Chapter 403

Scouting the North
First, what I can do—scouting the north.
Of course, I won’t be going myself. I’ll ask the Kiblinki Saltas to handle it.
If I tried to go myself, Plum and the others would definitely object fiercely, and it’d probably end with me destroying the enemy’s base anyway.
So the first step is having the Kiblinki Saltas take action.
The problem is whether they’re willing to move or not.

(Hmm, understood. We’ll send a group of several dozen to scout the northern side of the forest.)

“Is that okay? It’s not exactly part of your usual duties.”

(It’s no problem. We can’t search for crops in peace if the city isn’t safe. Besides, if it really comes to war, the citizens will be caught in the crossfire. Our specialty is ambush tactics. Gathering intelligence on the enemy beforehand is only natural.)

Yeah, these spiders really have an incredible way of thinking.
It’s not new to me anymore, but with the Kiblinki Saltas, our defense might already be more than solid.
As for actual combat, I can just leave that to Talat.
… No matter how I think about it, it really does feel like I’m responsible for most of the country’s defensive capabilities.

(So, when should we begin the investigation?)

“Oh, the sooner the better, I think.”

(Understood. I’ll gather the others during the day so we can start the scouting tonight.)

Right, they can see in the dark, can’t they?
What a terrifying bunch.

○●○● Kiblinki Saltas

(Everyone’s assembled?)

(No problem. But... do we really believe there’s an enemy encampment out here?)

(Confirming that is part of our mission. Including the reason behind those men we captured before—leaving the mystery unsolved just doesn’t sit right.)

(Understood. Then let’s begin.)

In the dark of night, the forest canopy blocks even the faint starlight and moonlight, and we Kiblinki Saltas move forward in utter silence.
Movement of this level is our specialty.
We don’t consider ourselves exceptionally powerful in direct combat, but if we can entangle the enemy in our web, we can overturn a difference in strength.
In that sense, as long as we’re not careless, humans fall into the “relatively safe” category.

Now then, is there really an enemy camp out here?

(Not finding anything so far.)

(This time of year—autumn—golems tend to roam the forest. It wouldn’t be possible to set up a base inside.)

(Then it’s probably beyond the forest.)

(Agreed. In that case, we can pick up the pace while remaining alert.)

In autumn, a type of golem called a Driebs Golems start roaming the forest.
To us, they’re not much of a threat—we can easily trap them with web—but to humans, a single blow from those massive bodies is a serious threat.
They’re not fast, but they specialize in heavy, weight-based attacks. That’s the kind of creature they are.

It seems the Driebs Golems don’t appear at night, so we make it through the forest without engaging any.
Now then, we’re just about to exit the forest...
What will we find waiting for us out there?

What do you think about this chapter?