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Volume 6 Chapter 140

Stampede

Lawrence, a B-rank adventurer, was in despair.
Hundreds of monsters were swarming towards the city of Gareth that he was tasked to protect. This phenomenon known as the Stampede was a calamity in which various types of monsters gathered together and wreaked havoc on everything in their path.
Lawrence had a history of defeating a smaller Stampede in the past, while leading a four-adventurer party. Due to this reputation, he had been dispatched to this city and entrusted with its defense.
However, the scale of the Stampede this time was different from the stampede he had fought off in the past, in which about 30 C- to D-ranked demons were running amok.
Among the attacking monsters, Lawrence had confirmed monsters of B-rank and higher. It was unusual for such high-level monsters to naturally gather together for a Stampede.
In reality, there was a source behind this event.
An entity harmful to humans—a demon.
However, at this point, Lawrence and his fellow adventurers were not aware of the demon’s presence.
Inside the city, people were evacuating towards the east side, opposite to the protective wall on the west side where the Stampede was approaching. The Stampede was deemed impossible to repel this time, so Lawrence had advised the city’s guards to begin evacuations.
「Damn, I should’ve never taken this request in the first place」
「It’s too late for regrets now. Normally, after realising that the number of monsters exceeded a hundred, you would have decided to retreat, right?」
A brown-haired female archer spoke while checking her bow and arrows.
「That’s true. Although the guild’s compensation was good, staying in this city for a month was a mistake」
A dark-skinned, sturdy-looking man equipped with a massive shield and a lance added self-mockingly.
「Yeah, the people of this city and the members of the guards treated us so well. We can’t just run away now」
The words came from a female cleric who was part of Lawrence’s party, similar to the two before.
To buy time for the residents to evacuate, Lawrence, his companions, and the guards had set up a defence line before the city’s western protective wall, where the Stampede was approaching.
Adventurers were free spirits, living life as they pleased. Despite being assigned by the guild to guard the city of Gareth, when they felt their lives were in danger, many adventurers would immediately flee.
However, Lawrence and his party chose not to run. The Stampede had been predicted to occur soon, and since their arrival in this city a month ago, they had been welcomed by the city’s residents, who had offered them their utmost hospitality.
Strengthening their coordination with the guards, they hunted monsters around the city and shared drinks, fostering a sense of camaraderie.
As the female archer said, if it were the usual Lawrence, upon discovering that the number of monsters exceeded a hundred, and that B-rank monsters were among them, he would have promptly ordered a retreat.
However, around his wrist was a bracelet given to him by the children of this city. He couldn’t help —- but wanted to protect that dazzling smile.
That was why he couldn’t run away.
「Lawrence-san, I’m really sorry. We ended up involving you……」
The leader of the city’s guards bowed to Lawrence’s group. When he realised that a Stampede of a much larger scale was approaching, he had expected that all the adventurers would flee.
However, among the four adventurer parties that had arrived, only Lawrence’s group chose to stay.
The Stampede heading towards this city cannot be repelled by the current forces alone. Yet, the presence of the guards here is to buy time for families and friends to escape.
If they stay in this situation, they will undoubtedly lose their lives in just a few minutes. Despite not being residents of this city and having no acquaintances here—- Lawrence and his companions also chose to stay.
While expressing sincere gratitude to Lawrence’s group, the leader of the guards also felt apologetic.
「Don’t say stupid things, Captain. We came here for a job too. We can finally do our real work. Rather than that, if you die, Yuka will be sad, so make sure you don’t die!」
When Lawrence was patrolling outside the city, the daughter of the guards leader, Yuka, was attacked by monsters.
He rescued Yuka, and as a token of her gratitude, she used a wish stone she had cherished for a long time to craft a bracelet and presented it to him.
「Lawrence-san, you too. My daughter will grieve when you’re gone」
「I know…… That’s why our strategy is to 『Save Lives』. Got it? Don’t push yourself too hard. We’re going to protect the families, friends, comrades, and this city!!」
「「「Oooohhh!!」」」
Borrowing words that a hero from another world often said to his companions, Lawrence invigorated his party members and the guards.
It’s enough for me alone to push myself ・to・the・limit.
—-That’s what Lawrence had in mind.
As a B-rank adventurer, he was formidable even by himself. He had confidence in his abilities. And among the B-rank monsters approaching, he was the only one who could defeat the ones present in the Stampede.
C-rank or lower monsters were somehow being kept at bay by the guards and his companions, while he planned to take down the B-rank monsters that could potentially break through the defensive line.
Of course, it was impossible for him to keep fighting B-rank monsters alone. But he had no choice but to do so if he wanted to protect the city.
Despite his instructions to his companions and the guards, Lawrence was mentally prepared to be the only one to die.
The ground trembled.
It was the sound of approximately three hundred monsters approaching.
The Stampede was drawing near.
「……. Did you contact・him?」
「Yes. I used a letter bird to inform the guild about the occurrence and scale of the Stampede. He should then also be contacted」
「The problem is that there’s a rumour that a Stampede occurred on a different continent not long ago. If that rumour is true, he should be there」
「I see」
The hope that『he』 might come faded, and although Lawrence felt despair in his heart—- he didn’t show any signs of disappointment.
Everyone here had realised that they were relying on themselves, not on『him』, for support.
The Stampede came into range.
「Magic unit! Archery unit! Fire everything you’ve got!!!」
At Lawrence’s signal, twelve mages and thirty archers stationed on top of the wall simultaneously unleashed magic and arrows.
The monsters at the forefront of the Stampede were struck by the onslaught, falling down. However— they trampled over the fallen bodies and continued their advance towards the city.
While the advance wasn’t halted, they managed to reduce their numbers by about fifty. Approximately two hundred and fifty monsters remained.
After this, the magic and archery units would continue attacking from behind, whittling down their numbers further.
「Charge!!」
「「「「Ooooh!!!」」」」
The battle led by Lawrence’s ground unit began.
The beginning went smoothly. Their magic and arrows effectively weakened the monsters’ momentum. With the coordination between Lawrence’s group and the guards, they managed to defeat dozens of monsters.
Then—–
「—Guh!」
Lawrence was enduring the fierce attacks of three B-rank monsters. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t defeat all three. His best effort was to keep them engaged so they wouldn’t move toward the guards.
While the female archer in his group provided support from the protective wall, all she could do was to keep the C-rank monsters at bay.
「Darn it!」
Lawrence let the Dark Wolf bite into his left arm in order to cut off its head. Then, in rapid succession, he cut down the two B-rank monsters that remained.
It was a rather brute method, but it managed to eliminate the three monsters that could have potentially breached the defence line. However, blood continued to flow from his left hand, which had been bitten.
「This isn’t good……」
As he muttered, something happened—–
「Lawrence-san!」
A female cleric who had been charging into the midst of the monsters to provide support for Lawrence came to his side. Several guards members surrounded her, and she began casting healing magic.
With the guards members holding back the surrounding monsters, the female cleric could focus on healing Lawrence.
「I-idiot! You shouldn’t have charged out here!」
「You said to save lives! But…… but, fighting like this is wrong!」
「Th-that’s—!? Watch out!」
「Kyaaah!」
Lawrence embraced the female cleric and leapt to the side.
Just then, a giant sword came down with a deafening roar, targeting the spot they had been.
The attack blew away the guards members who had been restraining the surrounding monsters. An Orc Fighter was coming after Lawrence and the female cleric.
Not only that, appearing before them were five Orc Fighters. They were higher-ranking B-rank monsters.
Five upper B-rank creatures—Lawrence had no hope of defeating them.
「So this is it……」
He held the female cleric tightly, as if to protect her, and bowed his head, ready to accept the attack.
Blocking the Orc Fighter’s sword with his body was impossible. In that case, he should let himself be struck while protecting the female cleric. This way, he could at least prevent the woman he cared for from being defiled by the orcs.
He considered such things. He held the trembling woman in his arms with all his might, hoping to alleviate her fear even slightly.
As the Orc Fighter raised its sword, aiming for Lawrence’s back—–
Blood splashed loudly above them.
However, the blood didn’t belong to Lawrence.
The hands of the Orc Fighter, poised to strike, were severed, and a torrent of blood gushed forth.
「We made it just in time」
A voice reached Lawrence’s ears, and when he looked up, he saw—–
Black-haired young man was brandishing a slightly curved sword, swiftly slaying all five Orc Fighters in an instant.
「I thought…… you’re supposed to be on a different continent!」
「Yeah! That’s why I flew here as・fast・as・I・could」
While saying this, the young man approached Lawrence and applied a medicine to the guards members who had been sent flying by the Orc Fighter.
Though they were seriously injured, the wounds were healing fast.
「Alright, leave him with me」
Without saying a word, the young man handed the unconscious vigilante to Lawrence.
「Oh! A Wishing Stone bracelet, huh? Maybe this is why we made it in time」
The young man gazed at the bracelet on Lawrence’s wrist and commented.
When one wore a wish stone, it emitted protective effects like a talisman. Moreover, by infusing the stone with strong desires during its crafting, the stone would radiate a glow that matched the wish.
The bracelet on Lawrence’s wrist shone brightly in yellow, the colour of protection.
「Leave the rest to me」
With his back to Lawrence, the young man, Haruto readied his sword and declared.
「Let me・protect・this・city 」