Oukoku e Tsuzuku Michi

Chapter 398: Central Plains Unification War ? Giant Cannon and Hell

–Aegir POV–

「Let’s wait for our allies to catch up! The Aless soldiers are on foot so you’ll be alone if you rush out like that!」

I ignore Celia’s frantic pleas and run out regardless.

The enemy is already leaving Rafen and since the walls are filled with holes, I can advance on horseback without much of a problem.

「You don’t even know where Melissa-san is! It’s not going to help if you charge blindly!」

What Celia is saying is correct, her reasoning makes sense.

But I can’t sit back and wait to find out what happened to Melissa.

「In that case......」

As Celia retrieves something from her chest that resembles a blowpipe, she sees a familiar shadow.

「Leah!」

Celia, who was about to aim for my medulla oblongata, throws away the blowpipe and jumps off the horse.

I also rein in the horse and stop near Leah.

「A...... uu...... I’m fine. My head is spinning......」

Leah was leaning against the wall of a destroyed farmhouse.

「Let me see!」

Celia checks Leah’s body and doesn’t find any major external injuries besides a few scratches.

She did have one large bump on her head, most likely from hitting her head on something.

「Why did you leave the mansion!?」

「I was going to take a walk and then the alarm went off...... I saw Melissa-san outside the wall and tried to call her, but I couldn’t stop her...... I’m sorry.」

I wipe away the dirt on Leah’s face.

「How did you get the injury?」

「When I was dodging a horse, I ended up bumping my head against the wall. I’m okay now, maybe a little dizzy.」

Leah isn’t the quickest when it comes to my women. If she wasn’t careful, horses could have trampled over her and killed her.

I allowed the unarmed Leah to experience such danger and allowed Melissa to be kidnapped.

「And what about Melissa?」

「Melissa-san was captured when she was on the way back from taking the kids. She was put in a white painted carriage and taken in that direction......」

Leah is pointing in the same direction as where the enemy retreated.

A white wagon should stand out, but I can’t see anything from here even when I strained my eyes.

「Celia, take Leah back home. Bring her to a doctor right away.」

「Eh? But.」

「I’m fine. I can return on my own if I wait a little......」

I give the two hesitant girls a look.

「Uuu, understood. I’ll bring reinforcements as soon as I finish dropping Leah off, so please don’t go overboard.」

「Aau. I’m sorry.」

I guess I looked angrier than I thought.

That’s fine right now.

「I can’t fight too savagely with Celia around after all.」

Schwartz agrees with a soft neigh before he runs off.

He was apparently holding back because he didn’t want Celia to be flung off. Now that it’s just me riding him, he runs like the wind, mercilessly shaking his body.

The enemy, who look like little specks in the distance, slowly become larger as I get closer.

「Hey, we’re being chased!」

「Impossible, they’ve only got infantry. How could they get here so quick―― hey now, it’s a single rider!」

「There are some stupid guys too. Archers, nock your arrows!」

Ten or so archers out of the retreating enemies stand still and aim at me.

Normally, spearmen would be used to create a shield before the archers get ready, but they must have determined it unnecessary after seeing a single unit.

「Keep going like this.」

Schwartz doesn’t turn back or slow down, which I take as him acknowledging my request.

「Loose!」

Ten arrows fly horizontally.

Only 7 are on target.

「Hmp.」

I swing my Dual Crater and swipe away three.

For the remaining four, I deflect one with the arm guard on my left hand and another one bounces off the thick part of my armor.

Another one hits Schwartz in the neck part where he is covered in armor and it bounces off harmlessly.

The last one flies at my face.

Dodging carelessly would result in my neck or head being hit.

On the spur of the moment, I open my mouth, allowing the arrow to pierce through the thin part of my cheek.

When it reaches the inside of my mouth, I bite down on the shaft of the arrow and stop it from going any further.

「I did it, right in his head! ......what?」

I glare at the celebrating enemy and bite off the arrowhead before pulling out the rest of the arrow from my face, then spit out the arrowhead.

If I didn’t do this, the barbs on the arrowhead would widen the wound as I yanked it out.

「You ruined my handsome face. You better take responsibility.」

Schwartz charges in at full speed.

The enemy attempts to nock another arrow, but it’s already too late.

「Next volley......」

I lop off the commander’s head before he could finish his sentence and Schwartz runs through the center of the line of archers.

I definitely felt at least three soldiers who were crushed to death by his hooves.

Schwartz and I gallop like the wind to get behind the fleeing enemy.

「Stomp on anyone who gets in the way. Ignore those who are fleeing. Anyways, just run around and search for Melissa.」

My goal isn’t to chase down anybody or cause havoc, it’s simply to look for Melissa.

Fortunately, the enemy didn’t expect to be chased and wasn’t on guard at all, so I didn’t encounter any organized defenses.

Eventually, I was able to push aside the nearby soldiers to find that white carriage.

「There it is, that one!」

No matter how fast they tried to run, the difference in speed was too great and we were able to catch up instantly.

「Hm? Who the heck are you!?」

「The enemy is mixed in!」

My Dual Crater was swung faster than the cavalry escorts behind the carriage could yell out.

One was killed with a single stroke to the back, and the other one was able to draw his sword but was cut from his side to his shoulder.

Melissa’s life is on the line so I can’t afford to fight fair and square.

「What’s wrong? What happened?」

There are more guards in the front of the carriage too.

「Take care of them somehow.」

I give those final words to Schwartz and then jump onto the moving carriage.

「What’s this big horse? Uwah, what are you doing!?」

「Gyaaaaah!」

I cling to the back of the carriage as I hear the enemy soldier screaming and loud neighing.

There’s a complicated lock on the rear door so I can’t open it easily.

Inside, I can hear the voice of a man.

「This is really Hardlett’s lover?」

「Yessir! The spy’s report confirmed it.」

「I hear Hardlett is a matchless womanizer. I’m sure she’ll have her uses. Take her to the army headquarters.」

「Understood!」

「Even if we can’t use her as a negotiation tool, I’m sure we can get her to spill some information on the demon if we torture her.」

「Uuu......」

Anger boils within me as soon as I hear Melissa’s anguished moan.

「Ugraaahh!!」

I headbutt the annoying lock three times and then kick the bent part with all my might.

The lock pops apart and the door is violently swung open.

「Dowah!」

「What the-!?」

「Aegir-san?」

I roll inside the moving carriage.

I must have cut myself when I did the headbutts since I feel some blood leaking on my face.

Using the Dual Crater would have been a better idea, now that I think about it, but it doesn’t matter now.

Within the carriage, I see Melissa, a cocky-looking man and a man who is clearly the underling.

「Melissa!」

Melissa is half-naked and is keeping her torn clothes together to hide her body.

There is a cut on her forehead and a bruise under her right eye.

No matter how I look at it, she appears to have been raped and beaten.

Rational thought flies out of my head and my vision turns red.

「Driver, what are you doing? Stop the carriage! You, buy me time!」

「R-right! Eeei!」

The important-looking guy yells and the underling runs at me.

「......」

I’m too angry to make a sound.

I catch the underling’s sword in my left hand and promptly slice his body with my Dual Crater.

Before he could scream, I grab the man’s leg, slam him against the floor of the carriage, bend his back the opposite way until his spine snaps and then throw him out of the carriage.

「M-monster.」

「Unforgivable...... I’m going to kill you.」

Being able to somehow squeeze those words out doesn’t mean my anger has quelled at all.

The arrogant guy pulls out a small crossbow from his pocket and fires it.

「Gotcha!」

The bolt accurately flies into my chest.

I feel the cold steel dig into my flesh, although it isn’t deep enough to reach my vital organs.

「Fuuu......」

I grab the bolt and pull it out.

Considering the crossbow’s compact size was prioritizing ease of mobility, it shouldn’t pack enough power to penetrate my muscles pumped up from my rage.

「I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you.」

I take one step forward at a time while maintaining a menacing gaze on the man.

He shouts something to the driver, then draws a sword and attacks me.

「Soryaa!」

「Guh......」

The sword stabs into my stomach.

「...... no way.」

Nevertheless, his full-powered thrust could not pass through my abs.

He stares at me in fear.

If Melissa was unscathed, perhaps I would have simply thrown him out of the carriage and left it at that.

Now that you’ve injured and violated my beloved woman, I can’t suppress my emotions.

「Hmph.」

「Gyaaaah!」

I grab the man’s head by sticking the thumbs of both hands into each of his eyes.

Of course, I’m not trying to crush his eyes.

「Uoooh!」

My hands pull in opposite directions......

「Migyaah!」

With a disgusting squelch, I rip apart the man’s skull.

Lots of unknown bits and pieces spray everywhere and the man falls lifelessly.

「Hiih!? A-Aegir-san?」

「Fuuu......」

My anger seems to leave me along with the long sigh.

I can’t save Melissa when I’m rampaging out of anger.

From here on out, I need calm judgements.

「It’s alright, I’ve regained my composure. I’m here to save you, Melissa.」

After saying that, I embrace the partially naked Melissa.

「Ye...... Yes!」

Melissa hugs me back.

That was when the carriage rocks drastically and comes to a stop.

Taking a peek outside, I don’t find any enemy soldiers. Instead I find archers―― no, they are the mountain nation wearing their usual hunting gear.

「We came running after we learned of the chief’s crisis!」

That makes this rescue a success.

However, it isn’t a completely happy ending.

「Melissa, stay strong. It’s my fault you suffered such a horrible experience. You can step on my until the morning if you want.」

I realize soon after I said that she was staring at me with a puzzled look.

She continues staring curiously until something clicked in her mind and she hits her palm with a fist.

「Ah, so that’s what you mean? Don’t worry, I wasn’t raped.」

Melissa begins to explain what happened.

Apparently, she struggled and cursed at the South Yuguria soldiers a little in order to distract their attention from the escaping orphan kids.

That was when she was hit and got the bruise under her eye. Her clothes tore when she was being carried to the carriage.

It looks like I jumped to the wrong conclusion.

「I wasn’t hit after being captured. I was also given water to drink and they were treating me rather gentlemanly......」

I look over at the brutally killed enemy soldier.

What I did to him was a little too cruel.

「It’s my fault for assuming the wrong thing. Sorry, but they had it coming to them for punching you, Melissa.」

I hope he forgives me after I give him a proper burial in Rafen.

If he decides to haunt me, please do so when I’m not with a woman.

In any case, that ends the fight in Rafen.

I pick Melissa up in my arms and take her back to Rafen.

「Aegir-san. You see, my clothes are ripped and my boobs are exposed......」

I still have many things to do.

The request for help has also come from Lintbloom.

「Uwah, my skirt is all torn and you can see everything! Today...... I didn’t wear any underwear either!」

I followed Sekrit’s advice and came to help Rafen first.

If things were any worse, Lintbloom might have fallen already.

Well, recapturing the city is the duty of a feudal lord.

「They’re looking! They’re looking all over!」

Melissa hugs me tighter.

Is she that overcome with emotion from being helpless?

「The feudal lord-sama rescued Melissa-sama from the enemy!? I’d expect nothing less.」

「Taking off her clothes and hugging onto the feudal lord-sama...... tonight’s going to be incredible for sure.」

「She’s turning red from pressing her breasts against him. At this rate, they might start in front of us!」

Besides my territory, there is the fight on the North Teries too.

「Hieeeh, doing it in front of several hundred people is too embarrassing! Someone lend me clothes to wear, even a cloth is fine! Aegir-san, stop! My ass is completely visible when you lift me up!!」

Melissa covers her face with her hands and clings to me with her whole body.

I return the hug and reassure her with a smile that she doesn’t have to be scared anymore.

「Uwaa...... Melissa-sama hugging naked like that makes her look completely like a female in heat.」

「She can’t help it. She was saved by her beloved after being kidnapped by the enemy. If it was me, I would spread my legs and won’t be against having public sex.」

I wonder how Lintbloom is doing?

「Please, Celia-chan lend me your cloak! They can see my butt crack like this!」

「I’ll consider it. But I’m a little jealous.」

At that moment, a messenger comes running from the east.

Judging by the direction, it’s probably from Lintbloom. Let’s see if it’s good news or bad news.

–Third Person POV–

One Day Ago. Lintbloom.

「The enemy is camped on top of a hill overlooking us. They have light cavalry totaling 3000. Even now they can start attacking at any time.」

「Aah, how could this be?」

Claire, who came to Lintbloom to do an inspection with Laurie, groans and holds her head in worry.

「Let us abandon this city and run. There’s no way we can match―― gyaa!」

Claire kicks the male subordinate who insists on deserting the city in the crotch.

「Do not say such stupid things! If we lose Lintbloom, the C&L company will go bankrupt!」

「But if you look at the difference in troops, there will be pointless deaths...... fungyaa!」

Claire kicks the man’s crotch again.

「Silence, money is more valuable than your life! Think of a way somehow!」

「Even if you tell me that, I don’t have any knowledge about military and don’t know what to do......」

Compared to the 3000 enemy cavalry, Lintbloom has Claire’s 50 escorts and a mere 200 volunteer soldiers. Even taking away the fact they’re not military experts, it was clear they had no hand to play.

「Then offer the enemy commander some money so he won’t attack. If we give 10 000 gold――」

「A messenger was already sent and they promptly rejected...... it doesn’t look like they will be moved by gold.」

Laurie sadly states.

「Unfortunately, we don’t have anymore options. Lintbloom was not made to withstand attacks from humans. You should give the order to make a safe escape.」

When even her trustworthy Laurie recommends to leave, Claire falls to the ground on her ass in disappointment, until somehow calls out to her in a deep throaty voice.

「Hey. Is something bad coming?」

「Balbano...... is it? You can tell by looking.」

Balbano is the leader of the dwarves living in a tunnel near the mining city Lintbloom, the one who granted Claire permission to mine in their territory, and occasionally visits the city to exchange engineering and ores for alcohol and food.

He is rather short as a man and has really stubby legs, but he is larger horizontally, looking almost obese at first glance.

Upon closer inspection though, one would realize that his body did not have much excess fat and he was practically a mass of pure muscle.

Their craftsmanship is of an extremely high quality and they often find rare ores, but the dwarves have no desire for money and seem to do useless and unnecessary things from Claire’s point of view, which is why she doesn’t get involved with them beyond what is required.

「What is it that is coming at this moment? Is it something that would harm us?」

「It’s the enemy army, so isn’t that obvious? They came to steal my city and assets.」

When Claire yells in partial desperation, Balbano goes “hmm” as if he is thinking.

His fellow dwarves have gathered behind him as well without anyone noticing.

「Then are they some kind of monster?」

「They’re even nastier than monsters. Monsters will simply eat a few people and leave after they’re satisfied, whereas these things will rob my assets until nothing is left.」

「Horrible......」

One of the miners mutters and then the dwarves softly pound their fists on their palms.

「Well, if they’re the same as monsters, we just have to drive them off.」

Claire raises her voice when Balbano speaks in an irresponsible tone.

「If I could do so, I would have done it already! I don’t need heavy drinkers with short legs like you to tell me......」

Balbano shouts out without letting her finish.

「Hey dwarves! We’re using the Urgan!」

「「「「Right!」」」」

The dwarves run off at a surprising speed given their short legs.

「Urgan? Aah, that hunk of―― I mean, the giant cannon, right? The one that can’t change direction and lacks―― I mean, is hard to use.」

「There is nothing to criticize regarding its power, but I don’t believe a blast from a huge block of iron will do anything to 3000 soldiers.」

「A group of bandits might be frightened and run away, but this is an army......」

Claire, Laurie and an oppressed male worker say with pessimistic faces.

The Urgan is an enormous cannon dozens of times bigger than the regular large-sized cannons currently being used, however its overwhelming size and weight keeps it from being movable, plus its complicated structure prevents anybody besides the dwarves from being able to fire it. Thus everybody considered it to be a useless piece of junk.

「Eeei, stop yapping. Don’t keep going on repetitively and just watch.」

The dwarves move their short arms and legs and climb onto the cannon that looks more like a building. Not long after, Balbano raises his arm.

「Urgan, activate! Right turn 140 degrees! Aim upwards 23 degrees and 5 minutes north.」

Sounds of metal grinding against each other can be heard as gears turn, and steam rises as the Urgan slowly rotates.

The barrel of the cannon also slowly raises up.

「It moved......?」

「Yeah! Everytime I came to the city, I did some work on it!」

「Again, you did something unnecessary...... instead of doing that, you should be working more on jobs that make me money......」

Laurie ignores the complaining Claire and asks.

「This will certainly allow you to aim at the enemy, but won’t shooting a single cannon simply anger them?」

A shell from a cannon is an effective weapon on offense.

One from a cannon the size of Urgan might even be capable of shattering an impregnable fortress in one hit.

However, it is currently being used in a defensive situation and the opponent is a group of cavalry instead of a stone wall.

No matter how large the cannonball is, 10 might be killed at best, leading to the cannon being pretty much meaningless.

「A special shell was also made. It took an entire week to make.」

「Yes, yes. You like playing around with these things instead of doing my work, I get it.」

Claire is getting somewhat fed up and curses.

Balbano just smiles, telling her to wait and see.

「We’re using the bombshell!」

「「「Right!」」」

The dwarves load a big shell into the receptacle on the side of the cannon and uses the power of gears to pull it inside the cannon.

「Put in the fuse, distance is 4000―― fire!」

「Gya!!」

There was an abnormally loud explosion which sent dust flying and vibrations traveling through the ground.

Miners fall on their asses and prostitutes ready to run away tumble to the ground, revealing their suggestive underwear.

Claire screams and covers her ears.

A few seconds later, light bursts on the hill where the enemy is camped and a huge cloud of dirt erupts.

It wasn’t what one would expect from an average cannonball at all.

Another few seconds later, the stomach-rumbling boom rang out again.

「What was that just now!!? What happened!?」

「Casualties to the Third Division Cavalry Unit ...... wait, where is the Third Division!?」

「The Third Division is not here! The entire squad was blown away!」

「I heard the sound, did they fire a cannon?」

「That can’t be, a huge chunk was taken out of the ground. Was a big barrel of gunpowder buried under there!?」

Nearly a hundred cavalry who were about to attack at a moment’s notice literally disappeared, causing panic within the South Yuguria army.

As a result, some started to do anything they could to get away from the hill and some started to dig holes in the ground to uncover what they believed to be the cause of the explosion.

「Haeh?」

Claire, who had been talking poorly of the dwarves all this time, stared in blank amazement with her jaw hanging open.

「Next, load the incendiary bombshell. Fire!」

Aided by gears, it didn’t take longer than ten seconds for the next round to be fired.

「There’s the roar of a cannon. It’s coming!」

「It might be another explosion. Everyone, take cover――」

South Yuguria cavalry dismount from their horses and lower themselves to the ground.

As they anticipated, another explosion occurred.

What they didn’t expect was for the explosion to be smaller than the first one, however in exchange for the decreased blast radius, a fierce fire was spread everywhere by the force of the explosion.

In the face of flames crawling on the ground, keeping their bodies low proved to be a useless act.

More soldiers and horses were wiped out than before.

「We crushed this and that mineral and mixed it with the thing you call gunpowder.」

Balbano proudly declares as he watches the pillar of fire extending close to 100 meters into the sky.

Aside from the dwarves, everybody who saw what happened was dumbfounded and their mouths were gaping.

「The shell burst and then...... started burning......?」

Laurie’s notebook falls with a plop to the ground.

Written on it was “Help wanted in mine. Inexperienced people welcome, pay raises available depending on effort. An at-home kind of workplace”

「We’re going to massacred at this rate!」

「Whatever, just charge! Close the distance!」

「Don’t worry about formation, take whoever you can and go. Stop that cannon!」

South Yuguria soldiers jump back on their horses and descend the hill in a scattered mess.

As advertised by their name, the light cavalry instantly reached the city.

「They’re here! They’re here! Hey, do something about it quickly! If you do, I’ll give you money or my body or anything you want!」

Claire grabs and shakes Balbano by the shoulders.

「Calm yourself. I don’t want money or your body. Next...... we’ll use this. It’s a painstaking piece of work I made myself. I think it’s a waste to shoot it.」

「Who cares, just shoot it already! If I’m no good, then I’ll offer Laurie’s body!」

「Claire-sama! I don’t want to be embraced by anyone other than my love......」

Balbano ignores both the frantic Claire and fidgeting Laurie and shouts.

「Load the cluster bomb. Distance is...... 1500...... fire!」

Urgan roared with another blast from its barrel.

The shell flew parallel to the ground at the enemy cavalry running toward Lintbloom, then it exploded over their heads.

「Eh, it burst in midair?」

「It’s a failure!? Stubby legs! Worthless! Beard face!」

It was by no means a failure.

When the shell exploded in the air, the ground beneath was showered like there was a torrential downpour.

「Gyaa!」「Kuge!」「Hiih!」

That bomb sprayed small fragments of debris over a wide area, each piece launching at the incoming South Yuguria cavalry with a violent force.

Many of the enemy soldiers tumbled to the ground so quickly that it almost seemed like a joke.

South Yuguria soldiers stop charging when they saw the unbelievable sight.

「This is the last one! A precious metal was used to make this masterpiece too. Super heavy piercing shell, fire!」

A heavier boom than all the ones that came before it resounded and the black shell was launched.

Unlike the others, this shell moved so slow that its course could be seen by the naked eye.

「A special alloy was heavily used. It weighs a few dozens of times more than the previous one.」

The black shell gently floats and drops down on the enemy.

「It’s a shell that uses its weight to bury deep into the ground and sends the enemy flying from underneath when it explodes.」

The projectile falls right in the center of the enemies.

The huge thud could be heard as it hits the ground, but there was no critical explosion sound.

「Hm?」

It happened right when Balbano made a curious expression.

There was a small explosion and the ground barely shakes.

「You call that fart an explosion?」

「How strange, I made sure to pack it full of explosives.」

It was right when Balbano tilted his head.

The ground shook again. This time it was more evident and powerful than before.

Following that, the sounds of cracking, like rocks splitting apart, can be heard.

Balbano and the dwarves turn paler.

As if the earlier confidence did not exist, their short legs carry them all over in a panic.

「Not good, that area had a thin layer of bedrock!?」

「This is bad! Did it blast right through!?」

「It might have blasted a hole connecting to the abyss!」

Claire tilts her head in confusion.

「Abyss?」

「Under the world we live in, there is an endless hole of infinite darkness. It is a pitch-black realm where grotesque monsters dwell―― which is normally sealed off by cave-ins when the tunnels are connected, but if a hole is created in an open space like this......」

The surface of the ground in the middle of the enemy dents and sinks down. The diameter of the hole is about 10 meters.

Enemies fall into that bottomless pit.

Since the casualties themselves were nothing more than a couple soldiers dropping into the chasm, the enemy didn’t seem very concerned.

「A hole? Everyone, stay away.」

「We suffered minimal losses. It’s nothing compared to the ones before.」

「Just don’t clump together. Another one of those shells might come......」

As the enemy tries to reorganize themselves, the inhabitants of the hole appear.

And then hell emerges.

「Eh? What, a spider?」

Without a sound, a giant spider 3 meters tall crawls out from the hole.

Before the soldiers could comprehend what that thing was, the creature grabs the leg of a soldier and jabs a long, slender tubular mouth right into his head through the helmet.

「Fueh? Hakyukyu...... kuhi?」

Slurping sounds like a dirty fruit juice being sucked forcefully through a straw can be heard as the soldier’s eyes are dislodged in different directions.

The soldier makes incoherent sounds and flails his arms and legs, but eventually becomes limp.

By the time the nearby soldiers realized what was going on, the poor soldier’s body was turned into something resembling that of a dried fish and snapped into two pieces.

「......that thing sucked out his brain?」

「You’re kidding...... more of those things are coming out!?」

A seemingly never-ending line of those bizarre spiders climbed out.

「Uwaaah!!」

A centipede several meters long chases after a soldier trying to escape on horseback.

With twice the speed of a horse running at full throttle, there was no way he could outrun it.

The centipede coiled around the cavalry and awful screaming and neighing followed soon after.

Ensuring its prey won’t get away by wrapping its body around multiple times, the centipede proceeds to use its curved sickle-like pincers to tear off the horse’s legs, then sever the soldier’s limbs and head, before swallowing them whole.

「Bastard!」

A fellow soldier attempts to stab the centipede with a spear, only for that spear to break when it collides with the creature’s hard exoskeleton.

The moment the man retracts his body in mute astonishment, a worm the size of a human arm attaches itself to the man’s back.

「Higuh!」

The worm slides itself down to the waistband of his pants and enters, squirming its way inside the soldier’s body through the anus using the slippery mucus all over its body.

「Stop! Geboh!」

Despite the man’s struggling, the worm continues to invade into the intestines. A strange bulge emerges within his stomach and something inside writhes around like his organs were a separate living organism.

「Hey, hang in there!」

Another fellow soldier cuts off the part of the worm still sticking out of the man’s body, but that doesn’t stop the part of the worm that already got inside.

「Gubobh!」

Eventually, the man vomits blood probably from his insides getting eaten.

Altogether, the man’s screams stop and the worm stops moving, creating an eerie silence.

「...... hey.」

It happened as soon as the companion approached the man timidly.

「Geh.」

With a pop, tentacles burst out from the man’s eyes, ears, nose, mouth, instantly killing him.

「Gyaaaaaaaaaaah!!」

The morale of the South Yuguria soldiers was crushed after seeing a disastrous scene unlike that of a battlefield, which led to everybody abandoning their weapons and starting to run.

All 3000 soldiers scattered in all directions begging for help, leaving not a single soul heading toward Lintbloom.

However, hundreds of spiders, centipedes, worms, and other unimaginable insects spilled out from the hole to predate on the South Yuguria soldiers.

A man gets punctured in the head, neck, chest and stomach by four different spiders and dries up instantly.

A centipede drags the upper half of a horse and the lower half of a man back into the hole.

A worm enters through the genitals of a woman, who convulses greatly as the creature slithers up and out of her mouth.

「How terrible......」

「This is a nightmare...... no, it’s literally hell.」

In no more than a few minutes, the tumultuous noise settled down and the monstrous creatures slunk back into the hole where they came from.

Remaining on the ground were countless blood stains and a tiny amount of human fragments, not a single South Yuguria soldier.

Lastly, two frogs peeked their heads out stealthily and after darting their tongues out, pulled in an arm back into their mouths.

「W-what are you all doing!!? Seal the hole!! If those things overflow outside, the world will end, much less the city!!」

「Everyone, bring whatever you can to fill the hole! Bury it before those things show up again!」

The first one to stand back up is Claire, who coordinates the dwarves and the humans to plug the hole.

Fortunately, the part connecting to the abyss is as narrow as the opening of the hole and the fissure could be blocked without letting those abnormalities out.

「Fuui...... it’s over......」

「We’re safe......」

The dwarves’ special hardening agent was used to fortify the seal and everyone helped to cave in the tunnel with the surrounding rocks.

「The Urgan is banned, never to be used again. The barrel will also be sealed.」

「Umu, it’s a shame, but I have no objections.」

Claire sighs and sits down on top of Balbano who is lying face down.

「Let us also send word to Rafen. “The enemy has been defeated” ...... should be sufficient.」

「I don’t have the energy to write anything more complicated, so that’s fine.」

Laurie also exhales wearily and plops herself on top of Balbano’s back.

「「I’m exhausted......」」

And so, Lintbloom was successfully defended.

Protagonist: Aegir Hardlett. 25 years old. Summer.

Status: Goldonia Kingdom Margrave. Great Feudal Lord of Eastern Area. Mountain Legend. Friend of the Dwarves. Friend of the King of Aless. Dragon Slayer Hero.

Elf Mediator. Sex King of White City.

Family:

Nonna (legal wife), Carla (going to battle), Mel (welcoming), Miti (welcoming), Maria (welcoming), Catherine (welcoming)

Brynhildr (vampire), Gretel (welcoming), Melissa (naked in public), Kuu (welcoming), Ruu (welcoming)

Mireille (going to battle), Pipi (touched down), Casie (missing), Rita (head maid), Yoguri (playwright), Leah (injured)

Marceline (welcoming), Daughters – Stephanie (welcoming), Bridget (welcoming), Felicie (welcoming)

Natia (rich), Sofia (welcoming), Sekrit (off on her own)

Sebastian (butler), Dorothea (capital mansion supervisor), Claudia (victory), Clara (given up)

Celestina (welcoming), Monica (welcoming), Adela (continuing decoy)

Subordinates:

Celia (adjutant), Myla (commander), Marta (attendant), Irijina (commander), Peticheri (intelligence), Luna (commander), Ruby (commander), Gido (fighting hard), Polte (temporary adjutant)

Leopolt (staff officer), Tristan (staff officer)

Claire & Laurie (total exhaustion), Lilian (relaxing), Kroll (fighting hard), Alma (servant)

Rafen Defense:

Adolph (liberated), Jim (adjutant), Suzy (useless), Solana (useless)

Felteris (fatigued), Alice (fatigued)

Non-humans:

Lammy (planting), Alraune (potted plant), Mirumi (having a meal), Balbano (moving)

Pet:

Pochi (touched down), Messerschmitt (worthless dog), Schwartz (mating)

Citizens: 220,000 (uncertain in wartime)

Major Cities – Rafen: 40,000. Lintbloom: 7000. Special Cultivation District: 14,000.

Rafen Defense Force:

Escort: 130 men ⇒ 130 men

Security: 140 men ⇒ 150 men

Guards: 450 men ⇒ 460 men

Evacuating soldiers: 250 men ⇒ 270 men

Volunteer Soldiers: 7500 men ⇒ 8000 men

Mountain Nation: 5000

Aless Soldiers: 3990 men

Alraune: 1

Mermaids: 900

Pochi: 1

Harpies: 26 ⇒ 30 + 4 eggs

Frontal Warfront: 23 450 men

Infantry: 14 000, Cavalry: 1500, Archers: 1500, Bow Cavalry: 6000, Cannoneers: 450

Cannons: 60, Large Cannons: 30, Dwarven Cannons: 16, Field Artillery: 20, Chariots: 50

Capital: 14 000 men

Aless Soldiers: 10 000 men

Assets: 170 000 gold

Sexual Partners: 782, children who have been born: 68 + 565 + ???

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