I Got Fired As an Adventurer, So I’m Starting Anew As an Alchemist! Frontier Exploration? Alright, Leave It to Me!

200. The Strategist’s Thoughts Are Beyond Me, Isn’t It?

The defense of Golden Dawn was planned in three major stages.

One was the construction of a bridge across the Dawn River. This was recently completed.

Another was the building of a fortress on the opposite side of the bridge. This is currently being rushed. With the bridge construction and the fortress building happening simultaneously, and supplies being shuttled back and forth by steamship, the construction is expected to be finished soon.

The last stage is the reinforcement and extension of the city walls. Priority is being given to extending the walls along the riverbank. This is also expected to be completed soon. If the residents of Mizuho hadn’t participated, it might not have been finished in time.

Since the bridge was completed much earlier than expected, it was decided to build another interception point.

This is on the north side of the city, in the wide space between the bridge and the city, exactly where the completion ceremony was held.

The castle is located in the northeast of the city, so the space near the north gate can be easily overlooked.

Looking out from Kyle’s office window, I’m reminded of the time the cockatrices came rushing in. Back then, the area outside the north gate was just an open field stretching to the river, but now it’s surrounded by multiple city walls and paved with stone.

“Hey Kyle, you said this would be one of the defense points, but wouldn’t the fortress on the other side hold them off?”

The fortress being built on the opposite side of the Dawn Bridge is also quite large. It was redesigned after we learned the Empire was coming, so it’s built entirely as a military stronghold, and I think its defensive capabilities are pretty impressive.

“There’s a possibility they could bypass the fortress and climb onto the bridge from the river.”

“Ah, right. Monsters aside, human soldiers might have the brains to do that.”

“Yes. Although that’s also part of the plan.”

“…So you’re saying that after avoiding the heavily defended fortress, the enemy forces will gather on the bridge, only to be wiped out when they reach the north gate of Golden Dawn?”

“Exactly. If they make it this far… we won’t hold back.”

I turn to Kyle in surprise.

It seems I’ve been underestimating him a little. The look in Kyle’s eyes was that of a lord protecting his territory.

Of course, we’re all trying to avoid casualties as much as possible in our defense plans, but these are the same people who nearly destroyed Mizuho. Depending on how the enemy acts, we won’t show mercy.

Since Alphard is leading the strategy planning, I can trust him to handle it. While Raidoc and his party members might have the upper hand in individual combat, when it comes to strategy and tactics, there’s no one more reliable than Alphard.

“Well then, I’ll go follow Alphard’s plan and make the rounds to each location for communication and deliveries.”

I’ve been made to do a lot of things, but when I saw the instructions Alphard gave Kyle, I thought to myself, “So that’s how it’s used… brutal!” But I’ll keep that to myself.

After finishing the alchemy I was instructed to do, I set off to visit each defense point.

◆

The first place I arrived at was the fortress under construction on the other side of the Dawn Bridge.

Currently, the Dawn Bridge is closed to civilians, so only military personnel or their hired workers are allowed. So, if I push the Black Dragon to its limits, I can get there in no time.

Unless this fortress is breached, there’s no way to cross the bridge by normal means. As Kyle and I discussed earlier, it’s possible to go upstream and use rafts to approach the bridge directly from the water. But there’s a height difference between the water surface and the bridge, and if you’re far enough from the shore to avoid being spotted from the fortress, the current is strong. If you don’t attach to the bridge piers, you won’t be able to stop and will just be swept downstream.

Effectively, this fortress is undoubtedly the most critical defense point.

I head over to where Alphard is commanding from the front.

“Hey, good work.”

“You’re here, Craft.”

“Construction seems to be going well.”

“Yeah, thanks to Chiyome-dono keeping us updated on the Empire’s movements, we’ll finish before the enemy arrives.”

“It feels like it’s taking a long time. Not that I’m complaining.”

“It’s already a stretch to have monsters and humans fighting together. According to Chiyome-dono, the monster army is advancing through forests and wastelands first, and the Empire’s forces are following behind on the cleared land.”

“Well, I’ll be damned.”

On the Mizuho battlefield, a humanoid bee monster was spotted, and it’s believed to be the same individual Chiyome heard during her reconnaissance.

It’s a being with knowledge equal to or greater than humans, capable of conversation and commanding hordes of monsters. Extremely dangerous.

The bee man is probably the one leading the monsters.

“But even if the human army can manage, don’t the monsters get hungry?”

Alphard answers my question.

“That’s been confirmed too. Hard to believe, but as they advance, they summon weaker monsters and feed them to the stronger ones.”

“Seriously?”

“It seems the number of strong individuals is gradually increasing as they march, so by the time they arrive here, it’ll be an army of powerful monsters.”

“…This is no joke.”

“The slow advance is partly due to that.”

“What about the humans’ food supply?”

“Well, it seems they’ve built a fortress relatively close to Mizuho… though it’s still several days away.”

A few days’ distance from Mizuho… no matter where you look, it’s all dangerous territory.

“Ah, I see. If the monsters don’t attack, it’s possible to build a fortress in secret.”

“Exactly. Though we’re just speculating based on the situation. Chiyome-dono overheard soldiers mentioning a fortress, so it might just be a supply base. Either way, even though their supply lines are stretched thin, food is being regularly transported from the Mizuho direction, so there’s definitely some kind of base.”

“There’s no way they’re getting supplies all the way from the Empire.”

There were several small nations around Mizuho, so it’s possible they’ve been buying supplies from them.

“Speaking of which, on the way to Mizuho, I saw several small nations that had been destroyed by monsters.”

“Hmm, good observation, Craft. It’s likely they had the monsters attack city-states, made surrounding nations believe it was the work of stampedes, and then gathered just enough food without revealing human involvement.”

“…Did Bella order this?”

The name slips out—Bella, Kyle’s stepmother, the one who spread curses and ravaged the Beilord borderlands.

“Don’t mention that name in front of Kyle, got it?”

“I know, I know. But why does Bella hate Kyle so much?”

Alphard sighs and shakes his head.

“I have no idea.”

“Yeah, figures…”

“We’ll just have to capture her and make her talk.”

It seems Alphard has no intention of losing.

“Well, to ensure victory, I’ve got the items you asked for, but why couldn’t they be shipped by boat?”

Alphard’s letter instructed me to send healing potions and elixirs by steamship, but only the specified supplies were to be transported using my “spatial storage.”

“Put them in the hidden room here. Chiyome-dono overheard something suggesting the bee man had infiltrated Mizuho, remember?”

“Ah, right, spy countermeasures!”

“We can’t predict how they might infiltrate, so aside from a few trusted subordinates, I don’t plan to let anyone know about this hidden room.”

I’m impressed.

It’s unclear whether the bee man himself was hiding there or if it was a human accomplice, but it’s certain that someone infiltrated. It didn’t occur to me that Golden Dawn might have been infiltrated in the same way, since the Empire and monsters are still far away.

If there’s an infiltration unit, it wouldn’t be surprising if they’ve already gotten in. I tighten my focus.

After delivering the requested supplies to the hidden room, I wave to Alphard and hop back onto the Black Dragon, about to leave the fortress when I notice a cloud of dust rising from the other side of the bridge.

“Craaaaaaft-sama!”

“Shururu!? What are you doing here!?”

Running at an incredible speed is the lizard-girl, Shururu.