Chapter 384 – 384. The First Great Requisition of the Sage (8)

– One –

“Your majesty.”

“Hmm.”

“I’m sorry to inform you, but because the power source is overloaded, I think I’ll have to stay at least one day in the fortress.”

Regal’s expression darkens.

He turns his head and looks out the window.

“Umm… That’s right…”

As Stras Eila moved closer to the unexplored lands, it was possible to successfully establish a communication connection from the supply base to the forward base in turn.

Shortly thereafter, Regal was informed by the local manager that communication relay equipment had been damaged at the supply base, and that thousands of people had died of severe dehydration due to mass food poisoning at the forward base.

Intuitively recognizing that it was the experiments of the subjects, he increased his output to the maximum and started heading north.

“Did I rush too much because I was nervous…”

However, because his mind was in a hurry, there was something he overlooked.

It was the fact that there were too many supplies and too many people on board in Stras Eila.

By the time we reached the supply base, the power source had miraculously not been destroyed, but the mana stored in the power source had been completely depleted due to a severe overload.

Such complete depletion of mana was a problem that could not be solved even by squeezing wizards and shamans.

Only time can solve it.

“Even if all of the wizards and shamans were put in reserve, they couldn’t even secure the minimum amount of mana to start?”

“It is so, Your Majesty.”

“Umm… I can’t help it. I see. Let’s take a day off and unload the supplies we brought.”

“Insect!”

Regal gives orders to the operative who has taken the place of commander in place of Absinthe.

It was solemn.

He clearly showed the image of the emperor.

His play as an emperor seemed plausible.

The fact that such majesty could not be officially shown to all the subjects of the Empire was regrettable for those who watched.

– 2 –

Gureung, gurureung!
Kurrrr!

The sound of something huge rolling is heard.

However, even if you wash your eyes and look at it, the shape of that huge mass cannot be seen.

Damna, even in the grass a few hundred meters away from that place, I could clearly feel the overwhelming presence it radiated.

“He’s here.”

Monohorn murmured, and everyone reflexively nodded.

“Can’t we just go and kill him at this point?”

“It’s a heavy burden. Besides, if there’s anyone among them who can counteract Estrus or Benison-san’s movements, we can never come back alive.”

“What if Monohon kills me from afar?”

“As I’ve already said, the possibility of failure is too great. If we touch it prematurely and fail, only our location will be discovered. Then, from then on, the great chase will begin.”

Upon hearing Monohorn’s reply, Estrus sulked and lowered his head.

“Hi-in~ I want to tear it up~ I want it to be split lengthwise~”

“Me too. I really want to.”

As if Monohorn’s words weren’t lies,

Hard.

Grinding his molars, he glared at the place where Strath Eila was supposed to be.

Sexual desire had evaporated, but the anger towards Regal seemed to remain vividly in his body.

“What if he goes straight north to the outpost?”

“There’s no way it would be. I came a day and a half earlier than planned, so that must have spread.”

“Monohon is right~! The power source or something is broken~ I’m going to take a day off~♬”

Estrus quickly intervenes, proving Monohorn’s predictions correct.

“…Did you expect that?”

“Regal just followed me well as I thought.”

Seed profit.

Monohorn smiles with confidence.

Monohorn shows the face of a seasoned tactician enough to manipulate one of the most senile rulers in the empire.

To his comrades, it felt so reassuring.

“Are you going straight away tonight?”

“Yes, Sister Demosh. This time, only Benison, Maman, and Ada will remain, and the rest will go together.”

“A monohon too?”

Everyone looks at Monohorn with their eyes wide open.

Mono Horn nodded her head with a stiff face.

“Yes.”

His eyes were still nailed to where Strasaila was.

“Regal treated us so badly, and if she expects to be beaten again without any resistance this time, I think that would be a shameless act.”

“Umm… That’s true, but…”

“But… Wouldn’t it be too dangerous?”

The Octopodas express their concerns.

Although they did not express it verbally, everyone else seemed to agree with them.

Buck buck.

Monohorn scratches the back of his head as if embarrassed.

“Uh, have I been acting like a one-hander so far?”

“Won, what…?”

“I asked if he had acted like a ranged dealer, so he only acted like a wizard or shaman who was placed in the rear.”

Dreamy dreamy.

When your colleagues don’t seem to understand what you’re talking about,

Swoop.

Monohorn’s gaze turns to them.

As he smiles, he unleashes this ability of his in front of his peers.

Shrew, shruck.
Squeak, squeak.

“Uh, uh uh…?”

“Oh, my God…”

A change takes place in the body of Monohorn.

Squeak.
Wickedness.
Woo woo woo.

Pieces of wood suddenly appeared out of thin air and landed on his body.

Elaborate pieces and fine seams fit together to form a perfect armor.

Grow taller, grow taller.

Soon, leaving only the eye sockets, his whole body disappears into the wooden armor.

Monohorn has become an armored giant.

Monohorn’s body is wrapped in ridiculous over-technology that can never be made even with modern technology or handicrafts.

Thump, thump.

Wearing his wooden armor, every time Mono Horn takes his step, he feels a vibration that shakes the ground.

Looking at it, everyone opens their mouths.

“I’m a Wooden Man.”

Looking back at his comrades, Mono Horn trembled,

“…”

Nobody answers that

I can’t.

Perhaps it was because the horror that swept over them was so extreme.

When colleagues do not respond,

Swoop.

Mono Horn bowed her back in wooden armor,

Tup, Tup.

Picks up one giant rock in each hand.

“Utsha.”

Patter.

The armored giant Monohorn straightens his back.

The armored Monohorn lifts a rock that must be weighed in tons with ease.

“It’s light, this much.”

Swish, swish!
Coo kung!

Monohorn throws two boulders at random.

It was moving so naturally, as if it were the body of a monohorn from the beginning.

Unlike the giants created when dealing with the 1st Expedition, its roots did not need to be connected to the ground.

There are no awkward movements.

Because the armor that wrapped around his body moved perfectly naturally, it was safe to say that it was an extension of Monohorn’s body.

Even if you look at it as evolution, it would not be a wrong view.

“I bet you, even if you jump into the enemy camp like this, you will be able to do the share of thousands of ordinary soldiers?”

“That…”

“…”

Looking at the transformed Monohorn, his friends are speechless.

“And would you like to see this?”

Poof!

When Mono Horn lightly waved his hand,

Shureuk, shureureuk!
Flange, Flange.
Patter.

“100 million…!”

“Eek…!”

Miscellaneous items such as handkerchiefs and wooden tableware suddenly appear in the air and pour down.

“If you apply this, you can do a lot of things from a distance. Unless you have Jose, there is no one among us who can do this right now. . Whether it’s rear support or front charge, even if you go with your brothers and sisters, one person can do their part.”

Colleagues look up at him, bewildered.

Even the Honeywet couple are completely out of playfulness and just open their mouths in a daze.

“Has Monohorn become a god…?”

When Octopoda opened his mouth with difficulty and asked a somewhat absurd question,

Seed profit.

“No.”

Monohorn smiled and flatly denied it.

“I just got to know the essence of this ability a little more clearly after feeling the enormous divinity in my body while facing the goddess.”

“Hasn’t the next step bloomed?”

“Yes, Sister Demosi. It’s just that I learned how to handle the power given to me better.”

Ha…

“Mother… No matter how favorably a contestant may be, what on earth do you do to a mere human…”

As Ada sighed and lamented,

“Ah, Ada. The goddess didn’t do anything to me.”

Whoop whoop!

Mono Horn shakes her hand, denying her thoughts.

“It’s just that I realized it as soon as I noticed, so don’t say too much to the goddess for doing something strange.”

“Yes, yes…”

Ada reluctantly agrees.

But she does not deny his words or doubt the goddess, for she naturally assumes that if she is a monohorn, she might be.

When the confusion subsides,

Shrrrr
Fault.

Monohorn gets down to the floor, destroying all of them in an instant.

Colleagues no longer have the energy to be surprised,

“Heh, heh heh…”

“Ahahaha…”

All I could do was laugh at the plants suddenly disappearing.

In all circumstances,

“Hero is cool…!”

Only Urmama was genuinely delighted and admired.

Wow!
Water.

She comes in the arms of Monohorn.

Her Mono Horn naturally hugs her, looks her in the eye and smiles kindly.

“Damn it.”

“Yes!”

“I’m going back for a while, so you have to stay calm with Ada and Benison. Okay?”

“Yes!

“Huh.”

Squeak.

Monohorn gently separates Urmama.

Respectfully, Ur Mama did not urge Mono Hon not to go with her or complain to go with her.

He asks for skinship and doesn’t whine.

Swoop, Swoop.
Sararak.

Monohorn strokes her hair.

She seemed satisfied with it for now.

Mono Horn looks back at her comrades.

“So, shall we get ready to go?”

“Yes yes…”

A stupid answer comes back.

It was not even clear whose mouth it was coming from.

– 3 –

Dark night.

Sting, sting.

Only the chirping of crickets resounds from time to time, and the darkness scattered by the night deepens in tranquility.

Tack, Tack, Tack!
Fire.

Only the bonfires that emit a presence throughout the fortress try to drive away the darkness, but it is not enough to dispel the darkness that has covered half the planet.

Melted in that silent darkness,

Squeak, squeak.
Shudder.

A ragged object crosses the field.

It was a veil of mimicry created by the Octopoda couple, in which Monohorn, the Octopoda couple, and the Estrus entered together.

“Estrus.”

“Huh?”

“How much do you think the amount of food in that mobile fortress compares to the food you put down in the clearing over there?”

“Hmm~? I don’t think it’s even half-half~? But I’m not sure~ Maybe it’s because the door is closed tight~ When I look inside~ it feels blurry everywhere~”

Estrus’ answer was uncertain.

‘Maybe there’s a magic or shamanic barrier that causes cognitive impairment on the outer wall of that mobile fortress… It is also suspicious that they are piled up outside… Then…’

Looking at Strass Eila, Monohorn’s eyes shine.

“For now, let’s go to the food warehouse.”

“Hey, aren’t we going to the place where we stocked up on food?”

“Yes. It’s kind of like a trap there.”

“Ah…”

After hearing Monohorn’s words, the piles of grain bags piled up in the open air seemed suspicious for some reason.

Above all, the most suspicious thing was the fact that there was no one watching or guarding the surroundings.

“On the other hand, the warehouse where food was originally stored will be relatively loosely defended, so it would be better to spread the masterpiece there.”

“That would make sense.”

“And Estrus.”

“Yeah~♡”

“I’ll have to stop by that mobile fort later, so could you check to see if there’s a secret route to infiltrate? If I can’t see the main infiltration route, I’ll just give up, so there’s no need to be too pressured.”

“Okay~♬ Leave it to me~!”

Shureuk, shrrrr.
Swoop, Swoop.
Sabak, Sabak, Sabak.

Conversing quietly, they began to cross the fort.

Of the four of them, Estrus was the busiest.

“Wait~! You can’t go there anymore~ It’s a trap~”

While detecting if there is a part where mana flows around,

“Which way is it safe to return to?”

“Um~ left first~!”

“Yes.”

I had to find a detour,

“Umm~ This place is too narrow~ Not even here~”

It was because he had to find a way to infiltrate the inside of Stras Eila.

However, since all of that was already within her range of perception, it was nothing seriously difficult compared to the distraction.

At that time,

“Oooh, stop for a second.”

“Is it a trap again?”

“Um~ It’s not a trap~ What should I call this~?”

Estrus stops them, showing her embarrassment.

“So~ I think something passed us by~?”

“Ah…”

“Is that really?”

“Yeah!”

Gulp.

After hearing her confirmation, the Octopodas begin to get nervous.

To be more precise, it seemed frightened.

“Do, should I run away, Monohorn?”

“Wait a minute.”

Demosi asked with her frightened expression, but Mono Horn calmed her down by responding calmly to her.

It was evident that Octopoda was also frightened.

However, seeing Monohorn’s calm reaction, he seemed somewhat relieved.

“Do you see any signs that the enemy has captured us?”

“No~? If you find us~ you should run out right away~ or make a loud noise~ but there’s no such thing~ It’s strange~”

That was the main reason for her embarrassment.

When something incomprehensible happened to her, she had no choice but to urgently search for the Monohorn.

“Okay.”

The normal Octopoda couple had enough ability to interpret the situation, but when they come out on the scene, they are scared, so their heads are always frozen.

When they get scared, they often have less situational judgment than Estrus.

It was their biggest problem, and a glaring shortcoming.

“Take it easy.”

Monohorn appeases them.

He has a smile on his face, and he even raises his voice a little boldly.

“If the enemies didn’t detect us, the mana that just passed us must have been optical detection magic or magic, especially visible light. If infrared or ultrasonic waves were used to detect temperature or volume, the story would be It may have changed, but if it were visible light, you wouldn’t be able to observe the mimicry curtain that my older brother and sister made.

“Ah…”

“Then I’m glad…”

Octopoda and Demosh sigh in relief when they understand Monohorn’s words.

But,

“Hmm~? What~? What about thorns~? What about enemies~?”

It seemed too difficult for Estrus.

Mono Horn gave her her gentle smile,

“Anyway, they didn’t see us.”

“Aha!”

Simplify the explanation for Estrus.

Her explanation for her was just that.

“From what I’ve seen, maybe that magic is for observing only this side, around the outdoor grain sacks. Whether it’s a sentinel, or an auto-sensing system, or whatever, whoever it is, the Regal side is looking this way. It’s obvious, but you won’t even notice us when you see it. So hurry to the food storage.”

“Is there a high possibility that it won’t be detected with this?”

“Yes, Sister Demosh. If you see any signs of detecting the inside, I’ll take care of it from outside.”

“All right.”

The Octopoda couple reconciles.

Although the anxiety did not completely go away, Mono Horn’s explanation somewhat calmed her down.

To regain courage,

Sabak, Sabak, Sabak.
Shrew, shruck.

I move my steps quietly towards the food warehouse.

A tense night begins.