Chapter 172 – Pile of Ashes (4)

The surveillance posts installed in the western forest started at number 1, which was the closest to the city, and the distance increased as the number increased.
Each guard post was made of fire-resistant wood and equipped with thorough defensive magic, so it was used as a shelter in case of a monster attack or fire.
Darling, who entered guard post number 4, which was the final destination of this evacuation operation and was quite far from Parencia, ordered the soldiers to rest.
Trees that had been cut down to prevent the fire from spreading were fallen in various places, so the border between the two spaces was clear.

“We will take a break for about an hour and then proceed with the full-scale search.”
“All right. “I will tell that to the wizards as well.”

The centurion ordered the soldiers to put out the remaining fires with sand and measure the amount of purified water.
He did not forget to assign security guards to monitor the area around the guard post.

“Hey, Sheldon. “Come here for a moment.”
“Yes?”
“Shh, be quiet and follow me.”

One of the soldiers standing guard motioned to his pale blue successor.
He spoke carefully so that others could not hear.

“You know the search operation will begin soon, right?”
“Yes. I know.”
“I was a guard at guard post number 4, right? But I secretly hid liquor bottles around here.”
“Yes!? If you get caught…”
“If you get caught drinking at the guard post, you’ll be taken to the brig. Last year it was up to 3 times, so why increase the range this year!? So please help me for a moment.”

The senior soldier’s request was that he would watch for a moment as he would take out the chest containing the alcohol and move it beyond the logging area.
In any case, the search will proceed from guard post number 4, where the dark soot remains, back toward Parenzia.
If you hide it again in a forest that hasn’t been burned yet, you’ll never be discovered.

“Still, it’s dangerous over there…”
“Hey, I started a fire and all the monsters sprung out. What’s the danger? I have worked here for 3 years. “I’ll give you a few bottles later, okay?”
“Whoa… All right.”

Seldon, unable to refuse his senior’s request, secretly headed to the place where he buried the liquor bottle.
After clearing away one of the burnt and broken shrubs and digging the ground, a large wooden chest appeared.

“Come on, let’s move.”
“Yes? All you have to do is look at the net…”
“It’ll be faster if we do it together! Hurry!”

The two quickly ran to avoid the eyes of other soldiers.
My hands were shaking as I held on to the heavy chest, but fortunately I was able to enter the forest before I was caught.
Sheldon took a deep breath as the cool air filled his lungs instead of the acrid smoke.
The senior smiled broadly at him and slapped his back.

“You’re tougher than you look. Good job.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“You probably still have some time left for a break. Would you like to take a sip?”
“Yes!? No, not now… !”

Sheldon refused, but the appointment was resolute.
He knew that if he left here the expensive whiskey he had bribed before passing through customs, he would not be able to drink it for a while.
This was because after burning the forest in winter, the troops at all guard posts withdrew.

“Don’t take it out, dude! “Take what you give when you give it?”

So rather than waiting until spring comes, I wanted to try a little bit of alcohol right away.

“Here, at Catherine’s bar, where you go every day, you can’t find alcohol… Uh?

However.

“What are all these… ?”

What was inside the large chest was not bright brown Scotch whiskey, but rather unpleasant, pitch-black statues.
That was when the two soldiers froze, unable to say anything.

Cooung———!!

A huge vibration rang out loudly.
Mountain birds flew into the sky, and gray ash scattered on impact.
At the same time, an enormous amount of karma begins to spread from the statue.
Sensing anxiety, the senior slammed the chest shut and shouted at Sheldon.

“Run to the guard post!! Tell them to go and shoot all the flares!!!”

***

Peeeee——!!
Piing——!!

The western sky was as colorful as a child who had just learned to draw had thrown in paint.
The sky, which had been colored dark purple, was covered with black darkness.
While the remaining embers were lighting up the horizon as if the sun had not yet set, red, blue, and green flares exploded at the same time.

I was just about to leave the main gate of the academy when I saw that scene and stopped.
And there was another person who stopped walking with me.

“Oh my god…”

Erzsebet.
She was a bad princess who kept her mouth shut after the Grand Duke’s meeting and did not give her a title or anything else.
As her blood cried on her shoulder, she noticed me standing behind her and called urgently ——

“Ah, Louis… !”

—— Smiled innocently and delicately again and placed her hands together on her chest.

“He’s my godfather… !”

Wow, the change in attitude is very natural now.
It was to the point where I began to develop a crush on that fox-like figure that I had never had before.
Things like pressing my chest and smiling.
I thought that the hair that was always perfectly maintained and flawless was worthy of being called the jewel of the kingdom.

“Oh, no! This is not the time! “We’re in big trouble!!”

Of course, there were more times when he showed his foolish side in front of me.

“I know.”

This time, I understood her actions.
This was because I knew well what the three colored flares meant.
Red is injured or dead, blue is support, and green is defense.
The fact that all three primary color flares went off meant a warning that the guard post was currently in a critical situation, had already suffered serious damage, and, above all, that the crisis might spread to the entire Farenzia.

The flare did not even go off at a single guard post, but got closer and closer to this place.
If you had seen it from Yeouido, it would have been a great sight, but now it was like the sound of a siren just before an artillery bombardment.

“Don’t worry. “I tried to go without having to be cute.”
“That’s not it, Louis.”

Erzsebet caught me trying to go to the forest.
Then she quickly cast her soundproofing spell and told me one thing.

“You can’t go into the forest.”
“Why?”
“A little while ago, I heard that a special force from the Holy Kingdom had infiltrated through the border from Goliath.”

With an anxious expression, she explained that she had already contacted the archdukes and that war was likely to break out soon.

“They must be coming this way. “Where you should be right now is the store, not that forest.”

Is it because of Caroline?
The rescue signal from the guard post probably wasn’t sent because Seongguk’s special unit was discovered.
If they had infiltrated in the first place, ordinary soldiers would have lost their lives before they could collectively fire a signal like that.
Erzsebet seemed to be well aware of that fact, too.

“There is definitely one reason why the guard post is so noisy, Monster Wave.”
“…”
“If you go there now, the academy might be in danger.”
“Then who will stop that?”

It was a question that had an answer without even having to ask it.
They tried to contact the archdukes, but even the world’s fastest telescoping and communication fixes are so slow that they can’t even be compared to smartphones.
Currently, there is only one person in Farencia who can protect the large number of monsters from the city.

“I’m the chairman.”

It was Lehel Darad, the reincarnator.

I closed my eyes for a moment.
Seongguk’s troops are said to be coming here now.
And a swarm of monsters in the western forest where Darling will be.

‘If you leave the latter to Lehel…’

She will obviously have to spend the rest of her life on her own.
Just like in the past when we protected Thessalon from demons.
When I thought about it that way, I made a quick decision.

“I have an appointment with the lord. “I’m going to the forest.”
“Louis!!”
“Don’t worry. “The store will be safe.”
“Yes… ?”

She doesn’t know.
What and who is in the canteen now.

‘Tsk, this is why I don’t like prophets who brag.’

They act as if the whole world is in the palm of their hands.
There was no reason for him to suddenly come across the desert and have a meal after not having heard from him for ten years.

“I tell Lehel not to come forward for no reason and to keep her locked up somewhere. “Never use unique magic.”

Since I didn’t have time, I used the first unique magic spell right away.
After raising a small dusting of dust with the dragon’s wings that sprouted from its back, it flew up to find Darling.

***

“Eh… ?”

In her office, Lehel was watching a program called ‘The Wild Goose Couple’s Co-Parenting Method’, which replaced Mon Wangjeon, which ended its season.
Lounging with her chest on her desk and rolling her crystal orbs, she pulled back her curtains as suddenly the sky lit up brightly.

“Uh? Uh oh… !?”

Her face turned pale as she saw beautiful colored fireworks exploding.
An indispensable sign that Parenzia is in great danger.
She quickly took out another crystal ball and called the administrative chief, Merins.

“Delaine! Quickly run to the director’s office!! “I’m calling all the professors on duty too!!”

At that moment, she, too, must have seen the flare and rushed out of the civil servants’ dormitory.
Mark, the security chief who was on night shift, and Professor Marco, who was conducting experiments in the lab, quickly knocked on the door.

“Chairman! “We’re in big trouble!!”
“I received a call from the West Gate Guard. Monster… No, it’s a monster!”
“What? Monster!?”
“Yes. This is what we confirmed from the wizards at guard post number 4. “The lord and some soldiers are trapped there now.”
“Hi, Mr… “It’s going to turn.”
“What should I do… ?”

Knock knock knock.
After knocking on her desk exactly three times, like a quick-thinking wizard, she asked the student head.

“How many students are left in the dormitory?”
“There are some who returned to their families because of the war… “Most of them will be sleeping.”
“Connect to the communication channel and broadcast it to the school broadcast.”
“What should I say?”

Lehel opened a book she always kept in her director’s office and pointed with her finger to the sentence written at the bottom.

“All students remaining in the academy are to evacuate to the cafeteria site.”