Orlando’s perspective

[It’s bad, isn’t it?]

[Yeah, this is really bad]

[Just to be sure just in case, but this is the right place, right?]

I and Lloyd agreed to the word of the mage that we hired temporarily. The faces of everyone who’s looking at the map was stern.

[We first encountered the new species here.. and the next encounter is here somewhere around Glenda and L’Ecole. Other sightings are uncertain but it seems to have appeared in the territory of the Old Empire as well. The latest sighting is in the northern road where it attacked a caravan and stole some supplies.]

Lloyd points on the following landmarks on the map and confirmed them

[The area is just too wide]

[Eh-! Isn’t this too wide?]

[That’s so wide..]

The <Dawn of war> is currently planning to defeat the new type monster, but when they process the information they gathered, what they found is sickening size of the monster activity range.

Lloyd drew a circle around the landmarks using the distance of the farthest area of sighting as the radius and narrowed it down, but still the area is still too large.

[Is this possible?]

Diera muttered

[I’d say that the realistic range would be.. around this much]

Diera sighed at the circle Lloyd drew while crossing her arms.

[this makes me wonder if the elves are checking on this guy]

To be honest as long as we don’t have enough mage it would be difficult to defeat that thing with no help from the elves.

[are you trying to pull in those long ears? Don’t think about it. Those guys are lunatics who think monster is part of natures. At best you can only hire a few stragglers.]

I scratch my head and Lloyd warned me with:

[Captain, don’t let your dandruff fly]

Even though my hygiene is better than before, I’m still being told.

The mage who we are cooperating with us looks disgusted.

[Truthfully, we don’t have enough strength to fight him on our own. As I said before that thing can’t be scratched ordinarily by a magic sword. We need something on the ranks of my <Giant Slayer> if we want to stand a chance.]

[in that case it’s better to join up with other mercenaries or participate in the war with the kni9ghts]

I nod to Lloyd’s word. I had done a lot of discussion but no matter how many times I think about it we still don’t have enough strength.

[Orlando, are you connected to Carcelle Trading Company?]

[I won’t consider it a connection, it’s more like I ingratiate myself with them a little through work. I tried to get magic swords from them but it was impossible]

[Still, it’s a good thing to have weapon for business. It may not be enough but I think heavy weapon might work against it]

[I hope so]

I leaned on the back rest of my chair.

Suddenly I heard hurrying knocks and when I respond someone entered the room

[Commander! the guild master wants to see you as soon as possible]

[it can’t be that it is related to the new type monster, is it?]

[I hope not, we’re not ready yet]

I headed to the mercenary guild while eating some skewer I got from a nearby stall. Arngeil, the guild master was already waiting along the distinguished leaders of mercenary who already gatherer.

Fudo Daiken the largest mercenary guild in L’Ecole, the Golden Embers led by the old mage Marcus, the Steel Axe and the fire spear violator all who are well-known are present and if you add my own Dawn of War, all the major mercenary group of L’Ecole is now here. There are other smaller groups but I don’t know them.

[Now that everyone is here, let’s get started. To put it simply the Lord has ordered us to subjugate the new type monster, along side 250 members of the army.

[Can I have a word? I’m wondering if..]

I raised my hand at Arngeil’s word.

[that’s fine since you’re the only one with experience fighting it]

[I knew it]

Arngeil then ask the rest

[are there other who want to decline the quest.]

The old man dressed like a mage raised his hand.

[Excuse me, but if the main troops went all out it’ll just hinder us]

Said Marcus the one who raised his hand, and is the leader of the Golden Ember. They’re participation is vital for this operation in order to deal with the new type monster.

[that too bad..]

I have expressed my honest impression but I cannot expect a 100 % participation.

[Hou? I’m glad that the Dawn is counting on us so much]

[That’s because this old man and this magician’s quality is top-notch.. can the old man alone come?]

Knowing that it’s impossible, I still tried to persuade the Golden Ember’s leader for the maximum fire power but the only answer I receive is a shake of his head

[Hou? Was it really worrisome not to have the Golden Ember?]

The grandmaster Grand of Fudo Daiken butt in, in a provoking manner. We don’t have much interaction with them and even if we do it’ll be like this.

He’s a name fraud who changed his main weapon just because he got a magic spear

T/N Note (Fudo Daiken is written as Steadfast Greatsword, hence a name fraud because instead of using a greatsword, Grant uses a spear.)

[I want a good magician; I can’t add them if you join]

[Yeah, right loser]

Grant snorts and told Arngeil

[Fudo Daiken would take the lead, you won’t challenge it, will you?]

When I gave a hand signal to Grant saying to be my guest, he leaves sneering and after confirming that he is gone I approached old man Marcus.

[I don’t care if you won’t join old man but I need as many skilled mages as I can get. How many can you dispatch for us?]

The old man just shook his head.

[They’re all out]

I can’t get the manpower I need but fortunately the heads of large mercenary groups are gathered here now. If we work together, we might have a chance.

[Orlando let me ask you something. From the way you act, it looks like magic is more effective than ordinary weapon, but I don’t understand why are you so fixated on mages?]

Cain the leader of Steel Axe asked. He seems to have sensed something and is questioning me with conviction.

The truth is we aren’t completely helpless, we are able to take a strike at him but he was unharmed. The one who dealt a scratch is Annie, one of our magic sword bearers.

The place is on an uproar with my revelation which is natural after I basically told them that normal weapons are useless against it

[Oi Orlando! I didn’t hear that!]

[I haven’t talked about it. It took us three men and one woman to create a chance risking their life for it but it came out unharmed.]

I replied while calming Arngeil.

[What kind of magic sword was it?]

[I’m sorry but I won’t disclosed it, but I’m sure it’s not that different from any other sword that exist.]

[ah so that’s why you wanted some top-of-the-line magic sword]

Arngeil rubbed his chin as he muttered.

[So, I’m going to need a few more weapons of the same caliber to get the job done]

[Grant’s with us, right?]

[eh? You want me to fight with him? Are you kidding me?]

I said reflexively and the turning the atmosphere sour]

However, Marcus come to my side.

[I’m really sorry but I really can’t leave our base and also, I don’t want to die yet]

[Old man you have live long enough though?]

The old man laughs at my words. It seems like he felt my concern and decided to withdraw from this mission.

(Shit! This old man’s perception is accurate)

I wanted to pull the Embers in but it really was impossible no matter how much I persisted.

[According to the information it attacked a caravan only once on the highway, right? Wasn’t the subjugation order come too soon? What happened?]

Arngeil frown at Cain’s word.

[If you can’t tell us the reason, I can assume that it doesn’t matter right]

Frank the leader of the Fire Spear laughed as a follow up.

Arngeil exhaled as if giving up and divulged the details;

[Among the attacked caravan was someone who was delivering the replica of the statue of the water goddess. The lord is planning to use it as a fountain for the city that he was planning to build in the southern part of the country and have it as a symbol of it. Even though it’s a replica it has the ability to supply the city with endless supply of water, and I heard it cost a lot of money.]

[What do you mean?]

I asked rushing for an answer

[It’s just the lords will, a common trouble of the nobles]