Chapter 53

Night fell, and the eerie roars of magical beasts began to echo from outside the windows.

Many people had arrived at the shelter, and we had even opened up the spare rooms. The interior of the manor was bustling with activity. The citizens were using their respective magical powers to help one another get through the night.

On a whim, I decided to step out into the garden alone to check on Geni. Although the manor walls were reinforced and the wyvern stable was sturdy, I was worried Geni might be frightened. I also felt the need to rest for a moment in a quiet place.

“Geni, are you okay?”

When I entered the reinforced wooden stable, Geni was awake. Perhaps sensing that the atmosphere was different from usual, he was pacing restlessly on his pink legs.

“There, there, everything is fine-wun~”

When I stroked his smooth skin to soothe him, Geni became even more agitated than before. Was it counterproductive? The pink wyvern kept peering outside through the small opening of the entrance.

“Is there something out there?”

Looking out from the stable entrance, I heard the screams of people coming from the direction of the town. It sounded close to the manor.

“What’s happening?”

The town center is surrounded by strong walls, and personnel are stationed around the perimeter to prevent magical beasts from entering. Even if a beast tried to breach the wall, they should be able to slay it each time and keep the people safe.

Nevertheless, if a magical beast managed to enter the town center, the likely reason would be…

“The extermination squad missed a winged magical beast.”

Even applying my magic to Lord Nazelbert’s plants, we cannot cover the entire vast town in a dome shape. Therefore, the sky above is wide open. Most winged magical beasts are less prone to mana-drunkenness, even on the night of a new moon. This is because they constantly consume a lot of mana, such as when generating barriers to fly. Bird-type magical beasts are the most common example, and the same goes for pegasi and wyverns.

However, there are exceptions to every rule. For example, species that have wings but aren’t very good at flying…

“Maybe it flew high for just a second, just enough to clear the wall?”

The manor and the stables are reinforced in all directions and won’t be destroyed by beasts, but the houses of the people living in town aren’t that strong. The doors and windows, in particular, must be fragile.

“If I could ride Geni and carry the people in danger to the manor one by one… no, that’s too dangerous.”

As I struggled with the decision, Geni began flapping his wings vigorously as if sensing my intent. His eyes looked as though he was picking up on something outside.

“All right, let’s go. But Geni, if it gets dangerous, you must escape into the sky, okay?”

I quickly finished my preparations, mounted Geni, and took off into the night sky.

The new moon night in Sutrena is incredibly dark, like black ink spilled across the world. However, fires had broken out in houses ravaged by magical beasts, and their light illuminated the surroundings.

“Geni, land over there!”

I pointed near a burning house. There were two people outside who had been driven out by the fire. I didn’t see any magical beasts nearby.

Geni slowed down and touched down on the ground; I hopped off and ran toward the pair.

“It’s okay now. Can you stand?”

The two lying there were the couple who ran the “Flower Mole Pavilion,” a diner I had frequented. They appeared to be injured and unable to move.

“A-Are you… the maid from the manor…?”

They cried out when they saw me. Whenever I go out into town, I’m always disguised as a maid.

“For now, let’s head to the manor.”

I helped them onto Geni’s back to transport them. It was difficult with three people on board, but as long as we didn’t go too fast, we managed to make it work.

When we returned to the manor, Torre let out a scream of shock upon spotting me, but he quickly took the injured couple to a separate room. Fortunately, there was a doctor among the evacuees.

“There might be more injured people, so I’m going back out!”

“Lady Agnes!!”

Following Torre’s reaction, the usually expressionless Kelly also widened her eyes in disbelief.

Quickly dashing off, I jumped back onto Geni, who was waiting at the manor entrance, and took off toward the town once more.

That night, I rescued more than twenty injured people.

Later on, the people who were grateful for that day’s events would erect a statue of a brave Lady of the manor riding a wyvern in the town square, much to my embarrassment… but that’s a story for another time.

Nazelbert spurred his horse on, racing from the fortress toward the town center.

He had received a report that a magical beast had appeared inside the town; the extermination squad had apparently let it slip through. In this case, it was faster for Nazelbert himself, who was already inside the walls, to take action.

To make matters worse, the beast was reportedly rampaging near the manor.

As he advanced, he heard the roar of a magical beast coming from near a burning house. It was already engaged in combat with someone.

When he reached the source of the noise, Tony had arrived first. He had likely used his “Fleetfoot” magic to get there so quickly.

“Tony, I’ll cover you!”

Calling out from behind, Nazelbert blocked the beast’s movements with plants covered in sharp thorns. Tony charged in with his dagger raised and delivered the finishing blow. The massive beast collapsed on the spot with a heavy thud.

Nazelbert let out a sigh of relief. However, Tony’s expression remained grim.

“There’s another one that got in.”

“Where?”

“I couldn’t track both at once, and since I prioritized the more dangerous one, I lost sight of it. But if it’s that beast, it should be heading this way.”

“Tony, do you know something?”

When asked, Tony hesitated before opening his mouth.

“I’ve seen that beast before. It’s one that used to be kept at the Lord’s manor. It doesn’t attack other citizens; it aims straight for the manor. I think the house will be fine since Lady Agnes cast her magic on it, but…”

“It sounds like there’s a history there. If that’s the case, let’s hurry to the manor. Tell me the details as we move—hm?”

Suddenly looking up, he saw a wyvern flying overhead.

“Why is there a wyvern here?”

Moreover, the wyvern illuminated by the flames was a familiar individual, and there was a woman riding on its back.

“Agnes?!”

Nazelbert let out a scream as he spotted his wife, who was supposed to be safely tucked away.