46. Chapter 46
The Ferrius Front in Sarajevo Fortress was in turmoil as if the world had been turned upside down.
“The security forces in the Yainen City have retreated, the number of monsters is over 40,000, and the number of civilian casualties is high.”
“Gantria City and Meriberg City have fallen, and in the latest report from the scout, more than 90,000 monsters are rushing from both cities.”
“It seems that monsters have also attacked Lilyanka City. Although the number is unknown, we must stop the advance from the forest.”
Only bad news and scream-like reports came in from the troops in each area, who were devoted in using communication magic tools and messengers to maintain public order.
“Your Excellency, this is…”
One of the staff officers turned to Gerard with a serious face. Gerard could understand what he wanted to say and that he probably didn’t want to say it.
“It’s an outbreak.”
An abominable phenomenon occurred when the Demon Territory was rapidly destroyed beyond a certain level and the monsters began to run around wildly, turning the surroundings area into ash and dust. Gerard had also experienced before, to be exact when it was the expansion period of Highserk.
At that time, even the supposedly small demon territory destroyed the neighboring country and killed more than 110,000 people. The Highserk soldiers who blocked the border had also made great sacrifices, and this painful memory were still deeply remembered by Gerard.
The problem this time was that it happened in a demon territory that was said to be the largest and strongest on the continent. Already, 130,000 monsters had been reported within sight.
Considering the cities and villages that were destroyed without even being reported as unconfirmed, the real scale was impossible to know.
“The Four-Country Alliance must be the one who did this to avoid Highserk’s victory. What a bunch of stupid guys. Certainly, there’ll be no winner with this, but we all will equally lose.”
Gerard, now silent, stared at the map and gave himself over to his thoughts. If he cut the territory under Highserk carelessly, they would only be in serious danger. He had to decide which land to cut off in order to minimize the damage.
A decisive battle on level ground wouldn’t be possible. It would only be possible to bury several times more enemies, but the scale of the great outbreak, which could be called a colony attempt, easily reached hundreds of thousands. Although some monsters could be classified as the center of this outbreak based on past events, it was extremely difficult to distinguish them, and the method of aggressively destroying the potential targets would only come to naught.
“We’ll abandon Sarajevo Fortress. Using the border of Highserk with Myard as a line of defense, we shall bring the troops there.”
“Are we throwing away Myard?!”
At Gerard’s instructions, the staff officer couldn’t hide his dismay.
Gerard told the problem child as if to remind him.
“Myard huh, don’t be so naive. Even just being able to protect our homeland, it’s already a good story.”
Protecting the homeland, even that was doubtful. But Gerard wasn’t so good at giving up.
“That… what about the people in Myard’s land?”
“Save only those who can follow. Throw others into the Celta territory of Myard and Ferrius, and blast their heads to the monsters if there is no other way to save them.”
The main principle of the great outbreak was to wave rush of the monsters. It would be possible to destroy them if the main forces of the “three major countries” were mobilized. Only the general army of the Highserk Empire, wouldn’t be enough. Even with those directly under Gerard, wouldn’t be enough.
At HQ, it was silent, as if time had stopped. Gerard’s subordinates, who had a sense of reality, had frozen on the spot. Even the chief of staff officers of the glorious Highserk Empire. Really, it was a pitiful sight. They should keep moving their bodies and work their heads without interruption. Even if the Empire was crumbling.
Gerard let his gaze wander and shouted.
“It’s time work!! Every move we make will determine the survival of the Highserk Empire!!”
Regardless of what rank they were, they started moving. Instructions were given from the battalion to the company, from the company to the platoon, squad. and team, and the fetal movement began all at once. To counter the monster colony, the battle with the Four-Country Alliance had to be stopped, as the war between the human races and the demons was about to begin.
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The operation of burning the forest on the outer edge of Myard was a success. The Highserk army couldn’t stop the outbreak and abandoned Sarajevo Fortress, and now continuing to retreat further. In short, the operation was successful, too successful.
Emrid’s company, burning one tree after another, was able to retreat to the HQ, they were lucky.
Of the 6,000 troops sent, only 2,800 were able to return to the HQ, and this small number of troops wasn’t reorganized for further battle.
The results of the operation were immediately apparent. Myard was swarmed with monsters, and instead of the Highserk soldiers, the people of Myard were swept away. It was a terrible sight. But Emrid couldn’t only staying still on the sidelines either.
The people of Myard, were running away from Sarajevo Fortress as the monsters invaded the Fortress. The Four-Country Alliance wanted to contain the monster in Sarajevo Fortress, but the Alliance forces received a shocking report from a unit that was watching the movements of the monsters.
The monsters were overflowed through the burning forest into the Ferrius Kingdom.
And, the order given wasn’t to intercept the monsters but to retreat. This was because the Ferrius people and the Myard people rushed to the position where the higher-ups of the Four-Country Alliance army expected.
Emrid was proud that the first response was successful. While the second and third waves were being repelled with the help of the Three Heroes’ skills and magic, someone noticed that the frequency and magnitude of the onrushing waves of monsters were actually increasing.
During the fifth wave, the troops of the Four-Country Alliance collapsed, everyone began to retreat to their homes, and even the Ferrius soldiers left their homes and sought asylum abroad.
Sea retreat via Lake Celta, of course, couldn’t carry all troops at once, and Emrid could easily imagine what would happen if the people flooded the ships.
The ships that left were always crowded with soldiers and people. Some jumped into the lake and tried to follow the ship. Some clung to the ship. In the harbor, people fell into the lake, and some were trampled and crushed to death by the people. Emrid didn’t want to die like that, and he couldn’t allow the deaths of his subordinates to be in vain. Emrid’s decision, which could be called arbitrary, was made quickly. He followed the Order of Reharzen and chose the land route. His goal was to return to his homeland via the Craist Kingdom.
“Ignore the back, pay attention only to the front and sides. If it’s blocked, everyone will die.”
Emrid’s troops swelled to the size of a battalion due to the defeated soldiers of each country. Most of the commanders of the battalion and the regiment units had been killed in the battle of Sarajevo fortress, and the rest had died trying to escape from the great outbreak.
“The people behind…”
The adventurer Leethia, who was among those leading the way, responded to Emrid’s words. It seemed that she realized what she had done. Emrid saw that the girl was about to break, no, the girl was now broken.
“Anyone who can’t keep up with the speed will die. Are you shocked? But, that’s the reality. It may be wrong to say this since I’m one of the perpetrators, but we shouldn’t have let those monsters interfere in the human war.”
Punishment would be inevitable if Emrid hadn’t done his duty. But now the high-ranking officers who could listen were either dead or had fled with the ship, and after that there was only an army from many countries that joined together to escape death.
“I am, I…!!”
Emrid didn’t want to be used as mental care by an adolescent girl, but he wanted to have enough firepower to get out of the situation.
“If you’ve time to worry, save even one more person. You can worry as much after you survived this. You can become a nun repenting the sin you did all your life if you want. But now, as an adventurer, you must fight, and save people from monsters. Even if you die now, it won’t get easier. Even for 1 second, don’t stop.”
The girl ran to the leading group without responding to Emrid.
Emrid then turned to another adventurer.
“Lefty, you don’t look fine either, huh?”
“Well, I knew there would be sacrifices. Just, I didn’t expect it to spread this far.”
“Then, why did you participate? Do you like fighting, or something?”
“Like, huh? I don’t want to say this, but now I’m in this situation. What I like is… Leethia. I want to support the woman I fell in love with.”
Emrid couldn’t close his open mouth.
As Lefty said, the reason why he jumped into the deadly battlefield was his loved one.
“Are you stupid? That should be all the more reason to stop her.”
“She said that, she’d accept the request even if she had to go alone. And I’m not that good at speaking. So, I could only support her.”
“Huff, I thought you were the type who didn’t know what you did, but despite your appearance, you’re so disgusting.”
“I am aware.”
For the first time in their short friendship, Emrid laughed at the gloomy man.
“Go and support her.”
The man followed the girl. He ended up playing a crazy farce in this deadly place. And this gloomy male adventurer made the girl, who was on the verge of breaking, smile. It seemed that there was still a little space in the girl’s head that could break at any moment.
“Volk’s squad, dull the movements of the monsters behind. Don’t overdo it.”
“I don’t mind supporting the vanguard group.”
“Luckily, it seems that two skilled adventurers will fight until they are exhausted.”
“Well, if that’s the case.”
Emrid was neither willing nor able to save everyone, but had chosen to increase the number of those who would take a risk to save others.
TN: Join my discord channel if you want.
Thank you very much for the chapter
Well i guess based on the map from previous chapters ago, they should have predicted myard and ferrius got colleteral damage too. Guess they’re looking down on mother nature. My condolence to those innocent victims
OMG these stupid adventurers! I really need them to die.
Thanks for the chapter!
I mean what did you expect? What a bunch of fools
Lmao they seriously thought Highserk soldiers would sacrifice their lives fighting the monstere and then they could easily stroll in and take back their territories.