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Chapter 179 (1) - Charrock Wetland
The crisis site in the Yabure Barony was the Charrock Wetlands in the south, which featured a vast, gourd-shaped lake enveloped in a somewhat desolate atmosphere.
The squad had adopted the use of a magic lamp — even then its radiance had been kept to a minimum while torches had been completely prohibited — to avoid giving the eggs any stimuli.
From the wetland extending from the north into the hilly terrain, a multitude of translucent eggs densely covered the area.
Upon closer inspection, the large eggs, about the size of an adult’s arm, were packed with roughly a hundred wrinkled, cocoon-like objects that resembled an adult male's index finger. Two beady, red-black eyes moved ominously within.
A transport vehicle carrying a new group of mages and magical tools arrived on-site.
As they arrived within the perimeter — strictly secured by the army to keep unrelated individuals from approaching and serve as a defense line when the eggs hatched — a young man approached Hugo while pointing at him.
"Ahh! You're finally back, Commander! Sheesh, how many times have you disappeared without notice, and how many times have I told you not to do it?!"
"Hahaha! You’re still so uptight. What’s the big deal? There’s nothing for me to do here anyway. Besides, you know well enough where I’ve gone and what I’ve been up to, don’t you, Ravel? I’m just making the best use of my time."
Hugo laughed heartily, showing no sign of guilt.
"What do you mean ‘uptight’? All I want from you is to not just disappear without warning, so what's strange about asking the obvious!? It's irresponsible to do things half-assed! If you think being lazy is the way to go, then please choose someone else to be your aide!"
"No way. I would have to handle everything myself if my aide turned out to be a slob."
Hugo rejected his suggestion, seemingly implying it was nonsense.
"And that's what I’m saying. If you don't want either side to be sloppy, then please do everything in the proper order, Commander Hugo! I heard that you were quite a capable aide when you were still under the command of that 'Frenzied Tyrant' Shellbul Monstel! I even heard that he never found a replacement for you. So I don't want to hear you say that you don't get what I have to go through as your aide!"
The mention of the charismatic rogue and current president of the Explorer Association made the newly arrived explorers perk up with interest.
In a sense, he was a living legend who reached the pinnacle of an explorer’s career, even having a title to himself.
Shell’s success story of clawing his way up from the bottom of the barrel as an orphan to serving in the Kingdom's Knight Order and ultimately becoming the commander of the First Legion was well-known, but the opportunity to hear about his activities and how he was evaluated internally was rare.
The stories about him usually mentioned the countless monsters he had hunted during his tenure in the Knight Order. He even subjugated many 'Named Monsters' that had been sticking out like nails for the Kingdom, but the rest were......
The explorers listened with a mix of pride and embarrassment.
Hugo had an indifferent expression up until now as he responded to Ravel, but he grimaced in disgust as soon as Shell's name came up.
"What do you mean 'Frenzied Tyrant'?... Stop putting him on a pedestal… Do you even know how he was referred to in the First Legion? 'Slipshod Shell'... He'd spout how only kids need to prepare and plan and would come up with the most deranged plans you’ve ever heard of, even sometimes changing our destination at the drop of a hat... That was the worst time of my life!
He once set off to defeat a giant worm in the Jigo Desert without even preparing proper heat measures, munching on cacti while our squad nearly got lost and wiped out! And I had to write up the report for that mess! Do you know how hard it was to come up with a plausible excuse each time? I never set off without water, so you should be thankful!”
The eavesdropping explorers nearly slipped on the spot.
Who would’ve thought that the exemplary student praised by the other kids turned out to be the problem child in the PTM (Parent-Teacher Meeting)?
Caprine murmured her confusion with genuine doubt.
"...But as the commander of the illustrious Knight Order, there's no way he could be a scruffy person......"
Hugo sighed.
“...During his tenure, the rate of monster-related disasters across the kingdom visibly dropped. He was strong, sure, but he had something beyond that— an undeniable ‘instinct’. Plus, after being dragged around with his absurdity, the First Legion dramatically improved in strength. At first, the casualty rate of the squads he led was terrible, but over time, it actually decreased compared to before. He must have been evaluated highly for that.”
"I see… He may be beyond the understanding of ordinary people, but he has a strong sense when nurturing others. And seeing as how Commander Hugo is now leading the whole legion after becoming his aide, he also seems to have an eye for talent."
"Don't paint him in a rosy light. He may show a 'nonchalant attitude, but actually, everything is as he had planned' vibe, but he only thinks with a single cell of his brain. If anything, he's just someone who lives through his instinct."
Seeing how Hugo vehemently rebutted, Caprine giggled and turned to Ravel.
"Fufu, let's agree on that then. You have become a lot sturdier since joining the ranks of the First Legion, Ravel-san, in contrast to your slender self from the Royal Guards. Hugo-san personally selected you, right?"
This time, it was Ravel's turn to grimace in disgust.
"...My word, Commander Hugo really does treat me like a toy. Anyway, since you left specifically to meet them earlier, I believe you've already briefed them about the situation and our strategy, right? We currently have approximately forty million unprocessed eggs left, clearly an anomaly even in comparison to past mutations.
It would be a disaster spanning the entire continent if we don't stop them from reproducing post-hatching. The hatching should start at around the dawn of the 3rd day from today, which means we barely have two days and a few hours left. The eggs on the south side of the lake are progressing faster, so we’ll start from there to delay the hatching as much as possible.”
Caprine nodded.
"Understood. Then, the reinforcement mages will focus entirely on reducing their numbers while we'll use the magical tools to process any overlooked eggs. If fortune shines upon us, we might be able to delay their hatching by at least one day."
The magical tools delivered from the Royal Capital and the Dosperior region were more than just the wands or tools that only Ice Attribute mages could use. They operated using stored mana, allowing anyone to use them. But, since they could only be recharged by Ice Mages, they were only good as one-time use tools in the present situation. After all, it would be far more efficient for the mages to handle the eggs themselves rather than wasting their mana on tools.
Hugo nodded, his casual expression replaced with a serious one, and shouted his command in a booming voice.
"Starting now, the Hellrowcast Eggs Extermination Mission shall transition to the second phase! Let's show the continent the radiance our Kingdom holds! Let's give it our all!!!"
" "Yes, sir!" "
◆◆◆
Al turned the tip of his beloved wand toward an egg.
A white frost accumulated over the translucent, squishy-textured egg. Subsequently, the wriggling inside slowed down, the light from their eyes vanishing.
The assistance personnel confirmed that and swiftly but cautiously carried the egg away from the congested region and finally, with precision, swung down a big hammer, crushing it.
It had already been researched that Hellrowcasts don't awaken from their dormant state once frozen, thus allowing them to process the eggs easily. Without the freezing effect, a physical impact would simply cause them to hatch earlier, and then there would be no stopping them.
There had been enough precedents from the past where such forceful processing simply triggered the great disaster earlier.
In the meantime, while the egg had been destroyed by the assistant, Al had already frozen three more. The other assistants — there were as many as three following him — replaced the previous assistant and carried the eggs away.
Thus, the processing of the eggs kicked off at midnight, with the members proceeding carefully but solemnly.