Chapter 28
The Male Lead Went Crazy for the Troublesome Villainess — Episode 28
Kael summoned his subordinates. After fastening the tent entrance securely, he spread a map over a makeshift table. Millus traced the route on the map with his finger.
"The planned march route is here. We intend to move south along the valley. It runs through low ground with a level road, which should shorten the march by about a day compared with the original route."
"If the water rises as the Saintess said, that entire road will be submerged."
"......That is correct, Your Highness."
The atmosphere turned cold.
"We detour along the ridge. Draw up a new engagement plan in preparation for encountering the Toad Clan. We must arrive before those things reach the village. Is that feasible?"
"Yes, Your Highness! We'll make it work!"
The order was given, and a brief silence followed. Everyone's ragged breathing echoed inside the tent.
But that was not the end of it. One of those who had kept quiet raised a question.
"I heard that the Saintess possesses the power of healing."
In truth, rumors about Lillia were rampant. People said she had tremendous healing power, that she could kill monsters. Some of those stories had been eagerly spread by the Order, and others had grown in the telling. But no one knew how much of it was true.
"Would it not be enough to have her treat the wounded?"
At the disgruntled voice, Kael let out a sigh. Then he spoke in a low voice.
"What is the basis for your claim?"
"Pardon?"
"Has it ever been officially confirmed that Saintess Lillia possesses healing ability?"
At the cold voice, the man clamped his mouth shut.
"That is......"
"Do not be swayed by rumors. Saintess Lillia is barely ten years old. I do not believe my army is so weak that it needs to hide behind a child."
Kael cut him off.
"Is there any actual record of her exercising healing power? How many people can she treat at once, how severe an injury can she handle, and what aftereffects occur once her holy power is exhausted?"
"......."
"So you want to entrust dozens of wounded to her without knowing any of that."
At the cold voice, the man's face stiffened.
No one knew what abilities Lillia possessed, or what the side effects were. Not even the clergy who had pushed Lillia into this place.
Even growing lax by leaning on such uncertainty was grounds for dismissal. That was what Kael thought.
"Even if the Saintess does have healing power, it would be the same. No commander treats an unverified ability as a military asset and builds a plan around it."
Kael tapped the table lightly with his finger.
"Then how about testing the Saintess......"
"You."
Kael fixed the man with a frigid gaze.
"Are you, perhaps, sitting in this position despite falling short of my expectations? I am asking whether you are so incompetent that you must lean on a ten-year-old child."
"N-no, I am not!"
The man froze stiff. Kael ran his tongue over the bitter taste in his mouth. Some people struggled to protect the young Saintess, while others were desperate to push the child to the front. Lillia was still being exposed to danger.
A child, no less.
It reminded him of his own terrible childhood.
'You are the Crown Prince, Kael. Therefore, facing monsters is also your duty.'
Remembering the cowardly face of the Emperor, who had hidden behind him and done nothing but blink, was enough to disgust him. Had that man ever been a father? Or an emperor? It was a sickening question.
* * *
The detour order came down. It was probably connected to the prophecy Lillia had made.
The detour route was rough. The valley road would have taken only a day, but the ridge was another matter. The wagon wheels kept catching between rocks, and I had already lost count of how many times the men had to lift the wagons free. Still, no one complained.
Then a stop signal went up from the front. The expedition came to a halt all at once.
"What is it?"
Vanessa asked, panting, her face flushed red.
"I don't know either."
A shout came from up ahead.
"The road is blocked!"
I went forward to see what had happened and immediately understood why the expedition had stopped. At the point where the ridge narrowed, a mass of black shapes was tangled together. It was the Ground Spider Clan. There seemed to be six or seven large specimens, with smaller ones wedged among them. The corpses, their legs bent at grotesque angles and piled over one another, blocked the entire road.
What on earth had happened here? The sight alone made me want to retch.
"It appears to be the Toad Clan."
I heard Kael speaking with the scout who was examining the tracks.
"There is dried slime on the rocks, and footprints lead in this direction. They seem to have passed through a few days ago."
In other words, the toads had passed along this road and left the ground spiders here in this state.
"......Didn't they move along the valley road?"
I also heard Kael's low voice.
"There were clearly traces of the main group on the valley road as well. The traces here are fewer than those. It seems a portion split off from the group to hunt."
A chill ran down my spine. Then Kael's resolute voice cut through the growing agitation.
"Clear them and move through. Secure a path for the wagons first. Push aside what can be pushed, and burn the rest."
"Yes, Your Highness."
People began to move. I started toward the men unloading the oil barrels to help, then stopped in my tracks.
......Wait a moment.
They're burning that?
* * *
"Millus!"
I hurried after Millus and caught hold of him. He turned to me with a startled expression.
"My lady?"
"Are you burning all of that?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Can't you leave some of the venomous stingers and the carapaces?"
Millus blinked.
"......Why would you keep those?"
"I thought the venom could be applied to arrowheads, and the carapaces could be used to reinforce shields."
In the middle of the original novel, there was an episode in Greystone where the Ground Spider Clan's venom and carapaces were used as weapons. Cornered, Kael used the Spider Clan's venom against the Toad Clan. But for now, I could steal that trick and use it early. We were apparently about to run into the Toad Clan already, and those things were incredibly persistent.
At my words, Millus's face visibly stiffened.
"My lady. Are you saying we should apply monster venom to our weapons right now?"
I nodded. Millus was briefly at a loss for words, then lowered his voice.
"This is not a matter I can decide. Ask His Highness directly. As you know, it will cause considerable repercussions."
I nodded solemnly. I knew he had already clashed with the Emperor over wearing wyvern armor. And hadn't he been criticized by the nobles for that? They should drag every one of those people here and make them see this sight. Then maybe they'd come to their senses.
"Yes, I know."
"But His Highness...... might actually welcome the idea."
Millus spoke in a very low voice.
I already knew that too. In the original, Kael had read a scholar's papers on using monster corpses in combat several times, and he later put that knowledge to use on this expedition. I was simply moving that point forward a little.
Kael was examining the pile of corpses in front of the road. When Millus approached and reported something, Kael soon turned his gaze this way. I smiled awkwardly.
"Your Highness."
Kael walked toward me.
"I hear you have a proposal for me."
"How about using the venomous spiders' corpses in combat?"
Kael's expression wavered. Apparently, he had been thinking along the same lines. Perfect. This was the chance to build on the same idea.