C712
Flash!
Every time Harmila, Yulian’s Thunder Bow, shot an arrow, the fruit from the giant tree inevitably fell.
Valkas caught the fruit in the air and safely sent it to the rendezvous point.
The fruits they obtained mostly contained living prisoners, unlike those that had already fallen to the ground.
The pace of the rescue was increasing.
The prisoners arriving with each fruit were freed by Enya, and those walking behind Hedo collapsed to the ground.
The prisoners felt relieved, knowing that most of them had survived, but it was only temporary.
“Ah... My arm, my arm!”
“Magician, my daughter is still inside the castle. Please... please save her. Please!”It was difficult to control the people overwhelmed by fear.
Starting with those whose families were trapped among the fruits, to those who couldn’t suppress their screams due to pain, to those whose minds collapsed and tried to escape from the lines without reason, to those who clung to Enya and begged for help, and even those who leaned carelessly on Qwaul’s machine...
Sobs, groans, screams.
With each increasing number of rescued individuals, the area where Hedo guarded the prisoner rendezvous point turned into a chaotic battlefield.
There were many people who had lost their families, were disfigured, or were overwhelmed by despair.
Among them, there were a few who managed to maintain their sanity, but if things continued like this, it seemed that Valeria and Qwaul would also have trouble analyzing the situation.
Enya was an exceptional magician.
The reason her companions left her at the prisoner rendezvous point was that her magic was particularly specialized in defense.
However, Enya was also a very kind person.
She lacked the coldness necessary to control people, even if it meant resorting to cruel methods in this situation.
Originally, Hedo, Valeria, or Qwaul should have taken on that role, but the three were entirely focused on the prisoners and couldn’t pay attention.
“Stay still! Everyone, maintain the lines! It will be difficult for me to help you if you don’t follow the instructions!”
Not many prisoners listened even when Enya shouted.
Some prisoners even retorted to Enya, asking what good it would do.
I can’t afford to act out of frustration.
Even though the prisoners are in a pitiful state, if I lose control now, our allies will be in danger.
If Sir Hedo takes my place and provides a distraction, the comrades who haven’t received Sir Hedo’s protection and the other prisoners being rescued may die.
Soon, Enya gripped her staff and unleashed her mana on the prisoners who were trying to break free of her control.
As cruel as it was, she had to subdue them by force.
Enya’s staff trembled slightly. It was unexpected for her to aim at the prisoners instead of the Chaos Army.
“If you continue causing trouble, I’ll have no choice. Return to the lines immediately. This is your final warning.”
“Yes, go ahead, kill us. I’ve already lost my entire family. I have no reason to live... I might as well...”
Suddenly, a prisoner fell, and Enya’s pupils widened.
She had tried to subdue them, but it wasn’t her who had knocked down the prisoner.
Someone had used magic before Enya.
“These crazy bastards don’t even realize how grateful they should be.”
It was one of the prisoners who had just arrived at the rendezvous point, someone with a history with Enya—Pascal Chip.
“I am Pascal Chip, a magical officer of the Imperial Defense Corps. From now on, those who don’t follow control will be subject to martial law. Do you find it amusing, those who risked their lives to come to this hell to rescue the prisoners trapped in the hands of the enemy? Are those people not pointing their staffs at the enemy, but at you?”
“Pascal...?”
Pascal Chip, the leader of a group of thugs who tormented Enya in the past at the Vermont Academy.
He had completely transformed into a different person after the operation to eliminate the Dark Magic Society during the time when Jin was a provisional flagbearer.
He had become a respectable officer of the Imperial Defense Corps.
During Dyfus’s invasion, he protected civilians as a member of the defense force and ended up becoming a prisoner.
Even after being rescued, he continued to fulfill his duty.
-Ugh... Someday I will repay this favor...
Those were the words Pascal said after the operation to eliminate the Dark Magic Society.
“After that day, I swore to repay the favor someday. I never expected to be able to help at a time like this. Since there are members of the Imperial Defense Corps among the rescued prisoners, I’ll help control them. Please focus on what Commander Magician Tikan is doing.”
When Pascal subdued a few more prisoners, the chaos quickly subsided.
It probably would have had the same result if Enya had done it, but it was clear that it left a mental impact on her.
Enya nodded.
“I understand, Sir Pascal. I’ll entrust it to you.”
The confusion at the prisoner rendezvous point was finally under control.
Enya redirected her attention to the rear defense, and Hedo wielded his sword without needing to look back, momentarily forgetting the commotion behind him.
Although the sun didn’t rise due to the haze, it was already past six in the morning.
Three hours had passed since the rescue operation began, and nearly three thousand prisoners had gathered at the rendezvous point.
Compared to the estimated hundred thousand people, it was still far from enough, but each and every life was invaluable.
Now, the prisoners were tending to each other’s wounds, attending to the fallen and the deceased.
Fortunately, so far, there had been no serious casualties among the members of the Vamel Alliance.
Most of them were still running through the wasteland, extracting the fruits from the giant tree, and evading the Giant Beasts.
However, their physical condition wasn’t without problems. After running through this hellish terrain for several hours, exhaustion was inevitable.
Hedo and Mary, in particular, were the ones experiencing the most strain.
The area where Hedo was located was covered in puddles of sweat, and Mary was panting repeatedly, barely managing to stay close to Rikalton Castle but being pushed back repeatedly by the Giant Beasts.
“Ugh, huff...!”
The reason Mary hadn’t infiltrated the castle yet was due to the incessant interference of the Chaos Beasts every time she got close to a certain distance.
Thanks to this, the Giant Beasts couldn’t advance at will, relieving some of Hedo’s burden and ensuring some progress.
“Elder Sister!”
Daytona’s voice rang out as he leaped in front of Mary, brandishing his large sword.
The giant’s fist aimed at Mary was deflected, and in that gap, Haytona struck a rock that flew behind Mary.
“What are these damned bastards doing here? Instead of bothering me, go rescue the prisoners! Did you really think I couldn’t handle something like this?”
“Elder Sister, you look exhausted.”
“If you keep trying to push through on your own like this and exhaust yourself even more, you’ll be overwhelmed when a situation arises inside Rikalton Castle. Anyway, this area is our responsibility. As you can see... there are no more surviving prisoners here.”
Mary didn’t even realize that she had been pushed back to the area belonging to the Tona brothers.
“Heh, damn it.”
“I won’t mention joining you to infiltrate Rikalton Castle. Although I may seem determined, I understand that it’s not our role. So, please, allow us.”
Mary stared at her brothers.
Looking at their firm and determined eyes, she couldn’t help but wonder if they were really the Tona brothers.
“...I thought you were nothing but muscleheads, but now you’re finally playing the role of human beings.”
“It’s all thanks to you and the younger one, Elder Sister.”
“We’re making an effort to follow the words you said last time.”
Although their words were harsh, Mary remembered that the Tona brothers were there when she resisted Rosa alongside Dyfus before Jin returned.
Mary realized that maybe the Tona brothers had already become trustworthy brothers since then.
No, it was true.
“Alright, I’ll trust you a little. Can you make sure there are no corpses in my way?”
“Of course, Elder Sister.”
“Go ahead!”
As they started moving forward again, Mary felt the path was much easier compared to before.
“Get lost, you monster bastards! The madwoman of the Southern Continent and the sons of Hell are coming out!”
“Kahaha! Get lost, get lost!”
“Crazy bastards...”
The giants who had become accustomed to concentrating their pressure only on Mary were losing momentum.
After about twenty minutes, the brothers finally reached near the outer wall.
Mary had managed to conserve some energy, and the Tona brothers still had enough strength to return the way they came.
“That should be enough. Although your lines were cheesy and deplorable for being backed by shouts, you’ve become considerably stronger, haven’t you?”
“Wow, thanks!”
“Now go back. Don’t move from here. I should be able to enter without any problems. Most of the giants have retreated.”
“Hoo, Elder Sister!”
“What?”
“We wish you good luck...”
As the Tona brothers tried to take Mary’s hand and bow their heads, Mary suddenly drew her sword and scanned her surroundings.
She felt a presence. It was an aura of hatred distinct from that of the giants.
When they checked the origin of the aura, the Tona brothers couldn’t help but make distorted faces.
“Th-those... things we crushed during the attack on the Garden of Swords... have resurrected!”
Myu and Ann.
They were looking at the three siblings from the outer wall.
[Oh, God. It’s really a scene that can’t be watched without shedding tears. You wish me good luck? Since when are you so close?]
[Hey, Seventh Flagbearer. You used to act so high and mighty, but now you’ve fallen to the point of needing help from those wretches? It’s almost pathetic enough to kill you, isn’t it?]
The brothers stared at Myu and Ann without responding.
“If you had died, at least they should have buried you with some dignity. What kind of cockroach are you? I don’t understand why there are so many bugs resurrecting these days. But on second thought, it’s only fair that we finish you off with our own hands. Come down and fight. You won’t survive this time.”
“The day has come to settle our old grudge. The chases, humiliations, and shame we endured. Today we’ll pay it all back, you damned bastards.”
As Myu and Ann taunted the Tona brothers, Haytona whispered softly to Mary.
‘Elder Sister, we’ll take care of them. Take this opportunity to leave.’
‘They’re beyond what you can handle right now.’
‘No, Elder Sister. There’s no point in trying to escape. Besides, we have a plan. We don’t intend to die in your place, so please leave now. Even if we’re overwhelmed in the fight, Haytona and I will hold out until our temporary allies arrive. So, good luck!’
Although they hadn’t discussed beforehand how to handle such a situation, the Tona brothers were already leaping towards Myu and Ann, leaving no time for Mary to think.
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