The One Who Recognized the Curses
"What are you planning to do?"
"What can we do? We'll just hold them at the walls. That's about it."
When the Saintess approached and asked, I gave a vague answer. There hadn't been any particular method from the start. With monsters charging toward us right now, what kind of elaborate plan could I possibly devise? We would simply use the soldiers here, the ramparts, and our party members to fight a defensive siege. Of course, there was a standard tactic. I spoke while summoning insects with my Insect Magic. They would be weaker than the monsters, but more than enough to harass them.
"First, Saintess, please cast buffs on the soldiers at regular intervals. There's no need for powerful blessings. Just enough to help them endure. Make sure the holy power spreads across as wide an area as possible."
After all, this was the outskirts of the Demon Realm. The monsters in the vicinity weren't particularly strong. With a modest buff, the soldiers here should be able to handle them.
"It's a relief that the walls are so high and sturdy, given how close this city sits to the Demon Realm. They won't collapse easily. Adel will stay up here and keep firing arrows. Kamilla will head down below to draw their attention."
Adel would provide covering fire while Kamilla handled aggro. In the meantime, Lily would continue gathering her magical power.
"The monsters will eventually cluster in one spot. It'll make them easy targets for magic. Once that happens, Lily steps in and—boom."
Eliminate the largest number possible with the smallest amount of effort. It was the most basic principle of tactics, but its effectiveness was undeniable.
"Also, have the lord send a messenger to the cities in the rear. Tell them we need reinforcements."
A hundred li came out to a full forty kilometers. We couldn't possibly hold back all the monsters inhabiting such a vast stretch with a single city. In the end, our job was to endure until support arrived.
"How about it? It may not be a perfect solution, but don't you think it would help at least a little?"
"...You said you didn't have a plan."
"Pardon?"
"Never mind. I'll relay it to the party members exactly as you said. That should work, right?"
"Yes. I'd appreciate that."
In moments like these, I was truly grateful she was with us. The fact that she occasionally served as our messenger spared me from having to handle everything myself. It reduced unnecessary friction and saved time overall.
After sending her off, I turned my gaze forward once more. It was time to stop the incoming horde.
The first wave to arrive was a swarm of goblins. Since they lived near humans and launched frequent raids, it made sense that they reached us first. They died in droves under the rain of arrows pouring from the walls, never even managing to approach.
Next came the orcs. Their green skin resembled the goblins', but they were clearly a superior species. They reached the base of the wall yet failed to breach its solid construction and were held back by the soldiers.
After them came the werewolves, then the kobolds, then the werebears, and so on. Countless monsters of countless breeds mixed together, charging without end.
The sight was utterly overwhelming... yet somehow more manageable than I'd expected.
"What the hell? These guys are way weaker than I thought."
"Their numbers are lower than anticipated! Everyone, keep your spirits up!"
The enemy wasn't exactly weak. Their forces outnumbered ours several times over, and they kept pouring in without pause. Even so, we were holding our own better than expected. Of course, "holding our own" still meant we were barely hanging on... but at least there was hope. Hope that we could endure until the reinforcements arrived. Thanks to that, the soldiers' morale rose in real time.
Yet for some reason, I couldn't relax.
What is this feeling...?
It was easier than expected. Naturally that was a good thing—a situation worth celebrating. But the game I knew never offered easy circumstances. This was the perspective of a gamer, not a hero.
The goblins, orcs, and kobolds arrived in sequence. While there were many of them, they were all manageable opponents, and there weren't any particularly troublesome named monsters. Without named monsters, there were no variables, allowing us to defend comfortably.
As a result, the siege was proceeding far too kindly and predictably. The game I remembered wasn't this accommodating. It had been nothing but cruel and hostile.
Something feels off...
I couldn't simply let myself feel relieved. Besides, one puzzle still remained unsolved. Just how had the civilians been brainwashed? This was a city completely enclosed by walls. There was no way for anyone to sneak in or out. Moreover, the Puppetry ability didn't come with any infectious properties. That meant there had to be some point of direct contact.
So what was that connection...?
As I pondered this, a memory suddenly surfaced. It was something the last brainwashed sentry had said while I was treating him.
Water.
A single syllable. But I knew there had been more to the sentence. The situation had been too urgent for me to catch the rest.
I continued swinging my sword at the endless stream of monsters, thinking. What words could possibly follow "water"...?
Then the name of the city itself came to mind. Cloud City.
The reason for the word "cloud" in its name was simple. Unlike other regions, clouds gathered here with unusual frequency. That led to heavy rainfall, and with so much rain, the waterways were far larger than those in other cities...
Wait... the waterways?
That line of thought brought me close to the answer. What the final scout had tried to say was probably "underground waterway." They had moved people through the sewers, brainwashed them outside the city, then sent them back. Repeating the process dozens, hundreds of times...
There had been quite a few brainwashed scouts, so if they avoided detection, it could work. Even I, who hadn't realized it until now, had only found one of the brainwashed civilians by accident. That showed just how secretly the underground waterway was hidden.
Yet it was clearly a passage that connected to the outside. And it didn't necessarily have to be used only by people.
"Ha."
I let out a hollow laugh. No wonder the game had seemed too kind. This was exactly how our shitty game operated.
Having reached that conclusion, I immediately kicked off from my position. The endless swarm of monsters? That wasn't my problem anymore. If I wasn't careful, a monster wave could erupt inside the city itself.
"Hey! Where are you going?!"
"You bastard! Are you abandoning the battlefield?!"
"Lily, Kamilla! Don't lose focus! They're coming again!!"
I could hear my party members shouting behind me. I called back a single sentence as I dashed away.
"Sorry! I'm just going to check one thing and I'll be right back!"
I wasn't sure if I'd actually return. They would probably manage without me. It would be a bit harder, but they were all formidable in their own right. In short, I trusted them.
Leaving them behind, I headed straight for the underground waterway.
Splash.
The moment I stepped inside, I was hit by clammy air, a musty and acrid stench, and the thick darkness that filled the space. My first impression upon entering had been exactly what I felt now: wide. It reminded me of the Western-style sewers I'd seen in movies.
The passage was broad enough for two or three people to walk abreast, stretching on endlessly. If there was any notable difference, it was that the walls were built from ordinary stone rather than brick or concrete. It was astonishing that such architecture had been possible in the medieval era.
"Fireball."
I created a tiny flame in my palm and moved forward. It seemed the lord had at least put some thought into this place. Iron grates had been installed throughout the waterway to prevent creatures from passing.
For some reason, sections of those grates had been broken through.
"So this is definitely how they moved the people."
I muttered to myself and kept walking. After several more minutes, something new appeared.
Grrrr...
A Goblin Knight. An elite variant that occasionally appeared among goblin types. In other words, a named monster.
Without hesitation, I charged and cut it down.
Slash—!
With a chilling sound, its head tumbled across the floor. So they really had sent elite troops this way. The question was, how many? What level were the monsters? And how far did this waterway extend?
Harboring those questions, I continued onward. Before long, I finally discovered it: a scene of countless monsters clustered together, waiting to cross through the passage.
Every single one was a named monster. Beasts that could slaughter dozens of soldiers alone if even one made it onto the walls.
The narrow path slowed their entry, but if I hadn't noticed them, it would have been catastrophic.
And that wasn't all. In the center of the horde, I spotted a man standing there.
Pale blue skin. A perfectly bald, rounded head. And a grotesque red eye embedded in the center of his forehead.
It was my first time seeing him in person, but I knew exactly who he was.
Archmage Oleg. One of Net's closest subordinates had come out personally. This was far from good news.
"Well now, I didn't expect to meet you this quickly."
As I processed that thought, he noticed me.
Krrrr...!Kiiak!
The surrounding monsters immediately roared in my direction. I wasn't particularly surprised. After all, I hadn't been trying to hide.
"I really didn't want to see you if possible."
I drew the Holy Sword as I spoke. I hadn't expected to encounter him this soon either. Especially not under these circumstances.
One high-ranking Demon Army officer and dozens of named monsters...
It was no easy combination. Especially not for me to face alone. Still, I steeled my resolve and raised my fighting spirit. The tension between us stretched taut. The monsters drooled, looking ready to charge at any moment.
It was in the middle of this hair-trigger standoff that it happened.
"Heh heh... Indeed, what need is there for words? At this opportunity, capturing the hero and making a name for myself anew... Hm?"
The man's unusually relaxed mouth suddenly stopped moving. He widened all three of his eyes and stared at me for a long time, as if examining something carefully.
After a moment, he spoke again, this time with clear fascination.
"Heh heh... Just what is this? You already have curses plastered all over your body."
"...Hm?"
His words left me momentarily stunned.
"Wait a second."
I kept the Holy Sword raised in a defensive stance as I asked him, "You... can see this?"
"Of course."
"......"
On this day, I met the first person who could see the curses covering my body. In other words, someone who understood me...