「Time remaining 05 : 36 : 21」

It was the worst.

Cadel inhaled deeply, staring at the core that sat firmly in the center of the massive crater.

“Joint attack failed……. I don’t know what the heck that heart is.”

Modeleine shook his head in disbelief and put his hands on his hips.

Currently gathered around the crater were the entirety of the Scarlet Scales Mercenary, plus Garuel, Modeleine, and six holy knights, the minimum number required to deploy Holy Swordsmanship.

A total of 12 people attacked relentlessly for about an hour and a half, using the best attacks they could individually, as well as combined sword, magic, and holy swordsmanship attacks. There wasn’t a single attack they didn’t try.

Still, no progress was made, and most of them were cautiously wondering if they should give up on destroying the core and prepare for the second Ergo.

But not Cadel, who was the only one here who knew ‘how much time was left’.

The longer he failed to destroy the core, the more anxious he became.

‘Even if he resurrects right now, it’s only 5 hours. Is it possible to completely destroy his core within 5 hours?’

The answer, of course, was impossible. It was a core that could not be destroyed with a single shot, even with the full force of his power. There was no way it could be destroyed in the middle of a fierce battle.

“Well, it’s not like we didn’t accomplish anything, so let’s lighten up. Even the mercenary corps. We need to be positive in times like these, right?”

Garuel smirked and turned to Cadel. Cadel hadn’t so much as glanced at Garuel unless he needed to say something.

Perhaps it was because Garuel had never really used his skills, except to lend a hand in the execution of tricky holy swordsmanship, or perhaps it was because he simply didn’t care. Cadel’s indifference was beginning to amuse Garuel a little.

Cadel answered briefly, keeping his gaze fixed on the core.

“It took a ridiculous amount of power to destroy both shards, and the core is over 50 times the size of the shards, so it’s not a very positive outcome”

“Geez, I was trying to lift the mood somehow, and it didn’t work.”

Garuel shrugged as if he had no choice, but the mercenary corps’ returning stares were cold. Van clicked his tongue in annoyance, Lumen shook his head in boredom, and Lydon clapped his hands in the air as if to say ‘You are the most boring human being ever’.

The Twilight Knight Order seemed to be offended by the atmosphere of their commander being ignored, but immediately shut up at Modeleine’s glare.

“We don’t know when the monsterization of the villagers will be complete. For now, I think it’s better to assume the worst and move than to hang on to an indestructible core.”

As he spoke, Modeleine looked to Garuel for approval. Garuel merely rolled his eyes.

The ‘worst-case scenario’ Modeleine referred to was the resurrection of Ergo and the monsterization of all villagers. In that case, not only the personnel dealing with Ergo, but also the knights who were in charge of healing the villagers would suffer great damage.

‘Common sense tells me that Sir Modeleine is right, but…….’

Monsterization was still 5 hours away. It was premature to prepare for the ‘worst-case scenario’ already. It was better to focus on destroying the core before Ergo’s resurrection began.

‘The question is, how do I convince them?’

Cadel sighed, sweeping a lush hand across his face, which had been roughened by the constant use of magic. The fatigue from his sky-high exertions seemed to be dulling his thinking.

But before Cadel could offer any suggestions, one of the knights from the temporary garrison rushed over. After a quick courtesy salute to Garuel and Modeleine, he spoke in a breathless voice.

“Commander! The villagers are looking pretty bad, I think you should check on them.”

“What’s wrong with them? Tell me more.”

“Several villagers have begun to have seizures, and the rest are complaining of severe abdominal pain, and even using healing technique hasn’t helped!”

Garuel’s eyes narrowed. His gaze paused for a moment, as if he were considering something, then suddenly turned to Cadel, and this time their eyes met properly.

He gave Cadel an odd look, then turned away again.

“I’ll take care of it. Modeleine, focus all of the men in the temporary garrison on core destruction. You’re in charge.”

“Don’t tell me Commander is going to take over healing on your own?”

“What’s new. I used to do that a lot.”

With a quick eye greeting to the Scarlet Scales Mercenary, he hurried on his way. Cadel raised an eyebrow in surprise as he stared at Garuel’s broad back.

‘I thought he would never show his skills no matter how many people die. If he doesn’t like it, he’ll give any excuse he can think of.’

That was a good thing. With Garuel on the move, things would be much easier. However.

‘I didn’t expect the villagers to show abnormalities already. Even if something happened, I thought it would happen after the time limit was over.’

He was complacent. In retrospect, just like when he first questioned the penalty, it seemed unreasonable that all the villagers would turn into monsters as soon as he failed the quest, like a surprise box. With about 5 hours left on the time limit, it was only natural that the signs of monsterization started to show.

‘……I thought it would be too convenient.’

The quest’s penalty was a prophecy. Similarly, the countdown was only the time remaining until the ‘worst of the worst’.

“Cadel.”

Just as Cadel was getting into the groove of the more demanding time allocation, Lydon, who had recovered some of his mana and was helping to destroy the core, called out to him.

When he lowered his gaze, Cadel saw a childish face staring at him with a mysterious expression.

“Why are you calling me? If you’re tired, take a rest nearby.”

“No, I’m not that tired. It’s more like…….”

Lydon raised a hand and touched the tip of his nose.

“It smells.”

“Smell……? Is that Ergo?”

His heart sank to the bottom of his stomach as he realized that Ergo’s resurrection had already begun. At Cadel’s urgent question, Lydon shook his head lightly.

“It’s the smell of the monsters.”

“Monsters? Were there monsters around here?”

“No. It’s a smell I didn’t catch at first. Maybe…… they are coming from far away.”

“They’re coming…….”

Lydon was silent for a moment, focusing on his sense of smell. His eyes flickered over his widened pupils.

“Hmm, we’re already surrounded. Normally I’d have noticed them from much further away, but my senses are all dulled! At least three hundred…… or is it four hundred? Haha, I’m confused!”

Cadel’s gaze reflexively flicked to the system window as he heard Lydon’s usual booming laugh.

「Time remaining 05 : 20 : 51」

There was no chance that Lydon’s information was wrong, and there was no time to give the Twilight Knight Order to determine its authenticity.

The good news was that Cadel, who had been informed of the monster legion, was powerful enough to defeat them single-handedly, and that Garuel and Modeleine were fully aware of his power.

“At least three hundred monsters in this legion…….”

“We only have 30 minutes or so. We have to line up and prepare for it. Would it be possible?”

“Half an hour should be sufficient. However, Commander Garuel’s healing isn’t finished yet, and I have orders not to approach him until it’s done, no matter how important it is…….”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s better for Sir Garuel to continue healing the villagers. The safety of the villagers would also be guaranteed. The problem is.”

Cadel looked back at his subordinates preparing for battle. Van was sharpening the blade of his greatsword, Lydon was munching on healing herbs with the face as if he was taking poison, and Lumen was checking his equipment after putting the core deep into his bosom.

“The defense of the core. The legion of monsters that are coming are most likely the servants of the demon Ergo, otherwise, there would be no reason for hundreds of them to suddenly descend on a small village like this”

“So they’re trying to capture their master’s heart. An organized movement of monsters……. Surely, it must be more troublesome than dealing with ordinary monsters.”

It wasn’t a problem that ended in trouble.

‘Hundreds of demons have one goal: to capture the core. I can’t imagine how persistent they would be. We don’t know their abilities, we don’t know their types, we don’t know what they’re capable of. In such a situation, not only the core should be defended but also the villagers should be protected.’

While he trusted Garuel to protect the villagers, he wasn’t sure if he would continue to do so if the monsters tore apart the temporary garrison and exposed the interior.

‘Because the current Garuel hates the idea of his power being discovered more than he hates dying.’

They had no choice but to prevent as much damage as possible.

‘The fast-moving Lumen is in charge of the core, but in battle, you never know what’s going to happen. We can’t let our guard down until we’ve dealt with all of them.’

It was also important to keep in mind the assumption that Ergo would be resurrected during the monster subjugation. It was a truly blinding tragedy, but it was likely to happen.

‘……I can do it. No, I have to.’

The subjugation of the monster legion and the destruction of the core. He had to do it all. He had only 5 hours left. Keeping failure in mind meant the extermination of villagers, and the destruction of the knight order and mercenary corps.

There was no next. Cadel, as always, was determined to win even at the cost of his life.