Chapter 617 - Tenth Story: The Demon Realm in Northern Medioland
It was in late June that I went to the Medioland Royal Palace for the first time in a while. The movement was faster than expected, likely because they thought to proceed while Engrio was doing its best. The target of the Engrio army's conquest was the Demon Realm I've been to twice, where ants appear. The basic ant countermeasure in the field is to lure them out and defeat them from a bowl. This is because the opponent cannot fly. Since Sertoria had almost perfected that method, they had been talking about it at the Council of Lords in June. After that, they apparently shared the details of the previous operation... though surely not all of it... with Engrio. Even if the Queen is difficult, as long as ant countermeasures are in place, they can launch an offensive with a bowl unit. If they invade a place where no discoveries have been made and ants come out, they can just withdraw while intercepting with water magic from the air. King Seldic bit at the idea of giving it a try, so Medioland made preparations to match. I won't go so far as to say it was a godsend, but if there are ant nests, it's better to have countermeasures. Eleanor-sama proposed that to Price-sama, and as a result of talks between the Medioland and Sertoria palaces, the two nations decided to try it together.
The main force this time is the local Medioland. First is a mixed unit of scouts and magic soldiers led by James-sama; in short, a bowl unit. There are thirty of them. In addition is the church's monster extermination team. Their strength is twenty. Combined, it's fifty, which isn't many. This is because the target is ants, not a full-scale conquest of the Demon Realm. Since the target is too vast, a frontal battle with a large force would result in heavy casualties. That would interfere with the human-on-human wars expected in the future. Therefore, they will gradually whittle down the enemy's strength with small units centered on scouts.
From Sertoria, the Henry Party's five regulars joined, along with Harold-sama and Harrison-san, making seven. From the Class of 175, Mary, Beatrix, and I joined. And Roberts-sama and Gladys-sama are participating. Four former heroes and four active heroes. Among the active ones are two warriors, one mage, and one priest, making for a good balance. The selection was likely made with the possibility of the Demon Race appearing in mind.
By the way, Robinson-san is working hard every day using our companions for insect extermination on the third floor. Recently, there are Violet and the Alraune to act as interpreters for the goblins, and cooperation with humans is smooth. He's apparently become bored, so this is just right. He also goes to the two-headed one extermination regularly, and he's happy that high-paying jobs have increased.
"Harold, I heard you resigned from your post, but did you find re-employment in Sertoria? I didn't know you were so hard up for a living."
"Shut it! I don't want to hear that from a man who eats the church's bread without retiring despite being at such an age."
"Don't forget that I am two years younger than you, who retired last year."
"Then will you retire next year?"
"Unlike you, I'm being held back by those around me. Could you somehow persuade them? You should be good at explaining retirement."
Price-sama and Harold-sama are going at it as usual. It's probably just a greeting, so it's best to leave them be.
That Price-sama will apparently be leading the Medioland Great Church's monster extermination team this time.
"I hear it's Red Ant extermination, but will the Demon Race be involved?"
"It's a possibility. Assuming the number of upper-class Demon Race is twenty, if we don't include the Demon Lord, there's one more. The Demon Race member we defeated in Finis the other day would be the nineteenth confirmed."
Eleanor-sama answered Price-sama's question.
The number of upper-class Demon Race isn't necessarily exactly twenty. It's based on Violet's testimony, so I don't think it's wrong, but it's not strictly accurate. However, the number twenty is, for example, the least common multiple of four and five, so it's a number that somehow feels convincing.
We've been subjugating the upper-class Demon Race since the battle to defeat the Demon Lord, and maybe we can successfully lure one out here.
After receiving words of encouragement from the King at the palace, we acted swiftly. Medioland had already connected the fortress closest to the Demon Realm via Teleport to use as a base, so we jumped immediately.
The fortress is one that protects a port town near the sea.
A river flows to the north of the fortress, and the town is centered on the south side of the river, surrounded by outer walls. The fact that it's not a very large town is likely because the Demon Realm is nearby.
From here on, we pass through the coast of the Demon Realm to go to the Former Septanaquila territory, so it's a town of a certain scale since we stay for several days depending on the weather, especially in winter. If you go north from here for about one station's distance, there's a river. The Demon Realm is beyond the wasteland north of that river. If you ride a bowl, it takes less than an hour. Since supplies can be brought in by ship, it's just right for a base. Originally, if the Demon Lord's army attacked from the Demon Realm, the river would be supported as a defense line, so a highway runs along the river, and there are apparently villages with fortresses here and there.
The soldiers at the fortress are primarily scout units, as they bear the duty of monitoring the Demon Lord's army. The commander also seems to be from a scout unit. As was the case in Regnentes, the sons of prominent nobles do not join scout units. The commander of a fortress in a direct territory is someone who has been promoted, though perhaps not to the very top, and they are mostly occupied by former scout unit members. For that reason, they are very enthusiastic about this operation centered on scout units and are determined to make it a success.
"From the information you provided, we have identified the locations where the Red Ant nests discovered by Sertoria are clustered. We have already dispatched an advance team and are also in a support position for the sealing of the nest hole where you defeated the Queen."
"As expected. Being former scout units, your movement is fast. Splendid."
"I am humbled. I thank you on behalf of the King of Sertoria."
They look happy to be praised by James-sama and Henry-sama.
"As already communicated by letter, this operation is small in scale but also has the subjugation of the Demon Race in view. Of course, if you successfully fulfill the task, we plan to issue a special reward. It's an operation unique to scout units, and I expect the great efforts of everyone in this fortress."
The soldiers of the fortress responded vigorously to James-sama's encouragement. Morale is high.
This time, the Class of 175 will also receive a special subjugation reward targeted only at the support group if we defeat the Demon Race, in addition to the participation reward. The assumption is that it should be a high-ranking member among the upper-class Demon Race, though not an executive, with long horns. If so, it's fifty gold coins. This time, the civilians are Harold-sama, Harrison-san, and the three from the Class of 175, so each of us can get ten gold coins. Let's do our best.
Now, just how are we going to lure out the Demon Race?
"Since the original goal is to destroy the Red Ant nests in this region, please just do your best at that first."
Eleanor-sama just said that with a smile.
"Is that all?"
It's Beatrix. Even if she says 'that's all,' I think it's quite a big task, but it's a bit of a waste to gather four active heroes and four former heroes just to defeat ant nests.
"They won't come easily. If there is a member of the Demon Race in this land, it will be the superior of the one we defeated at the Fire Dragon's volcano. They are likely quite strong. The Demon Race is the Demon Race, and the ants are the ants; it's better to deal with each of them firmly and separately."
"That's true, but to put out four heroes and four former heroes plus a corresponding number of people just for ants..."
"That's true, but an ant Queen is not an opponent that can be easily defeated either. Don't you think it's better to leave the Demon Race to the four heroes like James-dono and Roberts and have us concentrate on the ant Queen subjugation?"
"Well, that's true."
I see. So I am not the decoy this time. Then I'll hunt the Queen with all my might.
When we jump with the Teleportation Circle prepared by the scout unit, a familiar landscape spreads out before my eyes. Or rather, it's because I'm magnifying it with Sight. The Medioland scout unit had dug a hole in a corner of the rock mountain face we saw then to use as a monitoring base so they could look down on the area where many ant nests are clustered. Being Medioland, they have a Curve user in their scout unit. Quite impressive. The inside of the hole is surprisingly wide, and about ten people could live there. Of course, since only three people are usually monitoring, it must have been made with the expectation of reinforcements coming.
The monitoring hut has two rooms; one is where the medium-sized Teleportation Circle is placed, and it also served as a break room. The floor is just carved rock and is hard and rugged, but several bear furs were spread on the floor, so it's fine to lie down there. The other is the monitoring room, where a full-grown adult can lie on their stomach in a place like a crack in the rock to monitor. The crack is slightly sloped toward the entrance, so it'll be fine even if it rains. Moreover, it should be hard to see from above. It's just like a bear's hibernation spot.
The monitoring team also had a simple magic circle. Using that, we now jump to the midway base for the conquest. It's inside an ant nest. It seems they peeled off the topsoil along with the weeds from the surface and dug a hole, and if they bury the dug hole and stick the peeled topsoil back on, it'll return to normal. It can't be distinguished from the outside, and since we jump directly into the hole by Teleport, we won't be found. This part is also clever.
The support group just needs to do the ant Queen subjugation, so the operation begins immediately.
The first team was three people from the monitoring team who jumped. They'll check for safety.
One person came back and said it was okay, so we keep jumping in. The participants are five bowl users, five scouts, and five magic soldiers from the Medioland scout unit, six people from the monster extermination team led by Price-sama, and then the support group is nine people excluding Harrison-san, who joined James-sama, for a total of thirty.
Once inside, it's a little different from the one we made last time. Last time, it was made as a result of digging forward from the inside of a hole dug by ants, but this time, humans dug the whole thing from the start. Since it was dug from near the foot of the hill, it's at a slightly lower position. They've set up several rooms so that people can take breaks in shifts, and they've partitioned them with silver lattices so that ants can't enter.
When I searched with Sense Living just in case, there were none around the hole. The steps are decided, so the operation begins.
Eleanor-sama sent an instruction via the letter transmission magic circle to the Paratroop Jaegers in the third floor of the Demon Lord's cave to use magic grandly once every hour in the northeast, southwest, and southeast areas of the third floor. If the ants start acting after the magic is used, it'll be a hit. The Light Tree operation is more efficient at defeating insects if ants appear. They intend to have our companions act only in the southwest area, but if the bowl unit defeats the insects to some extent with Holy, the predatory battle will begin according to instinct, so it's convenient.
There was movement from the ants in the second nest, the one sortied to the southwest area. The southwest area has no mountains and has a large marsh, so the search range was narrow. Only along the walls. Since the nest hole has already been found, it's just right. We waited as is, saw off the ants' sortie, and then began the conquest of the nest.
What we do is the same. The difference is the speed. First, we block the hole they went out of. We descend and dig a vertical hole in the bottom of the cavity and pile up blocks. If the Queen counterattacks, we change to... water torture? We know the moderation from doing it once, and the magic soldiers are all high-level mages. In addition, since James-sama provided one ultra-high-level mage, the work was very efficient. Eleanor-sama and Wilson-san kept dispelling the magic the Queen cast, and in the meantime, the bowl with the magic circle attached kept pouring in water, and at the same time, they kneaded mud with Clump Sand.
This time, Medioland has brought iron rods that conduct lightning well. When they are thrown and stuck like hand spears into the kneaded mud, it's time for Cumulonimbus.
The Class of 175, Beatrix and I, made a shield with a wall of air and a wall of Light. This is also the same as last time. As for our allies' bowls, three bowl users are in a set of three for three bowls, so they ride in a lidded hole-bowl and use a wall of air the same size as the bowl as a shield, and the monster extermination team casts Magic Reflection to block magic. Of course, all the bowls are hiding their presence. On top of that, Mary and the magic soldiers are cooling all the bowls with Freeze, so even if the ants could detect us hiding our presence like snakes or frogs, we should be able to deceive them to some extent. Based on the successful experience of the last time, we refined the conquest method and gathered the numbers, and the process of attacking with lightning, drying with Prominence and simultaneously attacking with heat, Mary as the cooling person cooling it down, and further digging a hole to dig through to the Queen's room proceeded easily... although we took a break and ate lunch while it was cooling... The ants that went out have not yet returned.
After that, it's a matter of intruding and defeating the Queen, but I wondered what they would do, and they finished her off with Megiddo Fire. The one who fired it was Wilson-san, and not only my Eight-Shot, but everyone in the monster extermination team led by Price-sama participated and strengthened it like crazy, and they threw the one that turned pure white into the hole and bent it to hit the direction where the Queen was. Immediately, they fired a wall of Light, a wall of air, and Mary's Glaciate in succession to make a shield and put a lid on it. Eleanor-sama and the magic soldiers fired Glaciate and Blizzard repeatedly to cool the surroundings, and somehow managed to suppress the heat damage. Of course, I cast Resist on everyone except Wilson-san.
"Since we found out that no real profit can be obtained even if we defeat the Queen, it's fine. Thanks to everyone, we were able to suppress the damage caused by the heat of Megiddo Fire. Although it uses magic control, the thing itself is easy, safe, and good."
Eleanor-sama also has a triumphant expression. For Eleanor-sama, who usually fights in a direction that doesn't use magic power, it's a grand gesture.
"How did you defeat her last time?"
Price-sama, who heard Eleanor-sama's explanation, asks a question. If they had done it the same way, she wouldn't have gone out of her way to be triumphant.
"Heh heh heh, it's a secret."
Harold-sama is also something else. Since he usually complained about the lack of information sharing, he must have taken his revenge. Of course, if he said it, he would be teased by Price-sama.