Sensing all eyes on him, Kousuke cut straight to the chase.
“There are signs of a Great Flood.”
Silence fell over everyone present as those words registered.
“…Huh?”
Though no one could be identified as the source of the bewildered murmur, the dazed-sounding words seemed to snap everyone back to reality, and they began to stir.
However, knowing that their voices shouldn’t carry outside the tent, they seemed to suppress their voices to some extent.
A Great Flood refers to a large-scale monster outbreak that has been confirmed many times in the past.
On the Central Continent, Great Floods are recognized as a form of disaster.
Throughout history, not one or two villages and towns have been destroyed due to these Great Floods.
It was only natural for them to become noisy.
Seeing their reaction, Karl clapped his hands once.
After confirming that everyone had quieted down and was paying attention to him, he turned to Kousuke for clarification again.
“What do you mean?”
In response to Karl’s question, Kousuke explained the situation, pointing to Colette.
“She’s a spirit user, and when she asked the spirits, they confirmed that monsters of different species are gathering in one place.”
“That’s… ‘I see, damn it!” …Bart, what do you mean?”
Karl was about to ask Kousuke again, but he changed his focus after hearing Bart’s words.
Bart answered with a grim expression, as if he had bitten into something bitter.
“We were lured in.”
Two days had already passed since they left the previous village.
They had been attacked on both of those days, but the attacks were very minor.
Considering the situation with his common sense now, Karl realized it was an impossible scenario.
Monsters essentially have an instinct, and they don’t attack those stronger than themselves.
Of course, that instinct can sometimes be mistaken.
For example, they might come towards Nana, whom they absolutely cannot defeat.
They might perceive humans as weak beings, and attack even if there are high-ranking adventurers present.
Setting aside such exceptions, when attacking a large merchant caravan like this one, monsters usually come in a sizable group, or they are high-ranking monsters.
However, neither of the two previous attacks fit either of those descriptions.
The unease Bart had felt stemmed from this very fact.
They were being approached by a group they absolutely couldn’t defeat.
If this was not an act of hunger but an instruction from some superior being, then the situation would be different.
“There’s a possibility that Leader Species are being born?”
Setting aside Karl’s question, Bart asked Kousuke.
Kousuke, who was asked, nodded.
Hearing this, those present held their breath.
Leader Species are precisely known as the cause of Great Floods.
While perhaps not as well-known on other continents where monster populations are smaller, for those born and raised on the Central Continent, Leader Species are synonymous with Great Floods.
Simply put, when Leader Species are born, monsters that normally only group with their own kind begin to act together with different species.
The very earliest are called Leader Species, but as they develop, they become King Species, and the numbers in their groups increase dramatically.
According to records, a group of over a thousand monsters has been confirmed at its largest scale.
At that time, adventurers from all over the continent gathered, and despite great sacrifices, they managed to subjugate them.
Naturally, the adventurers who defeated the King Species at that time are still spoken of as heroes today.
“This is the worst…”
After hearing Kousuke’s report, Bart had a certain grasp of the current situation.
“Lured in, huh?”
“Probably so.”
If there were no monster attacks, they would have passed by normally.
On the other hand, if they attacked with a large group, the caravan might become wary and return to a town.
By having them attack with only a few monsters, they might have been calculating the perfect timing.
“I-Impossible… Monsters have that kind of intelligence…”
One of the merchants muttered.
Glancing at the merchant, Bart shrugged.
“Don’t be foolish. Why would they have intelligence? Monsters act based on their own instincts. That’s precisely what makes them terrifying to humans.”
Due to cases like Nana and Wanri, he wouldn’t say monsters lack intelligence.
However, as Bart stated, most of them act solely on instinct they are born with.
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“…So? Do you know the scale?”
Bart had already switched gears and begun to consider how to deal with the monsters.
For Bart, the monsters attacking them was a foregone conclusion.
“All the spirits can tell is that monsters of multiple species are gathered, and there’s a strong monster at the center.”
Colette, who had been listening silently until then, interjected.
“…I see. Hey, find out the location and send out a few skilled scouts. Tell them absolutely not to take any unnecessary risks.”
Bart gave instructions to Layla, who was nearby.
If they could determine the scale and the types of monsters, their response strategy would change significantly.
“Ah, wait a moment. I’d like Peach to go with them, too.”
Kousuke made the request.
He deliberately used her real name, not a pseudonym.
Considering that combat might occur in the future, continuing to use a pseudonym could lead to mistakes.
Moreover, since Peach’s name is somewhat common, he didn’t believe it would be enough to approach their true identities.
“What?”
“Peach can also scout.”
“…Understood. That’s fine.”
Bart didn’t know Peach’s capabilities, but he agreed, judging that she wouldn’t be a hindrance at least.
Layla, having received Bart’s instructions, took Colette and Peach and left the tent.
“Can we win?”
In response to Karl’s question, Bart shrugged.
“It depends on the information the scouts bring back. But I can say for sure it won’t be less than a hundred.”
When Leader Species are born and form a group, their numbers are said to be at least that many.
“Considering that, I have to say it’s a difficult situation.”
“A hundred…”
Imagining a horde of over a hundred monsters, Karl winced.
Some of the merchants clearly showed fear.
“I assume traveling merchants also use this road, what about them…”
One of the merchants murmured.
Just because a large merchant caravan is passing through doesn’t mean traveling merchants won’t be present.
If those traveling merchants were attacked by a monster horde of that scale, they wouldn’t stand a chance.
“…If we were spotted immediately after leaving the town, it’s possible that we haven’t been attacked during that time.”
Monsters also require food when they form groups.
Whether it’s other monsters or the merchant caravan, it’s only natural for them to choose the more substantial prey.
In that case, it’s possible they were targeting this large merchant caravan from the very beginning.
“You think we were being watched from the moment we left town?”
“Well, I can’t say for sure.”
Karl realized their conversation was straying from the point with Bart’s reply.
Right now, the focus should be on how this caravan would survive.
He no longer doubted that a monster horde was targeting the caravan.
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“One question, do you have a way to contact Headquarters…?”
Karl asked Kousuke.
Setting aside the audit, this was a question asked with an understanding of the meaning behind the letter Kousuke had brought.
“Of course, we do.”
Upon Kousuke’s reply, the merchants showed expressions of relief.
They likely expected reinforcements to arrive in time.
However, Kousuke cruelly dashed those hopes.
“Naturally, we will contact them, but there’s a higher probability that reinforcements won’t make it in time, you know?”
“…That’s right.”
Before the merchants could voice a “What do you mean?”, Bart agreed.
It was unlikely that a monster horde showing such coordination would wait for reinforcements to arrive.
Moreover, whether they retreat or advance, they want to avoid being attacked by such a large group while moving.
Since they know they will be attacked anyway, it would be better to set up a defensive posture at their current location.
Besides, even if they went at full speed, escaping would be impossible.
Even with magic tools increasing their movement speed, there were limits.
What kind of response they could enact would depend on the scouts’ findings, but Bart had already decided that they would engage here.
