The Extra Strategist’s Royal Road Chapter 157
The roar of the monster rushing towards me.
The beast was trying to stomp on me with its heavy front paws, so I had no choice but to evade it.
‘It’s gone crazy!’
The weight of the attack is different, you could say. The power of a weapon wielded by a person is still within one’s expectations.
Even the powerful attacks of Anton could be blocked if I was determined to do so.
But this is a different weight class altogether.
The weight of the beast in front of me is estimated to be over 3 tons. It’s the equivalent of 40 adult men combined.
“Tch!”
I wanted to choose to flee, but in a situation where I didn’t know the terrain here, I couldn’t predict the consequences of fleeing.
‘It would be better to take it down in one stroke.’
If the scent of this beast’s blood fills the air, it will draw its attention and lower its guard towards me.
‘I don’t know what kind of monster this is, but…’
I took advantage of the moment when the beast charged at me again.
While the opponent’s weight class is absurd, it also means their agility is relatively lower.
Moreover, I am at the superhuman level even among humans. Dealing with bears or tigers is child’s play.
Evading this beast’s attacks was as easy as eating cold porridge.
I evaded its attack and kicked off a nearby tree, landing on its back.
“Kuoooo!”
The beast thrashed about in a frenzy, but I firmly thrust my spear into its skull.
No matter how tough the beast’s head was, it couldn’t stop a spear with my strength behind it.
The creature spewed out blood bubbles and collapsed with a thud.
I pulled out the deeply embedded spear and jumped off its back. Now that the beast was dead, I could observe its form more closely.
‘This is indeed…’
Not an animal. A monster that seems to come straight out of a book.
“…”
I was organizing the hypotheses forming in my head.
‘No, there’s no time for that now.’
I didn’t have the luxury to relax. I didn’t know what else might be attracted by the scent of this beast’s blood.
I wiped the blood off the spear and sheathed it on my back.
Just as I was about to leave the area, the monstrous corpse began to dissolve in a flash of light.
“What…!?”
The massive body disappeared in an instant. And with the light gone, only unidentifiable filth remained in its place.
The filth was emitting a stench so foul that it was almost unbearable, even for me who had experienced all sorts of foul odors on the battlefield.
Still, I had to investigate this strange phenomenon.
I used the spear to rummage through the filth.
“This is… A corpse?”
Amidst the sticky flesh chunks, there were bones visible, as if the beast had been in the process of digesting them.
I couldn’t identify whose bones they were. There were no intact bones, as if the beast had chewed them along with the flesh.
However, I could tell that there were human corpses among them.
Because I could see traces of fabric, which seemed to be clothing.
And most decisively, there was this.
“This is…!”
A necklace made of metal, which had not yet been fully digested.
I carefully lifted it with the tip of my spear.
It was a silver necklace.
As much as it pains me to say this, this was a good sign. The fact that this necklace was still in the beast’s stomach meant that the person who wore it had been recently consumed.
In other words, there are likely people around here. That’s what I can reasonably assume.
After securing the necklace and leaving a marker at the site, I cautiously began moving, searching for the sound of water.
Along the way, I heard a sound, but it was not the sound of a river that I had expected.
‘The sound of waves!’
Whatever it was, it was a good sign, so I headed towards the source of the sound.
Through the darkness, I could clearly hear the crashing of the waves, and I could also see the faint glow of a settlement by the coast.
I leaped down the gentle cliffside and made my way towards the settlement.
‘What is this?’
The walls of the humble dwelling were covered in what appeared to be talismans or charms. I poked them cautiously with the tip of my spear, but nothing happened.
After thoroughly checking the area around the dwelling, I knocked on the door.
“Is anyone home!”
I heard some rustling sounds from inside, and felt a gaze through the window. Soon, the lock was unbolted, and the door opened.
The one who appeared was a middle-aged man. The pungent smell of fish indicated that he was likely a fisherman.
He eyed me up and down with a wary expression, and then spoke in an unfamiliar language.
“Where are you from?”
I could roughly understand the meaning, though the dialect was extremely difficult to comprehend.
I tried to communicate using gestures and body language, and the man, seeming to grasp my situation, invited me into the dwelling.
‘This is troublesome. I didn’t expect the language barrier to be this severe.’
The situation was far more precarious than I had anticipated.
* * *
Fortunately, the man in the dwelling treated me kindly.
When I asked why, he pointed to my sword and spear, and said,
“Are you not from the Salvation Alliance? I was told that someone from the Salvation Alliance would be arriving soon. Are you the one?”
The Salvation Alliance? I asked him about it.
Realizing that I was not affiliated with them, his expression turned to disappointment.
But he still explained it to me patiently. During this, I quickly came to understand the local language. It was like a thick dialect, but as long as I approached it that way, I could manage.
Of course, it was still a challenging task. It felt like a modern American encountering ancient English. No, perhaps it was even easier than that.
The man who introduced himself as Rudolph briefly explained the Salvation Alliance to me.
I couldn’t fully understand it all, but it seems they are some kind of problem-solvers, adventurers, or mercenaries.
“If possible, could you provide me with a book related to the language?”
“Where would a fisherman’s hut have something like that?”
“…I see. Then do you at least have a map?”
I thought a coastal dwelling would at least have a map.
Fortunately, Rudolph rummaged under the shelves where he was drying fish and handed me a piece of paper.
“This is something given to me by the Salvation Alliance. They’ve marked the current situation in quite some detail. By the way, this is where we are.”
I couldn’t continue the conversation after seeing the map.
Since I had difficulty reading the letters, I asked Rudolph to interpret the map for me.
Rudolph explained it without any annoyance. There seemed to be an expectation in his gaze towards me.
Whatever his ulterior motives, it was helpful for me.
I had once thought that the continent I was from had a rather simple shape. So I had expected that there might be another world beyond the sea.
It seems that was true.
I couldn’t help but ask,
“What is this place called, the Magi Continent?”
“It’s where the Demon Lord lives!”
“Eh? Why do you think that?”
“Well, I don’t know the details, but that’s what people say. The powerful barrier surrounding the Magi Continent disrupts the flow of magic, causing monsters to rampage. It’s surely the Demon Lord’s doing. So the Demon Lord must be living within that barrier.”
I was certain.
This Magi Continent is the continent I was from. Of course, there is no Demon Lord living there. Not even monsters.
“And this Lost Land?”
“It’s a place completely taken over by monsters. An area that has become completely uninhabitable for humans.”
According to him, the situation was even more dire less than 200 years ago. The northern and southern continents were all overrun by monsters, and all the kingdoms except the Ellan Kingdom in the west were destroyed.
Even the Ellan Kingdom was on the verge of annihilation, but a great sage named Vindalin developed magic that could turn the tide. They launched a major counterattack, leading to the current situation.
“And this Salvation Alliance?”
“That’s a bit complicated. As a citizen of the Ellan Kingdom, I feel a bit uneasy speaking about it.”
There seemed to be some issues there.
In any case, it wasn’t very important to me right now, so I decided not to dwell on it.
What was more pressing was my own situation.
It’s like a DLC world.
No, perhaps ‘hidden route’ would be a better term.
My guess would be that in the game’s storyline, Ars only learns about this world after everything is resolved.
After all, the clue about the new continent was in the 4th volume of the magic research journal. If Ars obtained the books in the intended order, he would have gotten the 4th volume last.
Having united the continent and accomplished that, Ars would have delved deeply into magic research, just like how the Fensillon Empire fell due to being unable to keep up with population growth. He would have sought countermeasures, and discovered this world through Eonia, jumping in to revive magic.
That seems like the most rational guess.
But I have skipped many steps due to the ripple effect.
Most importantly, the continent is still in a state of turmoil.
‘I must return to where I came from.’
I had no idea what would happen if I wasn’t there. Svenner and the West might be able to unify the continent, or Juras might tyrannize and subjugate all the kingdoms. Places like Bülang or Alvard could also become variables.
Fortunately, the continent was just starting to enter a lull, so I had some time. It would probably be fine for me to be absent for around 2-3 years.
Still, I must return, no matter what.
My ultimate goal is to return to where I was within 3 years.
Having decided that in my heart, I considered the additional problems.
Namely, the vassals and acquaintances who got caught up with me.
I couldn’t just return alone, so I had to first find and join up with them.
‘I’m worried.’
I wasn’t too concerned about people like Master Ilya or Gaspar, as they could handle themselves. But among them, there were more non-combatants than combat personnel.
Estelle and Erina were like that, and so were my mother and sister Julia. Melodie, Princess Sophia, and Meissen were the same.
Moreover, I had no idea where they had ended up.
In the worst case, they could have fallen into the vast ocean. Even the ‘Lost Land’ would be a relatively optimistic outcome.
‘Since it was a magic designed by the elves, they probably wouldn’t have just dropped them into the sea. But even with proper design, they might not have landed in the same place.’
Thinking about it made my unease grow.
‘No, it’s still too early to assume they’ve all been scattered.’
They might be somewhere on this island.
I asked Rudolph if he could guide me to this island.
Rudolph replied, as if he had been waiting for me to ask. “Then why don’t we go to the village tomorrow?”
“So there is a village.”
“Yes. But there’s a bit of a problem.”
“Problem?”
“There’s a monster’s lair, or in other words, a dungeon here now. That’s why I haven’t been able to return to the village and have been staying here.”
“A dungeon…?”
“You really don’t know much, do you? For that part, you should ask the village chief tomorrow. He can explain it to you in more detail than I can.”
“I understand.”
I was also tired today, as there were many things that happened.
I really wanted to sleep, but that monster came to my mind. Thinking that such a monster could easily trample this shabby hut made me anxious.
‘Perhaps that monster came from the dungeon.’
As I thought about that, the pieces fell into place about why Rudolph was calmly staying in this shabby place, and why there was a talisman with a magic circle attached outside the village.
When I asked him about it, Rudolph nodded. “That’s right. It’s an item that hides us from the monsters. I bought it from the Salvation’s League, so the effect is certain.”
“Not from the nation?”
“Well… Haha. The nation can’t pay attention to places as remote as ours. So we have to survive on our own. That’s how it is. You can sleep peacefully.”
Receiving the clear answer, my tension eased.
I sat down, leaning against the wall, and tried to sleep.
A world where magic and monsters run rampant. It was clear that I had gotten caught up in a troublesome affair, but I was quick to adapt to the situation.
I decided to accept the situation and find a way to solve it.
The immediate goal now is to find my companions.
The top priority is to find the non-combatants and the pregnant Yumir.
There are about 6-7 months left until Yumir’s childbirth. I have decided that I must find her before then, no matter what.
* * *
As day broke, we began to prepare to go to the village.
According to Rudolph’s explanation, the village is located in the center of the island. The population is around 500 people.
“It should take about 30 minutes to reach the village.”
“That’s not too long. But why didn’t you leave yesterday?”
“Well, it’s a dangerous time right now. It was fine coming here, but when I tried to go back, I got scared. So I decided to just spend a day here. But let’s go now, we can talk on the way.”
“Okay.”
Rudolph loaded the dried fish he had prepared onto a bundle and slung it on his back.
The fishy smell was quite strong. It seems he was also afraid of the monsters being attracted to this strong odor, which is why he was reluctant to return.
Rudolph looked around nervously and quickened his pace, looking anxious.
“Ugh, I’m so nervous.”
“…Wait a moment.”
“What is it!?”
“I hear a sound up ahead.”
“Sound?”
I stuck close behind Rudolph.
“Go forward slowly.”
“Forward? Wouldn’t it be better if I go behind you?”
“If the enemy attacks us from the rear, it will be troublesome. Having me right behind you is the ideal formation for escort.”
“I see. You seem experienced in these matters.”
If asked if I’m experienced, I can say yes, since I’ve been through many major wars at a young age. The experience of standing at the crossroads of life and death is clearly much more than my peers.
As we moved forward, the sound became clearer.
It was a human voice.
“Damn it! I wasn’t told there would be monsters swarming like this!”
“S-Sorry! It was fine until yesterday, though…!”
“Enough! Lena, Deloph! Escort the villagers! Kush! Make an escape route!”
There were 10 people.
4 combat-ready individuals were backing up, escorting what seemed to be village residents.
Around them were 10 fierce-looking monsters surrounding them.
They were certainly smaller than the monster I encountered yesterday, but they were still about the size of an adult human.
They looked like a strange mixture of a wolf and a hyena.
“Seeing a pack of Hellhounds, it seems to be a beast-type dungeon in these mountains. How annoying…”
The man who seemed to be the leader finally noticed Rudolph and me.
The monsters noticed us as well.
Sniff, sniff. The monsters wrinkled their noses at the fishy smell from Rudolph’s load and glared at us.
“Eek!?”Rudolph let out a scream.
I whispered to him. “Rudolph, on the count of three, let’s run towards where the people are.”
“What?”
“One, two, three! Run quickly!”
“Ugh…”
Rudolph clenched his teeth and ran.
The monsters reacted and charged at us.
I drew my weapons – a spear in my right hand and a sword in my left. I first pierced the head of the beast rushing towards Rudolph with the spear, then turned my body and slashed the neck of another one with the sword.
“Grrrr!”
While two of them were killed, the monsters seemed to think this was their chance and focused their attacks on me.
‘Their speed is quite fast, but…’
They’re still not enough to surpass me.
With my aura raised, I skillfully evade the monsters’ attacks like a circus performer, and used my dual weapons to slaughter them all.
This was the strength of the Chester lineage – an outstanding ability in close-quarters combat.
“Eeeek!”
The last remaining one tried to run away, but I threw my spear and killed it.
Swoosh! Just like yesterday, the monsters disappeared, turning into magic.
“Whew! That was tough.” I sighed lightly and stowed my weapons. “Sorry for startling you, Mr. Rudolph. But it would have been troublesome if the monsters had suddenly changed their target to us, so I had no choice.”
“…Ah. Ah, I see.” Rudolph was staring at me with a dazed expression.
It wasn’t just him – the other members of the group were also looking at me with blank expressions.
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