第１９５１堀：最前線の町の中 (Part1)
Chapter 1951: Inside the Frontline Town
Inside the Frontline Town
Side: Vilia
“...It seems Brother views the current situation with more gravity than I anticipated.”
“No, Vilia, it’s genuinely dire. The atmosphere in this town of Ando is, conversely, quite intense.”
“That’s true. With around 300 raids occurring every single day, supplies are stretched to the breaking point. It wouldn’t be strange if things collapsed at any moment...”
“And yet, it is precisely because it’s holding together that there is such vitality. It’s on the razor’s edge, but it hasn’t crumbled.”
Nina-san and the others might be right.
Every day, large-scale raids take place, leaving the soldiers—and naturally, the adventurers—exhausted.
Of course, simply defeating monsters doesn’t generate income for the nation; the monsters must be retrieved and dismantled. This requires recovery operations, dismantling work involving the Adventurer’s Guild, and the constant replenishment of consumables.
Naturally, items like stones and arrows are expended, and swords and armor suffer wear and tear with every use.
Furthermore, soldiers and adventurers must eat.
That is why people gather here, and why the town of Ando is overflowing with such frantic energy.
At a glance, it doesn’t look like they believe they will lose the war, but if this continues, it’s only a matter of time.
“Well, yeah. If they thought it was truly hopeless, there wouldn’t be any vitality left in this town.”
“Exactly. We’ve seen countries like that many times, so we know.”
“Yes. That, at least, is something to be grateful for. Once people truly believe they are going to lose, it is incredibly difficult to turn things around.”
“Is it really that difficult to recover once things start to tilt?”
I asked, curious.
I have studied this subject, so I understand the theory, but I have never personally felt the suffocating spread of an atmosphere that says, *we are losing—no, we are going to lose.*
However, these three have survived countless battles across the If Continent.
As their words suggest, there is no doubt they have witnessed such states of collapse many times.
I wanted to hear the opinions and impressions of those three.
“Vilia, you’ve likely never experienced that firsthand. To be honest, it’s extremely difficult.”
“Indeed. Because defeat is visible to everyone’s eyes, they give up. In other words, they prioritize fleeing. No one wants to challenge a battle they cannot win. That is the job of the military, but...”
“Vilia, you must have experienced this in training exercises. When the situation becomes decisive and it’s clear you’ve lost, your allies start to feel like there’s no other choice, right?”
“Ah, yes. That has happened.”
After all, I was the one leading them.
My opponents were all older sisters with far more experience than I.
No matter how I struggled...
“...I see. So everyone feels this way. And unlike a training exercise...”
“Exactly. Your life is on the line. In that moment, more people choose to run to a safe place rather than attempt a desperate, all-or-nothing attack.”
“Or rather, they have no choice. Ordinary people cannot fight. They might even become a hindrance. When that happens, people vanish from the town. In other words, the vitality disappears. And when the vitality disappears...”
“The supplies vanish. Merchants and the like will leave, so replenishment becomes impossible. It becomes a problem that transcends the battle itself. It’s a downward spiral.”
If the military knows it will lose, the residents living there will naturally understand they are no longer safe.
It is only natural for them to flee, and the same goes for those who conduct business.
As a result, people leave, and the vitality fades.
Indeed, as Siera-san says, this is a downward spiral.
“Of course, there are those who will fight and win regardless, but they are the minority. The chances of that leading to victory...”
“Are extremely low. Of course, it’s not zero. That is how people become heroes or legends.”
“Well, for anyone with a normal sensibility, fleeing is the standard response.”
“I see. Indeed, if one can fight and achieve victory under such circumstances, they are truly a hero or a champion.”
To stand up and produce results while one’s heart is on the verge of breaking is no simple task.
“Well, above us, there are those who even make use of the fact that they are ‘losing’.”
“To begin with, the idea that we are losing is likely a mistake. It’s a deception, a ruse.”
“Yuki would use such tactics, but he would arrange things so that such a situation never arises in the first place.”
“Ahaha, that’s true.”
I cannot imagine a situation where Brother would be cornered to that extent.
Well, there was that kidnapping-like incident personally, but even then, he flipped the situation in the blink of an eye.
What is important is...
“Brother always says: never stop thinking, no matter the circumstances. The current conditions, information on allies and enemies, the terrain, the objective, the victory conditions, the defeat conditions—you can even change those. Keep some leeway.”
“Isn’t that just ‘anything goes’?”
“It’s useless to say anything to Yuki. If it’s not a game played by the rules, there is no defeat. You just have to refuse to admit you’ve lost.”
“That’s right. That man is the type to turn a loss into a victory.”
It’s a harsh way to put it, but I can’t deny it.
That is exactly what makes Brother so amazing.
He doesn’t let failure end as failure.
He flips failure into success.
That is Brother’s greatest talent.
“In other words, the current situation is bad if you think it’s bad. But from Yuki’s perspective, it’s good.”
“Well, that’s correct. After all, there is still vitality here, and there are still people.”
“Yes, Yuki views the current situation with gravity, but he doesn’t think it’s beyond repair. That’s why our movements are also important.”
“I understand. Thank you for the talk. So, how should we proceed from here?”
Now that the explanation regarding the town’s vitality was finished, the question of what to do next became paramount.
After all, nothing changes by just holding a meeting here.
There is no doubt that both the town of Ando and the fortress are gradually having their strength whittled away.
“First, let’s confirm our current situation. We have reported the state of the town as requested by Yuki. As we just discussed, there is vitality, and supplies are arriving not only from the Ioa mainland but also from Faiana.”
“There is movement of people, too. Not just merchants, but adventurers, and those regarding migration.”
“It was strange to see people coming to such a frontline, but indeed, one can feel the potential here.”
“People looking to strike it rich, right?”
“Yeah. Since the fighting is intensifying, they’re likely dreaming of making a name for themselves in battle, or finding success in business or other ventures. The migration seems to be a policy of sorts.”
“If people don’t come, the vitality will vanish. The policy to gather people is not a mistake if it helps stabilize the defense of the fortress.”
That’s right. This town of Ando has a fair number of ordinary people who have migrated here.