“Do not move suddenly. We must not provoke it.”

Alicia said quietly.

According to a book she had read before, magical beasts were created by mixing several living beings with forbidden magic.

If it still retained animal characteristics, sudden movements were likely to stimulate aggression.

“Let’s slowly back away.”

At Alicia’s words, everyone slowly moved back a little at a time.

Then the magical beast tilted its head as if puzzled and slowly approached.

“Elder sister. To the right.”

“Huh?”

“I have an idea. Move slowly to the right. I’ll go left.”

Edward whispered and glanced up slightly.

Following Edward’s gaze, Alicia looked up briefly and nodded. She seemed to understand Edward’s intention.

“Edward. When I give the signal, cut it.”

“Okay.”

“You two need to move carefully as well. Do not shout under any circumstances.”

As the Duke and Duchess nodded and closed their mouths, following Alicia slowly to the right and back, Edward also carefully moved back to the left at a matching pace.

As Alicia and Edward split in two directions and the distance widened, the magical beast hesitated.

It seemed to be pondering which way to go.

“Over here. Come this way.”

Alicia carefully waved the hem of her skirt slightly.

The magical beast saw the swaying skirt, then growled and drooled as it moved towards Alicia.

Edward slowly moved until he could see the back of the beast, then picked up a long knife for cutting meat from the ruined food tent.

As the beast slowly swayed its head from side to side as it approached and Alicia slowly retreated at the same pace, several people ran out from the opposite side and screamed when they saw the beast.

Excited by the loud noise, the beast roared and made a large movement.

“Run!”

Alicia quickly turned and grabbed the arms of the Duke and Duchess as she ran.

“Elder sister, faster!”

At Edward’s shout, Alicia hugged the Duke and Duchess and rolled on the ground.

At the same time, Edward cut the rope and a stone sculpture that had been hung for the event fell and crushed the beast.

Simultaneously, Edward ran over and together with Alicia, supported and lifted the Duke and Duchess, then walked quickly to avoid the beast.

“Graaaah!”

As the beast struggled underneath the sculpture, there was a loud noise and the sound of something breaking.

Startled by the sound, the Duchess’s legs gave out and she sank to the ground.

“Mother!”

“You two go first. We’ll all die at this rate.”

“My lady! Get up quickly!”

“I’ll help support you.”

As Alicia lifted the Duchess, the beast also rose with an ominous sound.

Edward stood at the front holding the knife he had picked up earlier.

“Edward. It’s too much for you yet. Give that knife to your elder sister.”

“I’m going to be a knight, so this much doesn’t scare me at all.”

Alicia tried to stop Edward and held out her hand again, asking for the knife.

“Step back, Edward.”

“It’s okay, elder sister. I think I can do it. That beast is badly injured too, you know.”

Edward spoke quite bravely and his expression was resolute, but the tip of the knife he was holding still trembled slightly.

At that moment, as the beast roared and charged, Alicia hugged the Duke and Duchess while Edward stretched out his arm holding the knife and squeezed his eyes shut.

“…?”

Edward, who had opened his eyes slightly when nothing happened, saw someone standing behind the fallen beast spewing black blood and opened his eyes wide.

“Are you alright, Edward?”

Eric approached, shaking the blood off his sword.

“You were very brave. Well done.”

“Huuuung-”

When Edward made a strange sound and hugged Eric in relief, Eric was startled but soon patted the boy’s head.

“Eric. Oh my, son.”

Upon seeing her son’s face, the Duchess burst into tears as if relieved.

Beside her, the Duke supported himself on the ground as he stood up.

“Are you alright?”

“Well, I seem to be alive at least.”

“Yes, it seems so.”

‘This brat. Is that how you talk? You may be a knight but we’re ordinary people, you ungrateful son.’

Duke Gloucester felt indignant inside but had no energy to get angry, so he just raised his hand.

When Eric turned his head to Alicia, she smiled at Eric while comforting the crying Duchess.

“It’s almost cleaned up, so don’t worry.”

Eric looked around. There still seemed to be a few magical beasts wandering about, but it was a level that could be finished quickly.

“Alicia. Can you go towards the corridor? That area has been cleared and is being used as a shelter.”

“I will.”

Alicia supported the now somewhat calmed Duchess and helped her stand.

“I’ll watch your back, so go straight there. I’ll come get you when the cleanup is done.”

“Alright. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Me? I’m fine. This isn’t all my blood.”

Only then did Alicia smile again in relief and called out to Edward, who was still clinging to Eric.

“Edward. Let’s go now.”

“Okay.”

Edward separated from Eric and helped Alicia support the Duchess from the side.

Eric grinned and ruffled Edward’s hair.

“I’m counting on you, Edward.”

“Yes, yes sir!”

“Hurry and go.”

Eric glanced at a magical beast lurking to the left rear and urged Alicia.

He watched them walk away for a moment before turning his steps towards the beast.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Hmm. As expected. It seems the Britannia Empire’s knighthood wasn’t just for show.”

The man in a black robe sitting on top of a collapsed spire grinned.

“That’s easy for you to say. The magical beasts we spent a whole month pouring magic into… Ah, they’ve all been annihilated now.”

Another man in a black robe retorted upon hearing the death throes of the magical beasts in the distance, causing the other man to chuckle.

“Haven’t we just given them experience points for nothing?”

“Don’t be like that. The entire knighthood was deployed, so we couldn’t have won anyway. Let’s think of it as mutual reconnaissance.”

“The humans have developed a lot in that time. It wasn’t as easy to deal with them as before.”

“Well, considering it was our comeback after 10, no, 500 years, it wasn’t bad.”

The man in the black robe stretched broadly.

“We only have one so far, but it’s not bad. I can already feel the power gathering.”

“That’s fortunate.”

Hearing the dissatisfied voice, the man chuckled and spoke.

“Well, they say the beginning is half the battle. Cheer up.”

“Half? That’s all nonsense. We still have a long way to go.”

“Tch. You’re no fun.”

Despite saying that, the man cackled as if it was hilarious, while the other man silently watched him and thought.

This person really is out of his mind.

He hasn’t changed at all over that long time.

[This is the timeline separator]

The joint training meant to raise the empire’s prestige ended miserably with the appearance of magical beasts.

The square that had boasted its magnificence was severely damaged along with the spire, and there were many casualties among the spectators.

The only consolation was that most of the knights, for whom this was their first battle against magical beasts, had “at least” annihilated the beasts, but it also presented many challenges.

The biggest issues were that the current knighthood was completely unprepared for countering magical beasts, and that the tracking of mages had been lax enough to allow such beasts to be created.

‘Damn. This is going to mean a lot of work.’

Eric frowned and ran his hand through his hair as he surveyed the square after the cleanup of the magical beasts was finished.

The thought of being summoned here and there for emergency response meetings starting tomorrow was already giving him a headache.

The Emperor would have been greatly shocked too, so there would likely be many directives, and at this level, working overtime while staying at the Imperial Palace was a given.

After instructing Allen on the finishing work, Eric headed towards the temporary shelter.

[This is the timeline separator]

Though called a temporary shelter, there wasn’t much to it really.

A few tents had been set up, and the most urgent patients were accommodated there first.

Doctors hastily summoned were running about, and those who were relatively unharmed volunteered to help the medical staff and knights.

By the time Eric arrived, it was less chaotic as the cleanup of the magical beasts had finished and people were being sent home in order.

Eric looked around for his parents and Alicia among them.

“Eric!”

Duchess Gloucester spotted her son first and waved to him.

“Are you alright?”

“We’re fine, dear. What about you? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine. But where’s Alicia?”

“Those children are helping others now. How admirable.”

“Ah.”

Just as he was about to ask where they had gone, he heard a subordinate calling him.

“Commander!”

Eric gestured for the subordinate to wait a moment and turned to face the Duke and Duchess.

“We’re fine, so go ahead.”

“Then please don’t go anywhere and stay here.”

“Alright, we will.”

Eric nodded and walked towards his subordinates.

“Did any magical beasts escape?”

“We’ve checked, but there are no reports or witnesses. It seems they were all annihilated here.”

“Good. What about the corpses?”

“The 1st Knight Division is handling them. They’ve also called for priests and divine art users.”

“Request a report to be shared later.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Eric continued to receive reports as he walked with his subordinate.

“Patient transfer and return home measures for temporary shelter zones 1 and 2 are complete. Two more zones remain.”

“Make sure no one gets hurt while returning home. Have people leave before carriages.”

“Yes. And your fiancée was over there earlier.”

“……”

How did he know?

Eric closed his mouth, embarrassed.

“Weren’t you looking for her? You kept glancing around.”

“That wasn’t exactly why.”

“Oh, I see. I apologize.”

“Anyway, good work. Keep it up.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Only after sending the subordinate away did Eric turn his steps in the direction he had indicated.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Just a moment. Let me take a look.”

Alicia examined the blood-stained arm of an elderly man.

“The wound doesn’t seem deep, so the bleeding appears to have stopped now. I’ll disinfect it and bandage it for you, but if it continues to hurt, please see a doctor.”

“Thank you, young lady. Thank you.”

With doctors in short supply, minor injuries were pushed down the priority list and couldn’t receive treatment.

So Alicia personally disinfected the wound with hastily supplied disinfectant, cleaned it, and then wrapped it with a bandage.

“You’ll be able to go home soon if you wait a little longer, so please wait for a bit.”

After giving instructions to the elderly man, she smiled at the young boy he was tightly hugging with one arm, then stood up.

Returning to the tent, Alicia was about to pick up the box of disinfectant and bandages to move to another area when someone in front of her snatched the box.

Wondering who it was, she looked up and her face immediately brightened with joy.

“Eric.”

“I’ve been looking for you for a while.”