Chapter 113
A low humming sound came from somewhere.
Boom—!
At that moment, a monster swooped down and crashed into the translucent barrier surrounding the imperial palace.
“The Ancient Barrier…”
Someone sighed in relief and whispered.
Riana, too, had heard a little about it from Ianheart. It was just a few days ago, while they were on their way to meet Fetches.
A magic circle, fused with alchemy, was spread around the entire palace.
The barrier’s purpose was both protection and isolation.
Then it happened.
“Eek…!”
One of the attendants, staring up at the sky, went pale and collapsed on the ground.
Above the monster that had just attacked, dozens more of the exact same kind were flying down fast.
They were the size of two grown men combined, their black outer shell as hard as steel, with massive wings and hooked beaks.
They were monsters called Kalti—creatures that lived in swarms of thousands.
But their main habitat was the Forest of Death.
“…A scouting party.”
Riana’s sharp eyes spotted more flocks heading in other directions.
“Ron.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Go to His Majesty at once and tell him not a single one of those creatures can be allowed to return.”
“Ah… understood.”
The knight from Leteum, who had received her order, vanished in a flash.
Meanwhile, the first monster that had struck the barrier staggered, but soon regained its balance and soared upward again.
It gave out a sharp cry and then, with its swarm, hurled its body against the barrier once more.
The sight of dozens of monsters slamming themselves into the protective dome at the same time was terrifying enough to haunt dreams.
Boom! Boom!
Screeeeech!
The deafening roars of impact and the ear-splitting shrieks combined into a dreadful chorus.
And it wasn’t only happening here.
Across the vast palace grounds, monsters were hurling themselves at the barrier.
“What if… what if the barrier breaks…?”
One of the young ladies whimpered in fear.
The barrier, though sturdy, quivered under the relentless pounding. And of all places, today’s tea party was being held in the garden closest to the palace walls—making the monsters seem even nearer.
“Haa…”
With a subtle signal to the Leteum knights, Riana drew in a deep breath and stepped forward.
“Your Highness…!”
“It’s too dangerous!”
Several voices cried out, but Riana ignored them.
Why they appeared here… I can always figure out after killing them first.
Her thoughts clear, Riana raised her massive greatsword and chanted:
“May the sky’s thunder, which splits ancient trees, strike them down.”
The runes on the blade began to glow.
A heartbeat later—
“Fall.”
Her quiet command rang out as she drove the silver-lit sword into the ground.
Rumble…
Kra-kooooom!
The heavens blazed. Bolts of lightning crashed down like a raging storm.
“Aaah!”
“—!”
Cries and gasps erupted from those watching.
The brilliant lightning struck only the monsters’ heads, erasing more than a hundred of them in an instant.
And just as quickly, the storm of thunder disappeared.
Thud.
Thump.
Charred corpses of Kalti slid lifelessly down the barrier.
No other monsters dared to approach that scorched zone, wary of the leftover electricity in the air.
Kalti were especially vulnerable to lightning magic.
“Huff…”
Exhaling, Riana inspected her sword.
A spell of this scale usually demanded tremendous time and mana. Without her greatsword, she couldn’t have unleashed it so quickly.
She hadn’t destroyed all the monsters attacking the palace, but from the way Kalti were also dropping dead elsewhere, she wasn’t too worried.
In the distance, Ianheart’s golden aura burned bright.
“…Ugh, my head.”
Riana rubbed her forehead.
Covering nearly half the palace with one spell had drained her mana heavily, leaving her with a pounding headache.
“My lady!”
“Are you all right?”
Her knights, who had stepped back earlier at her command, now rushed toward her.
Kyle looked the most concerned.
She always did this—despite her noble blood and status as their liege, Riana led from the front, protecting them with her own strength.
“This is something we could have handled,” Kyle said, his voice gruff but filled with worry.
Of course, he couldn’t unleash wide-range attacks like she did. That was more Ail’s specialty, but Ail was busy training other knights today.
“Kyle.”
“…Yes, my lady?”
“I’m fine. It was just a headache.”
No, that’s not fine at all, Kyle thought but swallowed the words, hiding his emotions behind a stony face as he stepped back.
“Stand by. The barrier should hold, but deal with any that try to come near.”
“Yes.”
She patted his and the other knights’ shoulders before turning back toward the young noblewomen huddled near the tea tables.
The only one still standing firm was Lady Bailey, who met Riana’s eyes.
“Are you all right?” Riana asked.
“Ah…”
“Well, I suppose it’s natural to be frightened. But don’t worry. Those over there are already dead, and His Majesty has joined the fight. This will be over soon.”
“Y-yes…”
Lady Bailey’s gaze seemed oddly dazed, but she should be fine.
Riana moved on to comfort the others.
Most had been badly shaken, but they calmed down after she soothed them a few times.
“Your Highness…”
“Mm?”
“What if… I keep remembering this? It was so terrifying…”
“M-me too! What if one of those things shows up again while I’m on my way home…?”
Both Lady Teriya and Lady Jerden clung to her sides, faces pale with fear.
Riana couldn’t blame them. Seeing dozens of hideous Kalti right before their eyes was enough to traumatize anyone.
Normally, a wiped-out scouting party meant the swarm would not return—but still, the capital was no place they should have appeared in the first place.
I’ll have to assign escorts for them.
She glanced at the Leteum knights before smiling softly at the ladies.
“My knights will accompany you home. They’re skilled enough to keep you safe.”
Her gentle tone reassured them.
It was only natural—after all, they had come under her invitation, and such a disaster had occurred.
“For now, let’s…”
“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness,” Lady Bailey suddenly cut in, her cold tone slicing off Lady Teriya’s whining.
Teriya’s eyes flashed with annoyance, but Bailey didn’t even glance at her.
None of them are ordinary, are they…
Deciding not to pry, Riana focused instead on getting them to safety.
“There’s a guest palace nearby. Stay there until everything is settled. Leaving now would be too dangerous.”
“Would that be all right?”
“Of course. Just wait a little while.”
She was about to escort them when—
“Your Highness!”
A familiar knight from the Bellrum Order rushed toward her.
Moments later, Riana entrusted Daisy, Betty, and Chelsea, along with other Leteum knights, to guide and guard the young ladies. Then she herself turned toward the heart of the palace, where battle still raged.
“Your Highness, His Majesty asked that you remain somewhere safe…”
“Do you think I’ll fall to mere monsters like those?”
“…No.”
The young knight fidgeted nervously but quickly fell in step beside her.
Barely twenty years old, he was, like Riana, a magic swordsman.
Even as they walked, Riana could feel his gaze fixed on her. Finally, she shot him a sidelong look.
“If you’ve got something to say, go ahead.”
“…It’s nothing.”
“I won’t answer questions later. Now or never.”
Her teasing tone broke his restraint. He bit his lip, then blurted:
“The large-scale lightning magic you just cast—was that the one? The… the thunder of divine judgment that’s said to strike down flying beasts in the Forest of Death?”
…The what?
Riana blinked, utterly dumbfounded.
That ridiculous, pompous name—who in the world came up with that?
The knight’s eyes shone with admiration as he awaited her reply.
“…Good grief.”
Suppressing a laugh at the absurdity, Riana’s expression suddenly sharpened.
