Pioneer Wizard's Notebook

A somber bugle call echoed through the town.

"Everyone! Head to Sunflower Manor immediately! Hurry, don't just stand there! Quickly!"

The conscripted militiamen ran through the town's streets, their hurried footsteps echoing.

As they sounded their horns, they kept shouting, urging the residents to hurry to the manor.

If they saw someone dawdling, the militiamen, remembering Sir William's promise, would disregard the other person's opinion and cheerfully carry the object to the manor.

Soon, the once bustling town of Spring Blossoms fell silent.

The residents, either urged or forced, poured into the manor.

In the bitter cold of winter, some people were even dragged out of their blankets, shivering with cold, their eyes filled with discontent, huddled together complaining about something.

Above the wall.

"Close the gate!"

After confirming that no more residents were coming from the street, Linde immediately ordered the militia to close the manor gates.

The back was reinforced with sturdy logs to ensure the gate was difficult to break open.

Thanks to the numerous evacuation drills organized by the Hippocratic Cadet, the town's residents reacted relatively quickly.

He arrived in less than half an hour after receiving the soldiers' report and the order to evacuate.

Even if there are elderly people or children who are slow to move, the passing militiamen will quickly pick them up and carry them out because of the incentive of the reward.

In this situation, if anyone still doesn't take it seriously or even hides in the town, Lind can only say that he respects nature's choice.

"A total of twenty high-grade sunflowers. If all goes well, that should be enough to stop this wave of Icefield Demons' attack."

Linde gazed into the distance, recalling the number of enemies reported by the two soldiers when they returned—around fifty.

This force is enough to completely tear apart the once-powerful Flower Leader army.

Now, it remains to be seen whether the solar winds can dispel the aftershocks of the ice storm.

A cold wind, mixed with ice shards, came from the direction of the Ice Mist Forest. After reaching the high slope where the manor was located, it spiraled into the air and condensed a layer of white frost between everyone's eyebrows.

While waiting, the other militiamen on the wall also realized something was wrong and became nervous.

Especially when they saw a group of strange, ice-blue creatures appearing in the distance, their expressions instantly tightened.

"God Father above, what is that?"

As the militiamen panicked, William drew his longsword, his calm words echoing in everyone's ears.

"Grip your weapons tight! You stand atop a solid wall, protecting your loved ones behind you. Whatever those monsters may be, remember one thing: hold them off!"

During the past few days, William the Knights have hinted, to some extent, that an enemy attack is imminent.

The intensive training and the actual distribution of food gave the militia members something to look forward to.

Now, looking at the rows of archers on the wall and his wife and family busily transporting rolling stones below.

The infectious nature of the group quickly calmed them down, and they headed to their assigned areas.

Two small-town boys, Broad and Mark, were also among them, but their expressions were quite different.

"The Icefield Demon? That's the legendary Icefield Demon, right?!"

Broad looked excitedly at his companion, "Mark! Look, we're about to become heroes in the tavern's tales!"

"I think it's going to turn into excrement under the ice and snow."

Mark glared at Broad's spear and shield with annoyance, and accused him, "I told you before, there's no free prey on the ice plains! You insisted on becoming a spearman and shield bearer, rushing off to your death!"

Unlike his naive companions, Mark had studied history for a time under the guidance of Inspector Hilbert and was familiar with the horrors of the Iceborne.

He finally understood why the Baron had left in a hurry a few days ago, and for a moment he felt both relieved and amused.

Fortunately, I and my family were protected by the wall.

Ironically, in the face of disaster, the lord fled, and the once arrogant eldest son heir was nowhere to be found.

Instead, the second son, who was always mild-mannered and nicknamed "sheep," was left behind to organize the defensive line.

"The shield-spearmen are paid twice as much! Besides, someone always has to be at the front."

Brod argued, lifting the shield—too heavy for him—and stepping to the front of the wall. "Watch closely, I can't wait to show off my fighting prowess!"

Mark sighed and gripped his hunting bow tighter.

"Those brainless roe deer, let's pray we survive."

The militia were on high alert, taking advantage of the manor's location on the hillside to get a clear view of the scene below.

More than fifty Icefield Demons revealed their true forms.

Among them are fifteen standing humanoid ice demons, formed from human corpses; and more than thirty wolf-like ice demons with fangs, whose true forms are the large predators of the North, the Winter Wolf.

The fence of Spring Flower Town was torn open, and the wooden walls of the houses were destroyed in an instant.

Under the complex gazes of the militiamen, a mixture of fear, anger, and lingering dread, the Ice Demons surged into the town, mercilessly destroying everything in their path.

Suddenly, a scream rang out.

One of the militiamen shuddered: "There?! It's old bachelor Humphreys. He keeps a hen and was afraid it would be stolen, so he hid in the cellar this morning."

The others shuddered and quickly turned their heads away.

Seemingly finding no further signs of life, the Icefield Ghosts stopped their destruction of the town and raised their heads to look at the manor.

"Hunter archers, prepare!"

Seeing the monsters gather together and rush toward the manor gate, Knight William immediately raised his longsword and gave orders.

Rows of militiamen raised their hunting bows, the fletchings of the arrows they held trembling slightly in the cold wind.

At the same time, Lind estimated the distance visually.

"Three hundred meters, two hundred, one hundred, that's enough."

He tied stones to the high sunflower, lit them with a brazier beside him, and threw them outwards.

The effective killing range of the hunting bow is fifty meters. Considering the uneven skill levels of these militiamen, Linde shortened this range to twenty-five meters.

Just as the burning Advanced Sunflowers landed, the surging Icefield Demons happened to pass by.

The next second, a scorching solar wind swirls up.

"put!"

A chaotic rain of arrows poured down from the wall, piercing the wailing Icefield Demon's body.

More than a dozen monsters collapsed to the ground and fell still.

The effect was outstanding, and the militiamen clenched their fists and shouted excitedly, their morale soaring.

However, the very thing Linde feared most happened the next second.

The remaining Icefield Demons scattered, breaking down from a single entity into individual units, making it difficult for the Solar Wind to kill multiple targets at once.

One by one, the Ice Demons arrived at the base of the wall, their sharp claws piercing into the crevices, allowing them to climb upwards without any tools.

"Smash them down!"

"Linde shouted."

At the same time, he commanded two soldiers, Philip and Judd, to throw burning advanced sunflowers into areas densely populated with monsters.

Gusts of solar wind rose from below, dispelling the bitter cold, and together with falling rocks, smashed the Ice Demon into pieces.

However, these monsters were faster than expected.

Before long, gaps began to appear.

A winter wolf transformed into an ice field demon withstood a hail of arrows and nimbly climbed the wall.

The militiaman with shield and spear blocking his way didn't even have time to react before the long, thin wolf's snout was already in front of him.

The menacing fangs tore open the neck, and the gushing blood stained a large section of the wall crimson.

The militiaman's entire neck was bitten off, and his head fell to the ground.