"Upright Serpent."

With a clear voice, the mage’s incantation echoed, and the water inside the container rose, writhing like a serpent.

As the mage moved her hand, the water floated in midair, forming a wall to block the path of the flesh-eating ants. The ants hesitated at the water barrier, unable to advance, and after a moment, turned away.

The spell seemed strange, yet it worked—so that was all that mattered.

Unlike his younger sibling, the mage who had partnered with Rafa was exceptionally skilled.

Paul, who had only a surface-level understanding of magic, could tell that she was at a considerable level. The very fact that her incantations were so brief was proof of her talent.

His sister, by contrast, would need to chant all day just to produce a small flame, barely enough to light a torch. She couldn't fight with it—no way to use fire to block or attack, as this mage could.

Even if she put her heart and soul into it, the best his sister could manage was to slightly grow or move the flame. It would have been quicker to have the soldiers use fire on their own.

Paul always knew his sister wasn’t particularly skilled, but until now, he hadn’t had a clear comparison. Seeing this woman compared to his sister Lira made it glaringly obvious just how much of a fool he and his father had been for laughingly considering marrying her off to a mage family.

Sigh.

Paul let out a long sigh.

It had only been half a day since those creatures first emerged from their holes.

It hadn’t been that long, but his arms were already exhausted.

Soldiers, adventurers, water mages—they were all doing their best, but the ants’ exoskeletons were extremely tough, resisting most weapon strikes.

They had to rely on blunt force to damage them, but that wasn’t easy. Everyone's strength began to wane, and their ability to hold back the ants grew slower and weaker.

"Just hang on until Rafa gets here!"

"Hold the line!"

Encouraging shouts echoed from all directions, as people motivated each other to keep going.

If these words had come from the city's guards under normal circumstances, it might have sounded irresponsible.

But Paul himself had shouted similar words many times.

If these creatures had been attacking from outside the city walls, it would have been different. Fighting them within the city—this was a battle they could not win.

If it had been a normal day, they would have abandoned the city and run.

To be honest, when Paul first saw those ants, he almost collapsed on the spot, his knees weak.

The huge ants, with their twitching black antennae, were terrifying just in appearance alone. And there weren’t just one or two.

One climbed out of the hole, followed by another, and then another, and another.

Every instinct in him screamed to turn and flee, the urge rising in his throat.

Yet he stood his ground because he believed in Rafa.

Having witnessed Rafa's strength firsthand, Paul and the soldiers knew that if he arrived, the tide would shift in their favor.

But they didn’t know if Rafa would get there in time—if they would survive until he did.

They trusted Rafa’s strength, but the sheer number of ants was overwhelming. There were surely many more underground than above.

How many were there in total? It was unimaginable.

Rafa was strong, but with numbers like these, it would inevitably take time.

‘Still, we’re holding out much better than expected.’

Paul glanced at Tatiana.

She wasn’t their main combatant, but Tatiana observed her surroundings keenly, covering any gaps the soldiers or adventurers missed.

There were many soldiers where his father was stationed, but here, they were few in comparison. It wouldn’t have been surprising if this side had collapsed by now, but thanks to Tatiana, they had managed to hold the line without major mistakes.

‘But still...’

Paul bit his lip as he watched a soldier being torn apart by an ant.

Suddenly, the ants began pouring out of the holes. They had seemed to be coordinated before, moving together, but now that was gone. They moved chaotically, abandoning one another, as if they had lost their connection.

They were reckless, advancing without any sense of reason, like creatures driven mad by fear.

A few soldiers were torn apart, collapsing to the ground like broken dolls, and that was all it took for the ants to swarm through that breach.

The dam had burst.

The ants poured through, and the attacks from the nearby soldiers became useless. Tatiana could no longer hold them back with her water magic, either.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

There was no choice left.

This city was done for.

"Retreat! Fall back! Withdraw!"

At Paul’s command, the soldiers began to flee.

Even if Rafa arrived now, there wouldn’t be many left alive.

The city, all of it, was going to be ruined and destroyed.

Paul felt a sense of despair that threatened to overwhelm him.

And then he heard someone shout.

“It’s Rafa!”

Could it be true?

Had he finally arrived?

Paul stopped in his tracks and turned around, almost reflexively.

Instead of Rafa, however, he saw the gleaming face of an ant.

One of the flesh-eating ants had chased him all the way to his back.

He hadn’t realized at all.

He raised his weapon, but it was too late.

The ant's mouth was right in front of his nose.

Ah, this is it, he thought, when suddenly the ant’s head went flying off.

A clear, polite voice rang in his ears.

"I apologize for being late. I have already taken care of the area where the lord was stationed. This is the last one."

With that, Rafa turned and moved on.

What happened next was nothing short of absurd.

The seemingly indestructible bodies of the ants were cut apart, their segmented bodies rolling around like toy pieces.

Everywhere, the ants were torn to pieces, scattering like actual small ants underfoot.

Maybe the reason the ants had started acting so strangely was because of Rafa’s arrival.

With Rafa present, the flesh-eating ants seemed to panic, thrashing as they tried to flee.

They looked terrified.

Unbelievable.

Flesh-eating ants were frightened.

‘How incredible.’

Tatiana and the soldiers began intercepting the ants fleeing from Rafa, and within moments, the tide had shifted, and the monstrous ants were being eradicated.

Sometimes, when a situation is too overwhelming, you can’t help but laugh.

An odd laugh escaped Paul's mouth.

“Lord Paul!”

His attendant called out urgently, perhaps thinking Paul had gone mad.

“I’m fine. I’m okay.”

Paul muttered, picking up his weapon again.

‘I cannot let this chance slip away.’

This was something he had thought about for a long time.

They couldn’t lose this man, Rafa.

Since the appearance of Helga, a prodigy like no other, the number of monstrous creatures plaguing the kingdom had drastically decreased.

Wherever Helga went, other regions benefited as well, because the elite adventurers displaced by her presence relocated to those areas.

The cities farthest from the royal capital had benefited the most.

Endes was one of those cities.

However, ever since Helga ventured into the Forest of Enchantment and stopped actively hunting, the beasts, now without a natural enemy, had grown rampant once more.

Monsters that had been hiding in fear began emerging, driven by hunger.

Cities that had previously maintained an equilibrium of adventurers were now struggling, as adventurers had moved to other places due to Helga’s dominance.

The void she left behind had weakened many regions.

Villages cut off due to the resurgence of beasts had become isolated, some depopulated and ultimately abandoned. Other villages were absorbed by neighboring regions, and where there were fewer farmers, the impact on the surrounding lands was inevitable.

This ripple effect touched other areas as well.

The changes weren’t drastic, but those who governed could see the effects that Helga's absence was having.

Especially in areas with strong monsters.

It became clear—Helga was a necessary evil.

Paul glanced sideways at Rafa while working with his soldiers to fend off the ants.

Every time Rafa swung his axe, ants crumpled helplessly to the ground.

He was no weaker than Helga had been in her prime. Perhaps even stronger.

"…"

Adventurers follow opportunities wherever they present themselves.

As long as there’s a guild, they can go anywhere.

Unlike farmers, they aren’t tied to any particular piece of land or region.

They want what everyone wants—easier work, less danger.

It’s the same for commoners and adventurers alike.

Cities near the Forest of Enchantment face the strongest beasts.

Working in places far from the forest is safer and easier.

With the majority of skilled adventurers returning to the cities they once roamed, cities like Endes, near the forest, were left without strong adventurers.

They tried to attract as many as possible, but it wasn’t easy.

‘If only I could anchor that man here.’

Paul bit his lip.

Helga was entangled in conflicts with multiple noble families and held countless grudges.

Rafa was her son.

Undoubtedly, getting deeply involved with him would mean taking on complications.

‘Even so, I must secure him. I must tie him to our family.’

Without Rafa, the city would have been destroyed today.

Conflicts between noble families, even when they involve military power, are mostly political affairs.

Securing Rafa might mean risking political isolation among the nobility, especially with the Duke’s family involved.

But if there were no soldiers or strong adventurers left to protect us, the end would come immediately.

After today’s attack by the flesh-eating ants, it was likely many citizens would flee.

But Rafa’s presence could eliminate such fears.

Paul looked toward Tatiana.

‘And there’s that woman as well.’

Instead of marrying Lira into a mage family, it might be better to bring a strong mage directly into ours.

Coincidentally, Paul’s wife had passed away during childbirth, so he was currently unmarried.

If it were his first marriage, the family and political implications would have to be carefully considered, but for a second marriage, expectations were somewhat more relaxed.

If they could incorporate a strong mage’s bloodline, both his father and the vassals would be convinced.

Not only was the mage heritage appealing, but she was also beautiful.

‘Rafa and Tatiana… if I could bring both of them into our family...’

Pairing Rafa with his sister would be ideal, but if that was impossible, there were other methods.

Lira was the only unmarried woman in the main family, but there were a few unmarried daughters in the branch families as well.

They might have fiancés, but Paul was sure his father could deal with that.

This matter was still on hold, but it had been his father who first brought it up—telling him to observe whether Rafa was worth the trouble.

‘Father, he's more than worth it.’

Before long, all the flesh-eating ants were defeated.

Cheers erupted from the soldiers, and Tatiana, visibly relieved, slumped to the ground, breathing deeply.

Paul stepped forward to Rafa, grabbing his hand.

“Thank you, Rafa.”

“No need to mention it.”

Rafa smiled faintly.

“Rafa, our city owes you a tremendous debt of gratitude. We are so very thankful. As a gesture of our appreciation, I would like to formally invite you to my estate. What do you think?”

An invitation from a noble was something a commoner couldn’t refuse.

It was akin to a command.

No one would even think to refuse.

Most would feel honored by such an invitation.

But as expected of Helga’s son, Rafa refused Paul's offer as easily as a breeze.

“Thank you for the offer, but I must decline.”

“…”

A direct refusal, right in front of him.

Rafa didn’t even bother to give a reason.

He simply didn’t want to.

The Duke’s successor, Klaus, was his father.

Judging from his noble speech and demeanor, Rafa certainly wasn’t ignorant of noble etiquette.

Even setting aside noble decorum, it’s rare for even commoners to outright refuse an invitation in such a blunt manner.

‘Still, this proves how different Rafa is from Helga.’

From what he had heard, if this had been Helga, she would have swung her axe first, chopping off his head before even saying she wasn’t interested.

She was known to be that violent.

But Rafa had general decency and could be reasoned with.

From what he had seen, heard, and experienced up to now, Rafa seemed like an ordinary man.

Only his abilities were beyond human limits.

‘Before other noble families notice what kind of person he is, I need to act.’

It had seemed easy at first, but a sense of urgency now bubbled within Paul.

Under normal circumstances, anyone would want to join a noble family.

Given that he was born into nobility, one would expect him to be glad to return.

He assumed Rafa would follow if they presented a marriage offer.

But based on Rafa’s response just now, that might not be the case.

Perhaps Rafa wasn’t interested in noble society at all.

If that was true, how could he secure him?

Though his mind spun with all sorts of thoughts, Paul remained silent, his smile as gentle as ever.