59 Chapter 57: When the Worst of Days Becomes the Best

[T/N: 8,2K words...]

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** Jang Maldong (POV) **

Everything was too quiet, peaceful, and too good for our liking. Many good things were happening too quickly for us, with the reappearance of Sung Sihyun and shortly after, the return of the Sacred Empress, two of the most powerful humans in Paradise. Even the kid finally entered Paradise and was just weeks away from leaving the Neutral Zone.

But things couldn't stay so well; trouble began a few weeks ago when Sung Sihyun made an urgent plea for help for Luxuria's daughter and the Sacred Empress. It seems Sung Sihyun went to fight alongside the Federation at the Trigol Fortress, and shortly after, five of the Seven Parasite Commanders leading their own armies attacked. Against such a large and monstrous force, it was only a matter of time before the Fortress would fall. But unexpectedly, with the help of Luxuria's daughter and the Sacred Empress, Sung Sihyun and the Federation have managed to stand their ground and not retreat against the parasites.

At least with those three there, along with the powerful Federation Fortress and backed by the power of the World Tree, it seems they can defend themselves against the parasites. Because if the Federation loses, it will only be a matter of time before the rest of Paradise also falls.

And just when we all breathed a sigh of relief knowing that the Federation, with the help of those three, could hold its ground, the next unexpected event occurred. A couple of days ago, a sighting of the parasites from the Arden Valley Fortress was reported, and immediate assistance was requested. They were not yet under attack, but all evidence suggested that they would be very soon.

The royal family of Haramark immediately prepared their soldiers and called to arms for the Earthlings, but the largest force of Earthlings in Haramark, which is Sicily, is not currently in the kingdom; they are taking care of the Neutral Zone. And most of the remaining Earthlings, as always, looked for excuses or simply fled at the call to arms. Even my group was not very happy to join the defense.

At this moment, my group is being led by Dylan. The reason for the discontent is that they blame the royal family for the attack because the Arden Valley Fortress was built against the will of most Earthlings. Its construction alone represents a direct provocation to the parasites and could provoke them to attack us at any moment.

Personally, I agree with the formation of the Fortress. After all, we cannot just wait and hope that the Federation wins when the parasites have had the advantage from the start. The Fortress was a great defensive means; the problem is that the parasites attacked when it was not yet fully complete.

At this moment, hundreds of beasts march carrying their riders, raising a powerful dust storm on the rugged terrain leading from Haramark to the Arden Valley Fortress.

"Halt! We will take a brief rest here!" A powerful cry was heard in the distance, given by Princess Teresa Hussey, who personally commands this army.

Hearing that order, the cavalry slowly decreased their trembling march.

Princess Teresa gracefully dismounted from her Horus. As her feet touched the ground, a loud metallic sound echoed. With a weary look on her face, Princess Teresa Hussey surveyed her surroundings, and upon finding our group, she approached us.

"It's been a while, Master Maldong, Dylan, Chohong, Hugo, Marcel," greeted the princess.

"It has indeed been some time, Your Majesty. I wish we could have met under different circumstances," I replied with a hint of sorrow. It had been years since I last saw her, and the fact that our reunion was on the way to a battlefield where we would be in a losing position did not make for a very happy reunion.

"Yes, I too would have preferred that we meet under better circumstances, Master," she said with a sigh.

Then her attention returned to the rest of our group.

Dylan bowed slightly to greet her, while Hugo raised his hand and waved. Chohong exuded a cold aura as she deliberately avoided the princess's gaze. Of all of us, Chohong was the most upset by the situation; after all, like most Earthlings, she blamed the princess for the parasite attack due to the construction of the Fortress.

"Argh! Let's talk after we sit down first. I haven't slept a wink in the last two days, so... Ouch, even my rear hurts. I hope we can rest better upon reaching the Fortress. According to our last report, the parasites have only been lurking, but for some reason, they have not yet begun their attack," said the princess with fatigue and annoyance. But deep down, it was noticeable that she was at least somewhat relieved that the attack had not yet begun, giving us time to arrive.

The Fortress may not be complete, but it mostly is, so if we arrive before the attack begins, we will definitely be in an advantageous position to fight. Even if the enemy army is far superior, we will have the chance to defend ourselves and win.

Princess Teresa shifted her gaze from the group and began performing a routine of light exercises and stretches. Then, after finding a rock of the right size, she headed there and let herself fall onto it.

She even gestured for others to join her.

"Teresa, it is truly commendable that you have set out as soon as possible with a contingent of elite troops, but the parasites have been mocking our expectations every time. If they have not attacked yet, we must hurry, but you must consider the possibility that it is a trap. The parasites are not fools, and their actions seem strange to me. They have not interfered with our communications and have practically announced their presence before attacking. I fear they have a sinister plan in mind, but I cannot imagine what it could be," said Ian, an old pervert who likes to watch Japanese cartoons and has been my good old friend since we both entered Paradise. We are both old men who wish with all our hearts that this world will be saved.

But as unreliable as he may be in times of peace and tranquility, he is the complete opposite when it comes to serious matters. That is why his opinion is very important in this situation. He is right; the fact that the parasites announce their attack and wait for us to respond is very disconcerting. Everything points to a trap or a plan that requires us to focus our attention there. But as Ian said, it's impossible to know what they are really planning.

"I know that. That's why we are first scaling Dawn Peak instead of going directly to the Fortress. From the elevated point of Dawn Peak, we will have a clearer view of what the parasites are hiding or plotting," said the princess.

"In that case, we are still in good shape. However, what are your plans if the situation is the worst possible, if it's an ambush or if it's an army so large that we cannot face it?" asked one of the few level 4 Earthlings who joined this army's force.

"Why can you only think of shitty situations? Cough, cough! Argh, damn it!" said the princess, pretending to cough to spit out the worst scenario just posed by the young man.

"Oops, forgive me. My throat was a bit sore, riding hard and fast in this dry desert sand forced me to cough and spit out some sand," the princess covered her mouth and smiled brightly to cover up her clear displeasure and her totally improper reaction for a princess.

Her outward appearance is worthy of a knight princess from an old-school epic fantasy, but the way she behaves is just like those street thugs.

"In that case, we go back home and prepare defenses or evacuate the population. What else can we do? However, I believe the possibility of it being the worst possible scenario is very low.

Arden Fortress is a defensive structure that defies the sky( T/N: heavens??). By simply making good use of the surrounding topography, the Fortress staff can defend against an army several times larger in size. We just have to assess the situation and if the numerical superiority is not overwhelmingly greater, we will join the resistance at the Fortress and withstand the attack," said the princess with much conviction and hope in her voice.

"Tch, it's not even finished, you know," said Chohong in an annoyed voice.

"Well, it's almost finished, you know," the princess eloquently replied.

While everyone enjoyed their break and Princess Teresa had her debate with Chohong, I could see Ian manipulating the communication crystal to answer the call from the Fortress, which apparently was contacting us at this moment.

For a while, these communication crystals played an important strategic role in quickly transmitting the situation elsewhere. But that was only until the Parasite Queen developed the ability to emit interference that disrupts communication.

With that, the parasites also changed the way they attacked.

In the early stages of the conflict, they advanced with absolutely overwhelming numbers, but nowadays, the parasites began to carry out stealth attacks after first interfering with communication.

And that is one of the reasons why we were all very nervous and cautious about this attack by the parasites. Not only did they not interfere with communications, but they have been incredibly evident in the fact that they are going to attack. It's as if they were announcing their attack and waiting to see how we respond, which is why we are all quite paranoid.

Ian brought his face close to the crystal, "Can you hear me? This is Mage Ian, under the direct employment of the royal family of Haramark, reinforcements are on the way. What is the situation there?"

"Master Ian, the situation is not good, the parasites have finally begun their assault, I am contacting you to inform you, I repeat, the parasites have begun their assault."

*Tzzzt* *tzzzt*

As if it were a signal to lend weight to the attack, interference began to be heard in the communications, the crackling of the interference grew louder, but still, one could hear the urgent voice through the crystal.

*Tzzzt* *tzzzt* *Tzzzt*

"Don't despair! We are on our way and very close, hold on!" Ian said quite loudly, hoping they could hear from the other side and keep their composure until we arrive.

*Tzzzt* *tzzzt*

"It's a relief the attack doesn't seem so overwhelming; we can defend ourselves for a few hours," said the voice from the crystal.

"Just wait a little longer! We will soon reach Dawn Peak! Reaching the Fortress will only be a matter of time!" Ian said again loudly.

*Tzzzt* *tzzzt* *Tzzzt* *tzzzt*

"Thank you! It's a relief to know that, we will give our all to endure and keep the Fortress in the best possible condition for your arrival," the animated voice from the other side of the crystal was heard, along with several cheers of joy and enthusiasm.

"Can you tell us what the size of the enemy army is?" Ian asked, trying to gather as much information as possible.

*Tzzzt* *tzzzt*

"Understood- *Tzzzt* The parasites- *Tzzzt* *tzzzt*invaders are-*Tzzzt* *tzzzt**Tzzzt* *tzzzt* we couldn't hear anything more, the transmission finally cut off.

"Damn it! So cliché, communication has to cut off just when we're about to learn important information," Ian said annoyed, and it seems we all agree with him.

After that happened, the princess immediately stood up and gave the order to end the break and resume the march.

**

** Teresa Hussey (POV) **

I gave the order to resume the march, and we immediately headed towards the Arden Valley.

Although it was somewhat expected, the path leading to Dawn Peak was difficult to take, with rocks of different sizes protruding everywhere, making it hard to advance easily. However, our mounts were well-trained and among the best available in the kingdom, so they were able to maintain a fairly good pace despite the situation.

In a short time, the sun was about to fall below the horizon; the fading twilight cast shadows, large and small, in various places on the steep ridge.

During this hurried march, everything felt intolerably hard, and my only wish was that we could arrive as soon as possible.

With the passage of time, we were finally about to reach Dawn Peak. When we finally climbed the steep slope, we were greeted by the part of the mountain that stands alone. It was the mountain's summit, stained red by the setting sun. It was Dawn Peak.

From Dawn Peak, we have a complete view of the Fortress and its surroundings. What we originally heard from the report made from the Fortress was not wrong; they were being attacked by a force of a few thousand parasites, a number that was easily defendable from the Fortress.

The problem was that the Fortress did not have a broad view and couldn't see as far as we could from here. What I saw made me feel horrified and desperate. Beyond the Fortress and the thousands of parasites surrounding it, there was another army waiting. No, calling it an army was an understatement; it was a sea of enemies.

"It's a sea of 'Bugs.' The 'cockroaches' are flying everywhere, and... they even have '3 Medusas'; it's a lost cause," said Dylan, the best Archer among the Earthlings present.

As an experienced Archer, even if his specialty is more oriented towards combat than tracking, his word carries definitive weight. If he says it's a lost cause, then there's no doubt we really have no chance, but still, I don't want to give up.

If I give up here, the Fortress will fall, those people waiting for our help will die in vain, and with such a large enemy army, after they finish with the Fortress, they will surely attack Haramark. I know I said lthat if the situation was the worst, we would retreat and even evacuate, but if the parasite army is on that scale, we won't be able to evacuate. The only ones who would have a chance to flee would be those who have beasts of burden to transport them quickly enough, and that's a minuscule amount of the population; the rest would be caught and devoured by the parasites.

"3 medusas?" Chohong's face crumpled in an instant.

"Princess, I understand your feelings, but there's nothing we can do; it's too large a force, we have no chance at all," said Master Maldong, and I saw Ian sigh and nod in agreement with him.

I directed my gaze to the Fortress. The Fortress was built along the undulating rocky bed and was a huge structure boasting robust walls up to eight meters high. From here, one could see the brave soldiers of the kingdom fighting and defending with great vigor, waiting for reinforcements. Even with the few numbers currently in the Fortress, they will surely be able to hold against the army of thousands attacking them for several hours, if not days against those numbers.

But if the rest of the parasites waiting in the wings attack, the fortress will fall in a few minutes. The number of enemy parasites waiting is simply too overwhelming. Even if our forces join the fortress to reinforce the defense, we could only withstand a couple of days at most against an attack of that magnitude. But it would make no sense to join that defense if there are no reinforcements to back us up. In other words, if there is a single chance, it will be if we manage to request reinforcements from the other kingdoms.

"I know it's an impossible fight with just our forces, but if we manage to request reinforcements from the other kingdoms and join the defense, then we can prevail for a few days until reinforcements arrive, and we can win. If we retreat now, we will be condemning the entire kingdom. Even if we return and evacuate, we can only evacuate a minority; the rest would be sentenced to death," I said pleadingly.

"No, even if you say that, it's useless; there's no way we can get reinforcements, and even if we do, there's no guarantee we can defend ourselves until they arrive," the same man who spoke of the worst scenario earlier gave his damn pessimistic opinion again.

"Why did the gods send these people to help us? I never understood it; they are foreigners who mostly act out of greed, and if things get slightly difficult, they are the first ones to escape or not show up. Why didn't the gods grant us the power to defend our world with our own hands? I never understood it, but in the end, somehow, there are still some of them who truly fight for our cause selflessly and honestly, like Ian, Master Maldong, and Luxuria's daughter, among a few others.

So, I took a deep breath and calmed myself. It's not the time to lose my temper; if I do, no one will take any of my arguments seriously. I exhaled deeply once more and said, "You're right, but if I can request reinforcements from the other realms and manage to get help from high rankers or even unique Executors, they could come to our aid in less than 2 days. With our current strength combined with those defending the Fortress, I'm sure we can easily hold on until they arrive."

"But all that is assuming you can really get that help. I'm not setting foot in that Fortress and sentencing myself to death without confirming the reinforcements," said that damn exasperating man. How I wish I could punch him, but this is not the time to lose my cool. Breathe, Teresa, breathe, and calm down; may the Seven Goddesses give you the strength not to break this bastard's mouth or jewels.

"Ian, take my steed; it's the fastest of them all. Return to where there's no interference in communications, make an immediate request for help from the other kingdoms, explain the situation here. I'm sure they'll help us; if Haramark falls, the parasites will have terrestrial access to the other kingdoms," I said, waiting for a miracle, a miracle that the other kingdoms aren't shortsighted and send help.

"As you command," Ian did not hesitate and left immediately.

We have to wait about an hour for his return. The Fortress defenders are holding up well, and the parasites have not mobilized more forces yet. Perhaps that's the only thing that has given me a bit of calm during every second of agony, but that calm was not meant to last long. Once again, I heard another Earthling speak.

"Aren't these the consequences of your actions?" Chohong seemed like she had been waiting for this moment to voice her dissatisfaction.

"Consequences?" I said, annoyed and incredulous at her words.

"You know what I'm talking about. You lot started building this thing even when us Earthlings were against it, so we all thought you at least had the confidence to handle things yourselves. That's why hardly anyone responded to your recruitment for this defense, right?" Her words were bitter and venomous.

"If you truly think that way, I'm disappointed," I expressed my true feelings.

"How many times do I need to say it before you finally understand? This is something we simply had to do. Once it's complete, we'll have a solid fortress spanning the entire mountain range." With the fortress complete and a decent force to defend it, we would have an absolute defense point to repel the parasite invasion.

"Give me a break. Did you honestly think the parasites would sit back and let that happen? Look, they've already come to invade, all because of the construction of that stupid Fortress."

"But that's not all bad," I said, annoyed and without thinking. Now that I've said it, I want to take it back, but I can't, especially not being so upset.

"What?" Chohong said, irritated and confused.

"At the very least, we would indirectly be helping the Federation," I said, the first thing that came to mind to avoid retracting my previous statement.

Chohong, with an astonished expression, said, "Are you an idiot? Have you forgotten that the core of the Federation is actually made up of those foreign races that invaded Paradise in the first place?"

"Of course I remember. I fought against them several times myself." It's true that the Federation turned hostile towards humanity shortly after their entry into Paradise, but it wasn't from the beginning. The first interaction between humans and the Federation was friendly, and both fought against the parasites. Conflicts arose between the two sides because some stupid, greedy, and sick humans wanted to enslave some angels from the Federation, and others refused to abolish slavery of some members of the beast races, leading to the Federation becoming hostile towards humanity. But I won't waste time explaining this to this musclehead who seems to only know things halfway and uses that knowledge to their convenience.

"Currently, the war between the Federation and the parasites is becoming much more intense. If at this crucial moment they chose to attack us as well, then if we resist and overcome this attack, we'll be contributing to the defeat of the parasites, even if indirectly," I said, annoyed.

"Oh, so you want to divide their focus, right?" Chohong said.

"Oh my God! You must feel quite comfortable in your life to have enough time to worry about the Federation and all that," she said sarcastically. Now I'm convinced, talking to this musclehead will only bring more loss of time and unnecessary headaches.

"You should not take this issue so lightly, Chohong." Master Maldong intervened after silently listening to our discussion.

"I don't know what you think, but I totally agree with the princess. We need to take action and not just wait like cattle being led to the slaughterhouse. Let's review the facts: first, the empire, which was the largest force in this world, fell, and they weren't weak. We've seen their remains, and many of their magical devices were very powerful; even the high rankers constantly seek them out to strengthen themselves.

Second, the Beastmen Alliance had the second-largest power in this world, but ultimately, they could not withstand the parasite offensive and ended up being destroyed. Meanwhile, humans, after the first failed confrontation, stood aside and did nothing. The end result was that only a few remnants of the once glorious Beastmen survived and had to join the Federation to survive.

Third, the parasite army grew even stronger after taking advantage of the corpses of the Beastmen," Master Maldong enumerated our failures and our history of defeat against the parasites.

I paused for a moment and said, "Have you heard about the Cave Fairies and their hatred for the Sky Fairies? Well, the Cave Fairies recently joined the Federation, even though the Sky Fairies had joined first," citing an example of two races that hate each other but joined forces to survive against the parasites.

At this moment, humans and the Federation were in a similar relationship of interdependence. If they don't set aside their differences and unite, both may perish before the power of the parasites.

"What would happen if we stood aside once again and did nothing while the Federation falls? Surely, we would be next in line."

After it seemed like Chohong finally understood the situation, I spoke again. "Listen to me. If royalty truly did as they pleased without considering the consequences, then we would have tried to invade the parasite territory. After all, that would make it clear that we're going to attack with everything we have. But that's not what we did. We're simply building a Fortress. Once that's complete, we'll have a reliable stronghold to defend ourselves and not be left waiting for certain death," I said.

Chohong sighed in defeat and turned her head, keeping her mouth shut as if she could not come up with anything intelligent to say.

"So, please help us. You know it. Although I'm a High Ranker, Earthlings don't respond well to directives issued by royal families. Now that Ian will surely bring good news, we can go and join the defenses. I can lead my soldiers well, but I'll need you to lead the Earthlings. Unfortunately, Sicilia, which is the organization in charge of that, is not currently in the Neutral Zone, so I can only rely on you," I pleaded.

"Dylan, you're not only a High Ranker but also the current leader of Carpe Diem. I believe you can control them," Master Maldong said.

"Leave it to me, Master. Let's wait for Ian's good news. If the reinforcements are secure, then we'll fight and hold on until they arrive. But if there are no reinforcements, I must prioritize my comrades and order our group to withdraw, and I don't think any Earthling would really stay to fight under those circumstances," Dylan said, and I understood it. What could we do if there are really no reinforcements? If that happens, it will definitely be the end of Haramark.

I can only pray to the Seven Goddesses that Ian brings good news; it's the only hope for my people.

"Hahaha! That's bullshit! Even if there are reinforcements and we're forced to fight, we won't accept this guy's leadership, he just said it himself, he'll prioritize his people, therefore his group. If we entrust our lives to him, he'll surely use us as shields so his group survives until reinforcements arrive. But it won't be the same for us; we'll be his meat shields," the idiot Earthling who had kept quiet opened his mouth again, only to laugh and cause more trouble.

I really want to kill this idiot, but in this situation, every soldier counts, and a level 4 like him is at the top of our forces. If I kill him or remove him from our forces, his group, which also has other level 3s and 4s, will leave with him.

"So what do you propose? If you don't want a trained and experienced level 5 Archer to lead, do you want to lead yourself? A level 4 brat who seems to only cause problems. Listen, kid, when this war is over and you've grown some real balls with hair on them, then you can talk big. For now, shut up; I've heard enough of your crap," Master Maldong finally put that idiot in his place.

"Wow, old man, it seems your fame has really gone to your head. Everyone speaks highly of the 'legend maker,' but let's be honest, at this moment, when you're truly in trouble, where are your legends? As far as I can see, the only disciples of yours I see are those four.

A level 4 woman with a muscle-brain who, despite being a Priestess, sought to be a close combat fighter. A giant gorilla warrior at level 4 who doesn't seem any smarter than the woman, a level 4 Archer who calls himself the steel shooter, but doesn't seem that impressive. And the only half-decent one, a level 5 Archer, but for someone called the 'maker of legends,' I see no legends here, so shut your mouth because fame won't win you a battle," said the fool, seemingly unaware that he had just signed his death warrant.

He could have insulted anyone, even royalty, but insulting Master Maldong is something he will pay dearly for, even if he survives this war. When this is over, I'll make sure to issue a red alert for this idiot.

Everyone in Carpe Diem clenched their fists in great anger, but they restrained themselves because Master Maldong stopped them. He knows that every gram of strength counts at this moment, and no matter how much it seemed his words pained Master Maldong, he still put the cause first.

But to our surprise, something happened. I couldn't see it, no, I was able to see something like a blur moving at high speed, but it was too fast. Dylan aimed his weapon at the fool, and my instinct took over; I drew my weapon and aimed too, but not at him, at the blur I barely saw pass by.

It happened in an instant, and what was previously the fool laughing and insulting Master Maldong was now a young and strong man, dressed in clothes worn by Earthlings who deal with matters other than combat, clothes worn by Earthlings who work in administration or trade, which they call formal wear. But despite wearing that type of clothing, it was clear that this man had very well-trained muscles, and given the speed that Dylan and I barely perceived, it can be said that this man is not normal.

"Hey! Piece of shit. You're talking about my master, you definitely were born with balls the size of tractor wheels or without a brain. Now, I'll give you 3 seconds to apologize or I'll kill you right here," said the man. At first, Dylan and I were on guard seeing him appear almost out of nowhere, but after hearing his words and seeing the look of disbelief and happiness on Master Maldong's face, we understood; he really is one of his acquaintances, no, judging by his words, one of his disciples.

The fool seemed to want to say something, but since the man moved at high speed like a blur, without us being able to see, he had already thrown the fool to the ground and was crushing his face with his foot. The fool was doing everything possible to try to defend himself and get the man off him, but his efforts seemed utterly in vain.

"I still don't hear your apology; I'll start counting, and if I don't hear it in 3 seconds, say goodbye to this world," he said and began to count, the desperate movements of the fool trying to free himself are in vain.

His group mates rushed to attack the man, Dylan and I were about to intervene and help him, but Master Maldong gestured for us to stop. At first, I couldn't understand why, but when they attacked him with their weapons and he did nothing to defend himself, yet they couldn't even tear his clothes, I understood, this person is on a different level, he is 'a legend'.

"Zero, it seems you are destined to die," I saw him draw a black sword, the only thing that could be considered equipment apart from his backpack. The sword is black with a silver edge and has red symbols I don't recognize, most likely they are ancient runes that endow the weapon with some power.

He was about to kill the fool with his weapon, and as happy as I was about it, I couldn't allow it. As I said, every gram of strength counts and even with this man's help, we still need all the strength we can get, so I was about to stop him, but luckily it wasn't necessary and Master Maldong did it first.

"Jihu, stop, leave the poor kid alone, let it pass as the recklessness and ignorance of youth," said Master Maldong.

The man, who I now know is called Jihu, immediately stopped and sheathed his sword, then removed his foot that was pressing the fool's head to the ground and lifted him by the neck.

"You heard the master, you're lucky he's a good man and has mercy. If you insult him again, I assure you, death will be the least of your worries. Now get out of my sight, and if I see you open your mouth to say anything while I'm here, believe me, I'll make sure to break your mouth to such an extent that you'll need a divine wish to heal it," he said and threw the fool to the rest of his group who were scared by the man named Jihu.

"How come you're here?" asked Master Maldong, clearly incredulous and surprised.

"I just arrived in Paradise and you know how hospitable the parasites are, they didn't waste time and sent me the whole welcoming cast. Right now, it's not just Haramark that's under attack, the other kingdoms are too, but you know, there's no good access to the other kingdoms.

So the attack on them is weak, only flying forces, so the situation elsewhere is already under control. Just as I was on my way here, I was in contact with the other forces and was kept informed of the situation, so all that remains is to put this place in order where the main force of the parasites will be attacking, and that's why I came," he said nonchalantly as if alarming things like all the kingdoms being under attack and that the main enemy attack force being here were nothing, I really don't know if he's crazy or has too much confidence in his strength.

"But how did you get here so fast? We didn't notice, you really went unnoticed," said Master Maldong.

"Well, when I found out about the situation, I flew as fast as I could, and no one noticed me because when I saw the group, I descended and ran through the valley. As you know, my presence is almost imperceptible, so the trackers didn't even notice me. I arrived a few minutes ago and was listening to the arguments that were happening, but I was forced to come out when I heard the 'piece of shit' talking trash," he said, and we were all astonished, especially the Archers who are supposed to be our experienced scouts, none of them noticed him.

Master Maldog was about to say more, but at that moment we heard a Horus galloping in the distance, and soon we saw Ian rushing towards us at full speed with a deathly pale face. It was clear that he bore bad news, and judging by what the man named Jihu said, if the other kingdoms are under attack, they won't be able to send reinforcements. And as I thought, Ian dismounted and that was the first thing he said.

"We're lost, there are no reinforcements, they didn't give me a reason, but they won't send reinforcements, they told me the best we can do is evacuate," said Ian, hopeless, and I could only feel the world collapsing on me. There's nothing to do, if they sent us reinforcements, with the man named Jihu helping us, we could surely defend the fortress for more days, but without reinforcements, there's no meaning.

All that's left is to retreat and start an evacuation; every second counts, every second might help save perhaps one more life. All I have left is to order the retreat. I wanted to speak, but the words won't come out of my mouth. It's so hard to give an order that I know will condemn almost all my people. Is this really the end?

"What's the problem? Reinforcements are not coming? Didn't I just tell you that I am the reinforcement? Well, I understand, it's hard to believe, alright, they say seeing is believing, I don't think you have a plan, but let me take care of that too. Let's see, 3 Medusas, 5 hydras, and 1 Orc? A superior species I suppose, well, those are the leaders behind the invasion, I'll take care of them. Without a leader, the parasites won't be able to coordinate their attack, and defeating them will be child's play," he said something more ridiculous than before, and is he saying that there are hydras and a superior species hidden without our Archers being able to see them? That's impossible.

"Wait, idiot, you may be powerful and arrogant, but that has its limits. If you say you're going to cross that sea of parasites, kill their leaders, and return alive and happy, I can only think that you're drugged or mentally ill," said Chohong, and for the first time today, I can say I agree with her.

"Hey, ye of little faith, let's make a bet if you really don't believe my words. I'll go and do what I said and come back in less than 10 minutes. If I win, you'll give me a kiss. If I lose, then I'll die, and if by chance I lose but manage to come back alive, I'll be your slave for life. What do you say? Or you're are just all talk and don't dare?"

"Fine, I accept, 10 minutes. I can't wait to see the master's acclaimed first disciple become my slave, he'll never be able to irritate me and force me to train again," said Chohong, annoyed.

"Jihu, can you really do it?" asked Master Maldong.

"Of course, it'll be child's play. You're too old for these things, master. Here, have some tea and snacks and wait, let me take care of cleaning up the trash," he said, and took out a table, a chair, and a set of tea and snacks.

"Alright, if you think you can do it, I leave it in your hands," said Master Maldong with supreme confidence in his words as he sat down in the chair and began to serve himself tea and enjoy it peacefully.

"Damn, it's like when Naruto returned from his Sage training to the village and saved Tsunade from Pain's attack, it's so cool," said Ian. I didn't understand anything he said, but he's clearly moved and even wiping a tear from the corner of his eyes.

If a person like Master Maldong trusts this man so much, then can I also do it?

"Can I... Can I really trust that you will succeed?" Those words involuntarily left my mouth, I know they sounded full of doubt, but they were also filled with hope.

"Of course, leave it to me. You, princess, sit with the master and wait for the good news," the man named Jihu said with a smile of confidence and kindness that made my heart skip a beat for a moment. I know he's a complete stranger, but for some reason, hearing him say those words with such confidence and kindness inexplicably lifted an invisible weight off my chest. I have no idea why, but I definitely want to believe that this man is as amazing as he claims to be.

I could only nod to his kind and confident words and sit down in another chair he pulled out of his backpack, even ignoring the fact that he's carrying furniture and utensils in his backpack instead of weapons and armor while in a war zone. I did not want to think about that; I just want to believe and trust in him.

"Well, you can start counting, I'll be back in 10 minutes or less," he said, and I'm sure we all expected him to run off or at least take a mount to improve his chances. The last thing we expected was for him to simply jump very high, and instead of starting to descend as would normally be the case, he continued to rise and then changed direction in the air towards the sea of parasites, but at no point did he descend, he simply continued over the air. We all fell silent with our mouths open at the scene, and he quickly disappeared from our sight towards the sea of parasites.

"Definitely, that kid loves exaggerated entrances and exits, now that he knows how to fly he's becoming less and less human," said Master Maldong with pride and happiness in his voice.

"He's definitely a hero, damn, I want to include him as a character in my novel," said Ian.

In a short time, we fell silent, and the only thing that could be heard was the sound of the seconds Chohong was counting out loud. But as those seconds passed and the shadow of the man named Jihu was barely perceptible in the distance, we saw that he was about to reach the first Medusa, but he just passed by her location. I was about to let out a disappointed sigh because of that, but then I saw the impossible, the Medusa collapsed lifeless. From this distance, it's barely visible even for a level 5 like me, but that's because my class is not suitable for long-distance viewing. That's why I looked questioningly at Dylan, who is an Archer, and he answered the doubt we all had.

"He just passed by the Medusa, I only saw a flash, I assume he unsheathed his sword in an instant and I saw the head of the medusa fall, and with it, the medusa also fell, dead," said Dylan in disbelief of what he saw. And a few seconds later, we saw the same scene with the other 2 Medusas, and then we just saw him disappear deeper into the sea of parasites.

As the countdown approached the eighth minute, we began to notice all the parasites acting strangely and senselessly, a clear sign that they were no longer under control. I held my breath, unable to believe what I was witnessing, and to prove to myself that it was all true, I saw him in the distance. No, I saw Jihu, returning, flying over the uncontrolled parasites and destroying all those who stood in his way as he came back through the air. In a few seconds, he arrived where we were and stopped, smiling.

"I told you, Master, it would be easy," he said confidently, and then I saw him approach Chohong, who turned red and then pale and began to stutter.

"Hahaha, if you don't want to, I won't force you. I don't like to take advantage of or force a woman to do something she doesn't want or might regret later. But from now on, you'll have to behave better and obey the master more during training," he said and walked away from Chohong. As for me, when I saw him descend and touch down on the ground again, my heart began to flutter, and I started to breathe uncontrollably.

I couldn't help it; I couldn't contain myself. I felt a series of emotions, so many and so strong that I couldn't recognize them all. I felt relief, happiness, euphoria, a tickle in my stomach that I couldn't recognize, and many other emotions, but I didn't care, and I didn't want to stop them.

I wanted to enjoy them, and that's why I gave in to everything they drove me to do without hesitation. I stood up from my seat, ran towards Jihu, and threw myself at him and kissed him. I don't know what went through my head, nor do I care, but I kissed him, and although it was the first time I kissed a man, it felt so good. I couldn't stop myself, and luckily he didn't resist. On the contrary, he reciprocated the kiss. I didn't care about anything else, just how I felt. This is fantastic. I didn't even care to hear Ian say, "A damn hero, a true man of culture who goes and saves the knight princess on his first day and steals her heart, a damn ikemen hero, how envious."

I don't know how long the kiss lasted, but I felt my legs weaken, and I think I got a little wet, but I didn't care. He held me in his strong arms, and when we finally separated because I needed to breathe, I heard him whisper softly in my ear, "I know it was the effect of strong emotions. Normally, I would have stopped you, but I think with how stressed you were, you needed it, and that's why I didn't stop you. But if you want there to be a next time, you have to know that I have many lovers, and I will only accept you if you are willing to share me with them, and conversely, you will only be mine and no one else's."

I heard him say it, and despite all the emotions and how disordered my thoughts were, I understood him and saw no problem with it. That's why I didn't hesitate and kissed him again. It doesn't matter if he has 1 or 100 women. At this moment, I know clearly, this man is the one I've been waiting to meet for all my life. He is the hero I always hoped would come to save me, who would smile at me in a desperate situation and tell me everything would be alright, and then prove it with actions. And after all that, he would hold me in his strong arms and make me feel like the safest and happiest woman in the world.

Master Maldong's throat-clearing brought us back to the pressing reality, and as much as I would have liked to remain in that moment, I remembered my soldiers were still defending the Fortress. Despite the parasites now being leaderless and acting on mere instinct, their sheer number could not be underestimated, so I reluctantly pulled away from Jihu.

"Sorry, Master, I got carried away for a moment," Jihu said, laughing awkwardly as he apologized.

"It's alright, it's good to be young and all, but we mustn't lose sight of the situation. There's still a sea of uncontrolled parasites out there, and we need to deal with them. The best course of action would be to enter the fortress and fight them from there. However, since they're uncontrolled, I fear they may disperse and some might slip through the hills and forest and reach Haramark," the master said, pulling me out of my comfort zone and back into my commander and princess mindset.

"That would indeed be a catastrophe. With so many loose parasites, if a few hundred reach Haramark, they could wreak incalculable destruction in the weaker and more remote territories. We can't just stay and wait in the fortress; we have to go and exterminate them as quickly as possible. But doing so will put our forces at risk. They may lack a leader, but their numbers are still a terrible threat," I said with considerable distress and annoyance because, although the worst situation was under control, there were still high and potential risks for the kingdom.

"I see, I understand the situation. I originally didn't start exterminating them because I was making sure of their leaders and was sending the message I wanted to the Queen. But now that I've taken care of that, I can take on reducing their numbers significantly, so you can handle the rest," to my surprise and relief, once again my hero came to my rescue.

"How on earth do you plan to do that? No, forget the question, I don't want to lose the hair that has cost me so much to keep at my age. Go, take care of it, and when you're tired, come back and leave us the rest," said Master Maldong, quite tired, and he sat down again and poured himself more tea.

Jihu just smiled at me and gave me a light kiss, which I happily accepted, and then he took to the sky once more. But unlike before, when he flew over the sea of parasites, this time he headed towards the fortress and began to rain down blue arrows all over the place. We were all astonished to see this; at first, we thought he was a warrior, with his physique, speed, and swordsmanship, no one would doubt it. But now, seeing him from the sky raining down thousands of arrows on the parasites around the fortress and exterminating them, he seemed like a Supreme Mage.

"Damn, he really is a damn hero," I heard Ian say, and it seemed no one disagreed.

After finishing off the parasites around the Fortress and hearing the cheers of celebration from the soldiers of the Fortress, he headed towards the sea of leaderless, crazed parasites and began to rain more blue energy arrows on them. In a short time, we saw their numbers begin to dwindle.

What looked like a sea of parasites now began to look like a sea of corpses. Some tried to escape, and he didn't stop them, only those heading towards the hills that could connect with the kingdom. When we thought we would have to participate, it seems we were mistaken; the moment for such participation never came.

About 20 minutes later, Jihu returned, looking somewhat tired but still smiling confidently. I made sure to receive him properly; I went to him, and with a handkerchief, wiped the slight sweat from his forehead and gave him water. When he finished drinking, he thanked me, and I took the opportunity to resume our kiss where we left off. This time, no one interrupted us.

I never imagined that what I thought would be one of the worst days of my life would turn out to be one of the best.