Monsters and bandits rarely appeared near the Imperial Capital Zebuldia.
The Zebuldia Empire boasted vast territories, and the roads were kept safe by powerful knight orders and Hunters — an unusually high standard of security for a nation of its scale.
It was impossible to eradicate every last threat, but it was fair to say that anything dangerous enough to require an escort essentially did not exist in the area.
Krius had been using the outskirts of the imperial capital as his main hunting ground for some time now, and he had never encountered anything particularly dangerous while traveling.
That is, until the day he joined the Emperor's escort detail.
At Kly's order — delivered with the kind of force that seemed to drain all strength from his body — I leaped from the carriage.
Bandits appearing near the road was exceedingly rare, and even when they did, our fighting force this time around could handle anything. Compared to the Emperor's escort mission, the mental burden was incomparably lighter.
Let's wrap this up quickly and get back to the carriage.
As the group bore down on us at full speed, nostrils flaring, Krius couldn't help but let out a shriek.
"!? What the heck is that!?"
"…My legs… really wanna run right now…"
Elisa, who had crawled outside just like him, spoke with utter exasperation.
The road ran through open plains with nowhere to hide. Any shadow approaching us would be spotted immediately. Bandits who chose such exposed terrain for an ambush were either supremely confident or supremely stupid.
And in Krius's experience, the latter far outnumbered the former.
But even from a distance, the shadows heading our way were clearly no mere fools.
There were still several hundred meters between them and us, perhaps. Yet we could hear it — the vibrations of footsteps. The smell.
It was not a human silhouette. But neither was it a mere horde of monsters.
This was why Citry had immediately identified them as bandits, despite the distance. An indescribable chill raced up my spine.
The group was a mix of monsters and humans.
At its head ran a massive crimson centipede. Atop it, several human figures were visible, along with bundles of cargo strapped to its back.
Flanking it were diverse monsters — some Krius had fought before, others entirely unfamiliar.
Anthem's frame was extraordinarily large, yet the group included monsters even bigger than him. Their speed far exceeded ours, even on horseback.
It was an unbelievable sight. I had heard of people commanding magical beasts, but those cases involved only select species. Yet this group clearly included monsters too dim-witted to follow orders.
"Riding… on a monster?" Krius said.
"No ordinary bandits would stick around after seeing big brother Anthem. Hmm, now that's interesting."
Beside us, Riizu showed not the slightest fear at the bizarre sight. She clenched her fists and licked her lips, practically brimming with fighting spirit.
The carriage had come to a complete halt. We intended to meet that charging horde head-on.
Lapis, who had been in the carriage behind us, descended and furrowed her brows.
"There's a Cyclops in there too. Hmph… bigger than the Immovable and Unchanging one."
"Mmm…"
"That's no ordinary Cyclops. An subspecies, I'd say…"
Citry, seated on the driver's bench, spoke in her unhurried voice as she flipped through a well-worn notebook, then let out a small sigh.
"It doesn't look like they've been officially registered. But I have heard rumors. Recently, bandits commanding monsters have appeared in other countries, causing serious damage. A regular army was apparently routed."
"S-So, Lady Citry. That means—"
"When there isn't a single survivor, it's hard to justify filing a formal quest. And the idea of bandits commanding monsters is treated as an unreliable rumor, after all."
"…That's a complete 'outlier,' isn't it," Krius said.
Normally, a Hunter's targets were ranked by the Explorer's Guild. But of course, there were also bandits out there who hadn't yet been assigned a quest — targets with no set reward, no rank, no detailed information. These unknowns were what Hunters called "outliers."
"…They're definitely heading straight for us," Krius added.
There was still some distance, but they could see us just as well. The group even included flyers. From above, our numbers would be plainly visible.
The wind carried killing intent. Dense, unambiguous hostility that said they would chase us even if we fled off the road at a dead sprint.
"Big brother stands out and he's famous…" Citry observed. "They've figured out who we are."
"There are more of them than us… but we have plenty of time to prepare our spells at this range. We could handle it ourselves, but — shall we put on a demonstration of Thousand Transformations?" Lapis said, the leader of Krius's Party, with an utterly composed expression.
Star's Holy Thunder was a Mage Party. Every member was Spiritfolk and a born Mage — their true strength lay in ranged combat.
This open terrain with nothing to obstruct them was the ideal battlefield. It was hard to imagine any opponents who could withstand Spiritfolk magic.
"…You were saying something about 'go take them out, Weakling,' weren't you?" Krius muttered.
"…What?" Lapis shot him a cold look.
Krius had been quietly preparing himself to cast a spell when— A sudden cold wind blew.
My eyes widened.
Without warning, a small tornado had formed on the plain.
Glistening with ice particles, the whirlwind grew slowly as it advanced across the unobstructed terrain toward its target.
A wide-area water-attribute attack spell. There was no need to wonder who had cast it.
Spiritfolk were skilled with water and wind magic, but deploying something at this level was unusual. Especially since Lapis and Krius had been mid-conversation.
Lapis's eyes went wide as she looked at Lucia.
"…You're casting from this range?"
"R-Reducing their numbers is my job…"
"Lady Lucia… you haven't even started running yet…"
True, many spells were designed for long-range attacks, but even so, there was an optimal range. If the distance was too great, power would diminish. Even Krius's Party, composed entirely of Mages, wouldn't launch an attack from this far away.
The spell Lucia unleashed was Hailstorm.
I had seen the same magic used at the church before, but this version was clearly customized for extreme long range. The previous one had grown to enormous size almost instantly, but this one expanded much more slowly. That meant Lucia Roje had mastered the same spell with two distinct applications.
Lucia… even if you want to strike first, we haven't even confirmed they're one hundred percent bandits— The column of bandits, kicking up clouds of dust as they charged, was thrown into chaos by the approaching tornado.
Hailstorm was not originally a spell that covered a particularly wide area. But this one had already grown large enough to swallow an entire battalion. Its individual power was surely reduced as a result, but for the purpose of thinning their numbers, no other spell would have been better.
In the blink of an eye, the bandits were engulfed by the Hailstorm. Dark specks mingled with the glittering vortex.
Riizu let out a small sigh and murmured, "That thing's really hard to charge into once it's already been fired, y'know. The ice shreds your skin."
"It's because you and big sister Luke always charge in headfirst that Lucia learned a spell like this! Right? And you keep using it, so her proficiency just keeps going up—"
"…Long-range attacks are a Mage's privilege!"
"Even so, you didn't have to learn a spell that lingers that long—"
The members of the Mourning Specter bickered without any sense of urgency. Meanwhile, the devastating Hailstorm rapidly shrank, apparently having burned through its stored mana.
Remarkably, the bandit column swallowed by the Hailstorm was still largely intact. Their numbers had been cut roughly in half, but surviving half of their force after taking that hit was extraordinary.
The massive crimson centipede at the front was also very much alive. It was apparently a considerably powerful monster.
The army that had withstood a great spell resumed its charge. Its momentum had not diminished — if anything, it had grown.
"Oh, they survived—" Citry started.
At that moment, Lucia, who had been bickering, cut in with a shout.
"Hailstorm! Hailstorm!"
"Again!?"
Two silver tornadoes materialized and surged across the plain, growing rapidly. Even knowing they were coming, there was no dodging — the speed, the coverage.
Three consecutive great spells without so much as a change in Lucia's breathing. Her mana reserves were, as always, terrifying.
Mana was one thing, but casting large-scale magic took a corresponding toll on one's mental stamina. Launching high-tier spells three times in rapid succession without batting an eye was only possible for someone who had skirted the edge of death more times than she could count.
Opportunities to use ultra-wide-area attack spells should have been exceedingly rare — had she participated in some war somewhere?
"—Let's go, Tee! If we don't move now, Lucia's going to take all the kills and we'll finish without doing anything!"
"!? Y-Yes, Lady Riizu!"
Riizu let out a sharp cry, and a gust of wind swept past. The two disciples charged forward, with Anthem following behind, his heavy footsteps thudding like the rumble of the earth.
One of Star's Holy Thunder's members clutched her mouth in shock at the sheer battle lust on display.
"How barbaric… Is this what humans are like?"
"Perhaps it is what we have been lacking. Hmph… The Spirit Stone was in the Imperial Capital. If we had been that desperate, we might have reclaimed it ourselves…"
"That's probably not quite right…"
Elisa spoke with a distant expression. Lapis narrowed her eyes at her for a brief moment — she was annoyed at being beaten to the punch, but she clearly considered it beneath her to voice complaints.
Then Lapis clapped her hands together and called out.
"We're going too. Krius, move it!"
"!? R-Roger that!"
At that signal, Lapis and the members of Star's Holy Thunder began chanting in unison. Thunder spells.
The only one who still couldn't use thunder magic — Krius — chanted a water spell and sprinted after Anthem and the others with everything he had.
*** "Y-You… you really did that, Weakling!"
"Hmm… Oh, is it over already?"
Battlefields had their own unique atmosphere.
The roars and screams. The smells, the vibrations, the light — in the five-plus years since becoming a Hunter, I had experienced them countless times, and no matter how often I did, it never got pleasant.
But experience did breed a degree of numbness. Besides, this time the Mourning Specter was at nearly full strength, and we had a powerful Spiritfolk Mage Party alongside us. The only opponents this lineup couldn't handle were Treasure Hall floors Level 8 and above, or bandits who had devoured massive amounts of Mana Material — types that almost never showed up in the open.
What I was trying to say was that the sense of security this time was on a completely different level from anything before.
And we hadn't even entered Yggdrasil yet. If I stayed tense now, my body wouldn't hold up.
I lifted my head from the pillow I'd retrieved from Mimmikun and sat up.
There was still a little drowsiness lingering, but I felt far better than on an ordinary journey. Normally there was no way I could have the luxury of bringing a pillow during carriage travel, but with Mimmikun's power, it was possible!
Rubbing my eyes, I looked at Krius, who had come to check on me.
"…Huh? Did something happen?"
Krius looked thoroughly exhausted. He had no visible wounds, but his entire body was caked in dust, and his hair was a complete mess — as if he had charged straight into a storm.
I couldn't have been asleep that long. As I furrowed my brow, Krius trembled and spoke.
"…Weakling, get outside. Now."
Reluctantly, I sat up and poked my head out of the carriage.
Spread before me was a scorched plain littered with countless monster corpses.
Zebuldia's perfectly leveled roads were praised across the nations, but this one was unrecognizable.
Black, thorn-like protrusions roughly a meter tall jutted from the ground everywhere. Looking closely, I could see what appeared to be the corpses of black insect-humans scattered among them.
No — the monster corpses didn't stop there. From familiar types like Orcs to unrecognizable fragments of flesh in every color and shape, countless remains lay strewn across the field.
Such a scene could only be the aftermath of a fierce battle. No wonder Krius was upset that I had been napping through it.
I climbed down from the carriage and looked behind.
"…Huh? The carriage took damage too? These marks are… lightning? Ugh…"
The Mourning Specter's carriages were custom-built, with extensive countermeasures against lightning — which fell with alarming frequency.
But for a group to use lightning attacks — the kind only the most powerful monsters could manage — they must have been enormous.
I examined the scorched surroundings of the carriage, nodding thoughtfully, when Krius averted his gaze and said: "…T-That was… well… not from the enemy. It was from our spells."
"!? Wait, why?"
"M-More importantly — Riizu and the others left this to us and chased after the enemy!"
"!? No way…"
It was absurd. Sure, it had been a fierce fight, but for Riizu — who boasted godlike speed — to let the enemy escape…
At that moment, a clattering sound came from behind a pile of monster corpses, and Citry crawled out.
She was just as muddy as Krius, cradling a broad sword decorated with blue and gold filigree in her arms.
"Ahem, ahem… Y-You're awake! Good morning, Kly."
She broke into a radiant smile, completely ignoring the situation.
I had a dozen questions, but her smile disarmed me entirely. I gave a small cough.
"Morning. Looks like things got pretty rough. Where's Kirukilu?"
"I sent him off with big sister to pursue them. We haven't sustained any damage on our end, but they were tougher than expected… To still be mobile after taking Lucia's magic like that — they're unregistered, but considering both quality and numbers, I'd say a certified Level 7 is almost certain—"
Citry's assessment left me wide-eyed.
In this day and age, there were no shortage of bandits and secret organizations, but a certified Level 7 was a major threat. If I said they were on par with Ark or Arnold, that might convey just how dangerous they were.
But before that — unregistered? Could it be that the enemy was actually human?
Sure, Citry had called them bandits, but since all the corpses scattered about were monsters, I had assumed they'd been attacked by monsters…
"I don't think big sister and the others will be able to finish them off. If Luke were here, maybe — but the bandits' monster contingent included a big one. The bandits are apparently called 'Ancient Species' monsters—"
"Ancient Species?"
Wait, hold on… Bandits commanding monsters…? Wasn't that supposed to be impossible?
Though I didn't fully understand, I crossed my arms, furrowed my brow, and nodded with exaggerated gravitas. Citry smiled — just at the corners of her mouth — and said: "Yes. The bandits declared themselves. 'Descendants of the Ruler, Guides of the Demonic — the Demon Lord, Adler.' Adler Dizrard of the Thousand Demons Night Parade."
Demon Lord… Demon Lord Adler. Throughout history and across every land, those who called themselves Demon Lords were a dime a dozen, and they were universally terrible.
They were often nothing special, but judging by this battlefield, I couldn't afford to be optimistic.
We were about to head into Yggdrasil, and now this had to crop up.
I gave a small cough, looked at Krius and Citry in turn, and said: "When Riizu and the others get back, we're heading straight for Yggdrasil. We don't have time to mess around — Luke's turned to stone over here."