Chapter 69

Now in the very center of the outer fortress, which had already been taken over by the monsters.

Standing alone there, Yuwon performed a full-blown sword dance.

Sseogeok―!

As the White Dragon Sword drew an arc, the monsters caught within that arc fell dead in droves.

Yuwon slaughtered his enemies fiercely, like a wolf—or no, a tiger—released among a flock of sheep. But even then, Yuwon felt that such performance was still not enough.

‘I must become stronger. I, myself, must become stronger. More, and more!’

Never had he imagined that even Valaris, praised as a land of natural blessings, would be pushed to the point of having to abandon even the outer fortress.

The corpses of humans—now so mutilated that they were barely recognizable—lay scattered everywhere, weighing heavily on Yuwon’s heart.

He clenched his teeth tight.

‘If only I had been stronger, I would’ve killed that monster faster and returned sooner. No—no matter how many swarmed in, I should’ve been strong enough to kill them all right here without ever needing to leave.’

Yuwon’s eyes shone cold as frost. His gaze, as chilling as a winter sea, turned toward the monsters like a predator eyeing its prey.

Sreureuk―

At that moment, new enemies surged toward Yuwon.

Just judging loosely by his eyes, their numbers reached into the hundreds.

Yuwon immediately understood that they were heading straight for him.

“Coming to find me yourselves? You’ve saved me the trouble of going to you.”

The ones rushing toward him all took the form of snakes.

There was the reason why things had been strangely quiet despite so many approaching.

‘Snakes…? Snakes again. Quite a troublesome fate indeed.’

Yuwon greeted them with a smile. Hundreds of snake-shaped monsters gathered before him.

“Looks like you want revenge for the snake I killed. Fine. I’m the one who killed your leader. Come. I’ll kill every last one of you.”

Expecting a large battle, Yuwon adjusted his grip on his sword once more.

‘As long as that huge snake-like thing I killed earlier isn’t here, nothing changes. I’ll cut them all down in a single strike.’

But what followed went far beyond Yuwon’s expectations.

Cheok― cheojeojeok!

The horde of snakes raised their heads simultaneously, as though saluting him.

If it was indeed a salute, then the target of that salute was undeniably Yuwon.

Hundreds of snakes lifting their heads all at once was truly a spectacle.

‘Hm…? What’s with these things? Why are they doing that?’

Yuwon couldn’t understand.

He didn’t know what they were seeing in him. But the snakes could see it—even with their eyes closed.

The massive serpent silhouette drawn behind Yuwon’s back.

It was the first time the Hatchling of the Dragon-Scaled Serpent had ever seen so many snakes in its life, and unable to contain its joy, it wriggled out from Yuwon’s arms and squeaked― as if singing.

Of course, Yuwon didn’t let it be.

This was no situation where the hatchling could comfortably crawl around on Yuwon’s shoulder.

“You’ve grown a bit and now you pop out whenever you feel like it. You’ll get hurt like that, you know?”

While Yuwon briefly wondered if he should start disciplining the hatchling once things calmed down, the snakes that had been still began to move again.

“…!”

Worried that they might attack once more, Yuwon quickly prepared for battle.

Since he had no idea what the snakes were thinking, his reaction was only natural.

Kyaaaak―!

Fortunately, the thing Yuwon feared did not happen.

Even with Yuwon right before them, the snakes instead attacked the other monsters.

They opened their large jaws and bit down on the monsters, killing them one after another.

‘Could it be that they’re helping me?’

Just in case, Yuwon refrained from attacking the snakes and moved toward the other enemies.

As he did, the snakes followed behind him, attacking the monsters that drew near.

Yuwon’s suspicion soon turned into certainty.

‘I’m their new leader, is that it.’

Finding the situation amusing, Yuwon let out a small laugh.

With allies added in a situation where even one more hand wasn’t enough, there was no reason to refuse—even if they were monsters.

“Fine, if you want to help, then help. But know this—anyone who attacks humans will die by my hand.”

Monsters shouldn’t be able to understand human speech, but for some reason, he felt the need to say it anyway.

‘What am I doing, talking to monsters…? Maybe playing around with the hatchling that can understand made me start thinking other snakes would understand too.’

His stray thoughts ended there.

Momentarily distracted by an absurd situation he never could have predicted, Yuwon pulled himself together once more.

‘This isn’t the time to be idle. I can deal with these ones later—after clearing out the remaining monsters.’

Yuwon tightened his grip on the White Dragon Sword again. There were still far too many enemies left to kill.

The strange behavior of the monsters—especially those that had started tangling and fighting among themselves after Yuwon’s arrival.

Sensing the opportunity, Count Valaris immediately encouraged his troops and prepared for a full-scale engagement, and soon the soldiers—now fully equipped—stood ready, waiting only for the count’s command.

‘Since His Highness has nothing we need to worry about, it seems safe to observe a bit longer.’

If Yuwon, who could reach the inner fortress in a single leap whenever he wished, chose to sweep across the battlefield alone instead of joining them, then he surely had his reasons.

Still, knowing how many lives hinged on his decisions, the count carefully assessed the situation to the end.

‘But what in the world is that now?’

Even the composed count couldn’t help but be shocked by the strange sight visible beyond the fortress wall.

“Sir, doesn’t it look like those snakes are guarding His Highness?”

Marquis Carson, standing beside the count, nodded.

“It certainly appears that way. If what we’re seeing is true, then it may be best to spare those snake-like monsters for now.”

“I think the same.”

The return of Yuwon greatly relieved Terrien and Third Prince Bernid, who shared similar impressions.

“Uh… am I seeing things right? Those snake-like monsters look like they’re following His Highness…?”

“That’s… yeah, that’s what it looks like? That crazy bastard… he’s even commanding monsters now.”

Yuwon’s command over the monsters shifted the tide of battle once again.

Yuwon alone had already turned the enemy rear into utter ruin, but once the hundreds of snakes voluntarily gathered beneath him, the influence Yuwon had on the battlefield grew even greater.

‘His Highness is doing that much for us…’

Just as the count was agonizing over whether to launch a full assault or wait for reinforcements, Yuwon suddenly stopped and stood still.

Sensing something unusual, the count strengthened his eyesight again and looked toward Yuwon.

‘…!’

When the count looked into Yuwon’s eyes, Yuwon—already looking at him—met his gaze.

Before the count could even be surprised, Yuwon smiled and nodded.

It was a smile as though he fully understood what the count was thinking.

“Did… did you see that?”

Startled, the count turned to Marquis Carson beside him.

Marquis Carson, who had been silently at his side, spoke.

“If His Highness has given such a signal… I believe it is indeed time to move.”

“Full army—! Charge! Charge—!”

At last, Count Valaris’s order for an all-out attack rang out.

The firmly shut gate of the inner fortress opened, and the united forces—morale soaring—poured out.

Kugugugugu―

The thunderous roar of hooves and stomping exploded across the battlefield. The knights, who had lost their role during the fierce siege, charged at the front with triumphant cries.

“Uwaaaah―!”

Kwa-gwak―!

The lances held by the knights impaled the monsters, punching holes clean through their bodies.

The warhorses trampled over the fallen monsters, grinding them into pulp-like flesh.

Kuwaaaang―!

Once allies, the monsters—who now attacked one another after turning on their own—were slaughtered helplessly, unable to mount much of a proper counterattack.

Knights skilled in magic swept through, and the regular cavalry fanned out widely to carve open their path once more.

Behind them, infantry and archers advanced to lend their strength.

“Die―! Die, you bastards!”

Soldiers who had lost comrades and brothers to the monsters attacked with fire in their eyes.

The spears and blades of the allied forces cut the enemy down like bundles of straw.

“They’ve finally come out.”

On another side of the battlefield, Yuwon—steadily reducing the enemy numbers—paused and watched the united forces’ assault.

‘Good, the monsters who don’t even know what situation they’re in are still busy fighting each other. At this rate, victory is only a matter of time.’

Bolstered by the allied troops joining the fray, Yuwon regained strength in his exhausted body.

It finally felt as though the endless battle might be nearing its end. Then, from a distant hill, the sound of hooves reached him.

“…So they’re only arriving now. Everyone moves far too slowly.”

The arrival of reinforcements.

Yuwon, who had already sensed their presence, turned his head to confirm their approach.

“Full army—! Charge! Aid Valaris and annihilate every last one of those monsters—!”

Fresh reinforcements from nearby territories thundered down the hill and crashed directly into the waist of the monster horde.

Among the knights sweeping across the front lines, Yuwon could see knights who had come from the capital.

“The rest of the reinforcements will arrive within 15 minutes.”

If Yuwon’s senses were not mistaken, the remaining reinforcements would soon join the battlefield as well.

Just as Yuwon turned his eyes back to the battle, a familiar voice called out from afar.

“Your Highness!”

Familiar voices, followed by familiar faces. Terrien and Bernid.

Beside them, proudly, stood Red Hare—the horse Yuwon had selected in the capital.

As soon as the count’s order for full assault was given, Terrien and Bernid crossed the battlefield in an instant and arrived at Yuwon’s side.

“Your Highness, are you unharmed? You disappeared without a word, I was worried sick.”

“As you can see, I’m perfectly fine. Don’t worry.”

Bernid, who had been quietly observing the reunion of Yuwon and Terrien, clicked his tongue and spoke.

“Yeah, I was worried too—thinking you’d just go off somewhere and die. You said my life depends on you, so I should take care of you, but how am I supposed to do that when you wander off alone every time? At this rate, I’ll collapse from heart failure before any poison gets me.”

“Haha, yes. That could happen. I brought something interesting as an example, so you can look forward to it.”

“Something interesting?”

“Mm… a monster scale that deflects my aura should qualify as interesting, shouldn’t it?”

“That kind of material exists in nature? Hard to believe, but if that’s truly the case… yes, that certainly is intriguing. Worth studying. If such a scale didn’t simply fall from the sky… was that why you left your position?”

“Well now, you figure things out even without me saying anything.”

Yuwon grinned.

“Your Highness, I’ve been curious for a while—what are these things…?”

Terrien gestured to the snake-like monsters stuck close to Yuwon, guarding him like escorts.

“Oh, them? I think… maybe it’s because I killed the leader they were following. Not completely certain, but that’s my guess. Since they were helping me, I just let them be.”

“Oh… as expected of Your Highness. To think even monsters follow you…!”

While Terrien was busy admiring him, Bernid cut in.

“Monsters following a human for that reason? Never heard of such a thing.”

“There’s a snake out there that my aura can’t even cut— and I killed it. Doesn’t that make this much at least plausible?”

“That… is true. If there’s no other special cause, your guess is likely right.”

Just then, as if feeling left out, Red Hare neighed loudly.

Yuwon walked over and patted the horse.

“Yes, you worked hard to get here too. Let’s have a good run today.”

Puhiiing―!

A brighter neigh than before.

True to its nature as a born warhorse, Red Hare seemed more delighted than afraid of the coming battles, snorting excitedly.

Yuwon grabbed the reins and mounted in one smooth motion.

“Then let’s go.”

“Yes!”

“Good, let’s finish quickly and get out of here. I’m sick and tired of the South.”

Yuwon took the lead, and Terrien and Bernid naturally flanked him on each side.

For the first time in a while, the three gathered in one place.

“Hyat―!”

Carrying the three, the horse charged toward the opposite side of the allied lines, into the harsh grounds teeming with monsters.

The snakes slithered across the ground and followed Yuwon from behind.

The long battle finally reached its end.

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