Chapter 22

One week has passed since confirming that the wyverns have made their nests near Zeato.

The knight regiment stationed in Zeato has been conducting surveys of the surrounding area and is steadily preparing for the wyvern extermination.

"Report!"

"Hmm. Go on."

"Yes. According to the investigation team, there are twenty-eight adult wyverns and four juveniles.

Additionally, changes have occurred in the surrounding ecosystem, and monsters that are usually only found deep in the forest have been discovered in shallower areas!"

"I see... The monsters fleeing in fear of becoming prey are also troublesome."

"There have been damages to nearby fields and livestock. Requests for extermination from the local residents are increasing."

"Hmm... How is the formation of the extermination team progressing?"

"It's already complete. However..."

"However? What is it?"

"Some of the knights are complaining that there is no reinforcement from the capital..."

"...Reinforcements are unnecessary. We, the Zeato knight regiment, will handle the extermination."

"Forgive me, but with the number of wyverns, I fear the formed extermination team alone may struggle... Shouldn't we focus on defense and wait for reinforcements from the capital?"

"Are you questioning my judgment?"

"N-no! I just believe that if we can prevent the damage, we should..."

"Listen carefully. This situation is due to our negligence. If we wait for reinforcements from the capital and manage to exterminate the wyverns, both you and I will be punished as the cause of this incident.

And Zeato is a key border town. Who do you think is in charge here?

The House of Harvest, one of the most powerful families in the country. You can imagine the punishment that awaits us, can't you?"

The subordinate gulps, cold sweat trickling down his face. He understands what his superior is saying. This is undoubtedly a punishable offense.

The cause is the knight regiment's negligence in allowing the wyverns to build their nests.

Moreover, the House of Harvest has the power and military might to easily behead a mere knight.

However, only the knights who were negligent in their duties will be punished. The superior mistakenly believes he will also be punished for inadequate supervision, which is why he is desperately trying to resolve the situation himself, a pitiful sight indeed.

Since Gilbert has already reported, no matter how hard the knight regiment tries, it won't make a difference. But no one knows this, so no one can advise against it.

The subordinate, believing every word his superior said, leaves the room with a pale face. The superior, left alone, gazes blankly at the ceiling and lets out a heavy sigh.

At the training ground, the wyvern extermination team is sparring with each other. Among them is Barbarotto, who was supposed to have a broken arm from Jex.

"Ha!"

"Sei!"

Barbarotto, using a blunted practice sword, demonstrates swordsmanship that belies his supposed broken arm, outmaneuvering and defeating his opponent.

He extends a hand to the fallen opponent, who takes it with a laugh.

"Haha. That's not the movement of a man who had his arm broken just a few days ago."

"The healing team sent from the capital was excellent."

Indeed, the healing team dispatched from the capital to treat the knights injured by the Fang of the Hungry Wolf treated Barbarotto's broken arm.

The team arrived the day after Leord visited and treated not only Barbarotto but also the other injured knights.

Of course, there are healers in Zeato who can use recovery magic, but they lack the skill to treat fractures.

In a game, you can see the effects of recovery magic as numerical values, but this is reality, so recovery magic works differently.

Moreover, there are few users of recovery magic. In a game, several heroines can use it, and Sieg can learn it as a skill. Leord, however, will never be able to use it unless the world turns upside down.

In the world of Fate 48, there are common recovery spells like Heal, High Heal, and Ex Heal. Heal can treat minor scratches, High Heal can treat lacerations, and Ex Heal can treat fractures.

However, there are very few users of Ex Heal, so they are often confined to the capital. The healers in Zeato can only use High Heal.

That's why they couldn't treat Barbarotto's fracture, but the healing team from the capital could use Ex Heal and easily healed it.

Leord is still unaware of this fact, so he will be shocked enough to sit down when he finds out.

After all, he only has game knowledge and probably believes that using recovery magic will heal him just like in the game.

Barbarotto continues sparring with different opponents. Still bitter about losing to Jex last time, he naturally puts more effort into it. His opponents are overwhelmed by his intensity and are on the defensive.

"Whoa!?"

In the end, Barbarotto's fierce attack disarms his opponent, and he wins. The surrounding knights are also taken aback by Barbarotto's intensity.

"Phew..."

"Great job."

"Yes, this time it won't be like last time."

"Hahaha. That's reassuring. This time, we're facing wyverns. There are many, but they're not an opponent we can lose to if we don't get careless."

The captain, setting a grand flag, may be setting the stage for the knight regiment's downfall.