落とし穴番外：自然に立ち向かう (Part1)
Pitfall Side Story: Confronting Nature
It’s been a while since I’ve written a self-contained short story.
These have been getting rarer lately, haven't they?
Confronting Nature
Side: John
"Yo. Everyone’s here, I see."
As I said that, the three people already seated at the table looked up at me.
"Oh. What’s this all about? A sudden meeting?"
First was Steve.
He’s officially the General of the Monster Army, but lately, he’s mostly been treated as the captain of a special forces unit under the Dungeon Master's orders.
"Hey, come on. If you’ve got something to say, just spit it out."
Well, never mind the corporate-slave goblin; next was...
"And on a day off, no less."
Not only did he say that, but Surakichi-san’s body had liquefied, spreading out over the sofa in a display of pure lethargy.
It’s a mystery how he can be in a liquid state without getting the sofa wet at all.
"It’s fine, isn’t it? Everyone’s been so busy lately, we rarely get a chance to sit down and see each other like this."
Right, the one soothing Surakichi-san is Mino-chan, the conscience of our Monster Army.
"My bad, my bad. It’s just that this is something I can only ask for on a day off. I’ll treat you all to yakiniku tonight to make up for it. Deal?"
"Hmm. Yakiniku, you say? But if it’s some low-grade place..."
"I know. It’s the top-tier stuff."
"Oh? You’re going for the highest grade? And no ordering limits, of course?"
"I know. Eat as much as you want!"
"Oh, aren’t you generous! Can I eat too?"
"Of course. Mino-chan, you eat your fill as well."
" " "Ohhh!!" " "
I am a general leading the Monster Army, so I do receive a decent salary.
However, setting Steve aside, Surakichi-san and Mino-chan have massive appetites; they eat several times more than an average person.
To be honest, since I hand my entire paycheck to my wife and only get a small allowance, this is quite a heavy burden.
But right now—only for right now—I have to see this through, no matter the sacrifice.
"So, what is it that you need us for so badly?"
"Yeah. Let’s get this over with quickly so we can go eat."
"That’s right. If the four of us work together, we can handle it."
"I’ll explain once we arrive at the location."
With that, I led the three of them through the gate, which opened up to reveal a magnificent field.
"Ah, what is this? Harvesting the fields?"
"Is this the usual stuff? If so, you should just use your subordinates."
"I’m sure it’s not that simple."
They each voiced their own impressions, but that wasn't it.
If it were just a simple harvest, I would have deployed the Orc units.
We are, after all, soldier-farmers.
But there was a different reason I went out of my way to call these three.
As if waiting for our arrival, a man came running through the field toward us.
"Oh!! You’ve come, my friend John! Oh, and Steve and the others too!"
The one who came running over was...
"Ah, isn't that Faide-sama?"
Yes, it was my close friend, the God of Agriculture, Faide.
"So, what’s the situation?"
"It’s quite dire. I can’t believe I, of all people, completely forgot that these things existed on the If Continent..."
"It can’t be helped. We’ve been doing all our cultivation inside the dungeon lately. Things like this rarely happen there."
"...Thank you, John. But I knew, and yet I was still caught off guard. That is inexcusable. But, but there is still time. Everyone, please lend me your strength."
Faide bowed his head, pleading with Steve and the others.
I couldn't just stand by and watch that coldly.
"I’m asking you too. Please, help us. I beg of you."
I lined up beside him and bowed my head, seeking their aid.
"Uh, I’m not opposed to helping, but... first, explain the situation."
"Agreed. If it’s reached the level where Faide and John are begging for help, it must be pretty bad, right?"
"That’s right. Shouldn’t we contact the boss..."
"There’s no time for that. Or rather, he already rejected the idea!"
" " "Rejected?" " "
Yes, the Dungeon Master had rejected it immediately.
He had abandoned our fields!
"...I understand the Dungeon Master's reasoning, but I still can't abandon them!"
"Yes, neither can I. That’s why, even if it’s just a small group, I needed connections."
"Uh, I still don’t know the details, but you’re asking for help because you want to maintain a place the boss ordered to be abandoned?"
"That’s right."
"But John, you guys want to defend it to the death? ...Wait, if human lives were at stake, Yuki wouldn't order an abandonment, right?"
"That’s right. As Surakichi-san said, I don’t think he’d order an abandonment if lives were at risk. Especially without notifying us."
Steve and the others looked at each other, tilting their heads in confusion.
Ah, right, I hadn't mentioned the most important part.
"Ah, my apologies. There is no risk to human life. What is currently in crisis is the field we built in a corner of the If Continent."
" " "The field?" " "
"Yes. Our enemy is... locusts."
" " "Locusts!?" " "
Yes, what we were about to face was the locust—a crop-destroying menace even more terrifying than any monster!
Our mission was to annihilate them.
"Wait a second. When you say locusts, do you mean a locust plague that devours crops?"
"Are we talking about a hundred of them popping up and needing to be exterminated?"
"The former."
When I said that firmly, Mino-chan immediately spoke up.
"No, the former means a plague!? T-that’s impossible. If the enemy is insects, negotiation and intimidation won’t work at all!"
"That’s why I need your help."
"...Uh, couldn't you just ask the boss to hide the field with a dungeon skill?"
"I proposed that and asked for it, but he said that if we did that, the locusts' migration route might shift to other countries, so he told us to use our fields as bait and burn them out."
"That’s rational. If you know where the locusts are coming, you just have to surround and annihilate them there."
"That’s right. So, John, you guys are trying to do something about it yourselves?"
"Yes. I understand the Dungeon Master's opinion well. I understand it, so I won’t defy him, and I’m not asking for anything unreasonable. But, but..."