The forest leading from the border of the magic kingdom of Fonteau to the beastmen kingdom of Grabalt was so deep that there were places where no sunlight could reach even in the daytime, and there was an eerie feeling that monsters were about to appear.
The border at the entrance of the forest had been unmanned for a long time, and the large building where soldiers sleep had become a hive of insects, that even from a distance it was clear that it was not inhabitable.
The windows were stained with dust and fallen leaves, and the iron doorknobs were so rusty that it required a lot of strength to turn them.
A group of armed men came out of the road leading from the border to the forest.
At the head of the group was a group of beastmen with beast ears and tails, dressed in armor that emphasized ease of movement while minimizing skin exposure.
Behind them was a mage with a large triangular hat and an impressive staff.
After the thousand or so beastmen and mages had passed through the forest, the next group was made up of small men and women―― dwarves, hobbits, and fairies who were also dressed in equipment that showed very little skin.
There were about five hundred of them.
Each of these men and women, who were about to go into battle, held up the flags of their respective countries, Grabalt and Fonteau, while their eyes looked straight ahead.
Beyond the horizon.
Although it was not visible at the moment, the royal castle of Fonteau was just beyond their gaze.
A whorehouse occupied by the Black Ooze, it had become a nursery for monsters.
In order to save their companions there.
When the dwarves passed through the forest, the next to show up were children and old people, also small in stature...... dressed in minimal equipment, with as little skin as possible exposed.
Not only humans but also beastmen and elven boys have joined the battle.
The children help push the carts and raise their respective flags to inspire their allies, and the old men follow suit.
It was an all-out battle.
If they lose here, the next rescue mission could be a year or several years away......
If that happened, the people trapped in Fonteau―― Queen Leticia and the other women would not be able to "endure" it, physically or mentally.
That was why all those who were willing to fight were participating in the mission.
To save their parents. To save their daughters. To save their loved ones, childhood friends, and friends.......
The strength of their feelings became the driving force that propelled the feet of the elderly and children who were normally unable to fight.
Their eyes were looking straight in the direction of the royal castle of Fonteau, and their lips were trembling slightly with tension and fear.
――And finally.
The knights on horseback appeared, and in the middle of them...... a woman with black hair and black dress in beautiful blue armor appeared.
"May this not be your last battle......"
Next to the black-haired hero Mariabelle, there was a beautiful blonde priestess who had been praying to the goddess Fasalina since they left the royal castle in Grabalt.
She was a follower of the goddess Fasalina, who summoned the black-haired hero from another world during the time when the continent was being overrun by the Demon King.
Jenna, a woman who was called the "Saint" because of her achievement in defeating the Demon King together with the hero, prayed to Mariabelle, the daughter of the hero, who inherited the holy sword and armor.
"May her sword purge the darkness......"
The total number of slimes was so small that it did not even reach three thousand, but about a year after the fall of the royal capital of Fonteau...... the number of slimes, starting with the Black Ooze, which they were going to fight, had increased to such an extent that they could not be contained in one country.
The difference in numbers was overwhelming.
Even though everyone knew that the odds of winning were hopelessly low, they still have to fight.
They all knew that if they didn't fight here, it would be impossible to resist the slime in the future.
However, the faces of those who were going into battle were tense and fearful, but not in despair.
Many of the people here know about the war against the Demon King―― the invasion by monsters and the despair of not knowing what tomorrow held, and the children were hopeful on the backs of these adults.
Above all, they were supported by the fact that they had a "hero" in their midst.
A black-haired hero who was summoned from another world.
The hero's daughter...... who had inherited the black hair and black eyes of the hero from the other world, the female hero Mariabelle.
The holy sword and armor that she wore, just like her father's, reminded them of the previous hero, and it pushed their back from cowering in fear.
"Her voice will light up the hearts of the people......"
"Everyone, we are now on our way to the royal capital of Fonteau! In order to save our companions, our family, and our friends―― I need your help!"
After Jenna's prayer, the female hero, Mariabelle, raised her voice while raising the holy sword to the sky.
The volume of her voice, which was unimaginably strong compared to a year ago when she was forced to leave her country, reached the ears of all of her more than 3,000 companions, and they all looked in Mariabelle's direction.
"The slime's surprise attack caused the fall of Fonteau, and from that day until today, the days of pain and sadness have continued―― but they are over!"
As though in response to Mariabelle's voice, as though in response to her powerful will, the holy sword in her right hand emitted a pale light.
The glow, combined with the sun's rays, was dazzling and warm, soothing and calming the hearts of those who saw it.
The old men and children who were trembling with fear at the upcoming battle, the warriors who were tense with fear at taking on the monsters.
After waiting for them to calm down, Mariabelle raised her voice.
"We will fight back starting today! The slime will be defeated by the "Valhari's Blessed Water" created from the power of Goddess Fasalina, and we will be victorious!
The holy sword from the goddess will tear the flesh of the hateful monsters and will surely protect our dignity and souls!!
Therefore, do not be afraid, look forward and advance!!"
Before going to battle, the uplifting feeling gradually spread through the minds of the warriors as they listened to the hero's voice.
In the minds of the people, the happy days they spent with their stolen lovers, mothers, sisters, and younger sisters came to mind.
But suddenly they were taken away from them, and some of them saw the scene of them being violated in front of their eyes, while others saw at the back of their heads as they gave themselves up to save their loved ones.
Tears welled up in their eyes as they remembered the scene, the humiliation, the horror.
"Let us all save them! The ones who are dear to us! The ones who are important to us!
All of us, together!! "
The first one to speak up was a boy of about ten years old.
"I want to save them!!"
"Yeah, we're all going to save them!!"
It didn't take long for the boy's voice to spread to the adults and resonate as a chorus of over three thousand warriors.
It was the kind of thing that the more it shook the earth, the more it shook the people's hearts―― it was the case with Mariabelle and her close companions, Meltia and Fornelis, who was standing by... and Kara, who usually didn't care much about others, and a being like Fenelieka, the succubus, as they all felt something in their heart.
"Let's save everyone! Let's win together!!"
"Oooohh!!!"
Mariabelle tilted the holy sword she was holding up towards the direction of the royal castle of Fonteau.
With that as a signal, everyone started walking.
"......Was this the right thing to do?"
Mariabelle whispered as she watched the people move forward with encouragement.
"Sending them all to the battlefield......."
The whispers she made on the horse were so small that only Jenna, who was next to her, heard them.
The blonde priestess who was called the "Saint" looked straight ahead at those words, and without looking away from the backs of the people who were about to go into battle, she laid her own hand on Mariabelle's left hand who was controlling the reins.
The hand that was too small to hold the holy sword was trembling, which made Mariabelle feel conflicted...... hesitating in sending the people into battle.
"I know. It's hard...... but we have to fight. If we don't fight and win, there is no future for humanity."
Jenna, who had fought against monsters and the demon king, thought that it was "normal".
The human race and the monster race.
Because they were incompatible, they have no choice but to kill each other, and if they want peace, they have no choice but to destroy each other―― that was the battle between humans and monsters.
Even though she was called the "saint," Jenna had no power to change her fate...... She told herself that the only justice was to seize the future by driving people to war.
It was all about uplifting their spirits and making people forget their fears so they have a better chance of survival.
That was the limit.
"If we lose, we will be destroyed―― just as we have done to the monsters since the day we defeated the Demon King."
As she walked her horse, Jenna looked at the side of Mariabelle's face as she controlled the reins.
Her face was tense with excitement at her speech, nervousness from being on an unfamiliar horse, and doubts about herself as she led people into battle.
It was not something she could show to the people who thought of her as very brave and adoring, but they wouldn't notice it from a distance.
"I'll do anything to protect you, Mariabelle."
"Please don't."
Mariabelle immediately shook her head to her words.
"Let's win together. Live... Save mother and save the country..."
"……Yeah."
"Jenna, as always, tries to put things in a bad light."
The one who interrupted the conversation was a gray-haired wolf beastwoman, Fornelis, the princess of Grabalt, the land of beastmen.
With her beloved oversized sword at her back, she skillfully maneuvered her horse to move to the left side of Mariabelle, opposite Jenna.
"We will defeat the slime with our companions and save Fonteau and Leticia―― that was all that matters for now.
If you are just thinking about the sacrifices you're going to have to make before you even start fighting is just going to depress you."
"I'm not as optimistic as you, Fornelis."
"If anyone gets hurt, you can heal them with your miracles―― no deaths. That's what I think we should do, though."
“…………”
Jenna, who have been thinking about what would happen if they lose even before the fight, and Fornelis's words seem like a good argument, and her voice choked up.
Mariabelle, who was listening to them, laughed in a cute voice like the sound of a bell.
"If someone is about to fall, I can take care of them. That's what you mean, isn't it?"
"That's right. You know what I mean, don't you, Mariabelle? I'm sure you'll be able to understand that we must win and you must not lose as a hero."
"Yes."
"......I envy you your positive attitude."
A few days later, Mariabelle and her group had found and liberated several villages on the way to the royal capital.
The battle before the recapture of the royal castle gave them all courage and confidence, and within ten days, the fear and anxiety in their faces disappeared and they began to get used to the battle.
Fornelis understood that this kind of "getting used to" was dangerous, but she didn't have the time or inclination to worry about it right now.
If they were used to fighting, if their fear had faded and they were no longer afraid of the slime, then both new and old soldiers were now proper "warriors".
Battle after battle, victory after victory.
The number of casualties had not increased as much as they had imagined, as humanity had won more and more battles with people fighting with weapons blessed with "Valhari's Blessed Water" instead of the holy sword bearer Mariabelle.......
At first, the poison was called "Valhari's Poison," but the name was changed because the word "poison" sounded too bad.
As the name "Blessed Water" sounded better, her companions immediately accepted it, so she guessed it wasn't such a bad change.
Incidentally, Jenna was the one who came up with the idea.
She was indeed a saint who captured the hearts of people, thought the chestnut-haired scientist Kara.
"So far, so good."
"Yeah. I think it's too good to be true, but it's not bad to have confidence in winning....... It's a good experience, especially for the old soldiers and the new ones, the kids."
Fornelis replied to Mariabelle's words, whose tension had eased with their current progress.
It was the night when the royal castle of Fonteau, their destination, was close enough to be seen with the naked eye.
There were seven figures in the tents for the commanding ranks, with Fornelis and Mariabelle.
Mariabelle, Meltia, Fornelis, Jenna, Kara, the captain who lead the warrior priests and the one who lead the mages from Fonteau.
A map was spread out in the center of the tent, and they were having dinner under the light of the torch while discussing tomorrow's plan.
――It took a long time to march while liberating villages scattered along the way as starting points and securing logistics and retreat routes, and a month had already passed since they left Grabalt.
"How's the blessed water's supply?"
"There is still room for more. We were able to secure some Valhari flowers last week, which is great―― even if we distribute them to all the troops, we can fight for another twenty days."
"Is that an accurate figure?"
"I think I'm the most knowledgeable in numbers here."
Responding immediately to the warrior priests' sarcasm, Kara placed the empty vials on the map...... where the liberated villages were.
There were fourteen of them.
After freeing them from the slime, they put one mage and five warriors who could fight and told them to notify them by smoke or something if something unforeseen happened.
The slimes were good at mimicry, but they didn't like Valhari's blessed water and couldn't get close to the village by sprinkling the water around them, preventing any surprise attacks.
So they march while clearing a path took time, and Mariabelle and her team were impatient to save the women who were being held captive as soon as possible...... But that would end tonight.
Now, they couldn't see it in the darkness of night, but before the sun went down, an elf had been able to see the royal castle of Fonteau from a distance.
"So, I have a question for Kara, who is good in numbers. How many slimes do you think there are in the capital?"
Probably because they understand that the decisive battle was near.
Jenna, who usually didn't joke around, said something light-hearted, and everyone in the room relaxed their mouths.
She relaxed her shoulders and exhaled slowly before turning her attention to Kara.
"Come on...... I don't know. I don't want to say too much, but it takes two or three days for the women to give birth, and there are thousands of women trapped in the royal capital of Fonteau, and that's about a year.
――As I said at the last meeting we had in Grabalt, I think it's well over ten thousand."
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"That's true. But we have the holy sword and armor of the hero, and the blessed water that you made."
"You can get a priest to heal you of things like paralyzing poison, and the children can even kill them by coating their dagger with the blessed water and stabbing them into the slime―― if one can kill them with a single blow, the difference in numbers is...... well, still overwhelming."
"Kara-sama, there's nothing that should make you uneasy."
"That's the truth, Meltia-sama. The numbers are real, and they can't be overturned, but that doesn't mean you can't win."
"Yeah."
Fornelis agreed with Kara's words.
"It took a while but having the old soldiers kill the slime while liberating the village boosted everyone's morale. If we are careful about tentacle whips, stabbing, and choking, you won't die instantly―― and because we know that, we can go to the death...... and stab the slime to death."
"That's where we come in."
"Jenna and the other priests will use the "Talisman of Light" to ensure safety and protect the injured, the mages will cover the front lines from a distance, and I will lead the way to the royal castle."
"It's simple."
"It's best to keep the battle simple."
Fornelis responded immediately to Kara's words.
In fact, even if they devise a difficult strategy, their opponent was a monster that absorbed the knowledge of the humans it had taken in.
Compared to wisdom, humanity had little chance of winning.
If that was the case, they would make a breakthrough so that the morale they had built up to get there didn't slow down. It was a matter of using the momentum to push through―― paving the way to the royal castle, saving Leticia and the other prisoners, and defeating the "Origin" that probably existed.
......Anyone could understand if one gave a number of tens of thousands.
It was impossible at this point to destroy every single slime.
Whether it was the blessed water or the power of the hero.
An army of three thousand people with inferior individual skills couldn't annihilate tens of thousands, maybe more, slimes.
"The first thing we need to do is save Leticia and the others, and defeat the origin slime. The mages in Fonteau said that it was the monster in the abandoned mine that caused the problem in the first place, right?"
"Yes. I heard that the first time a monster appeared in the abandoned mithril mine, it began to attack the villages at the foot of the mountain, and the adventurers received a request."
From there, Meltia gathered information on the exact date and time, the number of people killed, and the number of days between the request and the fall of Fonteau. She explained them.
"I think that's the slime that attacked your mother on the day that Fonteau fell."
"The first slime that appeared...... was probably in the royal castle of Fonteau."
Kara placed the vial on the map at the location of the royal castle in Fonteau.
"It has a tendency to capture women, make them give birth to children, and absorb their mana. It's highly likely that it's beside Leticia-sama, the most powerful mage on this continent."
Using Valhari's blessed water, and with the help of Mariabelle, she examined the slime's "core" that she collected a few months ago and she knew that the slime increased its mana as it took in people.
It not only killed and dissolved, but also absorbed mana from various bodily fluids, and women were violated...... as their bodily fluids such as sweat and love juice could be used as food to strengthen the slime.
It was the reason why the slime could use magic, even though it was supposed to be a monster that could not use mana.
It could store and use the mana it had taken in.
However, since the property of not being able to produce mana was still there, it could be said that by letting its mana be used up, it would become just a poisonous slime.
……But with the total mana it had taken from the thousands or even tens of thousands of people trapped in Fonteau―― and the slimes that were also still active in Grabalt and Lishlua.
It was easy to predict that the total amount of mana was increasing from a year ago when Leticia was defeated, which was said to have mana comparable to the demon king.
"That's right. If we're lucky, defeating the origin might bring about some changes in the slimes. If we can help Leticia, she can be a great asset―― it will turnaround, but it's not going to make things worse than they are now."
"That's what I'm betting on now. Well, I don't think it can get any worse....... Maybe."
"Don't say things that make me nervous, Kara."
Jenna muttered, her shoulders slumping at Kara's words.
……That was the purpose of their mission.
They would rescue Leticia and the other captives and kill the origin slime―― the first one, the Black Ooze.
Would it change the slimes, or would it change nothing? ......Will defeating the origin make the other slimes disappear?
For now, they could only cling to that hope.
For humanity, it was the only hope and goal in a desperate situation.
One by one, step by step, they would surely move forward...... That was all.
The next day at noon, people were gathering in front of the royal capital of Fonteau after what might be their last day.
There was no sign of the slimes.
The cityscape peeking through the large gate, which was still open, was miserable, but there was no sign of anything moving there.
It was a beautiful cityscape built on the knowledge of the hero from the other world.
A country where buildings were built in even rows like a grid and the streets were once crowded with a variety of races, full of vitality.
Its beautiful cityscape was devastated even from a distance, and when the wind blew, debris fell from the destroyed buildings and made a small sound......
As she clutched her mother's old staff to her chest, Meltia gasped at the sight of her home country in all its changed glory and covered her mouth with her hands.
In order to hold back the sobs that were about to escape.
Looking sideways at her sister's figure, Mariabelle removed her gaze from the streets of the royal capital without losing her dignified expression.
"Fornelis-sama, then, as we discussed last night."
"Yeah―― Mariabelle, Meltia, Kara...... and Fenelieka."
"I feel like I'm just an extra though?"
Her protests were ignored.
The four people who had just been called by name―― the princesses of Fonteau, the scientist who knew a lot about slime biology and excelled at swordplay, and the female succubus that Mariabelle trusted, had dismounted.
Kara was carrying a large sack on her back, containing a large amount of Valhari's blessed water and antidotes to the paralyzing poisons used by the slimes.
Each of them was dressed in their own equipment and was unremarkably mixed in with the army.
"We'll take the fight above ground of the royal capital and distract the slimes. The four of you go through the underground passage leading to the royal castle and go straight for the origin."
"……Yes"
It was a completely different discussion than the one they had last night.
Naturally.
The slime may absorb the knowledge and even the memories of the person who it had taken in...... it was something that Kara had been saying a lot.
That was why only Fornelis and Jenna know the real plan, and none of them have told the warrior priests and mages who command various units.
"Even so, is there a secret passage that leads directly to the royal castle?"
Mariabelle smiled at Fenelieka's words.
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......The two princesses knew.
They knew that there was an escape route that led directly to the outskirts of Fonteau from the castle. It was a secret path that they had found while playing in the castle when they were still children.
In the past, there was a huge uproar in the castle over the disappearance of the sisters, and when they returned to the castle, Leticia was very angry with them.
The ones who would be invading were the hero, a mage with mana comparable to Leticia's, a swordswoman, and...... a succubus.
It was hard to describe this group of friends.
But strangely, there was no fear in their faces.
Nervousness―― a lot of it was anxiety about what would happen to their comrades while they were gone.
Mariabelle, in particular, was anxious about being separated from the more than three thousand people who had traveled with her to this point.
She was going to lead the way and break through the swarm of slimes―― she certainly had a plan for that.
However, they thought it was more important to defeat the Black Ooze without exhausting the hero.
The holy sword of the hero, the power of the goddess―― its power to annihilate monsters was indeed mighty, and now that Mariabelle, like her father, understood the danger of the world, her power had grown to the point where it surpassed even the skilled warrior, Fornelis.
But their stamina was finite, and they need to be in top shape to take on the unknown evolution of the Black Ooze...... When they thought about it, they have to move in a small group to avoid being noticed.
The only question left was whether or not the slime knew about the secret passage―― the secret passage was known only to royalty, and Leticia's parents died in the battle against the Demon King.
The only people who know about it were Leticia and her husband, the hero from another world.
If the hero from the other world was no longer in this world and Leticia who was most likely still alive, then her memory had not been absorbed and the slime was not aware of it―― that was what Kara thought.
In the event that there were slimes, Meltia and Kara would clear the way for them, and Fenerieka would protect Mariabelle as they moved forward...... it was too risky to call it a strategy, but Fornelis would take on more than ten thousand slimes with a force of only three thousand.
In terms of risks, both were the same.
"Then, let's go."
"Let's live and see each other again... safely"
"I will. Be careful, Fornelis-sama, Jenna-sama."
"Meltia, Mariabelle."
Finally, Jenna held them to her chest. She stroked their hair with her hands like a mother would.
"I did not want to make you both fight."
“…………”
"Sorry."
Then she immediately let go.
The woman's eyes were filled with sadness, but her mouth was tied tightly shut to prevent her from saying any more words.
Her grief at having her best friend's―― her daughters stand before her on the battlefield was no different than that of her own daughter.
Both Jenna and Fornelis have no children. But if their child was in the same position, they knew what they would say.......
"Win. Come back and be with Leticia."
"――Yes."
"It's not like it's goodbye forever."
As though to interrupt such a farewell, Fenelieka opened her mouth.
"If we lose, we'll just get caught and fucked. We're not going to get killed."
That was true, too.
Fornelis, Jenna, and Kara, who had been violated before, had mixed feelings about that.
For the succubus, sex was not something that they avoid, and Fenelieka and the dozens of other succubus were somewhat at ease with the situation.
However, they didn't want to be violated endlessly.
Those who considered sexual intercourse to be sacred strongly did not want to be violated by a slime.
Whether it was better that they didn't die or that they couldn't tolerate it...... was up to each person.
"Humans are strange. You're not going to die, but you think things are too hard."
"We are thinking more deeply about things than a succubus."
"Well, you're saying we are idiots...... I've helped you so many times though, you terrible girl."
"Uu."
"Meltia can't argue with Fenelieka.
"That... that's not true, Fornelis-sama."
Meltia was at a loss for words after being ridiculed by the counterargument that came out.
By saved, she meant that when Meltia was kidnapped by the slime, they were violated together, which attracted the slime's attention.
Instead of Meltia, Fenelieka would embarrass her by repeatedly telling her that she had been violently raped.
She wanted to refute it with strong words, but she couldn't say anything more because it was true...... Such an expression was interesting, and Fenelieka always made fun of Meltia.
It was becoming a part of her daily life since she started working with her.
They were monsters and enemies of humanity.
However, they have no problem having sex with men and absorbing their life force as long as it was consensual, and they could have conversations like this.
Although their way of thinking was a little different, it was not something that a beastmen would think too much about, and Fornelis began to have feelings for the female succubus that she had never felt before.
It was not disgust or hostility, but a feeling of camaraderie with one of the many races of beastmen.
"Fenelieka, take care of Mariabelle. Just for today, put her before Meltia."
"Ro~ger~that. It's difficult, hero-sama."
"――――Fornelis-sama, Jenna-sama. I'll come back victorious."
"Yeah. I'm waiting for a good result."
With that, Fornelis took her gaze from the four of them.
They parted ways in the rush of the battle and went their separate ways.
They knew that this might be their last goodbye, but they didn't doubt her victory in the slightest.
Mariabelle―― The hero was fine.
The problem was here. It was them.
As though to inspire that feeling, Fornelis pulled out her beloved oversized sword on her back and raised it to the sky.
"Let the battle begin! Let's go! Fight to save your family, your friends―― your loved ones back!"
The sky was clear.
The cloudless blue sky was disgustingly clear, and the brilliant sun was blessing Fornelis and her comrades.