Ch.170Reconnaissance

# 170. Reconnaissance

“…To summarize what I’ve reported, we’ve suffered approximately 12% in losses. This is just direct casualties; considering our continued combat capabilities, it could rise to 15%.”

“Fifteen percent, you say.”

“We’re doing our best with repairs, but—”

“I’m not blaming you. If anyone’s to blame, it would be the top brass—namely myself.”

“Vice Commander.”

“What about reinforcements?”

“We’ve requested them immediately, but as always, it won’t be an easy matter. I’ve explained our unusual situation, but I fear they might be more concerned with political maneuvering over the deceased Commander’s position than sending help.”

“I can’t deny that. Nevertheless, we must do what needs to be done.”

The officers gathered in the Vice Commander’s temporary quarters at Fort Faelm couldn’t hide their grim expressions.

A 15% loss in fighting strength.

Even in a place where deaths and disabilities occurred annually, losing this much power at once was unprecedented in several decades.

“Let’s change the subject. I heard that the main cause of this incident might be a crack in the seal. What do you think?”

“We’ll need a detailed investigation to be certain… but considering the number and strength of the monsters, the demonic energy they contained, and the powerful distortion felt near the seal site, I believe it’s highly probable. More than 90% likely.”

“I concur with the Archmage’s opinion. We’ve confirmed that the holy power sustaining the barrier that suppresses the seal site and protects the fortress is depleting faster than usual. We’re reinforcing the barrier through constant prayer, day and night, but honestly… we’re approaching our limits while simultaneously trying to heal the wounded.”

The long-standing seal developing problems.

Increasing pressure on the protective barrier.

Extreme fatigue among the priests.

The Vice Commander pressed his brow as he checked off each immediate problem.

“Let’s assume the seal has cracked. Then we need to discuss what we should do. Is it enough to simply guard and block the area around the seal site from the fortress as before? Or do we need to take more active measures regarding the seal?”

“…”

“I’m a person skilled only in wielding a sword and military tactics. Please speak freely.”

“Since you ask… I believe it’s premature to interfere hastily.”

“So we should hold out as before?”

“Yes. More precisely, we should postpone action. It’s difficult to offer a definitive opinion before conducting a thorough investigation. All I can say right now is that we need to maintain a strong defensive posture and organize a detailed investigation team as soon as possible.”

“By Laelasia…”

Everyone in the tent nodded in agreement at the Archmage’s measured advice. They too couldn’t see a clear answer.

“By the way, Vice Commander.”

“Hmm?”

“I heard from one of my subordinates that irregular personnel entered the fortress today.”

“Ah, that. Lord Delton brought some capable adventurers or something. I didn’t have the capacity to deal with them right away, so I sent them out on reconnaissance.”

“As soon as they arrived?”

“Yes. Adventurers who’ve come all the way to the Forbidden Land might as well have a bit more ‘adventure,’ don’t you think? I sent Lord Delton as their guide, so their adventure shouldn’t end too quickly. Don’t worry about them for now. Next is…”

**

“You there.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“So you’re the weakest one?”

“Ah, yes. You finally noticed?”

The reconnaissance was going smoothly. After seeing our party easily handle not just the initial three monsters but groups of five, seven, and even ten, Lord Delton had stopped using hand signals altogether and was chatting casually with me. Though that’s not to say he was neglecting his role as a guide.

“Where did you find such powerful fighters? All women, which is rare, all adventurers, which is also rare, and all in one party, which is even rarer.”

“I guess you could say it just happened that way. Haha…”

“Ah, turn left there. That’s right.”

I could physically sense that we were getting closer to the “seal site” even without Lord Delton’s explanation. We had just faced real demons and artificial ones modeled after them in the level below. It was inevitable to feel a similar energy near the site where a demon was supposedly sealed.

The problem was that the sealed demon wasn’t just any ordinary demon.

At the very least, it wasn’t Iseratio-class.

“The issue is that nothing like this has ever happened before. Even if we discover something during this reconnaissance, I doubt we could immediately resolve it.”

“Don’t you have excellent mages and priests?”

“They’re all excellent, but none are top-tier. What country in the world would send such precious assets here?”

“…”

“If the sealed demon is truly a ‘Greater Demon’ as written in the history books… we’d need an Archmage, a Saint, and a Knight King to deal with it. Until then, we’re just buying time until we die.”

“…How long does it usually take for news to return once it’s sent?”

“It varies by situation. I’ve seen responses come back in as little as three days, but more than 90% of the time, it takes at least a week. Ah, see that small marker? From there, we go back to using hand signals.”

The information I was hearing from Lord Delton was uniformly depressing. It made me wonder, “Was it really this bad?” or “Am I misremembering?” even though I had played through this scenario in the game.

Of course, there was a possibility that his words were somewhat exaggerated, like the embellished military stories of veterans, but even accounting for that, it was still grim.

“Here. From here, we use hand signals again.”

“What kind of marker is this?”

“It means it’s more dangerous beyond this point? There are more markers further in. We don’t usually go that far during routine reconnaissance. Come on, let’s go.”

Lord Delton took the lead again. Since I had already discussed things with my party members on the way here, we followed him without question.

There wasn’t any dramatic change in feeling as we passed the marker, but…

– Front. Enemy. Spotted.

– Small. Five. No. Six. Medium. Three.

– Front. Enemy. Spotted.

– Medium. Five.

– Front. Enemy. Spotted.

– Front. Enemy. Spotted.

The monsters had increased in number.

The types of monsters didn’t seem to have changed, but their density was so high that we couldn’t ignore the possibility of being surrounded.

– Retreat. Detour. Strongly. Recommended.

Despite having praised our skills earlier, Lord Delton now signaled with an expression that clearly said this was absolutely not doable. I accepted his recommendation. Until now, I had been confident because I could gauge the situation, but even without his warning, I could tell this was considerably dangerous.

We immediately retreated to the marker. Then, as if exhaling a long-held breath, Lord Delton wiped the sweat from his forehead and said:

“Damn, they’ve increased even more.”

“You mean they weren’t always like this? They’ve increased?”

“Yes. And this is just the first marker. The monsters do increase in number, but not to this extent. This kind of distribution… this is what you’d expect to see past the second marker.”

Something began to click in my mind as I listened to Lord Delton.

‘An accident that shouldn’t be happening now. Monsters lurking near the fortress. Rapidly increasing numbers. A seal presumed to be cracked. A Greater Demon-class demon sealed inside. In the original story, the seal was incompletely broken, leading to a struggle around the fortress. And if Snowball gets involved in this…?’

Ah.

This is…

Anyone would recognize these as “warning signs.”

‘We need to get back immediately.’

“Lord Delton.”

“Yes. No time to dawdle. We need to return quickly and report. I don’t doubt your abilities, but to investigate further, we need a more proper investigation team.”

We returned to the fortress at a rapid pace. Just like when we first entered and when we left for reconnaissance with Lord Delton, the fortress was still in chaos.

However, compared to before, the smell of death had noticeably decreased. Whether because this was a gathering of elites from various countries, or due to human adaptability, the place had regained some vitality in the meantime.

Even if that vitality was artificial.

“Halt! For the safety and peace of the continent. State your affiliation.”

“For the safety and peace of the continent. First Knight Brigade, Second Squad Leader Delton with seven adventurers. Returning after completing a reconnaissance mission directly ordered by the Vice Commander.”

“…Pass! Thank you for your hard work, Lord Delton!”

“Yeah. You too.”

After passing through the gate, we headed straight for the Vice Commander’s quarters. As we approached, we could hear various angry voices shouting from inside the tent, even before entering.

“Damn, it’s started again.”

“What do you mean ‘again’…?”

“We’re basically a coalition force. The Vice Commander and the highest generals are relatively civil, but the lower generals and unit commanders are… how should I put it… They come from different countries, different ethnicities, different races, different specialties, different backgrounds and ages… Hey, Ban.”

“Yes, Lord Delton?”

“Can you talk well?”

“Pardon?”

“Can you run your mouth well in front of important people?”

“Of course! I can run it very well.”

Wait, Yuri. Why are you answering?