落とし穴番外：自然に立ち向かう (Part2)
"I can't just stand by, hands folded, watching the fields we've poured our hearts into being mercilessly devoured—and to think they’d even resort to burning them down... I can't just watch such an outrage happen."
Faide and I spoke our true feelings.
"Please, help us."
"..."
"I know I’m asking for the impossible. But this is the only thing I could think of. With the mobilization of soldiers forbidden and dungeon skills restricted, I have no choice but to act personally."
"I fully understand that this might be worthless to you all. But..."
Faide and I pleaded, desperate enough to pray to the gods, trying to convince them.
"Can't be helped, I suppose. I’ve been wanting some grilled meat anyway, so let’s give it a shot."
"Request accepted. Abandoning a mission isn't something a soldier does."
"That’s right. Besides, you don't need a reason to help a friend. Though, I doubt we’ll be able to save much."
"You guys..."
"Steve-kun... everyone..."
"Yeah, yeah. Before you get all emotional, give us the intel on the enemy and the situation."
"Right. We can't move without information."
"This time, John and Faide-san will be the commanders. Use us as much as you need."
Ah, I am truly blessed with such good friends.
"Alright! Understood. I’ll explain the strategy immediately!"
With these friends by my side, I will never lose to mere locusts!
"The area to be defended this time is from here to here on this map—about four hectares. We will..."
"Impossible."
"..."
"..."
Huh? Why did I just hear a chorus of rejection?
"Well, I know we don't have enough people, but you guys are elite, right? There must be a way to use wide-area attacks, so I want to build the strategy around that."
"Calling us elite is one thing, but what are five people supposed to do with a field that's 400 meters on each side?"
"Since you said 'wide-area,' shouldn't we just handle them before they reach the fields?"
"Ah, I see. Is that the plan, then, John?"
"Yeah. That’s the most realistic approach. Personally, I think we should just burn them with a wide-area attack. Fortunately, there are no houses nearby."
Yes, my perfect strategy: the total might of the four generals of the Weed Monster Army would annihilate and eliminate the locusts with a wide-area flamethrower!
We wouldn't burn, and the locusts would be completely incinerated!
*Sizzle, sizzle...*
The delicious aroma of roasting meat reached my nose.
However, my body, burned white and exhausted, wouldn't move an inch.
"So, the locusts turned into flaming bullets, attacked the fields anyway, and devoured and burned everything to the ground?"
"That’s right. Man, that was terrifying, wasn't it?"
"They kept advancing even while on fire. Well, they wouldn't burn out instantly, would they?"
"It’s not that we couldn't produce enough firepower to incinerate them in an instant, but if we did that, we’d have to worry about the fire spreading to everything else."
"That’s exactly why I said it was impossible. Well, at least the locust numbers dropped significantly in John and Faide’s fields. Still, to think you managed to do that much against a swarm numbering in the hundreds of millions..."
Yes, in the end, we couldn't protect the fields. Those fields.
Or rather, I hadn't truly understood.
The number of locusts was staggering.
The sky suddenly darkened, and they descended in countless numbers, like a violent storm.
Burning all of that was impossible.
"Well, John, Faide. Cheer up. I’ll treat you to some grilled meat here."
"General..."
"Yuki-dono..."
And thus, the battle between Faide and me against the locusts ended in a miserable defeat.
How was it?
Even the mighty members of Weed cannot defeat nature.
That is the story.
Be careful of locusts if they start swarming!