Leaving the scene to Bills and the others, I headed toward Shneider using Flight.
Looking down from the sky, I could see intense battles taking place all across the field.
"Looks like they’re being pushed back. Our side is putting up a fight, but there are just too many enemies," Grimo remarked.
"Yes, the front line is barely holding for now, but it’s only a matter of time before it’s breached," Jiriel added.
They weren't wrong.
The monsters were coming in waves; even if the soldiers were holding out for the moment, they would eventually reach their limit.
However, Shneider should have already anticipated this.
He surely had some kind of plan in motion. I wondered if I’d get to see some more interesting Military Magic. I couldn't help but feel a spark of excitement.
◇
"What on earth is the meaning of this, Lord Shneider!?"
As soon as I entered the tent, a shout echoed through the space.
I saw the captain of the Fourth Squad, Garfield, pressing Shneider for an answer.
"We of the Fourth Squad are currently defending with the resolve to die, but there are simply too many enemies! There is a limit to how long we can just endure! Please, send reinforcements, or give us some kind of strategy!"
To those pleading words, Shneider replied in a perfectly calm tone.
"Endure."
"…!"
Lost for words, Garfield slammed his fist onto the table with a heavy thud and stormed out of the tent.
He was likely at the peak of his fury.
Left with no plan and no reinforcements, it was only natural for him to react that way.
I sidled up to Shneider and spoke to him.
"Um, Shneider-niisan? It's not like you haven't thought of any moves, right?"
"Of course not. A strategy is something to be woven in layers upon layers. For that purpose, I cannot divert my other forces. It is a reckless task. It is only natural for him to be indignant, but the Fourth Squad simply has to endure as they are."
"…If you had explained that much, I think he would have understood."
"I cannot offer empty comforts regarding things that are not certain."
Shneider spoke with a resolute tone.
Hmm, he was a man who was strict with both himself and others.
Albert was good at picking up on the subtleties of people's hearts, but Shneider seemed quite poor at it.
Well, I was one to talk.
At any rate, Garfield might be under a misunderstanding, so I decided to follow up with him.
When I stepped outside the tent, I saw Garfield irritably puffing on a cigar.
"Garfield. Good timing. It's not as if Shneider-niisan has no plan—"
"I know that, Master Lloyd."
Garfield cut me off before I could finish.
"Lord Shneider is a brilliant man. If he cannot send reinforcements, it must be because there is a reason he cannot. I have served him for a long time, so I know very well that it is impossible for him to be without a plan. And yet, in my haste, I… I really hate this short temper of mine. Haha."
Garfield gave a wry smile, stubbed out his cigar, and looked forward.
The look of hesitation had completely vanished from his eyes.
"Now then, those are the Commander-in-Chief's orders. I suppose I shall defend properly."
It was just as Garfield was about to return to his post.
"L-Lord Garfield! This is terrible!"
A soldier came galloping in on a swift horse and practically tumbled out of his saddle.
Hardly stopping to catch his breath, he forced out the words.
"The gate… the gate is about to be breached!"
The soldier led us to a high vantage point where the interior of the gate was clearly visible. Soldiers were desperately shooting arrows at the ground below.
A fierce battle was taking place between the gate guards and a swarm of monsters.
"Those are Onizaru. They're light on their feet, dexterous, and can climb even sheer cliffs without a care."
"Their individual combat power is nothing special, but they are highly intelligent. They are dangerous monsters that can easily take down a small castle by utilizing organized movements. They likely scaled the cliff. …However, this is strange. Because they possess high intelligence, they are rational. I do not think they would take on such a dangerous role as opening the gate from the inside…"
It was hard to imagine them taking such a risk for the sake of other monsters, huh?
It was true that the smarter a creature was, the more cowardly it tended to be.
Moreover, this situation was quite troublesome.
Since friends and foes were all mixed together, if I used magic, I would end up catching our own side in the blast.
"Damn it! Keep firing! If that gate opens, it's over!"
"B-But they've taken helmets from the fallen soldiers, and our arrows are losing their effectiveness!"
"Ngh…!"
It looked like things were going to get ugly at this rate.
Alright, I'd go with the strategy of taking out the head.
With this kind of high-intelligence monster, if you strike the leader, the rest usually scatter and flee.
I aimed at the one over there who was clearly acting as the boss…
"Fireball."
I released a Fireball toward the Onizaru strutting around with a feather decoration.
The well-aimed flame pierced the monster's crown.
The other Onizaru raised a clamor as they saw their boss collapse… but only for a moment.
One Onizaru immediately picked up the fallen feather decoration and put it on its own head.
"Ugih, ugih! Gigieeeee!"
And then, as if to proclaim that it was the next boss, it let out a loud roar.
"There is a clear hierarchy in their troop; even if the boss falls, the next in line immediately takes the throne."
"Then I just have to take out all the boss candidates, right?"
I fired another Fireball at the newly crowned boss.
But the Boss Onizaru quickly dove into the crowd of its allies.
Tch, it hid itself. I couldn't get a clean shot like this.
"Can't be helped. I'll have to take them out all at once. Grimo, Jiriel, guard the soldiers with a Magic Barrier."
"T-That's impossible! With everyone so mixed up like this, there's no way we can shield only the soldiers!"
"He's right. Your magic is far too powerful as it is, Master Lloyd."
I suppose I hadn't anticipated a mess quite like this.
I could go down there and engage in hand-to-hand combat, but that would make me stand out way too much.
As I was wondering what to do, I saw something approaching from the rear.
"Advance, advance! Protect the gate!"
Standing at the front of the unit was Albert.
Beside him, I could see Mars and Sylpha.
From what I had seen from the sky earlier, the battlefield was a mess everywhere, and not even Shneider had been in a position to move troops significantly.
That meant Mars must have predicted this would happen and positioned them in advance. It was the only explanation.
Hmm, Mars really was fearsome.
The Onizaru, thrown into confusion by the sudden arrival of soldiers from behind, were pressed by the guards who had been holding the gate.
Trapped in a pincer maneuver, the number of Onizaru rapidly dwindled.
"Looks like there's no turn for you, Master Lloyd."
"That man called Mars is looking this way. It seems he is sending some kind of signal."
Before I knew it, the Onizaru had been herded into a single, isolated spot.
He must have guided them there on purpose; Mars looked toward me and gave a wink.
He was telling me to finish it, huh? Good grief, I don't really need him to let me take the credit.
"Master Lloyd, if they've isolated them this much, we can block the aftermath with a Magic Barrier!"
"Please, go all out!"
If they were going to set the stage that perfectly, I might as well play my part.
That said, there was no way I could actually go "all out."
I released a Fireball, holding back as much as possible just to annihilate the Onizaru.
The flames released into the monster troop roared toward the heavens!
The power of the blazing fire far exceeded the realm of a mere Fireball, and every person on the battlefield stopped to look up at it.
…Whoops. I completely overdid it.
It seemed the spell formula I inscribed into my blood earlier was acting far too strongly.
I would have to hold back one step further than I ever had before.