The shield-bearers absorbed the attacks from the Bore-type monsters, while sword and spear users attacked from behind the shields. Those using ranged weapons or skilled in magic targeted the wyvern’s weak points, accurately bringing it down to the ground.
Martina was captivated by the knights’ high level of skill in battle. Amidst this fierce combat, the knights capable of using water magic simultaneously cast their spells at the Sand Crabs.
“Water Ball!”
The magic wasn’t particularly powerful, but the Sand Crab, drenched in water, slowed down, its once nimble movements becoming sluggish.
“Impressive… it’s clear that water is its weakness.”
“Yes. With this, we can aim for its weak points.”
One knight stepped forward to attract the Sand Crab’s attention. The Sand Crab raised its foot slowly, and at that moment, a knight behind it used earth magic to raise the ground, lifting the Sand Crab’s body. With the momentum, the knight thrust a sword into the creature’s leg joint.
“Gyyyyyyyyyy!!”
The Sand Crab let out a high-pitched scream and collapsed with a loud crash and a cloud of dust.
“It seems we’ve taken it down.”
“That’s a relief. Everyone is incredibly strong!”
Martina blushed as she watched the high-level battle unfold before her, and Lambert nodded with a subtle expression.
“Yes, everyone is moving well, but the reason it was defeated so smoothly is because of your knowledge, Martina.”
“I’m glad I could be of help.”
Martina blushed and covered her cheeks with both hands. Lambert gently patted her head with his large hand and looked toward the monsters behind them.
“The issue now is the source of these monsters. Even though we’ve been defeating them, new ones keep appearing.”
“Yes… I was also wondering about that.”
“Could there be a corruption area nearby?”
Lambert muttered this and then called over a knight who was tending to an injury.
“I’ve received reports that monsters are being born from a dark mist. Is that true?”
“…Yes. I saw it with my own eyes, but it was such an unbelievable sight that there’s a possibility I mistook something else.”
“I see. Where is the mist located?”
“Just behind where the monsters are right now.”
With this valuable information, Lambert decided to make a big detour and circle behind the monsters. The battle here seemed to be under control, so he led a group toward the location of the mist.
Of course, Martina went along as well, so their pace was slow. However, the mist wasn’t too far away, and within a few minutes, they arrived at a spot where they could see it. Everyone was stunned into silence by the sight before them.
“—What kind of principle is this?”
“It really is true. Monsters are being born from the mist.”
The black mist spread in a circular shape, large enough for about ten people to fit inside. From this dark mist, monsters were being released one after another.
“Martina… what do you think?”
“It seems highly likely to be a corruption area.”
“So it is… Anyway, the monsters that are born in the moment are defenseless. Let’s take them down right away. Everyone, this is a corruption area. Surround the monsters and defeat them the moment they’re born.”
“Understood… but what exactly is this?”
“We won’t know the details until we investigate further.”
Following Lambert’s orders, the knights quickly moved, and the monsters born from the corruption area were swiftly taken down, temporarily resolving the immediate crisis.
“We’ll have to keep defeating them the moment they’re born… But we won’t truly solve the problem until we eliminate the corruption area.”
“How many knights with light magic are there?”
“Light magic is the rarest, so there are only a handful in the knight order. Including those working as healers, there are a fair number, but I’m not sure if they’ll come to such a dangerous place.”
The two of them watched the corruption area for a while, which was releasing monsters at regular intervals, before deciding to take this information back to the royal palace.
“Martina, I’ll need your help with this issue until it’s resolved.”
“Of course. This is a problem for the entire country, so the Ministry of Affairs will likely get involved as well. I’ll help however I can.”
“That’s a relief. First, let’s return to the royal palace and report this. This is an issue that the king must be made aware of.”
“Yes… if it’s only here, it will be fine, but if corruption areas are appearing all over, it will be a serious problem. We need to come up with a countermeasure.”
Lambert nodded grimly at Martina’s words and urged his horse to go faster. As he casually glanced up, the once-clear sky had become overcast with dark clouds.
