Ulyseon severed the goblin's head with a single nimble blow.
"My lady!
Your barrier!"
Maxi woke up from her daze as she stared in terror at the monster's headless body and prepared to summon her mana.
Monsters were charging at them from all directions, and there didn't seem to be enough time to cast the barrier.
Seeing her hesitant, Ulyseon and Garrow pushed her against a tree and positioned themselves in formation in front of her.
The goblins had descended the mountainside at frightening speeds.
They climbed the trees and attacked from above, flying toward the riders like cannonballs with axes.
The knights cut them down two by two with a swing of their swords.
Angry monkey-like screams echoed through the forest.
"Heavens!
There is no end to them!"
Hebaron's thunderous shouts cut through the tumult.
Terrified, Maxi kept her back pressed against the tree and fought for air.
He was right.
Although the knights were slaughtering goblin after goblin, monsters seemed to be emerging from the other side of the rock face.
"Everyone, retreat!
I'll use my blade aura to finish“"
"No!
It will destroy the rock!" Riftan barked, brandishing his sword.
"We are at a geographical disadvantage!
Let's retreat!"
"Say you're kidding!
You want us to back down because of these damn“"
Their exchange of words was interrupted by a thunderous tremor that shook the ground.
The goblin horde split in half and quickly dispersed.
Immediately realizing what was happening, Riftan barked orders at the knights.
"The rock face is crumbling!
Get out now!"
The knights responded almost immediately.
Grabbing Maxi by the arms, Ulyseon and Garrow began to quickly climb the steep mountain path.
Maxi held Rem's reins and led the agitated horse along the path.
At this moment, a thunderous bang sent a flock of birds flying from the treetops.
Maxi's eyes widened at the dirt and rock rolling down the slope.
Dragged by her squires, Maxi stayed just ahead of the wreckage before the ground beneath her feet began to crumble.
Maxi wasn't the only one to stagger and fall.
The riders, along with their horses, slid down the pile of earth.
Riftan called to them from above, but there was no time to respond.
Whenever she tried to get up, the ground seemed to sink in like sand, and she kept falling as if she were being pulled by her ankles.
Stones and pieces of dirt began to be thrown towards her as soon as she managed to steady herself.
Almost reflexively, Maxi began to circulate his mana.
An earthen barrier appeared well before the rockslide could bury them.
Maxi collapsed to the ground and directed his mana around the symbol.
The barrier rose higher as the mound of earth threatened to break through it.
Finally, the tremors stopped when Maxi's mana was almost exhausted.
Everyone on the other side of the barricade breathed a sigh of relief.
“It feels like I wasted ten years of my life right now,” said Gabel as he helped Maxi to her feet.
"You did well, my lady.
This barrier cannot be easy to maintain.
We must move to a safer location."
Supporting her with one hand, he quickly carried her to the side of the slope.
"All of you!
Get your act together and follow me!"
Garrow and Ulyseon calmed the agitated horses.
Even with all the commotion, Maxi continued looking for Riftan.
He was nowhere to be found.
“I- And what happened to Riftan?”
“The front guard should be up there now,” said Garrow.
“The collapse started from the rear, so only we fell.”
He did a head count as he hurried up the slope.
“There are about fifteen knights and thirteen squires.”
The knights calmed their horses and made a quick evacuation as if the barrier could collapse at any moment.
It was only after climbing a good distance that they could see the full extent of the rockslide.
The color drained from Maxi's face when she saw the mass of rock that could have crushed her.
“D-Do you think… those up there are okay?”
“Wait just a moment, my lady.” Gabel took out a finger-sized stick from his tunic and blew into it, creating a high-pitched whistle similar to a bird's cry.
His call echoed across the mountain.
He blew on the bat twice more, and a similar whistle responded from above.“They say everyone up there is safe too.”
Maxi's legs gave way, and she sank to the ground.
Ulyseon promptly moved to help her up.
"Is everything okay, my lady?
Please tell me you're not hurt."
"I-I'm fine.
M-My legs just went weak for a moment..."
In fact, she had been hit in the back when she fell.
It hurt now, but it wasn't severe enough to impede his movement.
She concentrated on calming her shaking legs and managed to get up with difficulty.
Rem approached nervously and nudged Maxi's back with her nose.
Clinging to the mare's neck, Maxi struggled up the mountain to a flatter surface.
When they were safely away from the rockslide, Maxi ended his spell.
The barricade gave way as the precarious mounds of earth and rock tumbled down the mountain.
Ahead, however, a large rock blocked their path.
Looking at the imposing rock, Gabel clicked his tongue.
“Our path is blocked.”
“Couldn’t we just climb over it?” said Garrow.
Gabel shook his head.
“Goblins could be lurking, and the boulder could roll while we’re passing by.”
He took out the stick again and blew into it four times in a peculiar pattern.
There was silence, and then another whistled response.
"We'll take the long way around.
There must be another way if we head northeast."
“What if we lose them?”
"There's a village just below this mountain.
I told them we'd meet there, so stop asking questions and follow me."
He led his horse with quick strides, scanning his surroundings.
"We must hurry.
We don't know when the goblins will return."
Maxi shrugged and looked at the dense trees and rocks.
The idea that monsters could be watching them like hawks from deep shadows made her shiver.
Garrow approached Maxi in a protective stance and asked Gabel, “Do you think they caused the rockslide too?”
"Probably.
I bet that's how they've been attacking larger monsters or traders traveling through this mountain.
There might be more traps nearby, so stay vigilant," Gabel said, jumping over a small rock blocking their path.
Maxi was sweating profusely as he climbed the rock with the help of the riders.
Every inch of his body screamed with effort.
Her wrist burned, and she figured she must have sprained it.
“Is everything okay, my lady?”
“Y-Yes.”
She was far from well, but she responded out of habit.
Gabel assessed his condition carefully, then looked around the gloomy mountain path once more.
His lips pressed together into a thin line.
"It would be difficult for us to rest now, my lady.
Please hold on until we find a safe place."
With one arm around Rem's back, Maxi tried desperately to keep up with the knights as they moved through the trees with their swords drawn.
“Do you think the goblins will come after us?”
"They saw us fall, so they'll come.
You can bet they'll go after the smaller group."
“Indeed… they wouldn’t give up so easily after setting such a big trap,” muttered a knight apathetically, lowering his head to avoid a branch.
"We can just finish them off if they come after us.
If it weren't for this trap, those damn goblins would already be..."
"Don't look down on them just because they're goblins.
Haven't you learned anything from what just happened?
They may not be high-level monsters, but they have impressive collaboration skills even among monsters of the Ayin race.
They're a problem to deal with in large numbers, just like that horde back there.
They use their heads.
They're nothing to be sniffed at when they use the land to their advantage like that."
Gabel walked at the front of the group and led the riders through the dense trees.
As he wiped the beads of sweat running down his forehead, Maxi looked up, watching the birds soar above them.
Before long, the scorching sun began to turn into a hazy light.
Although it was still light, the twilights in the mountains were abrupt.
There was no telling when darkness would fall.
Maxi knew Gabel was right“they couldn't afford to linger in a forest like this.
She moved forward desperately.“We’ll get back on our horses as soon as we get to level ground, so take heart until then, my lady,” Garrow said eagerly, trying to encourage Maxi.
She continued to lag behind as he carefully led the group through the trees.
Maxi didn't know how long they continued walking, but soon the path became noticeably smoother.
After surveying their surroundings, Gabel raised his hand to signal that they could take a brief break.
Maxi collapsed to the floor and tried to catch his breath.
Ulyseon untied a water bag and handed it to her.
"This is a tablet made with sugar and salt, my lady.
Please take it with a little water.
It should help you regain your energy."
Maxi swallowed the round, candy-like tablet, and although she spilled half the water on her dress, she could barely tell because her clothes were already soaked with sweat.
After returning the water pouch to Ulyseon, Maxi chewed mandrake root from a pouch attached to his belt.
She had to recover some mana.
"We must ride horses from now on.
They look exhausted, but they should be able to handle a slight climb.
Do you think you can ride, my lady?"
Maxi nodded.
Once she managed to catch her breath and gain some energy, she climbed onto Rem with the help of the junior knights.
She was pretty sure she could stand without falling.
They rode along the peaceful mountain path in silence.
The knights remained vigilant, one hand on the hilt of their swords.
Terrified that monsters might jump out at any moment, Maxi cast nervous glances at the shadows in the bushes and between the trees.
She had an eerie feeling that something was watching them from the dense vegetation.
Gabel abruptly raised his hand and signaled them to ride faster.
Maxi galloped after the riders confusedly.
Leaning closer to Rem to avoid falling, Maxi looked over his shoulder and saw goblins fiercely chasing them.
The knights fired arrows at the advancing horde.
"My lady!
Please keep looking ahead!
The path is full of obstacles", warned Garrow.
Maxi looked away from the goblins and spurred Rem frantically through the dense forest.
There was an unpleasant ringing in his ears.
As he ran, something fell from the trees.
Maxi was too out of breath to scream.
She held the reins as Rem reared up to knock down the goblin that had latched onto her head.
Maxi clung to Rem's neck as if her life depended on it.
The goblin made a strange sound and maintained its fierce grip.
After working frantically to get rid of the goblin, Rem changed direction and began galloping down the mountain.
Maxi pulled on the reins, but it was useless.
The goblin bared its teeth and held on stubbornly, wrapping its arm around Rem's neck.
Instinctively, Maxi made a fist-sized flame appear on the monster's face.
The goblin screamed and let go, finally falling off his horse.
The well-proportioned mare's graceful front paws mercilessly trampled the goblin's massive head.
Maxi squeezed his eyes shut.
Rem continued to stomp on the corpse for a while, but eventually stopped and lowered her head in exhaustion.
Hot tears streamed down Maxi's cheeks as she clung to Rem.
She felt as if she had been tossed about by a storm.
When she finally managed to compose herself, she looked around in silence.
She had no idea where she was.
Rem had galloped down the mountain so quickly that it apparently took no time for Maxi to separate from the group.
Breathing shallowly, Maxi waited for the knights to find her.