The group heading to the front lines of the Stampede arrived in Sentrea after a day-long journey with wagons loaded with supplies. After taking half a day to rest in Sentrea, Christia issued instructions to the entire group. The Labyrinth Conquerors, Scarlet Devil Squad, Absolute Helix, and a portion of the marching band went to the front lines, while House Babenberg and the knights stayed stationed in Sentrea.
The primary purpose of going to the front lines was for information gathering, with the basic strategy being to fight within House Babenberg’s protective magic in Sentrea. Naturally, Dealing with monsters at a single location proved to be more efficient, so the approach at the front lines was to prioritize survival.
“All right… We’ll be counting on you, Weiss,” Tsutomu greeted casually.
“……” Weiss responded with silence.
It was not that Weiss was ignoring Tsutomu — he simply was not accustomed to being unexpectedly addressed by others. While he had become somewhat talkative with fellow members of his own Clan, interacting with others remained challenging.
Most people could not endure this silence and would go elsewhere, but Tsutomu, while feeling awkward, simply waited for a response while scratching his cheek. After spending a moment to steel his resolve, Weiss, with a breath held inward, answered,
“…We’ll be counting on you, too.”
“Mm-hm. We need all the help we can get if we’re all to make it out of this.”
“Right.”
“By the way, Weiss, if I remember correctly… don’t you have a unique skill that gives you passive recovery? Do you even need healing?”
“I guess not… It even regrows my arms if I were to lose them.”
“Whoa, that’s awesome! Sounds like you’ll only need buffing most of the time, then — I’ll keep that in mind. Oh, but you still get tired, right?”
“Of course.”
“In that case, if we end up fighting together, maybe I’d better focus on casting more <<Medic>> instead of healing. And also…”
“……”
Even in the presence of Weiss, a man capable of regenerating entire arms, Tsutomu confidently proposed his ideas with a cheerful tone. Weiss, perplexed, managed to respond with at least a few words. After Tsutomu asked about Weiss’ unique skill, the <<Phoenix Soul>>, he seemed satisfied and walked away.
[…What a strange guy.]
Ordinary people might fear his abnormality and display some sort of recoil in their expression. Tsutomu, however, seemed to see him as simply an Attacker. There was also something about his attitude that Weiss could not help but draw some similarities to himself.
While Tsutomu might not be averse to interpersonal interactions, Weiss sensed his solitude. At first glance, Tsutomu appeared surrounded by comrades, and he probably would struggle even to defeat a single monster on his own — and as such, he did not seem lonely or particularly powerful.
However, during the previous Stampede, Weiss witnessed Tsutomu’s ability to fight alone.
The gigantic monster — the Devourer Dragon — was so powerful that it broke through House Babenberg’s magic shield. Everyone present feared the monster, recognizing it instantly as an unbeatable foe. Yet, Tsutomu was the first to stand up against it.
[A White Mage was the bravest one of all… Who would have thought?]
It was especially the case when Tsutomu wielded the Black Staff, attempting to handle the role of a Healer on his own. And even with the Black Staff’s power boost, Weiss was still astonished that Tsutomu managed to do so much in that situation. The way he took on the situation alone, reminded Weiss somewhat of his own past self.
“I-it’s nice to meet you, Sir Weiss!”
Initially, Weiss felt only regret for the situation Alma had caused for Tsutomu. However, after the Stampede, Weiss found himself somewhat intrigued by his character — a curiosity that was made stronger by how willing Garm was to follow him.
“U-um…”
Garm, too, seemed to be one who walked the path of solitude. As Tanks withdrew one after another from the front lines, he alone persisted with unyielding determination. He should have had a personality befitting his nickname of Mad Dog — it was a mystery to Weiss how he had mellowed down so much.
“……”
Lost in such thoughts, Weiss belatedly realized that a small Birdkin girl was looking up at him with eyes that seemed on the verge of tears.
“……”
“I-I’m so sorry!”
Then, as soon as Weiss glanced down, the blue-haired girl fled from him. Weiss, realizing the circumstances, proceeded to apologize to Tsutomu, who had been observing the situation. Tsutomu nodded with a smile and went after Hannah.
In addition to Hannah, there were many distinctive individuals in Absolute Helix — the Guild Master’s daughter, an Elf archer, and Dungeon City’s idol. Weiss made his best effort to return the greetings to them.
And then there was the tall man whose distinctive features were blue-furred dog ears and tail — he was an old friend from before Weiss obtained his unique skill. However, the way this man looked at him seemed somewhat condescending.
“Hmph, I see you’ve become quite haughty.”
“Shut up.”
“You’re ridiculous, always trying to look cool.”
“…What about you? Looks like you’ve become so subdued compared to the past. It’s like you’re Tsutomu’s pet dog now.”
“….”
Perhaps Tsutomu, who recognized Weiss as a fellow party member, and Garm, his old friend, were the only ones who spoke to him on equal terms. With Garm getting grumpy and leaving without any further retorts, Weiss watched him depart with a slightly dumbfounded expression — and then an eerie smile.
Then, suddenly, Weiss felt a pinch on his back. Turning around, he found his clan members there.
“Looks like you’re getting along well with Tsutomu and Garm.”
“How come you’re hitting it off with THEM first? You’re far from being that enthusiastic whenever you talk with us!”
“…Sorry.”
Seeing Cecilia and Alma, respectively a Healer and Attacker of Scarlet Devil Squad, puffing their cheeks, Weiss apologized — albeit without understanding why this was happening. From that reaction, the two of them seemed to see through Weiss’ feelings, and as such became even more displeased.
The fact that Tsutomu and Garm spoke with Weiss on equal terms was understood by the members of the Scarlet Devil Squad. However, they also understood that it was something only possible due to Tsutomu’s remarkable achievements and Garm’s well-known reputation as the Mad Dog, as well as the latter’s status as an old friend.
“Well, we’ve just got to do our best. No point in being jealous.”
“Meh, I guess.”
“C’mon, are y’all kids or what? At least try to act mature…”
“……”
Seeing Weiss looking perplexed as he looked around at his Clan’s members, Cecilia and Alma wore mischievous expressions, reminiscent of children successfully pulling off a prank. In reaction to that, the male Clan members placed their hands on their hips, looking somewhat exasperated.
▽▽
As the Clans engaged in casual discussions while preparing to head for the front lines, Leon, who had been to the southern cities to gather information, arrived in Sentrea.
“Did you find anything new?”
“Nah, nothing special. The number and types of monsters were pretty much like the usual Stampedes.”
Leon, having seen the Stampedes firsthand, conveyed the information to Christia. According to Leon, things did not differ significantly from the previous Stampede, with the only visible difference being its larger scale.
“Oh, but the monsters passed through the cities surprisingly quickly. We did evacuate the people and transport the valuables away in advance, but not a single monster was left in the area. That one part struck me as a bit… odd.”
The Royal Capital, in response to the appearance of a monster during the previous Stampede that had breached House Babenberg’s shield, had advised the southern residents to evacuate northward.
As a result, the population of cities in the southern region had dropped to less than half, but there were still some remaining citizens. Despite the expectation that there would be victims attacked by monsters, surprisingly, there was not a single casualty following the recent incident.
Christia, after pondering Leon’s words, raised her long staff and launched a red <<Flash>> into the sky. It served as a signal to move towards the front lines, prompting the members of the Labyrinth Conquerors Clan to promptly start
“All right, thank you for the valuable information. We’ll continue to rely on you, Leon.”
“Yeah, sure thing…”
Leon proceeded to take a few minutes of rest before running southward again. Christia, watching Leon go swiftly without a word of complaint, proceeded to pick up her staff and hastily make her way to the base. And as soon as she got there, she issued instructions.
“We’ve received new information from Leon. There’s nothing specific to report, but we’ll also deploy. House Babenberg is preparing their shield in Sentrea now. Knights, handle the civilians. Especially those who have evacuated from the south — ensure they’re properly taken care of. We can’t afford panic spreading and causing riots, disrupting the operation.”
“Understood.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The head of House Babenberg seemed to have already begun preparing the shield, gathering Colorless Large Magic Stones in one place. The knight captain swiftly conveyed the information to his subordinates, and they began acting promptly.
“Weiss and Tsutomu, time to move out. Inform your Clans’ members. We’ll also borrow a portion of the marching band.”
“…Got it.”
“Roger.”
Weiss and Tsutomu responded promptly, swiftly carrying out their orders. The elderly conductor of the marching band nodded silently.
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