“Dammit! Get lost!”
Darren picked up a small rock and threw it at a group of crows around the dark swampy forest. The crows then temporarily flew off but they came back to the tree branches soon after.
“Haha, that’s no use, Darren. They’ll just scoff at you.”
Garent spoke to Darren as he cackled.
“Damn. I was brought all the way here this time…”
Darren mumbled and Garent spoke.
“Life is unfair. At least she said she’ll wait for you. Don’t worry.”
“Dammit! But shouldn’t we be prepared too? Khalodian is busy with it. We’re right by the mountain range too.”
Darren spoke as he glanced over towards the forest.
“Yeah, but none of the others are really up for it. I heard a few countries sent war supplies to Khalodian… but who knows? I’m sure our nobles will do their job.”
“Hah, all they know is how to keep their own lives.”
Then they became silent. And the silence wasn’t just because they weren’t talking.
“…Where are the crows?”
“I can’t hear them anymore.”
The forest became really silent. Normally, a forest was far from being silent as it was home to many living beings. Darren and Garent knew this very well as they were experienced watchmen of forest towers for a long time.
Then they began to fear the worst.
“Do you hear that?”
“Yeah.”
At that moment, the sounds of trees breaking and crows flapping their wings were heard, with eerie, horrifying screams that came next. Darren and Garent turned to the forest, and their eyes grew large in shock.
“W-what is that!”
“F-fire! Signal fire!”
“Isn’t that the monster that the empire was talking about? Dammit, Mark! He said it was safe here!”
The fire was lit and dark smoke began to rise up into the sky.
“It’s coming!”
Hundreds of monsters began coming out, overwhelming the watchtower the two were on, turning the entire place into dust.
“News! There’s news!”
A big newspaper was posted on the bulletin board of the capital’s city plaza and people began gathering to see what the news was.
-Monsters in Dentrion Kingdom’s Leeman region
-The west of Katzback Kingdom decimated by monsters
-Over five regions of the Southern Mijouri Kingdom have been destroyed
-Monsters have appeared in the southeastern region of Farcia Kingdom
-12 regions decimated west of Tei Kingdom
-Sadiu Kingdom, holding the defensive line by the mountain range
“Bah! Those fools! They should’ve listened to us!”
“Too bad they ignored our emperor’s advice!”
“No, don’t forget that there are people there. We shouldn’t say that.”
“Oh, but Sadiu Kingdom is doing great. They are holding the line well.”
“I heard their first prince is a fan of the emperor.”
“Yeah, they are sending a lot of nobles to study here at the empire.”
“I heard the emperor even supplied them with cannons as proof of alliance.”
After people mumbled about the news for a while, they began to scatter. Soon, not many people were left on the streets. Then, a woman with ragged clothing who was selling apples by the street stood up and began cleaning up.
“Mother, are we going back now?”
“Yes. People aren’t too worried so we shouldn’t need to be too concerned.”
Sunsook nodded at another woman who had come to help her. She too was wearing ragged clothes.
“I heard you are going to be deployed with the Red Cross this time? How about the kids?”
“I’m sure you will take care of them well.”
“I certainly can. Be careful out there.”
“Of course. But I’m sure it’s safer with him.”
Jasmin smiled. These two were the children of the emperor and the empress herself.