Chapter 699 - Engrio Demon Lord's Cave (Third Layer)
After finishing my vacation... though I was doing various things as usual... I returned to the Demon Lord's Cave in Engrio. Everyone seems fully refreshed and is full of energy. I'm not so much.
"I heard from the head of our country's Royal Capital Great Church. It seems various things have been learned about Testament."
It's King Seldic. When I went to the fort in the Engrio soldiers' bowl, he came out to meet me. Since the topic of Testament came up suddenly, the Henry Party is looking elsewhere.
"I hear you met the ghost of a former Grand Archbishop named Erikson."
"Yes. I was able to meet him."
King Seldic cannot enter the Ruined Town, so he cannot meet Erikson-sama. Moreover, since he's a pagan, he has no intention of meeting Erikson-sama himself. Taking advantage of that, the delinquent old men are doing whatever they want.
"Archbishop Price said you might enter the exploration of Testament in autumn at the earliest, but is your schedule alright?"
"It depends on how much time it takes to reach it. Since I have to fulfill my duties around the time of the full moon, it's at most three weeks at a time. It would be good if we could reach it in that time."
"Hmm. Since there is no limit on the number of people, you should go with full preparation, including the Henry Party and heroes. It seems I, a pagan, cannot go, but I intend to do as much support as I can."
"Thank you very much. I hope I can live up to your expectations."
"It's fine even if it doesn't work out. Just go with a light heart."
"Yes. I am grateful for your consideration."
He's truly a kind person in these kinds of ways, though... I wonder why he does nothing but war.
After the greetings were finished, it was immediate conquest.
Currently, we are advancing the conquest of the third layer. What are we doing? Basically, we stick several iron rods with Light magic circles on them in places where logging has finished to gather bugs. After they've had their predation battle and their numbers have decreased, we cut the trees. The cut trees are chopped finely and carried out. It's a repetition of this. While I was in the Ruined Town, everyone was on vacation, so the progress while I was away was about five days' worth. To put it clearly, it's not something that progresses so easily. Since only about a quarter is finished, there's still a lot left.
"What am I going to do?"
Vacation? I made Light scrolls during it. Anticipating that I would make new ones, the ones sent from the main shop's clearance sale should have arrived. What's different with me participating is that I make it glow quite flashily compared to scrolls or lighting devices, so I can gather quite a large number of bugs. Eleanor-sama understands that point too.
"Until now, we were logging in order from the edge, but if Jeanne participates, we can take a more active offensive. You will precede the logging unit and become a decoy in the middle of the forest. Since the success depends on the activity of Jeanne with the decoy attribute, please do your best."
Well, I thought it would be something like that.
In short, it's the same as during the Demon Lord's extermination battle. The difference is that almost the entire area has already been explored with Sense Living, and we know that there are no C-rank or higher, including the two-headed ones.
Henry-sama, Will, and Bonnie are participating in the logging unit. In their place, three priests who can use high-level Holy and one Engrio bowl user joined. It's Eleanor-sama's medium-sized main body and the lid with a hole of the supporting Engrio magic soldiers. I've pasted my Light wall onto the lid.
Once we set out, we choose a suitable place, log several trees, and land. At the point where I've raised the output of Light, Beatrix defeats those that have approached with Wind Cutter, and the priest group defeats them with Holy. Since the instruction came from Eleanor-sama to aim for the strong ones if possible, centipedes, scorpions, and spiders were targeted. We defeat those that come crawling up the bowl in swarms. Since the magic used is basic level, our breath holds out. Since there's also the bugs' predation activity, we do it leisurely. Also, since the glowing part is near the ground, they shouldn't come from very far away. Since it's far from the pond, only one or two frogs come. By the way, we don't lay a hand on the frogs for now. The reason they're treated specially is probably because they stretch their tongues from the shade of the trees and eat one after another for us. It might be Eleanor-sama's hobby, though.
Twice a day, two hours in the morning, two hours in the afternoon, that's the daily quota.
When we build a mountain of corpses in the morning, cockroaches and such are gathered in the afternoon. I fire off an Over Flow toward the mountain that is squirming and wriggling. And then, I gather bugs with Light again. When the afternoon portion is finished, it returns to darkness until the next morning. During that time, the cockroaches and frogs seem to be actively moving, and the mountain of corpses has decreased considerably. Eleanor-sama says that frogs only eat living things, but cockroaches will eat even their dead comrades... that is, cockroach corpses, without concern. They're the same even after becoming monsters in terms of being greedy. We move while being a decoy at a pace of about one place a day. In that way, like an inchworm, we create places without trees here and there in the forest and defeat the surrounding bugs. On the fifth and sixth days, the aerial logging unit arrived. In the darkness, they are firing Wind Cutters from the bowl toward the trees around the decoy. They expand the logging range. When we continued to the seventh day, the bugs had decreased remarkably.
Bug extermination is, of course, not only being done by us.
The ground logging unit, in the areas where the bugs have decreased, is logging vigorously with Wind Cutters under the cover of the monster extermination unit's bowls. Since there are multiple ultra-high-level mages, it's fast. They fire from a long distance and cut them down all at once. They are also firing Over Flows intermittently. Once the bugs are gone, they cut the felled trees short, carry them to near the tower in a medium-sized bowl, and jump them with Teleport. During that time, the decoy magic circles are glowing in a distant place.
Around the pond, they are sticking iron rods with Light magic circles and making them glow. Over there, it's left entirely to the frogs, but that would be faster.
In that way, we simply continue bug extermination and logging. By the end of June, the places where trees were logged in circles have increased here and there in the forest. Looking from the front of the entrance, you can see that logging has progressed over quite a wide range and it has become a vacant lot.
"As expected of a large country, the speed of conquest is fast, isn't it?"
Eleanor-sama said admiringly during dinner after we had continued for about a week.
Because we're using what we did in Sertoria as a base, the method is more perfected, and moreover, since there are no ants, we were able to introduce it from the beginning. To that extent, it's being done efficiently. Even so, the reason it's progressing at more than double the speed is, after all, the numbers. The number of magic soldiers, including ultra-high-level ones, regardless of whether they are holy or elemental, is different. Since they haven't gone to the continent, there's a feeling that they all participated. Since they are being put in one after another in shifts, everyone can fire off magic in a healthy state without thinking about what comes after.
"The soil of the cave contains powder of magic stones. In other words, those inside the cave are fighting the conquest battle while being exposed to magic power. Do you understand what this means?"
"Does it mean it's easy to grow as a magic soldier?"
"That is right."
In other words, the Engrio magic corps will become even stronger.
"I also had the Lich examine our country's cave, and according to him, magic power of a level equal to or slightly denser than the current Northeastern Forest is drifting about. Likely, it is the same here."
Come to think of it, in order to train magic soldiers, they were having them participate in the magic beast extermination in the Northeastern Forest.
"Then, will I also learn some new magic?"
"I wonder?"
Please don't fold your arms and get lost in thought. Can't I expect a little bit? As usual, please emphasize my spirit.
"According to the Lich's story, the magnitude of a human's magic control is basically determined when they are born. On top of that, the portion from the environment suitable for learning magic until before twenty, and the concentration increased or duration lengthened by training after birth, is added."
"Hah."
"However, even after reaching one's twenties, if one uses magic in an environment with dense magic power like inside this cave, it seems an effect exceeding ordinary training can be expected."
"Yes. That should be so, shouldn't it?"
"However, it seems there is no such thing as it increasing significantly. If one aims for that, one must be exposed to even denser magic power... a density that would cause trouble for the brain."
"M-Meaning..."
"Meaning, for Jeanne, who has already become an ultra-high-level mage, if it is only to the extent of defeating bugs, a significant addition might not be expected."
I see... As I thought, I have to defeat big game...
"Therefore, if you are pushed to the point of fainting, you might be able to manage something."
If possible, I'd like to go in a direction that avoids that.
"In Jeanne's case, since you are already an ultra-high-level mage, you must defeat B-rank or higher after all."
"Is that so?"
It's a pity, but well, I thought it would be something like that.
"By the way, the Lich's view is that what is passed down from parent to child is not the ability of magic control, but the personality that brings a large influence on magic control. For example, a child born from a parent with a personality peculiar to mages is likely to be a child with a personality suited for mages. Of course, not all. However, it is said to be far more frequent than children with other personalities being born."
Personality, eh. I have no way of knowing what kind of personalities my parents had, but...
"I might understand that."
It's Beatrix. She has memories of her parents.
"The priest and the woodcutter of that village told me. My personality is like my father's. That's why, if my father had been in an environment where he could train, he might have been able to use magic too."
Surely, her mother must have been the one doing the tidying up of the room.
"That's why, wasn't Jeanne's father also a person like Jeanne?"
My father? Even the Headmistress and Jennifer-sensei don't know about my father.
"Was he like me?"
I might be happy if he were like me. According to the priest and the woodcutter of that village, girls tend to resemble their fathers, and boys tend to resemble their mothers.
"Look at my two sons. Do you not think they are both excellent, resembling me?"
Eleanor-sama puffs out her chest.
I see. That's why they both became delinquents.
Setting aside the delinquent brothers, there seems to be a chance for Beatrix regarding magic. After all, going by the number of high-level spells she remembers, her magic control is not inferior to ultra-high-level. She's on par with Adolf-san.
"Next is Teleport. Do you think you can learn it?"
"I'm drawing lots of magic circles. But so far, there's no sign of it."
When Eleanor-sama asked, she said something unexpected.
"You're drawing them!"
I'm surprised. I didn't know she was the type to make hidden efforts like Mary.
"I have no choice but to draw them. Since you frequently go on expeditions, I'm the one drawing the ones that Marcelo-san and Angelica-san can't handle. Recently Harrison-san has also been out all the time, so I'm drawing all the scrolls used in the village."
"I see, I just put the magic in, don't I?"
"Right, so I'm drawing them whether I like it or not. Sometimes I feel like screaming really loudly, so I might learn Teleport soon."
"Somehow, I'm sorry. But if you learn Teleport, you'll really be on par with Adolf-san, won't you?"
"Well, yeah. That's why recently I've been thinking of learning other magic rather than elemental magic."
If she could change her appearance or stop time like Jennifer-sensei, that alone would be a secret weapon.
"You also do your best to learn new magic or barriers. Since you're a user of eight ultra-high-level spells, you've surpassed the Headmistress."
"Eh? Was that so?"
When I looked at Eleanor-sama, she nodded vigorously.
"Jeanne learned many spells without rank at the same time. There is a possibility that your magic control is not keeping up."
That means, it might be quite tough to learn new magic.
"You must faint several more times."
Please spare me from that.
As a conclusion, it was decided that since there's a limit in the third layer, we should expect something from the fourth layer. Because there might be a Behemoth. Just as they were gathering frogs in the second layer to feed the two-headed ones, they might have been gathering magic beasts to keep a Behemoth.
"In the third layer, after all, there were ants. As long as they were there, they might have thought it was fine. Therefore, we can have expectations for the fourth layer."
Expectations... The soldiers participating in the conquest battle will have a hard time.
"As the monster exterminators, we plan to be the first to plunge into the fourth layer."
"Just us?"
"That will not do. We plan to borrow one ultra-high-level mage and one priest."
That means we can't hide our appearance. It's going to be a quite severe battle.
The next day, at the morning strategy meeting, there was a proposal of opinion from Eleanor-sama. She suggested that once the month changes and I finish what is likely the last investigation related to Testament, we should start the reconnaissance of the fourth layer.
"Meaning there is no problem with the third layer, eh."
King Seldic, as usual, is not surprised.
"As long as we have Light scrolls, it should be fine. The frogs also seem to be doing well."
"How about it, Captain? If the monster exterminators go for reconnaissance of the fourth layer, will it hinder the third layer conquest?"
"Hah, for now, there should be no particular problem."
"Then, it is decided. If you need anything or need support, let me know. I shall arrange it within the range I can manage."
"Thank you very much."
And so, we decided to infiltrate the fourth layer.