The Legion Moves First
"Pwah! Doesn't look like they can chase us this far!"
Even while fleeing, Ser-Aria had been knocking back drinks. At her words, the rest of us turned to look behind us. Everyone in the party was so fast that even the monsters hadn't managed to keep up.
"You're right~♡"
Erinn laughed lightly as she set Letisia down. Letisia, who had been tucked under Erinn's arm the whole way, staggered and swayed as she spoke, clearly dizzy.
"Ugh… next time, could you just carry me on your back, Erinn…?"
Erinn giggled at that.
"But then my chest would press against your back, and I don't want that~♡"
"Nngh, I'm seriously so dizzy…"
You're both women. What's the big deal if your chests touch…?
"Puhaha! I was the one pressed up against that chest the whole time! And it was huge!"
At Ser-Aria's remark, every gaze in the group swung toward Freya at once. Sensing it, Freya flushed faintly and said,
"Looking is fine, but being teased is embarrassing."
…What is she even saying. Most people would be embarrassed by both.
Either way, the results had been perfect. We had confirmed that the Oblivion Legion was still right there. Who would have thought they could hide not only their appearance but even their presence with magic.
So it really was magic, then.
As we caught our breath, Leite spoke up, looking puzzled.
"More importantly… how did you know?"
"Pardon?"
"I was already familiar with magic that turns someone invisible, but that wasn't the same kind of thing at all. Magic that distorts space itself… even I've never heard of anything like it, and I've spent a fair amount of time on the Frontline."
He seemed genuinely baffled that a type of magic he had never even heard of could exist—and equally curious about the identity of Caesius, who had recognized it at a glance.
Erinn answered simply.
"Can't you tell just by looking~? This lizard is a dragon. That's why she knows magic ordinary people can't even detect~."
"…She's really a dragon?"
Calling her a lizard had apparently left him half-convinced at best. Caesius cut in.
"I am not a lizard…"
"Sorry~♡"
…I feel like we've had this conversation before. She just keeps teasing her.
Erinn's playful streak seemed less like an act and more like something she was simply born with.
To still be joking around even on a Frontline like this…
Whether that meant her mental fortitude was excellent or she simply couldn't stay tense, I couldn't say. Considering we had been chased by monsters only moments ago, it was almost absurd.
Leite seemed to understand the explanation, but he raised another question almost immediately.
"But if only a dragon could recognize that magic, doesn't that mean it's dragon magic to begin with? How would something like that even…"
His gaze turned toward me.
"My mana is… unusual. It binds other mana."
"Binds mana…?"
"Yes. That's how I collapsed the spell earlier. The more precisely something is constructed, the more easily the whole thing falls apart once you introduce a flaw or two."
Leite looked at me as if I were some kind of rare specimen. Staring at me like I was a national treasure wasn't going to make anything come out of me…
"It's really a good thing Albrecht is here. Now that we know where the legion is, we can head back and actually do something about it."
"True~."
Erinn giggled and said,
"Good job~♡"
"Well, something like this is…"
"Puhu♡ Are you getting shy because I praised you~?"
…No, I'm not.
Having successfully pinpointed the legion's location, we headed straight back to the headquarters tent. When we delivered the news, Commander Rosebach reacted with open shock.
"Is that true!? They were still sitting in the exact same place?"
"Yes, sir. We confirmed it ourselves alongside Hero Erinn's party."
"To think they were preparing for battle that close…! Send out reconnaissance teams at once and keep tracking their movements!"
"Yes, Commander!"
A man who looked like a non-commissioned officer left to dispatch the scouts, and Freya addressed Commander Rosebach.
"We need to draw up countermeasures immediately."
At Leite's supporting opinion, Commander Rosebach nodded. He seemed to have already considered operations for the day he finally learned the Oblivion Legion's position, because he presented two options to us without much deliberation.
"There are two courses of action. We either strike first, or we dig in and defend. I'd like to hear your opinions on which is better."
As he spoke, the commander looked toward the two people who would form the core of any strategy—Erinn and Karna. Erinn spoke first.
"Defending would cost us way too much, wouldn't it, Grandpa~♡ Meeting a legion head-on in a place that also has supply units doesn't sound like a good idea to me~. The fact that they've been sitting still this long means they've prepared a lot—if we choose to dig in, we might all just die~?"
"…I share a similar view. If we were facing something like the Apocalyptic Legion or the Ruin Legion, with overwhelming force, it might be different. But against the Oblivion Legion, there's no need to play it safe."
"But as you well know, the Oblivion Legion has a troublesome quality of its own."
He was almost certainly talking about the Curse of Oblivion. We had already prepared a countermeasure for that, so Erinn answered with confidence.
"We can leave that to him~."
"…To your companion again?"
After hearing that we had found the Oblivion Legion and that the curse could also be left to me, Commander Rosebach looked distinctly puzzled.
It was a natural reaction. I, who looked thoroughly unremarkable, was somehow becoming the person who could handle this and that—like some kind of Doraemon who delivered whatever was asked for.
Of course, I hadn't planned it that way, and I wasn't actually capable of doing everything. The situation had simply turned out like this.
"You're far more capable than you appear, young man."
"…You're too kind."
I wasn't saying that out of politeness. It really was excessive praise. This was basically the only thing I knew how to do.
I had picked up a few minor spells here and there, but at this level of combat, it was fair to say they still weren't strong enough to matter.
"You can resolve the Curse of Oblivion, then?"
"I can't do anything about a curse that's already taken hold, but I can stop it from activating."
"…!"
Commander Rosebach spoke in open surprise.
"That alone is more than excellent! In that case, there's no need to take a defensive posture! An aggressive offensive will do just fine."
"So we're assuming we attack first… what's the actual plan, Grandpa~?"
"Fortunately, because they haven't moved, we won't need to overhaul the original operation much."
Commander Rosebach spread a topographical overview in front of us as he spoke.
"First, take a look at the terrain around where they've made camp."
"This little forest looks like the path we used… and there's a river behind the plain?"
"Exactly. It isn't a full back-to-the-river formation, but if we can drive the legion out, we could force them to have the river at their backs."
"Conversely, they could also use the river to launch a raid of their own."
Commander Rosebach nodded at Karna's observation.
"To explain the original plan—Erinn, Karna. I intended to make the two of you the centers of each axis: one striking from the front, the other hitting their rear through the river."
"Since they've settled on open plains, a full frontal engagement is unavoidable either way. It makes sense."
"Pwaaah, if we can sow confusion, all the better! But…"
Even in the middle of this, Ser-Aria was still holding a bottle and drinking. She spoke, lightly wafting the smell of alcohol.
"What if one side gets broken through? Even if they're a weaker legion, they're still a Demon King's legion."
"And if we split our forces in two, the curse becomes a problem~. This guy only has one body~♡"
Right. That was the problem. If the Oblivion Legion Commander went the opposite direction from where I was, there would be no way to nullify the curse's activation.
"Yes, Erinn. I only changed my thinking after hearing that your companion can resolve the curse. That's why I called it the original plan."
"So originally you were prepared to take the losses~?"
"…What choice would we have had?"
Commander Rosebach's expression turned bitter as he spoke.
"Unfortunate casualties have always been something we had to accept."
"…."
…So this is the reality of the Frontline. I hadn't witnessed those scenes myself, and I hadn't lived through them either—but somehow the bitterness still settled heavily in my chest.
The grim look lasted only a moment. Commander Rosebach rallied himself and spoke again.
"Which is why, after hearing what you just said, I came up with this."
"What is it~?"
"We don't split by direction. Instead, we divide into a strike force and the main army."
A strike force. At those words, our entire party looked at him with keen interest.
"Karna, Erinn. The two of you move together and take down the Oblivion Legion Commander. With this young man who can resolve the curse present, a small unit should be able to face the commander."
"So you're telling us to punch through. Feasible enough—but afterward, there's the risk of being surrounded by their forces."
Commander Rosebach answered Karna's concern.
"We'll open a path for you, even if only briefly. If possible, we'll also create a battlefield where you can focus entirely on the Oblivion Legion Commander."
"…You're planning to gather the heroes~?"
"If it means we can wipe out an entire legion, what wouldn't we do?"
Heroes. That was the term for the superhumans active on the Frontline. And those were the characters of Dungeon in Evil. The overpowered party I had assembled in the game had been the result of carefully selecting the best among those very heroes.
I'll probably get to see a lot of familiar faces.
Somehow, the thought felt almost welcome.
Erinn made a soft humming sound, then spoke.
"Alright. It's not bad. And it's convenient that we don't have to factor in allied casualties~♡"
"If we're going to execute this, we need to move fast. They'll have realized by now that we found them…"
"Then we move at dawn tomorrow. Calling in the heroes scattered across the Frontline and preparing for departure will take at least six hours."
It was around evening now, so setting out at dawn meant preparing on an extremely tight schedule. Erinn seemed to understand it was the best option available; she nodded without complaint, and Karna accepted it as well.
"I'll prepare as quickly as possible. In the meantime, all of you rest and get yourselves in order."
"Yes."
"Understood~."
"Will do."
Three hours before departure, I was rolling around in the tent I'd been assigned. Was I being leisurely? No—the exact opposite.
Shit… is this actually going to work…?
I was ridiculously tense.
When had someone like me ever thrown himself into a real battlefield? The closest I'd come was training during my military service; I had never set foot on an actual front. I wasn't some special forces veteran who'd been deployed overseas.
And now that same person was about to fight on a Frontline where people died more cheaply than ants—and it was no exaggeration to say I had been given an extremely critical role there.
I had clashed with the Demon King's forces before, but those had been small-scale battles—dungeons, Obelisks, that sort of thing. This place was several times more dangerous than even Belpaste, the capital of the Behend Kingdom, where soldiers had died in droves.
The fear of people dying was real, but that was secondary. The real problem was that if I made a mistake, the entire party could collapse on the spot.
If I fail to nullify the curse's activation…
The party would almost certainly fall into chaos. Especially now, moving as a small unit, every single person's combat power was critically important. If even one of us got hit by the curse and dropped out of the fight…
"…Taking down the legion commander would become far too difficult."
No matter how I looked at it, my role was too important and the pressure was crushing. I was starting to wonder if I had been an idiot for boldly declaring I could handle the curse…
But I knew it was the right answer. I knew it was the correct thing to do. How could I refuse? And I also knew that Erinn would only move if I did.
Under that weight, I couldn't rest at all. I got up from my spot, paced for a long while, and finally let out a heavy sigh.
"Haa…"
"Sighing like the ground itself is about to cave in."
Just then, Caesius appeared at the entrance—I hadn't even noticed her returning to the tent. I looked at her and asked,
"What? Why are you here?"
"There was no space over there."
Saying so, Caesius casually stretched out on the cot that had been mine. The way she even pulled the blanket over herself so naturally… it was a perfect demonstration of how she had lived in the house while I was away at the Magic Tower.
"Why wasn't there space?"
"The humans said they didn't know I wasn't on the party roster, so they prepared a five-person tent."
"Ah."
That tracked.
"But Clara isn't part of that party right now either, is she?"
"Erinn seems to have spoken up for Clara separately."
Then why didn't she do the same for Caesius…? I was starting to suspect she genuinely thought of her as roughly lizard-tier.
"So that's how it is. I'll sleep here."
"Hey, that's my bed."
"It can't be helped. And this doesn't appear to be a single-person tent either."
That was true. Single-person tents were reserved for the highest command ranks, so what I'd been assigned was a two-person tent. I had only brought one set of bedding, though, since I figured I'd be staying alone.
Looking at Caesius, who showed no sign of getting up, I said,
"…I'll have to go grab mine later, then."
Things had just gone quiet again when—
"Albrecht."
"Yeah?"
Caesius spoke first, then pushed herself up from the cot.
"Don't worry."
"……About what?"
"No one expects anything from you."
I stared at her, speechless.
"……That's a hell of a thing to say, you lizard."
"That isn't what I meant… I chose my words poorly. What I meant was that no one wants to place that kind of pressure on you."
"What?"
"Think about it. How long have you even been someone who could be called a combat asset? When I contracted with you, how long had it been since you first awakened to mana?"
"…Not long, yeah."
"It's the same now."
Caesius spoke as if the burden I was carrying was truly pointless.
"Everyone else is a veteran. Among the humans I've seen, they rank among the strongest. So even if you make a mistake, no one is going to blame you."
"…My mistake could turn someone into a complete fool, though?"
True to the name Curse of Oblivion, the victim forgot the life they had lived. It wasn't quite the same as being reduced to an infant, but they forgot who they were, how they had lived, what they were good at, what they had been doing…
They forgot all of it. Calling them a fool wasn't an inaccurate description.
Caesius answered.
"Even so, it's fine."
"How is that fine…?"
"Magic that places a curse that powerful usually has a countermeasure. If it didn't, everyone on the Frontline would already be idiots under the Curse of Oblivion by now."
"Uh…"
Now that she mentions it…
"Your power can erase the risk, but even if the curse-casting magic is completed, that doesn't mean there's no way to deal with it."
"…Is that so?"
Then she could have said that earlier.
"Of course it will still be dangerous. The caster isn't some amateur—they're one of the pillars leading a Demon King's legion. But…"
Caesius continued.
"The people with you are the core of humanity's fighting strength, are they not? So even if you make a mistake, they should be able to handle it once or twice on their own."
"…."
"You fretting and tensing up like this is more unhelpful than anything—that is the conclusion of my long life experience."
"What long life? How old are you even…?"
"In absolute years, the only one older than me is… Aria."
Huh?
"Aria is older than you?"
"I haven't asked precisely, but she is a High Elf, after all. High Elves don't leave their homes to wander the outside world in a fully mature form until they're at least two hundred."
"Uh……"
Is that how it works?
"Considering Ser-Aria's skill and experience—even accounting for her talent—she's likely been out in the world for at least a hundred years."
"…Oh… I see."
I'd heard elves grew slowly, but High Elves apparently even more so.
"Anyway… so don't tense up too much. If something goes wrong, you can simply give me an order, can you not?"
Looking at Caesius as she said that, I let out a short laugh.
"Never thought I'd live long enough to get comforted by a lizard."
"I keep telling you I'm not a lizard…"
"Anyway, thanks. I feel a little lighter because of you."
I was still appropriately tense—but people said that kind of moderate tension was actually helpful.
"At this rate, we should be able to—"
"Albrecht!!"
A sharp voice called my name. Wondering what was going on, I watched as Clara flung open the tent flap and rushed inside.
"Clara?"
"It's bad—the Oblivion Legion is at the Frontline right now…!"
Three hours still remained until the operation was supposed to begin.
"……What?"
The Oblivion Legion's preemptive assault had begun.