Volume 20 Chapter 8 Lamia Subjugation
"Alright, let's go. The infiltration route, the arrangement of the stone walls, the movements of the Barbarians──I've got it all in my head. Neville is my aide, and Orville, don't let the Goblins get close to Alfred. Let's move."
Saying this, Gustave mounted his chestnut steed, equipped with armor for horses, and received his trusty spear from Orville.
He had pleaded with the captain of the second squad that dealing with the Barbarians infesting the iron mine was almost like a job, and had borrowed a full set of equipment, including horses, from the capital.
The 'Shield' spell had been cast on 4 people, including himself, while the 'Strike Hard' spell had been granted to Gustave, Neville, and Orville, ensuring their combat strength was well-prepared.
Leading the way, Al and the others advanced into the iron mine where the Barbarians dwelled.
The intricately constructed stone walls blocked their path, and the short Goblins and Hobgoblins seemed to be hiding in the shadows, but for Al, who had a bird's-eye view of the battlefield in his mind, there was no problem at all.
On the contrary, by moving along the wall, they were shielded from the Lamia's gaze, making it a relief to avoid long-range spell attacks.
As Al and the others approached the hut where the Lamia was, about ten Goblins, along with her, appeared.
There was also one Hobgoblin.
"Alright, just as I expected. Leave it to me!"
＜Charge＞Thrust Spear Technique──Damage Boost
Gustave lightly kicked the horse's belly with his stirrup.
The horse responded with a soft neigh and began to gallop towards the Hobgoblin.
The Goblin in front panicked and tried to escape from the horse's charge, but the horse trampled the Goblin instead.
Then Gustave's spear pierced the Hobgoblin's chest.
The Hobgoblin could not withstand it and was blown backward.
Al and the others hurriedly pursued.
The Lamia was still nowhere to be seen.
Neville and Orville caught up to Gustave and swiftly took down the remaining Goblins with their spears and swords.
"As expected, big brother, Neville, and Orville are amazing too."
At Al's words, Gustave smirked.
"What are you talking about? Without Lamia, Alfred could easily take them down with a spell. More importantly, thanks to Al's spell, the damage of our weapons is on another level. It might even be more effective than what a knight's magician could do."
"Oh, good. Ah, Lamia is coming now. The hobgoblins are with her too. They're right behind the stone wall on the right."
Al conveyed the information obtained from the 'Floating Eye' to everyone.
Gustave and the others' expressions turned serious.
Swinging his weapon to shake off the blood, Al glanced in the direction he pointed, just as Lamia peeked over the stone wall.
'Long-range magic... 'Spasm"
Al immediately canceled Lamia's incantation.
Perhaps surprised by the tingly sensation of the 'Spasm' spell, Lamia wore a foolish expression.
To circle around the stone wall, Gustave lightly kicked the horse's belly again.
Neville started running toward the opposite side.
Al, shielded by Orville, followed Gustave.
Their coordination in this area was as discussed beforehand.
＜Sweep＞Thrust Spear Technique──Area Attack Skill
On the other side of the stone wall, there were hobgoblins and goblins lying in wait to protect Lamia, but when Gustave swung his spear, they seemed to panic and their formation fell apart.
'Long-range magic... 'Spasm'
Lamia attempted to cast a spell toward Gustave, but Al immediately interrupted her chant.
By that time, Neville had already circled around to the other side of the stone wall and had reached right behind Lamia.
With that momentum, he thrust his spear toward Lamia.
＜Piercing＞Thrust Spear Technique──Penetration
Penetrating her body, the tip of Neville's spear jutted out from Lamia's abdomen.
Lamia assumed a position as if gazing up at the heavens from the shock.
"Huh? It pierced...?"
However, Neville himself wore a face of surprise at the impact.
The effect of the Strike Hard spell might have been unexpected.
Perhaps he should have practiced beforehand.
Lamia gripped the spearhead protruding from her abdomen with her right hand and tried to turn around.
But seeing this, Gustave thrust his spear forward again.
"Gyaah, gyagyagyah!!"
Lamia could not defend herself and collapsed, pierced by the second spear.
"Gyagyagyagyaaahhhh!"
The surviving hobgoblins and goblins let out a cry similar to a scream.
They all began to flee at once.
'Magic Missile'
A pale blue arrow was unleashed from Al's hand.
It pierced the backs of the fleeing goblins one after another.
However, it could not target all the goblins, and while the hobgoblin was taken down, several goblins escaped into the surrounding forest.
"No need to chase!"
Gustave stopped Neville, who was about to pursue.
The surrounding forest was wild and might hold other magical beasts.
"This is enough. We did it! Excellent work, Neville. Alfred, Orville, you did well too! Ooooooh!"
Gustave clenched his fist and raised it towards the heavens.
"We did it! Thanks to Sir Gustave drawing their attention, the victory belongs to the Channing family!"
Neville also raised his fist.
"We did it!"
Orville and Al also smiled, high-fiving beside the two.
* * *
"Now, let's quickly clean up the corpses and withdraw. Alfred, can you check if we can carry Lamia's corpse with the 'Carrier' spell?"
"Sure."
Lamia's body seemed to be around 6 meters long if stretched out.
Gustave had consulted about wanting to report the corpse to the capital, but he was a bit worried about whether it could be transported.
The disk changed shape, lifting the corpse of the Lamia as it floated safely above the ground.
"Looks like it's okay."
"Alright, the only ones that escaped were the goblins. We should be fine leaving it for a while. We took care of both the Mage and the Lamia. With this, Channing Village will surely be freed from the threat of the Barbarians."
At Gustave's words, not just Al, but Neville and the others nodded in agreement.
In the capital, Ozbert had already begun arranging the necessary personnel for security.
As Gustave and the others were set to arrive in the capital, they planned to depart with representatives from the Levy merchant guild, who would handle the construction, as well as Gustave's former colleagues and those who had retired from the knight order, who would now serve the Channing family.
Once they arrived and the requested knight order dealt with the nearby Barbarians and magic beasts, the area around Channing Village would become quite a safe place.
Al never want another tragedy like his twin sister, Ingrid, to happen again.
While thinking such things, Al began to dig a hole to bury the goblins' corpses, working alongside his brother and the retainers.
Character List:
Gustave: Al's older brother, the eldest son
Neville: Channing's retainer.
Orville: Ozbert's son (Channing's former retainer)
Lamia: The primary antagonist, a powerful magical creature
Here, we conclude Volume 20.
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