Chapter 34 : The Gardener

The battle started not at the dungeon entrance, said to be halfway up the mountain, but at a mountain fortress near the path leading up there.

An old fortress that would have housed bandits in the past, but now its inhabitants had either become dungeon zombies or served as a meal's worth of nutrients.

It seems the subjugation army's vanguard encountered an army of wild greenskins and zombies there.

Demons with uniformly reddened eyes.

"It hurts… Here… If I can't get treatment immediately, at least give me some medicine…!"

"You won't die from that much! Here, my intestines are turned inside out!"

As a result, half a day later, the support camp was already full of wounded soldiers arriving from the vanguard.

Although our side's abilities are superior, it's natural for casualties to occur when both sides clash without sparing their bodies.

"Those bastards were waiting for us… I'm sure of it!"

'Well. I wonder about that.'

In my opinion, they probably just felt like an 'army' due to their perception being distorted by the sudden situation and injuries. Still, in reality, it was likely just a 'horde' that weren't even comrades.

Anyway, it seems their numbers were beyond imagination. Even a rough count showed about several hundred just in that fortress.

This overwhelmed the number of scouts who had gone up as the vanguard. Listening to the administrators' conversations, I could also understand the reason for such large numbers.

"Where on earth did so many demons appear from…"

"They were originally there."

"Originally?"

"Didn't you know? Demons don't all disappear just because a dungeon vanishes."

Since Dungeon Lords first appeared in this world 200 years ago, countless dungeons – recorded to be at least 100,000 in scale – have appeared and disappeared.

So many humans died that you'd wonder 'how did they even survive', countries disappeared, and yet they eventually managed to overcome this calamity.

However, some dungeons of powerful Lords became magicalized and settled in the world, and some dungeons had their Lords and cores erased but didn't succeed in killing all demons.

"We just didn't recognize it, but there are many demons that don't attack humans and just live like wild predators in hiding. It's likely those were drawn to the magic power of this rampage."

"Peace is still far off…"

"We must strive for future generations."

Thus, demons that were no longer needed in demon realms, or those that survived from vanished dungeons, spread into the world and started breeding.

And those demons that reproduced in mountains and rivers sometimes attacked humans or ate each other and wild animals to increase their numbers.

It seems these demons are also the main culprits that have made public safety outside cities in this world quite poor.

'Well. If there are so many, isn't that just a new ecosystem?'

The people of this world seem to think of demons as something to be removed, but I thought differently.

Those wild demons have already become like the 'mosquitoes' or 'freshwater snails' of this world. Though their size is overwhelmingly larger and they're much more violent.

'If all the manpower of every continent focused on killing demons, maybe they could catch them all someday.'

But how long would that take?

100 years? 200 years?

Demons tend to reproduce quickly, and those that have already gone wild are good at hiding. They'll recognize humans as top predators after all.

There are probably far more wild demons near my dungeon than those I've taken or killed. They're just fragmented and scattered as a result of learning that large groups get subjugated.

'Oh…'

Then, there might be a way to spread individuals that could lure them and cause artificial monster waves—an unexpected benefit.

I should keep this in mind.

Anyway, I've digressed a bit, so let's return to the main point.

-Kiyaaaak!!!

-Kuwaaak!!

Right now, the sight of Copzerin's main force being pushed back was coming into view. By demons rampaging down from the mountain, drawn by the aggro from the battle at the fortress.

It looked like a green and gray wave overturning a wave of metal.

"Ranged support! We can't join the frontline from here anyway! All mages and archers come out!!"

Naturally, there was a commotion in this middle camp too.

If the main force gets pushed back and personnel losses increase, the confusion and casualties on this side will grow uncontrollably.

"「Lance of Branding」!!"

"「Fireball」!"

"「Hand of Protection」."

"Wait a moment! Now!! Fire-!!!"

Though those with slightly less ability had left for support, their magic or arrows could still inflict damage on the enemy all the same.

As the reserve mages waiting in the camp unleashed magic exhibiting their individual characteristics, and those with bows fired arrows in unison at the signal, the main force that had been continuously retreating under fierce pressure began to push the demons back up the mountain again.

"It should be fine now, right?"

"You brat! Trying to jinx it!"

Seeing this, the people in the camp regained their composure.

The fact that the main force pushed back from the high ground could push back the enemy again itself proved that our forces were superior.

'Should I shake things up?'

Just as I was looking for a way to slightly reinforce the dungeon's weakness on this side.

-Kuwaaak!!

-Kruaak!!

Strange roars were heard from over there.

They were the roars of two zombie giants with bodies so huge they could be recognized even from afar.

"Abominations."

"You know the name of those horrible things, Lady."

Abomination. Literally meaning a horrible thing, or an abhorrence.

They are huge zombies made by using the corpse of a giant creature or by magically fusing several smaller corpses together. Now, on the battlefield, one of each situation was rampaging and overturning the battlefield.

When I unconsciously uttered that name, the administrative knight Elias approached and spoke to me.

"I'm very interested in dungeons."

"For the treasures?"

"Wouldn't it be strange for a merchant not to be interested?"

"Haha. That's true. But it seems it's not just that."

The feeling of wariness rising from the base of my neck as soon as I heard those words.

I glanced to see what this man saw in me, and found him looking at me with honey-dripping eyes.

As soon as I saw those eyes, the wariness disappeared instantly. The problem is that I got goosebumps instead.

Ah, I see.

I was pretty even if I was short. Maybe the small body appeals even more to these knights.

They call it a protective instinct, don't they? It could also be a desire to conquer.

"For such a beautiful person to be a merchant, and to seek out dungeons on your first trade journey, there must be some other special reason."

"War is always an opportunity for merchants."

"For someone who says that, you didn't bring that much in supplies. A normal merchant would have brought more carts even if they had to borrow money."

So there was a flaw there.

How would I know, I've never been in the position of a merchant or salesperson.

"I didn't know it was a big enough deal to borrow money for. If I had known it would be like this, I would have done so too."

"Haha. Is that so?"

The knight didn't seem to believe me at all.

It seems I still look like a woman with some kind of 'secret'. Like a fallen noble, or a noblewoman who ran away.

It was a cliché of romance novels widespread in this world.

-Kuwaaak!!

Ignoring him roughly, I examined the appearance of the monsters that had just come out.

As their name suggests, abominations are the most horrifyingly ugly among the summons operated by vampire Dungeon Lords of the zombie series, but they are also one of the most cost-effective.

The original is just a zombie so maintenance costs are low, but their power rivals that of ogres and they're good for adding abilities according to the Dungeon Lord's preferences.

-All food!!!

-Give give give!!

Even now, these monsters each showed one such special feature.

The giant made using an ogre's body was spewing some kind of disgustingly foul liquid like a breath weapon from who knows where, and the giant created by stitching zombies together was emitting green vapor from cracks in its body.

"Aak! Aaak!! It burns…!!"

"Cough…! Re, retreat! It's a plague!"

Those hit by the liquid started writhing on the spot, crying out in pain, and those who inhaled the vapor started coughing and making people retreat.

Boils rapidly rose on the skin of those writhing, soon bursting with pus and blood, and those who were coughing continued to retch before vomiting green-tinted liquid and collapsing, unable to move.

"「Detoxification Barrier」!"

"「The Lord's Grace Descends」!"

-Baaaang!!

-Guweok…!!

Boom! Bang!!

Though the sources of the disease were blocked by magic and holy magic, it wasn't enough.

These elite-level giants have the strength to smash through even the mages' protective barriers befitting their huge bodies, and the subordinate zombies and greenskins are even charging in regardless of the disease.

It was natural for the frontline to be drawn this way as soon as these giants of plague appeared, rapidly spreading skin diseases and pneumonia.

Moreover, as you can see from them speaking, they're even smarter than zombies.

Crunch!

"B-burn me…"

"Jason…!!"

One is using the wounded it's holding in one of its two pairs of hands like a shield or blunt weapon.

-Come out!! Come out!!

The other is throwing nearby trees or rocks to add pressure to the protective barriers.

It was a sight that humans looking at monsters couldn't help but be sick of.

"Is it alright for you not to go help?"

The tide of battle had turned unfavorable again.

However, despite that, the knight standing beside me didn't seem inclined to move.

"My job is to protect the reinforcements here. Besides…"

"Besides?"

"If I rush in, I'll be scolded instead. There are already some proud fellows at the front."

"Hmm."

"They're coming out now."

Hearing his words, I shifted my gaze back to the frontline, and those 'proud fellows' were just starting to appear.

"For Heisen-!!"

"Eliminate the enemies of Copzerin!!"

A man wearing half plate and chain mail covering other body parts, wielding two double-bladed axes.

A woman in full plate armor with a mace in one hand and a shield so large it looks like a tower shield in the other.

A pair that could be recognized as 'knights' at a glance was charging forward, leading others wearing gleaming plate mail behind them.

"They are Sir Gent and Lady Odeline, the senior knights of Copzerin City. The next generation of talent in the city."

"They look like excellent people."

"…Their abilities are excellent."

It seems like there's some emotion hidden between the words.

Sure enough, Knight Elias's brow was slightly furrowed as he looked at them. That was at least not the look of seeing reliable allies.

Seeing that appearance reminded me of something.

'In this era, it's probably natural to put ability first and personality second.'

When it comes to worship of strength, this place would be far stronger than Earth's Middle Ages or prehistoric times. After all, it's a world where you can casually use the word 'superhuman' even for people who aren't particularly perfect.

That's why the countries of this world emphasize loyalty to the state or superiors as a virtue.

The achievements of such superhumans, heroes, and champions are power. And the targets for building those achievements are…

Always monsters.

'I can use this.'

There are already two achievements gained just today.

I feel good.

While hiding the smile that was about to come out naturally like that, I looked up at the sky ahead.

Swish swish swish…

"Here it comes."

There, red mist was rolling in like evening twilight. It was not a figurative expression of color, but mist truly made of blood.

…Flash.

I could see an especially red light flickering in the middle of that mist.

-There's a lot of fertilizer.

Along with someone's presence.

"Miss? What did you just… Miss? Miss Angelita!!"

By the time Elias turned his head towards me, I had already disappeared from that spot.