Cold-Blooded Irene
After arriving in the Baltabar Fief,
the northern army led by Irene set up wooden palisades along the desert border and erected watchtowers to reinforce their defenses. At the same time, they sent out regular patrols, thoroughly preparing for the Demon King's army that could strike at any moment.
However, one day passed, then two, then several more...
Yet there was still no sign of the Demon King's army. Although Irene remained silent, I could tell that discontent was brewing among the soldiers.
It was only natural. Soldiers accustomed to the freezing north would find it grueling to endure this sweltering heat. Quite apart from the temperature, being so far from home in a foreign land made every passing day a struggle.
"Yesterday, there was one assault within the camp and one incident of looting in the surrounding area. However, the fight was minor, and the looting has been resolved amicably with the local fief peasants..."
"...Punish them according to military law."
The morning briefing was underway, and the previous day's incidents and accidents were being reported. As Irene listened, her expression grew increasingly cold.
"Pardon? B-but..."
"..."
The reporting knight pleaded for leniency since the matters had been settled, but Irene showed no intention of overlooking misconduct within the northern army—a force that was her pride and joy.
My own mind wasn't at ease either. I was beginning to regret acting so recklessly on the information I had received from Kir without even verifying its truth.
"Also... we are experiencing water shortages in various quarters..."
"...?"
At the mention of a water shortage, Irene's expression shifted, if only minutely.
"Apparently, the locals usually suffer from water scarcity around this time of year anyway, but our army's encampment seems to have exacerbated the problem."
"Your countermeasure?"
"For now, we are sending supply wagons to neighboring fiefs to fetch water, but the number of wagons is far too low to resolve the issue."
Since the surrounding area was a desert and received very little rainfall compared to other regions, such a crisis was inevitable. Having no immediate solution to the knight's report, Irene fell into deep thought.
Just then, Lucia quietly raised her hand.
"I can take care of that problem."
"Pardon?"
"I think I can solve it."
"But... no matter how skilled a spiritist you are, producing enough drinking water for this many people is..."
Still believing Lucia to be an ordinary spiritist, the two of them dismissed her words as reckless.
But then...
Once they realized the true identity of the spirit Lucia had summoned, the way they looked at her changed completely. A woman clad in a dress made of flowing water materialized and stood beside Lucia, who offered her a bright smile.
"I take it we're not fighting today, nor is there a fire to put out?"
"No, it's not that. But..."
"I figured. What is it this time?"
"We're running low on water here at the camp. Could you help us get some?"
"Well, that's easy enough."
A spirit communicating so naturally with its summoner... Irene's subordinate, who knew little of Spirit Kings, simply watched in fascination. Irene, however, who was well aware of what a Spirit King was, could not hide her sheer astonishment at the sight of Elraim.
"Oh dear... almost all the wells around here are bone dry..."
Elraim closed her eyes, focusing her senses, and described the state of the local wells.
"In times like this, all it takes is a little nudge to the underground water veins... There, all done."
Hearing Elraim's words, Irene gestured to her subordinate to go and check. After he hurried out, Elraim stepped closer to Lucia and gently patted her head.
"My, to go and verify it... Anyway, Lucia, where are we? It's quite hot. It feels like we've traveled much further south than last time."
"This is the Baltabar Fief of the Fiore Empire. There's a desert right below us, so it's a bit sweltering."
"Is that so? Shall I make it rain for you then?"
At Elraim's offer, Lucia glanced between Irene and me, as if seeking our input on how to respond.
"Commander!"
The subordinate who had gone to check the wells burst back into the tent, completely out of breath, and reported the situation to Irene.
"Water is overflowing from every single well! They were completely dry just this morning..."
Having witnessed the sheer scale of Elraim's power in an instant, Irene rose from her seat and approached Lucia.
"Please accept my apologies. I had no idea you were a spiritist capable of summoning a Spirit King."
"Oh, no, it's fine! It's my fault for not mentioning it sooner..."
Irene immediately apologized, worried that her earlier skepticism might have sounded dismissive. Lucia, who hadn't taken offense at all, ended up apologizing in return.
"Hey, sorry to interrupt this touching moment, but..."
"???"
"Are monsters usually this common around here?"
"Pardon?"
"Well, a massive horde of monsters is rushing this way from the desert. There are so many of them that I can feel the vibrations all the way down in the groundwater."
"!!!!!"
At Elraim's warning, Irene and I rushed out of the barracks. Beyond the wooden palisades, however, only desolate sand dunes stretched across the desert. No monsters were in sight.
"There they come. Right over there."
Having followed us outside at some point, Elraim pointed toward a dust storm blowing in from the desert. Moments later, a massive, dark swarm came into view, kicking up a violent cloud of dust as they charged toward us.
"T-The... The Demon King's... It's the Demon King's army! All units, battle stations! Battle stations!"
Irene's subordinate sprinted toward the other encampments to spread the alarm. Irene, who had placed absolute trust in her scouts, looked visibly shaken, her pupils trembling slightly at the sight.
"This way..."
Quickly regaining her composure, Irene led us toward the palisades erected between the fief and the desert. Soldiers stationed throughout the camp were already gathering there, frantically preparing to meet the oncoming horde.
"Hero, please stand back with Lady Lucia. I believe I can handle a force of that size on my own."
Having gauged the size of the enemy force, Irene stepped forward with confidence and began channeling her mana. Around her, chunks of ice materialized out of thin air, rapidly growing in size as they prepped for launch.
Ice Bullet
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The spherical beads of ice hovering around Irene shot forward like bullets, slamming directly into the vanguard of Orc soldiers. Unable to dodge the barrage, several Orcs collapsed to the ground.
However, protected by their thick musculature and tough leather armor, the Orcs quickly scrambled back to their feet and resumed their charge. The attack had not dealt as much damage as she had anticipated.
Gritting her teeth, Irene immediately cast her next spell.
Ice Block
This time, instead of small ice beads, massive blocks of ice the size of a grown man materialized in the air and rained down upon the heads of the charging enemy. Under the crushing weight and impact of the falling ice, many Orcs were crushed to death or severely injured. I expected this to slow their advance, but...
The Orcs paid no heed to Irene's assault, actually accelerating their charge.
"Ice—"
"Wait, Irene."
"...?"
Irene was about to cast another ice spell at the horde, but I stepped in front of her to stop her.
"What is the matter...?"
"Look closely at the Orcs."
"Pardon?"
The reason I had stopped her was simple. The Orcs charging in the vanguard carried no weapons. Behind them, the rest of the Orcs, Goblins, and Demon soldiers were similarly unarmed.
The entire Demon King's army was sprinting toward us at full speed, as if fleeing for their lives from something behind them.
"Doesn't that strike you as odd? None of them have weapons."
"It is strange, but I must stop them from advancing any further."
Irene seemed to recognize the anomaly as well, but she extended her hand and gathered her mana once more to keep the approaching horde at bay.
Frost Spikes
Crack! Crackle!
Upon her incantation, sharp spikes of ice erupted from the ground, quickly growing to the height of a young child. Densely packed together, they formed a barrier that the Orcs and Demon soldiers behind them would find difficult to leap over or bypass.
However, what happened next defied all our expectations.
Splat! Squish! Skewer!
Whether the Orcs were simply stupid or too panicked to notice the frost spikes, the horde charged straight ahead without slowing down. The vanguard was skewered on the ice, thrashing in agony, but the ones behind them simply trampled over the bodies of their own kin to continue their mad dash toward us.
As they drew closer, the reason for their absolute terror finally became clear.
Thud! Thud!
Something was swimming through the desert sand as if performing a butterfly stroke... No, it was a colossal monster.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Every time it breached the surface before diving back under the sand, it opened its gaping maw to swallow the fleeing Demon soldiers whole. The identity of this beast was...
"A Sand Worm..."
"Pardon?"
Spanning over a hundred meters in length, it resembled a giant earthworm. Its circular mouth at the front was lined with hundreds of inward-facing teeth, vacuuming up sand and prey alike.
Irene looked as though she was seeing one for the first time. It made sense; Sand Worms only inhabited deserts, so a northern native accustomed to frozen tundras would have had no reason to encounter one.
"They're called the scavengers of the desert. They hide beneath the sand and burst out to attack whenever prey passes overhead."
"...Then I shall simply slaughter them all, the Demon King's army included."
"It's not as easy as it sounds... Irene?"
Without even waiting for me to finish, Irene stepped forward. Around her, dozens of ice shards were already expanding, primed for the attack.