“Wha…what is this?”
On the way, they had sent out scouts several times. And there were also the eyes up in the sky.
“Who did this!”
“This is no time to be dazed! We have to help those who were buried!”
The aide took off running, and then Will frantically followed after him. What came into view were completely shattered wagons, and the food, drink, and other supplies they had carried.
“How could this have happened…”
He instinctively checked his tag and assessed the damage. Apparently, no one had died, but there the mark of the wounded was attached to many soldiers.
“Please look at this!”
The aide in charge of the scene let out a shout.
He held a rope woven from tree vines in his tense hands.
“And there were deep cuts in several of the trees. It was a trap. Not to separate us, but to put bait in front of our eyes and crush us from the beginning!”
The cuts had been made in the back so that they wouldn’t be able to see them. And the person who had activated the trap would have been long gone.
A dull rage began to build up inside of him.
Now that he thought about it, this was standard practice in war. Draw the enemy’s attention to the unit in front, while a separate force carries out another plan.
“Sir Hero. I have a report to make.”
But he had no intention of voicing any objections. As the officer in charge on the ground, he should have been able to see through such a strategy.
“The supply units were ambushed by the Demon King’s army. Many have been injured, but there are no fatalities. However, nearly all of the supplies were destroyed.”
Perhaps he had gotten carried away, now that things were so convenient.
While bitterly tasting the sting of his failure, Will finished his report.
—
“I see.”
The master muttered in the chalk-white grand library.
Furukamuto’s eyes narrowed as he glared into the mirror.
On the other side, knights drive back monsters against a burning village. While villagers and the defense force tried to put out the fires.
However, the storage houses were already burned down.
The supply units on the mountain roads were also wiped out, and thanks to the rockfalls and landslides, the damage was so bad that it could not be repaired in a day or two.
There was only one explanation.
“That ancient lizard… Things are starting to get serious.”
The kobold had likely told the monsters about his movements, and they had strategized accordingly.
Of course, he had predicted that the Dragon God would also get involved.
They would likely focus on passive actions, such as merging Canila’s Hero with the Demon King’s army, or using invisibility to carry out reconnaissance missions in order to monitor enemy movements.
“Open rebellion, eh? You lesser god.”
However, he now understood how the Dragon God thought.
He stepped deep into the enemy camp and set the village on fire. The Dragon God did not hesitate to use Canila’s Hero, even if it meant crushing him.
“Hero, relay this to everyone. Will’s squad will stay and repair the road, then garrison at Perlei. Deliver the relatively intact supplies to the village. The main force will leave two thousand in the garrison and continue the march. Time is on the enemy’s side. Make haste.”
That meant twelve thousand were out from the main army, leaving sixty thousand left.
There wouldn’t be any units joining after this, so the best strategy would probably be to keep the formation together and push straight into Gai Straum.
“Have a magician with Magic Eye accompany every scouting unit and require them to scan the designated areas. Also, issue an order to kill Canila Farada’s Hero, Saegusa Keita, on sight.”
‘On the grounds that he’s in league with the Demon King’s army?’
“That is fine. And make sure to circulate footage of the burning village as well.”
Their intention to interfere with the advance and manipulate the movements of both armies had become clear.
And if things went well, they would hope for mutual destruction. And if not, they’d destroy the Hero’s army first and then ambush the demon general afterward.
“Well, they might as well move as they like. Still, I am the one who will win.”
The Seer looked across the water mirror as if challenging it.
All the while, he envisioned the Dragon God, surely watching the current situation from somewhere as well.