Volume 4 Chapter 17 Which Is The Savior？
It had already been 2 weeks since we began our journey.
Yet, we still hadn't reached the invasion zone of the Forest King's Army.
In fact, we hadn't even set foot in the neighboring country.
I had prepared myself for this, but it really does take quite a long time to get to the easternmost country of the continent.
So, we finally decided to use a forbidden method.
'Isn't it faster to have Rose carry us?'
Everyone had a vague sense of this.
Entrusting ourselves to Rose's superhuman strength and speed, we could be transported at high speed.
It was definitely a means to reach our destination much faster than moving with a carriage or something.
Although I felt like I would be scolded by Cosmos for not doing this from the start, we held back because it would put too much burden on Rose alone.
After all, she is one of our valuable combat forces, and wearing her out early in the journey isn't wise.
However, Rose...
'I think it would be fine, really.'
She said this with a cheerful face, so I decided to have her carry us just a little.
Cosmos, Ms. Nemophila, and I got into a large wooden barrel and had Rose carry us as she ran.
It seemed simple just by reading it, but the barrel was cumbersome, and the 3 of us were heavy, making it a ridiculous setup in reality.
However, to my surprise, Rose utilized her impressive strength to stabilize the barrel while transporting the 3 of us at super speed.
In the eastern plains of the Central Continent, within the forest, a red-haired girl holding a barrel swiftly crosses along a long mountain path.
As a result, in just "3 days" from the Sphagnum Kingdom, we ended up crossing over one country to the eastern nation of Ratisse.
"......Seriously?"
While looking up at the royal capital of the Ratisse Kingdom, I was left speechless, my mouth agape.
I never imagined we would complete a journey that should have taken several weeks in just 3 days.
What was our initial journey even about?
Moreover, Rose was supposed to be running non-stop except when we rested, yet she was mesmerized by the scenery of a country she was seeing for the first time without even being out of breath.
"Ro, Rose, you've been carrying us and running the whole time, but aren't you tired?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
What do you mean?
When she asked back with a serious expression, I couldn't help but get goosebumps.
She possesses extraordinary strength and limitless stamina.
Seeing the incredible might of Valkyrie Rose once again, I couldn't suppress my fear.
This girl is already scary...
Anyway, now that we finally reached the country right in front of our destination, I decided to start preparing to properly invade the Forest King's Army's invasion zone.
"This is the closest country to the Forest King's Army's invasion zone, right? In the great forest of Rain?"
"Yeah, that's right. At the easternmost point of this Ratisse Kingdom, there's a border with the Forest King's Army's invasion zone."
As I said that, I continued along the streets of the royal capital and discovered a bulletin board along the way.
I glanced over the contents written there and made a suggestion to everyone.
"There's a village called 'Trelis Village' near the border, and it seems that the Ratisse Kingdom's army is stationed there. They also appear to be recruiting personnel for the extermination squad, so for now, let's head there and check the situation."
The 3 of them nodded in response to me, so we promptly set off towards Trelis Village.
Once again, we found ourselves being carried by Rose, and we arrived at our destination village in just under a day.
I thought the village sounded somewhat familiar, but it dawned on me that Dahlia and the others had mentioned hearing about the cursed tree in this village.
Upon reaching Trelis Village, we were confronted with a horrific scene that made us want to look away.
"This is..."
It appeared that people, likely soldiers of the Ratisse Kingdom's army, were scattered around, covered in wounds.
The soldiers being cared for by the villagers were all injured to the extent that returning to the front lines seemed impossible, and to put it simply, they were in a terrible state.
They say they have been fighting daily in the invasion zone to reclaim the territory once ruled by Ratisse from the Forest King's Army.
However, from the looks of it, it does not seem like the situation is favorable.
The Forest King's Army teaming up with the Spirit King's Army may have exacerbated their disadvantage.
I found a soldier who was desperately giving instructions, and I went to talk to him.
"Um, excuse me,"
"...Yes, what is it?"
"I came here after seeing the notice board in the royal capital. Is this where I can apply for the monster subjugation team?"
"..."
The young soldier, who seemed a bit down, brightened up slightly upon hearing my words.
"So, you wish to join the subjugation team!?"
"Y-yes. Well..."
"As stated in the recruitment details, the reward will be given later,"
"I-I don't mind that at all."
Upon hearing that, the young soldier let out a visibly relieved sigh.
It seems he was quite desperate for manpower.
Perhaps because he looked surprised, the young soldier began to explain the reason.
"I thought no one would come to support us anymore, so this really helps. The royal army has been repeatedly attacking the invasion zone and is quite exhausted."
"It... seems that way."
I could tell just by looking.
There were hardly any soldiers left who seemed capable of fighting.
The young soldier I was talking to also had bandages wrapped around his limbs, looking pitiful.
It seems this country is currently desperate for personnel who can be effective immediately.
That is why they seem to be posting notices in places like the royal capital, seeking cooperation from travelers and ordinary citizens like us.
However, from the looks of it, it seems that no proper support has come besides us.
Just to be safe, I decided to confirm whether the information I had heard was correct.
"I heard that the Forest King's Army and the Spirit King's Army are plotting to revive the Cursed Funeral Trees. Is the national army repeatedly invading the invasion zone to stop them?"
Then the young soldier shook his head weakly, as if deep in thought.
"The Cursed Funeral Trees have already been revived."
"What!?"
"We have confirmed it directly. Saplings that have already been infused with cursed power are being planted throughout the forest. They are still in an immature state, so the curse hasn't spread yet, but if we don't cut them all down before they mature, the curse will spread across the entire nation."
"..."
The situation was progressing faster than I had anticipated.
I can't believe things have already gotten this far.
I haven't paid much attention to the town people, but I wonder if they still haven't been informed in detail?
"To prevent confusion, we are gradually informing the citizens. We have also issued orders to prepare for evacuation to other countries, so in case of an emergency, they will be able to escape the country immediately. However, if we don't cut down the Cursed Funeral Trees, the curse will ultimately infect the entire continent. So, even though I think it's a bit reckless, we are making repeated invasions while depleting our troops."
The young soldier continued, looking apologetic as he slumped his shoulders.
"However, we are indeed facing a shortage of personnel, and our fighting strength is gradually being depleted like this."
"Are you not sending a request support to other countries?"
"I've heard that we're asking for support from the countries we trade with, but they all say they don't have any personnel to spare. We've also reached out to the adventurer's guild for support, but so far, no adventurers are available..."
The shortage of manpower seemed to be quite severe.
Well, it seems difficult for a single country's army to defeat the Forest King's Army, which even the legendary hero party couldn't handle.
They should be praised for defending the country from the Forest King's Army's invasion until now.
Maybe they just didn't feel like invading the Ratisse Kingdom, and they could have taken it down anytime they wanted.
In any case, with the current strength, it seems impossible to continue the invasion, and the kingdom's army can only watch helplessly until the Cursed Funeral Tree fully revives.
"At this rate, the Ratisse Kingdom will..."
The young soldier grits his teeth in frustration.
If the Cursed Funeral Tree matures, not only the Ratisse Kingdom but also our Compost Kingdom will be in danger, so we tensed up, feeling it was not someone else's problem.
At that moment──
"That's why I said, just leave it to us!"
Suddenly, a husky woman's voice came from behind, and the young soldier abruptly widened his eyes.
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