Chapter 63 - The Mountain Fortress
The destination we jumped to using the Teleportation Circle was even further east than the goblin den we visited last month. For security reasons, the magic circle connected one sturdy prison cell to another in the Kingdom Army's Nakanohara garrison.
"Who are you! Who the hell gave you permission to come here?"
As soon as we arrived, bows and arrows were pointed at us from the other side of the iron bars. Five people who looked like a younger version of Paul-san, wearing furs, were glaring at us. If I hadn't been told before leaving Nakanohara that we'd be surrounded by people who looked like bandits upon arrival and not to be surprised, I would have been scared out of my wits.
"Hmph. We are here on the orders of Mayor Adolf of Nakanohara. Good work on your duty."
At Will's dignified words, they snapped to attention, which showed their proper discipline. A moment later, they seemed to regret it, but it was too late. We had the cell door opened and were allowed to pass with a nod.
It was called a hunters' base, but it was like a fortress in the mountains. It was a sturdy structure surrounded by high breastworks, built on a sheer cliff.
Their mission was to prevent monsters living in the Northeastern Forest from invading the Nakanohara District. According to Paul-san, it was a base for Jaegers, not hunters.
"So, you mean scouts?"
"No. Scouts specialize in reconnaissance, but Jaegers are selected light infantry. Usually, they are scouts disguised as hunters, but in times of emergency, they attack the enemy's rear units. They are, so to speak, a hidden army."
I didn't quite understand, but in short, we were in a fortress.
In the room we were guided to, we were able to join the guard squad of McBurn-san's unit—Beowulf was there too—who had preceded us as our guards.
"Weren't you surrounded when you arrived? You must have been surprised."
"Well, Will..."
When I explained the situation, he laughed and said, "As expected of the Big Sister." Will remained calm no matter where she was. She might just not be thinking about anything, but Will, holding a spear inside the fortress, was a sight to behold.
While I was watching Will, I was told that the boss was coming. I thought a bear-like man would come out like a bandit chief, but it was a nice middle-aged man named Lewis-san, who wore his leather armor stylishly.
"Paul, it's been a while. I'm glad you came."
"Angelica, I'm glad your brother's name has been cleared."
"Hanna, is Angus doing well?"
"So you are Hendrick's sister. Your eyes look like his."
And so on, his greetings were flawless. He also knew about the Green Marble.
"So this is the real thing. You've made something quite good."
His personality was also nice. I should definitely get some of his talent to bring back as a souvenir for Hans-san.
But why was such a nice person acting as a bandit chief in a place like this? While I was wondering, it turned out he was a unit commander belonging to the Kingdom Army. Does that mean the subordinate bandits are also Kingdom Army?
"Do we not look like it?"
When the commander asked, Will told him they didn't, and he nodded with satisfaction. The subordinate bandits also didn't seem to mind. They were smirking.
"We are the Kingdom Army, yet not the Kingdom Army. That is what it means to be a Jaeger."
I didn't quite understand, but if they were happy, then it was fine.
Why did we come to such a place? It's because we worked too hard at monster extermination. We had exterminated all the monsters around Nakanohara, except for the rats. It would take two months for the foxes and boars to return. My work had drastically decreased. Just as I was at a loss, I received a job request from Adolf-san.
It seems the Eastern Plains Corps led by Lord Roberts is going to launch an offensive against the Demon Lord's army lurking in the northern forest of the Eastern Plains. As a result, it was expected that a considerable number of monsters would cross the mountains and flee into Nakanohara. We had to intercept them. That was the support. It was decided that the entire Marcelo Company would participate. One squad from the guards was dispatched as protection, and Will and Hanna-san were dispatched as liaisons with the town hall.
A large map was spread out on the table. The map centered on the fortress, and around the fortress were only mountains and rivers. The marks here and there seemed to be observation posts. Based on the information transmitted from there, they would detect the movement of monsters, and the fortress units would intercept and exterminate them.
Lord Roberts' offensive into the forest where the monsters lived had already begun, and the drive toward our side was expected to start soon. According to Lewis-san, monsters might appear as early as the middle of this week.
"Are we not going to guide the monster swarms?"
It was Paul-san. Even if he said "guide," the opponents were monsters. Was such a thing possible?
"We'll build mock positions. The monsters will avoid them and change their path. We'll ambush them further ahead."
"It's imminent. Will it be alright?"
"First, let us show you today's work. You can decide after seeing that. If we gradually narrow the range from here on, we'll eventually be able to guide them."
Apparently, Paul-san and Angelica-san already had a plan in mind, as they were full of confidence. I'll leave it to the two of them and just watch.
From the fortress to the observation post, there was a single path just wide enough for one horse to pass, so we went by horse. I rode behind Will, but you shouldn't ride a horse through the mountains.
Branches hit my face, the horse turned suddenly, and we went up and down; I almost fell off many times. Because I was clinging to Will so hard out of fear, in addition to being bow-legged, even my fingers had become stiff.
The place we finally arrived at seemed to be a frequent passage for monsters. It was a basin surrounded by mountains on all four sides. Because of the woods and terrain, we couldn't see far, but we should be able to see well from the top of the mountain.
"Hanna. Please."
When Paul-san called out, the town hall's number one most popular receptionist replied, "Yes," and began to climb a tree nimbly. As expected of the daughter Angus-san was proud of having trained. She climbed to the top in no time and was looking around.
"I can see a pass to the north. To its west is a fairly high mountain. From there, there are two passes to the southwest. There's probably a lookout post on the southern ridge of the second pass. I'm sorry, but I can't see from there to here because the ridge in front is in the way."
A voice drifted down from far above. Before I could think, Hanna-san slid down and jumped off without hesitation from the lowest branch. She landed lightly, brushed off her hands, and smiled. It was the receptionist smile that charmed the men of Nakanohara.
"You could see the lookout post?"
Lewis-san and his subordinate bandits were surprised in a different way than I was. Their levels were just different.
"I didn't 'see' it, so much as it was a hunch. The height of the trees was different in one spot. It was an unnatural step, so that's what I thought."
Lewis-san sighed. He seemed to have surrendered.
"Indeed, there is a lookout post around where Hanna pointed out. However, it's meaningless if it's found. How do you think we can hide it well?"
The reason Adolf-san sent Hanna-san wasn't just because she could use a bow and arrow. It wasn't that simple.
"May I offer my personal opinion?"
"Of course," said Lewis-san.
"According to Paul-san, the plan was to deceive the opponent with decoy earthworks and guide them elsewhere. In that case, I think we can close off one of the paths the monsters take if we make that lookout post more conspicuous and build earthworks at the nearest pass from there."
Lewis-san, who had been nodding along, agreed, saying, "Let's try it."
"How about it, Hanna? Why don't you come to our place? You can have your pick of the handsome men of the Kingdom Army Jaegers. Including me, of course."
What is this old man thinking? His nice attitude from earlier is ruined. Hey, you bandit over there! Don't strike a pose!
"What are you saying!"
Perhaps unable to stand the disrespectful attitude, Paul-san also cut in.
"Hanna is the number one most popular at the Nakanohara Town Hall. She's the young lady who splits the popularity of Nakanohara with Priest Katherine of the orphanage! It's disrespectful to say that to her! If you want her as a wife, woo her during the mission period. The name of the Kingdom Army Jaegers, whose creed is fearlessness, will cry!"
What are you saying! Wait, what! Hanna-san splits the popularity of Nakanohara with Katherine-sensei? Eh? Currently, she's the provisional number two? Please tell me more about that!
"Geez! That's enough!"
Finally, she got angry herself. Lewis-san and Paul-san were scratching their heads, saying, "Sorry, sorry."
I decided to pretend I didn't notice that Angelica-san, who had snuck up behind them, was secretly listening.