Reincarnated as a step-dad in a fantasy world

Chapter 352 : Beast tide

Outside Freya's office, standing in front of the door, a guard clad in fully plated armor banged furiously against the heavy wood, his gauntleted fists striking with urgency.

He had been calling for the Matriarch for what felt like hours, yet there was no response. No sound from within. No indication that she had even heard him.

The guards outside clearly told me she was here, he thought, his expression tightening as he pounded the door again, raising his voice. 'M-Maybe… did something happen to the Matriarch?'

Freya was someone who could wake at the slightest disturbance—he knew this well, as it wasn’t the first time he had come to alert her of urgent matters. Normally, she would open the door almost instantly after he knocked once and announced himself. But now, there was nothing. Silence.

It might have been far-fetched to assume the worst, especially considering the elite guards Freya had at her disposal. Yet, with the city under attack, the unsettling quiet gnawed at his nerves. His gut told him something was wrong.

'Perhaps I should just enter and make sure she’s safe,' he thought, his hand hesitating before he clenched his fist in determination.

He waited a second longer, then knocked once more, this time shouting at the top of his lungs. When no response came, his resolve solidified. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself to force the door open.

But just as his hand reached for the handle, the door swung open abruptly.

"Ah, Matriarch, I was about—" His words died in his throat, his eyes widening in sheer horror as he took in the sight before him.

In front of him stood a Freya sporting an expression like that of a predator disturbed mid-feast, her piercing gaze locking onto him with a fury that sent a chill down his spine. Her breath was slightly uneven, her skin glistening faintly with sweat. 

'W-Why is she looking at me like that?' he wondered, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. His throat suddenly felt dry, and for some reason, an instinctive fear rooted him to the spot.

"What is the situation?" Freya inquired in quite a pissed tone.

The guard gulped before blurting out in a quick, urgent tone, "The city is under attack from a beast tide!"

Hearing those words, Freya’s expression shifted for the first time, a deep frown forming on her face. A beast tide was a serious matter—something that could escalate into a full-scale disaster if not handled properly. However, this wasn’t normally a situation that required her direct involvement. The family’s guards, soldiers and knights were strong enough to handle a beast tide unless it was an exceptionally dangerous one. There was no need to bother her!

Freya was thinking along those lines because she and Alex had been interrupted right in the middle of their intimate moment. But after a second, she let out a sigh, pushing the frustration aside. She had no one to blame but herself, after all, she was the one who insisted on knowing everything that was going on something moment it happened.

She was about to say something when Alex appeared by the door, standing right behind her.

‘What is he doing here this late at night?’ the guard wondered as he spotted Arcanor standing behind the Matriarch.

Before he could dwell on the thought, Freya’s voice rang out, cutting through his confusion. "Lead the way."

It took the guard a second to register her words before he quickly nodded and turned on his heels.

Alex and Freya exchanged a brief glance before following behind him. Since the city was under attack, there was no time for personal discussions. Whatever they needed to say to each other would have to wait until they had dealt with the situation at hand.

That didn’t mean Alex wasn’t pissed—far from it. If anything, his frustration had only grown, and the glare he directed at the guard beneath the visor of his smoke mask was proof of that.

If looks alone could kill, the poor man would have dropped dead on the spot.

‘What is this pressure I’m feeling?’ the guard thought as he led them outside, his legs trembling slightly as fear crept into his heart.

It didn’t take long before Alex and Freya arrived at their destination—the city’s main entrance. As Alex had learned moments ago, Drisidd had three entrances in total, but the one they now stood before was the principal gate, while the other two served as minor entry points.

All around the entrance, there was a cacophony of voices and frantic movement as the guards ushered people into the city without stopping to check their identities or backgrounds.

Seeing this, suspicion flickered in Alex’s mind, but he quickly dismissed the thought.

They climbed onto the tall walls of the city, where they spotted several familiar figures—Frieda and Baron Drisidd among them—all standing with somber expressions as they gazed down at the scene below.

Following their line of sight, both Alex and Freya froze in shock at what they saw.

‘How is this possible?’ Alex thought, astonished as he took in the monstrous sight before him.

He knew what a beast tide was and had expected to see a large number of creatures, but nothing had prepared him for this.

Not only were there thousands of beasts charging toward them, but they were coming from all sides. The city was completely surrounded. And the most worrying part? The average level of these monsters was level 3!

However, despite this, no monster had stepped within a fifty-meter radius of the city, thanks to the soldiers fighting desperately below. It wasn’t just Baron Drisidd’s men and city guards—soldiers from the Drazen family had also joined the battle, reinforcing the defenses. Thanks to their combined efforts, the beast tide’s advance had been halted—for now. However, it was only temporary. Eventually, some of the creatures would inevitably slip through the gaps in their defenses. That was why the guards at the city gates had no choice but to allow the long procession of chariots to enter without the usual security checks.

‘I can’t help but think that this is all happening a little too conveniently,’ Alex thought as he glanced down at the never-ending line of chariots rolling into the city.

The Drazen family’s annual auction was set to begin in a couple of hours, and now—right before one of the most important events of the year—a beast tide had suddenly appeared? The timing was far too suspicious to ignore.

If Alex had noticed it, then it was certain that Freya, Baron Drisidd, and the other high-ranking figures here had as well. That was exactly why their expressions were so grim.

The moment Alex and Freya stepped onto the walls, all eyes turned in their direction. A second later, everyone present bowed to Freya—everyone except Frieda, that is.

Freya barely spared her a glance before shifting her attention to Baron Drisidd. "How long can they hold the line?" she asked, her gaze sweeping over the chaotic battlefield below.

"Although we deployed them in a rush, the soldiers we’ve sent out are all highly skilled," Drisidd responded. "I have no doubt they can hold their ground until the beast tide is fully dealt with. The issue is that we simply don’t have enough of them to cover the entire city. The monsters have completely surrounded us."

Freya nodded. "The auction starts in a couple of hours, and by now, all the nobles present have likely heard about the situation. We need to eliminate these monsters as quickly as possible—not just to reassure the nobles, but to show the entire city that they are safe under our protection. Send out our most powerful knights and instruct them to handle this swiftly. They have one hour."

Baron Drisidd nodded and was about to relay the Matriarch’s orders when Alex suddenly spoke up.

"If you want to end this beast tide quickly, I might be able to help," he said confidently.

Freya turned her gaze toward him before shaking her head. "You are our guest, Sir Arcanor. There is no need for you to trouble yourself. We can handle this on our own," she replied in her usual cold and composed tone.

"Oh, it’s no trouble at all. Besides, I’m not just a guest—I’m an ally of the Drazen family. Please, allow me to assist," Alex insisted.

Freya remained silent for a moment, considering his words, before finally giving a small nod. "Then we will have to trouble you." She paused, then added, "Would you need anything in particular?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Alex replied. "At my signal, I want you to order all your men to disengage and fall back from the monsters."