Triumphant Advance

The archers fired in perfect unison.

Each time the sound of a longbow string being drawn and the whistle of an arrow cutting through the air reached my ears, another Bat-Man was struck down.

Reassuring. As expected of King Izard's knights.

This meant we could defend against the Bat-Men's aerial assaults—their greatest threat—and keep them from spraying their secretions from above.

Yohane splashed holy water on the Bat-Men as they fell, finishing them off.

Each time, he returned to the barrel to dip his cup and refill.

Iefuda and Jill took on the same role.

It was painful to waste even a single drop.

There was no telling when we'd be able to contact Elza again. We might not be able to replenish our holy water supply.

It meant constantly running around, and while it was hard labor for Yohane, unlike before, they were producing clear results, so he was able to keep going.

Once the Bat-Men were dealt with, the threat from above should be eliminated.

Things were chaotic, but eventually the Bat-Men stopped coming.

He poured holy water on the last one that fell, turning it to ash.

Come to think of it, defeating a monster usually granted you its power, but what happened in this case?

He didn't feel anything in particular.

"We've shot down most of them. The remainder poses no threat. First, let us sweep all the creatures from the outer perimeter."

King Izard produced a large shell and put its tip to his mouth.

A tremendous sound echoed from the shell.

It was an inspiring sound that seemed to carry to every corner of the area.

"Take your positions. They come."

Shortly after the sound, the ground began to vibrate.

He could feel a large group running toward them.

Apparently, that sound had been used to lure the surrounding monsters.

What a reckless thing to do, he thought, but the king must have had confidence in their abilities.

Leading the charge were Tiger monsters they had fought before.

Though these ones seemed a size larger.

One of the knights stepped forward with a long spear in one hand.

He rotated the spear's direction to face the Tiger, wound up, and hurled it with tremendous force.

A javelin throw. But I was amazed he could throw such a massive spear so effortlessly.

Yohane probably couldn't even support it with both hands.

The spear arced slightly and struck the Tiger in one eye, piercing through completely.

That massive Tiger, felled with a single blow.

Even Jill with all her strength hadn't been able to finish one in a single strike.

The Pigs following behind shoved the motionless Tiger aside and charged in.

King Izard and his knights drew their swords and waited.

They deflected the charges and slashed from the side.

Such simple maneuvers, yet receiving a charge head-on would be fatal.

Were they not afraid of that?

The knights always moved to positions where they could cover each other.

The Pigs, by contrast, simply charged individually over and over.

The result was obvious—our side quickly gained the upper hand.

On top of that, there was King Izard's golden sword.

He cut down the Pigs effortlessly.

Each knight was formidable, but King Izard was even stronger.

The sight of the king's back as he charged at the front inspired immense confidence and trust.

… I was truly glad he was on our side.

He might actually be more frightening than the monsters that had terrified us before. That's how strong he was.

I was reminded of Spartia's warriors.

King Izard and his knights resembled them.

No wonder they were so strong and reliable.

"Look."

After finishing pouring holy water on the fallen Pigs and Tigers, King Izard pointed at the red moon.

It should have been a huge full moon at first.

But now it was clearly smaller and approaching a half-moon shape.

Perhaps that moon was some kind of indicator for this world.

"I thought it was a cursed moon, but seeing it like this, it's rather charming. We must have dealt some damage."

"What's next? It looks like we've taken care of most of the outside monsters."

"Hmm, let me see."

King Izard folded his arms and surveyed the surroundings.

All that was visible now was the imperial castle and the pulsing ground.

A forest could be seen in the distance, but it seemed to be an illusion—we couldn't reach it.

This world was smaller than I'd thought.

"Let us burn everything except the castle. That should cause some pain at least."

The knights nodded as well.

This seemed to be standard procedure for them.

Ruthless… But given they'd been wiped out by this enemy, perhaps it was only natural.

Under this king's reign, bandits probably couldn't even breathe.

For the citizens, that would have been a blessing.

The knights began drawing magic circles in the now-threat-free outer courtyard.

Surviving Bat-Men and Pigs still attacked, but having lost their numbers—their greatest weapon—they were no longer a real threat.

Repelling them and dousing them with holy water was simple work.

"Your Majesty, preparations are complete."

"Good work. Ignite them the moment we enter the castle."

"Yes, sire!"

They were really going to do it.

When they reached the castle's main gate, it was closed as if refusing them entry.

If memory served, it had been open when they first arrived.

Perhaps something didn't want them to enter.

"Ridiculous!"

King Izard's golden sword changed shape.

… There was no mistaking it. It was a battering ram.

"You should help as well. It might lift your spirits."

At his words, I placed my hands on an open spot.

Together with the knights and King Izard, we pushed the battering ram and charged at the gate.

Though to be fair, Yohane and Iefuda, unlike Jill, were contributing little more than token assistance.

With an explosion-like crash, the battering ram struck the gate.

The impact point was gouged and dented.

My spirits lifted a little.

"Charge!"

With the command, we pulled back and pushed, pulled and pushed, again and again.

Each time, the massive gate warped and crumbled further.

Finally, the battering ram punched through the main gate.

Yohane was utterly exhausted, but finally being able to strike back felt good.

"Manual labor ain't my style."

"That was fun!"

The other two seemed satisfied as well.

The fragments of the broken gate revealed the flesh within.

I poured the remaining oil over it.

That way it would roast nicely when we burned the outside.

The moment we entered the castle, one of the knights activated the magic.

The magic circles ignited like fuses, blazing to life all at once.

I thought I saw the ground writhing in pain.

Surely the enemy hadn't anticipated a counterattack like this.