Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

Night fell, blanketing the area in a quiet calm. Yet atop the ramparts, scores of soldiers remained vigilant, while behind the city gates, the knight order stood in formation despite having pitched camp within the walls and spilling over into the neighboring quarter connected to Mageford. Out in front of the city, ”grooo!” the army of corpses bathed in green fire stood like frozen statues in the middle of the battlefield, lined up toward the direction where the barbarian horde had vanished. Fog descended to envelop them, casting an eerie pall over the landscape ahead.

Meanwhile, inside the large command tent directly behind the main gate, Evelyn, Haruto, Johan, and Astrid sat around a table laid out with a map of the Dark Forest’s heartland. As they discussed their strategy, the tent flap pulled open. All four turned toward the entrance to see Olga step inside. Johan and Astrid immediately stood up.

”Oh, Lady Olga? Why are you here? What about the command bridge?” Johan asked.

”Yes, Lady Olga, it’s late,” Astrid added.

”It’s fine. I wished to see Her Highness Evelyn and Lord Sion,” Olga said, raising a hand.

Olga’s gaze shifted directly toward Haruto and Evelyn. Seeing Olga looking at her with a soft smile, Evelyn stood up and walked over to greet her. Johan and Astrid stepped aside to make way. Evelyn stood before Olga, gazing at her face, before a smile broke out across her lips.

”So you finally emerged from your hiding spot, Princess Olga von Reinhold,” Evelyn said.

”How have you been, Evelyn? It’s good to see you again,” Olga replied.

The two shared a warm embrace, leaving Johan and Astrid utterly bewildered, though Haruto simply nodded with his arms crossed, looking as if he had already known Olga’s true identity all along. Once Evelyn and Olga pulled back,

”Um... excuse me, Princess Evelyn, but did you already know Lady Olga’s true identity?” Johan asked.

Hearing the question, Evelyn turned to look at Johan with a smile, resting a hand on Olga’s shoulder.

”Of course I knew. We’re the same age. We used to meet at royal banquets and attended the academy together. After her father passed away, she vanished without a trace,” Evelyn explained.

”Oh... that makes sense then. So... you two were already friends?” Astrid asked.

”Hmm... more like old friends who’ve just reunited. That’s why when my father dispatched me here to defend a city named Mageford, I was immediately certain Olga would be here,” Evelyn answered.

”Enough, Evelyn. There’s no need to dwell on unnecessary details. I came here with a message I just received at the bridge from someone named Elrond, intending to deliver it to you and Lord Sion,” Olga interjected.

”Ah... is that so? Please, go ahead and share the message, Lady Olga,” Haruto chimed in.

”Very well.”

Olga drew a magic mirror from beneath her cloak and set it on the table. A recorded image surfaced on the mirror’s surface, displaying Elrond and Faramir, with Dion, Sheila, Cleo, Luna, Aria, and Mei gathered behind them in what appeared to be a meeting, as Gina circled above them. Shortly after, the voices of Dion, Sheila, Cleo, Luna, Aria, and Mei could be heard asking Olga about the situation. Naturally, Olga explained everything, from the catapult bombardment and the arrival of Evelyn and Haruto to the barbarian retreat. Following her report, Dion’s group returned to their frantic discussion.

”Dammit... that bastard Dhorga is really crossing the line! Come on, Dion, let’s just you, me, and Gina head on over there first!” Sheila growled, slamming her fists together.

”Calm down, don’t be reckless. Sister Olga said the city held out, right?” Luna reasoned, trying to soothe Sheila.

”They didn’t retreat, though... They’re preparing something, and I know exactly what it is,” Sheila argued.

”What could they possibly be preparing?” Cleo asked, lost in thought.

”Yeah... don’t those barbarians just rush in without tactics? It’s all charge, crush, and win for them,” Aria added.

”You don’t understand. A guy like Dhorga wouldn’t just bring ground troops and heavy artillery. He definitely brought her along too,” Sheila countered.

”Her? Who is ’she’?” Luna asked, her interest piqued. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

”Hmm... do you mean their mounts... the wyverns and dire wolves?” Mei asked.

”No... if it were cavalry mounts, they would have attacked already... But if they’re waiting... they’re using monster summoner shaman...”

Suddenly, the recorded playback cut off from the mirror as the ground began to shake violently, forcing Olga, Evelyn, Johan, and Astrid to grab hold of each other, while Haruto stood casually, swaying naturally with the tremors. Once they regained their footing,

”Let’s go outside!”

They sprinted out of the tent and climbed the ramparts together. Standing along the edge of the wall and looking out into the distance, the faces of Olga, Evelyn, Johan, Astrid, and even Haruto turned pale in an instant. Ahead of them, though still a distance away, stood two colossal four-armed, one-eyed giants. Massive, muscular, yet heavily built, the two behemoths were marching toward the city alongside a giant mammoth-like creature equal in size to the two giants on its left and right, sporting branching horns. The three colossal monsters marched out from the center of the forest like giants wading through the ocean toward the shore.

”Four-Armed Cyclopes, rank SS... and a Tusk Behemoth, rank SS... Summoned monsters,” Haruto murmured.

”Th-That bastard... how are we supposed to fight those?” Evelyn muttered, staring at the three beasts advancing slowly but steadily toward them.

”Stay calm... Lord Dion is on his way. In the rest of the transmission... after Princess Sheila explained that Northgard has a girl her age who is an SS-rank summoner shaman, Lord Dion declared that we must rush there immediately to assist the city,” Olga explained.

”Is that true, Lady Olga?” Haruto asked, turning to face her.

”We can only hope they arrive in time,” Olga replied, her tone laced with uncertainty.

”Hey... Olga, when did Lord Dion contact you?” Evelyn asked, looking over at her.

”About two hours ago,” Olga answered, looking visibly anxious herself.

”Alright... we hold the line. Let’s hope they make it in time,” Evelyn stated, staring back out front.

”Johan, Astrid, order the mages to accelerate the repairs on the magic tower. We have to reactivate the barrier before they reach us,” Olga instructed.

”Yes, Lady Olga!” both answered in unison.

Johan and Astrid scrambled down the steps, and shortly after, the town bell began to toll. The townspeople prepared themselves while the ten soldier golems built by Dion climbed atop the ramparts, mounting the ledge with mini bazooka-like weapons resting on their shoulders aimed straight ahead, ready to fire.

Meanwhile, the monsters ahead pressed onward, sending continuous tremors through the earth. Deep within the forest, Dhorga’s troops grinned broadly as they readied themselves to advance, letting the beasts march on the city first. Dhorga turned to look at the slender, blonde-haired girl at his side, who wore green shamanistic attire crowned with a wolf-head helm. The girl looked deathly pale, gasping for breath as she leaned heavily on her staff for support.

”Hey... Nala, you’re sure those monsters won’t turn around and attack us, right?” Dhorga asked.

”N-No, General... As long as I remain conscious. If I run out of mana... they’ll vanish. But if I pass out or get killed... they’ll run wild. Honestly, I don’t agree with doing this... Sheila was my academy friend,” Nala gasped out.

”You’re my future daughter-in-law. I’m asking you to do this for Gred and for our kingdom. Princess Sheila betrayed us by getting engaged to some nobody lord from this domain. You understand that, right?” Dhorga countered with a sly smile.

Nala didn’t offer a verbal reply, staring straight ahead as she offered a slow, hesitant nod to Dhorga’s question. Naturally, the grin on Dhorga’s face widened even further, and he immediately ordered his commander to prepare the troops to storm the city the moment the monsters breached the defenses. Dhorga felt entirely confident that victory was already theirs.

Meanwhile, Nala glanced sideways at Dhorga, beginning to question her own actions. Doubts nagged at her heart as she silently questioned the true motive behind Dhorga’s assault on Dion’s territory. Yet she was powerless to stop it now—the monsters had already been summoned, and she had to conserve every ounce of energy just to maintain her control.

”I hope... Sheila can stop my monsters... You’re... with Dion, right?... Please help me,” Nala pleaded in her head.

***

Meanwhile, aboard a zeppelin flying toward the heart of the Dark Forest,

”Achooo!”

Dion and Sheila sneezed in unison on the deck, both immediately wiping their noses. Behind them, Cleo shook her head.

”I guess synchronized sneezing is in style nowadays... So, your friend can summon rank SS giant monsters?” Cleo asked.

”Yes... Nala Wintercross. She’s an SS-rank shaman summoner. Extremely dangerous,” Mei said.

”So the one Sheila was afraid of was Nala all along. I wondered who it was, but if she’s on the battlefield, that changes things. We need to get there fast,” Luna said.

”That’s right. She’s kind and timid, but her power is something else. She can summon monsters that no longer exist in this world... titan-class monsters,” Sheila said.

”Wow... now I’m curious,” Aria added in response.

”Enough talking... what matters is that we hurry back,” Dion said. ”Hey... kick up the speed,” Dion instructed the zeppelin pilot.

”Understood, Your Grace,” the pilot replied.

He immediately shouted down the speaking tube to order the engine room to increase speed. Dion kept his eyes locked on the horizon, with Gina perched on his shoulder, gazing straight ahead as well.