Book 5: Volume 1 Chapter S1, Victory Dedicated to Their Lord (Part 1)

Translator: Kazumi

Editor: Silavin

 

Sol was discussing the newly expanded farmland with her subordinates when she suddenly received a summons from Lord Kousuke.

 

Through the blessing she had received, she could communicate with him directly via Divine Oracle.

 

Despite possessing such a convenient method, direct summons from Lord Kousuke remained rare.

 

The unusual circumstance caused her to rise without thinking.

 

The subordinates around her regarded her with questioning looks, but she had no attention to spare for that.

 

She remained standing, concentrating intensely to absorb Lord Kousuke’s words without missing a single syllable.

 

Perhaps sensing something significant, her subordinates didn’t interrupt.

 

Lord Kousuke’s orders concluded quickly.

 

He instructed her to select several combat-capable subordinates and proceed to Lord Kousuke’s residence.

 

One subordinate addressed her when they saw her relax from her previously rigid posture.

 

“Sol-sama, what has happened?”

 

Her subordinates had evidently guessed the situation from her behavior and had been waiting for Lord Kousuke to finish speaking.

 

The subordinate who spoke also seemed somewhat cautious.

 

“As you may have surmised, Lord Kousuke has conveyed a divine message. Send Dotto and Daelle to me…no, I’ll go to them myself. I need you to manage things during our absence.”

 

Dotto and Daelle were combat-specialized individuals who had evolved from goblins in the earliest days.

 

At this hour, they should be conducting combat training.

 

Since they were heading to Lord Kousuke’s residence, it would be more efficient for her to summon them directly and proceed straight to the teleportation gate.

 

“Will this take much time?”

 

“I don’t know yet. I’m going now to learn the details. Be prepared for anything.”

 

Until now, she had rarely received direct orders from Lord Kousuke. This was the first time he had asked her to bring others along.

 

She immediately recognized something significant was occurring, so she instructed her subordinates to prepare for any possibility.

 

After seeing her subordinates acknowledge her instructions, she immediately took Dotto and Daelle and headed to the Management Floor.

 

Dotto and Daelle were directed to wait in another room while she and the other retainers entered a room further inside.

 

There, she was joined by Nana-sama, who was also a retainer, and two other foxes.

 

Upon seeing the foxes, she instinctively tensed momentarily.

 

She had encountered Nana many times before, so that posed no concern. But this was her first meeting with the foxes possessing golden and silver fur. Simultaneously, she recognized that she was no match for them.

 

Even knowing this, and knowing that as fellow servants of Lord Kousuke they wouldn’t attack her, she reacted reflexively.

 

Perhaps sensing this, Peach addressed her.

 

“Sol, no need to fear.”

 

Even among the women who frequently attended Lord Kousuke, Peach possessed particularly sharp perception. Noticing Sol’s reflexive defensive stance, Peach seemed to immediately sense her underlying feelings.

 

Though Sol commanded goblins and monsters that possessed combat skills that matched her level, Peach had clearly perceived her dismay upon recognizing she was outmatched by the fox before her.

 

Kousuke attempted to reassure Sol afterward, but she could only manage to keep embarrassment from showing on her face.

 

Somehow, her conflicted emotions went unnoticed, and Kousuke began explaining why they had been summoned.

 

What she heard came as a shock, particularly to Sol.

 

Someone had declared war against the Tower ruled by Lord Kousuke.

 

Her eyes flashed with rage, but surprisingly Lord Kousuke himself remained composed, so she decided it would be unbecoming to let emotions control her and feigned calmness.

 

…However, she could not shake the feeling that Peach, standing beside Lord Kousuke, had seen through her entirely.

 

Ignoring her internal turmoil, Lord Kousuke issued instructions to their respective groups.

 

Their primary objective was reclaiming the floors seized by the enemy.

 

After receiving detailed instructions on floor reclamation procedures and when the battle would commence, she proceeded to the room where Dotto and Daelle waited to finalize the details of the operation.

 

♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦

 

Sol waited with the subordinates led by Dotto and Daelle for the appointed moment.

 

Their current location was entirely different from their usual floor, a world completely covered in sand.

 

Truthfully, the heat was nearly unbearable, but complaining was meaningless.

 

A group of foxes had assembled beside their unit. They were too numerous to be called merely a group, but since they were all Lord Kousuke’s dependents, there was no concern about them attacking.

 

As they waited in this formation, a curtain of light suddenly materialized before them.

 

Almost simultaneously, Lord Kousuke issued orders.

 

“Are you all prepared? We’ll advance according to plan once that light disappears! As she called out, a roar of “Ohhh!” echoed around them, led by Dotto and Daelle.

 

The tense atmosphere that had been building until then eased pleasantly thanks to that collective roar.

 

And so, for the first time as Lord Kousuke’s servants, they would engage in combat against a clearly defined ‘enemy’.

 

Their objective was reclaiming the stolen floor.

 

To accomplish this, they needed to enter the floor now belonging to the enemy and establish control over the territory.

 

Simply stated, they needed to defeat the monsters inhabiting it.

 

Since the floor was quite expansive, the foxes and Sol’s group decided to divide and attack from left and right flanks.

 

As Lord Kousuke instructed, Sol assumed command of the right wing and advanced directly into enemy territory. However, though it was enemy territory now, it had originally been a floor Lord Kousuke controlled.

 

To reclaim that floor from their adversaries, they eliminated every monster they encountered.

 

“First priority is reducing their numbers! No need to pursue those who flee! …Anyone injured must immediately fall back for treatment!”

 

As she observed her subordinates fighting, she issued orders continuously.

 

Their formation this time included even the weakest goblins.

 

Though they outnumbered the enemy, insufficient combat strength was inevitable.

 

Additionally, Lord Kousuke had instructed them to minimize casualties as much as possible.

 

If they continued deploying wounded fighters carelessly, death counts would increase, so she’d been directing injured ones to retreat immediately.

 

Even so, the more hot-headed fighters would attempt remaining on the battlefield, so Dotto, Daelle, and Sol found themselves issuing detailed instructions constantly.

 

This represented the difference between goblins, who lived by instinct, and their evolved counterparts.

 

Most monsters they faced possessed low combat ability, but occasionally powerful ones appeared.

 

When encountering such monsters, their evolved Oni-kin eliminated them.

 

Occasionally she would personally intervene, but most times, her subordinates handled it.

 

Orders were transmitted across the battlefield by those capable of proper speech, and the battle progressed smoothly.

 

As expected, fighting remained intense for some time after commencement.

 

They weren’t overwhelmed, but the enemy’s sheer numbers meant defeating them required considerable time.

 

Approximately an hour after the battle began, the situation started changing.