Gerald finally opened his eyes towards the afternoon. His body was nicely chilled by the ice and the soreness in his body lessened. He had spent a few hours in meditation today already, but he didn't feel any discomfort from long sitting sessions.

Quite the opposite, his mind and body felt strangely liberated and calm, though he still stood up and stretched out of habit.

The Black Onyx members were left to their own devices when he went to rest, so they struck up a conversation with the other defenders and helped wherever they could.

Due to Gerald setting up a barrier of Thorns around their part of the wall, the attackers slowed their advance significantly.

In the beginning, Goblins cut and stabbed themselves on the sharp rocks before they managed to break them, or they piled corpses on top of it so they could climb over. Still, even with most danger gone, the obstacle was significant enough that less than half the defenders were required to keep them in check.

As such, many men left to help nearby where the attack was still going strong.

Warren and Blum held swords in their hands and were battling with Goblins just below the wall, while the girls were shooting at them from a distance.

Elly even learned a bit of healing magic and could use it to relieve fatigue from muscles in a short time. The warriors fighting at their side were quite glad to have her. At least they didn't need to waste potions.

Gerald looked at Warren, the poor guy he picked up from a cave… He was quite aggressive in his swings even though he trained in much more refined sword arts. His face wore a permanent angry frown as was to be expected since his family and friends were violated and killed right before his eyes.

His scrawny body was recovering well and some muscle definition was showing through the thin clothing he was wearing. He was quickly putting on weight, but that was the desired result since Gerald fed him with the best meat he could get his hands on.

He could afford to share, it was too much for just one person anyway.

He observed him for a while longer. Warren's movements were quick and full of aggression, but it seemed he had a good sense of danger too, as every attack aimed at him was either dodged or parried by his sword.

"Hmm, he somehow reminds me of a Berserker," Gerald murmured and became lost in his thoughts. "Maybe I should teach him Berserk Combat Arts? I think that would suit his style…"

"What's a Berserker?"

"Oh, it's a warrior class from legends where I come from. They were crazy warriors that fought in a fit of bloodlust rage, immune to pain or fatigue…" Gerald suddenly realized he spoke without thinking and quickly turned around to see who was he even talking to.

"Tabbris? What are you doing here, you bastard!" He mocked in a friendly tone, "Enjoying the scenery?"

"I came to see what madman is making a ruckus," Tabbris laughed back as they greeted each other. "But seriously, what are you doing here, I thought you didn't need money?"

"I don't," Gerald answered swiftly and pointed at the charred building near the wall with his thumb, "Those freaks tried to burn down my stuff so I came here to protect it."

"Haha, and here I thought you did it out of the goodness of your heart," Tabbris teased.

Gerald laughed and slapped his shoulder, "Fuck off! I'm not some saint. But why are you here, really?"

Tabbris shrugged. "The capital is surrounded and someone had to check out the situation. We got the news that someone was fighting against the horde alone so I decided to come and take a look."

He casually mentioned the other three sides which were engaged in exhausting combat for an entire day already. Many young and promising nobles were spread out on the walls to provide assistance and gather merit. It was always better to fight alongside commoners to get a better understanding of the situation as well as gain their respect.

And Tabbris ending up here was pure coincidence.

"So, that's it?" Gerald questioned, seemingly unconvinced by the desperate-sounding situation elsewhere. "People are having that much trouble fighting against these weaklings?"

Tabbris just shook his head and smiled grimly, "Weaklings for you maybe, you freak of nature. How many spells can you throw out now?"

"Not nearly enough," Gerald answered vaguely and then swiftly changed the topic, "Where is the army? These few soldiers here can't be it, right? Don't tell me Myrtana only has this handful of fighters?"

"Well, that's because this isn't even a quarter of what we have, it's just…" Tabbris' voice trailed off as he was seemingly contemplating something.

"Just what?" Gerald prodded.

"Oh, what the heck, I'll tell you. It's not like it's some great secret… Listen, my father, Razor Northendark, and three others are the generals that control the armies. Most of our army is currently here, in the capital, but the other three are having... difficulties," he said.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"We just received the news. They aren't sure if it's just bad luck, but many are suspecting sabotage," Tabbris spoke in a hushed voice.

"Sabotage?"

He nodded, "Yes, a lot of things keep going wrong. Horses escaping and wreaking havoc, fires erupting in the night, buildings collapsing for no apparent reason… Even a dam broke and flooded a barracks and ruined the equipment."

"You are kidding me!" Gerald exclaimed in disbelief. "And you got no perpetrators or clues?"

"None!" Tabbris confirmed, a bit frustrated. "And the worst thing is that it's happening basically everywhere at once. They increased their guard now, but it's going to be at least a week before any help will arrive, so…"

"Your hands are tied?" Gerald finished his sentence.

Tabbris made a helpless shrug. "Basically, yeah. My father will of course defend the city to the best of his abilities, and we still have a few tricks left, but it's not looking good. Hopefully you, and the rest of the warriors will be able to help us hold on until the reinforcements arrive."

Gerald didn't answer, and instead looked at the defenders still fighting with the beasts. Some were excited and full of energy, some looked grim and tense, and others appeared tired and already fed up with it.

That was normal. Not everybody was the same, and many couldn't stay under so much stress for long and remain unaffected. At least not without proper rest.

"I heard the Blood Sun Viper sect was behind the monster horde thing…" Gerald casually said. "Apparently they are the ones excavating the monsters."

Tabbi's eyes bulged out and he almost shouted out a question. "Where have you heard that, who told you?!"

"In the forest, I met a certain… Elf."

"Ah." Tabbris instantly calmed down and his shoulders lowered as he murmured under his breath, "Of course, it would be those stupid Elves… Spreading around sensitive information just cause they can."

"You met them?" Gerald was surprised, but not by much. Of course, the son of the Kingdom's general would have some contact with them.

"They requested an audience with The King," he got a confirmation. "And they wanted him to provide accommodation for them, those arrogant pricks!"

"... And? Did he agree?"

Tabbris scoffed disdainfully, "Of course not! But one of the ministers quickly offered to lick their boots and invited them to his home. I don't understand why His Majesty still keeps that man by his side, he's clearly working against the interest of the crown."

"Oh, yeah," Gerald suddenly said, "I have been wanting to ask this for a long time… Does this King have any kids? I don't think I ever heard anyone mention any."

"It's… Complicated," Tabbris sighed. "The Queen, his first wife, is infertile, sadly. He took another mistress many years after and had two children with her, but most are unwilling to acknowledge them… They are also quite young still, so…"

"Does this not create some tension in the court? Is the Kingdom truly peaceful or are there some things happening underground?" Gerald was genuinely curious. He was here like what? Half a year? He didn't have time to get to know all the factions yet.

Tabbris laughed bitterly and shook his head, "Now it's all peaceful, of course. But as soon as this war is over and the threat of the Empire's invasion is over they will spring up like mushrooms after rain. In some sense, this attack is a blessing in disguise for His Majesty."

"Truly…"

They both remained silent for a bit, lost in their thoughts. Just staring blankly over the battlefield and out into the distance.

"Anyway…" Gerald eventually said, "I can't promise you anything else, but you can be sure that no monster will take a single step over this wall while I'm here. I spent too much time and effort to get to where I am and it would be too much of a pain to relocate somewhere else."

Hearing his promise, Tabbris made a genuine smile, "I knew I could count on you! Just stay here, you will see some pretty amazing stuff if things don't get better soon, look forward to it!"

Gerald shook his head and shooed him away with a grin, "Go! Go do your stuff, don't let your old man catch you slacking off now!" The men laughed and then said their goodbyes. Tabbris went on with his inspection along the wall and spoke a few words with the defenders every once in a while.

Meanwhile, Gerald returned to his meditation and slowly increased his mind powers. He couldn't be bothered with the politics. Too complicated and too headache-inducing, even more than the Giant itself.

It would be best if the King cleared out his political opponents while all of this chaos was going on, but he didn't really care. Gerald just hoped he would be left out of their schemes after the war ended.

A day went by quickly as he meditated. His mind expanded at an astonishing rate as he absorbed the spirits of the dead, hundreds of them, in quick succession. It reached up to a point where even his Magic Eyes advanced another step.

The area of effect didn't increase and he could still only see Mana about one hundred meters away, however, the clarity with which he saw the world increased greatly. In truth, he didn't even need eyes to see anymore. As his consciousness expanded, he could watch the world from a bird's eye view. Nothing could hide from his sight!

Well, that was if he focused on one place, of course. His brain couldn't pay attention to thousands of square meters at once.

He calculated his Mana recovery and came up with roughly 400MP/h! Four times increase in just a few days. And to think some people had a problem recovering 10MP in a single day.

Hilarious!

Gerald was now worth hundreds of common men, not in physical strength, but in magical ability. And yet…

He sighed and opened his eyes. It was getting boring just sitting there and meditating for hours, even if it was beneficial to his growth. His teammates were fighting and killing a few Goblins here and there while being completely protected. He didn't have to worry about their safety and so he decided to fly around for a bit and see what was happening elsewhere.

The warehouses and various buildings near the wall were taken over by the army and turned into weapon-storage facilities. Armed guards stood at each corner and gave unkind gazes to anyone that came too close.

Gerald hopped along the rooftops to get a better idea of the situation. Hearing people chat he quickly understood what was going on.

Monsters broke through the south gate at midday and slaughtered around a hundred civilians. The soldiers were overwhelmed, but luckily the elite Royal Guard quickly came to lend a hand and patch the breach. The mountains of corpses have long ago reached the top of the walls, and now the defenders had to fight with the monsters face-to-face, and the wounded on the human side also started to pile up.

Earthen Blood completely ran out hours ago, and arrows were also in short supply. Fletchers were doing their best to make more, but even with extra help, the production was still too slow. As such, swords and spears became a mandatory second choice and the battles quickly turned into a bloody melee.

Gerald wasn't completely heartless, and so he helped by tossing out a volley of Fireballs and Stone Shower wherever he saw human defenders getting overwhelmed. He was moving quickly, so the fighters on the ground rarely caught his figure, at most some saw the back of his cloak as he disappeared behind the wooden roofs.

There was another reason for his expedition. Although Goblins rarely carried weapons, Hobgoblins were much more likely to wear simple armor made of leather and metal.

He took those pieces of iron and bronze as well as their dropped weapons and stored them in his Ring. He needed a lot of metal for his plan, and since it was the middle of a war, it was currently impossible to buy, at least at reasonable prices. And so, he became a scavenger.