How to Use the Lord’s Future Diary

Chapter 6

It had been about two weeks since the expedition was postponed.

The residents were now in the midst of full-scale military training.

No matter if they were residents of Johnson Territory, at the end of the day, they were still ordinary people.

If they were to be mobilized for an actual military operation, they naturally needed time to learn to move in sync.

It had been nearly a generation since the last major defensive battle, so this was a necessary process.

“That’s true, but why now, of all times? I really can’t figure it out.”

“So are you not doing it then?”

“I am, I am. Ever since my wife ran away, I swear I’ve become a different man.”

The residents’ training was overseen entirely by Rudick.

Veteran knights who had experienced siege warfare were assisting Rudick.

This much would do just fine.

He still couldn’t help adding a word or two at the end of everything, but when it came to work, he left no gaps.

‘The results are better than I expected.’

Seeing the residents grow more disciplined by the day, their dignified posture gave me a small sense of reassurance.

“I really don’t know. Our lord can do whatever he wants.”

Meanwhile, I was producing explosives using mana crystals, just as Peter had taught me.

Agitating the mana crystal to destabilize its structure was an extremely simple task.

Anyone who could handle mana could easily do it.

Since Peter refused to waste money on what he called “throwing money into the air,” I simply took over the task myself.

It felt a little awkward at first, but after doing it a few times, I found it manageable.

“If I added something like iron scraps to create shrapnel, it’d be more efficient. Not possible right now, though, huh?”

It was a shame there wasn’t enough time.

If the circumstances allowed, I could have created something far more effective.

“Making explosives out of that in the first place is insane.”

I heard Peter’s complaints from the side, but I considered them no more than a layman’s grumbling.

Once they were made, they’d be useful somehow.

“If it doesn’t explode, I can just retrieve it and stabilize the mana again, right?”

“Hey, do you know how delicate mana stabilization is? It’s not some simple task like this.”

“But you can do it. When that time comes, I’ll be counting on you. We can’t just waste precious mana crystals.”

“Or maybe you could just not do this crazy crap at all?”

“Just do it for me.”

Since I already had a way to retrieve and recycle them, I had no reason to hesitate.

—Wooooong\~\~

It was then.

A strange wave of mana spread out from deep within the Forest of Illusions.

Even within the castle of the territory, we could clearly feel its distinct resonance.

“Brother, did you just feel that?”

“Yeah, this is……”

“Something’s happened.”

“Could it be? The evolution of an Extra-Class Monster.”

“If that’s the case, then the Regus of Illusions?”

An Extra-Class Monster.

Even after this world had grown accustomed to monsters, humans could never fully eradicate them, and that was largely because of the Extra-Class Monsters.

Even the lowest tier of them, the Calamity-Class monsters, were beings so formidable that a single territory would struggle to face one.

Fortunately, each Extra-Class Monster had its own domain, and unless under special circumstances, they never left it.

Had they decided to rampage through human lands, the situation would have been far worse than it already was.

Naturally, there was an Extra-Class Monster dwelling in one of the forbidden places, the Forest of Illusions.

The Calamity-Class Monster, “Regus of Illusions.”

The ruler of that forest.

And the wave of mana we had just felt meant that the Regus of Illusions had evolved into a Catastrophe-Class Monster.

“No doubt about it. It feels just like back then. Although, the magnitude of the wave is weaker this time.”

I had felt a similar wave once before.

On the day when the Catastrophe-Class Monster of the Monster Mountains, the “Fallen Yggdrasil,” had grown into an Apocalypse-Class Monster.

A wave far greater than this had engulfed the territory.

The evolution of an Extra-Class Monster wasn’t a common event, but it wasn’t impossible either.

“So that’s what happened.”

The evolution of a Calamity-Class Monster into a Catastrophe-Class Monster might not seem like a big problem by itself.

After all, Extra-Class Monsters leaving their domains was extremely rare, whether Calamity or Catastrophe.

But the problem began when it started sending out such waves in all directions.

“This’ll cause chaos. Extra-Class Monsters sit at the very peak of the food chain.”

The forest’s ecosystem would collapse in an instant, and the monsters inside would begin to riot.

Once the powerful creatures of the inner forest moved, the weaker ones on the outskirts would naturally be driven out of the forest as well.

And the aftermath of that would inevitably reach our territory.

When the Fallen Yggdrasil had evolved, we too had faced far more monsters than usual.

And it wouldn’t just be us.

The southern territories bordering the Forest of Illusions would also be caught in the fallout.

“You’re saying a Monster Stampede will break out. It’ll be absolute mayhem.”

Now it made sense.

So that was why hordes of monsters suddenly appeared to attack the territory—it had been a Monster Stampede.

That was precisely what I had been most wary of, that some disaster would break out in the Forest of Illusions.

If that was the case, then what we needed to do was clear……

“Send out rangers. We need constant updates on the forest’s movements.”

“Understood. I’ll dispatch them right away.”

“Notify the residents immediately.”

“That will also be done at once.”

“I’ll check the siege supplies again myself.”

I first ordered Rudick to assemble the forces.

“Peter, let’s set up the Mana Cannon. On the southern wall.”

“You seriously plan to fire that thing?”

“Depending on the situation.”

“Damn it. Just don’t rely on it too much. No high-ranked monster is going to stand there and obediently take a hit from that.”

“Then we’ll just have to make it work. If it comes to firing that thing, it’ll mean we’re backed into a corner anyway.”

I gave Peter the order to set up the Mana Cannon.

It might end up serving as our hidden card.

It was unfortunate that it was a one-time-use weapon, but this wasn’t the time to complain.

“Then I’ll go set up the mines. Oh, have the soldiers stand by too. We’ll need to put up some obstacles.”

“Mines? Ah, those mana crystals. You’re actually going to use them?”

“Yeah, I’ll use them.”

“But they’re not even that powerful.”

“Monsters aren’t completely devoid of intelligence. If things keep exploding, it’ll restrict their movement.”

Even if the killing power wasn’t overwhelming, the noise and explosions alone would accomplish plenty.

No matter how monstrous they were, it was only natural they wouldn’t want to go in that direction.

And if we added some obstacles on top of that, we could control their approach to some extent, making the defense much easier.

The best outcome would be for them to see the explosions and turn in an entirely different direction.

“But things won’t play out so conveniently. Monsters instinctively target humans.”

At times like this, it was better for my mental health to expect only the bare minimum of gain.

---

The rangers who had gone scouting into the Forest of Illusions were now returning one after another to the territory.

The forest had become nothing less than a complete madhouse.

Even the 7th–8th rank monsters on the outskirts were now rushing out beyond its borders.

“Disturbance at the outer forest! Multiple monsters are approaching the territory!”

The rangers who had been hunting small groups of monsters on their way back spread the news.

A large horde of monsters was advancing toward the territory.

I could see clouds of dust rising in the distance—there were quite a lot of them heading our way.

“Everyone, to your positions!!”

Armed residents and soldiers lined up along the walls.

Clad in thick leather armor, armed with shields, spears, and bows, the residents’ fighting spirit was palpable even here.

“Phew, so it begins.”

A sigh escaped me.

Through no intention of my own, my very first deployment had turned into a troublesome ordeal.

A massive siege battle.

Though I wasn’t unfamiliar with combat itself, I wasn’t used to this sort of barbaric warfare.

Even Iron had never experienced a siege like this.

An unfamiliar tension swept over me.

“Come on, don’t get nervous, everyone. This is nothing special!”

“Fire on my signal! Any that climb the wall, knock them back with your spears or crack their skulls!”

“Any monsters the archers can’t take down, the knights will handle. Archers, fire only into your assigned zones!”

Voices rang out from afar, encouraging the residents.

It was the 2nd squad of the knight order, composed of veteran knights.

They were among the few who had actually experienced large-scale siege warfare firsthand.

Iron had supposedly participated as a rookie knight back during the “Harsh Winter,” when he was very young.

The “Winter Battle,” when the gnoll horde broke through the northern gate and advanced all the way to the north of Johnson Castle, was still spoken of to this day as a historic event.

“In truth, it’s nothing difficult. Just shoot well, and the knights will take care of any large monsters the bows can’t handle. Most monsters won’t be able to break through this wall.”

“True enough.”

“As long as you don’t get too impatient, we’ll be fine. Thanks to our lord’s foresight, we’re thoroughly prepared, aren’t we?”

Sir Dominic, the captain of the 2nd squad, offered words of encouragement to me.

Or perhaps it was closer to a warning?

It felt as if he was worried that Iron, whose eyes turned wild whenever battle broke out, might charge headlong into the monster horde leading the knights.

Even the knights of Johnson Territory couldn’t afford to throw themselves into a fight like this.

Knowing Iron’s personality, it was a worry well worth having. I gave a wry smile and nodded.

‘Let’s just hold them off with minimal damage. That’s all I need to focus on. It’s more than possible.’

One comfort was that, just as Sir Dominic had said, our siege preparations were actually in decent shape.

Back during the Winter Battle, they had been caught completely unprepared when the enemy arrived.

This time, with armed forces stationed behind the wall and defenses prepared, all we had to do was focus on minimizing losses.

“Each sector, aim!”

The moment the monster horde appeared, I gave the signal to ready fire.

The residents, men and women alike, were skilled with bows—five hundred of them in all.

On top of that, the rangers raised their own bows.

“Prepare to fire!”

Out on the broad plain, a few makeshift obstacles had been hastily set up, and mana mines were buried around them.

—Boom!!!

A mana mine exploded near one of the obstacles, driving the monster horde to cluster toward the other side.

Troublesome obstacles, vexing explosions, and irritating noise.

Even as they charged toward the wall where humans had gathered—their natural prey—the monsters instinctively shifted to the easier path.

The low-ranking monsters native to the Forest of Illusions were mostly four-legged beast-types.

Since the forest resembled a dense jungle, it was only natural that beast-type monsters were most common.

In other words, they weren’t particularly intelligent.

Instead of questioning the situation, they simply turned to take the easier path—that was their choice.

—Boom!!!

And very conveniently, mana mines were exploding in several locations, gradually limiting the monsters’ routes of advance.

“Fire!!”

Just as temporary chokepoints formed in several spots, the sudden explosions sent monsters tumbling, colliding with others rushing from behind, throwing the area into chaos.

At that moment, volleys of arrows from the archers rained down, piercing through the horde.

It was the signal that the full-scale siege had begun.