37-77

EP.77 Mayer and Baron Kimberly’s Painful Days (3) 

Cordelia and the two knights continued to block the ogres’ attacks, while the soldiers kept throwing spears, gradually wearing down the ogres’ stamina. 

But soon, a remaining cyclops attacked, and Cordelia barely managed to hold it off. Her limbs grew heavy and the tide of battle began to shift back in the monsters’ favor. 

‘Tch... I can handle one ogre alone, but two is too much... And Hans and Rekt, those two junior knights, can’t take down an ogre quickly. There must be a way...’ 

But with no special plan coming to mind, Cordelia decided to take a gamble. 

“Mayer! I’ll lure the ogre and cyclops I’m fighting into the forest! With the battlefield widened, use all your forces to kill the two remaining ogres as quickly as possible and then come save me!!” 

Mayer’s eyes widened at Cordelia’s risky move. 

“Are you sure about this?” 

“At this rate, I can’t hold out either! Let’s take a chance before I run out of strength!” 

“All right! But don’t get hurt! I don’t want to get scolded by His Highness for letting his knight get injured.” 

‘Not that the prince would be sad if I got hurt... but I wouldn’t mind being worried about.’ 

“Heh, understood. I’ll do my best. Haaa!!” 

With a shout, Cordelia launched a fierce assault on the ogre and cyclops. 

Slash, slash  

“KUOOOOO!!!” 

Her surprise attack left deep wounds on their faces, and as she dashed into the forest, the ogre and cyclops roared and chased after her. 

“Now!! Cordelia has succeeded in luring them away!! Help the knights kill the remaining two ogres as fast as possible and then go save Cordelia!!” 

Hearing that Cordelia had risked herself to lure away two giant monsters, the soldiers’ eyes blazed with determination. Their spear throws became more accurate, and more and more spears pierced the ogres’ hides, leaving wounds. 

“KWAARRGH!!” 

The ogres roared and swung their clubs, but as their wounds increased, their movements slowed, and finally, one ogre dropped to its knees. 

“Focus your attacks on that one!! Now that it’s kneeling, you can reach it with your spears!” 

The soldiers stabbed the ogre repeatedly. The exhausted ogre, which would normally have shrugged off the attacks, now took every blow, and finally, the knight’s sword finished it off. 

Meanwhile, the rangers fighting the basilisks were facing hell. 

“KEEEEEEK!!” 

“Dodge!!” 

The basilisks’ petrification attacks could be countered quickly with magic tools, but even so, they were still terrifying giant monsters. 

Every time a clawed wing slashed, rangers spat blood; when a tail whipped, rangers were sent flying. 

“Don’t stop suppressing them with arrows!! Use chains to bind their legs and restrict their movement!!” 

At William’s order, hundreds of arrows flew at the basilisks. The skilled archers’ arrows pierced even the basilisks’ tough scales, making them shriek. 

Then, a dozen soldiers with chains rushed in to bind the basilisks’ legs but the monsters counterattacked. 

“Sssaaaahh!!” 

The basilisks’ eyes glowed red and their petrification curse activated, turning the charging soldiers and those suppressing them in front to stone. 

The curse was easily broken by applying the magic antidote, but as the formation briefly broke to do so, one basilisk slipped in and wildly slashed with claws and tail. 

“GRAAAH!!” 

Even though the breach was brief, in an instant, twenty rangers those with chains and those holding the line were killed, and the basilisks, emboldened, rampaged even more violently. 

Tatata! 

At that moment, one figure grabbed a fallen chain and charged into the rampaging basilisk horde. 

“HAAAAAA!!” 

Following William’s earlier instructions, he let the chain unspool as he weaved between the basilisks’ legs, tying them together and anchoring the chain to a giant tree at the mountain entrance. 

“Pull!!” 

At his shout, the rangers pulled the chain from their formation, binding the basilisks’ thin legs and completely immobilizing them. 

“Macmorin!! If you survive, I’ll kill you myself!! But well done!!” 

“KYAAAAK!!” 

The chained basilisks thrashed, trying to break free. 

Creak! Crack! 

The huge tree to which the chain was tied groaned, and the soldiers holding the chain were dragged around, barely holding on. 

William decided: with the basilisks immobilized, now was the time to strike. He drew his sword. 

“Now!! All rangers, charge!!” 

William led from the front as all the rangers rushed the immobilized basilisks. 

The monsters swung their tails in retaliation, but with their legs bound, the tails were less dangerous, and the rangers nimbly dodged and slashed at the basilisks’ hides and stabbed with spears. 

In an instant, the basilisks’ scales were cut, their hides pierced, and their huge bodies began to fall. 

“Keep cutting!! Kill them quickly and go help the guards fighting the ogres!” 

Following William’s orders, the rangers kept hacking at the basilisks, finally beheading them and feeling victory was certain. 

“KEEEEK!!” 

But as the rangers let their guard down, one beheaded basilisk shrieked and rose. 

“What the ?!” 

True to its nature as a creature with traits of both snake and chicken, even without a head, the basilisk’s body moved, shrieking from its open neck as it charged at Macmorin. 

“Damn it!! You’re going to kill me even if you’re dead?!” 

Macmorin tried to resist with his spear, but the basilisk’s massive body crushed him, snapping his spear, and sent him flying into the forest. 

“Cough, cough... Damn... I’m gonna die here…” 

His arm was twisted behind his back, his legs bent at odd angles he knew he was done for. 

Thud! Thump! 

Behind him, the basilisk, still bleeding, crawled toward him, intent on killing him, so Macmorin instinctively crawled forward. 

But with his broken body, he was too slow. 

Then, a huge shadow loomed over him, filling Macmorin with despair. 

“KRAAAAH!!” 

The shadow was a massive red troll, wielding a huge axe, its roar shaking the forest. 

“Macmorin, hold on! We’re coming to save tr-troll?!” 

William and his men, rushing to help Macmorin, froze at the troll’s roar as it began to move. 

Everyone braced for Macmorin’s death, but the scream they heard was not his. 

“KEEEEEEK!!” 

The troll’s axe cleaved not Macmorin, but the basilisk. The troll, holding Macmorin, ignored William and the rangers, and in an instant slaughtered the remaining basilisks writhing on the plain. 

“Wh-who are you...?” 

William, approaching the troll with a trembling voice and weapon drawn, watched as the troll set Macmorin down and spoke. 

“Who am I? Do you humans call your benefactors who save your subordinates ‘you’?” 

“Huh? Human speech?” 

Hearing the troll speak human language, William and all the rangers stared wide-eyed. 

“My name is Ajin. By the order of the great Lady Miri and her consort, Lord Yuno, I have come to help you.” 

When the troll who introduced himself as Ajin mentioned the prince’s name, William and the rangers’ jaws dropped. 

Ignoring their reaction, Ajin heard the sounds of battle in the distance and immediately rushed toward where Mayer and Cordelia were fighting.