I Got Fired As an Adventurer, So I’m Starting Anew As an Alchemist! Frontier Exploration? Alright, Leave It to Me!

193. Resolve Is Required For Protection, Isn’t It?

The Mizuho Divine Kingdom is a small country located at the tip of a peninsula.

Its strategic position allows it to concentrate most of its defense forces on the land side, a significant advantage.

Additionally, with the use of rugged terrain, city walls, and castle walls, it has become a very fortified city-state.

Occasionally, sea monsters might stir up trouble, but stampedes don’t occur.

This is why, for many years, this region, teeming with monsters, has been able to maintain its unique culture.

But on that day, it would finally be threatened.

“There’s an unbelievable number of them.”

Nobuna murmured unconsciously from a high tower in the main keep of the Wilhelm family’s castle, her home.

Alphard, standing beside her, followed her words.

“The Golden Dawn also faces regular invasions of monster hordes, but… this is on another scale entirely.”

“Indeed. This is… unusual.”

While Nobuna remarked, “Feel free to speak casually,” she glared at the mass of monsters filling the horizon.

“It’s a huge number, but do you think we can hold out?”

Alphard furrowed his brows and glanced at Nobuna.

“If this were a little while ago, it would have been impossible.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“If it were the old stone walls, I think they would have broken through. But now, the outer city walls and the walls of the three family castles surrounding the central area are reinforced with alchemical hardened stone.”

The residence of the living god, Muten Ingram, has no defensive capabilities.

Surrounding his residence are three castles from the three main families. The walls of these three castles are connected, forming one massive castle.

Within this central fortress, a complex city layout exists, with multiple city walls dividing the different sectors.

The houses, seemingly built haphazardly, are actually designed to serve as barriers in times of need.

And the outermost city wall serves as the first line of defense against external threats.

What Nobuna is referring to is the reinforcement of the city wall that surrounds all three family castles and the outer city wall using alchemical hardened stone.

“Mizuho was the first to import alchemical hardened stone, but it seems it has already been applied. The artisans in this country are quite skilled.”

“Heh. Mizuho’s artisans are all experts.”

Nobuna replied proudly. A clear affection for her people could be felt in her words.

“…But since we prioritized reinforcing the castle walls, we’re unsure how the city walls will hold up.”

“Do you have a plan if the city walls are breached?”

“Of course. The citizens have already started evacuating to the three family castles.”

“I see. So, we need to hold the city walls until the evacuation is complete.”

“That’s right.”

Nobuna added, as if remembering something.

“Ah, speaking of which, about the transfer gate, I asked Kyle-sama to move it inside the Wilhelm family’s castle walls.”

“Has it already been done?”

Both nations’ transfer gates were originally placed outside castle walls for national security and merchant convenience, but due to the current situation, they had been relocated to more defensible areas.

As they conversed, a figure suddenly appeared by Nobuna’s side, unexpectedly.

Alphard, who hadn’t sensed the presence, jumped in surprise.

“Whoa!?”

“Pardon me.”

The apology came from a large-breasted cat beastwoman in a ninja outfit. She was Chiyome, a kunoichi under Nobuna’s command.

Used to this, Nobuna greeted her normally.

“Is something the matter?”

“One of the monster groups has reached the outermost city wall.”

“That was quick.”

“It seems the monsters are acting strangely.”

“Strange?”

“I can’t explain it well, but they seem… organized.”

Both Nobuna and Alphard frowned. Alphard crossed his arms and observed the monsters’ movements.

“Now that you mention it, there does seem to be some kind of flow among the monsters, though I wonder if it’s just a coincidence?”

“That’s possible, but it feels like they’re moving in specific groups.”

“…”

“Chiyome. Are the monsters in a stampede?”

“That’s the odd part. They don’t seem to be. There’s no frenzy typical of a stampede, and there’s a wide variety of monsters mixed together.”

“‘…’”

Nobuna and Alphard fell silent.

What they were both considering was the possibility of someone controlling the monsters.

“Even if…”

Alphard muttered softly.

“Even if the monsters are being controlled in some way, the action they take will likely be the same.”

“Right. If they’re hostile, we’ll crush them.”

Uncertainty could lead to defeat.

“Chiyome, keep an eye on the enemy’s movements, just in case. Particularly, see if there’s a monster or human acting as a leader.”

“Understood. But there are so many enemies, so—”

“Don’t push yourself too hard. Safety first.”

“Got it.”

With that, Chiyome vanished into the shadow of a pillar.

Alphard sighed.

“I hope it’s nothing.”

“Me too.”

Both continued to glare at the group of monsters pressing against the city walls, but then Alphard muttered under his breath.

“This is bad. There’s a group of Giganto Orcs and Hydras. It looks like they’re heading straight for the gate, almost as if they’re coordinated.”

Hydras are monsters that become more powerful and dangerous as they grow more heads. Some even have more than ten heads, which is a symbol of hopelessness.

The Hydra that was once the ruler of a swamp had eight heads, but it was an unusually strong individual. It is believed that black plants were involved, and Kyle had received reports about it.

Giganto-Orcs are an advanced species of the standard ogre.

Though there are other advanced ogre types, Giganto-Orcs are the largest and possess exceptional physical strength.

They are slower than Cyclopes, so they are considered less threatening, but their attacks are far more powerful.

These were the kinds of monsters that would require mid-level adventurers from Golden Dawn to deal with, and for adventurers outside the Elixir region, encountering them would be a cause of despair, much like the Cyclops.

As a side note, a raid team from Redock could defeat them in an instant.

A group of Giganto-Orcs and Hydras, both massive creatures, were heading toward the city gates, almost as if coordinated.

Of course, it would be natural for them to head toward the main gate, especially if they avoid the deep moat filled with seawater. However, the fact that even the Hydras, who are strong in water, were heading straight for the gate was troubling.

Although the city walls had been reinforced with alchemical hardened stone, the gate itself had not been renovated yet.

While the gate was sturdy to begin with, making a giant, operable gate would require considerable time.

Simply reinforcing it with metal might make it strong, but it would be too heavy to open and close.

Thus, if the group were to focus on attacking the gate, it could be destroyed in a short time.

Alphard began to feel a sense of unease.

“It’ll be fine.”

Nobuna declared, as if to dispel Alphard’s concerns.

“Don’t underestimate the samurai of Mizuho.”

Of course, Alphard had never underestimated their strength. He had seen them train as part of an exchange program, and it was a military force with remarkable discipline.

Many strategies came to mind based on their strength, but to defend the castle gate with certainty, all the strategies would result in significant damage.

“The gate will open.”

“What!? You’re not defending, you’re going on the offensive!?”

“Of course.”

This was the strategy that would be the most effective among all the ones Alphard had been internally simulating.

However, it was also the one that would cause the most damage.