The Extra Prince Sets Out To Conquer The World

Upon learning that Arcana was in the forest, I had the scarecrow summon all the dullahans it could control.

“Only a little over thirty in number?”

At its peak, the scarecrow was a monster leading over a thousand dullahans.

However, it had lost most of them in the war between Arcana and Dorothy, and now it could barely maintain 32.

Even that number was only because some of those who gathered to hold back the scarecrow in the last battle were turned into dullahans. Otherwise, nothing would have remained.

At my words, the scarecrow protested as if making an excuse.

“It can’t be helped. The connection with Dorothy is almost cut off, and there was no opportunity to supply new soldiers.”

In this forest, knights who circulate mana within their bodies and fight have much less power loss than magicians who release mana to use magic.

Nevertheless, Arcana composed all the personnel managing the forest with magicians.

There was the reason that the scarecrow was weak to long-range combat unlike close combat, but it was because the scarecrow could not turn anyone other than knights who had trained their bodies into dullahans.

To be precise, it could make them, but if it made them with the frail bodies of magicians, it would only create dullahans that were worse than ordinary skeletons while taking up enormous resources, so it didn’t make them.

When properly connected with the witch, it wouldn’t matter if it wasted resources, but now that the connection with the witch was almost cut off, it would be a massive loss.

“It’s not that I don’t understand. You had no choice but to maintain quality.”

The dullahans standing in front of me now were all monsters equivalent to transcendent level.

Of course, even if they were equivalent to transcendent level, the scarecrow who couldn’t receive support from the witch wouldn’t be able to handle their full power.

Still, there were two dullahans who were real transcendents in their lifetime and thirty warriors who were close to transcendent level.

It was tight but not an insufficient number.

When I suddenly showed understanding, the scarecrow looked at me with a wary expression.

“What’s your ulterior motive?”

“What ulterior motive? Don’t you want revenge? If you help me, we can sufficiently deal with the enemies.”

It wasn’t difficult to persuade a fool with straw instead of a brain in his head.

After some flattery and a little talk about what would happen in the future, the scarecrow promised to cooperate with me as if enchanted.

“…I feel like I’m being tricked.”

“Hahaha, it’s just your imagination. I think destroying the huts so far has already shown enough trust. And what’s wrong with being tricked a little? As long as Dorothy is freed, isn’t that all that matters?”

The scarecrow nodded at my question.

“Good, since we’ve agreed to cooperate, let me ask. How far can you control the dullahans?”

“Freely within the forest.”

“What about outside the forest?”

The scarecrow hesitated for a moment before answering.

“…They can barely move. Unless Dorothy is here, the driving force moving the dullahans now is the negative-dimensional mana accumulated in the forest.”

Very good.

“That’s a shame. It will be less useful. But at least we can use them for now, I guess?”

I deliberately showed disappointment and subtly looked at the scarecrow.

The scarecrow flinched and avoided my eyes like someone who had done something wrong.

“Jade, can you find the huts?”

At my question, Jade smiled and nodded.

“It’s possible. If you can just read the flow of mana, it’s surprisingly easy to find.”

“Good, then Yard, Gilbert, Silua, and Sophia, move together and destroy the huts. Check the safes carefully.”

Even without me, Jade, who could now use magic, could smash them and take out the contents.

In a world where monsters that could tear steel like paper were overflowing, mechanical safes were not used much.

“Do we need five people to destroy the huts?”

It was a valid point. Honestly, even if the huts were magically protected, Jade alone would be enough.

“If we only destroy the huts, then yes.”

I whispered in Jade’s ear how we should move from now on.

Hearing my plan, Jade burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! What a villain.”

“What? You don’t like it?”

“Of course not. I like it very much. Then…”

Jade whispered in my ear with a mischievous smile like a brat. Hearing Jade’s words, I was amazed. A natural-born magician obsessed with magic was really different.

“Who are you calling a villain? But is it possible?”

“We’ll have to try to find out, but if we’re lucky, it seems possible.”

I only casually mentioned luck, but to think he would have such a wicked idea. This guy is also gradually revealing his true colors. I liked it.

“Is it okay if I move according to my thoughts?”

“Yes, do as you please as long as you don’t suffer a loss. Well, I’m sure you’ll handle it well.”

Jade humbly replied.

“Everything I know, I learned from Yuan. If Yuan were a little more proficient in magic, he would have come up with an even better plan than me.”

“I don’t think so.”

If he learned from me, it could be called the student surpassing the teacher. I was not as evil as Jade, I prided myself in that thought.

Jade led four people toward the center of the forest.

“Now then, let’s prepare to welcome the new guests.”

I brightly smiled and used the scarecrow as a command center to send the dullahans to various parts of the forest.

It’s time for a brutal hunt.

******

Arcana’s 1st management unit carefully entered the interior of the forest.

“From here, the 3rd and 4th squads disperse according to the briefing. Let’s meet alive, for our lord.”

At the commander’s order, each squad leader nodded and resolutely replied.

“Let’s meet again alive, for our lord.”

“For our lord.”

They were those who stood on the battlefield for their lord, “Arcana 01, The Magician”.

Black stakes that would replace the huts were tied to the waists of the magicians who were splitting up and dispersing.

“As we go deeper into the forest, the shadow beasts will start attacking viciously. 1-1 squad, use alarm magic and scout, and 1-2 squad, assist the advance scouting with protective magic.”

The ten magicians selected as the scouting team held out their magic staffs forward and advanced while swinging them left and right as if exploring.

Magic was cast on their staffs to emit bright light when the shadow beasts, the witch’s familiars, approached.

The ten people right behind them from the same squad cast defensive and protective magic to ensure they wouldn’t suffer major injuries even if shadow beasts suddenly popped out and attacked.

Although it might feel somewhat wasteful given the environment where it was difficult to use magic, it couldn’t be helped.

No matter how accustomed to combat, the combat magicians were basically frail magicians.

Even if they detected an ambush in advance with alarm magic, there was a high probability they wouldn’t be able to react in time.

“Ein, track the location of the scarecrow.”

At the commander’s order, the 2nd squad leader, a dark brown-haired female magician, chanted a spell and focused on the flow of mana in the forest.

Due to the excessive accumulation and intense flow of mana in the forest, long-range mana detection magic was almost useless.

However, the scarecrow’s huge presence distorted the flow of mana itself, making it easy to find.

It was like finding a boulder larger than your body in murky water, which was relatively easier than finding small pebbles.

“Found it. It is located 3 kilometers southwest from the current position.”

Her complexion turned pale after exploring a wide area in a forest with heavy mana consumption.

“Good work. We will now start the ‘Loose Net Operation’.”

The Loose Net Operation was a plan to draw the scarecrow’s attention until the 3rd and 4th squads drove stakes and additional support from the 2nd and 3rd management units arrived.

As they were composed of magicians lacking in physical abilities, close combat was not considered, and the main content was for the unit members to disperse as widely as possible and engage in long-range hit-and-run tactics.

Naturally, as they moved separately over a wide range, communication magic was frantically exchanged centered around the squad leaders for organic movement.

The unit members, dispersed around the location where the scarecrow was estimated to be, formed an encirclement at a distance where the scarecrow couldn’t see them, as practiced.

-This is 1-1, commencing the operation. 1-13, move.

The commander maximized the sensitivity of the mana wave receiver magical tool on his ear and listened intently to the telepathic magic.

Due to the forest’s mana, there was severe noise interference, but fortunately, he could understand what was being said.

-This is 1-13, commencing the attack.

Following the 1st squad leader’s order, the member of the 1st squad closest to the scarecrow launched magic.

A bright red light flashed through the black fog.

It was the light of a fireball flying for the purpose of killing, unlike the ghostly fire used as a lamp.

-This is 1-13! The scarecrow is coming this way! Moving to E3!

The squad member who launched the fireball flew in the northeast direction at 3 o’clock, according to the plan.

Flight magic was inefficient in a forest filled with dense trees, in addition to poor mana efficiency, but it was clear that running with the frail legs of a magician would only result in being caught quickly.

-This is 2-24! Confirming 1-13!

The telepathic message of a 2nd squad member confirming the fleeing 1st squad member was heard.

-Intercepting the scarecrow! Four! Three! Two…!

Then, once again, a red light flashed through the black fog.

-This is 2-24! The scarecrow is changing course! Moving to W7!

The 2nd squad member headed southwest at 7 o’clock.

The scarecrow was extremely powerful, befitting a familiar of the Witch of the Four Disasters, but its behavior patterns were simple.

It was because it essentially moved based on instinctive intuition without thinking.

The scarecrow’s instinct was not just intuition but practically an ability.

Brutal and sharp, if the field of view opened up and the enemy could be directly confirmed, it was the most dangerous among the abilities the scarecrow possessed.

However, in an environment like now, where the thick mana caused confusion to the senses and the black fog obstructed vision, the brutal instinct rather acted as a poison to the scarecrow.

If it chased after someone who attacked from afar and an attack came from another direction, it would immediately change its target of danger.

-This is 1-26. Scarecrow course change, moving to W11.

-This is 2-12, confirming 1-26. Preparing to intercept. Five, four, three, two…!

The members of the 1st management unit took turns attacking and becoming bait to draw attention.

When the scarecrow chased after the one who attacked, those who had consumed mana took a break and recovered mana.

However, even though they moved organically and worked well together, not every process went smoothly.

-Aargh! This is 1-17! Shadow beasts are attacking!

-This is 1-1! 1-12 and 1-19, rescue 1-17!

-This is 2-1! 2-19, fill in for 1-19’s position!

The scarecrow was not the only one guarding the sealed witch in the forest.

-This is 1-14, the scarecrow’s course change…! Aaargh!!

And no matter how much the scarecrow’s instincts took over during combat, it didn’t just blindly charge forward.

The scarecrow, more familiar with the forest’s terrain than anyone else, occasionally used geographical features to catch up to fleeing enemies and cut them in half with a giant scythe.

Nevertheless, the 1st management unit skillfully drew the scarecrow’s attention while minimizing sacrifices, as practiced.

…That’s what they thought.

-This is 1-13, bzzt… I will attack the scare… bzzt! crow!

The noise in the telepathic magic gradually worsened, and the sound started to become unclear.

“This is 1, this is 1! All unit members, readjust the reception sensitivity! I repeat! All unit members, readjust the reception sensitivity!”

Judging that there was a large loss of voice information due to the negative-dimensional mana, the commander further increased the sensitivity of the receiver on his ear.

-This is… 2-18, scare… bzzt! crow… bzzt! Oh, good poi… bzzt! son… Intercececept! …Four, three, twtwo…!

-This is… -24, scare… bzzt! white brace… bzzt! let’s path…bzzt!

Even though he exposed his location and increased the reception sensitivity, the noise became worse. Moreover, strange words were mixed in between the telepathy.

-This is 1-18.

Then suddenly, as if wondering when the noise had worsened, the sound became clear.

-Now you’re the only one left, over.

The voice heard without a single bit of noise was of someone he heard for the first time.

Suddenly, as goosebumps rose, he tried to tear off the receiver, but a voice came from right behind him.

“Peek-a-boo~!”

Stab!

The commander was shocked to see the sword piercing through his chest.

The last sight he saw as he fell to the ground was a frail-looking blond boy smiling and waving his hand.