After the meeting adjourned, someone spoke to me as I was about to leave the conference room.
"Prince Ash, a moment, please."
Turning around, I saw Valen, the leader of the Southern City-State Alliance, smiling with his characteristic elegant beard brushed up.
Valen had been one of those actively assisting Crossroad since the battle against the former Goblin God-King, representing not only the South but also the voices of other regional city-states.
I approached him with a smile in return.
"What brings you to me, Lord Valen?"
"Ha-ha."
Valen chuckled, constantly twirling his mustache as if he had a hidden gift to reveal.
"You mentioned the monster we'll be facing in the upcoming defense battle are called Fly Monsters, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"A few days ago, through some connections, we managed to bring some mercenaries to Crossroad on behalf of our city-state alliance..."
Valen winked.
"They're said to be masters of pest extermination. How about you meet them?"
"...!"
Masters of pest extermination...?!
I gestured urgently, and Valen led the way with a grin.
The mercenaries were waiting right in front of the hotel Crossroad, where the meeting had been held.
"Huff-huff. Huff-huff. Huff-huff."
There were five people, all dressed in resilient material suits that closely resembled Earth's hazmat suits, covering their entire bodies.
The face part of the suits was made of goggle-like glass to ensure visibility, but it was foggy, making it impossible to see their faces clearly.
With each breath they took, a sound of air escaping could be heard.
As soon as our eyes met, the man who appeared to be the leader asked in a muffled, blocked voice.
"Where are the bugs we need to deal with?"
I covered my mouth with my hands and blurted out without realizing.
"Oh my God."
The hero party, 'Insect Busters'!
These five heroes, all of N-grade, seemed ordinary in terms of stats.
But they possessed a unique trait.
'Bug Slaughters!'
Against monsters tagged as bugs, they had a trait that increased their damage by 100 percent, making them natural predators.
Fly Monsters would be a piece of cake for them to wipe out.
They were essentially walking F-killers, the fantasy world's version of a pest control service. To think they've joined us here!
I turned to Valen with a moved expression and quickly gave him a thumbs-up. Valen, pleased with my reaction, laughed heartily.
Standing in front of the Insect Busters, I bluntly asked.
"What salary do you expect?"
I felt like writing them a blank check!
The leader of the Insect Busters simply replied.
"The salary isn't important. What we wish for is to kill as many bugs as possible."
"You'll be satisfied then."
I grimaced with a bitter smile.
"Pretty soon, there will be more than enough, disgustingly, terribly many coming your way."
"We heard about the Fly Monsters, Your Highness."
Holding up their elongated equipment, the man confidently said.
"We, the experts, will exterminate them, so please, feel free to rest."
Their confidence bordered on arrogance, but it was welcome.
I confirmed the employment of all five and set a generous salary for them.
Pleased by the fact they could exterminate the swarm of Fly Monsters, they entered the barracks breathing heavily under their protective suits.
***
Lake Kingdom Zone 5 Dungeon, 'The Blazing Colosseum'.
I visited the place once ruled by Jackal.
With Jackal dead, I was concerned about the captured monsters left behind. If any of them were useful, I planned to incorporate them all into my forces.
Use everything that can be used.
That was my thought coming here, and a butler goblin greeted me.
"Krik, welcome, our new master."
"Master? Me?"
I asked in surprise, and the goblin bowed again, confirming.
"Yes, Krik. The previous owner of the arena, Lord Jackal, instructed that should any misfortune befall him, all monsters here should be transferred to your ownership."
"..."
"This colosseum, along with all the monsters belonging here, are yours, Your Highness. Just give the command."
I was momentarily speechless.
I remembered the first time I met Jackal here. And even the moment of his death not long ago.
I had always imagined, after defeating all the monsters, bringing him back to the surface.
Sent to the Lake Kingdom below by the empire's orders hundreds of years ago, forgotten by the upper echelons in name and existence, a man who never forgot the empire's name and loyally served until the end.
To give him a new home, a new name, rediscover his old military achievements, reward him appropriately, reinstate him, and watch him adapt and live as a normal person in a peaceful world.
On a quiet afternoon, sitting in a café on the outskirts of the imperial capital, imagining him reading the newspaper, trying to adapt to modern times after centuries have passed since the memories.
But it all ended as a mere fantasy.
Jackal died in the darkness here.
I remember him. His life and death, his loyalty and his history, all of it. But Jackal is dead.
And even in death, he left me everything he had built.
I saw the monsters lined up in rows inside the colosseum, all tamed by Jackal.
Including the monsters I had captured from time to time, it was enough to form a small legion with just the captured monsters.
"..."
I took a deep breath.
I remember the faces and names of everyone who died under my flag.
Though they are dead, they have each left their legacy on this frontline, intertwining and forming the foundation for the next step.
So, I cannot lose.
Think I'll lose, you damned monsters? My flag carries the legacy of all those great people.
"Hey, butler."
Calling the goblin butler, he quickly bowed.
"Krik, command me."
"What do you think about the monsters currently overflowing... the Fly Monsters?"
The goblin rolled his eyes and cautiously replied.
"They are insignificant monsters."
"I see."
"Krik. However, the former master, Lord Jackal, always used to say something to us."
"What's that?"
"That the most insignificant ones are often the greatest and the ones to be most wary of."
The goblin cleared his throat and then, imitating Jackal's voice, spoke in a low tone.
"Building a high tower is done with insignificant bricks, one by one, and tearing down that high tower also starts with removing just one of those bricks."
"..."
"While personally overseeing the reconstruction of this Colosseum, carrying bricks, he explained it like that, Krik."
The goblin glanced at me but didn't stop speaking.
"A Fly Monster is but an insignificant monster. However... it's also a monster capable enough to be that one brick removed."
"Thanks for the good words."
Could this be considered a message left by Jackal?
Mulling over his advice, I nodded towards the goblin butler.
"Prepare to deploy. All of you, we need to fight in this battle."
The goblin butler saluted me.
"We will not dishonor Lord Jackal's name."
***
Time flew by.
The heroes and soldiers became proficient in tactics to combat the Fly Monsters monsters.
Various equipment poured out from the forge, and the alchemy workshop produced all kinds of traps for catching Fly Monsters.
Bodybag and Burnout started training to improve their proficiency with the newly made equipment, and under my command, traps designed for catching Fly Monsters were installed all along the front lines.
Stone masons and carpenters busied themselves reinforcing the forward bases and the main city walls.
The newly arrived mercenary group, Insect Busters, provided professional advice on exterminating pests.
Sturdy armors were distributed to all soldiers to resist the Fly Monsters' contaminated attacks.
The armors were designed to cover even the joints with sturdy leather without leaving any gaps.
While the vanguard heroes and soldiers were arming themselves robustly, the magicians were also busy preparing.
"You fledglings! You don't even know the M of magic! Must I teach you everything from scratch?"
Under Dearmudin's command, all the magicians assigned to the front formed structured parties and squads.
By nature, magicians are a profession that tends towards being lone wolves, not keen on collaboration.
This is a somewhat biased view, but it's undeniably a trend.
However, this was inefficient for a military force.
I requested Dearmudin to integrate the magicians assigned to the front into a single army, and Dearmudin faithfully executed my request.
After rigorous training, the magicians reached a level where they could easily launch combined spells by element.
And, after enduring the hard training together.
"Grandpa!"
"I don't understand this part of the magic circle, Grandpa!"
"Please tutor me too!"
"These insolent ones, I'm not your grandpa... Ah!"
Dearmudin, surrounded by young magicians chirping like chicks, shook his head in disapproval and clicked his tongue.
"I'll explain it just once, so listen carefully, got it?"
The young magicians around the grumbling Dearmudin unanimously responded with a "Yes!"
Despite his grumbling, Dearmudin, true to his role as the master of the ivory tower, efficiently imparted his knowledge to the young magicians.
Watching the magicians gather to discuss magic among themselves, I couldn't help but chuckle.
"..."
Preparation time was over.
I bit my lip as I gazed southward.
Tomorrow, the monsters would crawl out from the lake.
***
That night.
"..."
Sitting on the roof of the barracks, Kuilan was looking at the sky.
While Kuilan was lost in thought, staring at the sky, someone struggled up the ladder to the roof.
"Ugh!"
As Kuilan turned to look, the person who had just climbed up was Princess Yun.
"What are you doing here, Kuilan?"
Yun asked energetically, squinting her distinctive bright yellow eyes and smiling. Under the clear summer night sky, her ivory-colored hair shone particularly white.
Kuilan, having glanced at Yun, awkwardly looked back at the sky.
"I was looking at the moon."
"Hmm. The moonlight is faint, isn't it?"
The sky held a crescent moon.
Yun, examining the shape of the moon that resembled a fingernail, turned her gaze back to Kuilan.
"So, that's why you don't have your pretty fur?"
"...Yes."
Kuilan was in his human form, not his beast-man form.
From the new moon to the full moon, and from the full moon to the waning moon - the Leaf Tribe lived as beast-men during the full moon when the moon was waxing, and as ordinary humans for the rest of the month. This was their cycle of transformation.
Being in human form, which weakened his physical abilities, was a burden for Kuilan, especially in combat.
Especially in this battle, where the enemy was expected to be strong...
"Don't worry too much! If anything happens, I'll protect you!"
Yun rolled up her sleeves, showing off her arms confidently.
"..."
After a long hesitation, Kuilan slowly opened his mouth.
"Princess Yun. There's something I need to..."
"Oh, don't say any more."
Yun cut him off. Kuilan's eyes widened in surprise.
"Huh? But, I mean..."
"I know what you want to say. I also know that I haven't yet entered your heart."
"..."
Since the night of the party, Kuilan and Yun had continued to spend time together. Yun had been constantly showering Kuilan with affection.
However... while Kuilan did feel fond of Yun, his feelings hadn't developed beyond that.
Yun sighed deeply.
"Love really isn't easy, is it? I think I'm not such a bad woman, but why can't I be loved..."
Yun rested her chin in her hand and looked up at the crescent moon.
"But honestly, I don't want to be rejected right before a big battle."
"..."
"So, let's just stay in this flirty relationship for a bit longer. Just a few more days. That's okay, right?"
Yun turned to look at Kuilan with a grin.
Her signature confident smile looked particularly bitter to Kuilan today, leaving him momentarily at a loss for words.