I looked away from them and continued,
"Anyway, now that you've gathered all those information, let's hear what you've found out. Can you tell me?"
""Yes!!""
Caron and Orca responded cheerfully and began discussing the information they had gathered.
"The Gray Wolves' nest is 1.2 kilometers from our current location, and it's probably dug in the ground."
"Then, based on the number of Gray Wolves that come and go, there appear to be several burrows. Perhaps ten? I don't believe there are twenty, but they could be quite large."
"In addition, a few of them appear to be scattered around the area, possibly guarding the nests Because they may be beyond my search range, I don't know the exact number of the Gray Wolves, but I estimate there are about fifty."
"The Gray Wolves acting as guards seem to be wandering around the nest, within a distance of about 10 meters."
"I see, you guys did a good job."
I said so and patted them on the head.
The information they gave me was all highly accurate. Given their age, they deserve a standing ovation, not just a passing grade..
I'm not saying there aren't flaws, but for the time being, this is enough.
"At the far end of the den, there is the most powerful individual. Maybe that's the boss, so you two be careful."
"Understood."
"Un, I'll be careful."
"Then let's go; I'll explain the plan as we walk."
With a word of caution, we continued on our way.
When I said plan, I didn't mean anything complicated. We're just going to attack and round up the Gray Wolves.
This would result in some leftovers, but since the goal is to keep Gray Wolves from crossing the highway, there's no need to wipe them out. In a nutshell, we're simply thinning the herd.
Caron and Orca wanted to fight demonic beasts, so leaving the guards to them might be a good idea. A lone wolf or two would be the ideal opponent for their first fight.
As we passed through the forest, we finally encounter the Gray Wolves, who were guarding the nest. Luckily they were two of them, so I'll let Caron and Orca deal with one each.
Taking advantage of this, I gave both of them an instruction.
"You two, take down the gray wolves in front of you. I'll leave it up to you whether you defeat them individually or cooperate with each other, but don't let your guard down."
""Yes!!""
They responded cheerfully and then prepared their weapons, which is a dagger.
Actually, both of them are rear-guard types. Normally, they should have a wand or grimoire, which is a tool to assist in the use of magic, but because I'm a dagger user, they also wanted to use it.
They're so cute. Are both of them planning to make me moan to death?
Well, it's probably the best equipment for this situation. They're both rear-guards, so it's safer to have a weapon that they can handle even if they get close. I also don't have to worry about them making a mistake because I've already taught them the fundamentals of how to use it.
Now then, let's watch their first real battle.
The two of them and the Gray Wolves were facing each other at an approximate distance of 15 meters. They are wary of each other, and a tense atmosphere is pervades the air.
One of the Gray Wolves, who was growling with its fur up, suddenly took a deep breath. Then, in the next instant, it lets out a howl.
"AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"
""Ah…!?""
Hearing this, Caron and Orca realized their mistake.
The howl just now was used to inform its comrades of our existence. As a result, reinforcements are quickly approaching us. According to my detection spell, most of the herd was on its way here…That's how much of a threat we were.
Caron and Orca made the mistake of looking for an opening in the gray wolves. Swarm-type enemies can summon allies at any time, so you must subdue them as soon as possible.
Even if you don't have the skill to take them down quickly, you don't have to make them howl. Or, you can just attack them and let them concentrate on evading. You should make an opening rather than looking for one.
The two of them were immediately put in a disadvantageous situation, so what will they do after this? —Is what I would like to say, but it's not the time for that. I can't leave that number of reinforcements to them.
That's why called out to Caron and Orca, whose faces paled as they seemed to sense that a large number of reinforcements were approaching.
"I'll take care of them, so you two should focus on the enemy in front of you. We'll have a review meeting when it's over."
"Thank you, Onii-sama…"
"Thank you, Zechs-nii…"
The two of them thanked me and turned to the enemy in front of them.
Then they attacked immediately, hoping to defeat them before the reinforcements arrived.
Caron made the first move. She pointed the tip of her dagger at the gray wolves and chanted the name of the magic spell.
"[Fire Arrow]!"
In an instant, two Fire Arrows appeared at the tip of the dagger. The Fire Arrows, which must have been about 30 centimeters long, made a burning sound and flew straight at the gray wolves.
Then, without giving them time to avoid, it hit the enemy directly and set them ablaze.
She couldn't end it in one shot because it was elementary magic, but the Gray Wolves appear to have suffered significant damage.
It was an attack that impressed me with its considerable proficiency. The transition from [Design] to [Create] was fluid, and she demonstrated her skill by dual casting. The power is perfect, my little sister really is a genius. In the future, the Head Court Magician—the strongest in the Holy Kingdom—is no longer a dream.
—But I was so preoccupied with Caron that I forgot the battle wasn't over. Even though their bodies are on fire, the gray wolves are not dead yet.
They were furious and tried lunged at Caron, who attacked them.
However, it was never implemented.
"[Earth Wall]!"
Orca's magic spell created two earthen walls, blocking the path to Caron. The Gray Wolves were unable to cope with the unexpected event and slammed their bodies into the walls.
The walls collapsed, injuring the two enemies who collided with it while they were still running. They were unable to stand as they desired, possibly due to broken bones.
And the two didn't miss that opportunity.
"[Flareball]!"
"[Stone Spike]!"
Then the ball of flame and stone spike attacked the Gray Wolves and reaped their lives.
It was a stunning victory. They guided their targets with fire arrows, inflicting heavy damage on them with Earth Walls, and finally finished them off. they weren't intimidated by the demonic beasts they faced for the first time, and held their ground well.
Caron is, of course, more precise in his magic than Orca is. Because of the difference in training time, She's better in many ways right now, but he will catch up soon. That's how good he is.
"We did it!"
"We really did it!"
The two exchanged high-fives as they seemed to be quite happy with their first demonic beast extermination. Then the two tried to run toward me as if they wanted me to praise them.
Err, I would love to praise and spoil them grandly, but I don't have time for that. They may have forgotten in the afterglow of their first victory, but enemy reinforcements will be arriving soon. I have to deal with them first.
Before they come to me, I tell them to stay with words, saying,
"Caron, Orca. You two stay where you are. I'll take it from here."
"Eh…? I understand."
"Ah! I'm sorry!"
Caron tilted her head but followed my instructions, and Orca stopped while apologizing.
…Orca gets a passing grade, but I'm a little worried about Caron. She seems to listen to everything I say, but I'm not sure about that. It's probably because she's an extreme Bro-con. Well, I can't speak for others, though.
Then, with a wry smile, I took out two daggers from my [Cover Texture].
At the same time,
"""""""AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"""""""
More than forty gray wolves appeared and surrounded us.
Now then, it's time to hunt.