Volume 6, Chapter 36 – The Defense of Airoll (1)

It was the morning of October 27th, and the monsters had finally descended upon the town of Airoll.

Though I couldn’t see them from here, I was told that the walls surrounding the town were already encircled by a massive horde.

By the way, the total number of potions I managed to make by today was only 521. I fell far short of my planned goal, but even this should provide considerable help.

Having received the news, we rushed to the Knights’ command post.

“Oh, Saint-sama! We’ve been expecting you.”

The moment we arrived, Captain Lazare called out to us.

“I’m sorry we’re late. What is the situation?”

“Yes. The town is already surrounded by a vast number of monsters. They fill the surrounding area almost entirely; while the exact total is unknown, I estimate there are tens of thousands, at the very least. We estimate the scale of this Monster Stampede to be ‘Extreme’.”

I see. So there are overwhelmingly more of them than there were at Chi Tien.

“What kind of monster is leading this stampede?”

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“Unknown. There are vast numbers of monsters such as Goblins, Orcs, and Forest Wolves. We’ve spotted Higher Species like Hobgoblins, but no Goblin Lord has been seen.”

“Eh?”

How could that be?

Sensing my expression, Chris-san provided a supplementary explanation.

“Fiene-sama, it seems this Monster Stampede is different from the usual ones, like the one we encountered in Chi Tien.”

“What do you mean?”

“A typical Monster Stampede occurs when a particular species of monster becomes too numerous, causing a Higher Species to appear and lead them toward human settlements. In Chi Tien, the increase in Goblins resulted in the birth of a Goblin King.”

“That’s true.”

“However, this time, it’s not a specific species of monster that has increased.”

That was true. I recall that when we did the forest hunt, it didn’t seem like any one particular monster had increased in number.

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“The reason is unknown, but it’s possible that this stampede occurred because the overall number of monsters in the forest grew too large, causing them to head toward Airoll as one massive group.”

I see. So that can happen too.

“Christina-dono, if that is the case, then the enemy is nothing more than a pack of beasts. For us of the Knights, that makes them easier to fight,” Captain Lazare said in response to Chris-san’s hypothesis.

“But isn’t it also possible that there’s something capable of commanding multiple species of monsters? It would be dangerous to be careless and underestimate them,” Shizuku-san questioned.

“True. As Shizuku-dono says, it is indeed unwise to be careless. However, the only entities that come to mind capable of commanding multiple monster species are the Demon Race, but…”

“Hmm, but Chris-san, apparently there aren’t any monsters like that in the forest?”

Rarely, Lu-chan spoke up in a situation like this.

“Lumia-sama, was it? Why do you say that?”

“Eh? Because I’m an Elf. With the forest this close, the spirits there tell me what’s going on.”

“S-such power…”

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Captain Lazare stared in utter shock.

“I see. In that case, then for the time being, we can assume they aren’t acting in an organized manner. However, as Shizuku-dono said, we must not neglect our vigilance.”

“Indeed.”

Chris-san summarized, and Captain Lazare agreed.

“Now, as for our forces: the hunters remaining in this town are two from the Shield of Airoll, and seven young newcomers who have only just become hunters. Well, as expected, hunters never change.”

“Eeeeh.”

There were so many of them just four days ago, and they really did run away.

Well… I can’t really blame them.

“Basically, we cannot rely on the hunters; the Knights and guards will handle the situation. Therefore, I would like Christina-dono and Shizuku-dono to head to the front lines, Lumia-dono to defend the gates, and Saint-sama to oversee treatment at the aid station—”

“I refuse.”

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I flatly refused before he could even finish.

“Eh? W-what!?”

Captain Lazare apparently hadn’t expected to be refused and was shockingly shaken.

“In the Red Sky Empire, I accepted such a request and nearly committed a grave mistake. So instead of sending the three of you out alone, I’ll be going with you.”

Hearing this, Captain Lazare’s eyes widened in shock.

“W-w-w-what! For the S-S-Saint-sama to stand on the front lines! O-o-o-oh, if anything were to happen to you!”

“The four of us are one team, and not a single one of us can be missing. No matter what you say, the four of us will act together.”

That’s right. I won’t make the same mistake I made at Chi Tien.

I declared this with firm determination.