After that, Rest and his companions advanced through the forest without being attacked by any foreign tribes.
The march was so peaceful it was almost anticlimactic. Thanks to Diebl's perfect Presence Concealment, they weren't even attacked by any monsters or wild beasts.
Taking breaks and camping along the way, the group finally arrived at their destination.
"There it is. That's the curse caster's castle."
The young boy of the oni tribe who was their guide… Rou said in a hushed voice.
In the middle of a dense jungle teeming with countless trees, a building stood that was out of place.
It was a castle made of packed black soil. Its appearance was crude, like a sandcastle simply scaled up… but Rest noticed something.
A powerful aura of mana drifted from the castle. Despite its appearance, which looked as if it would crumble at a touch, it was protected by a very high-level defensive magic.
"Master Diebl. That is surely…"
"I noticed it as well, Lord Rest. It seems there is a very skilled magician residing there."
In response to Rest's call, Diebl nodded.
"A Hardening spell has been cast on the structure built with earth magic. Judging by the quantity and quality of the mana, I believe multiple other types of defensive magic have been layered upon it as well."
"Approaching it carelessly… isn't a good idea. As I thought."
A spell to detect intruders had probably also been cast.
If they infiltrated the interior, or even just touched the castle walls, they would likely be detected.
(The inside of the castle must be a nest of traps… The fastest way would be to blow it up from the outside, but that would be counterproductive.)
Rest glanced at the back of Rou's head.
It was a castle that was surely protected by an ironclad defense… but despite that, Rest's Flame Birth God It would be possible to capture it using magic like that.
However, if that happens, the hostages captured inside the castle will also be blown to pieces.
Killing the hostages would cause the foreign tribes to hate them even more, and the war would continue to drag on.
"Rou, do you know where your sisters are?"
"I don't know..."
In response to Rest's question, Rou shook his head in frustration.
"I tried to sneak in and save them several times, but I couldn't even get inside. There's only one entrance at the front. There's not even a single window. My comrades tried to break the walls, but even an adult oni tribe member couldn't break them by smashing with a club. It would get chipped or cracked, but it would heal right away."
"It even self-repairs... I see, the magician who created that is more skilled than I imagined. Even among court magicians, he's top-class."
Diebl let out an impressed sigh.
Both Diebl and Rest are top-class magicians in their own right, but it seems the enemy is no slouch either.
If they let their guard down even a little, they would be caught off guard.
(In that case... we'll have to go inside after all. If only I could at least know where the hostages are...)
He couldn't even probe the inside with Presence Detection. It was repelled by the magical defense.
It wouldn't be impossible to forcibly break in with infinite mana and probe the inside, but it would definitely alert them to our presence.
"Now... what should I do?"
"Hmph... It's obvious. There's no choice but to charge in."
It was Vareiya Cattleya who asserted in a strong tone to the hesitant Rest.
"This is already enemy territory. What's the point of being timid now? If it's necessary to save the Kingdom of Aiwood, a suicide charge is unavoidable."
"Vareiya..."
What Vareiya said was correct.
We took the risk of infiltrating enemy territory for a swift resolution.
Wasting time idly standing here is meaningless.
(Vareiya has a point, but... isn't charging straight in a bit too reckless?)
"In that case... I have a proposal."
Diebl raised his hand and offered an alternative in a calm tone.
"How about we split the unit in two? One group attacks from the front to draw the enemy's attention. The other group breaks down the wall from the opposite side and rescues the foreign tribes who are being held hostage."
"A diversionary tactic... Hmm, not bad."
Vareiya stroked his chin, looking over the members of the unit one by one.
Rest had no objections. He nodded.
Lubeth and the other members raised no opposition either. It was settled.
"It's settled, then. Now, about the team division..."
"Alright, men, charge!"
"OOOOOOHHHHHH!"
"Huh...?"
Just as Vareiya was trying to finalize the plan... an unexpected situation occurred.
A group emerged from the forest and charged. They swarmed the castle entrance.
"Dad, and...
Big Bro!?"
Low let out a cry of surprise.
A group of the oni tribe appeared. There were about ten of them.
They were trying to pry open the castle entrance using rocks, logs, and clubs.
It was a charge without any strategy or plan. Even so, their desperation was palpable.
«This… could it be a once-in-a-lifetime big chance?»
«Let’s go, you all! Charge in!»
Rest muttered, and Vareiya shouted fiercely.
Unexpectedly, the group of the oni tribe had taken on the role of a diversion.
Everyone quickly began to move in order to infiltrate from the opposite direction of where the oni tribe was pressing in.