Chapter 286: The Attack Begins (1/2)

The next day.

The attack on the Town of Departed Spirits began with an explosion that shook me to my core.

The Everlasting Darkness (Herb) was at the central tower, but there were two obstacles to that. The large gate that yet remained, and the horde of undead crammed tightly behind.

So the first step to getting the herb was to destroy the gate. I was trying to get rid of all the gunpowder I had on me anyway, so we used all the gunpowder I had on me freely, but…

“I know there’s no point holding onto them, but as expected, that might have been a bit too much gunpowder.” [Ryouma]

“I can’t see anything with all the dust, but… The gate’s definitely gone.” [Schieber]

“Not just the gate. Even the undead beyond were blown away. So there’s no problem in that regard, but…” [Remilie]

“It might have been a good idea to stand a bit further away.” [Reinbach]

While looking out from a corner before the path leading to the gate, small stones fell on the barrier I’d erected. The gunpowder was originally prepared to kill the enemies in the mine with the explosion or bury them alive, so I should have expected this sort of result.

Anyhow, if we tarry for too long, the opened area will fill up with undead again, so we have to get ready right away.

“Secure the entrance.” [Ryouma]

『Gobu!』

I’d let out the goblins in advance and kept them on standby. At my behest, they rushed out all at once.

Leading the way were the hobgoblins in armor equipped with metal slime maces and tower shields made of hardening liquid sheet, followed by the hobgoblins with spears and the hobgoblins carrying grave slimes, then the goblins with ranged weapons.

Their movements were noisy and were by no means well coordinated, but they still succeeded in taking position in front of the destroyed gate before the undead could gather again. The shield hobgoblins formed a line, then as the grave-slime hobgoblins entered from their gaps, they advanced again.

Today’s operation has three phases. The first phase was all about my familiars. The bomb might have swept everything in front of the gate, but there were still plenty of undead left in the depths of the town. If we challenged the undead to a straight-up battle by ourselves, we’re bound to lose due to the numerical difference, so we decided to fluff up our numbers with my familiars.

But of course even with that, our number only amounted to a hundred at most. Though the exact number of enemies was unknown, considering how big the Town of Departed Spirits was, there should be at least 10,000 undead here, so our numerical disadvantage hadn’t really changed.

“Coating of Light!” [Ryouma]

I enchanted the weapons of my goblins with light-attribute mana. I still can’t use Parallel Casting like Remilie-san, but since the goblins were equipped with my metal slimes, I could just send mana to all of them through the Familiar Contract.

This enchantment should do wonders to improve our undead-slaying abilities. It should also synergies well with their numbers. Once I get the hang of it, I should be able to use Strengthening Magic on all of my goblins too.

The grave slimes will be eating a lot of the undead, so the goblins are really just cleaners to sweep up the undead that manage to get past them. With the support from the back, and if they focus solely on that, the goblins should be able to fight the undead even by themselves.

Should the situation turn for the worse, the adults and I can come in to deal with the situation… But even then, that’s only something that could happen in the first few hours. The more undead are eaten, the more grave slimes I’ll have, and the more effective my little group of ghost busters will be.

Today’s strategy is basically to increase my grave slimes while invading the Town of Departed Spirits and expanding my own territory. Just like one of those games where you keep expanding your territory to win.

“Holy Space. I’m done preparing a rest area. This is going to be a protracted battle, so be sure to withdraw as soon as you feel tired.” [Remilie]

“Thank you very much. I’ll be careful.” [Ryouma]

While we were talking like that, the undead that appeared from the depths of the Town of Departed Spirits started toward us step by step. The sun has already risen, so they were moving at a snail’s pace. Regardless, the sight of that seemingly endless horde accompanied by the sound of their groans and footsteps gave birth to an eerie pressure that weighed down on us.

“Gogo…” [Goblin 1]

“Guu…” [Goblin 2]

The goblins could similarly feel that pressure, and I could feel their anxiety through the contract as they stood before that great horde. At this rate, their restlessness might cause us to lose a battle we should otherwise win.

…I need to encourage them by defeating the undead in a showy manner. Fortunately, there were wraiths flying in the sky ahead of the undead. They were highly mobile because they were flying in the air and could move around without clumping unlike the undead on the ground.

“Ranged Platoon, attention!” [Ryouma]

But while they’re highly mobile, the lack of obstruction in the air also meant that they were defenseless. Moreover with Attract Ghosts taking effect, they were all flying in a straight line for the grave slimes, making for easy targets.

At my behest, the goblins at the back simultaneously raised their slingshots and aimed toward the sky. These slingshots were nothing like those toys children played with in the past. These were bigger ones based off the slingshots used in foreign countries for hunting. There’s a metal frame to hold and support the arms, so the accuracy is higher, and they can handle a stronger pull from the rubber as well. Of course, the rubber is actually a rubber slime.

“Pull more… Shoot!” [Ryouma]

At my behest, the goblins released simultaneously, unleashing stones with great force toward the sky. And the shade of wraiths, who could see nothing but the grave slimes, were soon covered in holes and were obliterated.

The bullets were pebbles about the size of BB bullets made from the rock cliffs in the area. These were of course enchanted in light-attribute mana, so they possessed plenty of offensive power against the undead. When fighting the undead, it is not the size and weight of the weapon that matters most but the presence of mana. Any weapon enchanted by mana can prove powerful against the undead.

“Gogo!?” [Goblins]

“As long as the weapons are enchanted with light-attribute mana, the undead can be dealt with easily! So don’t break formation and just calmly deal with the horde!” [Ryouma]

“G-Goh!!” [Goblins]

“Take the enemies down starting with those in range!　We have plenty of bullets!” [Ryouma]

“Goh!” [Goblins]

By showing them the undead being easily defeated, then explaining with words, the originally simple-minded goblins were immediately enlivened. Their timidity from earlier was gone, and their eyes even showed signs of excitement.

Seeing the goblins raise their voice with enthusiasm, Schieber-san, who was standing beside me, said in satisfaction.

“Looks like you successfully raised their morale.” [Schieber]

“Yes, they’ve seen the results of their weapons for themselves, so the front line shouldn’t collapse easily anymore. By the way, until we enter the town the wraiths won’t be able to just enter the road and attack us from the side, right?” [Ryouma]

“Yes, the wraiths can pass through the walls we build but not naturally formed terrain, rock cliffs, and surfaces. Wraiths don’t have their own body, so they’re more susceptible to the influence of the surrounding mana than the undead that have their own body. The natural mana in naturally formed structures would crush them. Apparently, that’s also the reason why they’re less likely to appear in the day compared to zombies and skeletons.

There’s a lot of miasma nearby, and we caused such a huge commotion with that explosion, so they’re out right now, but… That also means to say that unless you go to that extent, wraiths won’t go outside during the day. In fact, there’s even a story of someone luring one outdoors who then kept it from coming back in again, only for it to spontaneously disappear after a few hours in the sunlight. They’re that weak to mana.” [Schieber]

“That much, huh.” [Ryouma]

In that case, wouldn’t it be possible to defeat them by gathering and using sunlight against them, like with a magnifying glass?　The spell Remilie-san used before seemed to focus powerful light too. Kind of like that video I watched in my previous life of some guy using sunlight to cook food without fuel.

…Perhaps, using the same concepts would make it possible to defeat the undead without magic. At the very least, it should be possible to burn the skin of the zombies.