56 – Cloud City (6)
“What do you think we should do?”
“What else can we do? Just stick to the city walls and defend. That’s all.”
When the saint approached and asked, I gave a vague answer.
There was no specific plan to begin with. How could I come up with a plan when monsters were charging at us right now?
All I could do was to conduct a siege using the soldiers, the fortress, and my party members.
Of course, there was a standard procedure.
I summoned beetles with my magic. They might be weaker than the monsters, but they would be annoying enough to bother them.
“First, please periodically buff the soldiers, Saint. There’s no need to use strong blessings. Just enough to withstand. Try to spread the divine power over a wide area.”
After all, this place is the entrance to the Demon World. That means the monsters nearby aren’t that strong.
So, as long as the soldiers here have a slight buff, they can hold their own.
“Fortunately, the city right next to the Demon World has high and sturdy walls. It won’t collapse easily. Adel will keep shooting arrows from here. Camilla will go down and attract attention.”
Adel will suppress, and Camilla will handle aggro. Meanwhile, Lily will continue to gather magic power.
“Then the monsters will gather in one place. It’ll be easy to engulf them in magic. When that happens, Lily will step forward and boom…”
Eliminate as many enemies as possible with as few actions as possible. It was the essence of basic tactics, and the effect was undoubtedly clear.
“Meanwhile, tell the lord to send messengers to the rear city. We need reinforcements.”
It’s a distance of 40km. We couldn’t just defend against the monsters residing in such a vast area with only one city. Ultimately, we will hold on until reinforcements arrive.
“What do you think? Even though it’s not a perfect countermeasure, wouldn’t it be helpful enough?”
“…You said there was no plan.”
“Yes?”
“Never mind. I’ll just pass it on to the party members as it is. That should be enough, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. Then I’m grateful.”
It was fortunate to have her in times like this. Occasionally taking on the role of a messenger, she reduced the burden on me by handling things directly.
By reducing unnecessary conflicts, we can also save time.
Having left her behind, I looked ahead once again.
Now was the time to stop the approaching monsters.
Kraaah!
The first monsters to come rushing were goblins and their horde.
Since they frequently raided while living near humans, it seemed they were the fastest to arrive.
They were killed by the baptism of arrows pouring down from the castle walls before they could even approach.
Next were the orc hordes.
Their green skin was the same as goblins, but they were clearly a superior race.
Although they managed to approach the castle walls, they couldn’t break through the fortress’s strength and were stopped by the soldiers.
Next were the werewolves, followed by kobolds, then werebears, and so on…
Countless monsters of countless species mixed together and relentlessly charged.
The sight was undoubtedly grim, but…
We managed to hold up better than expected.
“What’s this? These guys are weaker than I thought.”
“The numbers are fewer than expected! Everyone, hold on to hope!”
The enemies are not weak at all. They outnumber us by several times.
Yet, despite the constant onslaught, we held on better than anticipated.
Of course, it was only at a level of barely holding on… But still, there was hope.
With this level of resistance, we can hold out until reinforcements arrive. That is the hope.
Thanks to that, the soldiers’ morale rose in real time, but… I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
“What is it…?”
It’s easier than I thought. Of course, it’s a good thing. It’s a situation worth being happy about.
But the game I know never gives an easy situation.
It was more of a gamer’s thought than that of a hero.
Monsters like goblins, orcs, and kobolds rushing in one by one,
There may be a large number of them, but they are all opponents that can be dealt with, and there are no plausible named monsters. Since there were no named monsters, there were no variables, so I was able to block them comfortably.
Thanks to that, the siege went smoothly and predictably.
The game I know wasn’t such a kind game.
It was f*cking terrible and unfriendly.
“Something feels fishy…”
I couldn’t just feel relieved blindly.
And in reality, there was still one unsolved mystery.
Where exactly.
How were civilians brainwashed?
This city is blocked on all sides by walls. There is no corner for someone to invade, and there is no corner to leave. Not to mention, the ability to infect is not attached to the abilities of the Gweroi.
As a result, there was a connection point where I could directly contact that guy.
Then what is that connection point…
As I was thinking about that, something suddenly came to mind. It was something I heard when I was treating the last guard who had been brainwashed.
“Water.”
Just a single word. But I know there’s something that follows after it. I couldn’t hear it because the situation was so urgent.
As I swing my sword at the monsters, I think. What kind of word can come after “water”…
And then, suddenly, the name of this city came to mind.
Cloud City.
The reason the modifier “cloud” is added to Cloud City is nothing special. It’s because, unlike other areas, clouds tend to gather here more frequently.
Thanks to that, it rains a lot, and because it rains a lot, the waterways are considerably larger compared to other cities…
“Wait… waterways?”
As I think that far, I could come close to one answer.
The last scout probably wanted to say something about the underground waterways.
They used the waterways to secretly take people away, brainwash them outside the village, and then return them. They repeated that dozens, hundreds of times…
There were quite a few scouts who were brainwashed, so if you just avoid their gaze, you’ll somehow make it. In fact, I, who didn’t even realize that, was found by a brainwashed civilian by chance.
That’s how hidden the underground waterways are, in an unexpected place. But it’s definitely a passage that can be used to go outside.
And it doesn’t necessarily have to be only humans who go through it.
“Ha.”
As I think that far, I let out a bitter laugh.
No wonder the game was so kind. That’s how our dog-like game is.
Thinking that far, I immediately made up my mind.
The endless waves of monsters? That’s not my concern right now.
If I make a mistake, a monster wave could explode within the city.
“Hey! Where are you going?!”
“You punk! Are you leaving the battlefield?!”
“Lily, Camilla! Don’t take your eyes off! The enemies are coming again!!”
I could hear my party members shouting from behind. I just said a word and stomped my foot.
“I’m sorry! I’ll just check one thing and come back!”
I don’t know if I’ll really come back.
Maybe they can hold the line even without me. It might be tougher, but they are strong fighters too.
In other words, I trust them.
So, I pushed them aside and headed towards the underground sewer.
*
Squelch.
As soon as I entered, I felt the stuffy air, the nauseating and pungent stench, and the darkness that filled the surroundings.
The first impression I had when I came in here was still “spacious”.
It felt like I was looking at a Western-style sewer that I had only seen in movies.
It was wide enough for two or three people to pass through easily, and it stretched out long enough.
If I had to find a difference, it would be that they used ordinary stones instead of bricks or concrete for the walls.
It was amazing that they could build something like this in the medieval period.
“Fireball.”
I created a small flame in the palm of my hand and moved forward.
Still, it seemed like the lord had thought ahead. There were iron bars placed throughout the underground sewer to prevent any living creatures from passing through.
For some reason, the prison bars were partially broken.
From Noble mtl dot com
“It’s certain that people have been moved this way.”
Muttering to myself, I continued walking.
After a few more minutes, something new appeared.
Squeak, squeak…
A Goblin Knight. It was an elite monster that occasionally appeared among the Goblin species. One could say it was a named monster.
Upon spotting it, I ran towards it without hesitation and struck it down.
Thunk!
With a chilling sound, its head rolled on the ground.
It’s certain that elite soldiers were sent this way.
Then, how far did they send them? How many elite soldiers are there? What is the level of these monsters?
And how far does this trail lead?
With such questions in mind, I continued moving forward.
After going a little further, I finally discovered something.
Numerous monsters were gathered, waiting to cross the tunnel.
Each one of them was a named monster.
These were the kind of creatures that could single-handedly slaughter dozens of soldiers if even one of them entered the fortress.
Although their progress was slow due to the narrow path, if I hadn’t noticed them, it would have been a disaster.
And that’s not all.
Over there, in the center of the horde of monsters, a man was standing. Pale blue skin, a bald head without a single strand of hair.
And in the middle, a disturbing red eye was embedded in his forehead.
Although I was seeing it for the first time, I knew this guy.
Archmage Ollek. He had personally come forward as the closest aide to the Monster King.
It wasn’t good news.
“Oh, I didn’t expect to see you so soon.”
As I was thinking that, he spotted me.
Crackle…
Kiaaak!
At the same time, the surrounding monsters screamed towards me.
I wasn’t surprised. After all, I wasn’t even hiding my body.
“I didn’t want to see you if possible.”
I said that and drew my holy sword.
I didn’t expect to see it so soon either.
Especially in this situation.
“A demon king’s officer accompanied by dozens of named monsters…”
It was not an easy combination. Especially when I was alone.
Still, I somehow sharpened my determination and raised my morale.
The tension between us grew taut. The monsters were ready to charge at any moment, saliva dripping from their mouths.
It was during this tense standoff.
“Kekke… Well, there’s no need for words. Maybe I’ll catch a hero and make a new name for myself…”
Hmm?
The guy, who was unusually relaxed between the cracks of the monsters, stops talking.
He opens his three eyes wide and examines for a long time, as if confirming something.
Then, for a moment, as if it’s fascinating, he speaks.
“hehehehe… What on earth is this? You already have curses all over your body.”
“Um?”
I couldn’t help but be momentarily confused by his words.
“No, wait.”
I asked him while taking a defensive stance with my holy sword.
“Can you see it now…?”
“Of course.”
“…”
On that day, I saw the guy who recognized the curses on my body for the first time.
To put it in words, he was my confidant…
