第１９５２堀：色々考えて現状維持かな？ (Part1)
Chapter 1952: After Much Consideration, Status Quo?
Side: Yuki
"Alright, first, I'm heading to the Adventurer's Guild."
"Understood. I'll leave it to you."
Nina and the others had infiltrated—or rather, arrived in—the town of And, and after receiving their report, I decided to head straight for the Adventurer's Guild.
To be honest, I’ve judged that in the current state of the war, we have no time to waste on petty power struggles.
If our opponents are genuinely plotting something, it wouldn't be strange for the defensive lines to collapse at any moment.
While I’m grateful that the town is bustling with life, we can’t afford to move at a leisurely pace; we don't have the luxury of such optimism.
Well, if we do get dragged into those kinds of political power plays, then so be it.
I’d prefer to avoid it, but I suppose that’s just a matter of luck.
No, it’s a certainty that we’ll get dragged in eventually, but for now, I need to set that aside and focus entirely on the defense of the North.
"Hey, dear."
As I was lost in these thoughts, Seraria, who was monitoring the situation with me, called out.
"What is it? Did something catch your eye?"
"I don't have any doubts about the movements of Nina and Vilia, but... I’ve found a potential hole in the defense of the North—or rather, the town of And. It’s about that area that looks like a narrow passage."
"Ah, that place. And?"
"Do you think that might be a feint?"
"I don't know. There’s too little information."
"I suppose you're right."
Seraria wasn't really looking for an answer from me; she let out a deflated sigh almost immediately.
Truly, when it comes to this offensive—or rather, the movements of the New Continent—nothing makes sense.
It feels like we’re constantly one step behind, stuck in a cycle of reactive measures.
Kina was screaming about it earlier, and honestly, I feel like screaming too.
But, I have a few theories.
"Since we have so little information, I’ll just let my wild speculations run free."
"Let me hear them."
"I don't know if it’s a feint or not, but since the enemy is sending in mixed units of monsters, there’s no doubt that someone is acting as a commander."
"That goes without saying."
This is a shared understanding among the upper echelons of Weed.
As seen with the incident in the town of Uesa, ordinary monsters often fight among themselves due to territorial disputes, even within the same species. The fact that they are cooperating across different species only happens during a Great Stampede, or when there is a commander present—like a Dungeon Master, a Demon Lord, or a Monster Tamer.
Well, strictly speaking, the causes behind a Great Stampede are different, involving Dungeon Masters or a state of monster saturation, but that’s beside the point. In short:
"We can assume they are sending their forces to the fortress with a specific plan in mind. And that could also be interpreted as them being wary of us—the people of the North."
"Well, that’s true."
"Then the question becomes, why are they wary? What do you think they’re afraid of?"
Seraria tilted her head at my question, but after a moment of contemplation, she replied.
"There could be many reasons, but the first thing that comes to mind is that they’re afraid they might lose, right?"
"Exactly. That’s the biggest factor. If they knew they could win, they would have already used their numbers to overwhelm us."
The number of monsters approaching the fortress is high every day, yet we’ve managed to repel them.
But why don't they increase those numbers? Why do they keep attacking daily, only to have their forces whittled down?
We have those questions, but that’s only because we know the reality of the situation—the exhaustion levels of And’s forces.
Seraria, though a Queen now, was once a princess who led armies as a general. Perhaps she understood what I was getting at, as her eyes widened.
"You mean they aren't pushing forward because they don't know our actual situation?"
"It’s highly likely. And besides, Ioa isn't their only strategic objective, is it? They are a Demon Lord, after all."
"Ah..."
It wasn't just Seraria; Vilia and the others on the other side of the screen, as well as the other members watching the situation, all voiced their realization in unison.
It seems everyone’s perspective had narrowed due to the North being on the brink of collapse.
Then again, I *did* exaggerate the situation in the North to keep them on their toes.
"Well, whether they are truly a Demon Lord or not, a country won't fall just because one fortress is lost. To put it bluntly, while it is a frontline fortress, its loss wouldn't mean the end of the country, let alone the others."
"I feel bad for the people living there, but the country wouldn't collapse. A new defensive perimeter would just be established. Unless, of course, they had the force to break through that too—but if they had that, they would have deployed it already."
"Exactly."
I had mentioned before that if they possessed the strength to wipe out the entire North, they would have already committed it.
The fact that they haven't managed to take the fortress despite intensifying their offensive suggests that while something has changed on their end, they are also at a stalemate.
"I understand what you're saying, but doesn't that contradict the idea that they won't commit their full force?"
"Indeed, as Agil says. The numbers have been trending upward. It wouldn't be strange for them to send reinforcements at any time, would it?"
Jessica agreed with Agil’s point and posed the question.
"I can't deny that, but I can say for certain that they won't be taking And in Ioa. We’ve already deployed drones. To take a fortress, a thousand troops won't cut it. You’d need tens of thousands. If a force of that scale gathers, we’ll easily spot it from the air. Which means..."
"Ah, I see. In that case, we can just strike them before they get close."
"We were operating under the assumption of defense. That's right. We have the means to know what's coming, so there's no reason for us to just sit back and take the hit."
"I see. And even if we didn't move, the country would surely be wary of such movements, wouldn't it?"
"Exactly. It’s true that if we intervene, the damage will be even less. But the Ioa side isn't stupid enough to overlook that possibility. They are wary enough to be governing the town of And directly. It’s likely that while this is the frontline, it isn't their final line of defense."
They surely have backups prepared in case this place is breached.
"I understand. So, we just need to go to the Adventurer's Guild and gather information of that sort?"
"Yeah. If things go well, we might even get information on the frontlines of other countries. Ioa is likely coordinating with them, too. And of course, if we can establish a connection with the Clearstream Church, that would be ideal."