第１９２０堀：さあ時が来た (Part2)
"Kirika. Honestly, what are we looking at in terms of numbers?"
"At best... perhaps a thousand. About two hundred are adventurers. Even if they scrape together every able body, they can't exactly throw conscripts who aren't even regular soldiers onto the front lines. Manning the walls for a defensive stand is the most they can hope for."
"True enough."
You can't expect amateurs to maintain a formation and fight effectively against monsters. It would result in nothing but a mountain of corpses.
"Furthermore, the monster horde is primarily composed of Orcs, with about twenty Ogres acting as unit commanders," Kirika added.
"Even for the average person, a Goblin is one thing, but an Orc is out of the question. Among adventurers, slaying an Orc is the proof of being full-fledged—and even then, the standard is to take one down as a party, not solo."
"Yeah, I figured..."
The fact that those Orcs were coming in a massive swarm made the situation dire. However, there were still factors I hadn't fully grasped. Specifically...
"Considering there are Ogres in the mix, the town of Uesa is doomed unless they have some seriously powerful individuals on hand. Nina, did your reconnaissance pick up on the strength of the local heavy hitters?"
That was the key: the military assets Uesa actually possessed. In this world, a single person over level 100 with top-tier equipment could potentially mow down an entire Orc swarm by themselves. That was the fundamental difference from Earth—here, individuals could exert power that transcended human limits to decimate armies.
『I didn't scout every single person, but from what I've confirmed, there are two people in the level 50 range: the captain of the Lord’s knight order and the Guild Master of the Adventurer’s Guild. Beyond them, there are three or four in their 40s. A fair number in their 30s, but the vast majority are between levels 10 and 20.』
"Hmm, that's underwhelming. At that level, they won't be able to handle multiple Ogres."
"Indeed. Unless they fight with suicidal desperation, taking down twenty would be a tall order. Plus, the Orcs are acting as the vanguard. We've confirmed the presence of high-tier Orc variants among them, so the tactical outlook is extremely grim."
A level 50 individual would be powerful enough to serve as a general in most nations on the continents of Rogari or If. The fact that such people were just stationed in a town suggested the average level in this northern region was high, but whether they could stop this specific horde was another matter entirely.
『It's impossible. They'll likely have to abandon the town, won't they?』
"No, they might plan to abandon it, but a rear guard will have to stay behind. There isn't enough time for a full evacuation."
To fully evacuate a town of ten thousand people, you'd need at least two days. Minimum. And with the inevitable chaos, it would likely take even longer. That meant someone would have to buy time for the civilians to escape.
『Wait a second. We could intercept them ourselves, couldn't we?』
『If we do that, we'll draw too much attention to ourselves. Right now, we don't even know where the enemy's eyes are situat—oh.』
『Ah... we *do* have those, don't we?』
Before I could even suggest it, it seemed they had realized there was a way to intercept the monsters without revealing their true identities.
『Um, Big Brother? You don't mean...』
Vilia spoke up, her voice trailing off as her face twitched. Yes, she was imagining exactly what I was thinking.
"Exactly. We have the Hero Suits. Besides, having a flashy, obvious 'enemy' to focus on makes things easier for you guys to manage the narrative."
『...Are you serious?』
"Dead serious. It's the only way to break the current stalemate. Rather than sending suspicious reinforcements from Weed, it's better for Nina and the others already on-site to 'transform' and help. It's the perfect cover to deceive the enemy's eyes."
『Nina, just give up. Look on the bright side—at least we don't have to worry about sneaking in or knocking out guards anymore.』
『I suppose you're right. If we do nothing, there will be countless casualties. That wouldn't be good for us, either.』
『Yes! If it's to protect the people, we should do it!』 Vilia declared, having found her resolve.
『*Sigh.* Fine, I get it. But will you leave the method of our 'entrance' to us?』
"Sure. I mean, I probably don't need to tell you this, but make sure you do it in a way that really stands out, okay?"
『Understood.』
With that, the transmission cut out.
"Is this really okay? Leaving the judgment to them?"
"Nina understands their position, so it'll be fine. As for how they'll make their debut... well, I'm looking forward to the show."
Would it be a dramatic hero's entrance, or would they be branded as suspicious lunatics? You never really knew until you tried.
Finally, the moment had come. Would the champions of justice arrive in time? What fate awaited the soldiers on the line?
Next time: The Debut of the Just Heroes!