The hoofbeats of battlefield boomed.

Thousands of horses neighed. Grim-faced riders clenched their lances and stared straight ahead. Clanging noises rang out as soldiers unsheathed their weapons. Swoosh. The ever-bland Southern breeze blew past their faces, singing the prayers and hollowed testaments they have written to their wives and children.

"Is it starting again?" Hearing the nostalgic sound, a fully-armored knight woke up from his short slumber.

The smell of war was approaching once more.

He withdrew the glowing silver halberd sitting beside him. Brushing the tip of its blade, he smiled and got onto his feet. The fears and worries a normal man would undeniably experience were never present in his eyes.

The viridescent cape behind him fluttered against the wind.

"May the God of Wind protect me." His muscles tensed and relaxed. His spirits boiled in anticipation. His heart was beating fast. The deeply ingrained instincts within his blood was being stirred. With the heart of a lion, the power of a legendary warrior, the Storm Hero, Lemier Kasars, was undoubtedly the greatest shield of this nation.

The weapon that accompanied him was a magnificent artifact. Everywhere its blade went, tiny gales were generated. If he swung it down at full force, wouldn't a tempest of unimagined degree be produced? Rumors of such were an every day occurrence.

He was the most glorious knight, and the most renowned master. His fame spread through the lands, his tales unending. Wielding the magical hurricane halberd, Storm Ruler, he has never once been defeated. Even the Re-Estize Kingdom most prized Warrior Captain, Gazef Stornoff, has to bow down to his martial prowess.

None has questioned his ability in battle. His feats were undisputed. He held the special professions of [Phantasmal Blade Dancer] and [Windstorm Warrior]. He has exceeded the height of common man and was a human who has stepped into the realm of heroes.

"Sire!" A bowman garbed in green knelt down and greeted the legendary warrior.

"Willis." Lemier nodded.

The kneeling man was his most-trusted adjutant, a [Wind Archer] who stood among the ranks of adamantite adventurers. With this sure shot bowman at his side, his back was forever secured and his advance would never be broken.

"Stand up and follow me!" Exiting his personal tent, the Storm Hero thumped his halberd's end against the ground.

His voice reverberated throughout the camp, gaining the distressed soldiers' attention. A wave of strong pressure descended onto them as the aura of a legend permeated the air. However, instead of causing fright, they seemed to have been awoken by Lemier's unbending will.

Yes! Why were they worrying? The Storm Hero himself was here! As long as he stood among the soldiers of this nation, the Dragon Kingdom would never fall. This war was a mere decoration! It would just become another page in his unending legend!

"Form up!" An army officer yelled.

Morale rose. The men, whose spirits were boiling, unhesitatingly fell into ranks. Squads merged into platoons, platoons became companies, and companies grew into battalions. Brigades, divisions, corps, the size of the army was in the tens of thousands.

A massive arrow formation came into being. The army of the kingdom founded by a genuine Dragon Lord was not one to be underestimated. No matter how many times they have went to war, they would forever be the shield of their motherland.

"Move out!" Satisfied by the sight of these valiant braves, the Stom Hero declared.

The ground trembled. Banners depicting twin-headed dragons were lifted. Calvary rode forth. Infantry marched behind. Archers, magic casters, and priests move together under the protection of heavily-armored knights. Order. This was the true terror of a professionally-trained army that could never be found in militias.

"We will win! We will win! For Her Majesty! For the citizens! We will become the kingdom's greatest shield!" The Dragon Army's motto was chanted as battle cries thundered.

"We will win! We will win! We will defeat those beastmen and triumph!" Hearing the soldiers' chants and its owner's shout, the gales surrounding Storm Ruler intensified.

──Under the admiration of countless men, Lemier Kasars strode into the battlefield which concluded the final page of his decades-long legend.

~ Ephemeral Dream ~

"Will this country be saved?"

The heartbroken voice of a young girl echoed in the empty palace.

The Queen of the Dragon Kingdom, Draudillon Oriculus, was sitting on her throne. The usual adorableness and innocence that matched her age were not present. On the contrary, the only thing visible in her eyes was anguish. It seemed as if she would disappear into the wind if not for the banner hanging beside her.

A twin-headed dragon was engraved upon the flowing white banner. It was the emblem of her lineage and the royal insignia of her kingdom. The weight behind the symbol that signified a nation was not something a young girl could carry alone.

"...Forty thousand casualties, thirty-thousand deaths including ten general-ranked officers... and that's just the army. The entire city of Odurin was massacred. All of its citizens slaughtered." The young girl stared at a blood-stained halberd. "Lemier... you bastard... didn't you promise me to return...? What triumphant victory? I..."

The news of the Storm Hero's death has reached her not long ago. He had gloriously perished in battle after taking down several enemy commanders with him. Dying a hero's death while being surrounded by thousands of demihumans, the knight's last stand was an impressive achievement that would be told for centuries.

"My army's virtually annihilated. Those beastmen will be heading to the nearby cities soon. If this continues, the invasion will be unstoppable. Should I be happy that their movements are temporarily stopped because they're feasting on my citizens...?"

Although her eyes were watery, she was doing her best at holding her tears from falling. Her soldiers had died bravely on the battlefield. Her citizens had fought to the last man. It would be insulting to them and unbecoming for a monarch to grieve.

Fortunately or unfortunately, although her appearance may be young, her true form was that of a woman in her twenties as she was only half human. Otherwise, how could a young child who should be happily playing with those of her age deal with a nation on the brink of collapse?

It was too cruel. Was it be better to be young and ignorant or old and wise? Considering the country's current state of affairs and the burden she had to carry alone, the answer to this question was really an arguable one.

"They sent out five Beast Lords, each equal to a human in the realm of heroes. Lemier did not manage to defeat even a single one of them. The ones he killed were adamantite-ranked... This power disparity... why are humans and demihumans so different?" Draudrillon stared into space.

The strength of their opposition was too great for the Dragon Kingdom to bear. Even with the support from other human nations, they were barely able to fend off the pillaging and other small skirmishes. Now, it's a full-blown war, and one that is more aggressive and more violent than all the previous ones.

"The war funds are running low... Should I sell more of my wealth? Ahhh, but the royal treasury is already empty... What about Storm Ruler? It's useless if no one's using it... but it's the only national treasure we have... Will Lemier crawl out of his grave to scold me if I were to sell it? Heh..." Draudillon covered her face with her hands.

"I couldn't even retrieve his body... I'm really a failure of a ruler, aren't I...?"

It was slightly wet.

"Hey, stop, you stupid eyes, I can't show this to the ministers..."

Silence descended as the white banner fluttered along the breeze. The chair in this small yet luxurious room was something that could barely be called a throne. But in this moment, the appearance of the young girl seemed to be even more fragile than its dilapidated state.

"... Just what should I do, great-grandfather?" Draudillon cried out amidst chokes and sobs.

Sadly, no one answered her.

~ Ephemeral Dream ~

The repetitive days continued.

Every day, Fenric would wake up to Fuyuha's smile.

The redhead seemed to have come to an understanding of his stance in their relationship and decided to step back. She was going to let the affection slowly grow. Yes... perhaps she was thinking that one day, the man whom she loved would definitely fall to her charms.

They rotated housework. Fuyuha's cooking skill was surprising good. The combination of her Eastern and Western-style meals was always a feast for the eyes. Unfortunately, she could not clean no matter how hard the mage tried to teach her.

Finishing breakfast, they would then separate. Fuyuha's daily training has yet ended. She was still doing her best to achieve consistent marksmanship with a bow. Meanwhile, Fenric has been moving about the Adventurer's Guild and the Magician's Guild, the association of magic casters, to gain more knowledge and experience.

He would also tour the city. According to him, he was writing down the layout of Yufirun in case something were to happen. Although she did not truly understand what he was trying to do, it did not seem harmful so she had let it be.

His grasp over human emotions and his friendly demeanor helped him in familiarizing with the residents of this trading city. Sometimes, he would accept quests alone. Sometimes, he would talk to other adventurers and form temporary parties. He's made friends everywhere, introducing himself as a scholar-turned-warrior.

Today was a rainy day.

The wind was unusually strong and the clouds seemed to have formed the shape of a crying girl. It was a rare sight to behold. But even so, the weather could not stop the adventurers from working since their livelihood depended on their jobs' rewards.

"We're almost there." A group was traveling to a mansion located atop a small hill.

They were a party of gold-ranked adventurers. Fenric had met the four of them when he was attempting to learn more about Tier Magic at the Magician's Guild. He had gotten along with the party leader, a young man claiming to be a Dragon Slayer... well, a future Dragon Slayer.

The one who spoke up was a young girl who has yet blossomed into a full woman. She wore a pointy hat and a long purple robe. A staff adorned with a small blue crystal was clasped between her hands and full breasts.

"I don't see any monsters."

The scout of their team was a short man. His hair was blonde and his ears were pointy. He was a half-elf ranger. Two long knives were sheathed on his belt and a small crossbow was held on his similarly short fingers.

"I see, then shall we move straight to the mansion?"

The party leader, a young man donning chain mail armor and a leather shirt, responded. His appearance was that of a standard warrior. His job as a frontliner was evident as a sword was hanging from his side and a shield was strapped onto his back.

"Agreed. What do you think, Fenric?"

A middle-aged man dressed in a long white robe turned to his right and asked. A benevolent expression seemed to be permanently attached to his face. He was equipped with a mace and a cross depicting flowing water was tightly gripped between his fingers. He was the party's priest, a believer of the God of Water.

Helena the magic caster. Roe the ranger. Dev the warrior. And Felim the priest. These were the newly-acquainted 'friends' of Fenric.

"I'm of the same opinion." The Magus nodded as his gaze swept past the decayed building.

Wrought iron fences were mounted on the walls surrounding the hill's top and a large withered tree stood right next to the mansion. The garden which should have once flourished was nowhere to be seen as weeds and piles of rotten plants were spread messily along the ground.

"Hm~ But don't you think this place's kind of sketchy?" The tense atmosphere was dispelled by Dev's carefree voice. "No matter how you look at it, I think something's wrong with the guy who hired us. 'Clear the undead so that the mansion becomes habitable'? Whoever's right in the head won't want to live here after it's been infested by the dead, you know?"

"I don't think he wants to live here. Maybe he wants to refurnish it? The location's awful since it's far from the city but the view isn't bad. He should be able to sell it for a good amount of coins to some ignorant noble in the capital." While they moved closer to their destination, Roe the ranger replied.

"Please don't criticize our employer. As a fellow disciple of water, I do believe he's a man devoted to the good." Felim shook his head as he examined the rusted steel gate.

"Whatever, old man. I'm an atheist. Whether he believes in the God of Water or the God of Banquets is none of my concern." The young warrior completely disregarded the priest's words and pointed at their back with his thumb. "Anyway, you sure it's safe? Are there no undead around the hill?"

His action might have been rude to a man of the cloth, but Felim did not seem to mind it. The middle-aged man just laughed it off and continued on. He was probably used to the boy's antics or he simply did not care about nonbelievers and was quite free-spirited himself. It was likely the latter or he wouldn't have become an adventurer.

"Rather than that, I feel like we're being watched." Helena frowned.

Her eyes focused on the mansion and the large tree. However, she did not find anything unusual and could only give up. Although she was an alumnus of Yufirun's magic academy, she was ultimately only a 2nd tier magic caster and there were many things she could miss. This included both tangible and intangible, and both physical and magical opponents.

"Me too." Roe, who was bad-mouthing nobles, spoke up in a serious tone. "They're hiding it well."

"So we are discovered by someone before we can even reach our destination? Is it an enemy or a friend?" Dev asked. A joking smile was still plastered on his face.

None of the party readied their weapon. They were acting normal, hoping to gleam into the reason behind their observer's action. Unless they knew lipreading and the local language, they should not be able to listen in on their conversation. This was because a spell with that effect did not exist, at least to their knowledge, that is.

"I feel malice and hostility. It's definitely an enemy." The female magic caster answered.

"Yup. And I don't think we're welcomed to enter their home." Playing with a small arrow that appeared out of nowhere, the half-elf ranger inserted it into his crossbow and ended their chat as they arrived at the mansion's gate. "So what now, leader? Do you want us to storm in or do we take it slow?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? Of course, we're going loud!" Dev raised his voice.

All of a sudden, the members, Fenric included, unsheathed their weapons. The young warrior grinned and kicked down the gate, its rust doing nothing much when faced with the boy's power. It appeared that Dev was gifted with unnatural strength, hence his rise to the gold rank at such a young age.

Peace was disturbed. Felim followed up as his mace crashed down on a skeleton who was trying to dig itself out of the soil. The undead's fragile body shattered into many fragments when it collided with the metallic weapon's blunt side.

Helena was next. She stomped on the skeletal monsters' heads and did not pause when fighting her enemies head-on. No spells were used. She wanted to preserve her strength and did not waste her precious mana on feeble skeletons.

The warrior and the ranger strode forth. Rather than using the bladed part of their swords, the two adventurers utilized the handles and used it to effectively eliminate the undead. They have long since learned of a skeleton's weakness: fire, light, holy, or blunt-type damages.

Fenric stood among the backliners: Helena and Felim. It was not because the party did not trust his ability. On the contrary, he was especially hired by them after he gave them a demonstration of his prowess by dueling their leader.

They trusted his character and his reputation working with other adventurers. Thus, the Magus was there to be a guard. In exchange for a part of the quest's reward, he was to protect Helena and Felim from hidden enemies and their surprise attacks. They had made this decision after taking the mansion's compact terrain into consideration.

"I'll leave Helena's safety to you, Fenric!" Dev robbed a skeleton of its club and swung it at another of its kind. "I swear I'll haunt you to the end if even a single hair of hers was harmed! As for the old man... well, whatever!" He joked.

"Hahaha! How heartless! [Anti-Evil Protection]!" Casting a spell on the two frontliners, the elderly priest chuckled.

"Don't worry, I won't disappoint you!" Fenric's reply came swiftly as he destroyed the approaching undead one after another.

The aura of negative energy was thickening. More animated dead crawled up from the ground, forming a massive horde. However, the party of adventurers was not fazed at all since skeletons were the lowest-ranked monsters.

Their Difficulty Rating was less than 10, meaning that they belonged in the F Class with the likes of goblins while the gold plates they wore indicated themselves being rated between 31 to 40, putting them at C Class. This was a huge gulf and could not be overcome in a short time.

'Powerful.' Fenric studied the group. 'Their synergy is not perfect but definitely praiseworthy. Strength in numbers is not to be underestimated. No wonder humans were able to make it this far. Even a monster in the realm of heroes will be defeated when facing a party of adamantite-ranked adventurers.'

Just like how he used quantity over quality to eliminate three other members of the Ten Don during his previous world, the gold-ranked party, Twilight Pearl, expertly assisted each other and pushed back the waves of undead.

Although their individual strength was nothing special, but when combined, they would become a force to be reckoned with. They were an arrow that could even pierce through a monster as strong as a troll. From this point, one could see how important adventurers are to mankind as a whole.

'However...' An indescribable smile was on the ageless mage's face. 'There's something else in the mansion.' His curiosity was piqued. From the corners of his eyes, he saw a formless shadow overlooking the battlefield from one of the broken windows. 'I hope you can show me a side of Necromancy I've never seen...'

The shadow seemed to have notice something. Its shape distorted, bending to a strange angle, and dispersed into the air. Following this event, the skeletons' action became more aggressive as zombies and other species of undead appeared in the dilapidated mansion grounds.

'...Mr. Necromancer from Zurrernorn.'

Author's Note:

Don't bully the dragon loli~