Chapter 86
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Anomaly
The misshapen monster knew it was a special being the moment it opened its eyes in this world.
*Grrrrrrrwl—*
A giant tiger with soft fur that scattered in the wind and lightning captured in its eyes.
It spewed billowing hot steam from its mouth, and its long tail burned with flames.
The misshapen tiger noticed another being similar to itself nearby, but it soon realized it was far superior.
*Grrrwl—*
It pondered. *What is it I must do?*
The answer surfaced quickly, as if it had already existed in its mind.
To eat and drink.
To praise the greatness of ‘Him’ by endlessly eating and drinking.
The tiger’s lightning-like gaze scanned its surroundings.
It saw the creatures thriving in this land.
The two cities reflected in its eyes were Roen City and Lundna City.
*Individually, they are insignificant, but they become strong when they gather.*
It came to its own conclusion.
*Then I, too, shall gather them.*
* * *
After Harun’s death, Lundna City fell into chaos in an instant.
When Harun was alive, there had at least been a certain degree of order.
He was, of course, a ferocious conqueror who treated his people and vassals as tools.
However, by reigning at the top, he had kept his vassals in check, preventing them from acting recklessly.
With Harun gone, every day was a delight for the Aesir family, the long-standing nobles and ruling power of Lundna City.
The vast finances of Lundna City, once wielded by Harun, were absorbed entirely into the Aesir family’s coffers.
Yet their greed was endless. Like a compressed spring suddenly released, they coveted more and more wealth.
In the end, it was the powerless commoners who had to bear the entire burden.
Summer was drawing to a close, and the scent of autumn occasionally graced the wind.
At a fountain in Lundna, a young couple facing each other burst into tears.
“I’m sorry… I think we have to postpone our wedding.”
The woman lowered her head at the man’s words.
“I’m… sorry, too… for not being more of a help…”
They apologized to each other, but they both knew.
They no longer had the money to leave their respective homes, start a new family, and build a life together.
The Aesir family had been extorting special taxes under all sorts of pretexts, claiming they needed to strengthen their military now that Harun’s protection was gone, or that they had to repair the long-neglected roads.
For the citizens, the sudden, massive taxes were a bolt of poverty from the blue… and poverty was just another name for ‘giving up.’
“Father? You said you’d send me to study in Ilunael…”
“…”
“Father…! You know how hard I’ve worked with that one goal in mind…!”
The cry of a son, as desperate as he was naive, and the burning heart of a father who could only answer with silence.
One by one, the citizens of Lundna gave up on their dreams, on their plans for the future, and those forfeited opportunities became the Aesir family’s pleasure and luxury.
Strengthening the military?
Repairing the roads?
They had no intention of honoring any of the justifications they had put forth.
“A victory banquet for the warriors? What’s that! Postpone it!”
The youngest daughter of the Aesir family scowled and threw a tantrum.
“Ugh, I don’t care! That victory banquet or whatever shabby party can be held somewhere else! I’m hosting a dress party in the first banquet hall then! It’s the biggest, prettiest, and best one!”
A dress party where she could lay out luxurious dresses from the Eastern and Western continents, each costing over 100 dallons, across the vast hall, trying them on and having others try them on, and just having a blast.
Her older brother, who was enjoying expensive tea and refreshments from Oldland beside her, took it a step further.
“Little sister. You’re hosting that party yourself, right?”
“Yes, brother.”
“We can’t just let it pass. My dear sister, what can I do for you… Ah, right! A dress isn’t complete without accessories, is it? I’ll have every jewel in the world prepared. It’ll be fun to match them with the dresses.”
“Of course! You’re the best, brother!”
The wealth of Lundna, one of the top three largest cities in all of Norverge, was leaking away in such a manner.
The head of the Aesir family himself condoned, no, encouraged this absurd situation.
“We need to give performance bonuses to the monster subjugation corps? Why? What have they even done to deserve that?”
The family head scowled and threw the report submitted by the city administrator to the floor.
“No bonuses this year. Tell them to work harder if they want one next year.”
“But, my lord mayor… monsters have been swarming in the border regions recently…”
“Enough! Didn’t you hear me? Do you know how much money we need to pay the nobles of Gloryland and the Maritime King! What nonsense is this about performance bonuses!”
The family head was so full of hot air, caring only for social gatherings and receptions that were all show and no substance.
While the ruling class was destroying Lundna from within, the lives of those fighting to protect the city from the outside grew ever more desperate.
The Lundna monster subjugation corps, without proper support, fought ceaselessly to patrol the borders and secure the trade routes, growing weaker by the day.
* * *
“My lord. Why the sudden monster subjugation?”
Rivera asked, so I answered him honestly.
“We’re not actually here to subjugate monsters.”
“Then what is it?”
“Lundna.”
“Are we going to advance on them just like this?”
“No. I won’t do that.”
If I were to subjugate them one by one through force and kill all opposing factions, what would make me different from the Empire?
It’s not even efficient.
*We need to get stronger.*
To do that, I had to secure firm allies in each and every city.
Just as Gallan’s seasoned warriors had entered my service, honoring Kashmir’s will upon his retirement.
“I’m going to take a leap of faith. That even within Lundna, I can create a reliable and friendly faction.”
“Ah…! So this was for pressure. This isn’t a monster subjugation… but a monster drive!”
“You’re sharp as ever.”
Rivera Pietro. The man who stood against Ksias’s tyranny.
Yes. I wanted to believe there was a man like him in Lundna, too.
“Lete, that’s the man, right? I read about him in Lady Sea’s report as well.”
“Yes. He seems to be a man of principle. Not that principles alone make everything happen.”
“That is true, but…”
Rivera cut off our conversation and shouted in a booming voice.
“All troops! Do not pursue! Let the fleeing monsters go!”
Our army had already routed the monster horde.
The cavalry, about to give chase to the fleeing monsters, halted, pulling on their reins.
Having a competent subordinate is great. He takes care of things without even being told.
I have to let the fleeing monsters go. Lundna is in that direction, after all.
“But my lord. Even if we keep pushing these small fry towards Lundna… will it be effective? As rotten as Lundna is, I think they can handle this much…”
“They will. In fact, it will only make things harder for the truly principled warriors. But I wasn’t waiting for these small fry.”
As I said that, I slowly moved my hand toward the hilt of my sword.
“It’s coming.”
“Pardon? What is…”
Finally, a single, massive presence registered on my senses.
The rapidly increasing number of monsters in the border regions.
That was an unusual threat, of course, but the real threat was something else.
“An Anomaly is coming.”
Anomaly.
That was the name we gave to those beings, overwhelmingly stronger and more alien than common monsters.
Marked as red dots in the Book of Fate.
Monsters that harbored a twisted world line.
The sudden increase in red dots was a cause for concern… but for now, I could use them.
As a card to pressure Lundna City.
This was my question to Lundna City.
A monster of monsters, one that even the Sword Master Balseon had struggled against.
Can you truly withstand a monster like this?
And if you can’t… what choice will you make?
“Anomaly spotted ahead! Everyone, prepare for the roar!”
At Rivera’s command, the cavalry dismounted, and the warriors briefly set down their cumbersome gear, lowered their stances, opened their mouths slightly, and covered their ears with both hands.
And finally, the Anomaly we had been waiting for revealed itself.
—*Krrrrruuuuaaaaaargh!*
The moment it arrived, it threw its head back and unleashed a tremendous roar.
The shockwave from the roar made my body tremble violently.
I could withstand it just fine, but ordinary warriors would have had their eardrums burst, been knocked over, and thrown into chaos.
That’s why I had them prepare for the roar by lowering their stances and covering their ears.
A strategy we had learned through numerous battles with Anomalies.
But,
*This one’s a bit different.*
Its roar was louder and more powerful than the others, but the biggest difference was its appearance.
*It’s actually beautiful.*
I had hunted down Anomalies wherever I found them. They were too dangerous to leave to other warriors, so either Katrina and Baren went together, or Balseon went, or I sent the Sword Master Torban who had recently surrendered. When necessary, I went myself.
After subjugating them all, the last ones remaining were the two Anomalies between Roen City and Lundna City.
The most common feature of the ones I’d seen so far was something like writhing tentacles.
If they had fur, each strand writhed like a caterpillar, and their tails or tongues always contained long, snake-like tentacles.
A slightly smaller group consisted of those that unleashed shockwaves.
A part of their body was always shaped like a drum or a flute, allowing them to kill people or knock them unconscious with sound alone.
Their common trait was that they were all hideous.
But this one… was majestic, cool, and even beautiful.
*A great, crimson tiger…*
Its long, red fur fluttered handsomely in the wind, creating a shimmering gloss.
Its eyes seemed to hold lightning, and its tail burned beautifully.
This one’s abilities were as unique as its appearance.
*It’s fast.*
*Kwhaaang!*
There was no sound when it actually kicked off the ground, but when it tore through the wind toward us, it sounded like something exploding.
The moment its two eyes flashed…!
“Ugh…!”
“Ghk…!”
The soldiers who were hastily preparing for battle froze like stone.
As its red fur scattered in the wind, reflecting light in every direction, the mesmerized soldiers lost their sense of balance and collapsed one by one.
The great tiger was charging right at us to begin a massacre, but our formation had already crumbled, and there were no soldiers left who could fight.
And…
*The tail. No good. It’s dangerous.*
My intuition sent a warning signal.
*Sway—* The tiger’s flaming tail swayed. A chilling warning that if I let it be, there would be massive casualties.
I gripped the hilt of Vanroah.
*I will cut it.*
I merged my will with the sword’s.
In that instant, my eyes met the tiger’s…
*Kwaaaaang!*
The charging tiger stomped on the ground.
*Kukwaaaang!*
It slammed all its forward momentum into the earth, crushing it, then turned its body and ran back the way it came.
Which meant…
“…Huh?”
“…My lord. Is that thing running away?”
The tiger fled the moment it saw me.
At full speed.
In an instant, it vanished beyond the horizon.
“…Ha?”
Anomalies were all cunning creatures, so it was standard for them to flee if they sensed they were at a disadvantage, but…
“This one really is different.”
It was the first one to run away the moment it saw me.
“Anyway… that’s one down. Let’s go herd the other one.”
A total of two red dots had been found near Lundna City.
I intended to send them both to Lundna.
* * *
Before meeting Lansen,
The Anomaly, the red tiger, was in a state of fury.
Because the monster horde it had painstakingly gathered as subordinates was being hunted by mere humans, who were nothing but food.
It felt that only by eating and drinking them would its anger be sated.
Before long, it sensed an army of humans beyond the horizon.
*Grrrrrrrwl—*
It channeled its fury and made one last leap with all its might.
*Shiver—*
The red tiger suddenly felt as if the entire world was compressing into a single point.
Its vision narrowed to the extreme, focusing on just one person. A tiny being far in the distance.
A man who had just gripped the hilt of his sword.
And…
*I’ll die!*
The red tiger felt a warning, like a blade falling upon its neck.
*I’ll be cut—*
Two more steps, no, just one more step, and it would be within that being’s range.
An illusion of invisible blades sprouting from all directions, all aimed at its throat.
*Kyaieeeeee?!!?*
*BOOM!*
Its actions were faster than its thoughts.
The tiger shrieked, swerved, and fled with all its might.
With its ears flattened and tail tucked.
It had to get as far away as possible from that terrifying being. And,
*I have to eat!*
Was it a reaction born from fear?
The tiger felt an intense urge.
I must eat more and become stronger.
That is the only way to survive.
The tiger ran and ran.
Without a single look back, it ran toward Lundna City.