Monster Subjugation (1)
“So that’s what happened~♡”
Our party was a little surprised by Erinn’s story. No—honestly, I was more than a little surprised. Political power struggles like that were something I’d only ever seen in dramas or movies. Hearing about one firsthand was a first for me.
And against a ducal house and the Minister of Military Affairs, no less… the scale blew past anything I’d imagined. It felt like I was living through all the backstory I’d never even noticed while playing Dungeon in Evil.
Erinn had successfully returned, and Karna had accepted my suggestion and headed for the Second Front. With him going, we didn’t have to worry about the Second Front collapsing. All we had to do now was settle things here.
With Erinn back, finding a way forward no longer felt impossible. Relieved by that thought, I spoke to her.
“Still, I’m glad. That you made it back safe.”
“Hmm, is that all the reaction I get~?”
“What else am I supposed to say?”
“I mean… it’s been a while since we saw each other, right~?”
Erinn puffed her cheeks out a little, looking faintly sulky.
“When you see someone after a long time, there are things people usually say, you know? Nothing like that?”
“…Nice to see you?”
“……”
Erinn’s cheeks puffed out a little more. It was kind of cute, but I still had no idea what she wanted from me. Clara was standing right next to us—what was I supposed to say…?
“So this is the Hero, Benefactor.”
“…And just like that, another girl joins the party~♡”
“She’s not a girl—well, okay, she is female, but it’s not what you’re thinking.”
Erinn let out a light, empty laugh at my excuse and asked,
“So who is she?”
“A dragon I healed.”
“A dragon you healed… that would make her the Elder Dragon’s daughter, right? What’s she doing here?”
Mersius, who had been listening, opened her mouth at Erinn’s question.
“Benefactor saved my life, so I wanted to do something for him in return… When I learned he was heading into a dangerous battlefield, I felt I had to help as well.”
“…Hmm, are you serious~? You’re throwing away a lifespan that could stretch across eons just to risk your life for some ordinary human? It’s not like you had no choice the way Caesius did.”
Erinn snickered.
“Even a dog walking by would laugh at that~♡”
“Erinn…”
There she went with the mean comments again…
When I called her name in mild reproach, Erinn gave a little snort.
“I’m not the weird one here. You’re just ridiculously soft-hearted.”
“…Erinn’s not wrong.”
Ser-Aria chimed in as if to say Erinn’s take wasn’t strange at all.
“Dragons don’t exactly look kindly on any life form that isn’t one of their own.”
Hearing even Ser-Aria say that, Mersius’s expression grew a little downcast. Seeing that, I spoke up in her defense.
“I get what you’re worried about. But we already made a contract, same as with Caesius, so don’t worry. And…”
I could say with certainty that Mersius was different from other dragons. With a personality like hers, how could she look down on anyone?
“Mersius is a bit special. She actually likes people.”
“Th-that’s right. Just as Benefactor says, I’ve never looked down on humans. Why would I ever do something like that?”
“…Hmm.”
Erinn’s reaction was hard to read. Was she not buying it?
Given Erinn and Ser-Aria’s reactions—and the attitude Caesius had shown at first—it wasn’t completely incomprehensible.
“Well, fine. If you’re okay with it, then it’s fine.”
“You’re trusting me?”
“You said you’re fine with it, right?”
Erinn smirked.
“Then of course I trust you~.”
“…Hearing you say that is actually kind of moving.”
“Pfft♡ You’re not gonna cry, are you~?”
“…I’m not crying.”
This girl, every time you complimented her…
I suddenly looked around and asked,
“Come to think of it, where’s Clara? She didn’t come with you?”
“Clara came too? Where’d she wander off to already…”
Erinn was scanning the surroundings with a puzzled look when Clara walked into the tent.
“Clara!”
I was so glad to see her that I closed the distance in a single rush. And for a moment I completely forgot the others were there and pulled her into a hug.
“A-Albrecht…?”
“Where did you go? You scared me.”
“…A-Albrecht. Right now…”
Only after hearing Clara’s words did I realize, far too late, that every single one of them had been watching.
Ah.
Cold sweat beaded on my forehead as I turned around. There stood Letisia looking faintly sulky, Erinn with the corners of her mouth lifted but not smiling at all, and Freya and Mersius wearing complicated expressions.
The fact that Ser-Aria and Caesius didn’t seem particularly interested was… maybe a small mercy. I carefully let go of Clara. Letisia spoke up at once.
“Save the affection for later. How about we discuss what we’re going to do first?”
“…Y-yeah.”
Especially with Letisia… maybe it was because of how thoroughly she’d bombarded me back at the lair, but I was particularly conscious of her. Clara tilted her head slightly as she watched me.
Seeing their reactions, I let out a quiet sigh.
…I really have no idea what I’m supposed to do about this.
The fact that my heart leaned toward Letisia was unavoidable. She genuinely seemed to… like me. Even if society and convention had no problem with it, how Clara would feel about it was still the real issue.
But asking her outright would just make me look like complete trash, wouldn’t it?
If I’d actually been born in this era, I probably wouldn’t even be thinking about any of this…
“So where’s the Magic Legion Commander~?”
“…You saw that enormous monster in front of the front line earlier, right?”
“Yeah~ The giant elephant~♡”
“He’ll be somewhere near that.”
I explained the previous battle to Erinn. How I’d gone out to buy time, how I’d even tried for a subjugation, only for the Magic Legion Commander himself to show up leading all seven of his Masterpiece golems.
“And after all that, he’s just sitting there doing nothing~?”
Whatever he was thinking, the Magic Legion Commander still hadn’t moved since that fight. The colossal Grandis was the same.
I offered my guess about their motives.
“They’re probably trying to pin us down here and collapse the Second Front. Until you arrived, Erinn, we were stuck in a position where we couldn’t send Karna even if we wanted to—and couldn’t afford not to send him either.”
“Hmm, that does make sense~.”
Erinn tilted her head slightly, then smirked.
“So what’s the plan, Commander~?”
“…I haven’t actually said anything about rejoining the party yet.”
I’d told Letisia I was coming back, but I’d never mentioned it to Erinn. Letisia spoke up.
“You’re coming back anyway. No need to dance around it, is there?”
“…Huh?”
Erinn asked,
“You’re coming back, Albrecht?”
The look on her face as she asked was the expression of someone who had been waiting for this and this alone. It wasn’t just her—Freya, and surprisingly even Ser-Aria, looked thoroughly startled by the news.
Under the weight of all those stares, I felt a little awkward as I answered.
“I haven’t even asked Clara yet, and even if I do come back there are things I need to talk over with all of you… I was planning to finish this first and then take it slow.”
“…What is there to talk about?”
As she said it, Erinn suddenly grabbed both of my arms.
“You can come back anytime. No—I want you to come back…!”
It wasn’t the usual mischievous, teasing look. It was a gaze filled with genuine feeling, and for a moment I froze.
I felt it again—how sincerely she wanted me to return. And beside her, Clara gave a gentle smile, as if to say it was fine whenever I was ready.
“…Alright.”
“…!”
“This little detour’s gone on long enough, I think.”
When I said that, Erinn’s expression gradually brightened. Then she broke into a radiant smile—like someone who had finally been granted a long-held wish.
I don’t think I’d ever seen her smile like that before. So she could smile this prettily… The thought crossed my mind for just an instant.
But only for an instant. Erinn soon lifted the corner of her mouth in a faintly cocky grin.
“Heh. So you’re finally back~ See? I told you leaving home only leads to suffering~♡”
“Hah, what home…”
I laughed, half in disbelief, and Erinn giggled. The other party members joined in with light laughter of their own.
“It took longer than I expected.”
“I thought I came back pretty early, actually? I was half-convinced I might never return at all!”
“That’s a little horrifying.”
I smiled faintly at their reactions and glanced sideways. Clara looked thoroughly pleased with my decision as well.
Watching the whole exchange, Caesius—who had observed the entire process—tossed in a single dry remark.
“Finally things might get a little less stifling.”
The joy of Albrecht’s return to the party was short-lived. One problem still remained for them to solve: the giant beast Grandis, which still refused to withdraw from the front line, and the Magic Legion Commander who had to be driven off with it.
“As long as I’m the only Hero here, taking down the Magic Legion Commander outright is close to impossible.”
“…I figured as much.”
“That’s just what a Legion Commander is~. The Oblivion Legion Commander was doable once you stripped away the curse—he was a total weakling without it~♡”
Erinn’s tone grew a little more serious.
“The Magic Legion Commander is different. He’s a walking war machine.”
Albrecht couldn’t disagree. He had seen the stats himself. A man with a mana stat of 2010… calling him a walking war machine wasn’t an exaggeration in the slightest.
“I did send requests for support to the other Heroes, but there seem to be all kinds of problems. Their countries won’t let them go, or they’re already on other missions…”
“That’s just how Heroes are~. We’re tied to our nations—we can’t move freely. It’s honestly the most inconvenient thing~.”
Erinn spoke as if lamenting their shared lot.
“I mean, that’s exactly why I had to go back and deal with all that, right~?”
“Yeah, I get it.”
Understanding the situation and actually improving it were two different things, and that was the real problem. Albrecht let out a quiet sigh, and Erinn spoke again.
“Then we’ll just have to handle it ourselves~. If we keep waiting and they make the first move, it’ll be too late.”
“I don’t know how we’re supposed to do it. If the Magic Legion Commander himself steps in again, then…”
“You take him, Albrecht.”
Albrecht looked at Erinn with faintly startled eyes.
“Use the peculiar nature of your mana. The Magic Legion Commander’s strength ultimately comes from magic, doesn’t it~?”
“…That’s true, but cutting off his magic was harder than I expected. The Force binding is that precise and that strong. Whether I can sever it before he even finishes casting…”
Albrecht said,
“I’m not sure. We can’t build an entire operation around a gamble like that.”
“…Albrecht.”
Erinn lightly tapped the arm of the man who claimed he lacked confidence.
“We’re dealing with a Legion Commander. A monster that doesn’t play by common sense. Against something like that… how are you supposed to win without gambling~?”
“That’s…”
“If we think about it the normal way, everything you said is right. But if we follow that logic, we shouldn’t be trying this with just us—we should gather every Hero and champion on the First Front and fight him together.”
Erinn continued,
“But would he even fight us then~? The Magic Legion Commander isn’t an idiot. He’d take one look and retreat for sure~.”
“…He would.”
“Exactly.”
Erinn smirked and lightly drew the Holy Sword.
“So we have no choice but to shoulder the risk and gamble. Out of all those countless gambles, we find the one with the highest chance of success and turn it into victory.”
She rested one hand over her chest.
“That’s what a Hero’s party is for, isn’t it?”
“……”
Erinn’s words were, frankly, reckless. Reckless was the only word for them. And yet there was nothing more necessary for their current situation than those very words…
“…Hah. Fine.”
Albrecht had no choice but to concede. He pulled the Crystal of Aether from his pocket, tossed it into his mouth, and swallowed it whole.
“…Is it okay to just eat that?”
At Clara’s question, Albrecht nodded.
“Yeah. We use every tool we’ve got.”
Albrecht checked the message that floated up before his eyes.
You have used the Hidden Piece Crystal of Aether!
Mana stat permanently increased by 200!
Confirming that the message had applied correctly, he checked his own status.
Name:Albrecht
Class:Porter
Status
[Strength: 85] [Agility: 66]
[Vitality: 130] [Intelligence: 38]
[Mana: 352] [Divinity: 0]
Traits
[Quick Cooking Lv.7] [Skilled Ingredient Preparation Lv.5]
[Organization Lv.6] [Convenient Backpack Carrying Lv.5]
[Mana Circulation Lv.2] [Mana Recovery Lv.2]
[Magic Condensation Lv.1]
It had raised his mana stat by a flat 200 without questions or conditions. It fell a little short of the elixir he’d once given Letisia, but the performance was more than excellent.
With this much, he would have enough mana to interfere with the Magic Legion Commander. He’d closed the gap with Clara to a mere thirty-six points in a single leap.
Albrecht spoke.
“But we still need a safety net. So Letisia—summon the Spirit King and back me up.”
If he failed, nothing would be more reliable for handling the aftermath than the Spirit King. Letisia nodded.
“Understood.”
“Then Freya will take the lead on dealing with Grandis. Aria and Clara will support her.”
“Yes.”
“Then what about me~? Do I just sit this one out~♡”
Albrecht looked at her as if to ask what nonsense she was spouting, then let out a dry laugh.
“Erinn, you handle the golems. Climb onto Grandis’s back with the two dragons here and keep those golems locked down.”
“With the lizards~?”
“The only ones who can even get up there and hold their ground are a Hero and dragons. Of course, finishing them off would be better, but…”
Albrecht continued,
“The key is making sure neither the Masterpieces nor the Magic Legion Commander can interfere with Freya while she takes down Grandis. The objective is bringing Grandis down. Everything else can wait if we can’t finish it right away.”
Hearing Albrecht’s plan, Erinn smirked.
“Nice. That’s reasonable~.”
She said,
“Then it’s time to deploy~. Everyone ready to get thoroughly wrecked~♡”
“…Yeah.”
“Puhaha! Looks like more hard work ahead!”
“Let’s do this.”
“Everyone, please be careful not to get hurt.”
“I suspect I’ll be quite hungry after the fight.”
“Benefactor, I’ll give it everything I have!”
At her party members’ words, Erinn smiled softly. Then she turned to the only one who hadn’t spoken—Albrecht.
“Nothing from you~?”
Albrecht felt the eyes of Erinn and the rest of the party on him. As the final member of the party, he spoke with force.
“We finish this clean, then we go somewhere fun!”
Magic Legion Commander Arcel slightly doubted his own eyes.
“…Interesting.”
By Arcel’s estimate, the First Front’s forces should have been a long way from making any move. They would have needed at least two Heroes before they even considered acting.
And yet here they were—the same people who had fled with their tails between their legs—coming right back. The Hero had changed, but their numbers hadn’t increased.
“Hero Erinn… but alone, is she?”
In that case, the odds of them targeting Arcel himself were low.
“Looking at their composition… they’re not after me.”
Arcel deduced their objective with ease.
“They’re after Grandis.”
Arcel lightly stirred his mana and, in an instant, activated the command circuits. On Grandis’s back, the seven giant constructs that had been standing still began to power up.
Arcel watched them. Unlike their previous flight, they looked ready to meet him head-on. The fact that they hadn’t even brought their army—clearly to avoid pointless casualties—only confirmed it.
Since Arcel himself hadn’t brought his subordinate monsters, they seemed to figure an army wouldn’t be much help anyway. It was the choice of a small elite force on the move.
“They’ve got confidence, I’ll give them that.”
In particular, the man with that intriguing mana looked far more resolute than before. Seeing it, Arcel grinned.
“Well then…”
Arcel spoke in a voice laced with anticipation.
“Let’s see what you’ve got.”