Chapter 202: A Voice Calling Longdagger 2
“Hey! Masked Man! Hey!”
Yuunou-san (Maricia) grabbed me by the collar with one hand as if to strangle me, shaking me back and forth while pointing with her free left hand.
“Limits! There are limits, aren’t there!? Everything should have a limit!”
Where she was pointing, an old fortress was visible.
“Why is the Masked Man’s friend inside a fortress surrounded by a horde of Monsters!”
It was no use asking me why.
To summarize Jen’s letter, it went like this:
I’m heading to Wolff Fortress to earn a bit of cash. If we can’t meet at the inn, come pick me up at the fortress. We’ll probably meet there, either on your way or mine.
I wanted to say there was no way I could have imagined from that letter that the fortress would be surrounded by a horde of Monsters.
So, I offered a sarcastic smile.
“That’s why I told you, didn’t I? To prepare yourself.”
“Your smile looks strained, Masked Man.”
Whoops, my bad. When I dropped the smile, Maricia let go and sighed deeply.
“So, what’s the plan?”
We were currently in a forest near the fortress.
Following the letter, we had been heading towards Wolff Fortress when we noticed it was surrounded by a horde of Monsters and hastily took cover.
“Well…”
Just as I was about to answer that we’d obviously rescue her, I was cut off.
“Just tell me how we’re going to rescue her, that’s all I need.”
Man, this person really is competent.
“Well…”
This time, I wasn’t interrupted.
“A frontal assault?”
“Right, I’m taking Drim and going home.”
“There is! There is a plan!”
I hurriedly stopped Maricia as she started to turn away. You really do have one, right? I nodded back at Maricia’s gaze, which seemed to say just that.
“Don’t worry, I have a very good plan.”
I said, putting on my Mask.
“You Barbarian, Shin-san! Idiot!”
Shara, being carried over Erika’s shoulder, threw insults at me with a resentful look. Though since she was wearing a mask, I couldn’t really tell her expression.
“Making such a fuss just for being bait for a little while.”
Besides, I’m assigning Erika as her guard, right? That practically guarantees the greatest safety in this world.
“Masked Man, do you know the word ‘insane’?”
As I watched them go from the edge of the forest, for some reason, even Yuunou-san criticized me.
“The horde is focused on the fortress, you know. If we don’t want to risk getting surrounded by charging straight in, luring them over here with bait is the safest way, right?”
Monsters will attack humans on sight, period. And when they’re in a horde, they’re incredibly persistent.
It’s a mystery why the fortress, which probably has numerous Knights stationed there, is just letting the Monsters surround it, though.
If we’re not going to charge in there, we have to lure them out.
“That too, but what I’m talking about is you trying to use a Sister of the Church as bait.”
“It’ll be fine, it’s Shara.”
At my words, Maricia shrugged, sighed, and glanced away.
Where she looked, Drim was muttering, “Guess I need to be able to act as bait too,” while watching Shara leave with sparkling eyes.
“Please don’t exert any more strange influence on my Drim. He’s enough trouble as it is.”
Hoh…
I couldn’t help but sigh.
Yuunou-san looked at me as if asking, ‘What is it?’ I said.
“‘My?'”
I got kicked hard in the ass.
Shara Lansra cried beneath her mask. She didn’t shed tears, but she cried.
Although they were still quite far away, the horde of Monsters surrounding the fortress likely numbered at least a hundred.
She was now supposed to “lure” those things.
According to Shin-san, she was to get within a suitable distance and then use Chant Magic. That would supposedly lure them.
Wasn’t this request supposed to be for guarding?
She didn’t think guarding involved fighting a horde of a hundred Monsters.
In fact, even she, formerly of the Healer Faction and with limited knowledge of Monsters, understood this. A horde of Monsters was a disaster that should normally be handled by a much larger group.
How on earth did a party of just five people arrive at the conclusion, “Alright! Let’s defeat the horde of Monsters!”?
She felt like Shin-san’s craziness was accelerating.
“This spot should be fine,” Erika said.
“It’s not fine at all!” Shara whined.
Shara, set down from Erika’s shoulder at a distance of roughly two hundred paces from the fortress, said to Erika.
“Would closer be better?”
It’s hopeless, Shara instantly realized.
Erika held absolutely no doubts about this ridiculous plan Shin-san had concocted. Shara couldn’t see her expression due to the mask, but she could tell just from her voice.
Moreover, even if Shin-san’s plan failed, she seemed likely to misunderstand it as having been the plan all along and then somehow manage things through brute force.
No, actually, Erika probably would manage somehow.
Shara shook her head, suppressed a sigh, and told Erika that this spot was fine.
What is wrong with these two?
Both of them acted like nobles, sometimes displaying high education in their words and actions. So why did the answers derived from that education always involve such brute force?
Shin-san could surely think of a better way if he actually tried, yet he quickly chose brute force.
Erika thought things through and then chose brute force.
How could they reach the same conclusion despite their different processes? Were they that close? Oh right, they were husband and wife.
Was it that thing? That saying about how the strong are stronger when they keep things simple? The arrogance of the powerful, deeming petty tricks unnecessary?
She wished they would consider the position of the people forced to go along with it.
“Ugh… Please make sure you rescue me properly, Shin-san.”
Shara began chanting the spell, feeling like she was about to cry beneath her mask. Though she didn’t cry.
“I am here as well, please rest assured,” Erika said.
Hearing Erika’s words of encouragement, Shara thought to herself.
That worries me too, because the surroundings are likely to become a scorched wasteland.
Afterword
To the reader who commented last time that the biggest victim was Satou Haki-san.
To be precise, she was the first victim!
Go for it, Shara! That’s the safest place in the world!