chapter 18

We proceeded to talk about what had happened during the time we had been taking on the dungeon.

Worried about having lost touch with us while we were on the quest to take down the Triceratackle, Lulu-san broke the news to Garuna.

“Seriously, where’d they go…? I’ve asked Veig-san and the rest to search for them, but…”

In Caine Forest, where we faced off against the Triceratackle, Garuna looked for us while taking monsters down.

After walking for a while, Garuna chanced upon a certain dungeon’s entrance.

“This is… the dungeon’s entrance?”

Garuna, not knowing that this dungeon existed, couldn’t hide her interest and was about to enter it, when…

“Are you Garuna Scheeling-dono?”

A mysterious armor-clad knight said to her. Garuna turned around.

“Yeah, but… what business do you have with me?”

“Captain Veig has something to say to you, he called for you.”

Veig-san…? Garuna thought. Following the knight, they went back to Izuruli and entered the Adventurer’s guild.

Inside, several knights and adventurers had grim expressions.

This wasn’t any ordinary matter, Garuna thought. She braced herself as she talked to Veig who was in the center of the group.

“Veig-san, what’s up?”

“Ah, Garuna-san. I’m glad you’ve come. Right now, monsters are advancing towards the neighboring town of Shielin.”

Hearing this, Garuna couldn’t hide her surprise, and her expression turned unnerved.

“How many monsters are there!?”

“Our scouts say more than five hundred.”

“Too many,” Veig said. When asked about this side’s current fighting power, he said that there were a few dozen knights and adventurers in total.

In order to not get beaten due to the gap in power, they started to think of a plan.

“Has the town been evacuated?”

“Already done.”

“…then, rather than intercepting them before they reach the town, it’d be better to fight them inside the town.”

“They would have the choice to evade us if we were to fight them before they reach the town,” Garuna added, and Veig nodded at the suggestion.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll need the help of the adventurers here too…”

“What are you trying to say here? We’re all humans here. Even if the army had not asked us, there’s no way that we wouldn’t fight.”

“That’s right!”

“And if I were to fight together with you knights, I’d even get a reward!”

Garuna smiled as the other adventurers said, and they all raised their voices.

Hearing the adventurers’ answer, Veig chuckled.

“My thanks. Fearless adventurers… let’s go!”

Thus, the alliance of knights and adventurers headed towards Shielin Town.

On the carriage there, Veig asked Garuna about something.

“Garuna-san, where has Aruto’s group gone?”

“I’m not sure. It’s already been a week… where are they?”

Garuna looked down…

Veig put his hand on her shoulder and said some words of encouragement.

“It’s alright! Aruto’s a tough guy. They’ll definitely be back in one piece.”

Seeing Veig smile while saying that, Garuna nodded and smiled.

Afterward, the alliance arrived at Shielin Town and prepared for battle.

It was just before dawn, and tension surrounded the town.

As the sun rose, an army of monsters could be seen.

“They’re here!”

The shout of the Knight Captain Luke Volndt-san caused everyone present to tighten their grip on their weapons. In the next moment, the army of monsters charged towards the town while roaring.

After confirming that they had entered the town, Luke-san raised his voice.

“Charge!”

The tens of people in the alliance faced off against the five hundred or so monsters. With such a gap in power, a desperate battle began.

Veig, Garuna, and Luke-san cut through the front lines, knocking the monsters down.

Following this, the other knights and adventurers fought bitterly.

But following this, the allied forces began to be pushed back.

“Don’t break formation! This is the moment of truth!”

Luke-san shouted to preserve morale.

“But at this rate, we’ll…!”

Veig gritted his teeth. They were sure to lose if it became a drawn-out battle.

“Don’t give up! Aruto-kun definitely wouldn’t give up at a time like this!”

Brandishing a huge lance, she went to defeat the monsters.

But her attacks were stopped by the gorilla-type monster called Strong Kong. Right after, she was sent flying back.

“Ugh!”

Knocked back, Garuna slammed into the ground.

“Garuna-san!”

Veig stood to defend Garuna, who had taken lots of damage.

However, multiple monsters were closing in on them.

“What should I…!”

As he thought of how to escape the situation, something fell from the sky.

In the midst of a cloud of dust, Veig and the rest were wary of an enemy attack.

However, as the dust settled, they could see familiar figures, causing them to be overcome with surprise…

“Sorry to keep you waiting! We’ll take it from here!”

I, Asou Aruto, brandished Enzetta and faced the monsters…