The next day, the organized expeditionary force departed from Krasland.
It consisted of 1,000 troops under Lucy's direct command and 4,000
selected from among the volunteer units.
So a total of 5,000 troops were heading for the city of Samria.
The forces under Lucy's direct command consisted mainly of the troops she
had originally commanded, with additional troops selected from those who
had participated in the coup d'état.
Although there were cases where they might be outmatched in terms of
their individual skills, no other 1,000-man unit had such a high level of skill
than Lucy's.
Of course, other units were also training in coordination, but I don't think
there is any unit that could beat this unit in a clash of equal numbers.
"It has already been three days since we left Krasland. It's about time we
arrived in Samria."
I said to Lucy in the carriage that served as our mobile headquarters.
Inside, in addition to Lucy and me, there are also the expeditionary force's
staff and messengers from Samria.
"I just peeked outside to check, and at this speed, we have about an hour to
go before we reach our destination."
Diplomat Jones, who knew the area well, explained.
If he is the one saying it, it must be true.
"Then wouldn't it be better to send out scouts from here? We need to have
advanced information."
Krone, now one of the staffs, also added as she pointed to the map.
Certainly, even though we have the numbers, it would be foolish to
approach the city without knowing anything about it. If you a re ab le to re
ad t his me ss age, you are rea din g from an un aut hor ized a ggr egate si
te. Re a d at my Wor dPr ess at stab bi ng w ith a syr i nge. ho me. bl og to
su pp ort me and my trans lati ons.
"Point noted. Order each of the command personnel to send scouts. As for
the main unit, slow down their marching speed and continue advancing."
The commander's order was immediately transmitted to various units.
And from among the units surrounding the mobile command station, a
small number of light cavalrymen separated and began leading the advance.
In addition, the entire troop movement speed slowed.
This must have been frustrating for Diplomat Jones, but we had to act
cautiously.
Two minutes later, a report came in at the mobile command headquarters.
"Your Excellency, a report just came in from our scouts. They have checked
Samria from a distance, and although they could see signs of battle, there
were no signs of the enemy."
"Does this mean that Samria has repelled the monsters?"
"We don't know yet, but there is also no sign of the city's soldiers on the
outer wall."
"That's strange."
If they could see the cavalry, they should already be waving flags or
sending signals to identify if we are a friend or a foe.
But there wasn't even a lookout, which made the situation even stranger.
Then Diplomat Jones interrupted.
"I hate to say this, but Samria's forces were exhausted by the time we left.
It's hard to imagine that they have successfully repelled that horde at this
time."
"I see. But we can't assess the situation until we get closer. Continue to
advance."
We have come all the way here. We can't just turn back on something like
this.
Our troops continued to advance, and after 30 minutes, we had Samria in
our sights.
Their outer walls were damaged and parts of it collapsed, and the gates
were also partially destroyed.
However, as reported by the scouts, no sign of human presence was found.
"I sent out the scout teaam again and circled the perimeter, but everywhere
else is the same."
"Nothing will change if we dilly-dally here. Yuushin, place my unit to the
front. I'm going in."
"I understand. Bring forward the troops directly under the Marchioness's
command!"
As soon as I gave the order, Lucy and I dismounted from the carriage.
As for Krone, we made her stay to cover the rear.
The two of us moved to the center of the units under Lucy's command. And
there, we saw Tilda and Anastasia, already waiting for us.
Next to them were the two sisters, Milena and Lacy.
"Are we going in?"
Lucy responded to Tilda's brief question by nodding.
There is one problem, though. only a small group of people can enter
through the broken gate.
Anastasia stepped forward to solve that.
"Now then, let's go for a big one. Keep your eyes and ears covered!"
With her arms raised, Anastasia formed a huge icicle at the end of her
palms.
It is not very strong, but enough for a one-time battering ram.
"Go! Smash it down!"
With her command, the ice ram launched.
An impact was created, and the icicle shattered, but so is the broken gate
that is blocking our way.
With this, we have enough space for the troops to enter.
"Move forward, and be on the lookout for your surroundings!"
The advance team was the first to go inside, followed by the main unit.
Once inside, we saw a city deserted as it appeared on the outside.
Although battle traces could be seen, we were still unable to sense any sign
of human presence.
"…continue on our way."
Tilda, in the lead, headed ahead with caution.
However, even after all the troops had entered the city, there was still no
sign of people or even monsters.
The situation continued even after we reached the square in front of what is
a capitol building in the center of the city.
"Your Excellency, we'll go in and see what's happening inside."
Diplomat Jones, unable to stand still after seeing the unusual peace,
volunteered to take point.
"I will assign two units to escort you and your search inside the building.
Let me know if you need anything."
And just like that, with additional escorts from Lucy's troops, they entered
the building at the center of the city.
◆ ◆
"This is all very strange. It's crazy that we can't even find a body."
After sending a part of her team to search the capitol building, Lucy began
to hold doubts.
Her words were met with nods from the others.
(When this happens, we have to find the cause at all costs.)
"We must divide our forces, even though we'll be in danger of being
targeted separately. It is difficult to move with a large force inside a city."
Milena suggested this, and Lucy nodded.
But before we could even divide our units, an incident occurred.
Twenty shadows jumped out from a house near the capitol. They began
attacking Milena's troops. This ch ap ter tra nsla tion is ma de pos sibl e by
stab bin g wi th a syr in ge tran sl atio ns. Ch eck on ly up-t o-da te tra nsla
ti ons on my W ordpr ess s ite.
"W-what the…!!"
The complete surprise attack left her unit in confusion.
This was probably due to the fact that the enemy was relatively small in
numbers and moved quickly.
The situation immediately became chaotic, making it too late for the allied
troops to do anything about it.
"Sis!"
"No, don't get too close, or you'll get caught in the strife!"
I held back Lacy's troops as they tried to jump out.
In the meantime, Tilda jumped in with a few skilled men.
"Don't hit our allies, only the enemy!"
She pierced only the enemies with precise blows, regardless of the size of
the spear she was carrying.
Her subordinates also silenced the enemies one after another with daggers
and fighting techniques that were easy to maneuver in close encounters.
Within three minutes, the enemies were completely silenced, and on the
ground lay wounded soldiers screaming in agony.
"The wounded must be treated at once! Tilda, who are our enemies?"
Calling for a medic unit, Lucy immediately went to Tilda.
She lifted one of the enemy bodies from underfoot.
"Looks like a goblin, but I've never seen it before. Could be the one the
diplomat was talking about."
What she lifted was indeed a goblin.
But it was a little smaller, with protruding teeth and a beard.
A mutation of a goblin.
"Milady, the fact that they're here means…"
"Yes, we are most likely already surrounded."
BOOM!
All of a sudden, an explosion resounded, as if a signal that our series of
unfortunate events have now began.
When we were about to order our troops to be on the alert, we heard a loud
crash in the Capitol building where the diplomat had just gone in.