saiki

ch 37

Far too many.

An overwhelming quantity.

As I observed the tsunami of rats surging towards the castle wall, I swallowed my dry saliva.

It felt as though I were standing on a seafront rather than a wall.

A seafront that was on the verge of being assaulted by a turbulent, rolling tide.

Squeak! Squeak!

The grey wave of beasts hurtled towards the castle wall and splintered upon impact, akin to a wave crashing against a sea barrier.

This was due to the concentrated barrage rained down from the wall.

"Fire!"

"Launch-!"

Soldiers, soaked in sweat, shouted continuously. Then, a deluge of cannonballs and arrows gushed outward.

Boom! Bang!

Thud, thud, thud!

The rats were consumed by explosions and skewered by arrows.

They were small and swift from a distance, making them challenging targets.

But as they approached the wall, our hit rate with cannons and arrows surged.

And that wasn't all. The barricades were denser around the castle wall.

The shards of the phantom knight's greatsword, which had been lodged in the wall and then extracted, played a substantial role.

The sight of rats slipping on the metal fragments and tumbling was quite something.

'Not bad, not bad, but...'

I moistened my parching lips with my tongue.

'We retreated the front line too quickly!'

The neutralization of the kill zone occurred too swiftly, and the rats crossed the plain to reach the wall too rapidly. Far faster than anticipated.

Even if the neutralization of the kill zone was unexpected, it was my error not to properly gauge the speed of these four-legged creatures. Damn it.

'Nonetheless, the defense is holding up.'

I scanned the wall.

Though the rat monsters arrived at the wall in an instant, the soldiers kept their cool and intercepted them individually, as trained.

Thanks to their experience from the previous stage and the inclusion of battle-hardened veterans, the situation remained manageable.

"Pull yourselves together, rookies! Put some backbone into it!"

"Don't exhaust yourselves too early! We've got hours to go! Go drink some water!"

"You're discouraged because you missed with that damn cannon? Even a net shot can push the monsters back! Keep firing!"

The veterans were doing a fantastic job coaching the young mercenaries.

Even without my issuing detailed commands, they were effectively combating the rats on their own.

And as for our party members.

"Left defensive line! The net is too low! What are you doing? Aim properly!"

Lucas was overseeing the front line.

While I managed the overall front line, Lucas issued detailed orders based on my directives.

Even when I, who was still unfamiliar with the mercenary techniques in this world, issued vague instructions, Lucas perfectly understood them and provided precise commands. What a proficient protagonist.