"First, as for the location of the Dungeon Core we must destroy... it is likely within the fortress atop that mountain, de-gozaru."
Saito-san, having drawn everyone's attention, spoke with a grave expression.
The members of the Association seemed skeptical of his claim.
"Hah? How can you be so sure?"
"It could just as easily be somewhere else."
"Tsk."
"!?"
"!?!!?"
Saito-san clicked his tongue in annoyance, then adjusted his glasses before responding. It seemed Saito-san harbored quite a dislike for the Association crowd...
"As for why I believe the Dungeon Core is in the fortress, I actually possess a Skill called Magic Vision, de-gozaru. As the name implies, it allows me to see magic and Magic Essence... and to my eyes, a massive amount of Magic Essence is gushing out from that fortress. I cannot provide definitive proof that the Core is there, but there are no better candidates. For that reason, I believe we should investigate it first."
"I am sure you all have your own opinions, but Ms. Hitokata instructed everyone to follow our lead for this mission. Please, trust us and follow our directions."
The Professor spoke up to back Saito-san.
『Whoa, for real...?』 『We're attacking that castle right now?』 『With only this many people?』 『How many Kobolds do you think are in there...』 『No matter how strong the Professor, Saito, or Kurage-chan are, against those numbers...』
Comments from the Viewers leaked from the Drones floating nearby. In the silence of the hill following Saito-san and the Professor's words, the clearly adjusted volume of a Vocaloid voice rang out.
"Understood," I called out.
Following my lead, Ikegami-san, Tamaki-san, and the others began to voice their assent as well.
"Understood on this end." "Well, I figured as much..." "Guess there's no choice." "I also understand." "You have a plan, right?" "I'll burn everything to ash with my jet-black flames..." "Demi-human-type Monsters don't drop good ingredients, though."
『Whoa, are they serious?』 『These guys are actually going for it?』 『No way...』
Well, if the Dungeon Core was in that castle, we had to do it. It wasn't like it was impossible. Precisely because the others felt the same way, they accepted Saito-san's proposal, even if they acted like it was a bit of a hassle.
"You have my thanks, de-gozaru. —Now, as for the specific method for capturing the fortress... I would like to divide the members into two groups, de-gozaru. One group will infiltrate the fortress to find and destroy the Dungeon Core. The other group will remain in front of the fortress entrance to hold back the Kobolds approaching from the castle town."
According to him, Saito-san would use his Gravity Magic to transport all members up to the mountain fortress.
Then, he would drop off one group in front of the fortress gates.
The other group would then proceed to invade the fortress from the air.
At that moment, there was a high probability—or rather, it was almost certain—that the Kobolds in the castle town would notice our presence. Saito-san and the others predicted that those Kobolds would surely pursue us to the fortress to eliminate us.
"They might appear to be living in a town-like area, but those Kobolds are by no means non-combatants. On a mountain of this altitude, they would likely reach the summit in less than a few minutes. It is possible that every single Kobold in that town will rush toward the fortress. If that happens, searching for the Dungeon Core inside will be out of the question. Therefore, I want the stalling team to fight the Kobolds climbing the mountain in front of the fortress, de-gozaru."
『That's insane...』 『How many Kobolds are they going to be fighting...?』 『That's impossible, surely...』
"Of course, this will be no easy task. Therefore, I will adjust the numbers so that the stalling team is larger, and Professor-dono and Kurage-chan-dono will join them, de-gozaru."
I see.
If two of the three ultra-high-level individuals were staying behind to stall, they might just manage.
"As for the breakdown of the members... I apologize, but we have discussed it among ourselves and taken the liberty of deciding, de-gozaru."
While we were resting, I thought the three of them were discussing something; it turned out they were deciding the team assignments.
Saito-san announced the members.
"The fortress infiltration team will consist of: myself, Junkie-niki-dono, Hinata-dono, Sakura-san, Jackson-dono, and Mayurin and the LMAO Friends... that is all, de-gozaru."
!?
Did he just suddenly diss Ikegami-san and the others!? Why!?...Oh, wait, I remembered now—that was the actual name of Mayurin-san's Party.
That meant the infiltration team consisted of ten people in total.
Inevitably, the remaining members would serve as the stalling force.
"Um, Sage-sama. May I ask a question?"
Sakura-san modestly raised her hand.
"Nuhu, what might it be, de-gozaru?"
Saito-san responded with a smile.
"Could you tell us the selection criteria for the infiltration team?"
"Ah, that... the four of you—Junkie-niki-dono, Hinata-dono, Sakura-san, and Jackson-dono—were selected for your breaking power. Well, in short, your combat power, de-gozaru. Junkie-niki-dono goes without saying, and Hinata-dono can use Summoning to call forth Monsters in a pinch. More importantly, she is necessary for Junkie-niki-dono to exhibit his true potential, so we cannot leave her out. I also want her along as a Healer just in case... As for Sakura-san and Jackson-dono, both of you explore solo, so your combat power is naturally high. Since we are infiltrating with a small number of people, I prioritized members with high combat power, de-gozaru."
"I see. So that was the reason."
"Hey, Fatty! That makes it sound like I'm weak!!"
"Ahfun!? T-That's not it at all!!"
While apologizing to the complaining Mayurin-san, Saito-san continued.
"M-Mayurin-dono and her team have an especially important role during the infiltration, de-gozaru!! As you can see, there are sentries standing atop the defensive walls surrounding the fortress. If we try to invade from the air, it is inevitable that they will intercept us with magic and arrows! I want Mayurin-dono to block those with her Barrier Magic!! This is an essential role that only Mayurin-dono can perform!!"
"Hmph! You should have just said so from the start!"
"I would have, but Mayurin-dono started shouting before I could..."
"Wait a second."
Ikegami-san raised his hand.
"Then, what about us?"
"............I have high expectations for you as well, Ikegami-dono."
"For what?"
"............Now! Let us depart for enemy territory! Everyone, please steel yourselves once more, de-gozaru!!"
—And so, we set off.
●◯●
Thirty explorers floated in the air like balloons.
Our altitude steadily increased until the castle town spreading by the lake and the mountain-top fortress were both within our sight below.
『Whaaaa!? They're really all floating!!』 『Being able to make thirty people fly... Gravity Magic is seriously amazing!!』 『The view is beautiful.』 『I want to fly too.』
"Now, here we go, de-gozaru!!"
At Saito-san's declaration, our bodies, which had been floating in place, transitioned into horizontal movement.
In the blink of an eye, we reached the airspace above the castle town—and then,
—Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!!!
The high-pitched sound of a bell echoed from the surface, and the castle town became rowdy at the same time.
I could see countless Kobolds looking up at us from the ground.
『Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!!』 『They spotted us instantly!?』 『Wait!? Those guys are following us!?』 『They're moving across the roofs of the buildings...』 『Seriously, every Kobold in the town is chasing after them...』 『Ugh, I can't watch this. My trypophobia is acting up...』 『Magic and aura arrows are flying everywhere.』 『Doesn't look like they can reach this height, though...』
As if pursuing us toward the fortress, a staggering number of Kobolds—likely reaching into the tens of thousands—began moving through the town all at once.
Furthermore, perhaps because each individual possessed high physical capabilities, they didn't even bother using the streets; instead, they climbed onto the roofs and moved through a series of leaps.
Looking down from this height, the Kobolds were as small as beans, and because they were all moving in unison, they looked like a swarming mass of tiny insects.
Also, though they weren't reaching us, countless spells, aura arrows, and aura slashes were being fired in an attempt to shoot us down, bursting in mid-air with sounds like fireworks.
Ignoring all of that, we drew closer to the mountain fortress.
Between the fortress and the castle town, I could see a mountain path cutting through the forest. A massive throng of Kobolds had rushed onto it and were sprinting up at a terrifying speed.
No, wait, forget a few minutes—aren't they going to reach the top in like a single minute!?
『They're insanely fast!?』 『Are they really all over Level 30!?』 『They're running up that mountain path like it's flat ground... stop that!!』 『Seriously, if things like these ever overflowed onto the surface, there'd be no way to handle it.』 『Modern humans who struggle against bears wouldn't stand a chance.』 『But seriously, can they really stall a tidal wave of Kobolds like that!?』
And then, it happened just as we reached the vicinity of the fortress.
"Now, members of the stalling team, I shall lower you to the ground, de-gozaru!!"
"Understood! Leave this side to us!!"
Saito-san gave the word, and the Professor accepted the task with total confidence.
Saito-san manipulated his magic, descending the members of the stalling team onto the mountain path slightly away from the fortress's main gate.
I was curious to see if the Professor and the others could successfully stall them... but we didn't have the luxury of checking.
Led by Saito-san, we members of the infiltration team reached the airspace above the fortress. Immediately, accompanied by the high-pitched ringing of a bell, we were met with interception by Kobolds swarming out from within the fortress.
Magic and aura attacks were unleashed upon us like a hailstorm, exploding in the air like fireworks and producing blasts that shook the very bone.
We had to dive down into the middle of those lethal fireworks.
"—For now, we shall descend into the fortress courtyard, de-gozaru! Mayurin-dono! I'm counting on your barrier!!"
"Leave it to me! Junkie-niki-kun! Watch and see how amazing I am!"
"Yes! I'm watching! I'm totally watching! Good luck, Mayurin-san!!"
Mayurin-san deployed a barrier that enveloped us all, and we plunged into the fireworks blooming in the sky—