Volume 5, Chapter 37 – Chi Tien Defense Battle

“I shall be heading out now. Fiene-sama, please look forward to our victory.”

“Onee-sama, I’m off!”

“Yes. Please, whatever you do, do not overdo it. More than the results of the battle, I simply want you to return safely.”

“I shall.”

“Leave it to me!”

As dawn broke, I saw Chris-san, Lu-chan, and fifty regular soldiers off at the west gate.

I was so worried that I couldn’t help myself. Yesterday, I spent 20 SP to raise my Enchant skill level to 3.

With that, I enchanted Chris-san’s armor, and since Lu-chan didn’t have any armor that could be enchanted, I sewed silver thread into her underwear over the position of her heart and applied a Holy Attribute Magic Barrier.

I heard there are Goblins that use bows and arrows, so I hoped that in the worst-case scenario, it would at least block a fatal blow.

Of course, I also applied the defense wall to the armor of the regular soldiers accompanying Chris-san and Lu-chan. If the allies aren’t taken down, the chances of those two returning alive should increase accordingly.

Once we confirmed that Chris-san and the others had vanished from sight, we climbed the city walls.

There is nothing to do at the first-aid station before the battle begins, and staying cooped up in my room doesn’t suit my nature.

Therefore, I decided to observe the south side of the town—which was expected to become the main battlefield—from atop the walls.

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Chi Tien is a fortified city with gates in three directions: east, west, and north.

The north leads to Yianshui and Fu Yie Village, which was destroyed by the Undying Beast; the west leads to Jinsha; and the east leads to the Imperial Capital, Yan’an.

To the south lie endlessly deep forests and mountains, and further beyond them is the Sky Mountain Range, where mountains tower high, just as the name suggests.

We climbed a nearby high watchtower and surveyed the surroundings.

The deployment seemed complete; soldiers formed in tight ranks were waiting to prevent the Goblins from crossing the river.

I spotted small moving shadows on the opposite bank of the southern river.

“Ah, the Goblins are here. This is only the second time I’ve seen them, but I really can’t get used to those creepy green creatures.”

“Fiene-dono, you can see them from this distance? It is quite a considerable distance from here, is it not?”

“Well, I’m that kind of race, after all.”

Since there were sentry soldiers around, I kept the fact that I was a Vampire vague.

“Ah, that was so. Thanks to my improved eyesight, I can tell there is something green-ish over there, but I cannot see the fine details as Fiene-dono can.”

“I see. Oh, they’ve started firing arrows.”

I turned my attention to the state of the battlefield.

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Arrows rained down one after another on the Goblins attempting to force their way across the river, cutting them down one after another.

However, the violence of numbers is truly terrifying. Gradually, the river became clogged with corpses, and the water level grew shallower.

Moreover, those things actually started using the corpses of their comrades as shields.

As the number of arrows gradually dwindled, some individuals who succeeded in crossing the river by using their allies as shields began to appear.

“Ah, it looks like the river is about to be breached.”

“…I cannot see in such detail.”

“Hmm, I wonder why they aren’t using barriers or defense walls?”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“Eh? I mean, if they just made a wall to restrict their path and funnel them into one spot, they could wipe them all out in one go. I thought that would prevent them from wasting so many arrows.”

“…Can one create a defense wall over such a wide area?”

“I’ve never tried it, but I feel like I could easily do a hundred or two hundred meters. Probably. My MP has increased quite a bit, too.”

“Only Fiene-dono could do such a thing alone. That is likely why the General did not even consider it,” Shizuku-san said with a look of exasperation.

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Right, I see. It seems I had “overachieved” again.

“…Is it too late to go now?”

“…It is likely too late.”

An awkward atmosphere enveloped us. Unable to bear the tension, I shifted my gaze back to the battlefield.

The soldiers who had been firing arrows had all fallen back, and soldiers armed with spears and shields were now fighting the Goblins that had crossed the river.

Being well-trained soldiers, they were cutting them down one after another.

“It looks like it’ll be fine at this rate. The soldiers are defeating the Goblins with ease, aren’t they?”

“No, the real fight starts now. As long as there is a Lord, the Goblins that come out first are nothing more than disposable pawns. The real battle begins once the Hobgoblins, Goblin Mages, and Goblin Archers appear.”

Just as Shizuku-san said, a Goblin with a significantly larger build appeared from across the river.

“Ah, a big Goblin is coming. That one might even be bigger than you, Shizuku-san.”

“Ah, that is likely a Hobgoblin. A monster with great strength and a superior physique.”

I couldn’t hear them from this distance, but I could see that the soldiers were slightly intimidated.

The Hobgoblin let out a roar and charged toward the soldiers, using a Goblin corpse as a shield.

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Then, it slammed a soldier violently with the Goblin corpse.

Blown away with no way to resist, the soldier let go of his spear and rolled several meters away, becoming motionless.

“Ah, this is bad! I have to go help!”

“Fiene-dono, you must not. The General has forbidden you from going out.”

“But! That soldier! I have to help him!”

“Fiene-dono, wait until he is carried back. That is your role.”

“Uugh…”

It was frustrating—so frustrating—to know I could save him, yet be told I couldn’t go immediately.

Frustrating, but… what on earth should I do…!

“Fiene-dono, let us return to the first-aid station. There may be people being brought in.”

“…You’re right. Yes. I’ll do that.”

While still clinging to the lingering regret that I might have been able to save him if I went right now, I headed back toward the first-aid station.