Chapter 509: Giant Insect Killing

Translator: Nat

-Aegir POV-

The third day of fighting ended and a third village became charcoal.

「It's about time for the sun to rise. Carry those around you who are injured and can't move. Those who can move on your own should also retreat quickly and receive treatment. Those who are still on the war front should prepare to veer away and stay alert for a little longer.」

I shout at the troops once the morning sun hits the insects and their offensive rapidly weakens.

The order travels to Dingus and Myla, then to the lower grade commanders and then to each soldier.

After finishing off a few enemies that refused to give up, the soldiers heaved a quiet sigh of relief.

「Alright, the battle is over. Everyone, pick up anything that still seems usable and withdraw to the north. The next village is......lucky for you, merely three kilometers away. If you move at a brisk pace, you can get ready to sleep after an hour.」

The scorched earth operation proposed by Leopolt continued.

Firstly, we move during the morning to a farming village where wheat is being grown.

Soldiers sleep soundly until the evening, while the support teams create the encampment, and the refugees and accompanying peasants harvest as much as they could.

At night, the support teams and the refugees retreat to the back while the soldiers fight for their lives.

Fields and the village are set on fire at the optimal timing to halt the enemy's advance or delay them long enough for us to hold out until morning.

After the sun rises, we bury the dead and we drag the injured along to the next village――we repeat this process everyday.

「It's already the third day? We're managing to get by somehow.」

By no means are we winning easily. The casualties and fatigue of each night are nothing to joke about.

However, the war front has not collapsed and we are retreating within the predicted schedule.

「The enemy is multiplying every night. On the other hand, our available forces are increasing with the reinforcements from the royal army, the arrival of a hastily-formed private army, and the arrival of volunteer soldiers from nearby villages and we are remaining an equal match.」

As if to affirm Leopolt's statement, additional troops from the royal army arrived from the north after a strict march.

My own private army also did not suffer many losses and are causing a fuss over an insect claw they were proud of tearing off. Jim is depressed and slouching his shoulders, but I don't know his circumstances.

I pat Tristan's shoulder as he yawns.

「You said things will be settled in a week, but at this rate, we might last for two weeks or maybe a month.」

I smirk as I grope the ass of a mounted female knight, who screams.

But Tristan silently shakes his head.

「No, this is sadly going as predicted. The leisurely pace only lasts until last night. Things will get tough starting today, worsen tomorrow and for the day after......we'd need luck if we want to survive.」

Tristan shows me a piece of paper that he scribbled some notes on.

「It's the speed of the enemy's growth. They aren't increasing at a steady rate of 5 000 each time. They're multiplying like rats. I've done the calculations and it doesn't add up even if I assume the ones that scattered in the south have gathered together. The only explanation is for them to be pouring out of wherever the spawning point is as we speak.」

「Our reinforcements are the best we can muster from various parts of the territory. The reinforcements from the royal army who will arrive today are essentially the last supply of troops we'll get. As we retreat, people from villages and small groups may join us, but we can't expect more than that.」

I wasn't expecting much either, but hearing it stated so clearly makes me feel down.

「Well, we obviously aren't going to win a battle of numbers against insects.」

I find a bunch of ants crawling at my feet and kick sand at them.

All of a sudden, multiple ants appear from nowhere and bite my boot.

「Our hope is entrusted with the lizard......I guess.」

When I feel a gust, I turn around and see Pochi, who is carrying Pipi and the harpies, take flight into the sun.

They're off to find the place where the insects are crawling out of.

「We'll definitely find it today!」

I wave back at Pipi.

Initially, they departed for the scouting mission in the morning and returned in the evening.

But after discovering that the enemy had no way of intercepting Pochi and that Pochi and company could operate at night as long as they were in the sky, we decided starting today that they will continue to scout until the last possible moment without affecting their condition on the next day, even after it got dark.

「Will find it! Will find it! What are we finding?」

「Food, food! Mating! Sleepy!」

「Something stinks.」

Pipi aside, the thought of our hope being entrusted to the harpies makes me feel so uneasy that I can't sleep.

「They also appeared in the west, right? What happened?」

Their point of origin is unknown, but because of their propensity to chase after human prey, it's hard to imagine them not heading to the west where the population is high.

In fact, there might be more people over there than here.

「Based on the Military Commissioner's information, they are using the same scorched earth operation in the west and burning villages to withstand the enemy's attacks. One group rebelled and launched a counteroffensive, but......it ended with a tragic result.」

What did they expect? They don't even know where the enemy base is, so where are they going to attack?

「With how the villages in the west are more densely packed, the insects are more scattered, and that leads to more casualties due to attacks from the side or behind.」

「We can't be so optimistic either. We can't afford to check the insect's detection range, but if they rush in the direction of Malt to the west, things will get out of control.」

We advised Malt of the situation and asked them to refrain from farm work, staying inside as much as possible.

On top of that, we've been dealing with the enemy every night, and there have not been any attacks on them so far, but that doesn't mean the same will happen tomorrow.

「The destruction of Malt is trivial, however if the enemy moves north after dispersing to the west, our flank will be cut off. That would mean the collapse of our entire army.」

「Don't say it's trivial. In any case, we have to find where they come from fast or we're done for.」

That is when a worn-out group comes running from the south.

「P-people――there is an army――!! Help......hellllpp!!」

Nothing particularly surprised us as we stopped and welcomed them.

It's not unusual for people to join up with us in a similar manner from the south.

They could have been hiding in a hole or they could have crawled into the basement in an attempt to get away from the insects.

Of course, there are more cases of people who were late to escape or ran in the wrong direction and went on to become food for the insects.

「Humans are also pretty tenacious――ouch!!」

I flick Tristan's forehead hard when he speaks like it doesn't concern him, and then embrace the female running in the front.

The poor girl is partially naked, her bare breasts exposed through the holes in her torn clothes, but she probably had no time to worry about such things.

「You did well to run. Everything's alright now.」

After wiping her muddy face with my sleeve and bringing myself close to her face, she hugs me back without saying anything.

「Nn.」

I naturally kiss her and add some tongue too.

I'm not taking advantage of her being in a weakened state.

I'm kissing her to heal her wounded heart.

The woman allows me to play with her tongue as much as I want without resisting and then goes limp from exhaustion.

「It is safe to say our rear is currently secure. If you are willing to help in harvesting, transporting supplies, or cooking, we can provide you with protection.」

I would think hearing an offer said by Leopolt's monotone voice would turn her off.

But she hastily looks up and nods eagerly.

All the others don't seem to be opposed either.

「I'll do anything as long as those things don't come! Whether it's making meals or physical labor......or even this.」

She realizes the bulge in my pants and grinds her crotch against me.

In that case, I'll gladly entertain......or I want to.

I carry the woman in my arms and head to the wagon where injured soldiers are.

She has bags under her eyes, her limbs are trembling and her skin is rough.

I can't imagine when she started not sleeping.

「Zzzz.」

Sure enough, she fell asleep as I carried her to the wagon.

I gently set her down and give her a kiss on the cheek.

「So you can hold back. I thought you were going to stick your thing in her mouth.」

Rafaella pops her head from my back.

She was riding there the entire time last night too. At this rate, she'll actually become adhered to me.

「Yes. I'm a gentleman after all.」

I sense Rafaella's body temperature rose ever so slightly.

Refugees would later also come sporadically from all directions.

They did well to survive in the domain of the insects.

Unlike Tristan, I'm truly impressed at how surprisingly resilient humans are.

「We don't have much provisions to spare. To those who can't fight, please bear with the minimum amount of food. Nn? What do you want, shoo shoo!」

A soldier serving food to the refugees chases away a parent and child fox at the end of the queue.

The foxes seem reluctant to leave, probably because they have empty stomachs, but the soldier's first priority is dealing with people's food.

The foxes then look around and enter a decaying hut.

Everyone is busy so nobody except me has spotted it.

「K-kon......h-here, this should be, good enough. Be good and wait there.」

A few seconds later. A young woman about twenty years old emerges from the hut.

She frequently checks her ass and head as she goes to line up in the queue for food, and after receiving meat, soup and bread, returns to the hut.

I was just about to call out to her, thinking it's strange for a girl to go back in a hut with a fox, but then another refugee comes running.

The soldier who is watching to make sure only the minimum amount of food is given raises his voice.

「Woah, look at the sky! It's a flock of harpies!! Archers, get ready to intercept!」

Harpies are monsters that normally attack humans.

The soldier's reaction is a natural one. I shout on top of his voice and negate his order.

「No need to shoot. They did not come to attack!」

Seeing that we aren't going to loose arrows, the harpies slowly descend.

These aren't the ones that grew attached to me back in my territory.

The harpies land nervously and awkwardly walk closer.

「Tired, can't fly anymore.」

「Nest and others eaten, eaten.」

「Big spiders, scary, hungry.」

I make eye contact with Tristan and smile wryly.

「The insects won't ignore harpies either. Those things are enemies of humans, animals, monsters...... of all all living things.」

「Harpies, lamia, and monsters of the sort are welcome, but it won't be funny if orcs or goblins ran to us.」

I don't want to be beside orcs or goblins, and it's not like I can leave them near my precious women.

We might have to turn them into meat and eat them.

I smile at my own thoughts and jump onto one of the more expensive carriages.

「「「Kyaa♪」」」

I wrap my arms around Nonna and the others and push them down.

If our battle lines fall apart, the entire Central plains will be doomed.

I mentally swear not to let that happen as I suck on Nonna's tits.

I have more than enough stamina and willpower.

I can still fight.

Night

「Artillery, commence bombardment. Private army, guard them with your lives!」

Cannons roar and cannonballs hum as they cut through the night sky before crushing the crowding spiders.

「Don't fire all cannons at once. The smoke will obstruct vision. Fire ten in succession.」

The spiders' relatively soft bodies can't withstand the cannonballs.

In fact, the clumps of dirt sent flying by cannonballs landing on the ground is enough to cut into their bodies and tear off their legs.

The royal army soldiers sigh as they see the spiders get blown away one after the other.

「What incredible power......it's a far cry from yesterday when I was hoping for a lucky shot from a catapult.」

「Apparently, they arrived last night and didn't have time to set up camp. I didn't think they'd make such a difference once deployed.」

What we deployed were 50 cannons and 25 large cannons, and it was the large cannons constructed under the supervision of the dwarves in particular that displayed a visible difference from the cannons of the royal army. The regular cannons were also improved and the damage increased considerably.

If we had the cannons made from scratch by the dwarves, I'm sure they'd be even more surprised.

「It takes time to move them because they are so heavy. They will likely arrive the day after tomorrow.」

Leopolt responds to my monologue.

We can't do anything with something we don't have.

In addition to the bombardment, the catapults and ballistae assembled by the royal army were also fired.

These also possess enough power to kill the spiders, and although they are not as flashy, there are plenty of them and are a big help.

「Shower them with a storm of arrows!!」

Archers from the royal army and the bow cavalry from my army loose volleys of arrows at the enemy.

The spectacle of overwhelming firepower and dramatic increase in ally strength makes last night's battle seem unremarkable.

「How many were killed?」

I say as I stand imposingly on my own two feet rather than on a horse.

After the sharp-eyed lookout observed for a solid minute, he replied.

「Maybe a tenth!?」

Not much, huh?

Even with our elevated firepower and manpower, their numbers are so staggering that our damage is insignificant.

「Are there a hundred thousand?」

「The numbers we can see are at least that much. We are not able to see past the hill.」

Leopolt answers.

So this is what they mean by as far as the eye can see.

I'm really glad the moon is covered by clouds. If we could see all of the insects, the hearts of me and the soldiers might break.

「A group of a hundred worms......no, two hundred are invading!」

The worms are long and skinny so they are hard to hit with the cannons.

As a result, they close in on the artillery encampment with their numbers not reduced by much.

「Arrows don't work. Use mallets or war hammers!」

「But with those numbers......those numbers......」

The soldiers of my private army look at me and Leopolt as if asking whether they can run away.

I remain silent with my arms folded.

It happened right as the worms were about to stick their head into the artillery encampment.

「And boom.」

The ground swells and then explodes upward.

It is not the work of magic.

It is simply the outcome of lighting buried gunpowder on fire.

The underground explosion blasted the worms' bodies with rocks and soil on the surface.

We already know slash attacks are ineffective and blunt strikes are effective against the worms.

The fragments of earth destroy their internal organs and kill them.

「Ehhh, targets are, the rest of them. And fire.」

Following Tristan's listless order, the field artillery shoots.

Compared to regular cannons, the field artillery's shots are smaller and lower in power.

But in turn, they are simpler to move and easy to aim once installed, so they are literally cannons that are made for a field battle.

Iron pellets as small as grapes were shot out of those small cannons and hit the worms hard.

「The gunpowder traps aren't hidden and the field artillery are out in the open, no special tricks are used. It's a trap that even the Margrave can think of. If the opponent had the slightest amount of intelligence, they could see through it.」

As Tristan somewhat mockingly shrugs his shoulders, several worms longer than five meters rise up.

「Uwah! The big ones didn't die! Reload! Not the scattershot, use the normal shots!」

「Standing army, sortie.」

Giving the unusually frantic Tristan a sidelong glance, Leopolt gives an order for soldiers wielding war hammers to crowd around the large worm and pound it.

Overall, the state of battle is――just barely balanced.

No particular areas are falling apart yet there are no places we are outright winning either.

Although we are better equipped than last night, the fight is even tougher.

Artillery, siege troops and infantry support the battle lines, while cavalry flank as the occasion demands――the enemy isn't smart enough to detour but when the insect corpses pile up high enough to block the path in front, they start to circle around to the sides――and we repel the enemy.

The enemy falls for all our traps since they are blindly charging through the front where our defense is the thickest.

Leopolt gives the most optimal orders and Tristan activates his traps at the most optimal times.

Enemy corpses pile up ten times more than ally bodies......but ten times the amount of insects replace each of those dead enemies.

「I'm going to the front too.」

Leopolt doesn't say anything.

I'm guessing he can't accept it but he doesn't have time to stop me.

I smash the enemies, cut them up, grab them, and throw them.

I evade the enemy's claws, although they graze me occasionally, I get whacked by worms, and Rafaella defends me from the spider's tube.

It seems like the enemy numbers increase infinitely and as the night progressed, there were so many that I started to worry if the earth could hold them all.

Allies become exhausted and gradually the mistakes of commanders and the deserting of cowardly soldiers start spreading, as the war front approaches the verge of collapse. There was still more night to come. At this rate, we won't be able to fight them off.

「Ignition!! Light it on fire!!」

This is when the order is given for the fields all around us to be set aflame.

Although terribly trampled by the insects, the fallen wheat still fulfilled their role as fuel.

The fire spreads as fast as a flash flood, forcing the enemy to scatter in a panic.

「Fuuh......we're saved.」

An allied soldier sits down and catches his breath.

Injured soldiers are evacuated from the front and broken weapons are replaced with spares.

Builder teams see the fire from the rear and immediately get to work on digging ditches that have been filled up, propping up fallen fences, and refilling ammunition such as arrows and rocks, oil and gunpowder.

Maintaining the battle lines without this short break was already impossible.

The fire will extinguish in about four hours. The scorched earth operation has essentially cut the night in half.

Leopolt always inserts these breaks at the perfect timing.

I grab Celia, who was fighting near me, pull Rafaella from my back, and fondle their ass and breasts respectively.

「Wah!」

「Hyaa!」

This eases my mental fatigue.

If I do it too much, my crotch will swell and that'll make it harder to fight so I have to control myself.

「If you'd like, do you want me to do it with my mouth or hand? While the fire is still burning, the insects won't come.」

「Uwa, for someone with such a cute face to say that, how lewd――oww!!」

Celia pinches Rafaella's thigh hard enough for blood to leak.

With a reflexive smile, I turn my head to the side, and roughly pull Celia on her feet by her collar and seal the screaming Rafaella's mouth.

「Everything comes when your guard is lowered, huh?」

I kick the ass of Christoph who is clenching his teeth and resting with other soldiers.

I don't have to see to know, but I'll give it a glance anyways.

Its body is darker than the first time I saw it, the number of heads has reduced to five and its height is unchanged at about 20 meters.

「It's been four days.」

「There it is!! The insect hydra!!」

「But it's still bright......didn't that thing run before......?」

The soldier's hope was shattered when that thing crawled through the sea of fire without a care.

「Shit, it went over! Why, it's still so bright!!」

「Did it get accustomed to light!? If so, we're done for......」

No, it's too early to say that.

The other bugs are not able to cross the dazzling flames and come near us yet.

The only thing coming is that gigantic beast, no, that gigantic insect.

「I don't know the reason, but we have to deal with it now that it's in front of us.」

Movements in the encampment become hurried.

Knowing Leopolt, he must have a trap or something planned.

「But this is not an opponent that you can say, "it's over" after catching it in a trap.」

We would fare better if we shut ourselves in a fortress and had one month to prepare since the options on an open field are limited.

Not to mention all weapons except for cannons are ineffective against the opponent, and even those cannons won't deal fatal damage.

My eyes were fixed on Leopolt as I ran toward the headquarters.

He simply stares at the giant grotesque creature without becoming flustered.

His attitude tells me he has something up his sleeve. Please don't tell me it's a bluff.

The insect hydra charges at the headquarters where plenty of soldiers are gathered.

Then the large body suddenly stopped moving.

Its five heads gazes up at the night sky.

I look ahead and shout in agony.

「Arrgh, what bad timing!」

The five heads of the insect hydra were looking at Pochi, who is descending from the sky.

Pochi was working hard until late at night doing reconnaissance, and doing a wonderful job for a lizard.

But this is a time that I want to curse and criticize Pochi for not coming two hours sooner or at a later time.

「Pochi, don't come down here! Go further north!!」

I try yelling to redirect the lizard, but Pochi ignores me. No, Pochi probably can't hear my voice, or rather, Pochi is landing where I am because of my voice.

「If you get hurt and can't fly, it's all over! Can't you see the monster in front of you!? Raise your altitude!」

I try yelling while waving my Dual Crater, but I get a roar in response.

Pochi can understand human language, can see in the dark and most of all hates bugs, so I don't get why Pochi would want to land near me when I'm in the middle of those things.

Nevertheless, Pochi heads straight for me.

It's almost like Pochi is seeking help.

「What happened to......oh, so that's how it is!?」

Pochi is holding something in its hands.

Upon closer inspection, it's Pipi, who is hugging her own body and shivering.

Messerschmitt is biting Pochi's eyelid, but the lizard doesn't seem to mind.

Something happened during scouting that resulted in Pipi getting injured.

That prompted Pochi to hastily fly back to me for help.

Pochi is too preoccupied to be aware of its surroundings.

Even the unmistakable insect hydra doesn't even register in its mind.

Pochi's altitude is at 30 meters and dropping.

The insect hydra bends its body and stretches toward Pochi.

Finally realizing its presence, Pochi flaps its wings to ascend into the air, but it's too late.

The insect hydra's five jaws open and――

The ground shakes and both Celia and I fall over.

「Gugyahー」

Rafaella cries out in pain when I land on my back, but that is out of my control.

「Smoothie, it's a smoothie!!」

Celia says as she jumps back on her feet.

The smooth-scaled lizard tackled the insect hydra before its heads could reach Pochi.

In comparison, the smoothie is 15 meters to the insect hydra's 20 meters, whereas the smoothie seems to be heavier overall due to the thick meat on its body.

The lizard rammed into it after building up considerable momentum, so even the insect hydra shouldn't come out unscathed.

Both creatures roll around, causing allied soldiers to scream and disperse.

「Fly higher stupid lizard, if you are knocked down Pipi will also die!」

Having calmed down a little, Pochi increases its height.

But the fight in front is not over.

Although the insect hydra was pounced on, its exoskeleton that is capable of deflecting cannonballs takes more than that to break.

The smooth-scaled lizard applies its weight to hold down the insect and uses its forelegs to smack it.

After three hits, the lizard opens its mouth and tries to sink its fangs into the torso of the hydra.

As the jaws closed, there was an unpleasant crack.

「The smoothie's fangs......」

It was the fangs and claws of the smoothie that broke.

Confused and in pain, the smoothie takes a step backward.

The centipede-like torso slips through the clutches of the smoothie and the five heads bite down into the body of the lizard which clearly doesn't look very tough.

The smoothie lets out a piercing scream as blood squirts out from its body.

While still bitten, the lizard tries to lift the insect hydra and slam it onto the ground, but the centipede body is more flexible than a snake and easily wraps itself tight around the smoothie and also pushes its fangs deeped, increasing the rate of blood loss of the reptile.

I leave the Keravnos in Celia's care and run toward the wrestling creatures with my Dual Crater.

I approach the smoothie and run up its tail.

With the large lizard locked in its grip, the insect hydra has no time to pay attention to me.

I might be able to lop off a head or two.

「I've already cut four and it's still lively so cutting off a fifth probably won't make much of a difference though.」

Do I have to get hurt again?

「Pochi. Shoot your breath at its torso. Do it gently like you're lighting a candle.」

Restraining the power to that extent will mean the smoothies will survive even if it gets hit.

The issue is with me......I can only trust in my armor and my luck.

Pochi hesitates in midair, but closes its eyes and releases its breath when Messerschmitt barks in its ear.

「Uwah, so big!!」

Celia shouts.

That would make me feel proud in bed, but I can only feel despair at this moment.

On impact with my body, I feel the heat envelope me.

I immediately check to see if I've melted or burned, but I am relieved to know Pochi held back.

The flames were right on target, burning the torso of the insect hydra along with me and the smoothie.

One of the heads biting the lizard reflexively rises.

「Hold it down for three seconds.」

Surprisingly able to decipher my words, the lizard with froth around its mouth pins down the insect hydra with both arms.

With a running start, I jump from the smoothie's back and put all my weight into plunging the Dual Crater into the base of the centipede's head that reacts to my movement.

「It went in.」

I feel a solid sensation of my sword cutting through the hard shell as all of its heads thrash around.

「This is the main one, huh?」

I only saw this head react when its body got attacked.

In other words, this is the only head directly connected with its body.

『Urrgh...... disgusting. I told you I don't like insects.』

Lindbloom speaks up now of all times.

「Then lend me your strength. Do you want me to rock you back and forth like a saw?」

Suddenly the blade of the Dual Crater glows red......and then the tip embedded in the insect bursts like it was loaded with gunpowder.

Even so, the head doesn't fall.

「That was pretty half-assed.」

I put more strength into my hips and twist the Dual Crater down with the same amount of force I would use when swinging a door panel in water.

Something makes a nasty squelch sound and that's it. There was no cry of death.

The insect hydra's head drops to the ground with a plop and purple liquid flows out from the neck like a waterfall.

The other four heads trying to attack me with their jaws open lose power midway through and go limp.

「Hup.」

I hop down and land on the ground.

A few seconds later, the enormous body of the insect hydra hits the ground accompanied by an impact a hundred times stronger.

「D-did he do it? It's dead......right?」

「It won't move again, right? Christoph, come with me.」

「It's dead......general, you killed it!!」

Cheers from a few people ripple out to the entire army.

Just when I was about to raise my sword in response, my sword stopped halfway.

I instead point the tip somewhere else.

A 20 meter long body with nine heads.

There are three more monsters with that familiar form.

「......it's over.」

Don't decide that on your own.

I'm not going to let that happen when my women are here.

I glance at the smoothie.

The bite wound itself is deep enough to reach its muscles, but not its organs, so I don't believe it's fatal.

However, the bite marks turn purple and the smooth-scaled lizard falls onto its side with foam at the mouth.

Pochi finally descends.

It carefully hands Pipi to me and widens its eyes at the sight of the smoothie.

「Pipi, are you alright? Hang in there.」

I lightly slap her cheek to get her eyes to open, but they can't focus on anything.

Then I notice a few holes in her shoulder that resemble signs of being stabbed with needles.

「So the hairy caterpillar got you......damn, it's my mistake for letting you scout at night!」

I punch myself in the head once and then resume a stance with my Dual Crater.

There's no time to feel sorry or blame myself.

If I don't defeat the next three insects, everyone will die.

But we have to fight three of them at once when it took our combined efforts just to kill one.

When I look over at Leopolt, I see him busy giving orders.

I wanted him to stand firm there.

No, there's no way he has a plan to simultaneously deal with three hydras.

「Hey rape dragon, try unleashing an attack that can burn all the way to the horizon.」

If you don't, you'll be buried under all of those insects.

『It doesn't appear that is necessary.』

A purple breath shoots out along with a voice that resonates in my head......no, it's more like a beam of light that sweeps across the horizon.

One moment later, all nine heads of one of the new insect hydras drop to the ground.

I turn around and see a dragon.

Its eyes are completely white, with no pupils in them.

Emitting from its body is a red aura......no, there's blue mixed in too, making the aura purple.

Then just when I thought my back was glowing, a stream of purple breath shot vertically into the sky.

A roar was let out, not the typical faltering one, but a long low-pitched one that made the soldiers shiver and not move a single inch.

「P-Pochi has snapped!」

Celia drops the Keravnos and runs.

Pochi spreads its wings and unleashes another breath attack.

This breath covers a wider range than before and licks the ground.

The purple flames rise to the sky and illuminate the area brighter than the burning fields ever could.

「Isn't it just a wasteland over there? What's burning?」

「I don't know......wait look. The ground......the earth and rocks are burning.」

「I can feel the heat from here. If we get close, we won't simply burn, we'll melt.」

Even the insect hydras can't withstand this amount of light and pull back along with the other insects.

They don't look for other opportunities nearby, they completely retreat......they likely won't return tonight.

Seeing that, the aura from Pochi's body disappears and its white eyes turn back to normal.

Without thanking Pochi, I rush off with Pipi in my arms.

It's a poison that has even Schwartz close to death.

Clearly, the tiny Pipi was also racing against time.

Protagonist: Aegir Hardlett. 25 years old. Autumn.

Status: Goldonia Kingdom Margrave. Great Feudal Lord of Eastern Area. Mountain Legend.

Friend of the Dwarves. Friend of the King of Aless. Dragon Slayer Hero.

Elf Mediator. Sex King of White City. Mad Demon God. Secret Golden Lager.

Family:

Pipi (poison)

Nonna (providing breasts), Carla (providing thighs), Mel (oyakodon), Kuu (oyakodon), Ruu (oyakodon), Leah (concurrently responsible for Celia), Melissa (body washing leader), Miti (responsible for washing body), Maria (responsible for washing body), Catherine (responsible for NTR), Gretel (responsible for dog play), Mireille (responsible for special positions), Casie (7 head figure), Rita (responsible for being an obedient maid), Yoguri (playwright), Alice (providing ass)

Mother: Marceline (providing shyness), Daughters: Eldest - Stephanie (providing healing), Second - Bridget (responsible for forceful play), Youngest - Felicie (responsible for innocent play)

Sofia (providing plumpness), Claudia (physical beauty), Clara (responsible for kisses), Adela (responsible for outdoor play)

Celestina (reigning queen), Monica (mama attendant), Benel (coma), Dorothea (in trouble)

Subordinates:

Dingus (eastern army commander), Rinuga (command of refugee team), Rafaella (back resident)

Celia (adjutant), Myla (commander), Irijina (commander), Luna (commander)

Leopolt (staff officer), Tristan (staff officer), Yakov (commander of 105th corps), Gido (desperation), Mack (arrived), Christoph (reinstated), Guigue (villain), Adolph (domestic affairs official), Sebastian (butler)

Marta (responsible for humiliation play), Sally (responsible for explaining), Maruru (acting frantically), Jim (visiting general), Suzy (assistant), Solana (assistant), Altair (world crisis), Remia (seeking salvation)

Others:

Erich (frontline command), Ijaris (in battle), Yularen (in battle)

Sekrit (in battle), T-99 (limit release), Brynhildr (calling for reinforcements), ??? ( )

Natia (medical care), Felteris (orgy)

Piris (insane, house arrest), Baroness Rukino Escaote (preparation complete), Seika (unhappy)

Busco ( ), Gildress (astonished), Visitacion (confined home with child)

Non-humans:

Lammy (to frontline), Alraune (potted state), Mirumi (evacuating), Pochi (POCHILA), Messerschmitt​ (fatigued)

Tropical Smooth-scaled Monitor Lizard (deadly poison), Schwartz (severely poisoned)

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Defence Line Army

Hardlett Army:

Escort Unit: 43 ⇒ 35

Infantry: 3000 ⇒ 2700

Cavalry: 400 ⇒ 360

Archers: 400 ⇒ 360

Cannoneers: 400 ⇒ 360

Bow Cavalry: 1000 ⇒ 1500 (convening)

105 Army Corps: 3700 ⇒ 3600

(war time, weapons are produced as necessary, being deployed)

Cannons: 50 ⇒ 45, Large Cannons: 25 ⇒ 23, Dwarven Cannons: 15, Field Artillery: 20 ⇒ 16, Chariots: 38 ⇒ 35

Reinforcements / Allied Forces:

Eastern Army: 12 500 ⇒ 30 000 ⇒ 26 000 (reinforcements arrived)

Mixed Refugee Team: 5500 ⇒ 6300 ⇒ 6000

Elves: Black: 200 ⇒ 198, White: 200

God Altair's Army: 3300 ⇒ 4000 (active in Rafen)

Teries Fleet: Battleship Suvorov, Battleship Leviathan IV (temporary), Large Combat Ships: 3, Medium Combat Ships: 7 (in repair)

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Assets: -75 000 gold

Sexual Partners: 805 ⇒ 806

Children who have been born: 70 + 567

Current Location: Southern part of territory, heading north