State of Emergency (3)

The stampede hadn’t officially begun yet. For now, only warning signs were occurring, but there was no room for complacency.

Already, monsters had begun to flood in, leading to ongoing large battles.

The fortress suffered ambush damage from the monsters that suddenly swarmed en masse.

Normally, such damage would have subsided quickly, but since it was recognized as a prelude to a stampede, there was no time to relax.

Because of the severity, the key officers of the fortress were gathered in the command room, putting their heads together.

“We’re curious about the cause, first of all.”

Silia asked. She had just returned from an outing and didn’t know much.

“We don’t know anything for certain yet, either. But the most likely cause is the death of a higher-rank monster.”

Klein, who was in charge of the fortress’s magic division, explained.

As a high-ranking mage, he could handle numerous spirits and sent them out for reconnaissance in various places.

His help was significant in grasping the local ecosystem and tracking down breeding monsters.

“A higher-rank monster died?”

“They start stampedes for only one reason: territorial disputes. If a rival leader dies, the other groups go crazy trying to take its place—it’s only natural,”

Kelian said.

Just as Kelian said, that was the only reason monsters started a stampede.

They had a nature of always looking for opportunities to expand their territory.

All the harm they caused humans could be traced back to that.

“So, what monster are we saying died?”

“We tried to find out, but it wasn’t easy. With the monsters going rampant all of a sudden, a forest full of poisonous miasma formed, making spirit reconnaissance difficult.”

“And even if we did find out, would that give us a solution?”

In the end, preparing countermeasures took priority over the cause.

But if it was a higher-rank monster, no one could easily take it down.

Even among monsters, they marked territories to avoid mutual annihilation.

A stampede only broke out when the leader of a territory died, so who had killed it?

It couldn’t have simply died of natural causes.

“For now, it’s been confirmed that the monsters are advancing through the Forest of Death to the northwest. If they charge straight here, the whole fortress will be devoured by the monster army.”

Kadim spoke about the current situation. He didn’t use the term ’emergency’ for nothing—the number of monsters was beyond imagination.

Even if the entire garrison threw themselves in, they would be overwhelmed.

“And even blocking them head-on is difficult. Even if we wanted to set traps, it’s simply impossible since that area is the Forest of Death.”

The demon realm had many terrains that defied logic.

There were lava fields boiling all year round, blizzard-stricken snowy mountains, plains that were often shaken or struck by lightning—even rivers of poison, and forests you could never escape once inside.

The Forest of Death that Klein spoke of was exactly that kind of forest.

“Who knows whether any human strategy will work in this bizarre demon realm?”

“Even so, it’s not like there’s no way. Even in the Forest of Death, there are methods for finding a path.”

“Are you thinking of using a magitech device? Only someone with at least basic magitech knowledge could operate one.”

No one in the fortress had such knowledge.

That was because only mercenaries or criminals—who had lived without learning any skills—were here.

Expecting them to have the wisdom to operate anything was foolish.

“At present, the only magitech device in the fortress that could do that is the ‘R-Type Guide’. It’s not the latest version, so without expertise, it’s difficult to use properly.”

“Then even a mage would have trouble activating it?”

“It’s an old model, so it’s tricky to use. I’d say I’m the only one here who can manage.”

Only Klein could handle that magitech device.

There were other mages among the soldiers, but even for them, activating an old device like that wouldn’t be easy.

“Is it impossible even with magitech knowledge?”

“With enough knowledge, someone other than a mage could operate it. But whether it’s that easy…”

“I’ll give it a try. Before I was assigned to the 7th Legion, I didn’t just hone my swordsmanship.”

It was knowledge Silia had gained thanks to her family, though they were now dead.

As she declared confidently, Kadim smiled.

“You’re not the only one, deputy-commander. Did you know a new officer was assigned while you were out? I hear that one is also quite knowledgeable in this area.”

“What’s the name?”

“His name is Eike. He’s now serving as squad leader for one of the younger recruits.”

This brought the number of people able to operate the R-Type Guide to three.

Thanks to that, the previous shortfall with just Klein was made up for.

“We can use this to form a unit that will lure the monsters out of the Forest of Death.”

Kelian set the final goal of the meeting. The moment they began to discuss that, a knock sounded.

“Excuse me!”

“What is it?”

To Kelian’s question, a knight entered and reported the following:

“There are soldiers exchanging sword blows in the underground training hall!”

During this period, it was Kelian’s order that no one was to cross swords.

The fact that someone was breaking that rule made Kelian scowl.

****

“… You want me to fight?”

Thrown onto the training field, Dimo was blank with shock.

He wondered if the young master had finally gone crazy, but to be fair, anger was justified.

Throughout the training, Louis had taught the squad members.

Some were older than Louis, but they had to follow his words anyway. There was no other way to survive.

Dimo was also a year older than Louis, but never felt he was the younger. What he learned from Louis were the rules of this place.

He understood this place quicker through Louis than through brutal drilling by the instructors.

Thanks to that, he soon grasped what kind of place this was. There was no such thing as affection—only trickery and betrayal.

Outside, the only people who didn’t feel guilt over killing were sent here.

It was a place that could be called a giant monster cage.

That’s why you had to be wary as Louis said; even the slightest carelessness could cost your life.

But perhaps they were still kids after all. The squad members had succumbed to temptation even with Louis’s warnings. But still—

“This isn’t right!”

Getting up, Dimo grabbed his wooden sword, but when he saw his opponent, he started trembling.

The other’s build and sword were on another level.

“Y-young master…”

Dimo looked at Louis with a tearful face.

Louis, however, watched with a cold expression, making it clear he would not help—and that terrified Dimo.

“Don’t worry, kid. This big bro will train you without hurting you too much!”

The enemy soldier raised his claymore-style wooden sword high and brought it crashing down.

Dimo barely managed to dodge, and a huge crack appeared in the floor. The massive strength of his foe made Dimo turn pale.

“How does this count as not hurting me?!”

“It doesn’t hurt—by my standards…”

“Huh?”

“If you can’t withstand even this, you’ll be slaughtered by monsters soon enough.”

As the soldier swung again, Dimo dodged and scrambled away.

He had no choice if he wanted to live, but the soldier’s pointed retort rang out.

“Kid! The soldiers here exist to hunt and break monsters! If you can’t do that, you deserve to die! Like it or not, you’re a soldier now, not a kid, since you’ve been dragged here!”

Wham!—

While dodging the blows everywhere, Dimo started getting cornered. Watching this, the squad members pleaded with Louis.

“Isn’t Dimo going to die like this?”

“Yeah, young master! Please…!”

Victor and Pram pleaded, and Louis finally spoke.

“Guys, what would you do if I weren’t here?”

“That’s…”

“And even if you hadn’t eaten the snacks, can you really be sure something like this wouldn’t have happened anyway?”

“…”

The squad members all fell silent, turning pale. In the end, no one was to blame for what was happening now.

Even Louis’s protection couldn’t change that—it would have happened sooner or later.

“Aaaah!”

Dimo let out a scream before the soldier.

His legs gave out and he collapsed just as the soldier brought the wooden sword down.

There was no way it would miss. Convinced he’d die if it hit, Dimo screwed his eyes shut.

“Huh?”

At that moment, someone rushed in and tackled the soldier with a shoulder strike.

Losing his balance, the soldier’s sword went astray.

The one who intervened and shoved the soldier away was Rio, one of the squad members.

“Who are you? I said this is supposed to be a one-on-one match.”

“…”

Rio remained silent, gripping her sword and glaring at the soldier.

Her doll-like reaction made the soldier click his tongue, then smirk.

The girl with black hair and red eyes seemed attractive to him. So, he lowered his sword for a moment and spoke.

“Deputy-leader, why don’t we make this a bet instead of a simple spar?”

At the soldier’s suggestion, deputy-leader Bris stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“Fine.”

At Bris’s acceptance, Louis asked,

“A match with a wager? What are you staking?”

“We’ve stacked up plenty of rewards. We can give you a lot. If you win, you’ll get candy, of course, and I’ll even throw in this bag.”

Bris set out a large rucksack like a military pack.

No one knew what was inside, but to the squad members, the candy was all they saw.

However, Louis, judging from the smell, accepted the challenge.

“Alright!”

“But if we win… during this stampede period, you’ll have to follow our orders.”

“That’s right. Any and all orders,” the soldier with the claymore said, glancing at Rio. Rio felt an odd sense of revulsion from the way he looked at her.

“And since it’s unfair for your side to have two, we’ll add another on ours as well.”

“Do whatever you want.”

Dimo was terrified, but Louis replied confidently.

“Y-young master…!”

As Dimo trembled, Louis approached him, and Rio too, who had jumped in energetically.

Louis placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

“Yeah, I get that you’re scared, but do you know what disappoints me? Neither of you has even once swung your sword.”

Come to think of it, it was true. Other than Rio’s tackle, they hadn’t attacked at all.

But what good would it do, swinging the sword, when there’s no way they could hit the enemy?

“Even so, if you’re afraid, focus on a bad memory. Think about how you ended up in this place.”

Of course, it was a painful memory.

Accused of crimes they never committed, those nauseating memories were ones they never wanted to recall again.

But what good would it do to remember them?

“Recall your domain burning, your parents being killed. Go back and look into the wound you carried in your chest that day.”

Louis’s words, spoken with a deadly intensity, left the two with no choice but to obey.

Louis was sincere—he had suffered through that more than anyone.

“I lost my parents and my home just like you. Do you know why I led you all this time? Because that day still pisses me off so much.”

The more he remembered, the more he felt like he’d go mad. Having nothing left to lose, there was nothing he feared.

“The only reason I survived and led you so far was because I kept holding onto that day, using it as fuel for hatred. That soldier wasn’t wrong—without that bitterness, you can’t survive.”

That’s why Louis forced his squad members.

“If you’re too scared to swing your sword, remember that day. If you’re still scared, imagine that your opponent is the one who burned down your domain.”

After saying those words and leaving, Dimo remembered.

In his mind’s eye, he saw his home and his parents burning.

Rio likewise pictured her only family—her older brother—being cut down by bandits.

Yeah, that’s right. Why had they tried to forget? It was a memory they should never turn away from.

“Are you done getting ready?”

The soldier with the claymore raised his sword, and the newly added soldier assumed a stance with his wooden sword.

As Dimo watched the soldiers, his body trembled again. But by remembering that day, some of the fear ebbed away.

Dimo grabbed onto his nerves, breathing heavily.

When the soldier brought down the claymore, Dimo let out a energized shout and, screwing his eyes shut, swung his sword with all his strength.

Whack!-

Dimo slowly opened his eyes after swinging his sword. Strangely, he wasn’t hurt.

“Huh?”

Dimo felt confused. The supposedly stronger soldier was bleeding—and floating in midair.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep