After taking a few days off, I’ve resumed writing, and while working on new material, I found that I’d accumulated about 20,000 characters for this story.
And so, we returned to the convenience store.
After Radcliff and his group had annihilated the Empire’s slimes, they retreated to a large river that served as the Meow Tribe’s territorial line. They set up a campsite around the bridge and intended to stay there for a while as a defense base.
That said, the main force of the defense line was comprised of those four unmanned tanks, which were on duty 24 hours a day. The Meow Tribe also sent some of their people to assist, so Radcliff and his group planned to withdraw sequentially, leaving about ten people behind.
After all, there was nothing in that area except the river.
Having such a large number of people stationed there for an extended period would make living in tents quite difficult and would neglect the security team’s primary duty of guarding the highway.
For long-term frontline defense missions like that, it’s best to leave it to tireless machines.
With that in mind, we all gathered in the dining hall, eating Mr. Santos’s specially made mild curry. The group included Lansia, who led the home guard unit; Kirika, who joined us midway to escort us and returned with us; Aage, Riedway, and Mr. Prado.
As expected, Wakako, who was mobilized for this disturbance, was also among us, but she was having a drinking party at a separate table with the Dwarf legions.
Incidentally, Zero One, with its imposing presence, had also landed in the plaza right in front of us, showcasing its valor. It was the first time I’d seen it up close in broad daylight; it looked like the parent of a peculiar, angular, jet-black multi-copter about 5 meters long.
Looking at it, with its five rotors, it also resembled a black, giant starfish.
Four of the rotors were for ascent, descent, and balance control, and by tilting them, they generated thrust, essentially functioning like a quadcopter drone.
The remaining rotor was used for high-speed propulsion or for maintaining the aircraft’s balance if a main rotor failed.
While it didn’t look like it would fit on a truck, the rotor sections could be detached, allowing it to be transported in pieces on a truck.
The fuel, as expected, was water, and specialized maintenance robots on wheels roamed around, autonomously handling ammunition replenishment and inspections.
The fact that it could fight on a battlefield in another world without requiring any maintenance was almost unbelievable.
According to what I heard, after the maintenance was complete, it would infiltrate deep behind enemy lines at high altitude to scout the Imperial Army’s movements. Machines don’t get tired, so while we were exhausted, it seemed completely unfazed.
“Owner! You must be tired. It was tough for us too! Suddenly, Ms. Kashima from Japan called the shop, saying the Owner was being attacked by the Imperial Army! Before we knew it, several trucks arrived, and that Oddball husband started yelling ‘Everyone fall in!’… We also defeated a lot of Imperial slimes! I lost count after ten!”
After finishing the Santos curry, I was enjoying a moment with the famously sweet MAXIMUM coffee when Kirika spoke to me. Her camouflage combat uniform was still something I couldn’t get used to, and the pistol she wore at her hip gave off a strong sense of incongruity. Incidentally, all the Wolf Tribe combatants were now equipped with firearms like these… I had a feeling they might have some of the highest combat power on this continent.
More than that, her face, likely from the nighttime camouflage, looked somewhat tanned… I should probably go take a bath and wash my face!
…But if I said that, she’d probably suggest we go together, so I won’t!
“It was tough for me too! I was off duty last night, but due to the emergency, all the adventurers were gathered and put on high alert… It was only when Kirika and the others returned that the alert level was finally lowered… It sounded like there was a terrible battle.”
“It was intense! I can’t use magic, but I just kept shooting at the slimes from afar, and they were wiped out… I knew guns were dangerous weapons, but I never imagined they’d be this effective.”
“Are they really that amazing? I thought they were like bows or magic.”
“They’re incredible! When you wear these goggles, markers appear to show you where you’re aiming. Furthermore, a square indicates where the enemy is, so you just overlay your aim on it and shoot… and then the slimes turn into swiss cheese!”
…It sounds exactly like an FPS.
At this rate, Kirika probably just went through the motions of placing the targeting reticle over the target and shooting.
“Kirika, you must be tired too. I thought I was going to die this time… Aage, and others also worked hard, and thanks to the Manager and everyone else, I was able to return safely. Of course, thank you too, Kirika! Thank you!”
“I didn’t contribute much. More than anything, I never imagined slimes would attack in such hordes. It was a mistake on our part to let the Owner go to such a dangerous place… we were too careless… I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want you to worry about that. Besides, the final decision to only take Mimimomo for the supply transport to the campsite was made by myself, not by anyone else. I don’t intend to blame anyone.”
“Well, there’s no point in worrying about it now. Still, that big flying starfish-like machine is amazing… Did it really take the Manager that far in 30 minutes? But those people from Japan… they were a little too well-prepared… I’m sure they knew about the Imperial Army! If we had known, we wouldn’t have let the Owner go! Perhaps we were used as a decoy?”
“No, no, that’s why… the decision to go or not was mine! It ended up being like a decoy, but that’s my own fault for being naive. More than anything, because I was there, I was able to bring Mr. Santos and the others back safely… If I had left it to Mimimomo, I think everyone would have died.”
“That’s true… In that situation, if the Owner hadn’t been there, not a single person would have returned, and we might have been ambushed by now.”
“…And about Keats and his group. I’m sorry… there was nothing I could do.”
Regarding this incident…
While I did manage to bring Mimimomo and Mr. Santos back safely…
It was an undeniable fact that there were casualties.
Keats and the security squad were the first victims of the slimes.
No one said anything about it, but I wanted to make sure Kirika knew.
“…Don’t worry about it. Keats also died fighting to protect the Owner, so he must have died with honor. For us, dying in battle is rather an honor! Even if we perish in battle, our souls are said to be enlisted as part of the divine wolf Fenrall’s forces… It’s something to be proud of.”
Kirika replied with a smile.
Whether she was trying to be considerate or genuinely felt that way, I didn’t know… but she seemed to have no intention of blaming me. Radcliff, whom I met at the scene, simply said, “Is that so…” and offered a brief moment of silent prayer without saying anything further.
…For them, the deaths of their comrades were likely commonplace.
“But… if I hadn’t been careless… maybe…”
“That’s why there’s no point in worrying about what’s
passed! And the enemy was formidable… we Beastkin have been tormented by the Empire’s slimes for a long time… they seem to have evolved specifically to kill us!”
“That’s true… They make no sound and give off no presence… Even our Elf Tribe’s ears cannot detect their approach. I heard that the Empire’s elf settlements were also attacked by them, and many of our kin lost their lives…” Lansia replied, her gaze lowered. It seemed the elves had also suffered greatly at the hands of the Empire.
“They are the vanguards of the Empire’s invasion. But we certainly got our revenge! To annihilate thousands of slimes all at once is unprecedented for us! If the Empire lost so many of their prized slimes, they’d probably stay quiet for a while.”
“…Is annihilating all of them really that amazing?”
“Amazing? If there were even ten slimes, and you were surrounded, half of a hundred people could be killed… that’s how troublesome they are! But there were 2,000 or 3,000 of them, what is that number! If slimes moved in such large numbers, anyone could be devoured one after another, and it wouldn’t be strange for an entire nation, let alone a village, to be wiped out! To have annihilated every single one of them, the Empire must be spitting foam right now!”
Kirika said, patting my shoulder with excitement. Mr. Santos nodded in agreement, with his arms crossed in front of the large pot, and most of the others seemed to feel the same way.
“Indeed… the general commanding the enemy we fought. He was likely Level 4… a seasoned individual among the higher-ranking slimes. Even if you gathered all the Empire’s slimes, there would only be ten or twenty individuals that powerful. Such a formidable enemy could turn the tide of battle… If my strongest magic couldn’t defeat him, then that was a miscalculation. It’s remarkable that you managed to defeat such a thoroughly enhanced individual.”
…Well, the Manager defeated him!
Incidentally, the Manager, though slightly recovered, had pushed himself to his limit after a long shift, a 20km sprint, an all-nighter, and then staying awake on the way back. As soon as he returned, he went to his room and collapsed.
He said he’d eat when he woke up, so we left him as he was. Momo had said she would help him with changing and wiping himself down, so I left it to her.
After all, I felt like that was a kind of act I shouldn’t be doing.
