episode_0056

“What are you going to do?”

“What can I do? Just put up a wall and block it. What.”

When the saint approached me and asked me a question, I gave a vague answer.

There wasn’t really a method to begin with. How could you make a plan when the monsters were rushing at you right away?

All you have to do is use the soldiers, walls, and party members here to wage siege warfare.

Of course, there was a standard.

I said as I summoned the bugs with my magic. They might be weaker than the monsters, but they’ll be more than enough to annoy them.

“First, the saintess periodically buffs the soldiers. You don’t necessarily need to buff them with strong blessings. Just as much as they can endure. Please make sure that the divine power can be applied to as wide an area as possible.”

Anyway, this is the entrance to the Demon World. That means the monsters around here aren’t that strong.

In that case, the soldiers here can deal with it with just a little bit of buff.

“Fortunately, the city is so close to the Demon Realm that the walls are high and strong. It won’t collapse easily. Adele will continue to shoot arrows here. Camilla will go down and attract attention.”

Adele is in charge of restraint, Camilla is in charge of aggro, and Lily continues to gather magic power in the meantime.

“If you do that, the monsters will gather in one place. It will be easy for them to be swallowed by magic. When that happens, Lily will step in and bang···.”

Kill as many people as possible with as few actions as possible. It was the most basic of tactics, but it was certain to be effective.

“Then tell your lord to send a messenger to the rear city. They need support.”

A hundred li is a whopping 40 km. We couldn’t stop the monsters living in that space with just one city. As a result, we had to hold out until support arrived.

“How about this? Even if it’s not a perfect solution, wouldn’t it be somewhat helpful?”

“······ You said you didn’t have any plans.”

“Yes?”

“No. Then I’ll just tell the party members. Is that okay?”

“That’s right. Then I would be grateful.”

It was fortunate that she was there at times like this. She sometimes acted as a messenger, which reduced the amount of time I had to take on.

It also reduces unnecessary conflicts, which reduces time consumption.

After sending her away like that, I looked forward again.

Now it was time to stop the oncoming monsters.

Kwaaah!

The first monsters to arrive were goblins and their hordes.

Since they live near people and often attack, they seem to be the ones who arrive the fastest.

The men were killed without even being able to approach the hail of arrows pouring down from the walls.

Next came a horde of orcs.

They have green skin just like goblins, but they are clearly a higher species than goblins.

They came close to the walls, but were unable to break through the wall’s strength and were blocked by soldiers.

Next are werewolves, then kobolds, then warbears, and so on······.

A multitude of monsters of various species were constantly rushing at each other, mixing with each other.

The sight was certainly daunting, but…

It was more bearable than I thought.

“What the heck, these guys are a lot weaker than I thought?”

“The numbers are smaller than expected! Everyone, have hope! ”

The enemy is not that weak. Their numbers are several times ours.

Those guys are constantly coming in, but it’s more worth it than you might think.

Of course, it was worth a try, but it was only barely holding on… But there is still hope.

At this point, there is hope that we can hold out until reinforcements arrive.

Thanks to this, the soldiers’ morale rose in real time, but······.

For some reason I couldn’t feel at ease.

‘what···?’

It’s easier than you think. Of course, it’s a good thing. It’s a situation where you can be happy.

But the game I know never gave me an easy time.

I thought more as a gamer than a warrior.

Two monsters, such as goblins, orcs, and kobolds, rush in one after another.

Although there are a lot of them, they are still fightable, and there are no named monsters that are worth mentioning. Since there are no named monsters, there are no variables, so you can block them with peace of mind.

Thanks to that, the siege turned out to be very friendly and predictable.

No game I know has ever been this friendly.

It was just fucking and unfriendly.

‘Something feels uneasy···.’

I can’t just rest easy.

And there was actually one mystery that still remained unsolved.

Where on earth?

How are civilians brainwashed?

This is a city surrounded by walls on all sides. There is no corner for anyone to invade, and no corner for anyone to escape. Furthermore, the puppet master’s special ability does not include the ability to infect.

As a result, there was a point of connection that could lead to direct contact with the guy.

So what is that connection point···.

As I was thinking about that, something suddenly came to mind. It was something I had heard when I was treating the last guard who had been brainwashed.

‘number.’

Just one word. But I know there was something to connect it to. I just didn’t hear it because the situation was so urgent.

As I swing my sword at the monsters, I think to myself, what kind of words could possibly follow the number of times…

Then suddenly, the name of this city came to mind.

Cloud city.

There is no special reason why the word ‘cloud’ is attached to the cloud city. It is because, unlike other regions, it is a place where clouds often cover.

Thanks to that, it rains a lot, and because it rains a lot, the waterways are considerably larger than in other cities.

‘Wait a minute… a waterway?’

After thinking about it that far, I was able to come close to one answer.

The last thing the scout wanted to say was probably the underground waterway.

They would smuggle people out through waterways, brainwash them outside the village, and then send them back. They would do this dozens, hundreds of times…

There were quite a few brainwashed scouts, so if you just avoid their eyes, you’ll be fine. In fact, I didn’t even realize it, and I happened to find a brainwashed civilian.

As such, the underground waterway is located in an unexpectedly secret place. However, it is clearly a passageway that allows access to the outside.

And it doesn’t necessarily have to be just people.

“Ha.”

Thinking that far, I let out a hollow laugh.

Somehow, I thought the game was too friendly. This is how our dog-like game should be.

After thinking that far, I immediately left the seat.

Monsters keep coming? It’s not my job right now.

If you’re not careful, a wave of monsters could explode within the city.

“Hey! Where are you going!!”

“Hey, you’re leaving the battlefield!”

“Lily, Camilla! Don’t look away! They’re coming again!!”

I could hear the party members shouting from behind. I said just one word and kicked my feet.

“Sorry! I’ll check one thing and come back!”

I don’t know if I’ll really come back though.

They could probably do it without me. It might be a bit tougher, but they’re definitely strong.

In short, it means that you believe.

So I left them behind and headed towards the sewer.

*

Slap.

The first thing I felt upon entering was the stuffy air, the musty, pungent stench, and the darkness that filled the surroundings.

The first impression I had when I came here was that it was ‘spacious’.

It was like looking at a western-style sewer like you see in movies.

It is wide enough for two or three people to pass through, and it is long enough for that to happen.

The only difference, if any, would be that the materials used are ordinary stones instead of bricks or concrete.

It was amazing that architecture of this scale was possible in the Middle Ages.

“Fireball.”

I made a very small flame in my palm and faced forward.

Still, it seems the lord had an idea. There were iron bars erected throughout the underground waterway to prevent any living creatures from passing through.

For some reason, the iron bars were partially open now.

“It’s clear that people have been moved this way.”

I muttered like that and continued walking.

After a few more minutes, something new started to appear.

Grrr…

Goblin Knight. An elite monster that occasionally appears among goblin individuals. You could say it’s a named monster.

When I found the guy, I ran towards him without hesitation and cut him down.

Crunch-!

The guy’s head hit the floor with a cold sound.

It is certain that elite soldiers were sent this way.

So how far did they send them? How many elite soldiers? What was the level of the monsters?

And how far does this waterway lead?

I continued to walk with such questions in my mind.

After going a little further, I was finally able to find it.

I’m talking about a scene where countless monsters are huddled together and waiting to cross the waterway.

Each and every one of them was a named monster.

These are monsters that can slaughter dozens of soldiers if they enter the castle walls alone.

The road was narrow so it was slow to get in, but if I hadn’t been aware of it the whole time, I could have been in big trouble.

And that’s not all.

There, in the center of the numerous monsters, stood a man. He had pale blue skin and a round head without any hair.

And the red eyes that were stuck in the middle of the forehead.

It was my first time seeing him in person, but I knew the guy.

Archmage Oleg. He is the closest aide to the puppet master.

It wasn’t very good news.

“Oh my, I didn’t think we’d see each other so soon.”

As I was thinking that, the guy found me.

Karuruk···!

Kyaak!

At the same time, the surrounding monsters screamed at me.

I wasn’t that surprised. He wasn’t even hiding in the first place.

“I really didn’t want to see you.”

As I said that, I drew my holy sword.

I didn’t know I would see it this soon.

That goes for situations like this too.

‘One Demon King’s Army officer and dozens of named monsters···.’

It wasn’t an easy combination, especially for me to deal with alone.

Still, I somehow managed to muster up my resolve and raise my fighting spirit.

The tension between them was tense. The monsters were drooling as if they were going to attack at any moment.

It was at a time when we were in a standoff in such a tense situation.

“Kekeke… What more do I need to say? I’ll catch a warrior and make a new name for myself… Hmm?”

The mouth of the guy who was unusually relaxed between the monster’s gaps stops.

The guy opened his three eyes wide and looked at me for a long time, as if checking something.

Wait a minute. Soon he starts saying it as if it’s a new experience.

“Hehe… What the hell is going on? You’ve already got curses all over your body.”

“···Huh?”

I couldn’t help but be taken aback for a moment by his words.

“No, wait.”

I asked the guy while maintaining a guard stance with the Holy Sword.

“Now··· Can you see this?”

“Of course.”

“······”

On this day, I first saw the guy who recognized the curse on my body.

So to speak, my understanding······.