Humans build walls of stone and fortify them with the magic of the earth's veins.
　In much the same way, the elves harden the forests.

　The elves' patented nature magic is mainly plant magic.
　Using this magic, the elves remake the trees in the forest.
　Just as lush mountains are filled with water, elven forests are filled with the breath of life. The fullness of their life force even changes the environment of the forest.
　Elves are said to be a long-lived species, and in fact, their longevity depends in part on their forest environment. An elf who lives in a closed forest full of life and an elf who has been ostracized or who has voluntarily left the forest will live twice as long.

　Regardless, as a byproduct of the vitality of the forest, the elves have a defensive advantage.
　An elven forest, with trees sturdier than steel, is already a fortress in itself.
　If any enemy attacks the forest, they must first break through the Green Wall.

　Of course, unlike the stone walls, you can't block the enemy from coming in, but fighting in the forest is what the elves are good at. They will not let an enemy leave alive.
　If you want to get rid of the forest first, you can't cut down the trees, and you can't burn them down.
　They do not use artifacts, and their art of warfare is traditional.
　However, if you try to attack them, you will be forced to fight in a quagmire of pain that is beyond description.

　The Imperial Blue Army's strategy against the Elven Forest was ...... 'mass'.

　The sound of guns roaring day and night.
　The earth continues to shake.
　The trees are falling with a sound like a scream.

　If you can't kill a tree with one shell, fire ten shells at it.
　After a moderate amount of destruction by substantive artillery shells, a burst of magic bullets will blow them up, and even the most robust trees in the Elven Forest will be left in shambles.

　From the point of view of the great forest of Zegenfall, which is no longer so large as to be considered a small country, only a small part of it has been cut down by the bombardment. But it was a definite advance, and it upset the elves who had firmly believed that the forest was invincible.

　A large number of shells, magic cannons, and countless magic stones to power them. The Empire had the ability to provide it, and the cost of war was an investment that would pay off. The magic power supplied by the geological veins was not only for the defense and infrastructure of the cities, but also as an important fuel for research and industry.

　In general, when it comes to the range of an attack on the battlefield, cannons excel the most.
　The longbow comes next, followed by magic.
　The bows and magic that the elves relied on were not enough to fight back against the Blue Army's long-range artillery while hiding in the forest. They tried throwing exploding nuts at the bark and vines, but they were no match for the real cannons.

　As a countermeasure, a net of vines was made to catch the shells. This reduced the damage from the shells considerably, but the Blue Army quickly responded. They unleashed a magic bomb filled with blade fragments to destroy the net.
　More importantly, this only delayed the Blue Army's offensive a little, but it did not solve anything fundamentally since there was no way to counterattack.

　The elves moved to eliminate the guns. But that didn't work either.

　All three night raids failed completely.
　A dwarven sentry with good night vision, a sentry who uses magic to find those who have disappeared, "Wind Reader" ......
　From the moment the elves left the forest, their movements were completely captured.

　Next, the elves set up a maneuvering battle on the plain with wolves as their riders.
　The elven archers, skilled in magical defense, cut through the enemy lines without regard to flying arrows or magical interference.
　Three blue soldiers died before an elven warrior was killed.
　And that was it. The numbers were too different. The blue cavalry and airborne cavalry were no match for the elves in terms of speed.

　The blue army, probably relaxed from winning the war, would be scared if there were any deaths. ......
　There was a sense of optimism, but this was also betrayed.
　The elves didn't know much about the inner workings of the Caenis Empire, but it was actually the people of the conquered nations who were on the front lines. They had to serve in the army (or die in battle after fighting bravely) to buy the status of an Imperial citizen, especially those who left their families back home. If one person gains the status of an imperial citizen, it will spread to his family.
　On the other hand, the morale of the elves, who were pinned down on all sides, began to decline. The number of elite warriors who could fight against the Blue Army was dwindling.

　If they continued to fight like this, they would only suffer more and more.
　The elves decided that they would have to go all out.

　It started with a few arrows.

　It all started with a few arrows.

　The Blue Army's maneuverers and their defenders, who were bombarding the forest as usual, saw several arrows flying from the forest.
　They did not reach the Blue Army's position at all, but stood on the ground that had been ravaged by the bombardment.

　The foolish one laughed. This was the extent of their resistance.
　Those with a bit of brains wondered. The elves must have known that this would not work.

　It soon became clear what the strange arrows were for.
　A tree suddenly grew out of the spot where the arrow had been shot.

What the hell was that?

　The blue camp was in an uproar.
　Elves are said to be able to control nature through magic. But even they didn't think they could do such a ridiculous thing.
　The saplings and seeds planted in the arrows took root in the ground and grew at a frightening rate to become huge trees, as if tens or hundreds of years had passed in an instant.

　In addition, the next arrow will fly from between the newly growing trees like a barrier. Closer and closer.
　More trees will grow from the point of impact. Closer.

　The forest was expanding like a slime extending its tentacles.
　Towards the blue army's camp with cannons.

　The forest was growing closer.

　A magic circle was laid out in a relatively shallow part of the forest.

...... Fathers, watch over us. Ancestral spirits, give us strength. ......



　At the center of the incense-laden camp, praying and chanting spells, was an elven woman whose body was adorned with numerous boulders and some goldwork.
　She was the chief priestess Saaresaya. She is the "Priestess" who presides over the religious events of the tribe of elves who live in this forest, the Rock Crawling Shiro Serpents. She is not only a religious leader, but also the most powerful sorceress in this forest.

"Invasive Forcing".

　Saaresaya thrusts a tin staff of animal bones into the ground at regular intervals.
　Her magic is making the trees grow and the forest expand rapidly.

　She can draw the necessary magic from the earth's veins, but it's a spell that puts a lot of strain on the land, so she can't use it twice or three times in the same place. Moreover, if the enemy knew that you had such a hand, they would be able to counter you the next time.
　This is your only chance. It was his only hope to deal a blow to the Blue Army and negotiate a ceasefire.

　--If we could get them into the forest, we would have a huge advantage.
　　　Even if we don't, if we can get close enough to reach the bow and magic, ......!

　That thought was short-lived.

　A scream began to sound in Saaresaya's ears.

"......?

　Almost losing her concentration, Saaresaya struggled to regain it. If the spell were to be broken here, it would be the end of everything.
　But Saaresaya could hear it. The screams of souls. The remorse and vindictiveness of dead warriors. An unmistakable voice blasting from the direction where the battle should have taken place.

　--A failed attack?　No, this is much closer. ......!

"So, you're the source.

　Without even the sound of grass being stepped on, a man appeared.

　It was a strange man.
　He wore light armor to protect his chest armor and joints, but with the dragon emblem of the Caenis Empire engraved on it and the blue design on his shoulders, he must be a soldier of the Blue Army.
　However, his outfit is different from the other soldiers. Underneath his light armor, he wore a simple athletic outfit, and instead of carrying a sword or shield, he wore a huge iron knuckle-like armor on both hands.

　Even though Saaresaiah was concentrating on his magic, it was strange that he didn't notice them until they were right in front of him.
　The elves' presence is similar to that of plants, and in the forest, they can blend in and move without being noticed. Other races, on the other hand, are foreign to the forest, and their presence should be as easy to read as a white stone on gray sand.

　Saaresaya started to sit up, but lost her way.
　If Saaresaya ran away now, the battle would be truly over.
　But could she stay in this situation?
　Was he the only one who had made it this far into the forest?　Or is Saaresaya already surrounded? I searched for a sign, but felt nothing.

Who are you?
Why are there Imperial soldiers here?　The guards are at .......

　The two priestesses who had been standing by Saaresaiah's side stood up, tin staffs in hand.

　The elite are taking part in the attack out of the forest, but there must be warriors in the guard to protect Saaresaya. If anyone had tried to enter the forest to cut off the source of the magic, they would have been detected immediately and pierced to death by arrows flying from all directions.

　But the handcuffed soldier laughed at him.

"Simple. No one could beat me. That's all.
　...... Wasn't a bad fight. I'll use this fight to soar to greater heights.

　The man flipped his cuirass over.
　It was horribly red and covered in blood.

　The two priestesses swung their tin staffs at the same time, like images reflected in a water mirror.

"Hard Paralyze!
"Tearing Vine!

　A spell was released towards the hand-armored soldier. At that time, he was already kicking the ground and heading towards us.

　The hard paralysis that one of the priestesses unleashed was rejected by .......
　Saaresaya's finely honed senses sensed the wave of magic power being played off and dissipating into dust. A talisman, the usual way for a warrior to face a sorcerer. He seemed to have a talisman in his pocket for protection.

　But the other spell could not be defended by the talisman.
　Countless ivy plants break the ground and appear. Dozens of thick ivy plants appeared and intervened between the soldiers and the maidens.
　Half of the ivy plants were tightly knotted together to form a makeshift barrier, while the other half leaped at the hand-armored soldiers with serpentine movements.

　Even though it is ivy, it is a plant of the elven forest. If the power of magic is applied to it, it will become a fearsome weapon that can crush even huge rocks and tear even a cyclops to pieces.

"Swoosh. ......

　That's when it happened. The armored soldier took a sharp, thin breath.
　The gigantic hand armor takes on a faint magical power.
　He struck the oncoming ivy plant with his cuirass, scraping its side.

　The ivy weed was slightly distracted by his aim.
　The armored soldier didn't slow down his rush, but with minimal movement, he plowed through the green weapon.

　He plunged his armor straight into the ivy-lined hedge.
　Like a fish grabbed by a man, he slipped out of his hand and jumped into the river. Strangely enough, his armor pried open a gap in the improvised hedge, and with a deft body movement, he jumped through the small hole.

"Oh, ......

　It happened in the blink of an eye.
　A blow with his armor, a blow with his foot. The sorcerer is vulnerable when approached.


　The two priestesses attached to Saaresaiah were blown to death before they even had time to scream.