Chapter 97

“So, who are you guys! How did you get up here?”

“How’s the situation? Report.”

“What? No, who on earth are you and where did you come from, suddenly showing up like this…”

“Report.”

“…Yes, yep!”

The previously snappy Rostia soldier caved under Commander Balthazar’s quiet pressure and became obedient.

“As you can see, strange things we’ve never seen or heard of are swarming towards Rostia!”

“Strange things we’ve never seen or heard of… I see.”

Commander Balthazar nodded dryly, then turned to me standing beside him.

“Look, Kairon. Are those really strange things we’ve never seen or heard of?”

“No, not really. In fact, it’d be strange if you didn’t know them. If you don’t know, if you really don’t know, our Vanguard would be very upset.”

There was no need to think about what was swarming towards Rostia.

Clearly, if they were ordinary beings in this world, they wouldn’t look like that.

Grotesque and disgusting demons from another world.

Even their numbers were overwhelming, unlike anything we’d seen in any wave before.

Judging by the numbers, it seemed we had really ticked off the so-called gods of chaos.

But perhaps even those gods didn’t want to annihilate us immediately, as they showed some mercy by not letting us die horribly without putting up a decent fight.

The demons swarming now were the weak ones that had crossed into this world a long time ago.

Toads the size of small calves, oozing a disgusting, sticky fluid from their bodies.

When we first encountered them, we were first shocked by their size, and then nauseated by the foul stench they emitted.

And if their fluid got on you during a fight, if you didn’t heal it with magic right away, it would seep deep into your skin, causing an unbearably itchy skin condition for about a week.

But that was it.

At least the Demon Toads were far more merciful than the demons that charged at us with murderous intent.

Moreover, their attack methods were so simple that they weren’t too hard to deal with.

Their only attack method was to jump up and rub their bodies against their opponent’s flesh, so all we had to do was stab them with our weapons before they piled up and jumped higher.

The problem was their overwhelming numbers, far beyond anything we’d seen before, and they were divided into three groups heading towards Rostia’s three gates.

Rostia’s gates weren’t built to be that sturdy, so with their numbers and bodies, they could easily push through and destroy the gates.

“Have you seen those before?”

“Yes. And you, you seem to be of a higher rank than the average soldier. How long have you been stationed in Rostia?”

“Huh? Me? I’m in my fifth year…”

“Fifth year, huh. And you don’t know about those…”

My brow furrowed involuntarily.

With each wave, new demons crossed into this world, but it wasn’t always entirely new demons.

Like the Demon Hounds from the previous wave, many demons that had crossed before returned in stronger forms.

So after each wave, our Vanguard recorded and organized the appearance and characteristics of the demons we faced, and shared that information across the world.

But for a soldier who had been stationed in Rostia for five years to not recognize those appearances meant that Rostia’s lord had received our reports but failed to properly disseminate and educate his people.

“Haha, I guess I just wasted my time.”

Commander Balthazar laughed hollowly.

“What did you do? Now that I think about it, you went into the government office.”

“It was a routine task. Our Vanguard compiles a demon encyclopedia after each wave and shares it with the world. But it seems Rostia’s lord only paid lip service to receiving it, not actually valuing it. Even though Rostia is a crucial stronghold closest to our Vanguard.”

“Yes, it seems so. In fact, they’ve been increasing the taxes on merchants traveling between Rostia and our Vanguard every year.”

“…What do you think, Kairon? What comes to mind seeing this pathetic sight?”

Commander Balthazar asked me in a voice tinged with disappointment, frustration, and a hint of curiosity.

“Do you still think demons are purely evil? Do you think the demons are at fault?”

“Enough with the sophistry, Commander Balthazar. There’s some truth to your words, but only some. Ultimately, it’s a wrong way of thinking.”

“Regardless, a high-ranking officer who’s been stationed here for five years is in this state. Isn’t the outcome obvious?”

“What? This state? Who are you to say that…”

“Vanguard.”

When I didn’t bother hiding my anger, the soldier who was about to get angry quickly backed down.

“V-Vanguard?”

“That’s right. While you’ve been living peaceful lives, we’re the fools risking our lives on the front lines to stop the demons. Part of me wants to leave you to your fate, but I won’t. I’ll help stop them for now. Commander, will you fight?”

“No. I told you. I want to watch from behind.”

“Even at a time like this… Fine. I didn’t expect much help anyway, but the disappointment just keeps growing. Thankfully…”

Mages from the Rostia Magic Tower started rushing out.

They too seemed to realize the gravity of the situation and were trying to bolster the defense.

After all, the real strength of the city of Rostia wasn’t the defense force, but the mages of the Rostia Magic Tower.

“Let’s go, Riana. Hop on.”

“Okay. I’ll help too!”

Before leaping, I slowly surveyed the three gates.

Deciding to head towards the north gate where the most demons were gathering, I and Illeana left Commander Balthazar on the watchtower and leapt into action.

“What do we do? What should we do, Captain!”

“D-Don’t panic! Don’t panic…!”

As expected, the soldiers guarding the north gate were in complete disarray.

Judging by the reduced number of soldiers compared to when Abelin and I visited, it seemed some had even fled in fear.

Even though the swarming demons weren’t that terrifying.

Ignorance might be bliss, but in times like this, ignorance was a sin.

“Form up. They’re nothing special. Build a solid wall with your shields, and when they get close, just stab them with your spears. You can hold them off easily.”

“What? Who are you to suddenly show up and tell us what to do…”

“Huh? Vanguard, right?”

“V-Vanguard!”

When one soldier recognized me as Vanguard, a faint spark of hope lit up in the panicked soldiers’ eyes.

“We’re saved! The Vanguard is here to help us! And they say this guy is one of the best fighters in the Vanguard!”

“……”

Should I really be happy about the praise?

Normally, being welcomed and praised would make me feel good and proud, but in this situation, it only made my head more complicated.

What I’ve felt so far is that the people of this world clearly know that the Vanguard specializes in stopping demons.

They know to be grateful to the Vanguard, but they rely on us so much that when faced with demons, their first reaction is fear and shrinking back.

Maybe Commander Balthazar was right.

The people of this world need to change a little…

“Ugh, this is no time for this! Hurry up and form up like Kairon oppa said!”

“O-Oh! Hey guys, let’s form up like he said!”

When Riana scolded them, the stunned soldiers quickly formed a shield wall in front of the gate, ready to stab through the gaps with their spears.

Much more orderly than I expected.

“As requested, we’ll form up and hold them off. What about you?”

“I’ll…”

I drew the great sword from my back and gripped it tightly.

“I’ll dive in. Right into their midst. I’ll reduce their numbers as much as I can to lessen your burden.”

As I said that and prepared to leap again.

“Oppa, wait.”

“Huh?”

Riana stopped me.

With a look of immense pride and triumph…?