The Night of the Gargoyle Rain
"Dammit, did I miss?" I felt a pang of self-loathing at the failure of my stone-slinging sniping. According to the hand signals from Ryun, who had climbed even higher up the watchtower, the knight beside the enemy commander had thrown himself to save the man who appeared to be their leader.
"Well, if I can't hit him, I'll just hit the others. Boys, load it up!" Following my orders, my subordinate orcs loaded the gargoyle bust onto the launcher. I stood with both feet on a thick wooden plank.
"Ryu—un!! We're going straight to Plan B!!" A member of Ryun's squad waved a flag from the watchtower. Ryun was aiming his bow through a gap in the tower. All I had to do was launch the rock into Ryun's line of fire. The angle was set to just over 60 degrees—enough to clear the expanded palisade, but low enough to graze it dangerously close. I maintained the power, putting my entire body weight into the swing. I didn't even need to worry about the wind.
"Let's take a leap of faith!!" I sprinted across the thick plank resting on the gargoyle bust lever. To ensure the rock flew as far as possible, the orcs had placed the gargoyle bust—the fulcrum—as far back as they could. "Archimedes, be praised!!" As soon as I crossed the fulcrum, I leaped high into the sky. I kicked my feet forward as if taking a running jump and landed on the edge of the plank like a gymnast.
Whoosh!! A rock the size of a human torso soared over the palisade once again. And the moment it crossed over, Ryun unleashed a barrage of wind-imbued arrows at the boulder. Crack-crack-crack! I could hear the sound of the rock shattering into dozens of pieces in mid-air from all the way back here. If they managed to dodge the boulder, how would they fare against a rain of stone shards?
"Is he dead?!!" The orc signaled with the flag that it was a direct hit. But the signal confirming a kill didn't follow. "Well, I suppose if it were that easy, it would have been over already." It was a shame, but if the battle ended after just two stone launches, all the sleep I’d sacrificed and the effort I’d put into strengthening the monsters over the last three days would have been for nothing.
"All units, prepare for battle!" At my shout, the named subordinates quickly scattered to their respective positions. After confirming from the air that the enemy punitive force was coming in numbers similar to—or perhaps even greater than—the first wave, I blocked the dungeon entrance and mobilized almost all my troops. By simple calculation, the power ratio was about three to one. That’s right. Even against 1,200, it was three to one. Currently, the Legion of Wrath had roughly 450 troops.
"I stuffed them in until it was practically over capacity, but this is exactly the kind of strength I need." Excluding the harpies in charge of food production at the poultry farm, the Legion of Wrath had achieved significant quantitative growth. The number of orcs acting as defensive troops was 150. The number of aerial troops, the Harpy Angels, was 100. And if you included monsters like ghouls and slimes, as well as the humans, that was about 50. That brought the total to 300. The harpies in charge of logistics in the rear weren't counted as combat troops. That left a surplus of 150 troops.
"Are you ready to fight, you little Las-heads!!"
"""Las!!"""
The bird-brained monsters in leather armor were waiting for my orders in the plaza. "You are the protagonists of today's battle! You must show them with your own two eyes why this city is called Las Vegas!!"
"""Las—!!"""
A thunderous roar shook the sky of Las Vegas. 150 guerrilla troops, led by the adult Andras. They were wearing human-style clothing and each carried a wooden spear carved from trees. Close-quarters infantry: Orcs. Spearmen: Andras. Aerial troops: Harpy Angels. With roles clearly assigned by race, I placed the third gargoyle bust onto the launcher. The seesaw I’d used previously had broken quickly, so I placed the bust I’d used as a fulcrum next to me for the next launch. And I, the long-range siege weapon, stood ready.
"Just try and get your troops close." I’d make sure to drop a gargoyle on top of them. I waited anxiously for the enemy commander to move his troops quickly.
...The reason the number of Andras had increased so suddenly was simple: the fifteen newly born male Andras were the result of being wrung dry by the harpies. Fortunately, thanks to Meari’s excellent ejaculation management, there were no extra graves to dig.
The punitive force established a camp across the bridge. The fortified Zabyaba looked sturdier than expected, and for some reason, the rocks being thrown from within the palisades were reminiscent of siege weapons. The Baron, having nearly suffered a bitter defeat once, ordered his scouts to surround the entirety of Zabyaba after setting up camp. Fortunately, the enemy only defended and did not come out to intercept; instead, they mocked the scouts as if to say, "Come and look if you dare."
- Inkosam!!!
I didn't know what it meant, but the general consensus was that the scouts were quite offended. However, thanks to their anger, a fair amount of information was gathered. A map of Zabyaba was spread out on the center table of the tent where five knights, a priest, and the Baron were gathered.
"Assuming we are to retake Zabyaba, I will formulate a strategy." Even if the Baron held the baton, Gray's tactical insight was far superior. Consequently, the framework of the overall recapture operation and the drafting of detailed tactics were Gray's responsibility.
"As confirmed by the scouts, the enemy has completely removed the gates. A moat that can only be crossed by cavalry at full gallop has been created in front of the main gate, and trenches have been installed along the river to the west of Zabyaba."
"So, if we go head-on, there are definitely traps, and if we cross the river, the enemies are waiting for us." The Baron added his own thoughts to Gray's explanation based on his own tactical knowledge. Though his body was weak, his mind worked well enough that the military science he’d learned as a liberal art at the academy was at least somewhat helpful.
"Yes. So, we have two options. One is to besiege Zabyaba and starve them out. Constructing siege weapons and firing into the city from afar is the first method, but..." Gray stopped when he saw the expressions of the Baron and his knights sour. It was an option Gray could suggest because he wasn't born and raised in the Barony, but for those who called the Barony home, it was an unacceptable choice.
"We came to retake our city, not to destroy a Demon King's fortress. If we wanted to commit sabotage, we could just call a mage and set fire to it from the outside."
"......Hmm." Priest Francis, who had been silent, stroked his chin. It seemed something was bothering him, and Gray bowed to him and asked for his opinion.
"Priest, do you have something in mind?"
"I was thinking about how the enemy occupied the city while considering our position. If we assume Zabyaba is a forward base rather than the enemy's main headquarters, the enemy's main base must be the dungeon." Gray the knight had offered his opinion based on tactical insight, but Priest Francis offered his own based on his experience as an adventurer.
"The location of the dungeon has not yet been discovered. However, there were no traces leading from Zabyaba to a dungeon. In that case, it usually means there is a high-level mage connecting the dungeon and Zabyaba, or there is a passage directly connected to the vicinity of the dungeon." Francis's view was nearly the truth.
"That means there could be far more troops than before."
"...This is driving me crazy. Sir Gray, are there any good attack routes?"
"There are. However." Gray pointed to one spot. "...It will only be effective if we launch a night raid."
Night fell. I kept a close eye on the enemy's movements from the northern watchtower. The camp, lit with countless torches, showed no particular movement, and that actually made me more anxious.
"They aren't going to build siege weapons or battering rams, are they? Or maybe dig a tunnel, or drop a meteor from the sky?"
"Master, they're just humans. They aren't dragons."
"You never know. A dragon disguised as a human might just go, 'Hehe, I'm so strong,' and drop a meteor on us. A city like this would be nothing to them."
"...You seem to be worrying too much. If that were really the case, we’d already be dead."
Ryun and Eila tried to reassure me, but I couldn't help but feel my nerves fraying from the anxiety. As someone always walking on thin ice, dealing with an unknown enemy was always a terrifying prospect.
"Whew, yeah. I shouldn't be worrying. Sorry." If I show anxiety, the other soldiers will be anxious too. A commander is someone who must hold the center and give orders, not someone who gets swayed by the situation.
"...How is the operation?"
"It's proceeding without any issues. It will be completed after midnight."
There was still time until midnight. Even though we’d had a few skirmishes near the palisades from afternoon to evening, it was essentially just bickering with almost no damage on either side.
"Next time, I should plant a spy in the enemy camp."
"Do you have a good method?"
"There are many ways. I could infiltrate a human subordinate like Meari to dig up information, or use scouts like the Beastkin or Vampires who are good at hiding in the dark."
If I had a variety of troops, I could plan various operations based on that. While the quantity and quality of my subordinates had certainly increased, and I had definitely achieved the level of a 56th and 63rd-ranked dungeon, the lack of species diversity was a huge disappointment.
"Ryun, Eila. Once this battle is over, I'm going to do some gacha."
Thanks to the daily quests I’d been doing, I had well over 20 tickets for monster summoning—in other words, gacha. I hadn't missed a single day of daily quests or sub-dungeon clears, just like eating meals with Ryun and Eila, and I had carefully tucked them away in the dungeon's storage.
"Master, if a high-grade girl comes out again, are you going to do that again?"
"Of course. ...Ahem, that goes without saying."
"Then won't our share gradually decrease?"
"That’s only if such a being comes out of the gacha. I'm an orc with tastes, you know. I'm not the kind of guy who just sticks it in everything that has a hole."
"But you'll at least taste it once, won't you?"
"Well, that goes without saying."
Even at a buffet, you have to taste at least one bite of the delicious food to get your money's worth, right?
"Legion Commander." Arthur's voice came from below the watchtower. I quickly pulled my hands away from Ryun and Eila and turned my head toward the base of the tower.
"What is it?"
"Everything is ready to execute the operation."
"Really? Hehehe. Then let's begin. These kinds of pranks are best played at night. Andras!"
"Yes, Master." Andras, who had been waiting on the roof, lifted her head. At the same time, behind Andras, countless Harpy Angels were holding glass bottles and grinning. The bottles were filled with red slime, and corks were stuffed in the openings to prevent them from leaking.
"You all know how to use them, right?"
"Of course. Fly, drop. Hehehe."
It was an item made easy enough for even the Andras species to use. I had warned them about things falling while flying using the catapult, but unfortunately, the enemies didn't seem to notice it at all.
"Then, I'm counting on you. Andras unit, prepare for takeoff!!"
I held the flag forward. The Harpy Angels, except for their white wings, were dyed black from head to toe. It was a stealth suit made by attaching black feathers to human t-shirts and pants.
Whoosh— A light breeze began to flutter. After confirming that the wind direction was to the south, I raised the flag high into the sky.
"Takeoff!"
The Harpy Angels flew high into the sky, holding the glass bottles. Small wooden barrels were also tied tightly to their waists with ropes.
Flap, flap. The Harpy Angels, following Andras, rose to a fairly high altitude. If the enemies didn't notice the twinkling stars in the night sky disappearing behind the Harpy Angels, they would never notice the Harpy Angels' air raid.
"Hehe, Baron Virgo." I opened the cork of the glass bottle for the water. Amidst the bottle full of squishy slime, a very faint but savory smell of oil wafted up from inside. "If gifts fall from the sky, they'll be so happy they'll die, but what are they going to do?"
I sent our dungeon's specialty as a gift.