Chapter 145: The stage is set
On the northern hillside of the outpost, Velyss stood among the low trees, silently watching the plaza through a small magical device. Her pink hair moved in the wind, while her two slender curved black horns were almost hidden beneath her hood.
The image of Erik speaking with the brown-haired female captain was clear, and behind him, the female warriors were still divided into two groups, occasionally glaring at one another.
"Has the argument reached this point already?" Velyss asked softly, though it was unclear who she was speaking to.
She looked at the black-haired Succubus who had started the disturbance earlier, her purple-pink eyes resting on the unnaturally high collar. "You truly know how to choose your timing."
A gray-white book with a smooth cover and no title appeared in Velyss’s hand. She used her index finger to turn several pages before stopping on a thin sheet of paper that did not contain a single word. She held it between two fingers and raised it before her face. The paper trembled lightly, as though something beneath it was trying to escape.
"I only wanted them to see clearly which side they were standing on." Velyss let out a soft breath, her lips curving into an unreadable smile. "But if the stage has already been set, the actors should begin performing too..."
She waved her hand. The paper flew from her fingertips and, the moment it touched the air, dissolved into a thread of black mist so thin it was almost impossible to see. It swept past the treetops and shot toward the northern boundary.
Velyss looked up to follow it, her expression briefly becoming serious when the thread of mist reached a completely empty point in the sky.
A line of white light suddenly appeared.
At first, it looked like nothing more than a scratch on glass, but after a faint cracking sound, branches of golden mana began spreading outward. Velyss closed the book and raised one hand to touch her chin.
She knew that Silver Moon’s protective dome had been weakening for a long time. What she had just done was like tugging on a thread from an old piece of cloth. Yet when the crack began lengthening faster than expected, the smile on her lips faded slightly.
"Oh... A stronger reaction than I expected."
...
"So after visiting the treatment area, we will go to..."
Erik had not finished speaking when the ground beneath his feet suddenly shook. He reflexively grabbed Elowen’s hand, while the brown-haired female captain immediately raised her hand to signal the soldiers to hold their positions. A dull sound echoed from afar, as though something enormous was being broken.
"The sky!" A female archer standing on the watchtower screamed, her voice cracking in shock.
Erik raised his head. North of the outpost, the protective barrier that had once been invisible was gradually appearing beneath the sunlight, countless lines of white and golden mana interweaving across its surface.
Erik recognized the glowing lines that had appeared on the road back to Silver Moon. Unlike last time, a dark stream was now seeping through the other side of the barrier and pouring directly into the forest near the outpost.
"Lady Meira!" The brown-haired female captain abruptly turned toward her, her face pale. "Is the protective dome...?"
"I see it." Meira raised her head, her green eyes instantly turning cold. Thin streams of Wind element appeared around her, making her blonde hair, tied behind her back, flutter slightly. "Everyone, leave the open area. Move the wounded to the basement immediately."
An explosion sounded from the mountain. The distant hillside suddenly collapsed, carrying trees and enormous boulders down with it. Before anyone could understand what was happening, roars began echoing through the crack.
Countless black silhouettes crawled out from between the rocks and ran toward the road leading to the outpost.
The brown-haired female captain immediately pulled her communicator from her belt and issued orders one after another. "First squad to the northern wall! Second squad, protect the treatment area! Third squad, take noncombatants to the basement! No one is to leave their position without authorization!"
After confirming that the units had received the order, she turned to Erik. Her stern expression briefly gave way to worry. "Sir Erik, please go to the shelter with Elowen. You were already endangered because of us last time. Let the military handle today’s matter."
"I know you can fight." Erik looked at the monster silhouettes flooding down the hillside, then took out the spear he had prepared for the survey from his storage bracelet.
He checked the spearhead, tested the sturdiness of its shaft, then looked back at the female captain. "But I came here to survey the land that was just liberated with everyone. If monsters occupy it again right before my eyes, I do not want to merely stand and watch."
A clattering sound rang out as a female soldier dropped her helmet. She hurriedly bent down to pick it up, but her eyes remained fixed on the spear in Erik’s hand. The people around her were stunned as well. They had all thought he would enter the shelter, like any other precious man, yet he remained there without even turning back toward the vehicle parked in the plaza.
"Does he truly want to fight?" A young female medic covered her mouth lightly, her eyes reddening. "Last time, he nearly died under that giant spider’s feet. I have not even had a chance to thank him yet..."
The veteran female warrior who had once defended Erik stared at him for a long time. A scar from the old battle was still visible on her arm.
She clearly remembered the moment he had rushed forward to save Meira, and the helpless feeling of thinking that man would die before her eyes. "What an idiot," she quietly scolded, smiling as she wiped the corners of her eyes.
"Does he not know fear?" the young female soldier beside her asked softly.
"Everyone feels fear." She looked at Erik with a gaze that was both moved and proud. "But he still chose to stay."
A silver-haired female Succubus holding a shield slowly placed a hand over her chest in salute to Erik. The warriors nearby did the same. Some had reddened faces from admiration, while others tried to hide their tears.
The silver-haired female soldier quietly told her comrade, "I have served in the military for twelve years. Every time the Council’s men came to inspect us, we even had to prepare escape routes for them. Yet Sir Erik, after everything he went through last time, is still voluntarily staying."
"I only hope he stays safe," her companion replied, looking at the formation preparing to pass through the gate. "He does not owe us another time of risking his life."
"Do not be moved so quickly!" The black-haired Succubus at the end of the line whistled, her voice mocking. "What is there to praise about holding a spear while standing behind the shield line? If Sir Erik truly wants to help, why does he not go to the outer line?"
"That is right!" A new female soldier echoed, her gaze full of displeasure. "What if we have to abandon our positions to protect him?"
The veteran female warrior abruptly turned around. "Earlier, you demanded that he go to the front lines. Now that he voluntarily stays, you demand that he go to the most dangerous place? What exactly would satisfy you?"
"Someone praised as a hero should do a hero’s work," the black-haired woman replied with a curl of her lips. "Or do you want him to merely stand there and receive thanks?"
"Do not turn kindness into an obligation!" The young female medic hugged her medical bag tightly, her voice trembling with anger. "He saved people last time, and now he is not abandoning us either. Does he have to risk his life until he dies to be considered worthy?"
The silver-haired female warrior stepped forward and pointed directly toward the gate. "Then why do you not demand that the Council’s men go to the northern gate?
They have the authority to command the entire military, but does anyone dare force them to hold spears as they are forcing Erik?"
Several female soldiers immediately fell silent. Even the people who had just joined the opposing side hesitated briefly.
However, the black-haired Succubus still refused to yield. "Do not bring the Council into this! He is being welcomed as a hero, so does he get special privileges when danger comes?"
"No one is asking for privileges for him!" the veteran female warrior angrily retorted. "He has the right to choose. Our gratitude is not a rope tying him to the battlefield!"
The two sides continued arguing. Though the opposition had fewer people, they were not at a disadvantage. They repeatedly mentioned the troop shortage and the fear that their comrades would have to protect Erik.
Those whom he had once saved were angry enough to redden their faces. Erik looked at both groups, touched yet helpless that even while monsters were approaching, everyone was still arguing on his behalf.
"Wait a moment, everyone," Erik said, his voice gentle but clear. "Thank you, everyone. But the female captain is waiting for us to receive our assignments. I think we should listen to her first."
The black-haired Succubus was about to respond when the female captain walked directly over, her face red with anger. "ENOUGH! This is the military! Who stands on the outer line and who holds the inner line is my decision, not something determined by your praise or provocations!"
She turned toward the black-haired group. "Return to the western post immediately. From now on, anyone who leaves their position or disrupts the formation without authorization will be dealt with under military law!"
The black-haired woman froze, then lowered her head to acknowledge the order. Yet before turning away, she still glanced at Erik with a challenging look. The group following her hurried toward the western side, leaving a silent space among the female warriors who had just been arguing.
The female captain looked at Erik, her brown eyes trembling slightly. "I am sorry, sir. I did not expect you to stay either. Even if you had chosen to enter the shelter, no one would have the right to blame you."
"I know." Erik smiled. "But since I am staying, assign me a suitable task. I do not know the terrain as well as you, and I do not want to disrupt the defensive plan."
"Then please remain on the inner support line, near the archers’ position." The female captain placed a hand over her chest in salute, her voice far more solemn. "We will coordinate together."
"Alright. I will follow your command."
Several female warriors nearby smiled and quietly made space for him in the formation. No one continued praising him. Their respect had now changed into the way they looked at him as a comrade.
Elowen took her bow from her storage bracelet and stepped to Erik’s left. She held his sleeve, her emerald eyes both gentle and worried. "I am proud of you. But if I tell you to dodge later, do not turn around and ask why."
"I will obey immediately." Erik lightly touched her silver hair and smiled. "Although you usually tell me to dodge right when I am about to kiss you."
"Erik!" Elowen blushed, making several female warriors who heard it laugh. The tense atmosphere finally eased slightly.
Meira walked over, placing a thin protective layer over both of them before taking Erik’s arm. She still had not forgotten the moment he had nearly lost his life during the battle with the giant spider.
"Master, I like that you are brave," she said quietly, sounding both proud and slightly needy, "but I like you even more when you are alive so I can hug you every night."
"Then I have even more reason to be careful." Erik lightly squeezed her hand.
Meira reluctantly let go, her green eyes turning toward the defensive line. "I will hold the outer ring. Do not cross beyond the support position without authorization."
Laviana retrieved the recording crystals to a safe distance while watching the livestream comments constantly scroll. Normally, viewers enjoyed watching Erik hug and kiss the Succubi, but now, what astonished them was the sight of a man standing in a combat formation amid a real alarm.
[Wait... He is not entering the shelter? (O_O)]
[Sir Erik nearly died here before. How does he still dare to return? ??]
[I have served men for twelve years and have never seen one ask what he could do to help the military...]
[Look at the female warriors crying. They truly care about him. ??]
[Black Iron Rank 10 going to the battlefield might only distract others into protecting him!]
[Huh, he gets criticized even for staying? Σ(°ロ°) What do you people actually want?]
[Then why not demand that the Council’s men hold spears? You only target Erik!]
[Do not turn his kindness into an obligation!]
Laviana shifted the camera to a wide angle, allowing viewers to see the combat squads urgently taking their positions.
She sent the coordinates of the defensive line to the communications group, then looked at Erik with a rarely serious expression. "I will support logistics. Do not let those words make you feel that you need to prove anything."
"I do not intend to." Erik tested the movement of his spear, remembering the sessions when Meira trained him to maintain distance and watch his comrades. "I only want to do my part well."
At the end of the plaza, the black-haired Succubus had led her group toward the western post. One person in the group anxiously asked whether they should run faster because the monsters were approaching, but she only pulled her collar higher and told them to follow her.
When she turned her back to the crowd, the dark root-like patterns beneath her skin suddenly twitched, and the corners of her lips curved into an icy smile.
At that moment, black mist suddenly poured down from the crack in the sky.
Meira immediately raised a hand. A powerful gust swept across the plaza, sending dust and swirling leaves flying.
But the black mist only tore apart for a small distance before gathering again, quickly crawling over the city walls and flooding into the streets like an invisible current.
"This is not right..." Meira frowned, pulling Erik toward her. "This is not ordinary mist."
Erik was about to ask more when Elowen’s hand suddenly tightened around his wrist. Before them, people standing only a few steps away gradually turned into distorted silhouettes.
The alarm continued sounding, but it felt as though it were trapped inside a sealed room, its echoes becoming unbelievably near and distant.
"Erik, do not let go of my hand!" Elowen called loudly, her voice trembling when she could no longer see Meira.
"I am here!" He pulled her close. One hand held his spear while the other tightly gripped her fingers, which were growing cold. He tried calling Meira and Laviana’s names, but the moment the words left his mouth, they echoed back at him from many directions.
Within only a few breaths, the entire plaza was swallowed by Dark Mist.