Kuro no Maou

a tsunami, but instead came in repetitive, sporadic waves.

Repeatedly throwing forces at the enemy is the worst strategy possible, but even so, the vigilante corps and the adventurers defending the village have had their strength exhausted and have been forced to make sacrifices.

「Just a little longer! If we hold just a little longer, the Knights’ Order will come! Give ‘em all you’ve got!」

Standing in front of the west gate that the new monsters are approaching, Gustav, the leader of the Rank 5 party, the『Iron Demon Brigade』, shouts words of encouragement.

The morale of the soldiers protecting Iskia Village is being maintained by the presence of this Orc, whose body size matches the volume of his voice.

As expected of the great man who has gathered a large, family-like party, he seems accustomed to being in command like this.

He has a magnificent attitude, the ability to read any situation quickly, gives orders efficiently and on top of that, he is overwhelmingly strong in battle.

There is not a single soldier who disobeys him, who does not rely on him.

「Zedra, how are them monsters organized?」

Holding the enormous metal rod in his right hand that he has used to thoroughly crush countless monster skulls, Gustav asks his party member standing on the tower this question.

「Dagger Raptors at the front.
Centaurs and Slimes at the back.
Also, a group of Harpies in the air.」

Zedra, the Golem covered in two-toned, black-and-white armor, replies in his usual robotic speech pattern.

The Golem’s red Mono-Eye Lens can clearly see the group of monsters approaching from beyond the highway.

In his left hand is a huge mechanical bow with a pulley-like mechanism attached at both ends of the bowstring.

On his back is a large quiver, which would be more accurate to call a barrel, packed full of arrows made of a Mythril alloy.
A direct hit with one of these would cause instant death.

The sturdy tower supporting the immense weight of his body and weapon looks like it may collapse at any moment, but the fact that it has not yet done so means that it seems that it has not reached its weight limit.

「What about the Salamander?」

「I cannot detect its presence.」

At the news of the absence of the fiery dragon that they need to be the most wary of, relief spreads out among the men.

With that said, no matter how many torches they launch into the air to illuminate the surroundings, they would not be able to see it in this darkness until it was quite close.
They cannot let their guard down.

But it would also be problematic to be overly cautious of a foe that they cannot see, so Gustav gives the order to attack.

「Alright, if that’s the case, let’s get out there and give ‘em a bit of a beating! Open the gate!」

The heavy wooden gate normally requires several people to operate the pulleys to open it or close it, but right now it’s being opened by only two people.

「Jeez! Don’t make a maiden do only this kind of manual labor! FUNNNNAAAAAAAH!」

「H-here we go, NNNNNNHH!」

This work was being performed by Gustav’s party members who are standing next to him at the front, the Minotaur (♂) and Cyclops.

The gates begin to open with a dull creak.

The Swordsman and Fighter-class soldiers who are to face the monsters head on begin to advance forward.

Gustav suddenly spots an unfamiliar silhouette among them.

No, it’s only natural that this silhouette stands out to him.
The man dressed in black sitting atop a black horse like one that commissioned officers would ride and the angel riding behind him are ridiculously conspicuous.

「Oi, black nii-chan over there, it’s the first time I’m seeing yer face.
Are you one of the adventurers who’ve come to help us?」

The news that Iskia Village is in a state of emergency has already been spread to the neighboring villages.

It is likely that an emergency quest was issued; on the second day, a group of adventurers from the other villages arrived as reinforcements.

They are a little late, but it is a situation where they would be grateful even for the help of a cat*.
Even one or two extra pair of hands would be welcomed with open arms.

TLN: A Japanese phrase that means they’re desperate for help.

 

「No, we’re headed for Iskia Fortress.」

「Haha, the selfish whims of a princess, I guess.」

Gustav immediately understands the situation.

No matter how bad he is at recognizing people’s faces, there is only one person in all of Spada who matches the description of a woman with the wings of an angel.

「No, I wouldn’t say that’s –」

「It’s fine, I’m not plannin’ on stoppin’ ya.
We’re worried about them kids stuck in the fortress, too.
Well, as you can see, we don’t have the luxury of goin’ over there and helpin’ ‘em.」

He knows that the students of the Royal Spada Academy came here for the open-field exercise, and he heard the news that they are holed up inside the fortress and waiting for reinforcements from the Assassin-class woman who appeared a few days ago, acting as a messenger.

Of course, he knows that there are many sons and daughters of Spada’s royalty and nobility awaiting rescue there, but unfortunately they cannot spare the people to go and help them.

The students would be forced into a difficult battle to hold the fortress, but the village is still waiting for real reinforcements from the Knights’ Order to arrive, so they have their hands full protecting the village.

Normally, one would assume that there is no hope for the students, but truthfully, Gustav was not particularly worried about them.

During the enjoyable fight in the Guild bar, he experienced first-hand that the prince of Avalon has skill worthy of the Rank 5 title he possesses.

He knows that with the presence of the rumored『Wing Road』, there is hope that the students can hold out until reinforcements arrive.

「I wanted to join the fight here as well.
Sorry.」

「Gahaha! We’ll do something about the village, so don’t worry about it! Hurry up and go save ‘em!」

「Thanks.」

「Thank you.」

After receiving the personal thanks from the princess, Gustav sees the two of them off.

Of course, in the direction their horse is going in, the monsters that have just arrived are lying in wait.

「Zedra, open a path for them.」

「Roger that, Head.」

From the top of the tower comes a reply in a low voice and the creaking of the mechanical bow as an arrow is nocked.

「They’re goin’ in with no hesitation.
The young ‘uns these days are quite spirited, so I can’t lose to them!」

The man in black and the princess, with their strong resolve.
As he murmurs words of admiration for the two, he hears the sound of an arrow being released overhead.