Chapter 121: The Food Truck's Speed Is the Fastest on the Continent! (4) "W-Who are you?"
Angelica hastily withdrew the halberd she had been about to level and stepped back from Jinseo.
"My apologies for the late introduction. My name is Lee Jinseo."
Jinseo was certain she was Angelica Crudian, the youngest princess of the Crudian Kingdom. Her authoritative tone toward the other centaur soldiers and her distinctly different attire left little room for doubt.
"You… could it be…?"
Angelica's gaze naturally fell to Jinseo's lower body—two legs fewer than her own.
"I'm human."
"Human? One of the two other races said to be coming to the capital?"
"Yes. After receiving the report from the envoy Your Highness sent, we departed together with Veraul's soldiers and arrived ahead of them."
"Ahead of Veraul's soldiers? How could a human possibly—"
"By riding this."
Jinseo tapped the side of the food truck. Then he opened the Additional Trailer, and those inside quickly disembarked.
Craid rested a hand on the hilt of the greatsword slung across his back.
Hayward touched the twin daggers at his waist while scanning the surroundings sharply.
Grand Mage Painfolt Artran, Julien, and Cardinal Fedora Artran of the Heirem Order stepped out as well.
Angelica could not keep her eyes fixed on any one of them.
Today was the first time she had ever seen a human.
Now several stood before her at once. Confusion clouded her thoughts, and she could not lower her guard.
"Your Highness, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am an unworthy servant of the Lord—Fedora."
As Fedora approached, Angelica instinctively stepped back to widen the distance.
Fedora stopped and smiled gently instead of advancing further.
"Please excuse me."
She extended her left hand toward Angelica while tracing the sign of the cross with her right and reciting a prayer.
A radiant light burst forth.
The healing ability that only clergy of the Heirem Order could manifest began to mend Angelica's wounds one by one.
"What… is this?"
"The Lord's grace reaches even other continents. That is truly fortunate."
The blood staining below Angelica's thigh lifted into the air, wrapped in light, and gradually vanished. Fedora continued casting healing without closing the distance between them.
It was only natural for Angelica to be wary—she had encountered unfamiliar other races while being pursued by monsters.
While Fedora tended to Angelica, the others stepped forward to face the incoming horde.
"Quite a number of monsters are gathering."
Shing.
Craid drew his greatsword and gripped it in both hands.
"And far off in the distance, something truly strong is approaching."
Through instincts sharpened by countless real battles, he sensed the source that had thrown the subjugation force into crisis.
He did not fear.
Aside from Dragon Charlotte—the one being he had felt dread before even fighting—he was ready to welcome anyone with his blade.
"Your Highness, may we eliminate the monsters?"
Craid turned and asked respectfully.
Angelica blinked in surprise.
"Y-You need not seek my permission."
"This is centaur land—the Crudian Continent. These are the monsters Your Highness was subjugating. It is only proper that we ask. May we defeat the monsters advancing toward us?"
"I-I grant permission. No—please, I ask it of you."
"Understood."
The moment she gave consent, monsters burst from the undergrowth.
Craid leapt forward as though he had been waiting.
"Haaah!"
Boom!
His greatsword slammed vertically into the earth. Aura lingering along the blade erupted outward in all directions.
The monsters charging him were struck by the shockwave ripping across the ground and collapsed instantly, unable to rise.
"Hey! Craid! Think about the people behind you! What if the Princess had been caught in that?"
Hayward dropped down from a tree and took position back-to-back with him, grumbling.
"Sorry. Reminded me of when we fought alone."
"Well, Julien noticed what was coming and shielded us with magic, so it's fine."
Confirming the translucent barrier Julien had deployed, Hayward drew his twin daggers and began cutting down the trembling monsters alongside Craid.
From the rear, Painfolt and Julien provided magical support, preventing monsters from approaching the food truck.
{Nero and Owl, designated companions of Lee Jinseo, owner of the Mobile Cooking Facility, have entered combat.}
Nero and Owl joined the battle as well, unleashing their respective abilities.
"Your Highness, you must conserve your strength."
Fedora extended her left arm and restrained Angelica from joining the fight.
"Your safety is paramount."
"…Understood. Forgive my stubbornness."
"There is nothing to forgive."
Fedora turned her head and quietly watched Painfolt's back.
The fierce battle in the dense forest continued for over an hour. Monster corpses piled up everywhere.
Just when it seemed finished, more monsters poured in again. The pattern repeated, and Jinseo's unease grew.
This feels like watching a defense game. There's no end in sight.
Fortunately, Craid remained as steady as when the battle began. Hayward downed a can of Revive and displayed swift movements as he cut down monsters.
But Jinseo sensed danger would come the moment Painfolt and Julien's mana ran dry. He carefully watched for the moment to step in.
"…This is to deliver those who serve You from evil, to extend salvation to those writhing in pain—ah!"
Fedora abruptly stopped praying and looked toward Painfolt.
A monster burst through the transparent barrier and lunged at him. Painfolt evaded by leaving behind an afterimage, but Fedora's face twisted with anger.
"Jinseo! Ice cream, quickly!"
"What?"
"Now!"
Jinseo rushed into the food truck and returned with ice cream.
Though her head throbbed from eating it so quickly, she ignored the pain and finished it in moments.
A freezing wind howled. Her clerical robes billowed violently.
With eyes closed and hands forming seals, Fedora unleashed freezing magic.
The feet of the monsters rushing in froze solid along with the ground. The cold radiated outward from her, encasing rocks, trees, and even blades of grass in ice, yet she maintained precise control, excluding the food truck and allies.
Flames roared overhead.
A towering pillar of fire from Painfolt spread across the immobilized monsters, reducing them to ash. This was no longer mana-efficient casting; it was full-force incineration.
He extinguished the flames cleanly to prevent the forest from catching fire, then clenched both fists and exhaled.
With the monsters annihilated by the successive spells, everyone fell silent, glancing between granddaughter and grandfather.
Painfolt briefly looked toward Fedora, then turned away again.
Julien approached her carefully over frost-covered ground.
"Your skill remains as sharp as ever, Senior."
"It's been a while since I heard that. Still… eating ice cream truly sharpens concentration. Now I understand why mages favor it."
She rubbed her still-throbbing temple and picked up the discarded wrapper.
"You said three times a day was allowed?"
"Yes."
"Then I may well use up the remaining two here."
There was no longer time for reminiscence.
The true cause of Angelica's predicament was approaching.
A deep trumpet like an elephant's echoed from afar. Trees collapsed like straw.
"It's finally here."
Craid swung his greatsword overhead, shaking off the blood.
A status window appeared in Jinseo's field of vision.
Monster Name: Emperor Mammoth
Physical Rank: S+
Vitality: S+ (Elevated due to classification as a gigantic organism)
Special Note: Attributes suppressed below normal values due to someone's seal
Abilities: Hardened Hide (S+), Savage Roar (S+), Continuous Trample (S+)…
Stronger than the previous monsters. Can we handle this with our current numbers? If only we had more forces…
"Your Highness! Where are you?"
"Your Highness! We're here!"
From the opposite direction of the Emperor Mammoth, voices rang out.
Angelica spun around.
"Here! Humans are protecting me! This way!"
Centaur soldiers burst through the brush. They had obeyed Angelica's order to prioritize survival and scatter, but unable to abandon her after she lured the Emperor Mammoth away, they had returned.
"They are not enemies! They are allies! Lower your weapons!"
In their urgency they had instinctively raised weapons at Jinseo's group, but Angelica stopped them.
"Understood!"
"And fall back! You are in no condition to stand on the front line!"
Though reluctant, they obeyed. With injuries both large and small, surrounding Angelica defensively was their best option.
"Centaur warriors, please wait."
Fedora extended her hand and drew a line downward with her index finger.
A dark void opened in midair.
Jinseo stared in shock.
"Your Eminence? That's subspace storage, isn't it?"
Fedora gave a faint smile and reached inside.
She withdrew a cup of extra-spicy tteokbokki prepared with Nuclear Fire Chicken Sauce—something she had specially requested Jinseo make for emergencies.
"It's far weaker than before—barely large enough to store this… but…"
She began eating the far spicier tteokbokki without hesitation.
Unlike before, she did not soothe the heat with Coolis. She embraced the burning pain fully.
"To hear His voice… ngh… this pain is a means I can preserve… hng…"
Blazing light erupted—far greater than when she had healed Angelica—and enveloped the soldiers.
Their injuries vanished instantly.
"Warriors of the Crudian Continent… the time has come."
As Fedora licked the Nuclear Fire Chicken Sauce from her lips, brilliant radiance burst forth from her once more.
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