Chapter 1

"What... what kind of monster is this..."

The armored man was stunned by the scene.

The knights of the Kingdom of Gardia, deployed in the Woolvash Swamp, were all equally perplexed.

The report had come in about a few weeks ago.

It was after they received word of large monsters appearing in the vicinity of the swamp.

Naturally, the knights' response was swift.

The Woolvash Swamp was not far from the capital.

Their quick response, however, was overshadowed by the situation that had developed.

The monsters were insect-like, and their reproductive rate was such that they had formed an army in a short time.

Perhaps the swamp environment was suitable; the monsters, with bodies like hard armor, roamed freely within it.

Each one was larger than a human, and there were hundreds—no, thousands of them wandering about.

"There's no way we can handle this with our current forces... I need to contact the captain—"

"There's no need for that, I think."

"Wh-what? You—no, you are—"

The one who spoke to the man was a young boy.

He had a face so delicate it could be mistaken for a girl's, and his black hair and eyes were rare in this area.

However, the boy was wearing armor similar to the man's, though lighter, and he also carried a sword at his waist.

The boy was a knight as well.

"First Lieutenant Altha Schweitz. When I say there's no need—"

"The reason I was called here is to exterminate the monsters infesting the swamp."

"That's the same for me. However, their numbers are—"

"If we're talking about whether it's possible or not—yes, it is. That much, at least."

As the man spoke, the boy—Altha—replied and then kicked off the ground with a thud, dashing forward.

Before the man could stop him, Altha was already running.

In battle, sometimes the one who acts the fastest determines the outcome.

In this case, since they had to fight anyway, someone had to make the first move.

By the time the man reacted, Altha had already brought the monsters roaming the swamp within his attack range.

Altha drew his sword.

Swish—there was a shock that seemed impossible for a boy to produce, a sound like a strong gust of wind.

One of the monsters slumped to the ground with a thud. The other monsters noticed.

But by the time they did, they were being cut down one after another.

"Amazing... That's the sword of Altha Schweitz, the youngest in the kingdom and said to be on par with the Sword Saint...!"

The man, seeing the monsters fall one by one, immediately took action.

The other knights, inspired by the prowess of the knight, also raised their morale.

"Hey, the others are moving too. This should be over soon. ...I want to go home and rest quickly."

In contrast to the knights who were fighting for their lives, Altha's casual voice was lost in the chaos of battle.

The book and manga serialization have started!