Foreigner Volume 5, Chapter 59

Volume 5 Chapter 59, Labyrinth ~ 17

　About a thousand soldiers were advancing in a line through the deep Dalewood Canyon. This is the army of the Dalewood Fort Guard, made up of 100 soldiers from each of the 13 city-states that maintain a certain level of power in the west of this world.

　After the 『Labyrinth of No Return』 inside the Dalewood Canyon was conquered by someone, the Dalewood Fort, which is the front line against the monsters crawling out of the canyon, changed its policy from defensive to offensive. In accordance with an ancient code, the fort is now sweeping away the beasts and monsters that have been afflicted by magics.

　Unconquered labyrinths attract monsters and beasts and change their nature into a violent one. The reason why they gather is not clear, but it is common knowledge in this world that once a labyrinth is conquered, the power contained within it dissipates and no more monsters or crazy beasts are born. The 『Labyrinth of No Return』, which has plagued the people, elves, and dwarves living in this suburb for hundreds of years, has dissipated its power.

　After the labyrinth conquered, the soldiers of the fortress were required to exterminate the monsters living in the canyon, but even the elite of the fortress never thought that this would happen today.

　However, the whistle of disintegration that had been given to a group of adventurers challenging the labyrinth had already been blown three times. There was no doubt in their mind that the labyrinth had been conquered.

「Crossbowmen, forward! ――Release!」

　A group of about 30 hobgoblins rushed toward them, the earth rumbling, and bolts were fired simultaneously from a hundred crossbowmen. The bolts fired by the well-trained soldiers caught the hobgoblins and tore them apart. The swordsmen stepped forward to check, but it seemed that there were no survivors.

　Just as they were relieved, the cavalrymen who had been out scouting in the canyon to the west came back with great force.

「Monitor lizards from the west! Twenty in number!」

　The report from the scouts caused a stir among the soldiers, but the commander calmly had the spearmen prepare to throw their spears.

「Step back a little, and when you reach this point where the passage narrows, fire your spears. Make sure you draw them close enough. When you have finished throwing, have the magicians use fire magic and then send in the swordsmen.」

　Each of the 13 city-states contributed 100 troops, and they were divided into 10 spearmen, 20 swordsmen, 10 crossbowmen, 20 Transportation Corps, 10 magicians, 10 engineers, 10 scouts, and 10 others, so the commander's ability to deal with them was extraordinary. Since the total number of horses was only 30, they did not prepare cavalry, but gave horses to the scouts so that they could grasp the location of the monsters and strengthen cooperation with each troop. The second-in-command, while admiring commander's ability, also timed his own fire magic.

　Depending on the situation, the commander may even wield the sword himself. 1300 is a sufficient number for holed up in a fort and defending, but it's not enough to go out and attack. Fortunately, the soldiers' skill level is high, and they are marching to create a thorough superiority in numbers and repeatedly destroying each one of them, so the wear and tear is minimal.

「You're in the way!」

　The commander, who had killed the wolf-shaped monster by wielding his proud magic sword, looked around. Fortunately, there seems to be few flying type monsters so far, so there is no particular problem with this formation.

「Fortunately, the breakthrough came at a time when they were scarce. This one will be easy to clean up.」

　Depending on the season, there are times when monsters are more likely to appear and times when they are less likely to appear. As winter approaches and the fruits of Mother Earth's gods become fewer and fewer, the number of monsters wandering in search of food increases, but this time of year, just as they enter the autumn of abundance, there don't seem to be as many monsters.

「Don't let your guard down.」

　The second-in command warns against being careless. With a small chuckle, the commander gathered the commanders of the various countries and opened a map of the canyon for everyone to see. The canyon is as intricate as a maze. It's important to pick up the heroes who have conquered the 『Labyrinth of No Return』, but the first priority is to eradicate the monsters that are wandering around the canyon.

「Send the melee team to the west canyon. When they get to the far end, turn around and switch with Chaosmeyer at the fort. Ostmeier and Ares will go to the east canyon. The commander is left to Ostmeier's squad.」

　The commanders of each country nodded back to the commander of the Kingdom of Mugeru, who was the current commander of Fort Dalewood, who gave quick instructions. The commander, who seemed to be just a daywalker with a penchant for drinking, was doing a pretty good job at this urgent moment. That's just what you'd expect from a frontline commander of anti-monsters.

　As they were discussing their future plans, the second-in-command looked up at the sky with a blue face.

「Commander! Look at that!」

　In the direction the second-in-command was pointing, the commanders of the various countries looked up at the sky in unison. The sound of someone gasping for air could be heard. The figure that gracefully dances far above the sky is close to the top of the beast tribe.

「...... A flying dragon?」

　There are no nests of flying dragons in Dalewood Canyon. Every once in a while, a stray flying dragon wanders in as if possessed by something. But the labyrinth that attracts these beasts is already gone. He can't tell for sure because that Flying Dragon is flying high in the sky, but it looks like it's pretty big.

「If it flies that high, we can't do anything about it. Ignore it, ignore it」

　The commanders nodded in unison at the commander's bold voice. If you want to deal with a monster that flies high in the sky, you need magic soldiers, but there is no need to destroy a monster that is not overtly hostile. In addition, the opponent is a flying dragon, albeit a single one. The damage they take will be considerable.

「Forward scouts report! Trolls 1 mile ahead, 10 in number!」

「Trolls? ...... That's troublesome.」

　The end result of a giant with a huge body, tremendous physical strength, and thick skin is a very difficult enemy as a monster. It's not so easy when there are 10 of them. Forgetting about the flying dragon that was flying far above, the commander thought about how to deal with the difficult enemy.

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　For the past few decades, the Academy of the Wise's patrol squad, which has been a desolate, window-shutting unit, has been experiencing an unprecedented level of activity. There are nine of them, including the head of the team, and they work in shifts, almost 24 hours a day.

　However, there are few opportunities for them to get information. There are two types of reports: hourly reports from Raymond, the legitimate son of Baron Dantes, who has been dispatched to a location close to the site, using a stone tablet with a message, and the 【Detection】 + 【Signpost】 on the 【Giant Killer】, which have been increased from twice to three times a day.

　Even though he is close to the scene, Raymond is not in direct contact with the target, so he can receive little useful information. He simply uses his magic to keep track of their movements. Based on the past pattern, he knows that between the fourth and first koku, the target is isolated in a ward and cannot be detected.

　The target, a foreigner who calls himself Satoru, has been challenging the 『Labyrinth of No Return』 and has not moved much for some time now. The search by 【Detection】 with distance only gives a rough idea of the target's location, and because the distance makes the height and height unclear, it is impossible to tell unless there is a large movement.

　The target was thought to have conquered the labyrinth in three days, a speed that was impossible by common sense, but it was thought that it would take a reasonable number of days to get out of the labyrinth as well. Therefore, the team members who used the arts on the assumption that there would be no movement turned their eyes when they saw that the target was not at the expected location. They searched for the target in their conscious field, found it, and took a breath.

「Team leader, there's movement.」

「What?」

　Sheryl, who was putting together the paperwork for the report, was deeply surprised by the report of art of 【Detection】 caster. It must have been only yesterday that the labyrinth had been conquered. It's hard to imagine that they get out of the labyrinth yesterday and started moving on today.

「Let's see, a map. ...... It's around here.」

　The magician unfolded the map and marked the place where he thought the target was, based on the direction and distance he sensed from the 【Signpost】. The target moving somewhere east of the 『Labyrinth of No Return』 in Dalewood Canyon.

「What does this mean? Does that mean they've already get out of the labyrinth?」

「I guess so.」

　Without even looking at the map, Sheryl's voice sounded impatient. If the target had thrown away the 【Giant Killer】, Sheryl would honestly have no way to track Satoru, but since he was moving, there was no need to worry about that.

　However, it's impossible to conquered the labyrinth at the speed of three days and then move on the same day. Could it be that Satoru wasn't the one who conquered the labyrinth? Sheryl's mind was filled with doubt. After two days of hiding in the labyrinth, perhaps they were trying to leverage their way out, and another party of adventurers happened to conquer the labyrinth?

　However, Sheryl's information does not indicate that there are enough adventurers to conquer the 『Labyrinth of No Return』 in this times. The party that included Graham Coogan, who is currently the High Mentor of the Academy of the Wise, was once said to be the most promising candidate, but even they failed to conquer the labyrinth, losing three people there, despite setting a record of 67 floors. Even when she gathered information at the fort, she didn't find any notable information about the group's challenge.

「I mean, team leader, I don't think they're coming to Ares in this direction. ......」

　It was only after being told that that Sheryl looked at the map. From the entrance of the labyrinth, the direction Satoru was heading was east. Ares is south-southwest, so it doesn't look like he's coming to Ares in that direction. If you head due east from the entrance to the labyrinth, you'll find―

「...... Are they planning to head directly for the 『Dark Green Forest』? What do you think, Deputy Chief?」

　Derek, the deputy chief, is a middle-aged man who used to be a mercenary. Although he didn't have much knowledge of magic, he had been posted to Fort Dalewood and had a wide range of experience, and because of his broad perspective and calmness, Sheryl had a certain amount of trust in this middle-aged man.

　Derek put his hand on his chin and thought carefully about Sheryl's question.

「Considering the speed at which they conquer the labyrinth, they probably didn't put much effort into collecting the loot. If that's the case, then they don't have a lot of baggage, so there's no need to come back to Ares.」

「Mm. ......」

　――This is the worst.

　Sheryl couldn't help but think to herself.

　The reason why I asked Satoru to distribute the items he got in the labyrinth to us was, of course, to help me with my research, but it was also a way to get him to take a detour and buy some time.

　It's not as if he saw through the plan and went directly to the scene, but if he moved so unorthodoxly in such a short time, our calculations would be nothing.

　Now that it's going to be like this――

「......Will we need to use Raymond?」

　Currently, Raymond is staying in a small town near the Deep Forest. If they can somehow use him well, they can buy some time and get the 『Holy Sword Clan』 in time.

　After a few groan, Sheryl shook her head. She can't seem to come up with an effective plan in her head.

「It's no use. I'll ask the High Mentor for help.」

　It was the timing of the second koku report.

　Sheryl went to the High Mentor's office with the report that she had compiled so far. High Mentor Graham Coogan is not only concerned with Satoru. As the head of the highest academic institution in the world, he has a lot of work to do.

「High Mentor, I have a report.」

「What's happened?」

　Sheryl opened her mouth cautiously, feeling bad about giving the busy High Mentor a hard time as she looked down at her papers.

「There was movement on the target.」

「...... what? Already?」

　The High Mentor looks up and sighs. His expression was full of surprise. It's no wonder.

「It may be that it was a different party that conquered the labyrinth. Otherwise, it would have been too unlikely for them to conquer the labyrinth in three days and get out on the same day.」

　Sheryl told him that Satoru had been moved, and that was the first thing she thought of when he heard the report, but the High Mentor hmmmed, and the High Mentor groaned and pondered for a while, then shook his head as he realized a fact.

「.....No. If it is indeed Leia Löwenstadt who is lurking in his shadows, then it is possible to perform 【Group Transfer】, a art that increases the number of targets for 【Transfer】.」

　Hearing the name of the art, which she had never even imagined, Sheryl thought for a moment. Even a mere 【Transfer】 is an advanced magic of logic, and the number of people who can used this magic in this world is less than three digits. It's a art that's that difficult and requires a lot of magic power. If it is a 【Group Transfer】 that has an effect on multiple people, how many people can really use it?

「【Group Transfer】? It's an extremely burdensome technique on its own, but multiple people performing it...」

「Leia Löwenstadt has an estimated 3,000 souls, and according to past writings, she has as many as 500 magic stones, a number that's possible for up to four people to transfer. ......She got me there.」

　There are records of Leia Löwenstadt, a person who lived more than 200 years ago, in the Academy of the Wise. It is said that when she manifested into the 【Immortal King】 using the forbidden secret art 【Anti-Spirit,】 her soul would quadruple in size, and at the time of her manifestation, she had nearly 800 soul. If Leia Löwenstadt, who was expected to have nearly 800 soul at the time of her manifestation, had four times as many souls as the legend says, that would be 3200 soul by simple calculation. That's an unbelievable amount of souls on Satoru's side.

　Leia's current soul is over 4600, and it is impossible to imagine that her soul has grown even larger as a result of her intercourse with Satoru. And there's no way of knowing that the number of people with Satoru is actually increased, and that it wasn't Satoru or Leia who used the 【Group Transfer】.

　Movement by flying dragons. A art called 【Group Transfer】. As expected, High Mentor raised his eyebrows in annoyance as various things came up one after another that threw the off his calculations. Then, Sheryl fearfully added.

「Therefore, I hate to inform you this, but the target seems to be heading directly for the 『Dark Green Forest』.」

「What? The 『Holy Sword Clan』 won't make it in time then?」

　According to the original plan, Satoru's defeat was supposed to take place on the way to the 『Dark Green Forest』. However, even at this point, the 『Holy Sword Clan』 has not even arrived here. The letter was delivered as quickly as possible through the magic guilds scattered all over the place using the magic of 【Transfer】, but people cannot be easily 【Transfer】. In addition, in this lifetime, there is only one magician who can use 【Group Transfer】, and he is not in a position to ask for help.

　I really envy the powerful souls of Leia Löwenstadt and Satoru.

「We have placed the legitimate son of Baron Dantes, who we asked to be the messenger to the World Tree Village, near the 『Dark Green Forest』. Depending on how we use him, he may be able to buy us some time.」

「He was Sheryl's fiancé, I believe?」

　The High Mentpr chose his words carefully. He also knew that Raymond Dantes was Sheryl's fiancé. The limited number of the patrol's task force was not enough to handle the situation, and since the situation was being carried out in secret, she had to resort to a method she did not want to rely on.

「Yes,......, But Raymond is vain and paranoid, and I'm afraid he'll offend his target. I'm worried.」

　Not to mention Sheryl, the High Mentor knew Raymond Dantes for who he was. His knowledge of magic is at the intermediate level of physical and elementary level of rijutsu, and his knowledge of the four elements is unknown. Intermediate as a warrior. He is a legitimate son of a nobleman who is a bit of an upstart, who values himself above his abilities, is vain, and despises others―a person who is not supposed to be a messenger to the village of the elves. At that time, the number of people who could move in relation to Satoru was limited, and because it was an emergency situation, they had no choice but to use him, but the elders of the World Tree Village probably have a low opinion of him.

　It can't be helped. It's up to us to re-establish our relationship when all is said and done.

「If that happens, Forgive me to say this, but we'll have to cut him loose.」

「I know it's an unavoidable decision, sir」

　Sheryl replied, rather nonchalantly. The High Mentor had long ago realized that Sheryl's heart was not in Raymond's favor. He thinks it might be better for Sheryl if she was to cut him loose, but it would be reckless to go head-to-head with Satoru when the 『Holy Sword Clan』 has yet to arrive.

　Although Raymond may not be a very useful pawn, but he is the only one who can be used locally at present. If that is the case, then how should we use him - the High Mentor thinks carefully.

「.....Encourage Lord Dantes to negotiate with the Elves living in the vicinity of the 『Dark Green Forest』 to enter the 『Dark Green Forest』 at once for five days or so under the pretense of a disaster.」

「Right away!」

　The most important thing is to prevent them from easily approaching the World Tree Village. The 『Dark Green Forest』 has a unique Elven magic called the 【Lost Forest】. Without the elves, it is very difficult to get out of the 【Lost Forest】.

　Currently, there is no information that there are any elves on Satoru's side. Satoru will probably try to ask for help from the elves around the forest. If that's the case, High Mentor should get the elves to leave the area in the first place. At the very least, it would buy some time.

　Cheryl was deeply impressed in her heart at the plan of the High Mentor, who was indeed a cunning old man.

「Of course, not all of them will be able to do that. I will also allow him to mention the name of the Academy of the Wise, and ask him to negotiate on the assumption that we will pay him 5s per head.」

「Very well.」

　At the moment, Raymond has a 30L deposit ready. Even so, he's the heir to a baronial family that rose from merchants, and surely he has a good amount of money. The number of elves living in the vicinity of the 『Dark Green Forest』 is estimated to be around 200, so the amount of money Sheryl have given him is not enough, but she can only hope that she will manage.

「I hope this will buy us some time.」

　The High Mentor muttered, not expecting much.

　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊

「Gaghh ...... hahh.......」

「Ngguoo!」

　With a thud, the man released his own semen into the woman's vagina. He grabbed her firmly by the waist and made sure that she couldn't escape and sent all the semen he could into her. Since this is brothel, so she's probably on 【Contraception】 art. So there is no need to show any mercy.

　Even if she had applied it with her own art and not with her equipment, and if she had failed to apply it because she had fainted, that would be none of the man's business, Raymond. After pumping in every last drop, Raymond roughly pushed the woman away and laid her down on the bed. The woman was unconscious, but she wasn't dead, so it didn't matter.

　The Elf woman was okay――Raymond thought as he looked at the woman's ass lying on the bed. She was too thin to be feminine, but her vagina was tighter than a human woman's, and the temperature inside her vagina was clearly higher than a human woman's. He doesn't know if this is the case for all elves or if it's just individual differences.

　The only thing is that this Elf woman seemed to be reluctantly to become a prostitute, and she didn't raise her voice too much, which made him angry, so he really attacked her too hard. He thinks he might have hurt her a little. It's been a long time since he had three shots in one night.

　It's not like he broke her at all, and he doesn't care if the owner at the brothel might complain. If he complains, Raymond can take the owner to the patrol of the Academy of the Wise, as Raymond threatened.

　Raymond replied "Coming" to the knock at the door and put on only his pants. A man in leather armor peeked out from behind him. Behind him are the men who are accompanying Raymond on this trip. All of them looked refreshed. They seemed to have had a good night's sleep.

「Aniki, there's an order in the message tablet.」

　It's the second koku of the day, and since her didn't bring it like this during the first koku, he guess another instruction came in.

「Let me have it.」

　Raymond snatched the tablet and frowned as he read the words floating on it.

『Negotiate with the elf and half-elf tribes living in the vicinity of the 『Dark Green Forest』 on the assumption that we will pay 5s per head to enter the 『Dark Green Forest』 for 5 to 10 days under the pretense of a disaster. You are also allowed to mention the name of the Academy of the Wise. Expenses will be paid at a later date. However, there is no need to interfere with those who do not comply with our requests. I'm sure you can handle things peacefully.』

「Haah? What the hell is this ...... You're giving me a lot of complicated orders.」

　Raymond was never told of the High Mentor's intentions. Raymond had been told that Satoru and Minerva were the targets, and he thought he was being told that they would eventually come this way, no matter how he dealt with them, but this time, Raymond honestly complained about the tediousness of the job description, as he couldn't quite grasp the connection between the orders that came from Sheryl and Satoru & Minerva.

　The High Mentor's thoughts are beyond the scope of Raymond's mind. But considering the content of the text, he can guess that he doesn't want the target that seems to be heading this way to come into contact with the elves. The town he's in is close to the 『Dark Green Forest』, but it's not far from Mugeru's sphere of influence. If he want to cover the whole area from here to the Dalewood Canyon, it's going to take a lot of work. It would be on the scale of 100 or 200 people. The 30L that he received at first is would not be enough no matter how he tried.

　It was a tedious job, but Raymond put his hand on his chin and thought about it. How can we do this most efficiently?

「Let's split up for now. You and you will go around north. You, take the lead toward Dalewood Canyon. You and I will go around south. ...... Let me think..., we'll meet around here in seven days.」

　Raymond pulled out a map of the area and calmly gave his instructions. With only five people including myself, I don't know how much I can convince the elves and half-elves living in this vast area. However, I decided to do what I could.

　He kicked a man in leather armor who was distracted by a prostrate female elf, and gave each of them 300 silver coins.

「It would take five or six days to cover all the villages around here, no matter how hurried. If you don't have enough, I'll pay you later, so make sure you have some silver coins ready.」

「Why should I be stingy?」

　The man in the leather armor muttered as he rubbed his kicked ass. It is the man's untrue feeling that he would have liked to hold a female elf if he could. He glanced at the female elf that Raymond had broke it. Raymond's semen dripped from her swollen labia. The light, fine-grained skin with a snow-white hue is probably unique to elves.

　Raymond threatened.

「You idiot. What if you're too stingy and end up in the slammer? I'll bill you for the expenses later, so make sure you know exactly how much you spent. I'll padding the bill for you.」

　He didn't say that it would be unprofitable if he didn't, but they all understood Raymond's intentions. This nobleman's son is good at rough things and is surprisingly familiar with worldly affairs. He is not a cheapskate, at least not yet, and he has the presence of mind to provide women for his subordinates, so he has earned a good reputation. It's not a problem that he's vain, but it's not a problem that his subordinates are able to take advantage of him by playing nice with him.

「Roger that, boy.」

「Don't call me "boy".」

　Raymond glared at the joking words of the elf man. He doesn't get along with the other son of noble. Of all the things that were regarded as the taste of a high class noble, such as clothes and art, the only thing Raymond was interested in was wine. Raymond had such a consciousness that he would rather go out and broaden his knowledge than be carried away by such a feeble thing.

　That's why he goes around like this, pretending to be an adventurer. His father made a fortune in business in his lifetime, but he also believes that it is good to see the world, and he allows his son to be an adventurer. Calling him "boy" is a term often used by the son of noble that Raymond hates. Raymond hated being called a "boy" because he didn't want to be lumped in with them. 

「And what about those who don't follow suit?」

　Raymond grinned at the question of the man in sheet metal armor who had been instructed to go north.

「They can't mess with the academy, though. I think it's okay to get a little violent just to make an example. If it's just one or two girls, we can snatch them up.」

　Hyuu, a vulgar whistle went up. They are clearly barbaric, as they follow Raymond in a crude manner. The man in the leather armor used to be a member of the Thieves Guild and had a criminal record.

「Weelll, there's a lot of trouble in this area. It's not uncommon for an Elf girl or two to get caught up in a dispute and go missing. But as you know, don't let them find out. I'm not going to protect you guys that much.」

「Uh-huh.」

　The man in the sheet metal armor nodded loudly. This man has a particularly troubling tendency to prefer young girls, and if Raymond doesn't remind him down, he'll be in trouble.

「I'll do whatever I can. After all, it's a job that comes directly from the High Mentor. You can get a great deal of money later on if you do the job right, even if it's a stingy job.」

「Roger that.」

　Raymond had done his calculations correctly. If you've got a job that requires you to work directly with the High Mentor, you'll of course be remembered by the High Mentor. It may be some time before I take over, but it's not a bad thing to build up a track record like this.

　Raymond was a more calculating man than Sheryl had given him credit for.

　However, it was his misfortune that the man he was currently targeting, Satoru, was a far more extraordinary man than he had imagined.

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