A Flicker of Hope

As the two holy maidens were doing their best, Max stood atop the walls of Fantom City, watching the battlefield without blinking. His weathered hands rested on the stone battlements, but the grip of his fingers slowly tightened as his sharp eyes followed every movement below.

Smoke drifted across the battlefield like a gray veil.

The clang of steel, the thunder of explosions, and the mournful cries of the wounded echoed through the air without pause. Every few seconds another skeleton crumbled beneath the defenders’ blades, only for another to take its place.

It was a war of endurance.

And the undead had no concept of exhaustion.

Standing behind Max were nearly all of the Knight Academy’s instructors, each wearing battle armor instead of ceremonial robes. Around them, senior students assisted the defenders by carrying arrows, replacing damaged shields, treating the wounded, and reinforcing the battlements. Some of the strongest students had even joined the city guards on the walls, firing arrows and casting support magic whenever an opening appeared.

One middle-aged instructor lowered his spyglass and released a slow breath.

"Headmaster... I’ve fought monsters for over twenty years."

His voice was calm, but the strain behind it was impossible to hide.

"I’ve never seen anything like this."

Max remained silent.

His gaze never left the battlefield.

He watched Clara’s adventurers repeatedly breaking through the enemy’s spellcasters before withdrawing in perfect order.

He watched Ruby and Natalia racing across the battlefield, destroying one fortified scaling ladder after another while carefully avoiding prolonged battles against the Ogre Kings.

He watched Videl and Lane standing atop the walls, their eyes fixed on the two colossal undead dragons that had yet to move.

Everything...

Everything still remained balanced.

Barely.

Another instructor stepped beside him.

"Headmaster... can we still defend Fantom City?"

Max closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again.

"As long as the Elder Necromancer Alibaba and those two undead dragons remain where they are..."

He paused.

"...we can still hold."

Hope flickered across the instructors’ faces.

"How long?" another teacher asked quietly.

Max’s expression grew heavier.

"Three days."

Silence spread among the group.

Even those who had expected a grim answer couldn’t hide the disappointment in their eyes.

"...At most."

One instructor instinctively looked toward the city behind them.

Families had gathered inside temples, warehouses, and abandoned buildings.

Children clung to their mothers.

Old men helped carry supplies.

Even ordinary citizens had begun preparing boiling oil, stones, and spare arrows for the defenders.

Everyone was fighting in their own way.

"If those two dragons enter the battle..." Max continued, his voice carrying no emotion, "...or if Alibaba himself decides to move..."

His eyes shifted toward the distant hill.

The two enormous undead dragons remained perfectly still.

Their wings stayed folded against their skeletal bodies, while ghostly flames flickered deep inside their empty eye sockets.

They looked less like living creatures and more like disasters waiting to happen.

Max slowly shook his head.

"...then Videl and Lane will be forced to stop them."

The instructors nodded.

Everyone understood.

Those two young women were the city’s final shield.

"If they fall..."

Max didn’t need to finish the sentence.

Everyone already knew the answer.

"...everyone in Fantom City dies."

The words settled over the battlements like cold rain.

Nobody argued.

Nobody denied it.

Because it was the truth.

One of the academy instructors looked toward the western road beyond the battlefield.

"Then all we can do is wait for reinforcements."

Max followed his gaze.

"The army from the capital."

"It would have to arrive much earlier than expected," another instructor muttered.

"Even marching day and night..."

"...it still may not be enough," Max finished quietly.

His thoughts drifted elsewhere.

Victor.

That young man had repeatedly accomplished what others believed impossible.

If Victor were here...

Max allowed himself the thought for only a moment before forcing it aside.

He couldn’t build strategies around wishes.

Still...

If Victor or Isabella returned...

Everything would change.

The battlefield would no longer be hopeless.

"It is also possible," Max said after a long silence, "that fate smiles upon us and a powerful expert happens to pass through this region."

One instructor let out a bitter laugh.

"A miracle."

"Yes," Max replied calmly. "At this point... a miracle."

He hated relying on things beyond his control.

A commander should rely on preparation.

On discipline.

On strategy.

Not on luck.

Yet the situation before him had already gone beyond ordinary warfare.

His gaze drifted toward the academy instructors standing around him.

Some had once been his students.

Others had become his colleagues after graduating from the Knight Academy years ago.

Every one of them had chosen to remain in Fantom City instead of escaping.

None had complained.

None had asked to retreat.

They simply stood beside him, ready to fight until the very end.

"If I knew this would happen..." Max murmured to himself.

The words escaped before he realized it.

"...I wouldn’t have sent my Saint-ranked swordsman disciple back to the capital years ago."

Regret.

It was a feeling he rarely allowed himself.

Years ago, he had believed the capital needed stronger protectors.

He had made the decision without hesitation.

At the time, it had been the correct choice.

Now...

Standing atop these walls...

Watching thousands of undead surround his city...

He couldn’t help wondering what might have changed had that disciple remained.

One instructor heard his words.

"Headmaster..."

Max slowly raised a hand, stopping him.

"No."

His voice regained its usual firmness.

"There is no value in regretting decisions that cannot be changed."

His golden gaze hardened once more.

"We fight with the strength we have—not the strength we wish we had."

The instructors straightened instinctively.

The uncertainty in their eyes slowly faded.

Max looked across the battlefield one final time.

Clara’s adventurers were still holding.

Ruby and Natalia continued destroying the enchanted ladders.

The defenders on the walls had not given an inch.

They still had a chance.

A small one.

But as long as that chance existed...

He would seize it.

He rested a hand on the hilt of his sword and looked toward the endless sea of undead.

Hold on...

Just a little longer.

Perhaps... just perhaps...

A miracle might still find its way to Fantom City.