102. Bluffing Is A Matter Of Time And Place, Isn’t It?

Raidoc and his team, having ventured into the dangerous wetland, finally spot Zaid and his soldiers.

Solar, acting as a liaison, is about to move towards them when a shocking voice reaches his ears.

It comes from the very place they are about to advance to, with desperate determination.

“Hear me, my soldiers! That must be the master of this swamp! There’s no escape route! Raise your swords! Steel your hearts! It all hinges on this battle! Charge!”

Solar, who prides himself on his sharp hearing, doubts his own abilities for the first time.

What follows is the battle cry of the soldiers.

“””Uoooooo!!!”””

They rush out from behind the roots of a black giant tree and charge recklessly at the huge, eight-headed, eight-tailed Hydra.

Momentarily stunned, Solar quickly turns to Raidoc.

“Raidoc!”

Raidoc, snapped out of his daze by Solar’s call, curses but immediately issues commands.

“Everyone except the Shururu team, charge at the giant Hydra! We must save them!”

The combined forces of adventurers and Lizardmen also charge at the Hydra, finally merging with Zaid’s squad.

Leaving the mysterious Hydra to the combined forces, Raidoc searches for Zaid as the leader.

“Zaid-sama! We came to rescue you!”

Raidoc shouts.

Zaid, who was urging his soldiers to charge, turns around, eyes wide.

“Who are you!?”

Raidoc internally curses at the waste of time but swallows it down.

“I am Raidoc, an adventurer sent by Kyle-sama to rescue you! Withdraw your troops immediately! We will handle that monster!”

Instead of feeling relieved, Zaid shows anger.

“What!? Kyle’s!? … How dare you try to curry favor with me!? Despicable!”

(What is this old man saying!?)

Raidoc feels like congratulating himself for not shouting that out loud.

“…! Kyle-sama was genuinely worried about you! Anyway! There’s no time for argument! Retreat now!”

“What! An adventurer dares to command me!?”

Although the combined adventurers and Lizardmen have not yet suffered any casualties by interposing themselves in front of Zaid’s soldiers, the Hydra is too dangerous even in Raidoc’s eyes.

There’s no time to argue with Zaid in such a dire situation; they need to issue commands quickly to the troops.

Thanks to Jurara, who is substituting as commander, the battle line is barely holding, but he cannot fully utilize the human-centric adventurers, making it only a matter of time before they collapse.

Jurara is doing well for being thrown into the role unexpectedly, but it’s not enough in this situation.

(Damn it! That Hydra! Despite having eight heads, it’s too big! Too tough! And it’s fast!)

They had anticipated this when they saw the black plant forest, but this monster was truly abnormal.

The only saving grace is that, unlike with the Cockatrice, it doesn’t seem like a swarm of monsters has consumed the black plants.

Swallowing his myriad emotions, Raidoc shouts at Zaid.

“That thing is too dangerous! Retreat immediately!”

“Retreat… Retreat!? Me!?”

“The location here is terrible! It’s completely the Hydra’s territory! Fighting here is reckless!”

At least, if they were in an area where the trees were sparse, they could form proper ranks, he thought inwardly.

Though Zaid had been shouting in anger, he momentarily glances at the battle between the Hydra and the adventurers.

“…You said your name is Raidoc. Assist in defeating that thing.”

“…What!?”

“You seem quite capable. I will allow you to stand in the same line as me. Assist us.”

Raidoc is left speechless by his words.

“That giant monster is probably the master of this swamp. I don’t know the details, but in some dungeons and regions, there are masters, right? If we defeat it, this swamp will become safe.”

Raidoc is shocked by Zaid’s words.

(His manner of speaking infuriates me, but he has a point. That Hydra is indeed the master of this swamp. If we defeat it, the remaining Hydras won’t be able to coordinate. But…)

“You said there’s no time for argument! Fight without complaining!”

Zaid won’t back down. It’s not like they can knock him out and carry him.

Raidoc has no choice.

“Grr! Soldiers, protect Zaid-sama! Adventurers, disperse! Unlike dragons, it’s fast! Focus on long-range attacks and don’t approach until it’s weakened! Lizardmen, support the adventurers! In this swamp, we rely on you! Protect them!”

Raidoc immediately gives orders.

By grouping the non-combat-effective soldiers with Zaid, using the high attack power adventurers as the main force, and having the swamp-strong Lizardmen support them, he ensures minimal mobility.

“Even so, what speed for such a huge body!”

He clicks his tongue at the Hydra’s nimble movements in the swamp.

The dispersed forces mean many adventurers are blown away, but the paired Lizardmen immediately rescue them and use healing potions, preventing any deaths so far.

If they had stayed together, they would have all been wiped out by a single blow.

By spreading out, the Hydra can’t focus its attacks, visibly frustrating it.

(We have to take it down here!)

Raidoc grips his Orichalcum sword and charges at the eight-headed Hydra.

◆

Meanwhile, I was blissfully unaware of Raidoc’s struggles, leisurely spending time with Myrna.

Watching over Myrna as she helps out, I also attend to my work.

“…Oops, it’s about time to contact Raidoc. Myrna, wait here a moment.”

“Okay.”

I sit Myrna in a chair and activate the communication magic tool.

The communication tool consumes a lot of magic power, so it only works when I initiate contact.

Technically, the ring I gave to Dr. Jabir has the same function, but he doesn’t contact other members, so it’s excluded.

It’s a one-way communication from me, and we’ve set a schedule for regular contact.

This morning, I’m supposed to contact Raidoc after breakfast.

I send a mental link request to Raidoc, the leader of the exploration team.

At the same moment, a loud explosion is heard from the direction of the swamp center.

“What the…!?”

I stand up, shielding Myrna.

[Craft! Can you hear me!?]

“Raidoc!?”

It seems Raidoc has allowed the mental link through the communication tool.

His vision and sounds flood into my mind.

Unbelievably, trees everywhere are broken and knocked down in the chaotic scene.

For a moment, I think it’s the aftermath of Raidoc’s rampage, but the scale is too vast.

…Wait a second!

On closer inspection, I see injured adventurers and Lizardmen scattered across the devastated swamp!

“What happened!? Raidoc!”

[Urgh… Can you see it, Craft… That monster!]

Raidoc’s shared vision focuses into the distance.

It’s clear that a huge something has knocked down all the trees.

At the end of the destruction, a black, massive creature stands.

[Damn it! It’s heading your way! Run, Craft!]

“So that’s the cause of the explosion…!”

The creature Raidoc glares at is the rampaging giant Hydra.

It’s a gigantic eight-headed, eight-tailed Hydra, knocking down trees, blowing away adventurers, and advancing straight.

“Raidoc!? Are you okay!?”

[Forget about us! For some reason, it’s heading straight your way! Run!!]

I dim the shared vision from Raidoc and raise my own.

In the direction of the loud noise, huge trees are being felled.

No doubt! The eight-headed Hydra is coming our way!

“Raidoc! Cutting off! Join us if you can!”

[Aye! Just run for now!]

The sound of falling trees gets closer.

I cut off the communication tool, pick up Myrna, and stand.

“Uh?”

“Sorry! No time! We’re joining Kyle!”

“…Okay.”

Carrying Myrna like a package, I call the Caspar sisters and Jitaro, our escorts.

“Everyone! A Hydra as dangerous as a dragon is coming!”

“Huh? A Hydra as dangerous as a dragon?”

Eva tilts her head, not fully understanding.

“Can’t you hear the destruction coming closer!?”

“Isn’t it just Raidoc’s doing?”

This is bad!

For us, the Hydra hasn’t been a significant threat, making everyone complacent!

Everyone’s underestimating it as just a Hydra!

“Anyway, we need to join Kyle now—”

At that moment, a particularly loud crash is heard, and part of the mangrove forest is blown away, scattering broken branches and a torrent of water.

Water erupts from the ground, launching everything upwards.

Through the wall of water, a gigantic Hydra head slowly appears.

“So fast…”

The eight-headed Hydra, despite its dragon-like size, arrives at our camp with terrifying speed.

With the sound of slithering, the enormous eight-headed Hydra slides right into the middle of our camp.

At this point, Myrna’s group and Kyle’s group are separated.