Name – (—) / Job – (—) / Level – (29) / Race – (Replicated) / Condition – (—)
I Appraise a goblin.
Name – (—) / Job – (—) / Level – (46) / Race – (Replicated) / Condition – (—)
And an orc.
The monsters whose reactions I can’t pick up on Presence Detection or Magic Energy Detection are displayed as replicated. Actually, there are only replicated ones.
The monsters’ levels are also higher compared to last time. We don’t feel that much of a difference, but low level adventurers do.
“Hey, are they stronger?”
“Don’t fight alone. Go at them in groups.”
I hear.
We keep taking down enemies in front of us and advancing. After all, the enemies are coming from inside.
I can only assume that if they are being replicated, the source is in there.
But stuff like zombies and skeletons have been added to the wolves, goblins, orcs, and ogres we fought before.
Zombies are slow, but they attack by falling on people. And skeletons are agile, strong, and handle their weapons well. The most surprising thing is that Mia’s presence doesn’t make them disappear.
It’s probably because their race is displayed as replicated. But they do still seem weak to holy magic and light magic.
“Dammit, there’s no end to them.”
Mumbles Argo as he swings his sword.
We cut and cut, but monsters keep appearing. We were getting close, but the wave of monsters pushed us back.
“Sora, let’s not go overboard here.”
Rurika warns me as I get anxious.
I feel like the possibility that the one behind this is up ahead made me lose my cool.
Less than half the adventurers and soldiers can fight the monsters one on one. The guards have stepped back, along with low level adventurers fighting there, so they can jump in when things get dangerous for them. And they’re plugging holes made by people being wounded.
“Kuh, how much longer can this go on?”
“Give us more reinforcements.”
After an hour, more and more people start to get duller due to exhaustion. Especially the ones in front.
We’re no different, but at least we can make up for one another because we’re fighting as a party, so we’re not as bad as the others.
It would be rude to say I’m surprised, but the soldiers are putting up a valiant fight. There’s the fact that there are a lot of them too, and they fight well as squads.
But they’ve adopted a style where rather than proactively hunting, they make sure to put down the monsters that come to them.
If they go to others, they let them handle them, but that seems to be working for now.
It might sound irresponsible, but they’re looking at their abilities objectively and making sure they don’t overextend themselves.
That’s what it feels like to me, but only they know how true that is.
Only a portion of the soldiers in this town are here. The feudal lord gave them orders to protect him, not the town.
Another hour passes, and the battle rages on.
There have been big changes. Monsters have broken through, and people have gone down.
If people are hurt near us, Mia and I can save them, but we can’t reach everyone, so not everyone is that lucky.
Also, the replicated monsters’ levels are higher.
The guards asked for reinforcements, but there’s been no response.
Some adventurers are considering retreating. Even if they aren’t saying it, they look conflicted.
Conversely, the soldiers that came here look braced.
“If they run away, they’ll be executed for desertion in the face of an enemy.”
Says Argo, who is also losing his composure.
His wounds are healed, but his stamina can’t be recovered so easily.
In our party, only me, Sera, and Mia are still doing well. Chris is fine in terms of stamina, but this is taking a big toll on her mentally.
She uses magic when there’s danger, and it’s not easy remaining focused. She also needs to control her magic very well to avoid friendly fire, so I don’t even know how much pressure she’s feeling.
But there have been many who were saved by her magic.
The enemy has also figured out that we’re a cut above the others, and it’s been focusing on us.
“Argo, should we back down for now?”
This is clearly not good. And I think Guilford feels the same way.
Guilford talks to Argo, and I see soldiers turning pale when they hear it.
If we leave, there’s no way the line will hold. But we’re only people too. Even if the town will be harmed, there’s only so much we can do.
The soldiers look conflicted, like they understand that.
This is the empire… A place where the weak have it rough, and the strong… The ones with power, can do what they want.
“We have no choice. Temporarily.”
Says Argo, but then there’s a lot of noise on the left side.
That’s the entrance to the town. I look there and see people heading this way. And Presence Detection tells me there’s over two hundred reactions.
They’re not soldiers, they’re clearly adventurers, but they all have one thing in common. They all have a mark on their equipment, a golden sword.
“Is that… Golden Sword?”
I hear someone say.
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Thanks for the treat.