◆
And so, the mountain assault began.
Since I had used the Holy Magic "Sunshine" to create a light source above the mountain, we were perfectly capable of advancing even through the rugged terrain at night.
"Now then, everyone, let’s give it our best."
First was the unit attacking from the front. At its head walked Ido.
As a homunculus I had created myself, he was capable of controlling a thousand Magic Soldiers. Since he could communicate with me via Telepathy, I had put him in charge of organizing this unit.
Following him were the adventurers gathered by the receptionist, Katarina, along with the soldiers who had remained under my command—about a hundred people in total. They were currently capable of managing around fifty Magic Soldiers each.
With a total strength of approximately 1,600, this was the Ido Squad.
Climbing and attacking from right beside them was a unit centered around the former members of the Assassin's Guild. They were highly proficient in the deployment of Magic Soldiers and possessed significant combat strength themselves.
Galilea was managing this group. I had attached my familiar, Shiro, to him, which allowed us to communicate via Telepathy using the creature as a medium.
Galilea could personally control 150 Magic Soldiers, Talia 110, Babylon 110, Crow 120, and Ren 180. Perhaps their training in mana manipulation had paid off, as they had already surpassed the initial requirement of a hundred units per person.
Following them were Gitan and Lamia. Both possessed a fair degree of magical knowledge, yet at present, they could only manage about seventy units each.
It seemed that the number of Magic Soldiers one could control didn't fluctuate much based on the sheer volume of one's mana. Instead, a natural sense for mana manipulation appeared to be far more important than one's technical skill as a mage.
Just like the Ido Squad, they were followed by a group of adventurers and soldiers. With a total of 1,500 members, this was the Galilea Squad.
The plan was to assault the mountain while maintaining coordination between these two units. By the time the battle was over, everyone would likely be even more accustomed to the operation and capable of controlling even more Magic Soldiers.
Incidentally, the surplus Magic Soldiers were on standby around the main camp, where I was stationed.
"Master Lloyd, here is your tea."
"Thank you."
I drained the tea Sylpha poured for me.
For the record, Sylpha was serving as my bodyguard. Apparently, the Magic Soldiers simply couldn't keep up with the mental image of her movements, which caused them to malfunction immediately. I suppose having physical abilities that were too high could be a drawback in its own right.
"Oh, it's started."
Roars echoed through the mountain.
Judging by the direction, was that Ido’s group?
As I was wondering, a Telepathy message arrived from Ido.
『Lloyd, the battle has begun. These Magic Soldiers are actually quite easy to use.』
『I made them so that anyone could handle them. Though, I didn't expect you to be able to manage a thousand of them right off the bat.』
『I'll have you know I'm the foremost researcher of golems. I could handle even more if I got serious. ...Still, with this many Magic Soldiers deployed, are you really going to be alright? Even for you, this is a lot.』
『I'm managing, more or less.』
『Well, since it's you, I'm not particularly worried. Just don't overdo it. After all, I’m the one who’s going to defeat you.』
With that, Ido's Telepathy cut off. The battle had begun in earnest.
『Hey, this is Galilea. You hearin' me, Master Lloyd?』
Next, a Telepathy message came from Galilea.
『Yeah, loud and clear.』
『Good, good. We just bumped into the enemy ourselves. Hmm, but we’re struggling a bit. It’s like the Magic Soldiers’ movements are sluggish... well, the enemies are pretty tough. They’ve got the advantage of the terrain, too. Anyway, we'll give it our best.』
『I'm counting on you, Galilea.』
After cutting the Telepathy, I let out a long breath. When I wiped my forehead, my hand came away slightly damp with sweat.
"Master Lloyd, aren't you pushing yourself a bit?"
"Yeah. The load definitely increased once we entered combat. Even just maintaining control over the Magic Soldiers is surprisingly taxing."
I left the basic operations to the others, but I was the one providing the mana to sustain the constructs. To keep ten thousand Magic Soldiers operational, I was continuously consuming a massive amount of power.
If I didn't construct a proper Spell Formula by tomorrow to optimize mana efficiency and reduce the burden on myself, I wouldn't be able to move freely.
"No matter how you look at it, maintaining this many units at once is bound to be exhausting. Even so, your reserves are still incredible, but... the bottom of your mana pool—which had been completely invisible until now—is actually starting to show, if only slightly...! If you weaken like this...!"
Grimo was muttering something or other, but I couldn't hear him well because I was concentrating on composing the Spell Formula and maintaining the soldiers.
『Damn it, we were lured in while chasing the enemy and got surrounded!』
『They’re guiding us skillfully! We can't see what's happening above from down here!』
『Ido, use "Flight" to look down from above and give orders. Galilea, use Shiro's nose.』
『It’s no use! They have barrier-breaking arrows! My Barrier will be shattered if they concentrate their fire on me!』
『These guys have been spraying some strange chemical! Shiro hates the smell, so its nose is useless!』
Just as I had heard, the bandits seemed to be quite capable. This was turning into a difficult fight.
"They appear to be struggling," Sylpha noted.
"Yeah. The enemy is quite skilled. It's hard to grasp the situation from here, which is a problem."
"...I shall go. Normally, I would be loath to leave your side, Master Lloyd, but someone is needed to command on-site within that deep forest. I did, after all, study tactics under Lady Cruse. I wish to avoid losing soldiers needlessly."
"Yeah, I'll leave it to you, Sylpha."
"As Master Lloyd's sword, I shall go forth to pierce and slaughter the enemy. Farewell!"
With that, Sylpha mounted a horse and galloped gallantly toward the mountain.
I'm trying to recruit them, not slaughter them, though... I hope she remembers that.
◆
"Boss! They're falling for our traps like a bunch of idiots!"
"Heh, of course they are. We’ve spent every spare moment we have setting up traps and strategies. It wouldn't be worth the effort if they could break through easily."
Bills looked down at the mountainside with a satisfied expression.
The paths leading to the summit were natural hunting grounds disguised by the trees. From below, the enemy couldn't see what was happening, and while they were being toyed with, they would be driven into a dead end. There, they would be surrounded and struck down.
Countless traps like these were laid out all over the mountain, and many armies had been repelled here before.
This time was supposed to be the same. Until Sylpha joined the front lines.
"B-Boss, this is bad! Our hunting grounds are being dismantled! They’ve started outmaneuvering us!"
Even without waiting for the report, Bills, who was watching from above, noticed it immediately.
Clicking his tongue, he looked down and spotted the silver-haired maid, Sylpha, at the hunting ground that had just been broken. It seemed she had realized they were being lured into a trap and was instead striking the very points where the bandits intended to surround the invaders.
"So they’ve grasped the flow of the battle, have they? Quite the sharp instincts. Heh."
"This isn't the time to be laughing! What are we going to do, Boss?!"
Bills remained unfazed by his panicked subordinates. After thinking for a moment, he gave a small nod.
"Fine. I guess I’ve got no choice but to go down there myself. Hey, gather everyone on standby. We're heading in."
"Oooooh! That's our Boss!"
As Bills left the room, a faint, predatory smile played across his lips.