Four days have passed since our arrival in Gordicia.
We’ve been hunting down antidemons for a few days now, but we’ve yet to find any strong enough to satisfy Fran.
Like we had heard, strong antidemons with acute senses do not appear unless we go a little deeper, since they prefer distancing themselves from the barrier.
（I wonder if we’ll see any strong antidemons today?）
『Can’t say for sure…』
In such an excited state, Fran entered the barrier accompanied by about 200 soldiers from the Kingdom of Belioth. Their destination was a battlefield designated by the administrative council.
While leading the group through the plains, Brunen gave Fran a briefing.
「There is a large flat area ahead of us. We will intercept the antidemons there.」
「Intercept them? The antidemons will come?」
「Well, yeah. When there are thousands of humans gathered together, the antidemons are bound to come by themselves.」
「I see.」
This was a strategy that took advantage of the antidemons’ tendency of being attracted to people.
Armies couldn’t be as mobile as adventurers, so they used this method to hunt a great number of antidemons as once.
Fran and Hilt’s party quickly dealt with the antidemons that approached Belioth’s forces along the way.
Phobos-kun handled the majority of them.
「Teryaaa!」
「Shishaa!」
Fran didn’t care about fighting them any more. She had gotten bored of the lower rank swordsman-types over the past few days, and they would be better fit for Phobos-kun anyways.
After all, they were not challenging in the slightest and left nothing valuable behind.
We continued on for about an hour, beating up the swordsman-types. The soldiers readily listened to us since we were the substitute for Weena Rhyn, so we were free from trouble.
It seems that the soldiers of Belioth were completely aware of the fact that they were not the main players. Therefore, they did not assert themselves, and followed orders from the strong as a matter of course.
「I can sense the presence of many people up ahead.」
「Nn.」
Hilt was right. In the middle of the wilderness, about 1,000 men had already gathered and were in the middle of building up an encampment.
「We’ll standby here until the encampment is ready. Keep your eyes on the perimeter.」
「Shouldn’t we help them?」
「We can do any heavy lifting if necessary.」
Brunen chuckled as he shook his head at Fran and Hilt’s words.
「They want us to watch since we would just be in the way. Well, from the dwarves’ point of view, amateurs like us are certainly a hindrance.」
I looked again at the encampment and indeed, the soldiers there were dwarves. Using earth magic, pickaxes, and shovels, they were busy building up walls and trenches.
But that construction speed was absolutely ridiculous. I can see why bringing amateurs would just get in the way.
「We’ll be counting on you guys for the battle, since we can’t leave the encampment construction to them and also lag behind in the antidemon hunt.」
I’m sure he just wanted his country to save face, but I can understand Brunen’s concerns.
The dwarves were quite strong. I had initially thought they were merely military engineers, but they were truly formidable.
In all likelihood, even the dwarves digging in the dirt there were stronger than Phobos-kun, a Rank D adventurer.
What’s more was the incredible armor that adorned them. All of them were made of magical metals, mainly orichalcon and mithril, but reinforced with adamantite in some places.
In any normal country, this was the kind of armor that could only be worn by the captain of the royal guard or a knight of similar level. Considering that the gear was made by expert dwarven artisans, they might even be of higher quality too.
Before us was 1,000 veteran dwarves with the highest level of equipment. If we consider that their commanding officers were even stronger, anyone would call it an extraordinary army.
「Amazing.」
「Y-Yes, they certainly are.」
Fran was impressed, while Phobos-kun was taken completely aback. Though he was 19 years old, that weakly attitude of his made him look strangely younger.
He may have talent, but he always seems to lack confidence.
「The dwarven warriors are famous all over the world for their strength, you know?」
Colbert began to explain to Fran and Phobos-kun while they were watching the dwarves at work.
「Really?」
「Yeah, their army consists entirely of battle hardened veterans, and they’ve left quite a few legends behind. For example, the time they defeated an army a thousand times their size, or how they slew a pack of dragons.」
「A-An entire pack of dragons? That’s certainly amazing.」
「Nn.」
「Their combat ability is impressive to be sure, but the courage it took to challenge a dragon pack can’t be downplayed either. The ruler of the dwarves is rumored to have an extremely strong skill, so I guess it’s partly thanks to that…… But even without it, they are plenty strong. If we’re not careful, they really will take all the antidemons for themselves.」
「I’ll do my best.」
「I’ll do my best as well!」
About a half an hour later.
Before I knew it, the encampment was complete. Trenches and earthen walls were completely set up to prevent the enemy’s long-range attacks while limiting their invasion routes.
「The dwarves are as impressive as always.」
Brunen muttered to himself with a look of dismay, and I could not help but agree. Their building speed was just that fast. All of our soldiers were also stunned.
I then saw a few dwarves walking toward the Belioth Kingdom forces.
「Someone’s coming.」
「Oh? Whoa, it’s…… it’s Her Majesty the Dwarf Queen. I’m begging you, please don’t make a mess of this!」
「The queen?」
「That’s right. For now, just stand behind me and shut up.」
「Okay.」
The queen? She’s really leading her warriors personally? Then I guess it would be a no-brainer to bring the best of the best.
「The dwarves are always led by their Queen, and it shows in their results. Some countries send more than 10,000 troops, but they still can’t compare to the dwarves’ 1,000 soldiers.」
Brunen stood erect and immobile as he explained to us. His face remained unusually tense, and he was clearly nervous.
「Are you all right?」
「Weena Rhyn-dono normally handles the important figures, but I have to do the talking this time.」
He usually acted as Weena Rhyn’s second-in-command and never spoke during negotiations. Now that he suddenly has to deal with the royalty of another country, there’s no doubt he would be nervous.
Anyways, is the one at the front of the group there the queen? I know she has to be since she’s the only woman there, but……
「You are the ones from Belioth, correct? What happened to Weena Rhyn?」
「Yes! There were some special circumstances, so she could not accompany us this time.」
「I see. I am sorry to hear that.」
So this little girl really is the Dwarf Queen after all.
Yeah, the queen leading the dwarves had a very youthful appearance. She was a beautiful young girl with silver hair and slightly tanned skin. Her large golden eyes stared at us as if she was observing something.
Had she succeeded to the throne at a young age? Or was she just one of those legal loli types that have been getting popular in fantasy lately?
No, I suppose she didn’t look young enough to be called a loli. She appeared rather young because of her short stature, but in my eyes, she could be a 17-18 year old of below average height.
Dwarves had a longer life expectancy than humans, and the physique of their males was unique to say the least. They started growing their beards at age 10.
It was very possible that the appearance of female dwarves could be similarly unique.
However, there was nothing unnatural about their pompous attitude. There was no sense of sarcasm, no sense of being overbearing, but rather a dignity that made one naturally bow their head.
There can be no doubt that she was true royalty.
At any rate, it was perfectly clear that this queen was quite skilled. I could tell from the way she moved her feet, the air she exuded, and the presence that emanated from within her.
Even at a low estimate, she was definitely at least on the level of Rank A.
（She’s strong.）
『I know you’re happy, but don’t stare too much. She’s royalty, after all.』
（Nn. Got it.）
You don’t get it at all! I said stop staring! If she says you’re being disrespectful or something, we’ll be in big trouble!
