“Well then,” Lilith muttered wearily as she stepped just outside the southern gate, her gaze sweeping over the dusty plains ahead. The tension in the air was palpable, but she moved with the same disinterest she might show while grocery shopping.
At her side, the knight lieutenant, her superior for the duration of this defense, cleared his throat and asked with formal curiosity, “Student Representative Lilith?”
Lilith paused before replying with a flat tone, “What?”
The lieutenant continued, “I’ve heard you’re rather capable in combat.”
With a tired shrug, Lilith responded, “Among infants? Sure, I’m practically a god. But throw me into a crowd of real warriors, and I’m no better than one of the infants.”
The lieutenant frowned, clearly taken aback by her self-effacing remark. Behind them, over three hundred knights and adventurers stood ready, their gazes flicking toward Lilith with a mixture of curiosity and uncertainty. Yet she showed no trace of nervousness. Her demeanor remained cool and detached.
Finally, the lieutenant admitted, “I’m not fully following your logic.”
Lilith shrugged again and said softly, “If you don’t get it, that’s fine.”
After a brief pause, the lieutenant pressed on, his tone more businesslike. “Very well. How do you assess our situation?”
Lilith narrowed her eyes, her voice steady, “The enemy at the southern gate numbers around six hundred. That includes one Ogre King and just over thirty Ogre Generals.”
The lieutenant’s eyes widened in surprise. He turned to look at the battlefield before them. “That’s one and a half times more than what my danger-sensing skills detected. And you’re sure there’s an Ogre King out there?”
Lilith stood firm. “Positive. I used mana detection, maxed-out skill level. At this distance and direction, my readings are extremely accurate.”
He frowned, clearly concerned. “Mana detection? That’s an advanced spell only high-level mages can perform at B-rank adventurers or above. People on my level or higher, right, Student Lilith?”
Lilith tilted her head slightly, her voice calm but firm. “What’s your point?”
The lieutenant’s tone turned stern, his patience thinning. “This isn’t the time for idle joking.”
Lilith didn’t acknowledge him. Instead, she shifted her gaze forward, down the narrow road leading away from the southern gate.
“According to the academy’s records,” the man continued, “your ability is ranked around C, isn’t it? I appreciate the effort to lighten the mood, though.”
Without answering, Lilith pointed calmly toward the long stretch of road ahead. “It’s a single path. Seven kilometers straight.”
Roughly seven hundred meters away, a massive force of ogres had already gathered, pressing against the edges of vision. And standing among them, towering and unmistakable, was a figure that chilled the blood.
The Ogre King.
The color drained from the lieutenant’s face as he caught sight of the creature. “That’s… the Ogre King? It’s really there…”
The beast lumbered forward like a bloated sumo wrestler, grotesquely overfed and strong. He stood well over three and a half meters tall, easily pushing past five hundred kilograms, adorned in rare gear scavenged from fallen adventurers. Surrounded by throngs of smaller ogres, he marched slowly down the main road as if it were his personal parade route.
“Lilith?” the lieutenant asked again, voice tighter now.
She responded flatly, without turning. “What?”
His brow furrowed. “How do we deal with an ogre army with an Ogre King at its head?”
Her answer was as blunt as a blade. “We run. There’s no winning this.”
He exhaled sharply. “We can’t. We’re knights. We’ve got helpless civilians behind us.”
At that, Lilith finally turned to look at him. There was no sarcasm or defiance in her expression, only cold respect. “Chivalry.”
The lieutenant gave a rueful smile. “Or maybe just stubbornness dressed up as virtue. Still, staying here means getting wiped out. You’re still a student, Lilith. No one will fault you for retreating. Honestly? I’d recommend it.”
Lilith scanned the soldiers around her. The moment the Ogre King had come into view, mercenaries from the adventurer’s guild had begun to peel away from the front lines. Even some of the knights, those lacking conviction, had started removing their heavy armor, preparing to run.
“And yet, aside from you,” she said coolly, “it looks like most of the knights have already decided to flee.”
The southern gate of the fortress city of Sashimimasu stood before the assembled force. Within the inner walls, over one hundred trained combatants formed a tight oval defensive stance, and behind them, about four hundred militia awaited. In their midst, Lilith raised her staff and turned to address the deputy commander of the knights, who stood beside her, concern etched into his face.
“Even if you retreat,” Lilith stated calmly, “I’m staying here. You should flee with the others.” Her voice was steady, though a faint tremor ran through it.
The deputy commander’s expression tightened, his face taut and voice rigid. He managed a forced smile despite the approaching mass of ogres.
“I’ve changed my mind,” Lilith suddenly said.
The deputy commander tilted his head, surprise flickering in his eyes. “Changed your mind? About what?”
Lilith drew a slow breath. “I have many secret techniques. Some draw attention, others don’t. My patron prefers discretion, so I planned the least noticeable approach, even if it means casualties. But… I’ve changed my mind.”
Resolutely, she drew a long staff from beneath her pure white robe and raised her right hand high. “I’ll sweep away the entire path in a straight line.”
Closing her eyes, she focused deeply, channeling her power. Then her voice rang out. “Golden Roar: Dragus Genocide.”
A blinding, violently brilliant flash erupted. Every knight and guild adventurer instinctively shielded their eyes with raised hands as the explosive light faded completely. Lilith lowered her staff, nodded firmly, and reported, “No survivors among the ogre horde. No Ogre Emperors were present in the south.”
Wiping his eyes, the deputy commander scanned the battlefield, speechless. Where once stood a massive wave of ogres was now left with only a thin haze of smoke. “The… The ogres… The Ogre Generals… and… the Ogre King… What happened to them?”
Lilith answered softly, a strange calm in her tone, “This technique… I inherited it from my father.”
The deputy blinked, at a loss for words.
“You think a mere Ogre King could withstand a single blow from my ultimate technique?” Lilith’s voice rang out, smooth and scathing, each syllable laced with disdain. “Don’t make me laugh. If you’re going to joke, at least pace yourself between lies.”
The enemy commander, an aging war mage by the look of him, staggered back, his bloodied staff quivering in his hand. His lips parted as he stared at her, eyes wide with disbelief.
“Student Lilith? Wh-Who… What are you…?”
Lilith tilted her head, almost pitying, as if trying to decide whether he was amusing or just pathetic. “I am Lilith,” she said flatly. “No surname.”
“No surname…?” the man echoed, his confusion deepening.
Her crimson eyes gleamed with something fierce and inevitable. She smiled not kindly. “Not yet,” she murmured. “But give it a few years. I’ll go by Lilith Maclaine.”
She stepped forward through the steam and ruin of the battlefield, her hair catching the golden light like a banner of fire.
“Yes,” she whispered. “The woman destined to marry the strongest man on Earth. And I don’t have time to be wasting on overgrown beasts like ogres.”