Bang! Bang! Boom!
The Scarecrow Legion Commander, having taken to the air, unleashes a ferocious attack on us.
With every swing of his sword, crimson magic power explodes, and our heroes cough up blood, rolling on the ground.
He is using the Mikhail's power, which he kidnapped and now wears on his chest.
And Mikhail is a Magic Swordsman.
Each attack brings a powerful blow that combines both swordsmanship and magic power. It's a dual attribute hit of both physical and magical nature.
Complete defense is impossible, and damage is inevitable.
"Eek, you filthy bastard...!"
"Lord! We cannot attack from here...! Not like this!"
Trembling beside me, Lucas was similarly at a loss for what to do.
The villain has Mikhail bound to his chest.
If we were to attack, Mikhail might take the hits instead. Thus, we were forced to continuously retreat without being able to mount a proper counterattack.
Moreover, it's not just the Scarecrow Legion Commander.
Squeak, squeak, squeak...
Other scarecrows that had taken over the forward base slowly surrounded us as well. They, too, had other heroes and soldiers hung on their chests.
"This is hopeless."
Finally, I decided and commanded the heroes around me.
"We retreat!"
"...!"
"Escape outside the forward base! Hurry! Before they complete the encirclement!"
Since we couldn't defeat the scarecrows or rescue the bound comrades, the only option was to flee the scene.
But by now, scarecrows were swarming near the gate of the forward base.
And jumping over the walls was not an option either, as scarecrows that had detected us on the walls were surrounding and approaching from that side too.
"No choice."
I sighed and turned around.
"Nobody!"
"Yes, my lord! What shall I cut for you?"
The blind swordsman Nobody showed a sly grin and brandished his scabbard. I gestured towards the side.
"The wall."
"...Yes?"
"You can cut through anything, can't you? Cut through this wall of the forward base."
Although Nobody looked astounded, he obediently followed my command. He lowered his stance and placed his hand over the handle of his sword.
"...I've never tried this before."
Then, like lightning, he unleashed a swift slash.
Zing-!
The long sword drawn from the scabbard deeply cut through the wall. From the base to the top, a long vertical slash was carved into the wall.
"Argh!"
Perhaps because he had cut through something too hard, the backlash made Nobody scream and fall backward.
The long sword he held was snapped in half. But it was enough!
"Chain! Dearmudin!"
I pointed to the wound in the wall and commanded the two magicians.
"Full power!"
"To think what you'd ask of us... Our lord sure is bold!"
"But it's the right decision...!"
The dark magician, bound in chains, wielded the power of darkness to strike the wall, and the grand sorcerer with a white beard followed up with a powerful blast of flame.
Boom!
The wall, already split by the attack, was blown open by the magicians' onslaught.
But the wall, built with imperial engineering, the labor of Crossroad workers, and my money, was formidable. It was still not completely breached.
"Lucas!"
Lastly, I called my right-hand man, and Lucas, drawing the sword of light, clenched his teeth.
"To think I'd be the one to break this wall... It brings tears to my eyes!"
"Mine too! Just do it!"
With a mighty yell, Lucas's Strike of Will landed a direct hit,
Thump-!
Finally, a hole was opened in the wall.
So sturdy and meticulously built was it, that even with a hole large enough for a person to pass through, the upper part didn't even shake. Well done, my wall! Sorry, my wall!
"Everyone, escape-!"
We escaped through the hole in the wall from the forward base.
As I emerged onto the plain, wiping the sweat-drenched chin and looking back... the scarecrows within the forward base merely watched us from afar, not bothering to follow.
With a flap of its wooden wings, the scarecrow commander lightly landed atop the wall, sneering with a chilling voice.
"Go ahead, run away. To the ends of the world, if possible, far away."
"..."
"After all, I will eventually enter your bedroom. And I'll sing you a lullaby right by your ear."
Creak, creak, creeeak.
With a bizarre laugh, the scarecrow's long fingers gently stroked Mikhail on its chest.
"I'll weave together the sweet voices of your dying comrades."
***
After retreating a bit from the forward base and ordering a brief rest, I first took stock of our personnel.
Me.
The party 'Uncles' had 5 people- Lucas, Zenis, Torkel, Chain, Nobody.
Dearmudin.
About thirty soldiers. And...
"...I, I can fight too, your Majesty."
Hannibal.
Hannibal, too, had followed us through the gate at some point.
Through his messy hair, the boy's eyes were filled with fear, yet a calm determination was also visible.
"..."
Anyway, that was everyone.
As I reviewed our means with the forward base in sight, Lucas, standing beside me, asked with curiosity.
"Why didn't they chase after us?"
"Because the 'harvest' isn't over yet."
"Harvest?"
Nodding, I gestured towards the forward base.
Atop the walls of the forward base.
The scarecrows stood in a circle, hand in hand, as if celebrating a bountiful harvest with a round dance.
In the center of this ominous circle stood the scarecrow commander.
And-
"Aaaargh!"
"Kuhuck, kuhheeeuck!"
"Aaah! Aaack!"
The victims hung from each scarecrow began to scream tragically, and the transparent energy extracted from their bodies started to be absorbed into the center of the circle... into the body of the scarecrow commander.
With its mouth wide open, the scarecrow commander swallowed it as if it were sweet.
"Run, run, run, burn..."
The scarecrow commander roared with joy, resonating through the area.
"Give me more, more, more! More fear, more nightmares...!"
Truly a distressing sight to witness.
Turning away, I continued to explain.
"That's the 'harvest.' It gathers the power of the captured victims into one."
"What, such a thing..."
"And the harvested power, it all becomes the scarecrow commander's."
As we launch attacks and increase the number of victims, the scarecrow commander, absorbing the power of all the victims, becomes exponentially stronger.
Currently, it's the commander using Mikhail's power and the other captured victims' powers respectively, but...
Once the harvest is complete, the commander becomes an unbelievable monster that can use all the captured victims' abilities at once.
"If we don't lose anyone, the creature remains a weakened monster. But the more victims there are, the more its power grows, as abundant as a full autumn granary."
"Good heavens."
Lucas, having grasped the entirety of the scarecrow legion's mechanism, sweated coldly.
"Such a scarecrow-like ability, to aid in farming."
"Instead of diligently farming, kidnapping people to harvest souls, what kind of madness is this..."
As I bit my lip hard, Lucas cautiously asked.
"What happens to the victims once the harvest is complete?"
"They die."
Their powers drained, the victims turn into corpses, and the scarecrow legion moves on to its next harvest target... to find its next victim.
In this repetitive process, the scarecrow commander becomes endlessly stronger, like the ever-growing fear of destruction...
Lucas muttered as if it were absurd.
"Isn't this monster too powerful?"
"It would have been the weakest monster in the world if only the first response had been made."
If it hadn't been for the surprise attack. If the captured victims had been weak. Or if I had been in the forward base. Or, if only Damian had been here now.
It could have been an easily solvable enemy legion. But the situation became twisted and turned into this mess.
If we keep being pushed back, they might actually bring about the end of the world by continuing to increase the number of victims.
'The bastard who planned this surprise attack, it's obvious it would be the demon lord, but he really hit the mark...'
As I struggled to assemble a countermeasure in my head, I stated.
"That's why we don't have much time. We can't wait for reinforcements any longer."
By now, Crossroad would have been informed about the damage to the forward base gate, and reinforcements would be rushing through the next nearest gate, but... it's too late.
The next teleport gate is a day's journey north from the forward base. And in a day, all those currently captured will have been harvested.
"We have to save them ourselves."
"But how..."
"Let's give up."
As Lucas was about to say something, an old man's voice cut in sharply.
I frowned and turned around. Dearmudin was approaching with his characteristic stern face.
"Prince Ash. If what you said about those monsters is true, we shouldn't rush in recklessly."
"..."
"Currently, we are few in number and our equipment is not adequate. What if we rashly attack and are annihilated? And if the scarecrow absorbs all our power too? Then the situation would become even worse."
Lucas looked at me gravely, nodding. It meant Lucas thought the same.
"The ones currently captured should be given up on. We should join forces with the reinforcements and reorganize our ranks before we go all out against these monsters."
"...My subordinates are in the forward base right now."
I locked eyes with Dearmudin.
"And so are yours."
"They all came here prepared to die. They came with the noble resolve to sacrifice their lives for the world."
Dearmudin flinched at the mention of his subordinates but did not back down.
"To maintain the front line, we need to be coldly calculative, Prince Ash. If we are to incur losses anyway, we must also know how to minimize them."
"Mikhail is there too. The poor crown prince who has already lost all his knights."
"...He was destined to be discarded anyway."
I frowned. What was that supposed to mean?
"How much do you know about the Vermillion Kingdom?"
"I only know it as a northern powerhouse."
"It's a strong country. But the royal authority is almost nonexistent. It's essentially governed by the council of magicians."
Let me explain simply - Dearmudin started and continued.
"Just as the Duchess of the Bringar Duchy has dragon blood, the Vermillion royal lineage has the blood of 'the first Griffin.'"
"Are you saying they're actually related to Griffins, not just metaphorically?"
I thought it was just a figure of speech, but it seems they physically carry the blood of Griffins.
"Yes. The council created a sort of Homunculus by mixing Griffin blood, aiming to produce the ultimate warrior, a flawless king... The epitome of enhanced humans, genetic engineering, is the Vermillion royal family."
"...That's quite the terrifying setup."
"They continue to improve and improve to give birth to a stronger 'entity' with each generation. They even marry these enhanced beings with homunculi mixed with other superior 'bloods', and resort to political marriages to bring in genes from other countries."
I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity.
"So, that's why Mikhail has five fiancées. His sister is in the same situation."
"Exactly. The more offspring, the better, as they serve as samples."
"Those madmen."
I'm still drawing from reality in the mercenary guild, but to think they're modifying people, arranging marriages, and drawing from offspring to continue their lineage! Are they out of their minds?!
"Crown Prince Mikhail was the most talented boy among the royal offspring of this generation. But he lost this time."
"What's wrong with losing?"
"Because the 'king' that the Vermillion Kingdom strives for should not know defeat."
Dearmudin nodded.
"By the time he returns home, having lost all his subordinates, he will be stripped of his position as crown prince. Then, all the Griffin's blood remaining in his body will be extracted, and he'll be discarded and die."
"Knowing this, why didn't you dissuade Mikhail from returning?"
At that, Dearmudin looked at me as if wronged and then sharply turned his head.
"Do I look like such a kind-hearted old man to you? Besides, I don't have the right to do that."
"But!"
"Crown Prince Mikhail is an asset of the Vermillion Kingdom. We have no say in how he is treated."
Dearmudin, composing his voice, spoke in a suppressed tone.
"In any case, the point is! Crown Prince Mikhail is already a dead man walking."
"So, what? Since he's going to die anyway, we should just let him die here?"
"Shouldn't we make a realistic judgment?"
At his following words, I clenched my fist tightly.
"Knowing when to efficiently give up is also a virtue of a king, Prince Ash. Pursuing ideals blindly is nothing but obstinacy and arrogance."
--TL Notes--
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