Hell Mode: Volume 4, page 3
“I shall start with the situation on the front lines,” the viscount said. “Supposedly, the Demon Lord Army began marching on Rohzenheim a month ago.”
Allen had previously asked the viscount to dig up as much information as he could regarding this war. While waiting for his audience with the king, the viscount had done his own investigation, reaching out to high-ranking officers in the army and other nobles. Since the House Granvelle Affair, he had developed cooperative relationships with various government factions. Many nobles were more than happy to help the viscount out.
In so many words, the northernmost fortress of Rohzenheim had already fallen to a force of three million monsters. The elves were particularly proficient at providing support and healing. Their weapon of choice was the bow, making them perfectly suited for fighting defensively behind castle walls. It was unthinkable for them to lose a fortress in such a short time.
However, the Demon Lord Army had apparently achieved the impossible. The northernmost fortress of Rohzenheim, said to be a massive bulwark that stood impregnable for decades on end, was taken down in a matter of days. It was clear just how serious the Demon Lord Army was about decimating the country.
The Demon Lord Army had attacked the Central Continent, Baukis, and Rohzenheim concurrently. However, Baukis had its golems, and Rohzenheim had the protection of the Sovereign of Spirits, so the demons had concentrated their efforts on the Central Continent up until this year. After decades of assaults, it had finally managed to establish a solid foothold on the Central Continent, something that it had yet to achieve on Rohzenheim’s or Baukis’s continents.
When the Hero appeared, everything had changed. The weakest amongst the three was no longer the Central Continent, but Rohzenheim. Despite having the protection of the Sovereign of Spirits, Rohzenheim had far fewer soldiers compared to the other two continents. In exchange for having long life spans, elves had greater difficulty having children. To make matters worse, they had a strong aversion to allowing those of other races within their borders. This exclusionary mindset, along with all their other weaknesses, suddenly came to a head when they found themselves the easiest target amongst the three major forces.
Rohzenheim had then issued an urgent request for reinforcements through the Five Continent Alliance, but by then, the Demon Lord Army was already knocking on the doors of the capital city, Fortenia. Ratash attempted to send its reply, but it did not go through, indicating that Fortenia had already fallen. So another message—“Allen and his companions have been ordered by royal decree to answer your summons”—was sent instead to Nest, a major city in the south of Rohzenheim.
“Rohzenheim is currently in a very precarious situation. The fighting has reached the southern part of the country, and multiple cities are doing what they can to slow the advance of the Demon Lord Army,” the viscount continued.
It had taken the Army some time to completely bring down the capital—enough for all the residents to evacuate. Now, practically the entire surviving elven population was packed into several major settlements in the south. Ratash did not know just how far the Demon Lord Army had reached, but chances were that those southern cities were embroiled in combat at this very moment.
“Thank you for finding all this out, sir.”
“It was no effort. Now, as for His Majesty...”
The viscount changed the topic to his audience with the king of Ratash just now. He repeated the king’s exact words: “This is a grave crisis where an entire country’s fate hangs in the balance. As a fellow signatory of the Five Continent Alliance, we have a duty to help where we can. And while our nation highly values Allen’s fighting strength, we still think accepting Rohzenheim’s request and sending him to their aid is the right thing to do.”
Furthermore, Allen’s entire party—including Cecil Granvelle, the daughter of Viscount Granvelle—was ordered to accompany him to ensure that he could exercise his abilities to their fullest extent. The viscount plied the king with numerous questions during the audience, but the king refused to acknowledge any of them.
I see, so he’s sticking to the line of moral superiority, but his true intention is probably to feed my entire group to that army of three million.
“I’m sorry, sir. This might be due to the bad impression I left His Majesty with after the tournament.”
The memory of the ceremony held after the martial arts tournament at the Academy came to Allen’s mind. As a result of that incident, Cecil was now caught up in what was clearly the king’s reprisal.
After a pause, the viscount managed to say, “It is fine. However, Allen...please help ensure that Cecil comes back home safe and sound.”
“I swear it, sir,” Allen replied with confidence.
＊ ＊ ＊
The No-life Gamers gathered in a room inside the magic ship they were aboard. Allen briefed them all on what the viscount had told him. After Allen finished, Dogora still looked quite bewildered. In contrast, Sophie had grown despondent ever since she had heard that Fortenia had fallen.
“So...what does that mean?” Dogora asked.
“The elves are still fighting hard,” Allen answered. “They haven’t given up yet, so we can’t give up either.”
Sophie looked up, light returning to her eyes. “Lord Allen...”
“However, I admit that what happened this time is my fault. I didn’t expect the king to be so blatant with his retaliation.”
Although the king did say he planned to send Keel and Krena to “the part of the front lines with the most fighting” during that dinner. Looks like he’s switched his target to me instead.
Dogora frowned. “Huh? Why’re you apologizing? You did that for our sake, right?”
“Dogora’s right,” Cecil agreed. “And everything’s gone well so far. Just do what you think is best, and we’ll follow you.”
“I have a feeling you’re my fastest ticket to restoring my House,” Keel grinned, implying that he had no problem either.
Representing the others, Cecil said, “You get it now, Allen? We’re all fully committed.”
Ever since she had lost her brother, Mihai, to the war, Cecil had resolved to dedicate herself to the cause. All this meant was that the war she was supposed to join next spring had come a little early.
I’ve heard that Rank S monsters show up on the front lines, so I had wanted to first gear everyone up in orichalcum equipment before we got there. I guess there’s no point worrying about that now.
Everyone seemed ready to join the fray, and naturally, Allen was as well. His sole regret was that he still had no clue how to remove his party members’ level caps. He was not holding out much hope, seeing how even Hero Helmios and Sword Lord Dverg had failed to do so. This was why he had wanted to at least procure full sets of orichalcum weapons and armor for his companions, but it was a moot point now. They would have to make do with what they had.
“By the way, what do you plan on doing when we reach Nest?” Cecil asked Allen so as to take stock of the situation. The party had spent the past three days on the magic ship, during which they had discussed things such as battle formations. However, they had yet to hear about the big picture that Allen was envisioning.
“Nest is located at the southernmost tip of Rohzenheim. We’re simply going to fight our way northward and do a clean sweep of the Demon Lord Army.”
He had every intention of ridding the continent of every last invading monster. So much for being sorry for causing everyone trouble. His companions gawked at him with astonishment and disbelief.
Unable to hold back, Cecil exclaimed, “Isn’t that aiming a bit too high?!”
“You... You intend on wiping out all three million of them, Lord Allen?” Sophie asked in a fluster, peering into his eyes for confirmation.
Allen shook his head. “Not three million. If possible, I want to take care of the four million reserves too, so that’s seven million total.” He predicted that depending on how the war developed, the reserves—likely on standby north of the Central Continent at the moment—would also be mobilized.
After struggling a while to get her words out, Sophie asked in a trembling voice, “Is... Is that even possible?”
“Well, we’re currently heading over in response to a summons—I have no idea exactly how we’ll be taking part in the war. Sophie, do you think you can do something about that?”
At the moment, the No-life Gamers had yet to be told what their orders would be when their boots hit the ground. All they knew was that they had been sent for. Would they be assigned to a squad? Serve as a commando unit? Or was it something else? From the information he had on hand, Allen had been able to come up with a few strategies, but everything was based on the assumption that they would have the freedom to act freely.
“There’s no need for worry, Lord Allen.”
“You sure?”
“You will be free to fight however you wish. I swear it on my name as princess. Right, Volmaar?”
“O-Of course, Princess Sophialohne.”
Sophie knew full well that the way Allen fought was unconventional and there would be no point shoehorning him into the elven army. She now burned with a sense of purpose in ensuring that Allen got all the freedom he needed. She felt assured that this was the reason she had been born the crown princess of the elves.
The magic ship would be landing in Nest the next day. Allen and his friends mulled over the coming fight in their own way as time and the ship marched on.
＊ ＊ ＊
At long last, the Rohzenheim shoreline came into view the following evening.
“We’re finally here,” Cecil murmured.
“Right on schedule,” Allen replied.
Whew, Nest isn’t burning. That’s a relief.
The No-life Gamers would soon be landing in Nest, a city located at the southernmost tip of Rohzenheim. If this city had been ablaze, it would have meant the entire continent had already fallen to the Demon Lord Army.
Sophie stayed glued to the magic ship window, her expression anxious. According to the intel from the king of Ratash, no one yet knew whether her mother was safe or not.
Before long, the magic ship touched down on the city’s landing pad. There, Allen and his companions disembarked alongside hundreds of elven passengers.
Rohzenheim’s landmass was around a third the size of the Central Continent, but its population was equal to the relatively tiny kingdom of Ratash at only twenty million, even though Ratash had a mere fraction of the land that Rohzenheim did.
Whoa, that’s a lot of luggage.
The landing pad was flooded with wooden boxes packed with people’s possessions. It felt as though all the belongings of the entire elven race had been gathered in this one place. A closer look revealed that many crates were partially burned and charred, likely having been carried quite literally through the flames of war. People hurried to and fro sorting through everything while those who looked like elven military officers barked out orders.
The elven students peered around anxiously before many took off running, spurred on by their worry for their families. They were searching for their parents, but this proved to be a frustrating challenge with how chaotic the situation was.
Without warning, a carriage approached the Gamers. When it came to halt before them, an elf got out and bowed reverently toward the group.
“We are beyond relieved to have you back with us safe and sound, Your Highness. The Elder Council wishes to meet with you. Please allow me to accompany you there.”
Sophie’s eyebrows twitched once in response to the word “Elder,” but she quickly prompted the party to join her in the carriage. “Let us go, Lord Allen, everyone.”
As the carriage clattered on, Allen stared out the window. “What will become of the elven students we arrived with?”
“They will be taken care of,” Sophie replied. “They were notified ahead of time where to gather.”
Soon, the carriage left the landing pad site. What they saw outside made all the No-life Gamers gasp in shock.
“This is just... It’s horrible.” Cecil was at a loss for words.
Countless elves were desperately healing other elves covered in blood. The shrill screams and wails of children pierced the air. The scene was exactly that of a field hospital.
Just how far does this extend? The wounded and refugees are spilling out the city walls. The number of refugees... There’s more than a million here.
When the magic ship had landed, Allen immediately sent out two Bird Es to scout the area from the air. Once he had a thorough grasp of the city’s layout, he planned on sending them north to scout out the way to the front line.
Nest was a sprawling commercial metropolis encircling a large bay. Through Hawk Eye, Allen observed that its streets were completely filled with the wounded and displaced. Many were receiving treatment out in the open—there was likely no more room inside the buildings. Many had lost limbs. The elves seemed to have given up completely on their most severely wounded, either because they did not have the resources or the MP to tend to them. The fact that the elves, who were exemplary healers, had so many wounded spoke volumes about how fierce the fighting on the front lines was.
As his companions stared in shock at the graphic scenes passing by their carriage, Allen checked his stock of recovery items and continued scouting ahead.
“Allen, we have to help them!” Krena cried out, unable to bear it any longer.
However, Allen shook his head. “We don’t have the time right now. And I only have a limited number of recovery items.”
Indeed, they could not simply turn a blind eye to this situation, but they would be putting the cart before the horse if they wasted time here and let the whole country fall in the end. They had yet to know just how many wounded there were or how many recovery items would be needed to heal them all. If they dedicated attention to this problem, it might delay everything else, and by then it would be too late. This was why Allen insisted on forging ahead.
“But I can’t just leave them be!” Krena insisted, her face red. She clearly had no intention of backing down.
Keel stepped between the two. “How about this, then?” He suggested that Krena, Dogora, and Keel go around helping as many people as they could with the recovery items they had and Keel’s Healing Magic. The No-life Gamers all kept a few inside their personal item pouch for when they went dungeon delving. “And while we do that, you go and finish having that talk with the Elders, boss.”
“All right, that works for me.” Allen took off the MP Recovery Ring he received from Helmios and handed it to Keel. “Once our next step is decided, I’ll come pick you guys up.”
“Then we ain’t got time to just dillydally here! C’mon, let’s go!” As soon as the discussion was over, Dogora immediately leaped from the moving carriage.
“Go!” Krena grabbed hold of a flustered Keel and immediately followed suit.
“Wai— Krena?!” Keel screamed.
“Well, I’m sure the three of them will be fine,” Cecil said.
“That’s true.” Allen nodded.
In a matter of moments, they could spot the light of Keel’s magic through the back window of the carriage. Even if it meant the group going two separate ways, Allen wanted to respect the wishes of his companions.
After proceeding for a while more, the carriage came to a stop before a large wooden structure in the center of the city. Allen and the rest of his group disembarked, and a buzz of voices sprang up all around as the elves recognized Sophie. Many even put their hands together and started praying. This scene vividly illustrated just how much of a presence she, as their crown princess, had in the hearts of her people.
Sophie had been stricken at what she saw in town, but she now gathered herself. “Come, Lord Allen. This way.” Sharing Allen’s sense of urgency, she turned to her attendant. “Volmaar, look for the Elders.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Right away.”
A short while later, Volmaar returned. He guided the group inside the building, and they eventually arrived at a pair of doors that opened to a large conference room. It was occupied by twelve elderly elves as well as those who appeared to be the generals and other high-ranking officers of the elven army. One of them was missing an arm—everything about him indicated that he had just recently returned from the battlefield. Everyone was huddled around a map spread over a massive round table in the center of the room, locked in heated discussion.
Sophie strode into the room with the remaining No-life Gamers following behind.
“Thank Rohzen you are back, Princess Sophialohne!” One of the Elders threw his arms up with joy.
Without responding, Sophie looked around the room, then asked in a steely voice, “Where is Her Majesty?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Where. Is. She?”
“I-I’m truly sorry, Your Highness. We all insisted that she evacuate with us, but...”
“So she is still on the front lines, then?”
“Y-Yes, she is, Your Highness.”
Hearing this, Sophie flew into a rage. “And all of you turned tail and fled while leaving your queen to die?!”
The Elders quivered under the full brunt of her wrath.
Sophie’s angry that the Elders evacuated on their own and abandoned the queen?
While Rohzenheim was ruled by a queen, it was these twelve Elders who managed the day-to-day management of the country, with the queen holding the authority to veto any decisions they made. The queen was currently absent, but every last one of the twelve Elders was present, meaning not one of them had stayed with her. Their desertion was what had infuriated Sophie.
One of them tried to assuage her anger. “W-We are truly sorry, Your Highness.”
“So then, what is Her Majesty’s current situation?!”
“Her Majesty is still fighting in Tiamo at the moment.”
Ah, we learned about that place in geography class. It’s a pretty big city, if I remember right. Is that where the front line is now?
