Chapter 398: Whispers Beneath the Wall
The eyes of the cunning old foxes in attendance darted subtly, each of them lost in their own tangled thoughts. Standing behind the City Lord was a young woman—Gorr’s Niece—who frowned slightly as her gaze lingered on Ethan. A strange light flickered in her eyes, uncertain and measuring.
Ethan stepped forward to stand beside the City Lord, his thoughts mirroring the unease of the others. He couldn’t make sense of this old man’s intentions. There was no visible malice—even when Ethan had deliberately provoked him earlier, the City Lord hadn’t reacted.
And then there was the girl behind him. Why was she staring at him like that? She had an innocent, almost gentle look—like the kind of girl who’d appear in the daydreams of quiet boys. Hmm... that spatial pouch of hers seemed pretty nice.
"This old man is Regis," the City Lord said suddenly, still gazing out over the city below. "As for my identity, you’ve likely guessed already. May I ask your name, young man?"
Ethan pulled his attention away from the girl and looked out from the tower. Resting a hand on the stone edge, he peered down. From this height—nearly a hundred meters above the city wall—he could see the chaos unfolding.
The Pincer-tailed Sand Badgers had begun climbing the wall. City Guards were already positioned, forming defensive lines. The onlookers who had crowded the wall earlier had been pushed back to clear the area. Around the base of the wall, a towering curtain of fire—dozens of meters wide—raged like a living beast. It was the first line of defense, and for the badgers to climb, they’d have to force their way through the blaze.
That wall of flame was cutting down the enemy numbers significantly, and the pressure on the defenders had eased. But Ethan knew these creatures. The Sand Badgers were fearless, heedless of pain or death. The fire wouldn’t hold them off for long.
From a distance, the city’s massive siege weapons launched projectiles into the swarm. Their range was impressive, but Ethan noted the flaw: once the monsters got close, those same weapons became nearly useless. It was a tradeoff—devastating power at range, but dead weight in close-quarters combat.
It reminded Ethan of the old siege tactics back on Earth. In any prolonged defense, supply was king—arrows, bolts, stones... all of them consumables. When they ran out, you were left with nothing but high ground and desperation.
But this wasn’t a war against humans. Beastfall City faced monsters who didn’t fear height, who saw walls as little more than obstacles. To them, even a thousand-meter vertical drop was a hill to climb, not a barrier.
Then came the question. The old City Lord, calm as ever, turned and asked Ethan what should be done.
Ethan blinked, incredulous. ’You’re asking me? How the hell would I know what aces your city has up its sleeve?’