New World XXIX

We walked for about 5 hours until we reached an inconspicuous cave in the middle of the Forest of Tob. According to the information from the guild, a small group of rogue mercenaries was held up here.

"Enri, go and check whether anyone is inside?"

I spoke while hiding in the bushes with the rest of the members of the Swords of Darkness. Enri nodded and started moving toward the cave's entrance from its side.

"There is no one on the lookout," Peter spoke while observing the cave's surroundings.

Typically, there would be a few people stationed near the entrance or the surroundings of the hideout to look out for guards and such.

"Maybe the information we received from the guild was wrong," I replied in a casual fashion.

"That is a possibility," Dyne chimed in while stroking his beard.

Enri moved near the cave's entrance, casting a simple detection magic of the 3rd tier.

"Life Sense"

This was an AOE spell that was able to detect things with life, like humans, demons, magical plants, etc. 

The reason Enri was able to use such varied magic spells was that she hadn't mastered any one school of magic. In other words, she was a jack of all trades but a master of none.

After a few seconds, Enri walked back toward us.

"There are people inside, sir Ramses. According to what I could gather, more than 15 people are inside. "

She spoke while crouching down near us. Now that it was confirmed that there were people inside, we needed to devise a strategy to deal with them.

And after a bit of thinking, we unanimously decided to lure them outside and deal with them here.

"A huge explosion should gather their attention," I spoke while standing up and aiming my hand toward the cave.

"Shock Wave"

It was a 2nd-tier spell that emitted an invisible shock wave that could distort the air. As the spell was activated, an invisible shockwave traveled toward the cave, colliding with the mountain and resulting in substantial cracks forming on its surface.

BOOM!

"That should do it. Be ready; they will be out in a minute." I spoke while moving toward a tree. 

According to the discussed strategy, the Swords of the Darkness would deal with the first wave of mercenaries. At the same time, Enri and I support them from afar.

Later, we will handle the next wave while they rest and support us from behind.

A minute later, about 10 people exited the cave. Peter and Lukrut began attacking them, Peter on the front while Lukrut from the bushes.

Ninya also fired the Magic Arrow spell that hit one of the mercenaries, killing him instantly.

'They have good teamwork,' I thought while watching them fight. I didn't have any intention of helping them, so I instructed Enri to do so in my stead.

'Seeing them reminds me of the old days. The days when Jacob and I used to fight the Eldritch horrors like a team. I still miss those days.'

Before the transfer to the NW, I occasionally had dreams of my past. But since the transfer, they stopped. Anyway, after the failure with Ulbert, I gave up hope for his reincarnation.

'Guess I'll have to wait till I reach Rank-0 to find out what happened that time.'

I thought while looking at the group killing the mercenaries. Even with their superior teamwork, they were unable to deal with all the mercenaries on their own. So, Enri had to step in and help them with magic.

After all of the mercenaries were dealt with, I walked toward the group.

"That was excellent teamwork," I spoke while nearing them.

"Well, we have been doing jobs for a while now, so it comes naturally," Ninya spoke while exiting the bushes where she was hiding.

After their wounds were all healed up, they moved behind Enri and me. It was time to deal with the rest of the mercenaries.

~Time Skip~

With Enri's level, I didn't have the chance to kill any mercenary personally, and she took care of all of them.

It had been a few days since we cleared the first hideout, and now we were moving toward the last hideout we needed to clear for the job. 

During these days, the Shadow Stalkers, whom I had tasked with tailing the Black Scripture, have been sending me reports. According to this, they planned to attack us- Enri and myself- and mind control us using the sacred treasure, the Downfall of Castle and Country.

'This is perfect,' I thought while looking at the setting sun.

"I think we should set up a camp here; what do you say, Ramses-san?"

Peter asked while stopping and turning toward the rest of the group.

"I have no problem," I casually replied to him.

"Very well then, let's get to work then."

After setting up the camp and igniting the fire, we ate food- more like they ate food, and I watched them-. Even though the food here was certainly better than the one from Earth, after eating Nazarick's cuisine, I didn't want to eat the bland food of the NW.

No one questioned it because, on the very first day, I just told them the exact reason Momonga told them in the original series.

"Well then, I'll be on night watch then," I spoke while getting up. They had already eaten their fill and were now getting ready to sleep.

"Very well," Peter replied.

I moved a bit away from them; it was time to get some status reports.

"Message"

I contacted Albedo, and after initial greetings, we moved toward the status reports.

---Message Start---

"So, has the Army of Death taken the final step?"

"Yeah, they are going to attack the central HQ tomorrow. Malachar has also requested your presence during the attack."

"Got it. I'll try to be there tomorrow. On another note, have the stampede reached the coastal city?"

"It has reached near it; the showdown might be tonight."

'I don't wanna miss it. Also, I would like to see the power of that Adamantite team.'

"Albedo, prepare a doppleganger for me, and inform Aura. I want to see the attack on the coastal city."

"As you say, darling."

---Message Ends---

~Scene Change~

Tension was palpable in the surroundings as the guild leader and the leaders of the most potent adventurers teams stood by side on the wall of E-Naeurl.

According to scouts sent today, the first wave of the monsters will reach the town's walls tonight. Although this vanguard's strength was comparatively weaker, the sheer quantity of oncoming monsters made the impending battle a daunting challenge in its own right.

"When are we receiving the help from the capital?" Mara- the leader of the Shadow's Blades- asked the guild master- who was in charge of dealing with this stampede-.

"I have received a positive response; the army and a few high-ranking adventurers will reach in the coming days." Alden- the guild master- spoke while overlooking the horizon.

"A few days? We might not be able to hold the stampede till then." Scama Elbero- the leader of the Four Armaments- spoke while cleaning her helmet.

"What can we do other than pray? And if it makes you feel any better, Blue Roses and the Chief Warrior of the Kingdom are also coming for our aid.

"Really!? I didn't expect this level of support." Mara spoke in a shocked manner.

"Yeah, I was the same, but apparently, after Blur Roses told the guild master of the capital about the severity of the situation, he offered a huge reward for anyone willing to help us. He even talked with the king for aid, and in the end, the king agreed to send Gazef."

"That's certainly good," Scama spoke while putting on her helmet.

They kept talking amongst themselves until they were interrupted.

"HERE THEY COOMMEE!" Shouted one of the rangers stationed on top of the tower.

Anyone who heard his shout looked toward the forest's horizon, where a large dust cloud began to form. Mara turned toward one of the towers where Faela- the ranger of the Shadow's Blades- was stationed.

"How many are there, Faela!?" As a ranger, she had better eyesight than others there.

"I can't say for sure; my sight is blocked by the dust, but if I were to give an estimate, there should be about 500-600 of them!"

She shouted while preparing her bow.

"We mustn't allow them to reach the town's walls! Mages! Take aim!"

Alden shouted, and all the mages on the wall took aim.

"AND RELEASE!!"

As if on cue, many spells were launched toward the monsters. And because they were weak, the spells were able to deal with some of them.

"FIREBALL!"

The mages of the Four Armament and the Shadow's Blades chanted a 3rd tier spell. Two balls made of fire traveled toward the monsters and exploded on contact, killing a large number of monsters.

"WE WILL WIN THIS! DON'T LET THEM GET CLOSE!"

Alden kept shouting, trying to increase their morale. The fight continued for a bit longer, and the human side was winning.

"Impressive, they are able to hold themselves against such huge numbers," I spoke while floating in the air.

I turned toward Aura, who was floating beside me. Instead of her tomboy physique, she had the body of a grown woman with a modest bust.

"What are your thoughts on this, Aura?" I asked while shifting my focus toward the monsters.

"I agree with you, Lord Helios. But in my opinion, their real test would start tomorrow, when the Doped Monsters will begin to arrive." Aura spoke while also inspecting the battle.

After Aura and Fenrir were done with hurling the monsters outside the forest, I found out that there weren't many powerful monsters. 

So, we summoned a few monsters using scrolls. I also used my Summoner variant to summon and augment their stats; these monsters were called Doped Monsters. And they would arrive tomorrow.

To Be Continued...