The Ambush

Just before dawn, in the early morning hours. The lingering darkness would normally have made their green skin hard to spot, but the campfire they'd lit to roast meat illuminated them clearly.

It was a move they normally wouldn't dare, but the other orcs were all asleep, and the window of the room where the succubus was stayed on the opposite side from their position—allowing this little trick.

"Urgh."

One of the two orcs belched as if his belly were full. Looking at the countless cleanly stripped bones of unknown origin at his feet gave a rough idea of just how much he'd wolfed down.

"You ate a fucking ton. I barely got any!"

"If you're jealous, you should've caught it yourself. You drank plenty of booze instead."

"I brought the booze!"

"By that logic, I brought this bastard too."

At that logic, the orc who'd started the argument thought, Huh, fair enough? From the start, the deal had been that he'd prepare the booze and this guy the meat.

He'd said "barely," but his stomach was decently full. Not half bad, really.

"Anyway, next time we should get some spices too..."

Whoosh.

A faint sound of something cutting through the air. But the orc, thoroughly drunk, just scratched his ear, eyed the bottle, and kept talking.

"...Yeah. Just eating meat with the blood drained tastes like crap... Huh?"

Mid-sentence, the orc realized how oddly quiet it had gotten and turned his head. Normally a "just eat it" retort should've come flying back, but it was strangely silent.

"Wh-what?"

And there was a reason for the silence.

An arrow was buried deep in the orc's right eye. When? Who? The questions flashed through his mind.

But it wasn't just the thought that flashed—something filled his left field of vision as well.

Thwack!

With an arrow in his left eye, the orc crumpled to the ground. And the bottle he'd been holding was about to hit the floor—

Whirrr. Snap!

From the dark forest, a lasso snaked out and snatched the bottle just before it could fall.

"Wow, you had that kind of skill too?"

"About five or six years back, I learned a bunch of stuff from a bandit in exchange for extra rations."

I marveled at Malcolm's skill, wondering if that wasn't a bit of corruption, but decided not to call out a useful technique right now.

"And the scroll Kubil gave us is working too."

A scroll with deodorizing and soundproofing magic, was it? Sure enough, the dead orc bastards showed no sign of knowing we'd been lurking for quite a while.

"Yeah, it's low-grade, but he supplied enough for everyone to use. Kubil must've stretched himself thin."

"A kind of investment, huh?"

"Right. Relations with the Empire beyond the Fargis Mountains had been tense, but lately there's movement to resume trade. Originally, sea trade thrived because of the mountains, but four months ago a big earthquake shaved off part of the range. Only some locals like us, the lord, and the top brass of both nations know about it."

"And if you tidy that part up a bit, you get a decent trade route? And Fargist Village gets picked as the midpoint?"

"Exactly."

Only then did I understand why the succubus had used Nade to mess with this village. Realizing how important this was, I quietly looked at Malcolm.

"Then according to plan, when I give the signal I'll cast blessings on everyone. Malcolm, you're at the very front, right?"

The moment you use a blessing you get spotted, so it has to be saved for the critical moment.

"Obviously."

Malcolm shrugged and put his hand on his sword. It was also a show of confidence.

"Then you and the mage... what's your name?"

"Jerry."

The mage, wearing a hat with a slightly larger and wider brim than Nade's, introduced himself as Jerry.

"Great, I'll put barriers on you two. Leave the healing and support fire to me."

We moved carefully toward the door where the shift change happened, and Jerry and the one ranger checked the door.

"No traps."

"No magical traces either."

After Jerry and the ranger gave the okay, Malcolm nodded and reached for the door.

But suddenly a doubt arose. She's a succubus, right? Specializes in charming people? Could there really be no traitors...?

Ting!

The moment Malcolm opened the door, a clear sound rang out from it, like a metal pin springing free.

Along with the status window's warning, my world slowed down. Malcolm's face panicking at the sound crossed with the ranger's face of rapture, and right after, something like an exploding light shone from inside the door.

There was only one thing I had to do here.

"Holy Shieeeld!"

A pure white barrier comparable to a wall interposed itself between Malcolm and the explosion.

KABOOOOOM!

An enormous explosion shook the entire earth and watchtower, nearly wrecking the Holy Shield, but Malcolm, Jerry, and all the soldiers suffered no major injuries.

"Cough, cough!"

I, however, coughed repeatedly from the backlash. It felt good, but that wasn't important right now.

"Malcolm! That ranger bastard!!!"

I called Malcolm and pointed at the ranger, and Malcolm's straight punch exploded into the ranger's jaw.

Thud!

The ranger's body slammed into the ground.

"Demon King's army?"

"No, it's charm. Even if it were the Demon King's army, unless they're fanatics, they'd value their own lives. Thanks, Serena. But shit, this is fucked."

As Malcolm said, a massive explosion had gone off. No matter how dull orcs were, at this point they'd realize an enemy attack...

Whooooosh!

Clang!

In an instant Malcolm blocked in front of me and a metallic sound rang out; beside it, a spear that had bounced off Malcolm's sword was stuck in the ground. And a beat later I grasped the situation. Fuck, if it weren't for Malcolm I'd have died.

"Thank you."

"Just repaying a debt. But covering for the subordinates too might be tough. And the blessing! Looks like those bastards knew we were coming!"

As the smoke cleared, orcs in some armor walked out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the smoke. About thirty of them. We were outnumbered, but we had a priest and a mage on our side.

"Bless!"

Knew there were more.

I frowned at half the guards being charmed, but the soldiers' charms were already lifted.

Pure white light descended on the soldiers. Without even needing to ask, even an amateur like me could feel the soldiers' momentum had changed.

"Shield-bearers, forward. And... prepare to throw."

At Malcolm's command, seven soldiers with large shields and long spears took the lead, and behind them three soldiers pulled glass orbs filled with oil from their pouches.

But the shield formation looks like a phalanx stance?

Though the top was open, there were walls on both sides, and among the orcs' armaments there were no bows—mostly melee weapons.

"KRAAAAAH!"

The lead orc roared and advanced, and the remaining orcs charged all at once.

"Jerry, fire a Fireball three seconds after the throw."

"Casting complete."

The orcs closed the distance in an instant. Their appearance seemed to say that shields and spears couldn't stop them, and indeed those massive frames and weapons looked fully capable of slaughtering people.

"Now! Right in their center!"

At Malcolm's signal the soldiers threw the glass orbs they held.

And when the glass orbs were above the orcs, they shattered with a crack, spraying oil.

"Jerry, now!"

And at Malcolm's order, Jerry's Fireball dropped on the oil-soaked orcs.

A simple tactic, but fire attack is supremely effective against an opponent with no countermeasures.

BOOM!

The exploding Fireball and the pigs seasoned with oil made for a combination that could become a nicely browned whole roast. But something was off.

"Malcolm, those bastards are on fire but still advancing!"

The orcs charged without caring about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the damage.

"Fuck! The succubus put frenzy on them! Everyone brace for impact!"

CRASH!

The upright spears snapped, and shock transmitted through the metal shields. The orcs running in the lead were skewered on the spears and died.

But the remaining orcs used their comrades' corpses as footholds to try and take out the soldiers.

Slash!

But the foremost orc had his neck and the arm holding his weapon severed by Malcolm.

Wow, a bit grotesque, but more than that, admiration came out. Not just the flesh—the bone was cleanly sliced through.

As the status window said, a bluish energy was emanating from Malcolm's sword.

"Wind Cutter!"

And beside him Jerry was flinging magic, severing orcs' necks. Magic and aura sure were amazing.

And I had something amazing too.

"Holy Shield! Holy Arrow! Heal!"

I protected Malcolm who was butchering orcs and Jerry who was one of the most critical, while my magic, along with the arrows the soldiers shot, ravaged the orcs' flesh and healed wounded soldiers.

"Advance! We have to finish this quick before the succubus escapes!"

Malcolm said that as he beheaded an orc, and the soldiers advanced to carry out his order.

Crash!

Then from the watchtower came the sound of glass breaking, and something flew into the sky.

"It's the succubus!"

One of the soldiers shouted. And Malcolm threw a lasso before the soldier even spoke. Whether from reaching Expert level or the blessing's influence, the lasso flew at tremendous speed, and the succubus was still at low altitude.

And eventually.

"Kyaak!"

The lasso caught the succubus's foot. And the orcs weren't about to just watch that, so they swung their weapons at Malcolm.

Thud!

Even if Holy Shield blocked most attacks, it wasn't infinite. I had to deal with the root of the problem.

Status window, can you intercept?

Capture for now. I've got questions.

I loaded a Holy Arrow and waited for the status window's instructions.

Pew!

The Holy Arrow soared and pierced right through the joint of the succubus's wing. Having lost one wing, the succubus flailed with the remaining one and crashed.

And whether because the succubus crashed or not, the orcs' movements grew sluggish, and among them some writhed on the ground in agony from the fire clinging to their bodies.

"Well done, Serena! The succubus's frenzy is over! Push them all back!"

And so the guard unit led by Malcolm slaughtered the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠orcs in the watchtower. After confirming the orcs' total annihilation, I headed toward the succubus.