"Delicious! Delicious!"
"What is this?! I don't know, but it's great!"
"Oishi! (Delicious!) ...Oshishi? Oshi!"
"Seconds! I want seconds!"
"Ahahahahaha! They're glitching out! What even is that move? That's hilarious!!!"
Plaque, a town located at the southern tip of the Kingdom of Heed. This town, where the girls from the "Plateau" in the center of the continent were staying, was currently a scene of absolute chaos.
The food brought by Alan, the man known as the "Official Merchant," had been transformed by the town's chefs into something the ostriches had never known: Cuisine. To an ostrich, "food" is fundamentally raw. Although they had learned about cooked food from their leader, Reis, their wings and tiny brains made it nearly impossible for them to even start a fire.
Reis herself wanted them to eat delicious things whenever possible, but on the Plateau, securing safety long enough to perform the delicate task of fire-starting was difficult. Thus, they usually ended up eating raw meat.
To them, "Cuisine" was entirely alien. In a flock where only Reis understood the concept of seasoning, food prepared by professional humans was nothing short of a powerful drug.
The result was this.
Faced with dishes that made their previous raw meat feel like papier-mâché, the ostriches' brains couldn't process the information. Some fainted from the overwhelming flavor, others had their excitement levels explode and went sprinting into the city walls at full speed, and some—for reasons known only to them—started spinning rapidly in place.
And Reis, the "Everyone's Mama" and Chieftain who was supposed to be keeping order...
"Ahahahahaha!!! What is that movement?! Aha!!"
She was completely hammered.
If it's a party—no, a banquet—there must be alcohol. She was merrily gulping down the wine provided by a thoughtful Alan. She appeared to be a happy drunk, laughing non-stop for quite a while, her voice much louder than usual. Her cheerful laughter echoed throughout the area, lifting the spirits of the previously depressed ostriches—or rather, sending them skyrocketing. Combined with the delicious food, their mental limiters blew off, leading to bizarre behavior, which in turn made Reis laugh even harder.
It was, in a word... chaos.
It should be noted that only the ostriches were enjoying themselves; the humans were working like mad. While they had no complaints since Reis had paid them a massive sum, the speed and volume at which the ostriches ate were terrifying. Food vanished the moment it was cooked, followed immediately by hatchling-like cries of "Seconds! Seconds!"
The chefs, faced with eyes that were either too innocent or crazed by flavor, saw them only as predators. Realizing that 'If we don't serve them fast, we're next on the menu!', the cooks worked with grim, desperate determination.
The only saving grace was that Reis was the only one consuming alcohol. The ostriches seemed to instinctively judge the alcohol in the wine as "bad for them" and refused to touch it. Reis was the only one still drinking, using the food the ostriches brought her as snacks.
Of course, Reis wasn't drinking alone. One look at the "trail of corpses" beside her would tell you she had plenty of company earlier.
"Ugh..."
"So... heavy..."
"How is this person still drinking...?"
Initially, it was a "Let's all party together!" affair, including Claudius's adventurer party and the soldiers who pitched the tents. But Reis had systematically drank them all under the table. First went the Elf, Amelia; then the human, Claudius; then the soldiers one by one. Zad, the Half-Dwarf who had tried his best, hadn't returned since he went to "vomit a rainbow" behind a bush.
Even Matilde, the highest authority in town, had arrived earlier...
"Ah, Matilde~! Drink with meeee! Ahahaha!!"
"Oh, Lady Reis! A drinking contest, is it? I was right to finish my work early! To challenge me, the strongest drinker in town... you've got guts! Fine, I accept!"
But despite her brave words...
"I... I can't... anymore..."
"Ahahahaha! I'm the strooongest!!!"
Matilde was defeated without much effort. To her credit, Matilde had achieved the feat of drinking about a third of a human-sized barrel of wine. But her opponent was an Ostrich—no, it was Reis. While Matilde struggled with one barrel, Reis had polished off three.
Normally, that amount of alcohol would cause a person to collapse from poisoning, but Reis was merely "pleasantly tipsy." Where did the alcohol go? Her physique hadn't changed at all. Watching her laugh at the fallen drinkers and her frolicking kids, one couldn't help but feel her species should be changed from "Ostrich" to "Legendary Drinker."
"....."
Oh? It seems someone is sneaking away from this chaotic banquet. Let's follow them...
Alan, acting as the "Official Merchant," walked briskly toward a building owned by his firm. He had intended to act sooner, but those beastmen calling themselves "Ostriches" were such gluttons that he had been forced to run back and forth between the warehouse and the banquet. Given his true role, any extra eyes were a hindrance. He had kept his firm's size to a minimum for secrecy, but that had backfired.
He'd had to help move the crates himself, and despite everyone eating three times the amount of a normal person, their appetite showed no sign of slowing down. He had been looking for a chance to slip away, but he'd been too busy to think.
His true employer was a generous and understanding man, so he wasn't worried... but it wasn't good to be this late past the "scheduled time."
(...No abnormalities.)
Entering the building and quickly checking the interior, he went into his target room. It was protected by a mechanism so clever that even a professional "Spy" like him would have trouble finding it. The room was shielded against both physical and magical eavesdropping.
After meticulously checking for intruders or signs of entry, he activated a magic circle. The patterns of this circle belonged to Nagan—a nation that had focused its total national power into a specific research field, achieving technology equal to or greater than the "Empire."
Yes, the Nagan Kingdom. Located to the west of the Kingdom of Heed, it was a nation that championed human supremacy.
"Strategist-殿, my apologies for being significantly late."
『It is no matter. Thank you for your hard work so late at night.』
The magic circle activated, revealing a blue silhouette. It was the "Strategist," the superior of this Nagan spy. This was long-distance communication across national borders, a spell that provided real-time video. It required a prepared magic circle and expensive catalysts that were difficult to obtain without the economic power of an "Official Merchant," but its utility was undeniable.
"A report: Matilde has hired a 'Mercenary Group.' The number is 300, all consisting of bird-type beastmen."
『Ho...?』
The Strategist's soft smile turned serious.
『Is that the truth?』
"Yes. When I made contact with the group, they claimed to be 'travelers,' but the soldiers were setting up military tents for all of them. They are not mere travelers."
『I see, I see... It is possible our 'Plan' has leaked.』
"Yes, the probability is high."
The group actually were just travelers, but Alan was suffering from a massive misunderstanding.
He had only noticed the "Ostriches" after the "Fruit Raid Crying Incident." He had seen the soldiers preparing tents while doing his job as a merchant and finally learned of them. In the common sense of this world, 300 people traveling together at once is unheard of—it looks like an immigration wave. He couldn't believe Matilde would lend out military tents for free; usually, the military would mobilize to investigate everyone's identity for spies.
However, there was no sign of that. Matilde was in full welcome mode, providing tents and ordering the "Official Merchant" to procure food for them. This was clearly not a normal response.
From Alan's perspective, it wasn't a stretch to think: 'They caught onto our invasion plan and hired a mercenary group as reinforcements!'
Meanwhile, Matilde was just thinking: 'Ostrich-chan is scary, let's be friends.'
『Even so, the invasion force arrives there tomorrow...』
"My apologies for the late report."
『No, it is fine. Based on your story, the fact that they were 'having a banquet' suggests they haven't grasped the exact timing of the invasion. Nor our exact numbers. The first stage of our plan—the surprise attack—should still be viable.』
The "Plan" they spoke of was Nagan's plan to occupy Plaque.
Plaque, as you know, is a vital location for high-quality monster materials and foreign currency. Its importance is massive; it is a direct territory of the Kingdom of Heed, guarded by trusted knights. However, despite its importance, its defenses are only slightly higher than other cities.
This is because Plaque borders no other country.
It is surrounded by monster habitats, with its only link to human civilization being its own parent nation. Thus, its defenses are weighted toward "Anti-Monster" rather than "Anti-Human." Its ability to respond to an invasion from another country is low.
『We created a "Corridor" through the monster habitats to secure an invasion route to Plaque. We will seize the root of Heed's weapon production and their source of income. That was the plan... but it seems a rat has slipped in. Thank you, Alan. We will re-evaluate immediately.』
"You are too kind."
Simply seizing Plaque would result in the enemy noticing and moving to recapture it. That was where Alan came in. Because he handled the trade between Plaque and other cities, he could manipulate the information. Even if Plaque were occupied, Alan would report: "Invasion? No way, Plaque is business as usual~!" By "concealing" the occupation, they would have time to transform Plaque into a Nagan forward base and eventually eat the Kingdom of Heed from the inside.
『Now, putting the matter of the intelligence leak aside... what shall we do?』
The Strategist on screen put a hand to his chin, thinking.
The invasion force for this mission was originally composed on the assumption of a certain level of failure. Even with the "Corridor," moving through monster habitats meant casualties were likely. Therefore, the main force consisted of "Human Supremacists"—fanatics who would become a political nuisance in future occupation plans.
In the Nagan Kingdom, which seeks to unify surrounding nations and drive the Empire off the continent, these people are a headache. To fight the Empire, they need more national power than a single small country; they must become a great nation. But Nagan's neighbors are all multi-ethnic or non-human majority nations. Even if they win the war, occupying them with such biased ideologies would guarantee rebellion. They couldn't win against the overwhelming Empire if they were fighting amongst themselves.
『(Therefore, I sent the troublemakers out, knowing they might fail...)』
He didn't care if they died. In fact, their deaths would benefit the country. But letting them die for nothing was a waste. A lot of time and effort had gone into maintaining the corridor and training the troops. Failure was acceptable, but success was far more profitable.
『Generally, beastmen possess physical abilities far superior to humans. We cannot afford a mishap. That General's command ability isn't very high, and I doubt a human-lover like him can stay calm against beastmen. ...5,000 soldiers feels a bit uncertain. Let's send in the "Trump Card."』
"!! You mean... the Magic Corps?"
It was no wonder the spy was shocked. The Magic Corps in the Nagan Kingdom was a vital unit trained specifically "Against the Empire." Because they handled "Magic," they were incredibly precious.
In this world, using magic requires talent. While mana resides in all life, the aptitude to use magic is separate. Furthermore, the attributes one can use vary from person to person. Some can't use it at all; some can only use fire. No two people have the exact same aptitude.
However, Nagan overturned this. By dedicating their entire national power to research in "Lightning" and "Transmission," they achieved a technological revolution. By using special magic tools, they created soldiers who—provided they had the basic talent for magic—could only use lightning but could fire it with 1.5 times the normal power.
『Lightning magic is the most troublesome thing to face. We've kept it hidden from other nations, so this will be its first deployment... I'm looking forward to it.』
Normally, humans wear armor to protect themselves, and that armor is usually metal. While adventurers might use leather for mobility or cost, those in the military favor metal.
By applying a certain trick, lightning magic can chain from metal to metal, maintaining its power as it tears through a formation. It turned the absolute defense of iron into a total weakness. For an army that "protects itself with metal and moves in large groups," it was a devastating weapon. And of course, even if the opponent had no metal, it was powerful enough to kill a man instantly. If 500 were fired at once, no one should be able to win.
The Strategist made his choice.
『As for numbers... let's send everyone we can move. Losing due to feeding in reinforcements bit by bit is the height of folly, and I want to test their readiness. We will add 500 Magic Soldiers. Total: 5,500. Against them, Plaque has a defense force of 500 and 300 mercenaries.』
"Overwhelming."
『Yes, numbers are justice. If the opponent had a "Special Strategic Asset," even 10,000 might not be enough... but if they don't, the victory is ours. On the off-chance of defeat, continue acting as an "Official Merchant." If we win, I will send new instructions. I'm counting on you.』
"Understood."
What they did not know...
According to Matilde, an elite knight of Heed, a single Ostrich beastman's combat power is "unbeatable even if surrounded by 100 men." Therefore, if we assume one Ostrich equals 100 soldiers... with a flock of 300, their strength is equivalent to a force of 30,000.
Furthermore, if what Reis told Amelia the Elf is true: "Ostriches have an extremely high resistance to electricity." And: "To take down an Ostrich with electricity, one would need, at minimum, a lightning strike from an Ancient-class dragon—higher than an Elder-class that can easily destroy a small nation."
In short: the magic of mere humans cannot even scratch an Ostrich.
The conquerors of the continent, the strongest race, "The Ostriches," were about to make their debut.
Ostrich-Level Guide to Surrounding Nations
Kingdom of Heed:
The country where Plaque is located. A multi-ethnic nation with a human king. It lacks "Special Strategic Assets" (monsters in human form), but its military isn't weak because it uses high-quality monster materials for equipment. They are good at combining monster parts with metal. Their policy is "No fighting, let's just relax and keep things as they are."
"We don't want to pick a fight with the Empire... actually, we sell them a lot of monster materials, so they're good customers. We don't have super-strong individuals, but we spend money on the military and our borders are tight, so we're safe!"
Kingdom of Nagan:
Ostrich Victim Candidate #1. Currently planning to attack Plaque. Though they have other races, humans are the overwhelming majority. They are plagued by the outdated ideology of human supremacy. One of the few nations seriously planning to fight the Empire, they succeeded in intelligence and lightning magic research. Without "that certain biological species" (Ostriches), they might have actually stood a chance against the Empire. They have spies in Heed and even the Empire.
"We hate the Empire coming to this continent! To prepare for the big fight, we'll crush little Heed! For now, we'll take that tasty-looking Plaque!"
The Empire:
A truly terrifying nation. Like a super-buffed version of the Roman Empire at its peak. In the past, they fought the "Elf Kingdom," "Dwarf Kingdom," and "Beastman Kingdom" on their own continent, plus the "Kingdom of the Prince with the Regeneration Trait" on this continent—and won decisively against all of them at once. They possess multiple "Special Strategic Assets" that could go toe-to-toe with "Biku-Biku," the Ostrich's natural enemy. Their true power is bottomless.
Nagan's plan was: "Trigger a four-front war like in the past, cause an internal political split in the Empire to start a civil war, and then kick them off this continent!"