“Do you have a clear picture of their numbers?”
“Brita-san, the enemy was lurking in the forest. There’s no way to accurately judge their numbers. However, we did manage to get an estimate… seven ogres, several giant snakes, several wargs, several somethings we think might be barghests and something big following behind them.”
“Wargs, giant snakes and ogres? Is there a druid behind them?”
Wargs were monsters that looked like wolves, but bigger. They were smarter than wolves and bad news if you encountered them in the forest.
“It’s very likely. Things will be really bad if they have a magic caster on their side. We can probably assume that they also have ranged attackers. So it would be better to marshal all our fighting power here, right? Should I call Obaa-chan over?”
“That… is hard to say, Ani-san. The rendezvous point is one of the strongest buildings in the village. If anything happens, it’ll be the final defensive line or in other words, the village’s keep. We can’t let anyone protecting that place leave.”
“…So we’ll be falling back as we fight, then? Where should I go?”
“Brita-san will direct the defense force. I hope you can relay my orders to them so they can understand. Then, act as the situation requires.”
“So we’ll use the second strategy against invaders, then? After feathering them with arrows, we’ll use barricades to keep them at bay while we stab them through the gaps with spears. Doesn’t matter how skilled our people are once they’re that close.”
“Ah, then I’ll leave that to you. However, wargs and barghests are very agile, and if left alone, they’ll cause a lot of damage. Target them first. Also, when their druid shows up, would you mind having the defense force go to the back line?”
“I’m not opposed to that, but will you have enough people on the front without us?”
“…If we’re lucky, we’ll be enough.”
“If it’s like that… as I thought, I’d better tell everyone here to be ready to die. At least, if we’re in the back we won’t be attacked, so we can concentrate fire on the druid. You know, I’ve been an adventurer, but this is the first time I’ve seen such brave villagers… at least, I thought that much when I watched them train with bows.”
“In the past, the village was attacked… and we hated how useless we were.”
Enri, who had been silent up till now, cut in with the sentiments of every member of the defense forces.
Amazingly, there was nobody here who wanted to flee. There was no way around this fight, no way they wouldn’t protect their village for the loved ones hiding behind them.
“Speaking of which, such a large force must have taken some time to assemble. Does this mean they’ve been sent by the Giant of the East or the Serpent of the West?”
“That’s not impossible.”
Jugem softly confirmed Brita’s suspicions.
If that was the case, it would mean Agu had drawn the monsters here. That was why Jugem had lowered his voice, so the defense force wouldn’t pick up on it and direct their aggression at Agu.
The existence of monsters like the Giant of the East, the Serpent of the West and their mutual enemy, the Beast of the South, had already been made known among the villagers.
Although the Beast had been tamed by the Dark Hero, the mighty monster’s form and presence had been etched indelibly on the villagers’ hearts. Fear was the appropriate response to the thought of fighting something on the same level as that.
“So what kind of magic does the Serpent of the West use? Damn, what a pain.”
Jugem nodded to Brita’s mumbling.
“Usually, monsters with innate spells won’t have more than ten of them, but if they can practice and learn magic they’ll have access to many more, which makes them troublesome. If they know magic for crossing obstacles…”
“It’s okay if it’s Enfi or the goblins, but magic-users are cheating bastards.”
Enri said so unhappily, which drew grim smiles from the villagers.
“…But don’t tell Gown-sama I said that, okay?”
That follow-up turned those smiles into laughs.
That should break the tension, Enri thought. Although it would be bad if they were too relaxed, being too tense would also keep them from fighting effectively. Now, the mood seemed about right.
Jugem looked thankfully at Enri. It seemed like he understood why she’d said what she’d said.
“Don’t worry. Just stay behind and shoot. We’ll handle the front.”
The goblins had trained the defense force for precisely this role, which suited them best.
A small village would be hard-pressed to gather armor and weapons, and there simply weren’t enough to arm the defense force. And in the end, they were still villagers. They might have strong arms from working the fields, but that didn’t translate into sword skills. Anyone who could train himself into a warrior that could defeat monsters in their free time between chores would be nothing short of a genius.
With those points in mind, the goblins realized that they couldn’t turn the defense force into frontliners. Instead, they decided to teach them archery to become the rear guard.
Although their technique had improved and they could hit their targets, their bows didn’t have much penetrative power, making it difficult to strike a telling blow on thick-skinned monsters. However, if they were lucky and fired in unison, there was a chance they might hit a vulnerable spot.
“Alright, just like we trained, aim at the other side of the door, and fire in ranks! Agu, your task is to keep the main door from being broken down and stabbing them with spears. Treat Brita-san’s commands as though they came from Ane-san and listen to her.”
“Ohhh! Leave it to me!”
“That’s the spirit. Now, listen up. I forbid you to run. Fight until you die.”
“Of course! I’ll definitely repay the kindness you showed by saving me! In fact, why not put me at the frontline with the ogres?”
“You stupid kid! If I let you do that, you’d just end up killing yourself. You can say that once you get stronger!”
After being scolded by Jugem, Agu’s face was filled with regret and some of the defence force members went to comfort him.
Enri sighed in relief as she saw this. For one, the villagers didn’t see him as the one who had brought the monsters in. For another, it was proof that Agu was accepted by the villagers.
They were the last outsiders to arrive in the village. Although they weren’t shunned or treated badly, there was still a distance between them. However, from the look of things, that gap would vanish if they won today. It was ironic that the battlefield was the best place to build the bonds of camaraderie.