Chapter 889 - Everyone Steps Forward
Even a novice in spells can easily bind one person's feet.
It isn't even difficult to restrain limbs altogether.
In Esther's own case, thinking about it, she could create invisible chains or apply the spell 'Dmule's Cloak'.
To a wizard's eyes, there is no difference between a trained soldier and a farmer who has tilled fields all his life.
A person seeing a bow for the first time in their life cannot react to it.
Even seeing the bowstring being pulled, they just stare blankly.
Aren't soldiers and farmers the same in seeing a bow for the first time?
In the same sense, those who do not know spells cannot prepare for spells.
Furthermore, spells are not a type of force or tool visibly obvious like a bow.
Therefore, even if there are about ten soldiers or farmers, the situation is the same.
Binding their feet isn't that difficult.
However, when it becomes about a hundred people, the story changes a little.
Unless one is skilled in handling their Spell World, it would take three days just to prepare.
If a little more skilled, two days; if less skilled, it might take five days.
Also, if one draws magic circles on the ground and sprinkles reagents like that, those with sensitive senses will become wary, suspicious, and show nervous reactions toward the unknown.
It's like how even a person seeing a bow for the first time feels threatened just by its appearance and atmosphere.
Of course, if one is extremely skilled in handling their Spell World, they possess ample ability to torment an army of a hundred units without much preparation.
Although they would consume considerable resources.
'Then what if it's a thousand?'
From here on, one must separate the concepts of trained soldiers and ordinary people.
'For trained soldiers, there exists a commander.'
They lead their subordinate troops.
They shout not to panic and respond to minimize damage.
The difference between having someone leading the group and not having one is significant.
This is a problem to be recognized even with just a hundred.
Of course, it's a factor to be considered by the person in the position of having to block them.
'Numbers and commander.'
When two factors combine, soldiers and farmers become distinct.
Since soldiers who have experienced war form a group and become a collective, they cannot be said to be the same as ordinary people.
They gain the talent to band together, endure, and overcome difficulties.
Wizards who would block a thousand people charging head-on were rare.
Very rare.
What's more, if that army is refined like pieces of metal tempered several times?
From here on, calculation becomes complicated.
'Estimated to be elite at minimum.'
She didn't know before due to lack of interested, but how was the Border Guard unit she observed closely?
Were they at a level to be ignored just because they didn't know how spells worked?
'If it's a unit called elite level, they won't just get beaten.'
There would be several soldiers overcoming hallucinations.
Some of them might break through the interference and advance.
Just as the Border Guard's elite units she saw did, the enemies would be fully capable of doing so too.
It is difficult to block not simply a thousand ordinary displaced people but a thousand trained troops.
To the extent that an average wizard wouldn't even be able to attempt it.
'The existence of the knightly order must also be kept in mind.'
Even if wrapping oneself in protection and defense spells, their blades are too sharp.
Even a semi-knight is a considerable threat.
Of course, she had no intention of being helplessly beaten just because she faced them, but avoiding them as much as possible was the right path.
Since what she had to do was decided from the beginning.
"Please block the army as much as possible."
These are Krais's words.
She has no perspective on viewing the battlefield.
But she knows that this damn big-eyed bastard, who dared to try to check her gender by groping with his hand while coveting her leopard claws, is very clever.
"I will."
When was it that she gave a simple and clear answer?
Sweat from her forehead flows down her cheeks.
Esther kept everything this enemy possessed in mind even before using the spell.
Like that, she took a position out of the enemy's sight.
Then she used the spell to bind the feet of three thousand soldiers and stop them.
Although this is tens of times more difficult than standing in front of an army and killing dozens of soldiers at once, outwardly she did it calmly.
The result that naturally followed in that process approached her in big strides.
"Damn witch."
An arrow aimed at Esther.
***
Commander Baric moved the army in an efficient manner.
He planned to remove the substantial threat blocking the witch's front with five knights and sent seven semi-knights towards the wizard.
This is the entirety of the Mud Knights' power.
Simultaneously, he ordered the allied troops to charge.
Like that, before the army pierced through the swamp and fog, seven semi-knights broke through the path head-on first and reached in front of Esther.
"It's nothing if you are a little careful."
All along with shouting such words.
That itself would become hope and possibility for the army.
They would move looking at the backs of the semi-knights.
The seven semi-knights broke through ignoring all the fog enforcing hallucinations, and for the ground turned into a swamp, they took off their boots and advanced checking by sweeping the floor with the soles of their feet one by one.
Thanks to that, blood formed on the soles of all seven.
It was due to being scraped by stones and sand.
Even a semi-knights is said to possess martial power incomparable to an ordinary soldier.
On top of that, armed with self-control and heightened spirit, they suppressed impulses given by hallucinations, pushed away fear, and reached this place.
Since that process was exceedingly arduous, how could the figure of the witch standing upright on the small hill look good?
"Shoot her."
As soon as confirming the target, one semi-knights says.
The colleague right next to him nocked an arrow and shot.
It took only the time of one exhale to perform all those actions.
Tung!
The bowstring shakes and releases the arrow.
Although the stick with a tip attached to the end seemed like it would pierce the witch's head any moment, it couldn't.
Tung!
A Flesh Golem, its skin patched together roughly right in front, deflected the arrow.
The guy stood in front of the witch covering half his upper body with a square shield.
Arrows are weak against shields.
Unless Will is loaded in the arrow, blocking with just a shield is sufficient.
Bonehead's ability also increased.
He had had repeated improvements made by Esther in the meantime.
Although he blocked the arrow shot by a semi-knights, he wasn't pushed back in strength.
"She placed a guard too."
"That crazy bitch."
"Pretty face, let's not kill her immediately."
"Fun comes later. If things are delayed, the Commander might chew you up."
Memories of seeing Baric lose his reason and chew monsters to death surfaced in the minds of all seven semi-knights.
Half of the seven got goosebumps.
The Commander is scary.
The fear he gave was engraved in their bones.
"Work first."
Everyone's opinion was the same.
Seven semi-knights walked forward.
Even if arrows don't work, doing it with swords is enough.
Since there is no swamp, illusion, or hallucination, they just need to remove that one lump of flesh golem.
Esther, holding three thousand soldiers and watching that place, sensed her limit.
As soldiers tie each other's bodies with ropes and pull out those fallen in the swamp, those entangled in illusions scream and regain their reason.
'As expected, it's not easy.'
It might be an excuse, but large-scale area spells like this are not her specialty.
Rather, it's her weakest domain.
Using not a visible place but an invisible place as part of her domain to manifest a Spell World was something she never learned in the first place.
She explored alone, and because it was necessary, she found a way through intuition and inspiration, devised a method, and achieved it.
If the three opposing wizards who had already died faced Esther and knew this fact, one of the three might have died on the spot from anger.
Of course, they would have tried to suck Esther's blood or steal her Spell World rather than die.
While doing so, they would have continuously expressed surprise and wouldn't be able to help but being astonished.
It is talent of that magnitude.
If she had held a sword, if her talent was outstanding in swordsmanship not magic, Enkrid would have been chasing Esther's tail by now.
That would have been fun in its own way.
She clears away the intruding idle thoughts.
Instead, she captured the seven radiating killing intent standing in front in her eyes.
"If you act quietly, we'll let you live."
One of them says sticking out his tongue.
A tongue as long as Frog's.
It was a form more disgusting to look at than Frog's.
It didn't look agile either, and long saliva flowed along the tongue.
It was a tongue as if his mother had mated with a snake.
"Hideous. I should cut your tongue before plucking out your eyeballs."
Esther said.
While speaking, she snapped her finger.
Ttak!
'Dmule's Hammer.'
She chants the spell inwardly.
A trick possible because she reached the stage of Tacitus, silent chanting.
In her eyes, the wind clumping and dropping straight down was visible.
Kwang!
The force of the clumped wind striking hits the heads of two people.
One is pushed sideways by the wind, and the other withstood it.
That divided the fate of the two.
Even though it was a spell manifested while maintaining the spell holding three thousand soldiers, the head of one of the semi-knights exploded.
The group of seven, no, now six Semi-knights was startled.
It was a spell on a different level from what they had experienced until now.
Esther intended to do it properly if she was going to do it.
Like that, the spell manifested just now unfolded with speed and pressure that even a knight couldn't dodge.
It is a technique trained against The Madmen Knights.
'Spells are techniques too.'
The more used, the usage becomes diverse and skilled.
It is different from simply pouring mana.
Originally, Esther is the owner of a history of facing multiple wizards with relatively less mana and fewer types of spells than them.
This is the specialty the Witch of Struggle possesses.
Wind clumped and crushed the opponent's head.
Blood and brain matter splattered on the floor, and broken bone fragments spread in all directions dyed red.
At the same time, a stream of blood flowed from the corner of Esther's mouth too.
"Master."
"Captain."
"Goddess."
A few of those who finished worshipping behind her and stood up opened their mouths.
The titles calling her were all different.
There are twenty people.
Since they are at minimum people with enouogh talent to open a Spell World, everyone of them was full of individuality.
She almost laughed at the title called by the guy who often made jokes among them.
Goddess.
Isn't it a truly unfitting word?
"Didn't you say you'd cut my tongue?"
One of the opponents said.
It was a stupid remark.
Naturally, it's a trick.
She did as she learned from Enkrid.
If spells are also techniques, isn't it right that they should be based on tactics?
"Your tongue is big."
Here, she throws words complicating the opponent's head.
One of the enemy Semi-knights tilted his head.
Just looking at his appearance, he seemed to be a guy with a simply structured brain.
"Or is it your head."
Esther calmly continued spouting nonsense.
Although completely unrelated words, heard in a certain way, it's an answer that seems appropriate.
"Insignificant things, where are you looking? I will pluck out all your eyeballs."
At least one guy was quick-witted.
The quick-witted guy shouted.
"Damn it, don't get caught up in her words! It's nonsense!"
Esther steadied her breathing.
Now, shall I overexert a bit?
Bonehead would handle at least one of them.
Since she killed one with a surprise attack, the wariness of the remaining six heightened like never before.
'I should have killed three with the first spell.'
Since she was holding the feet of three thousand while maintaining the swamp and fog, this was the limit.
The mana accumulated in the place called Spell World within her mental image shows the bottom.
Thanks to that, she feels dizzy and nauseous.
It's a natural phenomenon since her internal organs ring and blood flows backward.
Even knowing she would have already done enough even if she retreated here, not even a bit of such thought occurred in Esther's head.
She just recalled the back of one person.
'What would you do?'
He is a person who finds an exit where all sides are blocked.
He is a person who would eventually climb up even if trapped in a labyrinth dug seven floors underground.
He is a person who does his job even in front of a grim reaper.
He.
'Is a truly beautiful person.'
Words her master said while divining one day brush her memory.
"You like pretty, beautiful, and modest, any such things."
"Do I?"
"Yes, you do. You'll pick a man like that too."
Her master's wisdom always existed in a realm difficult to understand.
Beyond handling spells, she was a person with depth enough to be called a sage.
Esther tried to manifest a spell again even if overexerting.
Six Semi-knights steeled their hearts and widened the distance.
Even if a spell like the one before flew in and one or two died, the rest intended to narrow the distance and finally swing the swords, spears, and hammers in their hands.
'Any leeway to leave strength for defensive spells?'
None.
Then she must trust the artifacts and spell objects usually worn on her body.
While calculating repeatedly.
"My name is Graham. I once lived as the Castellan of Border Guard, gained enlightenment at a late age, and obtained the joy of later years."
A swordsman with white hair stands beside her.
As he said, his name is Graham, one who rose to the rank of semi-knight.
Even if lacking compared to others, what he achieved doesn't fade.
He is a person who swung his sword every day even in old age and broke his limits.
Excluding those close to Enkrid including the Madmen unit, he was one of the people who changed first upon seeing Enkrid.
He is a person who didn't hesitate to step forward for his city even before.
To him, stepping forward in such a moment was natural.
"Sir Esther, I will guard your side."
Everyone went out to fight and put on armor.
He also has no intention of just watching.
One of the approaching guys breaks off to the side.
Intending to cut Graham and rejoin.
The two felt the difference in skill at a glance.
Posture, attitude, spirit—Graham is inferior in everything.
Still, the old warrior laughed.
He thought he broke limits through training and discipline, but these are days where his limbs stiffen day by day due to old age.
Between yesterday and tomorrow was always his prime.
So when this passes and time passes, he will have to put down the sword eventually.
Only, that is not today.
"Esther, you must overlook my past mistakes after doing this."
The voice heard behind him belonged to a person who should be rolling his head in the rear, named Krais.
***
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