How to Use the Lord’s Future Diary

Chapter 7

The effect of the concentrated fire was tremendous.

Iron arrows for large monsters, and the Johnson Territory’s special longbows.

The bowstring, twisted from the sinews of giant monsters, could not even be drawn without using mana.

And yet, there were no less than five hundred warriors using such longbows.

Most of them were even sharpshooters.

It was to the point where calling them a militia seemed absurd.

The rangers’ performance was equally impressive.

The rangers, who could faintly imbue their arrows with aura, were sniping the relatively higher-ranked monsters first.

A true one-shot, one-kill.

Monsters with iron arrows stuck in their heads rolled across the ground, further adding to the chaos.

“Here they come!”

But not all monsters could be stopped by the volleys.

There were too many of them, and some began breaking through the rain of arrows, advancing toward the castle one by one.

“Jumping Lizards! Brace yourselves!”

The most notable were the Jumping Lizards.

These troublesome Class 6 monsters, with their powerful legs, could leap several meters in a single bound.

The group of Jumping Lizards vaulted over the bottleneck area in great leaps, landing directly onto the castle walls.

Residents without bows, along with soldiers, drew their weapons and charged to face them.

“Stay calm! Pair up, two by two!”

-Kraaaa!

“Die!”

And that was not all.

Other monsters, forcing their way through the bloody path, began climbing the castle walls one after another.

Not only the soldiers but also the knights were forced into relentless action.

But even worse was yet to come.

-Swoosh! Swoosh!

“Ugh!!”

A faint, slicing sound brushed past my ears.

A chill ran down my spine.

Instinctively, I raised my greatsword to shield myself.

-Clang.

Several venomous needles, about 20 centimeters long, clattered onto the ground with a sharp metallic ring.

Below the castle wall, a two-meter-long lizard flicked its tongue and swayed its tail.

It was a ‘Sting Chameleon,’ launching poisonous needles from its tail.

The air shimmered strangely around them as their group approached the walls.

“Damn it! Raise your shields! Sting Chameleons!”

The Class 5 monster Sting Chameleon was an assassin that relied on its camouflage to sneak close and then strike with venomous darts.

Facing them in the middle of such a chaotic battle made them all the more dangerous.

The shields, specially crafted and handed to the residents, had been made precisely to deal with monsters like these.

Sting Chameleon, Stone Gorilla, Needle Leopard.

The monsters of the Forest of Illusions that possessed ranged attacks.

It was fortunate, at least, that there were no swarming-type monsters among them.

The Gnolls of the Monster Mountains alone were already no different from an actual human army.

“Gah!!”

The sudden shower of poisoned needles caused casualties to surge.

‘Damn it.’

My lips twisted bitterly at the sight of fallen residents.

It reminded me too much of my old comrades getting injured during missions.

I hadn’t lived here for long, but I must have grown attached in some way.

After all, these tough residents suited my style more than I cared to admit.

But there was no helping it.

No matter how well-prepared we were, it was impossible to avoid casualties in such a massive battle.

I clenched my teeth and began to reorganize the formation.

In times like this, keeping calm was the only way to minimize losses.

“Get a grip! Reserve unit! Evacuate the wounded first!”

“Fill in the gaps! Eric, Natalie—you two move to Sector 3!”

“Galric, Gerard, Rabo—come here, now!”

“Raise your shields! Protect the archers!”

“Rangers! Focus on the Sting Chameleons first!”

It was the veteran knights, led by Sir Dominic, who helped restore order to the ranks.

The moment my orders were given, they moved swiftly, coordinating the evacuation of the wounded, reorganizing the lines, and redirecting the targets.

As expected, in situations like this, seasoned veterans were reliable.

When young knights lost their footing, men of experience like them had to step forward.

-Bwuuuuut!!!

“Lord! Over there!”

“…What?”

Just as the elder knights were stabilizing the formation, and the rangers’ precise shots were beginning to quell the chaos of the savage monsters’ assault…

A ranger atop the watchtower blew the warning horn once again.

Something new had appeared.

“That’s… a Forest Troll, isn’t it?”

Towering over three meters tall, with a grotesque face and long arms dangling past its waist.

Its body was hunched and muscular, rough and bulging with knots.

A group of Class 4 Forest Trolls was approaching the territory.

‘So, at last, something we can’t handle with arrows has arrived.’

By Class 4, even iron arrows for large monsters could barely inflict damage.

At best, a ranger’s aura-infused arrow might have some effect, but Forest Trolls possessed astonishing regenerative powers, surviving even headshots.

The only way to deal with them was to destroy their hearts directly or completely blow off their heads.

Among the troll species famed for regeneration, Forest Trolls were the most tenacious of all.

‘Should I use the mana cannon here…? No, no. This much, we should handle ourselves.’

“Brother, did you see that?”

“Yeah, I saw.”

“Then let’s prepare. Time to rampage.”

“Urgh, fine. Let’s get ready.”

While I was still weighing the decision, Rudick, who had been leading the soldiers, dashed over like lightning and urged us to sortie.

Simply holding off monsters climbing the walls was never going to satisfy him.

After all, the roughest men in this territory were none other than these knights.

As one of their foremost representatives in the past, I couldn’t exactly criticize them for it… though they were undeniably reckless.

Well, to be precise, it wasn’t me now—it was the “past me, Iron.”

‘Still, the timing for a sortie is good.’

The advance wave of monsters was already falling apart, and those Forest Trolls were enemies that were a nightmare to face with only ranged fire.

Besides, luring them all the way to the castle walls was not ideal—when battling such massive monsters, the presence of the residents could become a hindrance.

And the top of the walls was hardly the right battlefield for fighting giants like Forest Trolls.

“Sir Dominic, take the 2nd squad and command the soldiers from the wall.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Leaving my back to Sir Dominic, I leapt down from the wall.

Ignoring the gate, which had already been piled high with monster corpses, I dropped straight below.

Rudick and the remaining knights all gathered here.

‘These guys really are a sight to see.’

All of them wore worn-out leather armor, wielded massive two-handed weapons, and didn’t even have mounts—they were just marching on foot.

“Pathetic. Anyone would think you were mercenaries, not knights.”

“Now, that’s harsh. You think we enjoy this?”

“Boo! Step down, you greedy lord! We want warhorses too!”

“We need iron-plated magic armor as well!”

“As if it’d matter. Even if I bought you iron plate, you lot would toss it aside the very next day.”

“Well, true enough.”

“Even iron armor feels suffocating if it’s magical plate.”

Still, these men were indeed knights.

They were all rowdy and rough, much like their captain, but when it came down to it, they got the job done.

Even with enemies right in front of them, they showed no sign of shrinking back.

“Good! Let’s go! Charge!”

“Johnson! Johnson!”

“Johnson! Johnson!”

‘Wait—why is the knights’ battle cry “Johnson”? …Never mind. Not important right now.’

It felt strange, but I ignored it.

There were more urgent matters to deal with.

We surged forward, pounding across the earth.

At the front was Rudick.

The rest of the knights formed up in a line behind him.

Our target: the Forest Trolls.

We sprinted straight across the battlefield.

-Kraaaak!

The monsters roaming the fields all swarmed toward us.

Hunting humans was their nature.

But even monsters needed to know their limits—charging into a formation of knights only made them fodder.

“Feels good in the hands!”

With a greatsword, I cleaved straight through a Grit Boar’s torso.

The sensation was raw and unfamiliar, almost as if the wildness hidden inside me was stirring.

“Keep pushing through!”

“Johnson! Johnson!!”

The knights, fired up, shredded through the monsters as they charged.

None of the monsters left on this field were strong enough to take on a knight squad head-on.

Their sheer numbers could be dangerous if we were surrounded, but our goal was simple: take out the trolls and withdraw.

Thanks to the castle walls acting like an anvil, most of the horde had already been crushed, and their momentum was broken.

-Groooarrr!!!

We pressed forward until we reached the Forest Troll pack.

One of them, likely the leader, barreled straight toward me.

“Kh!”

I raised my sword and deflected its punch.

Even with just a parry, my entire arm went numb with pain.

Monsters of intermediate rank or higher instinctively knew how to manipulate mana.

That was why soldiers and residents couldn’t recklessly face medium to large monsters.

If one mishandled mana or aura, they’d only end up eaten alive.

“Form a surround formation!”

I gave the command to the knights and lunged in.

Ducking under the arm I had deflected, I swung my blade like a club and slammed it into the troll’s side.

I didn’t coat the greatsword with aura.

That spot wasn’t vital enough to matter anyway.

Aura had to be saved and unleashed only at decisive moments, for maximum efficiency.

“Hah!!!”

The opening came.

The troll, stabbed in the side, roared in frenzy and lashed out with a wild punch.

But the bigger the movement, the bigger the opening.

The knights of Johnson Territory were men seasoned in battling monsters larger than themselves.

The same was true of Iron, my past self.

I deflected the frenzied blow with ease and launched myself forward.

-Kraaak!!!!

This time, I poured all my aura into the swing of my greatsword.

The target was its head.

With a clean strike, I severed the troll’s thick neck bone in one stroke.

“Here it comes!!”

“Die!!”

There had been seven Forest Trolls.

With one felled by me, six remained.

Rudick had engaged another, while the rest of the knights encircled the remaining five and fought them in a wheel formation.

Those massive polearms they carried were designed solely for fighting medium and large monsters.

And the wide plains here suited humans far better than monsters.

Until now, battles had been fought mostly in the forests or mountains—the monsters’ home ground. But here, that wasn’t the case.

-Wooooaaahhhh!!!!

When the final troll collapsed, a thunderous cheer erupted from the walls.

The shouts had begun the moment the knights sallied out, rising higher and higher as we hacked down the monsters, reaching a climax as the last troll fell.

The morale atop the walls burned hot, soaring to the heavens.

‘This… is a strange feeling.’

I had killed countless times to save others.

But I had never once been met with such fiery cheers.

And that was only natural.

The work I had done before had never been something to be celebrated, no matter how “good” it was. At best, only those who knew about it acknowledged it quietly.

“Johnson!!!”

-Johnson!! Johnson!!!

Without realizing it, I found myself shouting the knights’ battle cry.

The walls roared back in fierce response.

‘Damn it. That dopamine rush hit too hard.’

And I regretted it immediately.

Shaking my head, I felt a sudden wave of inexplicable self-reproach.

-Bwooooooo!!!

Amid the blazing fervor, the warning horn sounded once more.

As if to say it was far too early to celebrate.

-Thoom! Thoom!

The ground trembled as something massive revealed itself in the distance.

“…A Cyclops. And a mutated one at that.”

It seemed the crisis of Johnson Territory was far from over.