With a bone-chilling howl, dozens of wolves with long black horns on their foreheads burst out of the forest, charging toward the center of the knight squadron. These creatures, markedly faster and more than half again as large as ordinary wolves, were classified as lower-middle rank monsters. Although falling into this category meant they were not generally considered a serious threat, facing a pack of them could prove far more dangerous, elevating their threat level significantly.
“Horned wolves! Form up!”
The knights’ response differed from their usual engagements with goblins. The targets of the horned wolves swiftly banded together in groups of three, back to back, to confront the oncoming beasts.
“Kiieeek!”
“Keeang!”
“Kyaoooh!”
No matter how ferocious the horned wolves were, they were not a match for a multitude of knights.
As a few of the pack were quickly dispatched, spurred by a howl from one of the larger beasts, the remaining wolves bypassed the knights and headed straight for the rear.
Unlike the goblins, these creatures showed no fear in the face of over a thousand humans, but the soldiers remained equally undaunted.
“Deploy the crossbow cavalry!”
“Aye!”
“Fire!”
The soldiers, tense but obedient, followed their orders. Yet the downpour of bolts failed to play their intended role.
“Awooouuuu!”
As the pack leader howled, the barrage of incoming bolts seemed to slow dramatically in the air. Though none changed course erratically, the diminished volley proved too weak to pierce through the thick hide of the horned wolves and landed harmlessly on the ground.
In the brief moment that the volley passed, the horned wolves had closed the distance right up to the soldiers’ formation.
“Swordsmen, take your positions!”
“Form ranks!”
“Let none through!”
The faces of the knights, once pallid with dread and tension, now flushed with fervor at Logan’s loud command.
“Taaah!”
Led by Viktor at the forefront, the waiting swordsmen swung their swords and spears in unison. In the background, a pair of red eyes closely watched the scene unfold.
“Euaahhp!”
“Kyao!”
With indiscernible cries that were either battle roars or screams of pain, spears and swords were brandished. At the moment Viktor’s front line clashed with the leader of the horned wolves, the rest of the pack leaped, aiming to breach the soldiers’ lines.
The horned wolves numbered only twenty-one, but the three hundred soldiers struggled to respond effectively to the breach.
“Euaaak!”
Crunch.
As one soldier was struck by a horn and fumbled his sword in confusion, the sharp teeth of a horned wolf sank into his leg. Despite their comrade’s cries as he fell, most of the surrounding soldiers were petrified, unable to act.
But there were a few who reacted differently.
“Die, beast!”
Thwack.
Crack!
A spear, held by a soldier with not enough strength, failed to fully penetrate the thick hide of the horned wolf, leaving an impact like a club. Yet, it was enough to stagger the beast that had dealt a fatal blow to one of their own.
Seeing this, the formerly paralyzed soldiers found their courage and began to wave their weapons again, albeit with pale faces. Similar scenes unfolded elsewhere on the battlefield.
Logan intervened only where the bravest soldiers were absent; in other words, where entire groups had been completely subdued by the ferocity of the monsters.
Fwssh.
“Kiee…”
Thud.
“You. You. You. Everyone else, fall back!”
Logan’s menacing presence alone was enough to chase away the beasts and spring the soldiers’ limbs into action. Logan’s brow furrowed slightly as he moved to aid the soldiers plunged into crisis.
Even amidst this chaos, he paid close attention to the scramble with the few remaining horned wolves and assessed the soldiers’ reactions.
In fact, Logan didn’t really need to exert himself. The difference between the soldiers he had noticed and those he hadn’t was glaringly obvious.
‘Surely, they fight well.’
Trey, who had previously demonstrated beast-like sight, now showed a monster-like reflex in dodging attacks a beat quicker, while Adam, with his astounding hearing, was nimble enough to evade assaults from behind.
Others, who had shown at least some potential in harnessing the Force, outshone their peers in combat prowess, even though their skills were still lacking.
Most of those who had excelled were among the top hundred selected during the sensory test. But Logan realized a key point: even among the lower ranks, there were soldiers who stood out with potential.
With the insights gained by closely observing these battles, Logan identified a pattern.
‘It’s right to select based on senses, not just physical stamina…’
That was no different from the Empire’s criteria for soldier selection. But, focusing on those who had absorbed even a faint hint of the Force, Logan discovered another factor.
‘That has nothing to do with sight or hearing, strictly speaking.’
Those capable of dodging monster attacks from blind spots or of instinctively counter-attacking demonstrated it wasn’t just exceptional vision or hearing. Even soldiers from the lower ranks of the sensory test exhibited these traits.
‘Tactile senses, perhaps? Or could it be intuition? Hmm…’
Logan had not enough data to be certain. He simply pocketed the fact that those his own senses identified did indeed show promising qualities.
The significance of this reconnaissance alone gave meaning to the battle.
Before the soldiers’ formation could crumble further, Logan shouted thunderously.
“Clayton!”
At his call, Clayton, a fifth circle mage who had been preparing magic ever since the horned wolves had charged, responded.
“Answer my call, powers of the earth. Stone Edge!”
Boom!
The stone spikes that surged at the precise location of the horned wolves killed nearly half of the twenty in a single stroke, leaving most of the others severely wounded.
Even the pack leader, who had completely dodged the magic, met its end.
“Woaaah!”
Thump.
“Kyaooh…”
A well-aimed slash from Viktor’s sword plunged into its eye, sealing its fate.
Panting heavily, the sweat-soaked Viktor pulled his bloodied sword from the carcass, a rare bright smile on his face. It was a sinister sight that sent shivers through the surrounding soldiers.
Chik.
As black blood dripped from Viktor’s blade, scorching the ground, the fellow soldiers unconsciously stepped away from him.
Logan, however, couldn’t help but smile at the sight.
‘He’s definitely shed his shell. It seems there isn’t much time left.’
The future Aura user was nearing the completion of his foundation.
“Well done, Viktor! Monster blood is toxic, so clean it off quickly and be careful not to get it on you. Keep it up. I’ll review your swordsmanship after this is over.”
As Logan commended him, the onlookers’ view of Viktor changed once again.
Riding the momentum, Logan declared.
“Those who ran first earlier, I’ve got my eye on all of you! If you pull that stunt again, you won’t find it amusing!”
The soldiers’ complexions hardened at the fierce threat, surpassing even that of the monsters.
Logan’s gaze swept over his soldiers with the predatory intensity of a beast sighting its prey.
* * *
The knights continued to miss their targets from time to time.
It turned out that the southern woods had a greater number of middle-rank monsters than anticipated.
Still, there were no major issues.
A handful of mid or high-mid-rank monsters were dealt with by the appropriate knight squadron leaders, Heinikel, and Patrick.
The majority of middle and lower-rank monsters were managed by the knight squadrons themselves.
“Ha!”
Sshk.
“Keeek!”
With a forceful cry, Anthony, a mere knight, cleaved a 2-meter-tall werewolf in half with a blow that would’ve once been unthinkable.
‘Thrilling.’
The swordsmanship he learned through grueling training with the lord, previously only effective on trees, now unleashed its fierce might against monsters, exciting him instead of tiring him out.
This thrilling sensation was mutual among his fellow knights.
“Let’s have a consistent flow of these lower-middle-ranks!”
“Mid-ranks are okay too!”
“Man, that’s a bit…”
“Shut it! We can take ’em!”
“Roaaar! Kill them all!”
The knights’ sword strikes grew sharper as time passed, though the soldiers’ battles were increasingly laborious.
“Behind!”
“Be careful!”
“Ugh!”
“Dammit! Move!”
Goblins and similar kobolds could be managed with crossbow fire alone, but monsters like human werewolves or giant spiders were a different story.
Eventually, it came to where even golems used for transporting wood had to form a barrier to ward off approaching monsters for the soldiers.
Fighting persisted throughout half a day.
Despite the fatigue and injuries, Logan clenched his fist firmly, fueled by what he’d observed in the soldiers.
‘It’s clear… An exceptional sense, especially a tactile one, is close to a talent for the Force. How do I design a test for this?’
Despite the limited data, he felt he was on to something.
‘It’s enough to work with the current soldiers for now. After starting the civil war this winter…’
If the civil war proceeds as expected, MacLaine could use this information to experience a terrifying growth.
‘We can increase knightly strength before the Empire wars begin.’
A buoyant laugh was uncontrollable.
“Why are you smiling like that?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Now, with sufficient lumber, we must finish MacLaine Town. Spring is a month away. We must be done before the actual development begins. Is it possible?”
“…Understood.”
Hammer’s expression hinted he had more to say, but his response was positive.
“That’s really possible? It was just a suggestion, but…”
“It seems feasible. The mages lend their strength, and since the dam, laborers are more motivated than ever. With ample food distributed and uniform housing construction, efficiency increases with time.”
“Don’t forget the central tower in town.”
“Of course.”
Hammer sounded reliable, and Logan affirmed.
‘Pushing isn’t always the best strategy.’
He gained a better understanding of how to manage Hammer.
Thus, the grand MacLaine Town, predicted to dwarf MacLaine Castle in size, slowly but surely took shape as anticipated.