Morale was at rock bottom.

The odds were desperate. You could tell just by the numbers. There seemed to be a hundred Goblins. Perhaps even more.

In contrast, there were only eight people on this side. Excluding the Old Man and the child, there were only five.

But there was nowhere to run.

They had no choice but to fight to the death. That gave them at least some will to fight.

They didn’t want to die.

They especially didn’t want to die here, unknown to anyone.

They held onto a faint hope.

Humans live on hope. Without hope, they quickly wither and die.

They couldn’t wither and die.

Rael held onto hope.

“They’re coming!”

Three Mercenaries stood in the Alleyway, holding their Shields.

Behind them was the second line: Bruno and a Mercenary.

They were bulky, and when three of them stood side by side, they could block the Passage.

The second line was unavoidable. They were short on people.

Bruno had to do the work of two. His skill made that possible.

The first line and the second line.

The strategy was to fight by rotating whenever one got tired. The strategy itself was good. Bruno was a Noble, so he planned well.

An ignorant Mercenary wouldn’t even have thought of fighting in a place like this, let alone devising a strategy.

In the third line, the Old Man stood with a spear. This was in case something unexpected happened. He also had to fight. He was short a hand.

Lorina was hiding behind him. Her hands were free. But her eyes showed resignation. Occasionally, she would look this way. There was admiration mixed in.

The girl was asking with her eyes.

It was as if she was asking how he could still have hope in such a situation.

It was just the wrong order.

It felt like he wouldn’t be able to endure if he didn’t have hope. Just like you have to smile when things are tough. That’s how it was now.

He stepped onto a Wooden Box that had been left in the rubble. He looked down at the people. He took a deep breath.

He formed a Hand Seal and chanted a spell.

The Mercenaries said nothing. Their hunched backs were visible. They seemed scared. Only the sound of the spell being chanted broke the silence.

The goblin appeared.

“Water Ball!”

He fired the Water Mass he had prepared.

The leading goblin was almost blown away.

The goblins behind it fell over.

He only killed one. More than that, the effect of disrupting their formation was greater.

The fallen goblins got up and approached again.

He was able to use magic one more time before they got close. He killed one more.

The mercenaries’ eyes brightened a little. Only one goblin had died, but quite a few goblins had fallen to the ground. At a glance, it looked like several were being dealt with.

The first line began to clash.

The mercenaries roared.

It was to shake off their fear. They gripped their spear-knives and thrust them threateningly.

Then it became difficult to fire Water Mass.

Since the front lines were engaged, there was a chance they could hit the mercenaries.

He wanted to cast magic towards the front. He thought it would give the mercenaries a moment to breathe.

He looked at Lorina.

“Every time I raise my right hand, shout!”

“What?”

“Say ‘Fire!'”

“Alright! Leave it to me!”

He always raised his right hand when he finished the hand seal while chanting a spell.

It was a signal that the magic was ready.

He chanted the spell once more. At the end, he raised his right hand.

Lorina shouted.

“Fire!”

Her voice was small. But it reached Bruno, who was in the second row.

Bruno shouted loudly in response to her voice.

“Push with your shields!”

The mercenaries all shouted together.

“Push with your shields!”

“Push with your shields!”

The mercenaries pushed the goblins back.

They created some distance.

“Water Ball!”

Water Mass was fired.

The goblin, hit squarely, tumbled, causing disarray in their formation. Since it was a single-file passage, when one fell, they all stumbled.

There was a slight reprieve until the goblins got back up and charged again.

It was enough for his heavy breathing to stabilize somewhat.

It was sufficient. He had to manage his stamina.

The battle resumed.

He would chant a spell and raise his hand, Lorina would shout. The mercenaries would push with their shields to create distance. Every time Water Mass was fired, a corpse was created.

Bodies were piling up in the alleyway.

The goblins dragged the bodies back because they were in the way.

New goblins took their place instead.

He was breathless.

It felt like it wouldn’t end until a knife was plunged into the protagonist’s neck.

Even before the throbbing in his head worsened, he felt a gradual twisting sensation in his stomach. His mana was decreasing.

The mercenaries’ stamina was also slowly depleting. Although they had some leeway, battle was incredibly draining. He could see their breathing becoming labored.

“We’re rotating now!”

The mercenaries used their shields to create distance.

“Water Ball!”

The goblins tumbled down in a heap.

“Now! Fall back!”

The front and rear lines switched places.

Three mercenaries fell back, and Bruno and another mercenary stepped forward.

“Fire!”

“Push with your shields!”

“Push the shield!”

Each time magic was cast, one decreased. Next to him, the Old Man was watching the scene. His gaze was so calm that even while panting, I unconsciously asked,

“How many are left?”

“Sixty! Now fifty-nine.”

“Damn it.”

“Is the magic still far off?”

Bruno shouted. It was like two people’s worth of work, but he was almost single-handedly blocking the Passage. Perhaps that’s why he was sweating profusely.

He tried to use magic. No Water Mass was created. His stomach felt empty. It felt like he hadn’t eaten for days. He had used up all his mana.

It was dangerous. He hadn’t even cleared half of them yet. He shouldn’t have been like this already.

Strangely, he thought of the Blue Flower. Normally, he felt like he shouldn’t eat it. But now, he felt like he could.

He rummaged through his pocket. Fortunately, it was still there. Even after several months, it was as vibrant as when he first found it. He chewed and ate it.

It was delicious. It was tasty. He felt full.

But he wasn’t sure if his mana had replenished. He had to try it.

Then he clutched his stomach. It hurt as if he had an upset stomach.

“Ugh!”

“Rael! Are you okay?”

“I’m… okay.”

He forced himself to stand up.

If the Protagonist rests, the balance will collapse.

The Mercenaries were slowly reaching their limit. If they weren’t given a moment to breathe with magic, they would collapse quickly.

He had to manage his stamina.

The Protagonist was important.

The Protagonist’s magic was what kept the balance.

If there was no time to breathe, the Mercenaries’ stamina would quickly deplete.

The moment one person whose stamina was exhausted died, it would rapidly collapse. Then it would be a total annihilation.

There was no time to sit around like this.

The Protagonist had to do it.

The will to live surged within me.

Mana moved in accordance with the intense will.

I created a Water Mass.

I could make it again. That was a relief.

Just then, my legs gave out, and I collapsed.

I rolled around in the Wooden Box. My whole body ached. Blood came out of my mouth. I wasn’t rolling on the ground and spitting blood.

My body was at its limit.

I had a lot of mana, but my body couldn’t endure it.

“Help me up.”

“You’re bleeding from your mouth. You need to rest!”

“If I rest, we’ll all be annihilated…”

Lorina bit her lip.

Her eyes were moist.

Rael’s eyes also welled up with tears. It was so hard. She wished she could just collapse and rest.

She felt like she could faint at any moment. But she couldn’t.

She would die. Lorina too. Bruno too. The Mercenaries too. The Goblins would burn them and tear their flesh. She didn’t want that to happen.

She gritted her teeth and chanted a spell.

“Water Ball!”

The Old Man watched this. She didn’t know why he was watching. Perhaps he was looking on with pity at their struggle in a situation where they were all going to die anyway.

There was no time to question the Old Man’s actions. The moment she rested, the tide would turn. No, even with the Water Masses flying, the Mercenaries were slowly crumbling.

“Aargh!”

A Mercenary’s scream was heard. Even as he screamed, he pushed back a Goblin with his Shield. Taking advantage of the opening, I launched a Water Mass. In the spare moment, we switched positions again.

Bruno poured a Potion on the Mercenary.

New flesh instantly grew from the wound.

They could fight again. But the mercenaries’ expressions were not good.

Despair was gnawing at them.

Their comrade’s scream was the beginning. The end was their death.

Even though they knew there was nowhere to run, their limbs were slowly losing strength.

Rael remembered his belongings.

All his money was at the inn. There was a chance he could find it.

He had eaten the Blue Flower. He had also received the mercenary’s share. The only thing taken was the potion.

Even in this situation, he felt that the potion was a waste.

He laughed in disbelief.

Just then, a Goblin appeared next to him.

It had appeared from a narrow path on either side.

The narrow paths were blocked by piles of rubble.

It seemed they had cleared it during the ongoing battle.

It was dangerous.

It was already a precarious tightrope walk. There was no room to block that side. Most importantly, the Goblin was attacking immediately. Attacking the protagonist.

He was going to die.

There was no escaping it.

He had used magic until he coughed up blood.

His body was already in a state where it wouldn’t be strange to collapse from exhaustion.

Lorina desperately tried to throw herself forward. But it was too late.

‘Am I going to die?’

Memories from his childhood flashed quickly by.

He saw his village.

His parents’ faces vaguely appeared.

The faces of his mother and father who had said Dorian was a mercenary.

What would have happened if they were alive? A sudden thought came to him. The last thoughts before dying were truly random.

That’s when it happened.

The Old Man stepped forward to block it.

He seemed to be trying to block it with a spear. But he was old. And he didn’t seem to have fought properly before. He was inexperienced. The spear blade sliced through the air.

The Goblin’s spear pierced the Old Man’s stomach. But the Old Man didn’t fall. It stabbed again. The Goblin trembled and then fell.

Only then did the Old Man collapse.

Rael rushed over to check on him. The area around the spear in his stomach was turning red. The life was rapidly draining from the Old Man’s face.

“Why?”

There was so much to say.

But only the word “why” came out.

He and the Protagonist had no relationship. Far from being family, they were strangers who had only met a few days ago. Yet, the Old Man threw his life away to save the Protagonist. It was incomprehensible.

“Why did you do that?”

“There’s no particular reason.”

The Old Man said softly.

“It’s just that if I had a grandchild, they’d be about your age.”

“Grandchild…”

It was a truly trivial reason. But Rael couldn’t laugh. Because he had saved the Protagonist for that trivial reason.

“I wanted to see my child’s face one last time before I died…”

The Old Man smiled faintly. He looked somehow relieved.

“Rael! Get back!”

Lorina pulled Rael by the scruff of his neck.

A Goblin was behind him.

It was a new Goblin. There wasn’t just one.

Thud.

The Goblins, holding spears, indiscriminately stabbed the Old Man.

The Old Man didn’t move. By the time Bruno frantically came to stop them, his eyes were already unfocused. He was dead.

“Aaah…!”

Someone died because of the Protagonist.

Bruno shouted.

“Rael! Snap out of it! The battle isn’t over yet!”

“B-but…”

“The Guide is already dead! Are you going to let his death be in vain!”

He trembled.

He had to live.

Before, it was for the Protagonist, but now he had to live for the Old Man as well.

He took a deep breath.

Anger surged.

Mana gathered. Emotions were welling up. In response, the surrounding mana became a current and permeated him.

“M-mana!”

Bruno’s eyes widened.

Ice was forming in the sky. It was just Weapons.

It was an Ice Spear.

It was Magic he hadn’t learned yet.

He didn’t know why it was created. Perhaps it was out of anger at the Old Man’s death. Or maybe it was because he had eaten the Blue Flower.

There was no incantation.

He launched the Ice Spear. The Ice Spear, which flew towards the Goblins clustered in the distance, shattered everything. Finally, it exploded, scattering ice fragments around.

The Goblins screamed. The ice fragments pierced their bodies like Arrows. It was an incredible power.

In an instant, the Goblins fell into chaos. About thirty seemed to have died.

The Goblins began to retreat. There were still numbers remaining. But they had lost their will to fight due to the recent Ice Spear.

The Goblins, visibly terrified, scattered like ants and fled, one by one.

The Mercenaries stared blankly at the sight.

They thought they would die. They were on the verge of collapsing.

But they won. It was a Miracle.

“Hahaha!”

“We’re alive! We’re alive! Crazy!”

The Mercenaries hugged each other.

Even Bruno just stared with his mouth agape.

Rael couldn’t believe it either.

It was thanks to the Old Man. He was angry that the Old Man had died. Then he was able to use incredible magic. He didn’t know why, but if it weren’t for that magic, they would have been annihilated.

He felt relieved that the Old Man’s death was not in vain.

“Bruno.”

“Why?”

“Can I sleep for a bit?”

Bruno nodded.

“I’ll wake you up later.”

“Thank you.”

Rael collapsed.

When he woke up, he was in the Village.

It was a Village in the Viscount’s territory. The Castle was a day away.

Now he had to choose.

Bruno or Lorina.