Chapter 66

The moonlight faintly illuminated the rocky riverbed. In the riverbed, a large group of lizardmen were aimlessly flipping over stones, occasionally bringing their hands to their mouths, probably to eat small insects they had found.

About 200 meters away, on a slightly higher rock, three knights and about ten of their retainers were hiding, holding the reins of their beloved horses. They were Naresu, Lord Radyard, and Siegmund, along with their subordinates.

"There are so many of them..."

Lord Radyard muttered in a low voice. According to Al, there were about 300 of them, but from what he could see, there seemed to be even more.

"Yes, it looks like there are still some in the river," Siegmund said worriedly. "It's frightening to think we might have had to charge in without a plan. Is Al okay?"

Naresu pointed to a gently sloping hill to the north. "He said he found a good spot. He found a large crack between the rocks on the hillside and said he would use an illusion spell to make it look like solid ground, turning it into a makeshift pitfall."

Lord Radyard smiled. "A pitfall, like a hunter. Well, it will certainly slow them down, and if he can lure them, it will be a big opportunity for us."

As they were talking, a blue-white light whistled through the air from the opposite direction, where the knights were hiding, and reached the two Kilo Lizardmen. The moment the light hit the ground, a roaring sound like a gust of wind filled the air, and a white light spread out like a blooming flower.

Lizardmen were knocked down by the light, and the stones on the riverbed were scattered. Naresu and the others instinctively lowered their heads and shielded their faces with their arms as they watched the scene. The swirling mass of white light raged for a few seconds.

"Wow, the magic tornado, it's intense at night," Naresu muttered. He had seen it before, but in the dark of night, the spell seemed even more terrifying. After the light subsided, the two Kilo Lizardmen in the center were covered in blood and staggering, while the surrounding lizardmen were blown away and lying on the ground. Those who were caught a bit further away were also injured and bleeding.

"Kya Kya Kya Kya!!"

One of the Kilo Lizardmen, pointing in the direction the blue-white light had come from, screamed. Although the language of the barbarians was not well understood, it seemed they had some form of communication. Hearing the Kilo Lizardman's cry, the lizardmen who could still move started running in that direction.

"Quite a few were taken down, more than we expected. Al, just keep running...," Naresu said, and Lord Radyard and Siegmund nodded. As the lizardmen ran, screaming, a sound like a loud thud and a series of cries echoed. They must have fallen into the pitfall Al mentioned. The three men exchanged glances and smiled.

Again, a blue-white light flew, and a group of lizardmen who were probably chasing Al were hit by a swirling blue-white light.

"Alright, old man, Siegmund, let's go. Send two of the retainers to report to Lord Oliver. Tell them we discovered a group of lizardmen during reconnaissance. The rest of the retainers will stay here."

Naresu and the others had not yet reported the discovery of the barbarian group to Lord Oliver. Naresu had wanted to report it earlier, but Lord Radyard had stopped him. The wizards searching with magic would not readily admit it, and it would take too much time. It was better to report after actually finding them. The retainers, ordered to report, hurried back the way they came.

Naresu watched them go, then stood up and mounted his horse. Lord Radyard and Siegmund, having given their instructions, also mounted their horses. The three knights, with their lances at the ready, glared at the Kilo Lizardmen who were still screaming.

"Charge!"

Naresu's voice rang out sharply.

-----

On the other hand, Al, who had successfully cast the magic tornado spell twice, had cast a physical enhancement spell on himself and was running at full speed. The first time, he caught them off guard, and the second time, he hit them as they gathered to take him down. He estimated that he had caught about 50 of them in total. Now, he needed to shake off the pursuing barbarians and, if possible, join up with Naresu and the others.

The lizardmen, having been hit by the second magic tornado spell, seemed to be avoiding gathering in one place. They seemed to be scared and were not chasing him very quickly. Seeing this, Al smiled and hid behind a rock.

*Stealth*

Al's figure immediately disappeared. He intended to return the way he came, slip through the pursuing lizardmen, and join Naresu. It was a bold move, but he had practiced the physical enhancement spell. He wanted to fight brilliantly and earn some battle honors. However, there was a problem with the stealth spell. He had to be careful with his footing, as he couldn't even kick the ground. His walking speed naturally slowed to a brisk pace. Of course, he couldn't cast other spells while in stealth, as it would cancel the stealth.

As he headed in the direction of the Kilo Lizardmen, he saw the lizardmen running past, screaming. Out of the 300 or so lizardmen, a significant number had been injured by the magic tornado spell, caught in the pitfall, and were now searching for Al in places where he wasn't. He even hoped to hear a cry that the Kilo Lizardmen had been taken down, as things were going so well.

"Al, up there!"

Suddenly, Gry's voice rang out. Al looked up immediately. There was a red-skinned goblin, a goblin mage, staring at him. He must have noticed the stealth.

*Dispel Magic*

*Magic Arrow*

The goblin mage tried to dispel Al's stealth spell, and Al cast a magic arrow at the goblin mage almost simultaneously. Nine blue-white arrows shot out in quick succession from Al's palm. He didn't have time to aim properly. Al wished for them to hit and crouched behind a large rock nearby. It was quite dark, and the goblin mage was probably the only one who had seen him. The lizardmen around him shouldn't have good night vision, so he might not be found.

A thud sounded nearby. He wanted to look but forced himself to resist. Al cast the stealth spell again. He had practiced a lot, but he might fail if he was too anxious.

*Stealth*

...

His figure disappeared. It seemed to have worked. The nearby lizardmen were screaming and looking around. Al sighed in relief.

"Good job, Al."

Al nodded at Gry's voice. It had been a close call. If his stealth had been dispelled suddenly in the middle of the enemy, he wouldn't have been able to escape.

Al slowly stood up. The goblin mage was lying on the ground nearby. The thud must have been the goblin mage. He was clearly dead. At that moment, Al noticed that the goblin mage's necklace was shining, with a crystal-like object embedded in it. It looked similar to the crystals where Gry and Maraki resided.

Could it be a crystal where an assistant resides? When Al tried to touch it, his hand passed through the crystal. While in stealth, no one could touch him, but he also couldn't touch anything. He wanted to confirm, but the risk of dispelling and recasting the spell was too high. He would have to retrieve the goblin mage's body later.

A loud voice came from a distance.

"I, Naresu, have taken down the Kilo Lizardman!"

It seemed he was too late. Another cry from Siegmund, saying he had taken down the other Kilo Lizardman, followed. Whether they understood the words or not, the lizardmen screamed in excitement and many ran toward the river.

Al had to join up with them quickly. He hurried in the direction of the two voices, slightly anxious.

Thank you for reading.

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