“I will send squads 1 to 5 of the First Knight Order to provide support. Other squads will be sent depending on the situation. Please prepare the dispatch system for the knights urgently. We will use the outer gate closest to the Eastern Forest.”
At these words from Lambert, Roland snapped to attention, stood up, and nodded hurriedly.
“Understood! I will immediately restrict the passage of civilians at the outer gate near the Eastern Forest and enforce traffic control on the main roads leading to it!”
“Thank you.”
Lambert nodded at Roland’s words and, with a grim expression, was about to leave the station when Martina called out in a soft but clear voice.
“Lord Lambert, I hope this doesn’t sound too forward, but… I think it would be a mistake to send squads 1 to 5.”
Lambert turned around with a puzzled expression after hearing her words. Martina, though stiffening with anxiety, clenched her fist tightly and spoke.
“The enemy consists of Boa-type monsters, fire-wielding creatures, and Wyverns. In that case, Squad 2, which excels in guerrilla tactics, is a poor match. I believe you should choose a squad with more shield users. Squad 9 may be weaker overall compared to the others, but it has three shield bearers, along with archers and spearmen. It should be ideal for dealing with Boa-type creatures.”
Lambert and Roland were taken aback by how quickly Martina, who had been in the administrative position for just a week, had grasped the situation and made such a fitting suggestion.
“Additionally, fire-wielding creatures are overwhelmingly weak to water magic, so I believe we should send all knights with water magic attributes, regardless of squad. There are 21 knights with water attributes. Let’s assign 4 or 5 of them to each squad. As for the Wyverns, they may appear powerful, but they have several weaknesses. In Volume 2, page 306 of the Monster Encyclopedia, there is a description of their weaknesses depending on their color. Green Wyverns have a balance organ above their eyelids, and if struck there, they will fall immediately. Red Wyverns have larger feet than others, and without them, they cannot fly. Yellow Wyverns are vulnerable in their tails. Only yellow Wyverns have a small tail, and it seems that pain receptors are concentrated there, making it a critical weak spot. Also, in Volume 3, page 172 of the Plant Encyclopedia, there was a column about a plant called Yuruka…”
“Wait, wait a second!!”
Roland interrupted Martina, who was hastily spilling out important information.
“Martina, not everyone has your excellent memory. They can’t remember so much information all at once.”
“Ah, you’re right. I’ll write it down immediately…”
As Martina hurriedly took a blank sheet of paper and a pen from a stack of documents, Lambert, who had been taken aback, grabbed Martina’s arm.
“The fastest way for you to help is to come directly to the scene. Will you come with me? I’ll guarantee your safety as long as you stay by my side.”
“Me…?”
“Yes, from your advice earlier, I can tell your knowledge of monsters and the knight order exceeds mine. I would appreciate it if you would come. If you’ve studied the Monster Encyclopedia, then you know about monsters that don’t typically appear around the royal capital, right? Wyverns have never appeared near the royal capital. If there are other such monsters, even a little knowledge would greatly improve our safety.”
Martina, looked into Lambert’s determined and serious eyes, hesitated for a moment but then nodded slowly.
“If I can be of any help…”
“Thank you. Let’s go!”
The moment Lambert heard Martina’s words, he pulled her arm and opened the door of the station.
“…Martina, make sure you come back alive! Leave everything here to us!”
Just before the door closed, Roland shouted, and Martina’s response was barely audible as the door slammed shut with a loud sound.
Martina quickly walked to keep up with Lambert, who was striding ahead, and ran after him outside the knight station.
“So, about this Yuruka plant you mentioned earlier?”
“It’s a plant that blooms yellow flowers. The Monster Encyclopedia mentioned that Wyverns like it, so I thought if we can find some, we might be able to lure the Wyverns away from the royal capital.”
“I understand. We’ll search for that plant as well. But first, we need to finalize the squad assignments.”
As they hurried toward the training ground, they found knights frantically preparing their equipment. Since it was an emergency, it seemed all the knights had been gathered there.
“Everyone, listen up! I will now inform you of the optimal squad formations based on the monsters, so follow them. The person standing here, Martina, is someone I trust. Until this emergency is over, treat her words as if they were mine. Now, Martina, it’s all yours.”
Upon hearing Lambert’s words, the knights, though puzzled by Martina’s presence, nodded without resistance, knowing that if their captain trusted her, they would too.
“First, I am requesting Squad 1 for deployment! The knights I want added to Squad 1 are Lord Regis, Lord Mathieu, and Lord Terence. The two of you who can use water magic will handle the fire-type monsters, and Terence, with his excellent archery skills, will target the Wyverns. I’ll explain the Wyvern’s weaknesses later. Now, let’s move on to Squad 3!”
Martina continued to assign knights based on their skills and their compatibility with different monsters’ weaknesses, and the knights began to take her instructions more seriously as she spoke about the different monsters and their weaknesses.
After about ten minutes, she finished her briefing, and the knights quickly resumed their preparations.
“Captain, I’m late.”
At that moment, the Deputy Captain, Florent Lavan , rushed into the training ground. Since this was Martina’s first meeting with Florent , they exchanged a few seconds of eye contact.
“I only heard the latter part of your briefing. I don’t know why a bureaucrat is giving orders, but your knowledge will be useful in this emergency. I look forward to working with you.”
“Y-Yes! I’ll do my best!”
“Captain, should I remain here?”
“Yes. I’ll be going to the frontlines, so you stay here and analyze the information. If anything comes up from the field, send me updates.”
About ten minutes later, Roland, who had returned to the administration office, came running back into the training ground, saying that the emergency deployment was ready. At Lambert’s command, the knights immediately set off toward the Eastern Forest.
“Martina, be careful!”
“Yes! Roland, please take care of the coordination!”
