"...Report."

A desolate voice slipped out between her lips. The Frontier Lord sat quietly in one corner of her quarters, seated on a chair. The retreat had been successful. The Frontier Lord’s injuries were not severe. Although she had sustained various wounds from facing numerous monsters during the retreat, none were life-threatening. But the soldiers who followed her had not been so fortunate.

They had died.

When the wall collapsed, all the sentries who had been on night watch atop the wall were killed. Even before the wall came down, more than half of the soldiers had been killed by the horde of monsters that had already occupied the wall. More soldiers died as the monsters fully crossed the wall, and when the Behemoth appeared, collapsing the wall, countless knights and soldiers perished again.

As many soldiers died, just as many were wounded.

There were those who lost an arm or a leg, those whose ribs were shattered and pierced their organs, and those whose spines were crushed, leaving them unable to even move their bodies.

Of the thousands of troops, more than half had become useless in the first attack. The Frontier Lord closed her eyes. Many comrades had fallen. Those who had been with her since fifteen years ago, those who had only joined the no-man’s land a year ago, those personally sent by the king from the capital, and even the members of the Crow Knight Order, whose faces she had seen many times.

The Behemoth did not advance after destroying the wall. It seemed the Behemoth had decided there was no need to move forward, instead commanding the monsters to chase after the humans. The Behemoth stood atop the fallen wall, gazing quietly at the sky.

The soldiers from the no-man's land had no time to stand in awe of this sight. With their eyes bloodshot from fighting the monsters chasing them, they had hurriedly retreated to the border.

"Report the damage suffered by the main force in this attack."

The Frontier Lord gave the command again to the soldier, who was wrapped in bandages. The soldier in front of her had his arm tightly wrapped in bandages. His injuries were probably not just external. He limped as though his leg or ankle had been broken.

"...We cannot make an accurate assessment of the damage."

The soldier lowered his head as he spoke.

"However... it is estimated that all personnel near the wall when the Behemoth appeared and destroyed it have died. The number is approximately 600, including twenty knights."

The Frontier Lord nodded. The fact that she could accept those numbers as just numbers was purely because of the burden of responsibility that weighed down her shoulders as the supreme commander. She gave a small nod to the soldier, urging him to continue.

"And."

"I will continue the report."

The soldier gritted his teeth and resumed his briefing.

"After the order to retreat was given, most of those who volunteered to stand at the rear died. It is estimated that about 100 died."

Most of those who volunteered to stay behind were veterans.

"I see... I understand..."

The Frontier Lord bit her lip. Blood spilled from her roughly bitten lip. It wasn’t over yet. One last question remained—the most important yet the one she most wanted to avoid. With a feeling like swallowing poison, she opened her mouth.

"...What became of those who turned their horses around to fight the monsters, led by Clint?"

The Frontier Lord could no longer keep her expression steady. Agony and guilt seeped through her clenched lips.

‘My Lord!’

Her most loyal subordinate, Clint, had spoken to her while on horseback. Damn it, the Frontier Lord had to lead the retreating troops from the very front.

‘It doesn’t look like the Behemoth is pursuing us, but... the monsters chasing us are moving unnervingly fast.’

Clint's eyes were resolute, as if he had made some kind of decision. The Frontier Lord had seen such eyes many times before. It was the look of someone who had accepted death.

‘I will take the troops and turn back to block the monsters’ advance.’

The Frontier Lord had responded sternly.

‘Don’t be ridiculous, Clint. If we go just a little farther, we'll reach the city. If we activate the magic left by the mages and thoroughly block the city’s entrance, we can prevent further casualties...’

‘Soldiers and knights are dying at the rear as we speak, my Lord.’

Clint interrupted her. The Frontier Lord, her face contorted, pressed Clint further.

‘...I cannot give you permission.’

‘We will be overtaken, my Lord. Please, let us go.’

It wasn’t just Clint speaking. Clint’s lieutenant was looking at the Frontier Lord with the same expression.

‘My Lord, you once told me something.’

Clint picked up the conversation again.

‘You said a commander must be capable of making wise decisions, and above all else, must prioritize the defense of the kingdom.’

‘You told me not to let emotions cloud my judgment, and not to hesitate to sacrifice the few for the greater good.’

The Frontier Lord looked at Clint and his subordinates. She knew. She knew very well that this was the best course of action. Even now, with every passing moment of hesitation, another soldier or knight might have lost their life. Clint spoke urgently.

‘My life was already given for the Frontier and for you, my Lord.’

‘Damn it, fine.’

The Frontier Lord finally spoke.

‘Go. Go and hold them off. And as you always have...’

Knowing full well that it was impossible, she added,

‘Return alive. Don't even dream of a glorious death. Such a thing doesn’t exist. Once you’ve bought enough time, just turn your horse around and come back.’

Clint smiled faintly and nodded.

‘Yes. I will do just that.’

And with that, Clint and his knights turned their horses around. The Frontier Lord did not look back. She simply urged her horse forward.

‘Faster...! Hurry, before the monsters catch up...!’

"What happened to Clint and his men?"

The soldier shook his head slightly.

"They did not return."

"We need to... organize a search party..."

The Frontier Lord stopped herself mid-sentence. The expectations her subordinates placed on her weighed too heavily. She gestured for the worried-looking soldier to leave. Yet another knight, another loyal companion, had been sent away by her.

"No, forget it. What’s the current situation with the monsters?"

"The first magic, 'The Veil,' is currently active, but it won't last much longer. The magic barrier will run out of power in two days."

It was a situation where they couldn’t even rely on reinforcements that were supposed to come from the capital. The Frontier Lord massaged her temples.

"...Two days."

She looked out the window toward the city. A violet veil covered the sky. It was a barrier that prevented any entry or exit. Even now, the dome-shaped barrier encircled the city, blocking the monsters from entering.

"The likelihood of reinforcements arriving is slim."

"I think the same."

The soldier cautiously suggested, and the Frontier Lord agreed.

"...What do you think about falling back to the second line?"

"Mura?"

"With all due respect, yes."

The Frontier Lord sighed.

"...Very well. Go out and help organize the troops. I need some time to think about the strategy."

The soldier nodded and closed the door behind him.

"Damn it."

The Frontier Lord slammed her hand down on the desk. The unfortunate desk shattered into pieces, sending splinters flying everywhere. With her forehead pressed against the broken desk, she ground her teeth, murmuring the names of her fallen comrades.

The order to retreat came less than twelve hours after they had barely arrived in the city.

"Retreating again?"

"They’re saying we’re withdrawing to the second front."

The soldiers murmured at the news that spread through the ranks. The wounded who were receiving treatment in the city couldn’t believe that the wall had fallen. The soldiers who had fled from the battlefield couldn’t feel relieved to be alive, their minds occupied with thoughts of their fallen comrades and the monsters.

"Damn it, Philip."

"You said we’d retire together..."

They had survived.

The thought struck them that they had survived, tenaciously clinging to life.

In the battlefield, where death was a constant companion, no one took survival for granted. Maxime checked around the temporary barracks in an empty building to see if his comrades were still alive.

Theodora was safe. Maxime had seen her heading towards the Frontier Lord’s quarters. Paola, Roberto, and Christine were here with him in the barracks. But not all members of the Crow Knight Order had survived.

"In the end, this is how it turned out," Christine muttered in a daze.

"I never thought anyone from our order would die..."

Maxime couldn’t say anything. Neither Roberto nor Paola could do anything but listen to her lament.

"What will happen now?" she asked.

Paola was the one who answered.

"They said we’re falling back to the second front. They probably plan to turn this city into a graveyard for those monsters."

"A graveyard? What do you mean?"

Roberto asked.

"...Apparently, besides the magic barrier, there are other spells prepared for this city."

Paola stomped the floor of the building with her foot.

"There’s a massive explosive spell ready to blow the entire city sky-high."

"So, they plan to bury the monsters with the city?"

Paola nodded.

"The idea is to reduce the number of monsters and hold the Behemoth down long enough for the kingdom’s forces to arrive. Then they’ll face the Behemoth head-on."

"Do you think they can defeat that monster?"

In response to Christine’s question, Paola shrugged.

"I don’t know. The explosion spell will need to work. If that spell can kill the Behemoth, then that would be ideal, but..."

It doesn’t seem like something that could be killed so easily by a single spell.

Paola added bitterly.

"...When do you think the reinforcements will arrive?"

"If His Majesty wants to protect his people and his land, they’ll need to arrive by tomorrow at the latest."

Otherwise, who knows how much of the kingdom that monster will devour?

At that moment, the door to the barracks opened, and a soldier stepped into the Crow Knight Order’s quarters. When the knights’ gazes focused on him, the soldier, flustered, glanced around before fixing his eyes on Paola, the oldest among them.

"The Frontier Lord has issued a summons. Everyone is to pack their belongings and gather in the city square."

The soldier glanced at the knights again, then added,

"They’re taking down the barrier and retreating from the city."