For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.-Chapter 340: Like The Claw Of A Platypus (4)

“To get to the conclusion… it seems we can receive support. Even if it’s difficult for Sir Havel, he’s agreed to send the Silver Knights.”

“Oh…! That’s great news!”

“However, the issue is that even if they leave now, it will take quite some time to arrive.”

“Even with teleportation to near the Great Forest, they must move manually inside. Can’t they use Nidhogg?”

“It would still take a considerable amount of time even with Nidhogg.”

“Ah.”

Come to think of it, it took us three days to get here. Time was critical, and we couldn’t afford to wait for several more days. Even now, the Grotesque Proliferation’s forces were growing.

“So, we’ve planned for you to depart first and meet up with them on-site… How does that sound?”

Saying so, Milone handed over a piece of paper.

It contained a neatly summarized outline of the plan.

In summary, we, who would arrive first, would use Nidhogg to hit and run, minimizing our losses while keeping the enemy in check.

Then, with the information from Nidhogg, the World Tree would direct the late-arriving reinforcements to our location.

“This seems better. Waiting would mean both sides reinforce, but their numbers would increase much more.”

“Yes, I thought so too when planning this… but since you’ll be the one leading in the field, I wanted to check your opinion. Since you’re okay with it, we’ll proceed as planned. Please take this.”

“Huh?”

Milone handed me a wooden plaque that exuded a sacred aura. Upon closer inspection, it had the emblem of the World Tree intricately carved into it.

“This is a badge symbolizing my proxy. Most will follow without major complaints with this. The concern is with Sir Grimhill, the Aura Expert, and Cardinal Tumila, the high priest…”

“Cardinal Tumila is a priest of the Circulating Life. Then he won’t oppose me.”

“Since you’ve received the Blessing of the Circulating Life, indeed. So, the problem would be Sir Grimhill.”

“Leave that to me.”

Iris, who had been quietly listening, suddenly leaned forward to interject.

“Iris? What are you planning?”

“Nothing special, just that I saved Grimhill’s grandfather during the Great War. If I ask him to help as repayment for that debt, it should be fine.”

“…”

“Why are you looking at me like that, Master?”

“Not his father, but his grandfather?”

“Is there a problem with that?”

“No, there’s no problem, but it makes me feel the gap in our ages anew. That’s all, elder.”

“Don’t call me elder!”

Iris jumped up and down, insisting to be called normally. I calmed her by firmly pressing down on her small head before turning back to Milone.

“With this, is it settled?”

“…Yes, I’ll get Nidhogg ready immediately.”

“When can we depart?”

“Probably by midnight tonight. I’ve already informed the others, but please take care with your condition.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

Thanks to the Blessing of the Sun God and the potions made from the World Tree’s materials, I wouldn’t get tired easily.

Did you know? When male platypuses go into mating season, they produce poison from their claws.

Imagine, a mammal with poison. And this poison is potent enough to kill small dogs.

It’s truly an astonishing creature. To think such a strike could come from something so small and cute.

How many creatures have perished under that subtle, sinister poison?

I’d wager there’s no creature more fearsome than the platypus.

“…Are you saying such a creature really exists?”

In the dark underground, inside Nidhogg, where we had boarded with the gathered group, Helena tilted her head in confusion.

Was this her natural disposition, or was it a trait she gained as the Saintess of the Righteous Radiance?

Even in this underground, where the only light came from bioluminescent moss on tree roots, Helena’s appearance seemed to glow.

I wasn’t exaggerating; she really did stand out even alone.

Perhaps it was because no matter how many people were around, I could spot Helena immediately.

“Really. It’s said there’s such a strange creature very far from here.”

“No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t seem like a naturally occurring animal. Could it be a chimera made by some mad alchemist in the past?”

“Uh… well, it does reproduce, so it’s not a chimera… though it lays eggs.”

“A mammal laying eggs? Don’t lie to me, Brother. Even if I’m ignorant of the ways of the world, I know that’s not possible.”

“I’m telling you the truth…”

“Alright, if you say so, Brother. So, what were you trying to say?”

“Just… we’re kind of like that now, aren’t we?”

The Circulating Life on the surface might be a bit annoying, but the opponents were elves weak to lust.

They might not be able to do anything to the World Tree, but they thought they could easily devour Alfheim, like eating cake. And then, we suddenly appeared before them.

“They might have expected some resistance. But they wouldn’t have expected me to come.”

“You’re saying your very existence is like the antithesis of these cultists. Indeed, it has felt that way so far…”

“It’s not just a feeling; it’s true. I’ll prove it now, so could you gather everyone for me?”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to talk about that bizarre creature…”

“No, but… you need to know how to fight the Grotesque Proliferation’s forces.”

As Helena went to gather the people, they all complied, albeit a bit reluctantly.

Sir Grimhill, who kept sighing whenever he saw Iris, but still listened well; Cardinal Tumila, focusing on me and Helena with a friendly attitude; and the others, who, still mindful of my earlier introduction, gathered quietly.

Following Milone’s example from earlier, I tapped my foot to create a small platform and climbed onto it, smiling broadly at the assembled crowd.

“You all know the basic outline of the strategy, right? Hit and run. Now, I’ll explain how to tackle the Grotesque Proliferation.”

“Tackle…? Are you talking about their weaknesses?”

I nodded at Sir Grimhill’s gruff question.

“I must tell you about their weaknesses, of course. But also, I’ll talk about the habits and methods to deal with key monsters, the effects of their divine powers and how to counter them, and finally, the personalities and patterns of high-ranking cultists we should be wary of.”

“Do you know what you’re talking about? That’s almost like military secrets. You wouldn’t have learned that through normal means… did you plant a spy?”

“Nah. With the fanaticism of these cultists, how could one insert a spy? Even if we managed to blend in, they’d soon be brainwashed and become a spy for the other side.”

“Thank goodness you know that.”

“But there’s a way to know everything. Just listen.”

With that, Sir Grimhill could only nod without further objections.

With a grin, I continued,

“First, let’s start with the monsters. As everyone knows, the main forces are goblins and succubi. Among them, goblins go crazy for smells.”

“Hmm. That’s common knowledge. When dealing with goblins, be mindful of smells… even novice adventurers know that.”

“Correct. But do you know which smells they prefer?”

“…Not for certain, but there’s a rumor they like the smell of women.”

“That’s right. They really do. As you know, goblins have an extremely high male population, and with the Blessing of the Grotesque Proliferation, they’re always suffering from unfulfilled desires. So, they can’t get enough of women’s scents.”

They’d even break formation and go berserk for it. Only a Goblin King or a high priest of the Grotesque Proliferation could calm them down; otherwise, they were uncontrollable.

“I knew they were sensitive to smells, but to that extent?”

“Of course, they don’t react this violently to just any smell. They react strongly only to a liquid made by fermenting a mix of hallucinogenic mushrooms and other ingredients in women’s urine.”

“That’s insane! Are you planning to collect urine from the women here? Setting aside the shame, even if we managed to collect enough by the time we arrive, the volume wouldn’t be significant.”

“Even if we collected it now, there wouldn’t be time to ferment it, so it would be meaningless. That’s why I prepared it in advance. Fortunately, I always carry it with me.”

“What?!”

Everyone’s gaze fell on me, questioning why I would carry such a thing around, but I was unashamed.

Goblins, with their excessively high numbers, were still present on the surface even after the Great War ended.

Of course, their numbers were far less than before the War of the Gods, and when not in groups, goblins were treated as mere pests…

Before meeting Carla, I was even more of a nobody.

Even if I carried around all sorts of magical tools and potions, I could still get killed by a goblin’s knife if luck wasn’t on my side.

So, I had stocked up on several bottles of goblin-attracting perfume(?) in advance.

Really. It’s not because of some strange taste, okay?

So please, don’t look at me with those wide eyes as if you’ve made up your mind about something.

I shook my head frantically at my companions and turned back to face the group.

“There’s not an abundant supply, so I can only give each of you one. Use it strategically.”

“That’s still quite a lot…”

Ignoring Sir Grimhill’s skeptical look, I distributed one tiny bottle to each person.

Since time almost stops in the inventory, there’s no risk of it going bad. Or, in some sense, it’s already bad?

“However, it would be a waste to just use this drug that drives goblins mad for mere baiting or disrupting formations. So, we’ll throw this at the succubi.”

“You plan to make them go into heat against each other.”

“Exactly. While succubi might just frown at the foul smell, goblins will charge at them like mad. And as everyone knows… succubi, whether succubus or incubus, are all equipped. In other words, to a goblin, either one looks like a living hole.”

“A civil war…! We could cause a civil war!”

“Yes. Regardless of individual combat strength, our numbers are lacking, right? So, let’s use everything we can.”

Goblins, out of their minds, would attack the succubi. Whether they would kill the goblins, submit to them, or just subdue them without killing.

The sure thing was that it would weaken both sides’ forces.

At this point, even Sir Grimhill’s previously grumpy expression showed a hint of admiration.

“I thought you were crazy at first, but you had it all planned out!”

“Of course. There’s no need to fight fair against cultists. This won’t work on those at the Archbishop level or higher, but… at least we can fight without worrying about the miscellaneous ones.”

“Impressive. For future reference, I’d like to give this tactic a name. Do you have anything in mind?”

“Uh, um…”

Not coming up with a suitable name, I shared the name users had snickered about during the H&A times.

“Don’t fight, just fuck?”

“…”

For some reason, they looked at me as if I were a madman again.

I feel wronged.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.