“It’s dangerous.”
“Yeah. Very.”
The two dukes nodded in concern. Ceres thought she should go after Uncle Gino and help him after all...
“The monster is in danger.”
“Or people on his side.”
“...What?”
Ceres’s eyes widened.
Who’s in danger?
The monsters, not Uncle Gino?
And what do they mean by people on his side being in danger?
Duke Schweiss noticed her puzzled expression and set down his teacup.
“He’s the one person I never want to fight.”
“Me neither. He’s a damn nuisance.”
“......?”
The two dukes shook their heads, leaving Ceres even more confused.
***
“They really are Mecks.”
Duke Nora arrived at the site of the Black Forest and examined the monster carcasses, his head tilting in confusion. They were Mecks, centipede-like monsters that were classified as B-rank.
“The Halo Mercenary Corps was really wiped out?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm.”
A B-rank Black Forest should’ve been easy enough for the Halo Mercenary Corps to handle. So what had happened inside?
“Dispose of the carcasses.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
There was nothing more to learn from the monster corpses. Not a single human body remained, which meant the monsters must have devoured them all.
What happened here?
B-rank monsters shouldn’t be able to make the bodies disappear completely.
“Your Grace!”
His aide came hurrying over.
“A Black Forest has appeared. It’s in Allice Village.”
“What rank?”
“C-rank.”
The moment Duke Nora arrived in the south, he had ordered reports on every Black Forest that appeared in the area, regardless of its rank.
“Should we send soldiers?”
“Wait.”
“Yes?”
Duke Nora smiled.
“I’ll go myself.”
He took out the teleportation scroll he had prepared and set the coordinates for Allice Village.
“Might as well give the land some fertilizer.”
His smile deepened as he disappeared in a flash of light.
***
“Here they come! Get ready!”
“Yes, sir!”
The monsters in this C-rank Black Forest weren’t particularly strong. The problem was that they could fly.
The mercenaries inside the Black Forest couldn’t take their eyes off the monsters circling overhead, waiting for an opening. Their ordinary arrows were useless against them.
The creatures were cunning. They could snatch someone into the air and tear them apart on the spot. No one dared let their guard down.
“Now!”
The mercenaries raised their swords as a monster swooped closer, only to stop short.
Whoosh!
[SKREEEE!]
Something pierced straight through the flying monster.
“...The ground?”
The earth beneath it shot upward like a spear, impaling the monster in midair.
“Oh dear, this one’s poisonous. Not much use as fertilizer, I’m afraid.”
A cheerful voice reached them. The mercenaries turned toward the man approaching with his hands clasped behind his back, looking like he were out for a leisurely stroll. They immediately recognized him.
“Y-Your Grace...”
It was Duke Nora.
“You’ve all worked hard.”
He waved cheerfully at the mercenaries. Behind him, the earth continued to shoot skyward without end.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Rumble!
[SKREE!]
[KREEK!]
“......”
The mercenaries stared in bewilderment as monster after monster was impaled. They had spent years working as mercenaries in the south, but this was the first time they had seen Duke Nora use his power like this.
Unlike the other two ducal families and the grand ducal family, little was known about Duke Nora’s abilities. He rarely showed them.
Rumble.
Whoosh!
“Whoa!”
“Goodness, why are you standing there? Come over here. It’s dangerous.”
A mercenary recoiled as the ground suddenly erupted beside him. His face went even paler when he realized that it had just taken down the monster flying above his head. He was nearly killed because he let his guard down for a second!
“Everyone, be careful.”
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
At Duke Nora’s warning, countless pillars of earth erupted at once to take down the remaining monsters. Everyone nearby could only stare in amazement.
“Are you all right?”
“Huh? Ah, yes!”
Once the monsters around them had been dealt with, Duke Nora approached the mercenary who had fallen earlier and held out a hand.
“This is why I don’t like fighting. I end up making things difficult for everyone else. Don’t I?”
“N-No, Your Grace! Thank you for saving me!”
“Oh, well, I’m glad you feel that way.”
His power was certainly useful, but it could be a problem for his own side as well. When Duke Nora truly unleashed it, even ordinary soldiers had trouble staying on their feet.
The ground shook violently whenever he used his power, though the results certainly made up for it.
BOOM.
“Hmm?”
The ground suddenly shook with a heavy rumble. When Duke Nora turned toward the sound, a monster soon emerged.
“Wow.”
A soft exclamation escaped him.
“So you’re the one causing trouble on my land.”
It was a monster he had never seen before. Its grotesque appearance made it difficult to tell what kind it was. Then again, it was made up of a strange mix of A-rank and B-rank monsters.
Was that an S-rank monster’s hand?
“Oh my, four heads. Which one does the thinking?”
It had dozens of legs, each one different from the next. Just looking at it was enough to overwhelm the senses.
Everyone stood frozen, unable to look away. The mere sight of the monster made the place feel like hell.
“There are plenty of other places. Why make a mess on my land?”
Duke Nora clicked his tongue.
“You should’ve gone north. They would’ve been happy to have you.”
Still wearing his relaxed smile, Duke Nora slowly drew his sword.
“Oh, didn’t you know? I’m pretty good with a sword, too.”
His smile widened.
“Although... I wonder if you’d make good fertilizer.”
He chuckled and lunged at the monster.
***
“How many?”
“A little over 170 so far.”
“......”
Ceres frowned slightly as she listened to Ben, a member of Sky.
“170 children have gone missing?”
“About thirty from the capital, and the rest from other regions. That’s just the number reported over the past two months.”
There could be even more when the unreported cases were included.
After hearing Julia’s story, Ceres had asked Sky to investigate the orphanages where the missing children had lived. She wanted to know if they were connected to an illegal auction house.
Fortunately, there was nothing suspicious about the orphanages themselves. What was shocking was the information that came with the report. Far more children had gone missing across the empire recently than she had expected.
“Most were between five and ten years old. Children from orphanages made up the majority, and the rest were commoners.”
“Isn’t this serious?”
This was serious enough for the country to launch a full investigation. So why didn’t she hear anything? Everything was strangely quiet.
“Not one of the missing children is a noble.”
Ben smiled bitterly.
“You really think the country’s going to do anything just because some poor orphans went missing?”
“Some?”
“They’re still orphans.”
Some guards did search for the children after receiving reports, but most simply ignored them.
They would tell the orphanage directors and teachers that the children had probably run away because they didn’t like the orphanage. More often than not, they mocked or pressured the people who came to report the disappearances.
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