It appeared that the combination of our ambushes, the large-scale traps the elven army had set throughout the forest, and the secret theft of supplies by my self-replicated avatars had paid off, resulting in significant losses for the human army.
The traps the elves had set originally, along with the elaborate, multi-layered traps I had taught the elven chieftain to use, had caused more damage than anticipated. It was gratifying to see our information used so effectively.
In all, our tactics had greatly weakened the human army, much to my satisfaction.
At this point, the human army seemed to have realized that their planned routes were riddled with traps, and they suspected internal leaks. In response, they were reevaluating their strategies, leading to a temporary retreat from the front lines over the past few days. During this brief respite, the elves fortified their traps even further, while we continued training to increase our chances of survival.
I also continued gathering intelligence by infiltrating with my avatars. Based on the gathered information, we planned to ambush the supply unit that was scheduled to deliver provisions to the human army’s encampment in the forest. On an expedition, supply availability can be a matter of life and death. Although the forest is more forgiving than a desert in terms of available food and water, the human army’s large numbers meant they required substantial quantities of provisions. Cutting off their supplies would be a harsh blow.
If we could repurpose their food and equipment for our use, we would effectively be killing two birds with one stone. Actually, it would demoralize the enemy as well, so it would be a win-win-win.
The supply unit approached from across the plains. We avoided attacking them out in the open because our forces were too small—even with the addition of forty-seven prisoners, our total was just over two hundred, with fewer actual fighters. In contrast, the supply unit numbered over six hundred, triple our size. Given this disparity, it would have been unwise to engage the enemy in the open. Sure, we could have handled them anyway with clever tactics, but there was still the possibility of enemy reinforcements, so it was better to avoid a direct confrontation.
So, we waited until the supply unit ventured deeper into the forest. As expected, in accordance with the information provided by the Lady Knight, the Dull Iron Knight, and my avatars, the supply unit arrived at the designated kill point. It was a narrow, poorly visible path through dense trees, a location the human army’s reinforcements would have difficulty reaching quickly.
Upon confirming the supply unit’s arrival, I glanced at the trembling slaves hidden in our rear. Their faces were pale with fear; due to my Parasitism ability, which heightened my control over them, they couldn’t move a muscle of their own free will. Ideally, I would have preferred them to work voluntarily, like the Dull Iron Knight, but I had to make do with what I had. After all, the slaves were disposable pawns. They weren’t particularly tasty, nor did they have many uses. Left to their own devices, they just muttered among themselves incessantly and wore worrisome dark expressions. So, I planned for them to play a dramatic role in this operation.
The strategy was straightforward.
First, we sent ten of the seventeen male slaves, who were noble knights without any useful job classes, such as Wizard or Enchanter, ahead toward the supply unit. We staged it as if we were chasing them: a small group of humans in knightly attire fleeing, and a horde of armed ogres and goblins, roaring with murderous intent as they chased after them.
In such a clear-cut scenario where anyone can easily distinguish between allies and enemies, the fleeing group would be taken in without much suspicion. In emergencies, people tend to focus on the immediate threat rather than questioning likely allies. There was still a risk that they could be killed alongside the enemies, but the fact that they wore high-quality, noble-looking armor worked in our favor, and the plan succeeded.
After confirming that our humans had successfully infiltrated the human army, we hid in trenches a bit further from the kill point. From our concealed positions, we fired bolts coated with paralyzing poison using the crossbows that the blacksmiths had worked hard to mass-produce. Those capable of using magic cast spells with reduced power. The Hobgoblin Shaman controlled six ghosts to inflict mental status effects, such as Melancholy, on our enemies.
The trees and underbrush hindered our accuracy, but the same was true for the enemy. Our goal was to cut their numbers, delay them, and keep them in one spot while we waited for the real attack to begin.
Then, our ten noble knights hidden within the enemy army sprang into action. They scattered an original magic item that the alchemist and I had created, the Burst Seed. Burst Seeds were made from materials like Yu Grass, Burst Fruit, and Hazy Fragrance Grass, which emits a strong hypnotic fragrance when burned.
Although the structure of the Burst Seeds was simple for a magic item, each one packed a powerful punch and came with a special sleep-inducing effect. Scattering them in a dense area could result in numerous light and severe injuries, incapacitation, and even death. Cheap, high-powered, easy to mass-produce—they were excellent magic weapons.
In exchange for these benefits, though, using them at close range could lead to self-destruction. That was why we had disposable slaves use them. I ordered them to keep setting off explosions, reassuring them that we would at least collect their bones if they died.
The forest echoed with the deafening sounds of the Burst Seeds exploding, numbering three hundred in total, for quite a while.
Eventually, the explosions ceased, but the enemy remained in disarray due to the lingering sleep gas. I instructed Asue’s support unit, Pleasure, to collapse the ground beneath the supply unit, adding to the confusion. Thanks to the groundwork we had laid, the collapse was easy to trigger.
The ground sank about two meters… more than enough to increase the chaos. The sudden change in terrain threw the human soldiers off balance, making escape impossible. They were further assailed by a rain of poisoned crossbow bolts and spells from a distance, and the pervasive sleep gas only worsened their condition. To finish them off, the elves, whom I had stationed in the trees, poured large bottles of my potent poison onto the soldiers below.