Chapter 201 - Fifth Story: Boosting Abilities ②
"A fire arrow went up!"
Bonnie's voice could be heard.
It seems the operation has begun.
"What's the situation!"
Beowulf's sharp voice rang out.
"No change!"
"No reaction."
There seemed to be no change either above the tree or in the magic.
Lyudmila had built a semi-circular earthwork around the tree, so we hid behind it.
The shape and size of the earthwork were what we had learned in the classroom. It immediately proved useful.
The front was a wasteland that served as a break in the forest, but we used the trees and shrubs Beatrix had cleared from the rear, tying them to the front trees to serve as a blind. The cut trees had their tips sharpened and were planted in the ground, and the thin branches were bundled to make temporary shields. Around Bonnie, who was up in the tree, we piled branches with leaves to serve as both a blind and protection against arrows.
After that, all we had to do was wait for them to attack.
"Orcs are, well, fine, but what should we do if a Cyclops comes?"
The four of us in the rearguard gathered to consult.
A Cyclops is strong, so the vanguard alone probably won't be enough.
"There's nothing but Jeanne's amplified [Holy]. We'll use Lyudmila's magic to throw stones to blind it, and then aim for the heart when there's an opening."
As Beatrix said, [Holy] would be the most effective. We'll just have to have them use attribute magic to pin it down. Since we don't have wide-range magic, let's take them down one by one.
"I've returned from reconnaissance."
Fiona and Flora had returned.
When I asked about the situation, they said the area was a flat forest and there was a small marsh nearby.
A marsh, huh? That would be a rest point for monsters too.
The marsh was surrounded by shrubs and couldn't be seen unless you went close. Fiona probably saw it because she looked from the sky.
"What's the distance?"
"It's close. Look, beyond that grove of trees."
Looking in the direction she pointed, shrubs were thick. It wasn't that far. It might be usable.
"Hey, can I have a moment?"
I asked the three mages to gather.
"There's a reaction. From the front. About thirty in number."
Priest Williams caught the monsters. Immediately, we had the aerial team fly up.
"Bonnie, can you see the Cyclops' heads?"
"They're there. Three of them, I think."
This is bad. Three is too many. Hearing this, Beatrix furrowed her brows.
"Three Cyclopes, about thirty Orcs, and there's an Ogre too. It seems they haven't noticed us yet."
The voices of the aerial team could be heard.
In that case, we can do a surprise attack.
When I looked at the three of them, they nodded.
Alright, let's do it.
"Fiona. Stay up in the tree. Don't get close to the monsters."
First, Mary moved stealthily.
The Orc pack came out into the grassland with the three Cyclopes in the lead.
If they proceeded through the wide-open space, they would be picked off. However, if they wanted to see the enemy's situation, they would have to send out a decoy.
They stopped once and were observing the situation.
The Orcs formed a formation with their shields raised and came to the edge of the forest. The rearguard had arrows notched in their bows.
The Cyclopes were already raising their clubs. They were in a state of combat readiness.
"[Clump Water]!"
Mary, who had approached the marsh, lifted the marsh water and let it rise slowly. She stayed like that, waiting for our signal.
The monsters, while remaining cautious, slowly emerged from the forest. The big ones did the same.
When Beatrix waved her hand as a signal, Mary accelerated the large mass of water toward the monster pack. The mass of water, which had flown out from a distance to the right of the position, flew in a large oval.
"[Freeze]! [Freeze]!"
With a barrage of amplified magic, the mass of water turned to ice in an instant and struck a Cyclops directly from diagonally above. It was like a boulder had flown in. It wasn't something that could be dodged even if noticed.
It collapsed like a falling tree, and the Orcs pinned underneath screamed.
"[Freeze]! [Freeze]!"
Another shot, this time from the left. It struck the back of the head of a Cyclops who was surprised by its fallen ally, and it collapsed just like that. As expected, it took several Orcs down with it.
The one remaining Cyclops retreated while groaning. As expected, it's a wimp.
We knocked it unconscious with ice dropped from directly above.
The Orcs, on the other hand, came charging in. There were more than twenty of them. Fortunately, it seemed our location hadn't been discovered, and they had just advanced as they were.
Suddenly, a running Orc tripped.
We had frozen the ground and covered it with pulled-up grass. If you step on grass over ice, you'll almost certainly slip.
"[Wind Cutter]!"
As they staggered to their feet, we took out their legs all at once with amplified magic. Half of them were incapacitated.
Lyudmila was firing stones rapidly toward the forest. The Ogre was likely deploying magic defense, but once they started flying, they couldn't be stopped. Whether they hit or not didn't matter at this point. The goal was to make the opponent think they were being attacked.
Bonnie finished off two with silver arrows, and just as the vanguard charged in, the enemy began to retreat.
We did it. If we finish off the unconscious Cyclopes, that's three for starters.
"We did it!"
The four of us in the rearguard clapped our hands in joy.
It was then.
"There's a reaction. Upper left sky."
"They're here. Wyverns. Three of them, they're aiming for the three in front."
Oh no, the Orcs were a decoy. This is the real deal.
Without thinking, I jumped out and fired amplified [Holy] wildly.
They're already right in front of us. Fast. They must have been lying in wait. The targets were the three in the vanguard.
Beowulf and Matilda stood their ground with their weapons ready.
Beatrix and the others also intercepted with lightning and fire magic, but they were being dodged.
Bows were completely out of the question.
One was hit at the base of its wing by an amplified [Holy] and crashed.
Another had one of its wings frozen and also crashed.
Will threw a silver spear, but it missed.
One more... I won't make it...
Large claws lunged at Beowulf, who was holding her sword with both hands.
Just as I thought that, an extremely thick [Holy], like a log, pierced the Wyvern's torso and slammed it into the ground.
The Wyvern rolled on the ground with its neck turned in a strange direction.
"That was naive. That was a close call, wasn't it?"
The Headmistress's voice could be heard.
She also showed herself.
"Jeanne. I understand how you feel, but the rearguard must not jump out so easily. It restricts the vanguard's movements, doesn't it? Besides, if you're aiming at a flying enemy from the side, fire it behind the opponent and have it track them from diagonally behind. If you aim from the front, they'll dodge. Also, Will. I don't admire throwing a spear at an opponent who is charging in. Thrust the butt of the spear into the ground to intercept them. Don't let your guard down. The training isn't over until you get home."
Then, she said, "Hurry up and finish them off, and work a little harder," and vanished.
Will finished off the Wyvern that had been slammed into the ground with her spear. Beowulf slit the throats of the unconscious Cyclopes with her sword. Matilda and Bonnie finished off the Orcs who were groaning with their legs cut off using a hammer and holy water arrows.
After sending the Cyclopes' clubs and the Wyvern carcasses back via [Teleport], we returned to our position for a reflection meeting.
"I'm sorry. Because I jumped out, the three of you had to bunch up and act as decoys."
The three in the vanguard had chosen to stand their ground together instead of retreating. It was to become the Wyverns' targets.
Since I had cast [Resist] magic, they could manage the fire. Since I had cast [Defend] and [Shield], they could also block physical attacks. Their weapons were also silver. However, if they were tackled by something that big, their bones would surely shatter.
"We could have spread out a little more. We'll be careful."
I had heard that Wyverns were small, but that was in comparison to Wyrms or Dragons; in reality, they were giant lizards with the weight of a bear with wings.
"How do Wyverns attack?"
"Basically the same as a Wyrm, but since they have legs, they use their claws more for attacks. So, the first blow is a tackle. I didn't think they were that big. It would have been better to dodge once and attack when they lost their momentum."
Will answered Beatrix's question.
I apologized again.
"Next time, next time!"
All three of them patted my head together.
However, they were faster than expected. They seemed quite nimble.
"They likely had their sights set on us. If they were searching, there should have been a little more time."
According to Priest Williams and Flora, they were too fast.
Does that mean... are we being watched constantly?
"They must have been coordinating with the ground troops from the start. Perhaps they began their move the moment the Cyclopes were taken out?"
That would make sense. [Sense Living] has a limited range, and there's no way Flora or Fiona could keep an eye on the entire perimeter at all times.
"I didn't think we'd be hit by a surprise attack. I didn't even consider that the enemy in front of us was a decoy. Let's reflect and tighten things up."
Matilda, unusually, tightened the mood, and the reflection meeting came to an end for now.
The second wave arrived.
This time, there were Fenrirs.
"Three Fenrirs and about thirty Orcs, and there are Ogres too."
The numbers from Priest Williams and the aerial team matched. After that, there were the Wyverns waiting somewhere.
"We can't block a Fenrir's magic. Their magic defense is high too, so our magic won't work. What should we do?"
As Beatrix said, setting aside the vanguard who were wearing Eleanor's Armor and Helmet—by the way, the names "Remarks" and "Won't Lose to Soapy Water" were rejected by vote—none of the rearguard could defend against high-level magic. [Magic Defend] only goes up to intermediate. It would be great if we had [Magic Barrier] or [Magic Reflection], but no one can use them.
"It can't be helped. Just this once."
The Headmistress's voice could be heard, and she cast [Magic Reflection] on the four of us in the rearguard and Bonnie.
"Do your best after this."
With this, our magic countermeasures were perfect.
However, we're really just being helped by the Headmistress all the time.
"Alright! We've got [Defend] and [Shield] cast on us, and we have Eleanor's Armor and Helmet. This time, the vanguard will be the decoys. Support us with magic."
After making some slight adjustments to Matilda's proposed strategy, the plan was decided.
There must have been Orc survivors. The opponent's attack plan also seemed to have been decided from the start.
A Fenrir emerged slowly into the clearing.
Bonnie fired a silver arrow, but it was easily dodged.
Then, it suddenly unleashed lightning magic.
Lightning struck the oak tree, which burst into flames. The earthwork Lyudmila had piled up was also blown to smithereens.
Of course, it was dropped in several other places as well, and the area was soon lined with nothing but charred trees. Even if we were hiding, we were in plain sight.
The Orcs cheered and fired arrows all at once, then began to advance, walking so as not to trip.
"[Fire Wall]!"
Just as the Orcs reached halfway across the clearing, they were suddenly engulfed in a wall of fire. At the same time, the three in the vanguard, who had endured the Fenrir's magic attack, gave a shout and charged.
Several stones about the size of a person's embrace flew into the center of the fire wall.
It was a physical attack. Once they accelerated, the Fenrir's magic defense didn't matter.
The Fenrir howled, but the magic defense had no effect. Stones kept flying in.
The Fenrir dropped lightning toward the three in the vanguard, but they didn't care. They charged straight ahead.
The three Fenrirs seemed stunned and stood still.
Finally, the three of them set upon the Fenrir that had howled first, and without caring for its claws or fangs, they thrust their spears, struck with hammers, and slit its throat, taking it down.
They slowly closed the distance to the next one.
"[Fire Wall]!"
"[Holy]!"
A wall of fire surrounded the body of the braced Fenrir, stopping its movement. At the same time, I fired a barrage of amplified [Holy].
Howls could be heard from within the flames, but magic defense was meaningless. After Beatrix deactivated the fire, a limp Fenrir lay there.
When a silver arrow pierced between its eyes, its legs twitched for a bit, and then it stopped moving.
The surviving Orcs had already begun to flee.
The three in the vanguard were surrounding the last Fenrir.
"[Water]!"
A mass of water struck the Fenrir's hind legs, and as it fell, the three of them jumped in simultaneously.
All three aimed for its legs, and once it could no longer move, they finally slew it.
We all evacuated at once.
It was to prepare for Wyverns, but they didn't come this time.
"It looks like we finished them off."
The three of us high-fived.
"Are you okay?"
Beowulf reached out a hand.
One by one, we emerged from the hole we had been huddled in.
"Hmm. A wide space is better after all."
Mary was the first to go out and stretch.
"It went well. I was worried about what we'd do if we were found."
"It's fine. The three in the vanguard and Bonnie drew them away, and the stones were thrown from over there anyway."
I climbed out and lent a hand to Beatrix.
We had been lurking in a hole dug in the forest on the opposite side of the oak tree position, the side the monsters were attacking from. It was a place surrounded by shrubs, and we had covered it with tree branches, so it shouldn't have been obvious at a glance.
Since we had [Magic Reflection] cast on us, we wouldn't be caught by magic detection. Just in case, we had stripped the equipment from the Orcs who died in the first battle and buried it in the dirt in front of us. This would also block the scent. Since Beatrix had chanted [Mute], there was no sound either.
Most importantly, we were on this side of the magic defense deployed by the Fenrirs, so we could chant magic as much as we wanted.
The three in the vanguard and Bonnie lurked in the oak tree position and acted as decoys. They took the lightning magic, but as expected of Eleanor's Armor and Helmet, although they were covered in mud, they were fine.
Bonnie, who had [Magic Reflection] cast on her, was naturally safe.
Priest Williams, Lyudmila, and Flora were asked to lurk near the marsh.
Since they were throwing stones from a distance, magic defense didn't matter. Since they were up in the trees, they could also safely scout, including the sky.
With this, we defeated three Cyclopes, two Wyverns, and three Fenrirs. In total, eight monsters. That's more than enough.
However, Lyudmila's magic had reached its limit. She had used intermediate magic too much. Even though she's an intermediate mage with three slots, she had used it nearly twenty times.
"You did well. It was a victory for your strategy."
The Headmistress also praised us.
"But Lyudmila has reached her limit."
"That's true. But you achieved the quota, so isn't it fine?"
The bandits also nodded.
"Then, do we pass?"
"Let's see. I was told to subtract two for each time Bishop Catherine helped, but since you defeated nine, it's exactly five."
Isn't that just barely...
"I-Isn't that a bit strict?"
I couldn't help but complain.
"It's fine, isn't it? You passed. You just have to apply what you've reflected on to the next time."
The Headmistress was laughing brightly.
It left a bit of a bad aftertaste, but it couldn't be helped. Our lack of strength was undeniable.
Let's look forward to the next magic we learn. Especially [Magic Reflection], I want to learn that soon. It also has resistance to physical attacks, fire, cold, and poison. After that is magic defense.