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Chapter 348 – Battle at Lands Harvest

Monsters had surrounded Lands Harvest. Adventurers quickly readied themselves for battle. Blinded by greed, armies left to hunt for dragon stones, leaving behind only their sick and wounded and support troops. The only combatants were adventurers.

Even the adventurers weren’t all that strong. High-ranking parties were out of town. The only ones around who were somewhat strong were the Four Stars of the East and a handful of rank C adventurers.

「Lady Selyse. Please take command of the adventurers.」the interim guildmaster pleaded.

「Yes, sir.」Selyse nodded.

All available adventurers were gathered outside the guild premises, six hundred of them at the ready under the darkness of dusk.

Selyse looked around, but she couldn’t find any black-haired boy.

Where is he?

There was no way back in to the city. If he wasn’t camped outside of Lands Harvest, he was most likely in town. Since Hikaru ventured out during the day to do his survey, Selyse was certain he would be here at night.

Whatever.

Selyse was disappointed that a capable asset she could count on was missing, but she quickly changed gears.

「I am Selyse Lande of the Four Stars of the East, a rank B party. I have been temporarily entrusted to take command.」

No one objected. In times like these, ranks always do the talking. Normally some people might express dissatisfaction in having to follow a woman’s orders. But Selyse was a well-known capable adventurer.

「If there are scouts with information, please share it with me.」

「I’ve seen the north side.」

「I checked from east to south.」

「And I checked the southern side and the harbor on the west.」Sarah said.

To sum it up: the monsters advanced through the wide roads that the armies used. The harbor was clear. No monsters came from the sea.

The monsters had already reached the outer barriers. They were trying to force their way in, shoving those in front into the barrier, essentially sacrificing them. The shrieks and pained cries of the monsters that touched the barrier echoed in the night.

The barrier could repel all sorts of living creature if they entered without following certain procedures.

「Hmm... Seems like the barrier is functioning better than expected. Anybody have any idea how well it can hold?」

「I’ll go check with the military.」the interim guildmaster said.

「Please do.」

Selyse then divided the adventurers into three groups of 150 people each to guard all directions. The remaining 150 people, including the drunks, were on standby, resting. There would be a rotation on taking breaks.

「Listen up. Our enemy is monsters. No matter how big and vicious they are, they are still only monsters. Unlike the armies that deal with humans, adventurers fight these vile creatures. It’s what we do. So let’s show those soldiers what we got!」

Letting out a resounding roar, the adventurers all bolted at once. Selyse would be leading the eastern flank, while leaders of rank C parties were in charge of the northern and southern sides.

In this expedition, the allied army was the main force, while the adventurers were more like a bonus for good measure. Many soldiers voiced their thoughts, causing disputes between them and the adventurers.

Seeing this as a chance to cheer themselves up, the adventurers marched into the battlefield.

It was a fierce battle.

The barrier was effective, but when the magic catalyst ceased working at one spot, monsters invaded from there. The adventurers used this to their advantage. They made holes in the barrier on purpose temporarily, and when enough monsters had passed through, they reactivated it. Once the monsters were isolated, they took them down. Another tactic they employed was opening a bunch of holes to confuse the monsters.

Not one adventurer ran away—perhaps partly because there was no place to run to. They all stood their ground against the monsters. Food supplied by the army and the healing provided by the Healers played a big part as well.

Everyone who remained in Lands Harvest united in a grueling battle against the monsters.

The battle lasted a whole day and night. Just when the six-hour rotating break came to an end, the monsters suddenly began to retreat.

「Don’t give chase! It could be a trap!」Selyse warned the adventurers who were about to leave.

Monsters using traps? Many of them might have dismissed it as ridiculous, but no one opposed her. The monsters seemed too organized.

The monsters withdrew, leaving behind piles of monster carcasses. Among them lay the body of dead adventurers.

Selyse waited. She also asked the adventurers who wanted to retrieve the bodies of their friends to bear with it.

She waited and waited and waited. Three hours had passed and the second dawn since the battle started was breaking.

「Sarah, can you do some scouting?」Selyse said.

「Sure thing!」

Even in the current situation, Sarah seemed as carefree as ever. She returned after a short while.

「We’re cool. They really retreated, completely gone.」

「I see.」

And for the first time, Selyse declared victory.

The adventurers reveled in their victory at first, but the jovial mood faded with the return of the armies.

「What happened here? Adventurers were supposed to protect the city. The barrier have been destroyed and one priest died. This is all the adventurers’ fault.」

The battalion commander of Bios’ Templar Knights voiced his complaint to the interim guildmaster.

It was true that the guild had been entrusted with the city’s defense, and since the Adventurers Guild received funding from the countries involved in the expedition, the guildmaster could only hang his head low.

「I am terribly sorry.」

「Sorry is not going to cut it. This place is a bastion that we Templar Knights have secured for humans to fight back. Perhaps you’re all slacking off.」

The pigheaded commander was not complaining in private. He was facing the guildmaster out in the public square. Needless to say, many adventurers heard what he said.

「Hey, what’s that guy saying? They weren’t even around when it mattered the most.」

「The late priest was very kind. He even came to those who collapsed. He died because of that, though.」

「I mean, aren’t the Templar Knights the one with the least number of troops? They didn’t even do much when we were retaking Lands Harvest.」

「What a fucking joke. Hey master, say something to him. We had to rely on the barriers because the army wasn’t around in the first place. What, did they want us to fight outside?」

The adventurers’ dissatisfaction kept building up.

The Templar Knights had actually failed in securing their own dragon stones. This contributed to the commanders’ thoughtless action of complaining in public. The battle in one of the Roots were in their favor, but at the last minute, the monster self-destructed together with the dragon stone, killing ten of their knights.

Not only did they lost men, they failed to obtain a dragon stone. It was like adding insult to injury. When they returned, he found out that their base was attacked by monsters. His frustration was understandable

Still, the battalion commander was a man of status, so he didn’t raise his voice further. When he found out later that the adventurers protected the priests, he felt sorry and admitted he went too far. But the adventurers who listened to his remarks did not take it kindly.

Word spread that “Bios’s shitty leader cursed and yelled at the adventurers.”

「We’re back!」

A gloomy atmosphere was settling in Lands Harvest when Gerhardt, the Beastman King of Einbeast returned. One after another, troops from Quinbland, Ponsonia, and Forestia arrived. The Vireocean army, which had gone the farthest, returned last.

A meeting was held with the leaders of the army and the Adventurers Guild. There was bad news.