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Early morning.

The reclamation of Reichardt resumed its advance.

They still had over a day’s worth of walking to reach their destination.

Princess Lea, leading the charge at the front, wore a less-than-pleasant expression.

Others shared the same concerns, plagued by thoughts of facing the Fire Dragon King and the fate of their loved ones within Reichardt.

However, worrying wouldn’t solve anything.

They had no choice but to move quickly and make their way to Reichardt.

Meanwhile, at the rear of the reclamation force.

“Eh? Weren’t you called by the princess? Why are you here?”

Surprised to see Ethan there, whom he thought would not be present, Murine opened his mouth in astonishment.

Ethan smiled faintly and replied,

“Yes, I went there. The princess gave me a reward.”

“But why did you come back?”

Murine asked with a puzzled expression. Murine thought surely the princess would have placed him at the front lines alongside the generous reward.

Ethan quickly explained Murine’s confusion.

“I said I would stay here.”

“What!? You said you would stay here?”

Murine asked, unable to believe what he was hearing.

“Why, why would you do that? With someone as strong as you at the front, we could quickly break through the monsters blocking our way!”

“What if they come from behind like yesterday? Everyone will die. We need someone to hold them off.”

“W-well…”

Those who heard him nearby stuttered and asked.

“Are you staying here for our sake?”

“You’re staying for us!”

“I can’t thank you enough…….”

The members of the reclamation force looked at Ethan with teary eyes.

Of course, he wasn’t staying here solely to save them, but there was no need to mention that. Ethan simply smiled and nodded.

“I consider it my duty.”

At that moment, one of the Royal Knights, Yatro, applauded.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

“What a true knight!”

“A true embodiment of a knight!”

As the applause spread, everyone in the back started clapping as well.

-The members of the reclamation force trust you!

-The members are ready to follow whatever you say.

“I’m embarrassed. Please stop.”

Then, it became eerily quiet.

‘They really have become obedient.’

How much longer did they have to walk?

Then, a loud noise came from the front.

“Kieeeek!”

It had a much deeper and ear-piercing tone than the usual monster cries, causing pain in the eardrums as if they were about to be torn apart.

“N-no way!”

Yatro quickly glanced ahead and was astonished.

“M-Manticore!”

In front of them stood a group of Manticore, composite monsters with the head of a lion, the tail of a snake, and wings.

“S-stop them!”

“We must stop them!”

The Manticores were flying low and charging toward them, but the knights who had tried to intercept them from the front were clinging onto the Manticore’s back.

“O-oh no, it’s Manticores, how do we deal with them?”

“Why are such monsters appearing now?”

“Is the Fire Dragon King controlling even the Manticore?”

The Manticore was a monster with no weaknesses.

This strange creature, created by combining various monsters, possessed incredible resilience and powerful attacks that could withstand numerous assaults.

“There are over ten Manticores in front of us!”

One of the knights shouted.

“Yes! Dozens of Manticores are currently attacking us!”

The knights hanging on the Manticore’s back desperately swung their swords down.

However, the Manticore’s skin was tougher than most steel armor.

Kkangg!

Their attacks only seemed to agitate the Manticore further.

“Damn it.”

The Manticore had a snake tail.

The silver snake directly attacked the knight sitting on its back.

“Kuakkk!”

Screams filled the air as the knights, including Yatro, in the rear immediately raised their bows.

However, their attacks didn’t inflict significant damage, and the knights were pushed back.

“Damn it, what should we do… We don’t have any mages with us right now…”

The mages were currently positioned at the front. To face the Manticore, they needed the mages’ buffs and powerful magic, but they couldn’t bring them over immediately, as it would leave the front vulnerable.

In this helpless situation, Ethan took action.

“Kiiiik!”

With the Manticore’s scream, Ethan swung his sword at it, which was thrashing its front claws.

Thanks to the Giant’s Relic, Ethan had the trait [Giant’s Strength].

‘I can deflect it!’

With that power, he could even deflect the Manticore’s powerful attacks.

“Whiskers’  Swordsmanship”

Utilizing the Whiskers’ Swordsmanship, which was used in conjunction with the Hero’s Breathing, Ethan deflected the Manticore’s attack.

Simultaneously, he grabbed hold of the Manticore’s hind leg.

Swoosh

“Ethan Whiskers! Run for now! Join forces with the front and receive support from the mages! Those creatures are much stronger than the Black Scorpions! We can’t hunt them down using conventional methods!”

Yatro shouted loudly.

“That’s right! Come down for now! If sir Ethan gets hurt here, it’ll be irreversible!”

The knights and the reclamation force members shouted to Ethan, who was trying to confront the Manticore.

‘At this time, they still don’t have a strategy to defeat the Manticore. That’s why they were like this since what they know is the Manticore is a powerful monster with no weakness.’

But the Manticore did have a weakness.

And Ethan knew that weakness.

‘I can see them.’

Ethan already knew about the Manticore’s weakness, but due to the Monsters’ Calamity, other weaknesses became more apparent.

Red spots were scattered here and there, small but unmistakably present.

‘Moreover, my equipment now is incredible.’

Holding onto the Manticore’s leg and climbing up, Ethan exerted force in his hand holding the Dinalychus.

Shaaak-.

-Giant’s Strength is imbued in your right hand.

-The Dinalychus cries!

Blue energy began to gather in the Dinalychus’ blade.

‘As expected of a renowned sword.’

Ethan decided to test the power of Giant’s Strength and this Dinalychus.

If he couldn’t defeat the Manticores here, it would be almost impossible to hunt down the Fire Dragon King.

“Kieeeek!”

The Manticore shook its body, trying to throw off Ethan who was riding on its back, just like the ones that had flown in earlier.

Simultaneously, the snake tail aimed for Ethan’s neck, opening its mouth wide to launch an attack.

“Heuk!”

The weakness of the Manticores was at the back of their heads.

Ethan swung his sword at the snake tail attacking him, targeting the moment when the beak was wide open with the speed of his Whiskers’ Swordsmanship. He thrust the sword straight into the exposed area.

“Kiaaak!”

Slicing through the snake tail, Ethan looked at his own hand, trembling.

“This is insane.”

Combined with the power of the famous sword Dinalychus, the Giant’s Strength added a sensation he had never felt before, coursing through his hand.

‘giant’s Strength has always been a trait I’ve always gotten, but it truly feels like an exceptional trait.’

Ethan was inherently weak, which made the trait [Giant’s Strength] resonate with him even more strongly.

Finally, he could consider himself slightly stronger than before.

After cutting through the tail, Ethan regained his balance.

“Royal Knights!”

He called out to the Royal Knights who had been barely holding their ground, minimizing the damage from the Manticores.

Upon hearing Ethan’s voice, the Royal Knights who were at the back immediately responded.

“And the reclamation members below! Those with bows, aim for the Manticore’s claws!”

Ethan’s plan was simple.

The Royal Knights already riding on the Manticores would target vital spots to restrict the Manticore’s movements, while those below would attack the upper part of the claws with arrows.

With this approach, the Manticores could be easily subdued.

It seemed like a straightforward plan, but without knowledge of those vital spots, it would be difficult to execute.

That was why everyone was still searching for the mages.

“And Royal Knights, please follow my instructions!”

The Royal Knights paused for a moment.

Royal Knights were typically of noble lineage, while Ethan, a commoner of unknown origin, commanded them.

Normally, it would be unimaginable for them to obey his orders, but the current Ethan possessed the ability to make it happen.

“I understand!”

“Give the command!”

Moreover, given the situation, they had no choice but to trust Ethan.

However, two of the Royal Knights still wore skeptical expressions.

Could they really defeat these Manticores?

No matter how much recognition Ethan had received from the princess, it was impossible to defeat the Manticores without the mages.

That was why, as a last resort, they had considered retreat and, inevitably, joining forces with the mages.

“Kieeeek!”

Due to the rampaging Manticore, it was impossible to regain balance properly, but Ethan stood up.

And he aimed precisely near the head.

“Look here!”

The Royal Knights looked at Ethan.

“If you look closely at the back of its head, there should be one reverse-direction fur. Stab it there!”

Ethan said so and raised Dinalychus, aiming directly at that spot.

Stab-!

“Kieeekk!”

Upon being struck, the Manticore let out another scream, different from before. It was a scream filled with genuine pain and agony.

“……!”

“H-How!”

The Royal Knights couldn’t help but be astonished.

He really knew the Manticore’s weakness.

“Quickly!”

“Un-understood.”

At Ethan’s urging, the two Royal Knights swiftly moved to the back of the Manticore’s head.

“There.”

There, barely visible, was one reverse-direction fur.

Without hesitation, they stabbed right at that spot.

And then, the Manticore began to scream. They had landed a solid blow.

“How…?”

How did he know the Manticore’s weakness? They never thought they would be able to inflict any damage on the Manticore.

As the Manticore writhed in agony, Ethan shouted to the people below.

“Get ready!”

The Manticore’s movements had slowed down compared to before, allowing them to hit it accurately.

Thwack-.

Following Ethan’s signal, the archers drew their bows.

“Fire!”

Several arrows bounced off the claws as they hit them head-on, but a few managed to hit exactly where Ethan told them to aim.

“Kiiieeeekkk!”

The Manticores, struck twice in their vulnerable spot, spread their wings, and flew briefly before crumbling and falling.

Bang!

The sight of three Manticores falling simultaneously was quite spectacular.

Kiiiing-.

As the dust settled from the fallen Manticores, the defeated creatures could do nothing but writhe helplessly.

“This is unbelievable.”

“We… we managed to defeat the Manticore…”

To kill a Manticore without the help of mages.

All eyes turned to Ethan simultaneously.

Emerging from the dust, Ethan met their gazes head-on and gestured to the Royal Knights.

“We must finish it.”

Approaching the back of the Manticore’s head, Ethan thrust his sword forcefully.

-You have slain a Manticore!

-An extraordinary achievement has been accomplished!

-Rewards for slaying the Manticore have been obtained!

The Royal Knights no longer doubted Ethan.

Their gaze toward him had completely changed.