Chapter 11: The Defense of Renford in the Lord’s Absence
A few days ago, Orto Wyndham had been quietly advancing his investigation, spurred by a warning from Klaus:
‘Very well, then here’s one piece of advice. Take care not to let the light in your eyes fade.’
Using his status and influence, Wyndham gathered a flood of information from nobles surrounding Marquis Markovar’s domain. Among the whispers, he uncovered a troubling plot: a faction led by the marquis was preparing to invade Renford territory.
The question was how to handle this intelligence.
At first, Wyndham considered informing Klaus directly but quickly reconsidered.
(Naturally, if Lord Renford knows, then Oliver-sama, the acting lord in Renford territory, must know as well. But…)
A strange intuition nagged at him, prompting him to send a transmission spell to Oliver, whom he’d met during a visit to Renford. To his shock, Oliver and his allies claimed to have no knowledge of the impending attack.
It was then that Wyndham realized Klaus had been testing him.
(As I suspected, my instincts back then were not mistaken.)
The remaining issue was how to respond, but to his further surprise, Oliver—or rather, a voice mixed into the transmission spell—chimed in with a bold, ‘No problem! Leave it to me!’ indicating they already had a plan. The voice belonged to a young girl, though Wyndham couldn’t place who she was.
Regardless, upon hearing this, he resolved to join them in Renford to confront the invasion.
The situation escalated rapidly from there.
When Wyndham arrived in the Renford capital and explained the details, a defense force was swiftly organized—centered, inexplicably, around a red-haired girl named Milikator, adorned with two ribbons. Why she was at the helm was unclear, but her words carried an undeniable authority, and those around her obeyed without question.
On the predicted day of the invasion, a massive crowd gathered at the border between Renford and Markovar territories: acting lord Oliver, Milikator, the Renford Knight Order, and a host of volunteers, including adventurers.
(To think that so many would rally, noble and commoner alike…)
Even in Klaus’s absence, the sheer trust and respect he commanded was evident.
As they kept watch, the enemy appeared as expected—a horde of Markovar’s nobles, knights, and dozens of towering humanoid magic golems marching from their territory.
Thus, with both lords absent, the battle between Renford and Markovar began.
◇◆◇
Gordon, the leader of Markovar’s forces—a civil servant who usually groveled as Markovar’s yes-man—frowned at the unexpected sight.
“What!? They’ve prepared a defense!?” he sputtered. “Where did they get this information… No matter, it changes nothing!”
With a flourish, he produced a disc-shaped magical tool, one of Markovar’s secret projects capable of controlling nearby monsters. It was useless in places like the Great Forest of the Underworld, where dense magical energy overwhelmed it, but on these plains, it was perfect for their raid.
“Let’s thin their numbers first. Go!”
At his command, a swarm of monsters surged forward from behind.
“Garu!”
“Shuu!”
“Ruaaaaaa!”
Each beast was individually weak, but in numbers exceeding hundreds, they were a formidable threat.
Yet, Milikator stood unfazed, calmly assessing the situation.
“Hmm. This is similar to the magic I used during the last monster stampede,” she murmured.
Rain, a blond young man, reacted to her words. “Then, can we seize control of them instead?”
“Of course, in my hands, it’s entirely possible!” Milikator replied. “Though… it may not be necessary.”
Her gaze shifted forward, where, without waiting for her or Oliver’s orders, the battle had already begun.
“We bear the honor of our lord’s name! We won’t allow invaders to sully it! Renford Knight Order, raise your spirits!”
“““Yes, ma’am!”””
Spurred by Laura, the commander of the Renford Knight Order, the knights charged with ferocious momentum. True to their reputation as the territory’s elite, they cut through the monsters with breathtaking speed.
“We’re next!” roared an adventurer. “A territory that values folks like us is one of a kind! Defend our home with everything you’ve got!”
“““Hell yeah!”””
Adventurers—both natives and newcomers to Renford—joined the fray, matching the knights’ pace with their seasoned skill against monsters.
“I’m going in too,” said a young man named Weiss. “It’s the duty of those given power.”
“Be safe, Weiss-sama,” said Ludy, his fiancée.
“Of course, Ludy. I swore to fight for you and this place!”
Recently awakened to his magical talent through the Special Fixed Mana Cannon and now engaged to a noblewoman, Weiss took down airborne monsters with precise spellwork.
And then, there was Rain.
“This looks manageable, but I’m not just gonna stand around!” he declared, joining the fight. With each swing of his blade, he felled over a dozen monsters, a one-man army.
Milikator watched, nodding with a mix of admiration and astonishment.
“Hmm. I thought as much when I first saw him, but isn’t his strength just… absurd? His potential might even rival Klaus’s—”
“Impossible!” Gordon interrupted, his voice rising from the enemy lines as he watched his monsters fall.
“Even if their lord is formidable, how does a backwater like Renford have this much firepower!?”
Milikator’s words were cut short by the enemy’s outcry. The sheer dominance of Renford’s forces was clearly beyond their expectations.
But Markovar’s side wasn’t done.
“No, it’s not over!” Gordon shouted. “We still have the magic golems bestowed by Lord Markovar—”
“Last monster’s down!”
“Is that all of ‘em!?”
“No, those big clunky things are still there!”
“Get ‘em!”
“First dibs on the glory!”
“What!?”
Faced with such overwhelming force, Markovar’s mass-produced golems stood no chance. The battle tipped decisively in Renford’s favor.
And just when it seemed the fight was over—
DO-DO-DO-DO-DO-DO-DO!
“What’s that!?”
“The ground’s shaking…”
A sudden tremor rocked the battlefield, growing louder and more intense. All eyes turned toward the source, where a colossal creature emerged—a 20-meter-long geo dragon, its body encased in shimmering ore.
“That’s… a Geo Dragon!?” Laura shouted.
“An S-rank monster famed for its impenetrable defenses, tougher than even a Red Dragon!”
“““What!?”””
Her cry left everyone stunned. This was no ordinary foe—it was in a league of its own.
Milikator, however, remained composed, analyzing the situation.
(An S-rank monster at this moment is unexpected…)
Given the enemy’s use of a monster-luring tool, such an event wasn’t impossible. During the last stampede, creatures of similar caliber had appeared, but Klaus’s overwhelming magic had neutralized them effortlessly. Now, with Klaus absent and no one capable of matching such a beast head-on, even Renford’s forces faltered.
The enemy, meanwhile, cheered the dragon on with desperate fervor, as if it were their last hope.
Amid the growing despair, Milikator grinned.
“Well, Klaus, you’ve outdone yourself! To think its time would come so soon! Oliver, is it ready!?”
“Of course, my lady,” Oliver replied, producing their ultimate weapon.
It was an enhanced version of the Special Fixed Mana Cannon, reluctantly crafted by Milikator under Klaus’s orders before he departed for the Great Forest of the Underworld. Dubbed the Special Fixed Mana Cannon: Kai, it was a magical weapon of devastating power.
Though limited to a single shot and unable to fire rapidly, its blast could level entire areas, obliterating monsters and terrain alike.
In truth, Klaus had intended it as a tool of intimidation, to instill fear in the populace and cement his dominance.
But—
“With the Special Fixed Mana Cannon alone, we could handle the monsters here. This thing’s overkill! I suspected he was scheming something nefarious, but to think he foresaw this exact situation!”
Shivering with awe at Klaus’s (misunderstood) foresight, Milikator prepared the weapon. It required immense magical energy, but fortunately, the battlefield was littered with monster corpses.
“You lot! Gather the magic stones and bring them here—to the anti-S-rank weapon Klaus invented!”
“““Yes, ma’am (Hell yeah)!”””
Spurred by Klaus’s name, everyone worked with astonishing speed, funneling mana into the cannon. With over a hundred magic stones, it reached full charge. Without hesitation, Milikator pulled the lever.
“Fire!!!”
Gyun! A thick laser beam erupted from the barrel, slicing through the air and piercing the Geo Dragon’s body.
‘Gu, guoooooo!’
The beast collapsed with a thud.
“No… no way…”
The enemy, witnessing their final hope shattered, fell to their knees, utterly broken.
Confirming their defeat, Milikator raised her voice to her allies.
“The greatest threat is gone, and the enemy’s will is broken! This is our complete victory!”
“““Woooooo!”””
The battlefield echoed with triumphant roars.
Watching it all unfold, Wyndham stood in awe.
“What strength, what unity, what nobility… Renford is not just Lord Renford’s domain! I must report this to His Majesty!”
Filled with resolve, he began preparing a transmission spell.
And so, the defense of Renford, fought without its lord, ended in a resounding victory.
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