Chapter 174: The Sandra Domain
After the mock battle with the knight commander, we heard the full situation in the Sandra domain.
The story began a little over twenty days earlier.
At the edge of the domain stood a vast forest about which legends had been passed down since ancient times.
It was called the Great Serpent Forest. Since time immemorial, a serpent twenty medes long had lived there and culled the monsters in the woods.
About a month ago, however, a horde of goblins led by a Goblin King appeared and fought the serpent.
The creature was formidable enough to give the forest its name.
Though hard-pressed, it slaughtered the entire horde, including the Goblin King.
Just when the battle seemed over, another horde led by a different Goblin King came from the same direction and attacked the serpent.
In the end, three Goblin King hordes appeared.
Even the great serpent couldn’t emerge unharmed from three successive waves. It annihilated the goblins, but roughly five days later, it finally passed from this world.
The swarms of Mantis monsters began appearing immediately afterward.
A thought occurred to me as I listened.
The goblin hordes were probably connected to the Emperor…
More than a year had passed, and yet three Kings—creatures that should have been rivals—had acted one after another.
Even allowing for the difference in timing, it was hard to believe there was no connection.
Had they known one another as the Emperor’s subordinates and maintained some kind of cooperation after his death?
There was no way to know now, but this was beginning to feel like something we couldn’t dismiss as someone else’s problem.
The three Kings had attacked in waves rather than all at once. Perhaps their cooperation had been incomplete and they’d reached some sort of agreement.
After all, only one creature could become the “lord.”
Despite all that, every King had been repelled.
But the serpent had died from its wounds.
With every powerful contender gone, a Mantis that happened to be nearby must have reaped the reward and become the lord.
That was likely the truth.
When I asked about the Mantis threat, the answer was their numbers: overwhelming violence through sheer quantity.
As individuals, these Mantises were actually weaker than the ordinary kind.
There were simply far too many of them.
Our one piece of good fortune was that the swarm remained still at night and only began moving after sunrise.
Scouts reported that they often traveled upwind, though no one knew whether they sensed odors or simply possessed an instinct to head into the wind.
One fact mattered: the Great Serpent Forest lay east of Sandra, and at this season the region’s winds blew from the west.
As long as the fighting remained sporadic, Sandra could cope.
But if the swarm had a main body, then the city standing upwind…
One proposal had divided the knights.
As insect monsters, Mantises became less active in winter, and weaker individuals sometimes failed to survive the season.
Some argued that Sandra should endure until winter before dealing with them.
But would they truly last that long?
We needed to plan for something even worse than the worst case.
The Mantis lord’s purpose in breeding on such a scale was probably to expand its territory during the summer.
As with the Emperor, becoming a lord appeared to enhance intelligence as well as strength.
We shouldn’t assume it was breeding mindlessly simply because it had begun as a Mantis.
The king’s request also included “relief for the elven village.”
I needed information on that front.
“I was told there’s an elven village nearby. What is its current condition?”
Commander Fagil’s expression darkened.
“The Sandra domain and that village have been on good terms for generations. Even when relations between the kingdom and the elven homeland deteriorated, as they remain today, we continued helping each other in secret.”
“I see…”
“About two weeks ago, an elven envoy arrived. He said, ‘Mantises attacked the village. Sandra should be careful as well.’ It was the sort of warning we have always exchanged.”
“…”
“But two days later, they requested aid. We were organizing a relief force when the creatures came for us.”
“…”
“At first, we underestimated them… Because they were weaker than ordinary Mantises, we even thought they’d make suitable training for our recruits…”
“…”
“But it never ended. No matter how many we killed, more came. Their only mercy was that they stopped moving at night. One look from the wall after dark was enough for me to decide to request aid from the capital. That brings us to the present.”
“From what you’ve said, shouldn’t the city still be surrounded right now?”
“Four days ago, they suddenly moved south. We don’t know why… The elven village is to the southeast, so they may have gone there…”
“…”
“But six days of fighting left us in tatters. We lack proper weapons and armor, and our healers are fully occupied with the gravely wounded… We have no personnel to spare for the elves.”
“I understand…”
I had a rough grasp of the situation.
I needed to organize the information.
“Thank you. You’ve all worked hard. We need somewhere to review what you’ve told us. Might we borrow a room?”
First Lady Miria stood.
“In that case, we shall prepare guest rooms at the lord’s residence. If you require a large chamber, I will clear the reception room for you.”
“We gratefully accept.”
We moved from the knights’ station to the lord’s mansion.
It was lunchtime, so the servants prepared the rooms while we ate.
We finished our meal somewhat hurriedly. A separate room awaited each of us, and the reception room was ready as well.
Everyone gathered there, and as a precaution, Gar stood guard outside the door.
According to Gar, anything he overheard would be beyond what he could usefully comment on. He would be satisfied if we told him whatever we decided.
To begin the strategy meeting, I summoned Ao.
“What is it? You’ve been calling me constantly lately. Don’t tell me you were lonely without me?”
“Yes, that’s right. I’m lonely, so please stay and talk with us for a while.”
Ao made a peculiar face, then curled up on top of my head…
He’s heavier than he looks…
His tail slapped my face the instant I thought it.
Could he read minds?
Come to think of it, we’d conversed without speaking when he stopped time. How could someone with such a cheating ability be this useless…?
His tail struck me again. This time, he dug his claws lightly into my scalp as well…
Further thoughts seemed dangerous, so I focused on the meeting.
“You heard the report. How should we attack? Does anyone have an idea?”
Mother answered.
“Why bother with a meeting? We can simply kill the lord directly.”
“That would make things easy, if we can do it… Ao, with a mana spot of this size, how powerful would a Mantis lord be?”
“Hmm? A Mantis… Depending on how it distributes its blessing, at most somewhere between a Goblin King and the Goblin Emperor.”
“Wait. ‘Distributes its blessing’? A lord can choose where its blessing goes?”
“Not perfectly—natural aptitude still matters—but yes.”
“Why can a lord do that when we Apostles can’t?”
“Hmm? Do you want to shorten your lifespan, Aldo?”
“What do you mean?”
“You want to raise whichever abilities you please, don’t you? Naturally, that costs lifespan.”
I considered his answer.
“So Apostles can choose abilities to raise, but it consumes our lifespan?”
“More or less.”
“Can’t we raise them by an amount small enough not to affect it?”
“Aldo, raising an ability isn’t so simple. It’s a forbidden art that may alter the fundamental nature of a living being. How can you speak so casually of doing it ‘just a little’?”
“It’s that serious…?”
“Besides, I’ve already raised your abilities by an amount that won’t harm you.”
“What? When?”
“What are you talking about? You increased your mana transformation with the gift you received for liberating a mana spot.”
“Oh. That’s right…”
“The reward for a liberation is about as much as you can receive without shortening your lifespan or harming your ability to have children.”
“I see. There was never going to be such a convenient shortcut…”
“Obviously. If there were, I’d have used it long ago.”
“By the way, how long does a lord live?”
“Let’s see. An animal without miasma can, with luck, live for several centuries. Monsters don’t gain any lifespan. Ten years at most, and as little as six months.”
“Six months? Then this Mantis might die in half a year?”
“Yes. But monsters dislike dying too, so they target other mana spots.”
Another new revelation…
Should I simply be grateful to learn it now?
“Ao, what happens if a lord captures another mana spot?”
“Hmm? Obviously, it gains the power of two mana spots and extends its lifespan.”
“Then was the reason the Emperor attacked Blue Ring…?”
“It was probably close to the end of its life.”
So this was the shocking truth we learned a year later…
Not that knowing it at the time would have changed anything…
“Haah… I understand.”
“What? An Apostle should know all this. Aldo, are you going to blame me for your ignorance?”
“That’s not what I meant. Thank you, Ao…”
“What was that for…?”
Enough about the goblins. That incident was over.
It was also my fault for failing to ask. From Ao’s perspective, there was no way to judge how much I knew.
“Then are we agreed on launching a surprise assault and killing the lord at once?”
“Considering the whole, that would be best.”
Something about his phrasing bothered me.
“Considering the whole? Is there a problem for individuals?”
“Of course. You know an example of a creature freed from its lord’s binding, don’t you?”
The Goblin King…
Was I an idiot?
Moments ago, I’d been thinking that the goblins that killed this region’s lord might have drifted here from Blue Ring.
“What do you think happens to the Mantises once their lord dies?”
“They’ll be free of its binding and act as they please. First, they’ll probably eat. They’ll attack whatever is nearby and fill their bellies.”
“What about Sandra and the elven village?”
“How should I know? But this city survived their previous attack, didn’t it? Then perhaps it’ll be fine. I don’t know.”
“And the elven village?”
“Haah… Aldo, don’t make me repeat myself. Do you truly think I can answer that question?”
“Right… Sorry.”
“Honestly…”
I looked around at everyone.
“Do we let the elven village die and end this quickly, or hole up and fight a war of attrition…?”
No one could speak.
Then Mother broke the silence.
“Split the party. One group defends the village, while the other kills the lord.”
“Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”
“It’s always dangerous. Entering labyrinths, liberating mana spots… That’s what life as an Apostle means.”
“Yes… You’re right…”
“If the worst happens, we run. Why do you think we saved two Miasma Stones?”
“Of course… We can create temporary territories…”
“Exactly. As long as we’re near you or El, we can return to Blue Ring immediately.”
“I see. Then El and I must be assigned to separate groups: one for the village and one for the lord.”
“Yes.”
“The group attacking the lord should strike with ultra-vibration or Magic Fist, then withdraw immediately. Ashera and Mother can both use Vernier, so one of them must go with that team…”
While I considered the assignments, Ao spoke.
“It seems you no longer need me. By the way, Aldo, there’s something I’ve wanted to ask for a long time.”
“What is it? A question from you is rare.”
“How did you know the Emperor’s finger was its ‘mark’?”
“Why…? When I examined it with sonar, I sensed strange mana coming from its right index finger…”
“Sonar?”
“Yes. It’s a technique that strikes the target with mana and uses the returning signal to examine its abilities and condition.”
“I’ve never heard of such a technique… But then, this is you. Can Elphas use it too?”
“Yes. Only El and I can.”
“Then it should be fine.”
“Yes. We should target the mark, correct?”
“Exactly. Attacking the mark is the best way to kill a lord, but normally no one knows where it is.”
“I see.”
“Then I’ll be going.”
“Thanks. You helped, Ao.”
Ao vanished without another word.
Now we only had to decide where El and I would go.
“El, sorry, but can I leave the lord to you?”
“Yes. I’ll be fine, Brother.”
El would attack the lord, and I would defend the elven village.
“Al, may I ask why you’re assigning yourself to the elves?”
“The biggest reason is that I speak Elvish. Also, El is better suited to protect Mother while she’s still getting used to Vernier. I should coordinate more easily with Gar, Beret, and Tamei as well. And then—”
“I understand. That’s enough. We’ll use these assignments.”
“Yes.”
Our positions and strategy were settled.
We wanted to reach the elven village as quickly as possible.
The Sandra Knights would defend the city. We would split into two groups—one relieving the elves, the other striking the lord.
When we explained the plan to Commander Fagil and First Lady Miria, they agreed to coordinate as soon as our preparations were complete.
Most of our supplies were already loaded on the carriage, so we were ready almost immediately.
Every passing hour meant more enemies and a more difficult rescue.
After discussing the remaining details, we scheduled the operation for the following morning.