Chapter 632 - First Story: Exterminating Engrio's Ants ⑩
Since the opponent's numbers were large, I thought we might have reduced them quite a bit, even if total annihilation was impossible.
But it wasn't quite like that. True, the corpses of Orcs and Ogres were piled up, but there were only about twenty of them. Most of the Orcs were still alive.
"Was the height insufficient?"
Wilson-san clicked his tongue. Because the clouds were deployed on the ground, the spread of the clouds was narrow, and we could only attack within that narrow range.
"That was close. You have to deploy Cumulonimbus in the air."
The Demon Race woman landed right in front of us.
"Now it's my turn. Especially you."
She suddenly pointed at me. I wasn't the one who fired Cumulonimbus.
" I won't kill you, but I'll have to tear off your arms and legs."
"!"
This one, she's noticed that I have the protection of the Four Great Spirits. This is the first time someone's noticed.
"Wind Barrier!"
Wilson-san deployed a Wind Barrier inside the wall to create a sphere. Since there were holes, we could counterattack with magic, but fundamentally we were holed up.
"Heh, this is light magic too, huh."
When she poked it with her black sword, sparks flew with a crackle.
"That's scary."
She was looking at the tip of her sword with a grin. She lightly touched the edge with her fingertip. Judging by her expression, it didn't seem like the blade had been chipped or anything.
"If I do this, what happens?"
She swung her sword with a swish. With a GYARIN sound, a disagreeable noise, the place she struck was torn. However, because of the Wind Barrier, the sword tip didn't enter inside.
"Hmm? This part dents, doesn't it?"
She was looking at the holey part of the counterattack Wind Barrier. She didn't miss the moment it flexed when she struck it.
"If I do this, then!"
Saying so, she thrust into the holey part. Since the hole was right in front of me, I hurriedly ducked. The blade ran just above my head.
"Oh, that was an unexpectedly fast reaction."
I have the Cat's Stone! Don't get cocky!
I increased the output to maximum.
"Gwah!"
Serves you right, she's turning her face away. This one must have been effective, right?
"Just kidding. You're someone to watch out for. I was watching the movements of your hands and mouth."
She's sticking her tongue out and laughing. Are you saying you noticed the moment before I increased the output by focusing on me?
"Flame!"
Lyudmila suddenly let rip with magic. This seemed unexpected, and she took it head-on. Since it's mid-level magic, the damage probably isn't much, but it's a sufficient nuisance. In fact, only the tips of her hair were scorched and shriveled. The Demon Race woman, seeing her own hair, looked aghast.
"Strange hair, stupid."
Hey, stop it, Lyudmila.
"Y-You guys!"
Ah, she's snapped.
The ground beneath our feet suddenly collapsed. Did she dig a hole!
"Wilson-san, I'm deactivating it!"
"Understood."
There's no point in staying when you know you'll be buried alive. We deactivated the wall and flew up into the sky.
"Magic Reflection!"
I cast it to prepare for the lightning fired from the hole. Since we were riding in a sphere, there was no magic damage even if it hit, but the impact was unexpectedly large. Unlike a bowl, it's perfectly round, so once the balance is lost, control is difficult.
DOKON! Suddenly a stone the size of a human head flew up from below and hit the bottom. Since it was from almost directly below, we didn't lose control, but we were jolted upward by the impact, and everyone bumped their heads on the ceiling.
"Another one's coming!"
At Lyudmila's voice, who was on all fours looking down before I knew it, Wilson-san made it slide to the right.
This pattern is...
I thrust the tip of my staff through the hole at the top. The holes were large enough for a fist to poke through in the front, back, left, right, top, and bottom. From that tip, I fired an eight-shot Holy Lance.
"Whoops!"
Unluckily, it hit the black shield held in the left hand of the Demon Race woman who appeared in mid-air. No, it wasn't a coincidence. She must have been braced for it just in case.
"Hold on!"
The bowl accelerated all at once. It's ultra-high speed for a single unit. It should be possible for a short time. The ceiling part, unnecessary for acceleration, vanished.
"Wilhelmina, take out the scroll and hide our presence!"
"Understood!"
I momentarily deactivated Magic Reflection so as not to be reflected, and cast Camouflage. Immediately after, I recast Magic Reflection. Furthermore, I cast Mute on everyone with a scroll. Wilson-san made a large turn and headed toward the fortress.
"We managed to shake her off somehow."
Wilson-san, having slowed down and looked around, let out a large sigh.
We managed to stall the monster swarm somehow. After all, using the ultra-high-level magic Cumulonimbus seemed to have given them a fright, and they're completely intimidated now. They're not approaching the fortress.
The problem is that Demon Race woman.
"Can we defeat her?"
I couldn't help but ask. True, people like Roberts-sama or Henry-sama, who have experience subjugating the Demon Lord, aren't here, but even with two ultra-high-level mages, we couldn't hold our own. Especially me, I'm completely marked, and the moment I fire magic is being seen through.
"That Demon Race member is too strong. She might be the fifth one."
"The fifth one?"
"Yeah, they said there were four executives, the Four Heavenly Kings. However, the things passed down from ancient times on this island are generally five. It wouldn't be strange if there were five Demon Race executives."
That might be true. We talk about the Four Great Spirits, but apparently that's an idea that came from the continent, and this island is full of things related to five. Dune and Mel are saying it might be five instead of four. Though the fifth one apparently involves me.
"But why isn't someone that strong in the Demon Lord's cave?"
"I don't know."
That's not all. The Demon Race member in the Northeastern Forest said he was Number Six and his boss was Number Five. And she called herself the Queen here, but unlike other Demon Lord armies, she hasn't done anything. Some foolish noble who wanted credit forced an invasion and ended up consuming his troops fighting bees, which only earned him King Seldic's wrath. She might be an extra, just like the Vice Demon Lord.
"Maybe the fifth altar we're looking for is in the mountains to the west of here."
I was startled by Wilson-san's words.
Now that he mentions it, that might be it. After all, even that King Seldic, who has the will to cooperate even with hypothetical enemy nations when it comes to Demon Lord countermeasures despite always being at war with other countries, hasn't found it yet despite searching everywhere.
The Demon Realm here isn't that far from Engrio's royal capital. Among the regions called Demon Realms in each country, it's the closest to a royal capital. In fact, it's too close compared to other Demon Realms. It's just that it wasn't being very guarded because the Demon Lord's army hadn't pushed out. Something seems to be in the western hills, which are said to have been inaccessible to humans until now, and it wouldn't be strange if one corner of the pentagon was here. That Demon Race woman also didn't do anything until we scouted the western hills. Her role seems to be to protect the Demon Realm from human hands, but it's also strange that she hasn't made a single sortie despite having such a mission. If she has the skill to control ants with Charm, she could have pushed out as much as she wanted. Maybe that Demon Race member had broken away from the Demon Lord's army and was only protecting this place?
"We must defeat her no matter what."
Otherwise, we won't be able to explore the western hills. We have to investigate the fifth secret book.
"Yes. Let's do our best."
I couldn't help but grip my staff tighter.
We went above the monsters who were continuing to wait and see, and I hit the lead Fenrir with an Overflow with reflectors from point-blank range. I ascended as I was so as not to have my location identified.
The Orcs were in an uproar over the Fenrir that had collapsed and stopped moving, looking all over the place, but there was no way they could find us.
I don't know where the Demon Race woman is, but she's not attacking either. I'm staying as close to the monsters as possible to induce friendly fire, but she's not falling for it. Since we've already defeated the big ones like Trolls and Cyclopes, I focused on targeting the surviving Ogres and Fenrirs.
"She's not making a move."
Wilson-san is still wary of the Demon Race woman. Already, only Orcs and Ogres remain. Since the Ogres are hiding behind the Orcs, they're hard to defeat, but since there are only a few left, it's a matter of time.
"Hasn't she gone to the crossing point?"
That's the scariest part. The number of soldiers is small, and there didn't seem to be anyone like an ultra-high-level mage. It's not an enemy that ordinary soldiers can fight. Harris-sama is there, but since he's only up to high-level, I don't know how far he'll be effective. His combat record is far greater than mine, so in that sense he's reliable, but the magic control of the Demon Race blows away the efforts of a single individual.
"When we increased speed to escape, I aimed for the central fortress ahead. Since we vanished halfway, I intended to make her think we escaped toward the fortress."
Does that mean... did you lead her toward Henry-sama and the others, or King Seldic?
"The combat power is far more substantial over there, after all."
That's true, but is it okay to push it onto people who are effectively our superiors?
"The instruction from Eleanor-sama was to defeat the Orcs. She didn't instruct us to defeat the Demon Race member."
Will showed me the scrap of parchment.
In other words, do they intend to deal with her themselves over there?
"I expect that's the case. Originally, there was a disparity in combat power, wasn't there? Two former heroes and a current hero are grouped together. Moreover, there's the force led by King Seldic. No matter how you think about it, that side is the main attack. As the supporting attack, we'll just act like one, exterminate the Orcs, and secure the retreat."
I see. Now that you mention it, that's true.
In that case, I'll just attack the monster swarm. They haven't been charmed, so they're completely hesitant. Since I was only targeting the big ones and magic users, the numbers haven't decreased that much, but they're huddled together and making a fuss in anxiety at being targeted by Holy from out of nowhere.
While I was targeting and defeating only the Ogres, some of the Orcs began to flee. Once the escapees start, it's over. Probably the way they came, they started running south all at once.
Since I couldn't let the Ogres escape, I went directly above the swarm and defeated the Ogres running below with Holy Lances.
"I don't think there are any more Ogres. I don't see any."
Since Lyudmila, who had been active as a scout, said so, we called it a day and returned to the crossing point. We revealed our forms on the way, but the Demon Race woman didn't appear.
"Did things work out here?"
At the fortress at the crossing point, Harris-sama asked.
"Yeah, we managed to shake them off. They've probably gone that way."
When Wilson-san pointed west and said that, the person who seemed to be the fortress commander let out a massive sigh.
"Thank you very much. Thanks to you, we've been saved."
The surrounding soldiers also thanked us one after another.
"It's not over yet. We provoked her a bit. If she finds out we're not over there, she might come back here."
Wilson-san said with a laugh. Lyudmila was feigning indifference.
"What are you going to do? Can you hold out here?"
"No, that would be impossible. It's better to escape across the river."
The commander's face twitched at the blunt words of the two.
"We must do what we can."
"If the Demon Race member appears, we'll take her on. You soldiers, stay in a safe place."
"W-We can't do that!"
They even started arguing. It must be unacceptable to rely entirely on foreigners.
"We will fight too."
I'm grateful they're willing to work hard, but we can't show them our method of hiding our presence in front of Engrio soldiers. Wilson-san also can't use his magic to the full. Honestly, it would be better if everyone crossed the river. That way we could fight with all our might. This restriction, I really wish something could be done about it.
There's no point in just complaining. We have to prepare for the Demon Race woman's raid. It was decided that we would devise countermeasures together with the commander and squad leaders of the crossing point fortress, and the squad leader who came as reinforcement from across the river. Everyone from our side was allowed to participate.
The fortress itself is small, as only about twenty-some people were originally stationed there. The eastern side facing the river is a boat landing, and the remaining three sides are surrounded by stone outer walls. All the soldiers are there. The four corners are slightly elevated and equipped with ballistae. Judging by the shape, they seem capable of anti-air combat as well. The buildings are also stone and sturdy, but they're all single-story. Except for the boat landing, there's a manor in the middle, then barracks, stables, and warehouses. Since only the Engrio national flag is fluttering on the manor, it must be under direct control. The main gate is made of thick wooden planks lined up and secured with three iron bands. It looks appropriately sturdy. The top of the main gate is also like a watchtower, but it's probably for dropping stones on enemies who have reached the gate. The Sertoria national flag is attached to a pole there, and several soldiers with bows are under the flag. Including the reinforcements from across the river, the combat power is just under fifty. Since they were originally specialized in defense, they're all infantry. The horses must be for reconnaissance.
"The enemy uses powerful lightning, earth, and ice magic. Since Flight Magic wasn't deactivated, she probably doesn't use wind magic. I don't know about fire and water attribute magic. She uses Charm, but it can be mostly blocked by Magic Reflection used by high-level or ultra-high-level mages. Her weapons are the black one-handed sword and shield characteristic of the Demon Race, but their effectiveness is the same as silver weapons against the Demon Race. If the shield touches your skin, it'll be scorched, so it might be even more than that. She flies freely in the sky with her wings and masters non-vocalized Teleport. She's a formidable foe."
Even after hearing Wilson-san's explanation, the fortress soldiers' expressions didn't change. I could only think they were completely prepared for death.
"Why don't we just escape across the river?"
It's better to survive than to die. I proposed that, but...
"We are all of knightly rank. And everyone guarding this Demon Realm fortress was taken in directly under King Seldic. To repay that kindness, we cannot run away from here."
I only realized it now, but this land was originally the territory of a certain noble. At the time of the Demon Lord's resurrection, he launched an offensive into the forbidden Demon Realm to gain merit pointlessly and suffered damage close to total annihilation against the bees. The noble who earned King Seldic's wrath had his land confiscated, but Seldic apparently took in and raised all the families of the dead soldiers. They say they have that debt of gratitude.
"Jeanne, the point is how we do it. In any case, we have to conquer the Demon Realm here. If the Demon Race member has been subjugated by Henry-sama or King Seldic, good. If she comes here, we'll fight. Don't you think so?"
If Wilson-san himself, whose magic is restricted, says so, then I guess it can't be helped.
"Understood. Then everyone, let's do our best together."
I said it, but...
Honestly, if that Demon Race woman really comes, how should we fight her?