Each Their Own Operation (1)
Right after sending Clara off to the empire, I summoned Karna and laid out the plan for the command staff. When someone asked how I could be so certain without ever testing it, Letisia stepped in and explained that, theoretically, it was entirely feasible.
Karna cast his vote in favor with his usual flat expression, and with the only remaining hero on the front lines backing it, the rest of the command couldn't raise much of a fuss.
Truth was, all I could really do was deal with the magic clinging to that thing. Stopping the advance of a monster that size wouldn't be something I could contribute much to... so the odds were high that Karna would end up shouldering the worst of it alone.
Even with support from his partner Sharti, plus Freya, Letisia, and the two dragons on our side, the fact remained that as a hero he would still face the hardest and most dangerous part of the fight.
Watching him accept it without a second thought, I had no choice but to acknowledge that his willingness to take on risk was exceptional. Our first meeting might have been a disaster, but it was clear he was a proper hero.
Thanks to that, the plan I put forward was accepted by the command without further argument, and right now the soldiers of the First Front Line were scrambling to get everything ready.
Until the army finished its preparations there was a short stretch of free time, and with nothing else to do I just sat there staring into space.
"Albrecht."
That was when Letisia came over to me.
"What's up?"
"I figured you might be tense, so I came to check."
"Tense? Please..."
All I had to do was bind the mana. The one actually fighting that monster-like thing head-on wasn't going to be me, so why would I be nervous?
"Shouldn't you be more worried about yourself than me, Letisia?"
"Me? Well... I'm used to the battlefield."
Come to think of it, she had mentioned that the whole party used to be stationed on the front lines before. That meant before I took over this body... so "Allen" had been here too.
Didn't he just cause trouble everywhere...?
From everything Erinn had told me, he probably hadn't behaved well at all. What if someone on this front still remembered Allen from back then?
"...No way."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing. More importantly, where did Freya go?"
"Freya said she needed to verify whether Mersius is truly safe."
"..."
She's not trying to run some kind of ideological screening, is she...?
Apparently my expression gave away that I was thinking something weird, because Letisia immediately clarified that it wasn't what I was imagining.
"I don't know what you're picturing, but no. She's checking whether the mana might go berserk again. Mersius told her about the illness she suffered from."
"Ah."
I felt a little sheepish. Freya would never go that far; I must have been looking at it from too negative an angle.
"More than that, Albrecht—if it looks like it won't work in one go, pull back."
"Huh? Why the sudden—"
"Unlike when we faced the Legion Commander of Oblivion, it's fine to retreat and try again."
Unlike the previous battle where there had been nowhere to fall back to, this time the goal was simply to buy time, so we would be engaging early... which also meant there were plenty of places to withdraw to.
"I get what you mean."
Still, succeeding on the first try would be better. That way we would buy that much more time until Erinn arrived.
"Don't overdo it. If it doesn't work, we can just try again."
"I already said I got it..."
She really was a worrywart. Letisia only seemed satisfied after giving me one more reminder, and finally stopped talking.
"...But what about the request for support from the other heroes?"
"That seems to be running into a lot of problems. The heroes aren't exactly sitting around resting, so schedules don't always line up... There are some who didn't refuse, but even they need permission from their own countries..."
"So other places aren't much different from the Dern Empire, huh."
"Yes, that's how it is..."
Heroes who were supposed to save people, yet they could only move according to each nation's interests... It was such a painfully realistic problem that it left me a little sad.
"Come to think of it, Karna doesn't seem to care about any of that at all."
Did the Shah Zar Kingdom not consider heroes valuable assets? That couldn't be right...
Letisia resolved my curiosity for me.
"It's probably an arrangement with that crown prince. As far as I know, the reason Hero Karna follows the crown prince is exactly that. In exchange for Hero Karna serving him, the crown prince guarantees him the freedom to move however he wishes as a hero."
...Somehow, with that personality of his, it had always felt strange how readily he followed someone in power. So that was the backstory.
"...So that's why he tried to kill us."
"Well... something like that. Because that was the order."
Letisia continued.
"Anyway, that's also why Hero Karna is the one most active on the front lines."
"...I see."
I still couldn't look kindly on the man who had once aimed for my life, but on the other hand he was someone who ran around in the most dangerous places precisely to protect people.
Personal liking aside, he was definitely someone I could trust and entrust a job to. So...
If I just break the magic, he'll somehow hold the line.
I could relax and simply focus on doing my part well.
"For reference, among the currently active heroes, the one with the second-most achievements is Erinn."
"Huh? Erinn?"
"I told you she stayed on the front lines for a while, right? Back then Erinn figured out the Demon King's army's movement routes and ambushed them, winning several times."
"Ah..."
She had made good use of her past-life memories.
"By the way, I'm a little worried."
"About what?"
"That giant monster coming this way. With a body that size, it could carry something, couldn't it? We have no idea what might appear."
"But with that size... if you rode on its back you'd end up above the clouds."
Breathing would become a problem, so of course it couldn't carry an army. It was probably a monster that functioned purely as a giant mass weapon.
When I explained that, Letisia replied,
"The magic concealing that monster's appearance is the Magic Legion Commander's, right?"
"Yeah."
"Under him there are things that aren't constrained by breathing issues."
The moment she said that, one possibility immediately sprang to mind. I had seen them in the Lizard Lord dungeon, and they were also a specialty force that Magic Legion Commander Arcel prided himself on.
"......Golems?"
"Yes, those."
That could certainly get troublesome. Even so, with a hero present, would they really be a problem? From what I remembered of Dungeon in Evil, among the golems under the Magic Legion Commander there were only one or two stronger than the Obsidian Golem.
Of course this world was producing enemies a step stronger than the Extreme difficulty I had played... but still, with a hero around it should be fine.
The real worry was how tough that giant monster itself would be. With a body that huge, its stamina had to be enormous.
"Golems should be fine. There's a hero, plus both a mage and a saintess, so even if one side has high resistance it shouldn't be an issue..."
"If they were ordinary golems, Albrecht's words would be correct. But if it's carrying one of the Magic Legion Commander's masterpieces, things get difficult."
"Masterpieces?"
What was that supposed to be?
I had cleared every difficulty of Dungeon in Evil except the highest, and I had never heard that term.
"It refers to the seven most powerful golems created by the Magic Legion Commander."
"There are seven of them?"
"Yes. Each is said to have power comparable to a core executive."
Originally, under Magic Legion Commander Arcel there had only been core executives like the magic knight Barkan we fought at the Obelisk. Golems stronger than the Obsidian Golem had numbered at most one or two types...
But seven of them. The ones called masterpieces were probably enemies that only appeared on the Extreme Hell difficulty I had never managed to clear.
"Compared to Barkan from the Obelisk, which side is stronger?"
"Well... I've never fought them either... Probably about the same, I would guess."
"...Really?"
Then they could definitely become a variable...
"So be careful. Use Caesius and Mersius's power to protect only your own body."
"I can fight somewhat now too..."
"No. In the first place, where is the mana for Albrecht to waste in this operation?"
"Hmm..."
She had a point. I needed to focus on breaking the magic rather than fighting.
"...Yeah, you're right. Breaking the magic is what matters."
Above all, that role was the most important. Only then could the others help Karna stop the monster's advance.
"Is it burdensome?"
"Huh? Well..."
I had been the one to propose it this time, but lately I kept ending up with key roles, and it was starting to feel heavy.
"...If you're too tense, shall I loosen up your body a little?"
"Huh?"
Letisia said,
"I'll give you a massage. I'm quite good at it."
"You are?"
"Yes. Shall we go to the bed?"
"What?"
When I flinched, Letisia tilted her head and answered,
"You have to lie face-down for a proper massage."
"...You just meant a shoulder rub, right?"
"No?"
She was so bold it almost felt shameless. That attitude made me more uneasy than reassured.
"Lord Albrecht! Lady Letisia!"
Just then a soldier came running up.
"Preparations are complete! The command's order is to sortie immediately!"
"...So they say."
When I relayed that, Letisia let out a small sigh and said,
"Shall we continue when we get back?"
"What?"
"Why?"
She smiled bashfully.
"I'm just giving a massage."
"..."
The answer itself was ordinary, and the intention seemed ordinary too. But thinking about Letisia's recent behavior, I couldn't help wondering if there was some other scheme behind it.
...Am I overthinking this?
It was possible. And yet...
"Let's go, Albrecht."
"......Yeah."
Looking at that mischievous curl of her lips that vaguely reminded me of someone else, the suspicion didn't feel entirely baseless.
"Achoo!"
The chilly underground prison. This place, prepared in the basement of the imperial palace, was not for ordinary criminals.
War criminals, political prisoners, or vicious offenders arrested by direct imperial order... in short, the heavyweights of the criminal world gathered here.
And a beautiful woman who looked completely out of place in such a prison was sneezing in the cold underground air. The temperature wasn't particularly cold for her, yet somehow a sneeze had slipped out.
"Someone's talking about me..."
She thought that, but couldn't pin down the culprit. Surprisingly, there were a few people who might have reason to curse her.
Other prisoners who overheard her muttering began speaking up one after another.
"Hahaha, what a boring joke! Who would curse the Hero?"
"Aren't you just cold?"
The woman with radiant golden hair cascading down—utterly mismatched with the gloomy underground prison—was a celebrity even among the criminals. Of course she was; there wasn't a single person in the empire who didn't know her.
She was none other than the Dern Empire's only hero, Erinn.
Even those locked up here for their crimes held no ill will toward the hero who fought for the empire... for humanity. If anything, they were busy cursing the empire for locking her up in the same place as them.
"More than that, the emperor must be out of his mind. Locking a hero in prison—has he finally gone mad?"
"Even so, they wouldn't just lock up the Hero. Did the Hero commit treason or something?"
"Even if she did, it would be justified. This country is rotten enough to deserve it! Haha!"
Since they were already criminals waiting to die, they spoke without the slightest reservation. In that short exchange one could already apply serious charges like insulting the emperor and plotting rebellion.
Receiving goodwill wasn't bad, but trading words with these criminals would only hand the Military Minister more ammunition. So Erinn simply laughed lightly and didn't answer them.
...When will they get here.
Erinn, who had left Ser-Aria behind in Obern, had been immediately escorted here by Left General Salisius.
They had at least given her the courtesy of a hero—no handcuffs, no shackles, just the cell itself... but that was only possible because everyone knew that, as a hero, she couldn't escape.
If she hadn't truly committed treason, the truth would come out on its own, and then there would be no reason to break out. The moment Erinn attempted an escape, the empire's public opinion would flip one hundred and eighty degrees.
So she had no choice but to wait quietly. Ser-Aria would join the others, gather evidence, and properly deliver a blow to Military Minister Yureinia Achilles, the one who had orchestrated this.
Waiting only for that, she had already spent two days in this freezing prison. Just as the monotony was starting to get to her, the jailer called out in a polite voice.
"Hero Erinn, a guest has arrived."
The fact that she was locked up yet still treated so differently from the other prisoners was proof enough that, contrary to public assumption, this was being pushed through unilaterally by the Military Minister.
At the jailer's polite words Erinn lifted her head slightly. Then she smirked.
"I wondered who it was, but it's the very person who locked me up here~?"
"Don't say such mischievous things, Hero Erinn."
It was none other than Left General Salisius.
"You know I had no choice. I received orders."
"But the fact that I'm locked up here still doesn't change~?"
Erinn giggled as she spoke.
"I'm going to curse you. Uncle~ Go bald~♡"
"...Stop saying weird things and listen first."
Salisius said,
"I have news to deliver."
"Hmm, what is it? Did your hair really start falling out~?"
"That's originally little by little...... No, not that! In the first place that's a natural phenomenon that comes with age!"
Salisius let out a long sigh and continued.
"...Contact came from Alliance Headquarters."
"From the front lines?"
"Yes. A notification of an operation being carried out on the front lines."
The front lines were formed by an alliance of many nations, so any military movement had to be reported to each member country. Permission wasn't required, but notification of what was happening was mandatory.
Erinn looked a little flustered. The operation to push the front lines forward that Karna had proposed was supposed to wait until she returned so they could do it together.
"What operation? I'm stuck here..."
"It's the subjugation operation against the giant beast that appeared on the front lines."
"...Giant beast? What showed up on the front lines?"
"Yes. It appears to be an operation Hero Karna is carrying out on his own. The reason I'm telling you is..."
Salisius said,
"Because it seems your comrades are participating."
"......What?"
"On the list of main participants are the names of Letisia and Freya."
If Letisia's name was on the participant list... that meant Albrecht had already returned. And if that was the case, the odds that Albrecht was also taking part in the operation were extremely high.
Hearing Salisius's report, Erinn's expression hardened slightly. She rose from her seat and walked right up to the iron bars.
Salisius moved first.
"Hero Erinn, I understand how you feel, but stay still. Running wild right now will only make things worse."
"...Then with what intention are you telling me this, Uncle?"
Erinn growled as if she were about to rip the bars apart.
"Did you think I would just sit quietly after hearing that?"
"Calm down. I've always thought this—when it comes to your comrades, the usually rational kid completely loses her head."
"Cut the nonsense and talk. What are you trying to say?"
"I'm not here to tell you your comrades are in danger so you need to move immediately..."
Salisius said,
"I'm here to say that since your comrades are working this hard, trust them and wait calmly. Don't you trust your comrades?"
"You say something that makes it impossible to wait..."
When Erinn grumbled, Salisius paused for a moment before continuing.
"As you know, this whole situation only happened because we couldn't do anything about the Military Minister's insistence on going strictly by the book. Outside of her faction, there is virtually no one in the imperial palace who wants you punished."
"Hmm..."
"His Majesty and the Grand General both want you released immediately. But the Military Minister is pushing hard for punishment, so we're at a stalemate."
Salisius spoke as if he found it genuinely strange.
"When His Majesty made his wishes clear, the Military Minister could have yielded at least once, yet she kept hammering away at the rules with almost pathological stubbornness."
He glanced at Erinn.
"As if she were waiting for something."
"..."
Erinn let out a small sigh and released the bars. Then she spun around lightly and said,
"Sorry, but I also arrived with the investigation still incomplete. There's nothing I can tell you for certain yet~."
"'Yet' means that your trip to Obern is related after all."
"That's right~."
Erinn said,
"Don't move first. My comrades will handle the investigation on their own, so Uncle just needs to take what they bring and deliver a solid hit to that woman."
"...There isn't much time. The Military Minister is trying to advance your trial as much as possible."
"It won't take that long~ In the notification from Alliance Headquarters earlier, there was no name 'Clara', right?"
"Clara?... Ah, the new name of No Name, was it. Yes, it wasn't there."
"Then that's fine."
Erinn smirked and sat back down quietly.
"News will arrive soon enough~."
"...Is that so."
"Yeah. But Uncle~ I have a question~♡"
"What is it."
"Did you really go bald~? Pfft♡"
"...Shut your mouth, you cheeky little brat!"