"No, it's still just a hypothesis. There are countries that might do something like this, but it could be just a group of thieves, or this might be all of it. It's just that we should be prepared for the worst-case scenario," Bart said, and a slightly relieved atmosphere flowed through the group.
"So, what's the probability of that 'worst-case scenario'?" Bullet, the leader of the 'Flame Wolf,' asked, and Bart answered with a calm face.
"About eighty percent, I'd say."
"…………"
Then Bart confirmed the intentions of the merchants, who had not spoken up until then.
"What do you think, clients?"
"Hmm. With more than three times the number of soldiers, it's not a force we can defeat in a fair fight. The best course of action would be to confirm the identity and number of the enemy, retreat, and immediately inform the palace to send in the army, wouldn't it?"
"Well, the enemy will probably move before our country's army arrives. Also, the reason they've been wiping out the caravans so far is to hide their true identity. If there are any survivors, there's a chance they might be exposed, even if they're disguised as thieves.
So, if we turn back here, the enemy will naturally realize they've been discovered. Worried about how much of their identity has been exposed, they'll probably launch a pursuit.
Even if we kill and abandon the thieves, the carts will be caught up with quickly. They might even have horses prepared for pursuit.
Given the uncertainty of where we might be attacked while fleeing, it might be better to choose the location and stand our ground.
After all, it's just a matter of taking down three to four per person."
"What, there was no choice from the beginning!"
"That's right."
Bart and the merchants laughed, and the other members of 'Dragon Breath' shrugged their shoulders with a look of exasperation, probably a common occurrence. The three from 'Flame Wolf' looked a bit pale but maintained their composure as hunters. As for 'Red Oath'...
(What are these people...)
Mile and the others were exasperated by Bart and the merchants' nerves. Then...
"It doesn't seem like they're thieves, does it? All this discussion was for nothing..."
"No, even if they are an army, an incursion into another country for plunder is not recognized as a military action. They can be treated as spies or ordinary thieves, so there's no problem with killing them. We'll deal with them as thieves."
"If we capture the commander and extract information, we might get a lot of rewards~"
"You guys..."
Under normal circumstances, it would still be a time to continue moving. However, the caravan decided to camp here. The road curved around a rocky mountain, with a steep rock wall on the right and a slightly open rocky area on the left, with no trees or water source. It was not a place where one would normally camp. There was a grassy area a bit further on after passing the mountain.
However, this location was convenient, not for camping, but for combat.
With no trees, fire magic could be used freely.
Backed by the steep rock wall, it was suitable for facing a large number of enemies.
The enemy, who had not yet shown themselves, would likely be puzzled by the caravan setting up camp so early in such a place, but they wouldn't be able to do much about it.
They wouldn't wait until morning just for a few hundred meters, and would likely attack this location.
The caravan arranged the carts in two rows of three, tightly against the rock wall, minimizing the area to defend. The captured thieves were not only bound by the arms but also by the legs, making them immobile, and their consciousness would be taken before the battle. The merchants were instructed to kill them immediately if the situation turned unfavorable and the enemy approached. It wouldn't take long to kill the seven unconscious and bound thieves, and the older merchants wouldn't hesitate to kill the thieves.
The hunter guards, having secured the carts and bound the thieves, prepared for a full-scale defense. They did not eat, as filling one's stomach before a sword or spear battle is a sure way to shorten one's life.
All that was left was to wait for the enemy's move.
About an hour later.
"...They're here."
Vera, with her keen eyesight as an archer, was the first to spot the approaching enemy. Because they had set up camp so early, it was still a bit before sunset, and the surroundings were still bright. The enemy, perhaps judging that it was more advantageous to attack while it was still light to avoid letting anyone escape in the dark, had surrounded the caravan in a semicircle with about forty men, as Bart had predicted.
"We are thieves! Drop your weapons and surrender!"
The voice of the apparent leader of the surrounding enemy was unusually clear and sharp, declaring, "We are thieves!" Moreover, it was "surrender" rather than "yield," and "drop your weapons."
"...Since we're going to fight anyway, it doesn't matter what we say, right? Can I say something to get some information?"
Bart's words were met with nods from the merchants, and the 'Flame Wolf' and 'Red Oath,' who didn't quite understand, followed suit.
"That voice, isn't that you, Squad Leader! What are you doing in another country?"
"Uh..."
Bart's casual bait, shouted loudly, perfectly caught the commander off guard.
"It's me, from the shop in the capital..."
"I don't know you! I'm just a thief! Stop talking nonsense and drop your weapons and surrender!"
"...What do you think?"
"Haha..."
Mile's dry laugh in response to Bart's question.
"Well, I don't expect them to speak honestly, but it's almost certain.
That means, even if we surrender, they'll kill us all. Everyone, are you prepared?"
Everyone nodded silently.
"Alright, non-combatants, please board the second cart as planned. Guards, take your positions!"
Everyone followed Bart's instructions and took their designated positions. The merchants boarded the second cart, which had been prepared with the cargo unloaded and gaps left. It was the middle cart of the three tightly against the rock wall, in a position where arrows and stray magic could be blocked by the other carts.
Mile, following the pre-arranged plan, joined them and cast a spell on the bound thieves lying on the cart.
"Something like a strong ether, a spell that won't let them regain consciousness until dawn, but only on the mouths and noses of the thieves!"
...It was quite casual. It was so casual that one might wonder if it was a spell, but the nanomachines seemed to understand Mile's intent, and the thieves lost consciousness. This eliminated any chance of a counterattack. In an emergency, the merchants would be responsible for finishing them off, but Mile had no intention of letting it come to that.
"Then, please wait here!"
Smiling at the merchants, Mile got off the cart and, before moving away, whispered in a small voice.
"Grid Force Barrier, fully transparent version!"
A faint sound, and the space seemed to reflect a glimmer of light for a moment.
When Mile returned to her position, the enemy was beginning to approach in a well-organized and disciplined manner. They were dressed like thieves, but their movements and equipment were off. Their weapons were unusually well-matched and of good quality, and some wore metal armor under their ragged clothes.
Following Bart's instructions, Ginny began casting an attack spell just as they were within range. Given their overwhelming numbers, it was natural to launch a preemptive attack to reduce the enemy as much as possible, but Bart's aim was to observe the enemy's reaction.
"...Fireball!"
The fireball Ginny launched at the leading enemy disappeared before reaching its target.
"Well, it's to be expected for a special operations unit to have a few mages... one or two per squad..."
In war, mages are usually not part of regular units but are concentrated in specialized units for efficiency. However, this is not the case for special units operating alone in enemy territory.
Bart seemed to know a lot about the military. Whether it was from years of experience as a hunter or from a past in the military...
"They've prepared some skilled mages. We have four mages; how many do they have..."
"The number doesn't matter."
In response to Bart's words, Reina began casting an attack spell.
"...Fireball!"
The fireball flew.
"Fireball, it'll be blocked again..."
Just as Ginny was about to say this to Reina, who had launched the same fireball that Ginny had been blocked, Reina's fireball was deflected by the enemy's defensive magic, scattering sparks... and then hit one of the enemy, exploding.
The soldier hit by the direct hit was blown back, and the soldiers on either side, caught in the explosion, rolled on the ground to extinguish the flames on their bodies. The direct hit soldier, wearing metal armor under his ragged clothes, was incapacitated but still alive.
"Huh..."
"What is it?"
Reina, turning around, asked the speechless Ginny.
Indeed, Reina had not demonstrated attack magic during the graduation exam, as the match was decided before that.
Ginny, who had thought Reina was around twelve years old like Mile, was surprised by the power of Reina's attack magic, which exceeded her own, in addition to the strong defensive magic she had seen during the graduation exam. She had assumed Reina was a support-type mage skilled in defensive magic.
"...Boiling Water Ball"
Following Reina, Pauline cast a spell without much force, and two softballs-sized balls of water flew at a slow speed.
The soldiers, perhaps judging that there was no need to waste magic and casting time to block such a weak-looking water ball, easily avoided it. However, the water ball suddenly changed course and hit the soldier's neck.
"AAAAAAH!"
The scalding hot water, over a hundred degrees, flowed down the soldier's body, seeping into his armor and clothes.
The water ball, compressed to a high pressure, was heated to well over a hundred degrees.
Trying to shake it off or roll around, the scalding water directly touched the skin, soaked into the clothes, and did not easily cool down. The burns quickly worsened and became severe.
Next to the soldier, another soldier who had been hit in the face by the water ball was screaming.
Mile waited patiently.
A few soldiers from the rear rushed to the aid of the injured soldiers.
(There, that's it!)
Mile pretended to cast a spell, mumbling a casual incantation and closing one eye awkwardly.
"Give lightning to the foolish ones, Single Eye!"
A "bishii" sound rang out, and the enemy soldiers rushing to the aid of the injured fell to the ground. It was a lightning spell that wouldn't kill them. This would later become known as one of Mile's seven-year-old signature moves, the "Angel's Blink Shot."
Of course, the ones Mile aimed for were the mages who had rushed to heal the injured. Since the mages were dressed like the other soldiers, Mile had to distinguish them by their actions. This should have significantly reduced the number of enemy mages, if Mile's assumption was correct.
Not only the ones Mile thought were mages but also the originally injured soldiers had lost consciousness from the lightning, which was fortunate for the injured, especially those suffering from severe burns from Pauline's attack.
"Wha..."
The three from 'Flame Wolf' looked at Mile, momentarily distracted from the enemy.
While it didn't affect the overall situation since the enemy had stopped moving, it wasn't a good sign.
The members of 'Dragon Breath,' as expected, were still watching the enemy's movements, though they were surprised.
"They're coming!"
Bart called out to the three from 'Flame Wolf,' who were distracted.
With only six guards and at most one or two mages, the enemy had expected an easy surrender and subsequent massacre. However, after suffering a one-sided magical attack and losing nearly twenty percent of their forces, and with half of their valuable mages down, the enemy soldiers, who had momentarily stopped, resumed their approach under the commander's orders. This time, it was a charge.
Naturally, a slow approach would only invite more magical attacks, so a simultaneous charge was the only option.
A few soldiers remained at a distance, the remaining mages and archers. They were within the effective range of their attacks, and it seemed that the enemy would use thrown spears after getting a bit closer.
While Mile was attacking, Reina, Pauline, and Ginny had completed their next spells and launched their attack magic at the leading swordsmen and spearmen of the enemy group.
Bang! Whoosh! Bash!
Reina's fireball was launched again but did not hit directly, causing burns to several soldiers when it exploded.
Pauline launched a condensed version of the second spell she had shown during the graduation exam, the Fireball. Two of them were launched, one piercing the right shoulder of an enemy soldier and the other hitting the abdomen of another. Although the abdomen was protected by armor, the impact, heat, and spreading flames caused the soldier to roll on the ground.
Ginny used an ice spear. Unlike fire, which can be burned away with magic, the ice, once formed, would not disappear.
However, the remaining enemy mages, perhaps allowing some damage to their own soldiers, prioritized