Chapter 135 - Episode 9: The Orc Invasion
In the southern mountain zone, there were foxes and boars.
In the northern and southeastern assigned areas where there is little wasteland, there are supposedly bears and wolves, so by the time a month had passed, there seemed to be a large difference in earnings.
Is there a need to do this? I wonder, but it seems our role isn't just monster extermination.
Tuesday night, the niter survey ended, and in the mountain hut where only we remained, only the sound of insects could be heard.
The Flatlands illuminated by the moonlight looked like nothing but a stage for a ghost story no matter how I thought about it.
Since I'm a priest, I'm not afraid of ghosts, but I hate evil spirits and wraiths. If I saw a blood-smeared face, I'd lose my strength.
Since I was scared, I left looking out the window to Paul-san and Bonnie.
"When humans act in this land like this, the monsters from the north might attack. It's the role of the Jaegers to intercept them."
Apparently, we are decoys. If they come, a signal fire will go up or a bonfire will be lit.
"Will the monsters react just because a dozen or so hunters entered?"
"They send out scouts too. Until now, no hunters had entered. This alone will be reason enough for them to move."
"But the Northern Fortress isn't built yet, right? Isn't it bad if they come now?"
"The fortress isn't built, but a temporary camp is. We'll intercept them there."
"So that's what it means that a residential area was built."
"Exactly. Being able to be stationed there means being able to fight on the spot."
"But will they come?"
"If they come, it'll be earnings."
Apparently, Jaeger support when monsters attack is optional. While other hunters avoided it, we, who call ourselves monster exterminators, chose to stay over.
"Don't we go on the offensive toward the north from here?"
"It depends on the Eastern Plains. For now, it'll be whether we can take up to the westernmost river. After all, the opponent is strong. It won't go that easily, will it?"
Paul-san's prediction is that once the central fortress in the Flatlands where we are is completed, the Eastern Plains Jaeger unit will have the leeway to go on the offensive toward the Northeastern Forest. Then, they probably intend to use a pincer attack from the south and west. In other words, it will take more than two years at the earliest.
"You know inchworms, right? It's the same as that. You have to ascertain the limits of supply and support and advance steadily one step at a time."
"That's a long-term story."
"You can't win a war unless you're patient."
Just then, Bonnie raised her voice.
"Master! A bonfire is being lit at the mountain fort!"
Paul-san stood up.
In the event of a monster invasion, a signal fire or bonfire goes up at five fort locations, including the central temporary camp. The locations seem to be somewhat outside the forts.
"Let's go!"
We immediately set out in the bowl.
Whether it's Gargoyles or Orcs, I don't know, but let's earn.
Since it's a full moon today, it wouldn't be strange for monsters to come.
Just in case, I put on my Black-Purple gear after nightfall.
The moon is due south. I flew toward the bonfire burning in the middle of the Flatlands so that I was illuminated from the back right.
A temporary camp has been hastily built on the hill where the hole with the snake was. Since it's a place for monitoring and relaying signal fires and bonfires, if we go there, we'll know where it first went up.
As I approached from above while flashing my Light magic, two Jaegers with torches came out onto the watchtower.
"Oh, it's the Marcelo Company. As expected, you're fast. Thanks for coming."
"Where did they come?"
"The Northern Pass Camp. It's a full moon tonight, and they've finally come."
"Reinforcements?"
"The northern camp of the Eastern Plains should come out. They'll probably arrive at dawn, so if they can hold out until then..."
They have to hold out, or our plan will be ruined. We have to do something.
"Is there gunpowder? Give me some. I'll drop it from above."
"Sure. Take it."
They brought it out in a box.
Gunpowder can be used regardless of magic defense. I heard the power is low unless it's set properly, but the intimidation effect is sufficient; it's perfect for dropping one by one from above to stall them.
"Bonnie! I'm leaving the management to you. Unless it becomes an aerial battle, use it without hesitation."
"Yes! I understand!"
I had one Jaeger ride with us as a guide and scout, and we immediately set out.
The force at the Northern Pass is 150 people, and Captain Lewis is also there tonight.
It means most of the Nakanohara Jaeger unit has been made into garrison soldiers in preparation for the full moon.
"If we get through tonight, it'll last until the next full moon. We must protect it no matter what."
"Sorry. It helps."
The Jaeger also bowed his head at Paul-san's words.
"Don't worry. We have the Dragon-Killer Priest Knight Jeanne. One hit with holy magic and it's over."
"I'm counting on you, Jeanne. Give 'em a blast."
He was half-grinning.
You bandit.
I'm going to tell Angelica-san and Mabel-san on you.
We arrived in about an hour, so after sending a signal with Light, we entered the residential area.
It's at the eighth station of the pass; they shaved off part of the ridge to build several sheds and even a reservoir. From the foot to the summit, they had cut quite a few trees and cleared the undergrowth, and a zigzagging road had been made.
When I met the lookout Jaeger, I was told to go up immediately.
Leaving a few lookouts, everyone seemed to have gone up. The soldiers from the infirmary also seemed to have gone up clutching scrolls.
"It's about a hundred Orcs. We set several magic circles, but they were breached. Since they aren't armed, they probably aren't remnants of the Demon Lord's army."
The fact that they attacked without being surprised by the magic circles means they're serious from the start.
"Are there Gargoyles?"
"No. I haven't heard of any. Since a few Ogres are mixed in, magic supposedly doesn't work."
I went up to the camp in the bowl. The camp was divided into north and south of the summit; on the south side, they had cut the trees except for the very top of the pass, built up fences, and connected them with a vertical trench heading toward the summit. When I went up the vertical trench, Lewis-san was there.
"Oh, the Marcelo Company. Thanks for coming."
"Seems you're struggling."
"Since the left and right fences aren't finished. They're closing in using the trees we left for cover as shields."
"Can I use gunpowder? I'll drop it from above."
"Yeah, they've already noticed us anyway. You can do it flashily."
On the north side, they haven't cut the trees at all. On the mountain slope, there was a fence made by connecting standing trees with logs laid horizontally and stacked vertically in several layers with earth piled inside; they had made about three layers of that. Since there are places where logs aren't assembled, they probably use those gaps as paths to the summit. When I peeked down from the fence, Jaegers were lying prone on the earth mounds, clinging to the fence, and engaging in a shooting battle by firing Holy Water arrows.
Even with the full moon, it's inside a forest. Fire arrows are stuck in trees here and there, but it's dark and hard to see well.
The monsters seem to be inching closer while using trees as shields.
Apparently, they left the trees because they didn't want the camp construction to be noticed, but that allowed the enemy to approach, and they are struggling.
"Lewis-san. Shall I illuminate them with Light? I think we can dazzle the monsters' eyes if I shine it from above."
It would also buy time to evacuate the wounded, and above all, we'd be able to attack unilaterally.
"Will you do it?"
"Yes."
When I looked at Paul-san, he was grinning with his teeth showing. He's plotting something.
"Captain. I don't want to involve our own soldiers. Once Jeanne illuminates them, please pull the troops back for a moment."
"Are we retreating for a moment?"
"Yes. After we blow those guys away with gunpowder, you can just go back to how it was."
We did a quick briefing.
Apparently, he intends to drive them away.
When Lewis-san signaled to several people listening nearby, they scattered and descended the slope while hiding behind the fences. Messengers, probably.
"Jeanne. Once we're in position, I'll send a signal. I'm counting on you."
"I understand."
Paul-san took Beatrix and Bonnie and went straight up into the air.
Even while Paul-san and the others were setting up, the shooting battle continued.
Although they were aiming from above with Holy Water arrows, the opponent was also numerous. Once our arrows ran out, they would probably charge.
Until Paul-san's setup was finished, I decided to treat the wounded at the place where the injured were being transported.
The damage was gradually increasing.
Originally, they had apparently made several fences further down as well, but they had been overrun.
The Orc swarm seemed to be climbing steadily.
Even when retreating, they had to run up the slope once, so if they just backed away, they'd be sniped in the back. They retreated while using trees as shields under the cover of their allies behind them, but several people were hit by arrows and killed in action.
Wounded and dead were being carried to the first fence.
The dead had their Green Marble gear with crests stained with blood in various places. It's heart-wrenching because they lie there with arrows still stuck in them and their eyes wide open. I want to offer a prayer for them, but for now, prioritizing saving the living comes first. I placed my hand on their eyelids to close them and went toward the wounded.
I selected the seriously injured who couldn't walk on their own and used scrolls to prioritize their recovery, having them sent to the rear one after another.
Since the Jaeger unit seemed to have used most of their scrolls, I decided to use the ones I brought.
The Heal scrolls I put in my storage bag were high-quality ones that wouldn't misfire. As expected, I can't use cheap stuff for recovery magic. Marcelo-san said recovery magic is a necessary expense for the company and is letting me use them for free. Of course, they are for the seriously injured.
Most of the injuries were arrow wounds. Since they were firing arrows while hiding behind fences or trees, the dead were those shot through the head or heart, and those hit in the back or flank while retreating were alive despite being seriously injured. Among them was one who was hit in the back while carrying a fallen ally.
I was told, "Take care of this one," so when I approached and looked, he was hit in the stomach. It seemed they had applied cloth after pulling out the arrow, but he was pale from heavy bleeding.
When I spoke to him, he forced a smile despite not being able to speak properly.
When I treated him using a scroll, he seemed to become able to move. He was huffing and puffing, but after I gave him some water, he became able to speak.
"You will definitely be saved. We'll defeat the enemy too."
"Jeanne came? Then we can win."
"Yes. We'll win."
It's embarrassing, but there's no point in saying ambiguous things. I asserted it, believing we would win.
"I got a hole in my Green Marble. Sorry about that."
They must have cut it with a knife when pulling out the arrow; far from a hole, his flank was clearly visible.
"I'll mend it for you tomorrow, so don't worry."
He said, "I'm looking forward to it," and was carried away.
As I continued treating the wounded, Lewis-san told me, "The signal is out."
"Can you pull back to the rear for a moment?"
When I asked, it seemed they could manage.
In that case, I entrusted the scrolls and ran to Lewis-san's side.
The front line seemed to be intentionally retreating, and Orcs were right there.
I was told to keep my head down, so while lying prone and clinging to the fence, I let four Fireflies drift above my head. I decided to spread them in a fan shape to illuminate as wide an area as possible.
"Light!"
I set all four to maximum simultaneously.
The Orcs cringed at the intense light, and their attack stopped.
I weakened the light for a moment, then set it to maximum again.
"Now, retreat!"
They scrambled out of the fence all at once. Since the Orcs had been blinded, their vision shouldn't recover for a while.
"This way! Hurry!"
Without thinking, I crawled out of the gap, knelt, and called out.
Just when I thought it was okay, an Orc that had been blinded for the second time was shielding its face from the light while shouting. Now's the chance.
One Orc must have fired an arrow at random; it hit my right shoulder.
I was blown back by the impact, but strangely, the pain wasn't as bad as I thought. I had cast Defend on myself just in case, but as expected of an Orc's brute strength. I saw that most of the arrowhead was buried in my body.
You bastard! Stay still!
I got angry, so I stood up and illuminated it with maximum intensity directly from my left palm. Since it wasn't split, it should be even more intense when illuminating a single point.
It ran away screaming, so I got carried away and illuminated one after another, but then someone grabbed my collar from behind and dragged me behind the fence.
"Jeanne! What are you doing!"
I was yelled at by Lewis-san. It was the first time I saw him with such an angry expression.
For a moment, my body stiffened. At the same time, I felt an intense pain where the arrow was stuck and crouched down.
He lectured me while pulling out the arrow.
"Courage and recklessness are different. I cannot let you die through such thoughtless actions."
That was certainly true. Even if I'm a stray, I'm a priest. If I die here, the Jaeger unit's position would be compromised. Even if it was because I was hit by an arrow for the first time in my life and lost my head, it was thoughtless.
Since it didn't seem to be a poisoned arrow, I apologized to Lewis-san and was recovering myself when a succession of roaring sounds echoed from below.
It was Paul-san's setup. I was so absorbed in illuminating that I didn't notice the signal.
"This is bad. Run!"
I was carried by several Jaegers, including Lewis-san, and evacuated to the opposite side of the slope.
While I was clinging to the ground, my entire right arm gradually went numb.
After an interval, more roaring sounds echoed. Just how many did he use?
I could also hear something like the earth rumbling.
By the time the sounds stopped and I had recovered myself so the pain was gone, Lewis-san and the others had gone up to the summit.
"Jeanne. Come look. The Orcs are running away."
When I went up and illuminated with Light, the trees to the left, right, and rear of the third fence—further back from where the Orcs had occupied—had been mowed down.
Small-scale landslides had also occurred in places.
The surviving Orcs must have been completely terrified; although the front hadn't collapsed, they were tumbling down the slope and fleeing without even looking back.
It seems Paul-san set a large amount of gunpowder at the base of many trees further below where the Orcs were, and once he hid in the shadow of the bowl, Beatrix blew them all up at once with Flame as if burning them away.
Flying stones were rolling around. If we had been late in fleeing, our allies might have been caught in it.
"You really did it flashily..."
Even the veteran Lewis-san seemed troubled. It must be clearly visible from the other side too.
"Hey! Are you okay!"
A voice fell from the sky. When I illuminated, it was Paul-san and the others.
"Sorry, sorry. I didn't know the right amount, so I used it all."
The three of them were grinning together.
Originally, they intended to blow up the left and right to squeeze the Orc swarm into the center and then use concentrated attacks from the air and above while they were confused, but the Orcs just ran away.
"Is the fire okay?"
I couldn't see any fire, but I asked just in case.
"Seems like it's fine."
The three who approached were covered in mud, perhaps from being showered with earth. I'm surprised they're even alive.
"We have to learn how to use it. Lewis, sorry. The camp you went to the trouble of making is ruined."
"It's fine. We'll just make it again."
Fortunately, the areas that were blown up were one on each side of the pass, so the front part remained. No monster would go out of its way to climb a place that suddenly blew up. We might have successfully gained a geographical advantage. We also got timber.
"There's that way of thinking too. But like Angelica, the women of the Marcelo Company are something else."
Lewis-san was smiling with a subtle expression.
I'll take that as a compliment.