The Saint Disappeared with Her Memories — Her Broken Engagement Decided the Kingdom’s Destiny - Chapter 20

“Ugh… So, this is as far as I go…”

A dull pain ran through his entire body. Staring at the monster closing in before him, the middle-aged adventurer had no choice but to accept his fate. He had neither the stamina to escape nor the will to resist any longer.

Leaning on his half-broken sword planted in the ground, he knelt on one knee as his tattered armor weighed heavily upon him.

The smell of blood stung his nose. Was it his blood? His comrades’? The blood of the monsters they’d slain? He could no longer tell. The only certainty was that this battle was nearing its end.

He couldn’t move. The giant snake-like monster before him was clearly targeting him now. Its red eyes glowed ominously, its forked long tongue licking the air. In the next moment, his head could very well be flying through the air; such was the situation.

Damn it. To think it would come to this. The man regretted his carelessness. He had fought through until now somehow, but he had reached his limit. Looking around, his comrades had also fallen and couldn’t move. He didn’t even have the luxury to check if they were still alive.

Seeing the ever-increasing horde of monsters, the seasoned adventurer’s spirit broke. His life would end here. The situation was hopeless. He wanted his comrades to survive, but it seemed they would all perish here.

I’m sorry, everyone. Resigned to death, he apologized to his comrades in his heart. This is the end of our adventure. What an abrupt way to die.

Just as the man completely gave up on returning alive.

“Are you all right?”

“Huh?!”

It was a young woman’s voice. He had to tell her to run, this place was dangerous. His body wouldn’t move, but he should still be able to speak.

“Ru—run…?!”

The moment he opened his mouth, his vision was enveloped in a pale green light. A warm breeze caressed his skin, and his consciousness sharpened. Then, the pain he had been feeling began to fade. His body, which should have been immobilized by pain, could move again. Frantically standing up, the man stared at his own hands. He couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

“This is…”

“Emily, check the injured. Nadine to the front. Jamel, keep watch around us.”

“Understood.”

The man stood there dumbfounded, mouth agape. Unable to grasp what was happening, he watched as the newcomers swiftly sprang into action. In response to the woman’s voice, three figures quickly spread out. Each carried out their assigned roles with precision. An ideal way of fighting.

Witnessing the young woman successively healing his fallen fellow adventurers on the ground, the man was overwhelmed.

“U-ungh…”

“What’s… happening?”

“Wha—?!”

It was one surprise after another. The adventurers who had fallen to the monsters’ attacks were waking up one after another. Seeing this, the man finally understood. They had been healed and saved by magic. Anyone who could wield such powerful healing magic must be incredibly skilled.

Restoring those on the brink of death was advanced magic. Those capable of such high-level spells were rare among adventurers. Perhaps they were from the temple, the man thought. As he observed the rescuers, he pondered their identities.

Their attire seemed like that of ordinary adventurers, practical leather armor and modest yet sturdy clothing. Not the typical pristine outfits of the temple. Yet, they were clearly using powerful magic. Adventurers who used magic were uncommon to begin with. So, were they temple affiliates after all, or perhaps dispatched from another organization?

If they were from the temple, they might demand a hefty reward later for the rescue. But the fact remained that they had saved him from certain death. Even if they asked for payment, he had no choice but to pay. He should be grateful to have survived.

As the rescued man thought this, his gaze fell upon a blonde female knight overwhelming the monsters. With refined swordplay, she severed the head of the giant snake-like monster that had cornered him moments earlier in a single strike. Another monster approaching from behind sank into the ground, struck by magic from an elderly man with salt-and-pepper hair.

“…Amazing.”

“They’re defeating the enemies we struggled with so easily.”

“It’s over in an instant.”

“If we tried to help, we’d just get in the way.”

Like the first man rescued, his healed comrades also voiced their astonishment. Despite decades of experience as adventurers, they had never witnessed such strength and coordination before.

The horde of gathered monsters was being annihilated one after another, and unexpected ambushes were handled with ease. They appeared highly accustomed to battle. The momentum was entirely theirs. The woman who had given the initial commands continued issuing precise orders while calmly surveying the battlefield. Her beautiful features contrasted with her cool, accurate judgment, which shone through.

The seasoned adventurer party could only watch the one-sided battle unfold. Understanding that intervening would only hinder them, they refrained from unnecessary involvement.

After a while, the combat concluded. Astonishingly, not a single one of the rescuers was injured. Moreover, they had achieved a complete victory while healing and protecting other adventurers who had been on the verge of death. Their coordination was like that of a team that had fought together for decades. They were a team far superior to their own in skill.