After sending Henry ahead to rejoin the soldiers, Lance hurried deeper into the castle.
He returned to his room, opened the desk drawer, and took a small cloth pouch from the hidden compartment.
Then he strapped on his short sword and left.
“Young Master Lance!”
Bonnie met him in the corridor, worry flashing across her face.
“I heard you’re taking soldiers out to fight monsters?”
“Relax.
I’m going to rescue people.
That doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll have to fight those monsters head-on.”
“Can’t you wait until Lord Viscount returns?”
Bonnie bit her lip, clearly anxious.
News traveled through the castle with astonishing speed.
The moment Lance brought Henry back, word spread that Poirot’s squad had been trapped by Frost Earth Demons.
Bonnie had naturally heard as well.
“Of course I can’t wait.”
Lance smiled.
“Bonnie, I’m a wizard.
Trust me.
I’ll be back soon.”
He strode toward the castle entrance.
Bonnie said nothing more.
She simply watched him leave.
…
All three remaining patrol squads had assembled outside the castle.
After Adjutant Potter explained the situation, every soldier understood what had happened.
Their expressions were grave.
Demonized monsters were no joke.
This mission would be dangerous.
If it were not, a swordsman as capable as Poirot would never have become trapped in the first place.
“In a moment, Young Master Lance will select one squad to accompany him and rescue Lord Poirot and the others,” Potter said solemnly.
“Prepare yourselves for battle.
Lord Viscount is away.
The honor of this territory now depends on you.”
Potter himself did not have much confidence in Lance.
He did, however, trust Henry.
Henry had sworn that Lance personally killed three demonized Frost Earth Demons with three arrows.
There was no reason to think he had lied.
And since becoming Wizard Amman’s disciple, Lance’s abilities had become increasingly difficult to judge.
Potter should probably have tried to stop the expedition.
But Lance’s prestige in the castle had risen sharply, and Potter did not dare openly defy a wizard—especially one who was also the lord’s son.
Lance emerged from the castle and saw the troops waiting.
He nodded once.
After looking over the soldiers, he pointed to one squad.
“You.
Come with me.”
The other two squads visibly relaxed.
The selected soldiers looked as though they were marching toward death, but none dared disobey.
Patrol soldiers were among the best fighters in the entire domain.
Even so, few people wanted to face demonized creatures.
Everyone knew that demonization could produce strange and unpredictable abilities.
“Wait!
I’m coming too!” This chapter is updated first at g.com.
As Lance started down the cliff path with the squad, a sharp voice sounded behind him.
He frowned.
A tall blond youth hurried from the castle with an iron sword in hand.
“Young Master Lance, I want to go.”
It was Eric.
Lance looked at him.
“Why?
You know this will be dangerous.”
“I’m not afraid.
Take me with you.
My swordsmanship is no worse than any patrolman’s.”
Lance considered him for a moment.
“You can come, but you follow my orders.”
Eric nodded immediately.
Lance said nothing more.
For all the boy’s immaturity, adding another capable swordsman would strengthen the group.
As the patrol captain’s son, Eric had received proper training.
The party descended Windwatch Cliff, crossed Windguard Town, and headed south toward Conifer Forest Farm.
…
The forest farm was not actually far from the castle.
Poirot’s group had spent so much time there because they had been searching for scattered Frost Earth Demons across the region.
According to Henry, it took more than two weeks to locate the lair.
When the patrol finally charged into the valley expecting to finish the job, they were ambushed by a large number of Frost Earth Demons.
“At least sixty,” Henry said firmly.
“They were waiting for us.”
“Lord Poirot led most of the men into a small ravine to escape the pursuit, but the monsters trapped them there.”
“I was slower than the others and one Frost Earth Demon injured me.
Luckily, I had the sense to drop down and play dead.
Frost Earth Demons don’t eat corpses.”
“When their attention shifted toward Lord Poirot’s group, I slipped away.”
Henry grimaced.
“Three of the beasts noticed me while I was escaping.
They chased me all the way back.”
His expression softened when he looked at Lance.
“If I hadn’t run into Young Master Lance, I probably wouldn’t have made it back to the castle alive.”
The soldiers listening nearby became even more serious.
They had heard rumors about Lance recently, but few had actually seen what he could do.
Eric listened closely.
When Henry described Lance killing three demonized Frost Earth Demons with three arrows, Eric could not resist interrupting.
“Then demonized Frost Earth Demons don’t sound that impressive.
Let me take the front line when we get there.”
Henry glared at him.
“Brat, I helped teach you swordsmanship.
I know exactly what you can do.”
“One-on-one, sure, a demonized Frost Earth Demon probably isn’t a problem for you.
But when there are several at once, it’s different.”
“After demonization they’re much faster and more sensitive.
Their attack rate rises sharply.
Close combat becomes dangerous.”
The soldiers nodded.
They were not reckless boys and had no intention of underestimating the enemy.
Eric had been publicly put in his place and could only lower his head.
Among other teenagers, he might be a leader. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Among actual patrol soldiers, he was barely a recruit.
Watching the soldiers treat Lance with such respect irritated him.
He knew they respected Lance because he had saved Henry, but he preferred to believe the deference came only from Lance’s position.
Eric told himself, ‘Losing to him last time was an accident.
This time I’ll beat him.’
Lance paid him no attention.
Walking in the middle of the group, he turned to Henry.
“When you escaped, Poirot and the others saw you leave?”
Henry nodded.
“They definitely saw me.
Lord Poirot even signaled for me to run back and bring reinforcements.
I’m certain they’re still in the ravine waiting for us.”
“Then we need to move faster.”
Lance looked at the sky.
“We should reach the valley at Conifer Forest Farm before dark.”
Someone glanced at Henry’s injured leg.
“Your foot…”
“I’m fine.”
Henry tightened his grip on his walking stick and forced himself to increase his pace.
…
Night had fallen by the time the rescue party reached the valley.
They concealed themselves behind a raised ridge.
Lance carefully lifted his head and studied the darkness ahead.
‘Fox, can you scan heat sources in the valley?’
The night was overcast.
Without moonlight, Lance could see almost nothing.
Fox answered: [No.
The master chip’s scanning functions are limited to signals obtained through your own biological systems.
I do not possess a dedicated thermal-scanning system.]
Lance nodded.
He had expected as much.
‘Then activate [Eagle Eye].’
His vision immediately sharpened.
With Eagle Eye’s enhancement, details in the distant valley gradually emerged from the darkness.
Several Frost Earth Demons wandered around the outskirts.
Many more were deeper inside.
They maintained deliberate spacing.
At first glance the arrangement looked loose, but their positions clearly supported one another.
“Young Master Lance, what do we do next?” one soldier whispered.
The others could not see what Lance saw.
They simply gripped their swords and waited.
“There’s definitely something intelligent directing these Frost Earth Demons from behind them.”
Lance studied the formation carefully.
“But monsters are still monsters.
Demonization hasn’t suddenly made every individual Frost Earth Demon intelligent.
Even if something is controlling them, ordinary ones will still rely heavily on instinct.”
He had spent enough time playing games in his previous life.
Drawing monsters out one group at a time was hardly a new concept.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
“I need someone brave enough to step forward.”