Chapter 388 - Chapter 7: The Giant's Cave
The story I heard from Sir Edgar after entering the fortress was a bit different from what I heard from the Archbishop. Although it doesn't have the form of an army, there are quite a lot of monsters near the ruins.
"It is not the scale of a normal forest. Now, it can be called a demon realm."
"Is there anything to eat?"
I was curious, so I tried asking. In the Northeastern Forest, although it was special, we struggled to find food. The same thing might be happening.
"Originally, it was church land and we were hunting magic beasts like bears and wolves. Normal beasts were originally numerous. Since it's quite wide, once they settle in, they cannot be easily reduced. Also, the original demon realm is not that far away, and furthermore, in recent years, there is a possibility that the numbers have increased significantly."
Sir Edgar showed us a map of the vicinity.
Unlike Sertoria, it's all plains. The demon realm is a forest spread over hills, and it's a terrain very similar to where the ruins are in the northwest direction, and they are apparently connected by wasteland. The surroundings of the forest are wasteland and unsuitable for cultivation. Perhaps because it's different from the human living sphere, it seems it unexpectedly became a path for monsters while it was left alone without even placing an army. Since the distance is about three hours by walking, they can easily come and go. In short, the demon realm has expanded.
"Then, it's simple. Sir Edgar. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask for your cooperation."
"I am at your service. This fortress was originally a fortress for monitoring the demon realm. Since it's a small fortress, the numbers are few, but there are garrison soldiers, and I have also called some of my own men from the fortress where I live, though they are few. As for combat strength, there are three hundred infantry and fifty cavalry."
"Hmm. Then, I would like to borrow about thirty cavalry and the infantry, and among them, if possible, one hundred archers. If there are magic soldiers, I would like ten."
"It's an easy task."
James-sama said, and Sir Edgar replied.
While pointing at the map, James-sama conveys the plan to everyone. The four vanguards confirmed their respective roles with James-sama, and after asking several questions, they consented. The rearguards only confirmed their positions. It seems the plan has been decided.
"The basic is infiltration. We will draw the enemy's attention with a feint, and in the meantime, infiltrate the ruins. Since the purpose of the feint unit is to draw the enemy, I don't want you to actively charge in. If possible, it would be best to achieve the objective without any losses. Secure the escape route, maintain mutual cooperation, and immediately withdraw completely when it's dangerous. It's not an urgent job. Do not overdo it."
At James-sama's words, everyone nodded.
The unit will be divided into two: the infiltration team and the feint team.
The first part of the feint is the role of intruding into the wasteland that serves as the path for monsters and pretending to attack the forest where the ruins are, and this will be handled by Sir Edgar. Roberts-sama, Eowyn-sama, Edward-sama, Harris-sama, and Sianya will join. Thus, they will draw the monsters around the ruins, and in the meantime, the infiltration team will achieve the infiltration of the ruins. The infiltration team consists of four people: James-sama, Gwyn-sama, Price-sama, and me. Of course, Fiona is with me. Roughly speaking, people who are large and stand out will be the mainstay of the feint. I want them to do it flashily and draw out the Gigant if possible.
Of course, the departure is also in two groups. The fortress is on the west side of the demon realm. The feint unit will go north and attack the forest of the ruins from the southeast, while the infiltration unit will approach from the northwest.
After seeing off the feint unit departing while singing loudly, we rested for about two hours and then departed secretly from the back entrance of the fortress riding in the bowl. We climbed all the way to the high sky and finally hid our presence with a Camouflage scroll and Magic Reflection.
"Because we haven't officially conveyed all of Flight Magic to Morandine."
Everything regarding Flight Magic is shared with everyone except Engrio and Morandine. Only the two countries are being left out, but that represents the caution toward Morandine.
The bowl follows the feint unit from the sky just like that. For a high-level mage, although the duration is halved, one can fly at high speed alone. We caught up in less than half an hour.
The feint unit is still marching while singing loudly. They have many flags and are extremely conspicuous. They are pulling several carts loaded with materials for building a field camp. They will surely be found by Orc scouts soon.
By the time the unit approached the forest, several Orcs could be seen between the trees. They flee into the depths in a panic. It's just as planned.
Once the preparations for the feint operation are ready, it's time to infiltrate the ruins. We go to the sky above the summit of the hills in the bowl with our presence hidden.
The summit is a flat plaza that looks like it was cleared, and low weeds are growing thick. In the middle, there was a building made of stone that looked old. Just as the client Archbishop taught us, it's a square building with a triangular roof. The height is about two stories. The entrance faces east. From the entrance, there is a staircase going underground, and from there, there should be a short underground passage about ten steps long, with a statue of the Goddess at the back.
Around the building that seems to be the ruins, Orcs are loitering. They've made roofs using tree branches between the trees to create shade, and they are lounging under them. Here and there, there are also Trolls and Cyclopes.
As for where the Gigant is, I don't know. According to eyewitness information from when he was rampaging as the Demon Lord's army, his height is enough to look inside from a second-story window, so he is double the height of a normal man. With fur wrapped around his waist, he lightly swings a thick iron club, and he apparently uses the high-level earth magic Sand Storm to bury his enemies in sand and soil while stealing their vision. He is a quite formidable enemy.
Judging from the size, it's impossible for him to enter the ruins. He's likely in the forest. I might know if I use Sense Living, but since a high-level mage might be noticed, I refrained.
Judging from the width of the forest, it will take about an hour for the scouts' information to reach the center, even for Orcs with strong leg strength.
We distanced ourselves from the ruins and, while probing the situation from the sky, managed to find a place where there were no monsters and landed.
First is building a base. Even for James-sama, it's impossible to wait in the sky for many hours.
As expected of a high-level mage, when he covered the area with Mute enough to be called a range, he dug a hole in a convenient step and built a base in no time. Once inside, he made supports and a ceiling with blocks of solidified excavated soil to prevent collapse and spread out a simple magic circle. For the entrance, he brought a thicket of shrubs along with the soil.
We take a brief rest.
Then, we move to a slightly distant place.
"Now, Fiona, I'm counting on you."
"Yes. Understood."
Fiona, told by James-sama, takes a deep breath after clasping her hands in front of her chest.
In front of her, Gwyn-sama is ready with sword and shield.
"Illusion!"
Suddenly, five phantom soldiers appeared. They somewhat resemble Gwyn-sama. All are ready with sword and shield.
Fiona, who defeated the Cerberus together with me, had learned Illusion, which corresponds to mid-level magic. This Illusion, unlike phantoms made by kneading hair, does not move. Until the spell is broken, it stays in the same posture. If you look closely, you'll be found out, but if it's hidden in the bushes and only flickeringly visible, it should be fine.
Thus, she created a unit of twenty light infantry resembling Gwyn-sama and five magic infantry resembling James-sama. Fiona will stay there just like that, perched on a tree branch, and will attack the monsters with spells. She deployed Illusion in front of the unit and temporarily hid their presence from the monsters.
There was a proposal from Fiona while we were resting at the fortress. Her reasoning was that it would be better to have a unit that wouldn't lose in the forest to draw out the Gigant. I hand Fiona the leather bag containing the spare crystals I brought just in case. Monsters do not use holy magic. If they think we are humans, all the more so. They probably don't have silver weapons either. The strongest scout became the strongest feint unit commander.
"You must absolutely not overdo it. Stay hidden in the tree branches."
"It's fine. I've become like a mid-level mage, so my skill with Illusion has also improved. I'll stay hidden and have the phantoms command."
She is truly reliable. We've already received word from Roberts-sama that they've begun building the field camp. Of course, it's a disguise to draw the monsters... preferably the Gigant. After that, we just have to wait for the monsters to take the bait.
Waiting for an hour. The clamor of a monster swarm moving could be heard.
Between the trees, Orcs can be seen running. Chain mail and hand spears. Some are holding shields in their left hands. There are also archers. Groups of about ten are running intermittently.
James-sama recasts Illusion and I recast Magic Reflection on the hidden camp. The disguise will hold for the next two hours.
It was after seven or eight groups of monsters passed by. James-sama dispelled the Illusion that hid the phantom unit. The signal was given.
Toward the next group, Gwyn-sama fired a succession of steel arrows, and one arrow pierced the neck of an Orc. He raises a cheer loudly. At the same time, he flies into the sky in the bowl. Of course, his presence is hidden.
The swarm of Orcs is coming toward us. Fiona's fireballs drift around Fiona's unit. She burns through the thick thread tied to the bowstring in its drawn state, and an arrow flies through the air with a whistle. The bow was made from a young tree branch and rope and tied to a tree trunk. Since the arrow is just a tree branch with the tip sharpened with a knife and a bit of kneaded clay wrapped around it, there's no way it would hit, regardless of aim. In short, it's a feint. She prepared five bows. The swarm of Orcs all at once ready their shields and lower their postures. Next, as expected, Fiona's stone pebbles go flying, "Bang, bang."
The Orcs holding up shields shout loudly. Some are even shouting toward the depths of the forest.
Several reinforcements came.
Fiona adds attacks in the order of bow, stone pebbles, and lightning. On the other hand, the Orcs gradually approach while hiding behind tree trunks. On the way, there is a place that is wide open. At the same time as Fiona's lightning ends, several Orcs run out to pass through the open space while raising cheers.
"Thud," a sound is made and a hole opens. They were caught in a simple pitfall made by stretching cloth and covering it with a thin layer of soil. The Orcs pierced by the abatis let out screams. Lightning falls in succession, delivering the finishing blows. The Orcs watching from behind raised shouts of anger and fired arrows all at once toward the phantom unit.
Fiona succeeded in intercepting the monsters that reacted to the feint unit.
I want to support Fiona, but I can't do that. While praying for her safety, we head to the sky above the ruins.
The Orcs who were lounging around here and there before the operation are now standing up and running around busily. Some are running out from the forest. Those who were here and there in the forest gather once, and when they become about ten, they run toward where the feint unit is. To my surprise, they are wrapping vines around their bodies as a disguise. It's my first time seeing a monster's disguise.
Observing them, the Orcs pass between the trees, and the Trolls and Cyclopes run in groups of several along the forest road that the monsters likely made, where there are no trees. Looking at the end of the road, several groups of large heads covered in grass can be seen between the trees. No one is sticking out above the trees. They are likely lowering their postures. This is also a first. And the Orcs will attack from a different direction. They are quite clever for monsters. The Gigant might be smart.
"He's come out."
Gwyn-sama found him with a sharp eye.
Looking in the direction he pointed, a patch of grass as tall as a man is moving in the forest away from the entrance.
"Is it that patch of grass?"
"That's right. Watch closely."
As I was told, I watched, and the patch of grass came out into the flat land. Just like that, it stood up on two legs!
"What is that!"
A grass monster?
"Look closely. He's wrapped grass all over his body."
"Grass on his body?"
"That's right. He pretends to be a patch of grass like that to deceive the enemy's eyes, just as Jeanne was deceived."
Looking closely, he has tied tall grass and tree branches all over his body with leafy vines. If he moves, you can tell, but if he stays still, he's just a patch of grass. If he did that in a forest or meadow, you wouldn't know. All the more so in a night battle. I saw the guards pretend to be patches of grass during an exercise in Nakanohara before, but it wasn't such a thorough whole-body patch of grass.
"He's quite good. While his subordinate monsters draw the enemy, he approaches the enemy and launches a surprise attack with high-level magic. It's unrefined but strong."
"Umu. He's likely deploying magic defense around himself until he releases the magic, so unless there's a high-level mage, the magic will be completely neutralized."
"Yeah, since he's covered his whole body with grass and tree branches, arrows won't pass through easily either. Plus he's got monstrous strength. Look at that long thing wrapped in grass. It's surely an iron club. If he swings something like that, even a heavy cavalryman with a long spear will be blown away in one hit before getting into range."
Gwyn-sama and James-sama are both saying only pessimistic things.
"How do we defeat him?"
"We won't defeat him now. If we defeat him, we'll aim for when he's on his way back."
Sir Edgar's feint unit is supposed to fight appropriately and then flee. They apparently aim for when he's returning after driving away the humans and letting his guard down.
"'If we defeat him' means there are times when we won't defeat him?"
"There are two reasons, but one is that there is something I want to investigate."
It's Price-sama.
"Something you want to investigate?"
"Yes. To be precise, the request from the church here is that the Gigant is occupying the ruins and they cannot investigate, so they want us to do something about it. They didn't say to subjugate him."
Hmm. Is that why they chose a troublesome feint operation instead of launching a surprise attack to kill him?
"Yes, that's right. What the Gigant who participated in the Demon Lord's army did was only the occupation of the ruins. He hasn't attacked the human side."
Was the purpose the occupation of the ruins?
"There is that possibility. Of course, there was a battle with the humans who attacked. However, the Gigant basically stuck to defense and continued to protect this forest."
They attacked the fortress for monitoring the demon realm, but they apparently only surrounded it and didn't attack much. It's certainly strange. According to Henry-sama's conjecture, the purpose of the Demon Lord's army is to kill humans, not to occupy land. Setting aside the Dullahan who was mistaken, the reason for occupying ruins made by humans, namely the Ancient Priestess, is unknown. Furthermore, even after the Demon Lord was subjugated, he remains. Moreover, the army itself has disbanded, and they are apparently living comfortably in the forest of the ruins.
"If it weren't for the matter of the ruins, he's a harmless existence. We could subjugate him, but it's not too late even after confirming how he is handling the ruins."
I see. There are also the examples of Violet and the Dullahan.
"What is the other reason?"
I tried asking just in case.
"Actually, there is information that the monsters in the nearby demon realm are significantly increasing in number. Until now, whether it's the Gigant or the monsters of the demon realm, they only exclude those who try to attack the forest and haven't tried to go outside the forest. If the Gigant is making them act that way, if we send an army and kill many of them, the restraint might be lost and they might come outside the forest."
Price-sama said that and tightened his mouth.