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

194. The Way Of Thinking Varies By Location, Isn’t It?

Even from the castle keep, you can’t fully grasp the enemy’s scope.

The outer city walls of Mizuho are surrounded by open plains, but as you go farther out, trees gradually increase, becoming groves and then forests.

Even just seeing the hordes of monsters swarming the visible plains is overwhelming, but imagining how many remain deeper in the forest is unfathomable.

However, they’re just monsters. Without coordination, they charge recklessly.

Thanks to the excessive defensive facilities for what seems like a small city, the sturdy city walls wear them down with arrows and magic as they crash into them.

Yet, there was one troublesome group.

As if deliberately targeting, it was a group of Gigant Ogres and another of massive Hydras.

Of all places, they charged toward the most vulnerable spot, making it unbearable.

Just when it seemed like they would continue the siege, before the main gate could be overwhelmed, the drawbridge lowered, and the gate opened.

“It’s Father’s unit.”

“What!? Isn’t Hanbei-dono supposed to be defending the castle!?”

Alphard, unaware of the Mizuho soldiers’ deployment, was shocked that the head of the Wilhelm family wasn’t guarding the castle but was instead on the frontlines.

“Evacuating the citizens isn’t finished yet. It’s only natural for Father to be there.”

“I understand that, but to sortie in this situation!?”

Though shouting, Alphard himself had thought of a cavalry charge by an elite unit as the most effective measure to guard the gate.

However, it was different when one of the top three generals directly under the commander was leading the charge.

It was undoubtedly effective but would also come with extraordinary losses.

“If it goes wrong, they’ll be wiped out!”

“But if we don’t take out the large monsters here, the main gate will fall before the evacuation is complete.”

Nobuna answered calmly.

“That may be true, but…”

“Look.”

Samurai clad in armor rode out on two-legged birds in a magnificent formation.

“Hanbei-dono is at the forefront!? That’s reckless, no matter how you look at it!”

“The honor of leading the charge belongs to the spearhead.”

Alphard was speechless at Nobuna’s prideful words and realized that their perspective on battle was fundamentally different.

The charging unit was undoubtedly elite. First, they launched a cavalry spearhead assault, ensuring multiple riders targeted a single enemy.

Against a large Hydra, three Mizuho warriors struck together for an instant kill.

For a Gigant Ogre, three to five riders engaged. Ideally, it seemed they wanted five, but the chaos of the battlefield made it fluid. Still, no less than three riders coordinated to confound the enemy.

“Incredible precision.”

“It’s to be expected.”

“And above all, Hanbei-dono’s leadership is as precise as if he were viewing the battlefield from the skies.”

Hanbei’s personal combat prowess was also astonishing. He carved a straight path through the cluster of large creatures at the gate.

Though begrudgingly, Alphard admitted Hanbei’s strength surpassed his own, though still falling short of Leidok. Even so, Hanbei continued evading attacks and landing precise strikes.

“Is it a matter of experience? Just how many monsters has Hanbei-dono fought until now?”

“When he was younger, he ignored Grandfather’s words and spent every day leading troops in monster hunts.”

“That’s hard to imagine from the composed Hanbei of today.”

“Most Wilhelm men are like that to some extent…except Kanetsugu.”

Nobuna sighed as she mentioned her younger brother’s name, but Alphard ignored her, focusing instead on the battlefield.

There was another reason Hanbei’s unit was so formidable: a vast number of summoned familiars, called shikigami, were disrupting, stalling, and luring the enemy.

“Those familiars…no, shikigami. Aren’t they controlled by Kanetsugu’s unit, commanding from the city wall?”

Alphard pointed toward the Mizuho’s unique mage unit, the Onmyo troops, led by Nobuna’s brother, Kanetsugu.

“It’s Father’s plan. Honestly, it’s shameful to leave family in a safe spot.”

“N-no. Strategically, placing mage units at the rear is sound.”

“If it were me, I’d ride into battle alongside them.”

“Well…”

Nobuna’s attire was a blend of samurai and Onmyo styles. She excelled in both swordsmanship and Onmyo magic.

While Alphard didn’t know Kanetsugu’s abilities well, he understood from his attire that Kanetsugu was a pure mage type. Asking him to charge into the most dangerous frontline was tactically and emotionally unreasonable.

“Hanbei-dono’s judgment is sound. Moreover, Kanetsugu’s shikigami handling is superb. He uses them so cleverly to minimize allied losses and make the battlefield easier to navigate.”

“Isn’t that just because the shikigami lack power?”

“That’s not true, Nobuna-sama. Imagine if the Onmyo troops summoned powerful shikigami to unleash large-scale attacks. What would happen then?”

“They’d defeat many enemies.”

“Indeed. But large-scale attacks are typically area-based, aren’t they?”

“Yes.”

“To avoid harming allies, they’d have to cast spells far from their own troops. That would mean no direct support for the allied units. Plus, large-scale attacks take time to charge. The current shikigami, however, are agile and excellently support their allies.”

Nobuna, who hadn’t taken her eyes off the battlefield, turned to Alphard, blinking in surprise, then returned her gaze to the gate.

“Hmm. So, Kanetsugu put some thought into it after all.”

Alphard felt that Nobuna’s opinion of her brother might have improved slightly. He had thought her evaluation was unfairly low.

◆

Hours later, all the large monsters capable of breaking the gate or city walls quickly had been eliminated.

This likely bought significant time, though the total enemy count remained unknown, and vigilance was still necessary. The defense would continue for now.

When the heroes returned to the castle, the evacuated citizens erupted in thunderous cheers.

However, only half the heroes returned.

“Nobuna-sama, I’ll go check the situation!”

“I’m coming too.”

Nobuna ordered her subordinates to maintain aerial vigilance and followed after the sprinting Alphard. When they reached the castle gate, the plaza was lined with countless straw mats, onto which shikigami were carrying bodies one after another.

“!”

Alphard frowned at the sight of hundreds of corpses.

Everywhere, families wept over their loved ones’ bodies.

One mother ran to Hanbei.

“Hanbei-dono! Did my son…did my son die honorably?”

Hanbei dismounted his bird, checked the corpse, placed a hand on the mother’s shoulder, and gave a small smile.

“Mother, Taromaru met a commendable end. Truly, he was an honor to Mizuho Divine Kingdom. Loyal and brave, he was a man to be proud of. Hold your head high.”

“I see…so my foolish son was of use…thank you, thank you!”

“Indeed. It is best to see him off with a smile.”

As Hanbei spoke, the mother, though crying, forced a smile.

Alphard couldn’t tell if it was sheer willpower or genuine, but he deeply understood the strength of Mizuho’s people.

It was their unique view of life and death that allowed this small country, surrounded by monsters, to remain strong.

Nobuna approached one of the bodies, momentarily showing sorrow before quickly donning her characteristic bright smile and shouting:

“Everyone! You did great! It’s an honor!”

Citizens and soldiers alike raised their arms, their morale soaring.

“For Mizuho, for the living god, we shall endure!”

“““Uwoooooooohhh!”””

Alphard became certain that Mizuho Divine Kingdom would overcome this crisis.