Even though he was now able to use magnitudes more mana than before, Sidonia did not permit Apprentice Calisunus to accompany them, instead having him immediately report to the Academy hospital with a strict warning not to attempt any magic unsupervised. After that, the group departed on a plaustrum subterraneum the Legion had sent for Sidonia.

A short while later, the transport rose out of the ground and NSLICE-00P disembarked. They were inside a large fortress surrounded by stone walls, with limitanei and artifecti adding additional structures and defenses. A full military base had been set up inside, with everything a Legion would need to sustain a long-term operation. A man with a red cloak over his armor walked over to the group, with several soldiers behind them.

“Ah, Senior Mage Sidonia, it is good to see you. I wish it was under better circumstances.”

Sidonia smiled at him.

“Always a pleasure, Legate Lucceius.”

He then turned to NSLICE-00P.

“Is this her?”

Sidonia nodded.

“May I present NSLICE-00P, Amiciti Populi Elteni and Queen of the Dobhar. She has graciously agreed to assist us. Likewise, these are Imperial Inquisitors Niraemia and Sutharlan, along with Estrith Edildaughter of the Dobhar.”

NSLICE-00P took that as her cue.

“Greeting: This unit is designated NSLICE-00P, it is nice to meet you.”

Legate Lucceius shook her hand.

“The pleasure is all mine, Your Majesty. My grandfather served under Dux Canus. I was glad to hear that Turannia survived, thanks to you.”

“Acknowledged.”

After greeting the rest, Legate Lucceius nodded and motioned.

“Come on then, we don’t have much time to waste.”

The Legate led them to the other side of the fort, and they climbed a watchtower.

On the other side of the fort were the remains of a small town, with the main street leading to a giant tree. The giant tree’s branches twisted and grew thorns, and cracks appeared in its bark that leaked green light. There was a large entrance at the bottom of its trunk.

In the streets below, a horde of plant monsters streamed from the dungeon and assaulted a Legion barricade in the center of the old town. The Legion set up a metal palisade, with a moat filled with burning oil. Legion Slayers hacked with halberds and poleaxes from the other side of the palisade, Sharpshooters fired exploding and flaming arrows, and Bulwarks blocked anything that made it past the moat. A group of Legion mages stood behind the lines in a formation, their mana streaming towards the mage in the center as they launched massive fireballs towards the horde. Siege engines along the walls of the fort lent their firepower as well.

“The Verdant Forest dungeon was fairly new, but was long approved as safe, never sending a single monster outside. Just a few days ago, it suddenly turned, and the results are as you see. We’re just lucky there was only a small dungeon town outside, the divers and limitanei managed to reduce the casualties somewhat and hold the line until we got here.”

Sidonia nodded with a frown on her face.

“You’ve tried assaulting the dungeon?”

Legate Lucceius nodded back.

“First thing when we arrived. Plant monsters are tough but at the time we could handle it. The problem was the dungeon itself. Forests, flower fields, jungles, you name it. Every inch of that dungeon is covered in greenery. And since it became corrupted, every single plant in that dungeon is now growing out of control…and fights back when you try to remove it. Vines grasp at you, trees drop branches on your head and trip you with their roots, even the grass grows sharp and tries to pierce your shoes. My mages just don’t have the mana to burn out every inch of the entire dungeon, so we pulled out and requested reinforcements.”

Sidonia rubbed her chin and hummed.

“Corrupted plants, huh? That could be a problem. Fire magic isn’t my forte, I might get a bit fatigued if I have to rely on it. Are any of the knight orders coming?”

Legate Lucceius frowned.

“I put in the request, but you’re the first to arrive. Corvanus seemed confident you’d be able to handle it.”

“I see.”

Sidonia turned to NSLICE-00P.

“What do you think, Miss NSLICE-00P? Can we manage this situation ourselves?”

NSLICE-00P’s robotic eye flickered. She had encountered and terminated plant monsters before, but these particular ones were giving off a different mana signature than the ones she had faced previously.

“Status Update: Mission success probability calculation requires live-fire testing to proceed.”

Several magic circles formed in the air over the horde. Bolt spells of different attributes launched down at the monsters.The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

You have slain nine Abeignis Ambulatio!

Gained 27 Personal XP!

The skill Dark Magic is now level 2!