"How should I put it... thirty thousand is really quite something."
Currently, our ostrich flock is gazing at the army of the so-called Beast Kingdom from outside the town. The enemy is still in transit toward this settlement. Since it's utterly impossible for ostriches to wage a defensive battle inside a town, we will likely initiate a charge and force a field battle once they get a bit closer, right?
After traveling for several days since that incident, we managed to arrive at the front-line city, which is where we are currently deployed. Though, even when labeled as the "front line," it isn't as if a fierce, high-intensity conflict is already taking place like in modern or contemporary warfare. The method of fighting here is more like an extension of a territory control game, where you surround the enemy's town, batter it, and make it your own.
If Matilde—the professional—were here, she would undoubtedly object to that oversimplification... but she already gave me the OK, confirming that my perception isn't entirely wrong. The phrase "front line" is being used simply because communication has been severed with the cities closer to the border. To be precise, "the town closest to the enemy among all cities possessing combat capability" would be the most accurate description.
"...To me, they look like nothing more than dots."
"Well, our eyesight is exceptionally good. We wouldn't have survived without it, after all."
Recalling the harsh environment of the highlands, I watch the massive army slowly close the distance toward this city. I observe the thirty thousand beastmen.
Perhaps because there are various races of beastmen mixed together, I don't see any standardized equipment. Some are tall and heavily built, while others are small and look exceptionally agile. However, every single one of them is wearing something red. That must be their national color. Our side, Heed, is blue, and Nagan, whom we fought the other day, was yellow. Well, once combat begins and one's field of vision narrows, the risk of friendly fire increases. That's likely why they match their colors.
As a matter of fact, since our flock is fighting on the side of Heed this time, I had everyone wrap a blue scarf around themselves... but that turned out to be an immense ordeal. To begin with, ostriches have absolutely no concept of clothing culture. Or rather, their recognition of scraps of cloth stops at "It's kind of fluttering," and "It doesn't taste good even if I eat it." On top of that, the only one who could possibly equip it without any resistance is me, but I have wings; there's no way I can tie a scarf.
(I had no issues. Dere saw that I was wearing one, and thanks to Amelia-san putting it on her, she didn't throw a wild tantrum either. But...)
The other kids were a completely different story. Since their numbers are what they are, I requested assistance from the soldiers under Matilde's command, but boy, did the ostriches hate it. They didn't understand the meaning of wrapping a scarf in the first place, and they fundamentally loathed the sensation of something sticking to their bodies. They didn't register it as an attack, thankfully, but some kids ran away from the soldiers, while others went out of their way to tear off the attached scarves with their beaks.
Ultimately, I resolved the issue by drawing everyone's attention to myself while the soldiers swiftly equipped them, and then distracting the ostriches until they forgot they were wearing something (which took about five seconds). Though, the soldiers ended up utterly exhausted...
"Well, we're the only ones charging in, so it's fine, but... we put you through a lot of trouble, didn't we?"
"Do not pay it any mind. To put it bluntly, everyone took the field today under the assumption that they would be at the mercy of your flock's whims. Furthermore, a weak nation like Heed suffers devastating damage from the loss of a single city. If they invade any further, it will inevitably escalate into a scramble among neighboring countries to carve up the pie that is our nation."
Faced with such a crisis, there was no way the soldiers felt nothing; it became an excellent opportunity for them to vent the emotions that had accumulated precisely because they would not be stepping onto the front lines. Matilde smiles as she says this... well, if that's the case, I suppose it's fine.
"...In actual terms, what does that host feel like?"
After a brief silence, I shift the topic to the enemy soldiers spreading out before our eyes. When put into words, "thirty thousand" only evokes a vague sensation of "that's a lot," but when that actual number is lined up right in front of you, it's a bit overwhelming. From a casual glance, I don't see anyone who looks as absurdly dangerous as the threats back in the highlands... but it's roughly six times the number of Nagan soldiers we fought at Plaque. An overwhelming quantity that I never even witnessed in the highlands; since our flock is just a bit over three hundred, they outnumber us by about a hundred to one. Incredible, isn't it?
"...To begin with, because the main force of the Beast Kingdom consists of beastmen, they do not utilize overly complex tactics. They could group themselves by race, but doing so would foster an odd sense of factionalism and friction with other races, throwing the army into chaos. Consequently, they utilize an un-unified formation."
In Heed's case, they apparently transform a diverse array of races into a single entity called an "army" through rigorous training, but in the Beast Kingdom's case, the disparity in individual combat capability is so vast that such synchronized training is difficult to implement. It seems they occasionally divide the army to execute basic strategies, but from their perspective, even if our flock of three hundred ostriches is added to the equation, the overwhelming disadvantage on our side remains unchanged. Judging by the enemy's haphazard array...
"They will rely on brute force. It is powerful precisely because it is simple. While no siege engines are visible, multiple avian beastmen can be spotted. A city's defensive battle ends the moment the enemy breaches the walls, and our detachment out here is powerless before sheer numbers. That is likely their line of thought."
"...Which means a headhunting strategy won't be very effective?"
"Most likely. The directive from their sovereign, the 'Beast King,' is probably nothing more than a rudimentary instruction like 'Advance to the Royal Capital.' You can see several flags with differing designs, correct? If we eliminate the general-level commanders near those general flags, it will cause a modicum of confusion... but as long as the Beast King's directive stands, defying it means nothing less than death to them. They will likely not stop unless they are slaughtered to the last man."
I see. So the tactics from the Plaque defense battle won't be of much use here. Well, that strategy failed halfway through anyway. Taking down the enemy commander probably isn't entirely useless, but it won't cause the army to retreat.
Furthermore, since the enemy's mindset is "Our King is strong and terrifying, he's a Special Tactical Force after all. If we don't obey, we die! Forward, forward!" they won't pull back unless the entire army is battered into a state of absolute panic. I don't want to engage in more killing than necessary, and even though my kids forget things instantly, I'd still like to avoid having them slaughter intelligent lifeforms that speak languages like we do. It's not great for their education.
(In other words, our policy should be to focus on those 'general flags'? We'll trample the pompous-looking guys hanging around near the general's flag one after another, and kick aside anyone who gets in our way. We'll just repeat that until the enemy pulls back.)
"OK, that's good reference material. I don't know if I'll be able to observe the enemy's movements very well while I'm busy commanding my kids, so I'll leave that side of things to you."
"Ah, leave it to me."
...Right! Time to psych myself up.
Conveniently, the enemy is slowly advancing through a plain with excellent visibility. Since there are avian beastmen flying in the sky, they must have already grasped our situation. Yet, the fact that they're continuing their advance without changing a thing means... well, they probably don't care about us in the slightest, do they? That's a bit irritating~. Well, whatever.
It would be a pain if they moved weirdly and changed the battlefield, and it would be troublesome if the enemy stopped their brute-force approach to devise a clever scheme. Because the ostriches can't do anything other than charge and retreat, it's much easier for us if the enemy remains clustered together in a mass during their march, just like they are now. Let's strike them swiftly.
I shift the consciousness within myself, switching over to that of the "Chief."
What we are about to engage in is an overwhelming slaughter; there is no need for misplaced mercy. I am the leader of the ostriches. If an enemy stands before us, and there is even a single shred of a possibility that they might harm us, I will kill them. For us, who have continuously survived in the highlands, no matter who the opponent is, there is no leniency, no complacency. We simply kill the enemy, hunting them to completion. That is who we are.
"Assemble."
There is no actual need to put it into words. The moment I shifted my atmosphere, they gathered. Therefore, it was more like a statement directed at myself. These kids don't need a long-winded lecture. They don't need a speech to boost morale. I just need to give them directives. And the one issuing those directives is me. Whether they live or die depends on me.
"Matilde, take the center. Observe the whole field. Report immediately if anything happens."
"Understood."
"Amelia, you take the center as well. My knowledge regarding magic is still shallow. I'm counting on you."
"Yes, leave it to me."
I place the two of them—who do not possess robust physical bodies like ours—on the inside, within the area where the relatively younger kids of the flock are situated. The vanguard remains me.
Yes, this is fine.
"Alright, then... let's give it everything we've got. Charge!"
" " "Waaah!!!!" " "
◇◆◇◆◇
"Your Majesty."
"Ah, I am aware."
The Beast King responds without listening to the entirety of the report from his subordinate. Being exceptionally talented as a mage, he had perceived the approach of a colossal presence of mana.
Currently, the King was calmly sitting upon a field chair while halting the movement of the mana inside his body, performing an operation to generate an outer shell and push the mana further inward. It was the process of mana concealment.
It was a task requiring meticulous attention, one where an ordinary practitioner would be unable to utter a single word, but the Beast King covered that requirement with his sheer talent. Behind him, multiple mages—a rarity among beastmen—raised their staffs, enhancing the potency of that concealment.
Ordinarily, the mana of an individual who has reached the rank of a Special Tactical Force can be detected by anyone who has mastered magic to a certain degree. Lais—who cannot manipulate her mana properly yet—is an exception, but if someone possesses the ability of the elf Amelia, who is judged to be of the semi-Special Tactical Force class, the enemy's location would easily be exposed even across a considerable distance.
Therefore, the Beast King chose to thoroughly conceal his own mana.
Lais herself wasn't like that at all, but the Beast King had judged the newly born Special Tactical Force to be a "magic-type." In other words, an existence counted among the Special Tactical Forces by virtue of mana, just like himself. That colossal mana he had sensed when they first initiated the invasion of the Heed Kingdom served as the sole piece of evidence backing that line of thought. Consequently, he had resorted to the measure of concealing himself.
The reasoning behind this originated from the Beast King contemplating what actions he would take if he were the new Special Tactical Force born in the Heed Kingdom.
A Special Tactical Force can serve as a deterrent against other nations invading that country, and judging by the personality of Heed's current King, it wouldn't be surprising if they immediately invaded the Beast Kingdom upon acquiring a Special Tactical Force. However, the fact that it didn't turn out that way allowed him to judge that the discovery of the Special Tactical Force, or their ascension to that rank, was a recent development.
(Therefore, I chose to crush the opponent before they can mature.)
In short, it was necessary to "lure them out to a battlefield where a Special Tactical Force is presumed to be absent." No matter how powerful the beastmen are compared to humans, a Special Tactical Force can easily twist an army of thirty thousand around their finger. Even if the opponent were a newcomer with a low output who could barely handle ten thousand, considering that soul-shaking mana, it was utterly unthinkable that they would be incapable of annihilation.
Therefore, it was necessary to make them drop their guard. He concealed his own mana, and simultaneously dispatched spies. Because the Heed Kingdom is a multi-ethnic nation, a large population of beastmen resides there. For that reason, it was not impossible to spread false rumors acting as Heed citizens. Because the Beast King himself had obliterated every single city along the invasion route, not a single survivor remained. It was a strategy possible precisely because of that.
The Beast King's calculation would succeed perfectly, due to the overlapping factors of "the backup provided by the Strategist who had seen through the scheme in advance" and "the young Queen's intention to pit Special Tactical Forces against one another." In fact, prior to clashing with them, Lais and her companions had firmly judged that a Special Tactical Force was absent.
(If they are a complete long-range type relying on magic, I shall draw them in by making the army retreat; if they can handle close-quarters combat like myself, I shall do so by feigning a rout. I will lure them all the way to this location, the center of our army.)
And the moment they were lured in, he would unleash his concealment and blow everything away with the greatest attack the Beast King possessed.
This strategy boasted an exceptionally high success rate and was a definitive method to slaughter a Special Tactical Force, but it carried the flaw of consuming a vast number of soldiers in exchange. In fact, the Beast King himself was aware of that possibility, and he had received identical pointers from the intellectuals he employed.
However, he accepted that sacrifice.
(If a single Special Tactical Force can be slaughtered, it is well worth the annihilation of this army of thirty thousand. And in the worst-case scenario, as long as I survive, the Royal Capital can be taken.)
In fact, if he were to head toward the Royal Capital alone without leading an army, high-speed movement would become possible by expelling mana from beneath his feet. While the brand he had built up as the Beast King would crumble slightly, if there are no citizens of his own country around, he could use it as much as he pleased. And if he headed toward the Heed Capital at that speed, the reinforcements from the Nagan Kingdom—who had recently forged a military alliance—would not make it in time. That is how he had calculated it.
...For reference, regarding what would happen if he actually traced that route: the Beast King's plan would succeed halfway. It was entirely possible for him to reach the Royal Capital of the Heed Kingdom. However, that place would become his graveyard. There was no way the "Strategist" pride of Nagan would fail to see through the Beast King's line of thought, and there was no way they hadn't left some form of trap in the Capital, which had become far easier to send spies into due to the military alliance.
Now, let us return to the present.
"A messenger!"
"Report the details, leave nothing out."
"An enemy force of three hundred has executed a charge toward us! Their speed is astronomical—"
The moment the messenger attempted to state the speed of the ostriches, multiple beastmen are launched into the sky. Their bodies, bent at angles unthinkable under normal circumstances, fly over the Beast King's head and vanish into the distance.
"They have engaged us already, then. Swift."
The strategy he devised had already been communicated to each commander. Since it was understood that the opponent was a close-quarters type, or an existence favoring close-range combat, the Beast Kingdom's army would now proceed to deliver the enemy to their doom at the cost of sacrifices.
(A speed that Heed's cavalry—their heavy cavalry—could absolutely never achieve. It would be a different story if they possessed unique, peerless steeds, but preparing three hundred of them is difficult. ...Support magic, then.)
Within the Beast King's mind, the nature of the Special Tactical Force was taking shape. A charge executed by a collective of three hundred augmented by support magic. This implied that the Special Tactical Force itself lacked "breakthrough capability" or "offensive power." However, if that were the case, it failed to explain the colossal mana the target possessed. If that mana were utilized, they could use support magic peerless in its power—powerful enough to ruin the user's own body—yet to say they are utilizing it now would be "too late."
(...A bluff?)
The Special Tactical Forces currently confirmed in the world—including this continent and the Empire—were almost exclusively titles directed at individuals. And the past Special Tactical Forces left behind in history were also mostly individuals. While an exception known as the "Twins" technically exists in the modern era, an instance where a collective of three hundred like the ostriches becomes a Special Tactical Force did not exist within the history the Beast King grasped. Consequently, the concept that the entirety of them constitutes the Special Tactical Force did not cross his mind.
(No, even if it is a bluff, it matters not. As long as I can lure them in, that is enough.)
While harboring a sliver of anxiety, the Beast King calmed his mind to ensure his mana concealment would absolutely not falter. If one experiences strong emotions, their mana will falter accordingly. Therefore, as a King, he could not allow his emotions to surge, no matter what transpired.
As if to corner the King, messengers flooded in one after another. Reports of units being wiped out, reports of casualties exceeding thirty percent. Reports that the leaders of those units had been slain, reports that the generals overseeing those leaders had perished ahead of them. In his eagerness to swiftly crush the alliance between Nagan and Heed, bringing the standing army—the main force—that could be moved immediately had backfired. In the customs of the Beast Kingdom, the higher one's rank, the stronger they were, and the higher their position, the deeper their relationship with the King.
His friends were passing away one after another.
There were always times when he had to make cold, ruthless decisions as a King; the Beast King had made those choices for the sake of the state. However, he was not so cold-blooded as to feel nothing upon losing his friends. Even so, he could not allow his heart to waver.
And the moment arrived when numerous generals had fallen in battle, and sixty percent of the entire army was dead.
Lured in by the sacrifice of the soldiers, Heed's new Special Tactical Force arrived.
A straight, empty void opened up.
The moment the Beast King captured Lais within his field of vision for the first time.
His mana was unleashed.
The mana, which began to rotate rapidly to reclaim the portion that had been suppressed until now, began to gather swiftly within the maw of his leonine face, just like during the Beast King's siege battle the other day. However, the pressure this time was incomparable to the last.
The attack that had blown away a robust defensive stronghold along with three thousand defensive troops was nothing more than a "mere jab" to the Beast King.
A "Special Tactical Force" refers to those possessing the power to "annihilate ten thousand soldiers as a side thought." If their capability were of the lower rank, there are likely those for whom the equation of $1 = 10,000$ holds true. However, the Beast King, who occupied the middle rank, did not fit that description. If that attack which blew away the defensive stronghold as a side thought was a "normal attack" for the Beast King, then just how much power would an "all-out attack" possess?
(The target is a single-point breakthrough, a power capable of erasing her entire body from existence!)
The mana gathering in the Beast King's mouth discolored, turning into a deeper, darker black. Changing into a hue identical to the "black so deep it feels as though one will be sucked into it" described by those who had witnessed the mana residing within Lais's body, it gathered for the sole purpose of erasing a single individual.
Taking something with the power to blow away a wide area, making it even more potent, narrowing its range, and raising its offensive power.
The all-out attack of the Beast King, a Special Tactical Force. It was unleashed now.
Never before, until this very moment, had there been a time when I was so glad to have learned about magic and mana.
"—! Lais!!!"
"I know!"
The flow of time in the world slows down drastically, and my thoughts accelerate to high speeds. This is bad, this is obviously bad. That thing can definitively kill us.
Come to think of it, I had a strange premonition. It wasn't as if we weren't getting results. However, I had been sensing a weird discrepancy the entire time. I was told about that concern by Matilde, and my anxiety grew even larger, but I couldn't comprehend its full scope. Without realizing it, I had failed to notice until the very end a bizarre strategy that involved sacrificing a massive number of soldiers and almost all of the generals.
Presumably, the soldiers hadn't been informed. No one found any discrepancy in the way they scrambled to flee. But the eyes of all the generals hadn't given up hope; they felt as though they possessed some sort of resolve.
And then, a void.
Something that even an amateur on a battlefield would understand should be impossible: a "straight, empty void" opened up right in front of us.
And at that exact moment, I feel a rapid surge of mana. A mana entirely separate from the one I know within myself, a mana far more powerful and far more exquisite than that of my mentor, Amelia. If we weren't in a place like this, it's something I'd want to admire as a work of art. An existence identical to the terror I felt back when I was in the highlands stood right before my eyes.
"Leap to the side!!!!"
My scream-like voice and the release of that mana occurred almost simultaneously.
I do not leap.
A defensive barrier of mana—which Amelia must have scrambled to generate—manifests along the line of fire, but it is instantly blown away.
My kids are smart. An attack coming from the front, combined with my directive. Their instincts should have ensured they leaped in a direction where they could definitely avoid it.
But the kids who were following right behind me... those kids will absolutely not make it in time.
In that case, I have no choice but to launch them upward.
While erratically moving the mana that still refuses to budge, I attempt to channel it throughout my entire body.
But it won't move.
In that case, I have no choice but to force it.
I don't know the method, but...
I can't just do nothing.
To protect the kids behind me, even if only slightly,
From the encroaching polar light,
I spread,
My body,
And then,
Everything went blank.
Next time: Awakening.