"My lord, don't stray too far from me in a moment," Ashina said in a low voice, gripping Field's arm. "I'm confident I can break us out."
Field understood what she meant and nodded. "I won't. But unless we have no other choice, I'd rather not run."
"Leave the carts here for now. Take out the crossbow bolts and load up." Field had learned his lesson last time and made a point of bringing bolts.
"Roar!" A gnome-like monster used its long arms to vault over a ruined wall and leap onto a guard. It opened its enormous mouth and began tearing into him. Creak, creak! Even his lamellar armor screeched under its teeth.
The guard jumped in fright and shook himself violently several times, but he simply couldn't throw the monster off.
Fortunately, Ashina reacted quickly, drawing her long saber and cleaving the monster in two.
"Is that a corrupted monkey?"
With its long arms, long legs, and tail, it had to be a monkey.
As though responding to some signal, all of Rum Village erupted into a frenzy. Gnome-like monsters bounded wildly everywhere, a dense black mass like a surging torrent of muddy water.
Field forced himself to stay calm, quickly scanning the Mini-Map and working out their route. One wrong move could get everyone killed. "Run! Head southeast! There's a big courtyard there!"
One, two, ten-more and more Gnome Corpse Monsters clambered over the ruins of Rum Village and leaped into Field's sight.
"Fire!" At Field's command, the guards, who had been waiting for this moment, immediately fired their crossbows. Bloody blossoms burst across the bounding monkey monsters. As though they had struck an invisible wall, their corpses tumbled to the ground.
"Clear a path." Ashina waved her hand, and the Dragon-Breed Wolf strode forward, spewing lethal flames as it rapidly advanced.
Ashina herself decisively brought up the rear. Five monkey monsters lunged at her at once. The moment they lined up, she darted forward, her long cavalry saber slashing through them. A cold gleam flashed, and all five monsters were cut in half at the waist, falling in sprays of blood.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a monster crawling rapidly along the ground, trying to spring up for a surprise attack. Ashina raised her slender, pale leg and stamped hard on its head. Crack! The monster's skull burst beneath her foot, sending its eyeballs bouncing away.
Using the time Ashina had bought them, Field led the others into the large courtyard. The guards beside him had already hauled over stones and rotting furniture to barricade the courtyard gate.
"This isn't safe. Fall back farther and use the house to defend." Field glanced at the Mini-Map again. The tide of red markers stretched beyond sight. Their only comfort was that the monsters weren't after him. They were running in another direction and had merely clipped Rum Village on their way.
"Block the main entrance and take turns resting. They're only passing through. They'll be gone soon," Field said, trying to rally everyone.
With the Dragon-Breed Wolf, Ashina, and the troops, holding the main entrance wasn't difficult.
Before long, the corrupted monkeys launched a furious onslaught.
Unfortunately for them, Field's formation was a sturdy dam. He had the guards hold the doorway, and with full armor and heavy shields, they were impossible for the monkeys to break through.
Ashina's giant wolf was even more like a flame-spewing tank. Its armor was so thick that even when Corrupted Creatures swarmed over it until it was completely buried, they couldn't pry loose a single scale. The only drawback was that Ashina had once again been forced off her mount to fight on foot.
Field panted, his heart hammering. The Cursed Land's fearsome reputation was no empty rumor. Luck had played a large part in keeping him alive this long.
"We need to put up high walls as soon as possible." Rubbing between his brows, Field felt grateful that the monsters hadn't headed toward the Winery.
Covering one another, they held out for half an hour before the tide of monsters slowly faded.
"Whew, I'm exhausted."
Ashina pulled her saber free and flicked off the foul blood. Even a Chosen One had limits to her strength, and this was the largest corpse horde they had encountered since arriving in the Nightfall Territory. Fortunately, with the last corrupted monkey slain, the surrounding area was finally clear of monsters.
"Thank you for all your hard work." Seeing Ashina drenched in sweat, Field's heart ached for her. She had not only held the line but also dealt damage and repeatedly relieved the pressure on the others' defenses. It was thanks to her presence that none of the guards had died.
Everyone could be said to have held Ashina back, but training the guards was necessary.
Ashina blinked playfully. "Hehe, none of those meat dinners went to waste."
"Thank you, Lady Ashina." The guards also thanked her sheepishly. The hostility and wariness in their eyes had vanished, replaced by pure awe.
Unlike those people on Earth with their bizarre preferences, the humans of this world had always rejected Demihumans. They considered them unclean monsters born of crossbreeding between humans and beasts.
"Rest for half an hour, then we'll get moving again." Field prodded a monster's corpse with his longsword, curious about their anatomy and the reason for their migration.
After ten years of corruption, most of Rum Village's houses had collapsed, and its windows were shattered. Though called a village, it was really a massive rubbish heap. Field didn't hold out much hope of finding anything.
Once they had finished resting.
"Split into groups of five and search for loot. Take anything useful."
The Nightfall Territory lacked everything. Pots, bowls, utensils-even scraps of wood could be put to good use.
Setting the Mist-Driving Lamp in the center of the village, Field surveyed Rum Village, considering whether it could serve as an outpost.
After making a circuit of the village, Ashina returned to report. "My lord, I noticed a strange plant in a farmhouse courtyard. It glowed green, and I sensed magical power from it."
"Oh? Let's take a look." Field sprang to his feet. The word "magic" held a special appeal. "Could it be some rare natural treasure, like in the novels?"
They arrived at a house on the western side of the village. The main building had collapsed, but the courtyard's outer wall had been built from stacked stones rather than a flimsy fence, so it was still well preserved.
Field immediately spotted a small patch of green plants, shimmering with tiny points of light. As though driven by some instinct of life itself, he went straight over and began studying them curiously.
"They look a bit like leafy greens that have just sprouted." Field reached out and poked them with a finger.
A strange smell flooded his nostrils.
"Achoo!" Field sneezed hard.
Seeing Field choke on the smell, Ashina chuckled. "My lord, don't go touching strange things so carelessly."
"Wait, are you all right?" Seeing Field grow dazed, his gaze turning unfocused, Ashina startled and hurried over to check on him.
The veins on Field's forehead throbbed violently, sweat poured from his skin, and a certain part of his body immediately reacted.
He caught the pleasant scent of Ashina's body.
As though unable to control himself, Field immediately reached out and seized Ashina's wrist.
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