In the Forest
My objective was to follow my subordinates’ tracks.
It took about an hour.
“You guys! Abandoning me! You’re heartless!”
“Wh-what?! Commander!
“Huh? Not a ghost… you’re alive?”
“Ohhh! You’ve returned, Commander!”
“We thought you were dead…”
My existence must surely surprise them. To avoid being blamed further for being abandoned, they all started praising me for being safe, trying to distract me with their excitement.
“Indeed.”
I didn’t have time to retort to every single accusation.
It seemed the fire had been extinguished.
“Pursuers are approaching! Who’s in the machine?! Show me your coordinate information!”
“Whaaat?! Ah, yes.”
“You haven’t lost them at all!?”
Without further ado.
I had them display the route we had taken.
Weren’t we getting awfully close to the enemy country’s heartland?
If we were heading directly east.
“We’re going that way.”
“Yes!”
I too boarded the enemy machine.
We began moving, felling trees as we went.
“Ah, it’s so much easier with a vehicle!”
“You’re acting like an old man… Ow!”
“That’s rude to the Commander, isn’t it?”
“Let’s keep watch of our surroundings, okay?”
Is this flattery going to continue?
Now that I could afford to be relaxed about traveling in a vehicle,
I ended up making a slip of the tongue.
Apparently, what I muttered was that I wanted to reserve my thrusting for inside women.
“Hahaha…”
“Haha, that’s our Commander! Such a big heart! Go, our dependable and handsome Commander! We love you, we love you!”
Enemy pursuit unit →→→☆→→→???
Spiderwebs and vines hit my face.
Ptooey, ptooey.
I don’t know how deep into the forest we’ve gone.
I discovered the remains of what was once a magnificent stone-paved road.
Rather than pushing through this dense forest.
My movement speed would increase.
I hated having spiderwebs sticking to my face already.
“Head left.”
“Understood.”
“Understood.”
☆→→???
The spiderwebs were gone,
but vines were stretched across the path.
“This is annoying. Hey, stop watching our backs and cut these vines.”
“Hey, hey, I’m carrying things in both hands too.”
“Are you trying to get us to get down?! You! Switch out!”
Sigh, I understand you’re frustrated because it’s hot and pursuers are closing in, but…
“Don’t make a fuss! You’ll give away our position to pursuers, monsters, and enemy soldiers!”
“…Apologies.”
“…”
Good grief.
☆→ ???
Was this an artificial support column?
It was carved with characters I didn’t recognize, or perhaps patterns.
And also…
“Commander.”
“Ah, they’re fleeing for the same reason as us. Or perhaps they’re building a secret base? I don’t want to greet the people who arrived before us.”
Well then, I should send some people to scout.
We, along with two Knight (Golem) units,
would take a break in this makeshift shelter.
“It’s so hot…”
“Ugh, I’m getting thirsty…”
“Stop it, you’re making me thirstier!”
“…”
“…The ones who went scouting are taking their time, aren’t they?”
Unable to bear the silence,
I brought up the topic of the scouts,
but the heat and the tension of the approaching pursuers had me in a pretty bad mental state,
“I’ll go check on it. You guys, hide if the pursuers arrive.”
“…”
“Understood?”
“…Fa-fine.”
???
I followed multiple footprints.
There were no lookouts or traps.
This was making me really worried about the scouts I sent.
Rustle, rustle.
“Chuuu?”
“A monster. Shoo, shoo. I don’t have time to deal with you.”
What emerged from the bushes and made me cautious was
a small, animal-type creature in a physical form.
It would make for food if I killed it, but not now.
Confirming the safety of the scouts was the priority.
Delinquent students.
You might think of them as weaklings, but
they were fierce warriors who had come this far under my command.
I didn’t think they’d be easily killed by ordinary soldiers.
If they were killed, there would be damage to the enemy soldiers too.
But I hadn’t heard any commotion as if an incident had occurred.
? Footprints…
Rustle Rustle…
Was it the same monster from before?
It’s persistent. Or, seeing as it doesn’t fear humans…
Is it being controlled by someone?
“Chuuu?”
“Do you have a master?”
“Chuuu?”
The monster and I
tilted our heads, each other.
What an idiotic and defenseless scene.
If it had a master, it should be attacking me now… but it isn’t.
“Chuuu?”
Ah, my words and actions.
It seems to not understand me at all… Huh?
Shweb!
“Chuuu!? Chuuu…”
Thwack!
From behind the monster, a plant, right? A vine wrapped around it.
The monster thrashed, but before it could escape, the vine around its neck snapped its bones with a loud crack that echoed through the surroundings.
If it hadn’t taken on a physical form, the monster wouldn’t have died.
But, because it was attacking me (due to its low intelligence),
it would have died one way or another.
Shweb Shweb
“Whoa. Are you trying to kill me next?”
It seemed the scouts were
taken by the master of this plant.
“Mimicking the forest… seriously, give me a break.”
I wanted to burn it all away with fire.
However, doing so would reveal our position to the pursuers we had finally managed to shake off.
Furthermore, like this thing, there was a high chance of large monsters that actively attacked humans appearing.
Shweb Shurururu
Vines~~~
Vines~~~ ☆→↑↘→↓↓↙→↗
It was hard to distinguish where parts of the monster ended and where they were just ordinary plants.
As for the vines that attacked me, I cut off what I could while moving.
And for the vines that actively attacked,
I dodged them, weaving complexly between trees so their roots would intertwine.
Shururu… Creak? Creak Creak… Snap…
“Heh. It finally worked, huh?”
Most of the vines attacking me became entangled in the trees,
rendering them immobile.
There were no new vines.
“Well then~~, I wonder if my subordinates are still alive~~?”
Crack Crack Snap Crack
I cracked my knuckles,
and headed towards the main body of the vine.
☆→ Mimic-type monster
With tip-shaped roots arranged like a body to protect its core.
My subordinates were nowhere to be seen.
They were probably inside the monster’s belly.
“Tch, you look like a moray eel. Don’t go wearing mimicry, damn it!?”
“Bogyaaaaaaah!!”
≀ Torso ≀
≀ Neck ≀
≀ Neck ≀
≀ Head ≀
≀≀≀≀≀≀≀
↑
☆
