The members of the Raid Team, who had gone out for a raid outside the village, returned.
“Hoo… The numbers keep increasing.”
The daily meetings to organize the raids had disappeared. The members of Ksaham, who had undergone tough training, returned from the raids exhausted and collapsed in their rooms.
It wasn’t a special case, but I could participate freely in the raid operations. In dire situations, I would rely on my magic. This was something that both Tooler and Isaac had individually mentioned to me once.
Fully armored, I joined the next Raid Team.
“So, you’re going too.”
“Why do these people keep using this place as a gathering point?”
The Raid Team often gathered in front of the angelic statue. Jere, who was usually present at that spot, had no choice but to be quietly dragged along.
After a raid, they needed to rest at home since they were so tired, and if they came out to preach a little, they would get dragged along.
“This is my second time.”
Tenji spoke while leaning his spear like a staff against the ground. Every morning and evening, he participated in the raids twice.
“Aren’t you tired? Other members collapse immediately after going out once.”
“Well, I just have to sh**t arrows from the back.”
Even though he was an archer, watching him use a sword or spear made me doubt whether he was truly an archer.
As the castle gates opened and we stepped outside the village, the sight was reminiscent of hell. Mountains of corpses and rivers of bl**d. From a distance, monsters were seen surging like waves.
“They’re coming.”
Arrows poured down like rain from the trees that were planted decoratively at the village entrance. Pulling the bowstring back, even without aiming, arrows struck the monsters with precision.
As the rain of arrows gradually ceased, the Raid Team began to advance.
“Divine Retribution!”
From the tips of Jere’s fingers, intense light shot out as lightning extended in a straight line.
“Having a mage is certainly convenient.”
“Why aren’t you preparing magic?”
“I’m focusing on swordsmanship for now.”
Aila had said that I could use magic if needed, but personal pride had emerged. I wondered if I might realize something by facing the monsters with my sword.
With one spell from Jere, quite a number of monsters were slain. Nevertheless, the number of monsters didn’t significantly diminish.
I leaped into the fray holding a dagger. Previously, everyone would have said it was dangerous. However, with so many monsters, it would only be a matter of time before we were surrounded anyway.
Perhaps I was a little unlucky as I found myself in the midst of medium-sized monsters. Dodging their attacks while swinging big axes and hammers, I managed to stick to one creature’s shoulder.
Stabbing the dagger right into the back of its neck, it let out a scream, swinging its weapons around before collapsing.
“One down.”
Thanks to the dagger’s quality, I could deliver a critical hit without much effort. The medium-sized monsters could maintain their balance even if I severed one of their legs due to their good sense of balance.
Instead, their movements slowed considerably, giving me some breathing room.
“Well then, shall we begin?”
I sheathed the daggers I was holding. Taking a stance with swords in both hands, I infused my mana.
A monster swung its axe at me rapidly.
Swoosh!
With a clean cut, the arms holding the axe were severed. In my hand was a translucent sword.
The so-called Wind Sword. A sword made of wind. I had only recently succeeded in taming it to use.
Wind and lightning magic are quite tricky to control. Lightning, in particular, reacted well to me, so it would hit where I wanted it to, which was convenient.
However, that was not the case with this Wind Sword. At first, it tried to escape from my hand, creating an immense wind, which was threatening. I instead found myself gaining an advantage by unleashing it where the monsters were.
How could they possibly block the raging wind? After letting it rampage a few more times, for some reason, it gradually calmed down.
If I created it with purer mana, it began to listen to me a bit. Because of that, even though it was a simple spell, it consumed quite a bit of refined mana.
In return, if it obeyed well, there was no more convenient weapon.
Swinging the Wind Sword once, the small monsters around me couldn’t withstand it and were blown away. The medium-sized monsters ignored the wind and charged at me.
I had practiced the motions of cutting, stabbing, and swinging countless times. Simply executing those three moves wasn’t what you’d call swordsmanship.
A medium-sized monster, pierced through the abdomen by the Wind Sword, met its end with a look of surprise.
What a terrifying weapon. When it pierces the body of the opponent, it begins to sever the surroundings with wind. Even the insides of the body.
“Wind Cutter.”
Swinging the Wind Sword wide a couple of times, sharp currents of wind spread out in all directions.
The scene that unfolded was hard to describe; it was gruesome. Body parts of the monsters were scattered everywhere.
Thud!
As I shifted my gaze back, a small monster had stabbed a sword into my back.
Lightly, I swung my weapon and dealt with it. I likely wouldn’t have suffered serious wounds without armor, but because I was wearing it, I came away unscathed.
This must have been why Aila insisted we wear armor. The number of monsters was so great that one could be attacked without being careless.
However, Aila herself wasn’t wearing armor. I was curious how she dealt with that.
Despite the long battle, I wasn’t particularly fatigued. It was a secret I couldn’t reveal to others, but the bracelet on my wrist alleviated some of the fatigue from the prolonged combat.
When I first received it, its effect was so minimal that I thought it was useless, but after experiencing a lengthy battle, I couldn’t be more grateful.
“Time for a shift!”
As it was time to swap out, I returned to the front of the castle gates. The Raid Team members all bore exhausted expressions.
“You look completely fine.”
“So do you.”
“I just used magic from the back, but you swung a sword all around.”
“Let’s just say it’s the difference between humans and demons.”
Among the Raid Team members, there were also demon mercenaries. They seemed to find these fights quite challenging as well.
“There’s one more person besides me who’s fine.”
“That one is really suspicious. Participating twice every morning and evening? Seems like they’re not in their right mind.”
The one who was least sane here was Jere.
He was trying to resurrect an angel that could bring about the world’s destruction.
“I don’t really feel fatigue because I’m an ability user.”
“Ability user? Isn’t that a term used to refer to mages in that world?”
“It’s a bit different from a mage.”
Certainly, Tenji’s use of abilities was somewhat different from the magic Jere and I wielded. It didn’t seem like his mana was moving.
The rest of the Raid Team returned to the lodgings, but the three of us, who were feeling the best, went out to eat.
We entered a random restaurant, placed our orders, and started to talk about the day’s raid.
“How long do we have to do this?”
“Well, it’ll probably be about a week more.”
Tenji knew about the raid duration better than Jere and me since he had lived in this village.
“Then, will such numbers keep coming for the next week?”
“Originally, Sir Pai-sun would assist, but he doesn’t seem to be around this time.”
“Sorry.”
I hadn’t realized how important the monster named Pai-sun was. However, Isaac or Tooler hadn’t mentioned it to me or Isabel at that time.
Of course, the issue lay in the fact that Isabel and I had skipped the intermediate process and directly confronted the large monster, Pai-sun.
“I can’t help but think the Raid Team’s numbers are too small. Can’t we just let monsters take their chances?”
Jere seemed to not understand the importance of this raid.
Tenji explained to Jere why the raid being conducted here was so significant.
“See, that’s still strange. If it was that important, they should send an army here.”
“They’re probably trying to maximize effectiveness while minimizing the number sent.”
The moment an army moves, everything costs money. Feeding, lodging, clothing, and salaries all take their toll.
The raid teams sent by both empires aim to minimize that.
The Raid Team comprises fewer members than an army and doesn’t require large sums of money.
Probably, the knights of Latnia receive little more than their salaries.
The side of Roran, being mercenaries, would receive some decent pay, but it’s a trivial amount compared to the costs for an army.
After finishing the meal and returning to the lodgings, Aila was preparing to head out for a raid.
“Are you going out?”
“Yeah. You must be tired, so rest a bit.”
I wasn’t really tired, so I cautiously followed Aila from behind. Instead of going out of the village, we climbed the castle wall to observe the situation.
Monsters surged in, and the Raid Team began to block them. A beam of light moved between the monsters, slaughtering them.
It was too fast to see clearly, but I was certain it was Aila.
Watching that, I realized why Aila didn’t need to wear armor. If you eliminate the opponent before they even get a chance to attack, there’s no need for defense.
When looked at closely, I could see Aila bringing down even medium-sized monsters with a single strike.
“Just as I’d heard, she’s truly a monster.”
I wasn’t alone on the castle wall. I could hear the voices of a companion who had come with me nearby.
“Are there many mercenaries like her in Roran?”
“I don’t think so.”
There was no one here who moved quite like Aila.
Tooler was participating as a member of the Raid Team. He, as a demon mercenary, was so astonished by Aila that he couldn’t close his mouth.
Tooler’s skill must be quite remarkable among the mercenaries; even he was surprised at Aila’s level.
Perhaps Tooler has noticed Aila’s true identity to some extent.
Even without the royal seal stamped on her armor, it was something that couldn’t be hidden—her overwhelming skill.
Of course, high-ranking users could conceal their prowess in front of novices to an extent.
However, at least Aila, as I knew her, never engaged in deceit about her abilities.
She had always fought her enemies with all her strength.
When Aila returned from the raid, she appeared quite exhausted.
Given how swiftly she engaged in battle, it was no wonder she was worn out.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Weren’t you resting?”
“I rested enough.”
I had been refining mana while watching Aila’s battles from the top of the castle wall.
“However, your combat method looks quite tiring.”
“I can’t help it. There are just too many of them.”
Not only Aila, but Tooler and Isaac were said to be fighting in the same manner.
“If you get tired, you won’t be able to sustain the battle for long. Why are you all pushing yourselves so hard?”
“Those two trust you.”
“Even so, we can’t use magic around here. It would blow the village away.”
“That’s what I mean…”
