Whether or not the air on our side was getting colder, Mikhail continued.
"My Vermilion Kingdom is located in the remote northwest of the world. In deserts, on snowy mountains, even next to the sea, it's a terribly harsh environment. In other words, monsters often invade from all directions."
"..."
"Since I was five years old, when I first rode my griffin, I have been dealing with these monsters. And to be honest, I don't find dealing with monsters that difficult."
Mikhail, gently stroking the neck of the griffin standing behind him, looked straight at me.
"Prince Ash. You exaggerated the crisis of monster invasions to scare the world and used that excuse to form this huge alliance. The Everblack Empire is laying the groundwork to unify the world."
"..."
I shrugged my shoulders in silence.
"So, what do you want to do, Crown Prince of Vermilion?"
"I will prove it. That the monster invasion is not such a big crisis."
Mikhail spread his hands forward abruptly.
"Next monster invasion, let's have a contest between my Sky Knight Order and your direct troops. To see which side achieves greater feats."
"Hmm..."
I found myself smiling, revealing my teeth unknowingly.
"And if you win? What happens?"
Without hesitation, Mikhail responded.
"I will take over the command of this front..."
Lucas was infuriated, but I gestured him to stop.
The young knight Mikhail continued in a clear voice.
"You can remain as the head of the alliance. But I will take the command of the front."
"..."
"That way, I can check the Everblack Empire's dominance in this massive alliance."
Indeed.
Quite a clever move for a fifteen-year-old.
Not touching the position of the alliance leader, as the empire is overwhelmingly powerful in actual national strength. But proving their superiority in monster handling to aim for the command of the front.
'If successful, the status of the Vermilion Kingdom will rise instantly in this World Guardian Front, an alliance of all nations in the world.'
It would also make the young crown prince's name known internationally.
Besides, the contest itself is quite in favor of the Sky Knights.
All members are aerial cavalry riding griffins, the Sky Knights...
In the game, it's a force you can barely acquire in the late third year, but it's so useful that I've made good use of it. Definitely a high-quality force.
He must have thought it a worthy fight, and indeed, there is a good chance.
The problem is, if the commander of this front were normal, he wouldn't accept such a contest.
"Interesting."
But I am not exactly normal.
"Alright, let's do it."
Lucas, shocked by my acceptance, stared at me with his mouth agape.
"My Lord?!"
"But the conditions must be clear."
Pushing Lucas, who was trying to dissuade me, I threatened Mikhail.
"If I win. You and your Sky Knight Order must become my loyal limbs. Do you agree?"
"Of course."
Mikhail readily nodded as if he had prepared for that.
But his face turned slightly pale at my next words.
"Bite when I say bite, die when I say die, lie down when I say lie down, and bare your stomach and pant when I say pant. Okay?"
"No... that's a bit..."
"You'll also have to do a griffin air show. I'll request it at events. Stuff like a triple aerial rotation in formation!"
"..."
"Anyway, I'm going to work you to the bone, so no complaining then. Okay?"
Mikhail pondered for a moment but eventually nodded.
"Fine. I accept."
In fact, they don't have much to lose.
Anyway, as part of the alliance, they would become my subordinates. Before that, they get a chance to fight over command. No reason to refuse.
"Well done. The next defense battle is a week away."
I smiled and reached into the new barracks.
"Look forward to it, Mikhail Vermillion. Daring to challenge the Monster Front with monster extermination, I'm eager to see what impressive feats you'll show us."
"..."
"Now, until then, how about you stay out of trouble and settle in nicely. Hurry up and get in!"
The Sky Knights, who were causing trouble with their lodging, finally began to lead their griffins into the new barracks one by one.
As Mikhail was about to enter the barracks with his griffin, I whispered to him.
"And here's a piece of advice."
"Hm?"
"The monsters you've encountered so far and those of the Monster Front are entirely different. Keep that in mind."
"..."
Mikhail looked at me intently with clear eyes, then eventually went back to leading his griffin inside.
As soon as Mikhail disappeared, Lucas rushed at me with a sound like 'Woah!'.
"Why did you accept them, my lord?!"
"Huh? We're going to win, so what's the problem?"
"But what if, by any chance? The terms of the bet are strange! We have too much to lose, and they have nothing to lose!"
Lucas chided me in a stern voice for my emotional response.
"What if we lose and have to hand over command? Why would you make such an inefficient gamble?!"
"If they can beat us, then it wouldn't be so bad to leave it to them, would it?"
"What?"
"That means they are competent and knowledgeable about the great monster war, right?"
"Uh..."
Lucas made a dumbfounded noise as if he saw some logic in my words. I smirked.
"Right? If they're good enough to beat us, they must be incredibly talented. It wouldn't be bad to entrust it to them."
"That's... true but... well..."
Of course, that won't happen.
I have a cold, calculated grasp of our army's stats and those of Vermillion's Sky Knights.
And in reality, there are all sorts of variables and true abilities that can't be explained by stats alone.
'We won't lose.'
In terms of stats, variables, in all aspects... we are ahead.
Strategies should be executed with certainty.
I am certain of our victory, one hundred percent.
"And, with this one match, there's a lot to gain."
"A lot?"
"Mikhail is one of the strongest in the world, and the Sky Knights are among the elite forces joining us this time."
I looked around at my subordinates and cracked my knuckles with a sound.
"If we beat them and discipline them, the rest of the forces will naturally submit to us."
In short, Mikhail and the Sky Knights are the representatives among the new forces who have challenged us.
Putting arrogant and spirited newcomers in their place is also necessary in running an organization.
'I'm actually thankful they picked a fight first.'
No need to convince them of the small stuff. This one event will set the hierarchy straight.
"They're nothing to us, right, guys?"
As I looked around at my subordinates and provocatively asked, their faces instantly lit up with fervor.
"Let's show those bastards who've underestimated our battles what we're really made of."
I bared my teeth and laughed menacingly.
"The real fight with monsters, of the Monster Front veterans...!"
***
"Aha! Taking command by winning a battle! I was going to do that first!"
A few days later.
As the monster invasion was quickly approaching and I was inspecting the situation on the walls, Dusk Bringar came bouncing over and said that.
Come to think of it, I was about to have a 5v5 PVP with Dusk Bringar and her Dragonblood Knights, a group of five. Somehow that fell through...
"Has the news of this battle spread already?"
"It's spread all over the city! The battle for command between Prince Ash and Crown Prince Mikhail! There's no one who doesn't know about it!"
I smirked at her continuous lament of 'I wanted to be the first!'
"Are you, the Duchess, still eyeing the command?"
"Eh?! Of course, I am! I'm always lurking, ready to pounce on your neck!"
Dusk Bringar said playfully, then hung onto my back and bit gently at my neck.
Hey, stop it. Your teeth are sharp and it stings.
After I managed to peel Dusk Bringar off and put her down, she tilted her head and asked.
"But, are you really okay with this? The Sky Knights are one of the most prestigious knight orders in the continent. They have a reputation comparable to my Dragonblood Knights. Are you confident you can win?"
"Of course."
I looked beyond the walls... towards the southern plains.
"More importantly, the fight between people isn't what's most important."
"Huh?"
"The next monster invasion won't be easy either."
It's the third year.
The general stage waves now bring more powerful and terrifying monsters than before.
"If there's a bet involved, those prestigious Sky Knights will fight harder. Our guys will be spurred on to give it their all."
"..."
"It's a win-win situation. We get to test how well we can fight and also stimulate a healthy competition."
When new people join an organization, they can stimulate each other in a positive way.
If this chemical reaction can be utilized effectively, there's no reason to refuse it.
Dusk Bringar opened her mouth slightly, making an 'Ooh' sound, then looked down with her big dragon eyes and asked.
"But in the end, during this confrontation, there will be some units that won't follow your tactical command. Isn't that a problem? Won't it reduce the efficiency of the operation?"
"The next defense battle will be fine."
Southern plains.
Looking towards the Black Lake behind it, I nodded.
"If the aerial cavalry engage in individual combat and distract, the battle becomes easier."
And the opponents for the next defense battle are...
***
On the day of the defense battle. Early afternoon.
The troops lined up on the walls swallowed nervously, eyes fixed on the southern sky.
Dudududududu!
A sound like helicopter blades filled the sky.
Emerging from the darkened sky were giant beetle-like monsters.
Thick carapaces. Horns of various shapes sprouting from their heads.
And fluttering wings spread wide, with six thick legs.
A beetle swarm.
"Waaaah!"
"Disgusting!"
Kuilan and Junior, who were weak against bugs, screamed simultaneously.
I clicked my tongue inwardly. Come on, beetles are tolerable. If it had been centipedes or something, I would have fainted first.
'Just in time for a flying monster...'
I glanced sideways, eyeing the waiting Sky Knights.
When do aerial cavalry shine the most? Against flying monsters. Today, they will be able to fully demonstrate their combat abilities.
"...?"
But.
Something's off. Our Crown Prince Mikhail Vermillion, also the leader of the Sky Knights, looked pale. His fingertips are trembling slightly.
I approached and asked curiously.
"Mikhail? Um, are you... nervous?"
"Th-th-there's no way! I'm just a bit startled because it's a form of monster I've never seen before."
"...Are you perhaps weak against bugs?"
I asked out of genuine concern, but Mikhail, eyes wide, vehemently denied it.
"No, no?! People of my Vermillion Kingdom have griffin blood in them! And griffins bravely devour all sorts of bugs! I can even chew bugs raw!"
"Th-there's really no need to eat them..."
I tried to calm Mikhail down.
No, seriously, I just want you guys to fight well in full condition. Safe and brave, without injuries, okay?
"What is this..."
"They're too big, and there are too many..."
The other Sky Knights also seemed quite flustered.
It wasn't that the enemy was insect monsters that bothered them, but rather the size and scale of the monsters they hadn't faced before seemed to have overwhelmed them.
While the soldiers of Crossroad, accustomed to battle, were mostly undisturbed watching the approaching horde of monsters, the newly arrived soldiers were already shivering and stepping back.
"Why aren't you... nervous?"
One of the Sky Knights asked a Crossroad soldier with a trembling voice.
The Crossroad soldier chuckled and replied.
"This is nothing. We've faced even worse."
The newly arrived knights and soldiers gaped. Mikhail too looked up at the sky in disbelief.
I, overhearing this conversation from behind, chuckled. No need to be so shocked, guys.
You'll get used to these local specialties after facing them enough.
'That's how everyone becomes a veteran.'
Just then, a scout shouted loudly.
"The creatures are entering our range-!"