“Is the so-called Tower Master sending young mages to their deaths while holed up in the central command post?”
Perhaps it was a side effect of her previous threat.
Since she declared that every time a key figure in the Mage Tower died, they’d be replaced with a suitable candidate, it was only natural that the greedy old man’s backside would feel heavy.
So, Rita stormed straight into the command post at the central headquarters.
“Rita?”
At Talos’s surprised voice, the soldiers inside bowed their heads one by one.
Even Marquis Grendel, acting as deputy commander in place of Sercia, did the same.
By status, he was a noble, and Rita, a commoner, should be beneath him, but Marquis Grendel, a warrior to his core, submitted to strength.
“To think you’d come to see me in the midst of such a busy time. You’re the only one who thinks of your master, Rita.”
Talos shamelessly spouted flattery without a hint of embarrassment.
Of course, Rita had no intention of listening to his nonsense.
“Why is my master, who should be at the front lines, here instead?”
At Rita’s blunt question, Talos’s smile faltered for a moment.
But, accustomed to acting, he quickly put on a sly grin.
“It’s for support, of course. The more mages we have in the subjugation, the better for our side, no?”
At his absurd excuse, Rita’s eyes narrowed.
Noticing her darkening gaze, Talos hurriedly glanced at Marquis Grendel.
With a suggestive look, as if to say, “Isn’t that right?”
Grendel, who had been cautiously observing, spoke carefully.
“I requested it, Great Mage. I heard the Tower Master has many connections outside, so I asked for support, just in case.”
At that explanation, the corner of Rita’s mouth twitched.
‘Cunning, no, meticulous.’
Who would’ve thought he’d use the deputy commander to create an excuse?
‘I came to drag Talos out to the front lines…’
Rita glanced at Marquis Grendel.
Unaware of being used by Talos, he looked bewildered, nervously gauging the situation.
‘He respects me, but he’s still the deputy commander.’
In other words, the commander entrusted with full authority by the princess.
Even Rita couldn’t openly challenge the commander’s orders.
‘Well, I could if I wanted to, but there’s no need to sour relations with the royal family.’
Sighing, Rita’s gaze returned to Talos.
His smug, grinning face was infuriating, but she held back.
“The northeastern front may soon become dangerous, so please finish the support requests quickly and head to the front lines.”
“Don’t worry, Rita. For your sake, who’s working so hard, I’ll do my best.”
“You’d better. For the sake of the disciples dying on the front lines right now.”
A cold smile spread beneath her golden eyes.
Though startled, Talos felt relieved to have weathered the moment’s crisis, unaware of the humiliation that awaited him later.
***
“You’re heading out far starting today?”
Even at the news of Rita’s team expanding their search area, the soldiers remained indifferent.
Despite the sight of supreme-rank mages setting out, they only stared blankly, not offering a single word of encouragement.
‘With the constant reports of hatching, their morale must be plummeting.’
Most of their expressions were filled with despair.
Expanding the camp was now a faint hope.
With the situation desperate just to fend off attacking beasts, the soldiers’ anxiety grew by the day.
In the mercenary barracks, especially vulnerable to mental strain, ominous mutterings about everyone dying were already circulating.
“They’ve got it good. If their lives are in danger, they can just break a teleportation stone and escape, right?”
As they passed the camp’s outskirts, such sarcastic remarks echoed from somewhere.
Everyone frowned, and Valery stopped abruptly, glaring.
“Who dares spew such nonsense?”
He was about to shout when Princess Sercia barely restrained him.
Sercia tried to comfort the unsettled group.
“Don’t mind it too much. Actions speak louder than words, don’t they? If we bring back the head of the brood mother, they’ll all rejoice.”
Sercia’s positive words quickly softened the tense atmosphere.
Valery, as if enlightened, praised her, saying,
“As expected of the princess!”
“Is her brain made of muscle? How does she plan to find it in this vast northern region? So simple-minded, yet so optimistic.”
Kerman, trailing at the back, grumbled irritably.
Hilia, startled, nudged him with her elbow, but Kerman’s sour expression didn’t soften.
Ever since the pursuit team’s search range expanded, Kerman had been in a foul mood.
To him, it felt like they were marching to their deaths.
“Everyone’s gone mad. Mad, I tell you. No matter what, there’s no reason to throw ourselves into danger…”
Suddenly, he felt a chilling gaze piercing the back of his head.
Kerman, mid-complaint, whipped around.
It was Rita, following at the rear.
He hurriedly made excuses, watching her cautiously, but Rita silenced him with a single glance.
***
Rita’s group left the main camp, passing through nearby outposts.
As they headed northwest, closer to the outskirts, the atmosphere grew darker and more brutal.
The barracks were stained with blood—whether human or beast was unclear— and crushed beast corpses were a common sight.
Though not displayed intentionally, the scattered beast carcasses added to the grim mood.
In a cleared, logged area, there were also numerous makeshift graves.
With so many casualties in the outskirts, the stationed soldiers’ faces were utterly haggard.
“This feels like a mistake…”
“Should we turn back now?”
Kerman and Hilia whispered, their faces pale.
Blena, overhearing their pathetic conversation, clicked her tongue softly.
Kerman, sharp-eared, turned and glared at her.
“Just a second-class mage…”
At the blunt insult, even Rita, who had been watching the situation, was taken aback.
Given Blena’s personality, she wouldn’t take it quietly.
But her reaction defied Rita’s expectations.
Blena merely smirked, her face twitching briefly, and ignored Kerman.
When Rita sent her a surprised look, Blena grinned.
Since she was nearby, Rita approached.
“That wasn’t like you, Blena.”
“Is that an insult or a compliment?”
“A compliment.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? It’s no big deal. I plan to survive under your protection, you know.”
At Blena’s shrugging reply, Rita let out a short gasp.
She immediately recalled the time she’d threatened both of them during their earlier fight.
“…I’m sorry if I offended you.”
“It’s fine. I get it. And I was in the wrong too. So, I’m done dealing with that guy.”
At her exasperated reaction, Rita let out a wry laugh.
Her gaze naturally shifted to Seth beside her.
Seth also seemed displeased with Kerman’s arrogance.
Watching their expressions, Rita belatedly recognized the problem.
Arrogant Kerman and honest Blena.
Their personalities were bound to clash, and even if the sky split in two, they’d never reconcile.
Just like Rita and Blena in her past life.
‘A mistake. I prioritized skill and didn’t consider their relationships.’
Just as Rita herself disliked Alois, she shouldn’t have only thought of her own feelings but also considered others’.
“What, lost in thought again?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
“Instead of bottling it up, how about opening up to those around you?”
At the sudden suggestion, Rita’s eyes widened.
As if reading her mind, Blena was grinning brightly.
“No, I just… You must’ve had a tough time all alone.”
“What do you mean?”
“The oracle. I never would’ve guessed you received one. I’m sorry for thinking you were strange, and I think it’s amazing.”
“Amazing?”
Rita blinked in surprise.
“Of course it’s amazing. You’ve been struggling alone, unable to speak, to save the world, to save people.”
Blena spoke with a proud expression, as if recounting her own heroic tale.
Her sparkling eyes struck Rita like a blow to the head.
‘She really sees me as the oracle’s hero.’
It was true she’d used that as a pretext, but behind it was purely her own selfish reason.
The ‘god’ had warned that if she didn’t save the world, her life would be taken.
With her life held hostage, she had no choice but to comply, and having learned Talos’s true nature, she no longer wanted to follow the same path.
To be honest, she had never once acted with others’ lives as her priority.
Realizing this, Rita felt deeply ashamed.
‘If I’m like this, how am I any different from Talos, who cared only for his own greed and nothing for others’ lives?’
Comparing herself to the Talos she despised made her feel even worse.
Rita looked at Blena with slightly clearer eyes.
If not for Blena, she might not have realized this for a long time.
“Thank you, Blena.”
“Huh? For what?”
“For helping me reflect.”
“What are you talking about? Can you explain so I can understand?”
A faint smile crossed Rita’s lips.
Blena, finding it odd, clung to her and pestered her, but it didn’t last long.
***
Thirty minutes after leaving the main camp toward the northwest, a beast finally appeared.
From the rustling bushes emerged an adult beast.
“Here it comes.”
“Everyone, stay sharp.”
Like all beasts, the one before them had red eyes and a grotesque, decayed body.
The only distinguishable feature was its classification, which was utterly repulsive.
“What… is that a cockroach?”
“Something like that, haha!”
At Hilia’s horrified question, Felix, the leader of the Rihanes Temple’s Second Holy Knight Order, confirmed with a laugh.
Hilia gagged and stumbled back at the unnecessary confirmation.
‘Not the time to laugh.’
It was an inappropriate reaction given the many beasts they’d have to face, but it couldn’t be helped.
As an adult, it was massive, with overly detailed antennae, legs, and hairy parts.
While everyone struggled, Rita calmly relayed the beast’s information.
[Origin: Baal]
[Name: None]
[Rank: Adult, First-Class]
[Attribute: Fire]
“Adult, first-class. Fire attribute, with its weak point in the left eye. It’s not an easy opponent, so be cautious.”
The Mage Tower mages, used to dealing with juveniles, sub-adults, and eggs, let out silent screams.
Not only Kerman and Hilia but even Blena and Seth paled under the adult beast’s oppressive presence.
“Mages, provide support. This isn’t an opponent we can take lightly.”
Valery Gainer drew his sword with a sharp shing and stepped forward.
Princess Sercia, Bailey, and Felix followed suit.
“May the Rihanes God’s blessing be with us.”
Empowered by prayer, the swift warriors began the fight.
Among the mages, Seth was the first to move.
Regaining his composure, he aimed his staff and prepared.
Blena snapped to attention and took her stance.
Even the flustered Alois followed suit, prompting the pale Kerman and Hilia to hurriedly join them.
“I’ll take it on first.”
While the mages positioned themselves, Valery had already charged at the beast.
His agility, unbelievable for a man in his sixties like Talos, was like a predator’s as he slashed and carved into the beast’s body.
“Eilin and Floria, aim for the weak point.”
Even without her request, they were already drawing their bows.
Despite allies moving swiftly nearby, the Children of the Forest fired massive water arrows without hesitation.
The beast’s limbs grew busy fending off attacks from all directions.
“It’s knocking away the arrows.”
“The swords, too.”
An exceptional first-class beast, it deflected the arrows from the Children of the Forest with its hands, altering their trajectory.
Despite its bulky body, it slipped past the warriors’ swords with fluid ease.
“Raging Current.”
Four streams of water burst from the tip of Rita’s staff.
The entwined streams struck the beast’s head with pinpoint accuracy.
Hilia’s jaw dropped.
“Is she crazy? Shooting like that with people so close?”
“She’s just that confident in her skill.”
At Blena’s reply, Hilia’s eye twitched.
“What… since when are you two so close?”
Even at her sarcasm, Blena only looked proud.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.