Chapter 88
**
It took time to immediately deploy the 10,000 troops that Lucas had brought into battle. Who would have known that such an emergency would erupt at this late hour?
I quickly put on my clothes and then immediately climbed up to the walls of the marquis’s castle.
Far in the east, the water-damaged area was visible, and in the plain in front of it, hordes of demonic beasts were swarming. Above them, several demons floating in the air could be seen.
“Pelles….”
I gnashed my teeth and glared at the chief magician in the center. If anything, that guy was the main culprit.
It was Pelles who forcibly summoned the quietly staying Demon King and incurred his wrath, and it was all Pelles’s doing to suddenly drive hordes of demonic beasts and threaten humanity.
At that moment, a drumming sound rang out. In response to the signal, the demonic beasts began charging while making huge roars.
Without hesitation, I jumped down from the wall. As I landed lightly, the marquis family’s night shift soldiers, who were on standby, raised their spears with frightened faces.
“W-Who are you!”
“I am Marion Krugman. I have been delegated command of the vanguard by Marquis Fernandi. You are to follow me.”
“I-It’s a Sword Master!”
“It’s the wastrel knight!”
I couldn’t afford to interrupt the soldiers relief. Time was short, so I spoke in a loud voice while walking.
“The follow-up forces will arrive soon! We just need to hold out until then!”
“The follow-up forces will arrive soon! We just need to hold out until then!”
“But how on earth can we deal with so many demonic beasts….”
One soldier muttered with a dazed face.
The demonic beasts charging from afar were indeed threatening. I had fought countless demonic beasts in the north, but I had never faced such a large number at once.
The number of our side visible now was at most about fifty. The charging demonic beasts numbered thousands at a glance. There was no way we could match them.
Cold sweat ran down my back. But I couldn’t show it. If I stepped back, everyone would die.
I took a step and opened my mouth.
“I will take the vanguard! Follow me with the resolve to die!”
* * *
Marquis Fernandi felt his blood run dry. Marion had arbitrarily declared she would take the vanguard and then rushed out.
Who wouldn’t go mad when their only granddaughter, whose existence they had learned of after more than twenty years, voluntarily jumped into a deadly situation?
“What are the knights and soldiers of the marquis family doing! Prepare quickly!”
He shouted in a voice like an old tiger’s roar. But due to the sudden raid, time was inevitably taken. He clenched his teeth in anxiety.
Boooo!
“!”
A drumming sound came from outside. It was the signal for battle. The previous duke, who heard it together beside him, ordered Durante.
“Durante. After preparing the magical items needed for battle, do not come to me but go straight to Marion and assist her. She will need a magician’s hand.”
“Yes, understood.”
Durante hurried out.
“Prince Lucas. How long do you think the 10,000 troops will take?”
In response to the previous duke’s question, Lucas answered in an anxious voice.
“A servant just went to inform them, but it seems it will take some time. It’s the middle of the night….”
Stella continued with a suggestion.
“We should go wake them up ourselves.”
The previous duke nodded and shouted.
“Yes, let’s go ourselves! If His Highness the Prince steps forward personally, they will move quickly even out of surprise!”
“Understood. Marquis, we will go. Let’s meet once preparations are ready.”
Lucas, the previous duke, and Stella hurried to where the 10,000 troops were staying.
The marquis also went down directly to where the marquis family’s soldiers had gathered. He walked as if running and opened his pocket watch. It felt like 30 minutes had passed since the drumming sounded, but only 5 minutes had gone by.
But when facing demonic beasts, 5 minutes was enough time to decide life and death.
The marquis muttered in an anxious voice.
“Please, just hold out for 5 more minutes.”
* * *
“Ah, I’m dying!”
I was screaming as I swept away the swarming demonic beasts.
“Sir M-Marion! Behind you!”
“I know! Watch your own side!”
“Hik!”
At one soldier’s shout, I immediately swung my sword. Then the demonic beast’s head thudded to the ground.
There was no time to rest after killing one. My body moved frantically, literally like a madman, against the insanely swarming demonic beasts.
I infused my sword with full aura and fired sword energy. Then eight demonic beasts fell consecutively with thump, thump sounds. I was repeating this several times.
“The wastrel knight is a god….”
“Where do you have time to be distracted, snap out of it?!”
Another knight yelled at the soldier who was muttering in a dazed voice.
‘Thanks for shouting in my place.’
I even spared the strength to shout.
Fortunately among the misfortune, the demonic beasts were a bit sluggish. Compared to the demonic beasts I had faced before, their eyes somehow lacked focus and their movements were slow. It seemed the other soldiers had noticed this abnormality as well.
Durante, who came to help first, shouted to me while firing magic at a demonic beast.
“These guys are a bit strange! They are slower than usual, as if they are under brainwashing!”
That seemed likely. Because of the brainwashing, there must be restrictions on their instinctive movements. Thanks to that, we weren’t dying for now, but how long could this last?
The horde of demonic beasts was endless, and we were gradually being pushed back. The limits of stamina had come long ago.
At that moment, a trumpet sounded from behind.
“It’s the follow-up forces!”
The marquis family’s soldiers who had been asleep joined in. Looking back, I saw Marquis Fernandi majestically commanding at the front.
“If we are breached here, our families will face the demonic beasts! Fight with the resolve to die!”
“Yes!”
It was a part that showed with what resolve those who had been blocking the demonic beasts at the very front line had fought.
Soon, several hundred knights and soldiers of the marquis family ran and joined our advance team. The crisis was overcome. Though half of the fifty in the advance team were lost.
I swung my sword and glared at the sky. I could see Pelles looking down with a languid face. It made my teeth grind, as if he were watching ants struggling in vain.
I must capture Pelles.
But not yet. I have to hold out until Lucas’s 10,000 army joins the battle.
To pace myself, I began dealing with only four or five demonic beasts at a time. Thinking about it, this was still overpacing, but if I didn’t do at least this, more soldiers would die.
“Marion! Come back! You need to rest!”
I heard the marquis shouting at the top of his lungs from behind. I pretended not to hear that voice and continued swinging my sword.
“Keuk!”
A soldier beside me collapsed. It was a soldier who had stood in the advance team with me. Even I, a Sword Master, was struggling this much, so there was no way they could hold out.
But I couldn’t issue a retreat order to the advance team. Even with the follow-up forces arriving, the numerical inferiority was still severe.
‘I want to cry.’
Grinding my teeth, at the moment I disposed of five demonic beasts at once, the trumpet sounded once again.
“Another follow-up force!”
“Waaaah!”
“God exists!”
Amid the cheering voices of the soldiers, I shouted at the top of my lungs.
“It’s the 10,000 troops of His Highness Prince Lucas! The advance team is to retreat! The advance team is to retreat!”
At my order, the remaining few soldiers of the advance team withdrew backward with exhausted faces. I saw the follow-up forces throwing words of appreciation to them as they charged at the demonic beasts.
At that time, Durante approached me and shouted.
“Sir Marion! Let’s retreat as well!”
I shook my head and shouted.
“I will stay a little longer! Go ahead and rest first!”
“Sir, come with us,”
“It is an order!”
I cut off his words with ‘order’. In any case, as a Sword Master and a knight appointed by the emperor, I was unconditionally his superior on the battlefield. That is, he had to follow my words.
Durante bit his lip tightly, left these words, and turned his body.
“Blood is coming from your right shoulder. Do not overdo it and come back.”
Oh, he noticed I was injured. Even though the moon is bright, to notice that in the middle of the night. Aunque he said he is human, the demon mixed blood must be strong for sure.
I glanced back. As expected, because it was too urgent, it wasn’t the full 10,000 troops. But still, Lucas’s reinforcements, numbering in the thousands, charged toward the demonic beasts. As time passed, more would increase.
I wanted to rest a little too. But it wasn’t time yet.
“Marion! Come back and at least drink some water, please!”
Lucas’s shout was heard.
“Marion! You come back too!”
This was the previous duke’s shout.
“Sir Marion! You need to rest even for a moment!”
Stella’s shout.
“Marion! Please…!”
Marquis Fernandi’s shout.
Leaving all those voices behind, I slipped into the midst of the numerous soldiers.
I stopped attacking the demonic beasts and held my breath. I crouched low and moved between the chaotically tangled fighting demonic beasts and soldiers, picking up a stone.
I waited for time to pass like that.
Until Pelles lost track of my presence.
Even if a soldier collapsed and died in front of my eyes, I stayed still. Even if a demonic beast lunged, I only dodged slightly.
How many minutes passed?
The moment Pelles spoke to the subordinate beside him, I threw the stone coated with aura at him.
Thwack!
Direct hit to the head.
☆▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎☆
