Chapter 30

Apology

In Chapter 29, I had set Rhinos' size to 7 meters but have corrected it to 4 meters.

As Rhinos, with their rough, hard skin, kicked up dust and charged like ants swarming sugar, they surged toward the city walls of Brandenburg.

Despite their massive bodies exceeding four meters in length, they moved with a speed like a gust of wind when charging straight, and their momentum came like a wave.

However, a large wall stood to block their path.

“Haaaaa!”

Irene, in a split second, thrust six times at the knee of a Rhino's front leg, the most vulnerable part of its iron-like skin—so quickly that no one could even see how many times she had thrust. She brought down the massive body, stopping its movement.

Then, she returned to the fallen Rhino, turned her back, and spun around.

“Out of my wayyyyy!”

She kicked the approaching Rhino. Though she was taller than an average woman, her kick, which was less than half the size of a Rhino, filled the minds of those who saw it with the word "unreasonable." The Rhino, caught in her kick, screamed and fell like ripples.

“Unbelievable...”

Whose voice was that? The surrounding soldiers were so absorbed in Irene's actions that it was impossible to tell.

Stunned, they were a beat late, but Irene's stern gaze brought them back to their senses. They aimed at the Rhino's abdomen, which was rolling and writhing, and launched follow-up attacks with magic and arrows.

She hadn't expected such a disaster. According to Chaos, she had become a Berserker specialized in offense, and she had noticed that her speed and strength had improved compared to before.

Even with Alexia's support magic, she hadn't anticipated such a level of power. She had only expected to knock the massive body away.

...Still, it was far from ordinary, but she hadn't realized it because her thoughts were still poisoned by Chaos and Alexia.

In the party, her role was mainly to avoid and draw enemies, so securing a foothold was a crucial element.

If she got her feet caught in a corpse and couldn't move, she wouldn't be able to fulfill her role.

If this were a regular party, the number of corpses would be less than ten, and a little movement would be enough. But with Chaos, who had endless stamina, it was a different story.

Even after hunting fifty or a hundred, he wouldn't even get winded, and his stamina was so abnormal that the ground was often covered with corpses.

So, she naturally started kicking enemies out of the way to secure a foothold. Through this, she developed overwhelming speed and powerful leg strength.

It was just right—though it was an accident caused by kicking harder than usual due to the Rhino's massive size, it was a convenient attack for her, who didn't have a wide-range attack like magic.

The only part of the city wall that had collapsed was here, so the Rhino invasion naturally concentrated here. There were plenty of targets. There was no reason not to use them.

Irene scanned the area to find a suitable target.

“‘Sleep Cloud’!”

Alexia had started using status-altering magic to suppress the enemy's advance since the ground battle began.

Unlike Griffons, Rhinos couldn't advance if they stopped, and as beast-type monsters, they were susceptible to sleep and paralysis attacks.

Status-altering magic like ‘Sleep Cloud,’ which caused a shallow sleep in multiple targets, and ‘Paralyze Chain,’ which captured and paralyzed the target with a light chain for a short time, reduced the Rhinos' momentum.

However, the Rhinos continued to charge recklessly.

(…Strange. Are they not thinking at all?)

Seeing the Rhinos continue to charge without changing tactics, Alexia felt a sense of unease.

Perhaps because the battle with the Griffons left a strong impression, she no longer felt the pressure or difficulty from the Rhinos.

The Griffons were cunning and would quickly change tactics if an attack didn't work, but the Rhinos seemed to know only one thing: charging to the same spot.

Of course, the Rhinos' strength far exceeded the defenders, so it wasn't unreasonable to ignore casualties and force their way through. However, if they had coordinated with the Griffons, it seemed too sloppy.

(Monsters swarming a city is rare, but even more so is such a monotonous attack.)

Alexia cut off her thoughts. For her, an enemy that wasn't difficult was a relief.

The Griffons, though greatly reduced in number, were still active, and the battle with the remaining city wall soldiers continued, so there was almost no aerial support.

If the Griffons joined, they would have to face enemies on two fronts. It was best to take them down while they could.

She continued to manipulate the monotonous Rhinos with status-altering magic.

Irene kicked a Rhino that had fallen asleep, causing its thick skin to cave in and die, while also knocking down other Rhinos and raising a cloud of dust.

She then made eye contact with a nearby mage to encourage an attack.

“Hii!?”

A male mage, who made eye contact with her, let out a scream.

Why did she have to make a mage scream?—she grumbled inwardly. Even though she had become distant from romance since taking up the sword, it still made her feel a bit complicated as a young woman.

She had no intention of getting married, but this made her feel a bit down.

(This is all that idiot's fault...! I'll punch him when I see him next!)

After this battle, she would punch the mage who wasn't there, even if it was just a venting of frustration.

The thought made her feel better.

With this mindset, she faced the Rhinos again.

Would the Rhinos be defeated first, or would they trample everything first?—the battle, fought to the death, took on the appearance of a contest of endurance.

■

How long had it been since I was swept away from the city? Being forced to walk without a purpose is a truly cruel act. What kind of event is this? I can't think of anything that fits.

Perhaps this is an unknown event that hasn't been discovered yet.

This ‘Another World’ has a vast world, so not all events have been discovered. Even now, the strategy wiki reports new events, and not all events have been documented, let alone have clear conditions.

Given the scale of this event, if someone had seen it, it would have been reported on the wiki or bulletin board. I might have missed the report, but it's more likely to be an unknown event.

Considering the scale of the event, which uses the entire city, the conditions for its occurrence must be very strict.

While I'm curious about the event, I need to escape. I tried to leave the group, but the NPC soldiers surrounding the group scolded me for disrupting the formation.

What should I do? Two people are waiting for me.

Ah, right. I can use ‘Portal Warp.’ There won't be any interference during combat.

I immediately transferred to the ‘Portal’ in Brandenburg.

It seems that the group I was with earlier was almost all the residents of the city. The surroundings were empty.

I hurried to the Adventurer's Guild. I'm late, but I hope it's okay. I need to apologize properly.

When I arrived at the Adventurer's Guild, it was also empty. There were no NPCs.

Damn, it's been a while since the meeting time. Have they already logged out?

But why are there no NPCs? Were they mixed in with the group earlier?

Ah, I wish this strange event hadn't happened at such an important time!

“Hey, there's still an adventurer here?”

Suddenly, a voice called from behind. I turned to see a soldier-like man panting and looking at me.

“Well, it doesn't matter. Monsters are attacking the city now. If you want to survive, you need to help!”

Monsters? Why are monsters attacking the city? Usually, the city is a safe zone, and monsters aren't allowed to enter.

Wait, could the reason for the strange walking event be this?

The residents fled because of the monster attack. It makes sense why the city NPCs were outside.

It's impossible in the usual RPG sense, but with the advanced AI of this game's NPCs, such a linked event could happen.

I'm more concerned about the two people waiting for me. I don't have time to participate in the event.

“I'm sorry, but I'm meeting someone here. I can't go with you.”

“Meeting someone? Are they other adventurers? If so, they're all gathered at the north city wall. All adventurers are forced to participate.”

Forced participation event!? Is there such a thing?

If everyone is participating, maybe Alexia and the others are there too. They might have gone there because I didn't show up at the meeting time.

I need to find them there!

“Okay, take me there.”

■

When I arrived, the north wall was crowded. Not just a hundred or two hundred people, but more than a thousand, maybe more than the number of students at my school.

With so many players and NPCs participating, finding the two people would be nearly impossible. What should I do?

“M-monsters are coming!”

Looking up, I saw Griffons attacking. There's no choice but to fight. I might find them while fighting.

I want to finish quickly, but I need to use magic that won't interfere with other parties.

“‘Mana Bullet’”

Three light orbs appeared and began to circle around me.

‘Mana Bullet’ is an enhanced version of ‘Mana Sphere.’ While increasing the power, accuracy, and range of ‘Mana Sphere’ by raising its skill level, ‘Mana Bullet’ also increases the number of light orbs.

Each light orb can be controlled individually, allowing for concentrated attacks or attacks on multiple enemies, making it a convenient spell.

It's a basic spell for wizards and one of the spells I learned to obtain ‘Thunderstorm.’

I want to use ‘Mana Burst’ or ‘Thunderstorm’ to sweep them away, but with so many participants, I might hit other parties' monsters, which would be a breach of etiquette.

I focused on the Griffons that other players couldn't catch and took them down one by one.

...It will take a while to finish. I'll save ‘Intelligence Shield’ for later.

Wait, why are the Griffons exploding and bombing the wall? The wall is breaking! Is this place safe?

■

Amid the flames and smoke from the oil, all forces concentrated on the approaching Rhinos.

Irene's fierce battle had inflicted significant damage on the Rhinos, and the number had decreased to a manageable level.

However, as the soldiers' arrows and magic ran out, the casualties increased.

And finally—

“...What, magic!?”

All the barriers Alexia had set up flickered and disappeared, indicating that all support magic had ceased.

‘Mental Shield’ and ‘Addition’ are spells that consume a lot of mana to maintain.

Even with ‘Dragon Soul’ absorbing mana, if the recovery amount is less than the consumption, the mana will eventually run out.

Unlike wizards, who have a variety of area-of-effect spells and can recover mana with ‘Dragon Soul,’ sages have limited recovery options.

She had already used all her mana potions and had no means of recovery left.

“Lady Alexia, please fall back!”

Irene shouted, but she had no strength left after fighting to her limit.

The Rhinos approached mercilessly.

And the collision—

To the Rhinos, who were larger and heavier, Alexia was like a stone on the road.

Alexia felt a floating sensation and intense pain, which gradually faded. Her body, which had felt as heavy as lead, seemed to be released, and her senses began to fade.

Oh, this is bad, I have to do something—she thought, but she couldn't escape the sensation.

As she floated in the air, the scenery slowly passed by.

The soldiers, who had lost all magical support, were being trampled by the Rhinos. I'm sorry, I couldn't protect you—she apologized in her heart.

She saw a subordinate, with a desperate expression, reaching out to her and being swallowed by the Rhino horde. I'm sorry, I left you in this dangerous place because of my selfishness. Thank you for staying with me—she whispered in her heart.

Her consciousness began to fade. If it fades, she would be dead. She understood the situation very calmly.

Just before the end—

The image that came to mind was that of a black-haired boy with odd eyes.

Is he safe? Will he praise me for giving my all, or will he scold me for being incompetent?

In any case, I won't see him again. I just want him to be safe. I don't want him on this battlefield.

If he's here, I want him to run away, even if it means abandoning the city.

But I wished for more than just that. I wanted to see him one last time.

It was a selfish and shameful wish, a contradiction where one wish could not be fulfilled if the other was.

But one of the wishes must come true.

As she was slammed into the ground, Alexia felt a faint warmth. It was a sensation she had never experienced on the cold ground.

She focused her consciousness on the person who had caught her.

When she recognized the face, the flame in her fading heart wavered.

“...Teacher...”

The wish that came true as her consciousness faded was a reunion with the beloved boy.

■

This event is too harsh. With Griffons attacking from a high position, there's no way to counter. There are too many enemies. I hope the balance will be adjusted.

The only relief is that I haven't seen anyone else using ‘Mental Burst’ (there are many other classes and magicians, but no one seems to be aspiring to be a sage). It could be