~Chapter 14~
As soon as the sun rose, the subjugation squad had a simple meal and immediately set out. Vice-captain Victor suggested to Christan that they should take down the tents and reassemble them along the path toward the center for convenience, but he was rejected immediately.
“What? But wouldn’t it be more convenient to move the tents closer to where we’ll rest later? Why that decision…?”
“We’ll push straight through to the center. This time both units will fight together, so we should be able to move faster than yesterday.”
“Ugh… understood, Captain.”
So the entire squad was now marching toward the center. The path they had cleared and protected with Holy Stones was free of monsters. As long as they didn’t touch any of the demonic plants, there shouldn’t be any problems.
As they walked, a large fallen tree came into view, blocking the road. It was the very tree Christan had cut down the day before.
The knights slowly shifted into alert mode. From here onward, there would be no Holy Stones laid out, and therefore no protective barrier.
The squad passed beyond the holy barrier and continued forward cautiously.
“…”
“…”
There was no conversation on the way to the center, but everyone silently realized how strange the situation was.
“There are no monsters in sight.”
Christan, narrowing his eyes and scanning the area, finally spoke. Victor, following closely behind him, responded.
“Yes, not even the sound of them crying.”
Christan paused briefly and looked between the black trees growing on either side of the path.
If the monsters were hiding in the bushes, they could remain unseen, but they couldn’t possibly be this silent. They even had a habit of avoiding the black trees, after all.
“…”
As the leader, Christan had to make a decision.
If the monsters were truly hiding somewhere waiting to ambush the squad, it would be risky to keep advancing like this. They could end up surrounded front and back.
But with all the demonic plants spread around—plants the monsters feared—it didn’t seem like there was anywhere for them to hide. Perhaps this was their chance to finish the subjugation while the monsters had cleared a path.
“…”
While debating, Christan met Amelie’s gaze.
“?”
She quickly smiled brightly, not missing the moment. But Christan was thinking about something else.
‘Ah… I just couldn’t sleep…’
She had waved her hands and denied it when he asked if the sleeping arrangements were uncomfortable, but there was no way that was 100% true.
She had lived as a noble lady; she would surely feel discomfort more strongly than others.
Having reached that thought, Christan made his decision without further hesitation.
“Now is the chance while there are no monsters. We will move faster and reach the center as quickly as possible.”
“Yes, understood!”
The squad’s pace quickened. Leading the group at the front, Christan organized his thoughts.
Even if he planned to turn down Amelie Winterpull’s feelings, he still needed to treat her with respect and care.
‘…I would do the same for anyone else who volunteered, not just her.’
With that baseless justification, he pressed on quickly.
“…Huh?”
After walking for some time, Amelie started to feel a headache creeping in.
“Sir Siard, my head is starting to hurt… is this also because of the rift?”
“What? Ah…”
Perhaps because she had suddenly spoken, Gerard looked awkward for a moment before frowning and answering,
“Yes, that’s correct. The miasma from the rift can cause headaches, nausea, and dizziness.”
“Ah, I see…”
Amelie nodded obediently, but then tilted her head in confusion.
‘Wait, what? He seems a little too dramatic about it.’
But there was no reason for him to fake anything, so she quickly dismissed her suspicion.
‘I must’ve imagined it.’
“From here is the center, so be careful.”
Gerard said with a small smile while rubbing his temples. The miasma was definitely getting thicker.
Christan paused to carefully check the knights’ condition. Once they had adapted somewhat to the miasma and calmed down, he spoke.
“From here on, it will be a fierce battle. This subjugation is unlike the usual, so the rift won’t be ordinary either.”
Amelie listened closely. She knew it was a bit silly, but she couldn’t help thinking he looked the most reliable she’d ever seen him.
“Protect each other’s backs. If you guard one another, victory will be ours!”
“Yes, sir!”
The knights’ morale shot sky-high. Their firm steps pressed forward toward the center. Amelie, caught up in their energy, was about to take another strong step when—
“Huh…?”
Something strange came into view. An odd shape loomed at the destination ahead. A huge shadow twitched and writhed.
“What is that…?”
Christan muttered as he noticed it too. He pushed aside the dark leaves and stepped into the wide clearing where the rift was.
There, the strange thing fully revealed itself.
“Oh my god…”
“This can’t be…”
Amelie’s mouth hung open, forgetting Christan was even next to her.
Everyone was frozen in shock, staring blankly at the massive thing.
Someone stammered,
“T-those monsters… they’re all… one mass…”
It was exactly that. Hundreds of monsters were fused together in a grotesque lump.
The huge cluster of monsters wasn’t even still. While they were tightly packed, others crawled around on the surface of the mass. Just looking at it made Amelie dizzy.
She felt goosebumps rise up her arms.
“That’s disgusting!”
Then someone shouted,
“Look at the center!”
In the middle of the monster cluster was a single, powerful-looking top-tier monster. Every time it let out a cry, two or three new monsters would emerge from the rift and attach themselves to the mass. The cluster was slowly growing bigger.
The monster mass writhed its enormous body, watching the squad intently with hundreds of eyes. It didn’t seem like it planned to move recklessly.
“…”
“…”
Even Christan, who had much experience in subjugations, clicked his tongue.
“I thought I’d seen it all… but this is new. That must be the leader.”
But there was no time to hesitate. Christan quickly gave orders to the knights.
“First, attack the lower monsters surrounding it to reduce its size! We have to strike before it gets any bigger!”
He raised his sword, ready to rush at the monster mass, but a hand suddenly stopped him.
“Wait!”
It was Amelie.
“Rushing in like that is too dangerous! We don’t know what that monster is capable of! If you get trapped in that cluster, it’s over!”
“Sh-she’s right. If they all attack at once, even you would be in danger, Captain.”
The other knights also seemed reluctant to engage the monster in close combat.
But despite their objections, Christan didn’t lower his sword.
“But to defeat it, we have no choice but to approach somehow.”
“That’s true, but…! Please wait just a moment.”
Flustered by Christan’s stance, ready to charge at any second, Amelie hurriedly pulled something out of her pouch.
“It’s nothing special, but I do have a way.”
