Chain Quest (5)
“...It’s nice that things get handled so quickly, but is it really okay for a corps commander to have such a light ass?”
“People who lack confidence in their own authority are the ones who obsess over pointless formalities and procedures. I can do it this way.”
No, wasn’t the military supposed to be the organization that cared most about procedures and etiquette out of every group in the world? It was absurd, but after the research I’d done before coming here, it wasn’t completely incomprehensible.
The Draug Marquis family. Back when Barhart was nothing more than one kingdom among many, they were the house responsible for defending the kingdom’s borders. During the Hegemony War they had also shone brightly and piled up distinguished achievements, making them one of the great noble houses. Even during the early days of Ludwig Barhart’s rule, when the soldiers of each family were being integrated into imperial forces, they took the initiative and followed the will of the emperor—who at the time was merely a young king with no real accomplishments—thereby proving their loyalty. Because of that, they faced little interference afterward, and thanks to producing outstanding commanders generation after generation, their influence within the military remained strong.
The current head of that family, a man who had secured the position of corps commander at the young age of his early thirties despite relying on his house’s prestige. It would have been strange if he lacked pride or self-confidence.
“Besides, if you two were proper military personnel, I wouldn’t be doing this. But you’re basically operating under the table anyway.”
......Of course, separate from that, it was also true that this man’s personality was simply a little strange.
“Then let’s skip the rigid stuff as you prefer and just go with something comfortable and fast. What do you need us to do?”
“I like that you don’t try to weasel out by saying you can’t.”
Dietrich grinned and unfolded a map.
“The Eastern Army’s primary missions are largely two-fold. The first is to keep those damned Ivestan bastards from even sniffing around our borders. The second is to handle the magic beasts and monsters descending from the Eastern Mountains—which also serve as the boundary with Ivestan—especially from the area known as the ‘Black Mountain.’”
“However,” he continued.
“Honestly, the first mission is half just for show. At least since I took over as Eastern Corps Commander, those Ivestan bastards have never once moved their forces toward us. We can’t let our guard down, but there’s nothing we can proactively do about it right now either. The real problem is the second one… Do you two know the difference between magic beasts and monsters?”
“I believe magic beasts are ordinary plants and animals that have been mutated by exposure to powerful magical energy. Monsters, on the other hand, are artificial creatures created through experiments by ancient civilizations, mages, or the demon race.”
“What a model-student answer. How annoying.”
Hey, you asked the question! What the hell do you want from me!
“Then which is more dangerous, magic beasts or monsters?”
“......”
“Monsters, right? In the case of magic beasts, even if mutation occurs from magical power, the base body is still that of a living creature. If the mutation becomes too severe, they usually die before completing the process.”
Instead of me, who stayed silent, Ligret answered. Dietrich neither confirmed nor denied her words and simply pointed at the pitch-black mountain marked on the map.
“This damned mountain has an abnormally high concentration of magical energy in both the air and the soil. An ordinary mountain rabbit that grazes here for a few months can turn into a monster capable of shattering a human’s bones with a single kick. Like you said, these guys aren’t really much of a problem. Even if a mountain rabbit becomes strong enough to break human bones, the process of mutating far enough to dent steel usually kills them before they finish transforming. That’s why people generally consider ‘monsters’ the greater threat. Ancient civilization golems that wander around waiting for masters who died long ago, or trolls whose origins are said to be the familiars that old-era mages created as meat shields before releasing them into the wild.”
“For someone who said to get to the point, you sure like to talk.”
“If magic beasts could keep growing without self-destructing during the mutation process, what do you think would happen?”
Ligret frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. Lately, among the magic beasts coming down to the foothills, we’ve been seeing specimens with abnormally high specs every now and then. Strong enough to threaten even magic users.”
......Wait, wait, wait a second.
It couldn’t be.
I cut into their conversation and asked a question of my own.
“Isn’t it common for magic beasts mutated from the same species to have varying specs?”
“Sure, but the ones that usually prowl around the foothills are mostly the losers who got pushed out of territorial disputes. Since mutations often leave their original ecology and habits intact, the weak ones usually hold the leader positions deeper inside while the stronger ones get forced out. It’s strange for the strong ones to be the ones coming out. And it’s even more suspicious that exceptionally powerful individuals—clearly on another level—keep showing up one after another.”
“Even so, assuming from that alone that magic beasts have surpassed their limits feels like a pretty big leap.”
Please let this man’s hunch be nothing but a delusion. If it really was what I was thinking, the situation was serious.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—Dietrich nodded easily.
“Well, you’re not wrong. This is purely my gut feeling. That’s why I called you two. Ideally I’d have me or my men handle it directly, but we couldn’t get permission from above.”
Of course. The mountain range containing the Black Mountain formed the border with Ivestan, so they couldn’t allow the military to be deployed recklessly.
Dietrich looked me and Ligret in the eyes.
“Investigating the situation inside the ‘Black Mountain.’ That’s the request I want to make of you. The time limit is three weeks. During that period, find out as much as you can about what’s happening inside.”
Ligret asked, “Investigation only? What about resolution?”
“If you resolve it too, I’d be overjoyed. But if you push yourselves and end up dead, cleaning up the mess would be a headache in its own right. It’s not that you can’t, but it’s annoying. So if things get dangerous, just run. The mere fact that there exists something a little lady who can cross swords with me has to ‘flee’ from is already valuable information.”
I spoke up. “Still, even with three weeks, asking two people to investigate an entire mountain is a bit much.”
“You really do complain a lot. Just wait. I’ve got something prepared. Hey, you two outside! Come in!”
Right after Dietrich’s shout, the door opened and a man and woman who unmistakably screamed “we are soldiers” stepped inside.
“These are your helpers. Their command ability is nothing special, but they’re useful in a fight, so cooperate with them and do a good job.”
“Ahem, ahem!”
“Corps Commander….”
The pair shot Dietrich a briefly resentful look before beginning their self-introductions.
“Knight of the Barhart Empire Eastern Army, Morel Odina.”
“Bargal Odina of the same unit. Please treat us well.”
I’d thought they had similar features; so they were siblings. Or at least relatives from the same family.
“We are Chrome Midas and Ligret of the Imperial Skirmishers. But weren’t Eastern Army activities not permitted?”
Dietrich answered for them. “It’s fine. Those two are on vacation starting today.”
“...You’re spending your vacation on the Black Mountain?”
“It’s not my fault my subordinates have weird hobbies.”
“......”
What terrifying shamelessness. That single line perfectly conveyed the suffering of working under a mad superior.
Having assigned us the job and told us to bring good results, Dietrich kicked us out. Instead of heading straight for the mountain, our group of four decided to spend some time getting acquainted first. After all, we would have to watch each other’s backs for a while; a bad atmosphere would only make things harder. We also needed to gauge each other’s strength.
“Still, going on a ‘vacation’ to a mountain crawling with monsters and magic beasts—you all must have it rough too.”
“Hahaha, isn’t that what being a soldier is all about? On the contrary, I’m simply impressed that the two of you are already working for the empire at such a young age.”
Of the two knights, the man—Bargal Odina—had quite a courteous personality. Even though he was a noble, he used polite speech with me and Ligret, who were commoners, saying that rank didn’t matter while we were operating as Imperial Skirmishers.
Ligret usually shoved this kind of role onto me, and the female knight named Morel Odina didn’t seem particularly talkative as she remained quiet. As a result, the discussion ended up taking place between me and Bargal Odina.
“How should we handle command authority?”
“The corps commander instructed us to focus on assisting you two. However, he also told us to avoid excessively reckless behavior, so please understand that we cannot comply with overly dangerous plans.”
“That’s more reasonable than I expected. I thought he’d be the type to demand results even if it meant risking your lives.”
“Haha, he often gets misunderstood that way, but Commander Dietrich isn’t someone who throws his subordinates into danger lightly. If anything, he’s the one who leaps into danger himself.”
“Isn’t that even more troublesome for those serving under him?”
“......I won’t deny it.”
After a short silence, the conversation moved on to combat capability.
“Both I and my older sister Morel have completed our training in Red Light. Since Miss Ligret is the same type, when the four of us move together it would be best to keep Mr. Chrome at the center.”
“Will we be able to receive supplies through the Eastern Army midway?”
“Officially it’s impossible, but due to an ‘ordering error’ some supplies are scheduled to be ‘left behind’ at the foothill unit. However, because potions are high-grade items the procedures are complicated, so we couldn’t prepare very many.”
“That’s fine. I’ve brought plenty myself.”
While exchanging words, I thought to myself.
-If magic beasts could continue growing without self-destructing during the mutation process, what do you think would happen?
I had an inkling about what Dietrich’s words implied. But at the same time I didn’t know the details. Because that was—
—At least until the moment I died in my previous life, it was a being that came from an expansion pack that hadn’t even been released yet.