Chapter 165: The Crisis of the Woodpole Barony

(This is from a third-party perspective until halfway through.)

The Royal Knights, having sustained heavy casualties, holed up in Torvaen, the capital of the Waterford Earldom, and managed to suppress the monster herd’s invasion. The commander, a Royal Guard, planned to hold the monsters here while waiting for reinforcements from the Royal Capital to launch a pincer attack.

However, a few days later, the monster herd disappeared. “Where did they go?” “Did they retreat to the Sea of Trees?” “Did we successfully defend against them?”

Some knights rejoiced, believing they had repelled the monsters. However, the monster herd had actually passed through the Waterford territory and invaded the neighboring noble domain.

The territory invaded was the Woodpole Barony. It was Mabel‘s hometown.

The Woodpole Barony is a small noble territory, and its only large town is the domain capital, Woodpole. Since it does not border the Sea of Trees, the number of knights stationed there was small.

“My Lord, it is terrible! A massive horde of monsters has attacked!” “What did you say?” The knight who came to report to the Baron’s mansion in Woodpole was covered in sweat and blood, his expression pale.

“We abandoned the village on the border and told the villagers to flee.” Knights are stationed at the border village, but there are only three of them. The veteran knight in charge, sensing the arrival of the massive horde, immediately sent a young knight to report and seemingly urged the villagers to evacuate.

“I see. It seems they made the appropriate judgment.” The Baron prayed for the safety of the villagers and the two remaining knights. “So, regarding this massive horde… how many are there?” “Yes. We believe there are likely over a thousand.”

There are only about twenty knights in the Woodpole Barony. Since they do not face the Sea of Trees, monsters rarely appear, and their main role has been cracking down on bandits along the highway.

There is no way they can oppose a thousand monsters. “Send a messenger to request aid from the Royal Knights.” “Understood.”

“Now, what to do…” The massive horde will surge toward us before long. The Baron decided to issue an evacuation order to his subjects. He then thought to buy as much time as possible for the evacuation.

A report came in from a knight in a village near Woodpole that monsters believed to be a vanguard of several dozen had appeared. If it is only several dozen, we can fight. The Baron sortied with his knights. “If we defeat the monster vanguard, hopefully, the main force will advance more cautiously.”

I was in the workshop cafe when Sophie rushed in, her face pale. “What’s wrong, Sophie?” “Brother, Mabel‘s family is in trouble!”

“In trouble?” “Mabel was crying in her room, so I asked her what happened. Apparently, a massive horde of monsters is surging toward the Woodpole Barony. She said it was written in a letter brought by a carrier pigeon from her parents’ home.”

“That is terrible! But the Woodpole Barony doesn’t border the Sea of Trees.” “That is indeed strange. But carrier pigeons are only used in emergencies, so surely it is a real crisis.”

Carrier pigeons can fly at speeds of 80 to 100 kilometers per hour. Since they can convey information far faster than a fast horse, every noble house raises them for emergency contact.

Sophie and I decided to confirm the situation first. Fortunately, I have been to Woodpole once, so I can teleport there. We returned home, picked up Mabel—whose eyes were swollen from crying—and teleported to Woodpole.

To avoid being seen as much as possible, I visualized the edge of the Baron’s garden as the destination. “It’s our garden! We really teleported in an instant.” Mabel thanked me and immediately said, “Excuse me,” before running toward the entrance of the Baron’s mansion.

When Sophie and I chased after Mabel, she was speaking with her mother at the entrance. “Then, is Father safe?” “Yes, though he is injured.”

“I apologize for the intrusion.” “My, William-san and Sophia-san. Why are you here?” “Actually, we happened to be nearby, so we thought we would show our faces.” It felt like a flimsy excuse, but the Baroness did not pursue it further.

“May, what is the situation?” “It seems Father and the others somehow managed to repel the monster vanguard of several dozen in a nearby village.” “That is good news. But if it was a vanguard, that means it is only a portion of the monsters.”

We were invited inside by the Baroness and sat on the sofa in the reception room. Shortly after, Baron Woodpole appeared with a bandage wrapped around his arm. “If it isn’t Lord William and Lady Sophia. Thank you for always taking care of my daughter.” “It has been a long time, Baron Woodpole. Mabel-san has been doing excellent work at the workshop.”

Keeping greetings to a minimum, we asked the Baron about the situation. Upon doing so, it seemed that although they repelled the monster vanguard, many monsters had split into several groups and were heading toward the capital, Woodpole. ” roughly how many are there in total?” “It appears there are a thousand.” A thousand monsters! I have never heard of such a massive herd. This is a far more serious situation than I imagined.