Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Prologue 1
Prologue 1[edit]
With barely 20 people, Harrigan and Naga’s party had managed to prevent Cassandra’s army from their attempted invasion of the black forest. From the witches’ perspective, it was already a great victory worthy of shouting for joy, however, it still wasn’t enough for Naga to be content with. For the sake of creating a world where both the witches and humans can coexist, it was necessary for him to assume an increasingly aggressive attitude. In order to carry out that principle, he decided to begin with the capture of Fort Ein. Gathering the witches, who were the center of his plans, Naga held a strategic meeting for that purpose, or rather, what he referred to as military assessment.
Since Naga planned to use the 1st fort as their frontline base, he continued to hole himself up inside of it.
“Guess we’ll have to observe the Schwein River.”
Saying that, he looked around at the witches who had gathered inside a single residential room in the 1st fort. Harrigan asked him while looking doubtful,
“Are you saying that Cassandra’s army might cross the river once again so they can attack us?”
“No, the chances of that are slim. It might even be possible to ignore them altogether. Still, the purpose of this observation is to find out whether or not they will start any new movement.”
“Is there any need for us to continue doing tactical movements since they probably won’t cross to attack us?”
Not just Harrigan, the other witches also turned and looked strangely at Naga, whose words weren’t understandable to them.
(Ah, so it was about that? It won’t do unless I explain the details of this plan to them? Should I say… maybe this is too harsh on them because they don’t have much experience? Or maybe, it’s due to them having fought in peculiar battles so far?)
“For instance” – Naga explained to them once he gave a concrete example.
“Establishing a defensive position to prepare against the witches… seems to be the best they can do, right?”
“I see.”
“However, them crossing the river is not very likely to happen. But at the same time, they can’t help but want to protect themselves by guarding the path into their territory. What’s more, I think that for Cassandra, who sustained heavy damage from the last battle, won’t have any spare power to establish any major defensive positions or build new forts.”
“And yet, they are going to watch over the river?”
“Of course.” – Naga nodded and replied once Harrigan asked.
“Despite saying that the probability is low, it’s not impossible, you see. Therefore, we can’t eliminate the possibility that they will send new troops to this side of the river. Considering all the possibilities and taking the right measures beforehand are essential for our final victory.”
“I, Is that so? Since we trust you on that matter, it’s not like we doubt you, but…”
Harrigan, who relied on Naga’s extensive knowledge regarding battles, said so while consenting. Following that, Ais raised her right hand.
“In that case, how are we supposed to watch over the river? It looks like we would need to mobilize all our members, were we to observe the whole area from upstream to downstream, though….”
“There’s no need for such an extensive coverage. It should probably be fine as long you just watch over a fixed area where the path leads through. Besides, we have Yuuki, who can fly and scout regularly.”
“True. Seriously, no matter how busy I am, scouting is something I never neglect. I’m quite the hard worker if I do say so myself.”
Saying that, Yuuki stood up, puffed up with pride.
“I wonder how she can talk about herself like that.”
“As expected of Yuuki, the self-praising witch.”
“Rather than self-praising, wouldn’t it be better to say self-centered?”
“Doesn’t she just want to be praised by Naga-san?”
Starting with Nonoeru and Kay, the other witches whispered to each other secretly.
“You there! Do you want to say something?”
Yuuki, whose eyes narrowed, pointed at them with a snap. Kay and the rest averted their eyes in a hurry.
“No no, Yuuki’s work is a big deal, and we acknowledge that fact.”
“Guess that’s an obvious thing.”
“Right? Harrigan, don’t you think so?”
“Hm? Ah….well….I guess so.”
“I can’t feel the slightest bit of enthusiasm coming from Hari-nee’s words though?!”
As the witches around chuckled, Yuuki sat down on her folding stool with a red face.
“Then, I wonder if we should return to the topic at hand. Like I said, It’s fine to watch over the place near the path’s intersection with the river. As for who should be in charge of that task, perhaps Nonoeru will be suitable.”
“Ah, yes, I’ll do it.”
“After that, Kay will be Nonoeru’s guard.”
Moving his face toward her direction, Kay raised her right hand.
“Um, that’s fine.”
“I wonder whether or not I should appoint one more person….”
“Ah, in that case, I, will go.”
Because Ikushina raised her hand following Kay, Naga decided to entrust observations to the 3 of them.
“Ikushina, bring a horse with you. But hide it in an unnoticeable place, okay? If something unusual happens, ride it back and report to us.”
“Understood.”
Like that, he sent out Nonoeru, Kay, and Ikushina to observe the river. Naga was simply choosing the right people for the right job. However, not even he could dream that his simple decision would yield such a great influence over the future of these witches.
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