The battle in Dream Maker was fierce.

The Yamamanekis that Selica and Selyse spotted had already been defeated. A volley of attacks from the powerful spells cast by Selica and other Spirit Mages, the fusion spells that Vireocean’s army used, and the blast cannons killed them.

A prostitute who watched the scene from inside the city would later describe it as: “It was so bright, it seemed like a second sun appeared. The battle against the giants was like the stuff of legends.”

Dream Maker functioned well as a fortress. While they had an overwhelming number of combatants, it was inevitable that some soldiers would get injured, and while simple wounds could be healed with magic, losing limbs meant withdrawing from the front lines. Death, especially, was irreversible.

Even though the city walls had been repaired, they were not perfect. The number of casualties was gradually increasing. The monsters came like waves, attacking and retreating.

「There’s definitely the possibility of a retreat.」Claude said to Ivan. His friend was fighting beside him.

「Why?! We can still fight!」

「I’m sure the higher-ups are already considering it. We’re going to have to move the non-combatants to the ships first, which will probably take at least three days. There’s just too many people.」

The people who came to this continent were like visitors, so to speak—except they brought a lot of luggage with them to Dream Maker. It would take some time to remove them. Since Dream Maker was bigger than Lands Harvest, gathering everyone scattered throughout the city would require a lot of effort.

Dream Maker’s residents were able to move to their ships en masse as soon as the evacuation notice was given because they had been trained to do so.

「Three days, huh… There will be more injured by then. The Healers are about to reach their limits.」

You could cast magic again once you’d recovered mana, but people had their limits.

「But when I look at him, I can’t help but think things will work out fine.」

「That man, huh?」

「Aaaaah! Weak! Too weak! Bring me your best ones!」

Their eyes were on Gerhardt, the Beastman King, wielding a ridiculously large sword. With a single swing of his sword, several Forest Wolves that were surrounding him were knocked away. He was unusually tough, and his movements were nimble, despite the fact that he barely had any sleep.

Claude couldn’t help but agree with Ivan.「True. When I see those guys, I think everything will be fine.」

Gerhardt’s subordinate and adventurer, Gotthold, along with his party, Polar Tiger quickly covered a defensive line that was about to get run through, while Lawrence the Master Swordsman led the Knights of Ponsonia in taking down the larger monsters.

Sweet Pleasure also quietly did their job, sneaking out at night when the enemy was less active to set up traps. The next morning, monsters not able to move were found all over the place and dealt with immediately.

Among the adventurers, Huge Twins boasted the most number of kills. They took down monsters with such incredible coordination that surprised even the army. Numbering over a hundred, it was said that not even grass remained where they passed through.

There were other adventurers who played active roles, but there were just too many of them to keep track.

「It’s rough, but I’m glad I came here.」Roy, who had been silent until then, muttered.

He, too, came to Grand Dream to improve his skills. He employed an unusual style of fighting enemies, combining magic and his great sword. As a matter of fact, adventurers watched him quietly.

「This place is like a trade show of combat styles. You watch others, steal their styles, and you get to try them out immediately with the monsters.」

「You can say that again. Don’t let your guard down, though.」

「I know.」

Improving their skill was fun, but they were getting tired of a battle that didn’t seem to be ending any time soon. The ring of a bell came from Dream Maker, a signal for a temporary retreat. They would be changing shifts with the next squad so they could rest.

「Your Majesty! It’s time to retreat!」

Gerhardt often ignored such bells and continued to fight, but Claude still called out to the man, knowing fully well it was pointless.

「Sir?」

But he noticed the king acting strange. The man was standing completely still.

「Gotthold! Get over here!」

His sudden shout startled Claude.

「Y-Your Majesty, Sir Gotthold is already inside the city walls. Is something wrong?」

「Oh, Claude. Don’t you see it?」

「See what?」

「There are no monsters.」

Claude looked around.

The monsters that they had been fighting earlier were nowhere to be found. Sounds of fighting echoed in the distance, and flying monsters cried in the skies, but there were none in their immediate vicinity.

Did the monsters also retreat? It was a ridiculous thought, but the situation itself was ridiculous.

「And the air…」Gerhardt wrinkled his nose.

Claude couldn’t tell if there was something different with the air. He had heard, however, that the Beastman King had a keen sense of smell.

「It can’t be… No. Claude!」

「Yes, sir!」

「We’re going back!」

「Understood!」

Claude was not an Einbeast soldier. He was more of a guest. Of course, neither was he Gerhardt’s subordinate. But he ended up responding like he was one.

Gerhardt ran like the wind, heading straight for Dream Maker. Claude, Ivan, and Roy hurried after him. On the way, Claude noticed the obvious decrease in the monsters’ numbers.

「Gotthold! There you are! What’s going on?!」

Gotthold greeted Gerhardt as soon as he returned to the city, as if fully expecting this to happen.

「Sir. The monsters seem to be retreating. Our scouts are confirming it right now, but I suspect it’s a full-scale retreat, not a temporary one.」

「Why is this happening?」

The monsters leaving would normally be a cause for celebration, but Gerhardt was not happy. He felt discontented. He hadn’t engaged in a satisfying fight.

「I don’t know, but according to the lookout in the watchtower, “they turned back as if they had woken up from a dream”.」

「So they were being controlled.」

「Yes. Your guess was correct.」

「Damn it. This is stupid.」

Gerhardt already knew that the monsters were being forced to fight. The monster’s movements were too straightforward. Their haphazard attacks were a problem, but apart from that, the enemy was basically passive.

「Wait a sec… Does that mean their leader is dead?!」

「Yes. I believe the mastermind controlling the monsters is dead—」

「That’s not the point!」Gerhardt interrupted.「Damn it all! They beat me to it!」The Beastman King howled to the heavens.

Soldiers returning from battle were wondering what was going on. Among them was the Master Swordsman.

「What’s the matter?」

「Lawrence!」It looked as if Gerhardt just saw his best friend.「Someone got a head start and killed the continent’s big shot! The air smells a whole lot different!」

「Huh…」

「Doesn’t it frustrate you?!」

「Not really.」

「Wh-What?!」

「We should rejoice the death of the enemy. We achieved our mission of defending the city.」

「What are you, some kind of puppy following orders?!」

Gerhardt wailed, but it was Lawrence’s true feelings. The captain was just honestly glad that his men survived. He could find out what happened later.

「Lawrence! Let’s have a one-on-one!」

Normally Lawrence would refuse, but not this time.「That sounds like a good idea. But first we need to confirm that it’s safe.」

Gerhardt’s eyes widened, his mouth curving into a grin. He thought Lawrence must have been sick of the boring battle too. While his mind felt relieved that the defensive battle was over, his Instinct longed to fight some more.

「It’s settled, then! Oh, I got an idea!」

Seeing Gerhardt’s broad grin, Lawrence realized his mistake. Gerhardt only made outrageous suggestions at times like this.

「We’ll hold a one-on-one tournament to determine who’s strongest!」

I knew it, Lawrence thought.