Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 9 - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Elven Reclamation Village

After leaving Diospyro, we rendezvoused with Lily and Gerbera, who’d been waiting outside town, then headed west toward Leah’s village. Five elves from the reclamation village, including Leah, accompanied us. Each of them wore light armor, bore a sword at their waist, and carried a shield and bow. It wasn’t unusual for villagers to carry weapons in Aker, where a militaristic ethos drove the nation, but seeing them so fully armed made them look like soldiers. They were on high alert because of the azure hares’ breeding season.

Leah and the other elves had come to town to stock up on goods while they petitioned for help, so they also had their own manamobile. Our two vehicles clattered down a narrow path, one behind the other. During the journey, Shiran and Kei peacefully chatted with the villagers.

In most cases, the residents of Aker’s elven reclamation villages were consanguineous—they all came from a single tribe. In other words, all of the villagers were blood relatives of the chief family. Since Shiran and Kei were Leah’s blood relatives, they were also related to the other villagers.

Shiran had returned after becoming a lieutenant in the Alliance Knights, and saviors were accompanying her, so the elves traveling with us were naturally curious about all sorts of things. However, unlike Shiran and Kei, who were getting along with the elves, Gerbera and Ayame had to remain hidden inside the manamobile. I was a little anxious with the elves so close, but Lobivia stayed with them the entire time, having taken it upon herself to prevent any problems.

“Lobiviaaaa! Dinner’s ready,” Lily called.

“Got it. I’ll be right there.”

During the trip, Lobivia only came out of the vehicle when she had something to do, and she kept her wings hidden in her knapsack. She had to keep her wings out of sight, so staying with Gerbera and Ayame allowed her to stretch them out. Above all else, she was scared of strangers, so she was more relaxed this way.

The elves seemed a little suspicious that Gerbera hadn’t come out except to poke her head out of the vehicle to greet them, but her beauty worked in her favor in this case. Well, I wasn’t sure if it was a good thing. In short, the elves thought Gerbera was “the great savior’s sheltered mistress.”

It was an unjust suspicion, but it wasn’t entirely wrong. I didn’t want the misunderstanding to twist our relations with the elves somehow, but it didn’t seem to be a problem, so I didn’t correct them. Incidentally, Gerbera was genuinely pleased to find out they were treating her as my mistress. Her happiness put me in a good mood too. That said, no matter how the villagers interpreted it, none were rude enough to enter a savior’s manamobile without permission, so I could’ve been needlessly worrying and overthinking things.

On the other hand, nighttime watch became a bit of a problem. Normally, Lily, Rose, and Shiran, all of whom didn’t require sleep, stood watch. That would’ve looked unusual to those who didn’t know our circumstances, though, so instead we took shifts with the elves for night watch duty.

Shiran usually patrolled our surroundings in her spare time at night, but since she had to take shifts and pretend to sleep, we had to stop that for the time being. She’d only patrolled to make sure we were absolutely safe, and she’d done so of her own accord, so skipping that step wasn’t necessarily a problem.

Our journey went on in this way, and two days after departing Diospyro, we felt a prickling sensation in the air—the unique atmosphere of the Woodlands. The day after that, we arrived at our destination, Rapha, where the elves of the village welcomed Shiran and Kei with open arms.

“Ooh! Lady Shiran! Welcome back!”

“I hear you’ve become a splendid knight. You were only this tall when we last met.”

“You’re such a fine woman now. I bet men can’t leave you alone.”

“Lady Kei, you’ve grown so much.”

The elves greeted them with affection, respect, and warmth. The elven villages’ chief families turned out knights in great numbers, and it was a knight’s duty to push through the dangerous Woodlands and protect humanity from monsters. As representatives of their villages, knights bore a heavy responsibility, so they were greatly respected.

“You know what, Master? This kinda thing is really nice, huh?” Lily said.

“Yeah, it is.”

I was in complete agreement. I recalled Shiran’s profile back in that underground mausoleum. This was what she’d staked her life to protect. To my eyes, the elven village looked like one big family.

Just then, someone shouted from a short distance away.

“Aaah! You actually came back!”

The speaker was a girl with blonde hair tied low in the back. She looked a little younger than Shiran.

“Helena,” Shiran said, her eye wide.

“What the heck, Shiran?! Why did you come back?!” the girl called Helena yelled as she came toward us.

“Who’s that?” I asked.

“She’s Aunt Leah’s granddaughter, Helena,” Shiran answered as her surprise turned to joy. “She’s my old playmate and a good friend.”

“I’m not!” Helena snarled.

“So she says,” I remarked.

“I consider us friends, though,” Shiran said, her smile troubled. “It’s good to see you again, Helena. It’s been five years now, hasn’t it? Have you been doing well?”

“Obviously I am! I’m going to become a knight!” Helena’s unyielding gaze stopped at Shiran’s eyepatch. Her expression turned anxious for just a moment before she began yelling boisterously again. “And what about you?! What’s with that eyepatch?!”

“A lot happened,” Shiran answered, forcing a smile and keeping her expression neutral.

The two of them were definitely friendly, though it seemed Helena burned with a sense of rivalry. The younger elf thrust her finger with so much vigor that I could practically hear some kind of comical sound effect accompanying it.

“Now’s the only time you can act all cool like that! I challenge you, Shiran! I’ll bring you to tears with my— Ow?!”

“You dimwit. You stand before guests. What are you doing?” a man said, dropping his fist on the snarling girl’s head. “Good grief. Could you learn to remain calm?”

The man turned my way and ignored Helena as she squatted to the floor in pain. The other elves were so burly that one would question if they were just villagers, but this man was particularly brawny and stood out prominently among them.

“Welcome to our home, Takahiro, Mana. My name is Melvin. I serve as the village chief here.”

In other words, he was Leah’s husband. Leah, who’d gone to fetch him, was standing by his side. I’d heard from Shiran that despite being unable to form a contract with a spirit, Melvin was an extremely talented fighter. The old scar running deep down his cheek told of the battles he’d fought protecting this village.

“I’ve been told that you came all the way to this remote region after hearing of our plight. I cannot thank you enough, sir. Our village may be a little rustic for saviors, but we will put in our best effort to receive you.”

“Aah, I don’t mind that stuff. Likewise, thank you for allowing us to stay here a short while.”

My greeting with Melvin went off without a hitch, except for the girl who went pale and screamed, “A-A savior?! Wh-What have I done?!” while we were talking, but I decided to leave that to Shiran for later.

Also, I felt it was a good idea to reinforce that we didn’t need some grand reception after our journey. With that in mind, we finished our introductions and I excused myself, asking Leah to guide us to the vacant house they were lending us. After we dropped off our luggage, I headed to the chief’s house with Lily and Shiran.

“When I was a child, I lived in this village for about half a year,” Shiran said as we walked over. “That’s when I met Helena. She kept me company during sword training quite often. I’ve missed her.”

“When you were a child, huh? What were you like back then?” I asked.

“Hmm... It’s hard to say, seeing as this is about myself, but maybe I was a little like Kei is now. Or not. I think I was a little more childish than her.”

“Hmm. A childish Shiran? I would’ve liked to have seen that.”

As we talked of such things, we arrived at the chief’s house. They treated us to dinner, and after that, I had everyone in the village gather to begin preparations for suppressing the azure hares.

“So, uncle, what’s the situation like?” Shiran asked Melvin.

“Honestly, it’s pretty bad. We’re at the point where we’ve started discussing evacuating the young ones to Kehdo.”

“That bad...”

“I have no intention of abandoning the village, but I don’t think we can hold out. If you’d come just half a month later, our village might’ve been gone already.”

It wasn’t like the other villages could take everyone in. The elves of Rapha had decided to fight to the end to protect the village while they sent as many people as the neighboring villages could accept. It was harsh, but such was reality for the elves living in the Woodlands.

“In that case, we need to be ready to take action as soon as possible,” Shiran concluded.

The operation was to be carried out tomorrow and would take several days. Shiran requested ten or so villagers to help out, which surprised me.

“Hey, Shiran? Can’t we do it on our own?” I asked.

I was worried about the village defenses if we weren’t around. Bringing the villagers who could fight with us meant there would be fewer to protect the village. That seemed too risky. Azure hares were monsters from the Fringes. If they were among the weaker monsters there, we could defeat them all on our own.

Shiran shook her head. “No. They’re a necessary force.”

“What do you mean?”

“We cannot simply hunt monsters blindly during breeding season.”

I cocked my head, so Shiran went into further detail.

“When there are too many monsters inhabiting a certain region, the tumult of battle can attract other monsters. They’ll come one after the other, and if we don’t deal with them quickly, they’ll get out of hand like a tumbling snowball.”

“Meaning we have to control our pace?”

“Now that I think of it, Senpai...” Katou said. She’d sat quietly by Rose’s side during the strategy meeting. “Something similar happened right after we came to this world. When the cheaters started exploring the forest, monsters kept appearing in droves, and even dozens of cheaters could no longer hold them back, I think.”

“Aah. That was before the exploration team was formed, right? I heard that too. They said Nakajima Kojirou, the guy who ended up as the exploration team’s leader, took charge and somehow rallied everyone together.”

That incident, which nearly led to our immediate annihilation, had instead led to the founding of the exploration team. That was a bit of a digression, though. The important thing to note was that a swarm of monsters could become a threat that even cheaters couldn’t hold out against. So what was to be done?

Everyone turned to Shiran as she held up a finger.

“There are two methods,” she began. “The first is to strike with a large enough army that a swarm of enemies won’t be a problem. The vanguard pins down the monsters while the rearguard crushes them with a rain of arrows and magic. It’s a brute-force approach, but very reliable.”

“If there are a lot of enemies to deal with, just increase your capacity to deal with them, you mean.”

Shiran nodded. “That’s the idea, but we can’t use this method.”

“Figures.”

The only time it would work was when one could prepare the necessary force to manage it. Artlessly gathering numbers would just make one stand out more and cause the monsters to swarm faster, making it easier to get wiped out. Aker’s soldiers and knights hadn’t made a move, despite knowing of the situation, precisely because they couldn’t gather the necessary force right now. As for us, we were just over ten people, including the elves who were coming with us. We had nowhere near the required numbers to use this method.

“So we’ll use the second method,” Shiran said, holding up another finger. “We target the stragglers that stray from the herd and chip away at their numbers. The important part is to rapidly defeat the strays and retreat before the herd notices.”

“Without their noticing... So skill is more important than numbers?” I asked.

“Yes. In this case, bringing more people will actually make it harder to move about stealthily. Azure hares live in colonies burrowed underground. When they go to get food, small packs break off from the herd. We can carry out the suppression with only a few elites who can eliminate these packs immediately, along with a minimal amount of support in case some get by.”

“An elite force of the select few, huh? Do you think we can do it?”

“With the elves’ support, it’s more than possible.”

“Hmm.”

If Shiran could declare that so easily, it meant she was confident. I decided to trust her on this and moved on to another question.

“That means we won’t enter the azure hares’ breeding grounds. Won’t this approach take a lot of time?”

“Yes. Azure hares dig their burrows over a wide area, so we have to chip away at their numbers little by little from the outer edges.”

“Is it okay to go so slowly?”

Shiran nodded. “We’ll prioritize safety. Besides, there’s no need to completely exterminate them. That’s for the order and the army to do. Fortunately, azure hares aren’t active over that large of an area. We can stave off any immediate danger by culling the herds closest to the village. If we can buy time, Aker’s forces will begin moving in once they’re done with the ruby bears. Conversely, we can’t rush in there thoughtlessly just because we’re trying to be efficient. At most, we should proceed carefully.”

The elves of the village looked perplexed by this. They were probably expecting a more drastic improvement now that saviors were here. They obviously thought Shiran was being too cautious. However, the chief and his wife spoke up.

“Very well, Shiran. We will do as you say. As the lieutenant of the Third Company that fought at Fort Tilia, you know far more than the rest of us when it comes to suppressing monsters.”

“That’s right. This is no place for amateurs like us to object.”

With Melvin and Leah’s endorsement, everyone else agreed. Their timing was perfect; it stopped the elves’ bewilderment from changing to dissatisfaction.

To push things a little more, Leah asked me—or rather, asked a savior—for confirmation.

“Now then. Will this work for you too, sir?”

She really was shrewd. I could read her intention, so I nodded right away.

“I have no objections. There’s no doubting this plan, seeing that it comes from Shiran.”

“That decides it, then, Shiran. You may do as you please,” Leah said.

“Thank you very much,” Shiran said, smiling. “Please be at ease. This is the method saviors use to conquer the Dark Woods.”

“Is that so?” I asked, a little interested by that fact.

“Yes. Many monsters inhabit the Dark Woods, a restricted region. Even with the tremendous power of a savior, there are too many to handle. It’s the same as our situation. This is one reason why the knights of the Holy Order always accompany saviors.”

“I see.”

Meaning the villagers coming with us would be fulfilling the role normally meant for the Holy Order. The scale was a little smaller, but the task was the same.

“So what do we do, specifically?” I asked.

“First, we search for strays that have separated from the herd. Please leave this part to my spirit.”

Shiran quickly glanced at Lily. She couldn’t mention it now, but she was conveying that she would be relying on Lily’s nose too. Lily gave her a wink, indicating to leave it to her.

“Also, since you have a spirit too, auntie, I was hoping you would help.”

“Sure,” Leah replied. “Leave it to me.”

“What should I do?” Melvin asked.

“Protect the village. We’ll be helpless if we have nowhere to return to,” Shiran explained.

“Mrgh... I suppose I have no choice.”

The chief and his wife couldn’t possibly both leave the village at the same time.

Leah gave her husband a slap on the shoulder, then turned to the other villagers. “That will do for us. So what will those participating in the operation do? You said you wanted to pick out those who specialize in archery, so that’s who we’ve gathered here.”

“They will intercept any enemies coming in from our surroundings,” Shiran answered. “They are a spare force serving as a rearguard, but it’s an extremely important role in case the worst should happen. Please remain focused.”

“This is a threat to our home. None here are foolish enough to let their mind wander.”

Leah accepted for them, and the other elves straightened their posture. This operation held the fate of their entire village in its hand. They were fired up to give it their all.

Seeing their reliable response, Shiran continued.

“As for the main force, I’d like only those skilled in battle,” she said, turning our way. “Lily, Rose, and Takahiro, could I ask this of you?”

“Me...?” I didn’t expect to be named, so I was a little surprised.

“Yes. I would like to take the front myself...but my wounds from Fort Tilia still haven’t fully healed.”

That was how Shiran explained it to the elves, but in truth, it was more about the effects of turning into a demilich. According to her, she was worried that her poorly balanced body would affect her fighting abilities over a series of battles. She’d already talked to me before about avoiding direct engagement during this operation.

That said, I never expected to be selected. I’d thought that I’d be part of the rearguard. Perhaps I was being added to the vanguard for appearances’ sake to raise the villagers’ morale, being a savior and all. It made sense if all the actual combat would be left to Lily and Rose.

Shiran seemed to have read my thoughts. She shook her head and gave me a beautiful smile. “You’re strong, Takahiro. Even among knights, it’s very rare to find a man of valor capable of taking on seven dragons at once.”

“Well...”

Not only had I caught them by surprise thanks to Gerbera, but I’d even had help from Asarina and Salvia at the time. That wasn’t my own strength. Not that I could possibly say that here, so I kept silent. I could hear the villagers whispering, “Seven dragons?” to each other. I’d already lost my chance to make up any excuses.

“You always underestimate yourself, Takahiro. It’s one of your faults,” Shiran added, grinning as I protested with my eyes.

“You say that...but isn’t vanguard duty extremely important for this operation?”

“Yes, it is, and I’m saying you’re suitable for the job. As you are now, you can fight side by side with Lily and Rose.”

“Side by side...”

Those words pricked at my heart more than I thought they would. I hadn’t forgotten those days when I was a weakling who didn’t amount to more than a burden.

“As your swordsmanship instructor, and as the former lieutenant of the Third Company, you have my guarantee. Have some confidence. You can do it.”

“Shiran...”

I couldn’t back down when she put it like that. I accepted my fate and nodded.

“Got it, Instructor. I’ll do it.”