Stampede! (Part 1)

A stampede is the phenomenon in which, as dense miasma continues, an enormous number of monsters keep being born in what resembles an endless chain reaction.

The overwhelming number of monsters alone makes it a threat.

It is a kind of natural disaster, and if the response is mishandled, an entire city can easily be destroyed.

The ever-rising miasma of the Great Forest had finally reached the point of a stampede.

The monsters formed by miasma—

Before long, they began advancing toward a single place.

There was a massive city nearby. A giant city where huge numbers of humans lived. They could not endure the scent and presence drifting from there.

Humans.

The beings they ought to oppose.

The horde of monsters began to move to exterminate humanity.

The swarm of monsters charging out of the Great Forest was soon spotted by the Imperial Capital’s defense soldiers.

They immediately understood what it was.

“A stampede has broken out!”

As they looked at the onrushing monsters surging forward like a tidal wave, the defense soldiers reported it in voices like screams.

The news spread throughout the entire Imperial Capital in the blink of an eye.

Naturally, it reached Black Dragon’s Fang headquarters as well.

“A stampede?”

The instant she heard the word in her office, Carmilla of the Eight Stars, the Crimson Mage, let out a deep sigh.

It was not that it had been unimaginable. With the miasma increasing this much, she had rather been on guard, thinking it would not have been strange for it to happen at any time.

Even so, now that it had happened, it was troublesome beyond measure.

“Where is Orfred-sama?”

“He is currently out.”

The absence of the Imperial Capital’s greatest fighting strength. Even so, Carmilla did not waver.

Because the depth of the Imperial Capital’s military strength was rock-solid. She herself was one of the Eight Stars, Black Dragon’s Fang’s elite forces were here, the Imperial Knights were here, and the other clans also had many members.

She had no intention of losing.

“Then let us fulfill our duty.”

Carmilla took up her staff and headed to the front lines.

The adventurers who had already deployed had begun clashing with the monsters.

“BumoOOOOOO!”

With a roar, a bull-headed monster—the Minotaur—attacked. It possessed a muscular body and swung around a massive axe. The surrounding adventurers were desperately fighting back with strained expressions.

After giving it a glance, Carmilla pointed her staff and murmured,

“Wind Cutter.”

In that instant,

Slice—!

With the casual ease of cutting grass, the wind blade cleanly bisected the Minotaur’s body, armored in muscle.

“A Minotaur is not enough to make me panic.”

Carmilla smiled faintly and let out a soft laugh.

Ooooooooooh!

The surrounding adventurers erupted in astonishment.

“Carmilla the Crimson!”

“One of Black Dragon’s Fang’s Eight Stars!”

“It’s Black Dragon’s Fang! Black Dragon’s Fang has arrived!”

Those words spread one after another, stirring up the fighting spirit of the adventurers battling on the field.

To them, Black Dragon’s Fang was a special existence. The largest and strongest clan in the Imperial Capital—normally a powerful business rival, but when on your side, nothing could be more dependable.

Carmilla looked at her subordinates and said,

“Come now, let us show the pride of Black Dragon’s Fang. Display your strength to your heart’s content, and sell the name of the Imperial Capital’s largest and strongest.”

Naturally, the report of the stampede had also reached Black Dragon’s Fang’s hideout in the Great Forest.

Receiving Carmilla’s message delivered by a magical device capable of long-distance message transmission, Varnir’s unit also began to move.

Their job was to hunt monsters proactively in the Great Forest and reduce, even a little, the number of monsters attacking the Imperial Capital.

Varnir quietly looked down from the window of his office on the upper floor at the members deploying from the hideout.

“The deployment has been completed.”

Raios’s voice came from behind him. He had left all arrangements to Raios.

“Only Varnir-sama, myself, and my personally controlled subordinates remain.”

“I see.”

That suited Varnir better.

Because it meant he could adjust the Generator hidden in the secret room without worrying about anyone’s eyes.

“Then let us get plenty of work done… I carelessly failed last time.”

Varnir recalled what had happened the other day.

It had been at night, while he was adjusting the Generator. A member of Black Dragon’s Fang had entered the room by mistake.

“Get out.”

The man, being nothing more than a regular member, had immediately left upon hearing Varnir’s words. But Varnir had not been able to relax. He did not know how much that man had noticed.

Then all he had to do was silence him.

Disguising it as a mission, Varnir gave the man a red crystal and sent him into the Great Forest. That red crystal had the effect of drawing Hellhounds—

By now, the man was probably dead.

He was not a particularly capable man. Losing him was no loss. There were things unquestionably more important than the life of such a man—

“The Generator is an absolute secret. It cannot be told to anyone.”

The Generator was the secret behind the rise of Black Dragon’s Fang’s gathering division.

It was a device that manipulated the nutrients of the Great Forest.

The reason high-quality medicinal herbs could only be gathered in Black Dragon’s Fang’s exclusive territory was because the Generator had stolen enormous amounts of nutrients from elsewhere.

It was a very convenient device, but it also had side effects.

It emitted enormous amounts of miasma.

That was the reason monsters in the Great Forest had been increasing for the past two years. Of course, Varnir had no interest in such facts. All he cared about was Black Dragon’s Fang’s profit and strengthening his own standing through it.

That balance had been maintained delicately—

But just the other day, it had collapsed badly.

It was for the sake of rapidly cultivating a replacement for the Granveil Grass that had been stolen.

Granveil Grass required enormous nutrients and a long time to grow. In order to make it in time for the transaction, he had forcefully cultivated it in a short period.

By gathering up the nutrients from the entire Great Forest.

The quality of the medicinal herbs throughout the Great Forest had dropped astonishingly, but that did not interest Varnir.

You must make it in time—

That was Orfred’s order. Carrying out the orders from above by any means necessary. That was the role of those below.

“…Still, a stampede may have been a bit too much.”

There was hesitation in Raios’s words, unlike Varnir, who had completely rationalized it.

Varnir asked back flatly.

“Why?”

“Considering the damage to the Imperial Capital, it may be somewhat problematic.”

“You truly do not understand, do you?”

“Huh?”

“The Imperial Capital will suffer no damage. Because Orfred-sama is there.”

The Imperial Capital’s greatest and strongest fighting power—Varnir believed that, with that power, this was not even a hardship. To Varnir, that was not convenient wishful thinking—

It was a simple fact.

“No, rather—if Orfred-sama subjugates them, Black Dragon’s Fang’s fame will rise whether people like it or not. And considering the Granveil Grass will also make it in time, is this not killing two birds with one stone?”

Heh heh heh, Varnir laughed quietly.

From the bottom of his heart, Varnir thought he deserved praise instead. After all, by releasing miasma, he was increasing the amount of work there was to do—just how much had he contributed to Black Dragon’s Fang?

“Hahaha, y-yes. That’s true—”

It was then that Raios replied.

The door opened, and one of Raios’s subordinates entered.

“Excuse me! Sorry, but an image of an intruder has appeared on one of the surveillance projectors!”

“An intruder?”

Raios asked.

Several surveillance projectors had been installed around this hideout and its exclusive territory, so as not to miss any impudent trespassers.

“What sort of man is he?”

“A young one, maybe a civilian? He seems to have a dagger at his waist, but he’s only wearing cloth clothes.”

Saying that, the subordinate handed a photograph to Raios.

The moment he saw it, Raios let out a strained groan.

“I-Ilvis!?”

The instant he heard that name, Varnir’s mind, usually calm, flared hot like fire. He turned around reflexively.

With eyes filled with hatred.

That hateful man who had made off with the Granveil Grass and caused him trouble!

“Raios! Is it truly that man!?”

“…Y-yes! There is no mistake.”

An unpleasant feeling ran through Varnir’s chest—but a dark smile rose to his lips.

(…Perfect. I do not know why he has come here, but I shall have my revenge here. Regret it to your heart’s content, Ilvis…!)