Side: Mako
How many times have I come to Bestia’s White Demon Castle in the past three weeks? I’ve only been to Amister’s Amagi Castle about twice, yet I’ve already been here five times. Well, usually, you can’t just waltz into a castle, so it’s quite a lot. This visit to the castle is also partly due to my dispatch as part of an alliance of hunters.
“We are truly grateful that you have dispatched such renowned Hunter Raids.”
The dispatched Hunter Raids were six in total: Holy Grave, led by their leader Faris; Gracious Lynx, who we met in the Instant Labyrinth; Falcon’s Beak; Black Army; Lily Wish, referred to as Amister One; and Trial Hearts, who, despite having traitors among them, still hold the same trust from those raids. Although the number of people is less than a hundred, they are all powerful, especially the High Class individuals, who are, without exaggeration, capable of fighting a thousand on their own. So, even with this small number, they can easily face an entire army.
“We will rely on your strength to defend against the invasion from Solemne starting tomorrow. Dinner preparations are complete, so please enjoy yourselves and recuperate today.”
“Thank you, Emperor Hildegard.”
They did the same thing when the Order arrived the other day. The Saber’s Guild has lost some of its forces due to Solemn’s attack, but fortunately, the towns and villages of Torencia have not been harmed. Therefore, food supplies can be gathered, but with fewer Sabers, Torencia has actually become more dangerous. This is especially noticeable in Bestia, where many Sabers were dispatched to Rio, and we were harassed by thugs a few times. It seems things have improved considerably thanks to the efforts of the Orders dispatched by the Order’s Guild to fill the void.
However, while moving from the Audience Chamber to the dance hall where a standing buffet was being held, I received some alarming news.
“Y-Your Majesty! Are you there!?”
A Saber rushed in, flustered and exuding an immense sense of despair. It was uncharacteristic behavior for a Saber, but the content of their message made such things irrelevant.
“You’re being noisy. What is it?”
“I-It’s an emergency! Slume… Slume Lord has appeared from Seryado Volcano!”
“W-What!?”
The moment they heard the report, not only Emperor Hildegard but also the officials of White Demon Castle, the Butler, and even the hunters of the Alliance were struck speechless. Monsters known as Catastrophe Species that can easily destroy nations. It’s said that one of the countries that existed on Aura Island before Torencia was destroyed by a winged, giant tiger called Slume Lord, and I’ve heard of a few others. A tiger with wings… I seem to recall some proverb or saying like that. Even a W Class monster, a winged tribe, is troublesome, so if it’s a Catastrophe Species, it would certainly be able to destroy a country easily.
“S-So, what happened to Krater!?”
“Krater is safe. However, there were considerable casualties among the Sabers and Orders…”
Three units of Orders were dispatched to Krater, and yet the proportion of High Class individuals should have been the highest. Even so, to have suffered significant casualties… did they really not stand a chance?
When I heard the detailed report, it seems that initially, Slume Lord emerged from Seryado Volcano and let out a great roar. The roar was clearly audible even in Krater, so the Sabers, Orders, and hunters prepared to intercept it. However, as if mocking the Sabers, Slume Lord appeared, put on a show of its recovered strength, and then returned to Seryado Volcano. There were a few deaths, and quite a number of seriously injured people, so if Slume Lord appears again, Krater might be completely ravaged.
“To make a full recovery at this timing. Read the room a little.”
“I couldn’t agree more, but this is indeed serious.”
“Right. We’ll have to go then.”
“I guess that’s the only way.”
Mana-sama sighed in resignation at Yamato’s decision, but the unfettered rampage of a Catastrophe Species would be a disaster for not only Torencia but also Amister. Solemne might rejoice, but considering their subsequent plan to annex Aura Island into their own country, it would still be troublesome. Yamato and Prim have reportedly defeated the Catastrophe Species Orc Emperor and Orc Empress individually, but Slume Lord, with its nearly ten-meter-tall body, would be more formidable. Even the subjugation battle 180 years ago only resulted in their escape, so it’s possible it has a cunning personality. Of course, I intend to go as well, but I can’t just leave the injured behind, so my only worry is how much magic power I’ll have left.
“We’re going too.”
However, Faris stopped Yamato.
“No, we need the Alliance to go to Rio, so that’s not possible.”
“That’s true, but if Slume Lord appears at this timing, not just Rio but even Bestia could be in danger. Besides, Yamato, are you forgetting about Mana-sama? Do you remember why Slume Lord couldn’t be defeated in the subjugation battle 180 years ago?”
“Ah…”
“…That’s right.”
The subjugation battle of Slume Lord 180 years ago, led by the guest Kazushi and the first Queen Eleria, with the summoning of Shinichi from Bacion and even O-Rank Hunters and O-Rank Orders from Amister, is recorded as an incredibly fierce battle. However, it’s believed that if the opponent had been only Slume Lord, they probably could have defeated it. The reason why nearly 70% of the nearly 300 High Class individuals lost their lives was largely due to the presence of An monsters that accompanied Slume Lord. Slume Lord is thought to have evolved from the G-rank Icicle Tiger, but its An form, Icequake Tiger, is an M-I Rank Monster. Records show that three of these Icequake Tigers appeared, and I heard that all three Magic Stones are stored in White Demon Castle.
“Is the Icequake Tiger also close to ten meters tall?”
“That’s what they say. All three individuals from that time were defeated, so I haven’t heard of any sightings since. If any appear now, they would likely be newly evolved individuals.”
“But 180 years have passed, so it’s not impossible for the number to have increased since then. Rather, we should assume it has.”
Saya, leader of Lily Wish, and Bout voiced their predictions, and I agree. Especially regarding the number, as Bout said, we need to consider the possibility of multiple individuals, otherwise, we’ll suffer unnecessary casualties.
“Considering Mylight, we can’t deny the possibility of Catastrophe Species appearing as well.”
“Right.”
Faris and Cliff added further predictions. The Catastrophe Species of Icicle Tiger is Avalanche Howl, an A-C Rank Monster, isn’t it? It’s said to have only been sighted in labyrinths, but being A-C rank, it must inhabit quite deep layers.
“So, are Faris and the others going to deal with the Icequake Tigers?”
“While dealing with Avalanche Howl alone would be too much, if we attack with this many, we should be able to handle up to Icequake Tiger. This will lighten the burden on the three Ancients, increasing the possibility of defeating them.”
Indeed. Yamato and Prim can easily hunt up to M-rank monsters, but it would still be difficult while facing a Catastrophe Species. If Slume Lord has a cunning personality, there’s a good chance they could be exploited. Yamato and Prim, who already have experience defeating Catastrophe Species, will be tasked with facing Slume Lord directly, so it would be best if they could focus on that. Although they escaped 180 years ago, if I and Yamato deploy a layered barrier, it would be much harder for them. We’ll likely have to use our trump card, but it can’t be helped at this point.
“…I feel very reluctant to say this after telling you about the dispatch to Rio, but if possible, could you please go to Krater first and deal with Slume Lord? The matter of Solemne is important, but if Slume Lord is left unchecked, our country will be destroyed. Therefore… I implore you.”
Emperor Hildegard bowed deeply. It’s a truly grave situation for a nation’s ruler to bow like this. Emperor Hildegard understands this, but the presence of a Catastrophe Species makes such things seem trivial.
“Since we’ve made the Queen of our country bow, we have no choice but to go.”
“Right. Yamato, you can fly to Krater quickly, can’t you?”
“I’ll have to leave Bestia, but it’s possible.”
“Then it’s decided. Our splendid dinner has been ruined, so Slume Lord will have to pay the price.”
Everyone nodded forcefully at Faris’s words. It’s reassuring.
“No, it’s a splendid dinner. Let’s depart tomorrow and recuperate tonight. I will accompany you to Krater.”
“Y-Your Majesty, you too?”
“Yes. I am a High Vampire, after all, so I don’t believe I’ll be a hindrance to any of you.”
It’s true that Emperor Hildegard is a High Vampire and her strength is comparable to a G-rank Hunter. However, I don’t think it’s necessary for the Queen herself to participate.
“The first Queen Eleria fought even after her limbs were torn off by Slume Lord and managed to force its retreat. As her descendant, I cannot stand by idly in safety behind the lines. In fact, it’s no exaggeration to say that our Royal Family’s martial pursuits are for this very occasion.”
Ah, so that’s why Eleria’s scythe is a symbol of the successive Queens.
“If you put it that way, it’s hard for us to refuse, but is Torencia alright?”
“We are not alright, but there is a dying wish from Kazushi-sama and Eleria-sama that if Slume Lord appears again, the Queen herself should lead the charge. Therefore, I believe it is unavoidable.”
“Furthermore, in the unlikely event something happens to me, I will leave it to my younger sister, Hilde. So please don’t worry about me.”
Brynhild Minato Torencia, Younger Sister of the Queen. I’ve met her too, but despite bearing the name of a war goddess, she didn’t seem suited for battle. She’s the same age as Yamato and already an adult, but she was a Level 40 Vampire. For someone unsuited for battle, Level 40 is quite impressive.
The sun has already begun to set, so we decided to go to Krater tomorrow and spent today eating the prepared meal to recuperate. Princess Brynhild also arrived upon hearing of Slume Lord’s appearance, and she too bowed her head deeply. Everyone advised her that the Royal Family shouldn’t bow so readily, but she firmly stated that in the face of a Catastrophe Species, such things were trivial.
The Torencia Royal Family has a tradition of female succession, but the internal situation is quite complex. While only women can ascend the throne, it’s strictly limited to direct descendants of Queen Eleria. Therefore, currently, only Crown Princess Brynhild has succession rights. So, if anything were to happen to Emperor Hildegard or Princess Brynhild, the Torencia Phantom King Family would cease to exist. There are a few branch families that inherit Eleria’s bloodline, but there’s a severe penalty where a permanent revocation of succession rights occurs if accused of assassination, so assassinations within the Phantom King Family have never happened. Moreover, since many successive queens have evolved into High Vampires, minor poisons have little effect.
However, a greater issue is the marriage and childbirth of the Queen. Queens can, of course, marry, but depending on the partner, they may have to become single mothers. Emperor Hildegard and Princess Brynhild’s mother fall into this category. Their father was a hunter from Amister who, upon visiting Torencia, was taken by the previous Queen and stayed for several years, during which the two were born. However, since he belonged to Amister, he did not marry and continues to be active there. Surprisingly, the previous Queen left for Amister as soon as Emperor Hildegard ascended the throne and is now happily married to that hunter.
Ideally, that hunter should have been invited, but although he has evolved into a High Human, his level is reportedly only in his early forties, and more importantly, his whereabouts were unknown, so there was nothing that could be done. Incidentally, the previous Queen was the youngest sister, and this is also a tradition; the reign of the youngest sister tends to be longer. When Emperor Hildegard will abdicate is unknown, but she is currently in her third year of reign, so if all goes well, she may step down in one or two years, and Crown Princess Brynhild will ascend. The successor after Crown Princess Brynhild would be the child of the previous Queen’s elder sister. The eldest girl is apparently only nine years old, so she doesn’t have succession rights yet. For some unknown curse, the previous Queen’s sister’s children are mostly boys, with four of them born, ranging from 14 to 8 years old. This is apparently very rare in Helios Orb, but it’s the first time for the Torencia Royal Family, so they seem to be genuinely anxious about Emperor Hildegard and Princess Brynhild’s marriages. By the way, the current strongest candidate, although still unofficial, is Yamato. It’s understandable, as he is the only male among the five Ancient Classes who can have children with women. My common sense can’t keep up, but since they forcefully argued about preserving the royal bloodline, I had no choice but to reluctantly accept. I wonder if I’ll ever get used to it?
