Chapter 60

"There are so many people."

As soon as they reached the gate, Shira said.

The town of Rihelan was surrounded by a defensive wall, and a wide moat encircled the perimeter. The moat, as wide as two fields, had a drawbridge spanning it, and beyond that, the defense forces and adventurers were stationed.

Normally, there shouldn't be any troops stationed there. When Rio and his group brought back the Blakul's corpse, there was no sign of any troops.

It must have been hastily set up during the autopsy.

Even though it was hastily set up, it seemed that they had regular training, as the defensive positions were equipped with horse barriers surrounding the exit of the drawbridge.

The memory of Rihelan's nightmare must have been vivid, as both the adventurers and the defense forces were dead serious.

"Even though there's no guarantee that Blakul will come to reclaim the corpse, it's quite a sight, isn't it?"

"The problem would be if we weren't prepared when an attack actually happens. Even if it ends up being a false alarm, we should treat it as a realistic training exercise."

The old man said firmly and started to cross the drawbridge.

As Rio crossed the drawbridge with Shira, he looked up at the defensive wall. Several hunters with bows were monitoring the Rihelan forest, and there were also a few who seemed to be mages, though in smaller numbers.

Rio was impressed by the defensive capabilities of a town of this size, which were far superior to those of a village.

However, there were no knights, so the equipment was not standardized, and it was difficult to formulate a strategy. While there were many skilled individuals trained by Galdrat, they were only good at individual combat and lacked coordination.

The commander's skill would be put to the test, but the guild members and the defense force commander, who lacked specialized knowledge, would likely lack flexibility.

The old man led them into the defense force's camp, where water barrels for fire suppression were placed in various spots, surrounded by horse barriers and torches.

"…You've arrived."

A middle-aged man with a robust build, who seemed to be the defense force commander, stood up from his chair upon seeing the old man. Though he was somewhat overweight, his movements revealed that he had solid muscle beneath the fat.

"I've received the report that a provisional name has been decided. Have you identified the weak points?"

A woman with glasses handed over a report.

"These are the preliminary findings."

"Thank you. You can now inform the respective teams about the weak points."

"Understood."

As the women with glasses and the scholars left, the defense force commander turned to Rio and his group.

"Are you the first slayers? You look like a swordsman, but you're rather slim. Are you from the Miruto school?"

"No, I'm self-taught."

"Self-taught, huh. If you were from the Miruto school, which efficiently uses body enhancement, I would have had a lot of questions, but being self-taught is interesting in its own way."

"―Hey, is this the time for chitchat?"

"Sorry, sorry."

The defense force commander laughed it off after being reprimanded by the old man. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the forest.

"According to the gate records, seven civilians are outside the town."

"Gate records? Do you keep them?"

Rio asked, and the defense force commander smiled wryly.

"Adventurers have their records taken when they accept quests at the guild, so they pass through the gate without a check. The same applies to people coming from outside."

"I see. Thank you for the information."

"No, it's important to confirm. So, what about the guild?"

"Five are outside. But two of them are probably dead."

Upon hearing about two people, Rio frowned. The veteran adventurer's body he and Shira found was one, but they were said to be a group of three.

The old man glanced at Rio and patted his shoulder lightly.

"It's not your fault. Rather, it's good that you found them. The other three left as guards for a caravan early yesterday morning. They shouldn't be nearby."

"Then, protecting the seven civilians should be the top priority. What if they are taken hostage?"

"If the number of enemies is the same as ours, we will ignore them."

"I hope it doesn't turn into a nasty job."

"Indeed."

The old man, agreeing, explained the Blakul's vital points and the known characteristics to the defense force commander.

After listening to the explanation without interrupting, the defense force commander addressed Rio and Shira.

"How did it feel to cut it?"

"The base of the tentacles was quite hard, but I could cut them with my strength. Even on an unstable branch, I managed to cut them, so I don't think there will be anyone among the adventurers or the defense forces who can't cut them."

"Can you shake hands with me while using body enhancement?"

The defense force commander, wanting to measure Rio's strength, extended his hand while activating body enhancement himself. When Rio shook his hand, the defense force commander nodded in satisfaction.

"From this, it seems anyone can cut them. Of course, that's assuming they can get close…"

"The tentacles are a bit longer than my height. If you can close the distance in one go, you can cut them."

"The defense forces are heavily equipped. They were prepared for Tereop. It might be better to have the spear-wielding ones aim for the torso. The girl over there cut the torso, right?"

"I didn't cut it. I thrust it."

"Is it that important to correct it?"

"If you cut, you might get stuck in the ribs or the four supporting bones and can't pull out. You need to thoroughly thrust and pull out to avoid losing your weapon."

Shira pointed to the autopsy diagram and explained.

"The structure is similar to an animal's spine, allowing some bending. When I thrust, I tried to widen the wound by sweeping the sword sideways, but Blakul bent its body and trapped the sword between the ribs, making it immobile."

"So, you pushed it in until it penetrated?"

"I could tell it was trapped between hard objects, so I decided to thrust it in deeply to inflict a fatal wound."

The defense force commander nodded in agreement with Shira's logical explanation.

"Thrust and pull out. We should inform everyone of this."

"That information has already been shared."

As the old man said, the scholars who attended the autopsy in the training ground should have already informed the defense force's teams.

"Efficient work. Is everything else proceeding according to the emergency manual?"

"It's going smoothly. As long as nothing happens—"

Before the old man could finish, a scream came from the forest. The old man and the defense force commander, who reflexively looked at the forest, froze.

Several young people were fleeing from the Rihelan forest.

"It's Rihelan's nightmare!"

Behind the fleeing young people, a group of Tereop emerged from the Rihelan forest. Seeing the group of Tereop, the old man looked up to the sky.

"This is the worst-case scenario…"

What emerged from the Rihelan forest was not just Tereop. Blakul, riding on Tereop with its tentacles entwined, also appeared. Clearly organized and in formation, it presented a sight worthy of being called an army.