32. fall, isolation (2)

“Vice-captain, the process is complete.”

Christine, along with the knights and soldiers of the no-man’s land, took care of the monsters that were trying to climb over the cliff. It was a bonus that they ran and dealt with it first, saying that there was no need for him to step out.

“Thanks for your efforts.”

When Christine spoke in a soft voice, the expressions of the knights and soldiers relaxed. Christine’s popularity among the soldiers skyrocketed as she was kind and easy-going. I didn’t seem to care too much though.

In the meantime, Christine was constantly checking the condition of the ground and ground by using sensing magic. Of course, it wasn’t very good.

‘As expected, I’m very weak.’

Due to external shocks and weathering, it would not be strange if the entire ground cracked at any time. Most of the places she went to were like that. In one case in a million cases, the ground collapsed and a fall accident could occur.

When I get back, I’ll recommend the captain to take over the investigation area. It’s too dangerous to continue investigating near the cliff.

The collapse of the cliff meant the retreat of the front line, and also meant the expansion of the no-man’s land and monster territory. Huge monsters continuously threw themselves under the cliff and collided with the cliff, and the effect of scraping the cliff with their claws and teeth seemed to be very large.

‘Behemoth can subjugate monsters.’

Christine recalled the fact as though it were incongruous.

Even she, who had accumulated all sorts of knowledge as a native of the Mage Tower, had only heard a little about the Behemoth. And even that was just an old story and a rumor.

The king of monsters, a monster from the age of mythology.

Even the fact that it existed is unclear, and only vague and uncertain speculations remain. Even the story of confirming its identity 15 years ago did not give much information about the Behemoth.

Is the senior okay?

Christine looked westward, where Maxim was continuing his investigation, with anxious eyes. I didn’t have a good feeling today. Her heart thumped, as if foretelling that something was about to happen.

“Vice-captain, I think we should go to the next area now.”

A soldier approached and said so. Christine reluctantly nodded. The area she was supposed to be in charge of was in the opposite direction to Maxim’s.

“Okay, so if you’re all set, now…”

Deed, etc.

I felt a vibration, a minute vibration, and a heavy roar that seemed to come from the deepest part of the earth resounded in the sky.

“….no way.”

Christine turned her head to the west, pale. The epicenter was definitely there. The source of the roar was also coming from where she turned her head.

“Vice-captain, this is…?”

Soldiers and knights asked Christine with a puzzled look. Christine kept her head turned to the left.

“To the west.”

A voice came from Christine whose hard voice was unfamiliar even to her. The knights and soldiers quickly got ready and started running west. Christine grabbed a knight and two soldiers.

“Quickly, quickly go back to the gathering place. Return to the assembly point, wait for the Marquis to return, report back. It seems that the cliff in the west, where First Joe is, has collapsed.”

“all right.”

The knight nodded and led the soldiers to the other side of the cliff, to the meeting point. After watching the knights for a moment, Christine ran after the knights running west. Her magic-enhanced body quickly accelerated and caught up with the knights.

please please.

Christine muttered to herself. Her green, verdant eyes were shaking wildly.

I have to be safe.

—

Maxim opened his eyes among the piles of stones. The sun was still up. Maxim’s facial muscles twitched wildly. It was not under a stone. I don’t know how the hell it fell, but it didn’t die. Maxim staggered and exhaled slowly. Cough-cuck-cough, a random cough came out of the airways. As soon as Maxim regains consciousness, the name pops into his mind.

Theodora.

Maxim forced his throbbing neck to move and looked around. Theodora was nowhere to be seen. Maxim slowly inhaled and exhaled, checking his body condition.

It was hard to breathe, but I didn’t feel any pain with every breath.

The ribs are unharmed.

Maxim gradually raised his senses from his fingertips and tried to twitch the muscles in his body. There was a sense. I felt the pain, but it wasn’t too severe. I felt like I could raise my body if I could.

The spine… seems to be unharmed. for now.

Maxim carefully moved his arm. I felt a sharp pain, but it seemed to be a strong bruise rather than a break.

“This… damn it…”

Maxim lifted his upper body, leaning on a pile of stones with his throbbing arms. The legs were rather fine than the arms. Knees were also stable. Maxim groaned and stood up from his seat. Debris tumbled beside Maxim, who staggered to his feet. Maxim breathed heavily through his mouth and looked around.

Forward, you have to approach the side of the cliff.

A pile of stones flowed down Maxim’s feet. Maxim groped his waist. Fortunately, the sword was safely hanging from his waist. Maxim drew his sword from its scabbard and stepped forward.

The surroundings were dark, as if covered by a roof. The cliff collapsed in the shape of a horseshoe, and both sides seemed to be blocked by the wall of the cliff. Maxim stepped forward, into the cramped abyss of darkness.

Theodora.

At that time, a pure white object entered Maxim’s eyes. Maxim hurriedly ran over the pile of stones. I kept slipping and bumping, but Maxim didn’t care.

“…Fenrir.”

The object he saw was Fenrir. Maxim put his sword in the scabbard and went towards Fenri on top of a pile of stones. The sword that took his life was stuck in the nape of Fenrir’s neck. Maxim looked at the hand holding the hilt of the sword and shouted in a voice that was submerged involuntarily.

“Theodora!”

Theodora did not let go of the hilt of her sword. Her heart skipped a beat, wondering if she had been crushed by the pile of stones, but fortunately, it seemed that only her right leg was crushed by the pile of stones. Maxim called forward to Theodora, who had spilled on Fenrir’s body.

“Theodora.”

Maxim checked her pulse and put his finger to the corner of her nose. He was breathing, but not yet conscious. Maxim removed the stone that was crushing Theodora’s right leg. As I raised some mana, the wound throbbed.

“Big…!”

Maxim rolled a large stone behind him. Theodora’s right leg was exposed, and Maxim gritted his teeth. The armor was completely crumpled.

It’s broken.

Even without looking closely, I could tell. It must have been broken to such an extent that it was difficult to walk, suppressing the pain. Now, Theodora’s right leg was just a piece of meat that couldn’t even support her body. There was no way to wake her up right away.

“Damn it.”

Maxim first retrieved Theodora’s sword. Then, he separated his scabbard from his waist and cut it to a suitable size for the splint. Maxim roughly cut Fenrir’s skin off with a knife and used it to bind Theodora’s legs and splints.

Maxim inspected the joint of the armor on Theodora’s right leg. A crevice was visible in the bent shin area and the joint area of the knee. Maxim forcibly tore off that part of the armor.

“…Theodora.”

The leg was broken worse than expected. My ankles were bent in strange ways, and my shins were swollen. Maxim tied together Fenrir’s fur and the sheath he had cut off so that he could not move his legs. It’s awkward, but first aid has been completed,

“It will hurt…but bear with it for a little while.”

Maxim carefully picked Theodora up and laid her on the wall of the cliff. It was best to wait right here, where it crashed. Nothing else, since the ground collapsed, he must have sensed an abnormality from the top of the cliff. If so, he had no choice but to wait here waiting for the knights who sensed the abnormality to find him and Theodora.

If you move to another place to climb up on your own, you may cause a bigger problem.

“What is this really about…”

Maxim sighed and went to sit next to Theodora. Even if monsters come to this place after smelling it, they will surely be able to stop it if they risk their lives. I was able to hold out for a few hours. I don’t know if there is magic that allows you to fly, but if Christine comes, you might be able to be rescued faster.

It was when Maxim calmly collected himself and leaned his back against the wall to conserve energy.

Kirik.

Maxim’s pupils shook. It was a terrible rattling sound that seemed to pierce directly into the ear.

Kirik.

I couldn’t believe it, but it sounded like a bug eating a rock.

Kirik.

Maxim slowly, very slowly raised his head.

A huge pupil, unrecognizable at first, was a very black, deep hole cut into the cliff.

“…don’t f*ck around.”

rattle.

The sound of rubble collapsing came from behind. Maxim looked back with an expression that had drained his complexion. It was a monster. A few monsters had already heard the sound of the collapse and the smell of Fenrir’s blood, and had flocked to it.

However, to Maxim now, the monsters flocking to the entrance were not important. Maxim quickly carried Theodora on his back. Theodora slumped helplessly on Maxim’s back. Maxim supported Theodora’s leg with his left hand and gripped the sword tightly with his right hand.

Is it because of that hole that the ground seems to have weakened?

Maxim swallowed dry saliva as he stared at his huge pupils. I knew that there were monsters that lived through holes like that in the ground. A death worm, a death god of the sand sea that is sometimes found in desert areas.

Kirik.

The sound of the rock-eating insects grew louder and closer.

But Maxim knew that they always burrowed in the sand, and he had never heard of them being able to get around by drilling holes in stones like that.

However, presence. A very strong monster presence was felt from beyond that hole. If it’s a death worm that can pierce rocks, not even sand, it’s worth showing off that level. I don’t know if it’s fortunate or unfortunate that I can only feel one. The size would be damn big too.

Maxim imagined fighting that monster again. It was narrow, and the footing was not quiet. In addition, a place that is no different from that monster’s nest. It was an opponent whose complete victory could not be guaranteed without using an aura.

If you use an auror…

Sweat broke out from Maxim’s hands. Maxim then looked around the entrance. If I use an aura and kill the monsters lurking on the other side. In the end, I’ll become the monster’s food together with this corpse of Fenrir, Theodora.

Kii Ik-!

The roar of demons came from the entrance. Maxim looked back at the entrance. About six or seven. There were no options. If you fight a death worm, you will die on the spot with a high probability. Maxim held onto Theodora tightly. Like Theodora, Maxime could have been stranded dead if it had been broken anywhere.

Kirik.

Kirik.

Kirik.

Maxim held on to his beating heart.

Stay calm. The decision I make now determines whether Theodora will die or live.

If I could wake her up, I would have thought of fighting that monster approaching through the pupils, but, savagely, Theodora did not intend to wake up.

Kirik, Kirik, Kirik, Kirik.

The sound of gnawing rocks gets closer and closer. Maxim stepped forward with staggering steps.

Kirik, Kirik, Kirik, Kirik. Kirik.

The louder sound penetrated Maxim’s brain and seemed to be heard. Maxim’s steps became more urgent.

Hard.

There was the sound of rocks grinding behind Maxim’s back. Even without looking back, Maxim could see that the monster had reached out. Now was not the time to worry about footing. Maxim’s footsteps exploded the ground.

kayek.

Maxim raised the sword horizontally, holding it with only one right hand.

Kyaaa-!

Maxim and the monster recognized each other. Maxim was praying with all his heart to an unknown god.

Heaven, please, it doesn’t matter if you haven’t helped yet. So, for now,

Kyaaa-!

Please help us get Theodora back safely for now.

The cliff behind Maxim’s back shook once more, and at the same time, the two camps struggling for survival clashed.