Chapter 612 - Eighth Story: The Former Demon Lord's Cave ②
Information came in from the exploration team that the nest had been found.
"It was at the foot of the mountain as expected. However, it is the location that the Medioland scouts, who joined us during the Demon Lord subjugation battle, were exploring."
At that time, we had burned a large fire to lure out the ants and annihilated them as they attacked. After that, we had been quite active in the range currently being explored, but no ants came.
"In other words, they are increasing."
"Yes. At the very least, we can say that the nest holes... that is, the nest entrances, are increasing."
"?"
According to Eleanor-sama's speculation, several possibilities can be assumed for the structure of the cave where the Demon Lord resides.
"Is it not just the mountain?"
"Yes. Jeanne, do you remember the time of the Demon Lord subjugation battle?"
"To some extent."
"Do you remember the position of the tower descending to the fourth floor at that time and the layout of the fourth floor itself?"
The tower descending to the fourth floor was near the north center of the third floor. And the fourth floor was... spreading out to the north from the tower.
"That's right. In other words, the fourth floor is not under the third floor. Since there is only ground under here, it wouldn't be strange if hidden spaces were spread out."
"Then, from there, the monsters..."
"Yes. It's just a possibility, though."
As another possibility, each floor is in a completely different place, and they are connected by going up and down the tower.
"You remember the caves of the Earth Dragon and the Gnomes. They were creating those caves by connecting several spaces in different locations underground through Teleport."
That's certainly true. At the time of the Earth Dragon, every time we opened or closed the door of the room where we were having a banquet together, it connected to a different place. At the time of the Gnomes, a transition was taking place that wouldn't be noticed unless one was a Salamander.
"I've been wondering about it for a while. The legend that the terrain of the Demon Lord's cave changes every time he is resurrected. In this cave, I participated in two subjugation battles, and it actually changed between the first and second times. However, if the several caves where the Demon Lord is resurrected are connected by towers, that would also be understandable."
However, if that's the case, even if we conquer this place, it won't be a complete conquest. If so, we would have to go through the same hardships every time the Demon Lord is resurrected, even here.
"Of course, that's true. However, there's no need to conquer everything. If we unravel the mystery of the third floor, which is the most difficult to conquer, the hardships associated with conquest will be significantly reduced."
That's true. She herself gave up on conquering the third floor midway and retreated. Especially the ants. The monsters that come out on other floors are more powerful, but because of the ants, magic can't be used properly here.
We move the Fireflies to the place where the ant nest was discovered and illuminate it grandly. Moths and other insects also gather, so the monster extermination team on the medium-sized bowls of the Paratroop Jaegers are shooting Holy and knocking them down one after another. Furthermore, since leftovers were scattered around the nest, cockroaches also come. Around the nest, the ants that came out as reinforcements began to swarm over the carcasses of the insects and start feeding, just as their instincts dictated.
As for the attack, first, we are knocking down the moths with Holy. Moreover, it seems they are only firing low-level spells, as they are still fluttering even after falling. They are also knocking down more and more flightless insects... mantises, spiders, and centipedes... that come looking for them. The cockroaches swarming over the leftovers are the same. These are being swarmed and eaten by the ants that came out.
After a certain interval, we started killing the ants.
The ones swarming over the carcasses of large insects like mantises become carcasses themselves all at once by Harrison-san's Holy with a reflector. When ants become carcasses, they seem to become the target of predation for their companions, and new ants that come are swarming over the mountain of carcasses.
While the ants are working hard, the civil engineering work should be progressing.
Because we are working hard to illuminate, it seems the insects don't go toward weak lights like torches. Various sounds can be heard, but the ants don't go there and are swarming over the carcasses of the insects with their instincts laid bare.
In that way, we gather insects with Fireflies, use them as bait to gather ants, and then let them fight each other to reduce their numbers. Just thinking about that, it feels like it could have been done with something like a magic circle even if I hadn't come, but it seems the gathering of insects is poor with a magic circle that can only illuminate upward from a flat surface. This time, unlike the frogs, they don't stretch out their tongues to eat moths, so even if they were attached to the tip of a pole, they would be knocked down by mantises or spiders.
Frogs didn't come out this time. If the frogs trained by the Second were to fight the ants, what would happen?
"There are no frogs."
I try asking Eleanor-sama.
"It's probably because there are no marshes nearby. In this section, it would be the southeast part."
"The frogs trained by the Second, right?"
"That would be it."
Eleanor-sama smirked. It seems we are thinking the same thing.
As for the civil engineering work Beatrix is participating in, honestly, it's dark and I don't really know, but I've heard from Eleanor-sama what they are going to do.
The logging team cuts down more and more monster-turned trees in the intervals of the insects' predatory activities. They transport the cut trees with Tornado Wind, Paul-san style. Beatrix's role is probably this. Since the transported trees are cut into small pieces, they should be sent to the surface one after another using Teleportation Circles. Since it's wide, I don't know when the complete logging will be finished, but Eleanor-sama's policy is to cut up and carry out all the monster-turned trees, fill in the marshes and swamps, and make this place a flat land.
Before time runs out, we turn off the Fireflies and return once. Since we had rolled several triangular pyramid stones with decoy Light magic circles, we weren't attacked by insects.
Once we enter the tower and close the silver screen door and the door, it's safe. It'll be a break until the second sortie.
"Give me light."
At Eleanor-sama's words, just as I was about to bring out the Fireflies, several magic circles for illumination lit up all at once. Not only on the floor and walls, but also several attached downward to the tips of poles, so the inside of the tower... although it's high, only around the floor... is quite bright. Eleanor-sama's words seemed to have been a password rather than an instruction.
Oh? Does that mean they purposely didn't turn them on when I first came here?
"It was a strong request from the participating Paratroop Jaegers. It seems the effect is higher if Jeanne herself illuminates them."
Isn't it the same? I wonder what kind of rumors are floating around...
After eating lunch and taking a breath, we make the second sortie. Today's schedule is one sortie each in the morning and afternoon, so half of the schedule is over.
"What are we going to do in the afternoon?"
The break is one hour. I don't think that fierce predatory activity will end in that amount of time.
"We were planning to gather insects continuously, but shall we have the Second's frogs work hard too?"
As expected, it came to that. Frogs are D-rank. In other words, Robinson-san can also manipulate them. Let's gather several frogs and have them participate in the battle against the ants.
Normally, the overwhelmingly numerous ants would be stronger. In fact, that sturdy-looking Scorpion was no match. The Scorpion, which was swarmed by a number of ants that covered its body, eventually stopped moving and finally disappeared without a trace. That hard-looking body was eaten.
However, the frogs trained by the Second were different. We floated a medium-sized bowl in the pond, searched with Sense Living, and had Robinson-san manipulate five of them. We took them and launched a raid on the insects that were engaged in predatory activities.
We have already deactivated the triangular pyramid magic circles. Since the Fireflies don't illuminate the ground, the frogs are also safe.
The frogs participated in the predation normally, but as soon as they came into contact with the ants, Robinson-san instructed them to start attacking.
First, it's water magic. They chanted Shower all at once, causing local heavy rain and soaking the surroundings. They probably created a base that was comfortable for themselves and difficult for the ants to move in. On top of that, they stretched out their tongues and launched long-range attacks... that is, meals... one after another, steadily reducing the approaching enemies. In the meantime, they made rain fall, used their legs to dig holes in the muddy ground, and expanded them to make small, small marshes. I don't know if they are coordinating or doing it individually, but the five of them expanded the marshes little by little as if expanding their base, and continued to fight back bravely while also launching attacks.
As for us, it's the frogs rather than the ants. We decided to provide support. In the holes dug with Clump Sand, we gathered ants in one place with Favorable Wind, and then repeatedly dropped stones from above with Clump Stone to crush them all at once. It's tens of thousands against five. Beatrix used Clump Water to transport the ants along with the water to the extermination holes so that the marshes wouldn't be filled with ants.
That afternoon, we worked hard to defeat the ants in coordination with the frogs. Of course, we can't annihilate them. Robinson-san judged the timing, guided the frogs to evacuate, and ended the operation.
The frog operation was well-received. Because while humans can't carelessly descend to the ground, the frogs fight as a ground team. If there is a ground team, the ants' range of action can be restricted.
By Eleanor-sama's instruction, a storage place for the frogs... or rather, like a box without a lid turned on its side... was made inside the tower of the base. Since Sleep magic circles are drawn on the floor, ceiling, and left and right walls, it's designed so that if the frogs are guided there, they can be put to sleep.
We guided the frogs we fought with to that place... they had properly finished their business before sleeping... and had them sleep with Freeze.
Even though they are kings, they shouldn't be attacked in their sleep, so we kept the door properly closed.
On the second day, we further pushed the frog operation. The morning was spent searching for frogs, and we organized a unit of forty in total. We gathered insects with Fireflies and first, it was our companions' meal. When they were finished, we used magic to encourage the ants to come out and fought together with the frogs.
The magic used was for building the frogs' base, so they immediately entered a combat stance, and while they were defeating the ants, the logging team steadily proceeded with the logging.
The logging proceeded as if semi-circularly surrounding the ant nest, so we turned that into a long, narrow marsh. That itself became our companions' base. In that way, while exterminating the ants, we steadily proceeded with the logging inside the marsh.
Thanks to the hard work of the frogs, we finally succeeded in making the ants disappear. We succeeded in driving out the ants from the northwest section. By the time the afternoon operation ended, the trees inside the marsh were completely logged, and the entrance to the ant nest became clearly visible.
On the third day, it was finally time to conquer the ant nest.
The ant nest hole is only just large enough for two humans to pass each other, so a medium-sized bowl can't enter. It started with the expansion work of that hole. As for the frogs, we gathered insects and had them eat their fill, and while they were relaxing, Eleanor-sama and Beatrix went around casting Sleep to put them to sleep. The fact that Robinson-san had previously instructed them that they could rest slowly also worked well. They went to sleep one after another.
The mountain of the cave is made of rock. We prepared a hidden medium-sized bowl, and Wilson-san performed the expansion work of the hole with Curve. The ones who boarded were the Henry Party, Harrison-san, Robinson-san, and me. The Paratroop Jaegers led by the Captain, the monster extermination team led by Harris-san, and Harold-sama and Beatrix remained as the logging team. This was because they had to deal with it if something happened. 'Something' also includes our distress, so the selection of people would be appropriate.
The ant nest is intricate, just like a maze. While illuminating with Light, we expanded it to a sufficient size so that the medium-sized bowl could fly with room to spare. There are rooms here and there at the branching points, but there is nothing. They are dead ends. There were probably ants that came outside.
Using the stone materials produced during the expansion, we filled in the dead ends and made the passage as simple as possible. We made frames here and there in the passage and proceeded while making sure the expanded cave wouldn't collapse. We were working like that for a while, but the reaction of the wooden fish we had prepared just in case changed.
"The direction suddenly changed."
The one observing was Will. Looking at it, it was found that they were not proceeding at least to the west where the entrance was, but were proceeding due west. It's been about an hour and a half since the work started. Since we are taking various detours, the distance isn't that great in terms of straight-line distance. Probably, if seen on a plan, a part of the inside of the mountain should be in a different place.
When we backed up the bowl once, the boundary could be identified.
"From here on, we are made to move to a completely different place, right?"
Eleanor-sama smeared paint on the wall of the cave that became the boundary to make it a landmark.
"Jeanne, turn off the Fireflies and chant Sense Living."
"Yes. Understood."
I chanted as per Eleanor-sama's instruction, but there was no particular reaction.
When I sent a letter to the Captain with the letter transmission magic circle, there was a reply without any problem.
"Then let's make a midway base at the point before the place changes."
Saying that, she dug a side hole in a place significantly back from the boundary and made it a midway base.
The midway base uses a stone cut out with Curve as a lid, and a simple Teleportation Circle is placed inside. After Harrison-san set up a monster-repelling barrier in front of the boundary and threw in some worm monster repellent as a bonus, it was finished. We ended the morning of the third day there.