Everything was happening little by little.
At first, he was Berganda’s dining guest, just to learn a little more about what was happening within the Demon King’s army. But then Komos forced him to cooperate. And due to the Dragon God’s advice, he ended up learning how to fight with the demon general.
On top of that, the others found the idea entertaining, and he would be challenged often. Sheto was exhausted in both mind and body.
Still, compared to what faced him now, it was not a bad situation to be in.
Within the forest by the road, a problem lay in front of Sheto.
‘Here they come.’
Salia sounded nervous. The Hero’s army must be in her vision now.
He was currently in a tree that was about five hundred steps away from the road. It was barely within his view.
‘Still…what numbers…’
The first thing that echoed from a distance was the sounds of hooves. The ground shook under the synchronized steps.
‘The cavalry seem to have recovered greatly. But they are not all true knights. Many of them carry the plates under their necks.’
The Dragon God said, and then Sheto could see the riders appear on the white road under the tree branches.
They held banners and wore heavy armor. The crest was of a book and quill. As far as he could see, there were over a hundred of them.
“How many, are there?”
‘Three rows to match the width of the road. Roughly counting, there should be one thousand five hundred to two thousand. But if you count the foot soldiers, it will be around four thousand.’
The boots marched on the stone to an even rhythm. What was frightening was how no one was talking, and only the footsteps and neighing of the horses could be heard.
“Where is, the Hero?”
‘Wait a moment… Ah, here they come…’’
Salia was shocked, while the Dragon God sighed.
‘Watch carefully. They are adamant that the Hero will not be assassinated.’
Finally, Sheto was able to see the new group.
The soldiers with spears on their shoulders and shields on their backs. It was the formation known as ‘tercio.’
‘The infantry is in four columns, and they are marching at about three to four kilometers an hour. Even if they’re cheating with the divine rule, their discipline is still impressive.’
“Is that…fast?”
‘In kobold terms, it would be like walking from morning until sundown, and being able to easily cross two mountains.’
The foot soldiers only wore armor to protect their arms and legs. And they only had a small sack on their backs for supplies. However, even when burdened by weapons and shields, they walked with great accuracy.
‘It makes you not want to count them. There should be around five thousand.’
“Fi-five…thousand?”
‘And this is just the advance army. There should be more…’
After that, a carriage came into view. Staff wielding soldiers surrounded it, as did armed knights.
‘There is a reason he employs so many magicians as soldiers. After all, one of the most difficult problems of having such a large army is education.’
When he looked carefully, the magician riders appeared to be taking turns chanting.
They were likely using ‘Magician Eyes’ to scout the area. The place they were in was the farthest they could be while staying within Sheto’s view, while being outside of the enemy’s range that the Dragon God predicted.
‘Those who can use magic must learn to read and write, as well as basic geometry and natural sciences. And so places for primary education must be established. In other words, schools.’
These magicians were not wearing the usual robes, but wore ordinary clothes with capes. They were also equipped with staves, knives and carried a bag on their backs.
‘However, it takes time to make schools, and to impress upon the people their importance. As for magic, that takes even more time and training to learn.’
‘And so they are solving that problem by force with the level up ability.’
‘Like that, he can make numerous combat magicians in a short amount of time.’
From where he watched, there appeared to be over five hundred of them. On top of that, the riders on the sides must be the ‘dragoons.’
And in the center was the beautifully decorated carriage.
Plants and birds were drawn with golden and blue lines. While mostly subtle in designs, you could tell that it was very expensive to make.
The doors were closed tightly shut, and he could not see inside. There was one driver, who had two knights sitting next to him.
“Cannot see, the Hero.”
‘It would have been nice to at least see his face. But it cannot be helped. Now, including them, there are twelve thousand and… Ah, there are even more coming.’
Thank you for the chapter!