"What's the plan, my lord?" Henry muttered while keeping his eyes on the goblin chieftain.

"Plan? There's no plan. Just fight with all you have! It will consume its mana soon. We just need to hold on until then." Alaric responded, his voice carrying a trace of uncertainty.

Suddenly, the goblin chieftain grew impatient and lunged at them, brandishing its giant spiked club.

The three Knights immediately jumped backward, evading the heavy blow.

Bang!

A pit that was over a meter deep was created after that devastating strike.

Shocked by its formidable power, they felt extremely unsettled.

Can we all survive after it exhausts its mana?

Arthur frowned as he unconsciously tightened the grip on his sword.

If he was alone, he would have retreated without hesitation. However, he was no longer a mercenary, but a Knight serving under his lord.

As a Knight, it was his duty to protect his lord and to carry out the tasks he was assigned to.

Even in the face of danger, he would never break his promise. He no longer wanted to return to the life of being a mercenary. He was sick of that aimless and monotonous life.

I must protect Lord Alaric, even if I have to die!

He muttered to himself.

At this moment, the goblin chieftain targeted the nearest person which was Henry.

The old Knight carefully avoided the attacks. He wanted to release a counterattack, but the monster was so relentless and it didn't give him any room to breathe.

Alaric and Arthur quickly came over to help him, allowing the old Knight to catch his breath.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

How is it still moving with such speed after fighting recklessly for a long time?

Alaric was starting to get anxious the more the battle dragged on. He expected the goblin chieftain to lose momentum, but it showed no signs of fatigue.

At this rate, we will run out of mana before it will exhaust itself.

Alaric's face fell.

***

Outside the goblin settlement.

Aldrin led the Knight Apprentices in decimating the goblin warriors.

He was like a tiger who had encountered a flock of sheep. No goblin warrior could stop his spear. Whenever one tried, they would have their heads stabbed accurately.

To have that kind of power despite being gravely wounded… Knights are truly on a different level!

The Knight Apprentices couldn't help but marvel as they watched him massacre the goblin warriors so effortlessly.

Meanwhile, the man in question was unaware of everyone's thoughts. He focused his attention on killing the goblin warriors.

I must finish my task here as soon as possible so that I can go and help them!

Aldrin thought.

At first, he believed that Alaric was just an ordinary noble son, but then he suddenly revealed his talent to everyone. He also displayed a commanding ability that was not any less impressive than other experienced Knights. Most importantly, his swordsmanship was out of this world!

That was also the time when Aldrin had vowed to himself that he would always ensure Alaric's safety.

Ten minutes later, the last goblin warrior was finally killed.

Aldrin swept his gaze at the goblin corpses.

After making sure that there were no survivors, he shouted. "Let's go inside the goblin settlement and search for Lord Alaric!"

"Yes, sir!"

***

The battle between the goblin chieftain and the three Knights took an abrupt turn when Henry made a fatal mistake.

The delicate balance between both sides was broken.

"Sir Henry!" Alaric and Arthur shouted when they saw the old Knight smashing into the ground after taking a blow from the monster.

Alaric was flustered.

Henry was more than just a subordinate. He was like a mentor and grandfather figure to him.

Without hesitation, Alaric made a quick dash.

"Hey! I'm here!" He shouted to get the monster's attention.

However, the goblin chieftain ignored him. It lifted its giant spiked club and smashed it down at the old Knight.

"No!"

Just as the goblin chieftain's weapon was about to hit the old Knight, a spear suddenly blocked its path.

Aldrin! Good timing!

Alaric didn't waste this opportunity and pulled the old Knight out of danger.

Just then…

Aldrin's spear broke apart and the goblin chieftain's weapon smashed into the ground hard.

Bang!

Aldrin retreated and quickly pulled out a sword behind his back.

Luckily, I'm not late.

Now, we're even, old man.

Alaric inspected the old Knight's body, his eyes flashed with concern. "Sir Henry, are you alright?"

Urgh!

The old man groaned. "I'm fine, my lord. Don't worry about me."

After making sure that nothing was wrong with him, Alaric reminded the old Knight. "You should be careful, Sir Henry. We are not facing a simple monster this time."

The old Knight nodded his head with a grim look. He knew that it was his fault to underestimate the goblin chieftain's speed. "I understand, my lord. I will be careful."

"Good."

"Can you still fight? We can't beat that beast without you." Alaric didn't want to force the old Knight, but his presence was necessary for their victory.

Looking at Aldrin's state, Alaric could tell that the young Knight was not in the best condition. Furthermore, Arthur was also running out of stamina which was obvious from his heavy breathing.

Henry stood up while grimacing in pain. "I-I can still fight, but we need a better plan now."

Alaric nodded in agreement.

It was a crucial moment for them. To defeat the goblin chieftain, a solid strategy was necessary.

Simply exhausting it is impossible. There is a high chance that we will run out of stamina before it does. I need to come up with something!

Alaric's mind moved as he analyzed the situation.

The goblin chieftain is powerful and it's almost as fast as the rest of us.

Hold on…

He suddenly thought of something.

Its legs!

It might be quick, but it has poor lateral movement because of its disproportionately larger torso. If we can somehow impede its movement, there might be an opportunity to kill it!

Thinking about this, he shouted.

"Everyone, listen closely!"