Chapter 51: Chapter 46

The Ferrius Front at the Sarajevo Fortress was in turmoil as if the world had turned upside down.

“The security forces in the Yainen City have retreated, the number of monsters is over 40,000, and the number of civilian casualties is large.”

“Gantria City and Meriberg City have fallen, and in the final messenger from the scout, more than 90,000 monsters from both cities are rushing in.”

“It seems that a group of monsters has also attacked Lilyanka City. Although the number is unknown, we have to stop the advance from the forest.”

Only bad news came in, and scream-like reports came in from the troops in each area that was devoted to maintaining the public order through communication magic tools and messengers.

“His Excellency, this is…”

One of the staff officers seriously called on Gerard. Gerard could understand what he wanted to say and that he probably didn’t want to say it.

“It’s an outbreak.”

An abominable phenomenon occurred when the Demon Territory was destroyed rapidly beyond a certain level, and the monsters started to run wild and turned the surrounding area into ash and dust. Gerard had also experienced before, to be exact when it was the expansion period of Highserk.

At that time, even the demon territory, which was said to be small, destroyed the neighboring country and killed more than 110,000 people. The Highserk soldiers who blocked the border also suffered great sacrifices and were still deeply engraved in Gerard’s mind.

The problem this time was that it happened in a Demon Territory called the continent’s largest and strongest. Even now 130,000 monsters had been reported to be in sight.

Considering the cities and villages that were destroyed without even being reported as unconfirmed, the real scale couldn’t be read.

“The Four-Countries Alliance must be the one who did this to avoid Highserk’s victory, What a bunch of stupid guys. Certainly, there’ll be no winner with this, but we all will equally lose.”

Gerard, who was then silent, glared at the map and indulged in his thoughts. If he were to cut the land carelessly, the whole thing would be in serious danger. He must choose which land should be cut off to have the least amount of damage.

A decisive battle on flat ground wouldn’t be possible. It would only be possible to bury up to several times as many opponents, but the scale of the great outbreak, which could be called a colony attempt, easily reached hundreds of thousands. Although some monsters could be called the center of this outbreak based on past events, it was extremely difficult to distinguish them, and the method of aggressively crushing the potential targets would only end up in vain.

“We’ll abandon Sarajevo Fortress. With the border of Highserk with Myard as a line of defense, we shall bring the troops there.”

“Are we throwing away Myard!?”

At Gerard’s instructions, the staff officer couldn’t hide his dismay. Gerard told the problem child as if to remind him.

“Myard huh, don’t be so naive. Even able to protect our homeland, it’s already a good story.”

Defense the homeland, even that was doubtful. However, Gerard wasn’t so good at giving up.

“That… what about the people in Myard’s land?”

“Save only those who can follow. Pour the others into the Celta territory of Myard and Ferrius, and blast their heads to the monsters if there is no other way to save them.”

The main principle of the great outbreak was the pressing of monsters. It would be possible to annihilate it if the main forces of the three major countries were mobilized, but it wasn’t enough with just the general army of the Highserk Empire even with those under Gerard.

The HQ was quiet as if time had stopped. Gerard’s subordinates, who had a sense of reality, were stiff on the spot. Even the chief of staff officers of the glorious Highserk Empire. Really, it was a pitiful sight. They should move their bodies and worked their head without stopping. Even if the Empire was crumbling――

Gerard ran his gaze around and shouted.

“Come on, work, every move we make will determine the survival of the Highserk Empire!!”

Regardless of what rank they were, they started to move. Instructions were given from the battalion to the company, from the company to the platoon, the squad, and the team, and the fetal movement began all at once. In order to counter the colony of monsters, the battle with the Four-Countries Alliance must be stopped, and the human-demon war between human races and demons was about to begin.

◆

The operation was successful. The Highserk army couldn’t hold the outbreak and abandoned the Sarajevo Fortress, and continued to retreat. Which meant, the operation was successful, too successful. Emrid’s Company, which burned down the trees one after another was succeeded in retreating to the HQ, they were fortunate.

Of the 6,000 troops that were sent, only 2,800 were able to come back to the HQ, and those small numbers of troops weren’t reorganized for further battle.

The results of the operation were immediate. Monsters were overflowing in Myard, and instead of the Highserk soldiers, the people of Myard had been swept away. It was a terrible scene. But Emrid couldn’t be on the sidelines either.

The people of Myard, were running out from Sarajevo Fortress as the monsters invaded the Fortress. The Alliance aimed to contain the monster at the Sarajevo Fortress, but a shocking report came to the Four-Countries Alliance forces from a unit that was watching the movement of the monsters.

Monsters overflowed into the Ferrius Kingdom through the burning forest.

The order given wasn’t an interception but a retreat. This was because the Ferrius people and the Myard people rushed to the position where the Four-Countries Alliance army expected.

Emrid was proud that the initial response was successful. Someone noticed while repelling the second wave and the third wave with the help of the skill and magic of Three Heroes, that the frequency and scale of the monster waves that were rushing in kept soaring.

On the fifth wave, the Four-Countries alliance troops collapsed, each began to withdraw to their homeland, and even Ferrius soldiers abandoned their homeland and began asylum abroad. Sea retreat via Lake Celta couldn’t carry troops all at once, and it was easy for Emrid to imagine what would happen if the people were flooded in.

Ships that departed were always over capacity with soldiers and people. Some jumped into the lake, trying to follow the ship. Some were clinging to the ship. In the harbor, people fell into the lake, some were trampled by the people and crushed to death. Emrid wouldn’t allow himself to die like that, and he couldn’t let his subordinates’ death be in vain. Emrid’s decision, which could be said to be arbitrary, was quick. He followed the Order of Reharzen and chose the land route. He was aiming to return to his homeland via the Craist Kingdom.

“Ignore the back, pay attention only to the front and sides. If it’s blocked, everyone will die.”

Emrid’s troops swelled to the size of a battalion due to the defeated soldiers of each country. The commander of the battalion and regiment class was lost in the battle of Sarajevo Fortress, and some had died in the attempt to run away from the great outbreak.

“The people behind…”

The adventurer Leethia, who was among the ones leading the route, responded to Emrid’s words. As she knew what they had done, Emrid saw that the girl was about to break, no, the girl had broken now.

“Anyone who can’t keep up with speed will die. Are you shocked? But, it’s the reality. It’s maybe wrong to say this as I’m one of the perpetrators, but we shouldn’t have had those monsters intervene in the human war.”

Punishment would be unavoidable if he didn’t do his duty. However, now the high-ranking officers who could listen were either dead or fleeing by ship, and after that, there was only an army from many countries united to escape death.

“I am, I am!!”

Emrid didn’t want to be used as mental care by an adolescent girl, but he wanted to have enough firepower to get out of the situation.

“If you have time to worry, save even one person. You can worry as much after you survived. You can become a nun repenting the sin you did all your life if you want. Now, as an adventurer, you must fight, and save people from monsters. Even if you die now, it won’t get easier. Even for 1 second, don’t stop.”

The girl ran to the lead group without responding to Emrid. Emrid then turned to another adventurer.

“Lefty, you can’t stand it too huh.”

“Well, I knew there would be a sacrifice to the people. Just, I didn’t expect it to spread this far.”

“Why did you participate? Did you like fighting?”

“Like huh, I don’t want to say this, but now I’m in this situation. What I like is… Leethia. I want to support the woman I fell in love with.”

Emrid couldn’t close his open mouth. As Lefty said the reason he jumped into the deadly battlefield was because of his loved one.

“Are you stupid? That should be the more reason to stop her.”

“She said that she would take the request even if she must go alone. And I’m not good at speaking. So I could only support her.”

“Huff, I thought you were the type who didn’t know what you did, but despite your appearance, you’re so disgusting.”

“I am aware”

For the first time in their short friendship, Emrid laughed at the gloomy man.

“Go and support her”

The man followed the girl. He ended up playing a crazy farce in this deadly place. A gloomy adventurer made the girl on the verge of being broken smile. It seemed there still was a little space in the head of the girl who might break at any moment.

“Volk’s squad, dull the movement of the monsters behind. Don’t overdo it.”

“I don’t mind supporting the vanguard group.”

“Luckily, it seems that two skilled adventurers will fight until they are exhausted.”

“Well, if that’s the case.”

Emrid was neither willing nor able to save all the people, but had chosen to increase the number of people who might take a risk to save others.