The Grellverelka Empire
“GRAAAARRR!”
A pack of lizard-like monsters with green scales roared. They resembled the lizardmen found on the surface, but their physical size and strength far surpassed theirs. Their ferocity was unyielding, not stopping even after defeating their own kind, and they wielded various weapons such as swords and spears with remarkable skill. Some among the pack seemed to serve as command units, their coordinated movements making them appear like a genuine army. My Appraisal Eye identified them as Marisgarison Lizards. I didn’t know the meaning behind the name, but it sounded quite formidable. Indeed, they possessed the power of an A-Rank monster, likely on the higher end.
“Ange, five reinforcements are heading your way. Three spearmen, one archer, and one mage.”
Even as I slashed through the lizards with the Foolish Saint Sword Clive, my Parallel Thought was constantly active, assessing the situation. It might be overthinking, but Ange, with her excellent perception, was still a developing partner. There was no harm in trying various approaches.
“Again? They’re coming out of that burrow endlessly, almost reaching a significant number. Should we take out their command unit, the Marisgarison Command?”
“Wait, that would be a waste.”
“I thought you’d say that. Understood, let’s carefully and thoroughly harvest them.”
Ange, daggers in hand, charged at the three spearmen. While not at her full speed, she moved fast enough to make ordinary people mistake it for a gust of wind. The lizards probably couldn’t even see her, but they seemed to have sharp instincts. Whether by instinct or a sense of crisis, the spear they thrust forward found Ange’s location.
“Oh, they’re using pretty good weapons.”
The target, Ange, dodged the three thrusting spears while appraising them. Immediately after, lying at her feet was— Well, I probably don’t need to explain this. It was the usual result. The Marisgarison Lizards, identified as archers and mages positioned in the rear, had already prepared their attacks, perhaps anticipating their comrade’s demise. It seemed they intended to attack their allies as well, possibly on the command unit’s orders. However, just as the arrow and magic were about to be unleashed, they met their end, their heads severed from their bodies. Did assassins fight like this head-on?
“Kelvin-kun. Ten new— Whoa, quite the generosity. It looks like they’re deploying thirty at once. Should we use magic soon?”
“While using magic would be the most effective way to wipe them all out, this level of opponent is sufficient for close combat.”
I greeted the surging reinforcements with a kick and plunged into the fray. As Ange pointed out, using magic would indeed be much faster for annihilating the enemy. Given my stats, I wasn’t suited for the frontline either, lacking in strength and durability.
However, there was something else. Ahead lay the ghost of the Demon King. And if my guess was correct, it was the former Demon King Gustav, Sera’s father. If that were the case, there was a high probability of it escalating into a full-blown battle if I reported my relationship with Sera. In short, this was also a preparatory exercise for that moment. If my abilities weren’t enough, I had to hone my skills through practical experience. To become even sharper, to grow even slightly.
“Yeah, I can see that just by looking… It’s been about thirty minutes since we engaged the monster horde. It’s gotten quite noisy, but isn’t stealth important?”
“I’ve deployed a soundless wind wall, so as long as we don’t stand out by any other means, it should be fine.”
“You’re so well-prepared. But, Kelvin-kun.”
“What is it?”
“We’re in the middle of annihilating them together right now, aren’t we?”
Ange pulled out a chain from her black robe. Wasn’t that the chain of the Exploding Tag Binding Sword we co-developed earlier? Attached to the chain were not swords or exploding tags, but weights the size of a man’s fist. W-wait, could it be…
“Our catchphrase is ‘swiftly and efficiently’!”
With a tremendous roar, more akin to an explosion than the sound of wind being torn, two chains were released. When the leading iron balls touched the monsters, they were mercilessly crushed, gouged, and scattered. Ange controlled the chains beneath her sleeve, wielding the super-heavy weights like whips with no range limit, creating a mountain of corpses. The lizard army crumbled in an instant. The command unit, a sub-species Marisgarison Command, which should have been further back, had its skull already crushed. As if to finish them off, Ange deployed the two weights into their burrow. The fierce assault, smashing into the burrow, made destroying the entrance a trivial matter.
“Hmm. While the throwing speed is inferior to kunai, if the opponent is easy to hit, this might be better, don’t you think? I call it the ‘Crushing Sinkers’! It seems quite usable in actual combat!”
“My practice dummies…”
Severing heads was gruesome, but this was also a brutal spectacle. A field of corpses, oh, a field of corpses. With these new throwing weapons, too large and heavy for mere projectiles, my plans were ruined.
“Kelvin-kun.”
Ange shook the fresh blood off her weights and retracted the chains into her black robe, turning back to me. She called out to me with her actual voice, not telepathy.
“Normally, I’d let it slide, but even I get jealous when I think about my complimenting another woman with your father during our annihilation activity, you know? I get jealous.”
Ange, with a refreshed smile, held a dagger knife in one hand. She had closed the distance unnoticed, and a sharp, poisoned blade was pressed against my neck. Hang in there, Ring of the Goddess, hang in there!
“I-I’ll be careful…!”
“Yes, good boy.”
Perhaps it was because she was a top-tier spy, but Ange seemed to have read my mind instantly. I wished she’d leave mind-reading to Melfina.
Having narrowly escaped that minor predicament, I was still in one piece. As Ange and I headed towards the capital, we encountered more monster battles like the lizard pack earlier.
“Since entering Grellverelka, the monsters seem to have become stronger. Isn’t this going too far, even before considering the Demon King’s ghost? Most intruders would probably be repelled by the monsters they encounter.”
“Is it because this is the former Demon King’s stronghold? Also, people usually don’t charge into a horde of monsters like that.”
“Hahaha, it’s a natural act for a person.”
Everyone has moments when they can’t control themselves. Melfina in front of food, Efil in front of the kitchen, and Gerard in front of his grandchild.
…Well, there are times when everyone restrains themselves, okay? Probably.
“Sigh, well, whatever. I fell in love with you, Kelvin, just as you are. Oh, not to continue our previous conversation, but you returned to Delamis via a Transfer Gate to pick up Colette, didn’t you? Did you ask about Sera’s father at the orphanage then? You might be able to find out if he was revived…”
“Ah, I did ask.”
“You did?! W-what was it like?”
However, hearing Estroria’s story didn’t give me certainty. Because—
“I thought the same thing and met Estroria at the orphanage, but honestly, it’s questionable whether it’s the real story.”
“You mean the Reviver is lying?”
“No, it’s just, well, how do I put it… Estroria has truly settled into her role as Sister Lia.”
“Huh?”
“In other words, she completely changed classes from a seductive vampire to a clumsy sister. Mentally, that is.”
“…I-I see.”
Estroria, the overly dedicated actress. Previously, her seductive persona was the core of her personality, but now she had truly been reborn as Sister Lia. She readily provided information about Gustav, but I wasn’t sure if I could trust Estroria in her current state. After all, she herself was unsure, saying things like “probably~,” “most likely~,” and “certainly~.” I wonder if Sister Attra’s guard duty will be alright…
