The Frontline (1)

Having heard Erinn’s affirmative answer, Karna trudged down the stairs. He approached the group gathered in the inn lobby and asked,

“My thanks for the positive reply. However, I have one question.”

“Hmm~?”

“This man beside you.”

Karna’s gaze settled on me.

“I wish to know what combat value he brings.”

At that, Erinn and Clara narrowed their eyes ever so slightly, clearly displeased. I understood the reaction well enough. No one would expect a mere porter to be of any use. The place we were heading was no ordinary dungeon—it was a battlefield where dozens of people died every day. There was no reason to drag along someone who contributed nothing to fighting strength.

Besides, even if a porter was useful while roaming dungeons, the frontline already had its own supply systems. The role itself was unnecessary there.

Of course, we had our own answer ready. Erinn began explaining why I was with them.

“You’re familiar with the Oblivion Legion Commander’s curse, right?”

“Of course.”

“And that the curse activates through mana, just like magic.”

“Yes. What are you getting at?”

“Albrecht’s mana will suppress the Oblivion Legion Commander’s.”

Karna’s expression did not change, but the look in his eyes shifted.

“You claim you can resolve the Oblivion Legion Commander’s curse?”

Even someone who spent his days on the frontline had never heard such a thing; he clearly found it hard to believe. I nodded.

“The Oblivion Legion Commander’s curse should work the same way as any ordinary curse. If you interfere before it fully forms, it can’t complete. Once the mana is bound, the curse has no way to finish.”

“…I will need a proper explanation of how that is possible.”

He was the type who insisted on confirming every detail before moving on.

“Letisia, could you help me for a moment?”

“Hm? Ah… of course.”

I had called on Letisia simply because I had first discovered this phenomenon while taking lessons from her; it felt natural. Looking back, I could have asked Clara just as easily—though I worried it might cause some misunderstanding…

…Never mind.

Surprisingly, Clara showed no reaction at all. I was just thinking how fortunate that was when Letisia raised her mana.

“Albrecht.”

“Ah, right.”

I drew out my own mana and directed it toward hers. Letisia watched and smiled faintly.

“You’ve improved a great deal.”

“Have I?”

“Yes. Excellent work.”

Studying under a Tower Lord had clearly paid off. The moment I released my mana, Letisia’s power tangled with it and slipped completely free of her control.

Karna’s eyes widened slightly at the sight. Beside him, Sharti—who had been silent until now—stared with her pupils blown wide.

“As you can see… like this.”

“…How is something like this even possible?”

I had no idea either.

Karna still seemed unable to trust what his eyes had just shown him. He turned to Sharti.

“Sharti. Do you know anything about this phenomenon?”

“…I’m sorry, Karna. This is the first time I’ve seen it as well.”

His shock was understandable. Everyone who first witnessed the peculiar nature of my mana reacted the same way—even enemies.

“But if what you say is true, this power should be able to cut off the Oblivion Legion Commander’s curse before it takes hold.”

“…Is that so.”

Karna let out a short, dry laugh and suddenly extended his hand toward me.

…A handshake, out of nowhere?

“Forgive me for speaking as though I were testing you. With your power, we can surely prevent more tragic victims from appearing. Thank you for your cooperation.”

“…Ah.”

He had simply been offering gratitude. In his sense of justice, my ability had been judged a force for good.

“Yes. I look forward to working with you as well.”

“…However, there is one point that still concerns me.”

Just when the atmosphere seemed ready to turn pleasant, Sharti spoke up.

“Lord Albrecht.”

“Yes?”

“Does your mana bind only a specific target’s mana, or does it react to all mana?”

“…It reacts to all mana.”

“Then…”

“But my mana reserves aren’t that large. Once I’ve sealed a certain amount, I can’t affect any more. I’ve used it that way in combat before.”

If my mana pool had been vast, it might have become a problem. The fact that it was only moderately small was actually more helpful in the current situation.

“…I see. I understand.”

Sharti nodded and turned to Karna.

“In that case, there should be no issues even in actual combat. Lord Albrecht’s power will clearly be of great help.”

“Yes.”

Karna said,

“I am grateful for your joining us.”

“Wow, even the great Karna is saying thank you~♡”

“We will travel by magic circle. Reaching the frontline from here would take far too long, so I have already contacted them.”

“Hmm, well prepared, aren’t you~.”

Erinn offered the compliment, then added one more remark.

“But there’s something we need to clear up first.”

“What is it?”

“That whole business with the prince—has it been resolved?”

Karna gave a slight nod.

“After hearing the full account, I informed them that your actions were justified.”

“That’s it? What about the prince’s reaction?”

“He was quite furious, but even His Highness the Crown Prince could not issue us any further orders over the matter.”

Hearing Sharti’s words, Erinn let out a soft sigh. She did not sound entirely satisfied, yet she seemed to recognize that this was the realistic limit.

She smiled thinly.

“Hope I never have to run into that prince again~.”

…Isn’t that a flag?

The Demon Frontier.

True to its brutal name, the place was a living hell—a battlefield where spilled blood gathered and flowed like rivers across the ground.

“So this is…”

“The frontline.”

The instant the teleportation magic delivered us, the first things that hit me were the coppery stench of blood stinging my nose and the sharp reek of harsh medicinal chemicals.

The moment we arrived, Karna spoke.

“We will go report your arrival to the officer in charge for a short while. Your party will need lodging and other arrangements going forward.”

“Sure~.”

Karna and Sharti left for a moment. The relentless smell made me wrinkle my face without thinking. Unlike me, Erinn spoke as though the foul odor were familiar.

“…Still the same as ever here.”

“You’ve been before?”

“Yeah, a long time ago. Not that you’d know, Albrecht~♡”

Right. I wouldn’t.

Apparently she had fought here before I possessed this body.

“The frontline was in serious danger back then.”

That was Freya. Her eyes grew a little distant as she looked over the frontline that had barely changed since those days.

“Almost every Hero had gathered here at the time.”

“Every Hero? Why?”

What story was this? It sounded like something that had happened before the main plot of Dungeon in Evil ever began.

“The Apocalypse Legion appeared then.”

“….”

The Apocalypse Legion. Among the Demon King’s seven legions, it was said to be one of the two most powerful forces, rivaled only by the Destruction Legion.

And that legion had appeared on the frontline?

…How in the world did they even hold the line?

A legion you normally only faced near the end of the story had shown up right at the beginning—before the story even started. The fact that these people were still alive felt like a miracle. The question rose in my mind, but Freya answered it almost at once.

“Of course, the Legion Commander never appeared, and several key officers were missing. It was only a half-strength force.”

“Ah…”

…So even that alone had nearly made the frontline collapse.

I felt the true weight of the Demon King’s armies all over again. Looking at it this way, I still couldn’t understand why the Demon King’s forces never simply attacked all at once.

If those powerful legions swept in together, could even a humanity filled with Heroes and champions hold out? Was it just a game-balance concession? Even that explanation felt a little forced.

“But why don’t the legions ever join forces?”

“Pardon?”

“You said a half-strength Apocalypse Legion nearly toppled the frontline. If the other legions joined in, we wouldn’t just lose the line—we’d face the actual end. So why doesn’t the Demon King’s army do that? Isn’t their goal the extermination of humanity?”

Erinn snorted at my question.

“Albrecht, you really are a dummy~♡”

“What?”

“Hmm, it seems Lord Albrecht has never studied theology.”

Freya also gave me a look that said, How do you not know this? Was this common knowledge for everyone born in this world?

As someone who had lived in the modern world, of course I had no idea—but they still believed I was the original young man named Albrecht who had always lived here…

“…I don’t really know.”

Might as well play the clueless idiot.

“Pfft♡ Then I’ll tell you.”

Erinn grinned and launched into the explanation.

“See that weird line-looking thing over there~?”

“Line?”

I looked out across the frontline as she instructed. Just as she said, when I faced straight ahead I could make out something faint and pure white. Those pale lines rose from the earth and stretched endlessly into the sky.

“You’re right. What is that?”

“That’s the Covenant of the Mad God Ren~.”

“…The Mad God’s Covenant?”

Mad God? I felt like I had heard that somewhere…

Ah.

When I contracted with Caesius and checked her status window, there had been a trait called something like the Mad God’s Curse. I decided to check again and looked at her.

I hadn’t misread it. The Mad God’s Curse was listed there. Was this the same Mad God they were talking about now?

While the question still hung in my mind, Erinn continued.

“That Mad God’s Covenant basically says, ‘Neither humans nor monsters may cross this place with more than a certain number of troops at once.’ It even counts the ones who have already crossed, so no new force can come ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠through until the ones already on the other side either return or are completely wiped out.”

“…Huh?”

Why would something like that even exist?

When I looked puzzled, Freya explained.

“The covenant existed long before the Demon King appeared. Originally, humans and monsters lived in their own separate domains, so the covenant was made to keep them from invading each other.”

…If that was the reason, it made sense. An army limited to only a portion of its full strength could never completely annihilate the other side.

“But as time passed, the situation changed somewhat.”

“…Huh?”

“For reasons no one knows, the covenant’s power is gradually weakening. The number of Demon King’s troops that can cross keeps increasing.”

That reminded me of something. The Canal that had appeared in the Estire Kingdom’s breadbasket region earlier. I had wondered how such a large force could move when the covenant existed and monster dungeons already dotted human lands…

“On top of that, once the monsters gained the Demon King as their leader they grew stronger. Now a single legion has enough power to wipe out an entire nation.”

“…So the situation is only getting worse.”

“Exactly~♡ That’s why more and more Heroes chosen by the holy relics keep appearing.”

I nodded at Erinn’s explanation. Even the original character description of Erinn in Dungeon in Evil had contained a line that felt similar.

‘The master of the Holy Sword, long left unchosen.’

So that was why the Holy Sword, which had refused every previous candidate, had suddenly chosen Erinn.

Still…

This really wasn’t a world where you could just lounge around and take it easy. The background was far more serious than what the game had ever shown. I was just thinking that a long, hard road lay ahead when Karna and Sharti, who had left a short while ago, returned.

“Let us move.”

“Everything go okay~?”

“Yes. The frontline would never refuse a Hero’s participation. However…”

Erinn cut him off before he could finish.

“Ah~ ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that’s fine. We can just brush off whatever tantrum comes later~.”

“…Is that so. Understood.”

From the way Erinn started with cursing, it was probably something related to the Empire. Karna had likely been about to mention that news of Erinn’s participation would reach the Empire.

“First we will hear the situation report.”

“What about the operation~?”

“There is none.”

“Huh?”

What was that supposed to mean? Erinn, the rest of the party, and I all tilted our heads.

“…No operation? What do you mean by that?”

When Clara asked in clear confusion, Karna answered,

“You will understand once you hear the report, but to put it simply—we currently cannot pinpoint the location of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Oblivion Legion.”

“…You don’t know where they are?”

“What is that supposed to mean~?”

Erinn spoke as though she found the whole thing absurd.

“You said you saw their movements yourself~? You’re not about to claim you were seeing things or some other nonsense, right~♡”

“Would I have summoned you here over a hallucination? What I saw was real.”

“Then why don’t you know their location?”

When I asked, Karna let out a short sigh.

“The legion’s traces have vanished.”

“…Vanished?”

“…What?”

Hearing Karna’s words, Erinn let out a hollow laugh.

“That just means you lost them while tracking, doesn’t it?”

“Yes. If you want to put it that way, that is exactly what happened.”

“They made a mistake like that on the frontline? That doesn’t make sense… Everyone stationed here is an elite from their respective nations. Tracking a legion would naturally have been assigned to someone outstanding… and they still lost them?”

Letisia spoke with clear disbelief. Karna nodded.

“You will hear the details once we reach the tent. That is why I said we should start with the situation report.”

“….”

There was no point pressing Karna any further. The expression on his face as he explained already looked thoroughly exhausted. Even he had clearly not expected things to turn out this way.

Well…

He probably never imagined the legion’s movements would slip away while he was off fetching us.

“…Hmm, fine~.”

Erinn nodded.

“I want to see that idiot’s face too~ I’m curious who it is♡”

“It will be someone you know as well.”

“What~? Me?”

Erinn smiled thinly.

“I don’t know any idiots like that among the people I know~♡”

“You will understand once you meet them.”

“…Hmm.”

If it was someone both Erinn and Karna knew, that meant the person was fairly famous on the frontline, right? And the tracking that person had been in charge of had ended with them losing the legion’s trail…?

…Something feels off.

Was it really just a simple case of losing the trail, or was there something more to it?