(Riana POV)
As I mourned my recently deceased father, a loud explosion rang out, reminding me of the blast that occurred before I lost consciousness.
I wiped the tears from my cheeks, placed my father in a proper position, and rushed quickly over the wall to see what was happening.
Unlike earlier, my view wasn't entirely filled with monsters—only a few dozen remained.
In the distance, I spotted the two creatures that had destroyed the wall and were responsible for my father's death.
I also saw Orlax, who was running away from the wall with the two monsters chasing him.
'Is he trying to lure them away from this place? Could it be that this demon actually can't defeat them?'
I suddenly remembered the message that had appeared before me just minutes ago, telling me to protect him at all costs.
'Damn it! Why do I have to protect him? Wouldn't it be better to let the monsters kill him? But if he dies, there will be no one left to defend the city, and these two beasts will slaughter everyone inside.'
I began searching along the wall for any weapon I could use and finally found a rocket launcher loaded with five missiles.
I grabbed it, placed it on my shoulder, and quickly jumped down from the wall.
I had no idea what I could do against creatures of this level of power, but I didn't care.
I had nothing left to lose, so I didn't care what happened to me.
I started running quickly, ignoring the monsters, but they soon surrounded me, blocking my path.
"Get out of my way, you cursed creatures!"
I shouted at them, but they didn't heed my words and slowly began advancing towards me.
I raised the rocket launcher and prepared to fire.
Swoosh!
I heard the sound of creatures being sliced apart and turned around quickly.
Hundreds of remaining knights stood behind me, wielding their weapons and charging toward me.
"Lady Riana! Move forward—we will take care of them!"
"Guys, how did you get here? And how will you return to the city? The gate is closed."
"Don't worry, my lady. We placed several ladders when we came here, and we will use them to climb back into the city. Now go, leave this place."
I looked at the hundreds of warriors who were now fighting, ready to risk their lives to defend our city, and felt an unusual sensation of happiness and pride.
Even though our numbers weren't large, they seemed equal to thousands in my eyes.
The Barony of Elen wasn't wealthy, and due to worsening conditions, it had become even poorer.
So the people fighting now were doing so to protect the city and their families, with no expectation of a reward or compensation for their service.
"Thank you all! I swear I will do my best to grant you a fitting reward once all of this is over."
After saying these words, I resumed chasing Orlax and the monsters, running as fast as I could.
I finally reached the place where the two monsters and Orlax stood.
'Damn it! Why isn't he running or defending himself? Does this bastard want to die?'
Seeing the creatures ready to attack him, I rushed toward them, shouting to draw their attention.
"You cursed beasts! There's a better prey here than this demon! Come and take me!"
Luckily—or unluckily—the monsters turned toward me, readying their attack.
I squeezed the trigger of the rocket launcher on my shoulder, and the missile shot straight into the mouth of the monster.
The shimmering particles that were about to unleash an attack scattered as the missile exploded inside the creature standing on the right.
Boom!
The beast's remains flew everywhere, and blood drenched me entirely.
I felt disgusted by the scene, but I focused on the second monster standing to the left.
It stood, furious over its companion's death, and charged straight at me.
But before its jaws could reach me, it suddenly halted in place and collapsed.
From the ground, dozens of sharp spikes erupted, piercing the creature from both sides and tearing it apart completely.
Seeing this, I collapsed onto the ground with relief and exhaled the breath I had been holding.
I heard footsteps approaching and raised my head.
Orlax was staring at me in surprise, seemingly bewildered by my presence.
His black hair, dark as the night sky, was clean and free of blood—unlike me. His crimson eyes gazed at me as if penetrating my soul.
And though I didn't want to admit it, this bastard was frustratingly handsome.
'What a waste for someone like him to have such a striking face.'
I thought as I studied his features, and suddenly, he spoke.
"Riana Elen, what are you doing here?"
Hearing his cold, emotionless voice snapped me back to reality, making me focus on his question.
"What do you mean? I'm here to kill these monsters."
"You shouldn't have risked yourself like that—I could've handled them alone."
"Are you serious? You were trapped, and those two beasts would have killed you within seconds if I hadn't been here."
"You're wrong. I could've easily defeated them, but I lured them away from the wall to prevent the battle from affecting the people inside the city."
'What? Then why did that message appear before me telling me to protect him? What's going on?'
Suddenly, Orlax narrowed his eyes, grabbed my arm, and swiftly pulled me behind him.
"What? What's going on?"
I asked in confusion, but he remained silent, cautiously looking ahead.
Standing at the edge of the cliff, we saw five masked individuals emerge from the forest, their outfits concealing their entire bodies.
"Who are you?"
Orlax asked, gripping his sword in his right hand and watching them warily.
"…"
Silence filled the air, and none of them moved or spoke.
Then, the person standing in the middle stepped forward, his face covered with a demonic mask adorned with horns.
"You're Orlax Tirshtain, correct? The Golden One sends his regards."
Suddenly, all five individuals raised their hands, conjuring a massive mana sphere that created an overwhelming pressure, making it nearly impossible to breathe.
Orlax grasped my arm and looked directly into my eyes.
"Riana Elen, can you trust me?"
"What do you plan to do?"
I asked anxiously, feeling increasingly uneasy about his words.
"When I count to three, jump off the cliff."
"What?! I'll die if I fall from this height!"
"And you'll die if you get hit by this attack."
Seeing his serious expression, I fell silent for a moment and took a deep breath.
"…Alright."
"Alright. One, three."
Before I could react, he pushed me off the cliff, and I began plummeting through the air.
"Where's two, you bastard?!"