Chapter 540 - Episode 5: Northern Gram's Wetlands
Before my eyes, a vast wilderness spreads out. No, should I call it a wilderness? Perhaps a riverbed or a sandy beach would be more appropriate.
It seems to be the mouth of the river that forms the border with Medioland. On both sides of the river, a vast delta about the width of one post station has formed. It's not just the width. Its length is about two post stations from the river mouth. Because of some undulations, it's impossible to see from one end to the other.
The river meandering through the delta is divided into several tributaries, and between them are wilderness and wetlands. The coast is recessed in the middle like a bay, but it's like a mix of wilderness, wetlands, and tidal flats, so you can't tell where the riverbed ends and the coast begins. In that vast delta, there are also groves and grasslands, and simultaneously, wetlands. Such topographical matters finally became clear once we could see from the sky using Flight Magic. In short, it's a wasteland so vast that you can't grasp its full extent just by standing on the ground.
In the middle of the wasteland—or rather, near the sea—there is a low hill. An old fort has stood there since ancient times. The fort could be seen from afar if you floated a boat on the sea. No one even knows when or who built it. It wasn't that the Demon Lord was being resurrected, nor was it a base for the Demon Lord's army. Because there are many monsters, centered around insects, in the surrounding wilderness, exploration is impossible.
Where we are now is a watchtower of a fort near the river mouth on the north bank. They've piled up earth to make an artificial hill and built a stone fort surrounded by a moat and walls. The watchtower is on top of the hill. The surrounding area is terrain lacking in undulations, and the view is extremely good. To the north is the direction of the Old Gram Capital, which is a slightly hilly area. To the west, mountains can be seen far in the distance. The other side of the mountains is probably Medioland. To the east, the sea is visible. And to the south, a vast wilderness spreads out.
The meeting held in the Finis Capital ended safely. At the meeting, new proposals and announcements were made from each participating country. From Sertoria, Magdalena-sama announced that Anti-Sepsis is effective only when the cause of the disease is visible when using Sight. It was also announced that the Royal Medical Research Institute in Sertoria plans to conduct verification experiments using Sight to see which diseases' causes are visible. As a result, it will become clear what can be cured with magic water. However, since magic water has been confirmed to be effective as an infection prevention measure, bathing was considered effective in that sense.
After the meeting ended, we held a talk with Sianya and several Northern Priestesses, along with the ghosts she brought. As a result, the use of beads in Primordia was permitted, limited to Anti-Sepsis. However, it was confirmed that the ritual must, of course, be performed in Finis, and only those recognized by the Priestess can participate in the ritual. And the ghost to be put into the bead was required to be a ghost of the country that wants to use the bead... in other words, a ghost of Primordia. Since the strong desire to be useful for the nation is important, the ritual is more likely to succeed if it's used in the place where one was born and raised.
And the members of the Wetlands Knight Order agreed to enter the beads in rotation. First, as a trial, two people will enter on a one-year contract. After that, the number of years and people will be decided, and members other than the Commander and Vice-Commander will enter in rotation. The first ritual was set to take place after the subjugation of the Demon Race requested by Northern Gram was finished. They've come all the way to the far North. It was a reflection of the members' desire to successfully complete their first battle.
After such circumstances, we ended up challenging the Demon Race lurking in the wasteland fort.
"Everyone. Thanks to the great Jeanne-sama's magic, a sufficient field of vision must be secured."
Eowyn-sama began the guidance. Since it was so vast that it only looked like a wilderness, once I cast Sight on everyone, they could finally see the fort. Everyone was surprised, and Eowyn-sama in particular got excited and made a big fuss. After I cast Calm with all my might and had him settle down, the explanation finally began. Honestly, it might have been better to have Henry-sama knock him out and then have Eleanor-sama put him to sleep with Sleep.
"Thanks to various methods taught by Sertoria Kingdom, the country of Jeanne-sama's birth, we finally understood that much. And as I've already mentioned, the existence of the Demon Race has been confirmed."
Please don't force my name into it!
While repeatedly calling my name, the explanation of the surrounding terrain and the means of conquest ended, and a strategy meeting for the Demon Race subjugation was held in the meeting room of the fort with the tower. As for the fighting force, it is quite luxurious.
From Finis, Crown Prince Gwyn. From the border, the border Lord's party. From Sertoria, the Henry Party including Beatrix, Harris-sama, and me. From Regnentes, Harrison-san. From Primordia, Sianya and the Wetlands Knight Order led by the Wetlands Priestess. From the local Northern Gram, Eowyn-sama and two thousand Northern Gram troops directly under the Crown Prince. Besides, if you add the scouts and the transport unit supporting the logistics, it's a force that can almost wage a war.
"By the way, Primordia seems to have gathered quite an interesting force."
The Wetlands Priestess and the Knight Commander and Vice-Commander are participating in the meeting. Unfortunately, they are completely invisible to the people of Finis and Northern Gram, and seeing a wine bowl floating in front of a chair that was pulled out as if someone had sat down, the server's legs gave out.
Gwyn-sama and Eowyn-sama seemed to have guessed. After all, Gwyn-sama frequently interacts with ghosts, and Eowyn-sama also often meets the border Lord's party. They probably have a tolerance for ghosts.
"Sianya-dono, could you introduce them? If possible, I'd like to see their forms."
Eowyn-sama said pleasantly, as usual.
"Oh? We're busted? Man, I thought I'd surprise the Prince as a greeting."
"Priestess, that's why I told you. It's disrespectful."
"It's fine, Commander. More importantly, these people seem to have quite a lot of nerve."
The three of them appeared together. You should have done that from the start.
"Fumu. Then, you are members of the Western Church and the Kingdom of Primordia, the guardian spirits of the epidemic prevention facility scheduled for construction?"
Eowyn-sama, who received the explanation from Sianya, asked.
"That's right. Nice to meet you."
"And you've come this time to protect Sianya-dono, the three of you."
"It's not three. There are more."
Eowyn-sama looks at Sianya.
"We've brought fifty."
You've brought quite a lot. That's almost half of the Knight Order members. Honestly, do we even need other humans?
"There are that many?"
The border Queen is surprised. The border Lord's party is four people.
"It's the instruction of the King of Primordia. Everyone wanted to come too."
It seems they decided by drawing lots for everyone except the Commander and Vice-Commander. In a sense, the wetlands are shorthanded, but they're ghosts, so it's probably fine.
"The opponent is the Demon Race, right? The Knight Order aside, I'm free, so I'm going to the front line."
She's an upper-level mage and a user of Dark Magic. Though, since it's Forbidden Magic, it's a secret. However, if she uses it, it's decided that she'll use it at her own discretion.
"We also guarantee the Wetlands Priestess's skill. How should I put it, I can't talk about the details, but there's no problem with her fighting on the front line. If anything... that's right, it might be better for her to act with us."
It's the border Lord. The Wetlands Priestess is happily saying thank you.
If we launch a surprise attack on the Demon Race fort combined with ghosts, the Demon Race might be the ones to run away.
Eowyn-sama seemed convinced and declared that he would place the Wetlands Priestess in the same place as the border Lord's party and the Knight Order members in the same place as Sianya. On top of that, there was an explanation of the strategy.
The basis of the strategy is diversion and surprise attack. Because of the poor footing, even if an army invades, its mobility will be greatly reduced. Moreover, the opponents are insects that lurk in various places and attack suddenly. Even if two thousand soldiers were four thousand, they'd be swarmed and finished before they reached the fort.
"Decoys will gather the insects and attack with magic. If the Demon Race comes out well, we'll have a decisive battle there. If they don't come out, a separate unit will hide their presence, infiltrate the fort, and subjugate the Demon Race, or blow up the fort with gunpowder."
I see. In other words, I'm probably the decoy. They are merciless in this regard.
If possible, it's better if the Demon Race comes out of the fort. Everyone agreed on that point.
"It hasn't been many days since the full moon passed. And the insects probably don't follow the instructions of the Demon Race."
It's as Eleanor-sama says. In the third layer of the Demon Lord's cave, we saw many insects. However, they were wild and preying on each other. What's worrying is if Subordination is used, but before activation, they're just wild.
"How about it? While it's still daylight, why don't we lightly raid the fort as a greeting? If we can make the opponent angry, they'll be more likely to fall for the nighttime diversion."
"I like that, that! Let's go, let's go!"
The two battle maniacs are getting excited. Especially the Wetlands Priestess, who probably wants to use Flight Magic in actual combat.
"As for the means, how?"
It's a proposal from Eleanor of Tactics. Eowyn-sama, who received the explanation from Eleanor-sama, easily agreed.
Now, we depart in the medium-sized bowls. Since the goal is to make the Demon Race angry, it's easygoing, in a way.
The participants are the Henry Party including Beatrix, Gwyn-sama, Harrison-san, and me.
Magdalena-sama and Sianya are staying behind with the Knight Order. The border Queen merged with Eleanor-sama, Fiona with Beatrix, the border Lord with Harrison-san, McGuire-san with Gwyn-sama, and the Wetlands Priestess merged with me.
Eowyn-sama is following behind with a medium-sized bowl carrying about ten Northern Gram soldiers and several small bowls operated by magic soldiers. Eowyn-sama apparently organized this operation centered around the former vassals of the King of Gram. Partly because it's the land of Gram, but currently, the Northern Gram direct army is apparently refraining from operational actions so they can be called up at any time in case the aftermath of the war on the mainland reaches the White Island. When the Old Gram surrendered in the previous great war, Eowyn-sama took in the famous people of Northern Gram with the same treatment as before. The famous people are, in other words, those who participated in the Demon Lord subjugation force or those who made a name for themselves in the previous war despite the defeat, and they are organized with the toughest of the tough. I received greetings when I arrived at the Northern Gram Royal Palace, and there was even an ultra-high-level mage who experienced and was decorated for the fierce battle with the Demon Race on the second layer during the Demon Lord subjugation war.
"Hey, among Eowyn-sama's subordinates, there was a unusually fat person, right? I wonder what kind of person he is?"
Military personnel all have toned physiques. There are large people, but they aren't called fat. However, as Beatrix says, among Eowyn-sama's subordinates, there was one person who was a picture-perfect noble. He was quite fat and of medium height. The top of his head was quite thin. Perhaps because his legs were short compared to the width of his body, he walked with a waddle. That feeling, in most fairy tales, is the kind-hearted noble who is manipulated by an evil minister or mage.
"That person is the one who brilliantly lured James-sama into a trap in a narrow area and challenged him to a decisive battle in the previous great war."
Eleanor-sama, who overheard the conversation between the two, answered.
James-sama fell into a trap?
"When I proposed this raid, did you notice that Eowyn-sama looked at that person for a moment?"
"Eh? Is that so?"
Please don't ask me. Because Eowyn-sama called my name so many times, I had been looking down and hiding my face the whole time.
According to Eleanor-sama, after confirming that the fat man showed affirmation with his eyes regarding Eleanor-sama's proposal, he agreed to this raid.
"If that gentleman had shown opposition at that time, this raid might not have happened."
In other words, he is trusted to that extent.
He didn't look like a warrior at all.
"His appearance is certainly plain, but as far as I can judge from the stories passed down, I think he's quite a tactician."
Eleanor-sama is giving him quite a high evaluation.
"I heard that James, who invaded in the previous great war, called out to him to be a staff officer, but he refused. He said he wanted to be loyal to the King of Gram who surrendered."
Gwyn-sama looks happy. He probably likes such people.
"The King of Gram isn't a King anymore, right?"
It should be as Beatrix says. Gram is already gone.
"When they surrendered to Medioland, they were taken in by Northern Gram. Since Gram is the main house of Northern Gram. Now he's apparently living peacefully with a territory just enough to not struggle for food. His son is serving Eowyn, who succeeded the lineage of the Kingdom of Gram. Eowyn is also something else. Even though it could easily have become a spark for rebellion, he has now completely mastered it."
It's famous that Gwyn-sama and Eowyn-sama are on good terms. James-sama and Roberts-sama are also on good terms, but they don't fall behind.
"Jeanne, do you know that secret?"
"No."
"It's simple, it's because he's always saying Jeanne's name."
"Ha?"
Just what is he talking about? Did Eowyn-sama's illness infect Gwyn-sama too?
"In the previous war, Eowyn intended to die. By having a duel with me."
"Eh?"
Gwyn-sama explained the situation the Finis and Northern Gram royal families were placed in at that time.
"After welcoming Eowyn's sister as my queen and destroying Septanaquila, Eowyn and I would have a duel, and the winner would get the disputed land, and the loser's grave visits would be permitted. That was the story. Since Eowyn's illness was an open secret. The people here didn't doubt that I would win. I was the same. Eowyn, whose condition was progressing, tried to settle it by being killed."
On the other hand, the Northern Gram side had made the taken land a direct territory of the Royal Family. So the nobles apparently didn't say anything. However, there is a history of fighting for many years. As a nation, they couldn't easily give it up. Blood was necessary.
"That was a miraculous grand resurrection."
Since then, Northern Gram has been trying to be a protector of epidemic patients, the physically disabled, and those who are not economically blessed. That accelerated after Aira married into the family. By using magic for agricultural use as a labor tax, they became able to cultivate wider land than before. Harvests have increased, and both nobles and commoners seem to welcome the new Northern Gram.
However, magic is something granted by the Goddess. Even if my name is called repeatedly, nothing changes. Much less, it has nothing to do with the people of the conquered land becoming submissive.
"That is related. It seems that when he says Jeanne's name, confidence that he can overcome difficulties wells up. The reason Eowyn is always calm and full of confidence is also because every morning he calls the names of the Goddess and Jeanne, offers gratitude, and simultaneously prays for the success of pending matters and the safety of everyone."
That confidence is working in a good direction—that's Aira's analysis. There's nothing more unreliable than a ruler who lacks confidence in everything they do.
But still. Calling the name of the Goddess alone should be enough.
"That's the thing, in the beginning, it was only gratitude and prayer to the Goddess."
Gwyn-sama was apparently present at the moment the magic water showed its effect.
Afterward, at one time, he was told by a certain person to also thank me. And on that day, when he called my name and spoke words of gratitude, the report of Gram's surrender came in. Not only that, it was decided that he would succeed the lineage of the Gram Royal Family. Because it was so auspicious, he has since spoken my name at every opportunity. It seems to be particularly noticeable when facing difficulties. Finally, he has ended up with a disease where he can't feel satisfied unless he says my name for everything.
"Well, it's a magic word that rouses his courage."
Gwyn-sama says to overlook it.
Honestly. I don't know who it was, but someone said something unnecessary.