“Alana, what’s the enemy count?!”
“About fifteen hundred Orcs and Goblins. Plus ten Trolls and one Sand Dragon.”
So this is the main attack! Alana’s drone had found the Demon Army marching five kilometers north of Anaheim.
The White Lily Corps, except for me who was left behind, had gathered at the North Gate since morning to lead the local army. My oversleeping was due to my usual guard duty, but this time I was unscathed. No one woke me up, though.
The entire local army and all mercenaries gathered at the North Gate. I used Godspeed Mode Two to blend into the ranks without being noticed and looked for Alana.
“Honestly, how long is he going to sleep? Some privilege to be a Captain…”
I swallowed my retort and left the ranks with Alana and Doron. I wanted to scout. “Just you wait, next time they charge, I’ll be leading the vanguard!”
That’s how I found the Demon Army of fifteen hundred, led by a Sand Dragon. I thought they’d go for Runelius Fine in the center, but bringing a Sand Dragon means this must be the main target.
Or at least, that’s what I want to believe. Fifteen hundred soldiers and ten Trolls are too few for their total force. Are they leaving troops at Lauenstein, or will they attack all three cities simultaneously? I can’t say for sure without knowing the Demon Army’s total strength, but this is more than enough force to take this city.
Still, our forces are meager. About a hundred conscripted Adventurers. The Knight Order has fifty heavy cavalry and fifty knights. A total of two hundred soldiers against fifteen hundred, Trolls, and a Sand Dragon.
It’s not even noon yet. If it’s still light, the townspeople can evacuate more easily. We’ll buy time as usual and retreat. And, as usual, I’ll be the rearguard. …This time, I want to escape first.
The Knight Order Captain couldn’t hide his panic after hearing Alana’s report. He muttered to himself, his gestures becoming more exaggerated. I wish he’d do that when he’s alone; it just spreads unease.
“Alright, mercenaries, form ranks outside the walls! You! You demi-human! You’re in command!”
He pointed at Alana, assigning her command? Alana is a member of the White Lily Corps. And her commander is me… It feels like I’m constantly being left behind.
“Captain, what should we do?”
What should we do? He disappeared before I could even object. And the knights are surrounding us, drawing their swords, trying to force us out of the castle walls. Maybe I should think about escaping.
“Alana, take overall command. I’ll teach you how. White Lily Corps, let’s go! We’ll set up ranks outside the walls!”
Seriously, this is where I’m supposed to look cool, Priscilla! Don’t go through the gate before me! I’m supposed to bravely lead a hundred mercenaries out there. …I wish there was music.
There was no music, but there was illumination. As we were setting up ranks outside the walls, a special delivery of magic stones from the Sand Dragon rained down on us.
“Sophia! Defensive magic!”
A thin, iridescent membrane spread over our heads. It shimmered and distorted under the impact of the magic stones but held firm. Above the hundred mercenaries, the defensive magic held against twenty magic stones, straining but enduring.
“So heavy!”
Even with the defense, they could feel the weight. Probably thanks to the magic, but what incredible strength Sophia has!
“Everyone directly under the rocks, get out of there! I’m canceling the magic!”
As the mercenaries scrambled to escape, I dispelled the magic. The formation was broken, and the mercenaries scattered. If we took many more hits like that, we wouldn’t survive.
“Captain, what do we do?! We should retreat, right?”
I want to. The knights inside the castle had closed the castle gate after seeing the magic stones flying. If we stay here, we’ll just be easy targets.
But… I saw it, Alana. As I turned to look at Alana, I saw the Anaheim cavalry who must have exited through the East Gate.
They’re probably trying to use us as bait for a flanking maneuver to take down the Sand Dragon. They must have figured that without the Sand Dragon, they could hold them off.
Certainly, if they were subjected to such long-range bombardment, the castle walls wouldn’t hold. The Anaheim knights are risking their lives to defeat the Sand Dragon. Or perhaps, they’re just planning to escape.
What do I do? I initially thought of running, but if the bait escapes, the fishing won’t work. And I can’t guarantee that Sophia’s and the other mages’ defensive magic will hold.
The Demon Army has a denser formation to the west. The force attacking the West Gate and the one with the Sand Dragon will probably attack us at the North Gate.
They’ll likely continue bombarding the North Gate, destroying us and the castle walls, before slowly advancing. They know we won’t be able to hold out.
“Orietta, can you discard your right hammer and hold two shields?”
“I can, but Ori-chan wants to crush them with her hammer!”
“Please switch to shields. Sophia, Christine, can you crush the Sand Dragon’s heart?”
“…If we have time.”
“I’ll give you time. Sophia?”
“With Platinum Laser… but I want to heal the injured…”
“Save five shots worth, and use the rest of your magic power on the injured. Rufina, where is Rufina?!”
“What are you thinking…”
“She’s behind you, at your neck…”
“Please save attacking the blood for later. Release all the undead and zombies you’ve been hoarding.”
“I don’t want to. Undead and zombies are my collection. If I let them fight, they might get scratched.”
Who collects zombies in any world? Discard that disgusting thing. I leaned close to Rufina’s ear and whispered a charm.
“Don’t you want the Sand Dragon’s undead?”
“What?!”
Rufina, unable to hide her surprise, blushed and said,
“I doubt even your father, Marquis Rutland, has them, Rufina! Undead from a Sand Dragon! They’re not something you can get easily. If you bring all your undead and zombies to the front lines, I’ll give you the Sand Dragon.”
“S-Sand Dragon… Undead…”
That must be what a rapturous expression looks like. Even I’ve never seen it before. Are the undead really that good?
“I understand. The Sand Dragon’s undead, I will never forget it!”
Having different values comes in handy sometimes. I don’t need a Sand Dragon; I’d rather not encounter one on the battlefield.
“What are you planning to do…”
“Mercenaries, listen up! We are about to charge the Sand Dragon. If we stay here, we’ll be crushed by its magic stones anyway. If we can do something about those stones, we can protect Anaheim. Everyone, charge formation. Mages in the center. Mercenary groups on both flanks. Undead in the front, zombies are slow, so put them in the rear.”
“Are you serious?!”
“Absolutely. Orietta, you’ll lead the vanguard in the center. Focus on advancing, not defeating. Priscilla, you’re to my right. I’ll be on your left. Alana, command from the rear center and protect the three of us. If you can’t protect them, it’s pointless to reach the Sand Dragon.”
“Don’t you decide things on your own!”
“Do we have any other options? If you want to run, say so now.”
“Who said that!”
I approached the uncooperative Priscilla and whispered in her ear so no one else could hear.
“This is a chance to rack up points, Priscilla. If we kill the Sand Dragon, you can do whatever you want.”
“…R-Right. I can do whatever I want…”
I don’t get it. Why did she blush at that moment? Did she hear “kill” instead? Did you say “do,” Priscilla?
Sharing values is useful at times like this. I’m going to kill it. Yes, I’m going to kill it!
“All troops advance! Target: Sand Dragon!”
Finally, we’re acting like the main characters. Outside the castle walls, we formed a wedge formation and punched a hole through the Orcs’ ranks.
