The news of the orc attack was quickly relayed.
The elves, who were not capable of fighting, were evacuated to the rear of the cave, and the warriors were gathered in the front hall.

The elves standing guard at the entrance of the cave detected the presence of the orcs with an alert spell.
After that, visual confirmation with the naked eye.
As soon as he saw a figure that looked like an orc between the trees in the distance, he immediately jumped into the cave and came to report.

An alert membrane is set up at a distance of 50 meters from the surgeon.
Since that line had been breached, there was little time to spare before the Orcs entered the cave, and there was no time for a strategy meeting.

'Thirteen Orcs...... squad class strength? Even though our forces are slightly larger in number, they are not a number to be underestimated. It's hard to be forced to fight an all-out war at this stage, but ......'

Finola said with a pained expression.
She seemed to be thinking of intercepting the Orcs in the first hall.

There are thirteen Orcs attacking us.
Our strength against them is about twenty, including the four of us mercenaries.
The difference in strength is not something that can be easily overwhelmed by numbers alone.

Also, in terms of the quality of the troops, since thirteen of them are probably a single unit, there are probably some high-ranking Orcs mixed in as commanders.
This is naturally a situation where good or bad tactics will greatly affect the outcome.

Finola's thoughts were probably this.

Against the orcs attacking through the narrow passageway, the moment they appear in the hall, they should be hurled into a hive with bows and magic.
It was a policy that they would make do with what they missed by fighting with white soldiers, and it certainly didn't seem like a bad tactic if it worked.

But even if it wasn't a bad tactic, I had no choice but to take advantage of that terrain.
I have a suggestion for my employer, Finola.

'Finola, I want you to let me and Satsuki go ahead of you.

'...... So you have an idea. All right, I'll leave it to you.'

Finola said yes with two words.
It probably helped that her daughter, LeFania, considered us to be a trustworthy partner.

I nodded toward Finola and took Satsuki's hand, who was nearby.

'Satsuki, I need your help.

'What? ...... Oh, oh.'

Satsuki's cheeks flushed, and she followed me as I pulled her along.
Ummm ...... what can I say, it's a little hard to do.

Anyway, I took Satsuki to the passage beyond the hall.
This leads to the entrance of the cave, which is the direction the Orcs are planning to attack from.

I explain to Satsuki the outline of the plan I have in mind.

'I'd like to ask Satsuki to act as a vanguard to hold off the Orcs. There is no need to force them to destroy us. All you have to do is hold back the enemy's advance. And I want you to squat down as soon as I give the signal. Can you do that?'

'Yeah, I can do that. I don't think wall-building is a job I'm suited for, but it's nothing against orcs. Besides, in this narrow passageway, two orcs of their size would be crammed together if they tried to attack us at the same time. One on one will be easy.

'Alright, please. I'll get right behind Satsuki.

'All right.

When Satsuki agreed, I asked her to stand at the end of the aisle, and I held my staff just behind her.
Then Satsuki, who was behind me, turned her face toward me and said something strange.

'But the thought of Will standing behind me gives me the creeps.

'...... Why? I'm not going to do anything.'

'I'm sure you're right, but I do get paranoid, don't I? I'll tell you what, I'm not sure I'd be able to stay sane if someone did something to me right now.

'I don't know what it is, but you do.

...... I don't know, but I wonder if Satsuki will be okay.

What is this 'something' she speaks of? Is it something that can only be established on the premise that I am an insane person who does not consider the time and place?
I trust Satsuki's skill, but her words and actions sometimes make me uneasy.

Anyway, I got my bearings and moved on to my next action.

I chant a spell and activate the see-through spell.
I wanted to visually confirm the enemy's appearance and actions, just in case.

When you activate the spell, the wall in the direction of the entrance of the cave is excluded from your sight.
Beyond that, he could see his target.

As the elf on guard had said, there were thirteen Orcs trying to invade the cave.
That group of pig-faced behemoths was now near the entrance of the cave.

From the looks of them, it seems that they consist of nine of the general species, two of the leader class, one of the mage class, and one of the general class.
Naturally, the highest level, the general class, seemed to be in command, and was giving some instructions to the orcs under his command at the entrance of the cave.

Eventually, the general class finished his instructions.

The Orcs then slowly entered the cave, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.
It seemed that the Orcs of the general species were leading the way, with the leader class and mage class behind them, and the general class at the tail end as they began to explore the cave.

''Here it comes, Satsuki...''

'I'll leave it to you.

In response to my warning, Satsuki drew her sword from her waist and readied it.

I also start chanting, and wait for the Orcs to come through the cave...

Soon the first Orc appeared from the side about 20 meters ahead of us, just beyond our normal line of sight.