kscans

Chapter 197 - Confession and Conviction

While we rested at the border base, Alumi and her party were also receiving treatment.

Their wounds were worse than ours, and a swift return to the front lines was out of the question.

"Tch," Alumi clicked her tongue. "I'm fine. A scratch like this is nothing."

"You are not fine," the doctor chided her bravado. "Even if a potion heals the outside, your insides haven't fully recovered. What's more, you've been poisoned. Please be still."

Alumi clicked her tongue again.

A poison attack. She'd been wounded when Goblins had joined forces with the Lizardmen. She had felt a momentary dizziness but had pushed through it with sheer willpower, taking every hit to protect the other members.

But even she had her limits.

Loose, who had been fighting alongside her, was showing signs of fatigue and had been injured. Dord and Mimi weren't complaining, but their sweat-drenched faces told the story.

No matter how many they defeated, there was no end to them. Honestly, if reinforcements hadn't arrived, they would have all died right there.

It was a reality Alumi found difficult to accept.

Amidst it all, Mimi spoke up.

"Sis... please, don't push yourself so hard."

She pleaded, her eyes welling with tears. It was the first time she had ever voiced an opinion contrary to Alumi's.

Moved by her deep concern, Alumi asked, "Hey, Mimi... why do you care so much about me? We just met in the town before we came to the capital, you know?"

Her eyes were filled with suspicion.

"Because..." Mimi began, blushing. "Because, sis... you're my first love."

"Huh?" Alumi said. "I'm a girl, you know?"

To this obvious fact, Mimi replied, "That doesn't matter. The first time I saw you, at the guild in that town... your appearance, your straightforward gaze... my heart was captured. I begged to come with you because I wanted to be by your side. That's all."

Her face was beet red.

Alumi was a decent judge of character. She had known when she first saw the two A-rankers that they weren't bad people. So what was it? Stubbornness? Perhaps that's why she had taken that attitude with them.

And that's precisely why she knew Mimi was telling the truth.

"You're a weird one, you know that?" Alumi said, unsure of how else to respond.

Mimi seemed satisfied with that, a contented look on her face.

Just then...

"Ahem... you two... could you please have that sort of conversation somewhere more private?"

The doctor cleared his throat as he spoke.

The two of them looked around. This was the infirmary. There were others here, people who had been unable to return to the fight yesterday and were bedridden. They were, of course, awake. Every single one of them was smirking. The two girls, flustered, pulled their blankets over their heads and refused to move. They must have been mortified.

From a nearby bed, Loose said, "Doesn't this feel kind of nostalgic, Dord?"

Dord replied without expression, "...Indeed." But he looked somewhat pleased.

They were remembering a time when their party was new, back when a certain someone wasn't so foolish and was more honest.

Meanwhile, with Shinsuke.

As I was lying on the hard floor, a soldier rushed up to me.

"Apologies for disturbing your rest! We're having trouble with the monsters on the left flank! I hate to ask when you're so tired, but... please, we need your help!"

"Fine," I said, getting to my feet. "If you're in trouble, I'll help. It's an adventurer's job, after all."

"I agree," Tina said, standing as well. "But I can't guarantee we'll be able to move like we did before."

"Even long-range magic would be a great help! This way!" the soldier urged us.

Tina and I grabbed our weapons and headed for the location.

The situation on the left flank was, to put it bluntly, dire.

The adventurers and soldiers were struggling against an assault by Fighter Monkeys and a horde of Goblins. The foothold was a path wide enough for about twenty people, with a cliff on the right and a high rock wall on the left.

"I see," I said. "The Goblins are attacking head-on while the Fighter Monkeys launch surprise attacks from the wall. No wonder they're having a hard time. But what about yesterday? Wasn't it the same situation?"

"Yesterday, we had catapults and archer units deployed and were fully prepared to meet them, so it wasn't a problem," the soldier explained with a pained expression. "But today, we only had three lookouts posted, and the catapults had been brought in for maintenance."

So, they assumed no monsters would show up and decided to do maintenance. I see. That was nothing short of negligence.

"Then I'll use wind magic to knock the Fighter Monkeys down," Tina said. "Shinsuke?"

"Same here, more or less," I replied. "There's no point in trying to join the front lines now, except maybe on the cliff side. It's better to provide long-range support than to force our way in."

Having assessed the situation, we came to a decision. We both nodded and unleashed our magic simultaneously.

"Gale Strike!"

"Fire Shot!"

A spiral of wind shot from Tina's sword, and a continuous barrage of fireballs erupted from my fist.

One by one, we knocked the Fighter Monkeys clinging to the wall down. They were either sliced apart by the wind or burned to a crisp by direct hits from the flames.

Those that managed to dodge lost their balance and fell.

Seeing this, an adventurer cried out, "This is our chance!"

His shout was the trigger, and the others charged forward.

Watching them, I remarked, "They must have been really pent up."

"It would seem so," Tina replied. Her face was a little dark, as if she were tired.

We continued to provide support from a distance.

In the Commander's Office, General Goltor was listening to reports from his various knights.

"Black mist appeared, and monsters suddenly emerged? What in the world is going on?"

The situation was so bizarre it was beyond a headache; he couldn't think straight.

Chevre, who was standing beside him, said, "General, I understand how you feel, but right now..."

Before she could finish, the General interrupted. "I know. For now, all we can do is deal with the situation at hand. We should be glad we at least know what the enemy is capable of."

He began to consider his options with a more positive outlook.

Just then, a messenger bird appeared at the window. Chevre retrieved the paper.

The report was from Magnes; the General's son's name was written on it. She handed it to the General without reading it.

The General read the contents. "It seems the same thing happened in the capital. But the state of their forces is abysmal. Most of the adventurers are dead drunk and still haven't woken up."

As the General expressed his exasperation, Chevre asked, "Drunk? But I thought most of the adventurers currently in the capital are newcomers who didn't receive a request from the Guild Master?"

"No, the majority are C-rank," the General corrected her. "The D-rankers seem to have refrained and didn't drink at all. Apparently, one party of a few experienced C-rankers is fighting hard to hold the line. It's a heartening sight."

He looked pleased.

"But in that situation, shouldn't the damage to the capital be considerable?" Chevre asked, concerned.

"Actually, the monsters that advanced were only groups of Goblins, Slimes, and Wolves," the General replied. "The stronger-looking monsters in the rear didn't attack."

"They didn't? What does that mean?" Chevre asked.

"I don't know," the General admitted. "Apparently, the sentiment on the ground was one of relief. My son seems to have his doubts, but he couldn't very well throw a wrench in things. He said he's reporting this to His Majesty the Emperor only."

After hearing this, Chevre remarked, "A wise decision. Any comment that would muddy the waters could lead to a drop in morale."

She offered her sincere praise for Magnes's judgment.

"Yes, with my son there, the capital is safe," the General said. "But I can't imagine that the mastermind leading these monsters would let such a prime opportunity slip by. It's certain we have a traitor in our midst."

He spoke as if he already knew.

Chevre knew, too. Considering everything that had happened, it was the only explanation.