The mobilization of an army normally required countless preparations, but Prince Valenrian had no time for any of that.
It had already been more than half a day since Sylvie was taken by that bastard.
From the direction indicated by the Tracking Mark on the Magic Tool, it seemed that little loli witch planned to flee with her toward the Rhine Empire.
If the other side succeeded, he would be a lifelong disgrace to the Vichy Royal Family, and as for condemning Eveleel—there would be no hope at all.
But it seemed the gods favored the “protagonist.”
The little witch apparently had no idea that Sylvie was Marked.
According to the information relayed by his spies, the position marked on the Magic Tool had stopped in a Dungeon within the North Forest of Moravia.
He had heard a bit about that Dungeon—though the maze inside was said to be complicated, none of the monsters were particularly strong, with the mightiest being only a Scorpion-Tailed Lion.
It was rumored that treasure chests could be found in that maze, and the Saint Nation was probably after the items inside those chests.
Truly troublesome. How did that fool Willey manage as Lord Willry? How could the Vichy Royal Family be slower to learn of such a “Treasure Vault” than the Saint Nation? He was truly useless!
If only he had blocked off that Dungeon sooner…
“Your Highness, Your Highness!”
“What is it? Why have we stopped?”
Prince Valenrian’s position was at the very center of the Royal Guard. The column of five hundred soldiers pressed on in formidable formation.
According to his plan, the swiftly marching Guard would reach the Dungeon Entrance before nightfall.
One third of his elite soldiers would remain to guarantee his safety while inspecting everyone entering and exiting the Dungeon.
The rest of the soldiers would follow the Guard Captain into the Dungeon to search for that witch and for Sylvie.
Yet now, they had come to a halt halfway there.
“A large number of monsters have appeared ahead, we’re surrounded.”
“Surrounded?”
Vice Captain Bam was a man adept in both water and wind magic, with some skill in sensing magic.
But in the gloom, aside from thick shrubs, there seemed to be nothing at all. What did he mean by surrounded?
“Your Highness, please look around more carefully.”
This unexpected development annoyed Valenrian. He once more surveyed his surroundings—no, there was no need to look further, for from within the bushes came the rustle of something moving.
Bathed in the afterglow of sunset, a horde of green-skinned, sharp-eared imps with fangs at the corners of their mouths emerged.
“These are the monsters you spoke of? Aren’t they just a bunch of Goblins, what’s there to make a fuss about?”
“Your Highness is quite right, but there’s something unusual about their numbers—there are simply too many Goblins here.”
Indeed, Goblins were communal monsters fond of banding together to ambush lone humans and beasts, but it was unheard of for them to approach an army instead of fleeing.
Could it be that the witch capable of controlling monsters was nearby?
If so, even better—she was delivering herself right to him.
Once he caught her and found Sylvie, Eveleel would be finished.
“Guard Captain Petro, now is your time to redeem yourself—wipe out these monsters, then search the area thoroughly for me!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
“Pass my order! First and third squads, clear out the monsters nearby; second squad, protect His Highness!”
As expected, the gods were on his side. These Goblins were probably just the loli witch hastily summoned from the surroundings.
It looked like she had lost the ability to control that armored monster she used in the city before, so she was forced to use such inferior monsters as substitutes…
What a joke! Did she really think his Royal Guard could be held up by Goblins?
“Goblins! Throw your bottles!”
Crack!
That detestable, sweetly crisp voice drifted down from overhead, along with the sound of shattering glass.
The green-skinned imps, following her command, hurled some kind of object onto the dirt path where the soldiers marched.
At that moment, Valenrian had no time to pay attention to the broken glass. He raised his head and looked up.
Though he had long guessed the culprit’s identity, now he finally had proof!
The culprit who abducted his fiancée was indeed the “Pet” that Eveleel often mentioned—that loli must be the one hiding Sylvie!
“Magic Squad! Shoot her down from that Griffin, now!”
At his command, the soldiers of the Magic Squad surrounding him began firing spell after spell—flame lances, water arrows, ice bolts…
The Griffin carrying the loli dodged clumsily in the sky; by the looks of it, it was only a matter of time before it was struck down.
Once that loli fell from the Griffin, he’d be sure to thoroughly humiliate her in front of everyone—the pain on his cheek from being trampled by her shoe still lingered.
He would repay this humiliation a hundred, a thousand times over!
……
Blinded by rage at the sight of his enemy, the prince missed a few details. Soon after, a strange change occurred all around.
“Waaah, waaah…”
What was that? What hideous sound?
Shrill, piercing cries—like a baby wailing—came from the thickets all around.
Only then did Valenrian notice that, besides Goblins, there were many strange Slimes with leafy stems on their heads hidden in the undergrowth.
No, Slimes shouldn’t be able to make such awful noises. That sound seemed to be coming from a plant on their bodies?
Where had this thing come from?
Valenrian observed the battlefield carefully, and finally discovered the source of the disturbance.
One of the Royal Guard slashed a Slime apart with his sword.
“Waaah, waaah…”
There it was again, that hideous noise! Even louder this time!
No, it was more than that—the soldier who had killed the Slime toppled straight to the ground, convulsing with foam at his mouth.
“Stop! Everyone stop! Do not kill those Slimes!”
“Stop! All of you, stop right now!”
……
The Vice Captain beside him shouted orders to the soldiers who were clearing the monsters, but the piercing wails overlapped, making it impossible for the soldiers to hear anything the commanders yelled.
More and more people fainted on the spot after killing a Slime.
“Captain Bam, what’s going on?”
“Your Highness, those plants must be Demon Grass. It’s said that when their roots are exposed to air, they emit a crying sound just like a human infant. Anyone who hears it will fall unconscious, or in the worst case, die!”
“W-What?! Die? Isn’t there any way to stop it?”
Valenrian panicked, covering his ears with all his strength, but the sound hardly lessened.
“Mages, Mages! Forget the ‘bug’ in the sky for now—attack those Slimes, don’t let them get close!”
“Your Highness, if we do that, our casualties will increase! They’re just Slimes, they can’t hurt anyone, as long as no one—”
Bam cut himself off mid-sentence.
That was because, even if the Slimes weren’t killed, the Demon Grass inside them was still being pulled out by the Goblins…
Not only that, the surviving Goblins were now picking up Slimes and charging straight at their ranks.
In an instant, the deafening wails echoed on all sides. The Royal Guard suffered heavy losses.
This absurd combination of monsters produced an effect no one could have anticipated…