Chapter 92
At the foot of the Gaela Mountains in the Cashew region lay the Belia Plateau. Four hundred soldiers had gathered on the plateau, where short grass grew thickly, and formed ranks with their spears aligned.
At the headquarters established on a hill overlooking the foothills, a table had been set up and a map spread out.
The Gaela Mountains before us were drawn prominently on the map. Beyond the great range, the Mebium Inland Sea stretched to the right, while the Kingdom of Hameil, our neighboring country, lay to the left.
"Romelia-sama."
Mia-san came over after calling out to me. She had originally been a healer, but lately she had become quite skilled at playing secretary.
"Another letter has arrived from your family."
She respectfully held out a letter from my father, but I did not take it.
"I see. Throw it away."
I ignored it, since I already knew what it said.
"Are you sure?"
Though I had told her to throw it away, Mia-san hesitantly tucked the letter away and asked me.
"It's fine. I can't stop now, anyway."
I had led soldiers in exterminating monsters, developed a gold mine, and improved a port. After all those conspicuous actions, my parents had finally learned what I was doing, and letters urging me to stop had begun arriving one after another. Before long, they would probably come to stop me by force.
I had bought myself time through behind-the-scenes maneuvering, but the time I had left to act freely was short. I had to get it done while I still could.
"If we destroy the antfolk nest here on the Belia Plateau, we can completely eliminate the threat posed by the monsters in Cashew. We've been preparing for this day. We can't stop now."
It had been nearly a year since I came to Cashew. We had steadily exterminated the monsters and had even succeeded in clearing out the dragons of Gilie Gorge. Now, the monsters infesting this land were the final remaining threat.
The antfolk were weak as monsters, but there were many of them. They roamed over a wide area, and the surrounding farming villages were frequently attacked. More than anything, this vast stretch of land could not be put to use.
Cashew had been neglected because it was a poor land, but now that a new port promised economic development, it could no longer afford to leave its land unused.
"No, Romelia-sama. That isn't the only issue. Gathering soldiers here—doesn't that risk causing trouble with the Kingdom of Hameil?"
Mia-san seemed worried. Certainly, gathering soldiers here was somewhat problematic.
"If I remember correctly, a general from some country crossed these mountains, didn't he?"
Looking up at the Gaela Mountains, which pierced the heavens, Mia-san carelessly brought up a piece of history.
"General Hamilcar of the Kingdom of Nova."
Velli-sensei, who was serving as my adviser, answered eagerly.
"Seven hundred years ago, a war broke out between the Reitzberg Empire and the Kingdom of Nova. Nova's defeat was considered inevitable due to the difference in national power, but General Hamilcar decided to cross the Gaela Mountains—a feat considered impossible at the time—and led forty thousand soldiers across this vast range. Caught completely off guard, the Reitzberg Empire was attacked from the rear and suffered a crushing defeat. This is what history calls the Second Porta War. Afterward, General Hamilcar..."
Velli-sensei tried to continue, but I stopped him.
"Sensei, I'll listen to the rest of your lecture later. For now, please focus on the battle beginning in half an hour, not on events from seven hundred years ago."
I pointed toward the foot of the Gaela Mountains.
The mountainside was riddled with holes like pockmarks. Humanoid ants crowded inside them, their compound eyes turned toward us.
They were shorter than adults and slender as well. They were not particularly strong, so armed soldiers should have had no trouble defeating them.
"We don't know how many there are. We need to plan carefully."
The antfolk were weak as monsters, but their terrifying reproductive rate was another matter. If left alone, their numbers would increase dramatically. It was said that their numbers could be estimated to some degree from the number of holes, and if that estimate was accurate, more than two thousand antfolk were crowded together here.
This would be a battle unlike any we had fought before.
"Honestly, leaving them alone until they've grown this numerous is going to make exterminating them a real ordeal."
The antfolk were considered dangerous because of their reproductive power despite being weak, so it was common practice to destroy their nests immediately upon discovery.
They had been left alone this long because of the location.
"Because it's the famous site associated with General Hamilcar."
There he went, bringing up that name again.
"There's no way we'd cross the mountains and attack Hameil again. The Kingdom of Hameil is simply being paranoid."
There was no accurate record of the route General Hamilcar had taken through the Gaela Mountains. However, this was said to be the most likely site, so the Kingdom of Hameil feared that we might cross the mountains and invade again. Whenever we deployed troops here, they found something to complain about.
But the Gaela Mountains, towering high enough to pierce the heavens, were truly the roof of the continent.
An expert who had climbed several mountains might have been able to cross them, but it was impossible to imagine leading more than ten thousand soldiers across the range. Even if it were attempted, half of them would die.
"They don't expect anyone to cross them a second time, either."
However, the Kingdom of Hameil had a history of war with us, and tensions remained high even now. Deploying troops in this historic location would certainly provoke Hameil, so it had become almost customary to leave the area free of troops as a buffer zone.
Whether they realized it or not, the antfolk had built a nest in that empty space, and while everyone stood by helplessly, they had multiplied dramatically.
"This is going to cause trouble later."
"We're only exterminating the monsters within our territory. Besides, we're currently allied with the Kingdom of Hameil."
The Demon King's army had invaded, and the human nations had formed an alliance to oppose it.
They did not actually help one another; they had merely joined the alliance in name. Still, an alliance was an alliance. We had also signed a nonaggression treaty, so deploying troops here did not constitute an act of invasion or preparation for one.
"If we don't crush them now, when will we? Besides, this is an opportunity. There's no reason not to take it."
Four hundred soldiers were gathered here. They were the reinforced garrison of Cashew.
A gold mine had opened, and a new port was under construction. As Cashew's importance had increased, its defensive forces had been reinforced as well. Now, we had enough troops to fight the antfolk swarm.
"Good grief, is our young lady looking for a war?"
Though he knew that perfectly well, Velli-sensei muttered in exasperation.
"Yes, I am. We need to gain experience here."
Monsters appeared throughout Cashew, but there had been no large groups. The dragons of Gilie Gorge had been the largest group.
"We've fought dragons, and we've learned how to operate small units, but we have no experience fighting with a large force. To prepare for the coming battle against the Demon King's army, we need to experience combat on this scale."
"Even if soldiers die as a result?"
Sensei was questioning my resolve.
No matter how carefully we planned, we couldn't come through a battle on this scale unscathed. We were bound to suffer considerable losses.
"I'm prepared for that. If we clash with the Demon King's army without any experience at all, we will certainly lose."
I had repeatedly discussed this with Velli-sensei, consulted veteran soldiers who had participated in major wars, and conducted mock battles. But no matter how realistic they became, they were never real combat. It would be meaningless to avoid losses now only to increase the losses we would suffer in the future.
"Before questioning my resolve, are the preparations complete?"
"Of course. Everything's ready. The captains are gathered, too."
When Velli-sensei indicated them with his eyes, I saw that the captains had indeed assembled, fully prepared. Let's have one final briefing.