Overlord (LN)

ct of her physical abilities had improved.“This is amazing...”Strength gained through training accumulated slowly, so it was hard to perceive. However, she could clearly feel the intense augmentation of her physical capabilities. More surprising was the fact that she did not feel any awkwardness in controlling her body given the differences between her previous and present self.“Magic really is amazing...”The Sorcerer King shrugged as he heard Neia react in awe.“That’s true. In fact, I’ve been quite surprised by utility spells myself.”“By that, do you mean...?”“Spells which can create sugar and pepper and ice. Then there are spells which can even create ores, though they’re not very mana-efficient. Some cities also depend on utility spells to supplement their water supply... It would seem utility spells are closely linked to the development of this world’s culture.”“Is... that so?”Why would a great magic caster like the Sorcerer King be surprised by such trivial spells? Still, it must make sense, given that the Sorcerer King had said it. And indeed, utility spells had come to be of great use in many places; daily life might not have been possible without such magic.“Also, there are those sewers which use slimes... or rather, coexist with them... ah, I’m straying from the point. Miss Baraja, pay me no heed and return to your work.”In truth, there was no task more important than keeping the Sorcerer King company. However, it was also true that they lacked manpower, and Neia had a surprising number of things to do, While said tasks were largely related to standing guard, which anyone could do, they were still very important.“Thank you very much, Your Majesty. I promise that I will return alive.”“Ah, if things get really bad, then flee to the east. In all likelihood, that’s the only place where you might have a chance to survive.”Neia picked up Buser’s armor and bowed before leaving the room.***Inside the operations room, Remedios Custodio and three paladins studied a force distribution chart.Unlike how she would make people sigh in exasperation most of the time, her mind was nimble and perceptive when it came to warfare. While her younger sister would say, “You’ve got a great body there, all you need now is to stu

dy a little more,” she could not have gained her present fighting skill if she had heeded that advice.That was because she was different from her sister, who had been blessed with three gifts ― wisdom, talent, and beauty.Our fighting strength is 10,000. Theirs is estimated at 40,000. Our win conditions are to hold on until reinforcements from the south arrive, or the enemy retreats... we might actually be able to do it if there were ten of me around...If the members of the Nine Colors who had been chosen for their fighting strength were present, they might have been able to put up a good fight, but the fact remained that the present situation was incredibly grim.If we want to buy time, we need to counterattack the enemy hard during their first offensive. That’ll put the enemy on their guard and give us the time we need. After all, the enemy doesn’t know what forces we possess, right?She had also seriously considered the proposal of launching a first strike.They could gather their forces at the east gate and crush the enemy there in one mighty blow before wheeling around to head for the west gate.However, she had quickly reached a conclusion ― all would be lost if they failed. It was very likely that the west gate would be lost to the enemy’s main force before they defeated the small detachment positioned at the east gate, and thus the city would fall.And of course, there was the disparity between their forces. They had to compensate for that gap if they wanted to win.But that’s impossible.Remedios wrinkled her brow and looked at the tokens placed on the map.She hoped for a flash of inspiration to descend from on high. However, no such thing happened.“Do you lot have any ideas?”“Yes. Personally speaking―”She listened to the paladin’s proposal, shot it down, then asked for more ideas, and the process repeated until none of them could come up with anything. Just then, a knock rang through the weighty silence of the room.“Captain, you’re here.”The person who entered was the vice-captain ― Gustav Montagnes. It felt like she had been saved by the bell. It would seem the other paladins in the room also felt that way, as a faint glimmer of hope appeared on their crestfallen faces.“Ahh, you came just in time. I wanted t