"My Lord, the soldiers are ready," a Knight reported loudly, standing before Valentine.
"Good." Count Valentine waved his hand, then walked forward, his hand resting on the Treasure Sword at his waist.
"Soldiers!" he shouted, rallying their morale. "Today, we will wage a battle here to defend our lands and protect our people!"
"You’ve already won a battle, killing those goblins. Does that make you think there’s nothing in the Nightmare Forest but those short, green-skinned mongrels?"
"No, soldiers! This Relic contains terrifying creatures created by an evil Warlock, and we must kill every last one of them."
"Only then can we ensure these disgusting things don’t burst out of the forest to devour your parents, your wives, and your children."
"Soldiers, are you afraid? The monsters in there might kill you, might eat you."
"But I say to you,"—SHING!—Valentine drew the Treasure Sword from his waist and pointed behind the soldiers, "our homes are at our backs! We have nowhere to retreat!"
"For honor!" he roared, swinging his Longsword forcefully toward the entrance of the passage.
"For honor!"
"For honor!"
The soldiers raised their weapons and shouted. Knights began directing the ranks, and soon a group of sturdy soldiers with Tower Shields stepped forward. Others continuously threw torches into the stone chamber to ensure it was well-lit.
After the soldiers with Tower Shields filed in, the other troops followed. They quickly formed up, ready to defend against any Giant Spiders and Burrow Bees that might charge out at a moment’s notice.
SKITTER SKITTER... The sound of footsteps echoed as monsters began to emerge. Soldiers with Crossbows saw their chance and immediately fired their Crossbow Arrows. The Giant Spiders charged, SKREE-ing, but the heavy Tower Shields blocked their attacks. From the gaps between the shields, Long Spears constantly thrust out and retracted, each time slick with viscous monster blood.
"Hold the line!" the commanding Knights ordered. More and more Giant Spiders and Giant Bees were now pouring out of the passage.
However, the soldiers were largely unaffected. They had superior numbers and coordinated their slaughter. In the rear, archers fired upon monsters that hadn’t yet reached the frontline, while several Mage Apprentices continuously slung Magic into the passage.
The surge of Giant Spiders and Giant Bees continued to grow, but many were blocked by the growing pile of corpses. This gradually reduced the number of creatures that could charge through at once, allowing the soldiers to begin their slaughter in a more orderly fashion.
"Have them drag those monster corpses out of there immediately! Don’t let them block the way, or it will have irreparable consequences," Valentine said, standing at the passage entrance. The entire stone chamber was now littered with torches, and for the first time, he could see it in its entirety.
"Yes, my Lord." A Knight immediately organized soldiers to drag the corpses away.
Compared to the previous expedition with the Knight Order, Valentine was much better prepared this time. Although these soldiers were individually no match for Knights, their strength lay in their sheer numbers and tight formations. Nearly 100 men were stationed at each passage entrance, with others rotating in. By the time a Giant Spider reached the front line, its head would already be bristling with Crossbow Arrows, only to be met by the thrusts of several Long Spears.
This battle was completely different from the last. It was more like the soldiers had surrounded the Giant Spiders’ and Giant Bees’ spawn point and were simply butchering them.
’First, we’ll wear them down. Once the monsters’ numbers have dwindled, we’ll charge into their nests and kill the Spider Queen and Queen Bee.’ Valentine stood at the entrance, his eyes constantly scanning the two passages. ’The one pulling the strings... if they don’t show themselves soon, all these monsters will be dead.’
He glanced grimly at the corpses on the ground and ordered loudly, "Prepare to enter the passages in a moment!"
In the distant shadows, a plume of white smoke rose and gradually condensed into the form of Scarface. ’What are these humans doing?’
He cautiously approached, poking his head out from a wall. When he saw what the human soldiers were doing, he prepared to move behind Valentine and possess him.
’No, that’s not a good choice.’ Scarface stopped himself. He recalled what Green Egg had done before. His "powerful" self had been left behind under a tree to fight a Fearsome Claw Bear, which had led to his death. It seemed this was a "game" he could play as well.
Scarface faded back into the earth and drifted to the side. Then, in his consciousness, he began to "call out." ’Master, I’ve found the person you mentioned. They’re very strong. I can’t defeat them. You’d better come here at once.’
Meanwhile, in the Moonlight Inn, Elma, who had been studying her Magic Books, immediately snapped one shut and ran out of her room.
"I’ve finally found you, you goddamned goblin!"
Her triumphant laughter echoed down the hallway.
...
A short while later, Elma was riding her blue Star Realm Python through the lush Nightmare Forest, getting closer and closer to the Relic.
She was ecstatic. She was about to find that goblin—the goblin that had made her lose face, the one who had ruined years of her hard work in a single stroke.
’It’s just a goblin, after all.’ She laughed, a loud, booming laugh. The trauma the Mirror Man had inflicted on her seemed to have been completely washed away by joy.
"Who goes there?" a sharp cry rang out, cutting off Elma’s laughter.
’Are there other humans here?’ She jumped off the python and took two steps forward.
When she emerged from behind the trees, she was stunned to find many people standing before her. Their attire didn’t look like that of Adventurers; they wore nearly identical, standard-issue gear. They looked more like soldiers.
"Who are you?" a soldier asked, walking toward her with his Crossbow raised. These soldiers were the sentries posted around the Relic’s entrance, there to prevent any strange individuals from stopping Count Valentine from killing the Giant Bees and Giant Spiders.
HISSSSSS. The Star Realm Python slithered out from behind the trees, raising the front half of its body to the height of a man as it stared down the soldier.
"It’s... It’s the evil Warlock!" the soldier shouted, retreating in a panic. He was terrified by the giant python. The other soldiers were also frightened and immediately raised their Crossbows. "A snake that big! She must be the one who made those monsters!"
’What are you talking about?’ Elma frowned. She felt there must be some misunderstanding.
WHOOSH! A Crossbow Arrow grazed her cheek. Although it left a bloody scratch, the wound healed instantly.
Following that first shot, the other soldiers immediately pulled their triggers. In an instant, the air was filled with the sound of whizzing Arrows, and Elma had no choice but to have the Star Realm Python shield her.
’What are these soldiers saying? Something about researching monsters?’ She didn’t understand what they meant, but she immediately realized Scarface had probably tricked her. ’Damn that goblin! All goblins deserve to be sliced into a thousand pieces!’
But for now, Elma had to fight back. If she turned to run, she would just become a target.
"Magic Energy Burst." She thrust her palm forward. A green light flashed in front of a soldier, and a wave of energy exploded outward, knocking several of them off their feet.
Seeing this, the remaining soldiers immediately scattered, some even taking cover behind trees. A few immediately ran back to report to the Count. "The evil Warlock has appeared!"
’It looks like there are a lot of them.’ Elma had to seriously assess the situation. She hadn’t left the inn for days, afraid of being recognized by veteran Adventurers, but she had heard that a large number of soldiers had apparently arrived in Yangjiao Town.
’I have to escape, and fast.’ She unleashed several more Magic Energy Bursts, then cast a wide-area Hypnosis Technique in front of her.
Seeing several soldiers stagger and collapse, she gritted her teeth against the pain and clung to her Star Realm Python. A moment ago, two Crossbow Arrows had broken through her Magic Shield and pierced her body.
"Go!" Elma shouted. The Star Realm Python slithered away at high speed, leaving the area far behind.
At the same time, Count Valentine stood in the middle of the stone chamber. His soldiers had already passed through the two tunnels and were now in the nests of the Giant Spiders and Giant Bees, wiping out the massive creatures.
"My Lord, we’ve just driven off an evil Warlock," a Knight reported, running up to the Count and standing at attention.
"An evil Warlock?" Valentine turned his head to look at him. "What kind of Warlock?"
"A woman with a giant blue python. She rushed out of the woods and tried to attack us," the Knight said loudly. "Our soldiers immediately returned fire with their Crossbows. After we lost a few men, the Warlock fled."
"Alright, I understand." Valentine nodded and dismissed the Knight. ’So a Warlock really did show up. It seems my deductions were correct. This is where they’re breeding their creatures.’
’The Storm Brotherhood,’ he cursed under his breath, gritting his teeth. ’They must have discovered this place while exploring the forest and are now using this Relic to frame me.’
’After I get back, I’ll issue a warrant for their arrest and report their evil deeds to His Majesty the King.’
"Reporting, my Lord! A huge spider has been found! The Knights say it might be the Spider Queen," a soldier reported, running out of the passage toward Valentine.
"Is it easy to kill?" Valentine asked anxiously.
"The Knights say it won’t be difficult, but it will require coordination and some time."
"Good. Go find the Knight at the entrance and have him bring another group to reinforce them." Valentine immediately sent for more men. If the Spider Queen was dealt with, there would be no more Giant Spiders in the future.
’Hmph. Evil Warlock, I’ve broken your scheme.’ He smiled smugly. After they found and killed the Queen Bee, he would burn this place to the ground and ensure the Warlock’s disgusting experiment was a complete failure.
’Next is to show the results to the people of my domain.’ Valentine stroked his goatee, his eyes narrowing as he calculated what kind of moving, grand announcement he should write and post in all the administrative halls to display his "diligent and benevolent rule."
"My Lord, the Spider Queen is dead! The Knights say they found a High Level Beast Core," a soldier ran up and reported, standing at attention. "However, we lost many men."
"I understand." Valentine immediately put on a sorrowful expression. "They all died for the people of this land."
After dismissing the soldier, the corner of his mouth immediately curled into a smirk. ’Now I have a fine gift for the Third Prince.’