All the adventurers there were shocked after witnessing that magic. Realizing that they themselves were also within the range of the magic circle, yet the only targets were the enemies Obera wanted—this made them even more amazed…
Obera and Gadra immediately left the Guild building, only to realize that the kingdom was already in chaos… and they could even feel an excessive pressure in their magus flow.
"I can assume… it seems there is some sort of invisible barrier enveloping the capital. It seems you're not too affected by it, Obera," Gadra said.
"Ah, yes. After all, the mechanism of Holy Magic is my faith, my effort, and my worship toward my God."
"I see… if that's the case, no wonder the communication crystal was immediately cut off. By the way, you should go see Reinhard. I need to give orders to the adventurers," said Gadra.
"Understood."
Obera dashed straight toward the Central Palace…
For some reason, or maybe it's just my imagination, the Central Palace looks more ominous than usual. [Obera]
Gadra went back into the building, warning them about the Stampede that usually occurs once every several years. But in the voting, only a small number (a dozen or so) of adventurers voluntarily agreed to face the Stampede…
Kuuhhhk… what should we do? The kingdom is in chaos, and according to reports from the outer scouts, the Stampede will occur as usual…
"We will help!"
Gadra and the adventurers who joined the Stampede defense turned toward the entrance, shocked to see two Battle Saints standing at the front door.
"Y-You two… Toare and Schwartz," Gadra said.
"Hey, Gadra! Let us join," said Schwartz.
"That's right, uncle. We've prepared EVERYTHING," Toare said.
It wasn't just them. Most of the Holy Knights and all the remaining Re-Kastrize knights joined in defending the capital…
"This is it, the turning point!"
"With them here, we're going to win! Hahaha!"
The adventurers, who had been gloomy and pessimistic about their chances against the Stampede, became far more optimistic after the arrival of the Battle Saints. Everything was about to begin… but before that—
"Kyahahaha, it's been a while, hasn't it? Young Battle Saints."
"Who's there?!" Schwartz barked.
In the middle of the gathered anti-Stampede troops, Schwartz was startled when someone suddenly called out to the Battle Saints like that, prompting him to look up at the top of the capital's gate wall…
"Y-You… no… Y-Your Excellency…" Schwartz's voice trembled.
S-She's actually come again?! [Toare]
T-This girl… if I remember correctly…! [Gadra]
"Kyahaha, by the way, I smell something unpleasant coming from the direction of your Central Palace, you know? Alberto, tell them what we're here for."
"Heh~, in that case, I'll read it out. We will take our share of souls from the Stampede, and as usual, various souvenirs from the kingdom for us to take. Then you must give us one area in the capital exclusively for the Vampire race. Easy, right?"
Easy, my foot!.. fuh~ She is Lady Silica! A legend of Re-Kastrize—since the very founding of Re-Kastrize, she has been with the founding king… She is a noble vampire, even rumored to be the leader of the Vampire race that was said to rise again decades ago, along with her subordinates. And… she has officially become one of the members of the , which consists of individuals with danger levels above S. [Gadra]
On her right—Albert. A Wing-kin who defected from his own village, but ever since the incident, his danger level is acknowledged to surpass even the Wing-kin knights themselves… And on her left—that blond man in a black cloak. Those red eyes mark him as a vampire as well, but this pressure… he's at least a noble too! [Toare]
"You're going to help us??" Schwartz asked.
"Why even ask… Anyway, you handle the Stampede on the far right corner from the gate, okay? I'll take care of the rest. Bye bye!"
The three of them left swiftly after Cadera, who was on Silica's left, flicked his black cloak aside—revealing an aristocratic outfit underneath, a mix of purple, gold, red, and black.
The massive anti-Stampede force moved forward in unison toward the North Gate of Re-Kastrize, realizing that the number of monsters in this Stampede was truly enormous!
Ten thousand… no, maybe more… several times greater than last time. And among them this time—Dire Wolves, Wild Orcs, Wild Boars, Lesser Goblins… and is that a Treant?! [Gadra, Schwartz & Toare]
The Stampede began to charge fiercely toward the wall. They still wavered due to the absurd number of monsters. But as they hesitated, they suddenly heard a deafening uproar from the left side—seeing Silica, Albert, and Cadera already going on a rampage…
Seeing that, their hesitation vanished. From that moment on, their minds were filled only with the thought: "Defend the capital!" And they immediately slammed into the massive front lines of rampaging monsters.
Everything happened so quickly that Obera, upon reaching the gate of the palace, could only be shocked to find that the gate guards—Reinhard's Holy Knight subordinates—had already been slain.
After entering the building, she could only see a dozen rooms splattered with blood, all uninhabited. She continued searching, cold sweat running down her neck, her hands gripping the rosary…
Until finally, she arrived at the last room—the Royal Formal Meeting Chamber.