My Glasses Will Be Able to Conquer the Whole World, I Suppose

245 – Glasses Boy Carries Out the Zombie Legion Extermination Operation

The morning after the strategy meeting.

At breakfast, the leader, Geodine, made an announcement to everyone.

“We’ll begin the zombie army extermination operation this evening.”

Since it wasn’t an in-depth discussion yet, he spoke while everyone was eating.

The house they rented was small, so they improvised a dining area outside, using borrowed wooden boxes, barrels, and firewood as furniture, forcing everyone to gather around the makeshift table.

The menu consisted of simple but delicious hard bread and soup, a specialty breakfast by Belge.

Everyone listened to Geodine’s words while eating. Well, some were so focused on their meal that they weren’t really paying attention.

But since no crucial details were being discussed yet, that was fine for now.

—By the way, the instructors were probably inside the house eating breakfast. I can’t say for sure since it was indoors, though.

In any case, the task was something we had to handle on our own.

They wouldn’t accompany us during the extermination… though they were likely keeping an eye on things somewhere. Just in case they needed to step in during an emergency.

So far, there hadn’t been any need for that, so I can’t say for sure.

“By evening, I’ll explain the operation details, the plan, and everyone’s roles, so make sure to remember them.”

There were a few people whose memory was a bit unreliable.

But in the worst case, as long as they remembered their own tasks, it would be fine.

Once their roles were explained, they’d understand the purpose of their actions.

And once they understood, they’d naturally remember the basic flow.

Some things are hard to remember, but I feel like how much you understand the things you’re supposed to remember makes a big difference in your ability to recall them. Just a personal observation, though.

“Speaking of which, I overheard a bit of a conversation between Instructor Sorichika and Zero.”

Harriatan said, looking at me.

“They were talking about winning without using weapons or something, right?”

Ah, that must have been what I talked about on the way to the village.

“Huh? We’re not using them?”

Chace, who was eager to use his new spear, made a disappointed face, but I reassured him.

“That’s only if everything goes perfectly. But things rarely go perfectly, so there will probably be a chance to use weapons.”

Well, I’d prefer if we didn’t have to, though.

It’s just the ideal outcome we’re aiming for, nothing more.

Using weapons naturally brings risk.

No matter how low the chances, the danger never drops to zero.

As long as you’re fighting, there’s no such thing as absolute safety.

—Which is why I think it’d be great if we could win without fighting.

I want to minimize unnecessary risks as much as possible.

That’s what the strategy is for.

“We’ll go over the operation details right after breakfast.”

The operation is set for this evening.

Considering how short the days have been lately, we probably have less than half a day left.

As for my schedule today, it’ll involve listening to the operation briefing, making sure everyone understands, then heading out in advance to set the traps, and finally regrouping with the others at the time of the operation.

It’s going to be a pretty busy day.

Also, there’s something I have to do that I can’t tell Geodine and the others about.

“—By the way, is everyone okay with zombies? Apparently, they’re pretty creepy.”

Right.

There are a lot of issues, but this is the first one we need to address.

Even though the operation is scheduled for dusk, we’re going to be face-to-face with monsters that look like rotting corpses.

Yesterday, I got a good, long look at one.

It was quite a shock.

If I hadn’t already developed some resistance after seeing decaying corpses in the forest, I might have been overwhelmed by fear.

“………”

At the mention of zombies, Trawllul, who had worked hard to mentally steel herself yesterday, stared blankly into the distance with hollow eyes.

Her face was completely drained of life.

Just remembering it made her tail puff up from the shock.

I wouldn’t be surprised if others had trouble handling it as well.

At this point, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a guy or a girl—those things are seriously scary. I definitely don’t want to see them again if I can help it.

“Come to think of it, I’ve never seen one up close.”

Chace said.

“Me neither.”

Added Harriatan.

It seems neither of them had ever encountered zombies before. They only saw them from a distance yesterday. —That’s a bit concerning. Especially in Chace’s case.

“All I saw was some enticing ribcage spare ribs and fermented meat.”

Belge, stay away from the cooking metaphors… He seems completely unfazed.

“I’ve gotten used to seeing the dead, corpses, spirits, and evil spirits, so I’m not bothered anymore.”

Ah, right, Florentine can apparently see spirits. He’s probably seen zombie-like ghosts before.

…By the way, has he forgotten about the incident where he said he’d beat me up yesterday? I really hope he just forgets about it for good.

“It’s completely irrelevant now.”

“Ulul?”

In an uncharacteristically cold, emotionless voice, Trawllul muttered. The words and tone were so unusual that Florentine, sitting beside her, glanced at her with concern.

She seems fine, though.

…Maybe she got a little emotionally scarred yesterday.

Well, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the mission, it should be okay.

“For those who haven’t gotten a good look, you should get used to it at least once. It’s pretty tough.”

This was Lisse’s second encounter, but even for her, seeing them again was still intense. I saw it with her yesterday, so I can relate.

“Alright, Chace and Haria, make sure you get a good look. Especially you, Chace, since you’re involved in the operation, you should get used to it properly.”

“Huh? Involved in the operation?”

Yeah.

After all, being “the fastest” makes it easy to fit you into the strategy.

In the morning, we drilled the operation’s outline and details into everyone thoroughly.

By the afternoon, I left the village ahead of the others to start setting up the traps.

“Not a group we’ve worked with much lately, huh?”

“Yeah, true.”

Now that you mention it, that’s right.

The ones going ahead were me, Lisse, and Chace.

We moved at a pace fast enough to not tire ourselves out as we ran.

We had known each other since the assassin’s village, but after joining up with the other teams at the tower, it had become rare for just that group to work together.

I still have a lot of contact with Florentine since we’re on the same team, but—

“I haven’t talked much with Cherry.”

Lisse said, referring to the still awkward relationship between her and Cherry.

“She seems to be getting along fine with her team.”

I’d spoken with Cherry quite a bit while investigating the zombie army. She seemed her usual self, still full of energy.

“I’m still relying on her as always. Someday, I want to properly thank her.”

Chace chimed in.

Ah, right. Chace didn’t hesitate to ask Cherry for treatment whenever he got injured during training.

By now, he might be the one from the village with the most contact with her.

…Or maybe not.

I often saw her having meals with Florentine in the tower’s dining hall.

In fact, I heard rumors that Florentine and Trawllul often found reasons to go shopping in Krozheit, using the chance to grab sweets. They frequently invited the other girls, and sometimes Cherry tagged along with them.

“I’d like to go hunting with the old village crew again someday.”

…Yeah, maybe.

Though who knows if there’ll be another chance.

It felt a little melancholic for a moment, but that mood was quickly blown away by the blue-haired guy.

“Still, this plan seems simple. You think it’ll work?”

“Yeah, it is simple. Although it’s quite large-scale.”

But, Chace…

The reason it seems simple is because we have such talented people gathered here.

It’s only because of that talent that we can pull off even a simple plan.

Don’t take this for granted.

Even I think it’s a rare stroke of luck to be able to hunt alongside such capable companions. This isn’t something that happens often in life.

It’s a precious experience.

I truly believe I’m gaining invaluable experience right now.

I want to cherish this moment.

And as evening fell, the operation to subdue the zombie army began.