64. retreat (3)

By the time the troops were withdrawn, the sun was already in the middle of the sky.

Originally, the soldiers who stood guard in the no-man’s land looked at the city, which was their home, hometown, and cradle. Their eyes were red as they looked at the desolate city.

“I couldn’t keep it.”

You will feel miserable.

Paola looked at the soldiers and knights and said. The wounded soldiers left in the city and the medical officers who treated them were the only burden of the withdrawing troops. Equipment, supplies, and troops were all left behind.

Before the full-scale retreat began, the Marquis was preparing an explanation of the operation with a firm face after putting the soldiers in front of him. A very heavy shadow was cast over her expression. He was a Marquis who always had a shady face, but he lost too many of his subordinates in this battle. Even if he pretended to be calm and appeared in front of his subordinates again, it seemed that it was not enough to dispel the darkness.

The Marquis’ neck was hoarse.

“We will proceed with the retreat as quickly as possible. We have to run non-stop for at least a few days until Murra, the second front, so everyone should be prepared…”

The Marquis stopped talking.

“After the evacuation is over, the tent is activated again. After catching the monsters from leaving, I will activate the explosion magic… Maybe I can blow away all the monsters entering the city.”

When asked if he couldn’t blow away the Behemoth with that magic, the Marquis shook his head.

“I like not having expectations. You can’t think that you can knock it down by luck.”

“Even with the magic circle built by dozens of the best wizards in the kingdom after the incident 15 years ago?”

The Marquis retorted in a low, cold voice.

“Will the Behemoth, which killed dozens of the kingdom’s best knights, be defeated by a magic circle built by dozens of the best wizards in the kingdom?”

The Marquis continued, saying, “But.”

“It won’t kill you…but it will definitely take a significant hit. Even Behemoth isn’t strong enough to completely ignore its magic…”

The Marquis changed his expression decisively.

“And, it will probably be our last chance.”

last chance.

It wasn’t something that would come out of the Marquis’ mouth often.

“With that explosion, we can buy time to get to the second front. And when we reach Murra, we will be able to deal with the Behemoth with the troops of the 2nd front.”

The Marquis said in a bitter voice.

“We have failed in our mission.”

It was a heavy word.

“…So, let’s aim to live to the end and join the second front.”

The Marquis looked up at the sky and said.

“I don’t want to lose you any more.”

retreat

Following the command of the Marquis, the withdrawal of troops began.

The veil began to lift very slowly from the exit from the city. When there was enough space for one person to escape, the ranks, prioritizing the wounded, began to escape. And the soldiers who had dedicated their lives to guarding the no-man’s-land abandoned the no-man’s-land and began to escape.

“The Jackdaw Knights will also depart.”

Theodora’s voice came. With her words at the forefront, the members of the Order of the Ravens, whose numbers had noticeably dwindled, followed.

Maxim glanced at Theodora’s face. He didn’t have the empty, blank eyes he had been apologizing to himself for. It was as if he was certain of something. Maxim knew that Theodora was intentionally not looking at him.

“Captain, your voice is different today.”

muttered Paola. Roberto rolled his eyes and looked at Paola.

“Is it different?”

“Why, before that, I had really bad eyesight, but today, isn’t it a little better? Isn’t that right, Maxim?”

Maxim could not answer.

“Maxim?”

Paola turned her head to Maxim.

“…Hey, are you okay?”

Maxim was on the horse, his hands over his chest, wheezing and exhaling heavily.

pounding.

Maxim fluttered unusually and felt his heart beat in his chest. It was as if a horse was running madly down the hill with only a few minutes left before the end. My heart beat and the blood vessels that stimulated it ran wild together. Memory, I don’t know. I don’t know how many or what memories have disappeared.

“Maxim,”

“senior?”

I heard the voices of Paola and Christine. Maxim raised his hand and said he was fine. But even that raised hand was shaking and shaking. Maxim inhaled and exhaled slowly until his voice was clear.

“it’s okay.”

“Hey, are you really okay? It looks like someone forcibly woke up a corpse.”

Maxim shook his head.

“Looks like the injury has healed.”

“It’s an injury.”

Paola looked at Maxim with a puzzled expression. Roberto was looking at Maxim with subtle eyes, and Christine was looking at Maxim with eyes full of concern.

“When retreating, I got hurt while blocking the attack of monsters.”

Saying that, Maxim twisted his neck with an exaggerated gesture. Paola looked at Maxim very suspiciously.

“I’ve been by your side the whole time, in case you don’t know that you’re injured, Maxim.”

Maxim shook his head to the end. Paola put on a tired expression at that stubborn nod.

“…Fine.”

“you…”

Paola sighed and ran past Maxim. Roberto was looking at Maxim without saying anything.

“…why.”

“No, just.”

Roberto laughed at Maxim’s blunt remark and ran after Paola. That guy is really consistent. Maxim muttered to himself.

Christine let go of the reins and moved closer to Maxim as the two of them drifted apart. Christine’s eyes caught her eyes. Those green eyes were the only green eyes found in the no man’s land.

“…senior.”

Maxim released his hand from the scar. It hurt. Maxim looked at Christine, trying not to distort his expression.

“You used mana.”

Maxim couldn’t bear to lie. Maxim turned his head away from Christine and affirmed.

“I did… would you get angry if it was a situation where you had no choice but to do it?”

“Nope. Why am I angry?”

Christine shook her head.

“Don’t give up.”

At Christine’s words, Maxim smiled lightly.

“What do you mean not give up?”

“It’s just that I want you to not give up on you, I.”

Maxim knew what Christine was saying. However, Maxim never confirmed or denied her words. Christine wouldn’t have been asking for an answer either. Maxim thought so.

“Because I will always be by your side.”

Christine did not try to change Maxim’s ambiguous attitude. I just said it out loud as if I was trying to confirm my promise to protect this person.

“…What an embarrassing sound.”

Maxim shrugged his shoulders with a gasping sound. Just like that, Christine held on to Maxim, who just wanted to pass it off as a joke while looking at her promise.

“…senior.”

Maxim did not think that the promise was very good. More because of myself, I didn’t want someone to sacrifice. He didn’t want anyone to get hurt or get in the way because of him.

“Christine, don’t overdo it because of me.”

“Then I guess I can just make sure the senior doesn’t overdo it.”

After all, it was a parallel line. The two’s resolutions and feelings for each other are parallel lines that can never compromise or cross.

Ridiculously, Christine’s gaze touches me.

“Why are you doing this?”

Christine tilted her head at Maxim’s question.

“Yeah…”

“Don’t say you did it because you liked me.”

Maxim sighed and raised his left hand. It was invisible now because of the armor, but there must have been an engagement ring on that ring finger. Christine blushed and was angry with Maxim for the first time in a long time. I thought it was pretty cute to see her angry with her reddish face and her golden hair flying.

“no! Even if you have to say something!”

Maxim bowed his head and laughed. Christine’s face was still red, her fists holding the horse’s reins shaking.

“Since before, I always like making fun of you out of the blue, senior.”

…a thing of the past.

Maxim had nothing much to think about. The foundation and exterior of the building of memories remained, but the inside felt like it was gradually emptying as if it were being moved.

“…senior?”

Christine called Maxim, who suddenly stopped laughing. Maxim’s golden eyes turned to her, dead. Even the slightly raised corners of his mouth created a bittersweet atmosphere to be dismissed as just a smile.

There were so many reasons to guess. Christine had a lot to say to those eyes. However, even if he really asked, Maxim would not be able to answer.

“never mind.”

That’s why even when Maxim shook his head, saying that it was nothing like that, Christine just kept by Maxim’s side.

—

The veil that enveloped the city was completely lifted.

Raising their claws and teeth, they frantically scratched the impenetrable curtain, and after crashing into their bodies, the demons turned bloody and rushed in with the momentum to turn the city into ruins. The only command the head entity had input into their heads was to find and kill humans.

They searched the city. The smell and traces of humans were all over the place. The eyes of the monsters scattered red eyes.

The building has been destroyed. Even though their eyes do not show humans, the monsters who have been deprived of intelligence simply believe that the smell and traces are more convincing evidence and attack the whole city. The ground was dug up, and the ward, where the smell of people vibrated the most, was completely destroyed. In the meantime, demons were crushed by the collapsing building and died.

Behemoth arrives at the city belatedly.

Its body, like a huge rocky mountain, trembled the ground and approached.

Humans seemed to have long since left the city.

The Behemoth walked while looking down at the monsters that only destroyed the city without reason or intelligence. At that step, the monsters were crushed like insects and died.

He had already left the city, fearing himself.

The Behemoth began to destroy the city, as if refusing to leave even the last trace of humanity behind. With each small movement, the buildings collapsed one by one. The city was collapsing to such an extent that it was difficult to recognize its original shape.

The serious injury suffered in the fight 15 years ago was a humiliation. That’s why, even more this time, the Behemoth vowed to thoroughly trample upon humans.

The city was saturated with tens of thousands of monsters. The Behemoth decides to continue the advance as if the anger is over. When the Behemoth stepped forward, a huge curtain was drawn over the city.

The purple, magical curtain was drawn over the city at a completely different rate than when it was being pulled down.

The monster trying to escape the city was blocked by the curtain and turned into a clot of blood again.

When the Behemoth came to a stop right in the center of the city, the entire city was bathed in intense light.

The light formed a six star shape and formed a single line like a constellation. Behemoth let out a roar when he realized the identity of the light. The veil that enveloped the entire city reeled from the Behemoth’s roar.

The light was shining brighter than the sun rising in the middle of the sky. It takes shape and becomes a voracious mana-draining monster, enlarging itself to avenge the Behemoth’s declaration of war.

The flow of mana accelerated to the limit even began to produce a sharp metallic quality. And after the light emitted by the magic circle is condensed and sucked into it,

The world exploded.