Chapter 48
Chapter 48
In preparation for the containment of the monsters, Walm was ordered to retreat to the old castle on the border of Myard and Highserk by wagon with Ayane and Maia, who were the ones he needed to escort.
Even though a great outbreak had occurred and there was a grace period before the formation of a line of defense on the border, Walm realized that it was a mistake.
Because even now, when the mainstream of monsters hadn’t arrived yet, the road was full of death. The bodies of Myard citizens, who might be refugees, were scattered, including the corpses of monsters that were eliminated by the preceding infantry units.
“There are so many corpses of humans, and monsters”
Maia, peeking from the wagon, shuddered a little.
” Walm-san, what, exactly is going on…?”
Ayane rushed in for an answer. Walm wondered if he should talk. Ayane was someone who he needed to escort but also a prisoner of war. He understood that it wasn’t a good idea to give extra information to someone like her.
Since this is an escort mission, it’ll be easier for me later if she knows the threat.
It’s not like I give in to her earnest gaze.
Walm told himself so.
“It seems that the Four-Countries Alliance has burned some part of the Demon Territory. The Highserk Empire has abandoned the Sarajevo Fortress and is concentrating its forces on the border to stop the demons.”
Ayane opened her eyes and moved her mouth slightly.
“D-Do you mean, that this tragedy, was caused by the Four-Countries Alliance, the Craist Kingdom?”
As if she couldn’t believe it, Ayane weakened her whole body. After she was targeted by the assassin, the girl couldn’t help but felt suspicious about the situation, and she was indignant after hearing it.
Even if your body was worn out, if you took a rest, it would return to normal. But Walm knew well that the wound in the heart wouldn’t go away like that. He had tasted it himself after all.
Maia, who was holding her mouth, put her hand on the girl’s shoulder. She was a kind of resistant to the ruggedness of the world, she swallowed the situation as it wasn’t an impossible story.
The horse screamed when Walm was looking for the words to say.
“Monsters!! Goblin Riders”
“There must have been a platoon ahead. Did they hide from them?”
Walm momentarily rolled up the hood and put his foot on the edge of the platform.
“Moritz, protect them.”
“Leave it to me”
Walm jumped out of the wagon and followed the other escort’s line of sight with his eyes. He saw 20 goblins straddling the silver wolf were approaching.
It was a monster that used monster, a monster that specialized in riding called “Goblin Rider”. A mutant with more developed muscles and higher intelligence than a normal goblin.
In fact, although primitive, vines were weaved to create harnesses and armor and attached them to the wolf. Unlike riding tall horses, goblins on wolfs had a low stance.
“Fast”
Walm obediently leaked such a word. The cavalry of the friendly army enclosed the wagon, which was the object of escort, in a circle and formed a formation.
Although it was a defensive formation, it was inferior in number and there was a risk of being breached.
Walm burned down the road as he cast his mana and manifested ?Demon Fire?. In an instant, blue flames were dancing on the trampled road.
The first 10 goblin riders were entwined with blue flames and burned down while screaming. Even so, the remaining split into two groups and rushed toward Walm. It was a wonderful response for a mere goblin.
“4 goblins will come!!”
Warning the others while seeing off the four goblin riders who bypassed Walm at the edge of the field of vision. Then he returned to the small group that was approaching him.
Six goblin riders closed the distance to Walm.
Walm, who had kneaded mana, shot a second shot, but only burned three Goblin Riders.
In a place where the blue flame was thin, where the line of sight was blocked by the carriage, a goblin rider jumped at him. The halberd scooped up from the bottom and slashed the silver wolf’s chest and the goblin’s lower jaw all at once.
The corpses of the silver wolf and goblin rolled on the ground.
Walm’s attention had already been directed to the remaining two Goblin Riders.
Formed a flame wall according to the direction of travel of the goblin rider that approached him. The way was different, but the point of the counter was the same.
The goblin rider that jumped into the flame wall was burned by a fire that clung to them, and both the goblin and silver wolf were dancing crazy until they died.
The remaining goblin rider succeeded in jumping into the gap, but the Silver Wolf was killed by being skewered from the throat by the tip of the halberd held at the waist.
The goblin jumped into the sky and tried to drive a chipped longsword into Walm. Walm turned his wrist back and parried it with a stab.
The longsword was bent in the wrong direction but before the goblin could land to launch a second attack, Walm smashed the temporal region.
The goblin twisted its body and fell to the ground, but still tried to get up. Walm lifted and slashed down his halberd.
“Gu, GIIiiii”
The skull shattered and the contents scattered.
Walm carefully observed the surroundings. There was no backlog.
The goblin riders who switched the target from Walm to the wagon were also sunk in the blood clot by the other escort’s short spear and war hammer.
“Even goblins can have this much fighting spirit and technique?”
Walm couldn’t hide his surprise when he was shown that the Goblins, which were supposed to be timid and at the bottom of the monster class, were attacking violently until they were annihilated.
“They even learned how to ride.”
Walm had acquired all the skills needed as an infantry soldier, but he was no more than an amateur when it came to horse riding.
In the first place, even horses weren’t enough. And so, he couldn’t ride without a horse.
Walm stopped dripping meaningless desires and faced reality.
It was difficult to grasp the outside situation from inside the wagon. However, if you were on the outside, it was hard to see the inside. Except for the coachman, the only Highserk soldiers in the wagon were Walm and Moritz.
“Captain, it’s wonderful. Is that the famous demon fire?”
As Walm turned his thoughts, an escort knight rushed to him.
“You too, I don’t know if it’s famous, but it’s called “Demon Fire” for sure. By the way, are these guys the ones attacking the refugees?”
“Some of them, there are also corpses with injuries that I don’t think caused by them.”
“What do you want to say?”
“There was a trace of the torso being scooped out with a large mouth. It was clearly bitten off.”
“Do you know what kind of monster?”
“No, I don’t know. It’s a monster with a size that’s quite ridiculous to guess from the footprints and bites. I’m sure it’s a B class or higher.”
A big one is mixed in with those fast-legged monsters. Unlike goblins, a surprise attack by a high-class unidentified monster may cause fatal damage to the wagon.
“Good information”
“Well, I’m honored to help you.”
After receiving information on the large monster, Walm decided to act.
“I’ll also keep an eye on the roof. Sorry to trouble you all, but please mind the prisoners.”
“Leave it to me!”
The soldier on the horse slammed his armor and showed Walm a firm will. Walm returns his feet to the wagon.
“Moritz”
“Oh, Walm-dono, you’re safe.”
“I’ll be on the roof. There may be a big one.”
“I see, leave the inside to me”
“Thanks”
Moritz had the cleverness to have a look-ahead conversation. So, he might be able to act flexibly even in an emergency.
Watched the “load”, Walm crossed the girl’s line of sight for a moment. Her anxiety and fear showed on the outside. Her face turned pale and her eyes were shaking.
Such a thing as hugging and saying, “It’s okay now” would be appropriate for the one in love with her or a childhood friend, or a person with a sense of justice. That kind of act wouldn’t fit Walm, moreover, it might be inappropriate. All he could do was state the facts.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got rid of them.”
Walm tried not to lie because he had deceived her and felt sorry for it. Ayane’s frightened eyes calmed down slightly. Without waiting for a reply, Walm climbed the roof.