Chapter 39

Chapter 39

On a barren hill, far southeast from the walls of Crossroad, stood a lone figure.

An old man, seated on his steed, analyzed the defensive proceedings with a grim demeanor.

This was Charles, the Margrave of Crossroad.

"..."

A life spent in battle against monstrous threats and leading defenses had honed his instincts.

He knew instantly - this monster onslaught was unlike any other.

It was unrecognizable compared to his own tenure as the lord.

The magnitude was mind-bogglingly vast, and the monsters were distinctively organized. They didnt emerge in a disordered jumble, but as a cohesive army.

Somethings off.

And there was more. As the mysterious bard, who had surfaced from the lake, began his flute melody, the monsters movements shifted dramatically.

The battle flow against these monsters is different... Is Prince Ash truly leading such a battle for the third time?

It was no surprise why the newly appointed lord the youngest prince, Ash, had beseeched him for assistance.

Even if he, the Margrave of Crossroad, hadnt retired and had continued as commander, these foes would have posed a formidable challenge.

Prince Ash was holding his ground astonishingly well, almost unbelievable for someone who was once a capitals idler.

Nevertheless, the situation hung in the balance.

Should I intervene?

The question formed unbidden in his mind.

Beside his saddle lay the armor and weaponry he had worn for his lifetime, carried out of habit.

No.

Charles, the Margrave of Crossroad, eventually shook his head.

He had retired, hadnt he? There was no call for his intervention now.

He loathed this frontline. He abhorred this land.

Even after a life of devotion, this barren wasteland that ultimately claimed his wife and drove his daughter away filled him with intense resentment.

He no longer wished to safeguard it.

I just... need to die in the orchard.

Charles, the Margrave of Crossroad, viewed this as his penance.

His final act of contrition, after neglecting his wife in the face of defending the monster-ridden frontline.

He would draw his last breath in the same place his wife did.

Charles, the Margrave of Crossroad, dismissed his watch over the defensive operations and started to turn away.

He had come to inspect the situation due to its peculiar nature, but now, it felt too late.

What could he possibly do?

Theres no use, no use at all...

Charles, the Margrave of Crossroad, planned to return to his final sanctuary, the orchard.

Just then,

Boom!

A thunderous sound reverberated.

"...?!"

Startled, he swiveled around to see the city wall trembling in sync with a massive cloud of dust.

Along with thousands of rat-like creatures burrowing under the wall, the cries of humans were audible. The Margraves eyes twitched.

No. No! I wont fight anymore.

The Margrave, gritting his teeth, guided his horses head back towards the orchard.

I must return. To the orchard...

If, by any chance, the frontline were to fall, all the regions behind it would be preyed upon by the monsters.

His orchard would be next in line for the monsters rampage.

"Hold on, my love."

In that moment, the image of his late wife, her smile shining with joy, flickered across the mind of the Margrave of Crossroad.

Her memory lingered: her face smeared with dirt as she fed him a grape, asking him, Is it sweet?

"This time, I will keep you safe."

The Margrave of Crossroad envisioned his wifes grave, nestled beside the orchard.

Thats where he would meet his end.

Thud, thud...

Leaving the chaos of the front lines in his wake, the Margrave of Crossroad trod towards his orchard.

***

Boom, boom...!

As the trembling and explosions ceased, I regained my footing and yelled towards the heart of the fortress.

"Report on the damage to the fortress wall!"

Moments later, the standby soldiers within the fortress answered.

"Its not entirely compromised yet!"

"But its only a matter of time! We can hear the rats gnawing at the stones inside the walls!"

Brushing my hair back, I shook with anger.

"Why on earth are they eating rocks, they need a more balanced diet...!"

The fortress wall was a complex structure, layered with stone and iron plates.

It wouldnt be breached in a single attack. The issue was the freshly mended part of the wall, now hopelessly cracked due to the Ratman Champions onslaught.

Eventually, they would punch a hole in the fortress wall.

I covered my face with one hand, deep in thought, and then growled in a low voice.

"....Issue an evacuation order."

"Excuse me?"

Lucas, baffled, asked again. I shot back curtly.

"Tell the citizens in the city to evacuate! Now!"

"Do you mean..."

"Theres a high probability of monsters breaching the walls! Rather than getting caught and killed needlessly, all citizens should head north!"

This was, of course, a precaution for the worst-case scenario.

We must be ready to fend them all off here.

"Phew!"

I drew a breath and slapped my own cheeks, trying to look beyond the town walls.

I wanted to verify if the kill zone had been re-established.

Just then...

"The wall is broken! Theyre coming in!"

A cry echoed from within the walls.

"Theyre too quick, damn it...!"

I gritted my teeth and peered inside the walls.

The ground level was in the distance. The interior walls were trembling, and then...

Thud-!

Amidst a flurry of bricks and dust, rats exploded through the opening.

Squeak! Squeeeaaak!

Dusty rats who had made the hole attempted to charge at the humans ahead.

Slash!

But Lucas, who was positioned right in front of the hole, slit their throats with a single stroke.

The saw-like blade in Lucass hand, the Rat Cutter, shimmered with a sinister light.

Lucas, unblinking and unfazed after taking down the rats, barked orders.

"The opening theyre coming out of is narrow! Keep calm and take them down one by one!"

"Yes!"

The soldiers echoed Lucass command in unison.

But Lucas had overlooked one thing.

Indeed, the hole was narrow, but our opponents were rats. Despite the narrow opening, they pushed through, a ceaseless torrent.

Moreover, it seemed as if they were broadening the opening, allowing an increasing number of rats to flood through.

Watching from my elevated position, I was astounded.

"What kind of rats are these? Theyre more like moles..."

The infantry initially managed to hold back the rats quite easily, but as their numbers surged, fatigue started to set in.

And it wasnt over yet.

"The flame-thrower artifact! Its ready. Activate immediately... Aaargh?!"

Lilly, preparing to activate the artifact, let out a cry. Startled, I dashed to her side.

"Whats wrong, Lilly?"

"The rats, the rats...!"

A few rats were arrayed before the flame-thrower artifact.

Numerous alchemists, bitten and bleeding, had fallen nearby.

Without hesitation, I lunged in and threw a punch.

Prince Punch-!

Smack!

The moment my fist made contact with a rat, a lucky strike got triggered in my hand.

Ding, ding, ding!

The digits that popped up on the roulette wheel were 0, 1, 5.

15 Damage!

Smack!

Though modest, these figures were adequate to dispatch a level 5 sewer rat.

Retracting my fist, I quickly surveyed the area outside the wall.

"Have they scaled the wall?!"

I had neglected them while focusing on the breached part of the wall.

Some of the sewer rats had merely climbed over the wall. A few were assaulting the artifact.

Shit! Damn it!

Lilly released a fire spell, incinerating the remaining sewer rats.

Afterward, Lilly checked the wounded alchemists and called out to me.

"Theyll live! But, the rats have damaged the artifact. It needs to be recalibrated to activate again...!"

"Do it as swiftly as you can! Were running out of time."

Given that all the forces holding back the surging rats had shifted to the ground level, the number of creatures clambering over the wall started to surge.

The artillerymen and archers stationed on the wall had no choice but to draw their weapons and engage them.

Aaaargh!

My hand, my hand!

The ground-level defense infantry began to suffer casualties.

The long-range interception unit needed to strike effectively in order to wipe out the sewer rats burrowing towards the infantry, thus easing the defensive burden and blocking the adversaries more effectively.

However, currently, both sides were merely absorbing damage as they used their bodies to halt the influx of rats.

At this rate...!

In front of Jupiter, who was panting as she prepared the next spell, I swung a lucky strike repeatedly.

Damien, too, frantically fired his crossbow from my side, but his pace was sluggish.

If this continues, the damage will spiral out of control...!

The worst-case scenario naturally painted itself in my mind. Desperately, I racked my brain to find a way out. Damn, isnt there anything?!

At that moment.

One of the veterans, who was on the wall slitting rat throats with a dagger, suddenly widened his eyes.

It was the veteran soldier who had served under the Margrave.

As if hed spotted a ghost, he turned towards the southern plains and murmured,

"Margrave...?"

"...What?"

I looked in the same direction and quickly spotted what he was referring to.

Clatter, clatter, clatter-!

From the distant side of the wall.

I saw an elderly knight in tarnished armor, galloping towards us.