120. Battle of the Fortress (1)

The long festival has ended.

Behind the splendid fireworks display, only the irregular singing sound of the wind remained.

From the first day, I was entangled in useless things, so the five days were eventful. With the end of the festival, let’s have a good rest today. I stayed by Shione’s side until she fell asleep, then returned to my room.

There is something to check.

Immediately after kissing Shione. There was one familiar thing that caught my eye.

I lay down on the bed and looked at the remnants of Park Shin-woo, not Ray.

[I got my first kiss from Sione Cianella.]

[Your power is massively unlocked by her deep bond with her.]

“This is…….”

Mana has risen sharply.

To the extent that it is different from the previous climb, which was as much as a rat’s tail.

Mana seems to be twice as much as before. At this level, the burden of wind magic has been significantly reduced. At this level, you can handle fire in a practical way.

‘I never thought my mana would increase this much with just one kiss.’

My strength is running out.

When Shione attacked first at the shooting range at dawn, she couldn’t just stretch out and delay.

After that, there were so many troublesome things. If only I had this mana, that year when I was aiming for Adelheit. And the orcs in the blizzard were relatively easy to deal with.

She let out a hollow laugh.

But my eyes moved nonstop.

This was not the only information left.

[Sione Cianella’s trust and affection is close to the best.]

[Sione Cianella’s evaluation of you is ‘my own knight’.]

[When you defend her or defeat her enemies within a certain distance of her from her cionesianella, a large amount of her power is unlocked.]

I’ve seen something like this before.

A reward obtained after killing cult b*tches on the way to the Marquis of Feiosha.

Even back then, her evaluation of me was ‘a knight more reliable than anyone else’, and it was said that her powers were only unlocked in a limited way when I protected her.

Now, the number of characters has been reduced to become ‘my own knight’, but the weight of ‘my own’ and ‘nim’ at the end was quite heavy.

Moreover, now, when I defend my foolish master, as well as when I slay the enemies around her, much of my original strength returns. That’s a good sign.

“I got something nice as a festive present.”

No, in such a savage world, my original power is not a decent level, but a perfect gift.

Armed force is very important in a world that never knows when it will perish.

‘Come to think of it, Siabelle said she would teach me swordsmanship.’

The festival must be over.

Cultist If her affairs are in order, she might be called to her again soon.

There’s still a little left to think about…….

I gently closed my eyes.

It’s late. What’s left is to wake up early tomorrow.

… ….

The day after the festival.

The count’s house became more noisy than ever.

Of course not. There are rumors like this. How can the talkative male attendants stop their chatter and all the soldiers remain relaxed?

─A large army of monsters is coming from the demon world. Soldiers, prepare for a siege battle.

Since the content of the rumor is the content, all the early risers were talking about this topic. I just sneakily overheard their stories.

‘A large army of monsters is marching here all of a sudden.’

From noble mtl dot com

No matter how it is, what kind of rumors are there?

Originally, it was just a story that could easily be trampled over.

「First War」

「Your intervention has changed history. Originally summer, without any intervention at the altar in the Beltrin Mountains, the war that should have started with the attack of Princess Adelheit’s coming-of-age ceremony was postponed to winter. Cianella’s blood relatives, united, will defend her estate according to an oath imprinted in her blood. Help them stop their advance.”

「Reward: Granting new possibilities for oneself, weakening demons」

「Failure: Depends on the degree of failure」

“f*ck.”

As long as the quest was gone, rumors weren’t rumors.

* *

Ainel’s announcement that a war would soon break out in the territory spread quickly.

The territory was confused, and the disciplined soldiers and priests of the Order prevented the interior from collapsing in the confusion. So, now Countess Cianella’s family was in heavy war clouds.

“Sorry. Teaching the sword should be postponed for a while. I mean really no luck. Promises with you are always delayed.”

Sia Bell put off pointing the sword at me and led his men.

Although the soldiers were frightened, they had no intention of running away.

Women wearing armor and carrying swords walked under the western wall of the manor with strong faces.

With this in mind, the local residents volunteered to enlist in the count’s corps.

Those who did not, fled to the eastern wall, which was thought to be safe, and either crouched down or got on a wagon heading to another territory. At least there are people who walk that long distance alone. The atmosphere in the estate was close to the worst.

Ravi owned an expensive magical device that could contact the Marquis family at any time. Thanks to this, Ainel was able to somehow keep the famous wizards in the Count’s family through a conversation with his Marquis. Of course, only wizards participate in the battle of the siege. Arya’s safety was also guaranteed.

“Shione and Ray. I have something to say.”

Next, Ainel came to us directly.

Not as a family head, but as a knight wearing iron armor and holding a sword.

Several days have passed since I finished talking to Ainel.

Some fast-footed monsters began to approach the wall.

There were no problems with the soldiers subjugating them because they were full of not-so-strong guys, but I could feel the war approaching.

The family that is geographically closest to the count’s family. Reinforcements and supplies have arrived from Count Belleia, to which Shione’s childhood friend belongs. Several war wizards and cavalrymen famous for their bravery knelt in front of Ainel.

Other families are quite distant. It will take more time for aid to arrive.

Two more days passed like that.

All kinds of war materials were gathered on the wall, to be exact, on the western wall facing the Beltrin Mountains. Under the castle walls were full of disciplined soldiers, and Sione and I were walking along this rigid street.

“Aren’t you nervous?”

“Of course, wouldn’t it? It’s not a trivial battle, and her mother said that the family’s fate depended on this battle.”

“Furthermore, the head of the family ordered Sione to climb on top of the castle wall and pierce through the enemies.”

“Anyway, I didn’t get over the wall. It would be too late to waste an archer like me when one more soldier is needed. Moreover, he said that if it is dangerous, you can go down the wall at any time.”

I stopped and looked at Shione.

“…The monsters will build a mountain out of their corpses, and the survivors will step on the mountain and climb onto the walls.”

Following this, Shione quietly touched her bow and met his eyes with mine.

That stupid thing was shaking his hands little by little while showing the utmost peace. That calm expression is just a mask.

“There will be mayhem up there. It will be a place that is more desperate than any other place.”

I know.

“It will be difficult. Once you have it in your eyes, you won’t be able to sleep easily. The walls will be dyed red, and everywhere will be filled with screams and the smell of iron.”

When I was a Hunter.

I have also experienced the Suseong War.

A hunter who has fallen into a ruined world and has to attack it somehow. Among them, they fell into the old castle and continued a long struggle over a few troops and a wall.

Even if you have conquered numerous dungeons, you can be confident that the horrors at that time are not lacking compared to other high-level dungeons.

“It is dangerous. Monsters with little reason are not good opponents. When they see Sione-sama, they will run at them recklessly.”

This is an unsuitable place for an archer who has only been standing up on his own two feet for a year or so.

You could be caught by a monster and lose your body. Something that might break Shione’s weak mental head.

“Even now, it’s not too late. Tell Ainel. He said it would be better to go to the rear and wait like Shion-sama, so that he wouldn’t have to step over there in the first place.”

At that time, I couldn’t understand why Shione nodded at Ainel’s command without the slightest thought.

“No, it’s okay.”

“Are you shaking?”

“… ….”

“Are you really okay?”

“… Okay. That’s-“

Shione nodded quietly.

“Because you are here.”

“Yes?”

“My own knight said he would protect me, so there is nothing to worry about.”

“… ….”

“Besides that… You’ve been saying it every day lately. Don’t be obsessed with reproducing the myth of your ancestors, and don’t be deeply buried in the four letters of your name.”

Shione tilted her head to the side and gave a small smile.

“So I decided to do it. What is Cianel? If it’s dangerous, I’ll also go down the wall and take shelter.”

“They said the fate of the family was at stake. It’s the worst situation that should never come, but if the family were to perish in this war… It would be okay to give up your name altogether. It would be nice to just become Shione and Ray and live happily together in a small town.”

“If you turned away after being defeated after a tenacious struggle, it was not a betrayal of the count family, but an inevitable abandonment. The oath in your heart will not scold you.”

Shione took a step closer to me.

“I heard that Sione is more important than Cianella. You are more important to me than my name.”

After saying that, she turned her head and looked up at the top of the castle wall.

“If you get seriously injured and fall asleep or die, won’t you see me again? So you and I won’t get wrecked up there, stop worrying. I’ll just shoot my bow enough to be proud of myself and let it come down. Will you give me permission?”

“Haa… ….”

Shione seemed to have already made up her mind.

Even if she is a little afraid, she has already established her own convictions as she looks at the world without wavering.

She probably has compromised with her own name to some extent. And what cut off her excessive burial must be the weight of her country.

“If it’s dangerous, I’ll drag you down the wall right away.”

Shione just nodded her head instead of answering her.

Then we climbed up the wall.

The scenery inside and outside the manor viewed from high was quite tasteful.

Time has changed.

The sun went down and the moon rose.

Numerous wizards and archers gathered on the top of the castle wall. After that, Siabelle and Dioria and other knights silently watched their backs.

Before I knew it, Ainel was standing by Shione’s side. The direction they were looking was the same.

Beyond the horizon.

Whether the enemy is coming or not. I just watch quietly.

It was then.

Wooooo!

A woman standing on the watchtower blew her horn without hesitation.

“You are finally here.”

Ainel said as she touched the handle of her sword.

Enemies begin to appear over the horizon.

Under the moonlight, a large army of tens of thousands was advancing toward the city walls.

The moon is a symbol of madness and the devil.

Like demons who rampage at night, those monsters seem to think that this late hour is their true time.

Closing the distance without rest, the ground trembled.

I was horrified at the gross number of heads that glanced over there.

“Ah… ….”

… It’s just that we have to drag it under the walls of Sione right now.