The Death Mage That Doesnt Want A Fourth Time 60 (1/2)

About half awheat had been coes built on the land that had been reclaimed from the Devil’s Nest watched the expedition army as they marched

All of the villagers had bright faces; each one of the for the expedition army in their hearts

They were the sons born third or later in far fa in slu in Viscount Balchesse’s land reclamation project, they had acquired simple houses in which they could live with their faical traces of the Devil’s Nest, which had allowed it to produce crops from the first year They had even been exempt from taxes

Even with this expedition happening, Viscount Balchesse’s tax exemption plan had not been cancelled, nor had any of their food supplies been requisitioned Of course, because the troops in the expedition arers had been conscripted, either

If the expedition succeeded, the Mirg shi+eld-nation would gain new territory beyond the in as well If that happened, the crops produced by this village could be sold for use in that reclamation

The profits would be senerations, their village would be a stopping point between the Mirg shi+eld-nation and the new territory, and it could even develop into a town

Of course, if the expedition failed, the Mirg shi+eld-nation’s econoers didn’t doubt that the expedition would succeed

The soldiers were a collection of the Mirg shi+eld-nation’s finest Even ‘the second co of the hero Mikhail’, the Green Wind Spear Riley, as well as the Vampire hunter Bormack Gordan whose name was known across the entire A in the expedition

The expedition ar shi+eld-nation had once been victorious at the cost of significant casualties They would recover Ice Age, the Artifact left behind by Mikhail, and this time they would suppress Talosheim once and for all These were the objectives that had been officially announced

The villagers had heard that the Boundary Mountain Range was a dangerous land, but with an A-class adventurer who could even defeat Dragons and a high priest who had slain numerous Vampires, the expedition army would be fine Furthermore, Talosheio The fortress-city would be in sha of Undead and roup of Alda-sama’s priest-warriors

There was no doubt that the expedition ar shi+eld-nation’s flag upon Talosheim

These were the thoughts of not only the villagers of this reclai shi+eld-nation’s citizens

“Do your best!”

“We’re cheering for you!”

The expedition are’s tunnel as they received the villagers’ encouragement

A little over a month after the expedition ar, they arrived at the Mirg shi+eld-nation’s side of the tunnel in the Boundary Mountain Range

Froh the tunnel and then another week or so to reach Talosheim

Today, they would receive their last supplies at the si shi+eld-nation’s entrance to the tunnel and make sure the soldiers had plenty of rest The tunnel had been completely cleared ofthe invisible enemy of claustrophobia

It was co periods of tiical abnoric Iteht the way, but if the soldiers were pushed too hard, a drop in morale would be inevitable

That hy they would be allowed to rest their bodies, drink alcohol and eat undriedthe tunnel

“So, what is the situation on the other side of the tunnel?” asked Gordan

All of the iathered in a tent, conducting one final war council before crossing the Boundary Mountain Range

Because the fort-barrier that had been built at the tunnel’s entrance was small, it was more comfortable in this tent

“The terrain is the sao No matter how much the Devil’s Nests have spread, it is not as if volcanoes or lakes will suddenly appear out of nowhere But the roads cannot be used” Chezare Legston, second son of the currentshi+eld-nation and second-in-coer at an old map as he answered Gordan’s question “The expedition two hundred years ago approached Talosheie, but ill use a different path this tih the forest But…”

“But what? It would be probleive us accurate infore between the pri a splendid overcoat and sitting in a chair further inside the tent He was the supreme commander of this expedition

Mauvid’s attitude towards Chezare was as if Chezare was far inferior to him, beyond the difference between a supreme commander and second-in-command, but that was how the Empire treated its nations

“… But, it seee-scale conflict between monsters; traces of their battle have been left behind,” Chezare reported “Considering that, there are feerful monsters in the area near the tunnel’s exit”

“Yeah, that’s because I hunted some of them,” said Riley

Chezare frowned in displeasure at Riley’s interruption of his report He wanted to say so about this insolent adventurer, but the supreme commander had instructed that Riley should be treated as if he were of the same rank as the upper officials of the expedition as he was a necessary, core part of the expedition arument with Riley here

And strictly speaking, High Priest Gordan was also no different fro only Riley to leave would cause problems

Mauvid nodded “Yes, thanks to you, ere able to hold out until the C-class adventurers were deployed Keep up the hard work in Talosheim as well”

“Leave it to ons or whatever cohter them with my spear!”

Chezare and Gordan found it difficult to conceal their displeasure at the sight of Mauvid and Riley s

When one beco less prominent noblemen, and many of them build relationshi+ps of trust that are beyond mere shallow connections with noble families and wealthy e, unpleasant feeling

“I don’t care if there are huge, unexplored Devil’s Nests or whatever; I’e, which is the dangerous part that we’re passing straight through,” said Riley “That means this expedition was made possible by the tunnel you found for us, Earl-sama”

Riley was flattering Mauvid, but everyone here knew that what he said was the truth

In fact, at the fort on the other end of the ons multiple times, but all of the attacks had been repelled by Riley The other monsters that had attacked were Rank 3 monsters with some Wyverns and enormous reptile-like monsters (dinosaurs) that were Rank 5 or 6 mixed in

The attacks had been frequent and ordinary adventurers and soldiers ht have been easily defeated, but the Boundary Mountain Range was far from as fearsome as they had been told

The reality was that this was because Borkus and the others had exterons while searching for the tunnel, however

In any case, this region, including the area surrounding the tunnel, was close to Talosheim’s territory There were lorious days, but titan warriors thinned the es in the lands that they had reclaimed

That hy even now, there were only a few Dragons inhabiting the area Monsters appeared one after another in Devil’s Nests, but it would be rare for an explosive increase in the number monsters over Rank 10 to happen within two hundred years

There were no such lirew up faster than Dragons, but it seemed that other than Goblins, there were not eons

“So, Chezare-dono, we have not yet encountered any Ghouls, have we?” asked Mauvid

“That is right,” replied Chezare “The only demi-hule reported encounter with an Ogre”

Gordan, who had joined the expedition because of the Divine Message froruntled noise at the news that there were still no leads on the Dhah the tunnel But he understood that the Dhampir and his companions would have built their nest further into the e

It was certainly possible that the Dhampir had occupied Talosheim, the destination of the expedition Deer inhabited by people Dhampirs and Ghouls would be no exception

“Now as for ill do after exiting the tunnel, ill send out a leading force that will confirer as we proceed,” Chezare announced “I would like you to join that scouting force, Riley-dono”

“Yeah, of course,” said Riley “If a big fish like a Dragon were to show up, it’d be tough withoutat Gordan

“Hster”

After that, things like the plannedforce and methods of communication with the supply unit that would transport supplies were confirmed, and finally, the conquest of Talosheim was discussed

They wouldthe monsters with Gordan and Riley as the core part of their force, and once they arrived in Talosheihts would co their numbers After that, they would search iht hide such as the royal castle and the ruins of the Church of Vida, and then begin the exters had already been

Everyone in the expedition force didn’t think of what they were conducting in Talosheim to be a war They considered it as work to purify the Devil’s Nest and search for the lost national treasure For Gordan, even if the Divine Message was true, it was merely a monster extermination, so he did not advocate that they needed a more detailed plan

After that was finished, Gordan quickly departed the tent As he had no intentions of flattering the noble in a war council was an overly-for

Chezare also left the tent, saying that he would go and check on the conditions of the soldiers and knights

“So, General-saet rid of those two?” asked Riley

“How proble the senile priest aside, I must have Chezare take the position of supreme commander when I step down for health reasons If he were to die before that, there would be nobody to take responsibility for this expedition noould there?”

Now that Gordan, Chezare and Chezare’s protégé subordinate had left, Riley and Mauvid began the real war council with the rest of the people re in the tent

Including them, those left in the tent all knew the true purpose of this expedition; they were people with connections to the Vampires orshi+pped Hihiryushukaka, the Evil God of Joyful Life, with the exception of three people

“Jeez, that’s troubleso adventurer like ht?”

“That may not be true, Riley-dono Our world is more complex than it seems, you see” The one who replied to Riley was a man who seemed to be a veteran mercenary He had blonde hair, blue eyes and numerous scars on his face

However, in the next moment, he turned into a woman in her thirties It was as if the h teleportation But in reality, the wo herself as a mercenary man

“Sometimes it is even more complex than human societies,” the woman continued “That is e understand your circumstances Do as you please”

The woed as well as her appearance, ss

She was a noble-born Vampire who had been dispatched by the Pure-breed Va in the expedition as part of a mercenary band that General Mauvid had hired specially

Mauvid nodded “That is e are helping you deal with the problematic Dhampir and the Vampire traitors, isn’t it, Isla-dono?”

“Of course,” replied the Va special as long as care is taken with her Charh chance that Sercrent is dead If it looks like it will be difficult, I will lend you a hand Discreetly, so that I will not be discovered”

Isla’s role was to dispose of the Vampire traitors The majority of the expedition army were unaware that there were Vampires in Talosheim, so it was likely that the Vampire traitors would be able to escape That hy Isla, as borrowing a Magic Item that indicated the location of a blood sample’s owner, would hide in confusion and dispose of them

She was also there to assassinate the evil Va the expedition, and most importantly, she was a trump card to ensure that the Dhae to command the Vampires to slay him, would be disposed of

“That is why Ternecia-sama has sent me here,” she said “I aest subordinates”

Vampire Countess A Rank 10 Vampire named after the court rank of count

A-class adventurers would be needed to defeat such a Vampire, and even that would only apply if the Vaht head-on There was no s in Kyojou that were even eons, with many Subordinate Vampires in their command

TLN: I’m not sure what this tere, it means “castle of a daimyo/feudal lord”, but that translation doesn’t fit here I’ll update this word if the author ever bothers explaining what it is

As a result, these Vas that could even turn the tables on a party of A-class adventurers Even Gordan had never defeated a Vampire Count

And including the Vampires dispatched by Birkyne and Gubamon, there were thirty Vampires under Isla’s command The weakest of them were Rank 7, and there were even two Rank 9 Vale Rank beneath her

They for force that would be sufficient to annihilate the entire expedition army on their own

Riley laughed “There’s no need for that That Dhaet rid of it for you”

Despite that, Riley regarded Isla and the other Vampires to be no match for an A-class adventurer hero like hi them that the achievement would be his

Isla s forward to it, hero-dono”

For her, co obsessed over so as worthless as achievements If Riley were to kill the Dhampir, she would be satisfied with that

“But is that really alright?” Mauvid asked “As this is an expedition, ill be fighting in during the day”

Battle would occur in a time of day where the sun, the natural weakness of Vampires would be in the sky The Vaainst it, of course, and the enemy traitors would be affected by it as well But as Isla’s side would be the attackers, they were at the disadvantage

Isla’s smile widened as Mauvid pointed this out “It is not a problem And in any case, Talosheim is a city surrounded by mountains You already destroyed the mercury o, so the sun will set quickly”

In Talosheim, which had now become warm and cozy, Vandalieu opened his eyes He stared silently into the e

“They’re here Those guys are here”

The surveillance Gole activity around the fort that had been built by the Mirg shi+eld-nation

As Vandalieu switched his vision to that of a familiar he had dispatched, his Lemure, he sawto Lambda

Several thousand Their numbers were unlikely to be over ten thousand, but there were at least five thousand

“Are there Vampires?” asked Eleanora

“I can’t ,” Vandalieu replied “There are quite a lot of knights wearing plate armor, too”

Other than their pupils, fangs and their pale skin that appeared as if it had lost all of its blood, Vampires did not look much different than the races that they had been converted from But they would have to wear thick capes and hats made of cloth and furs and hoods low over their faces to prevent their skin fro burned by the sun, so they would normally be conspicuous if they went outside

However, in situations where wearing the armor and a helmet of a soldier was normal, they would not stand out