The Resolve of the White Flower
On the day of the massive raid, Princess Aira's expression grew darker with every report of escalating damage. Those around her couldn't help but watch her nervously, and the atmosphere in the royal palace hung heavy with despair.
The Tentacle Monster's assault hadn't shaken the kingdom's foundations or threatened its very structure—at least not yet—but it had certainly demonstrated the potential to do so.
"Our kingdom's response has been inadequate. This is deeply shameful."
"Ahem…."
"Hmmm…."
Aira was exhausted from placating the foreign dignitaries who had stormed in just moments ago, demanding answers about the event. Already burdened with governing in place of her frail, aging father, the weight on her shoulders had doubled—and yet nothing had been resolved.
Soon, the knight captains who had led the suppression efforts returned.
"You've done well. Claire. Riana."
Aira sat rigidly on the throne, straightening her back and praising their efforts with solemn dignity. Even if the kingdom had suffered humiliation, a princess must remain upright and graceful. Especially now—she had to embody nobility and poise.
In a firm voice, Aira asked the two, "Tell me the current situation."
Everyone stared intently at Riana. Her unsteady gait had been noticeable from the moment she entered. Exposed to the paralyzing fluid, Riana could barely walk properly.
"The Tentacle Monster is currently operating in two divided zones," she began, drawing everyone's full attention.
"One is the Recovery Center in the Deseval campus district. The other is the residential area in southern Furnaul."
"Is this confirmed?"
"Yes. Our church's informants verified it directly."
"Then shouldn't we launch a subjugation in the southern district immediately? Before the damage spreads further."
Aira was eager to act. Who would let a monster that impregnated women indiscriminately and mass-produced countless "Tentacle Monster types" rampage freely through the kingdom?
"Her Highness is right. We should go kill them now, no?"
"It has nowhere left to run by this point."
"A simple entry operation won't be easy," Riana said.
"The new Tentacle Monster type in the southern district possesses a skill that controls human women through scent."
"……."
Delia, the gray-haired, busty regent scribbling the meeting minutes, froze mid-stroke. Claire had heard a summary from Riana before entering the audience chamber, but hearing it again made it no less unbelievable.
"Is this reliable information, Captain Riana?" Aira asked, as if praying it wasn't true.
"I confirmed it with my own eyes—what happened to the informants I sent."
If Riana had been there herself, she might have noticed the odd smell and escaped immediately… though given the circumstances, even she wasn't sure.
The Star Church's elite agents had failed to respond adequately, after all.
……The shock Riana felt upon seeing her comrades suddenly swarm the bug cocks and king balls, licking and slurping away, had been profound. That scent was devastatingly effective on women.
Rumors had it the Tentacle Monster was especially potent against women, but she'd always thought it was just because it found human females so useful. It had never shown any particular strength tailored to them.
But now? The rumors rang true.
"The scent targets women exclusively," said Delia.
"Precisely, what are its effects?"
"Once inhaled, within about five minutes, the urge to suck or lick the bug's genitalia—and the smelly sack beneath—becomes impossible to resist."
"……."
Everyone grimaced, fighting back nausea. The idea that such depravity was happening somewhere in the capital was hard to swallow—especially given the Star Church Intelligence Division's reputation. These were specialists who thrived in the shadows, handling the filthiest jobs. For them to drool uncontrollably over bug cocks and king balls… it was too grotesque for a joke.
"Captain Riana, do you have countermeasures?" Aira asked, steadying her pounding heart.
"I request permission to sweep the southern district."
"That means…."
Aira's face darkened.
"Even the kingdom's citizens in the residential area could get caught in the crossfire?"
"Yes. That's correct."
"Is there justification for that?"
"…If this scent-emitting Tentacle Monster type expands its influence, even the palace will be at risk."
An elderly councilor shouted, "Are you threatening Her Highness?"
"Directly attacking the capital—do you know how much money we've invested in that area?"
"The damage from your reckless building demolitions wasn't trivial either!"
As criticisms of Captain Riana poured in, Claire stepped forward.
"On-site, that was the appropriate measure."
"Dropping a meteor to shatter an entire city block was 'appropriate'?"
"Captain Riana was in combat with the Tentacle Monster main body. She was the first to discover it—more than anyone."
Even if this raid stemmed from Riana's aggressive actions, that was only from the Tentacle Monster's perspective. Claire argued it was wrong to blame Riana just because she'd poked the hornet's nest—and that it had been the right one.
If anything, her failure to coordinate with the White Flame Knights beforehand could be faulted. But ultimately, it was hindsight.
Had Riana captured the Tentacle Monster, it would have ended things before they escalated. The problem was that their first encounter had yielded disastrous results for the kingdom.
"Riana. Let me ask you directly," the princess said.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Is it impossible to enter and eliminate the threat personally?"
"……."
Riana's holy spells were like bombs. Ordering a sweep of southern Furnaul would turn city blocks, residents, and monsters alike to ash in an instant. Feasibility? Absolutely.
That was the issue. The elegant princess who steered Rune Kingdom's politics with her beauty and popularity—if word got out that she'd ordered the obliteration of a residential district alongside the monster… Even if successful, the backlash would be immense.
Rationally, given the Tentacle Monster's threat level, it made sense. But crunching the numbers politically made issuing the order incredibly difficult for Aira.
"Tools or skills to block the scent could buy time, but we lack the hours to verify efficacy and safety."
"What's the success rate?"
"No one would take such a dangerous mission. The Tentacle Monster's subjugation difficulty nears level 4,000."
Everyone paled at the figure. The two powerhouses had battled such beasts routinely, but the councilors—who panicked at level 2,000 threats as world-enders—looked ready to collapse.
The Tentacle Monster grows stronger the longer we wait. Even the church informants got caught. By now….
Riana felt her insides burn. Truthfully, launching the sweep now was best—or the price later would be steeper.
But even resolute Riana couldn't coldly force such a brutal choice on the princess.
And besides.
Her true feelings, unspoken in public, diverged from outright extermination.
…The Tentacle Monster is such a peculiar creature.
After tangling with it once, her curiosity pounded in her chest. She couldn't voice it here, but part of her wanted to watch what it did next.
Tears, suffering… those paled against it.
The intrigue of a being driving a wedge into the kingdom, gathering power in unimaginable ways.
I want to know.
Unravel it all, then kill it with my own hands.
Riana suppressed her thirst for knowledge with discipline and reason.
Make my heart race more.
Or she'd charge into the nest right now.
"…We'll table this for now and hear from Captain Claire."
Everyone understood the headache, so the transition was smooth.
"Captain Claire. Report anything you've learned."
"We backtracked the emergence routes of the monsters… the Tentacle Monster types. We confirmed they've taken root in the Recovery Center."
"Yes, I received the report. That building was mine to shelter women victimized by interspecies assaults eight years ago."
"Indeed, now it's…."
A monster nest. Claire couldn't finish.
"It's fine. Go on."
"…Yes. It's confirmed: Tentacle Monster types are pouring from the Recovery Center."
Sighs erupted everywhere.
"I see. It may have been hiding its power there for a long time."
"The Deseval student council declared autonomous defense. We're blockading bridges one through three to keep the monsters contained."
"You're short on manpower—will it hold?"
"Yes, with the guard's cooperation. But if time drags…."
"…Their numbers will swell. The Tentacle Monster's breeding rate is insane."
In summary: Two Tentacle Monster strongholds. The presumed main body in the southern residential zone was tricky to assault; the Recovery Center seemed pointless to hit and risked diverting forces elsewhere. Ignoring either was impossible.
The key decision remained.
Aira clasped her hands tightly and asked, "Knight captains, tell me: Is the Tentacle Monster… the Demon King?"
The chamber fell silent.
Demon King. Saintess Esilla had foretold a second one's arrival, but Rune Kingdom hadn't officially recognized the Tentacle Monster as such.
Was the Tentacle Monster the Demon King? Their answer would drastically alter the kingdom's response.
Claire and Riana's minds raced.
Demon King? But… the real one we saw with Captain Riana….
The Tentacle Monster is fascinating♬ But… even as an immature Demon King… it's ambiguous…?
By sheer viciousness toward women, it qualified. But as the calamity heralded by true Demon King omens? Debatable.
Its growth curve stayed within predictions.
Claire knew: If it were truly the Demon King, debating it would be absurd. You'd know at a glance—its otherworldliness screamed it.
Labeling a tricky monster as such, only for the real one to appear later? National prestige shattered. Rune Kingdom would lose everything.
The insult of "Demon King noobs" would end their legacy.
So the captains reported what they'd seen.
"No. The Tentacle Monster is not the Demon King."
"I agree~. The Tentacle Monster isn't the Demon King."
Aira sighed in relief. Not the Demon King… they could still manage.
"Then we'll hold off on emergency declarations. We'll handle this kingdom-threatening monster with our own strength."
"Your Highness. Entrust the nest infiltration to me."
Claire stepped forward.
"Captain Claire?"
"I'll eliminate the Tentacle Monster."
"You're a woman, Captain. Wouldn't it be better to send male knights?"
"As Captain Riana said, it's extremely dangerous. I know no one more suited."
Everyone nodded. Riana had implied even she couldn't lead the charge—Claire was the kingdom's only option.
"Captain Riana. Support her."
"Yes."
"In times of crisis, the kingdom's knights are our salvation. I expect your victory."
"We won't fail you."
Once more, the knights received a mission they couldn't afford to botch. Execution: before dawn tomorrow….
Exiting the audience chamber, the two met eyes.
"…'I know no one more suited'~."
"D-don't tease me, Captain Riana."
Riana chuckled, knowing Claire's temperament.
"I'll prep the gear. Get some rest, Claire."
"I doubt I can…."
"Want a lullaby~?"
"Captain Riana!"
"Okay, okay. My ears are falling off. Hehe."
Someone had to step up. No one but Claire could take this suicide mission.
The fear of entering the monster's nest, the dread of failure—it crushed her shoulders.
Yet she'd volunteered because… she'd witnessed the suffering left behind.
Steeling her wavering heart, she reminded herself: It has to be me.
Parting from Riana in the corridor en route to her quarters, the kingdom's strongest knight—having made her noble resolve—cut a lonely figure from behind.
"Took you long enough."
Saintess Esilla?
Claire was startled to find someone waiting—Saintess Esilla and the hero.
Crutches under his arms stood Ethan Hillel beside the green-haired saintess, looking slightly awkward.
But what truly shocked Claire was the red-haired woman standing proudly next to her.
Former White Flame Knights vice-captain. Siroko grinned at Claire.
"Why the long face?"
"Siroko sis!!"
Claire rushed straight into Siroko's embrace.