Her Majesty’s Swarm: Volume 2 - ebook

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TO THE NORTHERN TRADE NATION

“I think our next step should be to sneak into the Dukedom of Schtraut,” I declared over breakfast.

The ones who had prepared my breakfast were our captives from the Kingdom of Maluk. They did this for me, their most hated nemesis, because of the Parasite Swarms controlling their bodies. It was admittedly ill-natured of me to enslave them this way, but considering everything the Kingdom of Maluk had done, it was their just desserts.

My meal this morning was bacon and eggs with salad and a little bread on the side. Not a luxurious breakfast by any means, but the ingredients had all been grown and raised by the elves.

“The Dukedom of Schtraut?” asked Sérignan, who was in my company.

“Yep. The Dukedom is located in a position that’s easy for us to attack. There’s a mountainous region between us, but it’s still easier than attacking the Frantz Popedom or the Empire of Nyrnal.”

If we were to attack one of those two countries, we’d need to cross through the elven forest, where our base was, to reach them. And since the elves were under our protection, I didn’t want to turn their forest into a battlefield. It just wouldn’t be right.

There was one other path we could take to attack Nyrnal—crossing over a large river called the Themel. Even if we had the Worker Swarms build a bridge across it, however, this manner of invasion would be a challenge.

It was for these reasons I had set my sights on the Dukedom of Schtraut.

The Dukedom was northeast of the Kingdom of Maluk’s territory and would require crossing a mountainous region to get there. But once that was done with, invading it would be easy. With the Dukedom suppressed, it would be much easier for us to attack the Popedom of Frantz. All in all, it was a very attractive target.

“The people of Schtraut haven’t wronged us yet, but if we don’t put them in their place now, we may soon find ourselves fighting in our own territory. Many elves and Swarms would be lost in the battle. We should control their country as quickly as possible.”

Up until now, my policy was to strike back only when someone picked a fight with us... but this time, I was planning a preemptive attack. The Dukedom of Schtraut hadn’t crossed us, but its position was problematic; the land was a direct path into the Arachnea’s territory. If the people of Schtraut had anything to curse for their impending misfortune, it would have to be the land they had chosen to settle in.

“As you wish, Your Majesty. Then I will go and investigate,” Sérignan nodded, seemingly convinced.

“I’ll come with you.”

“But it’s dangerous! The Dukedom is effectively enemy territory!”

“Even I want to be surrounded by humans every now and then. And I joined you when we went into Leen, remember?”

Being surrounded by human remains—well, more like, globs of flesh—was causing me to forget what it was like to interact with actual living people. I thought that being around humans might provide some sort of social rehabilitation.

“Besides, I want to see things with my own eyes. I might be able to see everything through the collective consciousness, but I want to witness it for myself, just to be safe. Additionally, I want to be there for any negotiations.”

Right, our objective wasn’t to simply scout out the Dukedom. It was to scout, get a grasp on the situation, _and_ try to negotiate with the right people. I might have made the Dukedom of Schtraut my target, but that wasn’t to say there was no room for negotiation. I wanted to determine whether our nation of monsters could interact with other countries as an equal. If nothing else, the potential for diplomacy was there.

“But still, it’s hardly safe,” Sérignan protested.

“Which is why I have you to help me. Oh, Sérignan, my dear knight... You’ll protect me no matter what, right?”

“Of course! By your will, Your Majesty!”

Sérignan was fiercely loyal and quite devoted to me, as flawed a mistress as I was.

“Erm, what should I do?” piped Lysa, joining in on the conversation.

“You should come with us, too. You can use Mimesis, and your skill with a bow has gotten better, right?”

“Yes, I can pull harder strings than I’ve ever been able to before. I think my accuracy’s gone up, too!”

Now that Lysa had become a Swarm, her muscles were much stronger, which allowed her to pull the strings of unbelievably large bows. I had seen her practice before—the sight of arrows the size of ballista bolts hitting their marks dead center from three hundred meters away was astonishing.

“And we’ll probably need one more thing to round out our forces here.”

No sooner had I uttered the words than a man walked into the room. At first glance, he looked like one of the people from the Kingdom of Maluk, but that wasn’t the case.

The man’s face was completely unfamiliar, and he looked to be about thirty years old.

“Who is this man?” Sérignan asked, directing a suspicious glare in his direction.

“Allow me to introduce him to you.” I gestured toward him. “This here is a Masquerade Swarm.”

In terms of fighting power, a Masquerade Swarm was the same as a Ripper Swarm, but it had double the creation cost. In exchange, however, it had a very important ability.

“Masquerade Swarm, undo your Mimesis.”

At my order, the man’s face split in half, revealing two massive fangs. Insectile legs extended out from his back, and his—or rather, its legs turned into a pair of venomous stingers. With its transformation complete, it stood before us in the unmistakable form of a Swarm.

“Aaah! H-He was a Swarm?!” Lysa exclaimed.

“That’s right, except he’s a Swarm capable of using Mimesis. It’s a special unit capable of sneaking into enemy territory disguised as another faction’s worker unit and causing disruption and chaos from the inside. Isn’t it just perfect for our next mission?”

The Masquerade Swarm’s special ability was Mimesis. Sérignan and Lysa could also use it, of course, but the only _generic_ units capable of using Mimesis were Masquerade Swarms.

As their name implied, they masqueraded as unarmed enemy units and infiltrated opponents’ bases, disrupting their operations with all sorts of attacks, including suicide bombing. This made them ideal for missions like our present one, during which it was necessary to sneak behind enemy lines.

“So, Sérignan, Lysa, myself, and the Masquerade Swarm will be infiltrating the Dukedom. We’ll investigate how the people of Schtraut lead their lives, what their political structure is, and what they’re currently trying to do. Naturally, we’ll also check their terrain. We’ll need to figure out the most appropriate way to march into their territory.”

We needed to prepare for a possible war with them, after all. Suppressing the Dukedom might be our stepping stone to reach the Popedom of Franz.

“How many Masquerade Swarms do we have?” Sérignan asked.

“This one will escort us. In addition, we’ll have sixteen detached squads of four Masquerade Swarms each sneak in as well. They’ll act as our support in case we need them. Anyway, we’ll play the part of refugees from the ruined Kingdom of Maluk to infiltrate the Dukedom. I’m not sure if they’ll accept us so easily, but it’s our best chance to cross the border.”

We had slaughtered nearly everyone from the Kingdom, and so we had no one to fabricate documents for us. If I had known this would happen, I would have had someone prepare some documents that allowed us passage to another country. Hindsight at its finest...

“Anyway, we’re setting out tonight. That way, we’ll reach Schtraut’s border tomorrow morning. Until then, prepare yourselves for our mission; do your best to look as much like refugees as possible.”

I had the Worker Swarms make me the shabbiest, most modest clothing possible, and they smeared mud all over Sérignan’s armor, much to her chagrin. Lysa wasn’t sure if she’d pass as a refugee from Maluk if it was obvious she was an elf, so she tied her hair in order to hide her ears.

The Masquerade Swarms donned clothes that had belonged to some of the Maluk citizens we turned into meatballs. Meanwhile, I set to work making whatever else we’d need for our mission. I created new Masquerade Swarms of varying genders and appearances in preparation for the task.

Luckily, we already had plenty of carriages. During our attacks on the various towns of Maluk, I took care to spare the carriages and horses in case we’d need them. I knew putting them aside would prove useful sooner or later.

Night fell soon enough, and it was time for us to depart.

♱

Our small group left separately from the squads of Masquerade Swarms, but we all arrived at Schtraut’s border at the same time. A single paved road made it easy to pass through the mountainous region, and I made a mental note of it in case we needed to traverse it again later in greater numbers.

“Stop! Stop right there!”

When we reached the border, soldiers situated along the checkpoint approached our carriage.

“Yes, can we help you?” I asked, putting on a brilliant smile.

“Don’t play coy with me!” shouted a man who looked to be the leader of the border guard. “The Dukedom of Schtraut is beyond here! Do you have a passage permit?!”

“Yes, well... We have all fled the Kingdom of Maluk, sir, so we don’t have anything of the sort. Our country was destroyed so quickly, we... Oh, it took so much effort just to get here...” I choked, crocodile tears sliding down my cheeks.

“Oh! Well, you don’t say! Yes, we’ve heard about what happened to the Kingdom. They say it was ruined by an army of monsters. The guild’s doing everything it can to look into it. We didn’t think there were any survivors, though. I’ll approve your passage with my authority as the chief of the border guard. I wish you the very best, young lady. I sincerely hope the Dukedom will become your second home.”

He then issued us a passage permit that would allow us to enter the nearest city. Frankly, I had planned the operation with the full intent of busting in with brute force, but thankfully it hadn’t come to that. After all, what if they had thought we were spies from Nyrnal?

Back in my world, many people felt refugees and their children grew too numerous too quickly, so they weren’t always permitted to cross borders. I had taken this world for a much colder, cutthroat sort of place than my own, so I was surprised to find the people here surprisingly kindhearted. Part of me hoped I wouldn’t have to order the border chief’s death.

_I’ve had to kill too many people who showed me kindness already._

“Marine is the first city we’ll reach in the Dukedom; the map says it’s a port town. We’ll spend the day there and immediately start probing for information. Once we find an inn, we can leave our things there and get to investigating. You know what they say: time is money.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

Our passage permit obviously included all the cities of Schtraut, so we merely paid a small toll during inspection before entering Marine, our first city in the Dukedom.

When people learned we were refugees from the Kingdom of Maluk, they showed us great sympathy, saying we were lucky to not have been devoured by monsters. That left me feeling a bit guilty.

“Look, Your Majesty, it’s the sea! The sea!”

“Yep, that’s the sea right there. Don’t get _too_ excited, though, Lysa.”

Marine, as its name suggested, was a town built close to the ocean. It was near a gulf, and its houses dotted the sloping coast, giving the citizens a view of the trade ships sailing below. The abundance of ships was well beyond what we had seen in Maluk’s port towns, standing as proof of how much this country had flourished in comparison.

“Sorry. It’s just that... I’ve never seen the sea before.”

“Figures. I mean, you _have_ lived your whole life in the forest.” I turned my gaze to the ocean. “The sea is vast and pretty, but it can also be very dangerous. It can swallow up and kill people all too easily.”

“It’s kind of like the Arachnea.”

“Yes... It really is.”

_The sea is just as vast and wholly connected as the Arachnea. Once roused, it brings forth ruin, pulling everything down into its deep, dark embrace... What a striking comparison._

“Where should we rent rooms?” Sérignan asked, interrupting my thoughts.

“Normally, I wouldn’t care where, but this time I’d like to sleep in a nice place... Somewhere with comfy beds and tasty food. This town doesn’t seem to have a guide for tourists, so I have no idea where we’d find a three-star hotel or something like that.”

“Naturally, a secure establishment would be preferable. We cannot allow any harm to befall you, Your Majesty. Shall I choose an inn for us?”

“Go for it, Sérignan. You’re right, we shouldn’t be complacent now that we’re behind enemy lines. I kind of let my own excitement go to my head.”

Traveling through the streets filled with passersby and looking at the serene cityscape made me relax a little _too_ much, it seemed. This was potential enemy territory. I had to keep my eye on the gates, the walls, and the guards on patrol, considering I might end up laying siege to this city. Unfortunate as it may have been, we really didn’t have the leisure to do anything as saccharine as gazing out at the ocean.

“Then I think that inn over there is a good choice, Your Majesty. It’s large, and we can easily situate Masquerade Swarms within and around the building. The surrounding area looks to be fairly safe as well.”

I looked at the inn Sérignan was pointing at. It was just one of many on the adjacent street, but this one in particular looked to be of the highest quality.

“Additionally, the rooms facing the sea should give us a view of the ocean,” she added.

“Thank you, Sérignan.”

Sérignan really was kind. I was lucky to have such a sweet woman as my very own knight.

THE ADVENTURERS’ GUILD

Once we had put all our belongings in rooms at the inn, we swiftly began our investigation of Marine. Frankly speaking, bringing down this city looked to be a cakewalk. The walls were built only as a precaution against smugglers, and there were very few men on patrol. Other than the soldiers walking about to keep the peace, the city’s protection consisted of only a single company of men garrisoned along the walls.

None of them seemed to anticipate that this place could become a battlefield. Considering that their western neighbor had just fallen, I felt they were being careless to not even wonder when the monsters might show up on their doorstep.

That said, the soldiers did seem to be working on reinforcing the city’s defenses to the best of their ability. They were carrying construction materials up onto the walls, but it wasn’t going to be enough. It was clear they lacked either the manpower or the funds to do it... or perhaps both. Anyway, it wasn’t as though they were _completely_ unprepared.

“All right, let’s gather some intel,” I said, leading Sérignan, Lysa, and the Masquerade Swarm into town. “Any ideas on how we should go about it? I’d like to get a grasp on the terrain right away so we can attack it whenever we like... but on the other hand, we should investigate Schtraut’s internal affairs in case we want to negotiate with them later. Where should we go first?”

This world didn’t have newspapers or anything of the sort. Newspapers were a vital source of information about world affairs, so not having them made things difficult. Not that I could have read a newspaper if I _did_ have one, considering I couldn’t read this world’s languages.

“I really don’t know,” Lysa replied, shaking her head. “If this were the village, you could ask about pretty much anything by going to the meeting grounds. It was the one place everybody gathered together to talk.”

“A place where everyone gathers together...” Sérignan mused. “Your Majesty, perhaps we should go to a tavern?”

“A tavern...? Right. That does sound promising.” Having said that, I took a look around.

Thankfully, I found one easily enough. I couldn’t read signs, but the giant image of a stein overflowing with ale outside the door said it all.

“Let’s head on in.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty.”

I entered the tavern with the three of them in tow.

“Huh?”

The moment we entered, every pair of eyes in the place fixed on us. I was dressed in the refugee clothes the Worker Swarms had made for me—drab as the dress was, it was still a very nice dress—and Sérignan and Lysa were pretty enough to even draw the gazes of other women. It was only natural that we’d call attention to ourselves.

“Ho there, missy... Do ya know what kind o’ place this is??” asked a smallish man sitting near the door—probably a dwarf.

“I do.”

“Then ya know this ain’t a place ya should be loiterin’ about, aye? This is where grown-ups sit down to chat. Yer a year or three away from sittin’ here with the rest o’ us.”

“Oh, that’s what you were trying to say.”

The dwarf was commenting on how odd it was for me to come into a tavern, given that I was only fourteen or so. That wasn’t something I had considered; I’d completely forgotten my current age.

“I might not look it, but I’m actually old enough to drink. Right, Sérignan?”

“Aye! I mean, yes! Her Majesty is most certainly old enough to drink.”

“Sérignan!” I hissed, jabbing an elbow into her side. “You can’t call me that. Find a different name to use here.”

“Hmm. Would ‘Miss’ do?”

“I guess. Let’s go with that.”

We whispered back and forth, trying to patch up our cover story.

“Well, anyway, you heard her. Can you let us in so we can order something?”

“Eh, do whatever suits yer fancy,” the dwarf said in a resigned voice before downing whatever was in his stein. “I don’t give a camel’s spit if yer head goes rotten cuz ya become a drunk with half yer foot in the cradle.”

I turned to my companions. “Let’s grab a seat by the counter. Keep your ears to the ground, all right?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

We grabbed a few seats at the bar.

“What’ll it be, missy?” asked the bartender and apparent owner of the place.

“Red wine, please.”

To be honest, I didn’t need the dwarf’s warning; I wasn’t a good drinker anyway. The legal drinking age back home had been lowered to eighteen, so I had had a few drinks before... but I never found it pleasant. Perhaps I just wasn’t cut out for it. Still, I had to at least _pretend_ to drink here in the tavern.

“I’ll have milk,” chirped Lysa.

“And I’ll have ale,” said Sérignan.

_Oh, I could have ordered milk instead. Well, drat. Still, walking up to a tavern and ordering milk feels wrong. Oh well._

For now, we simply had to sit and listen. At any moment, someone might be loosened up enough by booze to say something important.

“Have you heard about the Kingdom of Maluk?” muttered a patron after some time.

“Oh, yeah, I heard about it, all right,” said his companion. “A whole country just wiped off the map. Terrible stuff.”

_Speak of the devil and he doth appear._

“What does the duke think about it? If the monsters march north, we’ll have a bigger problem than the Nyrnal Empire on our hands.”

“Nah, the Nyrnal Empire’s even scarier than them. They say Emperor Maximillian’s the _real_ monster.”

_Hmm... So this country’s relationship with Nyrnal isn’t favorable. This is an opening we can take advantage of._

“The people over at the Adventurers’ Guild sure have it easy. All they have to do is go spy on Maluk to earn some pocket money. Schtraut can go to hell for all they care; they’ll just take their business elsewhere, the damned peepers-for-hire.”

“Don’t say that! Those adventurers put themselves in plenty of danger. There aren’t enough people to do all the quests the country needs doing. And it’s not like all of them are off to Maluk, you know. Even then, it’s been ransacked by some weird monsters... I’d be shaking in my boots if someone told me to go investigate the roost of some bloodthirsty beasts no one knows anything about!”

_Seems like some organization called the Adventurers’ Guild is looking into the Kingdom of Maluk. I’ll have to ensure any Ripper Swarms situated across the border are on high alert. Having them look into our internal affairs would be bad... We should close our borders._

“Cheers to the ruffians from the Adventurers’ Guild! Glory to those bastards!”

“Cheers to the reckless lunatics waltzing into the monsters’ nest in place of our cowardly knights!”

The drunks raised their voices in a sardonic toast as they clinked their glasses together.

“This Adventurers’ Guild sounds interesting. Do you know anything about it, Lysa?” I asked.

“I don’t know much about it, sorry. But adventurers used to show up in our forest sometimes to look for escaped prisoners. I think they’re a bit like mercenaries?”

“How about we try to join them?” Sérignan proposed.

“That might be problematic,” I said. “We’re refugees; no one knows who we are.”

“Refugees from Maluk, are you?” Apparently, the tavern’s owner had overheard some of our conversation.

“Yes. We all fled the Kingdom of Maluk together.”

“That little lady in the dress probably can’t do much, but you two with the armor and the bow look like you’ll do just fine at the Adventurers’ Guild. If you don’t have any other source of income, I think the guild might be a decent option for you.”

I made a mental note that he was nonchalantly calling me useless. _Still, maybe it’s worth a shot._

“Where do we find the guild?” I asked him.

“It’s on Duke Sven Memorial Street. There’s a big sign; you can’t miss it.”

“Thank you. Here, have this. You helped us a lot.”

I dropped a handful of coins onto the counter and left, the others tagging along behind me.

“We’re going to look into this Adventurers’ Guild,” I said once we were outside. “First, we need to make our way into their organization. It’s already too late to get around to it today, but let’s go for it tomorrow. If they’re looking into what happened to Maluk, they might find out something we’d rather they didn’t.”

“By your will, Your Majesty.”

With that, we returned to the inn together. The beds were comfy, the food was delicious, and the view of the sea was lovely to behold. I committed my satisfaction to memory.

_Thank you, Sérignan. You might have a hidden talent for finding great accommodations._

♱

Just as I’d told Sérignan and Lysa, we headed to the Adventurers’ Guild the next morning. My exhaustion from our travels caused me to sleep in late; I did my best to keep it a secret, but my two closest companions simply waved it off with a smile.

_I’m sorry, you two..._

“The Adventurers’ Guild should be on Duke Sven Memorial Street.” I moved through the streets of Marine, looking for the one in question. “Oh, Is that it?”

After walking down the street with the longest name we could find, the four of us came to a large sign depicting a sword and a bow crossed over one another. Apparently, they were recruiting mercenaries or something.

“This does look promising. None of the other nearby buildings seem to fit the bill, after all,” Sérignan remarked.

“I wonder what it’ll be like inside,” Lysa said with a hint of anxiety.

“Only one way to find out. We’re going in.”

I stepped forward with Sérignan, Lysa, and the Masquerade Swarm following close behind. Incidentally, the Masquerade Swarm was so silent I couldn’t figure out what it was thinking. The collective consciousness didn’t really tell me much in terms of emotions or opinions, so I wondered if he truly recognized me as his queen, just as the others did.

“You’ve nothing to worry about, Your Majesty,” the Masquerade Swarm said suddenly. “This Swarm will follow your every order.”

I almost tripped in my surprise. _Wow, you can talk. That’s a relief._

“All right, in we go.”

Just like that, we stepped into the Adventurers’ Guild. Actually, there was nothing particularly unusual about it. Inside was a sort of reception area and some desks for filling out paperwork, like you’d see in a government office.

People of all shapes and sizes filled the place, including stout dwarves, dainty women, and burly men. On top of their dissimilar appearances, the sheer variety of weapons and armor that belonged to them prevented any sense of unity among the crowd.

_So, these are adventurers... Soldiers for hire._ We hadn’t run into any during our conquest of Maluk, but now that I was seeing them in person—a disorganized mess of people with mismatched gear—they didn’t seem like a threat. Honestly, I didn’t think they would do very well if they fought in a group.

“The Adventurers’ Guild, eh?” I whispered, looking around.

“Welcome to the Marine branch of the Adventurers’ Guild,” said the female receptionist with a smile. ”Are you looking to take on a quest?”

“No, we’re not really here for adventures. We’re just looking around. Sérignan, how strong would you say these people are?”

“It’s quite varied. Some of them are strong enough to give us trouble, while others wouldn’t even be able to beat a Worker Swarm.”

Sérignan and I surveyed the guild carefully.

“I can see there are some quests pinned up there,” I said. “Not that I can read them...”

Unfortunately, while I could speak in this world’s common language, I couldn’t read it.

“Perhaps we could work as adventurers?”

“What? Why should we?”

“Well, Miss, I believe that if we’re to look into the adventurers here, forming connections might be the best way to go about it. To that end, if we work as adventurers, we’ll naturally create those connections.”

Sérignan wasn’t wrong; her idea made perfect sense. I asked whether Lysa and the Masquerade Swarm agreed with the plan through the collective consciousness, and they both nodded in unison.

“Then it’s decided. We’ll join the guild. What’s our first step?”

“I think we should register at the reception desk.”

_Right. I brushed the receptionist off once already, but this time we should really speak with her._

“We’d like to register as adventurers,” I told her.

“Oh, of course! I’m happy to be of assistance. Let’s start by creating your guild cards.”

“Guild cards...? Do we need to pay a yearly fee to retain our membership or something?”

“Erm, no. You simply need to complete a certain quota of quests; that’ll be more than enough to keep you in.”

Back home, membership cards tended to come with a lot of annoying expenses and procedures. I certainly hadn’t expected this world to use such a system.

“All right, then. Go ahead with it, please.”

“Thank you, ma’am. Place your hand on this crystal, if you would. It’ll produce your card automatically.”

I felt a little alarm bell go off in my head. What if placing my hand over this crystal revealed my true identity as Queen of the Arachnea? The Masquerade Swarm could be exposed, too. I glared at the crystal suspiciously.

“Um, are you going to register?”

“Yes, I am. But... could you explain something to me?” I began, lining up the questions in my head. “First of all, does this artifact read our personal information?”

“The only personal information it can discern is your name and your stats. People have a right to their privacy, of course.”

_I see. That shouldn’t be a problem._

“And it doesn’t read anything else?”

“If we had a device that could read any more than that, the backlash would have been severe. Again, all it reads is your name and stats.”

_Yes, I suppose if someone made a device capable of forcibly reading one’s personal information, the police would be making some real strides in their work. If they’d used something like that back when we claimed to be refugees at the border, we probably would’ve had to spill some blood._

“So _are_ you going to register?” she asked again, her exasperation obvious.

I felt bad for all the trouble we were causing her, the poor thing.

“Yes. Sérignan, you go first.”

Sérignan stepped up to the crystal.

“I just need to place my hand here, right?”

“Yes, that will do.” The receptionist watched as the crystal lit up and letters etched themselves onto the card. “So you’re Miss... Sérignan, yes? You’ve got very high stats. I think you’ll do fine in any party.”

“I only serve the woman here at my side. I won’t obey anyone else.”

“I-I see...”

_Please forgive us, receptionist lady._

“Lysa, you’re up next.”

“Okay!” Lysa placed a hand on the crystal.

“Hmm. It says you’ve got exceptionally high agility and dexterity. Is that bow your primary weapon?”

“Yes, I never go anywhere without it.”

“That makes sense. It suits your stats.”

_Looks like Lysa has high stats, too._

“Go on, Maska. Give it a try.”

“By your will, Your Majesty.”

Calling the Swarm by its full name could potentially expose its identity, so I quickly decided to shorten its name to Maska. Still, its guild card clearly read “Masquerade Swarm.”

“Hmm. Mister... ‘Masquerade Swarm’? A bit of an odd name. Anyway, your stats are good for stealth, so you should make for a good scout.”

The Swarm’s true name had been revealed, but in return, we learned that its stats were also high.

“Just me, then.” I placed my hand on the crystal even as I tried to ignore the bad feeling tugging at the back of my mind.

“Miss Grevillea, right? Your stats are... a bit on the low side.”

“Give it to me straight, doc. How low are we talking?”

“Significantly below average.”

_Aww, drat. I knew it. I can’t use a sword or a bow like Sérignan and Lysa. I’m as weak as a helpless civilian._

“However, your intelligence and leadership skills are exceptionally high. I’m pretty sure that for those stats, you’ve set new records for the guild. In fact, those skills are high enough for you to become a general.”

“Just what I’d expect from you, Miss.” Sérignan’s praise was rich with emotion. “Impressive as always.”

“Sérignan, all my other stats are at rock bottom. Don’t compliment me. Anyway, is our registration complete?”

“Yes. Feel free to take any quests you’d like.”

_I’ve been to video rental stores with tighter regulations than this Adventurers’ Guild._

“Oh well. Sérignan, pick a quest for us,” I ordered.

“By your will, Your Majesty.” With a nod, she headed for the bulletin board.

She quickly chose a quest that had a lot of stars printed beside it and walked back to us without any hesitation.

“Sérignan, isn’t this a really dangerous quest?” I asked her, grimacing at all the stars.

“It will be fine. We can handle it.”

“Lysa, what does it say about the quest itself?”

“Hmm... ‘Please exterminate the griffins infesting the city outskirts. The reward is one million krans per exterminated griffin, and three million krans per captured griffin.’”

Thankfully, Lysa could read the humans’ language.

“Griffins, huh?”

_If I remember correctly, griffins are half-eagle, half-lion monsters that can fly._

“Well, they shouldn’t be much of a challenge compared to angels. Let’s take it.”

“Then I’ll go accept the quest at once!” Sérignan cried as she jogged back to the reception desk.

Apparently, she was really pumped about fighting griffins. We breezed through the formalities, and thirty minutes later, we were heading out on our very first griffin hunt.

♱

In order to fulfill our quest, we trekked to Marine’s outskirts. The area was quiet and rural, creating a very peaceful atmosphere. It was hard to imagine that scary monsters might pop up at any moment.

“Where are the griffins?” Sérignan asked, visibly itching to fight. “I was promised griffins.”

“That’s what I want to know,” I said with a shrug. “This isn’t a griffin’s nest, though, so it’s not like they’re going to be here _all_ the time.”

“B-But if that’s the case, how are we going to defeat them?” Sérignan whined adorably.

_Sadly, now isn’t the time for me to appreciate her charm._

“Don’t worry, I have a plan to draw them out. We’ll be using those,” I said, jerking my thumb in the direction of two cows I had brought along with us.

“The cows?”

“You see, I asked about griffins back at the guild, and apparently they prefer to go after carriages for the horses and farms for the livestock. I figured the best way to attract them was to use bait.”

While Sérignan had been squealing over the prospect of slaying griffins, I had asked the receptionist some specific questions about the quest. Why griffins were infesting the outskirts, how people usually hunted them, those sorts of things. That was how I’d come up with my plan of baiting them out.

“The griffins should be starving since all the livestock’s been removed from the area and carriages have started avoiding this road. I’m certain at least one of these hungry beasts will pounce on a couple of fresh cattle. Let’s tie them up right around... here.”

At my command, Sérignan tied the two cows to a fence along the roadside.

“We should hide downwind of the cows. Lysa, do you still have your bow?”

“Yes, it’s ready.”

_Wonderful. We’re good to go._

“Then the rest is up to you. Do as you see fit.”

_This humble bumpkin with low stats will make her way off the stage. Hmph._

“I wonder what griffins are like,” Lysa murmured while we waited.

“They’re sort of a lion-eagle hybrid,” I answered. “And they’re big.”

“As a knight, I’ve always wanted to fight one,” Sérignan said excitedly.

“I’m not surprised. A knight’s job _is_ to slay monsters.”

In addition to her profession, she had a competitive spirit that drove her to defeat monsters in battle. Even the mighty Sérignan had a childish side.

“Is wanting to slay a griffin really that childish?” Sérignan asked with a pout, having picked up on my thoughts through the collective consciousness.

“Urgh, sorry... I mean, collecting in-game trophies is just as childish, I suppose.”

When I thought about it, the hunger for video game trophies and the knightly drive to hunt monsters probably stemmed from the same childish desire.

“I’m kind of the same way, but in my case, the trophies I collect are countries I’ve conquered. And those kinds of trophies are much more bloody and dangerous to procure than yours,” I added.

I was moving through this world as though it were a game, so I really wasn’t one to judge. If anything, I was probably the most incorrigible and uncute member of our group.

“Your Majesty, I can hear flapping. Something big is approaching,” Lysa said, keeping her voice low.

“That’ll probably be a griffin. All right, you three, get ready.”

A few minutes later, our mark showed itself. Sure enough, it was a griffin. Just like in the legends, it had the upper half of an eagle and the lower half of a lion. It swooped down and grabbed a cow in its talons, then took off, its prey groaning in pain. The griffin’s razor-sharp talons dug into the cow’s flesh, leaving a trail of blood dripping from the sky.

“Do it, Lysa.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Lysa nocked back a specially made arrow with her longbow and took aim at the griffin. A moment later, she fired.

“Skreee!” The griffin screeched and let go of the cow, and both rapidly fell to the earth.

“Next, Sérignan! Masquerade Swarm!”

“Roger!”

Sérignan and the Masquerade Swarm leapt out of the bushes. The black blade of her corrupted holy sword and the ax the Masquerade Swarm had bought from a blacksmith swung through the air.

My Masquerade Swarm was clad in used leather armor, but this only served as part of its disguise; its protective exoskeleton, hidden beneath the Mimesis, was much tougher. The only Swarm that truly wore armor was Sérignan.

“Skreeeah!”

The griffin shook off the pain of the arrow, or perhaps ceased to feel it as its blood pumped with adrenaline, then spread its wings menacingly at its attackers. This fierce, primal display almost matched those of the angels we’d fought in the Kingdom of Maluk.

“Hiyaaah!” Sérignan bellowed a battle cry, swinging her sword down on the griffin’s neck.

“Skree! Skreeaaah!” The griffin dodged Sérignan’s blow, thrusting its great beak at her.

But the counterattack was too slow to hit Sérignan, who somersaulted backward and quickly struck its beak with her blade, splitting it apart. The Masquerade Swarm wordlessly struck out at one of its wings, but it was a difficult feat, given the griffin’s incessant flapping. Besides, the Masquerade Swarm wasn’t used to fighting in human form.

“Ah! It’s trying to flee!”

The griffin flapped its wings, soared into the sky, and flew far to the south. Lysa fired another arrow, which sunk into the griffin’s flank. Still, the beast didn’t fall.

“It got away!” Sérignan exclaimed bitterly.

“It’s all right,” I said, looking in the direction the griffin had flown off. “That arrow’s got a special trick: it emits a powerful aroma that the Swarm can track. Now we can follow it to its nest.”

“Amazing... Only you could be this prepared, Miss.”

“Well, I just figured that a creature with wings would try to fly away if it could,” I said, feeling a bit awkward from her compliment. “Anyway, let’s start tracking it down. Masquerade Swarm, if you would?”

“By your will, Your Majesty.”

Unlike Sérignan and Lysa, who had humanoid sensory organs, the Masquerade Swarm’s sense of smell was more acute and better-suited to track the griffin.

I hoped it wouldn’t be too long of a hike, though. _Wouldn’t want to tire myself out too quickly, what with my lower-than-average stats and all. Grrr._