klisemfg Chapter 440 It's Either You or Me
Chapter 440 It's Either You or Me
Two days ago, Ozler’s first line of defense, the Sands outpost.
"Clap."
A dirty rag was thrown into the basin of water, and wisps of black and purple mist came out, soon polluting the entire basin of water.
The cold wind was howling, and the tiny snowflakes turned into coarse whetstones, almost grinding off people's skin. The people who used washcloths now also grew beards like their predecessors, as if this would make them warmer, but when they stretched out their hands, they could not help but grimace in pain from the cold water.
The cold wind brought shouts and roars of void beasts from the front. The radiance of spells flashed in the air from time to time. From time to time, wounded soldiers or exhausted magicians who were retreating from the outpost passed by him. Their faces were full of fatigue and blood, and they all looked embarrassed.
They need help—the man with a big beard covered with ice stood up anxiously.
"Bobby!"
However, his action was immediately discovered by his superior.
"—Do your job! New recruit!" The commander slapped Bobby on the back of the head with such force that he staggered.
His job? Bobby clenched the rag, his fingers were like carrots that were about to rot due to frostbite, which was very funny. He had been here for almost half a month, and after finally arriving at the front line, the closest job he could do to the battlefield was to clean the stains on the gargoyles.
Bobby turned around and saw the once familiar faces now standing neatly and silently behind him. They had been fighting all night and their bodies were covered with the sticky blood of the Void Beasts. If they were not cleaned in time, it would affect their movements the next day. Moreover, the Void Beasts had a keen sense of smell, and the strong smell of blood would make them discover the traces of the gargoyles in the air in advance.
"Why not use cleaning magic?" Bobby thought of the silly question he asked at the beginning, which caused laughter from others.
"Why not use cleansing magic?" The captain mimicked sarcastically, and then led him to look at the tent where the magicians were resting. Everyone inside had dull eyes and listless expressions. Even those who were better spoke weakly and took sips from the potion bottle.
"They don't have enough time to fully recover their mental strength every day, and they rely on potions to keep them going. We can do this job ourselves, right?" The captain looked at Bobby's blushing face and didn't criticize him. He patted him on the shoulder and went on to arrange the work.
Thinking of this, Bobby picked up the towel again and started scrubbing the gargoyle.
The huge gargoyles stand tall in the daytime, their heads looking toward the defense line of the east coast. Although they look very ferocious with their green faces and fangs, everyone knows that they are the most reliable companions and the legendary night-wandering gods.
But the Night Walker had peeled walnuts for him before. Thinking of this, Bobby couldn't help but think of his companions' faces. If they knew that he was just a handyman now, would they think he was not living up to his expectations?
Thinking of this, Bobby became even more depressed. His fingers almost lost feeling in the cold wind, but he still wiped the stone statue under his hands vigorously, as if venting his anger.
"Using this, how stupid!" A long hard-bristled brush was stuffed into his arms. Bobby looked up and said, "Senior Sister June—"
"I told you to call me captain! Also, don't look at me like that, just do your job!" Qiong was in a bad mood at the moment, and white mist was spewing out as he spoke. "How old are you? Are you so eager to die? It's already an exception to let you come to the first line of defense. Do you have to go outside the wall to participate in the battle?"
She pointed to the distance. The specifications of the first and second lines of defense were completely different. What stood here was a real stone wall, stretching endlessly as far as the eye could see. Every winter, the soldiers would pour water on the wall again and again, forming a layer of ice to further hinder the climbing of the void beasts. It was said that all of Ozler's savings over the years were emptied just to build this wall.
Bobby was silent. He knew the captain was right. When he asked Catherine for help, he said he would come even if it meant being a logistics soldier. However, he felt that he could do more, and -
"But what about him, Captain June?" Bobby couldn't help but pointed towards the city wall. These days, when he was cleaning the void beasts below, he couldn't help but look at the figure on the stone wall.
"Why can Daniel fight on the front line? He is a Guardian of the same class as me." Bobby was a little dissatisfied. "If he can do it, so can I. I have experience fighting against void beasts!"
"You brat! This isn't the first time he's here. The Russell family's knights are also here, and..." Jon pursed his lips, "His brother is watching over you, but I don't have time to look after you!"
"I don't need—"
"This is not a school, recruit." Qiong's tone suddenly became stern, "This is a battlefield. What I say is for obedience, not for talking back. Once you learn this, talk to me about the next step!"
"...Yes!" Bobby was silent for a moment, straightened his back and responded loudly.
"That's more like it." Joan didn't say anything more. She pushed past him and walked towards the high wall. Jaslin was waiting for her at the gate. They would go out to meet the enemy when the stone gate rose next time.
Bobby soaked the stiff-bristle brush in the wooden barrel and began to clean the gargoyles again, but he couldn't help but look at the two black spots on the high wall.
……
"Daniel!" Andre grabbed his cousin by the back of the collar and pulled him backwards to avoid the magic glow that had lost its aim.
"These guys are really messing around." Andre checked Daniel, "Are you okay?"
"...It's okay." Daniel now had a full beard, which was a great cover. He carefully looked at the clear bloody claw marks on the stone wall. They were clearly from the Void Beasts. If they had the chance, they could even climb up...
"Great, I hope nothing happens to you." Andre heaved a sigh of relief. He had already adapted to the environment here. His face was rough and he no longer looked like the noble knight he used to be. "Our family still depends on you and me, Daniel. You need to grow up as soon as possible."
Andre patted his brother's shoulder to encourage him, then lowered his head to pay attention to the battle situation outside the wall. They still had a tough battle to fight later. After the magician's mental strength was exhausted, he could only retreat to the defense line. The gate of the high wall was about to open, and it was the most dangerous time for personnel to take over. Their task was to cover the retreat of the previous batch of troops.
"Me..." Daniel murmured, somewhat incredulous.
"Grandfather's leg is broken. It is said that the knight who has been following His Majesty the King is the knight from the Metternich family. I don't know if you have heard of him, but he is famous in the Knights of Light for being... powerful." Andre whispered amid the shock of the spell explosion.
"The title of First Knight is only an empty title. The Russell family has lost its former glory. The situation is turbulent. We must stand up for the family. Now, the only ones who can shoulder such a responsibility are you and me, Daniel."
Daniel stood behind Andre, looking at his cousin's back for a long time without saying a word. The north wind blew, and Daniel trembled as he gripped the hilt of the sword.
Uniform slogans were heard from below. The city defenders were working together to open the heavy stone door. The roar of spells became more urgent and frequent. The front group of people were about to retreat!
At this moment, the black fog that had been condensing on the front line suddenly rolled straight towards the high wall along with the north wind, and along with the black fog came more void beasts!
They seemed to have seen the gate open, and they counterattacked together. Under the cover of the black fog, they arrived under the city wall in an instant. Most of the magicians in the front had no mental strength left, and those behind had not yet arrived at the battlefield. The situation suddenly became a little chaotic. After a fierce battle, the battle line was pushed under the high wall!
"Don't panic, it's a small beast tide, reinforcements will be here soon!" Feeling the rumbling vibrations from the city wall under his hands, Andre clenched his sword and turned around, "I'll go to support first, you-"
A pair of hands pushed him suddenly, and Andre fell backwards before he could finish his words. The high wall was covered with snow and ice, and was extremely slippery. He tried to grab the protruding stone wall in a daze, but it was still in vain. The young and promising knight still held the sword tightly, and fell out of the city wall with his head raised.
With a loud bang, Daniel felt as if a huge bell hammer had hit his head. It turned out that a person could make such a loud noise when falling. He looked down in panic at the magician and guardian who were fighting fiercely below.
They were fighting and retreating at the same time, and no one noticed their movements. Instead, because of the fresh flesh and blood that fell here, several Void Beasts were attracted and shared the firepower on the front battlefield.
"Only you and I can take responsibility..." Daniel stood in the position that Andre had just occupied and looked down. He just happened to see his cousin's confused face. But the next second, he was submerged by several void beasts and could no longer be seen.
"It's either you or me."
"Click."
The bristle brush slipped out of his hand and fell to the ground. Bobby was shocked beyond words. Did he, did he see it wrong...?