POV: Zena
“Zena, the flock of Monsters is coming. There are between 50 and 60 flying types. As for the ones coming along the ground, there are 3 big ones, 10 medium-sized ones, and a lot of smaller ones--around 400. Most of them are Insect-types.” Rio speaks quickly, out of breath. She had just come back from scouting.
We, the 24 people who were selected for the Labyrinth City Corps, are the core of the unit that was made in a hurry. The Unit is comprised of 300 people consisting of civilians, farmers and serfs--all of whom are frightened. It’s natural to be scared, since they’re being forced to fight Monsters that they usually don’t see, without even having decent equipment.
“Hear me, everyone must survive! Don’t only think about defeating the enemy and becoming a hero! You’re luck is really good--with us are elites who have survived fights with upper Demons and real Dragons, not Wyverns. There is no need to worry about things like small-fry Monsters of Mid-Level Demons!” The Vice-Captain, sir Rilo, encourages our allies.
He may be slightly overbearing, but it seems that the number of terrified faces among the people are decreasing.
That’s good.
When we departed from Seryuu City, I never imagined that we would get involved in fights like this.
***
“We’re doing well, huh, Zena?” Lilio looks over at me with a smile.
“That’s right, Lilio.”
“Lilio, never mind when you’re in private, but call her ‘Squad Leader Zena’ when we’re marching.” Iona scolds Lilio.
“Ha, Iona sure is stiff.” Lilio rolls her eyes.
It’s embarrassing to be called ‘Squad Leader Zena’.
It’s been half a month since we got chosen, and formed into the Labyrinth Corps--which is the abbreviation of Labyrinth City, Selbira, Selected Training Corp--which is a very long and complex name. This name is so much easier to remember.
We should have departed in the beginning of spring, but due to the Earl’s will, the departure date was moved up and we left Seryuu.
The selected Labyrinth Corps consists of two Knight Squads with four knights and junior knights each, three Magic Squads with one Magic Soldier, two guards, and one scout each, and finally one Engineer Squads.
Beside those, there are two civil officials, and four servants.
There are 30 members in total, eight horse riders and five carriages--and maybe thanks to that, sometimes thieves can be seen in valleys, but they never attack. Medium-Sized Monsters attack occasionally, but they’re no match against us, who’ve been tempered in the Seryuu City Labyrinth!
“By the way, Zena?”
“Yes?” I answer cautiously, whenever Lilio asks like this--it’s almost never anything good.
I receive the rations that Iona passes to me.
“With how well we’re going, should we catch up to him soon?” Lilio deliberately keeps an overly innocent look on her face--I can see you struggling not to laugh--
I tried to keep my mind peaceful, but I couldn’t stop myself from twitching.
What should I do?
Would she poke more if I answered with, “Catch up with who?”--I don’t want to answer with “We’re still far away.”
“Catch up with who?”Ruu asked innocently while I was still struggling over finding a reply.
Even though Iona was silent, jeez, Ruu--
Look, Lilio is holding in her laughter with a really bad smile on her face.
“The boy, of course!” Lilio calls Tek a boy--he certainly seems to be younger than us, if we go by his looks--but I don’t think Lilio, who has a baby face herself, shouldn’t call him boy.
“Boy?” Ruu tilts her head.
“It’s about Zena’s lover.” Iona looks up with a small smile as she answers Ruu’s question.
Unfortunately, it’s not--he’s not yet my lover.
Love stories are a favourite pastime of Iona, so it seems that she can’t endure it.
However, please stop talking with me as the material. It’s painful, heartrending, and makes me feel uncertain.
The journey continued in this peaceful manner for a while, but it abruptly ends.
***
“We’re going to use traps to handle the enemies on the ground, and the Magic Squad will take down the airborne ones. Zena, Norina, drop them to the ground with Wind Magic--then the knight squads will overrun them. I leave the others to Vice-Captain Rilo--just kill one of the Monsters each and we will win. Zena, Norina, after you use your Magic, immediately drink MP Potions. Two squads focus on protecting them. Whatever you do, do not allow the Monsters to lure you out, even by mistake.” Captain Derio explains the strategy.
We can see the cloud of dust between the trees from here.
“Start your chants!” Vice-Captain Rilo orders, since Captain Derio’s Knight Squad has already departing.
Norina and I start chanting our Magic. I chant Fallen Hammer, and Norina chants Turbulence. Turbulence knocks flying Monsters to the ground--it’s a tactic of certain victory when used against a Wyvern.
The problem is, there are too many enemies.
Unlike Turbulence, Fallen Hammer’s area of effect is too narrow. It can only knock down 10 Monsters at most. I adjust my staff’s angle in order to have the Spell appear in the center of the flock.
“--***, Turbulence!”
“--**** ***, Fallen Hammer!”
I invoke the Magic slightly later than Norina--alright, it’s all going according to the plan.
We successfully swat down around 40 Tusk Horseflies onto the ground. Right afterwards, the Captain and his squad overrun the Tusk Dragonflies from the flank, using a wedge-shape formation--When in the air Tusk Dragonflies are flying, they are quick. But they’re slow on the ground, and easily become victims to the spears and hooves.
“Whole unit, charge!”
By the order of Vice-Captain Rilo, all units beside Norina’s squad and mine charge. In order to recover our Magic Power, we drink cheap MP Recovery Potions, and begin meditating. With the special breathing technique taught in the army, Magic Power recovers faster than usual--on the other hand, we’re completely defenseless when we’re meditating, so guards are necessary.
Lilio’s crossbow, and Iona’s greatsword intercept several Tusk Dragonflies, and Glutton Dragonflies, that are late. Since I’m fully absorbed in recovering behind Ruu’s great shield--I don’t see their activities.
It seems that we’re the only ones who’s fight goes relatively smoothly--at first, the right wing collapses, and as if trailing it, the center begins to collapse as well. During this time, we’re already fully occupied with repulsing the enemies before us, so we can’t grasp the situation--due to that when our allies begin to retreat, we fall behind.
Gradually, we get stuck with guarding the rear.
I unconsciously put my hand on the chest section of my leather armour, a folded stole is there--my most important amulet.
***
“Is something wrong?”
There should still be some time until we take a break, but the carriages have stopped--Lilio, who has immediately gone to the front carriage to check, comes back and explains the situation.
“We’ve met with the army of Earl Lesseu.”
“Since we’re currently in Earl Lesseu’s territory, so it’s not strange to meet his army right?”
“The problem is, the one who calls himself the Earl is a boy.”
“Isn’t the Earl supposed to be a man at his prime?”
“To make matters worse, they look like remnants of a defeated army.”
While we’re chatting idly, the Captain calls us--telling us that Lesseu City has been destroyed, it was attacked by a Demon that had brought Monsters with it.
“Looks like the Demon is level 40, and Intermediate one. They say that there are 200 flying Monsters, and 1,200 ground Monsters being brought by the Demon.”
“How strong are they?”
“The Monsters are mostly a bit stronger than average soldiers, but there are some strong ones mixed in. The details about the Demon is unclear, but it seems that it has a horse-head and is strong at Fire Magic. The permanent army of Lesseu City has been annihilated from a surprise attack by the Demon alone.”
I’m confident that we can fight a Lower Demon, even though we won’t be able to win, but if it’s an Intermediate one, I don’t think we have any chance of victory with our current force. Excluding Captain Derio, and the Vice-Captain who are in their level 30s, the soldiers from Seryuu City are around level 15 - 17, the conscripts are level 10 or lower.
There isn’t any Mages specialized in Bombardment Magic.
There are only three Magic Soldiers, including me, here--Our Magic Power capacity is low, so we can’t do anything showy.
“The new Earl Lesseu wants us to participate with the Demon subjugation under the pretext of the ‘Blue Covenant’. We cannot turn this down--the non-combatants should take refuge with the carriages in the nearby villages. It’s probably safer than in the city.”
The ‘Blue Covenant’ that the Captain talks about is the oldest covenant that has been passed down among the nobles since the founding of the Shiga Kingdom. The covenant is mainly about how the military has to cooperate together in the case of a Demon attack--it’s rarely put into effect, the last time it happened is at Marquis Muno’s territory 20 years ago, before I’m born.
Just like that, we got included into the impromptu army at the second largest city of Earl Lesseu’s territory--the whole force consists of 800 regular soldiers, and 2,000 militia. Even though it’s around twice the Monster’s numbers, the militia are just padded forces, it’s certain that this will be a hard fight.
Fortunately there’s an emergency communication Magic Tool in this city, so the information should have arrived at the neighbouring cities.
Now, we just have to wait for reinforcements--is what we thought.
The next day, the young Earl Lesseu has decided to fight the Monsters on the field--the Captains have tried to make him change his mind, but it’s no good.
Tek…I might not be able to keep our promise of exchanging letters.
***
“Zena, are you alive?”
“Yes, Ruu protected me.”
“Hey, Lilio, are you only worried about Zena?”
“Ruu is the most heavily armed one, right? Moreover, it’s impossible for Iona to die.”
My memory isn’t clear--we should have been dealing with the Monsters at the rear.
“I’m glad that you trust me, the flash earlier must have been an Advanced-Grade Tactical Magic fired by the Demon. We would have joined the deceased--if Zena didn’t use her defensive Magic.”
Everyone is pitch-black, covered with dust and ash.
We’ve narrowly escaped death somehow, but the footsteps of the Monsters are rapidly approaching--if we start moving, the Demon in the sky would probably snipe us with Magic.
At that time--the sky is divided, and that appears.
A ripple appears in the sky, revealing a beautiful silver ship--it’s a ship, right?
“The great me has arrived!” A swordsman wearing blue armour, shouts out words that make him sound like he has been hit a few too many times, as he stands on the tip of the ship without support.
Even the talkative Lilio can’t follow this development, she’s unable to close her mouth.
This was my encounter with the Hero from the Saga Empire, sir Hayato--he holds overwhelming power that annihilates the Intermediate Demon with one swing of his Holy Sword, Arondight.
Even many Monsters were destroyed by his ship--the Dimensional Traveler Jules Verne--being burned by the beam that comes from what looks like an elongated cannon.
We’re saved.
If this miracle didn’t happen, we would have died in this battlefield--I want to become stronger.
