The Devilish Duke Can’t Sleep

Proofreader: somnium

Attack of the hordes of monsters

“Are you all ready?”

Hersh looked back at the wizards behind her. Excluding Hersh, the elder, her son Dashar, and Alcantura, who was Hersh’s teacher, all were wizards with normal magical powers. They were the ones who followed Hersh for peace. Even if they didn’t have much magical power, they were people who studied alchemy, archeology, agriculture, and astronomy with the help of magic stones. They were not guilty of anything. If she hadn’t instigated them to leave the tower, they might have lived comfortably.

Hersh whispered to Alcantura beside her with a confused face.

“Perhaps…… Maybe this happened because of my greed.”

“Don’t say that, Hersh. They all followed you out of their own will. Although their magical powers are weak, they are all thoughtful and strong-willed wizards. We do not lose easily.”

Looking at the gray-haired Alcantura’s face, Hersh nodded her head and smiled briefly.

Ruummbllee–

Once again the earth cried. The vibration was much louder than before. The tension of the villagers was felt behind Hersh’s back. Hersh gripped her magic wand tightly. At this point, she was glad that Dashar was out of the village, and she blamed herself for being greedy…….

Rumble-

At the same time as the third vibration as if the ground was going to go off, a roar like something out of this world rang out beyond the Tanel forest.

“Kyaa!”

“Uugghh! what is this sound!”

Even the roar of the monsters was enough to disturb the crowd. A cold sweat broke out on Hersh’s forehead. The three-layered thorn bushes were falling down by something.

“Everyone! It’s coming!”

Whether trembling from fear or from the vibrations of the earth, Hersh clenched her hand and held out her magic wand. The flames of the brazier with the magic stone were fluttering and growing according to the spells of the wizards standing behind them, and the golems created by Alcantura stood guard in front of the village and waited for the monsters.

After a few more rumbles, the last thorn bush collapsed, revealing three black monsters. It had the shape of a huge cow, but the horns near its ears were eerily huge, and it was different from a cow by walking on two legs. Of course, the size was different before all that.

The wizards who actually saw the appearance of the monsters turned white. This is because the monsters they encountered for research were at most the size of a dog or a cat. They never imagined that such a huge monster would appear.

But the experienced wizard Alcantura quickly came to his senses and chanted his spell.

“Soldiers of the earth! Stop the monsters that shouldn’t be on the earth!”

As Alcantura swung his wand, three giant golems and six medium-sized golems guarding the front of the village ran towards the monsters. It was usually called a mud doll, but the golem created by Alcantura was made of solid rock.

A group consisting of one giant golem and two medium-sized golems each took one monster and attacked. The rock golem hit the monster with its hard fist. It was not a simple rock, but a stone imbued with magical powers, so as soon as the golem struck the monster, the monster distorted its face and screamed.

Alcantura’s golems were faithfully fulfilling their roles, befitting the formula of the best attack and defense in the Sage’s Village. The monsters that had been running with great force were to the point of stopping.

Hersh and the villagers expected a little. It was worth trying, and that they could protect the village with their own strength. While the giant golem was holding on to the cow’s horn, a medium-sized golem attacked the monster’s stomach, and the monster screamed in pain.

However, the monsters were not easy.

The cow-shaped monster, which had been distracted by the golem’s attack for a while, took a step back, and then jumped forward and collided with the giant golem with its head. Besides, that wasn’t the end.

“The, there… … !”

At someone’s cry, everyone’s eyes turned to the back of the large monsters. The black shadow that was thought to be a remnant of the thorn bushes was shaking. It wasn’t a fragment of a fallen thorn bush, but a swarm of monsters in the shape of a wolf. It was about the size of a military horse.

“Oh my gosh…… ! That many……!”

The three large monsters were better. Although it was large, it was slow, and somehow it was able to be stopped with a golem. However, the medium-sized wolf monsters with their bright yellow eyes and their terrifying teeth exposed were more terrifying than the large ones. They didn’t even look at the large monster fighting the battle, they passed by and approached the village. They could only feel the murderous energy for humans.

“Go!”

The 14 medium-sized golems left out and ran forward on Alcantura’s shout. The golem was definitely strong, but it wasn’t enough in numbers. The number of medium-sized monsters that a medium-sized golem could hold could not exceed one, and the number of monsters approaching the village right now seemed to be at least thirty. Besides, there was no certainty that the golem would defeat the monster.

“If you let it come to the village, it will be too late! Attack!”

The flames of the brazier, which had swelled up at Hersh’s cry, were shot at the wolf monster with a popping sound. The fire attack, which would have been terrifying enough if they were dealing with humans, burned the thorn bushes and nearby weeds, and blocked the entry of the monsters with their scorching heat.

Hersh pounded her magic wand to the ground and cast a spell. At the end of the magic wand, which gradually glowed from the bottom according to the spell, the light that was finally shot toward the sky slowly swirled in the sky, creating clouds. The white clouds gradually increased and became thicker, and the light of the clouds began to take on an ink color, and thunder roared and cried.

“Let there be light in darkness!”

At Hersh’s cry, a light flashed among the dark clouds, and then a lightning bolt fell between the monsters. The screams of monsters were heard mixed with the rumble of the lightning of formidable power.

Other wizards also wielded their magic wands to support Hersh, and as some struck the ground with their wands and cast spells, the ground in front of the monsters collapsed, impeding their progress. It was a tremendous magic that ordinary people would not be able to keep their mouths shut if they saw it.

The monsters that were attacked screamed and rolled on the floor or retreated back. There was a fishy and disgusting smell from the blood sprayed by the monsters.

However, the hungry monster hordes summoned from the monster realm had no intelligence and no fear. Even if the other monsters bled and died, they did not back down in fear. And when the attacks of the wizards went into a lull, the monsters began to squirm out.

“Fire!”

It took some time for the magic stone to be recharged once again. Those who stood by the brazier continued to put the magic stones piled up next to it into the furnace and chanted spells. Because it wasn’t heated enough, the firepower it fired was weaker than before. The wolf monster that was hit by the flames groaned and rolled on the floor, but it was not known whether it was because of the blow from the flames or to put out the flames by rolling the floor.

The black wolf disasters were coming closer and closer to the village. The monster that was thought to resemble a wolf from a distance was completely different from a wolf when looked at up close, except that it walked on four legs. The vertical slit pupils like the eyes of a snake, the muscular body covered with black fur, the sharper and denser teeth than any other beast on earth, and the horns along the spine on the back, all made it clear that it was not a beast of this world.

“Die, you bastard!”

As Hersh swung her staff towards the monsters, lightning struck through the dark clouds and bent like a whip towards the monsters. As the crackling ray of light hit the monsters’ bodies, some monsters running from the front row rolled over the floor again. There was a terrible burning smell, but the monsters jumping on the body of their fallen comrades seemed to have no fear at all.

Despair crossed the faces of the wizards behind Hersh. Behind the wolf-type monster, the monsters that had been hit by the golem and burned in the flames were waking up again. In addition, all the large golems collapsed, yet the large beasts began to move in this direction.

“What, what should we do…… !”

Someone mumbled in a trembling voice. Hersh’s and Alcantura’s magical powers weren’t infinite either. The old Alcantura’s breathing was already quite rough. As if to reflect his fatigue, the movement of the golems also slowed considerably. They saw wolf-type monsters defeating the golems that were blocking them everywhere.

With a loud ‘kuang’, the village’s last magical defense collapsed. It was absolutely impossible for normal beasts to overcome, but for the monsters who already had magical powers circulating in their bodies, it was not difficult to break through.

Small flames were flying from the border of the broken magic barrier, but the monsters in front of their prey were drooling and approaching them one step at a time. They had a relaxed attitude, like a cat driving a mouse to a corner.

“Everyone, take refuge in the underground cave.”

“Hersh!”

“Hurry!”

Hersh, whose face was wet with cold sweat, swung a lightning whip and shouted. But it was clear to them what the order to flee to the underground cave meant. It meant to cause an explosion that cost Hersh’s life.

At that moment when people hesitated, as if noticing their agitation, a monster rushed at Hersh.

“Aquitelum!”

The monster scratched Hersh’s shoulder with its claws, but it was pierced by the magical spear that erupted out of Hersh’s hand with the spell. An unknown heat began to rise from Hersh’s body, which had drained all her magical powers.

Hersh seemed to have gotten stronger at first glance, but the time she could fight in this state didn’t last long.

“Everyone, avoid it!”

Hersh shouted, unable to hide her burning stomach. Five minutes, maybe she could only hold on for less than that. At the sound of her vomiting blood, people turned around and started running with tears in their eyes.

“Kuwaaa!”

The monsters who had been hesitant with the magic spear in Hersh’s hand looked at them and rushed towards Alcantura this time.

“Where are you going!”

Hersch blocked Alcantura’s front with the magic spear. Two of them fell down, but the other quickly bit Hersch’s forearm. The sound of bones breaking was heard.

‘Is it the end…….’

Hersh clenched her teeth and endured the pain and thought of the annihilation of the village. Even Alcantura, who had used up his magical powers, collapsed behind her. The end of her teacher, who could have spent the rest of his life comfortably watching his grandson’s jokes, was so tragic that Hersh could not bear it. All of this seemed to be her fault for rejecting the Magic Tower, so guilt came up to her like bitter water.

Recognizing Hersh’s despair, the monsters began to salivate again and approach her. Hersh inserted a spear into the chest of the monster that was biting her arm, summoned the magic spear again and held it, but as soon as she saw the two monsters rushing towards Alcantura, she fell down and covered Alcantura’s body.