Black Iron Magician

「I will explain the current battle situation. The Demon King’s army suddenly appeared on the west coast of our country and attacked in a wide formation along the coast. The first to be attacked was the nearby fishing village. The village was attacked at night, but strangely enough, the monsters gave a warning before the attack. This is also the testimony of the women and children who survived from the other villages.」

The monsters crawled out from the shore. But each time they found a village, they wouldn’t just attack suddenly, but instead would first declare war and give a warning. Their tone is so hoarse that it’s barely understandable, but anyway, they would give a warning.

「One, they declared the time of the attack on the villages. Two, they declared that they will kill anyone who resists. Three, they promised that they won’t chase those who escape and will treat those who surrender as prisoners of war. At a fixed time, they will stop fighting and return to the sea, and we have confirmed that they are acting according to these rules so far.」

「… It might be strange saying this, but it sounds like fighting against humans rather than monsters. Moreover, it feels like an excellent rule-strict army, isn’t it?」

「Yes, we felt that way. They behave more like humans than bandits and ruffians. Still, no matter how gentlemanly they are, it doesn’t change the fact that they are invaders. We Tazarnian are doing our best to push them back.」

Haruna was silently listening to the talk of Chinatsu and the commanders. She thought that the enemies are lenient, but she didn’t say it. If it was Deris, he would have made a face that as if saying, 『Are they stupid?』. Well, it can be said that Haruna is superior in that aspect. However, it’s also the truth that she thought so.

If they want to invade Tazarnia, they should have killed as many as they could after the surprise attack and pushed forward. They suddenly appeared at the timing where they could do a surprise attack, but they lost their advantage since they gave advance notice such as the declaration of war on the spot. It’s like a match that’s bound by rules since they honestly follow the battle time and withdraw. Their way of battle is too clean. It’s a wonder that even though they are monsters, they threw away their advantage and don’t go all out even though a prolonged battle will just exhaust them. If they were humans, this would be a noble way of fighting. But they are monsters, they don’t need to be bound by the rules of human society.

「Their basic tactic is to gain total control of the surrounding area. At a fixed time, they start to appear along the coast and start marching. Most of them are a race called merman, and since they invade in an advantageous position, even the hero of our country is having a hard time….」

「Advantageous position, is it? Since they come out of the sea, wouldn’t we gain an advantage instead?」

「Well, you see, it seems that they have someone good at using magic. The sea rises as much as the enemies go ashore.」

「The sea is?」

The monsters, with mermen with iron harpoons at the lead, are gradually making their way to the land. The phenomenon that occurs here is truly mysterious that seawater rises up to the land as they march. It is said that most of the coast, which looks ordinary when viewed from a distance, has sunk and became a part of the sea. Furthermore, in the back row, there’s a monster that seems to be the boss that gives off a vicious pressure, and there are mermen with different color standing next to him that seem to be his personal guards.

「That sure is an unnatural phenomenon. The sea level doesn’t rise that easily unless there’s a storm.」

「It’s easier to understand when you see it up close, but it’s more appropriate to describe it as seawater coming up rather than sea level rising. It doesn’t matter if there is a slope or not, the water will follow the path taken by the mermen and go up through the surface of the land. The existence of water affects their power greatly…. And the land areas on this map that are painted over are the places filled with water from the Demon King’s army.」

「I see, that’s why you are having a hard time defending.」

「The application of water magic…. If a large number of magicians are working together, there is a possibility…. Also, there might be a Unique Skill that can do that….」

The water magic specialist Weerel gave her opinion and proved that it’s not a mysterious phenomenon. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s troublesome. If all of the mermen that were originally level 3 are now one rank stronger, it’s clear that ordinary soldiers won’t be able to deal with them.

「The hero party is trying to make a breakthrough, but at the moment they try to do so, the boss appears in front of them. Hero Udberg of our country is level 5, and all of his companions are also level 5 fierce men. Just between you and me, even if the four of them are together, they are at a disadvantage in the battle against the boss.」

「Oh, they are the same level as me desuwa!」

「Therese-san…. I don’t think it’s necessary to emphasize that right now….」

「No, it’s important desuwa! After all, the key to getting along with people is to find something in common first! They are the ones who will be our comrades-in-arms! So, we have to start from here first!」

「I-I see…!」

Even though Weerel’s face was expressionless, she was moved by Therese’s speech. Looking at the girls’ calm figures, the commanders are bewildered.

「U-Um, you don’t seem to be surprised, huh? As for us, we are in a position where we can’t think of any breakthrough measures, though….」

「Err, something like this is a regular occurrence for us, so we’ve gotten used to it….」

Chinatsu, who carries a pile of problems on her shoulders on a daily basis, averted her gaze and seemed hesitant to say it. But in her mind, she has already predicted the strength of the boss. All four level 5 are inferior, but they haven’t been defeated yet. It’s possible that the boss hasn’t taken it seriously yet, but she guessed that there’s no reason not to defeat the hero party under these circumstances. Thus, a level 6 that’s close to level 7 is the answer that Chinatsu came up with.

(Well, compared to becoming Shishō’s practice partner and Deris-san’s unreasonable request――)

―― It is a difficulty that can be classified as easy.

「So, what should we do? Can we just kill the boss now?」

「Y-You can do it!?」

「Yes, if it’s just that much, we can.」

「「「………」」」

The commanders are speechless at the immediate reply.

「H-Hero Udberg is currently managing the soldiers and preparing to intercept the enemies near the coast ahead. I’d like you to join up with Hero Udberg and help them….」

「Okay…. Then, let’s go….」

「Yes desuwa! No matter how much magic you use, if the seawater reaches the fields, it will be a big problem! It really is going to be a big problem desuwa!」

「Let’s do our best!」

「Then, we’ll go now.」

「G-Good luck….」

While being bewildered, the commanders could only saw off the girls, who were as if going out for their daily work. Compared to these elderly commanders, the girls are by no means tall. Their figures are not muscular, but that of lovely girls. However, the girls’ backs now seem to be very dependable to them.