If we continue like this, we might somehow make it. That was how the players, now turned into a suicide squad led by Taro Saemon-no-jo, felt about now. Just as Taro Saemon-no-jo had said at the beginning, they surged through the enemy lines like a single arrow.
In a formation resembling a pointed arrowhead, often referred to as the “Spearhead Formation” they attempted to break through. While this formation was popular in theory, it required exceptional leadership to be assembled swiftly. The vanguard was composed of high-level vanguard players; the midguard provided cover fire from the support roles; and the rearguard was guarded by lower-level vanguard players.
(Though, I doubt we can defeat the enemy leader.)
Taro Saemon-no-jo harbored this thought silently while leading the charge at the forefront. The core of the enemy forces were level 30-something troll monsters. It was expected that the monster commanding everyone and the elite monsters surrounding it were at least level 40.
In other words, they were at least evenly matched, and there might even be a difference of more than 10 levels. Even now, they were only pretending to make headway by rushing past the monster at hand, knowing that they couldn’t defeat it with a single strike. Those following behind him did try to press on, but the number of enemies they were actually defeating wasn’t all that significant.
(Then I’ll use this life to create as much chaos among the enemy ranks as possible!)
The plan was clear: buy time for as many NPCs as possible to escape from the fortress that was certain to fall. This required sowing confusion and hindering the enemy; of course, if one managed to surprise, he should also escape. It was Taro Saemon-no-jo’s decision to undertake such a quest.
“Gyaaaa!”
“They’re coming from the side!”
In the midst of forcefully breaking through the siege, the worst-case scenario he had feared unfolded. The rearguard was attacked from the side; the attack sounded like it was a heavy blow. It was unclear which type of enemy had launched this assault, but now the future of the survivors escaping through the rearguard was sealed.
“Bugaaaah!”
“Eek!”
“A… a boar!?”
“Is this… an orc!?”
In tandem with these exclamations, a creature with the head of a boar leaped out right at the border between the vanguard group and the rearguard group. It was an orc monster that was commonly depicted as “the enemy of women” or “incarnations of lust” in various works of fiction.
Their enemy had thrust himself into the one position they least wanted him to be in. And among the rearguard players, those few capable of minimal self-defense managed to somehow halt the slaughter wrought by the orc. However, when Taro Saemon-no-jo learned of this, his face contorted in frustration.
(Of all the times to exploit our greatest weakness…!)
Taro Saemon-no-jo couldn’t help but curse his own bad luck. The main flaw of this tactic was the need to keep moving at all times. It was essential to continuously advance while maneuvering to avoid being surrounded and overwhelmed by the monsters. If they stopped, they would be swiftly crushed by the creatures closing in on them.
“Damn it! I’m going to help!”
“Idiot! Don’t sto…!”
Indeed, among the players who were closer to the rearguard, some reflexively attempted to reverse their direction to offer assistance. However, changing their direction meant momentarily stopping, and those who stopped were immediately reduced to glimmering particles by the sheer force of monster numbers.
(There’s no hope for support from behind anymore. This is a real dead-end… Hmm?)
Taro Saemon-no-jo, while cutting through the enemies before him and assessing the dire situation, came to the grim realization that there was no chance of escape. Yet, in his mind, a single question surfaced.
The coordinated rear attack and a leap into their weak spot seemed perfectly synchronized, as if they were all premeditated.
(What if this was a premeditated move? What if it was not a stroke of luck but actually strategy…?!)
As he entertained this possibility, everything that had led to this assault clicked in his mind. Simultaneously, a vivid image painted by someone revealed itself.
“Gugoaaaah!”
“Guh…”
At that moment, the club of the troll struck down upon his head. Unable to react to the attack from behind and with no time for defense, he saw the word “Stunned” in his field of vision before his avatar crumbled. With a sense of regret, Taro Saemon-no-jo met his demise.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
(Eiji Pov)
It went well. To be honest, I felt more relieved by our success than happy. Usaji’s plan was simple. She and Moth-san launched a surprise attack on the rear, taking advantage of her incredible speed. Simultaneously, I struck the enemy’s flank. That’s all there was to it.
However, with just that, the players’ formation completely crumbled. They became divided into three sections at the front, middle, and rear; then they couldn’t escape the encirclement and were wiped out. I managed to pick up some of their drops, and it seemed like our “blending in with the monsters” strategy during this raid was a resounding success.
“Guooooooh!”
“Gaooooooh!”
The monsters reveled in their victory as they roared triumphantly. Well, our job here was done, and it was time to make a swift escape. Although they hadn’t realized it in the heat of battle, once they calmed down, it would become clear that there were outsiders among the horde.
“Hey, hey Eiji-chan! Let’s get out of here together!”
“We’re done here. Moth-san and the others have already escaped.”
Shiitake and Seventh Armor slipped through the gaps among the monsters and came to me. They seemed to be making the most of their small stature. The other monsters didn’t seem to be checking the ground beneath them, which must have played to their advantage.
“Did you make any progress?” I asked.
“We hit the jackpot! We didn’t steal much in terms of weapons and food, just like we were told, but we collected all sorts of magic items and materials,” Seventh Armor replied.
“Now I can finally improve my [Alchemy] skill~~!” Shiitake added.
Isam-san had given us clear instructions on collecting supplies. His instructions were to “only steal the bare minimum when it comes to weapons and food.” It appeared that with the [Blacksmithing] skill, one could turn metal weapons into ingots, but it seemed like he wanted to use the local supplies to enhance the monster horde.
It was for that reason that we left almost all the weapons and food untouched. However, since Shiitake had the [Appraisal] skill, we carefully selected items of high quality and rarity. I was quite pleased, as my shield was in a state of disrepair. It would be great if there were a good axe too.
“Let’s sneak away quietly. I don’t want to end up like those people.”
“Sure thing.”
“Got it.”
We immediately began our retreat. I believe that luck played a significant role in our success. However, relying solely on luck felt pathetic. Yes, I needed to improve my skills, even if just a little!
Setting that aside, our other companions seemed to be doing something elsewhere, and it was time for us to return to our lair as planned.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
Baccheshof, who was this fortress’s commander, fled with about twenty of his skilled guards and aides. They ran desperately to relay the events at the fortress to Illeves as quickly as possible.
“Never did I imagine I’d endure such humiliation…”
Baccheshof lamented to himself as he ran, struggling to suppress the wave of embarrassment and anger swirling within him. Were he a more impulsive individual, he might have let out a shout of frustration in the heat of the moment.
He was a man who could see the bigger picture. He had planned to gather Illeves’s forces and make a final stand behind the fortress’s sturdy walls. Although the enemy’s strength would be more concentrated, this fortress had already fallen once the sentries were assassinated and the surprise attack was successful. So, there was no choice but to escape to save his life. That was the dishonorable decision he had made.
However, the fact that he couldn’t fulfill his mission to protect the fortress and the loss of almost everyone here except those escaping with him had incited turmoil in his heart. He had sacrificed more than just the players; new recruits who had been stationed recently, veterans who would soon become town guards in some other place, and even his trusted adjutant, who could be considered his right-hand man and who remained to command them, were all sacrificed.
If it were only players, there wouldn’t be much of a problem with treating them as disposable. After all, they would just respawn, so there was no particular guilt involved. In the kingdom’s history, there were records of using criminals and prisoners as slave troops for suicide assaults, so his conscience remained untouched.
However, he carried a heavy burden of self-blame for abandoning the soldiers he had led. As a soldier, he could endure it, but as a person, he couldn’t forgive himself.
“I’ll make…I’ll make sure to get my revenge…!”
While he burned with the dark flames of vengeance, there it happened.
“Wh-what…. is this!?”
“Damn it! It’s sticking to me!”
Several knights at the forefront stepped on something and fell on the spot. Apparently, they were entangled in something highly sticky and were struggling to get up.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and tear it apart!”
“Yes! Huh?”
Meee~h…Meee~h….
As they desperately tried to scrape off the sticky substance while brandishing their weapons, they heard the sound of a sheep from somewhere. The sound was oddly comforting, and for some reason, they couldn’t even muster the caution to ignore it. It was reminiscent of the lullabies their mothers used to sing in their childhood.
“…This is bad! Everyone, stay on your guard!”
“It’s already too late. Crescent Magic Circle Activation, Spell Adjustment, Thunder Arrows.”
Three of the guards fell to the ground at the sound of the sheep’s bleating. Just as if it were perfectly timed, massive bolts of purple lightning erupted from the conifer tree above. They pierced the bodies of the fallen three and burned them from the inside out in an instant. There was nothing they could do as they were consumed by the relentless attack.
“Who are you?”
“Your enemies.”
Baccheshof had asked reflexively, not expecting a response. However, to his surprise, not only did he receive a reply, but a huge shadow fell from the tree.
“Ah… an undead? …. what is…?”
“I-it’s a monster…!”
Baccheshof and his surviving subordinates faced a monster that could only be described as a grotesque monstrosity.
What had descended were a monster and a humanoid figure standing on its back. The humanoid wielded a magnificent staff, was clad in robes primarily of black and purple, and had a silver mask adorned with a skeletal design featuring a third eye on the forehead. While the figure was an eerie mage, it was unsettling but not yet terrifying. The real issue lay with the other monster.
“Hmm, hmm, it seems that even at a high level, attacking someone who is in a sleep state with enhanced magic can result in instant death.”
“””Kotsukotsukotsu…”””
The monster at the robed figure’s feet chattered its teeth as if obediently following the silver-masked individual, who spoke dispassionately as if analyzing the results of an experiment. This creature had a rugby ball-shaped torso assembled from various bones, with three skulls of different sizes attached at the top. Eight legs extended from the boundary between the torso and head, and an additional eight arms branched out from around the boundary and from the top and sides of the body.
Although the monster had eight legs, all of the legs’ ends were shaped like hands. This meant that its legs were capable of ‘grasping’ like a monkey. It was with these limbs that it had clung to the trees.
And the arms were formed into various hand-like shapes. There were mantis forelimbs, thick stingers, scissor-like pincers, and something resembling a bludgeon, each in pairs.
What’s more, the most noteworthy aspect was that its entire skeletal structure emitted a glossy black shine. It had a luster peculiar to beetles, distinct from that of metal. This was precisely why one couldn’t definitively categorize this creature as an undead.
“Nevertheless, those wanderers did a good job. This is quite good.”
“What do you mean?”
The evil mage, riding atop this creature that defied the norms of this world, spoke with a hint of amusement. It wasn’t as if he intended for anyone else present to hear him, given his hushed tone, but Baccheshof unintentionally caught his words.
“Hm? Ah, you overheard me, didn’t you? Well, there’s no use hiding it now.”
The mage lightly tapped the monster’s head with his staff as he spoke.
“I requested from some wanderers inside your fortress to eliminate your sentries.”
“After all, I didn’t think there were any monsters that could easily infiltrate that fortress like them.” The evil mage concluded. Upon hearing this, Baccheshof understood everything. He had made a huge mistake. Now, he needed to be cautious about what lay ahead.
“Whether you believe it or not, I can’t afford to let you go alive anymore. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to die.”
“Lord Baccheshof! Run!”
“We’ll hold them off here!”
Two knights charged at the monster and the evil mage. They were among the best veteran warriors under Baccheshof’s command. They had decided from the beginning that they would be the first to act as a wall, given their strength and seniority.
“…I am sorry! Let’s go!”
“Tch!”
In this way, Baccheshof paid a heavy toll, but he managed to reach Illeves. However, thanks to the information he brought, the city of Illeves would gradually descend into madness.
*************
TN: This is evil, not gonnal lie. Lol
He just turned the wanderers (players) into the evil guys.
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