A Duke's Dignity and a Demonic Threat

When we returned to the mansion, I was greeted by an utterly baffling sight: Lucien was flat on his face, performing a perfect, textbook-quality dogeza.

Sebastian stood nearby, looking completely flustered.

"M-My Lord?"

I was a bit taken aback myself. Sure, he was a doting father who turned into a puddle of mush whenever he looked at me, but where on earth did his usual noble dignity go?

"I am terribly sorry, my daughter!"

"My goodness! What on earth are you doing, Papa?!"

Lucien clenched his teeth, looking genuinely remorseful as he confessed his crime.

"I promised to bring you those new snacks, but the carriage was attacked, and now they are gone!"

He must have felt incredibly guilty for getting his daughter's hopes up only to let her down like this. Still, I didn't expect him to go this far... If I were the original Fran, I probably would have jeered and thrown a massive tantrum.

"Please raise your head, Papa."

"!"

I smiled, offering him my hand. How could anyone stay mad at someone being so genuinely sincere?

"The carriage being attacked is the fault of those vile beasts, not yours, Papa."

"Fran...!"

Lucien wept tears of pure emotion once again. Seriously, he was completely wrapped around his daughter's finger.

"Shall we hear the details of what transpired, then?"

"Yes, indeed. Let us head to the briefing room."

Regaining his composure in an instant, Lucien led us all to the briefing room.

Once everyone was assembled around the table, Sally Clavel, the knight captain, stepped forward with the reports to begin the briefing.

"Here is the full account of the incident."

"The luxury goods imported from the port city-state of the Maribouis Republic were passing through the Valgrande Kingdom across the Valois Plains when they were ambushed by a pack of what appear to be monsters."

"Hmm. Has the identity of these monsters been confirmed?"

"Yes. However, there is a highly unusual detail."

"The soldiers escorting the cargo were completely helpless and overwhelmed."

"According to the surviving soldiers, they were unable to cast any magic, leaving them completely defenseless."

Lucien stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"For highly trained soldiers to be rendered so utterly helpless..."

"Yes. We suspect it may be due to a unique trait possessed by these monsters."

A unique trait... Did they cast some kind of silence magic? If so, they must be highly intelligent monsters. Or perhaps...

Kailin muttered to herself, almost in a whisper.

"They don't sound like ordinary monsters... We won't know for sure until we see them ourselves."

She was probably right.

If they weren't ordinary monsters, there was a high chance they were Demonic Beasts from the Demon Realm.

Demonic Beasts were special monsters that my friend and I had created when designing the game's lore.

"I plan to lead a minimal elite force to subjugate these creatures," Sally concluded briefly. Given the urgency of the situation, they had to move quickly.

Lucien let out a quiet sigh and gave his orders.

"Very well. Assemble a small elite squad."

"By your command."

Lucien then turned to Kailin.

"Kailin, I would like you to accompany them. I ask this of you."

"Yes, I understand."

Oh, look at her, she actually knows how to use formal speech. I should go too. If they really are Demonic Beasts, I absolutely have to see them for myself. As the wielder of Scarlet, I need to test if I can stand against them. Besides, I want to personally obliterate the bastards who robbed me of my precious snacks.

"I shall accompany you as well!"

"T-Then, I will go too...!"

Marie and I stood up from our seats.

"No, you two must wait here. It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is far too dangerous."

Lucien tried to stop us, speaking with an uncharacteristic gravity. It was understandable for him to worry, especially since I'd been running around fighting so much lately... But unfortunately for him, I absolutely had to go.

I resorted to a little light blackmail.

"In that case, should I revoke the forgiveness I just granted you, Papa?"

"Urgh... V-Very well."

Defeated, Lucien turned to Sally.

"Sally, protect my daughters at all costs."

"By your command."

"Don't worry. With me there, nothing bad will happen," Kailin declared confidently.

"Indeed. I entrust my daughters to your care as well."

And so, with our team assembled, we set off toward the site of the ambush.

Leaving the mansion, the surrounding area was a vast expanse of farmland and open plains. It was a secluded region with wonderfully crisp, clean air, but it was the kind of place where you absolutely had to ride a carriage to get anywhere. As long as we followed the main carriage route, we would eventually come across the wreckage.

While we were riding in the carriage, I turned to Marie.

"Marie, you didn't need to put yourself in danger. Why did you insist on coming along?"

I loved having her with me, but it weighed on my conscience that she was heading into a potentially perilous situation.

Marie hung her head low.

"Well... since you were going, Fran, I wanted to see if I could be of help..."

"Is there no other reason?"

"There is, but... I don't really know. I just feel like... something over there is calling to me."

"A feeling, huh? You've got quite the adventurer's spirit in you," Kailin remarked, looking out the carriage window.

"This is a real battle. Let's make sure we don't drag each other down."

"Y-Yes, of course."

"Understood~"

A feeling that it's calling to her... Is this foreshadowing Marie's eventual alliance with the demons? If the plot is already building up to that, I'm in trouble...

"We've found it!" a soldier reported.

The magic carriages ground to a halt, and we disembarked.

The scene was even more gruesome than we had heard.

In the distance lay the shattered remains of the carriages, surrounded ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠by splatters of blood. Lurking among the wreckage were bizarre, grotesque creatures. They possessed the general shape of wolves, but unlike ordinary monsters, their bodies were pitch-black, and multiple purple eyes were embedded all over their flesh.

That appearance... was identical to the concept art of the Demonic Beasts I had drawn in my design notebook.

Now I understood why the soldiers had been so utterly helpless. Those were, without a doubt, Demonic Beasts.

"Those aren't ordinary monsters. There's a high chance they're... Demonic Beasts."

"D-Demonic Beasts?" Marie gasped in surprise.

So Kailin has a rough idea of what they are too.

"Yeah. Keep your guard up. They'll catch our scent and charge us any second."

No sooner had she spoken than a Demonic Beast that appeared to be the alpha let out a deafening roar.

"Awooooo—!"

Responding to the howl, the rest of the pack fell in behind their leader and charged straight toward us.

"They're coming! Prepare for battle!"

Sally commanded the elite soldiers, who immediately drew their wands. Marie and Kailin slipped on their magic-channeling gloves, bracing themselves for combat. I hoisted Scarlet onto my shoulder.

Sally and the soldiers unleashed a barrage of ranged magic. A few of the Demonic Beasts stumbled, but they quickly scrambled back to their feet and kept charging.

"It's no use! Hold your ground!" Kailin yelled to us.

"Maintain the formation!"

Sally and the soldiers ceased their attacks, focusing their mana to construct a defensive barrier and tighten their formation. In an instant, we were surrounded by the beasts, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife.

Suddenly, one of the beasts began to growl, a low vibration that was quickly taken up by the rest of the pack.

The soldiers' resolve wavered slightly, and Marie's hands began to tremble.

"Tsk, trying to intimidate us?" Kailin clicked her tongue.

This was Howling, a magic-nullifying debuff skill unique to Demonic Beasts.

I felt a sudden chill run down my spine, but my Strong Mind passive kicked in, instantly restoring my composure. I carefully assessed our surroundings. It was clear that our current forces were essentially useless. I would have to fight this battle alone. The weakness of these Demonic Beasts is the cluster of eyes embedded all over their bodies. If I focus my attacks on those spots, taking them down shouldn't be too difficult.

"Do not falter! Attack!"

Sally bellowed, but not a single spark of magic emerged from the soldiers' wands. Sally tried to cast a spell herself, but her efforts were met with absolute silence. Kailin looked utterly bewildered.

"W-What? My magic isn't working!"

The defensive barrier flickered and dissolved into thin air. The soldiers' formation began to crumble, and the Demonic Beasts lunged forward.

Right then—

"Hah!"

Marie conjured a massive wall of earth.

"!"

"Everyone, get behind the wall!"

Marie can still use magic? How? Well, that doesn't matter right now. That means our active combatants are just Marie and me. We have to defeat these beasts charging blindly at us.

As the Demonic Beasts began scrambling up the earthen wall, I shouted to Marie.

"Marie!"

"Fran!"

Marie knew exactly what I was planning. I twisted my torso, angling my shoulder guard forward, and poured strength into my legs. As a Demonic Beast leaped down from the top of the wall, Marie conjured another wall directly opposite it, and I charged straight toward it.

Scarlet generated a massive burst of propulsion, launching me forward at extreme speed. The beast collided violently with my armored shoulder, shattering against the wall Marie had built and flying backward. The other Demonic Beasts began leaping down from the wall.

"One more time, if you please—!!"

Marie conjured walls precisely where the beasts were about to land. With a spirited shout, I smashed into them one by one, obliterating them. From a distance, the sheer speed and destructive force of our coordination must have looked like a deadly game of pinball. Fortunately, I didn't feel dizzy. But I couldn't afford to miss a single one, or our allies would be in danger. Marie perfectly synchronized her wall placements with my movements.

The final beast, the alpha, leaped high into the air, clearing the wall.

Digging my heels into the dirt to brake, I readjusted my grip on Scarlet and swung it upward in a massive arc toward the alpha.

"Rising Smash—!!"

The blade struck the cluster of eyes on the alpha's underbelly, splitting the beast cleanly in half.

Splaaaaat!

A shower of dark demonic blood rained down from the sky.

Clang!

I planted Scarlet into the ground and curtsied elegantly.

"A splendid performance, Marie."

"Yes, Fran...!"

I wrapped my arm around the exhausted Marie to support her.

"!"

"You did wonderfully, Marie."

"Uuu..." Her cheeks flushed bright red. How adorable.

The battle was over.

The soldiers erupted into cheers. Kailin let out a long sigh of relief.

"To think they could nullify magic... If it weren't for you, we would have been wiped out."

"Ohoho! Such tricks are mere child's play to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me~"

"...Th-Thanks," she muttered under her breath.

"Pardon?"

"I-It's nothing!"

"A magnificent display of martial prowess, Lady Françoise," Sally bowed respectfully.

"You fought well too, Sally. Fufu."

"Not at all. I was completely useless today. I must redouble my training."

Once again, Scarlet absorbed the residual energy of the fallen Demonic Beasts.

Oh, a new skill. So that's what it is—a shout that intimidates and subdues opponents. For now, it seems Demonic Beasts aren't much different from regular monsters. Seeing that their lore and traits remain unchanged from my settings gives me one less thing to worry about.

"Congratulations. Since you defeated the Demonic Beasts, I'll report this to the Guild for you."

"That would be lovely. Please do convey the news well."

I pulled Scarlet from the ground, hoisted it onto my shoulder, and declared triumphantly:

"Let it be known that I, Françoise Albert de Valois, have vanquished the Demonic Beasts!"