Reincarnated as the Descendant of a Fallen Noble

Chapter 77:  A Storm is Coming. (2)

The next day, around lunchtime.

Inside the large tent at the center of the fortress, Medeia and the knights had gathered.

“The number of monsters has dropped drastically.”

“What in the world is going on…?”

A look of bewilderment spread across the faces of the knights delivering the report.

In the past few months, there had hardly been a day without Frost Ghouls.

It had become routine to face thousands in a single day, yet now, not a single one had appeared for almost half a day. Currently, not even one-tenth of the usual number was showing up.

To make matters even more strange…

“Not only that, the blizzard has completely stopped as well.”

“Has this ever happened before?”

The maddening blizzards and the monsters.

The two things that had tormented everyone in the fortress had vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed.

There was no known cause or reason for it.

Everyone began to feel as though they were under some kind of spell.

Just as confusion and hope began to surface on everyone’s faces—

Lieutenant Benjamin spoke with a grave expression.

“Your Highness, now is our chance.”

“What chance are you talking about?”

“Let's evacuate the refugees now. If we can just make it out of this mountain range, we’ll find a way, won’t we?”

Benjamin pointed to a spot on the map laid out in the middle of the table.

The end of the Ruslan Mountains.

The word ‘Bluetone’ was clearly marked there.

It was a two to three-day ride on horseback.

On foot, it would take about five to six days to reach this small imperial city.

If they could just make it there, they could contact the Imperial Palace for support… They wouldn’t have to suffer the cold and the monsters any longer.

“Hmmm, I think it’s a good idea.”

“Yes. We can’t just hold out here forever…”

The other knights nodded in agreement with Benjamin’s suggestion.

‘We must not miss this opportunity.’

The reason Princess Medeia and her escort knights hadn’t abandoned the fortress until now was simple.

It was impossible to lead the hundreds of refugees who had taken shelter here through the Ruslan Mountains teeming with Frost Ghouls.

No—technically, it was possible, but…

Benjamin hardened his expression.

‘If we tried that, we’d have to be prepared for near-total annihilation.’

Hundreds of refugees from ethnic minorities with no combat skills or proper gear.

Even if they had Princess Medeia and her royal guards, it was impossible to protect them all while crossing the mountains.

The moment they stepped out of the fortress, it was obvious they’d suffer mass casualties from the cold and the swarms of monsters before even a day passed.

That was why they hadn’t moved a single step outside.

They had simply waited, hoping for the long-overdue support from the Imperial Palace.

But now, with the monsters and the blizzard gone… the danger had been significantly reduced.

If that were the case, then rather than waiting indefinitely inside the fortress, stepping outside would be the right answer.

Lieutenant Benjamin stared intently at Medeia and asked again.

“What do you think of my suggestion?”

“……”

Medeia shut her eyes tightly and fell into thought.

If being isolated in this fortress and the lack of supply deliveries were all going according to his plan, then there was no way he would let them go so easily.

It was entirely possible that this entire situation was a trap.

But still…

‘Rather than withering away, it might be better to at least struggle.’

While everyone waited silently, their faces tense with anticipation, Medeia slowly opened her eyes.

Then, with a serious and solemn expression, she declared,

“Gather the refugees. We depart for Bluetone immediately.”

“……Yes, ma’am!”

Lieutenant Benjamin bowed respectfully, and Medeia turned her head to address the other knights.

“Everyone, spread out and gather the refugees. Discard anything unnecessary and take only what’s essential. Move quickly!”

“Yes, we’ll do as you command!”

Clatter!

The knights rushed out of the tent, scattering throughout the fortress.

Just as Medeia and Benjamin were about to step outside together—

“Come on, move it! Quickly, quickly!”

“Yes, yes…”

They heard frantic shouting in the distance.

Turning their heads in that direction, the two of them widened their eyes in shock.

“What in the world is that…”

Rocks, tent materials, crates, and more—

Hardin and his subordinates were piling up all sorts of items and snow against the fortress wall.

“Anything heavy, bring it here and stack it! Fill the gaps with snow!”

“But… why are we even doing this?”

“Ah, just do it. It'll all serve a purpose eventually.”

They had even stacked stones and wooden planks behind the main gate.

If those weren’t removed, using the main gate would be impossible.

“Y-you can’t do this!”

“What do you think you’re doing!”

“Come on, I told you, I’ve got a plan here, alright?”

The nearby soldiers were flustered and trying to stop Hardin, but he kept pushing forward unbothered.

And the bigger problem was…

“Um, sir knight? Where should we put this?”

“Move it over here.”

“Ah, okay, okay.”

Even the refugees were being roped in to help carry items.

Just then, the little boy who had received a sprouted potato from the princess came over, both hands full of junk, and asked Hardin,

“Hey, mister. What are we doing all this for?”

“Geez, so many questions. Just keep moving. It all has its purpose.”

“Ow! Why’d you hit my back!”

“Hit you? I just gave you a light push, brat. Don’t be so dramatic.”

Benjamin’s brows furrowed.

‘He started all this while we were still in the meeting.’

Why on earth…?

With a baffled expression, Benjamin strode over and shouted.

“What do you think you're doing right now?!”

“Oh, are you two finished with your meeting?” Hardin replied casually.

“Answer the question. What the hell is all this?!”

Hardin answered with a composed face.

“This? We’re preparing for the storm.”

“Storm? What nonsense are you spouting in weather like this?”

Benjamin pointed to the sky with his arm, revealing a bright, clear sky with not a single cloud.

“Clear all of this! Right now! We need to leave this fortress as soon as possible!”

How could he wear out the refugees' strength in a situation where every ounce of stamina mattered?

What in the world was this guy thinking…

Benjamin’s face flushed red as he shouted.

Startled, the Maw mercenaries and refugees flinched and began to move.

“Ah…”

“Y-yes, sir!”

At that moment, Hardin let out a heavy sigh through his nose and waved his hands dismissively.

“Hey hey, what are you doing? Why are you clearing it?”

“B-but Sir Benjamin said to stop…”

“Ah, I said just keep doing it.”

Benjamin’s expression grew even more severe.

“What the hell are you doing?! I said clear it immediately!”

“Don’t stop.”

As this back-and-forth repeated a few times…

‘What are we supposed to do now?’

‘How are we supposed to handle this?’

The Maw mercenaries and refugees caught in the middle looked around in discomfort, their eyes darting nervously.

Just then—

Srrng!

“We don’t have time to waste on your foolishness.”

Benjamin drew his sword and pressed it to Hardin’s throat.

“Oh my,” Hardin said with a small chuckle, raising both hands slightly.

Thunk!

“Wait a moment.”

“…Your Highness.”

Princess Medeia pulled Benjamin’s shoulder back and intervened, then spoke in a calm tone.

“Hold for a moment.”

“But every second counts right now—”

“That’s an order.”

“……”

With that firm command, Benjamin finally lowered his sword.

Medeia then fixed her gaze on Hardin and asked,

“What’s coming, Hardin?”

“I don’t know exactly, either.”

Medeia’s eyes turned sharply serious, and just as Hardin was about to respond with a grin—

“C-crazy! Take coverrrr!”

Urgent shouts rang out from the watchtower above the fortress.

‘What now?’

‘Huh?’

As everyone started panicking, Medeia and Hardin’s eyes met.

And at the same time, the same thought flashed through both their minds.

‘So it’s here.’

‘This must be it.’

Immediately after—

KUUUUUUUNG!

A deafening roar shook the entire fortress wall.

“Ugh!”

“Aaaargh!”

Several Maw mercenaries who had been stacking materials behind the wall were knocked backward by the shockwave and tumbled down.

Hardin shrugged and looked straight at Medeia.

“Looks like the storm came quickly.”

“……”

Swoosh!

With a grim expression, Princess Medeia sprinted up to the top of the fortress.

There, pale-faced soldiers greeted her.

“Y-Your Highness!”

“What was that just now?”

“We’re not sure either. Th-that kind of boulder came from afar…”

When Medeia looked down over the wall, her eyes widened in disbelief.

A massive boulder, the size of a house—or no, a chunk of rock—had landed at the base of the fortress. The middle of the wall had caved in as if it were about to shatter any second.

‘That…’

They couldn’t be certain where it had come from or what it was.

But instinctively, she knew.

If Hardin and his subordinates hadn’t piled up all those materials behind the wall…

‘The wall would have collapsed.’

The western wall of the fortress would have been completely destroyed.

“Damn it alllll!”

“Bring something, anything! Prop up the wall!”

At that moment below, Malion was frantically running around, desperately trying to reinforce the wall.

“You knights over there! Don’t just stand around—help us out!”

“Ah… Y-yes! Everyone, bring something heavy! Hurry!”

“Yes, sir!”

Catching on quickly, Lieutenant Benjamin began urgently issuing orders to the knights and refugees.

Meanwhile—

‘Where is it?’

Medeia scanned the surroundings briefly, then closed her eyes tightly.

She sharpened her senses, trying to detect any mana flowing in this direction.

That’s when she felt it—a powerful force approaching from the northwestern mountains.

Flash!

She opened her eyes, and in the middle of the mountain slope, a pale shadow could be seen standing still.

Focusing all her mana into her eyes, she fixed her gaze on that spot, and the figure became clearer, as though it were right in front of her.

“That is…”

A giant, its entire body coated in white, at least three meters tall and packed with muscle.

In the center of its face was a single massive blue eye, and a long, sharp blue horn jutted out from its forehead.

“A Cyclops?”

A monster at the top of the food chain in the Ruslan region—nothing short of an apex predator.

The creature gripped boulders in both hands, glaring menacingly at the fortress.

Then—

 GWOOOOOOHHHH!

With a deafening roar, the beast flexed its entire body, pulling both arms back.

It looked ready to hurl another boulder at the fortress.

If it hit the wall again…

‘It’ll collapse.’

Gritting her teeth, Medeia swiftly turned her head and shouted.

“A spear! Give me a spear!”

“Ah… Yes, ma’am!”

A nearby soldier fumbled and handed her one of the throwing spears he was holding.

Medeia immediately climbed up onto the wall, pulled one arm all the way back, and gripped the spear firmly.

Fwooosh!

A gust of wind blew, making her hair flutter wildly.

‘…A southeast wind.’

Her eyes fixed on a conifer tree far from the Cyclops.

Then, her eyes glowed with a blue light.

Crack! Crack-crack!

Veins bulged along her forehead and the backs of her hands, and a blue aura began to form at the tip of the spear.

Meanwhile—

 GWOOOOOOHHHH!

With a monstrous cry, the Cyclops hurled another boulder.

Anyone could see that it was flying straight toward them with precision.

“I-it’s comingggg!”

“Your Highness! Please take cover!”

The nearby soldiers who had been on standby screamed in terror, scattering in panic—but Medeia didn’t flinch.

‘Not yet. It’s still not enough.’

Like a tree firmly rooted in the earth, she stood her ground without moving.

“Eeeek!”

Just as the distance between the boulder and the fortress had shrunk to barely a few dozen meters—

“Jeez, that’s one hell of a throw.”

Hardin stepped up onto the wall, stretching his arms casually.

Thud!

He suddenly leapt high into the air, right toward the incoming boulder.

‘What…?’

Medeia’s eyes widened in shock.

At that moment, mana surged into Hardin’s sword, emitting a radiant blue light.

The light shimmered and rippled as a wave-like pattern began to form on the blade.

It was as if an actual wave had been embedded within the sword itself.

‘That is…’

Medeia’s expression changed in an instant.

She had definitely heard about it once from Grandma Linian.

 “Lord Varlach’s sword—that was… the wave.”

 “The wave?”

 “Yes, it looked as though a wave was flowing through his sword. Not metaphorically—literally.”

Varlach Daphne, who had once been called the greatest knight of his time.

Her curiosity had led her to ask about his swordsmanship once before.

‘Wave Swordsmanship…’

Just like what she had heard back then, waves were rippling along the surface of Hardin’s blade.

At the exact moment when Hardin and the boulder were about to collide—

“Heave-ho.”

Crack!

A blue line slashed down from top to bottom, and the house-sized boulder split cleanly in two, crashing down to the ground in chunks.

At the same moment, Hardin grinned smugly and shouted confidently,

“Now!”

“Hup!”

Medeia reflexively hurled her spear.

Swoooosh! Boom! Boom!

The thrown spear ripped through the air, slicing upward toward the mountain.

Several soldiers who hadn’t managed to flee just froze in place, staring at the flying spear.

‘T-too far to the right.’

‘That’s… a miss.’

Even for Princess Medeia, the trajectory looked hopelessly off-target.

Everyone watched the arc of the spear with tense, uncertain faces.

Then—

Fwooooosh!

A sharp wind swept through the sky and struck Medeia’s spear.

“It—it’s curving!”

The spear wavered from right to left, its path shifting rapidly.

As if the spirit of the wind itself were helping her.

The spear flew directly toward the Cyclops standing on the mountain.

 Kurrruk? Kurrk?

The monster hastily raised its arms to block the blow, but—

Crack-crack-crack!

Medeia’s spear struck the beast’s massive eye dead center.

 Grrrrrk! Grrrrk!

The Cyclops stumbled, blue blood streaming from its eye.

Thud!

It toppled over and fell off the cliff.

‘We… we did it.’

‘She actually hit it…?’

The soldiers stood frozen in place, staring in awe.

“Haaaaa…”

Medeia let out a heavy breath.

Just then—

“Phew, nice shot.”

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Hearing the clapping from below the wall, she looked down.

There stood Hardin, grinning slyly and applauding.

‘What in the world… is that man?’

Medeia’s face took on a conflicted mix of unease and astonishment.