The Caster of Destruction

by Kugane Maruyama

  Having made up her mind, Enri took a deep breath. When she glanced at Nfirea, who had brought Nemu over, he gave her a little nod as if to say, You can do this.

  Enri felt a slight warmth in her chest.

  That gave her the last bit of courage she needed.

  “Everyone! We’re going to make the decision for the village with everyone here! Once we reach a decision, please follow it!”

  Energetic voices replied in approval.

  “Does anyone think the village should go along with the kingdom’s suggestion?”

  No one raised their hand.

  As her heart pounded, Enri shouted, “Then we’ll risk our lives to oppose it! Raise your hand if you want to fight against the kingdom!”

  With a roar, so many hands flew into the air that there were too many to count. And none of them had simply raised their hands. All were tightly balled fists. The villagers’ faces were determined.

  Certainly, there was fear. Of course there was. They had chosen the path that ensured their deaths. But there was something else affecting them more deeply.

  They didn’t want to be the type of people who repaid all the kindness they had received with ingratitude.

  “Then we fight! This is our fight! We’ll repay that kindness! Jugemu, please come up with our battle plan.”

  Jugemu moved quickly to the front and stood next to Enri. “We’ve seen your determination. Y’all are gonna die here, ya know. Is that all right?”

  The only response to the seasoned veteran’s words was yes.

  “You lot have a lotta bark for how pale yer faces are. You’re all magnificent… Now, I don’t mean to dampen the enthusiasm, but don’t ya think we should have the young ones escape? Shouldn’t the only ones to die be us and the older men?”

  One of the older villagers spoke. “That’s a good point, but…it’s futile, isn’t it? The enemy is waiting outside both gates. Even if the children climbed over the wall, they’d definitely be discovered.”

  “Yeah, if they ran the normal way, things would go right as ya said.” Jugemu grinned. “They wouldn’t be able to run and stay hidden. That’s why first we’ll open the front gate and draw in the enemy. Once they’ve lowered their guard, that’s when we strike. If we can do enough damage, they should concentrate their forces.” He looked around at everyone. “Of course, they might also realize it’s a distraction. Even so, if our attack is strong enough, they’ll have no choice but to gather together. Any questions or concerns?”

  “Doesn’t seem like it, but Jugemu, where should they run to?”

  “That’s obvious, m’lady. Into the Tove Woodlands. We’ll have Arg and Lady Brita, with their knowledge of the forest, go along with the evacuees, so I’m sure they’ll be able to manage until these guys leave.”

  The villagers were prepared to give their lives, but it was only natural that they didn’t want their children to be killed. When Jugemu realized their fighting spirit had slackened with the relief of a lower possibility of losing the young ones, he said with a grim expression, “Listen. We need to land the first strike, then focus on attacking and defending after they concentrate their forces. We can’t let them get a breather in between. The more powerful our attacks are, the more likely the ones who run get to survive.”

  “Ha-ha-ha-ha! Phew, what a relief!”

  Several people were laughing. It wasn’t due to despair or a lapse in sanity. It was refreshing laughter.

  “If my wife and children are saved, then I have no regrets. I’m happy to pay back our debt to Ainz Ooal Gown!”

  “You said it! I won’t be a pathetic dad!”

  “So…how will we split up?”

  In response to Nfirea’s question, Jugemu scanned the faces of all the villagers present. “I’d like ya and Lady Enri to protect the wives and children as they withdraw from the village. And then like I said before, with woodland life in mind, Lady Brita and Arg and his tribe will be there.”

  “—What?” Enri was so surprised she yelped audibly.

  It was her duty as head of the village to operate with everyone until the end. Having decided to send the villagers into a deadly battle, it was her duty to go with them. She tried to say those things, but the villagers piped up faster.

  They all agreed with Jugemu. As she was thinking about how to convince them otherwise, they decided the plan without her.

  “Enri, we’re counting on you.”

  “Please look after my kids. My wife was killed…but I still have my kids…”

  The villagers’ firm handshakes contained all sorts of emotions. Enri was moved nearly to tears by the time Nfirea stepped beside her.

  “Enri, let’s go. Our battle will take place after we survive. It’s a battle we can’t lose. And maybe Ainz Ooal Gown will come to save us again. Since we’ve been to his castle before, it would be best for us to be around if he does.”

  “That’s right!”

  “Oh, Jugemu…”

  “That horn ya used to summon us…there was— Ah, well, even if ya used it, it would only be a drop in the bucket. Instead, put the new goblins to work after this battle.”

  Almost crying, Enri pressed her hands against her eyes.

  “Understood! We’ll take good care of your wives and children, everyone! Let’s go, Nfi!”

  The gate slowly swung open.

  “Aha, we should have shot the flaming arrows first thing. Readying the follow-up volley was a waste, but…”

  Barbro frowned in displeasure. They had used up too much precious time they didn’t have. It would be quite the forced march to make it up later, but there was nothing to be done about that now.

  This was the mistake of the marquis’s men. If he hadn’t given the order to loose the flaming arrows, he couldn’t even imagine how much more time they would have wasted.

  He looked to the heavens, cursing his poor luck to have to manage such foolish subordinates.

  They would also need some time for…executing some villagers.

  He would hang them from the walls as examples of how foolish it was to disobey the royal family.

  Then they would need time to find someone who knew Ainz Ooal Gown well. That seemed like it would take longer than the executions, because it would have to begin with an interrogation.

  “Shit. How was I supposed to know I would need a torturer? I guess I could tell them I promise to spare them… The problem is the children…”

  There was no point in letting the young live. In the first place, a child would never be able to survive on its own, so hanging it with its parents would be the compassionate thing to do.

  “Do we even have that much rope? It would be nice if the numbers worked out…”

  The soldiers approached the gate. He was incredibly satisfied with the sight of the royal family’s flag advancing at the head of the line. He wanted the flag bearer in his honor guard once he was king.

  The soldier holding the banner passed through the gate first…and went flying backward as if repelled by something.

  The royal family’s flag fluttered through the air before landing on the ground.

  From within the gate, a huge figure showed itself.

  “Th-that’s an ogre, right? An ogre?!” Barbro cried stupidly, forgetting the royal family’s dignity in the confusion of a situation he never anticipated.

  Yes, it was an ogre, a people-eating subhuman. Multiple soldiers just as bewildered as Barbro at the sudden appearance of the monster were batted away with its gigantic club. When they fell to the ground, after flying quite a distance in a scattering of flesh scraps, it was like a sign, and the other soldiers scrambled to be the first to escape the area in front of the gate. More ogres exited and ran after them.

  The soldiers who had taken off in the humiliating rout were clobbered away with clubs. They were like dolls being sent flying by children.

  Their retreat was too sloppy to be called a withdrawal, probably because it was the baron’s troops. They never thought their reward of b
eing the first to enter the village after firing the flaming arrows would end up like this.

  Just as Barbro raised his eyebrows at the sight of the baron abandoning his territory’s soldiers and skedaddling out of harm’s way himself, a high-pitched whistle sounded.

  The marquis’s cavalry had all raised their lances. Their magnificent discipline was enough to make Barbro think, Now that’s more like it. But they couldn’t jump into the melee of the ogres chasing the fleeing soldiers.

  A lance was most destructive during the charge. Its advantages were essentially neutralized in a melee.

  “Why aren’t you firing?” Barbro screamed.

  Damages would mount if they continued to let their opponents close in. The best move would be to forsake the soldiers fleeing toward them and shoot them along with the villagers.

  As Barbro was getting irritated, the ogres began to retreat. The cavalry couldn’t follow them to attack, ostensibly because the retreating soldiers were in the way, so they allowed the ogres to reenter the gate.

  Barbro clenched the reins of his horse as he watched the men take in the soldiers who had returned and were working to build an actual battle formation.

  He wanted to finish this stupid mission as quickly as possible and go make a name for himself on the battlefield against the empire.

  From that dream resulted this mess.

  He was sure that if he went helplessly back to E-Rantel, despite the unforeseen ogres, his reputation would suffer further. Then the gap in the race for the throne between him and his younger brother, Zanac, who should have been an extra, would be decisive.

  Or…is this all going according to plan?

  The loud tongue click he couldn’t hold back practically echoed, and he knew the nobles nearby were watching him.

  But he didn’t have time to try to gloss it over. Barbro’s sharp gaze was directed at the knight who commanded the marquis’s elite forces, who was running his way.

  “…What is that? Has the village been taken over by ogres?! Do you know anything about this?”

  “N-not a thing, Your Highness. If monsters were here… The tax collector was just here, and I’m sure he would have reported it if the village had been conquered by ogres. And if he hadn’t returned, that would have been an issue, too… What in the world is going on in this village…?”

  Barbro sensed the knight was genuinely at a loss, so even if this was a trap to reduce his power further, he realized this man had not been informed about it.

  So in one way, he was an ally.

  “So we don’t have enough information. Well, that can’t be helped. There were five ogres. If there were any more, surely they would have attacked, so there can’t be double that amount. Five ogres. You can take them out, right?”

  “Of course, Your Highness. Each of us boasts strength equal to the elites in the Royal Select, who are said to be the strongest in the kingdom. Five ogres are no match for us!”

  “I don’t doubt you, but I do wonder something. As far as I know, ogres are not very intelligent monsters; their actions earlier seemed too clever. They lured us in by opening the gate and then attacked with perfect timing. There has to be a commander. If one of the villagers is controlling them…?”

  “With all due respect, that’s not possible. How would a mere farmer tame ogres? But there is the prospect of someone else. If possible, I’d like to gather intelligence about who we’re up against an—”

  Barbro couldn’t contain his aggravation. “How can you just chitchat like that? Look!” He pointed to the royal family’s flag lying on the ground in front of the gate like a tattered rag. “Look what they’ve done to the royal family’s flag! I don’t care what it takes; we must destroy this village! Gather the soldiers. Loose your flaming arrows and burn it to the ground. This is a chance to get some siege experience! We’re past the point of getting through this without any casualties. Attack like you mean to raze the place.”

  “Wait! Perhaps it’s not a villager but a subhuman with a brain, like an ogre sorcerer!”

  “Maybe, but what about it?” Barbro spoke slowly to the puzzled knight, as if he was explaining to a child. “Listen. It doesn’t matter if it’s the villagers controlling the ogres or a smarter monster controlling the villagers and the ogres. The people in this village have rebelled against the royal family, the rulers of this land. We need to show the world how foolish that was.”

  “It’s possible the villagers have been taken hostage and are innocent!”

  “Were you not listening? What did I say? It doesn’t matter!”

  The knight seemed to be having difficulties accepting his point, so Barbro shrugged.

  “Okay, okay. I understand how you feel. Then here is the best compromise. Capture unresisting villagers. We can judge them later. Will that work for you?”

  “Yes, Your Highness!”

  The knight bowed. Barbro nodded in satisfaction at the spirited reply.

  “But I have one condition: Overwhelmingly crush them. If I lose men here, I’ll never hear the end of it. That goes for you as well. People will say you warriors are supposed to be the marquis’s trump card, but you couldn’t even run an errand to a village in a satisfactory way.”

  “But the ogres—”

  “An excuse like that isn’t going to fly. That’s just how the world is.”

  “Yes, Your Highness.”

  “If you understand, then get it done. Gather up the soldiers around the rear gate, too. And go cut down a tree from the forest. Make a simple battering ram. I’ll leave the details of the operation up to you. Win the fight while keeping losses to a minimum. Kill anyone who runs.”

  Pots of oil were thrown against the wall, and more flaming arrows were loosed.

  There was a violent explosion as if someone had cast Fireball, and as the black smoke rose, bright-red flames raged.

  The self-defense squad members were shaken, so Jugemu gripped his magic sword tightly and roared. “Don’t get scared! This fire isn’t enough to bring down these walls! It’s more important to guard the ga—”

  A huge bang rang out, and the gate creaked.

  Just as the frame of the watchtower was still standing, the thick logs of the walls wouldn’t burn up even with the volleys of flaming arrows. Apparently, his idea that the fire had been only a distraction while they broke through the gate was right on. It shook with another bang.

  This echo was heavier than the punches an ogre could deliver, so it had to be a siege weapon—probably a battering ram.

  “Loose your arrows!”

  Following Jugemu’s shout, the villagers shot their arrows with practiced hands. Screams of pain went up from the other side of the wall, but the battering ram attacks didn’t stop. Maybe it was a wave attack of multiple battering rams.

  “Loose!”

  Timed with Jugemu’s voice, another volley of arrows flew. But this time, the other side shot back. Several times the number of their arrows returned as a rain.

  But not one of them hit anybody.

  Their opponents weren’t inferring the firing locations; their arrows were sticking out of places that totally missed the mark. Still, if that many archers continued firing, their hit ratio would gradually improve. That meant there would be trouble if they didn’t immediately reduce their ratio to zero again.

  “Take shelter! Take shelter! We’re switching positions!”

  Following the order that was the product of Jugemu skillfully both raising and lowering his voice at the same time, the villagers began to shift in a panic.

  The only thing the villagers had been taught was how to drop arrows on the other side of the wall by aiming from a specific location. For that reason, their hit ratio from that position was high—but conversely, just switching positions meant that they would have trouble aiming where they wanted.

  A shooting battle wouldn’t work anymore.

  “Take up your spears! We’ll do the rest at close quarters!”

  The thock of metal striking s
omething behind the wall was different than the sound of the battering ram they’d been hearing up until now. They must have brought out axes. The sounds could be heard from more than one location.

  Numbers truly were violence. There was a good chance the attacks on the walls and gate were distractions, and soldiers were climbing up ladders somewhere else entirely. That was the tactic Jugemu would have chosen if he was commanding.

  As I thought…their tactic of splitting their forces is working quite well.

  Since Carne was overwhelmingly outnumbered, they couldn’t possibly cope with all the different attacks. By making them think that, they spread them out even further.

  After they had thinned out enough, the village would strike. In wedge formation, they would charge on the army’s main position. If they did that, the soldiers would probably panic and concentrate their forces.

  That’s why he had had the ogres come back in. Even if they had charged at that point, they probably couldn’t have caused enough chaos to get them to bring back the soldiers who had gone around to the rear gate.

  If the detached enemies come back, that’ll mean we’ll be surrounded with nowhere to run. I guess it’ll be what ya call jumping into the dragon’s mouth.

  They were tactics that were sure to leave them dead.

  That said…

  “Well, our plan is already half-successful,” Jugemu murmured in a relaxed tone as he turned his gaze toward the rear gate, though he couldn’t see it.

  He’d prepared the escape route with the highest-possible chances of survival for his master, so he had no regrets. To make a cold assessment, if all the villagers fighting here died, the enemy wouldn’t know how many got away, nor what became of Enri.

  Protecting Enri was Jugemu’s highest priority; for that, he was willing to sacrifice everything, which was why—

  “Everyone! When the gate breaks, we’re going to charge! Our objective is their main position! Taking out their boss is the only way we’ll survive!”

  “Rrrragh!” A determined roar went up. Some voices trembled, but he didn’t sense anyone chickening out.

  They were men with the will to protect their children and loved ones as much as they could.