Chapter 273
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Huff—
This winter was harsher thanst year’s.
Huff—No, over the past few years, the world had been bing increasingly unforgiving to humans.
Huff—
The man who had been running breathlessly finally came to a halt.
The vigers who were fleeing with him also stopped.
The threat pursuing them hadn’t disappeared.
They simply had no strength left to keep running.
Huff—
Beyond the man’s ragged breaths, monstrous aberrations growled.
There wasn’t just one.
Dozens of red eyes glowed in the darkness.
Crunch—the sound of footsteps on the snow made the man crouch down and sit helplessly.
“H-hiik….”
Monsters.
Until a few years ago, he had thought they were unrted to someone like him, a resident of the continent’s central region.
Sure, they were asionally sighted, but they were quickly exterminated.
But now, the monsters invaded his home, tore apart his family and neighbors, and were threatening his own life.
Chitter—
A mantis-like monster raised its scythe-like foreleg.
Sharp enough to slice through human flesh and bone in one swift motion.
As the man sensed death approaching, his face turned pale.
Shing—
Thunk—
The sound of something being severed and falling to the ground echoed.
The man, who had shut his eyes tight, cautiously felt around his neck.
It was still attached.
Then what was that sound?
“What… is this….”
The man, mustering his courage, opened his eyes to see a monster lying on its side, spraying ck blood.
Its head was gone.
It wasn’t just the monster in front; nearly half of the ones lurking behind, baring their teeth, were also sliced diagonally and copsed on the ground.
As if a giant, invisible de had swept through them.
Shriek—
Btedly, monstrous cries erupted.
Simultaneously, rough footsteps approached quickly.
“Step back!”
It was a young man wielding a greatsword almost as tall as himself.
Despite diving into the horde of monsters several timesrger than him, there was no fear in his crimson eyes.
His long, tied-back ck hair fluttered fiercely.
“!”
The man watching shivered.
He could hardly follow the youth’s movements with his eyes.
As the youth darted among the monsters with agile, animal-like movements, the terrifying monsters fell like autumn leaves.
Tatadak—
The following group’s prowess was equally formidable.
Whiiing—!
Among them, a menacing youth wielding a dark spear made a sound like a swarm of bees.
No matter how resilient the monsters were, they couldn’t survive with a dozen head-sized holes in their bodies.
Despite monsters approaching him from behind, the youth didn’t retreat but instead drove his spear into the shadow on the ground.
Thwack—
Then, holes appeared in the monsters’ bodies as ck blood sprayed into the sky.
“Gerald! I told you not to charge ahead alone!”
Swoosh—
With a clear voice, a rain of arrows was unleashed.
The monsters tried to dodge quickly, but the arrows curved at odd angles to pursue them.
Boom—!
Exploding upon impact, the arrows turned the monsters into shreds on the ground.
Soon, the few remaining monsters were swiftly dealt with by the reinforcements who had entered the battlefield.
“Are you alright?”
“Any injuries?”
In front of the dazed vigers stood a group of six, all in neatly arranged formation.
Each wore armor embossed with a lotus flower.
A viger, recognizing the emblem, muttered.
His tone suggested a slight easing of tension.
“…The Lotus Knights. We’re saved.”
The person next to him questioned.
“The Lotus Knights? Who are they?”
“You know. The knights formed by the disciples of the fake hero, the ones from Rosenstark Academy!”
Though whispered, it wasn’t soft enough to escape the keen hearing of the youths.
Gerald stepped forward towards the vigers who had been speaking.
His face had turned even more menacing, causing the vigers to freeze in fear.
“Fake hero, you say.”
“Y-yes?”
“Second hero. Don’t you know the second hero? Why use such a term when there’s a perfectly good one, huh?”
“H-hiik.”
Karen pulled Gerald by the back of his neck.
“Stop looking so menacing.”
“Menacing?”
“Sigh, you used to have some cute qualities back when you were a freshman, but now that you’re older, you’re downright fierce, really fierce.”
“I was cute?”
“…Shut up.”
While the group exchanged banter in front of the vigers, a woman approached them with light steps from a distance.
She had her blonde hair tied back and bright green eyes that stood out even in the darkness. Therge white longbow on her back reflected the moonlight, making it shine brightly.
“Hello, Deputy Commander. You’ve worked hard.”
Luke, who had been finishing off the monsters, visibly rxed at her greeting.
But it wasn’t the right time for affectionate expressions.
Luke, regaining his serious demeanor, turned to face Evergreen.
“How’s the vige where the people were staying?”
“Hmm… It seems difficult for them to stay any longer.”
“…Survivors?”
Evergreen took a brief breath.
“…None.”
“…I see.”
Though their expressions showed pain, there was a firm resolve to hide their emotions.
It also hinted at their experience, suggesting this wasn’t their first tragedy.
Luke turned to the vigers.
“From now on, we will take you to one of the branches of the ‘Sanctuary’ nearby. You can refuse our guidance if you wish, but…”
His crimson eyes slowly scanned the faces of the vigers, as if to persuade them.
“I wouldn’t rmend it.”
The vigers remained silent.
They already sensed that their hometown was destroyed, and there were no survivors.
They had escaped from there, after all.
Seeing no objections, Luke nodded with a somewhat relieved expression.
“Then let’s depart.”
“W-wait a moment.”
A haggard-looking woman stepped forward, holding a child.
“W-what exactly is the Sanctuary? We’re ignorant folks who’ve only heard the name.”
“It’s… the safest ce we can offer.”
The woman holding the child didn’t look reassured by Luke’s exnation.
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Evergreen approached her.
“Do you know Saintess Pia?”
“Ah, yes. I know her name.”
“The Sanctuary is a kind of shelter and bunker that Saintess Pia has built with all her might. It’s not abundant, but it’s a ce where you can live in peace.”
The Saintess.
Though it was a title she found quite embarrassing, Pia had been called that publicly for some time.
She had poured all the immense wealth she gained from themercialization of Awaken into building the Sanctuary.
Since the disappearance of the ‘fake hero’, humanity had been plunged into an unprecedented dark age due to the relentless onught of demons.
‘We’ve lost the first district of the Demon Realm to Theo again, and stakes have sprouted all over the west.’
The so-called Monster Wave had hit the Western Continent for the first time in decades.
Civilian casualties were particrly severe.
Cities of a certain size were rtively safe, but small towns and viges were exposed to extreme danger.
Many ces were massacred overnight, and those who barely survived often died unable to find a new ce to settle.
The Empire tried toe up with countermeasures, but most of its resources were already being used to fend off the main Demon Army, making the situation difficult.
Thus, Pia stepped forward.
Armed personnel hired with her immense wealth guarded the Sanctuary branches, and her numerous connections, built as an Awaken developer, offered support.
‘Even the professors who left Rosenstark with us have provided support.’
As a result, Pia’s status, once just a teaching assistant at Rosenstark, had risen to unimaginable heights.
Even Barun, previously known as the ‘Saintess of the Lowest,’ had praised her, saying she deserved the title of Saintess more.
“What, what do we have to pay to go there?”
“There’s no payment needed. You might have to do some work within the branch, but it won’t be too hard.”
“R-really?!”
Tears of relief welled up in the eyes of the woman holding the child.
The other vigers also looked at each other with joy.
Evergreen, smiling kindly at them, gestured to the silhouettes in the distance.
“Our juniors will safely escort you.”
Silhouettes waiting in the distance hurriedly ran over.
They were the juniors of the knights, ranging from first-year students to freshmen.
With strict expressions and postures, they stood between Evergreen and the vigers.
Gerald whispered sternly.
“Do a good job. This is an important mission.”
““Yes, Senior!””
As the juniors moved away, the knights turned and headed back to their base.
They had set up a temporary camp due to the frequent monster attacks in the area recently.
As they approached the clustered tents, their expressions grew serious.
Karen was the first to sigh.
“It feels like the frequency of monster attacks is increasing. How many times has it been just this week?”
“…It can’t be helped. The frontlines are gradually being pushed back.”
“The Sanctuary is almost at full capacity too.”
Currently, all members of the Lotus Knights had taken a leave of absence from Rosenstark. After the hero left, the academy had lost its significance as an educational institution for them.
Despite a major overhaul of the faculty, there was nothing for them to learn from those who followed.
Instead of wasting time, they decided to gain realbat experience and contribute to humanity by heading to the battlefield.
It had already been over two years since they made that decision.
“…Everyone, you’ve worked hard. Let’s get some rest. Tomorrow will be tough too.”
“Thanks, Deputy Commander. Good night!”
“Good night!”
After sending the members to their tents, Luke headed towards the center of the camp.
Theirmander had called a meeting of the knights’ officers.
“I’ming in.”
In front of thergest tent, Evergreen, Karen, Gerald, and Luke stood.
A low, firm voice responded almost immediately.
“Come in.”
Themander of the Lotus Knights, Ban Dietrich, was waiting for them with arge map spread out on a round table.
His once bushy brown hair was now cropped short up to his forehead, emphasizing his strong features.
Beneath his prominent eyebrows, his deep eyes gleamed.
His sharp jawline, no longer softened by youthful chubbiness, looked strong and resolute.
The young man, who once always had a smile on his face, now wore a look of determination like his friends.
‘…He’s always impressive.’
Ban was already arge man, but the confidence radiating from him made him seem evenrger.
Luke and the others took their seats around the table.
Luke spoke first.
“…So, what’s the agenda?”
Ban, seemingly lost in thought, stared intently at the map before slowly reaching out.
His handnded on the northern region.
“I’ve heard a ‘hero’ has appeared in the north.”
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