BXBX NOVEL Chapter 319: Trap
Chapter 319: Trap
“Shion-sama, this place is…if we’re going to face them on the 20th floor, wouldn’t it be fine to return to the lheadquarters where Kanon-tan is waiting?” Saburou asked me timidly.
I had finished the earlier waiting time to deploy the subordinates and set the traps to defend against the invaders. As such I have nothing particular to do, so I might as well use my free time to mess around with Saburou, but…I guess I’ll test the talent of the new, raw gem I discovered.
“Mao, inform Saburou about the plan.”
“――! Yes, Shion-sama!”
Mao widened her eyes, but immediately straightened her back and gave me a positive answer.
“Commander-in-Chief, this is very likely not the 20th floor.”
“Ha ha ha! 10th Calamity, you are talking odd. Didn’t Shion-sama tell the invaders earlier that he’d wait for them on the 20th floor!? Hmm? Ignoring the great words of Shion-sama――our king who we ought to love and respect…10th Calamity! Have you possibly become ecstatic because you were previously praised by him a tiny bit?”
His pointless yapping was so long-winded that I almost burned halfway through.
“Commander-in-Chief, I think this is a trap Shion-sama has set.”
“――!? W-W-WHAAAAAT!? Oops…hehehe, I know…I knew about this long before! I was just testing you! B-B-By the way, let us compare our answers! Tell me where we are and why!”
“Humph, I suppose I’ll check that answer as well…as a strategist of Team J!”
For some reason, the funny slime acted all haughty while talking in the same dignified voice as that idiot Saburou.
Wait…that slime can talk fluently…?
“Commander-in-Chief, please remember what Shion-sama said to Yataro-sama when we departed our headquarters.”
“To Yataro-sama…? Ha ha ha! First Strategist! I allow you to answer in my stead!”
“――! I-In that case…10th Calamity! I allow you to answer in my stead!”
“…Haaah. Umm, Shion-sama asked Yataro-sama whether it’d be okay for us to head out for 12 hours.”
“Hmm…”
Saburou cast a fleeting glance at the slime, causing the slime to make its whole body to wobble.
“…Correct!”
“Eight hours and 40 minutes have already passed since we left, so we still have three hours and 20 minutes left. The invaders clear one floor every five hours on average. Thus…if Shion-sama is going to keep his promise with Yataro-sama…”
“――So we’re on the 13th…or possibly 14th floor!?”
“…That’s what I think.”
“That’s right,” I agreed with Mao’s conclusion while clapping my hands.
“Haaa ha ha ha! Correct! Totally correct! As might be expected of one holding the tile of calamity in Tea――”
――《Fire Lance》!
“Haaaaahnn!?”
“So, Mao, how does the strategy continue?”
I enjoyed my conversation with the raw gem right after burning the nuisance.
“Yes, Shion-sama! Previously you applied a honeyed poison to them. The foolish human reject us of Chaos by instinct. They won’t surrender unless their lives are in danger or they’re facing an overwhelming difference in power, but…it is possible to sway their heart.”
“Hooh…go on.”
“Earlier I could feel two different reactions from the invaders.”
“Which two?”n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
“One is absolute hatred. A hatred towards demon kings that won’t yield no matter what happens. And the second was surprise. I’m not sure whether they were surprised by your appearance, your offer, or the fact of being able to have a normal conversation with you…but either way, the feeling of surprise was much stronger than that of hatred.”
Hmm, smart girl. Once things settle down, it might be a good idea to team her up with the self-alleged strategist Kanon.
“What answer did you derive from that?”
“Differences in passion and motivation occasionally turn into good opportunities to destroy bonds and teamwork. Especially given that we’re facing an elite group of few heroes this time, having their teamwork disturbed will become a big weak spot…and I admire your wisdom for having created that weak spot, Shion-sama.”
Mao bowed her head deeply.
Now then, I guess I’ll summarize Mao’s words while at the same time sharing the plan with the other guys.
“If I sum up your words, Mao, you’re saying that I plan a surprise attack here――on the 14th floor――against the invaders who believe that we’re waiting for them on the 20th floor. And because there’s a difference in hatred towards demon kings――motivation among the invaders, they’ll be thrown into disarray by my offer and their teamwork will fall apart. We’ll use that opening to launch an attack… That’s the gist, right?”
“…Yes. That is all,” Mao answered with a quivering voice.
“Too bad. That’s 90 points.
“Haaa ha ha ha! Too bad! Really too bad for you, 10th Calamity!”
――《Fire Lance》!
“Haaaaahnn!?”
“You get 0 points…oops, our conversations got derailed because of this incorrigible idiot. There was one more thing. When I personally talked to them earlier, there was a piece of information that seemed like it’d be usable for future defense work, you know?”
“Another piece of information…?”
“Their origin. Where did they come from?”
“…Central Area. ――!?”
Apparently having realized something, Mao widened her eyes.
“Central Area…well, most likely they’re an assembly of humans from around the Chubu region, but…assembly means they’re chosen members of hero parties which had originally been formed locally.”
Heroes…or rather, humans initially form parties with fellow humans from nearby. According to Rina, Kanezawa’s hero party had been formed out of a university circle.
The heroes of Central Area are likely chosen heroes who had been active in various cities, towns, and regions. Therefore, mismatches in their teamwork would become apparent ever so often.
“C-Chosen heroes means…we of Team J, as the ones who had been carefully chosen…from among the Aster Empire are――haaaahnn!?”
Disregarding the burning trash, I continued my explanation.
“I have dispatched subordinates with the same level of equipment as the invaders. This will allow us to investigate the feeling of distance between the twelve invaders. Destroying their teamwork will open the path to a perfect victory.”
“…Shion-sama, could give precise instructions…to a foolish man like me…”
“For example, if they’re close to each other…or to put it in other words, if we realize that certain invaders had already formed a party together beforehand, we’ll launch our attack against them while making sure to split them up.”
“I-I understand….n-nothing less of…the Demon King known for his ingenious schemes and the sole Demon King reigning above me…Shion-sama.”
Watching Saburou with a sidelong glance as he praised me in his unique way while gasping, I began to observe the invader reflected on my smartphone.