Chapter 51

"Aa, Kuso! What a damn bad omen, you damn beasts!"

The skinhead man spat out curses as he swung the short sword in his right hand.

The short sword pierced the belly of the enemy, a black demon dog, a beast resembling a jackal, but the blade did not reach the heart. The man, who had been knocked down, punched the black demon dog's jaw, which was still trying to bite him, and took advantage of the momentary hesitation to slash its throat with the short sword he had pulled out. Fresh blood spurted out, staining the man's face.

Frowning at the choking smell of blood, the man kicked the black demon dog away with his thick leg. The black demon dog, which was spewing a large amount of fresh blood from its neck, writhed for a while but eventually lay still with its tongue lolling out, as if it had run out of strength.

"Hey, Leader, are you still alive!?"

"Damn it! Why do I have to go through this on my first vacation in a long time!?"

"That was close," the skinhead man replied, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

He was fighting with a short sword, not his usual weapon, because he was on vacation and not armed. Now, the only weapon he had was the short sword he carried for self-defense. If he had his usual longsword, he could have finished the beast with one blow, but who would have thought that he would be attacked by a monster in the boundary city, let alone in the wilderness.

"Just when I thought the boundary area had finally settled down, this maze rampage! What a joke!"

---Maze rampage.

It refers to the phenomenon where monsters that have appeared in the maze suddenly overflow into the outside world.

According to the kingdom's records, the last time it happened was more than five years ago, and many victims were reported before the maze stabilized.

Fortunately, there were no records of such an event occurring in the maze district of the boundary city, but in preparation for any such event, a strong defensive wall was built to isolate the maze district from the surrounding city blocks. This was like a levee, designed to hold back the wave of overflowing monsters and buy time with "minimal casualties" until the knights could mobilize. Training for such an event was conducted several times a year. However,

"Is the knight brigade moving?"

"They are currently deploying around the maze district and forming a rescue team! They say it will take at least fifteen minutes to arrive!"

"......So, we have to keep fighting for a while, huh?"

His partner complained in a dispirited tone.

Actually, if they wanted to, they could have escaped. As adventurers, not knights, they had no obligation to fight here. Since they had not been hired to defend, they could have left the rest to the knights and retreated.

Moreover, since the knight brigade was already deployed around the maze district, the monsters would not be able to get out of the maze district. The damage would be limited to the maze district. At least, this incident would not shake the boundary city itself.

However, they were fighting against the monsters here to reduce the "minimal casualties" as much as possible.

Neither the man nor his partner was a native of the city, but after nearly five years of operating from here, they had developed a sense of attachment. Most of the residents of the maze district had already evacuated, thanks to the training, but there were still a dozen or so people who had been left behind, and fortunately or unfortunately, they had the power to fight.

While deeply regretting that he should have slept in the inn, the man continued to swing his short sword, his back to the powerless people.

"......This is getting serious."

"What's wrong, Leader? We could use some good news right about now."

"Unfortunately, it's bad news. A party near the maze sent a warning through telepathy. The second wave is approaching. A pack of black giant dogs will be here in the square soon."

"......You're kidding. This is the worst."

They were the superior species of black demon dogs. They were larger in size, and when they formed a pack, their ferocity was incomparable.

He confirmed the situation with other parties through telepathy, a communication magic he had learned over seven years, but all the information he heard was about the worsening of the battle situation.

Fortunately, there were no significant casualties so far, but it was only a matter of time. The on-duty knights stationed in the maze district and the adventurers who happened to be there were fighting the monsters, but the numbers were insufficient, and the command system was in disarray due to the sudden situation.

When the knight brigade's rescue team arrived, a temporary command system would be established, but the question was whether they could hold out until then. The figures of the black giant dogs approaching the square were visible on the other side of the street.

"---May I ask a question. Is it all right if I assume you are the commander of this group?"

Just as he was steeling himself for the final showdown, he heard a voice asking who he was. Expecting reinforcements, he turned to the source of the voice and saw a well-built, medium-height man standing there with a hood pulled deep over his head.

He quickly scanned the man, but the young man who had appeared out of nowhere did not look like a fighter. His hands were clean, not the kind that could hold a sword. His build was not that of a trained warrior, and he did not give off the aura of a mage. To the man, he looked like just an ordinary civilian.

"Who are you? Are you from the knight brigade, or the Holy Sword Earl's men?"

"......No, I'm a traveling merchant. I've been a guest in this town for a few days."

When he asked with a glimmer of hope, the young man said he was just a traveling merchant. It was completely out of place.

Moreover, he should have been the first to run away from this place, being a weakling.

The man's head boiled at the appearance of a new burden, and he shouted in frustration.

"What does a merchant want!? Can't you see the situation, you damn fool! Get out of here!!"

"......Yeah, I'd love to run away, but for a reason, I'm going to help here."

"......What? Help?"

The man was momentarily taken aback by the young man's incomprehensible words.

In front of the man's gaze, the young man walked out of the group as if he were taking a stroll and headed for the center of the square where the monsters were approaching.

There was no time to stop him, and by the time the man came to his senses, the young man was already in a position where it was too late.

"Damn it! What are you thinking!?"

The man reached out his hand instinctively.

But it was too late.

The young man, who had slipped through the extended hand, stood in front of the black giant dog that had jumped into the square.

The black giant dog, a monster, would not let a weakling who was walking alone go.

Monsters are beasts that belong to the category of demons that attack humans, and harming humans is almost an instinct for monsters. The black giant dog leaped at the young man who had appeared as if on cue, as if in joy.

The distance between them was already nose to nose.

The sharp, vicious claws stretched toward the young man's throat.

The tragedy that would occur in an instant.

The man visualized the future where the young man's body would be cruelly torn apart.

And the young man, who was calmly looking at the death claws that were about to descend upon him, snapped his fingers casually.

"---"

The sound of the snap echoed around.

In the next instant, three events occurred almost simultaneously.

One, a woman who appeared like the wind punched a monster as tall as a person.

Two, lightning struck the pack of monsters that were stunned by the punch, stopping all their movements.

Three, a ridiculously huge axe was wielded by a large man, turning the pack of monsters into chunks of flesh.

"......What?"

What had happened?

No, he should have seen it with his own eyes, the man answered his own question.

But his brain could not process the scene.

What had happened in front of him was so unrealistic.

There were three figures around the young man, who had been there all along.

A silver-haired woman with a straight back.

A brown-skinned girl with a sharp gaze in the sunlight.

And a large man with a body as strong as a rock.

None of them were familiar faces.

However, all three exuded an aura of extraordinary strength.

It was clear that they were not ordinary people.

"---Scatter."

A short command.

As the young man lifted his chin, the silver-haired woman and the large man moved as if they had been flung.

They split up and ran off to the east and west of the maze district.

The brown-skinned beauty stepped forward to protect the young man, waiting for his instructions.

"Tactical Virtual Window: Unlock. Selection: Map. Format: Large-scale group battle."

The young man's mouth smoothly spun out the words. There was no point in reciting meaningless words at this point. It was probably a chant to perform some kind of magic.

However, the chant that came from the young man's mouth was something the man, who had been an adventurer for over ten years, had never heard before.

Summoning magic, contract magic, spirit magic, and spells. When he compared it to his knowledge, it did not fit any of them, nor did it have any similarity. Could it be a unique chant?

"......Tch. This is the best I can do with the current situation."

A single click of the tongue.

The young man, who was staring at the void with a very serious expression, spoke to the man.

"Let me confirm again. Is it all right if I assume you are the commander of this battle area, or someone in a similar position?"

"......Yeah, I'm Beiger, the leader of the clan 'Golden Mountain.' I just happened to be in the maze district, so I took command temporarily."

"Then it's a good thing. Send reinforcements to coordinates B-3, X7Y8... This won't make sense, will it? In front of the Milea Equipment Store on East Commercial Street, three leopard-type monsters are heading straight for the central district. If this continues, they will break through."

How did he know that?

Before he could ask, the man connected to the adventurers in the vicinity of the area through telepathy. Fortunately, it was a party of combat adventurers he knew. They began to act to build a defensive line.

"Coordinates D-2... No, contact the group on Fifth Avenue East. In about two minutes, a herd of two-horned beasts will appear. Tell them not to face them head-on, but to guide the herd to the park in the west. There's no need to take them down forcefully. There's a large man with an axe there. Just tell them to leave the enemy to him."

"And F-12... Damn, this is difficult. Anyway, there's an adventurer isolated at the western end of Third Avenue. Send him south immediately. About 300 meters ahead, there's a group of four adventurers, but they're short-handed. If one more person joins, the battle should stabilize."

"Next, the adventurer... or is it a knight? I don't know which, but the one running near the Yazurka Workshop. Tell them to check the inside of the workshop. There should be a few people inside, but their coordinates haven't moved at all since a while ago. They're probably the craftsmen who were left behind. Tell them to rescue them and retreat to the rear. We'll fill in the gap."

The instructions came one after another, smoothly and calmly, as if he were playing a game of chess, without any sense of urgency or anxiety, and he skillfully manipulated the forces in various places.

In response to the telepathy that had been reporting the worsening of the battle situation, messages of gratitude and requests for the next instructions came back, indicating that the defensive lines had been established.

The new monsters that appeared in the square were quickly slaughtered by the brown-skinned woman standing next to the young man. There were no new casualties. The surplus forces were sent to various places.

---Perhaps everyone can be saved.

The man realized that this thought naturally came to his mind as he looked at the back of the unmoving young man.

---

"Why does this have to happen!?"

While keeping a wary eye on the <maps> floating in his field of vision, Helian felt like screaming.

Because Helian did not want to get involved in this incident.

This expedition was only a preliminary stage for a full-scale investigation. It was more like a preparatory step to establish a base of operations, and for Helian personally, it was a chance to practice negotiations.

Therefore, he had no intention of getting connected to the authorities or attracting the attention of the people for the time being.

---However, Helian saw it.

He saw the man running towards the central district, warning people, and the crowd of people screaming and running away.

He saw a mother who, when her child stumbled and fell, picked up the child in a hurry and endured the kicks from the people following behind.

He saw the child, who, despite the pain in his scraped knee, forced a smile, ignoring the pain in his back, and the mother, who, despite the pain in her back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the child, who, despite the pain in his back, forced a smile, and the