第２０８掘：おまけたちの決断 (Part1)
**Chapter 208: The Decision of the Extras**
*Note: Character designs have been posted in the activity report. Feel free to take a look and try to guess which character is which.*
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**The Decision of the Extras**
**Side: Prism, Enaria General, Dual-Wielding Magic Sword User**
We were so close—just a little further and we would have been in position to attack the city of Betan.
But perhaps our choice of encampment was poor; the weight of 120,000 soldiers proved too much, and the ground simply gave way beneath us.
"Guh...! Someone, report the situation!"
Falling from such a height, hitting the ground directly would surely mean death, even for me. I didn't even have time to draw my magic swords before the floor vanished. I desperately unleashed the power of my blades to slow my descent, but I still slammed into the ground, leaving me gasping for air.
"Agil? Agil, are you alright?!"
I forced my trembling body up and scanned the area. My horse, unfortunately, had not survived the fall.
*Damn it.* I had managed to dampen my impact with the wind magic sword, but Agil’s sword was of the lightning element. A terrible thought crossed my mind.
"I’m fine. A bit sticky, though."
Agil’s voice drifted clearly through the dust.
"Thank goodness. You aren't hurt?"
"Yeah. As you can see, there’s some kind of... water, I suppose, underneath us. The other soldiers seem mostly unharmed as well. I guess there wasn't any of that water where you landed, Prism. Your horse just had bad luck."
"...I see."
Wait. Did I blow away the landing zone with my wind magic sword, effectively clearing away the water that acted as a cushion?
...Did my horse die because I did something unnecessary?
Right. Let’s not think about that. What matters now is assessing the state of the army!
"Agil, do you understand what happened?"
"Yeah. As you can see looking up, it’s not so much that we fell into a giant hole, but that the ground itself collapsed. It would be impossible to dig a pitfall large enough to swallow 120,000 soldiers, so this must be a natural disaster. Man, what a mess."
Agil was laughing, but this was no laughing matter.
"This isn't a joke, Agil. If we don't regroup quickly, the Zilba army at our target destination will strike us while we're vulnerable."
"I know, I know. But it’s not like they’ll be here this instant. We need to be swift, but haste makes waste, Prism."
"...You're right. For now... not everyone in our forces could have been caught in the collapse, so we should cooperate with the units that remained on the surface."
Agil’s words helped me cool my head. This was a massive blunder, yes, but shouting wouldn't fix it. All I could do was grasp the situation and reorganize.
"Exactly. I’m just your vice-general, after all. You need to stay composed. Look, the report we’ve been waiting for is here."
Following Agil’s gaze, I saw a messenger running toward us.
"E-excuse me! May I report the current status?"
"That is what I asked for. Proceed."
"First, it appears that our entire main force has been caught in this natural disaster."
"What?!"
"Oh, that’s more than I expected," Agil remarked.
"The height we fell is roughly 20 meters. You can see it from here—that wall above is the original ground level."
As the dust settled, I saw the wall the soldier was pointing to. I was stunned by the height. It was a miracle we were even alive.
"What about the casualties? And the supplies?"
"We are still counting the injured, but miraculously, there are no reports of fatalities yet. There are many wounded, but the number of serious injuries is quite small, only around a hundred. It seems we owe that to the strange creatures on the ground."
"Strange creatures?"
"What do you mean, 'strange creatures'!"
Agil was more excited than I was. Well, he was a researcher, so I suppose that was to be expected. But right now, we needed to focus on the situation, not the wildlife.
"Agil, let’s put the creature talk aside for a moment. First, the situation. It’s fortunate there are no deaths, but to think the entire main force fell... The supplies are scattered from the impact. It can't be helped. Retrieve the siege bridges and ropes from the wreckage. We need to contact the supply unit in the rear. They’ll realize our situation and head toward us. We must contact them and find a way out."
"My apologies, General Prism. As you said, the supplies were scattered, but those strange creatures have... eaten the ladders and ropes. We have almost no means to climb that wall."
"What?"
"Whoa! Whoa! What are those creatures?! That’s incredible! A new discovery!"
"...Be quiet, Agil."
"Yes, ma'am."
"No way to climb, you say? Are there really no ladders or ropes left? Surely they didn't get all of them..."
"It appears they did. For some reason, those creatures latched onto our supplies and seem to prefer consuming the ladders and ropes."
How could this happen?
"We tried to stop them, of course, but they are... well, they are like that water-like creature over there..."
The soldier pointed to a mass of translucent, yellowish water wriggling in the distance.
"Whoa! That really is a strange creature!"
Agil immediately tried to approach it, but I grabbed him to stop him.
"Stop! We don't know what kind of danger it poses. It might be a monster."
When I pulled him back and told him that, Agil froze. He finally understood.
"Ah, I see. So this is a Slime! A magical creature from ancient times! It has a body made of water, just like the books said. Amazing, it’s the real thing! But the books said slimes prey on living things... I see, they’ve been underground for so long that they started eating dirt and stone instead of creatures! They aren't attacking us because they don't see us as food! Hmm, but that’s strange. Slimes are supposed to exist only in ruins and dungeons. Oh, could there be a dungeon around here?"
...This research-obsessed idiot.
But Agil’s insight was vital right now. I had to get more information; there might be a way to climb out of here.
"Oh, right, Prism. If they’ve dissolved our ropes and ladders, our food supplies are in danger too. We need to gather them and set up a defense, or we’re in trouble."
"Say that first! Gather the remaining supplies immediately and keep them away from the slimes!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
I issued the orders in a panic. I couldn't let the situation get any worse.
"Agil. Just give me the information I need to escape this. Dungeons are just ruins, right?"
"Yeah. That slime is proof. According to ancient texts, the underground structures we call ruins are officially known as dungeons."
"And what exactly is a 'dungeon'?"
"Hmm. Well, they often contain incredible treasures. They’re designed to stir the spirit of adventure. And since the books say monsters spawn there infinitely, it’s probably a waste of time to fight these slimes. Dungeons are built to lure in adventurers, and as I mentioned, they have treasures, and sometimes 'safe zones'—places where strange monsters won't approach."
"...Wait. You’re saying that trying to defeat these slimes to secure the area is..."
"A waste of stamina. Even if they don't respawn instantly, we’re essentially stranded in enemy territory. Instead of wasting our strength here, I recommend finding a safe zone within the dungeon, or moving to a place like a corridor where we can limit the number of enemies we face at once."
"...I see. If the enemy finds us and starts firing arrows from above, we’ll be sitting ducks..."
"Exactly. Entering the dungeon is risky, but being slaughtered by the enemy is a bigger problem. If they drop oil and use fire, it’ll be a nightmare."
...He was right. Our situation was as close to a nightmare as it could get. We couldn't afford to fight slimes to secure this spot when the enemy could arrive at any moment.