New reports from the southernmost city, delivered via the fastest couriers, claimed that monsters were now sighted outside of Dungeons instead of inside. In an attempt to investigate this further, it was decided that Leon, the fastest man in Dungeon City, was to be dispatched to the south.
“Must be great to be you, Tsutomu,” Leon grumbled as he packed his belongings. “You even got to have dinner with Brooklyn… She’s cute, right? And man, just look at me — the knights kept pulling me aside for a bunch of work!”
“I’d gladly switch places with you if I could…” Tsutomu replied, sounding just about as grumpy.
It seemed that Leon had already established connections with several women in the Royal Capital, causing some of his wives — especially Eunice — to be quite disgruntled.
“Anyway, It can be anything — just come back with some info, all right?”
“Gotcha,” Leon replied nonchalantly, not showing any serious consideration toward the abnormal monster sightings, then addressed his Clan members before setting out on his trip.
While Leon ventured alone towards the southern city, discussions centered around Stampede precautions unfolded among the Labyrinth Conquerors. While the latest reports only confirmed monster sightings near the southernmost city, this Stampede presented an unprecedented occurrence.
Typically, command over Stampede responses would fall under the King’s direction or the nobles beneath him. However, as this Stampede lacked precedent, the chances of unforeseen circumstances were higher than ever before. As such, the king entrusted command to Christia, the leader of the Labyrinth Conquerors — and more importantly, a Dark Elf with centuries of experience dealing with Stampedes.
Naturally, there was resistance from the nobility, but few possessed the capabilities to take responsibility for this Stampede. House Kantjelucia was the sole contender, but they eventually yielded under the persuasion of the king and Master Babenberg.
Representatives of House Kantjelucia, along with nobles, musicians, and major Clan leaders, gathered alongside the Babenberg family, the overseer of Dungeon City. Amidst this assembly, Christia unfurled a large map on the wall and secured its corners.
“We’ll put together a unit to send southward as soon as possible. House Babenberg, a small marching band, a faction of knights, and two of our Clans will be on standby in Sentrea, the nearest city to the Royal Capital. We’ll be using Sentrea as a supply base and advance from there to the forefront of the Stampede.” Christia explained as she pointed at the map, then she directed her sharp gaze towards a black-haired man standing with crossed arms. “First, Scarlet Devil Squad. We need your power, Weiss.”
“…All right,” Weiss replied in a hushed tone. His reputation as a solo Explorer, as well as his unique skill, <<Phoenix Soul>>, made him an immediate first choice.
Next, Christia narrowed her eyes and turned her gaze toward the individual studying the map.
“Second, Absolute Helix. We expect good things from you, Tsutomu.”
“Understood,” Tsutomu, having anticipated this, replied in a detached tone as he sensed the serious atmosphere around him. After all, if he were to display a begrudging attitude here, he felt he might face the harsh judgment of the knights of the Royal Capital.
Christia, diverting her gaze from Tsutomu, addressed the assembly while scanning the faces of those present,
“With this unit, we aim to gather as much information as possible from the south and weaken the momentum of the Stampede. The knights and marching bands, as well as Golden Tune and Ealdred Crow, are also expected to take turns on the front line. However, until sufficient information is gathered, we will deploy Weiss, who possesses a powerful unique skill, and Tsutomu, the White Mage who contributed the most to the defense of the Dungeon City. We will operate on the assumption that the scale of this Stampede is larger than that of the previous one. So, initially, we ought to prioritize survival and bring back as much information as possible. Only after understanding the scale of the Stampede will we further allocate our forces.”
Having said all that, Christia, her neat silver hair swaying in the breeze, suddenly stared into the eyes of the nobles and knights. The nobles, faced with a gaze that seemed to pierce their very souls, flinched, and the knights instinctively assumed a combat stance.
“W-what!? What’s that look for!?”
“This particular Stampede is unlike any that has come before. However, we can expect it to be of a greater scale than the previous one. If we quarrel among ourselves, defeat is inevitable. I want you all to understand that.”
“W-watch your mouth, Explorer!”
“……”
“Due to the conflict between the Royal Capital and Dungeon City…” Christia started again, “…Events that are detrimental to defensive efforts have already occurred. As far as I have observed, the quality of the equipment allocated to Explorers is visibly subpar. Perhaps this is as far as it has gone for now, but if we overlook this, there will undoubtedly be flaws in the strategy. Such conflicts among ourselves need to be addressed before the Stampede escalates.”
Christia proceeded to take a step forward, causing the nobles to involuntarily take a step back. Among them, only one woman gazed back at Christia with a serious expression.
“I know. We’re working with a royal decree here. Nobles, knights, and Explorers are to form a united force to defend the Royal Capital. If there’s a disparity in equipment quality, then it’s in our best interest to rectify it.”
Brooklyn Kantjelucia, the only one who responded to Christia without fear, turned to the nobles behind him and offered a smile.
“If any of you mess it up again, I’ll take responsibility… by killing you. Capisce?”
“……”
The nobles, thus warned by Christia and Brooklyn, could do nothing but nod in silence. With that, the strategy meeting involving representatives of various groups concluded, with some among them now set to head south from the Royal Capital to the city of Sentrea.
▽▽
“Sentrea, huh? Okay, gotcha!”
“Ooh, the frontline! I gotta do my best!”
Tsutomu passed the message on to his Clan members, and despite the weight of the task they had been assigned, they began preparing for the trip without any apparent concern. Watching his Clan members in such a manner, Tsutomu felt somewhat underwhelmed before heading to receive the reissued supplies from the nobles.
“Wait. I’ll go with you,” Garm offered.
“Ah, thank you.”
And so they went outside together. After a short walk, Garm looked down at Tsutomu, noticing that he was overly vigilant about his surroundings.
“Aren’t you being too cautious about all this? You’ll tire yourself out.”
“…Just doing what’s expected of a Clan’s Leader,” Tsutomu responded with a composed expression.
Garm heaved a sigh and shrugged.
“You can count on me to notice anyone or anything suspicious. Besides, if you keep acting the way you did during the recent Dungeon investigations, your concentration won’t last long. Try trusting Korinna a little more.”
“…Korinna?”
“I mean, during investigations, didn’t you cast <<Protect>> and <<Haste>> on her? That’s not what you’d usually do — and she seemed a bit shocked by that.”
“…Right,” Tsutomu muttered, the look on his face suggesting that he had just realized something he should have already known.
Unlike during the previous Stampede, he had another Healer with him this time — and as such, healing and support were no longer tasks exclusive to him. Garm, in response, also looked a bit surprised at Tsutomu’s reaction.
“I knew it — you were trying to handle everything on your own. Honestly, Tsutomu, sometimes you close off your thoughts too much.”
“Well, I just don’t think into things that deeply, that’s all. It’s just that… I’ve become confident that I could do quite a lot of things if I put my mind to it, and then I did just that.”
“Oh? Then let’s tell all Clan members that you’ll try to handle everything by yourself from now on. You likely won’t like what comes out of that, Tsutomu.”
“…Yeah, definitely not. Sorry about that,” Tsutomu promptly said, realizing that Amy or Amira would be especially upset.
Garm folded his arms and nodded, returning Tsutomu’s apologetic gaze with a somewhat reproachful look.
“I won’t claim to understand all the emotions of the other Clan members, but… Many of them have changed thanks to your influence, and they’re willing to follow you.”
Indeed, there was Amy, one of the people to welcome him into this world; Hannah, who learned evasion-based Tanking after being inspired by Garm; Amira, who had spent hours upon hours taming her <<Dragon Form>> with Tsutomu’s help; Leleia, a relatively recent arrival who seemed to have shed her distant attitude towards Tsutomu after a string of incidents — Not to mention other Clan members who joined up after witnessing Tsutomu’s exploits.
“Besides, I’ve decided to follow you since the day we won against the Shell Crab. Even if no one else does, I trust you and am willing to have your back. So, Tsutomu, you can rely on me.”
“…I know,” Tsutomu responded with a dry smile to Garm’s reassuring statement, knowing that the latter had built a considerable degree of confidence in his own abilities since the fight against the Black Dragons during the previous Stampede. “…Okay, after getting the supplies, I’ll try talking to everyone.”
“Good. And listen, Tsutomu — you’ve been too cautious ever since we came to the Royal Capital. Honestly, it’s been hard to approach you.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Sometimes, it feels like your thoughts are with something or someplace far away… Well, never mind that. I won’t pry into your private matters or anything.”
Seeing that Garm seemed somewhat lonely as they walked, Tsutomu observed his profile in silence, refraining from saying anything.
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