Oukoku e Tsuzuku Michi

–Aegir POV–

I gulp down a cup of strong alcohol that was prepared before everyone else in the field .

「Have you calmed down?」

When the cup is refilled, I hand it to the man sitting across from me――to Rinuga .

About one hour passed since the battle ended .

I actually wanted to hear what he knows right away, but he was still tightly gripping his sword and clenching his teeth after the enemy disappeared, so I let him rest briefly .

I’d be upset if this was a regular war, but he just saw those grotesque monsters in such overwhelming numbers .

It would be pointless trying to decipher what he says in his panicked state .

「Yes……and I’ll pass on the alcohol . 」

Rinuga returns the cap to me .

Although an anxious look remains on his face, he seems calmer than before .

「Fumu, then one of you guys drink it . 」

I send the cup to the next person .

Dingus bows and respectfully declines, then slides it to the next person .

Tristan gives it to the next person without any hesitation, and Myla does the same .

When it reaches Celia, she reluctantly moves it to Leopolt, who takes the cup and stands .

「I consider the situation to be quite dire . In order to make correct decisions, the leader should not be under the influence of alcohol . 」

Leopolt places the cup in front of me .

If that’s the case, why didn’t you stop me, the supreme leader, from drinking?

「Not even the slightest disturbance in thought is tolerated . 」

「One cup is nothing……hey . Isn’t it the worst if my thinking is impaired?」

I snatch the cup and hand it to the female knight Rafaella clinging to my back .

She accepts the offering and gracefully sips it little by little . The way she drinks is kind of cute .

By the way, Rafaella was on my back during the whole battle .

I wanted to lower her when waiting for Rinuga to calm down, but she started to cry as soon as I did so .

It must have been scary for her to experience almost getting eaten by the giant spider .

Since she doesn’t freak out when connected to a part of my body, I initially thought about holding her hand, however that seemed stupid no matter how I looked at it so I decided to carry her on my back .

「「「……」」」

I feel silent pressure coming from everyone around me, but I’m not one to yield to such ambiguous emotions .

When Rafaella makes eye contact with me, she turns away like she isn’t used to seeing me .

Of course, her arms were around my neck and her legs were wrapped around my stomach .

「Shall we get to business? Start with how you encountered them . Tell me when, where and how . 」

Leopolt ignores us and urges Rinuga to explain .

His tone isn’t excessively hostile yet it can’t be considered friendly either .

Rinuga leans back, somewhat shocked at Leopolt’s intensity, and scratches his head sheepishly .

The subordinates around him also furrow their brows .

「Our garrison location is a military secret, thus we cannot disclose――」

Dingus slams his fist on the table, causing Rinuga to flinch and keep his subordinate in check .

「……now that we’ve reached this point, military secrets are meaningless……after all, the fortress is gone . 」

It’s great that he understands the urgency, though his unreliability is prominent nonetheless .

The contents of Rinuga’s story are as follows:

It happened on a night ten days ago .

They were in a fortress in the former Vandolea region, pretty much directly south of Kisatto, fortifying their defenses in preparation for our counterattack . There were 10,000 of them, including guards and conscripts from the surrounding areas .

「They suddenly came from the west……at first, there were only a few and we managed to defeat them with difficulty, suffering casualties incomparable to fighting goblins . 」

But the number of enemies grew with every passing night .

「It started with giant spiders, then it was worms on the second day, and then other monsters on the third day, which exponentially increased the number of casualties . Still, the fortress we hid in was made of stone . Moreover, there were ballistae, catapults and cannons installed, and we had a large stockpile of arrows . We fought together with those who fled from neighboring villages and continued repelling the monsters . 」

But every time they were defeated, they returned with even greater numbers .

The collapse occurred at dawn on the fifth day, when the fortress was crushed and the resistance ended, and prompted the depleted army to escape to the north .

「We’ve had no contact with headquarters from the first day they appeared . Messengers never came and scouts never returned . Normally we should have joined up with the main squad in the west but……」

「They were annihilated?」

Rinuga and his subordinates glare at me when I say it first .

You ran to the north because you thought that too, no?

「Lord Hardlett, please . More importantly, I want to know about the traits and strength of the monsters in your story . 」

Leopolt steps in between us .

It’s not like I wanted to provoke them .

And Rafaella, I told you not to knead my sideburns .

Rinuga talks about the characteristics of the monsters . Other men and soldiers who participated in the battle also share information they learned .

I move beside Celia and take a peek at her notepad .

First, the giant spiders……or I guess referring to them as spiders is fine .

They range in size from 2 to 3 meters, with some extremely rare ones being 5 meters .

They attack by slashing with the claws on their legs or sucking out bodily fluids with a tube they stick out from their mouth . They apparently also inject poison simultaneously in the latter method so you’ll die soon even if someone saves you . It is tough for its size, but its body is soft and weapons such as swords, spears, and arrows are all effective .

It mainly uses its eight legs to walk and can also leap to quickly close distance .

They are the fastest of the monsters and the first to give chase .

There are lots of them too and can probably be classified as the grunts .

Five soldiers should roughly be able to fight them with the upper hand .

Next are the worms .

They vary greatly in length from 1 meter to over 10 meters and their shape is a little indecent .

They attack with their wide circular mouth and the sharp teeth inside . Larger ones have enough power to tear your torso through armor while the smaller ones can invade your body from the mouth, genitals or anus and eat away your organs so it’s important not to let your guard down around either .

The surface of their bodies are wrapped in soft yet highly elastic skin, capable of neutralizing slashes and arrows, however crushing their innards with blunt instruments is effective .

They move by wiggling their bodies like earthworms, meaning they are slow, but they can climb up walls if they have something to cling on to .

These guys appear after the spiders . At least ten soldiers are needed to fight them .

Then there are the rhinoceros beetles . I haven’t seen these so I can’t give them a proper name .

They are one size smaller than the spiders at about 2 meters .

They attack with the fangs attached to their mouth, but some of them also eject the spines growing on their back .

Their bodies are extremely hard, and apparently attacks from weapons other than catapults and siege weapons had no effect during the siege on the fortress .

Their movements are sluggish, likely from the weight of their thick armor-like skin, and they can trip even on low steps . They were the last to appear at the fortress .

I suppose they are the heavy infantry of the monster army .

In order to defeat them, we’ll need at least eight soldiers to attack while using siege weapons as a finisher .

「Alright, that――doesn’t look like the end . 」

Rinuga and his subordinates tremble with their heads in their hands .

「There is that thing……the thing that destroyed our fortress……」

「A giant one that looks down on a 20-meter watchtower……with nine heads that can chew through a stone wall……and a body as hard as steel that can deflect cannons and ballistae……」

Rinuga’s fingers dig into his hair .

「Our army and our castle were essentially scattered by that one thing . Despite the combined efforts of everyone……we could not stop it . 」

It’s fine to be scared, but at least tell us its specifications .

Uhh, let’s see……

A nine-headed centipede, huh? It’s a simple name, but insect hydra sounds good .

It’s over 20 meters tall and its width is unknown, is it a rare monster?

It attacks with the fangs attached to each of its nine heads……no, since it’s so big, just twisting its body around will be sufficient to wreck everything .

The exoskeleton can repel cannonfire and protect it from boiling oil .

The fortress was destroyed shortly after its appearance so its speed is unknown……I’m sure this isn’t an exaggeration .

If we are to believe what this thing can do, then even a few hundred soldiers can’t compete against it .

「How problematic . 」

Tristan shows a wry smile and drops the notepad on the desk .

「Leopolt, what do you think?」

「It’s hard to say without knowing more details on the rhinoceros beetles and the monster that seems to be the greatest threat . Either way, they are undoubtedly serious threats . The very foundation of the upcoming strategy will need to be re-examined . 」

Leopolt answers and puts a finger on his chin as he begins to think .

「Our hope is that they retreat when the sun comes up in the morning . If not for that, we’d have been dead a long time ago . 」

Not liking the sunlight does not necessarily mean they can be defeated by it like vampires .

They may only be trying to avoid it since I didn’t see any monsters burning or weakening .

If the sun is simply a nuisance to them, then it’s a similar case to Brynhildr……oh, did someone sneeze?

「I knew it, they are cursed monsters summoned by a dem――」

「It doesn’t matter if it’s abstract, do you know of any other weaknesses?」

And then a subdued voice came from Rafaella who was on my back .

「Fire……」

Fire? The spiders certainly writhed in agony when volleys of flaming arrows were concentrated on them, but that would happen whether the target is human or beast . In fact, they crawled past the burning ones from behind so it can be that they aren’t afraid of fire .

The insect hydra ignored being splashed by boiling oil so these monsters seem to have a rather high resistance to heat .

「Those things always approached from the direction with the fewest torches . The last assault also came from the rear……where the slow villagers without torches gathered . 」

「In other words, it’s not fire itself but light, whether in the form of the sun or torches, that they try to avoid?」

It’s understandable, considering they are creatures originally from underground .

Theoretically, we could light a bunch of torches to simulate daytime, but implementing it is impossible .

That’s about it in terms of characteristics and weak points, I guess .

Then, I have to ask about the most important part .

「Where did they come from?」

「If we knew, we wouldn’t be struggling so much . 」

I interrupt Rinuga and continue on .

「Have there been any big holes created or have you heard of any cave-ins of mines recently?」

I know for sure that these things spring out from the ground .

And it takes more than digging a well for these things to appear at the very least .

Since they came in such great numbers, there should be a gaping hole somewhere .

「……not that I recall . Every mine is operating at full capacity though, so I can tell you immediately if anything goes wrong . 」

「Lord Hardlett . 」

Leopolt approaches me as if asking me what I’m doing .

I’ll explain properly in a bit, just wait . Also, don’t get so close with an emotionless face, it’s creepy .

「You sent a message to Erich, right?」

「Yes, at the start of the engagement . 」

「Send another . In addition to the information gathered just now, tell him to search for any giant holes in the ground . If it isn’t found soon, the world will really end . 」

If I’m defeated by the enemy, I have the option of running away after surrendering with my hands in the air, but with bugs, I’m just food .

「Send a messenger to Lintbloom as well . Address the message to Balbano of the fire nation . I’m sure he’ll be drunk and asleep, so if he doesn’t reply, instruct the messenger to knock at the entrance of the mine and wake him up . 」

「That’s outrageous……」

I ignore Tristan .

「If he comes out like an angry madman, tell him “hell has opened up” . He should seek me then . 」

I stand up and turn to Rinuga .

「Will they come tonight too?」

「They will definitely come to a place they have shown up before . They’ll come with double, no triple the amount . 」

Then we should withdraw quickly .

「We will return to the north . Order all the nearby villagers to evacuate . Load as many of them as possible on wagons or on the back of cavalry and move out promptly . 」

「Even the enemy citizens?」

Dingus asks as he stares at Rinuga .

「It doesn’t matter if they are ally or enemy . Base your decision on whether they are human or insect . 」

I grab Rinuga’s shoulder and shove him in front of Dingus .

「Follow his orders for now . You can resume the war when the hole has been sealed . 」

I lightly pound my fist into Dingus’s chest to make sure he understands before stroking Rafaella’s hair .

「I see, the rumors of him being a great man are correct……」

「Under a demon……but it’s better than being in an insect’s stomach……」

Stop mumbling and get moving .

And Leopolt, I’ll talk to you about the “hell”, so stop coming closer .

I don’t want you to accidentally kiss me .

Protagonist: Aegir Hardlett . 25 years old . Autumn .

Status: Goldonia Kingdom Margrave . Great Feudal Lord of Eastern Area . Mountain Legend .

Friend of the Dwarves . Friend of the King of Aless . Dragon Slayer Hero .

Elf Mediator . Sex King of White City . Mad Demon God . Golden Macho .

Family:

Nonna (encounter, joined up), Carla (departure), Mel (troubled departure), Leah (on a trip), Pipi (departure), Miti (worried), Maria (worried), Catherine (cheating wife), Gretel (outing), Melissa (departure), Kuu (worried), Ruu (worried), Mireille (preparing for journey), Casie (4, 7 head figure), Rita (expedition maid), Yoguri (playwright), Alice (departure), Mother: Marceline (consultation), Daughters: Eldest – Stephanie (denied), Second – Bridget (agreed), Youngest – Felicie (either)

Sofia (encounter), Dorothea (in trouble), Claudia (clothed), Clara (given up), Adela (encounter)

Celestina (reigning queen), Monica (mama attendant), Benel (coma)

Subordinates:

Dingus (eastern army commander), Rinuga (refugee leader), Rafaella (back parasite)

Celia (taking notes), Myla (perplexed), Irijina (empty stomach), Luna (free)

Leopolt (approaching), Tristan (staff officer), Yakov (emergency sortie), Gido (recuperating, resigned), Mack (emergency sortie), Christoph (independent from mother), Guigue (good and evil existing together)

Adolph (stressed), Sebastian (frugal), Marta (preparing for journey), Sally (journey), Maruru (journey)

Jim (penniless), Suzy (additional consolation money), Solana (given up), Altair (founder), Remia (victim)

Others:

??? (encounter, joined up)

Sekrit (dissection), Ivanna (practising on her own), T-99 (information gathering), Brynhildr (sneeze), Natia (escape), Felteris (orgy), Ijaris (combat), Yularen (combat)

Annette (free), Piris (insane, house arrest), Baroness Rukino Escaote (tie with Nonna), Seika (lost to Carla)

Busco (promoted), Gildress (training), Visitacion (confined home with child)

Non-humans:

Lammy (hunch), Alraune (repropagating), Mirumi (hunch), Pochi (reluctant), Messerschmitt (sleeping)

Tropical Smooth-scaled Monitor Lizard (pursuit), Schwartz (battle)

Army – Southern Goldonia (replenishing, emergency establishment)

Escort Unit: 43

Infantry: 3000

Cavalry: 400

Archers: 400

Cannoneers: 400

Bow Cavalry: 1000

105 Army Corps: 3700 (reorganization, break)

(war time, weapons are produced as necessary, being deployed)

Cannons: 45, Large Cannons: 23, Dwarven Cannons: 15, Field Artillery: 18, Chariots: 38

Reinforcements / Allied Forces:

Eastern Army: 14 500

Mixed Refugee Team: 6000

Elves: Black: 200, White: 200 (on the run)

God Altair’s Army: 2000 ⇒ 2200 (charity work, inviting)

Teries Fleet: Battleship Suvorov, Battleship Leviathan IV (temporary), Large Combat Ships: 3, Medium Combat Ships: 7 (in repair)

Assets: -75 000 gold

Sexual Partners: 804

Children who have been born: 70 + 567

Current Location: Kisatto, heading north