Operation Plan

The three continued along the dirt road.

The closer they came to the village, the denser the wheat fields grew on either side of the road. Ears of wheat stretched all the way to the low stone walls, and villagers could be seen working throughout the fields.

Some swung sickles to harvest the wheat, while others tied the cut stalks into bundles and loaded them onto wooden carts parked by the roadside. Everyone was busy, for autumn rains might arrive in the area in a few days, and they had to get as much of the ripe grain into storage as possible before then.

Frieren looked into the distance. The village was surrounded by a stone wall only half a person's height. It might have been of some use against wild boars, but to demon wolves, it was probably no different from a slightly taller step.

"The defenses are poor. It looks like this place hasn't suffered a large-scale monster attack in a long time."

"It's been peaceful here ever since the Demon King was defeated."

Zanze explained to Frieren.

As the three entered the village, the first person to notice them was a middle-aged man carrying a sack of wheat.

He set down the sack on his shoulder, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and looked with some puzzlement at the long hair trailing behind Zanze.

"Are you travelers?"

"Continental True Magic Association."

Zanze took out a badge engraved with the association's crest.

"I need to see the person in charge here."

The man's expression immediately grew serious once he got a clear look at the badge. Its reputation was unexpectedly great, considering that the True Magic Association should have been established only a little over fifty years ago.

"Please wait a moment. The village chief is counting the harvest over at the granary. I'll go get him."

The man hurried away.

Before long, a gray-haired but still very robust old man came striding over, followed by several villagers.

"I'm the village chief."

The old man looked at the badge in Zanze's hand.

"May I ask if something has happened, for a mage from the True Magic Association to come here?"

Zanze got straight to the point.

"A pack of demon wolves is migrating toward the village. At their current speed, they'll arrive by tomorrow night at the latest."

The village chief's expression froze, and the villagers behind him began murmuring among themselves.

"Demon wolves?"

"Why would demon wolves come here?"

"Isn't the forest still a long way off?"

"How many are there?"

As soon as the last question was asked, the people around them fell silent.

Zanze looked at the village chief.

"The confirmed number is over seventy."

This time, no one spoke.

For a large city or a fortress city on the front lines, dealing with over seventy demon wolves might require only a well-equipped subjugation party. But for a farming village like this, which didn't even have a complete wall, it was enough to be called a disaster.

"We'll help you defend against the pack."

Zanze continued:

"But we'll need the villagers' cooperation. Stop harvesting now and call everyone back. Make it a priority to move the elderly and children to the center of the village, or shelter them in the Goddess's church."

"All right, we understand."

The villagers quickly scattered. Before long, an urgent bell rang out over the village. People working in the fields looked up, put down their sickles and sheaves of wheat, and hurried toward the village. It seemed the village's warning system was reasonably good.

Frieren suddenly spoke.

"What should we do next?"

Zanze took a crude map from her luggage and spread it across a wooden barrel by the road.

"There are wheat fields to the east and south of the village, with almost no cover. The north side is close to the woods and the most vulnerable to attack. There's a shallow river to the west that can slow the demon wolves down."

She traced three routes on the map with her finger.

"According to the latest information we can confirm, the pack has split into three groups. The largest will approach from the north, while the other two may circle around from the east and south."

"So we split up too?"

Lorenzo asked.

"As things stand, we have no choice."

Frieren spoke up.

"Splitting up is risky, but we don't have enough time to turn the village into a fully fortified defensive position."

Zanze explained:

"Besides, the pack won't give us a chance to wipe them out all at once."

Her finger stopped on the northern side of the map.

"Judging by the tracks they've left, they're deliberately increasing the distance between their groups, as if they know we'll be waiting here."

"Looks like they've already discovered us."

Lorenzo said.

"Not necessarily all of us."

Zanze looked down at the map.

"I arrived here three days ago. They may have only discovered my presence."

"With a First-Class True Magic User investigating nearby, it would be difficult to conceal your movements completely."

Frieren said.

Zanze raised her head and glanced at her.

"I've done my best to conceal my mana."

Where was she hiding it? Lorenzo couldn't help recalling the demon wolves she had just impaled with her hair. Come to think of it, why did the way Zanze used her hair magic feel so strangely familiar...?

Imagine it: impaling monsters on her hair was practically no different from impaling them on wooden stakes. He wondered if Zanze was known as "the Impaler" out there.

"But your hair is conspicuous."

Zanze instinctively looked at the long hair hanging down her back. No matter how well she concealed her mana, a girl moving through the forest alone with long hair covering her body was bound to attract attention.

"Next time, you could tie it up or cut it a little shorter."

Frieren suggested.

"No way."

Zanze didn't seem inclined to continue discussing her hairstyle with Frieren. She gave a soft cough and brought the conversation back to the map.

"In any case, we have to defend the three directions separately. The northern pack is the largest, and it can use the woods to hide its movements, so I'll leave it to you, Lady Frieren."

When it came to large-scale destructive power, Frieren was clearly the best suited of the three to stop the pack approaching head-on.

Zanze moved her finger from the north to the east side of the village.

"Next is the east. The pack there is estimated to be the second largest, so I'll handle it."

Her finger moved down the map and finally stopped south of the village. Vast wheat fields spread out there as well, interspersed with patches of low shrubs and several irrigation ditches.

"As for the south, I'll leave that to you."

Zanze looked up at Lorenzo.

"It has the fewest confirmed demon wolves, probably only a dozen or so."

"All right, no problem."

Lorenzo gladly accepted the assignment. Zanze had obviously divided the defensive areas according to how strong she thought each of them was, which suited him just fine. After all, who would turn down an easy assignment?

"What about the west?"

Frieren asked.

"No signs of demon wolves have been found to the west, so we'll leave the villagers to keep watch there for now."

Zanze said:

"There's a shallow river there. It can't stop the demon wolves entirely, but it can force them to slow down. The villagers will set up ropes, chevaux-de-frise, and wooden stakes near the riverbank. If they spot any demon wolves, they'll send a signal immediately, and whoever is closest will go to help."

Lorenzo glanced at the map. Neither Frieren to the north nor he to the south was particularly far from the west side. As long as they spotted the enemy in advance, they should be able to get there in time.

"What will we use to send signals?"

Zanze took out four dark red crystals, each no larger than a fingernail. Tiny glimmers of mana flowed slowly inside them.

"These are alarm crystals used by the association. If you channel a little mana into one, the other three will light up and make a sound at the same time. I'll give one to the village's priest."

She then handed the other two to Frieren and Lorenzo.

"One flash means the north, two mean the east, three mean the south, and continuous flashing means the west needs support."

"One more thing."

Zanze looked back at the map.

"The pack splitting into three groups is probably no coincidence. Their movements are too coordinated, as if they're deliberately trying to separate us. So don't leave your assigned area without authorization to chase fleeing demon wolves. If you notice any unusual humans or mana signatures, don't pursue them alone either. Send a signal immediately."