◈ 565. [Side Story] Before the storm (3)
After the meeting was over.
As I was about to leave the conference room, someone called out to me.
“Your Highness Prince Ash. for a moment.”
Looking back, the head of the Southern City-States Union-Vallen was smiling as he brushed his distinctive stylish beard.
Valen was one of those who actively helped the Crossroads after the battle of the old Goblin God King, and was representing not only the South, but also the voices of other regional city-states.
I smiled and approached him.
“Vallen Ball. What are you doing?”
“Whoops.”
Valen smiled and stroked his mustache. It looks like there is a hidden gift or something.
“Didn’t you say it was the monster fly you were going to face in this defense battle?”
“That’s right.”
“There are some mercenaries who somehow got in touch a few days ago and brought them to the Crossroads here with the introduction of our City-State Alliance… .”
Valen’s eyes narrowed.
“They say he’s a master at exterminating insects. How would you like to meet?”
“… !”
The master of insect extermination… … ?!
I gestured urgently, and Vallen took the lead with a grin.
The mercenaries were waiting right in front of the Hotel Crossroads, which was the conference hall.
“After wet. wet-after. Wet-after.”
Similar to Earth’s protective clothing… … There were five people wearing protective clothing made of elastic material that covered the entire body.
The protective clothing on the face was a structure that secured the field of view with glass like goggles, but it was foggy as if it was fogged up, so the face could not be seen.
Every time I inhaled and exhaled, the sound of air escaping came out.
As soon as our eyes met, the man who seemed to be the leader asked in a muffled voice.
“Where are the crude worms?”
I put both hands over my mouth and involuntarily exhaled.
“Oh, my God.”
It’s the hero party ‘Insect Busters’!
These five heroes with intuitive names are just ordinary heroes based on their stats, all of which are N-ranked.
However, they do have unique characteristics.
‘Bug Slayer!’
100% increase in damage against monsters tagged with bugs.
Flies can be wiped out in a wide area.
They are friends who can be called the walking Cesco of F. Killer Fantasy World. These guys are joining us here!
I gave Valen a thumbs up with a moved face. Valen laughed out loud as if he liked my reaction.
Standing in front of the five Insect Busters, I said it right away.
“How much do you want your salary to be?”
I feel like throwing in a blank check!
The man who will be the leader of Insect Busters gave me a concise answer.
“Salary is not that important. I just wish I could kill one more bug.”
“I will be satisfied with that.”
I laughed bitterly.
“It’s going to come in a horrendous, disgusting, disgusting way soon.”
“I heard that the Parisian monster is coming, Your Highness.”
Shaking the long equipment in his hand, the man said confidently.
“We, the experts, will eradicate them, so please go in and rest in peace.”
It was a cheeky confidence, but it was good.
I confirmed the employment of all five and set their salaries generously.
The five of them breathed heavily under their protective clothing and entered the barracks, as if they were so happy that they could exterminate the flies.
***
Lake Kingdom District 5 Dungeon ‘Flaming Colosseum’.
I stopped by this place where jackals once ruled.
Since the jackal was dead, I was worried about the remaining captured monsters, and if there were useful ones among the captured monsters, I planned to incorporate all of them into my power.
I write everything that can be written.
When I came with that thought, a butler goblin greeted me.
《Welcome, Kirik, our new master.》
“Master? I?”
When I asked questioningly, the goblin answered with a bow of his head again.
“Yes, Kirk. Jackal, who was the owner of the former arena, told me to hand over ownership of all the monsters here to His Highness in the event of a disaster.》 “
… .”
“This Colosseum and all the monsters belonging to it belong to Your Highness. Just give me orders.”
I was speechless for a moment.
It reminded me of the first time I met a jackal here. And even the moment he died a while ago.
I would always imagine bringing him to the surface after defeating all the monsters.
Hundreds of years ago, by order of the Empire, he was dispatched to the Lake Kingdom, and his name and existence were completely forgotten in the upper ranks. A man who never forgot the name of the empire and was loyal to it.
After giving him a new house, giving him a new name, finding out his old specialty, giving him a due reward, and reinstating him… … I used to picture him adapting and living as an ordinary person in a peaceful world.
One quiet afternoon, sitting in a cafe on the outskirts of Hwangdo, reading a newspaper on a street where hundreds of years have passed from memory to him, trying to adapt to the modern world.
But in the end it ended with imagination.
The jackal died here in the darkness.
i remember him We remember his life and death, his allegiance and his history. But the jackal is dead.
And even after he died, he left everything he had done to me.
I saw monsters lined up in rows in the Colosseum. All of them were monsters that Jackal had finished taming.
In the meantime, if you include the monsters I’ve captured in my spare time, I could form a small army with just the monsters I captured.
“… .”
I took a deep breath.
I remember the faces and names of all who died under my banner.
They died, but they left their legacy on this front. All of those things were intertwined and became the foundation for the next step.
so i can’t
Do you want to lose? Damn you freaking bastards. My flag is the sum total of the legacy left by all these great men.
“Hey butler.”
When the goblin butler was called, the goblin quickly bowed.
《Please call Kirik.》
“The monster that is flooding this time… … What do you think of Paris?”
The goblin rolled his eyes and answered cautiously.
《It’s an insignificant monster.》
“I see.”
“Kirik. However, there is something that the previous owner Jackal always told us.》
“What is it?”
“The insignificant is the greatest and should be guarded against.”
The goblin cleared his throat once, then spoke in a low voice, as if imitating a jackal’s.
《It is said that building a high tower is insignificant individual bricks, and destroying that tall tower also starts with taking out that single brick.》 “
… .”
《You explained that while carrying out the restoration work of the Colosseum here with bricks. Kirik.”
The goblin looked at me, but didn’t stop talking.
“Flies are nothing more than insignificant monsters. but… It is also a monster enough to take out bricks.》
“… Thank you for the kind words.”
Can this be regarded as a message left by the jackal?
Thinking over that advice, I nodded to the goblin butler.
“Prepare to depart. You all have to fight in this battle.”
The goblin butler saluted me.
《I will not be ashamed of Jackal-sama’s name.》
***
Time passed in an instant.
Heroes and soldiers have mastered tactics to deal with the fly monster.
All sorts of equipment came out of the forge, and all sorts of fly traps were produced in the alchemy workshop.
Body Bag and Burnout began training to raise their proficiency with newly crafted equipment, and fly traps were attached to various places on the frontlines under my command.
Masons and carpenters rushed to reinforce the outpost and the main wall.
Insect Busters, a new mercenary group, poured out all sorts of advice like a professional insect catcher.
Hard armor was issued to all soldiers to resist the tainted attack of the flies.
It was a form of armor that could be tightly blocked with strong leather up to the joints.
While the avant-garde heroes and soldiers were armed, the wizards were also preparing diligently.
“These new chicks! Things you don’t even know about magic! Should I teach you everything from the basics!”
Under Diarmudin’s command, all the wizards belonging to the front line formed a system, formed a party, and formed a formation.
The existence of a wizard itself is basically a job group with a single-minded general character who is reluctant to cooperate with others.
Although it is a slightly prejudiced view, this tendency is clearly present.
However, it was only because of this that the military had no choice but to fall in efficiency.
I asked Diarmudin to unite the mages belonging to the frontlines into one army. And Diarmudin faithfully fulfilled my request.
After arduous training, the wizards have reached a level where they can easily shoot joint magic by forming herpes by attribute.
And after hard training together.
“grandfather!”
“I don’t know this part of the magic circle, Grandpa!”
“Please give me some tutoring too!”
“These naughty things I am not your grandfather… Eh!”
Diarmudin shook his head and clicked his tongue as he looked around at the young wizards crowding around and chirping like chicks.
“I’ll explain it only once, so listen carefully, okay?”
The young wizards all answered yes in unison around Diarmudin, who was sternly spitting.
Diarmudin grumbled, but like the owner of the Ivory Tower, he was effectively teaching the young wizards.
As I watched the wizards gather among themselves and put their heads together and discuss magic, I stopped laughing.
“… .”
Preparation time is over.
I glared south and bit my lip.
Tomorrow is the day monsters crawl out of the lake.
***
That night.
“… .”
Sitting on the roof of the barracks, Quylan was looking up at the sky.
For a while, Kuilan was lost in thought while looking up at the sky, when someone whimpered and climbed a ladder up to the roof.
“Eutcha!”
When Quylan saw that way, the one who had just climbed up was Princess Yun.
“What are you doing here, Kuylan?”
Yoongi asked lively and smiled, narrowing his bright yellow eyes. Her ivory hair gleamed exceptionally white under the clear summer night sky.
Quylan, who glanced at Yun, looked at the sky again with embarrassment.
“I was looking at the moon.”
“Hmm. Is it when the moonlight is dim?”
It was the old moon that rose in the sky.
Yun, who was examining the nail-like shape of the moon, turned her gaze to Quylan again.
“Is that why you don’t have pretty hair?”
“… Yes.”
Quylan was in the form of a normal human, not the current beastman.
From Hahyun to 15m From 15m to 25m – During the full moon when the moon is full, it is Su-in. For the rest of the 15 days when the moon is waning, normal humans. Currently living as a half-man, half-beast, the Dandyulang tribe was different from time to time like this.
When he was a normal human, his physical ability was weakened, so it was a burdensome situation for Quilan, who had to fight in the front line.
Especially in this battle where the enemy is predicted to be stronger… … .
“Don’t worry too much! If anything, I’ll protect you!”
Yoon said confidently, showing his arms rolled up.
“… .”
Quilan, who had been watching Yoon like that, opened his mouth slowly after hesitating for a long time.
“Princess Yun. The story to tell… … .”
“Oh, don’t say more.”
Yoon stopped talking. Quylan widened his eyes.
“huh? no i… … .”
“i know. what do you want to say I know that I still haven’t entered your heart.”
“… .”
After that night of partying, Quylan and Yun continued to hang out together. Yun continued to show love to Quilan.
however… Quylan felt a crush on Yun, but he couldn’t develop his heart beyond that.
Yoon let out a sigh.
“It’s not easy being in love. I think I’m not a bad woman in my own way, but why am I not receiving so much love… … .”
Yoon rested his chin on his face and looked up at the old moon.
“But to be honest, I don’t want to be kicked again before a big fight like this.”
“… .”
“So, for now, we decided to remain in a romantic relationship. Just a few more days. Is that enough?”
Yun smiled and turned to Quylan.
Her unique confident smile looked so bitter today that Quylan was speechless for a moment.
