Chapter 145 - Chapter 16: Goblin Escape Operation ④
Orcs are closing in bit by bit, raining down a massive number of arrows. On our side, once they cross the thicket barricade, only the final earthwork remains.
The orcs seem to be moving in groups of several, hiding behind mounds of earth created by their mages, waiting for an opportunity to charge.
In contrast, since everyone on our side is holding spears or swords in preparation for the charge, we only have about ten archers. Thanks to Wilson-san, as long as we aren't hit directly, we don't need to worry about stray arrows, but it's not something we can sustain for long.
Hand-to-hand combat will likely begin the moment the orcs charge.
The number of orcs still easily exceeds a hundred. Apparently, a single orc has the strength of two or three human soldiers. Excluding the mages, we have about twenty people, including the wounded. Even though we are protected by the moat and earthworks, I don't think we have much of a chance of winning.
Just then, Paul-san arrived.
Since he's alone, I wonder if he succeeded.
"Eleanor-sama. Preparations for the goblin escape are complete. I request that you go to receive them."
When he shouted in a voice loud enough to be heard throughout the camp, everyone refrained from cheering and instead made modest guts poses. The operation has entered its final stage.
We just need to hold off the orcs until Eleanor-sama completes the evacuation by carrying the goblins on her bowl. The end is in sight.
"Well then, Henry. I'm off."
"Yeah. Leave this place to me."
After a brief consultation with Paul-san, Eleanor-sama took one archer with her and set out from the front of the camp on her bowl.
"Henry-sama. Things are going well. We have suppressed the orcs' dwelling, and Mayor Adolf is guarding it. The evacuation should be complete as soon as Eleanor-sama arrives."
"Were there any casualties?"
"No, none at all. Robinson's [Subordination] worked perfectly. It would have been troublesome if there were ogres, but it seems they all came here."
Good. Everyone is safe.
I was especially worried about Mary (Modern) since she isn't used to fighting, but it seems she's fine.
"How are the goblins doing?"
"I believe we gained a certain amount of trust when we struck down the orcs left behind to guard, but just in case, Robinson is using [Subordination] to keep them compliant."
"I see. Well done."
"Thank you very much."
It seems to have gone well.
As long as they can escape, we have Eleanor-sama, Wilson-san, and two ultra-high-level mages. There's no way we can lose.
"Our goal will be achieved shortly! This is the critical moment! Everyone! I'm counting on you for one last push!"
"Oh!"
The Jaegers responded in unison to Henry-sama's encouragement.
When Paul-san appeared at the front line and began attacking with [Wind Cutter], the orcs also stopped their advance and started attacking with bows and arrows.
The threat of Eleanor-sama's magic must be ingrained in them.
Thanks to that, we can buy plenty of time.
After all, all we have to do is have Paul-san show his face and fire off a series of [Wind Cutter] spells as soon as the orcs start moving. The archers are all firing arrows at random from behind the earthworks, and all the enemy arrows flying overhead are being deflected by Wilson-san's [Wind Barrier]. No more people are getting injured.
As we were holding them off like that, the orcs finally seemed to grow impatient.
Someone who looked important came out and started hitting the nearby allies while swinging a spear.
Must be the general. He's wearing a helmet. As usual, he seems to have been acting haughty while hiding in the back.
I think we should settle it with a single shot from Wilson-san's or Paul-san's magic, but it's not that simple.
Finally, the charge began.
The orcs fired arrows all at once, and those with spears and shields charged while screaming. They are falling one after another, targeted by Paul-san's magic and the archers, but they have the advantage of numbers. They easily reached the moat.
It's their final charge.
We probably only need to endure for another half hour.
Since we don't have the luxury of leisurely transporting the wounded to the rear, I stuffed several scrolls into my storage bag and leaned a few shields against the earthwork. I decided to grab one magic soldier to help me and wait there.
As expected, the wounded began to appear one by one.
When someone was injured, I had them move aside immediately and rushed there with a scroll. Wilson-san is here. There's no need to worry about being hit by stray arrows.
Two people were seriously injured, but I was able to treat them using the scrolls. I had the magic soldier helping me transport them to the rear.
"Use the trump card!"
Lewis-san gave the order.
Since it would be bad if the orcs broke in, it seems they are going to use gunpowder, which they hadn't used until now. It's placed in ceramic containers by the workshop's craftsmen, and apparently, it deals damage to the enemy by scattering the shattered ceramic the moment it blows up. Perhaps because previous versions were only wrapped in parchment, they weren't very effective when used outdoors.
It seems to be a prototype created as a result of me telling Matilda about the first time we used it against the ghost rats in Medioland—how the normal rats were blown away but the ghosts were fine. The previous ones were so thin that even if I held one, my thumb and index finger would touch, but the prototype is about the size of a bottle, and even when a Jaeger holds it, their fingers only go two-thirds of the way around.
At close range, our allies would also suffer damage, but it should be fine if it falls on the other side of the earthwork.
Five Jaegers held the cylinders containing gunpowder in their right hands and lit them with torches.
They threw them all at once to the other side of the earthwork.
"Evacuate—!"
At Lewis-san's command, everyone hid behind the earthwork.
Next, several thunderous roars were heard.
When I peeked out fearfully, blood-stained orcs were rolling around clutching their faces. Because they were wearing armor, the damage to their torsos seemed minimal, but they couldn't protect their exposed faces.
Those who took a hit at close range had their legs damaged and were crawling, dragging their mangled limbs.
I wanted to look away, but I had to watch closely. I offered a prayer to the Goddess on the spot.
The orcs retreated once, but they attacked again. Gunpowder has impressive sound and smoke, but the damage it deals at once is only to a few units. Magic is more effective. I don't think they know about gunpowder, but they seem to have seen through it.
When the Jaegers gripped their spears again for the second charge, the entire camp was covered in shadow, as if the sun had been hidden by clouds.
At the same time, for some reason, the orcs' feet stopped.
"Paul-dono! Deploy a [Wind Barrier] in front of the camp!"
Wilson-san shouted from the center of the camp.
"[Wind Barrier]!"
Paul-san deployed a wall of air in front of the camp.
He finally openly unleashed high-level magic in front of the enemy.
"Everyone, do not move!"
Paul-san repeatedly shouted at the top of his lungs.
I thought he intended to draw the orcs in and stop them, but that wasn't it.
"[Cumulonimbus]!"
Clouds billowed up above the orcs.
The orcs looked up at the clouds warily and walked slowly with their shields and spears in hand.
Suddenly, several lights flashed within the clouds, and at the same time, thunderous roars occurred in succession, and countless lightning bolts struck the orcs.
The orcs under the clouds couldn't even scream, let alone run around in confusion; they were charred black and collapsed one after another.
My body felt paralyzed by the sight, and I couldn't move.
The Jaegers seemed to be the same, everyone just staring blankly at the scene before them.
"It's ultra-high-level lightning magic. It's difficult to use because it strikes all moving objects in every direction, but it can be blocked to some extent with a [Wind Barrier]."
While I was surprised, Wilson-san, who had come to the front line at some point, told me.
The clouds vanished, and the situation became visible.
The charred corpses of orcs covered the ground.
The orcs were annihilated.
About twenty of them, centered around the boss wearing the helmet, were fleeing while tumbling down the slope. I'm surprised they survived.
They had gathered in a narrow space. If they took a powerful magic hit without any magic defense, they'd be wiped out in one go. Moreover, the lightning that fell on the thickets is causing a fire.
The Jaegers are also dumbfounded.
"Then, that just now was..."
"I used it. This battle is won. Look up."
A giant bowl was floating in the sky, and Beatrix and the others were waving their hands.
Paul-san and Wilson-san are breaking down the earthworks and covering the orc corpses with soil.
Since they said they would bury them as they were, I decided to offer a funeral service.
The fire that started in the thickets is being extinguished by Mayor Adolf, who is on Eleanor-sama's bowl, scattering water like rain with [Shower] magic.
Once the general work was finished, the bowl carrying the goblins finally descended into the camp amidst the cheers of the Jaegers.
"I will return once with the goblins and the wounded. Please wait until then."
Following Eleanor-sama's instructions, the wounded and the pale-faced director of the clinic were placed on the bowl.
In their place, Mayor Adolf, Beatrix, and the others descended.
"Oh, Adolf! Well done!"
"Thank you for your praise."
"Were there any casualties?"
"No. Thanks to you, everyone is safe."
"That's good. It seems the goblins were also rescued safely. Impressive."
"No, I was just piloting the bowl. As expected, Robinson was the key. The Class of 175 also played an active role."
"Umu. It's thanks to everyone's hard work. I'm counting on you for the lives of the newly joined goblins. I'll tell the current generation as well. Once they become useful as scouts, I'll consider giving them appropriate rewards."
"Robinson and the goblins will be happy too. I look forward to working with you."
No one was injured? That's a relief.
"How was it over here?"
Beatrix and the others came over.
"The performance of those two was amazing. Eleanor-sama was defeating many orcs with just basic magic."
"As expected of a hero."
"How was it on your end?"
"It all comes down to Robinson-san. Whenever he found an orc, he'd lure them right under the bowl, and Bonnie would deliver the finishing blow. It was like the three of us were just practicing magic."
"But Lyudmila and Mary (Modern) also defeated a few orcs, right?"
Mary (Modern) nodded proudly. I have to listen to this.
"That's right! Listen! I smacked them with water magic. They barked back, but I'm sure that was quite effective."
You can't really say you defeated them with that.
However, she attacked bravely.
As Henry-sama and the others said, spirit is what's important.
"Shall we all go to the Oracle's place next time?"
Somehow, we haven't been able to go.
"That's right. Setting aside Jeanne and me, Lyudmila and Mary (Modern) attacked orcs, so I'm sure they'll learn something."
"Really! Yay! If anything, I want to master water magic. Let's see, first would be [Freeze], I guess."
If it's [Freeze], she'll be able to exterminate rats too.
"Lately, putting ice in beer has been popular among the older girls. Isn't that perfect?"
"...You're so peaceful."
"Oh? Peace is the best."
Beatrix is exasperated.
But, well, I suppose it's fine. There's no doubt that peace is the best.
"By the way, did you see Wilson-san's magic?"
"I saw it, I saw it. It was amazing."
"We were watching from above, so we only heard flashy sounds and could only see clouds."
"Oh, that's a shame. A huge number of lightning bolts fell from the clouds, and in an instant, the orc swarm was charred and annihilated."
"I wanted to see it, but it can't be helped. Robinson-san said he can use other ultra-high-level magic, but he didn't use them. It seems he didn't want to show the goblin children the orcs being killed. It seems everyone had decided on the finishing blow from the start."
I see, so that's why the bowl didn't descend until the burial of the orc corpses was finished.
But, ultra-high-level lightning magic. It was tremendous.
Beatrix is secretly aiming to be an ultra-high-level mage. She must have wanted to see the magic in person to create an image.
She probably wanted to see it.
Apparently, there are only five living ultra-high-level mages in all of Sertoria. Among them, Eleanor-sama and the Headmistress are, so to speak, from the previous generation. The current generation has three, counting the Revenant Wilson-san. The cultivation of us, the next generation, is desired for the future.
By the way, Mayor Adolf is a high-ranking mage who can even see through lies, but apparently, he cannot use ultra-high-level magic. Instead, he can use almost all high-level magic that mages handle. That in itself means his mana control is extremely high, and he is said to be on par with a user of a single ultra-high-level magic spell.
"In any case, I'm glad everyone is safe."
There were serious injuries, but no deaths.
The Class of 175 didn't even get hurt.
"It all comes down to that this time. The rest is up to Robinson-san and the Elder."
They went through the trouble of escaping. I hope they can somehow join the pack.
Eleanor-sama's bowl returned, and all participants were able to return safely.
According to Paul-san, who had gone out on reconnaissance, for some reason, the orcs were being attacked by another orc pack. Surely, the remnants of the Demon Lord's army and the wild orcs get along poorly.
This is a story for a later date, but from this point on, the orc attacks on the Northern Pass camp stopped completely.
According to the newly joined goblins, the remnants of the Demon Lord's army were drifters from the Northeastern Forest, and their nature was different from the wild orcs who originally lived around here.
They are numerous and well-equipped. They seemed to be quite well-off, so they must have been a thorn in the side of the local wild orcs.
Humans took care of most of that pack. Moreover, they retreated afterward without expanding their territory. It seems there is a sense of gratitude for that. Apparently, they've been acknowledged up to the northern camp.
"Then, why don't we just use the goblins as interpreters and negotiate? If we promise not to violate each other's territory, everyone will feel safe."
Beatrix and I proposed this together, but Paul-san dismissed it easily.
"Jeanne. I understand what you want to say, but orcs are pure monsters. They are also enemies of the Church. If you negotiate with such people and it actually holds, you might turn the Church and other countries against you. Every country, to a greater or lesser extent, has regions where monsters live, and they keep their lives separate from humans. This is because both sides intend to eventually destroy the other. Just as the mountain stream in Northern Nakanohara has separated our territories until now, the northern mountain range of the Flatlands has become a new, so to speak, implicit border of mutual non-aggression. It's better not to wish for more than that for now."
Reality is harsh. It's sad that a history of mutual hatred continues to build up, but we cannot afford to turn other countries or the Church against us. For now, it seems we have no choice but to give up.
At least, as long as humans don't do anything unnecessary, the possibility of the Nakanohara Jaeger unit's mountain pass camp being attacked on the night of a full moon will decrease. That, in turn, means the safety of the Flatlands.
As Paul-san says, it's probably better not to wish for too much at once.