76 - Young Commanders
I give orders from horseback, positioned in the center of the village.
Looking up at the sky, Griffons looked down from high above.
Around me, I could hear the cries and screams of monsters, as well as the war cries and shouts of knights, soldiers, and villagers.
We outnumbered the monsters.
However, the number of people capable of fighting was small.
Even so—.
"The defense is more advantageous, but now, let's see how the Griffons move... Hey, the Orcs are invading in a pretty good way!"
As the Fifth Generation spoke, several Orcs were attempting to invade through the gate, which had been left open intentionally via a skill.
The Third Generation spoke.
"Simply wonderful. Shall we welcome them?"
Imagining his smirking face, I shouted at the top of my lungs.
"Use the traps on the east side! Give the order!"
A trio of men struck a large bell the designated number of times. Then, the sound of a bell returned, notifying me that the message had been heard.
The small village was noisy, and my ancestors had told me that orders within it must be short and precise.
With a motley expeditionary force, complex instructions cannot be given, nor would they be understood.
Miranda was positioned on the east side.
The trap was a simple one.
Shannon peeked out from the Porter.
"Stay inside!"
"I'm just curious!"
Perhaps worrying about her older sister, Shannon watched the east side.
(Can she see it? Her eyes really are incredible.)
As this was happening, Marcus-san, who was nearby, asked me.
"Hey, is this really going to be okay?! If they just flow right in—"
The Sixth Generation, seemingly irritated, shouted—though Marcus-san couldn't hear him.
"Don't make a racket around the commander! It'll make everyone else anxious!"
The Seventh Generation was equally cold.
"Lyell's first defensive battle... and to think he only has people like this."
Why are my ancestors enjoying this? I can't understand it, nor do I have any desire to.
"—If they flow in, we'll just fight them right there. I've made preparations for that as well."
With that, I checked the overall situation using my skill.
There were parts that weren't going well, and parts where the number of monsters was being steadily reduced.
As expected, the difference in command experience was showing.
(Clark-san's area is doing well. As I thought, crossbows are powerful.)
The enjoying Third Generation spoke.
"Flying in the air and pretending to be a commander, eh? He's still so young... I thought he could do a bit more, but how disappointing."
The Fourth Generation also spoke.
"The defense is advantageous for us. It was the only option available. Well, the Griffons probably don't care how many small fry are reduced, right? Lyell, command in a way that makes you stand out."
If they're smart, they'll be watching me from the sky.
Seeing who is giving the orders...
When a messenger ran up, I listened to the report.
To be honest, it wasn't necessary, but it was to show from the sky who was issuing the commands.
I waited for the Griffons and Hippogriffs circling above to make their move.
—At the east gate, Miranda had just opened the gate at the perfect timing for the charging Orcs.
Ropes were tied to the gate, which had been wetted and coated in mud, ready to be opened at any moment.
Despite it still being a bright morning, Miranda, holding a torch, was in high spirits.
"As expected of Lyell. You certainly know when to use your tools."
Fences had been prepared inside the gate.
The ends of the logs were sharpened to reject anyone entering, and the gaps in the fence were small enough that even Goblins couldn't pass through.
Soldiers stood ready to thrust spears through those gaps.
When the gate opened and the Orcs ran in, Miranda saw their eyes widen, as if they were surprised.
Even with the fence, the surrounding soldiers and knights flinched at the Orcs' charge.
However, the Orcs attempting to ram through did not stop, they entered the gate and tried to plant their feet.
"Too bad."
As Miranda smiled, they lost their footing, unable to brace themselves, and were pushed from behind, impaling themselves on the stakes.
Monsters poured in one after another, but with spears thrusting through the gaps, the Orcs and Goblins seemed unable to fight back.
Miranda held up her torch, and the nearby soldiers threw bags filled with oil.
Once the bags burst, Miranda tossed in the torch.
"We're over capacity."
She said it cutely, but the burning monsters were letting out death screams.
Amidst that, monsters that used their comrades as stepping stones to get outside the fence were finished off by knights and soldiers thrusting their spears.
An eerie one-eyed bird attacked Miranda from the sky, but a thrown knife pierced its head, and it fell to the ground.
There were other small flying monsters, but they were being chased down and killed by knights, soldiers, and villagers blinded by the prospect of money.
"So few. Bring me three times this many."
Miranda, noting the small number of monsters, told a soldier with a bell a short distance away to signal the success.
The sound of the bell announcing the success of the trap.
Immediately, the sound of a bell returned from the center.
"Alright, close the gate. I'll put out the fire, so step back."
Soldiers poured buckets of water over the fence.
The burnt monsters on the ground emitted a foul smell.
Without grimacing, Miranda covered her mouth with a cloth.
Soldiers used tools to close the gate, while knights finished off the monsters that had entered.
A soldier near Miranda called out to her.
"It went well, Miranda-san!"
But Miranda only replied with a single, "It did."
(Then again, this place is just a bonus. The main battlefield is where Aria is.)
Miranda worried about Aria on the north side, but she quickly shifted her focus.
(Now, I wonder if any troublesome monsters will appear.)
Looking at the rejoicing knights and soldiers around her, Miranda told them to return to their positions immediately—.
—On the north side, flames were being fired toward the gate.
A Goblin wearing a robe was using magic, holding up a staff.
However.
"Target the robed Goblins! Leave the others for later!"
Clark gave orders while shooting monsters with his crossbow.
He had created a platform inside the wall and was sniping monsters from there.
Since the area by the gate had no moat and was passable, the monsters were naturally gathering there.
"But the Orcs!"
A soldier with a crossbow shouted, but Clark handed the spent crossbow to a subordinate and shouted while receiving a loaded one.
He immediately aimed toward the outside of the wall.
"Once it burns, they'll flow in all at once! Take down the troublesome monsters first!"
The soldier who shouted knew that Orcs brought higher rewards. Therefore, he wanted to target the Orcs.
Clark was attacking while adhering to the basic principle of prioritizing the monsters firing magic.
He was likely the only one hitting his targets, many arrows were missing.
It was probably partly due to nervousness, but monsters were screaming nearby.
The Orcs were pounding on the gate, looking as if they would break in at any moment.
(Even if traps are set, it's still nerve-wracking—)
An aimed arrow hit a robed Goblin, and one fell.
The enemy numbers weren't decreasing as much as he had hoped.
(If I let them through like this and hand them over to that girl, that's probably—)
Inside the gate, Aria was waiting for the monsters to break through.
Because she had defeated a Hippogriff on the second day, those around her were calm.
At this point, they believed Aria wouldn't be taken down by mere Orcs.
There are no absolutes in this world.
Even a warrior capable of defeating an Orc can lose their life if surrounded by Goblins.
Clark knew that, just as they were currently fighting, things could become advantageous or disadvantageous depending on the method.
"At least those guys... Alright!"
The aimed arrow hit, and he finished off the robed Goblins he considered troublesome. However, a scream rang out, and a nearby soldier tumbled off the platform.
"H-Help meeee!!"
Attacked by a one-eyed monster resembling a black crow, he seemed to have broken a bone from the fall.
Clark immediately stopped the soldiers who had aimed their crossbows.
"Don't fire! You target the monsters outside!"
Hitting an ally was scary, but more importantly, their roles were decided.
Knights who rushed over struck the monster with spears. After rescuing the soldier, they carried him away as a casualty.
The impact of the fall had snapped the crossbow string, rendering one unusable.
"His partner, accompany him! The rest of you, keep targeting the monsters outside!"
There were still many monsters outside the wall.
If this many monsters broke in, even if they could be defeated, the number of casualties would increase.
Clark continued to fire arrows—.
Knowing that Miranda-san's area had succeeded, I decided to send a messenger.
"Send reinforcements from the east side to the north side. Ten men!"
"Yes!"
Watching the messenger run off, I looked up at the sky.
The Griffons, showing no movement, looked down at us, perhaps thinking it was meaningless even if the number of monsters were greatly reduced.
The Second Generation spoke.
"Just attack all at once already! There are plenty of ways to attack from the sky!"
(Whose side are you on?)
The Third Generation—.
"Lyell, please follow up with Marcus and the others. They're quite irritated, so shall we give them some work to do?"
(Why are they irritated? I told them they'd have work to do!)
The Fourth Generation—.
"Don't concentrate on one spot. Look at the whole picture. Get Marcus and the others ready to support the north side before the Griffons arrive."
(I have to concentrate to see that timing...)
The Fifth Generation...
"Yeah, they're definitely in the way."
(They are definitely in the way, but it's a request... Why are the allies more troublesome?)
The Griffons looking down from the sky showed no movement.
The Second Generation spoke.
"...I don't know. Maybe the guys up there intend to attack once the small fry have exhausted themselves."
The Seventh Generation said.
"They look young, after all. If they had grown a bit more, they'd be nicely clever..."
The Sixth Generation was, for some reason, excited.
"Lyell, did you bring ropes and cloth? Also, take down the Griffon in one hit. They sell for a high price."
The Fifth Generation added.
"If you get splattered with blood, you'll slip. When you ride on its back—"
(I'm not riding it!)
I took a deep breath while looking up at the sky from horseback and surveyed my surroundings.
Looking up at me with dissatisfaction were Marcus-san and the others, whom I had positioned around me. They were irritated, wondering when their turn would come.
In contrast, Norma-san was sitting in a chair, composed.
(...What is this. I did get the command authority, but I wish she looked a little more frustrated.)
Ignoring the noisy Jewel Orbs, I spoke to Marcus-san and the others.
"...In a little while, I'll have you head to the north side as reinforcements. Please be ready to move at any time."
Marcus-san was clearly motivated now, but Bread-san was the one who reached his limit.
"When?! At this rate, the battle will be over!"
Marcus-san tried to soothe Bread-san.
"H-Hey."
"Please be quiet! I've staked my life on this battle!"
Staked his life.
When I heard those words, I thought.
—On something like this—
And then, a high-pitched cry echoed from above. At a cry louder than that of a Hippogriff, I looked up at the sky and immediately gave orders to a nearby messenger.
"Tell the north side to stay focused on the gate defense! Tell the east side that a Hippogriff is coming!"
The two messengers ran off.
Then, I spoke to Marcus-san and the others, who were also looking up at the sky.
"Stay on standby here! They're coming for me."
Bread-san shouted.
"Why?! I can be useful too!"
On the map I saw through my skill, one Hippogriff headed toward the east gate.
The Fourth Generation spoke.
"Maybe they targeted the place where the numbers were reduced. They should have just charged Lyell with three of them. Or perhaps, one specific spot."
The Second Generation said.
"At that point, you just send reinforcements and it's over. Anyway, the Fifth and Sixth Generations' skills are convenient. I wanted them back in my day."
Leaving Bread-san behind, I galloped my horse.
I moved away from the Porter to observe the situation, and the Griffon and Hippogriff followed me.
As expected, they've come to crush the commander.
The Third Generation spoke.
"Lyell, shall we eliminate the annoying Hippogriff first? That one is a small fry pretending to be a big shot. If it were human, it'd be the useless type."
I wondered if monsters even had types, but looking up from horseback, it was the Hippogriff that attacked first.
I used my skill.
[Limit Burst: Exceeding the Limit].
The Second Generation's skill [Field], which covers an even wider area than All.
I jumped off my horse, letting it run away to safety, and raised my right arm.
"Lightning!"
Purple lightning discharged, striking the Hippogriff and the Griffon.
The Hippogriff couldn't evade and took a direct hit, but the Griffon dodged with ease.
Electrocuted, the Hippogriff fell to the ground.
However, it was still alive.
Despite being told to stand by, Marcus-san and the others rushed over.
"Hey!"
"Please run away!"
"How can we do that! We want to—!"
The Second Generation spoke.
"I have a bad feeling about this."
The Seventh Generation said.
"Lyell, leave the Hippogriff's disposal to these guys. You deal with the Griffon."
I immediately gave orders.
"Then, please finish off the Hippogriff. It's still alive, so be very careful!"
Saying that, I looked up at the sky.
The Griffon, circling and observing me, had apparently decided that I was its prey. Our eyes met in a sharp glare.
The Sixth Generation spoke.
"Hahaha, you've been glared at by a Griffon, Lyell! Good. It's proof you've been recognized as a strong opponent!"
I wasn't happy at all, but as I ran, I drew my saber with my right hand and used magic with my left.
I fired purple lightning repeatedly, but the Griffon dodged my attacks.
(What a pain!)
I felt bitter, not expecting an aerial enemy to be this troublesome, when the Griffon suddenly dove down.
—Told by Lyell, Bread and the others surrounded the Hippogriff.
"Look, we just need to stab it with spears, right?"
"Wouldn't it be better to cut off its head?"
The young man who seemed to be the leader of the trio tried to stab it first, as the other two were flustered.
Then, Bread stopped him.
"What are you doing! Monsters like this sell for more if they have fewer external wounds. Besides, many nobles want them as taxidermy. Stab it in the heart."
The leader looked at the Hippogriff.
"The heart? No, I don't know where that is, and we need to finish it quickly before it moves..."
Marcus seemed to agree, attempting to thrust his spear.
"Let's finish this quickly and move on. We can't earn any more by staying here."
Bread took a spear and stabbed the targeted spot.
"...I hate that we agree, but it's true we can't earn more by staying here. Let's go immediately. Also, don't forget that I'm the one who kept the external wounds to a minimum."
Marcus looked at Bread and clicked his tongue.
"It's already scorched, though."
Bread looked resentfully at the Hippogriff, scorched by Lyell's magic.
Even things he normally wouldn't care about became unbearable whenever Lyell was involved.
Pulling out the spear and shaking off the blood, he ran off ahead of the others.
"Hey, wait! I'm the captain!"
Marcus also ran toward the north side so as not to lose, and the trio followed suit.
—The five of them missed the fact that the Hippogriff's front leg twitched slightly—.