Several days later, a mysterious Savior Squad appeared out of nowhere, racing from place to place to quell the calamities. Before their overwhelming strength, the insect and beast plagues that had ravaged the Southern Realm for half a month gradually subsided.
They did more than simply defeat the monsters. Water sources contaminated by magical insects and undead corpses, corrupted land, and rotting forests were all purified in their wake.
Wherever the Savior Squad passed, the land seemed to receive some kind of blessing and sprang back to life.
Even Darlington, which had suffered the worst damage, saw the withered seedlings in its fields regain a fresh green hue within just a few days.
The villagers' food supply for the coming year had finally been saved.
That touch of green was more precious than gold or silver. It was their guarantee of survival. With those crops, fewer people would starve to death next year.
Those who had been saved were moved to tears and wanted to compose hymns and songs in praise of the Savior Squad.
Unfortunately, they soon realized they knew almost nothing about their saviors.
Sometimes three figures appeared on the battlefield, sometimes four, sometimes five, sometimes seven...
Every one of their names remained a mystery. From the few distant sightings people had managed, they could only tell that most of the members were beautiful young women, and that some of them appeared to belong to races other than humanity.
According to learned scholars, they were probably fairies.
And so, the people simply began calling these saviors the "Fairy Knights."
Where they had come from was equally uncertain. Some claimed they hailed from the Nameless Forest in the Land of the Fairies. Others said they came from Orkney, the Land of Terminus. There were even people who insisted that they were fairies from the Isle of Avalon.
The only thing anyone knew for certain was that the leader of the group called herself "Aesc," the name of the great tree in Norse mythology that purified evil and supported the world.
As the rumors spread, everything about the Savior Squad became even more mysterious and legendary, earning them enormous popularity and countless admirers throughout the Southern Realm.
Yet at that very moment, the Savior Squad praised by the people for quelling the calamities had already left the Southern Realm behind and reached a mist-covered marsh in the north.
"So this is... the Swamp Dragon's Remains?"
Samael jumped down from the parked carriage, stretched his limbs, and looked around as he murmured to himself.
With Baobhan Sith and Barghest joining them, Britannia's insect and beast plagues had already been eradicated. The corruption had been cleansed one place after another, allowing life to return to the land.
But after tracing the calamities all the way back, they had discovered that the source was not in the Southern Realm.
At present, the Mad Hunters remained elusive, still waging a guerrilla war against the Knights of the Round Table.
By process of elimination, the most likely answer was the [Swamp Dragon's Remains], where the dragon calamity seemed to be brewing.
"This should be the place."
Morgan took a deep breath. High-purity Ether and the scent of decaying vegetation filled her lungs as she surveyed the area for a moment before answering seriously.
"So where do we go from here? Please issue your orders, esteemed savior, Aesc."
Mari placed a hand over her chest and performed a proper courtly bow, teasing her old rival Morgan with the alias that had recently become so famous.
The witch gave the troublemaker beside her a cold stare. Mari, who never missed a chance to make fun of her, immediately shut her mouth. Only then did Morgan's expression soften as she turned toward her more reliable companion.
"My senses end here. I don't know where to go from this point either."
Morgan's brows drew together slightly, confusion flickering in her eyes.
The reason the group had managed to pinpoint the exact location of the Swamp Dragon's Remains so quickly was not merely their deduction regarding the source of the calamity. Morgan herself had also felt a strange resonance with this place.
It was as though something deep within the marsh was calling to her, drawing her closer.
"No need to think about it. Looks like something has come to welcome us."
As they spoke, Samael narrowed his eyes with a smile and turned toward the depths of the marsh, where the mist was violently churning. He slowly drew the Sword of Promised Victory from his waist.
"ROAR!"
Moments later, piercing shrieks of air being torn apart mingled with the savage roars of beasts.
Dozens of winged shadows, wrapped in fierce Ether storms, smashed through the branches in their path and dove straight toward the carriage.
"Wyverns? That's all they sent to welcome us? What a pathetic force! Leave something this trivial to me. I'll smash straight through them from the front!"
Before Samael could even act, Barghest burst out of the carriage.
After being stuck inside and jostled around for the entire journey, she had nearly gone stir-crazy. The instant she heard that a fight had begun, she rushed out eagerly.
The red-and-black Fairy Sword Black Dog Galatine in her hand erupted in roaring flames as she swept it through the air.
A blazing wave of Ether tore across the sky.
The intense heat distorted the very air around it.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
With a single strike, the charging Wyverns had their wings destroyed and scales shattered. One after another, they plummeted from the sky and crashed heavily into the ground.
"Weak! Weak! Ahahahaha!"
The instant the Wyverns hit the ground, Barghest's exceptionally sharp combat instincts kicked in.
Laughing wildly, she stamped against the earth and charged forward. The broad Fairy Sword dragged behind her, plowing through the mud, evaporating the water, and carving a deep trench into the ground.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Her sword flashed with the ferocity of fire.
Several tenacious Wyverns that were still struggling after being knocked from the sky had their hearts and skulls pierced one after another, their bodies giving off the acrid smell of scorched flesh.
Good habit. Always confirm the kill...
Watching the Wyverns, almost every one of which had been struck at least twice to make absolutely certain they were dead, Samael nodded inwardly in approval.
But his gaze soon shifted toward Barghest, who was enthusiastically hunting down the remaining Wyverns.
When the Ancient Serpent noticed the increasingly intense blood-red gleam in the Fairy Knight's eyes, his brows furrowed slightly.
There was no question about Barghest's talent for battle.
The one drawback was that, perhaps because of the Black Dog bloodline within her, combined with her nature as a battle fanatic who believed in survival of the strongest, she found it very easy to lose control once she became absorbed in fighting.
"Stop! Keep hacking at them and you'll turn them into minced meat. How are we supposed to eat them afterward?"
"Eat them? Father-sama, the meat on these beasts is tough and stringy. You can actually eat it?"
"That's because you don't know how to prepare it. Wyvern meat is a rare delicacy. A friend of mine used to love it. She said it tasted even better than mutton."
Samael crossed his arms and answered with complete confidence, the image of a certain wheat-skinned, expressionless God of War surfacing in his mind.
Better than mutton?
Slurp...
Barghest swallowed instinctively.
She lowered the Fairy Sword, and the blood-red color in her eyes gradually faded away.
"We've been traveling for an entire day and night. Since we're already right on the enemy's doorstep, there's no reason to rush. Let's fill our stomachs, recover our strength, and head in afterward."
Samael made the decision with a smile.
"Okay! I'll go gather some firewood nearby!"
Without another word, Barghest hoisted the Fairy Sword onto her shoulder and eagerly ran off to prepare for the meal.
Watching the Fairy Knight, now roughly one hundred sixty to one hundred seventy centimeters tall, disappear into the distance, Samael helplessly pressed a hand to his forehead and shook his head.
At the moment, it seemed the only thing capable of suppressing her urge to fight was food.
Well, what else could he say?
She truly deserved her place as the biggest eater in the group.
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