2

 

To the Northern Trade Nation

“I think our next step should be to sneak into the Dukedom of Schtraut,” I declared over breakfast.

The ones who had prepared my breakfast were our captives from the Kingdom of Maluk. They did this for me, their most hated nemesis, because of the Parasite Swarms controlling their bodies. It was admittedly ill-natured of me to enslave them this way, but considering everything the Kingdom of Maluk had done, it was their just desserts.

My meal this morning was bacon and eggs with salad and a little bread on the side. Not a luxurious breakfast by any means, but the ingredients had all been grown and raised by the elves.

“The Dukedom of Schtraut?” asked Sérignan, who was in my company.

“Yep. The Dukedom is located in a position that’s easy for us to attack. There’s a mountainous region between us, but it’s still easier than attacking the Frantz Popedom or the Empire of Nyrnal.”

If we were to attack one of those two countries, we’d need to cross through the elven forest, where our base was, to reach them. And since the elves were under our protection, I didn’t want to turn their forest into a battlefield. It just wouldn’t be right.

There was one other path we could take to attack Nyrnal—crossing over a large river called the Themel. Even if we had the Worker Swarms build a bridge across it, however, this manner of invasion would be a challenge.

It was for these reasons I had set my sights on the Dukedom of Schtraut.

The Dukedom was northeast of the Kingdom of Maluk’s territory and would require crossing a mountainous region to get there. But once that was done with, invading it would be easy. With the Dukedom suppressed, it would be much easier for us to attack the Popedom of Frantz. All in all, it was a very attractive target.

“The people of Schtraut haven’t wronged us yet, but if we don’t put them in their place now, we may soon find ourselves fighting in our own territory. Many elves and Swarms would be lost in the battle. We should control their country as quickly as possible.”

Up until now, my policy was to strike back only when someone picked a fight with us... but this time, I was planning a preemptive attack. The Dukedom of Schtraut hadn’t crossed us, but its position was problematic; the land was a direct path into the Arachnea’s territory. If the people of Schtraut had anything to curse for their impending misfortune, it would have to be the land they had chosen to settle in.

“As you wish, Your Majesty. Then I will go and investigate,” Sérignan said and nodded, seemingly convinced.

“I’ll come with you.”

“But it’s dangerous! The Dukedom is effectively enemy territory!”

“Even I want to be surrounded by humans every now and then. And I joined you when we went into Leen, remember?”

Being surrounded by human remains—well, more like globs of flesh—was causing me to forget what it was like to interact with actual living people. I thought that being around humans might provide some sort of social rehabilitation.

“Besides, I want to see things with my own eyes. I might be able to see everything through the collective consciousness, but I want to witness it for myself, just to be safe. Additionally, I want to be there for any negotiations.”

Right, our objective wasn’t to simply scout out the Dukedom. It was to scout, get a grasp on the situation, and try to negotiate with the right people. I might have made the Dukedom of Schtraut my target, but that wasn’t to say there was no room for negotiation. I wanted to determine whether our nation of monsters could interact with other countries as an equal. If nothing else, the potential for diplomacy was there.

“But still, it’s hardly safe,” Sérignan protested.

“Which is why I have you to help me. Oh, Sérignan, my dear knight... You’ll protect me no matter what, right?”

“Of course! By your will, Your Majesty!”

Sérignan was fiercely loyal and quite devoted to me, as flawed a mistress as I was.

“Erm, what should I do?” piped Lysa, joining in on the conversation.

“You should come with us, too. You can use Mimesis, and your skill with a bow has gotten better, right?”

“Yes, I can pull harder strings than I’ve ever been able to before. I think my accuracy’s gone up, too!”

Now that Lysa had become a Swarm, her muscles were much stronger, which allowed her to pull the strings of unbelievably large bows. I had seen her practice before—the sight of arrows the size of ballista bolts hitting their marks dead center from 300 meters away was astonishing.

“And we’ll probably need one more thing to round out our forces here.”

No sooner had I uttered the words than a man walked into the room. At first glance, he looked like one of the people from the Kingdom of Maluk, but that wasn’t the case.

The man’s face was completely unfamiliar, and he looked to be about thirty years old.

“Who is this man?” Sérignan asked, directing a suspicious glare in his direction.

“Allow me to introduce him to you.” I gestured toward him. “This here is a Masquerade Swarm.”

In terms of fighting power, a Masquerade Swarm was the same as a Ripper Swarm, but it had double the creation cost. In exchange, however, it had a very important ability.

“Masquerade Swarm, undo your Mimesis.”

At my order, the man’s face split in half, revealing two massive fangs. Insectile legs extended out from his back, and his—or rather, its legs turned into a pair of venomous stingers. With its transformation complete, it stood before us in the unmistakable form of a Swarm.

“Aaah! H-He was a Swarm?!” Lysa exclaimed.

“That’s right, except he’s a Swarm capable of using Mimesis. It’s a special unit capable of sneaking into enemy territory disguised as another faction’s worker unit and causing disruption and chaos from the inside. Isn’t it just perfect for our next mission?”

The Masquerade Swarm’s special ability was Mimesis. Sérignan and Lysa could also use it, of course, but the onlygeneric units capable of using Mimesis were Masquerade Swarms.

As their name implied, they masqueraded as unarmed enemy units and infiltrated opponents’ bases, disrupting their operations with all sorts of attacks, including suicide bombing. This made them ideal for missions like our present one, during which it was necessary to sneak behind enemy lines.

“So, Sérignan, Lysa, myself, and the Masquerade Swarm will be infiltrating the Dukedom. We’ll investigate how the people of Schtraut lead their lives, what their political structure is, and what they’re currently trying to do. Naturally, we’ll also check their terrain. We’ll need to figure out the most appropriate way to march into their territory.”

We needed to prepare for a possible war with them, after all. Suppressing the Dukedom might be our stepping stone to reach the Popedom of Franz.

“How many Masquerade Swarms do we have?” Sérignan asked.

“This one will escort us. In addition, we’ll have sixteen detached squads of four Masquerade Swarms all sneak in as well. They’ll act as our support in case we need them. Anyway, we’ll play the part of refugees from the ruined Kingdom of Maluk to infiltrate the Dukedom. I’m not sure if they’ll accept us so easily, but it’s our best chance to cross the border.”

We had slaughtered nearly everyone from the Kingdom, and so we had no one to fabricate documents for us. If I had known this would happen, I would have had someone prepare some documents that allowed us passage to another country. Hindsight at its finest...

“Anyway, we’re setting out tonight. That way, we’ll reach Schtraut’s border tomorrow morning. Until then, prepare yourselves for our mission; do your best to look as much like refugees as possible.”

I had the Worker Swarms make me the shabbiest, most modest clothing possible, and they smeared mud all over Sérignan’s armor, much to her chagrin. Lysa wasn’t sure if she’d pass as a refugee from Maluk if it was obvious she was an elf, so she tied her hair in order to hide her ears.

The Masquerade Swarms donned clothes that had belonged to some of the Maluk citizens we turned into meatballs. Meanwhile, I set to work making whatever else we’d need for our mission. I created new Masquerade Swarms of varying genders and appearances in preparation for the task.

Luckily, we already had plenty of carriages. During our attacks on the various towns of Maluk, I took care to spare the carriages and horses in case we’d need them. I knew putting them aside would prove useful sooner or later.

Night fell soon enough, and it was time for us to depart.

♱

Our small group left separately from the squads of Masquerade Swarms, but we all arrived at Schtraut’s border at the same time. A single paved road made it easy to pass through the mountainous region, and I made a mental note of it in case we needed to traverse it again later in greater numbers.

“Stop! Stop right there!”

When we reached the border, soldiers situated along the checkpoint approached our carriage.

“Yes, can we help you?” I asked, putting on a brilliant smile.

“Don’t play coy with me!” shouted a man who looked to be the leader of the border guard. “The Dukedom of Schtraut is beyond here! Do you have a passage permit?!”

“Yes, well... We have all fled the Kingdom of Maluk, sir, so we don’t have anything of the sort. Our country was destroyed so quickly, we... Oh, it took so much effort just to get here...” I choked, crocodile tears sliding down my cheeks.

“Oh! Well, you don’t say! Yes, we’ve heard about what happened to the Kingdom. They say it was ruined by an army of monsters. The guild’s doing everything it can to look into it. We didn’t think there were any survivors, though. I’ll approve your passage with my authority as the chief of the border guard. I wish you the very best, young lady. I sincerely hope the Dukedom will become your second home.”

He then issued us a passage permit that would allow us to enter the nearest city. Frankly, I had planned the operation with the full intent of busting in with brute force, but thankfully it hadn’t come to that. After all, what if they had thought we were spies from Nyrnal?

Back in my world, many people felt refugees and their children grew too numerous too quickly, so they weren’t always permitted to cross borders. I had taken this world for a much colder, cutthroat sort of place than my own, so I was surprised to find the people here surprisingly kindhearted. Part of me hoped I wouldn’t have to order the border chief’s death.

I’ve had to kill too many people who showed me kindness already.

“Marine is the first city we’ll reach in the Dukedom; the map says it’s a port town. We’ll spend the day there and immediately start probing for information. Once we find an inn, we can leave our things there and get to investigating. You know what they say: time is money.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

Our passage permit obviously included all the cities of Schtraut, so we merely paid a small toll during inspection before entering Marine, our first city in the Dukedom.

When people learned we were refugees from the Kingdom of Maluk, they showed us great sympathy, saying we were lucky to not have been devoured by monsters. That left me feeling a bit guilty.

“Look, Your Majesty, it’s the sea! The sea!”

“Yep, that’s the sea right there. Don’t get too excited, though, Lysa.”

Marine, as its name suggested, was a town built close to the ocean. It was near a gulf, and its houses dotted the sloping coast, giving the citizens a view of the trade ships sailing below. The abundance of ships was well beyond what we had seen in Maluk’s port towns, standing as proof of how much this country had flourished in comparison.

“Sorry. It’s just that... I’ve never seen the sea before.”

“Figures. I mean, you have lived your whole life in the forest.” I turned my gaze to the ocean. “The sea is vast and pretty, but it can also be very dangerous. It can swallow up and kill people all too easily.”

“It’s kind of like the Arachnea.”

“Yes... It really is.”

The sea is just as vast and wholly connected as the Arachnea. Once roused, it brings forth ruin, pulling everything down into its deep, dark embrace... What a striking comparison.

“Where should we rent rooms?” Sérignan asked, interrupting my thoughts.

“Normally, I wouldn’t care where, but this time I’d like to sleep in a nice place... Somewhere with comfy beds and tasty food. This town doesn’t seem to have a guide for tourists, so I have no idea where we’d find a three-star hotel or something like that.”

“Naturally, a secure establishment would be preferable. We cannot allow any harm to befall you, Your Majesty. Shall I choose an inn for us?”

“Go for it, Sérignan. You’re right, we shouldn’t be complacent now that we’re behind enemy lines. I kind of let my own excitement go to my head.”

Traveling through the streets filled with passersby and looking at the serene cityscape made me relax a little too much, it seemed. This was potential enemy territory. I had to keep my eye on the gates, the walls, and the guards on patrol, considering I might end up laying siege to this city. Unfortunate as it may have been, we really didn’t have the leisure to do anything as saccharine as gazing out at the ocean.

“Then I think that inn over there is a good choice, Your Majesty. It’s large, and we can easily situate Masquerade Swarms within and around the building. The surrounding area looks to be fairly safe as well.”

I looked at the inn Sérignan was pointing at. It was just one of many on the adjacent street, but this one in particular looked to be of the highest quality.

“Additionally, the rooms facing the sea should give us a view of the ocean,” she added.

“Thank you, Sérignan.”

Sérignan really was kind. I was lucky to have such a sweet woman as my very own knight

The Adventurers’ Guild

Once we had put all our belongings in rooms at the inn, we swiftly began our investigation of Marine. Frankly speaking, bringing down this city looked to be a cakewalk. The walls were built only as a precaution against smugglers, and there were very few men on patrol. Other than the soldiers walking about to keep the peace, the city’s protection consisted of only a single company of men garrisoned along the walls.

None of them seemed to anticipate that this place could become a battlefield. Considering that their western neighbor had just fallen, I felt they were being careless to not even wonder when the monsters might show up on their doorstep.

That said, the soldiers did seem to be working on reinforcing the city’s defenses to the best of their ability. They were carrying construction materials up onto the walls, but it wasn’t going to be enough. It was clear they lacked either the manpower or the funds to do it... or perhaps both. Anyway, it wasn’t as though they were completely unprepared.

“All right, let’s gather some intel,” I said, leading Sérignan, Lysa, and the Masquerade Swarm into town. “Any ideas on how we should go about it? I’d like to get a grasp on the terrain right away so we can attack it whenever we like... but on the other hand, we should investigate Schtraut’s internal affairs in case we want to negotiate with them later. Where should we go first?”

This world didn’t have newspapers or anything of the sort. Newspapers were a vital source of information about world affairs, so not having them made things difficult. Not that I could have read a newspaper if I did have one, considering I couldn’t read this world’s languages.

“I really don’t know,” Lysa replied, shaking her head. “If this were the village, you could ask about pretty much anything by going to the meeting grounds. It was the one place everybody gathered together to talk.”

“A place where everyone gathers together...” Sérignan mused. “Your Majesty, perhaps we should go to a tavern?”

“A tavern...? Right. That does sound promising.” Having said that, I took a look around.

Thankfully, I found one easily enough. I couldn’t read signs, but the giant image of a stein overflowing with ale outside the door said it all.

“Let’s head on in.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty.”

I entered the tavern with the three of them in tow.

“Huh?”

The moment we entered, every pair of eyes in the place fixed on us. I was dressed in the refugee clothes the Worker Swarms had made for me—drab as the dress was, it was still a very nice dress—and Sérignan and Lysa were pretty enough to even draw the gazes of other women. It was only natural that we’d call attention to ourselves.

“Ho there, missy... Do ya know what kind o’ place this is??” asked a smallish man sitting near the door—probably a dwarf.

“I do.”

“Then ya know this ain’t a place ya should be loiterin’ about, aye? This is where grown-ups sit down to chat. Yer a year or three away from sittin’ here with the rest o’ us.”

“Oh, that’s what you were trying to say.”

The dwarf was commenting on how odd it was for me to come into a tavern, given that I was only fourteen or so. That wasn’t something I had considered; I’d completely forgotten my current age.

“I might not look it, but I’m actually old enough to drink. Right, Sérignan?”

“Aye! I mean, yes! Her Majesty is most certainly old enough to drink.”

“Sérignan!” I hissed, jabbing an elbow into her side. “You can’t call me that. Find a different name to use here.”

“Hmm. Would ‘Miss’ do?”

“I guess. Let’s go with that.”

We whispered back and forth, trying to patch up our cover story.

“Well, anyway, you heard her. Can you let us in so we can order something?”

“Eh, do whatever suits yer fancy,” the dwarf said in a resigned voice before downing whatever was in his stein. “I don’t give a camel’s spit if yer head goes rotten ’cause ya become a drunk with half yer foot in the cradle.”

I turned to my companions. “Let’s grab a seat by the counter. Keep your ears to the ground, all right?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

We grabbed a few seats at the bar.

“What’ll it be, missy?” asked the bartender and apparent owner of the place.

“Red wine, please.”

To be honest, I didn’t need the dwarf’s warning; I wasn’t a good drinker anyway. The legal drinking age back home had been lowered to eighteen, so I had had a few drinks before... but I never found it pleasant. Perhaps I just wasn’t cut out for it. Still, I had to at least pretend to drink here in the tavern.

“I’ll have milk,” chirped Lysa.

“And I’ll have ale,” said Sérignan.

Oh, I could have ordered milk instead. Well, drat. Still, walking up to a tavern and ordering milk feels wrong. Oh well.

For now, we simply had to sit and listen. At any moment, someone might be loosened up enough by booze to say something important.

“Have you heard about the Kingdom of Maluk?” muttered a patron after some time.

“Oh, yeah, I heard about it, all right,” said his companion. “A whole country just wiped off the map. Terrible stuff.”

Speak of the devil and he doth appear.

“What does the duke think about it? If the monsters march north, we’ll have a bigger problem than the Nyrnal Empire on our hands.”

“Nah, the Nyrnal Empire’s even scarier than them. They say Emperor Maximillian’s the real monster.”

Hmm... So this country’s relationship with Nyrnal isn’t favorable. This is an opening we can take advantage of.

“The people over at the Adventurers’ Guild sure have it easy. All they have to do is go spy on Maluk to earn some pocket money. Schtraut can go to hell for all they care; they’ll just take their business elsewhere, the damned peepers-for-hire.”

“Don’t say that! Those adventurers put themselves in plenty of danger. There aren’t enough people to do all the quests the country needs doing. And it’s not like all of them are off to Maluk, you know. Even then, it’s been ransacked by some weird monsters... I’d be shaking in my boots if someone told me to go investigate the roost of some bloodthirsty beasts no one knows anything about!”

Seems like some organization called the Adventurers’ Guild is looking into the Kingdom of Maluk. I’ll have to ensure any Ripper Swarms situated across the border are on high alert. Having them look into our internal affairs would be bad... We should close our borders.

“Cheers to the ruffians from the Adventurers’ Guild! Glory to those bastards!”

“Cheers to the reckless lunatics waltzing into the monsters’ nest in place of our cowardly knights!”

The drunks raised their voices in a sardonic toast as they clinked their glasses together.

“This Adventurers’ Guild sounds interesting. Do you know anything about it, Lysa?” I asked.

“I don’t know much about it, sorry. But adventurers used to show up in our forest sometimes to look for escaped prisoners. I think they’re a bit like mercenaries?”

“How about we try to join them?” Sérignan proposed.

“That might be problematic,” I said. “We’re refugees; no one knows who we are.”

“Refugees from Maluk, are you?” Apparently, the tavern’s owner had overheard some of our conversation.

“Yes. We all fled the Kingdom of Maluk together.”

“That little lady in the dress probably can’t do much, but you two with the armor and the bow look like you’ll do just fine at the Adventurers’ Guild. If you don’t have any other source of income, I think the guild might be a decent option for you.”

I made a mental note that he was nonchalantly calling me useless. Still, maybe it’s worth a shot.

“Where do we find the guild?” I asked him.

“It’s on Duke Sven Memorial Street. There’s a big sign; you can’t miss it.”

“Thank you. Here, have this. You helped us a lot.”

I dropped a handful of coins onto the counter and left, the others tagging along behind me.

“We’re going to look into this Adventurers’ Guild,” I said once we were outside. “First, we need to make our way into their organization. It’s already too late to get around to it today, but let’s go for it tomorrow. If they’re looking into what happened to Maluk, they might find out something we’d rather they didn’t.”

“By your will, Your Majesty.”

With that, we returned to the inn together. The beds were comfy, the food was delicious, and the view of the sea was lovely to behold. I committed my satisfaction to memory.

Thank you, Sérignan. You might have a hidden talent for finding great accommodations.

♱

Just as I’d told Sérignan and Lysa, we headed to the Adventurers’ Guild the next morning. My exhaustion from our travels caused me to sleep in late; I did my best to keep it a secret, but my two closest companions simply waved it off with a smile.

I’m sorry, you two...

“The Adventurers’ Guild should be on Duke Sven Memorial Street.” I moved through the streets of Marine, looking for the one in question. “Oh, is that it?”

After walking down the street with the longest name we could find, the four of us came to a large sign depicting a sword and a bow crossed over one another. Apparently, they were recruiting mercenaries or something.

“This does look promising. None of the other nearby buildings seem to fit the bill, after all,” Sérignan remarked.

“I wonder what it’ll be like inside,” Lysa said with a hint of anxiety.

“Only one way to find out. We’re going in.”

I stepped forward with Sérignan, Lysa, and the Masquerade Swarm following close behind. Incidentally, the Masquerade Swarm was so silent I couldn’t figure out what it was thinking. The collective consciousness didn’t really tell me much in terms of emotions or opinions, so I wondered if it truly recognized me as its queen, just as the others did.

“You’ve nothing to worry about, Your Majesty,” the Masquerade Swarm said suddenly. “This Swarm will follow your every order.”

I almost tripped in my surprise. Wow, you can talk. That’s a relief.

“All right, in we go.”

Just like that, we stepped into the Adventurers’ Guild. Actually, there was nothing particularly unusual about it. Inside was a sort of reception area and some desks for filling out paperwork, like you’d see in a government office.

People of all shapes and sizes filled the place, including stout dwarves, dainty women, and burly men. On top of their dissimilar appearances, the sheer variety of weapons and armor that belonged to them prevented any sense of unity among the crowd.

So, these are adventurers... Soldiers for hire. We hadn’t run into any during our conquest of Maluk, but now that I was seeing them in person—a disorganized mess of people with mismatched gear—they didn’t seem like a threat. Honestly, I didn’t think they would do very well if they fought in a group.

“The Adventurers’ Guild, eh?” I whispered, looking around.

“Welcome to the Marine branch of the Adventurers’ Guild,” said the female receptionist with a smile. “Are you looking to take on a quest?”

“No, we’re not really here for adventures. We’re just looking around. Sérignan, how strong would you say these people are?”

“It’s quite varied. Some of them are strong enough to give us trouble, while others wouldn’t even be able to beat a Worker Swarm.”

Sérignan and I surveyed the guild carefully.

“I can see there are some quests pinned up there,” I said. “Not that I can read them...”

Unfortunately, while I could speak in this world’s common language, I couldn’t read it.

“Perhaps we could work as adventurers?”

“What? Why should we?”

“Well, Miss, I believe that if we’re to look into the adventurers here, forming connections might be the best way to go about it. To that end, if we work as adventurers, we’ll naturally create those connections.”

Sérignan wasn’t wrong; her idea made perfect sense. I asked whether Lysa and the Masquerade Swarm agreed with the plan through the collective consciousness, and they both nodded in unison.

“Then it’s decided. We’ll join the guild. What’s our first step?”

“I think we should register at the reception desk.”

Right. I brushed the receptionist off once already, but this time we should really speak with her.

“We’d like to register as adventurers,” I told her.

“Oh, of course! I’m happy to be of assistance. Let’s start by creating your guild cards.”

“Guild cards...? Do we need to pay a yearly fee to retain our membership or something?”

“Erm, no. You simply need to complete a certain quota of quests; that’ll be more than enough to keep you in.”

Back home, membership cards tended to come with a lot of annoying expenses and procedures. I certainly hadn’t expected this world to use such a system.

“All right, then. Go ahead with it, please.”

“Thank you, ma’am. Place your hand on this crystal, if you would. It’ll produce your card automatically.”

I felt a little alarm bell go off in my head. What if placing my hand over this crystal revealed my true identity as Queen of the Arachnea? The Masquerade Swarm could be exposed, too. I glared at the crystal suspiciously.

“Um, are you going to register?”

“Yes, I am. But... could you explain something to me?” I began, lining up the questions in my head. “First of all, does this artifact read our personal information?”

“The only personal information it can discern is your name and your stats. People have a right to their privacy, of course.”

I see. That shouldn’t be a problem.

“And it doesn’t read anything else?”

“If we had a device that could read any more than that, the backlash would have been severe. Again, all it reads is your name and stats.”

Yes, I suppose if someone made a device capable of forcibly reading one’s personal information, the police would be making some real strides in their work. If they’d used something like that back when we claimed to be refugees at the border, we probably would’ve had to spill some blood.

“So are you going to register?” she asked again, her exasperation obvious.

I felt bad for all the trouble we were causing her, the poor thing.

“Yes. Sérignan, you go first.”

Sérignan stepped up to the crystal.

“I just need to place my hand here, right?”

“Yes, that will do.” The receptionist watched as the crystal lit up and letters etched themselves onto the card. “So you’re Miss... Sérignan, yes? You’ve got very high stats. I think you’ll do fine in any party.”

“I only serve the woman here at my side. I won’t obey anyone else.”

“I-I see...”

Please forgive us, receptionist lady.

“Lysa, you’re up next.”

“Okay!” Lysa placed a hand on the crystal.

“Hmm. It says you’ve got exceptionally high agility and dexterity. Is that bow your primary weapon?”

“Yes, I never go anywhere without it.”

“That makes sense. It suits your stats.”

Looks like Lysa has high stats, too.

“Go on, Maska. Give it a try.”

“By your will, Your Majesty.”

Calling the Swarm by its full name could potentially expose its identity, so I quickly decided to shorten its name to Maska. Still, its guild card clearly read “Masquerade Swarm.”

“Hmm. Mister... ‘Masquerade Swarm’? A bit of an odd name. Anyway, your stats are good for stealth, so you should make for a good scout.”

The Swarm’s true name had been revealed, but in return, we learned that its stats were also high.

“Just me, then.” I placed my hand on the crystal even as I tried to ignore the bad feeling tugging at the back of my mind.

“Miss Grevillea, right? Your stats are... a bit on the low side.”

“Give it to me straight, doc. How low are we talking?”

“Significantly below average.”

Aww, drat. I knew it. I can’t use a sword or a bow like Sérignan and Lysa. I’m as weak as a helpless civilian.

“However, your intelligence and leadership skills are exceptionally high. I’m pretty sure that for those stats, you’ve set new records for the guild. In fact, those skills are high enough for you to become a general.”

“Just what I’d expect from you, Miss.” Sérignan’s praise was rich with emotion. “Impressive as always.”

“Sérignan, all my other stats are at rock bottom. Don’t compliment me. Anyway, is our registration complete?”

“Yes. Feel free to take any quests you’d like.”

I’ve been to video rental stores with tighter regulations than this Adventurers’ Guild.

“Oh well. Sérignan, pick a quest for us,” I ordered.

“By your will, Your Majesty.” With a nod, she headed for the bulletin board.

She quickly chose a quest that had a lot of stars printed beside it and walked back to us without any hesitation.

“Sérignan, isn’t this a really dangerous quest?” I asked her, grimacing at all the stars.

“It will be fine. We can handle it.”

“Lysa, what does it say about the quest itself?”

“Hmm... ‘Please exterminate the griffins infesting the city outskirts. The reward is one million krans per exterminated griffin, and three million krans per captured griffin.’”

Thankfully, Lysa could read the humans’ language.

“Griffins, huh?”

If I remember correctly, griffins are half-eagle, half-lion monsters that can fly.

“Well, they shouldn’t be much of a challenge compared to angels. Let’s take it.”

“Then I’ll go accept the quest at once!” Sérignan cried as she jogged back to the reception desk.

Apparently, she was really pumped about fighting griffins. We breezed through the formalities, and thirty minutes later, we were heading out on our very first griffin hunt.

♱

In order to fulfill our quest, we trekked to Marine’s outskirts. The area was quiet and rural, creating a very peaceful atmosphere. It was hard to imagine that scary monsters might pop up at any moment.

“Where are the griffins?” Sérignan asked, visibly itching to fight. “I was promised griffins.”

“That’s what I want to know,” I said with a shrug. “This isn’t a griffin’s nest, though, so it’s not like they’re going to be here all the time.”

“B-But if that’s the case, how are we going to defeat them?” Sérignan whined adorably.

Sadly, now isn’t the time for me to appreciate her charm.

“Don’t worry, I have a plan to draw them out. We’ll be using those,” I said, jerking my thumb in the direction of two cows I had brought along with us.

“The cows?”

“You see, I asked about griffins back at the guild, and apparently they prefer to go after carriages for the horses and farms for the livestock. I figured the best way to attract them was to use bait.”

While Sérignan had been squealing over the prospect of slaying griffins, I had asked the receptionist some specific questions about the quest. Why griffins were infesting the outskirts, how people usually hunted them, those sorts of things. That was how I’d come up with my plan of baiting them out.

“The griffins should be starving since all the livestock’s been removed from the area and carriages have started avoiding this road. I’m certain at least one of these hungry beasts will pounce on a couple of fresh cattle. Let’s tie them up right around... here.”

At my command, Sérignan tied the two cows to a fence along the roadside.

“We should hide downwind of the cows. Lysa, do you still have your bow?”

“Yes, it’s ready.”

Wonderful. We’re good to go.

“Then the rest is up to you. Do as you see fit.”

This humble bumpkin with low stats will make her way off the stage. Hmph.

“I wonder what griffins are like,” Lysa murmured while we waited.

“They’re sort of a lion-eagle hybrid,” I answered. “And they’re big.”

“As a knight, I’ve always wanted to fight one,” Sérignan said excitedly.

“I’m not surprised. A knight’s job is to slay monsters.”

In addition to her profession, she had a competitive spirit that drove her to defeat monsters in battle. Even the mighty Sérignan had a childish side.

“Is wanting to slay a griffin really that childish?” Sérignan asked with a pout, having picked up on my thoughts through the collective consciousness.

“Urgh, sorry... I mean, collecting in-game trophies is just as childish, I suppose.”

When I thought about it, the hunger for video game trophies and the knightly drive to hunt monsters probably stemmed from the same childish desire.

“I’m kind of the same way, but in my case, the trophies I collect are countries I’ve conquered. And those kinds of trophies are much more bloody and dangerous to procure than yours,” I added.

I was moving through this world as though it were a game, so I really wasn’t one to judge. If anything, I was probably the most incorrigible and uncute member of our group.

“Your Majesty, I can hear flapping. Something big is approaching,” Lysa said, keeping her voice low.

“That’ll probably be a griffin. All right, you three, get ready.”

A few minutes later, our mark showed itself. Sure enough, it was a griffin. Just like in the legends, it had the upper half of an eagle and the lower half of a lion. It swooped down and grabbed a cow in its talons, then took off, its prey groaning in pain. The griffin’s razor-sharp talons dug into the cow’s flesh, leaving a trail of blood dripping from the sky.

“Do it, Lysa.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Lysa nocked back a specially made arrow with her longbow and took aim at the griffin. A moment later, she fired.

“Skreee!” The griffin screeched and let go of the cow, and both rapidly fell to the earth.

“Next, Sérignan! Masquerade Swarm!”

“Roger!”

Sérignan and the Masquerade Swarm leapt out of the bushes. The black blade of her corrupted holy sword and the ax the Masquerade Swarm had bought from a blacksmith swung through the air.

My Masquerade Swarm was clad in used leather armor, but this only served as part of its disguise; its protective exoskeleton, hidden beneath the Mimesis, was much tougher. The only Swarm that truly wore armor was Sérignan.

“Skreeeah!”

The griffin shook off the pain of the arrow, or perhaps ceased to feel it as its blood pumped with adrenaline, then spread its wings menacingly at its attackers. This fierce, primal display almost matched those of the angels we’d fought in the Kingdom of Maluk.

“Hiyaaah!” Sérignan bellowed a battle cry, swinging her sword down on the griffin’s neck.

“Skree! Skreeaaah!” The griffin dodged Sérignan’s blow, thrusting its great beak at her.

But the counterattack was too slow to hit Sérignan, who somersaulted backward and quickly struck its beak with her blade, splitting it apart. The Masquerade Swarm wordlessly struck out at one of its wings, but it was a difficult feat, given the griffin’s incessant flapping. Besides, the Masquerade Swarm wasn’t used to fighting in human form.

“Ah! It’s trying to flee!”

The griffin flapped its wings, soared into the sky, and flew far to the south. Lysa fired another arrow, which sunk into the griffin’s flank. Still, the beast didn’t fall.

“It got away!” Sérignan exclaimed bitterly.

“It’s all right,” I said, looking in the direction the griffin had flown off. “That arrow’s got a special trick: it emits a powerful aroma that the Swarm can track. Now we can follow it to its nest.”

“Amazing... Only you could be this prepared, Miss.”

“Well, I just figured that a creature with wings would try to fly away if it could,” I said, feeling a bit awkward from her compliment. “Anyway, let’s start tracking it down. Masquerade Swarm, if you would?”

“By your will, Your Majesty.”

Unlike Sérignan and Lysa, who had humanoid sensory organs, the Masquerade Swarm’s sense of smell was more acute and better-suited to track the griffin.

I hoped it wouldn’t be too long of a hike, though. Wouldn’t want to tire myself out too quickly, what with my lower-than-average stats and all. Grrr.

“It should be straight ahead.”

After about forty minutes, we finally found what looked to be the griffin’s roost.

“I’m pooped...”

I was positively exhausted. The beast’s nest was in a cave atop a fairly high mountain, so the climb had been pretty tough. Just thinking about the trek back made me want to cry.

“Are you all right?” Sérignan asked, looking concerned.

“Not really. Let’s just get this over and done with.”

The next five minutes were filled with the griffin’s screeching and the sound of clashing metal.

“It is done, Your Majesty.” Sérignan presented me with the griffin’s disembodied head.

“Good work.”

“We also found three chicks in the nest,” she added.

“Hmm, really? And what of them?”

“They were still young, so I could not bring myself to kill them.”

“That’s not good. Not good at all, Sérignan.”

They might have been young now, but they’d eventually grow up and threaten the livestock in the area. Additionally, they might even attack humans because we’d killed at least one of their parents.

“Now listen here, Sérignan,” I said. “You have two choices here. One: you go back in there and kill the chicks. Two: you take them under your protection, bring them back with us, and once they grow up, you place them in the Conversion Furnace and turn them into Swarms.”

The idea of having Griffin Swarms was greatly appealing.

“I will take it upon myself to raise them,” Sérignan concluded. “Griffins are powerful creatures, so I’m sure they will make a valuable addition to our ranks.”

“That’s that, then. They’re your responsibility, all right?”

With that, we completed our first quest as adventurers: griffin extermination.

♱

“Welcome back!” chirped the guild receptionist. “I’m surprised you managed to complete such a difficult quest right after becoming adventurers. No wonder your stats are so high!”

With the exception of one significantly below-average bumpkin. Hmph.

“I have a question,” I said. “How long does it typically take for griffins to mature?”

“Griffins? Hmm... I think it usually takes about six months for them to reach adulthood. That’s why they’re such a nuisance. They grow up so quickly that it doesn’t matter how many of them we kill... It’s never enough.”

“Think you can take care of them for the next six months, Sérignan?”

“Yes, that would be a simple task.”

The three chicks we’d taken were currently hidden away at the inn. Even though they were still babies, their appetite was out of this world; together, they had already managed to devour an entire sheep.

“Anyway, congratulations on a job well done. Here’s your reward of one million krans.”

She plopped a large sack of coins on the counter in front of us.

“Well, well... This could help us a great deal in the long run.”

Y’know, this whole “adventuring” thing might not be so bad after all.

“Pardon the interruption, Miss, but I feel people staring at us,” Sérignan murmured, giving me a slight nudge.

“Oh, those must be the other adventurers here. Evidently, we’ve piqued their interest... just as we planned.”

Other adventurers had taken note of our success, which would allow us to forge relationships and draw out all sorts of information without rousing any suspicion.

As if on cue, a young adventurer clad in plate mail walked up to us.

“Say, are you the ones who killed a griffin?”

“Yes, that’s us,” I said pleasantly.

“You people are amazing,” he said, his eyes aglitter. “That kinda quest is really difficult, so no one’s been willing to take it on for a while now. I can’t believe newbies who just registered today could do it so easily. Where’re you all from?”

The man was overly familiar, bordering on impolite, but maybe that was just how adventurers were.

“We’re from the Kingdom of Maluk,” I told him.

“Maluk, huh... My condolences.” His gaze turned sympathetic. “Are you refugees or somethin’ like that?”

“Yes... Something like that,” I repeated, then regaled him with our fabricated backstory. “Anyway, how much do you know about the Kingdom?”

“Just that the duke’s people have been putting up quests askin’ people to investigate what went down out there. They say Maluk’s bein’ controlled by monsters, so they’ve been sending adventurers to check the place out. No one’s come back, though. Their bodies don’t turn up, either. Seems pretty dangerous.”

So they don’t really know what’s happening inside Maluk’s borders... My blocking off the border seems to be paying off.

“Another question, then. Would you say this country is peaceful?”

“Looks that way, but who can really say? Rumor has it that the Empire of Nyrnal’s demanding to station troops here in Schtraut. Frantz is pressuring the duke to join some kind of alliance, too.”

Hmm... So the shadow of war is looming over this country.

“Is Schtraut on bad terms with the Empire of Nyrnal?”

“They’re pretty uppity folks, ma’am, if I’m bein’ frank. Think everything revolves around them and that the whole danged world should be in their hands.”

So the Empire’s pretty haughty, then, eh? I get the impression they’re bad news.

“Oh, and Schtraut’s been stocking up on supplies, too,” he continued. “Now that I think about it, maybe war’s comin’. Only two reasons a country buys that many supplies: war or a natural disaster.”

Why not just say that in the first place...? They’re definitely gearing up for a war.

“What do you think the Dukedom’s going to do?”

“Duke Sharon—he’s the current leader, if you didn’t know—is trying to avoid war. He doesn’t want to fight anybody, not monsters, not Nyrnal.”

I see. They don’t want to take part in a war, but they’re still preparing in case it happens.

“You know, if you want, you could team up with my party,” the adventurer suggested. “I’m sure we could tackle the really high-ranking quests if we’ve got you guys on our side. In fact, there’s one up right now for exterminating manticores. How about it?”

“Sure,” I said with a nod. “I don’t mind joining forces. Let’s do it.”

♱

The adventurer’s crew informed us that a manticore was a monster with a lion’s body and a venomous stinger at the tip of its tail. Allegedly, manticores were extremely dangerous and had a taste for human flesh. They were about as hard to dispose of as griffins, so most adventurers wouldn’t take on a manticore-killing quest unless they were very confident in their skills. This group only joined up with us because we had slain a griffin, from the looks of it.

It kind of felt like they were piggybacking off of us, but I didn’t mind since we stood to gain renown from it all the same. The problem in question was how we would go about slaying a manticore.

“Is there any good bait for manticores?” I asked the adventurers walking alongside us.

“Only one thing tends to lure them out, and that’s human blood,” replied the guy in plate mail, who seemed to be the party’s leader. “One person serves as bait and sheds a little of their blood, then everyone else engages the manticore once the smell’s drawn it out. That’s the tactic adventurers usually use for hunting manticores, anyway. I think they’re probably easier than griffins, though, considering they can’t fly.”

Human blood, huh? That means Sérignan and the others are out of the question.

“Should I cut myself and spill some blood, then?” I asked.

“Are you for real? The manticores go straight for anyone who’s bleeding.”

“But I don’t have any other way of contributing. I’ll spill some of my blood, and you can protect me with all you’ve got. I don’t wanna be a manticore’s dinner, either, so I really need your support.”

“Right. Well, don’t worry—you can count on us. We’ll keep you safe no matter what.”

The party escorting us consisted of the young man in plate armor, another man clad in leather armor and armed with a bow, and a woman wearing what looked like a sorcerer’s robe. It wasn’t a large force by any means, but their experience was dependable.

Right, experience. That was something we didn’t have much of when it came to hunting monsters. After all, we were actually the monsters who’d destroyed a kingdom, and we hadn’t yet run into any real ones during our defense of the elven forest. At best, we simply had to take care of a large bear every now and then.

Come to think of it, the griffin had given us the slip during our earlier quest. I hoped we could learn some monster-slaying techniques from these adventurers without having to run after something again.

“All right, let’s make our formation,” said the man in plate armor. “We’re gonna keep our little princess safe, you hear? Hey, knight lady and you with the ax, you’re gonna form the vanguard with me. Bruno and uh, you, archer girl... You stand behind us. Bridgette, you take the rear. We’ll keep it busy at the front, so strike it down with your firepower. Is everyone ready?!”

“Wait,” Sérignan protested. “This positioning puts Miss in danger. I should be stationed at her side. As a knight, it is my duty to keep her safe.”

“That’s a bad idea, lady. Our whole operation’ll fall apart if you do that. If the vanguard doesn’t hold the front and keep the ones in the back safe, we’ll all be in some real trouble. Then hunting the manticore won’t be our biggest problem.”

“No. I must stay at her side.”

Well, if this isn’t a blunder. I’m glad Sérignan is so loyal to me, but at this rate, everything really will fall apart.

“Sérignan, if you really want to keep me safe, do as they say,” I told her. “We came here to slay the manticore. If we can’t do that, then we’ve failed, and it’ll hurt our reputation. Most importantly, if you don’t follow through with the plan, it will put me in danger.”

“M-My apologies, Miss!” Sérignan apologized profusely and then turned to the adventurers. “I will abide by your instructions, then!”

I was grateful to see her backpedal as soon as I said something. At her core, Sérignan was an obedient girl who didn’t fuss too much.

She’s so cute.

♱

“Are you ready, then?”

“I’m ready.”

Eventually, we reached the forest where manticores were said to appear. We assumed our positions, with Sérignan’s group in the front and Lysa’s group further back. Everyone hid in the bushes, awaiting the manticore.

“Should I do it, ladies and gents?” I asked.

“Go ahead,” said the party leader.

I sliced my palm with a knife, allowing my blood to drip down onto the ground.

“Do we really need this much blood?” I said with a wince.

“Uh, no, the manticore would pick up on the scent of even a single drop of blood,” replied Bridgette, the woman in spellcaster garb. “They’re fundamentally gluttonous little buggers, so they’ll take any chance they can to chow down.”

Gluttonous monsters that jump on any chance to eat, eh? Sounds like the Arachnea.

“Stay close to me,” she urged with a wave. “If you leave my side and end up in danger, I might not make it in time to help you.”

“Yes, I know. I offer pretty much no fighting power, so I’m depending on you, Miss... erm, Bridgette.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got your back. You can drop the ‘Miss,’ too. Just Bridgette’ll do.”

“Gotcha. Thanks, Bridgette.”

Mages had made life difficult for us back in the war with Maluk, but that didn’t mean all mages were bad people. Bridgette had an amicable, trustworthy demeanor.

“Did you hear that?” whispered Bruno, the archer in leather armor.

“I did,” Lysa whispered back with a nod. “Something’s headed this way.”

That’s an elf for you. No one’s more dependable in a forest.

“Heavy footsteps... Bigger than a bear’s, at least. That’s probably a manticore.”

“Definitely. It’s heading this way, and it’s getting faster every minute. It’ll be right in front of us soon.”

Eventually, I too could hear noises coming from the verdant forest—footsteps and a low, rumbling sound. Indeed, something was approaching, and it wouldn’t be long before it would be upon us.

“It’s here...!”

No sooner had the party leader said those words than a monster leapt out from the brush. The creature looked like a lion covered in crimson fur, and a scorpion’s tail extended from its backside.

It was a manticore... and it really did look as dangerous as they said.

“Vanguard! Surround it! Rear guard, cover us!”

Sérignan’s group pounced on the giant manticore, which responded by baring its sharp fangs. It comped down on the party leader’s sword while thrusting its stinger toward Sérignan and the Masquerade Swarm. Naturally, my minions wouldn’t lose that easily.

“Aim for the stinger! If you take it off, it’s just a lion!”

“Haaaaah!”

Sérignan lunged at the manticore, slashing off its tail in one clean swipe. The manticore snarled in pain and prepared to strike Sérignan in its rage. At that moment, however, the Masquerade Swarm interfered so as not to give it the chance to counterattack.

“Now!”

Lysa and Bruno unleashed their arrows. They both fired the same type of arrow, but Lysa’s—bolstered by her strength—penetrated deeply into the manticore’s skull, making it rampage all the more blindly.

With strength like that, she’s a monster herself.

“Magic, come forth!”

Bridgette unleashed a magic attack to finish it off, enveloping the manticore in flames. The beast’s movements grew more and more sluggish, and it eventually became completely still.

Is it finally dead?

“We did it! We won!” the party leader cheered.

“That was child’s play,” muttered Sérignan, looking dissatisfied.

“Hey, you’re seriously amazing. You just cut down that manticore’s stinger like it was nothing! Most people couldn’t dream of pullin’ off a stunt like that.”

“Hmph. It was like cutting through paper. I want to fight a more worthwhile opponent.” Sérignan turned to face the rear guard. “Lysa and your magician delivered the finishing blows, too.”

“And you, your skill with a bow was impressive,” the adventurer said to Lysa. “You pierced through the manticore’s skull with an arrow! It looked more like a ballista bolt at that point, honestly.”

“R-Really?” she said bashfully. “I just pinned it down so you could hit it.”

“Pinned it down? For real? You literally nailed it in place!”

Lysa sure had her own way of looking at things.

“Well, I guess this concludes our manticore-hunting quest,” I interjected. “I guess my next question is... are there any monsters more dangerous than griffins and manticores?”

“Griffins and manticores aren’t enough for you? Try the Nyrnal Empire’s wyverns, then. I hear they’re more frightening than anything else. Not that there’s any wyverns in the wilderness, so you’re safe on that front.”

Something felt off about what he’d told me.

“Hmm. You say there are no wild wyverns? Then where does the Empire of Nyrnal get its wyverns?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they found some wyvern eggs and decided to hog them all to themselves. The Empire has too many secrets, so who can say?”

It didn’t make any sense. Why was the Empire of Nyrnal the only country capable of using wyverns?

“I might need to set aside some time to really think about this Empire,” I whispered to myself.

“Anyway, that’s the manticore down. Let’s hurry on back to the guild and let them know we’re done.”

“Sure. Oh, but could you tell me your name first? I haven’t heard you say it yet.”

“Me? I’m Edgar. A pleasure to meet you, little miss.” Edgar gave me an exaggerated bow. “I hope we can quest together again sometime.”

“Sure, if we get the chance.”

With that, we returned to the guild to report our success. Having defeated both a griffin and a manticore in quick succession, our little group became quite famous practically overnight. This notoriety was the key to getting what I wasreally after.

High Society

Following our extermination of the griffin and the manticore, we tackled a few more difficult quests. Thanks to that, we became famous not only in Marine, but throughout the Dukedom of Schtraut as well. As it turned out, however, not everyone was pleased about this.

“So yer the adventurers who been stealin’ the show these days, huh?”

One day, when we left the inn and headed for the guild, we were cornered by a group of men in an alleyway. They all wore cheap leather armor and hostile expressions.

“I don’t know that we’ve stolen anything from anyone, but we certainly are adventurers,” I said to the one who’d called out to us.

“Don’t be playin’ coy with me, missy. You and yer friends here have been eatin’ up all o’ the toughest quests, but the rest of us have been strugglin’ to find work because o’ you. Thanks to you people, the guild’s only fillin’ up with really difficult quests now. Get it?”

Oh. They’re trying to blame us for their own ineptitude.

“So what? Get another job, then. I’m sure people like you can find plenty of good work.”

“Are you looking down on us?!” Incensed at my attitude, the man whipped out a blade.

“Is that your way of saying you’re looking for a fight?”

“Just teachin’ you a li’l lesson, that’s all.” He twirled the sword through the air. “Maybe you’ll learn your place if I cut up that pretty face o’ yours.”

“Sérignan, take care of them.”

“By your will.” Sérignan stood between myself and the band of thugs.

“So you wanna go first, eh?! You asked for it!” He lifted up his longsword...

...and a moment later, his arms fell to the ground, severed from the rest of his body.

“Aaaahhhh! What the hell?!”

Before anyone could blink, the heads of the five men who’d decided to pick a fight with us were flying through the air. The pavement was splattered with fresh blood.

Obviously, there were no survivors.

Their bodies crumpled to the ground, twitching. The alleyway looked like a scene straight out of a slasher film.

“I get the feeling people are going to keep picking fights with us from here on out,” I said with a sigh.

“They may try, if they want to lose their heads,” Sérignan spat.

Being famous sure is troublesome.

“Anyway, let’s go to the guild already. We’ve got to focus on gathering information.”

We could learn all sorts of things at the Adventurers’ Guild, such as how much the citizens of Schtraut knew about the situation in the old Kingdom of Maluk, how international relations might’ve shifted, and any changes in Schtraut’s internal affairs.

“Oh, hello, Miss Grevillea! We’ve been waiting for you!” The receptionist lady greeted us with a wide smile for some reason.

“Err, is there a difficult quest you need us to handle?”

“No, no. Something amazing happened! An important person from the state is here, and he wants to meet you!”

Ugh.

Had we stood out too much? Or was it something else? A number of dreadful possibilities arose in my mind, from us doing too well despite supposedly being Maluk refugees to us being overdue on taxes.

Or... Oh no. Did Sérignan call me “Your Majesty” one too many times? But no, I could just say that’s a nickname, so it shouldn’t be a problem. If I were genuine royalty, my name would have been exposed as soon as I registered with the guild. If I were the kind of fairytale princess who shows up in disguise and magically starts taking care of a bunch of dirty work, I would definitely be some kind of celebrity by now. What could this person want from me, then?

“Miss Grevillea? Are you all right?”

“Oh, yes, I’m fine. What does this man want with me?”

“I don’t know the details, but it seems he’s stepped forward to encourage your activities. Also, the Dukedom sometimes recruits prominent adventurers into their ranks. In fact, the guild has had multiple cases of promising adventurers going on to serve our country. As far as I know, the government makes them knights, but it is technically a noble title. Going from being an adventurer straight to nobility is a wonderful promotion!”

Hmm. Getting too tangled up with this country means running quite a few risks, but there’s plenty to gain from this, too.

“Oh, and he’s also invited you to a dinner party the day after tomorrow! It’s like a dream come true!”

“A dinner party?” I tilted my head.

“Yes! There are dinner parties held every now and then in Marine. The local merchant guild’s guildmaster and the high-ranking people in the city—or even the whole country—are some of the people you’ll find there. You have to be noble or really famous to get an invitation, and everyone wants to be a part of it. A common girl like me can only dream about it...”

It’s probably not a party for gathering political contributions, then.

“Meet with the official first,” she said, gesturing to one side. “He’ll be able to tell you what his business is with you much faster than I can.”

“I suppose.”

Arguing over this wouldn’t get me anywhere. I steeled my resolve and stepped forward to meet this... important person.

♱

“Miss Grevillea, I presume?”

The one who greeted me was a middle-aged man with an impressive beard.

“Yes. To what do I owe the pleasure of meeting you?”

“I can’t say I much approve of your attitude, but I’ll allow it out of respect for your position as a hero of the Adventurers’ Guild.”

What a stuck-up old man. Almost gives me a run for my money in that department.

“I am Count Basil de Buffon. I simply had to meet you after hearing of your striking achievements. However, I must admit I’m a bit surprised.” He took a half-step back and looked between Sérignan, Lysa, the Masquerade Swarm, and myself. “Your party is comprised almost entirely of women, and still you managed to defeat both a griffin and a manticore. How curious.”

True, the Masquerade Swarm was the only man in the group... though it was actually a genderless creature to begin with.

“Still, I can detect a slight whiff of blood on you. Is my mind playing tricks on me, perhaps?”

“We were forced to cut down a group of hoodlums who tried to attack us earlier,” I explained coolly. “This city is really lacking in public order; it would be great if the local government could do something about it. We have to walk around the streets armed just to protect ourselves.”

“Really now? It must be worse than I thought. Crime among the lower class has been a problem for some time now, but to think there are ruffians out there who would attempt to bring harm to a lovely young lady such as yourself... I’ll be sure to tell the mayor to put more effort into improving the situation.”

Lord Buffon didn’t seem to care whether being attacked like that was enough justification to kill someone in self-defense.

“Well, you wanted to meet us, and here we are. Are you satisfied, Lord Basil?”

“Adventurers these days really are quite rude, aren’t they? Still, that dress you’re wearing is divine. Must have been made by a first-class craftsman.”

You hear that, Worker Swarms? You’re first-class craftsmen now. Mommy’s so proud of you.

“Pardon my boldness, but might you actually be some noble from Maluk who’s working as an adventurer to hide her background?” he asked. “From what I hear, many people lost their lives in the Kingdom of Maluk. The ones responsible for it are still at large, but people say it was some legion of monsters. No one knows which country unleashed them. If it was the Empire of Nyrnal, I can understand why you’d feel the need to hide your background. Any surviving nobles would likely be pursued by those savages.”

“No, I’m nothing of the sort. Just your everyday adventurer.”

“I’ve never seen a run-of-the-mill adventurer wear that kind of dress, though. That aside, these three must be your escorts, right?”

It wouldn’t be good for him to suspect I was Maluk nobility. After all, I knew next to nothing about the country; we had simply waltzed in and destroyed it.

“It is true. I am a knight in her service,” Sérignan said.

“Ah, so it is true. Yes, it all makes sense.”

I berated Sérignan through the collective consciousness, urging her to keep her mouth shut and not say anything that would land us in trouble. Feeling ashamed, she teared up a little.

So cute...

“I won’t ask you what sort of noble you were or what title you held. If the rumors are to be believed, the Kingdom of Maluk lies in ruins. The last thing I’d want is to cause you grief by dredging up painful memories of your homeland. I’ll leave things as they are until your wounds heal.”

Oh. Now that’s a good idea right there.

Next time someone asked me about Maluk, I could just pretend that they were triggering my traumatic memories. The way this man had effectively reinforced my own cover story without my having to lift a finger almost made me laugh out loud.

“Incidentally, I’d like to ask something of you. Not as an adventurer, but as a noble from the Kingdom of Maluk.”

“Sure. Let’s hear it.”

What is it now? The dinner party?

“I’ll be hosting a dinner party the day after tomorrow, and I’d be delighted if you could join us. The other higher-ups have their eyes on you after your many accomplishments, Miss Grevillea. It would be lovely if you could come and mingle with the rest of the guests.”

So that really was it... I’m not much for these kinds of things, though.

“Sure, I’ll be there. The day after tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, during the evening.”

“Could you possibly lend us two dresses and a tuxedo? I myself have an outfit suitable for a dinner party, but these three do not.”

“That won’t be a problem at all, my lady. I own a clothing store, so you can leave that to me. If two dresses and a tuxedo are what you need, I’ll be sure to supply them.”

Cool, then we’ll all be dressed for the occasion.

“Where will the party be?”

“Marine’s reception hall. Here are your invitations.” Lord Buffon handed one to each of us.

“All right. Thank you for going to the trouble of inviting us personally. I hope we’ll be able to liven up the party.”

“Oh, you needn’t worry about that. Your attendance alone is all I could ask for. I just want the guests to get a glimpse of our most famous adventurers.”

Wait, what? What am I, a star attraction?

“Fine. I’ll send these three over tomorrow to pick up their clothes. How much will I owe you for that?”

“Please, there’s no need for you to give me a thing. I asked you to participate, after all. It’s only fair I cover the full sum.”

Oh. I thought this old guy was fishy, but maybe he’s actually a decent person. Getting such generous treatment is making me think twice about destroying this country.

“Let’s meet at the dinner party, then. Oh, and here’s the address for the clothing store. Follow these instructions, and you’ll find your way there.”

Lord Buffon jotted down the directions on a piece of paper before leaving the premises.

“Lysa, can you read this?” I asked her.

“Yes,” Lysa replied, peering at the piece of paper. “It says the party will be held at the third block of Duke Louis’ Glory Road.”

“Got it. Well, let’s head back for now; we’ve got work to do.” With that, I led my three escorts out of the guild.

“Oh, Miss Grevillea! What did he want with you?”

As we made to leave, the chatty receptionist lady called out to me.

“He asked us to come to the dinner party. To bring in guests,” I said dryly.

“Wow! That’s amazing! I can’t believe people from myguild are going to participate in one of those parties! This will go down in history! I’ll be cheering you on from behind the scenes, Miss Grevillea! Keep up the great work!”

“I don’t know about it going down in history, but, erm, will the head of Schtraut be attending?”

“Huh? You mean the duke? His Grace sometimes makes an appearance, but not always. I really can’t say, though I do hear he’s been busy lately.”

Tch. And here I thought I’d have a chance to negotiate with this country’s leader directly.

“Thanks for the information. We’ll be off, then.”

“Okay! Make sure to let everyone know you’re from our guild!”

I scurried off so as to not have to put up with any more of her ceaseless prattle.

♱

“All right, the four of us are going to this dinner party!” I declared upon our return to the inn. “We should be able to pick up information we wouldn’t get at the guild, so that alone is a good enough reason for us to attend. I want you to take this chance to gather any intelligence you can about the Dukedom of Schtraut, especially the current political climate. If you happen to learn anything about their diplomatic relations, that’ll be perfect. The Arachnea’s fate depends on our ability to adequately understand their international standing.”

Sérignan, Lysa, and the Masquerade Swarm nodded firmly at my words. Good. They understand how important the situation really is.

“The biggest problem we have is that they might figure out our real identities. Lord Buffon misunderstood things, but pretending to be noble can be a challenge. Nobles seriously act like members of a secret society sometimes. A family crest, a motto, our political and personal relations... Those are things we can’t fabricate at this point in time. To that end, if we are approached about any of these topics, we’re going to say we’ve lost our memories due to trauma. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” said Sérignan. “While we could look into mimicking an existing noble family, basing our act on such unreliable information would be dangerous. It would be safer for us to claim we suffer from memory loss, so yes, let us go with that.”

If we really wanted to, we could have the Swarms in Maluk look into a real noble house, but that ran the risk of someone happening to know them, even remotely. Like Sérignan said, the safer course of action was to feign amnesia. Of course, relying on it too much might rouse suspicion... but this was still the best approach we had.

“Anyway, I’ll be giving each of you an assigned role. Sérignan, you’re my bodyguard. Lysa’s going to handle scouting. Masquerade Swarm, sorry, but I need you to secure us a way out. Have our other Masquerade Swarms spread out and gather around the reception hall.”

Sérignan would stick to me for protection while Lysa scoped out the other guests’ bodyguards. The Masquerade Swarm would secure us a way out. I wanted all the Masquerade Swarms we’d planted in the city ready to cover for us if need be.

Hmm... Come to think of it, something doesn’t seem right here. It feels less like we’re going to a dinner party and more we’re gearing up for a special operation.

“We have a couple of problems, however. Firstly, we don’t know who to speak to if we want valuable information. If we just randomly ask around, it’ll seem unnatural, but we’ve got no choice but to take that risk. We need to hope whomever we strike up a conversation with is important enough to know a thing or two.”

We didn’t know the names or faces of any of the Dukedom’s VIPs, so we had no way of telling a noble with key information apart from an owner of some small trade guild who knew nothing of value. This wasn’t a roleplaying game where we could talk to every NPC—that would just look suspicious. We’d need to zero in on a few promising targets and then stick with them.

“And our other problem has to do with your outfits.” I heaved a sigh. “Sérignan, can you take off your armor?”

“I’ll try!”

She wasn’t wearing her red armor, exactly; it was part of her body. Taking it off would be a herculean task. Could she really fit into a dress?

“Nnngh...!”

Sérignan concentrated as hard as she could, trying to pry off the armor. At last, the plates came off, falling on the ground with a heavy thunk.

“Is this all right, Your Majesty?” Sérignan asked me, nude as a newborn baby.

“Sérignan,” I muttered through gritted teeth. “Your boobs are bigger than I thought. And you have a bangin’ body.”

“You’re really beautiful, Sérignan!” Lysa cried.

I was always thin and seedy, but being aged down to fourteen only made my body all the more unshapely. Still, the fact that Sérignan had bigger breasts than I did hit me like a ton of bricks. Crawling under the covers and willing the heat death of the universe to come over us all felt pretty tempting.

“A-Are you all right, Your Majesty?” Sérignan asked, sensing my envy through the collective consciousness. “Should I shear off my bosoms?”

“No, don’t. But I’m letting you handle seduction from now on.”

I’ll be putting Sérignan’s unexpected assets to good use.

“Now, Lysa, can you remove your clothes?”

“Yes, they come off fine.”

Apparently, despite the fact that the clothes Lysa was wearing when she entered the Conversion Furnace had fused to her body, she was able to remove them without issue.

“Masquerade Swarm, how about you?”

“Will this do?” The Masquerade Swarm’s appearance distorted slightly, like a glitch in the air, and it suddenly wore nothing but underwear.

Truly a master of Mimesis. I’m sure things will go smoothly.

“Okay, then our next mission is to go and get you all party clothes. Sérignan, I got you some regular clothes ahead of time, so wear those when you go out. Lysa, be careful your ears don’t show. And Masquerade Swarm... You’ll be fine, I think.”

“Yes. To receive clothes from my queen... I’m truly honored.” Sérignan said.

I figured Sérignan might end up naked if she took off her armor, so I bought her a set of everyday clothes from a tailor, thinking it would prevent complications later on. Turns out I was right.

“Anyway, go select your evening clothes tomorrow. Prepare accordingly. That’s all for today.”

Sheesh. I didn’t think getting clothes ready for a party would be such a hassle.

♱

“So this is the place Lord Buffon told us about.”

The four of us had followed the instructions Lord Buffon had given us and eventually reached his store.

“There’re a lot of expensive-looking dresses on display.” Lysa gawked at the storefront with sparkling eyes.

“Well, it’s the count’s treat, so pick anything you like,” I said and walked into the store.

“Hello there. May I help you?” said the shopkeeper.

She was wearing a light dress herself, and she spoke to us respectfully. The level of customer service made it clear we were in a high-class establishment.

“We came here at Lord Buffon’s recommendation. Could you help us?”

“Yes, I’ve been informed of your arrival. I would be honored to be of service to a friend of the count.”

Uh, we’re definitely not his friends.

“Perfect, then I’ll save the explanation. Could you show us around?”

“Of course. Right this way, please.”

Sérignan and the others stepped forward automatically. Sérignan’s current outfit was a crimson pinafore dress. It didn’t suit her very well, oddly enough, but she liked it nonetheless. I didn’t have much of a fashion sense.

“Miss Sérignan, what kind of dress would you like?”

“One that’s easy to move in. A dress I could wear while wielding a sword.”

“Erm, we are talking about an evening dress, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. If possible, I’d appreciate some armor around the chest and abdomen. I don’t mind if it adds weight.”

Apparently, she couldn’t tell a dress apart from a suit of armor.

“Sérignan, stop bothering the poor clerks with your crazy demands. Could you get her a mature dress, please? One that’s got some cleavage and an open back. I want her to be the most enticing flower at the party.”

“Understood.” One of the employees headed deeper into the store with her to find her a suitable dress.

“What about you, Miss Lysa? What kind of dress are you looking for?”

“Umm... something that’s a bit plainer than the dress our lady here will be wearing,” Lysa said shyly, gesturing to me. “I’m just one of her servants.”

I guess that’s the most she can manage.

“Very well.” At her signal, another clerk ushered Lysa along. “And as for you, Mister Maska, will this one do?”

“Yes. It is fine.”

The Masquerade Swarm had been the first to finish its preparations. It was standing in front of the mirror, looking simply dashing in a tuxedo.

Aren’t you a stud.

“Miss Grevillea... You don’t need a new dress, I see.”

“Yeah, I’m good.”

The Worker Swarms had made me plenty of gorgeous dresses, so I didn’t have any problems on that front. I was currently wearing one of them.

“May I ask where you got that dress?”

“This one? It’s from, err, a tailor in the Kingdom of Maluk, in a town called Leen.”

That store doesn’t exist anymore, though. Courtesy of yours truly.

“I can’t see any seams, and it looks like it was cut from a single sheet of fabric... and gosh, this texture feels like silk. On top of that, its design is bolder than anything even the most imaginative designers on the continent would dare to make. Thinking that the place this dress came from has been destroyed breaks my heart.”

“Agreed.”

If those knights hadn’t stuck their noses where they didn’t belong, things would have been much different. Yes, if that hadn’t happened, I’d still be expanding peacefully by selling dresses and buying meat. If only those thugs who’d called themselves knights hadn’t shown up and burned down my precious Baumfetter... Still, wars have a way of breaking out even when no one wants them.

“Miiiiiiss!” Sérignan came running from the back of the store with tears in her eyes. “Look at what this woman is trying to get me to wear! It’s shameless! I don’t look like a knight; I look like a prostitute!”

Sérignan was wearing what was, admittedly, a really racy dress. It was open at the back and showed a lot of cleavage, and its lower half featured a slit that exposed her pale thighs.

Wowzers.

Knowing Sérignan, I had to admit the look was a bit much. Still, she pulled it off while looking refined rather than sleazy, though I wasn’t sure if it was the designer’s efforts paying off or Sérignan’s natural looks shining through... I hoped it was the latter. Once again, I realized that Sérignan was seriously gorgeous.

“It looks good on you, Sérignan. How about you take it?”

“It does not look good on me!” she huffed. “I need something more fitting of a warrior!”

But it really did look good on her. She exuded a mature aura I couldn’t dream of producing myself.

“Then just ask for one that shows off less skin. Not a normal dress, though; we’re trying to capitalize on your seduction skills here.”

“Ugh... Understood...”

It took us an hour and a half or so to pick out the right dresses.

“So you like this one, Lysa?”

“Yes! I feel like a princess.”

Lysa was wearing a demure green dress. It didn’t expose much skin, but it was adorned with gorgeous frills, which sent Lysa over the moon. She liked dressing up, as girls often did. I was glad Lysa had taken the chance to enjoy herself a little.

“And Sérignan, isn’t it about time you give up?”

“I... have never felt so humiliated in my life.”

Sérignan ended up going with a red dress that was somewhat less showy than the one she’d donned earlier. Despite that, it still had noticeable cleavage and showed off her thighs. Honestly, any man who wouldn’t fall for her while she wore this thing probably didn’t have a thing for women at all.

“It suits you. Everyone at the party will have their eyes on you. I’ll be counting on you to sweep all the men off their feet.”

“But such a mission is...” Unable to bring herself to finish, she trailed off miserably.

It may have looked like I was bullying the poor woman on purpose, but seduction really would be an important task during our intelligence operation.

“Anyway, I think we’re all finished here. We’ll be taking our leave, if you don’t mind. Thank you for all your help!”

“Don’t mention it. I’m honored to have been of assistance to a friend of the count.”

Having said our goodbyes, the four of us left the shop. The party was tomorrow night, and we were prepared. All we could do now was hope we turned up some useful information.

♱

We entered the carriage Lord Buffon had sent to pick us up and made way for the reception hall. He had been kind enough to pick us up from the inn so we wouldn’t accidentally get lost in Marine.

In fact, it was so kind of him that I had to question his intentions; Sérignan and Lysa were two very lovely ladies, after all. In any case, we sat patiently in the jostling carriage as it headed toward the hall.

“We’re here.”

The reception hall was a large structure made of white limestone and surrounded by a vast, spacious garden. It was built upon the tallest part of Marine and offered a view of both the town and the ships sailing at the port. A perfect spot for welcoming guests, indeed. We exited the carriage and walked up to the entrance, where we were greeted by a butler.

“May I check your invitations?”

“Yes, here you are. I’m Grevillea, by the way,” I said as the four of us handed them over.

“Ah, Miss Grevillea’s group. Yes, your invitations are in order. Please, come in.”

We were ushered into the hall. The inside of the structure was as lovely as its outside. A large chandelier shone from the ceiling, and a red carpet was spread over the floor. All around us were clean, white marble walls and sculptures.

“This place is gorgeous,” I murmured. “It really does feel like a palace for the elite.”

“I agree! It’s the first time I’ve seen anything like this. I almost thought it was a temple or something,” said Lysa, nodding.

“Should you find our base lacking, we can renovate the place accordingly,” Sérignan suggested.

“No, it’s all right. A soft bed with clean sheets is all I need.”

I could have asked the Worker Swarms to make our base much more lavish, but wasting their time for the sake of my own self-satisfaction didn’t seem right. Especially right now, when they had the onerous task of remodeling all of Maluk’s territory.

There were mines for us to pick, farms and livestock to maintain, and the defense of our borders to attend to. Redirecting the Worker Swarms from those important tasks to an aesthetic remodeling of our base would be wrong. Unlike this hall, no guests would ever visit our base, so it really would just be for my own selfish enjoyment.

“Anyway, let’s move according to plan. Lysa, scope the place out. Masquerade Swarm, secure us an exit. Sérignan, come with me.”

With that, we split up. Lysa casually observed the guards while the Masquerade Swarm hung around the back entrance. There were additional Masquerade Swarms set up around the building, too. If things took a turn for the worse, we could at least bust out of here.

“Pardon me.”

Just as Sérignan and I were preparing to ask around for information, someone called out to us.

“I haven’t seen you around. What house might you hail from, milady?”

A handsome man approached me. His arrogant gaze told me he regarded us as little more than a couple of silly little girls.

“My name is Grevillea,” I answered. “I’m from no family in particular; I’m just an adventurer.”

“Oh, the adventurer? I’ve heard all the gossip—apparently, your group is highly skilled. Though I must admit you don’t quite look the part.” He cracked a thin, condescending smile.

Sérignan glared at him so intensely, I was fairly confident she’d cut his head off if she’d had a sword in her hands.

“And who might you be?” I asked with a hint of annoyance.

“Ah, my apologies. I’m Marquis Leopold de Lorraine, twelfth head of House Lorraine. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Unreliable Master Adventurer.”

Everything about this guy ticks me off.

“Well, I suppose I might look unreliable, but that’s because I’m a commander, not a fighter. The one who handles all the hands-on work is this lady right here, Sérignan.”

“Ah, a woman who uses a sword!” Leopold exclaimed in an exaggerated fashion. “What a world we live in.”

Okay, wow, what a douche.

“Anyhow, I would love to hear the true story,” Leopold continued. “I hear you’re actually paying other adventurers so you can take credit for their achievements... They say you’re nothing but pitiful refugees from Maluk who bought accomplishments from others to make it into this dinner party. The guild is a perfect place for a commoner to elevate their status, after all.”

“How dare you!” Incensed, Sérignan made to step forward.

“Sérignan, restrain yourself,” I told her. “Don’t fall for his provocations. He’s just a third-rate noble spouting nonsense.”

“Excuse me?!” This time, Leopold flared up at me. “Did you just call me a third-rate noble?! I’ll have you know I was on the cusp of being elected last season for the Duke of Schtraut!”

Whoops, looks like I got under his skin a little too much...

I had intended to ignore this nobody’s words and move along, but I only ended up digging myself deeper into trouble.

“Oh, I see. So you’re actually a bigwig, huh?” I said, trying to fix things. “But to be frank, Lord Lorraine, I don’t think your attitude and your status match up at all. You really need to polish your character, you know? If you keep acting like that, even commoners like myself will end up looking down on you.”

This, of course, only added fuel to the fire.

“I’ll remember this indignity! Once we retake Maluk, I’ll see to it that all your territories are confiscated! And I’ll make sure any Maluk refugees like you are repatriated, even if your country is infested with monsters!”

“Oh no. Whatever shall I do?” I replied dryly.

Naturally, I couldn’t care less about either of these threats.

“And to top it all off, I’ll take that knight of yours and sell her into slavery! Look at that body; she’ll make good money at the brothel. I’ll make sure to visit myself, so you would do well to service me to the best of your ability.”

“What?!” Now I was seething. “If you’re going to insult Sérignan, you’d better lock blades with her first. Not that I expect much out of you. Your scrawny arms would probably snap like twigs if you tried.”

“You dare insult me further?! She can try holding up a sword if she wants, but I would never be bested by a woman! I am—”

“Enough.” In a flash, Sérignan’s right arm caught Leopold by the neck. “May I snap it, Miss?”

“Don’t go that far. I think he’s learned his lesson.”

Having been grabbed at the vitals with a swiftness nigh invisible to the naked eye, Leopold hung limply in terror.

“Leopold! What are you doing?!”

A young man’s voice and trotting footsteps reached our ears.

“These rude women taunted me, trying to pick a fight!” whined the headlocked noble. “Have someone throw these have-nots out of the party!”

“Calm down, Leopold. You started this fight, didn’t you? I can’t imagine these two fine ladies antagonizing you for no reason.”

The man who had come over to calm Leopold down bore a striking resemblance to him.

“You’re right, he’s the one who started it,” I said indignantly. “We only responded to him in kind.”

“I see.” The man lowered his head. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Roland de Lorraine, Leopold’s younger brother. A pleasure, miss.”

Huh. So he’s not a bigot like his brother.

“I’m Grevillea, and this here is Sérignan. It’s nice to meet you.”

Meeting manners with manners was only fair.

“Come now, let’s go, Leopold.” Roland led his brother away. “We don’t want any more arguments, do we?”

“Blast. I won’t forget this!” Leopold took off after him, leaving that cliched one-liner as his parting remark.

“You should have allowed me to cut that man down, Miss. With the way he treated you, even death is too sweet a fate for him.”

“Eh, all’s well that ends well,” I shrugged. “That nice guy cleared it up for us. I’m not going to hold a grudge.”

“You’re too kind, Miss. Ruthlessness is sometimes necessary.”

“Going on a rampage here would ruin everything. You do know that, right, Sérignan?”

“Erm, yes. My apologies.”

Besides, I was ruthless enough when I buried the Kingdom of Maluk.

“Everyone, may I have your attention please?” The sound of someone—apparently the toastmaster—tapping on their glass rung out. “His Grace, the thirteenth Duke of Schtraut Caesar de Sharon, is about to make his appearance!”

With that introduction, a young man took to the stage.

“Thank you all for inviting me to this fine affair. I’m glad to say this has been quite the pleasant evening. It’s always an honor to find the time and place to speak to people of fine taste and upbringing such as yourselves. This party is yet another great chance to develop the Dukedom.”

As I listened to the duke’s speech, I looked around the room. Leopold was eyeing Caesar hatefully.

“After the fall of our neighbor, the Kingdom of Maluk, we can only pray that we will overcome the harsh times ahead of us. And of course, we must praise the name of our great nation. All hail the Dukedom of Schtraut!”

“All hail the Dukedom of Schtraut!” the audience cried, following his example.

“Your Majesty, is that the man we’re after?”

“That’s right. I do hope we can meet with him peacefully.”

I didn’t come here to handle small-fry like Leopold, but people with authority, like Caesar de Sharon.

“But it looks like approaching him will be difficult...”

Caesar was surrounded by guests, so we couldn’t exactly walk right up to him.

“All right, then. Sérignan, you’re up.”

“Me?” Sérignan pointed at herself with a bewildered expression.

“Listen to me, Sérignan. I know it’s a bit of a tall order, but try to keep your knightly behavior suppressed for now. You’re going to have to fight this battle using weapons I don’t have. And it’s very important.”

“Understood, Miss. But, erm, whatever could I have that you lack? How am I to fight this battle?”

Evidently, she didn’t get it yet.

“Use your body, Sérignan. I’m sorry I have to ask you to do this, but please.” With a sigh, I pushed her forward.

♱

“Your Grace, our country really is in a dire situation.”

“Monsters to the west, the Nyrnal Empire to the south... We’re between a rock and a hard place, as they say.”

The duke nodded vaguely at the guests’ words. It was hard to tell if he was actually interested in what anyone had to say. He was certainly listening attentively to each and every one of them, but whether he was actually engaged in the conversation was unclear.

Perhaps he was merely exercising a politician’s natural gift to appear engrossed no matter who his conversational partner was. Handling politics sometimes required juggling one’s attention during these sorts of situations.

“Your Grace...”

He turned to find the owner of the voice—it was Sérignan. Her dress was as open and shameless as could be, and she was approaching him with a flushed face. The duke and everyone around him glanced at her in surprise before quickly averting their eyes from her cleavage.

“Erm, who might you be? Have we met before?” Caesar asked, his face turning red.

“We haven’t, Your Grace. But my lady would very much like to speak to you.” Sérignan pointed in my direction.

“Ahh, I see. Then let me make some time for you... Ladies and gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me.”

As Caesar was a man, it only made sense that he would fall for Sérignan’s wiles. That said, I’d assumed a politician would be a bit more guarded. Maybe he’s more of a vulgar oaf than I thought.

If he really was an oaf, though, that was fine with me; in fact, it would work out in my favor. I needed him to be a little stupid, or else he wouldn’t dare sit to negotiate with monsters.

Lured in by Sérignan, Caesar approached me. I put on the best fake smile I could manage and greeted him.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Grace. I’m Grevillea, an adventurer.”

“Oh, you’re the one people have been talking about. I hear you slew a griffin on your first day in the guild, then went on to exterminate a manticore. People on the streets have nicknamed you ‘the Queen’ or something of that nature. The Dukedom suffers quite a few losses to monster attacks, so any help you can offer is most appreciated.”

“But on top of being an adventurer, I have another role. One that’s certainly relevant to your interests.”

“Relevant to my interests...?” Caesar repeated, eyeing me with suspicion.

“I’m actually the queen of the Arachnea. That is, I lead the legion of monsters that ruined the Kingdom of Maluk.”

“What?!” His eyes widened in disbelief.

The duke’s reaction was exactly what I had expected. He couldn’t have imagined that the girl pub-goers and guild members called a queen really was just that. If anyone had assumed it was true, of course, they would’ve had to be either insane or psychic. It would be similar to someone who had earned the title of “king” in some eating contest turning out to be genuine royalty.

And yet here we were, the cold, hard reality hanging between us. His shock was understandable.

“Can you prove it?”

“I could have some of the monsters that destroyed Maluk—the Swarm—rush into this room right now if you want.” I gave the duke a nasty smile. “But I assume you’ll take my word for it even if I don’t do anything that extreme.”

“Let’s talk this over in a separate room,” Caesar said. He led Sérignan and myself to another area of the reception hall. “You were right; this is absolutely relevant to my interests.”

♱

“Now then... queen of the Arachnea, was it? If I may, allow me to lead with this question: what was your reason for destroying the Kingdom of Maluk?”

Caesar had shooed everyone else from the room, leaving only the three of us.

“Oh, that’s a simple one,” I said lightly. “Retribution and instinct. I had a few elven friends who were needlessly killed by Maluk’s knights, so getting revenge for these friends of mine was part of it. As for the other reason... Well, I must inform you that the Arachnea is a barbaric race. Our instincts spur us to expand. The Swarm is a lovely collection of monsters that endlessly reproduce, devour, and expand.”

“I can understand a desire for revenge, but instinct... Yourinstincts drive you to invade other countries?”

“That’s right. We attack, feed, destroy, and pillage. Those are the instincts of the Swarm that guide the Arachnea. As the queen, I can suppress the unmerciful tide to some degree with my sense of reason. But if I’m gone, those shackles won’t hold the Swarm back anymore, and the Arachnea will become a hellish blaze that indiscriminately consumes everything in its path.”

The Swarm naturally desired to ransack and slaughter in order to grow and conquer. At this point in time, my human characteristics of logic and judgment were all that prevented them from rushing the entire world.

If something were to happen to me, that deterrent would disappear. I explained that to Caesar, making it clear that killing me wasn’t a way out of this.

“And? Have you come to destroy the Dukedom next?”

“That depends on the course of our negotiations here, Duke Sharon. I don’t seek to spill any unnecessary blood. I’m human, after all. Same as you.”

I said this despite knowing full well how I had killed untold scores of my fellow men. I denied them even the last remains of their honor by reducing them to meatballs. A part of me wondered what right I even had to utter those words.

I’m such a hypocritical charlatan. I call myself human now, after all that’s happened?

“Then what would you ask of my country?”

“I want you to provide me an invasion route into the Popedom of Frantz. We intend to attack the Popedom, and passing through this country would be the fastest way there.”

The Popedom of Frantz was the headquarters of the Church of Holy Light, an exclusive, monotheistic faith. There was no doubt we’d have to fight them, which meant we needed to be prepared for war. In that regard, it was necessary for us to have the Dukedom of Schtraut, a topographically important region, under our control.

However, a certain ruler once said, “My country is a nation, not a road.”

“The Popedom is pressuring us with the same demand, actually. They want us to permit their military to march through our lands for the sake of liberating the Kingdom of Maluk. We’ve yet to answer, but eventually we’ll need to give them a reply.”

So the Popedom came up with the same idea...

“Then I suppose you’ll need to decide who to ally yourself with,” I told him, cracking a thin smile. “Though I must warn you that if you turn against us, your country will suffer the same fate as the Kingdom of Maluk.”

“You’re putting us in a rather difficult position, madam. If we turn against the Popedom, that would be a blow in its own right. Their army isn’t to be scoffed at.”

“Sounds like a real dilemma. I sympathize, but you’ll still have to make a decision one way or another. Side with us, or side with the Popedom of Frantz. And if you choose to abstain, well... you’ll probably be attacked by both of us.”

I felt a bit bad for Caesar. He was pressed on one side by the army of monsters that had destroyed Maluk and by his fanatically religious neighbor on the other. Having to choose one over the other must have been difficult.

Still, I needed him to make that choice. If he didn’t, he’d be attacked by both armies, and Schtraut would be reduced to scorched earth. That wasn’t something I wanted, either. I had grown a bit attached to this country, so I didn’t want to see it destroyed.

“Additionally, the Empire of Nyrnal is breathing down our necks. They’re demanding to garrison troops within our borders. Their modus operandi when they took over the southern countries was de facto military occupation... They say that if we refuse, it’ll be tantamount to us ignoring the fact that monsters destroyed Maluk.”

Oh my. The plot thickens.

The Empire of Nyrnal was trying to take advantage of my throwing the political field into chaos. I had heard the Nyrnals were tyrants who’d devoured the southern countries, but it looks like they enjoyed pulling some underhanded tricks.

Not that I’m one to talk about playing dirty.

“Did the Empire give you a deadline?”

“Yes. They want us to decide by the International Council.” He sounded bitter.

“Oh? You have one of those?”

“Yes. We haven’t convened in ten years, but the Council deals with problems pertaining to the continent at large. Our country’s part of it, of course. The council’s decisions have a great deal of impact and influence on the nations.”

The International Council, huh? Knowing their verdict might be beneficial.

“Then I’ll have to add a time limit for my request as well. I’ll wait until the International Council concludes. Make your choice after that. Do you let the Empire of Nyrnal garrison troops in your country, allow the Popedom to cross your land, or grant us passage?”

“If I let you pass, the Empire of Nyrnal and the Popedom would likely both turn against me at once. What help can you offer us? Would you give us military aid if we were surrounded by your neighbors?”

“We’d give you support, yes. Our army was strong enough to destroy the Kingdom of Maluk; we’re plenty capable of defending you even if Frantz and Nyrnal were to assault you from both sides. Well, if you ally with one of the other countries instead, that won’t change the end result. Either way, you will witness our ability to trample anyone in our path.”

I was putting on a confident air, but I honestly didn’t know if I could afford to send enough forces to defend the Dukedom. If Frantz and Nyrnal turned against us at once, we’d need even more military power than before. It would be different from when we defeated the Kingdom of Maluk... and the Empire of Nyrnal, which had taken over the southern countries, was especially intimidating.

Did the Arachnea have enough power to push back two countries at once? I didn’t know yet. But I had to say those words if I was going to convince Caesar. He wasn’t someone I needed to be completely honest with, and it wasn’t absolutely necessary he ally with us, either.

“I want to believe you, but we have other issues at hand aside from diplomatic troubles. There is a faction here that supports letting the Popedom cross through our land to investigate Maluk. I’ve been working hard to oppose it.”

“Hmm. You’re trying to prevent a war at all costs, aren’t you?”

“Wars don’t make for good money. Fighting battles isn’t a merchant’s job.”

That’s the kind of answer you’d expect to hear from a trade country.

War wasn’t good for making money, that much was true. Unless, of course, one’s idea of economy involved slaughtering other people, devouring their flesh, and taking everything they had.

“Out of curiosity, who’s behind that faction?”

“House Lorraine has ties with the Popedom of Frantz. They’re the Popedom’s representatives, so to speak; they do not hail from Schtraut, but rather from Frantz.”

Oh, Lorraine. That third-rate noble that picked a fight with us.

“How can you get a political free hand?”

“That’s technically impossible. All of the dukes in Schtraut’s history have been subject to other factions’ decisions to some extent.”

Apparently, the head of state didn’t actually have that much power. What a pity.

“What do you think is the ideal choice for your country?”

“Well, obviously I don’t want to fight the ones who destroyed Maluk. And to top it off, Nyrnal and Frantz haven’t offered us any protection, either. The Popedom’s only looking to move their army through, while Nyrnal’s plotting to occupy us during the turmoil. With that in mind, teaming up with your side seems like the right course of action.”

Good. So Caesar’s on our side, at least.

“Would it be possible for us to attend the International Council, too?” I asked, knowing full well it was probably absurd.

“You, attend the council...? As a representative of the Arachnea? I think it would be far too difficult.”

“Then how about I attend as the representative of the Kingdom of Maluk?”

“You’d have to be from the Kingdom of Maluk to do that.”

“I can take care of that part. Question is, can a supposedly ruined country participate?”

“I’ll see if I can arrange it. I’ll consider your recompense later.”

I hope whatever compensation he asks for isn’t too extreme.

“Anyway, let us both put some thought into this situation for now and come to our own conclusions. That’s all I can say at this point,” said the duke, and our conversation was over.

♱

“Your Majesty, is this acceptable? We could simply march our forces into this country without any negotiations,” Sérignan said, seeming dissatisfied.

“If we can solve a problem by talking our way out of it, we should,” I replied, rising from my seat. “If we used violence to smash through all our struggles, we’d end up forgetting how to use our heads. Besides, if they end up destroying the bridges and roads, we’ll lose our way of passage all too easily. Occupying this country without bloodshed would be best. The worst possible scenario is that the Dukedom ends up becoming the center of a war between Frantz and Nyrnal.”

I really had developed some attachment to this country, and I didn’t want to see it ruined in a war... though I was prepared to let everything go up in flames if it were truly necessary.

Sérignan and I thus returned to the dinner party, which concluded without us learning anything else of note.

The Dukedom of Schtraut was in dire straits. Just where would fate take it...?

The International Council

One month after Grevillea met with Caesar de Sharon, the International Council was held in the Popedom of Frantz’s capital, Saania. The fate of the continent would be decided during this important meeting.

The ambassadors of each country gathered in Saania’s meeting hall. The Nyrnal Empire’s ambassador stood out among the rest, but everyone was dressed handsomely and the hall was buzzing with activity.

“Now we will introduce the representatives of each country.”

After the Pope of Frantz, Benedictus III, concluded his opening remarks, the council’s presenter rose to his feet and began reading out the names of the attendees. They were called one by one; the Popedom of Frantz’s representative, the Dukedom of Schtraut’s representative, the Empire of Nyrnal’s representative, and so on, until eventually...

“From the Kingdom of Maluk we have... Her Highness, Princess Elizabeta.”

“The Kingdom of Maluk? Is this some kind of joke?” someone muttered.

“From what I hear, it’s been destroyed,” whispered another.

The attendees were immediately suspicious.

“A good day to you, gentlemen. I am the second princess of the Kingdom of Maluk, Elizabeta,” she said, rising to her feet.

It was indeed the Elizabeta. What the Council didn’t know was that she was being controlled by a Parasite Swarm.

“There’s no doubting that this is Princess Elizabeta in the flesh. I can’t believe she survived...”

“But where was she all this time?”

Those in attendance confirmed it was her, but they still had their doubts.

“The Dukedom of Schtraut can guarantee that she’s been under our protection,” said the ambassador of Schtraut. “We rescued her and confirmed her well-being and identity. I swear on the name of the Dukedom that this is Princess Elizabeta, and not an imposter assuming her name.”

“We did not suspect anything of the sort, but...”

The other councilmen exchanged glances of disbelief. Sitting before them was, without a doubt, Elizabeta. She was clad in a gorgeous dress, and her gestures—though a bit wooden and stiff—had a princess’ dignified air to them.

But how could the princess have fled if her country had been destroyed? Had the royalty abandoned their people, leaving them to die?

“I understand your apprehension, gentlemen, but Princess Elizabeta was in Maluk’s territories until just recently. I assure you she did not run off to the Dukedom to save herself during the conflict; rather, she’s been fighting for her life in her monster-infested homeland this whole time.”

“So you say, but is there any proof of that?” the presenter asked.

“We have only our testimony.”

Brows furrowed, the other ambassadors struggled to believe him, and all their gazes fixed on Elizabeta.

“Ahem.” The presenter cleared his throat. “The topic right now is how to exterminate the monsters occupying the Kingdom. We believe our friendly neighbor, the Kingdom of Maluk, must be liberated.”

“The Popedom of Frantz seeks to form a unified, allied army,” declared the Popedom’s representative. “This would require the nations of the continent join hands and form an alliance. We must unite. The enemy is a horde of monsters that leveled the Kingdom of Maluk in but a few short months.” He scanned the council, meeting the eyes of each other person in the room. “They’re more fearsome than any beast. We must steel our resolves and fight back. Such is the will of the God of Light.”

“Our nation does not object to this proposal,” Nyrnal’s ambassador replied. “But who will bear the burden of paying the war expenses?”

“Naturally, each country should fund its own portion of the war effort,” the Popedom’s ambassador retorted. “This operation will only be possible if we join forces. There should be no question as to who should shoulder what burden.”

“Spare me your talk of alliance,” Nyrnal’s ambassador scoffed. “This would force the Empire of Nyrnal to dedicatenumerous men and resources, while the other countries would only send a scant few troops. This is no way an equal effort. If we are truly joining forces here, every nation should pull equal weight.”

“Then what do you propose?”

“Well, we should each deploy the same number of troops. That, or any country which cannot send as many men must instead compensate with adequate funds. Of course, we can loan soldiers to any country unable to afford these expenses. We are willing to lend our aid to any nation on the continent... even the poorest of countries.”

Nyrnal’s ambassador looked around at everyone present. The only country capable of sending out a force that might match the Empire’s was the Popedom of Frantz, and none of the smaller countries could afford the war funds.

That said, receiving a loan from Nyrnal now would make any country that did so the Empire’s financial slave. The borrowing nation would be conquered financially andpolitically. After all, the Empire of Nyrnal had consolidated the southern countries under their rule with far more words than weapons.

It was clear that the Empire cared nothing for the Kingdom of Maluk and hoped only to conquer what few free countries remained in the south, hence why everyone else despised it.

“This is oppression! We refuse to be a part of an alliance with the Empire.”

“Our country is opposed to such an alliance as well.”

The purpose of assembling the Council had been to figure out how to handle the monstrous threat endangering the continent, but now the largest threat seemed to have become the Empire of Nyrnal.

“Everyone, everyone, please calm down,” Frantz’s ambassador said. “Remember, the Empire of Nyrnal’s proposal has not been accepted. If we choose to reject it, it won’t be relevant.”

“In that case, the Empire will not take part in the alliance. We will look forward to seeing you flounder around without our backing,” Nyrnal’s representative snorted.

“The Empire is being too high-handed. There is a great common threat before us, and we must unite to defeat it,” piped one small country’s envoy.

“Who claimed this threat affects us all equally? The Duke? The Pope? Our country does not recognize these so-called monsters as a threat. We are ready to fight them on our own, if need be. Given the right preparations, we will free the Kingdom without any need for allies.”

“Preparations?” someone asked.

“That is, the Dukedom of Schtraut allowing us to garrison our army within their country. Currently, the Themel River and the elven forest stand in the way of our march. In that case, should the Dukedom of Schtraut accept, we would be able to swiftly cross their border with the Kingdom and begin military operations from the inside.”

True, the Empire’s path into the Kingdom was closed off by the Themel River and the elven forest. If they were to invade Maluk, they would have to go through the Dukedom.

“How does the Dukedom feel about this proposition?” Nyrnal’s ambassador asked, stroking his beard.

“Our country is not prepared to accept an occupation by the Nyrnal military,” Schtraut’s ambassador replied, shaking his head. “The Dukedom would have to make a great many preparations if you were to garrison troops in our lands. Beyond that, we have never hosted a force that large before.”

“I, too, am against it,” Elizabeta added.

“My... What could the princess of a ruined country have to say in opposition?”

“The Empire of Nyrnal intends to invade my country under the pretense of liberation,” Elizabeta said flatly, her eyes devoid of emotion. “The Empire has shown interest in our land for some time now. If your country is allowed free passage, I have no doubt you will attempt to greedily devour our territories. Thus, I absolutely cannot consent to this.”

“Are you implying my country is trying to take advantage of this crisis?” Nyrnal’s ambassador asked, his irritation evident.

“Precisely. You intend to use the liberation of my country as a stepping stone to conquer it. Can we not draw similarities between this ‘proposal’ and your manner of conquest in the southern countries? We are not so foolish as to trust your words.”

“This is unacceptable! We came here out of a sense of duty to save the Kingdom of Maluk from its plight, and you choose to slander us as invaders?! Even if you do form an alliance, we refuse to take any part in it!”

“We are all well aware the Kingdom is in a state of crisis and that it must be saved,” Frantz’s ambassador interjected before turning to look at Elizabeta. “Those monsters crushed Maluk and could march on any one of our own countries next. We are all equally vulnerable.”

“I am opposed to the Empire of Nyrnal’s participation in the war,” the princess said sternly.

“But without their strength, we—”

“Maluk has a resistance movement numbering twenty thousand men,” Elizabeta said before he could finish. “If our resistance could rise to action, we would be able to free the Kingdom unaided. For those of you who are concerned the monsters might attack you next, I suggest you work on bolstering your defenses.”

Elizabeta’s consistently flat, robotic tone and neutral expression made her declaration rather eerie to behold.

“It seems the Maluk leftovers want neither our help nor that of the alliance,” muttered Nyrnal’s ambassador, looking a bit baffled.

“Are you sure of this, Your Highness?” Frantz’s ambassador asked.

“I am.”

“But the monsters are still at large. If they invade another country, it would be a catastrophe,” said another council member in a quivering voice.

“What even are these monsters?” inquired another.

“Based on the Adventurers’ Guild reports, these monsters have never been seen before anywhere on the continent,” said the presenter. “They look much like insects, but they’re as tall as a human being. These beasts have been seen feeding off human corpses, so we can conclude that they’re also man-eaters. Please look at this for an approximation of their overall appearance.”

He motioned toward a large board, upon which was plastered a sketch of a monster drawn by one of the adventurers dispatched to scout out Maluk.

It was a drawing of a Ripper Swarm. It had giant scythes, sharp fangs, a venomous stinger, and slender limbs. The ambassadors swallowed nervously, discomforted by the sight.

None of them had ever seen anything like these creatures before. Even the adventurers had likely run into them there for the first time. No one had any idea what weapons were effective against them or how the monsters behaved, let alone how to begin approaching the issues of their advance or defeat. Instead, the men in the room could only groan at the grotesque sketch as they racked their brains for a solution. At worst, these creatures could be marching into their own lands next.

“How many of these monsters are there?” someone asked after some time.

“According to the guild’s investigation, there are over two hundred thousand of them,” the presenter replied. “They seem to come in different forms and varieties, but those are our best estimation of their overall numbers.”

“Two hundred thousand? Unbelievable... What a nightmare.”

“Where in the world have they been hiding all this time? With that many, there should have been more eyewitness testimonies.”

The immense number left the councilmen aghast.

“Where were they originally sighted?”

“We do not know. There were no survivors in Maluk...” The presenter stopped himself and looked at Elizabeta. “Though perhaps you would know, Your Highness?”

“Princess Elizabeta, do you know where the monsters came from?”

“We don’t know either,” said the princess. “They appeared suddenly from the south before destroying every village and town in order to take the whole country.”

The Swarm had actually appeared from the east, but Elizabeta told the International Council they had come from the south.

“The south? Could it be that the Empire of Nyrnal produced those creatures?”

“That’s extremely suspicious. The Nyrnal Empire has skilled sorcerers... Perhaps they asked them to create some new type of chimera!”

Elizabeta’s words exacerbated the discord and mistrust among the ambassadors, who turned at once to question the Empire’s representative.

“That’s absurd! Do you all lack sensibility?” he shouted, enraged. “Do you truly think we’d create an army of monsters strong enough to threaten the continent and then unleash them on Maluk unchecked? Remember, the great Themel River stands between us and the Kingdom!”

“You could have loaded the monsters’ eggs on a boat and sent it across.”

“That’s true. And the monsters might be able to cross water, too.”

The voices doubting Nyrnal wouldn’t stop. The Empire had been so overbearing that it was universally hated by other nations. There was some prejudice to the ambassadors’ behavior, of course, but there was no denying that the Empire of Nyrnal was merely receiving its just desserts.

“Your Empire has a means of producing wyverns. If you can create wyverns, who’s to say you can’t create other monsters?”

“True, true. The Nyrnal Empire’s wyverns are strange to begin with. What magic do they use to create creatures that don’t exist in the natural world?”

“If they can create wyverns, I’m sure creating monsters like this is perfectly possible. So long as the Empire can’t prove its innocence, we cannot and will not trust it. These monsters are a very real threat to our country.”

Wyverns were flying beasts that only the Empire of Nyrnal could employ. It was this airborne threat that had earned the Empire many victories in battle. There were a number of theories as to where the creatures had come from; some said Nyrnal had entered a pact with the devil, who produced the wyverns, while others insisted they were chimeras the Empire had developed on its own.

None of those theories had solid proof, but they were more than enough to arouse fear and suspicion among other nations. The Empire had trampled far too many underfoot to gain anyone’s trust.

“This is a travesty! That’s it! The Empire refuses to take part in this farce any longer!” Nyrnal’s ambassador had finally lost his temper. “If you want to be snapped up and killed by those monsters, do so on your own! We’ll handle them ourselves! And we won’t participate in your alliance, either, you damnable prejudiced fools!”

With that, he stormed out of the room.

The Popedom’s ambassador sighed wearily. “Now that that’s over... I propose that the rest of us form an alliance to combat this threat. What say you?”

“I agree. And by God, I’ve had enough of the Empire’s oppression.”

“So long as the Empire isn’t part of this alliance, we are willing to join.”

With Nyrnal’s representative gone, the rest of the meeting went smoothly. The International Council agreed that each country in the alliance would send as many soldiers as possible, with the Popedom volunteering to shoulder a large portion of the war funds. The Dukedom of Schtraut was to allow military passage when possible. Now that the Empire of Nyrnal was out of the picture, the only question that remained was whether the Dukedom would allow the allied forces to pass through its borders.

“At this point in time, Schtraut will have to decline any passage of military forces through our territory,” the Dukedom’s ambassador declared.

“Then when will you allow it?” Frantz’s ambassador asked.

“When the threat is in sight and we judge that crisis is unavoidable. Our country is not merely a road to Maluk.”

Letting a foreign army walk into one’s territory was a risk. There was no telling when the liberation army would turn traitor and invade the Dukedom. They would have to be wary.

“But if the monsters in Maluk were going to bare their fangs at another country, you would be first in line,” Frantz’s ambassador pointed out. “Do you still intend to wait until the threat surfaces? It might end up being too late.”

“We have an army of our own. If need be, we could buy time until aid arrived.”

“I still believe you should join the alliance. If you don’t, the Dukedom might be destroyed. Can you not rethink your decision?”

“I’m afraid I must decline. The Dukedom is an independent country that’s perfectly capable of defending itself. If the monsters attack, we’ll fend them off until you arrive. It is not without reason that we’re considered a major power on this continent.”

“My word. This group simply cannot make any decisions, can it? We’re sorely lacking when it comes to cooperation. The entire continent is in danger, but each country is too preoccupied with defending itself.

“The Nyrnal Empire withdrew, and the Dukedom of Schtraut is declining our offer. At this rate, it’ll be centuries before the Kingdom of Maluk is liberated.”

In the end, the outcome of the International Council was thus: every nation in the Council except the Empire and the Dukedom formed a military alliance, and this alliance would supply aid to the Dukedom if the need arose. In other words, very little had actually been determined or achieved.

“Are you sure that was wise?”

As Nyrnal’s ambassador stormed out of the conference room, his aide couldn’t help but express some concern.

“It’s fine. The Emperor himself ordered this.”

“His Imperial Majesty ordered you to leave the Council before it concluded...?”

“Yes. He ordered me to manipulate the flow of the discussion and nothing else. We never had any intention of joining an alliance in the first place, and so I was to make those absurd demands. If we truly did want to join the alliance, we would’ve used far more clever means. But His Imperial Majesty only wants to see direct results.”

The Empire of Nyrnal had no intent of joining the alliance led by the Popedom to begin with—such was Maximillian’s will. In that case, what did the Emperor intend to do? If he hadn’t believed the Council would be effective, how did he intend to oppose the Arachnea?

“I must give my report to His Imperial Majesty,” the ambassador said. “But remember: he is always thinking of the future, and no matter what, he does not wish to see the continent overrun by monsters.”

“Yes, sir. Understood.”

“In the name of the Empire. May we be victorious.”

“In the name of the Empire. May we be victorious.”

The two Nyrnal diplomats entered a carriage that whisked them away from Saania to the Empire’s capital of Vejya. Meanwhile, the Arachnea writhed in the shadows, and the other nations on the continent began working together to maneuver against this common enemy.

Having sided with neither the Popedom of Frantz nor the Empire of Nyrnal, the Dukedom of Schtraut was under immediate threat. Despite these circumstances, however, Schtraut continued leisurely devoting itself to trade. Normally, the Dukedom would have been able to play the card of economic sanctions to force other countries to concede to its whims... yet it chose not to.

Why was the Dukedom so complacent? Did its ruler have some other objective in mind? Now that the International Council had drawn to a close, these questions—and other concerns—hung heavily in the minds of its participants.

What sort of move would the Empire and the Popedom, the two leading powers of the continent, make next?

Those Who Stride Forward

“The operation was a success,” I said with a smirk.

I was back at the Arachnea’s base. I couldn’t have been more grateful to Duke Sharon for helping me sneak Elizabeta into the International Council. With just a few sentences, Elizabeta threw the council into complete discord. She caused Nyrnal to leave the Council and allowed the Dukedom assume a vague stance regarding other countries’ passage through its territories. It was a perfect diplomatic victory for the Arachnea.

“Did it go flawlessly, Your Majesty?” Sérignan asked, having picked up on my instructions to Elizabeta through the collective consciousness.

“Yep. It sure did. They’re completely divided. Divide and conquer is a basic strategy; we don’t want the enemy to unify and attack us together. With our enemies separated, we can crush them one by one while they quarrel.”

Divide and conquer—the most elementary tactic. We were effectively up against every other nation on the continent, but by making sure they didn’t cooperate, we would be able to pick them off one at a time.

The fact that some sort of alliance had been formed was a pity, but without the Empire, all it meant was that the Popedom’s army had become a little bit bigger. We could handle the smaller countries on the side while fighting Frantz’s main force.

Still, I wondered whether we could defeat the Popedom of Frantz to begin with. Unfortunately, our enemy already knew about the Swarm. Some of the guild’s adventurers had slipped through the Swarm’s defenses, infiltrated our territory, then reported back about the Swarms’ characteristics. A blitz wouldn’t work this time.

“Well, we’ll show them. I don’t know what cards Frantz has up its sleeve, and we don’t have a means of finding out... But no matter what comes, we’ll force our enemies into submission.”

I was prepared for a war against the Popedom of Frantz. It was already rearing to strike and would likely declare war regardless of whether we wanted to retaliate. Praying wouldn’t make the upcoming war go away. The only way to do that was to stomp out the aggressors and win.

“For now, we need to organize the army we’ll station in Schtraut, though. Ripper Swarms won’t be enough for this. They can serve as the army’s core, but we’ll need siege units for breaking through fortifications.”

I beckoned some nearby Worker Swarms and approached one of our Massive Fertilization Furnaces. True to its name, it was gigantic—five times the size of an ordinary Fertilization Furnace. Needless to say, the units it produced were enormous. So far, I’d been producing units that fell into the “small” category, like Ripper and Digger Swarms, but I was about to create much larger units now.

In the game, the barbaric Flame faction used huge units like Forest Giants and Trolls. The draconic Gregoria faction towered over the opposition with mythical beasts like Leviathans and Behemoths. The pious Marianne faction brought forth Angels and Cherubs. These were all big, powerful units with very high production costs.

A Ripper Swarm rush was only viable in the early game. Relying on Ripper Swarms for too long could bring about an unexpected defeat; the enemy could easily wipe them out with heavy equipment and intense firepower. In order to avoid this, I had decided to produce new units to win the upcoming battles.

“All right, let’s begin.”

I didn’t expect these to make it in time for a war over Schtraut, though. The battles around the Dukedom would be quickly decided. Whether it was Popedom or the Empire that chose to step in first, the battle for Schtraut wouldn’t last long. The Dukedom itself was wide but hardly tall, so either enemy nation would have it suppressed within days.

Even if the Arachnea joined in from one side, the attacking nation would be able to quickly conquer the Dukedom’s capital if things worked in its favor. And if that happened, it would no longer be a battle over the Dukedom, but a three-way conflict on what had once been Schtraut’s land. In summation, although this could become a drawn-out war, the actual domination of Schtraut would end all too swiftly.

So, even if I were to produce slow-moving, heavy units with high attack and defense, they wouldn’t be ready in time.

“I guess that’s fine,” I mused aloud, watching the Massive Fertilization Furnace shudder and quake. “Heavy units still have great value. I’m sure we can use this Surface Battleship during the next battle.”

♱

“Duke Sharon isn’t allowing the alliance passage?”

The question echoed through the Lorraine family estate.

“Yes, apparently so,” said Leopold, the current head of House Lorraine. “Even though Nyrnal’s man stepped out of the International Council, the Dukedom’s ambassador boasted that this country is capable of defending itself and refused to approve passage. How irksome.”

This was, of course, the same man who had argued with Grevillea during the evening party.

“But can this country really hold back an army of monsters?” asked Roland, Leopold’s younger brother. “Wouldn’t it be better for us to give the alliance permission to pass and have them stomp out the monsters for us?”

“The duke’s probably hoping to toady up to those fiends. Kissing up to others is his specialty, after all. He’d probably get down on one knee and plant his lips upon the monsters’ feet if it would preserve his position.”

Leopold’s relationship with Caesar was particularly sour. They had been political opponents during the last election, and to top it off, their families had a long-standing feud stemming from a broken engagement dating back fifty years ago. The shame inflicted upon House Lorraine had become a lingering grudge that influenced their relationship even to the present day. This sort of behavior was typical of Schtraut’s nobility.

“This is a major problem, and if we don’t handle it properly, the Dukedom of Schtraut will be wiped off the face of the map,” Leopold muttered, pouring himself a glass of brandy. “The monsters will destroy us, and if they don’t, then the Nyrnals will take advantage of our weakness to grind us under their boot soles. Either way, it would be our end.”

“There isn’t much we can do about it, though, is there?”

“What are you saying, my dear Roland? We’re one of Schtraut’s most prominent families. We have great wealth and authority; with these at our disposal, we can overturn the duke’s foolish policies. In fact, we could even persuade the other nobles to rally and impeach him. Oh, it’s a perfect idea. That is precisely how we can send Sharon’s head rolling.”

“Impeachment? Are you serious?” Roland eyed Leopold as if doubting his brother’s sanity. “We’d need two thirds of the nobles to vote in favor, and I highly doubt we can get that many of them to agree. Some of them voted for Duke Sharon over you.”

“Oh, come now, we can just bribe them,” Leopold scoffed, taking a swig. “Some nobles have taken a real dent in their coffers since the Kingdom of Maluk fell. If we offer them financial aid and new business prospects, I’m sure they’ll come around.”

“What sort of business prospects?”

“Employing immigrants. You see, the Adventurers’ Guild reports say Maluk’s been completely devoured by the monsters and is now uninhabited. I think sending in people from Schtraut and other countries to rebuild that abundant land is a fine idea, don’t you agree? I, for one, feel it is an excellent opportunity.”

Leopold was proposing to send people to help rebuild the now-unpopulated territories of the Kingdom of Maluk. Both the Dukedom and the Popedom housed many people who had been driven to bankruptcy and had a bleak future ahead of them. His plan was to send those people to resettle in Maluk and reclaim its rich lands and resources. They would resume excavation of the mines, plow the farms, and raise livestock. Schtraut’s nobles were all traders, so a selection of these traders would accompany the immigrants to Maluk, then profit off their work by selling them essential supplies and bartering for their products.

Roland thought to ask about Maluk’s survivors, but he swallowed his question. The Kingdom of Maluk was effectively in ruins, and its former citizens had no real rights; Elizabeta, for instance, had spoken as a representative of the survivors in the International Council, but her words had gone completely ignored. And while this was an attractive business strategy, it would be built on the sacrifice of innocent people.

“That... might work, yes. Erm, have you already begun working on the impeachment?”

“Yes, a few people have started acting on it—behind the scenes, of course. If Duke Sharon were to find out we’re moving to impeach him, he’d immediately start some kind of countermeasure. That man’s attentive when it comes to his own security.”

Though it was the first time Roland had heard of the plan, Leopold was already making moves in the shadows. He had urged a few nobles on the verge of bankruptcy—but who still retained voting rights—to approve of the impeachment plan.

“Besides, everyone knows that if the allied army passes through, it’s a prime money-making opportunity. Selling the soldiers supplies would produce excellent profits,” Leopold said, chuckling heartily.

“I understand, but isn’t it possible Duke Sharon is denying the allied army passage for a reason? You should keep that in mind. We could be making a major mistake here.”

“Sharon’s just a coward,” Leopold spat, pouring more brandy into his glass.

Neither of them could imagine that the duke had actually allied with the monsters that had destroyed Maluk—the Arachnea—to ensure the country’s security.

♱

Inside the duke’s residence in the capital city of Doris, the prime minister, Cardinal Charon Colbert, gawked at his superior.

“Are you serious, milord?” he asked.

“Quite serious. We ally with the Arachnea,” the duke replied.

“Are you aware that this so-called Arachnea is the present enemy of the entire world? Schtraut is a nation dependent on trade; allying with a universal villain means our trade routes will be cut off.”

“Still, we’ve no choice but to throw our lot in with the Arachnea. I’d prefer to give up on Frantz’s delicious wine if it means my country won’t suffer the same fate as Maluk.”

With its destruction of the Kingdom of Maluk, the Arachnea had marked itself as a heinous villain. Choosing to ally with this faction of monsters meant that Schtraut was also declaring itself an enemy, which would cause the other nations to condemn the Dukedom and cease all trade with it.

“The Popedom alone won’t stop the Arachnea, and if we overlook Nyrnal’s participation in this war, our country might lose its independence. This is our only way of avoiding that, Charon.”

Frantz’s military was about equal to what Maluk had once had, so they wouldn’t pose much of a threat to the Arachnea. An alliance backed by the Popedom wouldn’t be enough; that was a fact.

But if Schtraut were to allow Nyrnal, which had aspirations to take the north, to occupy its territory, it would almost certainly find its lands stolen from beneath its feet in the middle of the war, or perhaps even annexed.

Thus, Caesar felt the only way for his country to come out unscathed was to ally with the Arachnea and turn their greatest foe into their strongest ally. This was the only means he had available to protect Schtraut’s independence. Any other choice would force him to choose between protecting his country from the Arachnea or struggling to maintain sovereignty. However, he couldn’t help but wonder if there were some other magical solution that would enable him to do both.

“And you think the Arachnea is more trustworthy than Nyrnal?” Charon asked, interrupting his thoughts.

“I’ve spoken directly to a woman who calls herself the Arachnea’s queen. She looks young, but her wit is sharp. During our conversation, she expressed that she has no desire to attack us, but she may be forced to if we allow Frantz and the alliance to pass through our territory. Like myself, she doesn’t wish to see the Dukedom become a battlefield.”

Caesar had met Grevillea on the night of the dinner party and again the following day. He was confident in his judgment of people, and he felt Grevillea was a trustworthy young lady.

The fact that monsters hadn’t yet flocked into Schtraut was proof in its own way. It was safe to assume that the monsters weren’t limited by a lack of stamina. There were 200,000 of them squirming about in Maluk, after all.

“Understood, milord. If that is your will, I can only abide by it. But... do be careful. House Lorraine will likely oppose this decision. They may well be seeking to impeach you.”

“Lorraine... Agh, what a thorn in my side. They must still hold a grudge over that failed engagement, even fifty years later. And now of all times, when the Dukedom is menaced from both outside and within.”

Charon was already anticipating House Lorraine’s schemes. Leopold of House Lorraine had once run against Caesar for the position of duke, and their families had a long-standing feud as it was. The younger brother, Roland, was more rational and open-minded, but Leopold himself was far too impulsive to be reasoned with; he was a man who thought the world revolved around himself.

“Unite the nobles while dealing with Lorraine’s plot. Our country must be unified if we’re to conquer this crisis,” Caesar ordered.

“Yes, milord. I will do everything in my power.”

With that said, Caesar began working on the one thing hecould do: form an alliance with the Arachnea.

♱

The Dukedom of Schtraut’s national congress was filled with noise and tumult.

“To summarize, we’ve made our preparations to ally with the Arachnea. They’ve informed us they will grant us military aid and work alongside us to redevelop what was once the Kingdom of Maluk,” Caesar declared over the discord in the room.

“An alliance with the Arachnea?”

“We’re allying with the monsters that destroyed Maluk?!”

“Isn’t that betrayal?!”

Some of the congressmen were visibly confused. All they knew was that the Arachnea was the faction of monsters that had destroyed Maluk and become the enemy of the entire continent. The idea of siding with creatures universally hated by the other nations was so shocking that they couldn’t wrap their heads around it.

“The Arachnea is willing to defend us from the Empire of Nyrnal. On top of that, its leader has informed me that she has no desire to take our lands for her own. She has even agreed to deploy an army to help us, and she is relinquishing command of that army to us. How is it possible not to believe someone who is willing to grant us this much? They are clearly trustworthy allies.”

“Can you truly be sure they’re not after our land?” one of the congressmen asked. “They’re a flock of monsters. They might be friendly toward us now, but they still destroyed the Kingdom of Maluk.”

“If they were, they would not have brought up the topic of working alongside us to redevelop Maluk,” Caesar answered. “They’ve come to us, asking that we aid them in developing their territory. This offer is a great chance for the Dukedom.”

Grevillea had offered to cooperate with the Dukedom of Schtraut to rebuild the ruined, unpopulated lands of Maluk. She’d acknowledged that the farmlands and gold mines would go to waste without assistance from Schtraut. That had been one of the Arachnea’s bargaining chips.

“But if we ally with them, we’ll be branded traitors by the rest of the world!” another congressman cried, rising to his feet.

“Even if we are, we will have gained a powerful ally with the vast lands of Maluk under their control,” Caesar replied. “That would give us all the supplies we need to survive. And if we ally with the Arachnea, other countries may join as well.

“Our country isn’t the only one under threat by Nyrnal’s militant ways. I’m well aware of how we’ll be seen by others, but I can assure you that will not last long. Once everyone acknowledges the Arachnea’s existence, we will be antagonists no more. And this future is near and within reach.”

Caesar had thought through these words again and again. The Arachnea was a group of grotesque and powerful beasts; joining forces with them would be a struggle. Convincing the congressmen and maintaining diplomatic relations were equally difficult tasks.

“Let us begin our vote on the matter, then,” said the chairman of the congress.

As the voting began, the congressmen sat with hardened expressions. They knew full well that this vote would decide the future of the Dukedom of Schtraut, and so they considered their vote seriously.

Some defiantly voted against the alliance, while others quickly voted in favor.

“I am in favor,” said Basil de Buffon.

Upon hearing that the girl he had invited to the party was actually the queen of the Arachnea, he felt rather positive about the alliance. He didn’t see the girl as a monster, but as a reasonable human being. From his point of view, Grevillea having a human heart meant she could be negotiated with.

“Allow me to declare the results.”

After thirty minutes, the voting was concluded and the tally began.

“Two hundred voted in favor, while one hundred and one voted against. The measure in question is now approved.”

The room exploded in disagreement.

“Wait just one minute!” shouted one man above the rest. “This vote is invalid!”

It was, of course, Leopold de Lorraine. He rose from his chair to draw everyone’s attention.

“What seems to be the problem, Lord Lorraine?” the chairman asked.

“It has been discovered that during the last election, Duke Sharon’s faction committed foul play,” claimed Leopold. “I have my evidence right here. Duke Sharon bribed congressmen to vote in his favor. Not only that, but he hired prostitutes to keep them company during an evening party! It’s also been confirmed that illegal narcotics were being distributed!”

Confused whispers began to fill the air.

“Are you sure your proof is concrete?”

“Yes; in fact, I’ve confirmed the authenticity myself. A group of my men gathered testimonies from the prostitutes.” Leopold held up a stack of documents.

Bribery wasn’t uncommon, of course. Leopold himself had “donated” funds to other congress members during the election in order to secure their votes. However, Caesar had been elected primarily because Leopold had been too occupied with cozying up to the Popedom of Frantz.

“These are lies! I never hired any prostitutes!” the duke snapped.

Even if the bribery bit was partially true, the accusations that he had hired prostitutes to entertain guests and dealt in illegal narcotics were entirely fabricated. Leopold himself had persuaded the prostitutes to give false testimonies in exchange for some “gifts” of his own.

“No, it’s all true. As such, I propose we impeach Duke Sharon!”

The moment the word “impeach” left Leopold’s lips, the room began buzzing once more.

“This is absurd!” cried Basil. “Our entire country is under threat from all sides! We can’t afford to have a re-election now, you stupid, power-hungry nobody!”

“I am not a nobody!” Leopold shrieked, stomping his foot. “I propose impeachment!”

Impeachment would require one week of deliberation, followed by a round of voting. Leopold planned to use the deliberation period to paint Caesar as a traitor while buying off the other nobles. He would also take this chance to bring up the immigration business plan.

His proposition would attract the attention of nobles and bankers alike, as it gave them an opportunity to profit off of Maluk’s plentiful resources without becoming enemies of the other countries.

What this proposal did not factor in were the 200,000 Swarms infesting those lands.

♱

One week later, the day of the vote arrived.

“We will now hold a vote regarding the impeachment of Duke Caesar de Sharon,” announced the chairman of the congress, and the rest of the participants took their seats.

Leopold was confident in his victory. He’d spent the past seven days bribing other nobles in order to buy their loyalty. Meanwhile, the duke was tired and ashen-faced after all the repeated attacks on his character.

“The results of the vote are two hundred and four in favor, seventy-three against. The decision is made: Duke Caesar de Sharon shall be removed from office.”

“Do we hold another election, then?” one man asked.

“With the Popedom pressuring us to let them pass through...?” chimed in another.

“Until the election is held, I shall serve as the Duke of Schtraut,” Leopold declared.

“On what legal basis, exactly?”

“Legal...? Surely it is enough that we are lacking another man equipped for the job; besides that, I must remind you that I lost the prior election for duke by only the tiniest margin. I have no doubt I can gather enough support.”

In other words, Leopold had absolutely no legal basis for his proposal. According to the law, if a duke were to be impeached, an election was to be held immediately. But a brand-new election would take at least twenty-four days to arrange.

To the west of Schtraut was the army of monsters that had destroyed Maluk; to the east was the Popedom of Frantz, which was pressuring the Dukedom for permission to pass through. To add to the chaos, the Empire of Nyrnal was threatening to invade from the south. The Dukedom needed a representative as soon as possible.

“I am the only one who can lead this country through its current plight,” Leopold said.

“That’s absurd!” Basil barked back. “We wouldn’t be in this state of mayhem were it not for your fabricated evidence and cries for impeachment! If anyone’s thrown this country into dire straits, it’s you!”

He continued cursing at Leopold, calling him a dog of the Popedom, a traitor to the country, and a swindler in the shadows. But despite his complaints, the congressmen approved Leopold as the Dukedom’s interim leader.

At last, Leopold was Duke of Schtraut, just as he’d wished ever since Caesar had plucked the Dukedom from his grasp.

“The very idea of an alliance with the Arachnea is an affront to the God of Light, and I refuse to uphold it! We will survive only by clinging to our faith! All hail the Dukedom of Schtraut!”

But only a scant few people met his exclamation with enthusiasm. While many of the nobles had received financial backing from Leopold, they weren’t quite sure whether he was truly capable of overcoming the looming crisis.

Still, Leopold had already gained the power and authority he’d wanted—that fact was irrefutable. His first order of business as leader was to allow the Popedom of Frantz to cross through the Dukedom’s territories.

His second was to purge the opposition.