"By the way, are there no other valuable things? If you are careless enough to carry a map with the bases marked on it, the subsequent attacks will be super easy."
"I haven't seen anything like that. Except for this gospel, it feels like I came out with only clothes on."
After hearing Subaru's question after he calmed down, Tibby confirmed the recovered loot and replied:
"Na--na--, are you ready? It's useless even if you keep scrolling here--like this? It's time to go back to everyone, right--?"
Mimi, who had not participated in the conversation, seemed to be tired of covering the corpse with soil, so she said this
"The enemy has also been killed. It would be better to check if everyone else has also killed the enemy. Now - you should do this! Do this."
"The tone is so innocent, but what you say is very dangerous. Considering how cute you are on the surface, the contrast between your characters shocked my heart."
"Hmph - saying you are cute will make you shy -!"
"Indeed, it's time to leave this place and join the big team," Yuexing said
"It seems like I've brought back some good news."
With a smile on his face, Julius stepped forward to greet Subaru and the others who had come to join them after finishing Sloth.
The position of the crusade team is located outside the forest, on the grassland far away from the streets. In order to prevent the witch cultists hiding in the forest from discovering their existence, large groups of people must be prevented from marching on the road or entering the forest.
Having said that, it won't take too long for the remaining fingers to notice the abnormal movement, and subsequent actions should be accelerated.
"How is the condition of the finger stronghold found during the tracking?"
"On one side, the detachment will continue to monitor us. If something unexpected happens, they will definitely contact us. However, on the other side, we happened to run into the other side's scouts and a battle broke out."
"Really!? What happened next!? Was anyone killed..." Subaru asked hurriedly
I thought it would be a calm report, but I heard that it turned into a battle, which made Subaru anxious. However, seeing Subaru's anxious look, Julius smiled bitterly.
He combed his slightly messy bangs with his hands, and gently pressed his knight's sword with his hands.
"Don't worry. Although the Witch Cultists also have a few good fighters, we have successfully defeated them all. The key strongholds have also been destroyed. There should only be nine fingers left."
"...No one was injured, right? Also, did any enemies escape?" Yuexing looked at Julius and asked.
“All factors of worry have been eliminated, so don’t worry.”
Subaru breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that there were no injuries or omissions. Julius smiled bitterly again when he saw Subaru's reaction.
"So, how is the situation over there? Is the battle against the Sin Archbishop going as planned?"
"Wilhelm and Yuexing cut off his head, and the body was completely destroyed. It should be okay,... it should be okay, right? Generally speaking, there is no way to recover from this, right?"
"I don't understand why you, who should have witnessed everything with your own eyes, are so uneasy."
Seeing Subaru's uneasiness and suspicion, Julius frowned in confusion.
"…Furthermore, although it is not impossible to understand this cautious mood, whipping corpses is really lacking in elegance."
"Don't make it sound like the tragedy was caused by my violence!"
"Sir Wilhelm, about the Archbishop of Sin..."
Julius avoided Subaru's gaze and called Wilhelm with a wink. Wilhelm nodded after hearing that.
"The head is in a different place, and the breath of life has undoubtedly been cut off. At least I don't know what kind of creature can still breathe in that state."
"I'm relieved. If Lord Wilhelm said this, there is no doubt that we have already taken the lead in this battle with the witch cultists led by Lazy."
"You, you didn't believe my answer, did you!? I wasn't here for fun, so I opened my eyes wide and carefully checked the body! And more than once!"
"I really hope you can understand that I have already shown my sincerity to you without even asking Phyllis."
"Sincerity's sincerity and honesty's sincerity are the same sincerity? Do you understand?"
Julius was relatively innocent, but Subaru retorted with veins popping out on his forehead.
Julius ignored Subaru's retort and raised his hand to the knights and mercenaries who were waiting. This action caused everyone to stop talking. Then he waved his hand and turned his focused attention to Yuexing.
"They are also waiting for the same report. It should be said by you yourself, shouldn't it?"
"It would be better for you to host it." Yuexing shook her head.
"Having him host it will make people feel angry."
"Boring and stubborn meow..."
Felice looked helpless as he watched the quarrel between Julius and Subaru no matter what the situation.
"Boys are really stupid, and Subaru is especially stupid."
"The so-called stubbornness of men is often seen as boring to others. Phyllis, you can think of something in your mind."
"...Who knows, maybe there are people who have been as stubborn as this."
Hearing Wilhelm's words, Phyllis hesitated inexplicably, and then Phyllis sighed heavily as if trying to avoid the old swordsman's gaze.
While this conversation was going on behind his back, Subaru was also reporting the battle situation to everyone watching him.
"That's it. Fortunately, everything is basically as planned. The Sin Archbishop has been killed by us!"
"oh oh--"
Subaru was dancing and giving a realistic explanation. After hearing about the defeat of the Sin Archbishop who was the key to this battle, joy appeared on the faces of everyone who was waiting impatiently.
"Wait, wait, wait! Don't be so loud! They will hear you!"
"——"
I almost cheered, losing the meaning of setting up formation outside the forest. All in all, this is undoubtedly the best result for everyone.
"Then, all that's left is the simple task of dealing with the remnants. If it doesn't end soon, the young lady will become a mother-in-law, so we have to hurry up... Ah, this is just a classic joke from the Sa family."
"How should I put it? The joke is a bit too biased... In other words, it doesn't matter."
Putting Ricardo’s jokes aside for now, we really need to act quickly, but unfortunately, the remaining work is not as simple as Ricardo said.
"Because even if Petelgeus is defeated, it does not mean that all problems have been solved."
"It would be ugly if you feel confident that you will win, but the boat capsizes in the gutter. Even if you know that the Sin Archbishop is dead, the remaining witch cultists probably won't retreat, nya..."
"The other party is a witch cultist. It's better not to use normal standards to measure them," Yuexing said.
Others seemed to agree with this view, and no one relaxed after winning the first battle.
Subaru also objected to leaving the uncertain factors alone, and must definitely deal with the remaining enemies.
"First of all, defeat all the surveillance finger strongholds, and no one has the extreme idea of killing all the witch cultists, right? I want to capture as many of them alive as possible."
"I think they will commit suicide——...it has always been like this before."
Felice pursed her lips in dissatisfaction with Subaru's suggestion of being captured alive. This was not because she was against being captured alive, but because she was disgusted with the witch cultists who would commit suicide in order to keep their secrets secret.
As a healer, he probably has some intolerance for the viciousness of the Witch Cult.
"I understand Phyllis's opinion, but if possible, try not to take lives. I also agree to keep the capture order in mind when fighting the Witch Cult. Even so, don't forget the most important thing.
What is more important is your own safety. If you put the cart before the horse, it will be unjustifiable.”
Concerned about Felice who was in a bad mood, Julius expressed his opinion to Subaru.
"——Furthermore, the finger that has been discovered is naturally the highest priority, but the dragon carriage you prepared should be coming to join us soon, so don't forget this."
"Yeah, there's more over there."
After hearing Julius' words, Subaru tapped his palms and thought of the Rangers who were about to join the expedition team.
This was a dragon carriage borrowed from a merchant who stayed nearby to allow Emilia and the others to evacuate. Even so, the only ones left were the followers of the Witch Cult. Considering that there seemed to be no need for all members to evacuate, this chariot was
Einsatzgruppen may lose its relevance
"Considering the scale, it would be a bit difficult for the merchants and the expedition team to move together. They should be allowed to stand by at the position, or they should go to the destination village first for the convenience of evacuation. In that case, the large group of people must be careful to avoid
How about causing chaos?"
"How...what are you talking about?"
"If there are people who are comfortable in the village and Roswaal's mansion, unnecessary chaos can be avoided."
"————"
Julius's tactful persuasion made Subaru bite his lip. His words were simple and easy to understand - now, Subaru already had the reputation to return to the mansion.
Considering that someone needs to be responsible for explaining, it would be more appropriate for Subaru to go to the mansion as the envoy.
but--
"Don't think that I can't distinguish between public and private affairs. I still have unsolved matters that need to be resolved."
"You should also have the idea of going back quickly. No one will say that this is a matter of public and private affairs."
"I have volunteered to be the bait for the Witch Cult. It is most suitable for me to do it...and I am not qualified to return to the mansion yet."
Subaru shook his head at Julius' proposal and looked toward the other end of the forest—in the direction of the mansion.