The reconnaissance confirmed that the monsters resembled mice.
They were about 50 centimeters long. Although large for a mouse, they fall into the category of small monsters. The danger level per individual would probably be 1.
The number was approximately 300. No matter how weak the 1 danger level monsters are, a horde of 50-centimeter-long mice could easily devour a village like this one in no time. If we’re not careful, even humans could be killed.
However, we are here. A swarm of mice thought to have strength only comparable to goblins would be completely exterminated by soldiers armed with ancient weapons and firearms.
As for concerns, the only thing to watch out for is that they are small, and we might miss some.
However, there was one more thing that bothered me.
I had gathered monster information at the Dakia village guild, but I had never heard of a mouse monster appearing in the snowy mountains.
Thinking it might be a minor species that only inhabits this area, I decided to ask the village chief just in case.
“Mice-type monsters, you say? Hmm… I’m sorry, but I have never seen any around here,” was the response.
Despite living here for a long time, they had never seen or heard of such an unknown monster.
I felt a slight bad premonition, but battle was unavoidable. For now, we had no choice but to prepare thoroughly and wait to ambush.
“All personnel have taken their positions.”
My deputy commander, Ain, reported. Since there were only 15 of us, it was evident by looking, but when armed with guns, we maintained a much wider spacing compared to when archers were lined up. If armed with assault rifles, a single person could cover a much larger forward attack range than with bows or crossbows.
It’s a small number, but we could form a kill zone that would be more than enough to annihilate the giant mice.
If we had this personnel and equipment, we could have made things much easier during the Alsace battle, I thought to myself, as we lined up over the village fence, waiting for the enemy’s arrival.
The mice were heading straight toward us without hesitation. With my “Black Wind Detection,” I also sensed a response as reported.
Before long, they would burst into the open plain leading to this village from beyond the logging site.
In the logging site lined with logs, the dark forest of the night felt agitated despite the absence of wind—here they come, the leading mouse revealed itself.
“Fire the flares.”
“Flares, launch!”
The commands were repeated, and with a whistling sound, multiple flares shot into the night sky, immediately emitting dazzling lights.
Suddenly exposed to light as bright as midday, the mice let out startled cries. The monsters, revealed beneath a pseudo midday sun, indeed resembled mice closely.
Their bodies looked like oversized white house mice, with yellow eyes and long tails that they waved around.
They didn’t seem strong. After all, they were just large mice.
“Attack start.”
Even illuminated by the flares, the swarm continued to advance without stopping. They had already reached a sufficient distance.
When I gave the order, sparks flew from the gun barrels, and bullets were rapidly expelled.
The white-furred mice on the snowy field were harder to hit than humans, but I had trained enough not to miss even that.
The barrage of bullets accurately caught the swarm of mice, splattering red-black blood and flesh onto the snow.
“Keep firing. Don’t let a single one escape.”
In the blink of an eye, the leading mouse collapsed and about one-third of the swarm fell. The horde, which came charging straight ahead, would soon be wiped out—just as I thought.
Squeak, squeak, grippppppppp!
An eerie growl, different from the high-pitched squeaks typical of mice, erupted from the horde at once.
What is that, I wondered, but the change was quickly evident.
The mice stood up, and in the next moment, their bodies began to swell. Muscles bulged out from within, overflowing as if they were expanding.
Their faces transformed from looking like mere mice to having the bloodshot, fierce gaze of a ferocious monster, revealing sharp fangs alongside their front teeth.
Then, the mice stood on two legs and rapidly grew to about 2 meters tall, their physique transforming into that of a bulky orc.
The large humanoid draped in white fur could be called a yeti.
Upon closer inspection, even the mice that had been shot and fell began to change, rising despite bleeding from their bodies, with several of them becoming noticeable.
They didn’t just get bigger; they seemed to have some level of regeneration.
Mice that transformed into monsters… they had abilities that seemed straight out of a monster panic movie.
“Load as many bullets as you can. Even if they get larger, the bullets will still hit. Keep firing without fear!”
“Yes, my lord.”
Despite facing the yeti mice displaying completely unexpected power, the homunculi showed not the slightest hint of agitation and faithfully executed the orders.
They wouldn’t fall with just one shot. However, after several had been fired, even the distinctly snowy mice men seemed to reach their limit. Their fur wouldn’t stop the bullets from the “Storm Rifle.” Once hit, they would definitely accumulate damage.
The giant yeti fell, staining its white fur a deep red.
“Wogaaaaaaah!!”
However, the mighty roar demonstrated their high fighting spirit.
Although we could take them down with gunfire, they were steadily closing the distance, making good use of their 300 numbers.
“They’re tough. If this continues, we will be overwhelmed.”
If even one of those monsters enters the village, it’s over. The exclusive adventurer party of the village was also behind us, but it seemed uncertain whether they could take down the yetis.
If we didn’t finish them off ourselves, we were bound to have casualties.
“Prim.”
“Yes?”
“I’m leaving it to you.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Despite her cute voice, the red eyes of the Hellhound sparkled.
That yeti was about the right strength for Prim to handle. Its power and speed were far inferior to the ancient armor “Hellhound,” and that durability wouldn’t be too challenging to kill.
Let’s leave what we can to others. I’ll stay as the last line of defense, ready to act should any of them break into the village.
It’s best to leave this to Prim and the others.
By the time the sun rose, the cleanup of the exterminated creatures was complete.
Having skillfully countered the yetis that dared to approach the village while dodging a storm of bullets, Prim wielded the enormous battle axe “Butcher” for power armor in her right hand, and in her left, she had the “EA Vortex Machine Gun,” taking down and shooting the tough snowy mice one after the other.
The 300-strong horde had been completely eliminated, and peace had returned to the village.
However, I knew even before I bit into the carob for breakfast that it would only be temporary.
“—So, they also appeared to the east and west.”
Early in the morning, messages were sent from both the Fiona squad and Sariel squad.
They reported that the same events had occurred in the neighboring village where the two were stationed last night.
Both squads seemed to have dealt with the invading horde without falling behind, successfully exterminating the attackers, but…
“This is bad, there are too many of them.”
The main force of those mice had been confirmed at the foot of the mountain range.
Sariel witnessed it. Seeing this abnormal situation with a monster attack exceeding expectations, Sariel took it upon herself to ride her pegasus, Shiro, and conducted aerial reconnaissance.
As a result, she discovered a horde of mice amounting to nearly ten thousand.
“Village chief, it seems these mice have nested in what looks like a tunnel… Was there such a village around here?”
“Y-yes, that’s a new pioneer village… they just started construction last year, and it’s not even on the map yet.”
I couldn’t believe such a place existed.
Upon hearing more details from the village chief, it seemed that it was accidentally discovered that the area could yield several types of magic stones.
While exploring the vicinity, an adventurer party found a large cave. Fortunately, only a few weak small monsters inhabited it, posing no real threat. However, they found that the cave walls exposed raw magic stone ores, indicating its value as a mine.
Upon receiving that report, the Lord of Dakia promptly decided to create a pioneer village for mining magic stones.
Farmers, the second or third sons of families that couldn’t inherit the homestead from Dakia territory, were gathered and sent along with a few dwarf miners to instruct on tunnel digging and mining.
It became the village closest to the Galahad Mountain Range in Dakia territory, and the pioneering efforts were thought to be on track, expected to withstand winter without problems.
“If they started digging the tunnel, they might have disturbed the nests of those mice.”
The discovered cave was large and long but had ended in a dead end. However, it turned out that beyond that dead end, similar caves were still spreading… The mice had made their home there and overflowed this way due to the tunnel connection.
“Oh no… so what about the people from the pioneer village?”
“Unfortunately, survival seems hopeless.”
According to Sariel’s reconnaissance, the area that looked like the pioneer village was already overflowing with them.
The food stores and granaries for surviving winter were long since devoured, not leaving a single grain of wheat. Naturally, no signs of human life were found, and all the structures of the pioneer village had collapsed.
Considering the speed of their movement, the overflow from the pioneer village tunnel would have started about three days ago.
If by some chance they managed to flee into the forest, they would likely not stand a chance of surviving, having fled in just the clothes on their backs. They would freeze to death within a night.
Even I cannot suggest going to search for survivors in the area overrun by yetis, with that minimal possibility.
“I’m sorry, but village chief, please prepare to escape immediately. There are simply too many enemies. We have no choice but to retreat to Dakia village.”
“Y-you’re abandoning this village…? Is there no way to do something?”
“From the neighboring village, evacuations have already started towards here. The best we can do is provide escort to Dakia village.”
“…I apologize for asking for the impossible. We are fortunate that you can escort us.”
“We’ll have to leave the rest to the Spada Army. If reinforcements arrive, we can dispose of the mice horde quickly. We’ll return here again.”
“Thank you… I will tell everyone to prepare to escape immediately.”
The village chief made a pained expression as he made the decision.
Thus, the evacuation to Dakia village was decided.
By tomorrow, villagers protected by Fiona and Sariel from the eastern and western neighboring villages would converge here and then head to Dakia village.
Until everyone is evacuated, it would take at least two days at the fastest. It’s better to expect around three days.
“The mice will surely come again. I hope the main force doesn’t come in full.”
This would be the third time I’d escort villagers in evacuation.
The first time was in Alsace, and the second time was in the exact same place, but the people I protected were from a crusader’s pioneer village.
This time, the enemy was neither the invading crusaders nor a gigantic octopus flying through the sky. The horde of yetis is much more manageable compared to those.
However, we can’t afford to let our guard down, thinking so, we took our positions to watch over the village, which was becoming increasingly busy with evacuation preparations.
“My lord, I have a report.”
It was around before noon when Ain came to me.
“We have spotted a gathering of knights heading this way. The banner they raise belongs to the Spada Army’s Second Unit, ‘Tempest.'”
“The reinforcements have already arrived?”
That was too quick. The information about the yeti mice should not have reached them yet.
But this was unexpectedly good news. It’s possible that reinforcements from Spada may have been requested by Dakia village before this security mission was issued.
“Tempest” is a unit focused on cavalry with mobility, quickly rushing to areas of monster disaster. They didn’t come here by coincidence; they clearly came to hunt monsters.
“This might mean we won’t have to evacuate after all.”
Just as I felt a little relieved, I soon learned that this reinforcements would cause me trouble.
“Wh-why are you here?!”
A piercing scream echoed in the guild’s lobby.
How rude, pointing at me with her finger while shouting, was a small girl with vibrant red twin tails and shining golden eyes.
I certainly recognized that face. I had a reason to be well acquainted with being yelled at like this.
Yes, she was none other than Princess Charlotte Tristan of Spada.
Oh no, of all people, this child showed up.
“We are undertaking the quest for the protection of Dakia territory as a mercenary corps, Princess Charlotte.”
“Using unfamiliar honorifics is creepy. Just speak normally!”
I had gone out of my way to use polite language appropriate for royalty since this wasn’t school anymore, yet I was met with this treatment.
The moment she laid eyes on me, Charlotte made a visibly displeased expression, leaving the village chief, who was managing evacuations in the guild, as well as the receptionist assistant and several villagers, to freeze in a bowed position.
Yeah, that’s the correct reaction. This hysterical princess can decide to pick a fight over anything that doesn’t sit right with her.
But faced with such treatment, I lacked the patience to persist with unnatural politeness. In a disrespectful and arrogant manner, I stood proudly in front of Princess Charlotte.
“What complaints do you have? We are just doing our job as mercenaries.”
“A mercenary corps? That sounds suspicious.”
“We are officially registered under the name ‘Dark Knight Corps.'”
“The name Dark Knight sounds even more suspicious when you say it.”
What the hell, “Dark Knight Freesia” is a major figure recognized as the god of knights, it’s a proudly named title!
This brat claims everything I’m involved with is suspicious, even though it was an old incident.
“Regardless, it’s a relief that you came to reinforce us in this situation.”
What rushed in were about 100 cavalrymen led by Charlotte.
The main force was garrisoned in Dakia village, seemed to be facilitating evacuations from the surrounding areas. Once the evacuations were complete, they would likely move to strike the main horde of mice.
“Hmph, protecting the citizens is the duty of the royal family. More importantly, can you explain the situation in the village?”
With her red twin tails waving, Charlotte turned her fierce gaze toward the village chief, who was bowing deeply.
“Y-you are too kind, Princess Charlotte…”
“Aah, it’s such a hassle dealing with people who aren’t used to it during times like this. Never mind, you explain!”
“Y-you are too kind, Princess Charlotte…”
“Just skip that and get to the point already!!”
Damn it, I thought I could slide by imitating the village chief.
I had no confidence in handling Princess Charlotte. Meanwhile, I got along so well with my brother Wil.
However, for her to show willingness to listen to an explanation from someone she dislikes like me was a sign of her seriousness. Back in school, she wouldn’t even want to talk to me, considering me filthy.
“This is the situation.”
Surrounding the spread-out map on the guild table, I briefly explained the situation.
That people were evacuating from the neighboring villages to the east and west towards here. That we were also in the process of preparing here.
And that the mice had appeared from the tunnel of a new pioneer village.
“Huh, I see…”
Charlotte nodded with a serious expression, thinking deeply.
Given the circumstances, there was no choice but for her to participate in the evacuation escort. For “Tempest,” the main focus would be to initially gather the evacuees in Dakia village and prepare defenses before executing a extermination operation.
“Then I’ll leave the escort to you.”
“…Huh?”
What is she talking about? What does she plan to do instead? Is she going to have a sophisticated tea time like a princess?
“Don’t give me that uninterested reply. Escorting the evacuees is also your job, you know?”
“Of course, that’s what I planned to do.”
“Then that settles it. Make sure to do it properly.”
“Yeah, I’ll do it without being told… But what about your hundred cavalrymen? What do you plan to do?”
“Hmph, that’s already decided—”
With her thin chest puffed out in confidence, Charlotte declared proudly.
“I’m going to search for survivors in the pioneer village!”