XXI Monster Troop
Why did it become like this?
After receiving a letter from Nicol, I held my head.
Dorsen had sent a letter to the former First Prince of Cadonia, telling him to hand over the throne of Cadonia.
Well, that’s fine. It would be settled if he handed it over. Troublesome.
The problem was Nicol marrying the Cadonia princess and becoming King of Cadonia. Why did he get married? Isn’t that too fast becoming close?
And that Nicol, rather than handing over,
“Since war with Dorsen is likely, please send Faloon’s maximum battle strength”
he requested.
Huh? Why? Was Nicol the battle-oriented type? I thought he was a gentle civil official, so I left Cadonia to him, but the story is different.
Moreover, my subordinates who heard about this letter were heating up.
“Alright! War!”
“Let’s crush them!”
“No, let’s take the initiative to attack them!”
And I can’t control them.
The Red Knight Order who had no chance in the previous Cadonia stampede hastily went to Cadonia.
“To keep Cadonia in turmoil under pressure from Dorsen in check, we will go!” and other plausible things, Warren the Red Knight Order leader said, so I could only say “I see, understood.” I was a bit unable to stop that energetic sword.
Gamaras, who should have been the only one likely to oppose war, was saying incomprehensible things like “As expected of Your Majesty. You’ve managed to time the war just when the Monster Troops are completed? Does this mean everything is going according to Your Majesty’s plan!?”
I don’t remember any such plan.
Who would willingly want war? Peace is definite best.
Though the annexation of Cadonia happened situational, it was territory originally not belonging to Faloon so should be fine to let go.
Isn’t there some way to stop the war?
Thinking that, I said “Wait. Dorsen has 5 times Faloon’s national power. If it becomes war, the citizens will also be disturbed. We shouldn’t decide rashly here.” and postponed judgement for now.
At least I bought time, but the senior retainers didn’t raise any particular objections to this.
Everyone had smiles like “We understand, don’t we?”
Could it be that communication of intentions between them and me is completely lacking?
And the next day, members of the Hundred had gathered in the courtyard of the royal castle.
I didn’t call them. They naturally gathered after hearing about going to war with Dorsen.
I was watching the scene from my room window.
Ogma stood on the castle balcony and began a speech.
Of course, I didn’t permit it.
In short, this was an illegal gathering without permission, but why does no one caution him?
“You’ve gathered, my elites!”
Don’t gather on your own.
“As you know, Dorsen Country has told us to hand over Cadonia Country!”
No, they just sent a perfectly reasonable request to return Cadonia to the original heir.
“Can we allow those Dorsen shitheads’ outrage!?”
Isn’t starting a speech without the king’s permission the real outrage?
“Can you just watch as Cadonia is about to be stolen!?”
Please be quiet, stop riling them up as you please.
Furious voices like battlecries rose from the gathered Hundred members.
“We can’t overlook it!” “Smash those Dorsen thieves!” “We’ll make them pay proper compensation!” Mostly hot-blooded opinions.
Satisfied with their reactions, Ogma paused his words for a moment.
Then, waiting for the place to settle down, he quietly began speaking again.
“Dorsen is a major power, a mighty nation. They will gather 5 times more soldiers than Faloon Country. And those will be trained troops, with full equipment.”
At these words, a somewhat confused buzz arose. Did they calm down after the mentioned 5 times troop difference?
“Are there cowards here who’ve lost heart? Feel free to go home if so! What His Majesty seeks are only the strong! Those spineless bastards worried about troop difference should go home and tremble!”
Having said that, of course no one would actually leave.
Everyone silently waited for Ogma’s next words without moving an inch.
“Looks like you’ve all resolved to fight. Then I’ll say it! The troop difference is only 5 times. If each person takes down 5 enemies, that’s good enough!”
What’s he saying? He’s started talking like it’s a multiplication problem?
“Surely there are no pathetic fellows here who can’t even take down 5 enemies? In the name of the First Seat of the Hundred, I proclaim I will take down 10 times that, 50 enemies, and offer their heads to our King Zeros!”
“I Don’t want it!”
I unconsciously shouted. Of course, my voice didn’t reach them since I was inside the room.
Imagining a scene of 50 severed heads rolling around was irritating.
“I’ll also take 10 heads to offer to King Zeros!”
“In that case, I’ll take 20!”
“Then I’ll take 30!”
The rapidly decreasing value of human lives.
And so, my imaginary rolling severed heads kept increasing.
In this way,
“Offer the heads of Dorsen’s pigs to King Zeros!”
With this annoying rallying cry, the unauthorized illegal gathering reached its peak and came to an end.
Afterward, rumors spread throughout the country about “going to war with Dorsen,” but the citizens were not particularly disturbed.
The main opinions gathered were:
“Dorsen, making unreasonable demands on Faloon, should face retribution!”
“It’s a chance to show the strength of Hundred to other countries!”
“The time has come to make King Zeros’ authority known throughout the Ares continent!”
Most opinions were positive about the war.
It seems that the citizens, accustomed to watching intense battles in the arena every day, had diminished aversion to warfare.
At the same time, there was a strong trust in Hundred. People believed that if they fought, they couldn’t lose.
As a result, there were hardly any voices opposing the war among the gathered citizens.
Then, at the open meeting to discuss the countermeasures against Dorsen, there was only one opinion: “The time has come!”
“The warriors are eager!”
“The citizens are pushing for the battle against Dorsen!”
“The Monster Legion is ready!”
There was no way out.
“Alright, then it’s war,”
I reluctantly declared, and the war with Dorsen was decided.
On the next day after the war with Dorsen was decided, I decided to meet with the person in charge of the Monster Mass Production Plan.
The person in charge was a sorcerer under Frau, and although I had let them work without meeting them before, with war approaching, I was curious about the progress.
The base for the Monster Mass Production Plan was being developed by clearing the Beast Forest behind the castle and constructing new facilities.
There was a relatively large building, similar to a noble’s mansion, and around it were numerous large tents.
I went there with Frau.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Kiri. I conduct monster research under Frau-sama.”
The one who greeted us was Kiri, a female sorcerer. She had black hair, black eyes, and was short. She looked like a young girl, but her eyes shone like those of a fanatic religious follower.
“I’ve heard about you. You seem to know a lot about monsters.”
“Yes! I conducted monster research in the Keel Sorcery Country.”
The Keel Sorcery Country is a peculiar country where the founder was a sorcerer, and magic research is its national policy. Located in the center of the Ares continent, it attracts sorcerers from all over, and it’s often called the sorcerer’s utopia.
“Why did you come from Keel Sorcery Country to Faloon?”
“That country doesn’t try to understand how useful monster research is! They didn’t permit this research, and just because there were a few casualties due to the monster I enhanced going berserk, they expelled me…”
From there, Kiri started complaining. It seems that the monster she had enhanced for research went berserk, causing some deaths.
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…Yeah, I don’t need her.
I subtly sent a glance to Frau next to me. Frau nodded slightly.
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scene transition
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Anyway, let’s hear her out, I guess. Living together, I somehow managed to communicate with Frau better.
“So, is the Monster Legion going well?”
“Yes, of course! The Monster Legion is also my dream! I couldn’t pursue this research in Keel, but in Faloon, they allowed me to do it freely, so I’m working on it with all my might!”
A dream of a Monster Legion… Yeah, that’s why she got expelled. Also, I don’t remember allowing her to do as she pleases.
“Nevertheless, using monsters for food, entertainment, and military purposes? As expected of King Zeros of Faloon, as rumored! Your ideas, like ruling the country by leading a bunch of rogues and ignoring all ethics and common sense, are quite unique. I solely wanted to research monsters, but to utilize that research to this extent is beyond my wildest dreams!”
“Rumors? How am I talked about in other countries?”
Come to think of it, I don’t know how I’m portrayed in other countries.
“Yes! King Zeros is said to have led rogues to seize the throne, eradicated those who opposed him, and is ruling the country by ignoring all ethics and common sense. That’s the general reputation!”
“…Is that so? I didn’t intend to ignore ethics to that extent.”
Being pointed out again, I realize I seem like a terribly bad king. And it’s sad that there’s not a single thing I can deny.
“No, no! Also, they even conduct human experimentation for the sake of magical development! For magicians, he is an ideal king! Now many stray magicians like myself who were exiled from their countries are gathering in Faloon. This too is thanks to King Zeros’ benevolence!”
Stray magicians? Those are magicians who were exiled for unethical research right?
Why are those kinds of people arbitrarily gathering in Faloon?
Also, Frau was the one who conducted human experimentation amidst the chaos of war, not me.
When I glanced back at Frau, she had puffed up her cheeks looking away.
…Ah, so she’s the culprit gathering insane magicians.
“By the way, how is the progress on making them edible?”
“It’s going well. We succeeded in capturing Killer Rabbits, and have a path to breeding them.”
As she pointed, inside a fenced off area slightly raised, many Killer Rabbits were energetically hopping around.
“There’s quite a lot huh. I heard they were nearing extinction though.”
“They’re inherently monsters suited to this country’s climate, so with just a modicum of protection their numbers increase naturally. It was just the Hundred’s extermination pace was too fast. As expected of Faloon! Normally lower monsters like Killer Rabbits can’t be fully exterminated! Reducing them to near extinction is abnormal! When I accompanied the monster capturing, in this country the monsters would flee just from seeing people. The positions of humans and monsters have completely switched! It’s astonishing!”
Monsters fleeing just from seeing people…somehow despite the safety, I don’t feel simply happy about it – why is that?
“I see. So where’s the Monster Troop?”
“It’s over there.”
She guided me to a particularly large tent among the rows of tents.
Inside were dog-type monsters called Warwolves. Though called dog-types, they were about the size of a human adult, and since they attack in groups, their strength can’t be looked down on.
There were probably around 100 in total? They were wandering around the tent or crouching down.
“They look a bit big…”
Bigger than the Warwolves I knew by about a size. Exceeding an adult human’s size.
“We provide them monster meat as feed. They inherently have the habit of eating other monsters’ meat, but by giving them meat of higher species monsters they normally can’t eat, they grew larger. The large amount of monster meat brought back during the stampede was put to good use. Also, I mixed in medicine I devised, greatly raising their combat ability.”
Kiri answered proudly.
Oh right, after the stampede the magicians were freezing and preserving monster meat.
I thought it was too much for the monsters they had captured to eat. So it was for raising them huh.
Also, combat ability raising medicine? Isn’t that dangerous medicine?
“But with around 100 here, isn’t that too few for war? The Dorsen soldiers are said to be well trained. 100 might be easily dealt with.”
I heard the Dorsen troops are well trained. 100 might be too easily handled.
“This is just a part. The trained packs have been released into the Magical Beast Forest. Too many and it gets hard to feed them after all. So I informed them just in case, but absolutely do not lay a hand on the Warwolves seen in the Magical Beast Forest.”
If that’s what she says, I’ve heard it. Don’t capture the Warwolves in the Magical Beast Forest, they’re under protection apparently. I thought they were capture targets, but that was the circumstances.
“Can they really be released into the wild? Will they properly come back?”
I couldn’t imagine the Warwolves released into the forest obediently returning.
“Warwolves are monsters that absolutely obey the pack leader. As long as the pack leader listens to us, they’ll respond to our calls.”
Pack leader? Come to think of it, who do Warwolves listen to?
No way, they move according to Kiri’s will? That’s quite worrying isn’t it?
“Where’s this pack leader? Who does it take orders from?”
“The pack leader is expanding its power in the Magical Beast Forest. Thanks to it the number of Warwolves under its control increases daily. Also, the pack leader has absolute obedience to King Zeros. Or rather, formally King Zeros stands at the apex of the pack.”
“Me at the apex? Why?”
This is the first I’ve heard of it.
“Eh? Don’t you remember? About a year ago you captured a Warwolf for us right?”
A year ago? Now that you mention it, I did capture a Warwolf around that time.
Truth is, I’m the one who chose Warwolves as the monster troop to organize.
The reason is simple. They’re close to dogs that get attached to humans.
I didn’t want to use creepy reptile or insect type monsters, the undead like Wraiths and plant types like Treants seemed eerie, and I felt resistance to humanoids like Goblins and Orcs.
So, I decided on Warwolves as a result.
About a year ago Frau told me she needed a sample and I was asked to capture one.
I wondered why the king’s servant had to do such a thing, but for subjugating monsters, the human’s strength who defeats them is an important factor, and I, the strongest in Faloon, was suitable for the role apparently.
Hearing that, I didn’t feel it was bad so I searched the Magical Beast Forest and brought back the most excellent Warwolf I found,
captured by beating it into submission with my bare hands without using my sword since killing it wasn’t allowed.
I don’t know what happened after.
“Oh right, I captured one as a sample. So what happened to it?”
“That Warwolf seemed to develop trauma from being captured by King Zeros, it was pitiful how frightened it was. Thanks to recognizing you as a superior existence, making it subordinate to King Zeros was simple.”
…Did I do something bad? I just beat it down until it calmed a bit though.
“[If you don’t listen I’ll bring King Zeros!] saying that, it obediently followed instructions, so organizing the troop went surprisingly smoothly. It being an excellent individual of a pack to begin with also helped I think.”
“I see, that’s good then.”
“So I believe the number under control has exceeded 500. As a military force isn’t that plenty enough?”
With that many, it certainly seemed enough. A number rivaling the main force.
I felt somewhat unsatisfied but preparations for the battle with Dorsen were progressing.
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The MCs somewhat a muscle brain, too if he can’t understand that logic. xD
Only just beat them up. Why the trauma? xD