Chapter 59

In a room of the lord's mansion.

After wiping the blood and changing clothes, I was led to this place, where a meeting to discuss countermeasures against the succubus who had announced the attack was about to begin.

I had just entered the room and taken my seat a few minutes ago.

The meeting was just about to start.

"Then, let's begin."

The one leading the meeting was the Holy Maiden.

After briefly recounting the part where the Archbishop had revived the succubus, she moved on to the main topic.

"…So, the succubus will likely spend a few days touring the area around this town, gathering all the monsters living nearby to launch an attack on this town. We need to come up with a plan quickly."

"Indeed."

The lord nodded at the Holy Maiden's words.

It seems he had already been informed of the general situation.

By the way, the moment I entered the meeting room, the lord said something like, "My eyes did not deceive me," and happily patted my shoulder.

The Holy Maiden had apparently already told him about my healing magic skills and the fact that I was the one who cast the area heal on the entire town.

I thought I had kept it a secret, but it seems the Holy Maiden had already known.

Well, that's why I'm sitting here as if I'm an important person in this meeting.

"I have one question. Is it correct that the succubus's ability is to manipulate the lust of living beings around her?"

The participants in the meeting were the knight captain, the Holy Maiden, the lord, and me.

For some reason, Luluka was also there.

The five of us were gathered around the table in the meeting room.

Luluka, surrounded by important people, seemed nervous and kept glancing at me.

There were also the Holy Maiden's guards, the knight captain's subordinates, Fran, and Yuel in the room, but they were standing behind the participants and not seated.

I thought it was odd that there were so few participants for such an important town matter, but perhaps they didn't want the meeting to become chaotic with too many people.

"Yes, that's correct. Additionally, according to the records from the Holy Demon War, the ability is less effective on beings with higher intelligence and rationality. Considering that the succubus used some kind of magic on the dragon but it didn't have much effect, this is likely true."

The Holy Demon War refers to the past war against the evil gods written in the scriptures, I suppose.

…In other words, the succubus was using its ability to manipulate lust to control the dragon.

The scriptures say that the succubus can create an army of monsters using its ability to manipulate lust, but the dragon only became slightly sluggish.

This means that the ability doesn't work on intelligent and rational monsters.

"Therefore, intelligent beings like humans and dragons can be excluded from the enemy's forces."

The Holy Maiden continued confidently.

I felt relieved.

It seems unlikely that the knights will be manipulated to turn against us or that the succubus will lead a large number of dragons.

If our allies turned against us or a dragon army was created, even if I used my healing magic recklessly, we wouldn't stand a chance.

"Roughly, how many forces do you think the enemy will have?"

"According to past records, the succubus has the power to control tens of thousands of monsters…"

The Holy Maiden answered the lord's question.

…Tens of thousands.

It's hard to imagine, but it's probably more than a hundred times the number of the town's knights.

A hundred-to-one disadvantage means that at the very least, a knight would have to survive being thrown into a pack of a hundred monsters.

Yuel might be able to do it, but it's too much to ask of all the knights.

Most would die.

"Tens of thousands…"

The lord grunted.

I could feel the atmosphere in the meeting room tighten at the mention of tens of thousands.

However, the knight captain countered, breaking the tension.

"…The number will vary greatly depending on the range from which the succubus gathers monsters, but it's unlikely that she will immediately lead an army of tens of thousands. After all, there aren't that many monsters in this region."

…That's right, the knights' job includes exterminating monsters outside the town.

They probably have a good grasp of how many monsters are in this area.

"But if the succubus really has the ability to control tens of thousands of monsters, she could create an army that far exceeds the number of our town's knights in a few days. Given the flying speed we saw at the church… we should expect around six thousand in four days and nine thousand in a week."

The knight captain added.

This means there are six thousand monsters within a four-day range and nine thousand within a week's range in this area.

That's a significant reduction from tens of thousands.

"Hmm…"

The lord grunted again at the knight captain's prediction.

…Even with the reduction, it's still about a ten-to-one disadvantage.

Even with my area heal, there's a possibility we could be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

My magic is for healing, not resurrection.

If the knights are killed too quickly, even if I keep casting area heal, there will still be casualties.

Depending on the strength of the enemy monsters, the number of knights could be gradually reduced, leading to defeat.

"Given a ten-to-one disadvantage, the knights will likely suffer a devastating blow. First, I want to request reinforcements from neighboring cities… Lord, is that acceptable?"

The knight captain proposed to the lord.

Reinforcements.

Well, that's probably the conclusion.

If our numbers increase, the disadvantage will decrease.

The knights are elite, even if they are few.

If the disadvantage is reduced from ten-to-one to three-to-one, it's unlikely they would die.

With my healing magic, I think we can repel the enemy with that kind of disadvantage.

"Reinforcements…"

But the lord sighed at the word "reinforcements."

"Lord, is there a problem?"

The knight captain asked, puzzled.

"…The succubus, who has destroyed many cities in the past, is coming with an army of monsters. It would be nice if there were brave lords who would lend us their precious knights for a war with uncertain victory."

"…You mean they might be hesitant to send reinforcements because it's dangerous?"

The knight captain's question was met with a bitter nod from the lord.

…Recently, there are almost no wars between humans.

Perhaps they are also hesitant about such matters.

"The capital will definitely send reinforcements. But local cities usually don't have much spare military power. If the reinforcements they send are destroyed, it will cause significant problems for the city's future. To be honest, the lords of local cities would rather wait for the capital's rescue and strengthen their own city's defenses in such a crisis."

It means they can't send their precious knights to a war with uncertain victory.

If the knights are gone, they can't defend against monster threats, and the city's security will worsen.

From the lord's perspective, the knights are indispensable.

"In other words, the prospects for reinforcements from outside the capital are slim."

"To be frank, that's the case. They might not come at all, but we shouldn't expect much."

Both the knight captain and the lord had grim expressions.

"Can we try to persuade other lords with money? This is our church's mistake. We are willing to do our best to provide financial support."

The Holy Maiden suggested this in the midst of the discussion.

"To the lords of cities, the elite knights are indispensable for the city's continuous development. They can't be easily replaced. Financial rewards alone won't make them send reinforcements. They will only participate if they think they can win."

It seems it won't work.

By the way, I haven't said anything yet.

…Why am I even sitting here?

I was immediately offered a seat by the Holy Maiden when I entered the room, but I don't know much about military matters.

"…But, it's not good. It takes two days for a dragon to reach the capital. If we request reinforcements, it might take more than ten days for the main force from the capital to arrive."

Ah, now I understand why Luluka is here.

The flying speed of a dragon is probably faster than a horse on the ground.

Luluka seems to be close to the dragons, so they might be planning to use her as a means to call for reinforcements.

"The succubus is expected to attack this town within a week. According to the records from the Holy Demon War, the succubus can create an army, but it can't completely control the monsters' actions. If it takes too long, the army will become uncontrollable."

"A week… the reinforcements from the capital won't arrive in time."

"That's correct."

The conversation between the Holy Maiden and the lord continued, but the situation seemed dire.

I could feel a gloomy atmosphere in the room.

But it's not the kind of situation where I can say, "Let's just run to the capital and hide!"

I should say something else.

"If the knights alone aren't enough, can we add adventurers to our forces?"

"Adventurers are numerous, but most are only capable of hunting low-level monsters. Without a certain level of skill, they will only drag the battle down and increase casualties."

That's true.

I don't want weaklings in the battle line.

Even if they can avoid instant death, my healing magic can't save them if they can't even do that.

Adventurers like Eight and Gazer, who are stuck in the lower levels of the dungeon, won't be of much help.

Silence fell over the meeting room.

The lord grunted and looked down.

The knight captain crossed his arms and closed his eyes, deep in thought.

The Holy Maiden, for some reason, was looking at me.

This isn't the kind of look that says, "Your shiny black hair is really beautiful…"

I can kind of understand.

…Actually, I have one way to call for reinforcements.

I don't really want to say it, though.

I can probably persuade the lords of other cities who are hesitant to send reinforcements.

And I can do it very easily.

…But if I do, I'll stand out.

If I stand out, it will increase unnecessary risks like when the Archbishop targeted Elise.

If my true abilities are revealed, I will be the next target.

Yuel might protect me from small threats, but there will be times when Yuel isn't around.

I glanced at Yuel.

—Our eyes met.

Yuel was just looking at me.

The meeting was going badly, but I couldn't sense any worry in Yuel's eyes.

They were the same as always, looking at me.

Eyes that didn't feel threatened by the impending monster attack.

Yuel probably believes we will definitely win.

Why does she believe that?

Because she knows the knights' strength.

Because she thinks we can hold out by defending the walls.

There are many reasons, but the most decisive one is…

—Because I'm here.

Yuel knows my strength better than anyone.

With my healing magic, she probably believes we can repel the monster army.

It's possible.

With my healing magic, we might be able to repel the attack without calling for reinforcements, using only the town's knights.

…But as the knight captain said, doing so would likely result in a devastating blow to the town's knights.

Humans are fragile.

A single blow to the head can kill them.

Even elite knights might not suffer fatal injuries, but if they are overwhelmed by numbers, it's a different story.

…Reinforcements are necessary.

I stopped looking at Yuel and turned to the Holy Maiden.

Her eyes seemed to see through me.

I can imagine what she's thinking.

The Holy Maiden has probably already thought of this method.

Honestly, I want to run away and abandon the town.

I don't want to stand out.

But my healing magic skills are already known to many people.

It's only a matter of time before it spreads.

Even if I don't make this proposal, my healing magic skills will eventually become widely known.

…It might be time to change my approach.

Instead of hiding my strength to protect myself, I could use my healing magic to gain favor.

That's a valid approach.

And this proposal will surely earn me Yuel's respect.

Not just the knights, but many lives will be saved.

It's a proposal that befits a master.

"Hey, Holy Maiden."

"Hehe, please call me Filine."

When I called out to the Holy Maiden, she smiled happily.

…She seems to know what I'm going to say.

And this reaction.

It feels like she was evaluating whether I would say this on my own.

It's not a good feeling, but there's probably no other way.

"Then, Filine, I have an idea to call for reinforcements. But it requires your cooperation."

I called out to the Holy Maiden again.

She bowed respectfully.

"Yes. Shiki-sama, if there's anything I can do, please let me know."

And she said this to me.

The next update will be in about three days.