Chapter 67

As Naresu and his companions were about to charge into the chaos of the lizardmen, the squires at the hill where the Lester Viscount's knights were camping began to panic upon noticing the sound of a magical tornado and flashes of light from a distance.

Some knew that Naresu and his companions had gone out on patrol, but many were still taking off their armor for maintenance. They had not had a proper rest for the past three days. It was harsh to blame them, as marching in metal armor in the scorching heat was exhausting even for well-trained knights.

"Quiet down! Quiet down!"

Lady Felicia, the deputy commander, raised her voice to calm the commotion and listened to the report from the first squire who noticed the disturbance. Two figures were seen running up the hill from its base. One of them was the squire Naresu had instructed to report.

"I am under the command of Lord Radyard. We discovered a group of lizardmen, including a higher species, during our patrol. Their number is approximately 300. We have engaged them in battle."

"300 of them!"

Lady Felicia was shocked by the squire's report. From the position where the magic was cast, they were not visible from the other side of the hill, but they were no more than 500 meters away from their current position. A group of barbarians was there.

"I will report to Lord Oliver. Squire of Lord Radyard, come with me. You, go to Sir Wald's tent and tell him to come to Lord's tent. If there are 300 of them, they might soon come this way. Do not let your guard down."

Felicia asked another nearby squire to deliver a message to the mage Wald and gave various instructions to other squires while hurrying to the tent where Lord Oliver, the commander of the knights, was staying. Lord Oliver was in the process of putting on his armor with the help of his servant, Gary, who had served his family for generations.

"Felicia, what happened?"

Lady Felicia briefly reported what she had heard.

"Lord Naresu went out on patrol, saying there might be more barbarians hiding, and it seems his information was correct. Sir Wald had insisted there were no barbarians. I remember he brought a friend from the middle school this time. Is this friend an exceptionally skilled mage?"

At Lord Oliver's words, Lady Felicia tilted her head.

"He said he was the same age as Lord Naresu, but he didn't look 15, and he seemed more like a child. He didn't even seem capable of using magic... However, the black leather armor he wore was of the highest quality."

As Lord Oliver was puzzled, Wald and Emerson arrived with a young man who looked like an apprentice. All three looked exhausted, with dark circles under their eyes from lack of sleep.

"There seems to be a group of barbarians at that distance, about 300 of them. I know you're tired, but I need you to confirm it."

Despite being surprised by the number 300, Wald and Emerson used the floating eye spell to search for the location where Naresu's squire had discovered the barbarians. Following the squire's guidance, they descended the hill and arrived at a small rocky outcrop where Naresu and his companions had parted ways. From there, they could see the small figures of Naresu and his companions fighting what appeared to be lizardmen.

"Indeed, they are there."

At this point, the two could not see the lizardmen clearly and remained calm. They did not have the enhanced perception or night vision that Al had. As their eyes approached Naresu, they finally noticed the numerous lizardmen corpses scattered around. They also realized that Naresu and his companions were not fighting regular lizardmen but their higher species, the Kilolizardmen.

"This is... quite a number. There must be over 100 fallen lizardmen alone."

At that moment, Naresu's thrust pierced the chest of a Kilolizardman. The floating eye spell only provided visual information, but the Kilolizardman's mouth movement suggested a scream.

"Lord Naresu has just defeated one of the higher species. Another one is being fought by Lord Radyard and Sir Sigmund, and it seems they are winning."

Lord Oliver and Lady Felicia exchanged glances at Wald's explanation, acknowledging the presence of the barbarians that Wald had previously denied.

"South! A group of goblins!"

At that moment, a squire's cry came from outside the tent. Lord Oliver glanced at Wald. Wald could have used area-of-effect attack spells, but his exhausted state made it difficult to expect much help. As the head mage serving the viscount's family, it was hard to give him orders, even for a knight commander and a baron. However, the power dynamics might change after this incident.

"Understood. Set up a defensive perimeter. Felicia, let's go. Sir Wald, Sir Emerson, if possible, please assist us. Gary, inform the priests and the supply team of the situation."

Lord Oliver grabbed the sword offered by a squire and rushed out of the tent. Lady Felicia followed closely behind. Wald and the others looked bewildered and stood there in a daze. Gary bowed deeply and watched them leave.

"Where are they?"

Following the squire's finger, they saw the area about 100 meters down the hill from the campsite. There were lights in some places, and many small figures that looked like goblins were visible.

Lord Oliver tilted his head at the sight. Using light spells in the campsite was common, but illuminating the surveillance area had not been done much before. While it was effective, the area was too wide, and the duration of the spell was not long enough.

"Who cast the light there?"

"Yes, Lord Radyard instructed a young adventurer, who looked like a child, to light the area. He also mentioned that goblins were likely to appear on this route, so we were on alert."

"It sounds just like what Lord Jonas reported. Could it be that squire?"

Lady Felicia murmured, recalling the efficient battle against the barbarians during a recent inspection of the frontier village, as reported by Lord Jonas, who had led the guard. The report mentioned using light spells to illuminate distant surveillance points and easily defeating the gathered goblins. This was done by a young mage apprentice hired by the famous mage Eric. The method was currently under investigation and consideration.

Lord Oliver was impressed by the idea. With light in this position, they could expect to take down a significant number of goblins with crossbows from the hilltop. The squires had spotted the goblin group quickly thanks to the light.

In addition to Lord Oliver and Lady Felicia, equipped knights were gathering. Some were holding spears and swinging them as if warming up.

"There's a report of higher species. Be careful."

As Lady Felicia said this, two massive figures emerged from behind the rocks where the goblins were hiding. Although Lord Radyard had mentioned they might be goblin throwers, this information was not confirmed, and it was not shared with them. These figures had darker green skin and bulging muscles, standing about 2 meters tall, while regular goblins were less than 150 cm, making them look like the difference between an adult and a child.

"Hobgoblins? They're bigger than that."

"They might be an even higher species... I can't remember the name..."

In response to Lord Oliver's question, Lady Felicia could not recall the name. The two higher species of hobgoblins glared fiercely at Lord Oliver and his companions.

"Let's call them big hobgoblins for now. We don't know what they'll do. Be careful."

The knights formed a protective circle around Lord Oliver, each readying their weapons. The two big hobgoblins, leading their goblin minions, charged up the hill. The squires fired their crossbows, and several goblins were pierced and fell, spilling green blood, but the big hobgoblins seemed unaffected, closing the distance quickly.

At that moment, a goblin with bright red skin appeared from behind the big hobgoblins. It had been hiding on their backs, using their large bodies as cover. The red-skinned goblin cast a spell at the gathered and prepared knights.

'Magical Tornado'

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