CH 86

(Ryo POV for the whole chapter)

Several months before the present.

“Hah… Why do we need to put ourselves into this mess?”

“We are broke, Lady Ryo.”

Right now, we are at the riverside of the Ganges River.

The dungeon, “Mourning Bone Pagoda” was created by the Demon King, “Sand Accumulation Marrow of Ganges” in the middle of the river. And on the opposite side of the bank, the opponents of this occasion can be seen, albeit faintly.

“What did the Fog King tell you to do with Marrow?”

“He said he’s disinterested in a Demon King who is tamed and will be killed by humans. They are not our enemies this time either,” I reply to Mugi’s words indifferently.

Right. This time, the adversaries of us, the “Mercenary of the Fog,” are not the Demon King and their subordinates. Our enemy for this time is…

Humans.

“Are you serious…?”

“I’m dead serious.”

Since Izumi is asking me with a perplexed countenance, I respond with an earnest look.

Now, why do we have to face the humans this time? The reason is simple.

We are mercenaries. Mercenaries are fighters. And as long as we engage in battle, various necessities, including equipment, are demanded of a mercenary. And when you require supplies, money is essential to the acquisition of those goods.

In short, due to a lack of funds, we have been hired by the organization that governs the area near the “Mourning Bone Pagoda”.

At this juncture, you may be wondering, “Why would an organization hire humans to wage war against humans?”

Well, to simplify the story, they are facing a shortage of resources -> they can recover what they need from the dungeon -> that dungeon is on the border between two settlements… -> they can’t let the other party take it away from them!!

And so the story goes. Even at a time like this, humans are at each other’s throats, creating the ugliest kind of conflict. Though I may be the self-same in that aspect since I cooperate with them.

Incidentally, the demons in the “Mourning Bone Pagoda” are weaker than those in other dungeons, which means that a level 1 human can enter the dungeon solo as long as they have had a reasonable amount of training.

Consequently, the dungeon has been aggressively conquered, and now almost all of the levels apart from the Demon King’s room have been conquered. In other words, the Demon King is being kept in captivity.

However, since there are a few deaths every year, unless they cut the death toll sooner or later, they are going to suffer a reprisal in an unexpected way.

“Well, if you agree with it, it’s fine with us. What about the strategy?”

“As a mercenary, I’ll follow the strategy that the higher-ups have devised. But if things go awry, we’ll retreat at that stage. Since we have been paid in advance, we will simply cross over to the other side of the river from another location.”

[[[Understood.]]]

All of the mercenaries express their approval of my instructions. I’m glad to find that there is no opposition.

Eh? You say that as mercenaries, what would it mean if we ran away in the midst of the battle? If the situation turns adverse, it is perfectly fine if you escape halfway through. That’s what the contract was originally signed for. For a mercenary, the most essential part is not to triumph, but to survive.

“Miss. The enemy has begun to advance.”

“I understand. Then we will be on our way too.”

Thus, we each board the boat and head off to battle.

“Concentrate firepower at 11 o’clock! Sink them before they get too close!”

“Be sure to use your skills to save anyone who falls! Never reach for the wrong guy!”

We are now in Ganges River, which has developed into a battlefield.

According to the strategy that the top conceived, the plan consisted of simply separating the opposition at a single point and then destroying them individually, but it seems to have worked this time and the battle is progressing favorably.

But since the fight is on the river, both sides are lightly armed in case they fall, and the attackers are exchanging bow and arrow shots with marksmanship and origin-specific skills. Although some of them employ guns, which must be reasonably valuable nowadays, there are also those who directly climb aboard enemy vessels, but these people are very few in number.

“At three o’clock! Here comes a grand move!”

“Izumi! ≪Agility Enhancement≫!”

“Mun…”

Of course, in relation to the “Mourning Bone Pagoda” located nearby, there exists a multitude of fish-type demons in the Ganges River. Hence, when it comes to saving a person who has fallen into the river, it is imperative to pull them up in a haste, but if you try to reach out and pull them up with a simple brute force approach, you will be assailed by the demons in the river en masse. Therefore, as Mugi instructed earlier, it is necessitated to use skill to pull them up in one go.

By the way, the exterior of the boat is constructed with demonic material that inhabits the “Mourning Bone Pagoda” which prevents the boat from being perceived as hostile.

“≪Fire Swirl≫!” “≪Wind Javelin≫!”

And because of that, sinking the ship is the most effective tactic in this battle. It’s simple, right?

Well, that’s why, in the absence of a kin with underwater aptitude, both we and our opponents will be launching spectacular moves, as a matter of course.

However, in our case, since those who possess sensing abilities excel in this area, once Izumi senses a major skill, she will throw her bone axe at full force in no time to finish off the practitioner, and as a counterattack, the entire ship will be sunk by Mugi and other members with long-range abilities with their powerful skills, allowing us to have the upper hand in the battle.

“≪Wide-area Barrier≫!”

And provided that it is not a very powerful technique, a thinner barrier to shield the whole ship is more than enough to prevent the ship from being sunk.

The number of enemy ships is decreasing remarkably. As I recall, if the operation continues smoothly, the plan would be to reach the opposite shore and occupy the settlement on the other side of the river. We will not be taking part in the operation to seize the other side of the river though.

Well then, it’s time for the final blow.

“Mugi. Let’s deliver the coup de grace to the enemy’s flagship.”

“Yes! Let’s do this, you guys! ≪Flame Javelin≫!”

“≪Wind Javelin≫! “≪Windline≫!” “≪Fire Aimed Shot≫!”

As Mugi casts ≪Flame Javelin≫, the other members of the group also unleash their skills in response. Thanks to the synergistic effect of the skills, these skills are converged into a massive blazing javelin, which is directed towards the flagship of the adversary.

Under the impact, the enemy flagship is sunk with a deafening boom.

“Phew. Shall we embark on the other side of the river after the allied occupation is concluded?”

“Right.”

While watching the sinking ship, we opt to wait for a while.

And a few months later. The story once more returns to the present-day of Izumi and her friends.

T/N:

I forgot to add it. Arc 1 ended in Chapter 61. There are four arcs in this novel