Chapter 54 – Episode 54 – This Is a Trap!
“First, I will tell you what I found out with the detection magic.”
A wizard belonging to the Knights of the Gold Eagle projected his magic onto the parchment on the table. Reddish red dots are clearly visible.
“This is the number of monsters under the detection magic.”
“As expected, there are quite a lot.”
However, perhaps because it was expected, the princess was relaxed. If there were only a few, the knights wouldn’t have come.
“If you look at the red dots, demon beasts don’t go around in groups.”
Red dots representing demons were distributed throughout the forest. Although there were many of them, they were not very dangerous compared to the size of the Knights.
Then, why did the empire catch the beasts while suffering great damage?
“Can you confirm what kind of monster it is?”
“I don’t know exactly what kind of monster it is. But you know what form it will be.”
At Ariana’s request, the wizard chanted magic into the air. It slowly reveals itself. Measured from a long distance, it could not accurately describe its appearance. Instead, the shape of the monster was roughly drawn.
“… Snake.”
I didn’t know it had a distinct shape, but it was elongated and looked like a snake. Ariana frowned slightly. She was said to be a witch, so I thought she would be similar to a beast-type monster, but I thought she would be a bit gross.
“By the way, what is this big dot in the middle?”
Princess Asabel had been concerned about the large red dot in the middle of the forest map. The spot she picked up with her hand was quite large compared to the others.
“Your Highness, Princess. It is probably considered the king of demon beasts.”
“The king of demons? That’s why it’s so big.”
“Yes. I suspected that it was a different species, so when I checked it with magic, it was confirmed that it was almost similar in shape to the small dot monsters.”
“You mean the same elongated shape?”
“That’s right.”
Asabel, who satisfied her curiosity, looked at Ariana. Now that she has a rough idea of the magic beasts, it is time for Ariana to set up her strategy. She said that Asabel had little practical ability to move her soldiers.
She hates sharing someone else’s ball for free, but the elite members of the Imperial Knights she brought will also help her. And she was better off stepping out and demanding outrageous maneuvers.
“Ariana. What should I do?”
“Majesty. There are many things I don’t know about the Witchbeast, so I think it’s better not to break them individually first.”
“Do you want to hang out together? The reason is?”
“It’s not a battle that kills monsters in a short amount of time. I think it would be better to be careful while judging how strong the Witchbeast is and what characteristics it has.”
Ariana’s judgment was indeed wise. Although she was quite strong as a Gold Eagle Knight, she knew nothing about her enemies, so there was nothing wrong with her being careful.
“I agree with the captain. However, it is not good to procrastinate too long.”
“Your Highness is right. So, we need to think about the strategy of eliminating the king first.”
“You mean to kill the king of snakes first?”
“That’s right.”
Ariana decided that she should kill the king first. Even on the battlefield, it was common for the fighting ability of the soldiers to decrease when the commander died. Creatures weren’t much different either.
“You have to kill all the monsters, but you don’t have to kill the smaller ones in order. In the end, even the king will have to be killed. The quicker you deal with the king, the easier the battle will be.”
“As expected, you are the leader of the Gold Eagle Knights. I agree with that.”
Asabel responded satisfactorily to Ariana’s opinion. It was a way to deal with the monsters very efficiently and quickly without overdoing it.
Accordingly, the discussion of the articles proceeded. There were many stories about when to enter the forest and what tactics to use.
“Come to think of it…”
As the meeting heats up, Asabel finally looks at me.
“Daron. I would love to hear your opinion.”
My mouth was itchy, but I was given a chance. It was natural for me not to speak first in front of the knights and the princess. The status disparity was just as great. But now that the princess gave me permission to speak, my mouth was free.
“Do you know anything about the Witchbeast?”
“Yes.”
I’m going to ask from the beginning, but it’s rather late to finally ask me. It was clear that there was a complacent thought that even if it was dangerous, how dangerous it would be.
“It’s a monster called Black Anaconda.”
It will be the first magic spell you’ve ever heard of. This is because it lives only in the area of demons and has not been found anywhere else so far. After the war, these snakes were used by demons for combat.
“Black Anaconda. Unlike other snakes, these snakes move in large groups. If you ask why it’s unusual, it’s because it’s a demon.”
Because it was a monster, it was different from normal animals. The danger of the Witchbeast and these knights, including the princess, were not well aware of it yet. You’ll know when the war breaks out.
“Black anacondas can be broadly divided into two types. Poisonous and non-poisonous.”
“You mean they’re different even though they’re the same species?”
“Yes, Her Highness the Princess. Among the black anacondas, there are snakes that are leaders. About one in dozens is venomous.”
“That means there are several. Is poison dangerous? Can I find out?”
Poison means that even minor wounds can become fatal. This is what Asabel is concerned about.
“Of course it is very dangerous to be bitten by them and let the poison enter your body. However, the poison does not spread well and tends to clump together, so there is no great danger if you take it out quickly.”
Of course, it was difficult for ordinary people to take it out on their own. However, since there was a wizard, it was a simple task to take it out with magic. It wasn’t that hard to get rid of the poison with just the magician here.
“And it’s easy to tell them apart. Those with red heads are poisonous ones.”
“Head?”
“Hmmmm. Head.”
Somehow, the vocabulary used with the soldiers in the previous episode was used. Since he is in front of the princess, he is using the most luxurious vocabulary possible, but this is rather tricky.
“Later in battle, if you have the characteristics you mentioned intact, your sincerity will be proven.”
“Thank you.”
Even as a mediocre soldier, as long as I prove it in actual battle, I will be recognized for sure. Black Anaconda is correct. Horns on the head, seen in the shape of a snake floated by a wizard. It’s because it’s a characteristic of guys only.
“Not so well, I will ask a few more questions.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Please speak.”
“You saw us discussing. Do you have anything to improve on?”
Waited for that
A lot, a lot!
However, she had no choice but to hold it in because she was afraid that if she said it out of her mouth, a rebuttal would pop out saying, “It’s rude!” She later tried to change her tactics by sneaking up on Ariana, but she said it wouldn’t matter if the princess said it was okay.
“I dare to tell you.”
“Yes, tell me.”
“Black anacondas don’t have a king.”
“What? Then, if that big one is not a king, what is it?”
As the princess said, it was only natural that if there was one unusually large creature among the creatures, it would be the king.
“Black Anaconda. As you can see from this dot, if you include the large dot, it would be estimated at 100 or 200. But in reality there are more.”
“More?”
“Each snake itself is not that strong. However, there is only one reason why black anacondas are so scary. It means there are too many of them.”
Sleep—a lot.
The size was large, but the number was staggering. I still vividly recalled those cubs who ran at the soldiers like a swarm of ants.
“The small dots around this big dot. 100 to 200 of these snakes… They are just things that have fallen out of the herd.”
“Not from the pack, but from the pack?”
“Yeah, wouldn’t your body feel sluggish sometimes if you were always close to each other?”
“… If so, are you saying that the big snake from earlier is actually a group of black anacondas?”
All of her knights’ faces turned pale at the princess’s words. If the snakes united to form that great image, the number would be staggering. I didn’t bother to answer right. Even if you keep quiet anyway, they will know that their concerns are true.
In the meantime, he additionally asks if Ariana felt puzzled.
“Daron. I know you know a lot about Black Anaconda. By the way, is there a reason why demon beasts take the form of snakes like that?”
“The captain’s point is quite sharp. Of course, there is no reason for that.”
That doesn’t mean my judgment was wrong. It doesn’t mean that there is a king that I don’t know about.
Then what?
“Because there is someone who made it that way, it shows that shape.”
“Who made it?”
The succubus princess, Ellis, said there would be a dark side to this.
“Idiots… I mean.”
“What?”
The first thing to be surprised was none other than Princess Asabel.
Idiot.
It was a very natural relationship for us humans and other heterogeneous races.
“Why would the witch be here in the first place? In the sky? In a tunnel? No. The fact that demon beasts came from a place far away from the monster zone… It means someone intervened. Of course, it could be someone other than a demon. However, it must be the most powerful demon tribe.”
“The appearance of the Witchbeast is not an accident… Our empire… Are you saying it’s a targeted force?”
She is the princess considered closest to the position of the next emperor. A country that might be her own, she couldn’t help but react most sensitively.
“Daron. I know what you want to say. Is this a demonic trap?”
“You are also the captain. You’re right. Thinking that our empire doesn’t know much about demon beasts, they deliberately gathered snakes into a large snake shape.”
As soon as she heard her words that the demons might have intervened, like Ariana, she knew it was a trap.
“Then I’ll have to reorganize the strategy right away.”
Among the articles, half of what had been published so far had to be discarded. Based on my comments, a new discussion was immediately initiated.
