“Takumi, wait a minute. That’s reckless even for you, no?”


  “Takumi-san, please calm down.”


  Evan-san and Scott-san were the first to come to their senses and looked at me with troubled expressions.

  “Ah~ so you think it’s reckless, too? So you mean that the higher species don’t act in a conveniently congealed manner? In that case, I have no idea what to do~”


  That’s right~ If the higher species are scattered, even if I want to take care of them all, there’s a possibility that someone other than me will encounter them~.

  So, one shot of advanced magic before it becomes a melee then?… Is what I wanted to say, but if anyone gets caught, they’ll end up getting hit as well, right~ Besides, it would be a shame if the meat of the higher species was torn to pieces. They said that the right to the material belongs to the person who kills the monster, so I want to kill them in their original form as much as possible.

  “No! That’s not what we are saying! No, we are saying that matter how powerful you are, it’s impossible for you to take on the higher species by yourself!

  “Takumi-san, I cannot approve of that plan either.”


  When I voiced my idea about how I would defeat the higher species on my own, Evan-san and Scott-san were fiercely opposed.

  “Isn’t it safest for me to take over, though? I might look like this, but I’m an A-ranker, after all.”


  “You might look like this, you say… you are certainly the highest ranked one among us. But, you are also the youngest.”


  “Eh? Age? Is that the problem?”


  “We can’t leave all this to someone younger than us!”


  “… Ehh~”


  I didn’t expect Evan-san to bring up age as a reason for his opposition.

  The members of the strike force are mostly in their late twenties to thirties. I think there are a couple of people in their forties as well? I certainly seem to be the youngest here, but there’s nothing I can do about that.

  Rather, I’m originally 28… no, 29 around now, but I cannot say that~

  “Then what kind of strategy are we going to use?”


  “Well, about that…”


  “It may be harsh to say, but you’re all intimidated by the number of higher ranking species, aren’t you? There’s no way to formulate a sound strategy, then.”


  “Lo, look, maybe we can get more reinforcements.”


  “You mean we should continue waiting for reinforcements to arrive?”


  “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”


  “I just want to get it over with and go home, though.”


  “……”


  When I expressed my true feelings to Evan-san, he first tried to argue with me, but eventually fell silent.

  “Ah~ Takum-san, when you’re working with a group of people, you’re bound to have a few unexpected events…”


  Scott-san was next. Although he didn’t say it directly, I think he was trying to say that I shouldn’t express my personal opinion too much. Well, in a way, what I’m saying is selfish, isn’t it?

  “But, you know, if I come home late, there is a possibility that my children will come. That is, by sneaking into the reinforcements’ carriage, I guess? Wouldn’t that cause… cause more trouble?”


  “……”


  The twins cannot follow my scent like Joule and others, but you cannot underestimate the power of Allen and Elena’s actions.

  Scott-san, who knows that the children I left at the Ruven mansion yesterday followed their intuition to find me at the inn in town, fell silent.

  “So, what do you plan on doing? Call of the reinforcements?”


  “… Takumi-san, you are such a bully. You make it difficult to call for help, and then you ask about it?”


  “Hahaha~”


  As I was trying to get the request done quickly, Scott-san glared at me.

  “… Haah. Takumi-san, if. If we could gather the higher species in one place… could you defeat them?”


  “Yes, no problem.”


  Scott-san exhaled and asked me to check the facts. So I answer honestly.

  “You are very certain about it.”


  “I won’t tell you ‘probably’ with serious stuff like this. But, I have never encountered Orc Mages before~ I did not have any troubles with an Orc General of the same rank, so there shouldn’t be a problem? Besides, I have a very special trump card.”


  If it turns out that it’s too much for me to handle, I won’t hesitate to call Joule and the others to help.

  “Oh~… Orc Mages use magic but they can be defeated with a sword if you pay attention to their spells. On the other hand, Orc General is much tougher, so it should be more difficult to defeat, but… you did not have any troubles?”


  “I was able to defeat it rather easily, you know?”


  “… Is that so?”


  Scott-san exhaled one more time. Moreover, the other adventurers and even Orlando-san let out a sigh.

  “I’m more curious about your trump card…”


  “My trump card? Well, it is a trump card, so I won’t tell you?”


  I’m not going to tell you just yet.

  “We need to know the strength of the people we are fighting with. Show me.”


  “I’m not going to tell you, Evan-san, because you would be incapable of fighting.”


  “What, is it that bad!?”


  “Yes, it is. That’s why I called it a trump card.”


  “You’re making me even more curious!”


  Evan-san was very interested in my trump card. Well, I’m not going to tell you now.

  “I won’t tell you. But, I will use it if you are in danger, Evan-san. Ahh, that being said, don’t pursue danger on purpose now.”


  “As if I would do that!”


  After hearing the exchange between me and Evan-san, the rest of them started laughing.

  The tense atmosphere of a few moments ago was gone, and I quickly returned to the main topic of the discussion, which had gone off on a tangent.

  “Is there a problem if we start the attack tomorrow morning?”


  “Fine! Even if we call for support, the only people left in town are of a lower rank than us. We can’t simply prepare people for more headcount. It would be shameful if we were intimidated when you said you’d take on the higher species by yourself!”


  This time, there were no voices of opposition, and one of the leaders spoke up with determination.

  “Well, I guess it’s time for a strategy session.”


  “You decide.”


  “I’ll decide?”


  “Yeah, you move us around as you see fit, so that you can move easier.”


  I looked at the other leaders and they nodded in agreement. Finally, I looked at Scott-san and he nodded too, so I guess I can decide the strategy.

  “Then let’s attack in a somewhat cohesive manner, in a position where we can follow each other.”


  “Why don’t we surround the nest?”


  Normally, it seems like they would put their forces in all directions to prevent any individuals from escaping… we won’t do that.

  “The Orcs are such a large army, so I’m sure they won’t take the means of escape and will fight back. If that’s the case, we’d better not spread out our forces.”


  “Yeah, that’s true.”


  “The other reason is to avoid scattering the higher species of Orcs. If they are scattered all over the place, I won’t be able to respond in time.”


  I’d like to avoid that, because slowing down the response to the higher species means danger for other adventurers.

  “It’s just… we might need a separate unit.”


  “Is it a unit that searches for people being held captive while the nest is thin?”


  “Yes. There’s no guarantee that the nest will be completely empty, so it’s a bit risky to say the least.”


  “Well then, I guess we will take on that mission.”


  Cino, who was coordinating the reconnaissance team, came forward.

  “Cino-san… or rather, the reconnaissance team… is going then?”


  “Yeah, if we are to investigate, we might as well let someone who is good at stealth do it.”


  “Isn’t your team tired, though? Some of the adventurers who arrived today are excellent at scouting… huh, are they?”


  “No problem. You are correct.”


  The adventurers I met today were all new to me, so I knew very little about their abilities, but Scott-san was quick to follow up.

  “No, it’ll be easier for us to move, since we have some knowledge of the inner workings of the nest.”


  “That’s true. Then, we will leave it to you. But, please don’t overdo it.”


  “Yeah, I know.”


  “Then, If there are any people, rescue them and meet up with Orlando-san who will be standing by at the rear.——Orlando-san, your cooperation will be needed here.”


  “Understood.”


  After deciding on the general strategy, the meeting was dispersed with a detailed plan of action.