Chapter 544 - Chapter 5: The Wetlands of Northern Gram ⑤
We conquered the two high grounds near the north bank of the wetlands. I thought the next would be the third closest high ground, but Bonnie discovered an anomaly.
"There might be a battle occurring at our allies' fort!"
Looking, red, white, and yellow lights are flickering. White would be Holy. Red is fire, and yellow is lightning? If so, it might not just be the Demon Race.
"We will support them. Prepare for battle."
Everyone answers all at once.
We make a sharp turn to the right and accelerate all at once.
"Fiona, the situation."
"Yes. Dark magic... Dark? It is deployed in front of the fort. Lightning magic... is that being absorbed? At any rate, it is being blocked. Since it is shining white, it must be white silver. Occasionally, arrows are flying from the fort. The enemy seems to be coming out of the wetlands and heading toward the fort. Because the arrows and ballistae are aiming below. Since several small flags for marking can be confirmed in the sky, our allies' bowls are flying. Since no magic or arrows are being fired in particular, they are likely waiting in a state where their forms are hidden. Therefore, the enemy is not the Demon Race, but insects? Perhaps it is that Amphisbaena."
As usual, it's a brilliant reconnaissance report. Thanks to it, I can grasp the situation of the battle as if I were holding it in my hand.
When we actually approached, there were as many as three Amphisbaena. Apparently, the snakes are dividing roles between their two heads. One breathes fire, and when the other opens its mouth wide, lightning falls. While one is attacking, the other is splashing marsh or wetland water and keeping it on its body. I wonder if it's a measure against Holy Magic? If so, it's quite a troublesome enemy.
The fort side has deployed a wall of Dark at the base of the stone wall where the fort is built to prevent the snakes from climbing up. They are limiting the snakes' path and making it so they can add concentrated attacks with white silver arrows. As proof of that, several arrows are stuck in one snake. As a result of being driven away, they are attacking by breathing fire or firing lightning from a slightly distant place. Lightning sometimes falls from above the fort, but it's being repelled. They are probably preventing it by deploying a Wind Barrier like a roof.
Wilson-san said to look in front, so when I shifted my gaze, I saw two more snakes crawling toward the fort. There's a limit to arrows, and there's a limit to the magic control of human magic soldiers, the Priestess aside. If the snakes increase like that, the fort will be conquered.
"Are they manipulating the Amphisbaena with Subordination?"
I tried asking Eleanor-sama.
The Dwarf was manipulating a C-rank Cerberus. If the Amphisbaena is C-rank or lower, it wouldn't be strange for the Demon Race to be manipulating them. If so, we should defeat the Demon Race first.
"It is a possibility. Fiona. Is there a pitch-black place in the wetlands? A place that is invisible even to your eyes."
A pitch-black place... I see, Dark. Since Dark is the magic on the opposite side of Light, in the darkness, it becomes a blindfold and a defensive wall.
"That is not all. As Fiona said earlier, Dark absorbs magic. In other words, being inside the darkness is the same as having Camouflage and Magic Reflection cast simultaneously, so magic detection is impossible."
Is that so? That's excellent... no, troublesome.
"Ah! There it is! It's a place far away from where the arrows are aiming."
I see. To a ghost who is unrelated to darkness, it's perfectly visible in the opposite sense.
As long as we know the opponent's location, there's nothing but to attack.
What we know from past battles and subsequent research is that if Dark is a mist, white silver weapons, Fireflies, and walls of Light pass through. If Dark is a wall, it can be erased with strengthened Light. To erase it, we have to join up with Harrison-san.
"Let's observe for a while. We might grasp a clue."
Following Eleanor-sama's instruction, we decided to approach the darkness.
When we actually approached, they had made it like an overturned bowl with a wall made of Dark. I bet the Demon Race is lurking inside. A wall of Light lets magic pass through from the back. Dark, which has the opposite property, is the same. In other words, if they are inside that, they can use magic.
"Shall we fire Light?"
If we offset it and erase the wall, we can attack directly. Besides, if I illuminate it with Light, everyone will notice and attack.
"That might be a decoy. If we attack that from above, where would a counterattack be most troublesome?"
I wonder from which side? If we are to attack, it's from a place that's easy for allies to understand. Wouldn't it be fine to attack from directly above? If so, it would be wide open if we were attacked from above. However, for them to attack us from above, the condition is that the Demon Race can fly in the sky. Except for the four executives, the Demon Race members I've seen didn't have wings. I don't know the Fifth, but even the Sixth in the Northeastern Forest didn't have them. I bet the Demon Race here doesn't have them either. Then, just where are they?
"Wouldn't it be near our allies' black mist? If it's there, our allies' magic can serve as a disguise. Even if Jeanne attacks with Light, they just have to move a little and enter the mist, right?"
It's Will.
Henry-sama nods with a 'umu.' Eleanor-sama and Magdalena-sama are smiling. There's no doubt. As expected.
Then it's simple. Eleanor-sama contacted Eowyn-sama via a letter-sending magic circle and had the Wetlands Priestess's wall shifted upward. The snakes, now without a barrier, are diving underneath all at once. We have to quickly find the place where the Demon Race is lurking.
(Found it!)
Fiona found it. Since detailed information flowed into my head, I knew immediately.
"Jeanne, Eight-Fold Salvo. Harris, please strengthen it."
"Yes!"
"I have received your command."
Our location will also be exposed. However, the Demon Race member should be manipulating the snakes. To counterattack, they have to cancel Subordination. If the contact from Eowyn-sama has reached the aerial scout units like Harrison-san, a simultaneous attack will be possible. If it goes well, we can avoid letting them escape.
The location is already shared with everyone via Thought Communication. The four in the bow group nock two white silver arrows and take aim. Wilson-san began chanting Cocytus. Beatrix has deployed a Wind Barrier overhead and is prepared for the opponent's counterattack. I held my staff with both hands and raised it high.
"Here I go. Light!"
Without diffusing it, I aim straight, as thin as possible at a single point. Light about the thickness of an arm hit the Demon's barrier, which was like an overturned bowl on the ground, without missing its aim.
Harris-sama fires Holy Lances in succession, as if this were the crucial moment. I heard that recently he's been practicing to speak quickly when chanting magic or firing it. It seems to be effective, as Holy Lance only sounds like 'Holilan,' but it's coming out properly. He's firing about four while I count one. In no time, the light took on heat and is quite hot. Harris-sama broke into a sweat in an instant, and sweat is dripping from his chin. I wonder if he's okay?
While Harris-sama is doing his best, log-like Holies are fired from above, and many arrows fly. Eowyn-sama gave the instructions well.
"Ah! A hole has opened! It worked!"
Receiving Fiona's words, I doubled the thickness.
The four in the bow group fired eight arrows in total, and Wilson-san fired Cocytus.
Harris-sama, who stopped firing Holilans, slumped to his knees. Eleanor-sama quickly offered a hand towel.
Now, the Dark barrier has vanished. We are continuing to fire strengthened Light in a diffused manner to let everyone know the Demon Race's location. Although I said strengthened, since I'm not giving enough damage to make smoke rise from their body, the Demon Race member is running energetically. Eleanor-sama skillfully operates the bowl and corners the Demon Race member. The lightning the Demon Race member fires in desperation falls to the left and right of the bowl, but it seems they can't aim properly and it doesn't hit satisfactorily. There was one direct hit course, but Beatrix tilted the wall of the Wind Barrier and skillfully parried it.
The Demon Race member, illuminated by the diffused Light, seems unable to use Teleport and is fleeing while hiding their face with both arms from the magic and arrows being fired.
Cheers rise from the fort. Now that it's come to this, we can't let them escape.
The Demon Race member, who can see in the darkness, is running and fleeing through the wetlands as if flying, despite the poor footing. Wilson-san began to fire Cocytus far in front of the direction the opponent is moving and started to freeze various places. During that time, Holies and arrows are also flying about.
To be honest, since I'm keeping the strengthened Light fired, the staff is fairly hot. Moreover, because I'm firing it from the tip, the heat source is right above my forehead. Because Eleanor-sama is swinging the bowl around, I'm dizzy. Beatrix and Bonnie, seeing this, are clinging to my feet and fixing me, so I don't fall, but my head alone is swinging around. To be honest, I've become dazed.
"Are you okay?"
Will, unable to watch, supports my shoulders from behind with both hands, but since my neck remains flopping about, it doesn't change much.
"Jeanne, how about this?"
Harris-sama took the lid off his water bottle and splashed it on my head. I became soaked.
It's rough, but to be honest, this was the most effective. I woke up and my consciousness became clear.
"Eii! How about this!"
I resolutely converged the Light that had been diffused and aimed at the ankles of the Demon Race member who was running and fleeing while firing magic as they looked back. The aim is the ankle.
It doesn't go very well. While I repeated convergence and diffusion several times, it finally hit the ankle just before landing, and they fell as if their leg had been swept away. (T/N: '足をかっぱらわれた' is a colloquialism for having one's legs swept).
Taking this opportunity, arrows and magic concentrated, and finally, the finishing blow was delivered with a barrage of log-like Holies. Grand cheers rose from the empty bowl units.
"It's not over yet. The two-headed snake... Amphisbaena... remains."
As for the fallen Demon Race member, Henry-sama jumped down from the bowl and cut off their head with a white silver sword. It's undoubtedly the real thing. When I offered a prayer, it crumbled like dust and vanished.
We successfully defeated the Demon Race member. While I was rejoicing with Beatrix that it was good, I was cautioned by Eleanor-sama.
"Weren't they being manipulated?"
I thought it was as Beatrix said, but the battle is continuing at the fort. Perhaps because the target has become only the two-heads, log-like Holies are being fired grandly from the bowls.
According to the situation transmitted from Fiona, the ghosts seem to be firing magic from atop the stone wall.
"They were likely being manipulated, but they must have become angry after being attacked by humans."
I see. Then let's defeat all five of them.
I was fired up, but when we actually fought, the Amphisbaena is considerably strong. Is it because they are lurking in the water that they have long breath? While one head breathes fire or fires lightning, the other head fires water magic one after another and continues to splash wetland water on its body without pause. The Holy Magic Holy is weakened, and we can't defeat them easily. Moreover, that's not all. I thought there were five, but they are swarming. They are lurking in the water, occasionally putting only their heads out and firing magic. Some are firing water toward their comrades' bodies. It's like an army.
"What is that? They're quite used to fighting."
Beatrix says in amazement.
Exactly. They are performing collective combat despite being snakes. They are not ordinary magic beasts.
"Aren't there other Demon Race members lurking?"
If so, it's serious. It's not monster subjugation, but almost a war.
"Eleanor. Let's join up with Eowyn-dono once. It's better after we've devised a plan."
Henry-sama, who usually doesn't interfere with Eleanor-sama's management during battle, said so. It must be a serious matter.
"I understand. Then, let's divide into two groups."
Saying so, Henry-sama, Eleanor-sama, and Harris-sama were in the first group and remained in Eleanor-sama's bowl, and Magdalena-sama, Wilson-san, Beatrix, Will, Bonnie, and I became the second group and ended up riding in a small bowl newly made by Beatrix. Fiona remains merged with me.
"Magdalena. While searching for the Demon Race who might be lurking somewhere, please attack the Amphisbaena."
"I understand. Then, I am off."
When Magdalena-sama used a Camouflage scroll, Harris-sama cast Magic Reflection. We are off with our forms hidden.
"First, please ascend and fly around. Let's specify the Amphisbaena's location. Fiona, please search for the place where the Demon Race is lurking."
Magdalena-sama's instruction came. It seems what to do is already decided.
After flying around once, it seems the approximate locations of the two-heads are known. There seems to be no sign of the Demon Race lurking.
"Wilson. Let's limit the Amphisbaena's range of action. Create an ice levee with Glaciate."
"I have received your command."
It's quite ingenious. Because the opponent uses water, we are struggling to attack. Then we just have to freeze it so they can't use water.
Ice levees made with Glaciate are being completed more and more. The two-heads don't seem to understand our intention, as they are attacking the fort without concern. Now nearly ten are firing magic intensely. The Wetlands Priestess is preventing the magic with Dark, and the other mages with Wind Barrier and Magic Reflection. It seems they understood our intention, as their attacks are modest. They are probably drawing the two-heads to the fort so they don't escape.