Chapter 28

The defensive forces of Brandenburg, which are more robust than those of the capital due to the presence of far stronger monsters, were nonetheless as fragile as a castle built on sand before the two thousand or so monsters that had brought down the fortress of Eisenstadt. The noble who ruled Brandenburg had, under the pretext of protecting refugees and alerting other regions to the danger, taken half of the regular troops and fled from Brandenburg. The remaining half were ordered to defend Brandenburg to the death, to be used as a delaying tactic to slow the monsters' advance as much as possible. It was a cruel decision, but not entirely wrong. Even if the gathered adventurers and volunteers outnumbered the monsters, the defense of Brandenburg was no match for griffins and unknown large monsters. For example, a giant centipede about four meters long, which would normally require seven or eight soldiers to handle, clearly demonstrated the disparity in strength. The southern road, the escape route, was not free of monsters, and the possibility of an attack on a large group moving together was high. Moreover, the pace of the refugees, including women and children, was slow, and if Brandenburg were completely abandoned, the monsters would immediately turn their fangs on the people. Therefore, what was required of the remaining forces in Brandenburg was to hold the monsters back for as long as possible, even at the cost of their lives. Indeed, everyone had despaired of the monster army and anticipated defeat, except for a master and her servant.

The current defensive force of Brandenburg is about 2,500 strong. While the regular troops alone exceed the number of soldiers stationed at the fortress of Eisenstadt by 700, the rest are a motley crew of adventurers and volunteers, and their morale was at rock bottom. The only good news was that the group of monsters advancing south along the northern road had suddenly slowed their pace, allowing the refugees, except for those who were ill or unable to move, to escape from Brandenburg and prepare for battle. As she put down the bundles of arrows she had carried, Alexia looked around. The street extending northeast from the North Gate, which should normally be bustling with merchants, was now empty, and dust was rising from the distance, indicating that something was approaching. The threat of the approaching monsters became more real, and she swallowed hard. The preparations for defense seemed to have been completed in time, and the North Gate was already sealed with the debris of demolished houses. The South Gate, the other entrance to the city, was left unsealed, not for escape but likely to pursue the monsters from behind if they bypassed the city and advanced south of Brandenburg. However, this was a groundless worry, as the monsters were advancing along the road toward Brandenburg. A battle seemed inevitable.

On the city wall where she stood, stones for catapults and arrows were piled up. The arrows were gathered from abandoned weapon shops, and next to them were pots filled with oil. The clanking of armor and the chattering of teeth from the frightened volunteers frequently reached her ears.

"Hey, you're awfully calm. Aren't you scared?"

The young male mage, who was a few years older than Alexia, asked her while his staff trembled. He was not the only one who was afraid; there were quite a few ordinary citizens with makeshift armor, holding unfamiliar weapons, who looked grim. In such a situation, the sight of a young girl showing no signs of fear stood out.

"No, I'm not unafraid."

Her words were true; she was not without fear. The young man looked at her with respect for her composed response, but in fact, her voice was stiffer than usual due to tension. However, she was not so discomposed as to be noticed by a stranger.

"Still, it's one thing for you, but for someone like you to be drafted... I have a wife with a bad back, so we can't escape. Why didn't you escape?"

A middle-aged man with hairy arms joined the conversation, perhaps to distract himself. He held an old bow, suggesting he was a hunter.

"We are adventurers. We were forcibly conscripted by the guild."

"That's tough. But we'll fight together, so count on me. You too, get a grip!"

He laughed and patted the young man's back, making him cough and tear up, but he understood that the middle-aged man was trying to boost his spirits.

"Are you okay, Lady Alexia?"

Irene, who usually served Alexia, noticed her tension and spoke to her in a concerned whisper.

"Yes. I'm a bit anxious without my teacher, but..."

She looked down. In the end, they had not been able to meet Chaos. They had waited for him in front of the guild, but were quickly taken to prepare for the siege. She had wanted to meet him, but she could not neglect her duties. She had hoped to see him during the work, but finding him among the more than two thousand people was impossible. A fleeting worry crossed her mind: perhaps he wasn't there. But she quickly dismissed it. The Chaos she had idealized would never abandon them in such a crisis. She was confident he was among them and resolved to do her part to ease his burden.

In battle, Chaos's fighting style would stand out. The lightning he had summoned in the cave was so powerful that it seemed like the wrath of a god. She believed it had the potential to turn the tide of this battle.

—So, once the battle began, she would surely notice his presence.

Alexia gripped her staff tightly. It was a custom-made staff with a Dragon Soul gem embedded in it, a rare item. Indeed, other mages often looked at it with envy. To her, it was a staff with the same design as her teacher's, a staff without a substitute. It made her feel closer to him, and her tense heart gradually relaxed.

She remembered the first day she received the staff, when she was so happy that she hugged it and slept with it in bed. At the time, she was simply happy to have a staff like her teacher's, but in reality, she was delighted to have something that matched her beloved teacher. Realizing this, she suddenly felt embarrassed and quickly suppressed the inappropriate excitement that did not fit the battlefield. This unfamiliar emotion was a potent drug. She thought it was still difficult to control and suppress it.

"Here they come! The monsters!"

A cry went up. Looking up, countless shadows were flying toward Brandenburg.

"Prepare to repel them, hurry!"

The voice of a commander rang out. Alexia naturally met the eyes of her servant. Irene stared back at Alexia with a determined, shining gaze, as if she understood her thoughts. Alexia looked up again, spotting the griffins, creatures with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion, in her field of vision.

—This was the beginning of what would later be known as the Battle of Brandenburg.

■

Originally, there were not just two thousand of them here.

He, the largest and most majestic of the griffins leading the attack, glared down at the human city with disdain. After the fall of the hated human stronghold, he had completed the resupply of provisions sent from the rear, as ordered by his master. The red, gem-like stones he had resupplied were more useful than he had imagined, causing explosions when dropped from the sky. The joy of trampling the fleeing humans was exhilarating. Although they were not unscathed, the air and ground forces were sufficient. Initially, he had despised the human-made items, but the results had changed his mind.

All that remained was to maintain the supply lines and subjugate a certain type of monster native to the region to bolster their forces. Everything was going according to plan.

The dragons native to this land. While the proud dragon race could not be subjugated, the less intelligent ones could be easily controlled.

These were the Lesser Dragons, the lowest of the dragon race. Though they could not fly as gracefully as he could, their formidable strength was a threat to the weak humans. They were dangerous even in ground combat.

But the plan had fallen apart. There were only a dozen or so Lesser Dragons left in the area.

Why—had they been killed by humans? Indeed, there were signs of a struggle and a faint smell of blood, but no bodies remained. It was as if they had vanished without a trace.

He did not know how it happened, but he understood one thing.

The stronghold did not have humans capable of defeating the Lesser Dragons. They must have come from the nearby dwellings of the Lesser Dragons, killed them, and carried away their bodies.

His eyes burned with anger.

—Again, again. Weak and cunning humans take parts of our bodies cruelly. Not for food, but for some value they find. They strip our skin, tear off our wings, gouge out our eyes, and desecrate our bodies. We and our ancestors have been sacrificed many times by greedy humans.

Indeed, his master was right. As his master said, we and they are incompatible.

Then, let us give them the same punishment. If they want our skin, we will strip theirs. If they want our wings, we will tear off their limbs. If they want our eyes, we will gouge out theirs.

With a shrill cry, they dove toward the human city—Brandenburg. The sky over this land belonged to them, and there was nothing to stop them.

The battle had begun.

■

"‘Mental Shield’"

The first spell Alexia cast was a defensive barrier spell. Similar to her teacher's ‘Intelligence Shield,’ it was a support spell that strengthened the barrier based on the caster's ‘Spirit.’ A thin white barrier in a hemispherical shape centered on her was deployed.

The sudden use of magic made the surrounding humans look at Alexia with surprise.

"You're a spellcaster!?"

The young man inside the barrier asked, likely recognizing it as a support spell, which spellcasters are known for.

"No, I'm a mage. ‘Addition’"

Alexia cast another support spell. ‘Addition’ was similar to ‘Mental Shield,’ creating a red curtain in a hemispherical shape that mixed with the white barrier, forming a pink space.

"All units, prepare! Archers and mages, aim at the griffins!"

The soldiers hurried to prepare their catapults and nock their arrows, following the commander's orders. While preparations for aerial defense had been made based on information from the survivors of Eisenstadt, they were far from sufficient. There were limited anti-air ballistae, and not all the volunteers could use bows. Those who could not use bows had to rely on catapults to keep the enemies from approaching the city wall.

"Wait! Attract them... now, fire!"

Following the command, a barrage of magic and arrows was launched at the griffins. The density of the barrage was not thin, but only a few griffins fell. The others either fled to the upper air out of reach or used their wings to create wind to knock the arrows down. Even if they were hit, a single attack was not enough to deal a fatal blow.

The mage beside Alexia also cast a spell in response to the command. The griffins were fast, so he used ‘Mana Sphere,’ a spell with low power but high accuracy and strong homing ability. His goal was to hit the griffin and create an opening for other attacks.

As expected, the blue-white sphere of ‘Mana Sphere’ flew toward a griffin as if it had a will of its own. The griffin tried to