Chapter 40: The Awakened’s Defensive Battle (2)

An explosion echoed from afar.  

The ground trembled faintly, and even from several kilometers away, they could see a pillar of red flames shooting into the sky.

The direction was east.

Although the attack was clearly magical, the Prince had never witnessed such a large-scale spell before.  

From the west came a series of smaller explosions.

Though less intense than those in the east, the sounds still carried to the village several kilometers away, indicating that powerful attacks were being unleashed there as well.  

“I want to see it from a higher vantage point.”  

At the center of the village stood a bell tower over ten meters tall.

Originally built as a watchtower to defend against external invasions, it had been expanded as the village grew in size, changing its role.  

The Prince led Soares and the scouts up the bell tower.  

“It’s hard to see clearly. Soares, bring me the telescope.”  

There were no other tall buildings around, so the view was unobstructed, but the distance was still too great to see with the naked eye.

Taking the telescope, the Prince adjusted its focus by turning the winding mechanism.

His gaze first fixed on the east, the direction Frey was responsible for defending. 

*** 

“Haha! Alright! So you want to die that badly? Come at me all you want! Even so, I’m an egalitarian! Not a single one will be spared—equally, I’ll burn every last bone to ash. Don’t you worry!”  

As if venting the stress he had unknowingly built up, Frey swung his arms nonstop like a fish freed into water.

Flames swept through the hordes of monsters with the movement of his gloved fingertips, and the whip of lightning cracked across the battlefield.  

Fire and lightning are natural phenomena most specialized in destruction.

Among all the elements Frey could manipulate, these two were his specialties.

His trademark pair of gloves were powerful Artifacts that amplified the strength of both elements to their extremes.  

‘It’s like a scene from a myth.’  

In contrast, Arcs, who held the west front, was completely different from Frey.

With wings unfolded from her backpack, she flew through the sky while relentlessly bombing the enemies, yet her expression remained mechanically calm.

Continuously crafting single-use Artifacts inside her backpack with her own abilities, she annihilated enemies with the most efficient means available.

For her, monster hunting was merely a means to collect materials—almost like a routine task.  

The brutal hand-to-hand combat happening to the south was far more intense than either of the two Awakened’s battles.

There was neither grandiose magic nor one-sided annihilation.  

Zion, steadfast in place, used the largest weapon he could manifest to sweep away multiple monsters with a single strike.  

Yuria, relying solely on two daggers, kept moving constantly to avoid being surrounded, using hit-and-run tactics to steadily take down monsters one by one.  

Unlike Frey or Arcs, their style was a kind of strength that was understandable—making their fights all the more vivid and relatable.  

***

The Prince stared, mesmerized.  

Each time a monster fell and blood splattered, his heart pounded explosively.

His vision narrowed but became clearer at the same time.

Unconsciously, the Prince lowered the telescope and looked at the battlefield with his naked eyes.  

He even felt a strange unity as if he were in the very middle of the battle.

Tearing Zion’s limbs apart with sharp claws, biting into flesh and drinking blood—surely, it would be an ecstatic feeling.

Killing and devouring the weak and inferior human was a natural right, an instinct engraved in the genes and a mission branded onto the soul.  

“Your Highness! Are you alright?”  

“……!”  

Startled by Soares’s urgent voice, the Prince snapped back to reality.  

“What… what is it?”  

“What is it? Were you not aware of what was happening?”  

All the Prince could register was that his head felt dull and his consciousness hazy, as if he had just woken from a deep sleep.

Shaking his head vigorously to clear his mind, droplets clinging to his cheek splattered here and there.

He realized he had been sweating, but it was not sweat—it was bright red blood.

The blood vessels in his eyes, which had been terribly bloodshot moments before, had burst, and tears of blood streamed down his face.  

“Did I say something strange?”  

Soares shook her head worriedly and replied, “You didn’t say anything. You just stared at Zion with a frightening expression.”  

“A frightening expression… at Zion?”  

Following Soares’s words, the Prince slowly closed and reopened his eyes.  

‘Nadja. That demon… was it her who—’  

Shaking off the unsettling thought, the Prince feigned calm and shook his head.  

“There is nothing to worry about. I am fine.”  

“Better wipe the blood off first. Even a passing worm wouldn’t believe you otherwise.”  

“I really am fine. Don’t concern yourself.”  

His words were not meant to reassure Soares but were an order.

Swallowing her complaints, Soares pressed her lips tightly, gave a slight bow, and stepped back.  

“More importantly, look. The number of monsters has decreased greatly. Zion was right.”  

The fierce battle raging from all directions around the village was settling down.

The monsters, once numbering over two hundred, had dwindled to barely a hundred even when counted one by one.  

“See? They’ve become our allies and are helping me. There is nothing to worry about.”  

It was a perfect victory.  

***

“This side’s all done. We handled everyone who tried to hide or run. It’s strange, at first I thought it was just my imagination, but these monsters definitely feel tougher and more tenacious than the ones on Earth.”  

“This side’s finished too. We even got a ton of monster materials. Nice work, Zion!”  

About an hour after the defense battle began, reports announcing the end of the fight came through one after another via Communication Magic.

Zion let out a sigh of relief but did not let his guard down.

Around fifty monsters still remained in front of him, and letting even one slip by would turn the village to ruin.  

‘Anyway…’  

Calmly dealing with the remaining enemies, Zion glanced sideways.

The one who had fought hardest in this defense battle was neither Frey nor Arcs nor himself—it was Yuria.  

Facing hundreds of monsters without fear or fleeing took immense courage.

Without holding anyone back or losing track of enemies, she wielded all the techniques she had learned from Zion and Soares to personally bring down about one-third of the monsters.  

Though drenched in sweat and breathing heavily from exhaustion, her movements targeting the monsters’ weak points remained precise and sharp.  

While not quite at Frey or Arcs’s level, she had become reliable enough to entrust her back to.

Considering it had only been two or three months since she began training under Zion, her progress was astonishing.  

“Heh, heh… huh? Is it over already…?”  

Yuria, half in a daze, gasped and looked around.

After cleaving the last monster’s head with her halberd, Zion nodded slightly at her.

Wiping sweat with a blank expression, Yuria collapsed onto the spot.  

“Ugh, I’m so tired! Ughhh! These daggers are heavy! I can’t get up!”  

Yuria sprawled out flat, flailing her limbs as she whimpered.

When Zion approached and reached out his hand, she suddenly grabbed it and staggered upright on her own two feet as if nothing had happened.  

“You don’t look too tired, Zion.”  

“Ahaha. Not really. I’m just pretending not to be. Need a hand supporting you?”  

“I’m fine. Not so bad I can’t walk.”  

While they talked, the monsters’ corpses rapidly began to wither.

It was MP Absorption.

Yuria, having only heard about it before but never seen it firsthand, widened her eyes in surprise.  

For a moment, she was startled by the strange sensation of power flowing directly into her body.  

“Oh, oh… ohhh… this is a weird feeling.”  

Ah.  

At that moment, a past memory Zion wanted to forget flashed through his mind.  

Could Yuria…?  

Worried, he watched closely, but thankfully there was no sign of a terrible repeat of history—for now.  

Greatly relieved, Zion made one final sweep to ensure no stragglers remained before heading back to the village with Yuria.  

***

“We don’t need to stay longer. Using more MP would be wasteful. Dismiss the summons quickly.”  

“Ehh? I want to stay with Zion a little longer!”  

“Stop whining and behave yourself.”  

‘Thanks to knocking down so many monsters, we have plenty of MP left. I’m thinking of introducing the two to His Highness while we’re at it.’  

“Introduce us to the Prince? I wonder if that’s alright.”  

“No need to worry. He’s not a bad person, after all.”  

“Not all bad things are caused by bad people. Well, I’m just being cautious, so don’t worry too much.”  

The Prince waited for Zion outside the village.

Though the brainwashing was undone, a warrant for his arrest still stood.

It was deemed best not to reveal himself and cause more chaos.  

“Have you defeated all the monsters?”  

“Not a single one left alive. There shouldn’t be any danger for a while. But just in case, we plan to scout the surrounding area once. It’s possible the monsters could attack the village again the moment we leave.”  

“Excellent thinking. Though… that will never end.”  

“What do you mean?”  

“We’ll discuss that when all your party members are gathered. For now, why don’t you take a break? You both look like worn-out rag dolls.”  

“We prepared clothes and wet towels. Please wash up and change. We’ve prepared a place where you can change comfortably.”  

Though the space was simple, just curtained off, it was a blessing nonetheless.  

By the time Zion and Yuria took turns cleaning up and changing into fresh clothes, Frey and Arcs returned leisurely.  

“Everyone’s here. Zion, you’ll explain properly now, right?”  

After exchanging a brief look with Frey and Arcs, Zion nodded.  

“These two are my family.”  

“Family? Members of the House of Aleph?”  

“Not the Count Aleph Family, but my mother’s side of the family.”  

He didn’t want to get into the complications of being from another world or explain things too difficult to understand.

What Zion wanted to convey was that these two were his family and reliable allies he could call upon anytime.  

Skirting around the vague parts and mixing in the lies Frey transmitted through Communication Magic, the Prince finally looked like he understood.  

“Where they came from or their status isn’t really important. Frey, Arcs, you two will continue helping me alongside Zion, yes?”  

“If Zion wants it, sure. And don’t bother with formalities. Just speak comfortably. Neither of us is good at or fond of honorifics.”  

“Hahaha. I like polite people, but His Highness has his reasons, right? Like Frey said, feel free to speak casually.”  

“…Thank you for saying that.”  

After a light greeting, Zion dismissed the summons.

Watching the two vanish in a glow, the Prince looked quite surprised but soon composed himself and spoke.  

“This is sudden, Zion, but I think we need to change the plan. It takes about a month by carriage from here to Jedo. But with your speed, Yuria’s, and Soares’s, you should be able to make it in about a week.”  

It was a truly abrupt change of topic.

Zion silently listened to his words.  

“At this rate, we’ll only get caught in Nadja’s traps and have our progress hampered like today. Fortunately, there were no casualties this time, but we can’t keep relying on such luck.”  

The Prince spoke firmly.  

“From now on, head to Jedo at top speed. We must strike Nadja as soon as possible.”