Chapter 233 Strategy Meeting
After hearing various things from Jag-san, we've got a pretty good grasp of the situation. And since we can't just sit around waiting, we headed back to the Hall for treatment.
"Maya-chan, how's your mana looking?"
"Yeah, it's okay, brother. Your 'Mana Recover' spell is really effective, you know? We had something similar in MMO, but it would drain us if we used it too much."
"Yeah, that's right. I think it was called 'Magic Recovery'? And yeah, my low level back then didn't help either."
"Maybe so, but it really helped us out back then, didn't it?"
"Thanks. It's nice to hear you say that. Yeah."
As treatment began, Maya-chan and Jag-san were with me. My queue was slowly moving forward. Since it was almost lunchtime, there were fewer people waiting in line for treatment. My queue was almost done.
Rumors had spread that the Holy Lady would provide treatment, so people were waiting in line in an orderly fashion. As for which line to get in, it depended on the state of the Oso (Dreadful element) poison, but...
This way, people from all over Arlheave were gathering to receive treatment. But somehow, I had a bad feeling about it.
"Jag-san."
Jag-san was still in charge of treating Maya-chan's Oso poison. I was worried that if he didn't make progress with the treatment, his position would be in jeopardy.
"What's up, Master?"
"I was just thinking it's weird..."
"Yeah?"
"Why aren't people from the Grand Duke's household and other noble families coming for treatment?"
"Ah, you see, it's like this. The people who support us come first. That's all I'm saying."
""Seriously?""
Maya-chan heard that too, and it was pretty surprising.
"But the seriously injured noble did come on the first day, dressed in town-like clothes and sneaking around..."
"I see, that makes sense. If the people protecting people from above got taken down, it would be meaningless. For a little while, at least..."
"Yeah, that's true..."
* * *
After finishing the treatment at the shrine, the 3 of us had a meal in the Essence Inn, and then we visited the security department to reconfirm what was in the report, leaving me astonished once again. Jag-san was similarly astonished, and Maya-chan was stunned.
"Can Bergalide use 'Sleep Magic', Failroud-san?"
"Yes. We were finally able to make him spit it out. He used it when he caught Tatsuma-sama."
"Whoa, are you serious!?"
"Yeah... Brother..."
"I can't help it. I don't have any resistance to that magic, Maya-chan."
Stop looking at me with that 'pitying gaze', Maya-chan. You were asleep too, weren't you? It's not just me, okay?
We might need to ask Rosalier-san to continue testing whether we can develop resistance to it or not. There haven't been any examples of other resistances showing up so far, though...
"But didn't that magic have a short range?"
"Hmm, maybe it's a dark attribute magic, brother. There might be a mental response system magic that Maya and the others don't know about."
"Can you ask Jillietta-san (Failroud's junior) about that?"
"Got it."
I asked Maya-chan about the cards she was holding.
"So, can anyone other than me dispel it with 'Dispel'? Is there a magic system similar to Maya-chan's?"
"Hmm, no."
It was surprisingly simple, and it was over.
"Seriously?"
"If Brother falls asleep, I'll hit you to wake you up, so it's okay."
"Whoa, seriously again?"
Failroud-san is chairing the meeting. As one of the people who caught Bergalide, he's been promoted this time. He and Jillietta-san have been working at this security department headquarters since yesterday.
Yeah, their whole family moved together, so it's not like they're going to be alone or anything.
"According to the data, their weapons are mainly bows and spears. Only a few magicians use attack magic. However, they rarely come to the front lines. It's likely they mostly attack from the air."
"Whoa, this is going to be a bullet hell if they attack from the air, Brother!"
"Yeah, Maya-chan."
"On our side, we can only engage in close combat with the Wyverns using spears and swords."
"What a pain... It's gonna be tough, Brother."
"Yeah."
"Luckily, Wyverns aren't vulnerable to spears or arrows."
"Are you serious, Failroud-san...?"
"My Wilshion-tan is really strong, isn't he?"
"Maya-chan's magic, didn't it have an effective range of 100 meters (≈328 feet)?"
"Uh, I haven't tried anything beyond that. I think it can go further if I put more mana into it. Ah, with 'Air Bullet,' I can hit up to 500 meters (≈1640 feet), but it won't be a fatal wound, though."
"No way... But yeah, that's the only way, then."
"So, Ber-san."
"I'm here, Maya-sama."
"Neta-san."
"Yes, Tatsuma-sama."
Berberi-san was standing behind Maya-chan, looking like a butler. Neta-san appeared behind me, dressed as a maid.
"To rescue the princess, we need 3 people to ride the Wyverns, right? Failroud-san."
"That's right, Maya-sama."
"Can Jillietta-san also help with the rescue?"
"Yes. It's okay for me."
I looked at Maya-chan, and she nodded.
"Ber-san."
"Yes."
"Follow brother's instructions."
"Understood."
"Neta-san."
"Yes."
"We'll cause a big commotion, so while Berberi-san and Jillietta-san are with us, you'll sneak in and bring the princess back. Sounds good?"
"Understood."
"Yes, Tatsuma-sama."
This way, our infiltration team should be okay.
"Alverate-san."
"Yes."
"We'll make them think it's pointless to escape into the sky, so—."
"Yes."
"Even if it turns into a battle, please just respond with bows from the Wyverns' backs and don't show our hand. Please don't fly away on your own. Okay?"
"Understood."
"Maya-chan and I will be on the front lines, so Jag-san, please stay near the lake and provide backup. Okay?"
"Yes, master."
"The operation starts at dawn tomorrow. Okay?"
"Yes!"
And with that, the meeting was adjourned.
* * *
We're currently on the outskirts of the Duchy Capital. We came here for a little experiment.
"Maya-chan, see that target over there. Is it around 200 meters (≈656 feet) away?"
"Yeah. That's the average effective shooting range of a bow. I heard some books say it can reach 400 meters (≈1,312 feet), but in reality, it's around 100 meters (≈328 feet) short. The actual killing range is even shorter, I read that in some book."
"You're really knowledgeable."
"But, if we think about it from up high, can we expect it to be around this distance, right? That's what I'm thinking."
"That makes sense."
200 meters (≈656 feet) is roughly the length of a baseball field or a soccer field. Even I can barely see it from here.
"Is it okay, then? Brother?"
"Yeah."
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