"Whether through their own efforts or the work of a deity, the enemy has realized that Prince Aram is hidden in Israfan. They should be targeting other communities along the border besides just Leodo," Hedin continued as Ali stood there in shock.
The elf pointed to the communities in Israfan that were near the Shalzad border. He glanced over toward Bofman, who immediately stammered, "Y- yes, sir, there are reports that they have assaulted other towns and villages."
"While all that was going on, the forward elements they sent to Leodo stopped reporting all of a sudden. They will undoubtedly send in a new force. If they have already noticed the disturbance, then…they will likely arrive tomorrow evening," Hedin announced confidently.
He was basing his analysis on the equipment and the level of training of the Warsa troops they had encountered, combined with the information provided by Bofman regarding the enemy army's location and distance.
"First of all, we will crush that force to make them suspect that there is an unknown force in Leodo."
Ali had finally recovered from her shock and focused intently on what Hedin was saying. An unknown force of the strongest adventurers in the world…But she had no more energy left for rejoinders.
"If the second force they sent here does not return, they will become a bit more cautious, which will buy us some time. During that time, we will take care of our preparations."
"Preparations…?"
"To force the enemy to assemble their entire army in the location of the decisive battle."
"What?!" But Ali was flabbergasted yet again by the new bomb that Hedin dropped.
"I said before that it would be most efficient for the eight of us to take care of the enemy. So our challenge now is drawing all of the enemy forces onto the battlefield so that we leave no remnants that will need to be cleaned up later. If we can do that, then we'll be able to end everything in one fell swoop."
"Wh-what are you talking about…?!"
"It's the same when Rakia decided to attack Orario, but even for us, annihilating tens of thousands of enemies spread out across multiple fronts
requires significant time and effort."
It was as if he was saying "I'd rather get this annoyance over with all at once."
There's no way we can do that. If we had a similar-sized force, then Warsa might meet us on the battlefield. But even with how overwhelming our combat strength is, it is still only eight people. They won't just rally for an all-out assault just because we ask them to. How are you going to convince a force of eighty thousand to all join the battle?!
Perhaps the voice screaming in Ali's mind was conveyed by her gaze, since Hedin looked back at her.
"If you desire peace for your country, then the method you should take is not to repel the enemy, but to annihilate them."
"!"
"I mean that quite literally. Not the colloquial usage where you dramatically reduce their forces and leave them significantly damaged. If you half-heartedly leave remnants behind, it will simply transform the conflict into a quagmire. If the enemy's army escapes without a decisive confrontation, they will undoubtedly continue to be a source of trouble for you in the future."
"Th-that's…!"
"We could begin an assault with surprise attacks now, but if we did that, there would be no way to prevent some from slipping through the cracks. That's why I want to gather them all in one place."
There was a clear logic and coherence to what Hedin was saying, but only to those who could accept his premise. It was not something an average person could comprehend.
"We are going to go back to Orario after this. We will only fight this one time. So in order to fulfill your wish, it is necessary to comprehensively crush them so that they will never be able to attempt something like this again."
In truth, they had no interest in the fate of Shalzad. This was simply Hedin's considered advice to his current mistress, temporary though she might be. Understanding that, Ali felt her throat tremble.
"Because of that, I'm going to need you to do your part as well, Milady- for-the-time-being."
"…!"
"It is necessary for you to become the lure to draw out both the enemy and
your allies…Can you do that?"
Behind his glasses, Hedin's coral eyes met Ali's gaze. It was not just him, either. Ottar, Allen, and the others, they were all looking at her. Eight pairs of eyes focused on her, appraising her. Ali clenched her hands.
"I'll do it! Whatever it takes!"
She responded firmly, accepting his challenge head-on.
"My capital has fallen, I failed to protect my people, and even my retainers are gone! I've done nothing but disgrace myself throughout all of this! If after all that, I couldn't even put myself on the line, then the royal family's name is worthless!"
"…"
"Use me, Hedin! If that's what it takes to make your unbelievable nonsense reality, then so be it!"
Her face took on the regal presence of Aram as she finally spoke her mind. It was already obvious she was going to have to do this herself, as she had been urged on so much by the goddess.
Ottar and the others quietly watched her. As both a king and a lone girl, there was still one thing that Ali had not told them.
"Please save my country, gallant warriors!" And she said it with the spirit of a king.
Hedin's lips curled ever so slightly into a muted smile—at least that was how it looked to Ali.
"Very well. Then, let's commence the operation."
But on second glance Hedin's expression was unchanged from before as he solemnly continued, so Ali suspected it might have just been her imagination. However, as if responding to her royal decree, he began to shoot off instructions.
"Hegni and the brothers, it's your turn. And you four split up."
The dark elf and prums looked up as they were addressed. The elf tactician announced the beginning of the initial skirmish.
"Drive out any Warsa forces that come within a five-kirlo radius of this town."
That night, a wisp of cloud was covering the crescent moon.
The desert night was even darker than usual without the moonlight, and that darkness evoked a primal fear. The outline of the desert turned into clusters of darkness that seemed to almost grow into mountains, and the shining eyes of the monsters milling around flashed menacingly like disembodied souls.
Instead of the moon, countless stars in the sky looked down over the ruins. Stone pillars and broken walls rose out of a sea of sand, granting a window into the culture of the time they were built. The ceiling was half-collapsed, barely able to block out the cool night breeze. It was just right for monsters or humans to use as a place to rest their heads.
That same ancient ruin was currently ringing with screams.
"Ugh! Uwaaaaaaaaaaa?!"
Shrouded in darkness, the cries from inside those ruins echoed across the desert night sky. Sprays of blood took to the air like countless flower petals. Crimson blood spurting from a severed neck painted the walls red. The sound of dozens of footsteps raised a great clamor. And each time a wail went up, the number of footsteps decreased by one.
Warsa's troops fell into disarray. They had invaded Israfan territory and were on their way toward Leodo to find out what had happened to Marzner and his advance unit that had failed to report back. They had set up camp in those ruins to avoid detection and were just taking a break when they were suddenly attacked without warning.
"R-report in! What the hell is goi—? Gargh!"
The man who was apparently in charge was mercilessly relieved of his head, and as a result, there was no longer any stopping the soldiers' panic. The shadow of a single attacker danced across the wall, coalescing into a silhouette as it cut down several more soldiers, bringing yet more death. The shadow sent the magic-stone lamps flying with a kick, transforming the interior of the ruins into pure darkness as the massacre continued.
"—AAARGH!"
Fittingly, the last thing the soldiers saw before they died was a dark fairy bearing death.
"Ahhhh, nights are good. It feels good striking from the shadows."
Taking advantage of the darkness to cut down yet another soldier. Simply repeating that over and over. To Hegni, it was a very easy task, freeing his speech from the usual nervousness he struggled with.
"No need to worry about other people looking at me. No need to be anxious about what I look like to anyone else."
Because the darkness hides it all.
His unburdened speech was accompanied by an intense flash of steel and enormous blooms of blood. The Warsa soldiers met their death one after the other without ever knowing what was happening.
"Honestly, I don't really like killing people, but you all did much worse things to the powerless masses, didn't you? That means there has to be atonement for your sins, so it's best if you just die here."
The only response he got was panicked screams. However, undeterred, the dark elf swordsman composed a melody with his blade as he confessed.
"If you don't, you'll eventually reach a point where just being alive fills you with shame. Just like me."
His green eyes bore a mixture of emotions as they narrowed earnestly.