"I did recommend him based on my trust in you, Archmage, but I'm truly not sure if this will be alright."

The Lord stood by the window, leaving the Great Sage, who had visited again, behind him.

Beyond the window, the coast where the reconnaissance squad had headed could be dimly seen through the darkness of the night.

"As you would know if you've experienced Mermen before... their claws are incredibly sharp, aren't they? To the point that just a slight misjudgment in distance can sever a horse's ankle or split a person's leg open."

In truth, what he had been aiming for was for the Hero to step forward personally. He did wonder if it was alright to put the Hero to work on something like this, but that was because it wasn't weightier than the lives of his soldiers.

The Lord recalled the lives of the two soldiers who had lost their lives or legs on reconnaissance duty, and the two elite soldiers the castle had lost while already suffering from a severe manpower shortage.

Indeed, if he could protect his precious soldiers, he would gladly put the Hero or anyone else to work as much as needed. Although he couldn't ask openly because he was walking on eggshells around the Temple.

"I know what you are worried about, Lord, but you will not be disappointed in hiring the Demon Knight. I am not just saying this because he is accompanying us on our journey."

"Is that so?"

"For this kind of work, he will be better than the Hero."

But if the Great Sage guarantees it to that extent, fine.

The Lord decided to relax his mind a little.

"Then again, his price was indeed higher than other adventurers. I didn't expect the guild to quote such a price first, rather than the man himself."

"Nowadays he takes on trivial jobs to match our schedule, but originally... he is someone who doesn't really accept relatively peaceful quests like this."

"Peaceful work..."

"Only when demon hunting is the point of comparison. Compared to normal work, the situation here isn't exactly on the peaceful side either."

"I suppose that's true as well."

Besides, it was too late to regret it anyway. There was no ability in the world that could instantly bring back those who had already been sent out.

"Have the demon worshipers still not said anything?"

"Unfortunately, no. They were throwing a massive fit, feeling as though there was a traitor among them... but they weren't exactly aware of who it was."

Even allies were suspicious of how quickly the investigation had been concluded. Let alone the demon worshipers who had been punished.

They had also been screaming from the start that this made no sense and was definitely the work of a traitor. Though, since they had no specific person or organization they suspected of being the traitor, it remained nothing more than a conspiracy theory for now.

"We are also cross-verifying the progress while auditing those who led this sweep, but..."

He felt sorry for the soldiers who had worked hard since dawn, but it couldn't be helped.

He had received the report on the sweep operation the night before the operation. Before that... in other words, he needed to clarify exactly what had happened up until the operation plan was submitted.

He couldn't risk missing the potential danger of a demon worshiper's informant—even someone who betrayed their own side is an enemy if their true intentions are unknown—just to spare the soldiers' feelings.

"There is nothing unusual so far."

Fortunately or unfortunately, there were no discrepancies between what the centurion had said when submitting the operation plan and what was uncovered during the reinvestigation.

Received an anonymous tip accusing demon worshipers. The source and authenticity of the information were doubtful, but upon seeing that several individuals previously suspected of being demon followers were included, an investigation was ordered just in case. It didn't take long to reveal that the contents of the tip were correct. Thus, the operation plan was submitted.

It meant that none of the listed steps seemed to involve any corruption or foul play.

"Ah, do they act without reporting to you, Lord, even when a tip comes in?"

"Do you know how many accusations come in a year? How could I receive reports on all of them? Normally, they are handled at the centurion's level and only come up to me when the investigation results are conclusive."

He was only receiving the final report for this because it was about demon worshipers; if it had been about regular criminals, he wouldn't have even received it.

"Anyway... right after receiving the operation plan and the summary report, I felt suspicious, so I even monitored all the related personnel until the operation was executed, but there was no one making secret contact."

That was the case even though they hadn't been monitored openly, but rather had someone specialized in such matters attached to them.

It was too early to conclude, but it didn't seem like there was an informant planted within the guard itself.

"We are also investigating the person who sent the tip... but seeing as they passed it through several errand boys in a roundabout way, it doesn't look like anything will turn up from that end either."

"I see..."

It was a regrettably meticulous informant (suspected to be a demon follower).

"Let's slowly move on to another topic. It's not a problem that will easily yield answers anyway... and thanks to their internal strife, we've mostly cleared out the hidden cluster of disease. Even after catching this many, it's unlikely that a whole group is still left over."

"If that is what you think, Lord."

However, using his spoken words as an excuse, the Lord didn't view this matter negatively.

It was by no means carelessness. He simply trusted the guard that he and his predecessor had raised.

You see, it was a belief—that they couldn't have easily let demon worshipers into the city, that they couldn't have missed many during the search process, and that even if someone had painstakingly avoided all of that, their numbers wouldn't be large—and that they had mostly been wiped out in droves by this tip.

"Then how are the Mermen doing lately?"

"Not good. The number of Mermen the reconnaissance squad has found is increasing, but the sea itself is strangely quiet."

Thus, the Lord started a second conversation on another topic with the Great Sage.

In truth, it was a more important agenda than the first one.

"According to the records passed down in the city, something massive always came during times like this... but I don't know how it will be this time."

"Hmm. If you mean something massive..."

"Things like a massive tsunami... a storm... or a dragon."

"A dragon...?"

"It's a record from a long time ago, so no one knows the truth. Perhaps they mistook a waterspout for it."

It hadn't been long since it was discovered that a waterspout was a type of storm. This was because the theory was only established after recreating a storm with magic.

Thus, a portion of the intellectual class still believed waterspouts were the trails left by passing dragons... but at least the Lord of Bemurhen had verified that theory.

"There are about two or three records of a dragon being sighted, but the fact that there was absolutely no damage is also a piece of evidence. The probability of it being a dragon is low."

In that context, he dismissed the possibility of a dragon appearing.

Indeed, now that even the Sea Dragon of the west was dead, the only remaining dragon in the world—as far as humans knew—was just one. And that dragon never came down from the northern lands of the barbarians.

There was no way it was that dragon.

"Still, it's better to leave the possibility open just in case."

"Naturally. We have been steadily researching weapons specifically for giant monsters just in case. Due to technological limitations, only one noteworthy weapon has been produced so far, but..."

"It is a relief that you have at least one— Hmm?"

"...?"

But the Archmage, who had been responding to his words, suddenly stood up. Her gaze bypassed him slightly, looking behind him.

"Is something the..."

Naturally, the Lord also turned his head to follow the Archmage's gaze.

"That's..."

Beyond the square window, the light of the flare signaling the appearance of Mermen could be faintly seen.

It was toward the coast where the reconnaissance squad had headed.

* * *

We did draw water from the stream earlier by digging the ground.

However, since they blocked the connection to the stream as soon as the ditch was full—I didn't know why—we couldn't use that water to wash the dishes.

It was because it would be a problem if it got contaminated, as it was intended for drinking water and feeding the horses.

Therefore, I and the other soldiers took it upon ourselves to walk over and wash the dishes. There must have been some who finished eating early in other groups too, as they quickly tagged along.

"Phew. The captain said he'd let us go if we moved in groups of two or more, but honestly, it's way too scary moving with just two people."

Ah... they weren't people who didn't know the rules like I did, yet they somehow hadn't been moving. It meant they were too scared to go with the minimum number of people.

"Aren't you scared, Mr. Adventurer?"

"He's someone much more used to camping than us, why would he be scared, senior?"

"Ah, that's true."

"Besides, the reason you're scared of this place isn't because the night is dark, it's because you're worried a Merman might pop out."

"Ah. I got caught."

FLINCH.

I unconsciously shrank back at the line that stimulated my trauma. Someone please confiscate those words from the world. I tear up just hearing that line.

"But am I the only one scared? Honestly, you guys are scared too."

"It's not that we aren't scared... It's rare, but there is a track record..."

"See?"

Aside from that, the place where we set up camp was quite a distance from the beach. The nearby water source wasn't connected to the sea either.

Even so, I wondered if Mermen really came all the way out here.

It was a little fascinating.

"... Do Mermen come all the way here?"

"Hmm? Ah. Yes. There's water here, so they can come as much as they want if they put their minds to it."

They come because there's water...?

"As you already know, Mermen die when they dry out. So they can't stay active on land for long... but if there are streams or puddles here and there like this, they wander around while splashing water over their skin."

"From our position of having to set up camp near a stream just for the sake of the horses' water, it's a damned nuisance."

So Mermen had that kind of characteristic too... Then the order to take others along when going to wash dishes must be for the same reason.

I accumulated some new knowledge. I didn't know this because it wasn't in the game either. Well, it might have been in the game and I just couldn't remember it, though.

"Still, this place is beyond the territorial range where Mermen can come out of the sea to act, and there aren't any particular water sources between the campsite and the sea..."

The soldiers grumbled that sometimes water pools up after it rains, and it was also possible for them to zigzag their way here through other areas.

"But this place is on the safer side. Other campsites get attacked about once every ten times."

That wasn't a bad thing. Considering Mermen mainly appeared in the East, it was knowledge I wouldn't have to use often... but you never knew how the world would turn out.

"So..."

"Halt."

Right. If I hadn't listened to these words, wouldn't I have failed to notice the presence prowling about right now?

"... Stop."

When I brought one soldier to a halt, someone quick-witted followed suit. The other flustered soldiers did similarly.

There might have been some wondering what was going on, but no one failed to stop.

"Is it the enemy?"

"Enemy...!"

They were even faster after I confirmed it.

They quickly composed themselves and tightly gripped the spears strapped to their backs. The formation they assembled in an instant was one prepared for an ambush.

"Keep your distance and follow me."

"Wouldn't it be better to go together..."

"You're in the way."

Would this also count as acting however I pleased? But since the captain and vice-captain weren't watching, wouldn't it be fine?

Pondering this, I stepped in front of the soldiers. "Take a torch." One of the soldiers offered his fire.

CLICK.

However, holding a torch would leave me unable to use one of my arms, which was actually more inconvenient. I hung my lantern on my waist, turned it on, and strode forward.

As if locating me through the light, I felt the enemy preparing an ambush.

They had lowered their bodies closely among the reeds we hadn't managed to clear, just beyond the brush we had cut down to open up our field of vision.

"Is it really okay to let him go like that..."

"Let's wait and see for now."

But is a discovered ambush still an ambush? I drew my Zweihander. DRAG. During the process of drawing it, the blade naturally dropped toward the ground, scraping the dirt floor between the bushes.

The damp ground, moist from the grass and humidity, produced a different sound than when scraping dry dirt.

"He must have a plan in mind—"

And right about when the distance had narrowed suitably, I flicked the Zweihander upward at the leaping Merman. SLASH. Without the need to kick it up, the Zweihander bounced into the air, diagonally slicing the Merman, and maintained its momentum to spin and slice a second Merman.

A Legged-type Merman. In other words, a Merman with legs.

"It's a Merman!"

It wasn't over yet. I sought out the additionally hidden Mermen and cut them down. Even the guys who were initially trying to ambush me all leapt out and attacked at once when three of their own died.

SLASH!

Suddenly feeling annoyed, I just completely cut them down with my sword aura. At first, I had only swung my sword because I wanted to protect the natural scenery... but come to think of it, from Bemurhen's perspective, it would be better off without the reeds. Even if they were there, they'd only be used for Merman ambushes like right now.

"You, head back to the campsite for now and..."

Meanwhile, the person who seemed to have the most seniority among the soldiers tried to say something to the youngest (presumably).

"No. Everyone head back."

At that, I hurriedly spoke up. My heightened senses, which I had focused to check if there were any Mermen left nearby, were now ringing alarm bells.

"Dozens of Mermen are heading this way."

As if the ones just now had been the vanguard, more Mermen were coming.

"Captain! Mermen are coming!"

"What?!"

I considered staying behind to fight alone, but I somehow had a bad feeling about it, so I opted to pull back with them.

Thinking about it now, it didn't seem like a bad call.

Judging by the number of approaching presences, I didn't know about myself, but the soldiers would definitely have to pull back to the city, and if they did, they would obviously take Fredrick and retreat with him.

Naturally, I would end up having to walk back.

I really didn't want that. Even if I had prepared two days' worth of rations just in case when I realized it was an escort mission outside.

Hard pass on walking.

"Numbers?"

"At least thirty."

I hadn't confirmed it with my own eyes, but I wouldn't be wrong. Feeling the presences getting closer by the second, I grabbed my longsword instead of the Zweihander.

As a bonus, I adjusted my grip on my sword while blocking the direction the Mermen were coming from, wary that they might arrive first.

"They've approached within 40 meters."

"... Prepare to retreat! Abandon all useless luggage! Everyone get on your horses!"

The captain looked like he wanted to say something to me, but he didn't try to discern the truth of my words. It was the judgment of someone who prioritized thinking about what might happen because of wasted time if this turned out to be true.

"Call it out every time they close the distance by 10 meters!"

Instead, the captain stood next to me. I guess he was trying to buy time for the soldiers to escape, just like I was.

"30 meters."

I watched the soldiers abandon their drinking water, rations, blankets, and the like, grabbing only their weapons as they ran to their horses.

"Damn it, I haven't even eaten yet."

I felt a slight twinge of sorrow at the words shouted by some of the soldiers.

Honestly, if I was told to clear them out myself, I could handle them all before they even reached us, so they didn't have to move so urgently. I felt bad for no reason.

"20 meters."

But it would be a bit weird to explain all that in detail, and it would also be weird to ignore this uneasy feeling.

I just faithfully reported according to the captain's orders. It did cross my mind that they were quite fast on their feet for creatures that didn't even live on land.

"Captain! Adventurer! Your horses!"

The vice-captain dragged the horses right up behind us so we could mount immediately.

"Everyone has mounted!"

"Good, move out!"

And when the distance had narrowed down to about 10 meters, everyone had finished mounting. "Get on first." Pitch-black magic gathered on my sword.

SLASH!

If I didn't plan on fighting, there was less need to conserve my magic. I generously slashed away several dozen meters in front of me in a single breath.

"... It would have been quite the spectacle if we saw it during the day."

Probably so. Even if the sight of living bodies being butchered wasn't great, seeing the grass getting cut down would be fascinating.

PRRR.

Anyway, since I had killed the Mermen that had approached closely all at once, we had leeway to escape.

I climbed atop Fredrick, who showed no signs of tension or excitement. Only then did the captain, who was already mounted, make a move.

"We head toward the city for now! And Adventurer! Are there more approaching enemies left?"

"There are."

"How many?"

Well... they weren't close enough for me to count them. I could roughly tell they were there, but I didn't know the exact number.

"... Are you confident you can handle them all?"

"Do not ask the obvious."

Oh... good thing I didn't use all my magic. Well, it was more like there had been no need to go that far.

At any rate, the captain gulped at my answer, then immediately shouted.

"Vice-captain! Lead the soldiers and return to the city!"

"Pardon?!"

"Everyone, return to the city with the vice-captain! The adventurer and I will gather more information!"

"But!"

"Adventurer, decelerate!"

"... Ah, fuck!!"

Since the captain, vice-captain, and I had started late, we were still positioned at the rear, making it easy to break off.

My horse and hers slowly decelerated. Fredrick snorted and pawed the ground with his front hoof.

"We will eliminate all approaching Mermen, then reconnoiter the coast. Any objections?"

"None."

Would it be better to get down and face them? There was time before they reached us, so should I just stay mounted and shoot sword auras to deal with them before they even got close?

I pondered for a bit before choosing the latter for now. If it didn't work out, I could just hop down and fight, whatever.

"... Let's go."

I followed the captain forward.

Fortunately, however, most of the Mermen had died from my earlier strike, so the remnants could easily be killed from horseback.

"Now we just need to check the coast...?"

The problem was the sight we saw when we approached the shoreline after killing them all like that.

"... We're heading back right now!"

Defense battles were mostly battles of numbers, but still, wasn't it a bit too much for them to swarm in such numbers that they covered up the waves?