Chapter 40

From the perspective of those attending, a festival is most fun while it’s happening.

However, for those organizing it, the preparation is often the most enjoyable part.

“It is time for vengeance… a banquet of fresh blood…”

“Heh, hehehe… I’ll k-kill them… I’ll exterminate every last one of those Orcs!!”

“There is no waste in the world God created… yes, that’s right. But I beg to differ. I think there is just one thing… just one… I believe demi-human swine are unnecessary. Don’t you agree?”

The bloodlust of the seniors had risen to such a degree that their faces were no longer fit for public viewing.

With drool trickling down, bloodshot eyes, and sighs heavy with resentment, they looked like literal demons.

After struggling through failed conventional reconnaissance, only to have the details of the Orc colony revealed through an entirely different route, it seemed all their pent-up frustration was being channeled into pure murderous intent toward the Orcs.

And the person at the far end of that trio was, as usual, talking to the wall.

“Knight Varna. I’ve been meaning to ask: is that one at the end truly mentally sound? I’ve been worried—out of genuine concern, mind you—that we should perhaps have him discharged from the Knights on the grounds of mental illness.”

“He’s fine, Mr. Chronicler. At most, poltergeist phenomena occasionally occur in his room, or an Orc attacking him might find itself suddenly paralyzed, so it doesn’t hinder the mission.”

“Eh… wait, what?”

Leaving such trivial matters aside, it was time for the Orc Subjugation Strategy Meeting.

Since the reconnaissance had been significantly delayed, this meeting required a plan that could drastically shorten the preparation time. There were almost no precedents for such a convenient method. If we couldn’t find one, I’d likely be the one making a solo charge. Am I some kind of disposable pawn? I’ll do it, though.

Before us, Vice Commander Rony stood at the front of the conference room, reporting various findings.

“In the end, it appears the Orcs were indeed living inside the vertical shafts in that cliff. Fortunately or unfortunately, the scale seems small. Or rather, it’s likely because it’s a small colony that they settled there. It’s just the right size to barely survive on what they plunder from the town.”

“Then we should just toss firebombs into the holes and wipe them out!! It’s just a cave in a cliff where no animals live; who cares if it gets contaminated!!”

“Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely not. Senega-san, explain.”

Senega—who maintained a stance of having both a foul mouth and a twisted personality but being willing to work seriously depending on the time and place—brought out a diagram to begin the explanation.

“Through the investigation of the ‘Veera’ habitat led by Knight Varna and Miss Nonoka, it has been discovered that the Orcs’ location is a water source situated directly beneath the caves. This source is directly connected to the town’s water supply. The Orcs were using this route to infiltrate the town directly from the waterways. This has been confirmed by the Militia alongside Knight Varna, so it is a certainty.”

“So why is it no good!?”

“If an Orc dies inside the cave, there is a high probability that Kliffia’s domestic water will be contaminated. It’s already slightly contaminated by Orc excrement, but since it’s amusing… I mean, since there are things better left unknown and there’s no immediate health risk, I’ve kept quiet about it.”

“Wow, you’re right; in a sense, it’s probably better not to tell them…”

If people found out they had been drinking water containing the components of pig-beast waste, they would surely be traumatized. There was no doubt about it, considering Nagi and the Militia’s Vice Captain had been unable to drink anything but bottled liquids lately as a reaction to finding out.

Returning to the topic of the Orcs’ travel route: as a result of the stakeout conducted with the Militia on the night the fight ended, my deduction was proven correct. In other words, the Orcs were seen coming and going. The reason they weren’t wary of the human scent is likely because they knew many humans lived here to begin with.

As for the Militia’s hostility, Nagi—who had more or less moved past things after his talk with me—persuaded them, and they agreed to cooperate after being promised an official letter of appreciation from the Kingdom along with a monetary reward. Also, well, I might have used some clever words to egg them on, saying things like, “This is a mission the Knights could never pull off.”

“Still, capturing that ‘myun-myun’ lifeform by chance was quite a miracle, Caliban.”

“It was my Familiar that caught it, not me… and besides, ‘myun-myun’ lifeform? It’s a Veera, a Veera. Well, thanks to that little one, we have a plan to cut off the Orcs’ escape. Now we just have to kick the Orcs out and take back the Veera’s homeland!”

‘Is it just me, or has his goal shifted? Is this guy charmed by that myun-myun thing?’

During the investigation this morning, I saw a monster other than an Orc for the first time. The ‘myun-myun’ (as I named it) had a face so adorable it was hard to believe it was classified as a monster like the Orcs.

Actually, when I first saw it, it looked like a mermaid from a fairy tale, and I was quite moved.

This is it; this is the kind of monster I wanted to encounter, I thought.

Back when I was a fool, meeting a mermaid was one of my dreams. Encountering a creature so close to the real thing within the country might be in my Top 1 ‘Best things about joining the Knights’ list.

…Eh? The title of strongest knight or other memories? Downgraded, all downgraded.

By the way, before Caliban let me meet the Veera, he persistently asked things like, “Senior, you don’t have a hatred for monsters other than Orcs, right?” and “I’m trusting you here!” Just what does he think I am?

I’m not some humanoid decisive battle weapon designed solely for monster slaughter.

Anyway, according to the myun-myun’s testimony, there are only three ways to move inside the cliff: climbing up or using two underwater passages. Apparently, one of the underwater routes goes deep underground, making it a functional dead end.

To me, it only sounded like it was saying “myun-myun,” but Caliban seemed to understand it. Damn him, acting all fairy-tale-like despite being my junior. I want to talk to animals at least once, too.

While I was thinking about these stupid things, the meeting reached its climax.

“Let’s storm them! If we blockade the waterways and surround them, they’ll have nowhere to run!”

“If we attack Orcs holed up in a natural fortress head-on, there’s no telling how many days it will take. Plus, we’d need a massive amount of arrows. That should be a last resort.”

“How about blockading the cave’s waterways to raise the water level and temporarily submerge them?”

“It’s not impossible, but considering the spring volume calculated from the town’s waterways, it would take longer than storming them. Rejected. We will be blockading the waterways regardless, though.”

“Even if we cut their supply lines, those things will resort to cannibalism if we push them too far, so it’ll turn into a war of attrition.”

“Idiot, if they start eating each other, blood will get into the water source and we’re screwed either way!”

“We won’t get anywhere unless we lure the Orcs outside.”

Opinions flew one after another, only to be swiftly sifted through and discarded.

As expected of a gathering of professionals in their field, they still lacked a decisive move.

“If the goal is to flush them out of the hole, the standard tactic is to smoke them out, but throwing fire into a water source is pointless since it’ll just get extinguished. Besides, we don’t even have a means of throwing anything in there…”

“Um, I also want to investigate the natural environment inside the water source, so if you do anything too rough, Nonoka and Veera-chan will both end up crying…?”

“Ah, right, there was that problem too.”

Incidentally, there were those within the Knights who argued that the convenience of monsters shouldn’t matter, but they were currently silenced after being completely snubbed by the Cooking Squad and the Tool Creation Squad.

The Cooking Squad had declared: “Anyone who abandons such a cute creature will be marked as a target for subjugation.”

The Tool Creation Squad had added: “If we take photos and sell them like crazy, we’ll definitely make a fortune, so let’s keep it alive.”

Typical Tool Creation Squad—or rather, the “Money-Making Squad.” It went without saying that Squad Leader Akina, the one who suggested it, was met with cold glares from both the Cooking Squad and the more sensible members. She truly was a woman with zero feminine charm.

Amidst this, one man stood up.

“I have a way to throw things in. How about we throw in something that Orcs hate, yet has no impact on the environment?”

Yes, it was the tragic Senior Garmon, who had been set up by his brother and then by his subordinate, and now wore a radiant expression as if he no longer feared anything. Having fully recovered from yesterday’s treatment, Senior radiated a different aura than usual, as if he were in “invincible mode.”

“…Squad Leader Garmon! Is it true that you have a way to throw things in?!”

“Yes. Actually, there is a catapult in Kliffia. If I recall, it was used to transport stones during the town’s pioneering days. The Mayor still maintains it regularly, so it should still be functional.”

Amazing. Truly amazing, Senior. His knowledge as a local was the real deal.

The biggest reason we couldn’t approach that cliff was the “falling rocks from the Orcs,” but if we used a catapult that could stay out of their range while having enough distance to hurl things into the entrance at the top of the cliff, we could toss in whatever we wanted.

We obviously couldn’t go smashing rocks in there, but surely Senior had already thought of what to throw. I held my breath, waiting for Senior’s next words.

“So, specifically, what are we throwing in?!”

“It’s already decided. Of course—”

With a refreshing smile, Senior declared firmly:

“We shall catapult Varna-kun, the natural enemy of Orcs, into the nest!”

“REJECTEDDDDDDDD!!”

I’m pretty sure I’d just die. Or rather, was he telling me to just go die?

It seemed Senior was holding a massive grudge over yesterday’s events.

That powerful aura I felt earlier was apparently from him formulating a plan to kill me.

“You can do it, right, Varna-kun?”

“There’s no way I can!! Are you trying to kill me?! You are, aren’t you?!”

“Squad Leader Garmon has lost his mind! Someone bring a sedative!”

“Hahaha, I didn’t know Garmon-kun made jokes like that… Wait? Uh, why do your eyes look so serious? …No, it’s no good; as Vice Commander, I cannot authorize the launching of Varna-kun, okay?”

“Tch.”

“Did you just click your tongue?! Just what on earth happened between you and Varna-kun?!”

In the end, the plan was finalized: under Nonoka-san’s lead, they would create a scent that Orcs hated but Veera could tolerate, hurl it in, and hunt down the Orcs as they descended from the cliff.

Furthermore…

“Veera-chan, how is this smell?”

“Myu, myuuuuuuuuun?!”

“Ah, that’s a no… then how about this one?”

“Myuun?! Cough…!!”

“Hmm, Group C is a total failure… Alright, next is Group D! Only fifteen more to sniff and we’re done~ ♪”

“…Myuun.”

“Nonoka-san, I think Veera-chan is asking if you’re a demon…”

Few knew that behind the operation lay the sacrifice of Myun-myun, who was forced to endure experiments to find a scent the Veera could withstand.