Chapter 27

When the siege was decided, the village began to hastily set up its defensive system.

Rio ran through the village, carrying an empty wooden box.

He took it to the log wall that separated the main street from the stone wall, where Rakudoi was instructing his disciples to place the empty wooden boxes and fill them with soil.

Behind Rio, girls like Shiraha and Remi, carrying burlap bags, followed.

The sandbags being constructed to reinforce the log wall were solid from the base up, thanks to Rakudoi's instructions. The log wall, which was already one of the strongest defensive points in the village, now resembled a fortress.

However, the wide, well-maintained main street, which was easy to walk on, also provided an advantage to the attackers, leaving some lingering unease even after all the preparations.

After placing the wooden box, Rio saw the source of his unease.

The source of unease was the disciples of Rakudoi's dojo, who were stationed as defensive forces at this log wall.

The Ox-style taught at Rakudoi's dojo was a group sword technique for heavily armored knights. It made sense to station the disciples in this place where the ground was well-prepared and wide enough to form a line.

However, from Rio's perspective, the morale of the disciples was quite low.

After all, it was their first real combat. Even though Rakudoi was leading them, the fact that the main force on the main street consisted of children only added to their anxiety.

The village had organized a guerrilla force led by Baldo to respond to attacks from any direction. Once combat began, adults would rush to the scene, but this seemed to offer little comfort to the disciples.

Out of the corner of his eye, Rio noticed Yudo and quietly observed him.

From what he could see, Yudo was not slacking off. He was properly carrying the heavy sandbags, perhaps because he recognized that it was a matter of life and death, or perhaps because he had changed his attitude after the fight with Rio.

Nevertheless, serious disciples like Remi's brother and others were giving him the cold shoulder. Once labeled as a slacker, it was hard to shake the reputation.

Still, the fact that they were only giving him the cold shoulder was probably because the Ox-style was a group sword technique. In a time of crisis, disrupting the harmony by complaining was not a good strategy.

"... There's still resentment simmering," Shiraha muttered, standing next to him. Rio agreed.

"We need to get along normally and work together, and if there are any issues, we need to talk them out."

Rio took this as a lesson, even though it wasn't his own situation.

Shiraha looked at Rio intently.

"I want to fight with you."

"Shiraha too? No way. You don't have a weapon."

The disciples of Rakudoi's dojo had been given swords from the village's stockpile. Although they hadn't expected to use them so soon, there were enough swords tailored to the Ox-style for everyone. Still, a few had makeshift swords.

Even the village, which promoted the Ox-style, was in this state, so there was no way there would be a sword suitable for Rio's self-taught sword technique. In other words, Shiraha had no weapon.

"But why suddenly?"

"I thought I could show them an example."

"Ah..."

Rio, thinking it was a very pure idea, patted Shiraha's head as an older brother.

However, showing an example wouldn't improve the relationship between the disciples overnight.

"Well, if we point it out, it might just cause confusion on the scene, and we can't do anything about it."

Rio was currently on bad terms with Yudo and the others. Since he was also being treated as an enemy by the slacker group, they would likely resist anything he said unconditionally.

Even if he told them to get along, he could predict that they would become stubborn to the point where it would be impossible to fix the situation.

"There are other defensive points besides this one, and there's no time to argue. We have to leave it to Rakudoi."

If things got really bad, the village chief would step in, so Rio quickly left the scene.

The village had three main defensive points.

The first was the main street, where Rakudoi and his disciples were stationed. It was also defended by log walls.

The second was the stone wall area, located between the village and the log wall, with a good view. This area was manned by hunters like Baldo and Remi's father, who could handle bows and were ready to provide immediate support.

The third was the back of the village, where those who couldn't handle bows among the village's best fighters, including Caril, were stationed. Rio, who had received a sword, was also considered a full-fledged fighter and was stationed here.

However, even though it was the back of the village, this was a village on the frontier. There was no road behind it, only a vast, natural landscape dominated by a mountain range.

Due to continuous reclamation, the stone walls that marked the boundary with the former forest had spread in three layers, providing unexpectedly strong defenses. However, the stone walls were only about waist-high, and it was unknown how effective they would be against the giant apes that Rio and the others had seen.

The forest had been cleared to some extent, and the trees were left with branches only up to a certain height to make it difficult for the giant apes to pass through.

Carrying fuel for torches, they ran to the back of the village to maintain vigilance throughout the night.

At the back, under Caril's guidance, stakes and wooden boards were being set up in the fallow fields.

The fields were wide open, and the purpose was to restrict the movement of the giant apes. The stakes and wooden boards were carefully treated to have protruding spikes and nails, designed to injure the apes' hands if they tried to pull them out.

"Pretty ruthless, huh?"

According to Caril's plan, the wooden boards near the forest would be coated with a paralyzing poison. Since exposure to sunlight would neutralize the poison, the application would be done from evening to night.

The intention was to use the immobilized apes as obstacles.

"Actually, I wish we could dig some trenches."

Caril, who had noticed Rio, approached while checking the work.

"We don't have the time, and we can't dig trenches big enough for those giants."

"True. It's a luxury we can't afford. Even using the fields as a defensive line is a painful decision for the village."

Once the fields became a battlefield, they would be devastated and blood would be shed. Even with emergency repairs after the battle, the soil stained with blood would be unusable.

Following Caril's instructions, Rio placed the fuel and looked up at the sky.

The sun was beginning to set.

"When will the advance team from the Adventurer's Guild arrive?"

"It's hard to say. We sent a message bird, so they should know about the commotion. If everything goes well, they might arrive by early morning the day after tomorrow, but it depends on the composition. Against humanoid beasts, half-hearted skills are a waste of life."

"So, we, the amateurs, have to fight those things."

"It's a matter of survival. —Hide the stones for throwing behind the stone walls!"

Caril cut off the conversation and returned to giving instructions.

※

The next evening, after all possible defensive preparations were completed, suspicious shadows began to appear near the village.

A large, bipedal ape-like figure, possibly having detected the cooking smoke, appeared on the main street and was reported to be observing Rakudoi and the others.

"They seem to be observing from the shadows of the trees, probably for reconnaissance."

Upon hearing the report from Remi's brother, who was assigned to communication, Caril's expression turned grim.

"Understood. If you see them, let us know."

After sending Remi's brother back, Caril focused his gaze on the mountains.

Rio, also paying attention to the trees, spoke up.

"Did they dislike the back, where movement is restricted?"

After waiting for a while without a response, Rio looked at Caril suspiciously.

"Is something wrong?"

"What are you thinking so deeply about?" Rio asked.

Caril, still with a grim expression, answered.

"From what I've heard so far, these beasts aren't human."

"Even though they send out scouts?"

"Besides being too hairy, the report said they were almost naked, wearing only wooden boards as armor around their waists. Even if they were human and had been beastified, they could still communicate and wear clothes. This time, it's probably a group of apes from the depths of the frontier. They're not like Shiraha."

"Is that good news?"

Thinking of Shiraha, who was probably preparing a midnight snack with her mother, Rio felt relieved. Caril's speculation meant that they might not have to fight against Shiraha's real family.

However, Caril saw it as bad news from a different perspective.

"If they were human, the number of physically strong individuals would be limited. But if they're unknown apes, the standard might be even larger than Rakudoi. Moreover, if their intelligence has improved enough to wear armor, they might bring weapons. And if they sent out scouts, they have the brains to understand tactics."

If the beasts were bandits or mountain bandits who had been beastified, there wouldn't be many individuals as strong as Rakudoi, and the number would likely be limited to around twenty due to food and other issues.

But if it was a group of large apes, the exact number was unknown.

"The battle might drag on. If the number exceeds twenty, they might split into two groups and attack from two fronts. We need to be on guard for a night raid. They might throw stones from the forest, so we should lower the defensive line and avoid clustering."

As Caril gave instructions, the adults in the village followed them obediently.

Rio stood up from the stone wall and moved to prepare the torches. The adults also began applying the paralyzing poison to the wooden boards and stakes.

As the sun set and the surroundings grew dark, the village was illuminated by bright lights.

While on guard for a night raid, Shiraha and the village women brought the midnight snacks.

"…I brought your share, Rio."

"Thanks."

Sitting on the stone wall, Rio ate the midnight snack given by Shiraha. Shiraha also sat down next to him, holding a water bottle and looking at the forest.

The midnight snack was a sandwich with vegetables and meat, and cheese. The hard biscuits and jam were probably for later in the night to keep their spirits up.

Under the twinkling stars, surrounded by torches, the midnight snack felt surreal. Although they might have been playful at another time, the thought of a night raid and the immediate life-or-death battle that would follow made it impossible to waste energy.

"Can I borrow your water bottle?"

Taking the water bottle from Shiraha, Rio took a sip and grimaced.

"Bitter... Is this fern tea?"

"It's supposed to keep you awake."

"True, but... Hmm?"

Just as he was about to take another sip, Rio heard a strange sound mixed with the crackling of the torches and listened carefully.

A high-pitched, intermittent sound, like insects flying by his ear, was heard. At first, he thought it was tinnitus, but Shiraha, who had also noticed the sound, frowned.

"Shiraha, can you hear it too?"

"...Yeah. Can't the others hear it?"

As Shiraha said, the adults, including Caril, didn't seem to hear the sound.

Calling out to Caril, who was watching the forest, Rio said:

"Caril! There's a strange sound!"

"Strange sound? Where is it coming from?"

When asked about the source of the sound, Rio and Shiraha tilted their heads and listened, pointing to the main street at the same time.

Immediately after, a loud, animal-like roar echoed from the main street. Almost simultaneously, the alarm bell rang loudly.

The reserve force led by Baldo, guarding the stone wall area, responded and signaled to Caril.

The main street was under attack. The number was over twenty. Half of the reserve force would go to support the main street.

Caril acknowledged the signal and called out to his companions.

"Rio heard a strange sound. It's probably a signal from the enemy. That means the one who received the signal is in a position away from the main street. A surprise attack is coming. Get ready!"

Just as Caril had deduced, the moment the reserve force went to support the main street, the enemy's surprise attack force appeared at the back of the village.