Chapter 7:

Chapter 7:

"Compose yourself."

A fleeting wave of panic passed over me, but I immediately cooled my mind.

"She must be there."

The queen was undeniably listed in the stages enemy roster. She had to be somewhere on the map.

"Moreover, the goal of this stage isnt to slay a boss. Its not surprising that the boss monster marker doesnt show."

I remembered the spiderweb-like formation Id observed earlier, and quickly assessed the enclosing horde of creatures now in view.

Despite the raging all-out assault, there would undoubtedly be a reserved force lurking in the rear.

A secure backline. Escort units prepared for any eventuality.

The queen had to be there.

-Bang!

-Crash!

Already at the fortresss frontline, the battle between the spiders and the soldiers had erupted, and the roar of conflict reverberated throughout.

The explosive sound of cannon fire, the clash of metal, the cries of pain...

"Where is it?"

Amid the chaos, I frantically surveyed the extensive map.

"Where is it? Where?"

Then, my gaze landed on a point.

Southwest of the advanced base fortress.

Distinct red dots, isolated from the main cluster, were distinctly marked on the map.

"Found it!"

I immediately cried out.

"Damien!"

"Yes!"

"Its there! Do you see it?"

I pointed towards the southwest.

Damien squinted, furrowing his brows, and scrutinized the area I indicated.

I was about to pass Damien a telescope from a rear guard, but...

"...Yes. I see something. Spiders standing still."

Damien confirmed this without a telescope, using just his natural vision.

He could actually see them. All I discerned were vague dots. How sharp was his eyesight?

"Among them should be the queen. Can you identify it?"

"..."

Damien, who was scanning the area, visibly flinched.

"By queen, you mean a creature with a human torso and a spiders lower body...?"

Bingo.

"Exactly."

"Yes, I see it. It looks... quite terrifying..."

"Dont be frightened. Itll soon be crushed under our cannon."

Next, I instructed the artillerymen.

"Rotate the cannon! Aim it south-southwest! Damien and I will fine-tune the alignment!"

-Vroom!

The artillerymen swung the ground device, adjusting the entire cannons orientation.

The cannon, pulsating with mana like a violent stream, pointed its head towards the distant queen.

"Mana Cannon, ready to fire!"

"Mana is fully charged. We can fire at any moment!"

"Excellent!"

I took Damiens arm and guided him to the Mana Cannons control panel.

Despite being a potent artifact, its sighting device was disappointingly rudimentary.

A crude crosshair served for rough aiming, and you would pull a hefty trigger to release a shot.

"Hold this."

I urged Damien, who stood anxiously before the trigger.

Damien, slick with cold sweat, raised his trembling hand to the trigger. But he couldnt pull it.

"Um... Your, Your Highness."

"What?"

"Im not sure I can do it."

Damien turned back towards me, his face twisted in anxiety.

"I... Ive never been in a situation like this before. It feels too sudden to trust me with this task..."

"Damien."

I laid a comforting hand on Damiens shoulder.

"Its okay if you miss."

"What?"

"Ill shoulder the responsibility."

"..."

"Even if you err, even if you fail, even if you make a mess of it all! Its fine. Ill take the brunt of it."

Soldiers follow the orders of their leaders.

Dealing with the aftermath, thats a commanders job.

"All you need to do is aim at that creature and pull the trigger. Thats all that is asked of you."

"Why is she still functioning?!"

The mana cannonball had struck accurately.

The issue was, the damage was not enough.

"Everyone, pull yourselves together! Stay composed! Keep firing at that beast!"

As I yelled, the trembling soldiers turned to look at me in unison. I shouted even louder.

"Load the next round! Now!"

"Y-yes, sir..."

The artillerymen, shaking, clung to the mana cannon. They cooled the overheated cannon and readied the next round.

Just then...

-Kiyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

The spider queen let out another horrific shriek, and the movement of the entire Black Spider Legion shifted.

-Hiiiiiiii....

-Kyieeeeek!

The spiders attacking the forward base abruptly pivoted their attention. To our artillery position.

The monsters blood-red compound eyes flickered menacingly. I shuddered, drenched in cold sweat.

Youre quite the quick tactician, Queen!

-Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!

The spiders, who had been evenly assaulting the entire forward base, abruptly reversed direction and started charging towards us. The scout yelled.

"Theyre storming the artillery position!"

"Let the soldiers below handle the defenses! You guys just load the next round! Quick!"

I urged the artillerymen.

"We need to take out the queen before they reach the artillery position! Reload-!"

The artillerymen hurriedly cooled the mana cannon with magic and loaded the ammunition. In no time, the perspiration-soaked artillery captain shouted.

"Reload complete!"

"Damien! Fire!"

Damien, who had been narrowing his gaze to pinpoint the Black Spider Queens location, pulled the trigger as my words rang out. Clang!

-Zing-zap-zap!

-Boom!

Mana burst forth like a stream of electricity, and then a mana shell was fired. I swallowed hard, tracking the shells trajectory with a telescope.

The projectile that sliced through the sky with a graceful arc fell directly over the Spider Queen...

-Boom!

Hit.

The shell landed so accurately atop the monstrous queens head that it sent a shiver down my spine.

"Hit! Its a hit! Right on target!"

An excited soldier in the rear jumped up and down. But I felt no excitement.

-Kieeeek!

Because the horde of spiders charging towards us didnt alter their movement one bit.

Not enough!

Even from a distance, where only a silhouette was visible, it was clear the queen remained alive.

I clenched my teeth.

If this were a typical queen from the Black Spider Legion, encountered midway through the second year, the artifacts damage could shatter her in one or two shots.

The Black Spider Legion was known for their strong warriors, not a formidable queen.

But this queen at the tutorial stage?

There was absolutely no information on her.

What if her entity value was different? What if she had a special trick up her sleeve? Or, what if she was indestructible by default?

What then...

A succession of grim thoughts began to take shape. I hastily shook my head.

I can only do whats within my power. I must hold on until the last moment, push to make a breakthrough...!

"Your Highness!"

The artillery captain, who had been prepping the mana cannon for the next shot, hastily reported to me.

"The Magic Core is reaching its limit due to forced overload! The barrel damage is also serious! We can shoot fewer times than initially estimated!"

"Enough with the reports! So how many more shots can we make?"

"A total of five times... weve already fired two, so three more times!"

Three more chances.

I was left with no other choice but to hope that the Spider Queen would be annihilated within those three shots.

No, from the beginning...

I surveyed the defensive line enclosing the artillery.

Im not even sure if we can get off the remaining three shots.

-Thump! Thud-thud!

The frontline was giving way.

The spiders, clustering together, furiously gnashed their teeth and claws, eventually crumbling the walls and starting to infiltrate.

"Hold them off! We must hold them off!"

Lucas, now covered in monster blood, wielded his sword, shouting. But the defensive line was already on the brink of collapse.

"Argh!"

"Kuaah!"

One by one, the soldiers fell, their screams echoing as they met their end.

The Black Spiders, their red eyes glowing ominously, began to pour through the broken wall.

I clenched my fist, staring down at the encroaching tide of death that had come so perilously close.