“They’re probably screaming ‘Waaaaah!’ right about now,” I mused.
“We can’t hear them from this distance, can we?”
“But I can hear them a little.”
“Are we there yet?”
“Almost, just one more kilometer.”
“Ugh! You’re so slow!”
Well, they’re a large group, so it can’t be helped.
About six thousand troops are heading our way. They’re marching slowly, beating drums as they go, due to the distance. Some are wearing armor, and running from this distance would be tiring.
By the way, they’ve already passed the ice pillar line. But they’re still almost three kilometers away, and I want to lure them in a bit more, so we haven’t made a move yet.
Arrows are still out of range, so none are flying our way. The Knights behind us look tense, but Beatrice-sama is keeping them in check. I want them to endure, as their job, their exercise, is about to begin.
“The vanguard is within three kilometers, but I want to lure them in a little more.”
They’re already within the range of the weapons we plan to use, but I don’t want too many enemies to escape. I keep a close eye on their movements, checking the distance with Watcher 8000.
With so many people, their movement isn’t too slow. They’re somewhat organized, but since we’re waiting for them on high ground, they probably can’t pick up speed.
“Alright, the rearguard is within range. All three of you, prepare to fire.”
““““Yes, sir!”””
Barbatos-san, Beatrice-sama, and Gianna-san each shoulder their Magic Launcher ‘ES-66’. Classified as a rocket launcher, this weapon boasts a range of approximately two thousand eight hundred meters, and an explosive radius of 38.2 meters upon impact, making it incredibly powerful.
I didn’t intend to use it, but things have changed a bit. I was planning to just drive them back lightly, but now we have to fight a thorough battle.
“Try not to hit the people in carriages or those in Luxurious Armor directly. Ryuga-san is probably around there, so be mindful of that too. Commence firing.”
““““Commence firing!”””
And so, a ravaging performance by just three people began.
The bullets, flying at near-sonic speed, are impossible to defend against. Even if someone were to see them and cast Barrier Magic in time, the power is enough to blow away individual Barrier Magic.
The three of them are carefully targeting the rear, the knights and soldiers. I told them to prioritize those over the farmers, Adventurers, and mercenaries at the front. Although, that doesn’t mean those guys won’t be affected.
Thus, the firing began, creating explosions, and the explosions created screams and tragedy.
Those who were hit directly were naturally blown to pieces, leaving no trace. Most of those within the blast radius also died. Even if they survived, missing limbs would be the norm.
“Alright, cease firing!”
““““Yes, sir!”””
Many people are already starting to flee. Well, it seems there aren’t many who managed to escape successfully, since we focused on that area.
However, it’s okay to let those who aren’t knights or soldiers escape. Leaving Beatrice-sama behind, I board the Aircar to check on Ryuga-san’s achievements.
“We’ve captured the Lord and his son, as well as several nobles.”
“Good, well done.”
He apparently suppressed the Lord-sama I spoke about earlier, along with his carriage. He also captured some of the knights around him who were wearing Luxurious Armor. As expected of Ryuga-san, he’s excellent.
“Now, shall we detain these guys and have them pay reparations?”
““““Hiiiiiiii!”””
I said I didn’t need foreign currency, but if we can get it, there’s no reason not to!
“And we’ll have to take the heads of a few of them. I can’t just leave it alone.”
I don’t know if it’s just the nature of this country, but unbelievably, these guys were looting. Not an enemy country, but their own people, the same ethnicity, even if it was a neighboring territory. I was expecting them to just march in and collect taxes from the villages, but I never imagined they would do something like this.
There’s no way I can forgive that.
“Beatrice-sama, I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“Yes, sir! We will now begin emergency rescue training for everyone!”
“Yes. As I told you, return the seriously injured after having them cared for by the injured. Capture the lightly injured and uninjured as much as possible. Turn them into farm slaves or mine slaves.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Don’t forget to clean up the corpses.”
“Understood!”
There are rarely opportunities to have so many injured people. However, there are naturally many opportunities for injuries to occur in local villages due to Monster attacks and the like.
I brought the knights along to give them experience in dealing with such situations, and to capture the invaders. I want them to capture the nobles and their relatives securely.
Of course, I gave Beatrice-sama detailed instructions in advance, and one way or another, more and more knights are following her as a kind of personal guard. I can leave it to her.
Now, next is a discussion with the neighboring territory.