Ch.184Chapter 184 – Waiting for the Full Moon (1)

It had been three days since our return from the Labyrinth of Yggdrasil.

“How are you feeling, Beatrice?”

“I feel terrible, so don’t talk to me too much…”

Beatrice, leaning against the wall of the room we had reserved as a meeting space, sighed deeply.

“I feel like I haven’t slept for days, I’m depressed, that nun confiscated all my cigarettes, I’m not allowed to drink, and the medicine I have to take for now is bitter. I feel like I’m dying. Seriously.”

“…That must be tough.”

I had been worried about her condition because of the trap she triggered in the labyrinth, but seeing her able to complain like this, she seemed to be holding up well.

“The worst part is, I can’t remember anything, but I feel like I showed sides of myself that shouldn’t have been seen. Do you have any idea what happened, Helmet?”

When Beatrice casually asked, Helmet just moved his eyes inside his helmet to look at Chris.

Somehow noticing the gaze, Chris slightly shook his head, and only then did Helmet answer.

“I have no idea.”

“You’re lying. What did you see?”

Beatrice narrowed her eyes as she questioned him, but he maintained his ignorance.

It seemed better to be considerate, since whatever happened or whatever she said back then would only be hurtful to her.

Besides, since Beatrice had no memory of that time, she wouldn’t be able to confirm exactly what she had said even if she kept suspecting us.

“By the way, is Sera not joining us today?”

“Her research isn’t going well, it seems.”

I nodded slightly at Eve’s response.

“I thought she said it would be done quickly, but I guess not.”

“It didn’t seem like a simple problem that could be solved in a day or two…”

Eve said, then added:

“It’s been about a week since Kay returned from the labyrinth, but she still hasn’t finished.”

“She must be really stuck.”

I was worried that she might be suffering from stress right now.

I was concerned she might damage her health if she wasn’t careful.

“Speaking of Sera’s work, I can’t believe it’s been four days since we came out of there.”

Chris shuddered slightly as if remembering that time.

From our perspective, we thought only about a day had passed, but honestly, it was a bit chilling to hear that four days had passed when we came out.

“I don’t remember much because I was in a daze, but the place we were in after escaping the labyrinth might have had a different flow of time.”

“Is that even possible?”

“It is. With a powerful barrier. Perhaps the area with those strange shadows was already inside a barrier.”

Beatrice nodded in affirmation.

Then she muttered regretfully.

“If I had been in my right mind, I could have investigated it. I’ve never heard of such a barrier even in the Magic Tower…”

“You surprisingly like researching and analyzing things, don’t you?”

“Being a mage is basically a profession where you can’t survive if you don’t enjoy analyzing and figuring things out.”

Beatrice said with a weak smile.

As the atmosphere shifted slightly, I looked at Beatrice, who was now staring out the window and muttering.

“…There were times when I just wanted to forget everything and focus on magical research.”

“……”

I had thought she seemed fine earlier, but it was clear she was still suffering from the aftereffects of what happened in the labyrinth.

Everyone began to look at Beatrice with concern, and in the awkward atmosphere, Eve opened her mouth as if wanting to change the subject.

“By the way, Lich is late.”

“Maybe he hasn’t been able to meet with Fine yet?”

Chris said, spreading his fingers.

And as if he had been timing it from behind the door, the door suddenly swung open.

[I’m here.]

“You could knock before entering, you know.”

[Why bother with formalities between us?]

Lich entered, speaking in a friendly manner.

Behind him, Fine closed the door while waving in greeting.

Then Lich looked at Chris and said:

[It seems your business at the holy site was resolved well. I can clearly sense the difference in your holy power from before and after your visit.]

“Yeah… well.”

Chris answered somewhat ambiguously, apparently still finding Lich a bit uncomfortable.

I addressed Lich, who was looking at Chris.

“By the way, I have something I want to ask.”

[Go ahead.]

“What were you doing while we were away?”

I had heard from Eve that this Lich had also been absent the entire time we were gone.

Lich answered with a smile.

[Naturally, I was preparing for the demon clan’s arrival. Setting up barriers around the area, installing some traps, monitoring their movements. Various things like that.]

“Monitoring their movements? Do you know where their base is?”

If he didn’t know their base, he couldn’t track their movements.

Besides, if he knew their base, launching a preemptive attack would be one option.

However, Lich shook his head and replied:

[Unfortunately, I haven’t discovered their base. They must have someone well-versed in magic among them, as they’re blocking my attempts to locate them.]

Lich added that it would be difficult to find out quickly, especially within our timeframe, prompting Chris to ask:

“Then how can you monitor their movements?”

[Not necessarily. Look at this.]

Lich said, then took something out from his chest and showed it to us.

“A bird?”

[More precisely, it was one of their familiar creatures.]

The bird, which still looked healthy, was looking up at Lich fearfully.

Seeing this, Lich said there wasn’t much more to see with this bird, then slowly approached the window, opened it, and set the bird down.

As the bird immediately took flight into the sky, Lich continued:

[They’re sending lots of familiars for reconnaissance purposes. By examining these familiars one by one, even if it’s not definitive, I can get some idea of their movements.]

“How can you tell?”

In response to Chris’s question, Lich shrugged and said:

[For example, I can make judgments based on changes in how they deploy their familiars. Originally, they sent mostly large and intelligent animals, but after I kept catching and eliminating them, they switched to sending lots of mice and small birds. From this, I can deduce that they’re short-handed to deal with me, and simultaneously, they’ve realized there aren’t enough people on our side to catch their familiars.]

Lich said that in reality, he was the only one who noticed and caught these familiars early.

[Besides, since we already know their objective, we can roughly guess what they want to know.]

Lich pointed to Yggdrasil as he spoke.

[By calculating the number and placement of familiars, along with their objective of reaching Yggdrasil, I can roughly estimate what routes they’re planning to take, what they’re thinking, and how many troops they have.]

“You can figure out that much?”

[Yes. However, this is a matter of judgment based on experience, so it’s not something you can immediately imitate just by knowing about it.]

It seemed like a privilege of someone who had lived long and fought many battles.

I wanted to learn it since it seemed useful, but it probably wasn’t something I could use.

“So you were preparing something for each of these routes while we were gone.”

[That’s right. Particularly, judging by how they’re trying to find as many entry points as possible, their numbers seem to be less than expected. So I’ve been busy setting traps.]

Lich said this, then added with a hint of regret:

[…Still, if I only knew their location, I could have launched a preemptive attack or better prepared by fully understanding their troop composition. That’s the most regrettable aspect of our current situation.]

“Not knowing what variables might emerge is the problem.”

[Indeed. So we must remain vigilant.]

Lich emphasized, speaking with a bit more force as if to ensure we remembered.

[Now then, I’ll explain how Alfheim’s forces will be deployed, and where it would be best for you to position yourselves. Are you ready to listen?]

“Absolutely.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Lich nodded and moved his hand.

Then, a model made of light appeared on the table in the center of the room.

Horses with pointed ears and griffons flying in the sky were positioned around a massive tree.

“So this is Alfheim’s troop deployment.”

[That’s right. Almost all the forces we can mobilize right now.]

After saying this, Lich began explaining about the troops.

During the explanation, Eve and Beatrice asked questions about certain aspects, and Lich answered as the meeting continued.

[That’s the elven deployment. I’ll be joining in as well… If we engage in a direct confrontation, I believe we can significantly reduce the demons’ numbers here.]

However, Lich cautiously added:

[The problem is, as I mentioned, I still haven’t properly assessed their full strength.]

Lich added that this was unavoidable.

[What concerns me most are the demon legion commanders.]

As Lich waved his hand, troops with horns appeared at one corner of the table.

And among them, one with goat horns.

“Baphomet.”

A demon I had encountered in that village where the succubus had been abducting people.

Lich nodded and said:

[So you know of him.]

“I fought him briefly.”

At my words, Lich nodded slightly and waved his hand.

Then three large soldiers with horns appeared on the table.

[If my prediction is correct, Baphomet won’t be the only one participating. I’ve occasionally sensed demonic energy, and each time, I believe one or two legion commanders must have crossed over to this world along with their troops.]

Lich said that in the worst case, three or four powerful demons might have crossed over.

Eve quietly asked Lich:

“Is it almost impossible for the elves to face these legion commanders?”

[Well, there are elves who can match them… some do exist.]

Lich turned his gaze to Fine.

Fine smiled and pointed to herself.

“When it comes to fighting, I’m pretty confident.”

[Of course you are. Whose daughter are you, after all?]

Lich said with a smile.

Then he looked back at Eve and continued:

[Of course, besides Fine, there are other skilled elves, so I wouldn’t say we’d be completely overwhelmed. However, to reach the position of legion commander in the demon realm, a world of survival of the fittest, they would certainly deserve the title of exceptional warriors.]

After saying this, Lich quietly interlaced his fingers and spoke:

[If they are exceptional warriors who have survived in a world dominated by fighting and violence, we certainly cannot let our guard down.]

I nodded quietly at Lich’s words and said:

“We should assume those guys will just break through our defensive line.”

Rather than thinking they would somehow be stopped at the front, it seemed better to assume they would break through our defensive line to some extent.

Lich nodded at my words and continued:

[If one or two legion-level demons decide to hold me back, even I risk being tied down. So I think it’s best to prepare assuming I’ll be held back.]

That’s probably when his eyes fell on us.

“So we have to take care of those guys.”

Lich nodded.

[Of course, this is assuming the worst-case scenario. There’s also a possibility it could be easier than expected. I’d like to use you all as a card at an important moment. If possible, I’m planning not to move you until the very end.]

Lich said this, but those words were surely meant to reassure us.

Given who we were up against, he had brought us in because he didn’t know what might happen.

Though we hadn’t known each other long, judging by Lich’s character, I felt that if he had been confident in perfectly countering whatever the enemy might do, he wouldn’t have involved us in the first place.

“It doesn’t hurt to prepare for the worst.”

It was better to prepare for the worst than to be optimistic and get seriously hurt.

After saying this, I looked at Lich and asked:

“Do you have any idea when they might attack? Our preparation time depends on that.”

[I believe they will come in three days. That day will be the most dangerous.]

There was certainty in Lich’s words.

“Why three days from now?”

[Because that’s the full moon. The night of the full moon is when demons’ magical power is at its strongest. So it’s best to consider that we have until the afternoon of the third day from today to prepare.]

‘What are they, werewolves?’

Still, if they were strongest on that day, it was only natural they would most likely come then.

According to the prediction Lich had shared with us first, the enemy’s attack this time was almost like a gamble where they were betting everything.

To increase their chances of success even slightly, it made sense for them to strike when they were at their strongest.

[If there are no unexpected variables, I believe we can handle this without much trouble.]

Lich said confidently.

“…Whenever someone says something like that, variables tend to appear.”

As I muttered this ominously, Lich also seemed to become uneasy, averting his gaze slightly as he spoke:

[…My apologies. Come to think of it, I’ve been criticized before for raising what you call a ‘flag’ or something whenever I say things like this.]

Lich muttered that he didn’t understand why they used the expression of raising a flag.

‘This is concerning.’

Hoping there wouldn’t be any unexpected variables, I gazed at the sky outside the window.