'Kreeeeek!!'

'Grrr, kreeeeeek!!'

Suddenly, in the dead of night, a horde of goblins appeared, causing everyone sleeping in the tents to rush outside.

I had considered handling it quietly without waking everyone, but the sheer number of goblins swarming us was too much for just Colt and me to handle.

"Ethan, take the left! Sir Colt, the right! I'll handle any that slip through! Don't turn your back, no matter what!" I commanded.

"Understood!" Ethan replied, immediately taking charge.

"Yes, ma'am!" Colt answered, swiftly moving to her designated position.

Ethan had been the first to burst out of the men's tent, already prepared, and Colt, who had been on watch, quickly positioned herself on the other side. They each took their posts, ready to defend against the oncoming horde.

Though I could fight in close combat, it wasn’t my strong suit. My role was to deal with any monsters that broke through and to provide support magic—just like Lilith would have done in the game.

As soon as the goblins charged, I found myself acting as the de facto battle commander, giving orders. But neither Ethan nor Colt seemed to mind.

"And Agnes...?"

"I'll enlarge Infernosilia to break their formation and set up a fiery barrier for defense."

"...You know exactly what to do."

Agnes was a character who, even in the original game, could perform well when left to her own devices. Large-scale fire magic was always a solid strategy in these kinds of battles, so I let her handle it.

"'Blazing flames awaken the spirit within, and today, the young fire spirit takes on a new form!'"

• Fwoosh!

'I'm off, Agnes~! See you soon!'

"...Just don’t run into the forest."

With a coordinated spell from Agnes and her fire spirit Infernosilia, now enlarged, the fiery elemental charged into the goblin horde, scattering the monsters in all directions. The goblins were panicking, fleeing from the enormous fireball that had suddenly entered their ranks.

Of course, since it was only a lower-tier spirit made larger, its actual attacks wouldn’t be more than superficial burns, but it was enough to disrupt the goblins' formation and create confusion.

"Lady Rosewood, what should I do? I’m fairly confident in my swordsmanship, so perhaps I should join Ethan and Sir Colt on the front lines..." Prince Antonio began, looking flustered.

"That's nonsense! We don’t need more people on the front lines. Your Highness, please stay on the opposite side and protect Lady Agnes."

"Ah, understood! Of course, protecting Lady Agnes is my most important duty!"

In reality, I couldn’t gauge Antonio’s skill level, so I assigned him to a safe position. Since he wasn’t one of the main playable characters in Luminor Academy, I had limited information on his abilities or growth potential.

I left him safely to the side. Even if he wasn’t that strong, he could at least handle a few stray goblins. If it came to the worst, I could take care of both Agnes and the prince myself.

'Lilith~! What about us? Should we just charge in and sweep everything like she did~?!'

'Can we grow big, too? Like, really big?'

Sally and Sey, my high- and mid-tier spirits, were eager, asking if they should mimic what Infernosilia had done.

They were much smarter than lower-tier spirits, so I had different plans for them.

"You two fly above unnoticed and search for any named monsters."

'Named... what's that?'

"Look for a goblin with an oversized staff, or one playing some sort of instrument. Or maybe one that's much larger than the others and decked out in equipment. Report back to me as soon as you find them."

I was describing the characteristics of Goblin Mages, Goblin Bards, and Goblin Lords.

Naturally, those weren’t the only types of named goblins, but they were the primary ones that could command such a large force. Finding and eliminating them would weaken the rest of the horde.

'Ohhh! You mean those weird goblins that show up sometimes, right?! So we just need to find them, yeah?'

"Exactly. Once you find them, report directly to me. I'll take care of the rest. Be sure to tell me exactly where they are."

'Got it. We’ll go look now!'

'I'll be back~!'

With a nod, the two spirits flew off, gliding over the goblin horde. With both a mid- and high-tier spirit searching, it wouldn’t take long to find the named goblin. Even though Sey might not have fully understood the instructions, Sally had definitely grasped the task.

Unlike the original game event, where we had to fight through wave after wave of goblins before reaching the boss, we could skip right to the end by targeting the named goblin. Once that one was down, the rest of the goblins would scatter, making cleanup much easier.

This nighttime ambush was, after all, a recreation of an event from Luminor Academy.

Whenever you camped on the way to the Witch’s Forest, a monster ambush was almost guaranteed. The forest itself was a breeding ground for magical creatures, and aside from the witches’ settlements, it was teeming with monsters.

I’d gone through this event almost fifteen times in my 25 playthroughs, so I knew how to handle it. I’d even chosen to take the second watch because this kind of ambush usually occurred between 1 and 2 a.m.

I preferred to handle it myself rather than leave it to someone else, as it was the most reliable way to ensure success.

'Still, I didn’t expect this many...'

In Luminor Academy, the number of monsters that appeared during a nighttime ambush was proportional to the party’s strength.

To summon this many goblins for a five-person party, each member had to be elite. And if I considered our team’s strength individually...

One sword expert, wielding dual blades (who could hold his own against the Hero with a win ratio of nearly 50%).

One 5th-circle mage, likely the next Red Tower Master, specializing in fire magic and contracted with a fire spirit.

One all-rounder with a massive mana reserve, capable of using attack magic, support magic, and dagger techniques (with the ultimate skill, Mana Blast).

And Natalie’s older sister (who’s stronger than Natalie).

Even without accounting for Antonio’s unknown abilities, we were essentially a party of top-tier adventurers. No wonder this goblin horde was so large.

Well, in any case, the game’s scaling system worked to our advantage. With a strong party like this, our fighting prowess would shine, especially in a battle like this.

-Slash!

'Kreeeeek!'

That was the seventh goblin I’d killed as it slipped past Ethan and Sir Colt’s defenses.

While I couldn’t compete with Ethan, who was cutting down six goblins with a single sword strike, or Colt, who was stabbing three goblins per second with her royal knight techniques, I was still contributing and earning some experience points.

Plus, the Sharp Blade buff I had cast on both Ethan and Colt was certainly making their job easier.

By the end of tonight, I’d probably reach level 18, and if I was lucky, maybe even level 19.

I glanced over at Antonio, who was supposed to be protecting Agnes. The prince was drenched in sweat, but he had just finished off his fifth goblin.

-Slash!

“Huff... huff...”

...Well, he’s doing better than I expected.

While his swordsmanship was nowhere near Ethan’s or Colt’s, comparing an untrained prince to academy elites was hardly fair. Considering he hadn’t even entered the academy yet, he was performing admirably.

At least he was stronger than in the original game. Meeting Agnes during the royal palace incident two years ago must have spurred his growth in a positive direction.

'He might actually be a good candidate for the Hero’s party if I train him well enough...'

I’ll have to talk to Gert later and make a suggestion. Antonio likely has high growth potential as a royal, and with Agnes by his side, his development might accelerate even faster.

“Rise! Become a wall of flame!!”

'Kreeeeeeeek!!!'

By this point, Agnes had completed her spell, and her flaming fortress erupted into the sky in front of Ethan and Sir Colt.

The size of the flame wall was easily twice as large as the one she had conjured during the evaluation duel. The moment it appeared, I could hear the goblins on the other side being incinerated en masse.

'That should take care of most of the weaker ones, so now it’s just the boss left.'

With Agnes maintaining the fiery fortress and Ethan and Colt handling the remaining goblins within the barrier, I figured Antonio could hold the line for a while. That gave me the chance to focus on finishing off the boss.

“Ethan! Sir Colt! You just need to deal with the ones inside the flame wall now!”

“Got it!”

“Understood!”

“Your Highness! Please protect Agnes and me for a little while longer. You can handle that, right?”

“Hah... yes...! Leave it to me, Lady Rosewood...!”

Honestly, he wasn’t as reliable as Ethan, but this was the most efficient way to end the fight quickly.

At that moment, I saw Sally and Sey return from beyond the flame wall. It was time to unleash my ultimate move. I began chanting the Mana Blast spell, preparing to fire it the moment they reported the named goblin’s location.

'Lilith~!! Over here! There’s a huge goblin boss~!!'

'300 meters, about.'

With their precise briefing, I hurled my charged Mana Blast in the direction they indicated.

Using a Mana Blast on a goblin lord was overkill, but when else would I get the chance to use it?

Besides, it was the only spell in my arsenal powerful enough to take down a boss in one shot.

“Explode! Unleash the storm of magic!!”

As my Mana Blast flew towards the target, Agnes skillfully dispelled the flaming fortress, clearing the way.

Through the dissipating flames, I caught sight of the hulking figure of the goblin lord, and my spell shot straight towards it.

A moment later, a massive explosion echoed across the campsite, shaking the night sky.