The Great Crab Empire

The Great Crab Empire.

The Crown Prince of the Great Crab Empire, Crabnius, had a problem.

And that problem was the existence of 'Crabcrous' — the Second Prince, son of the Emperor's second wife.

Though Crabcrous was only the son of the second wife, when the First Empress's health began to fail, the Emperor started favoring the second wife over her.

As the second wife's power swelled, it was only natural that her son Crabcrous's influence grew with it.

And now, at long last, Crabcrous has revealed his ambition to seize the throne from his half-brother, Crabnius!

Watching his mother sicken day by day, Crabnius cannot shake the turmoil in his heart.

If things go on like this, he will be forced to surrender his place as Crown Prince and be exiled with his ailing mother to some remote Turtle Island.

Will Crabnius manage to hold onto his throne?

...What?

The moment I opened a dungeon gate — not an open dungeon, but one linked to some other space — and stepped inside, a familiar cutscene played, a tip scrolling before my eyes.

But this dungeon took a form quite different from any I'd encountered so far.

"Wait. I'm not the only one who just saw that, right?"

"Crabnius? Who's that, Crab!"

"?"

While I was chatting with the viewers, three red crabs had somehow surrounded me, pincers raised menacingly.

They were doing their best to look threatening, but honestly, they weren't very threatening at all.

"Are you soldiers of the Crab Empire?"

"We are, Crab! We are the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pincers of the Empire! Knights of His Highness Crown Prince Crabnius! Reveal your identity, Crab!"

"Are you perhaps a dissident, Crab?"

Crabs, huh.

Fair enough — creatures like that weren't unheard of in the old days.

The sea was a place neither the angels nor the demons paid much attention to, so all manner of beings could live there freely.

Even so, I'd never once seen crabs form anything so grand as a kingdom, let alone an empire.

At most they gathered in tribes, sometimes in loose tribal confederations.

"I am..."

"...I'm a foreigner. I've come a long way because I wish to become a knight of the Crab Empire."

Best to get inside the Empire first.

Once I'm in, I'll figure something out.

"A foreigner, Crab?"

"This female. She looks strange, Crab."

"True. She looks like a mermaid, Crab? Could she be a mermaid, Crab?"

"I'm not a mermaid."

The crabs fell into deliberation.

Though I doubted it would take them long.

Crabnius's hold on the throne is in a precarious state.

His mother, the Empress, had fallen ill, and her bond with the Emperor had withered — so of course the strength and influence he could command had waned as well.

What they needed was soldiers and power to hold back his half-brother.

Before long, the crab who appeared to be the leader of the crab knights gave a nod.

"Very well. Follow me, female Crab."

"...Please don't call me 'female.'"

"? Understood. Foreigner Crab."

That was a close call. I almost killed him just now.

"Whoa..."

"Astonished, Crab?"

"Yes. It's bigger than I expected."

Even if these crabs were only about the size of a large dog, I'd had trouble believing a crab could build an empire — but the Crab Empire was far vaster than I'd imagined.

It could stand comparison with a mid-sized human village or larger.

And this was only the Crown Prince's palace. If you factored in the Emperor's palace and the residential districts where the crabs lived, the scale of the Empire was almost beyond imagining.

If there was any difference from human architecture, it was that the buildings were low — more like a gingerbread castle than anything else?

The structures built from giant clamshells and the sandcastles adorned with glittering patterns somehow looked flimsy too.

One hard whack and the whole thing would come crashing down. That was the vibe.

"Naturally, Crab. The great Empire built by the great First Emperor, Crabapuosis, enjoys a golden age equal to eternity itself, Crab."

"I see."

So he says.

"This way, Crab. Go and take the trial from the Order Commander, Crab."

"Weren't you the Order Commander?"

"I am the Vice Commander, Crab."

The Vice Commander crab led me deeper and deeper into the castle.

The crab gazes pouring down on me grew more numerous with every step.

But it wasn't the wow-factor of real-world people gawking — it was more the feeling of watching some genuinely fascinating new creature.

I felt like a monkey in a zoo exhibit.

It's been a while since I've had this particular experience.

"Heeeey — Commander, can you hear me, Crab. I've brought a promising one, Crab."

The Vice Commander crab pressed his mouth to a giant conch by the door.

Before long, the doors — covered in clamshell motifs — swung open, and a massive crab twice the size of the Vice Commander looked down at me.

"Welcome, Crab."

Level... around 50.

Exactly on par with the dungeon's level bracket, but by no means merely average.

He surely possessed strength that could stand toe-to-toe with even a mana-wielding human knight.

"Hello there."

"You said you came to the Empire because you wished to become a knight, Crab?"

"That's right."

If I became a knight, I'd be able to meet Crabnius.

Granted, there was always the option of barging straight in right now and getting a good look at Crabnius's face — but I still hadn't gauged the Crab Empire's full strength.

Just a hunch, but I doubted this would end simply by killing the Crown Prince.

Let's take it slow and approach carefully.

"Do you know of our knightly order, Crab?"

"I don't."

"The Pincer Knight Order, which serves His Highness Crabnius, has always been held by the strong and the strong alone, Crab. Its name signifies that we will pierce every enemy of Crabnius with our sharp pincers, Crab!"

The Order Commander, hmphing proudly as he boasted of his order.

When he waggled his pincer, crabs far smaller than him came scuttling over sideways in a line.

"You understand now, Crab? Here, you must defeat my knights and prove your strength, Crab."

Bang! Bang! The crabs clattered their pincers against their bodies on both sides, putting on airs of majesty.

As I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠said before — not the least bit threatening.

"Now, choose your opponent, Crab. Defeat just two, and I shall appoint you a member of the Pincer Knight Order, Crab."

"Are you sure you don't want me to hold back?"

"Hold back? Crab?"

Kra-hahahahaha! Crab!

The Order Commander crab burst into hearty laughter.

Even when laughing, he never forgot to tack on the Crab.

"No need at all, Crab! Our Pincer Knight Order is not so weak as to be bested by some foreigner, Crab!"

"Is that so?"

"It is, Crab! Even if they die, they will have died honorably as warriors of Crabnius, and that is only fitting, Crab!"

Well, if you say so...

I drew out my spear.

Compared to those massive red pincers, it was hardly more than a twig — but its power had long since outgrown anything so humble as a 'spear.'

Having chosen my opponent, the crab knight and I stood facing each other.

The dueling grounds were, in their way, thick with tension.

Not just the crab knights who hadn't been chosen, but the countless crabs serving in Crabnius's palace came swarming out to watch the fight between the crab knight and me.

A faint trace of mana settled into the spear.

"You're truly certain I needn't hold back?"

"That is so, Crab! Our crab knights are by no means weak! Crab!"