“…So this is the place.”
The operatives of the Dawn Alliance arrived just outside the Beastmen’s village.
Lena, one of the executives, had pinpointed the location of the settlement.
As a vanguard, operatives were dispatched ahead, but…
“…What is this?”
“It’s in quite a state of ruin.”
There had indeed once been a village.
But it was deserted.
The grass and trees had grown unchecked.
Fallen trees blocked the paths.
Vines curled around the houses.
“From the look of things, it’s been abandoned for years.”
“There won’t be any clues left. Searching here would just be a waste of time.”
“Yeah, let’s move on.”
This was an abandoned beastmen’s village.
No one remained, and no trace was left behind.
Deciding that, the operatives left the place without bothering to investigate further.
――――――――――
“…Have they gone?”
“…Yes, it looks like they’ve left.”
Hiding deep inside a house that looked like a ruin, we quietly stepped outside.
No one was around.
Just as Sofia had said, the scouts from the Dawn Alliance seemed to have passed through without noticing this place.
As scouts, they were rather careless—but I suppose it couldn’t be helped.
Thanks to Licorice, the beastmen’s village now looked as if it had been swallowed by the forest.
“Heheh, it’s all thanks to me!”
“Yeah, that’s right. Thank you, Licorice.”
“Eh—wait, when you say it so directly, it makes me kind of embarrassed…”
“Thank you, Licorice.”
“Thanks!”
“Woof!”
“H-hey, stop it, you guys!?”
Licorice turned bright red, flustered and panicking.
Her reaction was so funny that I couldn’t help but laugh.
“To think of covering the whole village in trees and making it look like ruins… what an outrageous idea.”
Arriving a bit later, Miss Claudia spoke.
“I’m sorry, for making you go along with something like this.”
“There’s no need to apologize. We agreed with the plan, and most importantly, the enemy didn’t find us. That’s what matters most right now.”
Since Licorice is a fairy, she can use not only ordinary magic but also a special kind of magic that accelerates the growth of trees.
We had her use that power to cover the entire village in vegetation.
That way, it looked abandoned—and besides, the thick foliage gave us places to hide.
In this way, we managed to fool the scouts.
“Good. This should buy us some time.”
Of course, it didn’t mean we had deceived them completely.
Before long, more scouts would surely be dispatched.
But we had probably gained at least three days.
If we could set up the barrier and purify this land within that time…
Yes.
For now, this was our victory.
“Aisha, Snow.”
“What is it?”
“Woof?”
“I need the two of you to protect this place. It’s something only you can do—something we can’t.”
“… …”
They were still young.
But from the way they listened with such serious expressions, I could tell they understood me well.
“What I’m asking may be difficult. It might be painful, too.”
“… …”
“But the truth is, only you two can save everyone here. That’s why I need you to try your best. Do you think you can do it?”
Aisha clenched her small fist tightly, as if to show her resolve.
“I’ll do my best!”
“Woof!”
Snow raised his voice in agreement.
“Thank you, both of you.”
“Ehehe.”
“Whine…”
When I patted Aisha and Snow on the head, they both looked happy and ticklish at the same time.
Their tails wagged furiously from side to side behind them.
“Alright, let’s do our best!”
“Yeah!!”
“Woof!!!”
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