely missing Sylvia’s eyes.
“Kieeeeek!!!”
Kwak! It struck the head of a rushing ant monster, crushing it in one breath.
Swish!
The flash recoiled like a whip.
“Are you alright? I didn’t expect you to come out from there.”
“…”
The one holding the end of the flash was none other than Yuri.
He was holding a baby in one hand.
Sylvia glanced briefly at the pile of ant monster corpses stacked like a mountain, then gave Yuri a perplexed look.
“Did you take care of all this by yourself?”
“Yes? Yes. And I found this baby while searching an empty house. It seems to have lost its parents…”
“Alright. Enough with the explanation; just run! The evacuation of the civilian area in this zone is complete, so there’s no need to fight anymore!”
“Understood!”
Keeeek!
Ant monsters emerging from the pile began appearing one by one. Sylvia took the baby from Yuri and started running immediately.
‘He doesn’t show any signs of fatigue.’
Yuri was running ahead at a fast pace.
Yuri moved ahead at great speed. Despite not using any apparent body-strengthening magic, he was moving at a similar pace to Sylvia.
Is it possible to reach such speed without any enhancements…?
Did he hide his strength during training?
Sylvia couldn’t believe her eyes and was stunned.
“Knight, you’ve arrived! The search and rescue operations are complete, and we’re currently guiding the evacuation!”
“Hurry up! The monsters are closing in fast! They’ll catch up soon!”
Guarding the rear of the evacuation line, Sylvia’s hands trembled with urgency.
Had every building, every corner truly been searched?
Were there no places missed?
Was it okay not to check herself?
‘Trust them. These are the guys I trained.’
She shut her eyes tightly. She had to trust her staff.
Although it had been less than a month, she had taught them a lot.
The courage and audacity to face harsh environments.
And that overcoming such situations depended solely on strong bonds with comrades.
That alone was enough.
The staff was moving with coordination as if they had been working together for years.
This was already proof of the training’s success.
They were ready to be deployed in actual combat.
Sylvia felt a slight sense of pride.
“Ahhhh! Knight of Vermont! Thank you so much! To lead my taxpayers, no, my beloved subjects to safety! I truly owe you…”
The gate opened with a thud.
The moment Count Ariente appeared, shedding tears of emotion.
“Be quiet and get away from the castle gate! Evacuation comes first, not greetings!”
“Ugh!”
Sylvia’s shoulder slammed into the Count, sending him stumbling backward.
Refugees began pouring through the open castle gate.
Sylvia anxiously stamped her feet and glanced back.
‘They’re coming.’
The black wave was approaching.
The ant monsters, densely covering her field of vision, were advancing.
Could the castle walls be closed before they arrived?
It was impossible.
Sylvia quickly assessed the situation.
Drawing her sword, she started running in the opposite direction of the evacuation line.
‘I can’t capture all of them. I’ll use a spell to buy as much time as possible…!’
Was Frozen the answer?
Sylvia gritted her teeth.
She began preparing the spell she had sealed away a long time ago.
Having distanced herself considerably from the refugees, Sylvia took a deep breath.
As she exhaled, the air suddenly turned icy, and a white mist emerged.
“Frozen!!!”
With the incantation, Sylvia slapped the ground with her palm.
A winter chill spread from her palm, turning the ground white.
“Keek!!!”
The ant monsters, rushing towards Sylvia, had frost accumulating on their legs.
Their movement began to slow down.
“Kreururuk!”
“Please stop! Stop!!!”
As the monsters came within close range, Sylvia did not lift her hand from the ground.
More and more mana was drained from her body, transforming her surroundings into a frozen wasteland.
The monsters grew slower and eventually started to freeze solid.
Just before the ant monster’s mandibles reached Sylvia’s head, the monsters were completely frozen and stopped moving.
Success! They were all frozen!
“Ha…!”
As Sylvia staggered and looked back, the refugees had all passed through the castle gate. Now she needed to return… return, but…
Huh?
‘Am I an idiot…?’
She forgot to think about how she should go back.
Now she was out of mana…
Crack, crack.
The frozen joints of the monsters began to move, and the ice started to break.
Her legs trembled uncontrollably, and she had no strength left.
Is this how I’m going to die?
Sylvia let out a hollow laugh in despair.
“Why do you have that resigned expression? Wipe that look off your face.”
“…!?”
Thump.
A rough hand caught Sylvia as she was about to collapse.
The voice, harsh and menacing as always, made Sylvia’s eyes widen.
It was the voice of someone who shouldn’t be here.
“M-Master!? What are you doing here…!”
“There are many things you need to do. I can’t tolerate you shirking responsibilities and avoiding punishments like this. So, put away any thoughts of dying for now.”
“No, it’s dangerous here! You need to escape immediately! Please, quickly! If those things unfreeze, we’ll both be dead!”
“Don’t worry. I’m not as reckless as you.”
Sylvia’s struggles ceased in the face of Aslan’s grim smile.
For some reason, that smile felt reassuring.
“Keekeke!!!”
The ant monsters, having completely broken through the ice, began charging again.
But the moment Aslan silently muttered something and extended his hand.
“Ke? Kieeek!?”
“Keuek?”
Grrrrr.
The ant monsters let out a final scream.
They all died and fell down one by one.
What is this…?
