Chapter 164
This could be called a simple fort—or perhaps a frontline base.
An area surrounded by wooden barricades, with soldiers' tents scattered throughout as hunting bases.
We arrived there as planned in the evening.
"I am Knight Coltle, in command of this area! Lord Lotus, we are grateful for your reinforcements.""Not at all. Duke Edelgard believed it would be unfavorable if the damage here worsened. Given that, sending reinforcements was only natural."
After disembarking from the carriage, we followed Lotus to the largest tent, where a knight who appeared to be of giant descent greeted us.
"And these are the ones in question?"
Once the introductions were finished, his imposing gaze turned toward us.
"Yes, this is Liberta’s group, who will be assisting us this time.""I've heard from His Majesty. That boy there is said to be skilled enough to defeat ten of Boltlande's soldiers single-handedly."
Despite our group including children, there was no hint of condescension in his eyes. If anything, his expression held a glimmer of expectation.
"Though it's embarrassing to admit, we were at our wits' end when your reinforcements arrived. We’ll be counting on you.""Is the situation that dire?""Not dire yet, but it's heading that way. We’ve been thinning their numbers and preventing a stampede, but it’s becoming harder to push deeper. At this rate, even culling them will be difficult."
Knight Coltle scratched his head and let out a heavy sigh, as if the countdown to a stampede was weighing on him.
"What about reinforcements from the capital?""They’ve promised to send them, but mobilizing troops takes time. At best, an advance party should arrive within a few days."
This frontline base had about two hundred soldiers—most of them from the Duke’s forces.
"...So we’re just buying time?""I can’t speak to palace affairs, but it’s clear someone is hindering His Majesty’s movements."
Under normal circumstances, at least one knight order would have been deployed—this was a crucial stronghold. Yet only two hundred soldiers stood guard.
Lotus’s expression darkened as he grasped the situation.
Noble political strife was at play here too, it seemed.
They spared no effort in sabotaging others.
An ugly world where such things had become routine.
"Which is exactly why we’ll take any help we can get. Your arrival, Lord Lotus, is nothing short of divine intervention.""Hahaha! It truly might be a blessing from the heavens! Liberta here has already shared his plans for wiping out the enemy—he seems quite confident.""Oh? Then he’s every bit as capable as his reputation suggests for venturing onto the battlefield at his age!"
I suppressed a sigh.
So we had to face this raid battle while dealing with political instability in the background.
"Now, Liberta.""Yes?""We followed your instructions and built trenches, barricades, and a raised platform between the outpost and the dungeon. But are you certain that alone will be enough to repel them?""Absolutely. How many tiers does the platform have?""Three, as you requested.""Then we’ll win. No—"
Coltle gave a wry smile as I corrected myself.
Raid battles were won or lost by preparation.
"We’ll achieve total victory."
Only fools charged in blindly.
With prior knowledge, losing while fully prepared was unacceptable.
"You sound very confident. Care to explain the strategy?""Of course."
Though Coltle and Burly shuddered slightly, I pressed on.
"I asked Lord Lotus to prepare thirty wind mages from the Duke’s forces, fifteen healers, and a hundred shield specialists."
If you knew how to win, why wouldn’t you stack the deck?
There was no reason not to set up an inescapable trap.
"Fifty cavalry, all with Riding and Magic skills. The remaining three hundred are spearmen or archers."
And since we could freely position NPCs rather than relying on random placement, we could form an ideal battle formation.
The goal was to eliminate every possible disadvantage.
"Here’s the formation."
I pulled out a raid strategy map from my Magic Bag—one I’d prepared specifically for the Grasshopper General—and spread it over a nearby table.
"This is the platform. Amina will be positioned at the top tier."
I pointed to a red dot.
"From here, she’ll use her Singing skill to buff the entire army while drawing the enemy’s attention. The Grasshoppers will emerge from the dungeon and charge straight toward her song."
That red dot was the linchpin.
Her Song of Cheers would maintain attack boosts and regeneration, while Tailwind increased movement speed—all while ensuring the enemy remained focused on her.
I traced a straight line from the dungeon to the barricades.
A moat had been dug in front of the barricades, but Hopping Soldiers were known for their jumping prowess—this was merely a minor obstacle.
"Position the shield unit five meters behind the barricades to strike any enemies that leap over. Spearmen will support from behind."
The key was attacking during their landing lag—the brief moment of vulnerability after a jump.
"Deploy the units in a fan shape to allow multi-angle interception. This will be a prolonged battle, so keep reserve units in the rear to maintain full combat readiness."
This was what players called landing punishes.
The moment an enemy touched the ground, their next action was delayed by a fraction.
Exploiting that window allowed us to thin their numbers efficiently.
"Next, the archers will occupy the first tier of the platform. They’ll use the elevation to support the frontlines and shoot down airborne enemies."
But that alone wouldn’t stabilize the battlefield.
These monsters could fly after jumping.
Losing air superiority would be disastrous.
Hence, the archers.
"We’ve prepared a hundred, divided into three rotating squads. Ten will handle arrow resupply and bow replacements."
Insect-type monsters were notorious for their numbers and toughness—killing them outright with arrows required either high-quality bows or critical hits like headshots.
"Three squads? Wouldn’t two suffice? Why the extra?""Archers have two roles: ground targeting and anti-air. The third squad acts as a reserve for rotation.""I see."
As I answered Coltle’s question, I checked for other doubts—but found none.
"Understood. My apologies for interrupting—please continue."
Nodding, I resumed.
"The mages on the second tier will act as stationary artillery. Their sole focus is area wind magic to reduce enemy numbers."
This formation ensured we could defend against the Hopping Soldiers’ onslaught.
In a player raid, maxed-out characters would optimize cooldowns and MP management to create an efficient farming loop.
But since we lacked such a cheat-tier force, we’d settled for the next best thing.
Fortunately, the recent windfall of spirit stones allowed us to mass-produce earth-attribute shields, wind-attribute spears, and bows.
The Duke’s connections were terrifyingly efficient—by the time we’d left, merchants had already exchanged the stones for craftsmen to forge weapons.
Even the mages’ gear was tailored specifically for Hopping Soldiers.
Though specialized, the equipment still retained versatility for other foes.
"Finally, the cavalry. Their role is flanking strikes to whittle down the enemy."
Up until now, the strategy had been defensive. Now, we shifted to offense.
Pure defense would drag out the battle.
We needed to actively cull their numbers.
That was the cavalry’s job.
With Amina drawing aggro, the mobile magic cavalry could strike from the sides.
Since enemy focus would remain on her, they could freely gallop into dense clusters and unleash spells.
"If we hold out for half a day, the boss—the Grasshopper General—will appear."
Boss spawn conditions were either eliminating a set number of enemies or time expiration.
Here, the boss would almost certainly appear before we wiped them all out.
Total annihilation required players aggressively pushing into spawn points—something our defensive setup avoided.
Besides, defensive battles yielded more loot anyway.
"Any questions about the Hopping Soldier interception plan?""Will you be staying to guard Amina?""Claudia and Ingrid will handle that. Nel and I will be on the frontlines causing havoc."
Coltle’s eyes widened.
"You’ll be fighting among the soldiers?""No, we’ll operate independently as skirmishers."
Joining their formations would only disrupt coordination.
Nel’s sheer firepower and my unconventional fighting style didn’t mesh with their tactics.
"Truly, the rumors of your heroism are well-founded. To face such numbers without fear—I’m impressed."
Honestly, as long as Amina maintained aggro, diving into the horde wasn’t overly risky.
And having high-damage units actively thinning enemy ranks would stabilize the raid further.
"That’s not really—"
I didn’t mind being called a hero, but being revered as one was premature.
Before I could downplay it, a soldier burst into the tent.
"Captain! Smoke signals from the dungeon!"
"Now of all times?!"
The raid was beginning at sunset.
Coltle grimaced—night battles were a nightmare.
"Lord Lotus.""Yes?""We’re commencing interception.""Understood. I’ll mobilize the troops. Sir Coltle?""Right. We move out as well."
Night battles were problematic—reduced visibility increased the chances of overlooked enemies and ambushes.
But I wasn’t overly concerned.
As the outpost erupted into frantic activity, an odd nostalgia washed over me.
How long had it been since I’d felt this pre-raid tension?
"Liberta, the interception point is about a kilometer ahead. We’ll leave the carriages here. Ensure you’re fully prepared."
Lotus’s confirmation dialogue felt like something straight out of a game menu.
"I’m ready. Everyone else?""I’m good.""M-Me too.""Ever-ready for battle.""No issues here."
No excessive nervousness—just steady resolve.
"Apologies for the unnecessary concern.""Not at all. Thank you for checking.""An old man’s paranoia, nothing more."
With Lotus’s signal, we began moving.
Only Claudia, Ingrid, and I could ride horses.
"Nel, your hand.""Thanks."
I mounted alone, then pulled Nel up.
Normally, a child couldn’t lift someone in full gear—but stat enhancements made it trivial.
Nel rode with me, Amina with Claudia, and Ingrid alone.
"Alright—let’s move out!"
With that, we set off toward the battlefield.