"There's no need to think too hard about it. Most of the ones crawling out of the forest are just stragglers."
Annie, who was walking beside me, dragging her ridiculously large greatsword, spoke up.
As Emma had suggested yesterday, we were now on our way to subjugate the monsters that had come out from the Forbidden Forest toward the city.
"But couldn't we just leave it to the adventurers instead of going ourselves? I heard they even receive subsidies for this."
It wasn't that I didn't want to go, I was simply curious. The head of the family, Emma, along with her direct descendants, Annie and Ian, were participating in the subjugation.
Since the head of the family was involved, it was only natural for knights to accompany her for protection. Of course, not the entire knight order was present, but with a few additional soldiers tagging along, the size of the subjugation squad naturally grew larger. It seemed almost excessive.
My eyes were drawn to Emma, who was walking at the very front, leading the subjugation, without even riding a horse. Unlike Annie, she had handed over her large greatsword to Dylan and was walking leisurely.
"Well, that's true, but these small subjugation requests aren't very popular. The reward is decent, but you can't really expect to find any artifacts like in ruins or dungeons."
"They're aiming for a big score."
Annie nodded in response to my words.
"Exactly. Of course, adventurers who aren't skilled enough to enter dungeons have no choice but to take on subjugation requests like this."
Just as Annie said, the adventurers participating in the subjugation didn't seem particularly outstanding. Of course, I've seen many skilled individuals, so my standards might be higher, but even with that in mind, it was hard to see them in a positive light.
"And besides, we need to show our faces now and then to avoid causing unnecessary rumors. After all, the Klein family is responsible for defending the city."
We walked for some time, and just as we were sufficiently far from the city, Emma and the knights leading the way came to a stop at the edge of the forest.
"Alright, let's set up camp here."
At Emma's words, the adventurers and soldiers began bustling about. It wasn't anything fancy, more of a forward base.
They just started a few campfires and set up a few tents. Some adventurers didn't even bother setting up tents, choosing instead to sit around the campfire and rest. It was a short request anyway, so they probably figured it was better to get a quick nap by the fire than to bother setting up a tent.
"Ah, thank you."
A tent was set up for Annie and me as well. We didn't set it up ourselves; two soldiers did the work for us. They must have been experienced with small tents like this, as they finished it quickly with skilled hands.
I peeked inside the tent and found it quite spacious for the two of us.
"Attention!"
Ian, standing beside Emma, raised his voice to gather the attention of those around us. People who had been further away came closer to hear what he had to say.
Once Ian confirmed that the subjugation group was paying attention, he stepped back without saying a word. Emma stepped up onto a makeshift platform. Let's pretend we didn't notice that Emma's height on the platform was now similar to Ian's.
"Today, we'll be wiping out an orc tribe located on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, specifically near the edge of the forest. According to reports, the number of orcs is roughly 50 or more, but not in the three digits."
At that size, it was likely just a newly established tribe. In fact, calling it a tribe was an exaggeration—it was more of a small settlement. There wouldn't be an Orc King commanding thousands of orcs like the ones that appear every few decades. At most, there might be an orc shaman acting as the leader.
but considering that they'd been pushed out to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, they might not even have that.
"Don't push yourselves unnecessarily. It's better to survive, gain experience, and rise in rank to kill more monsters later, both for your own sake and for ours. So if you feel it's dangerous, fall back. Honestly, we have more than enough forces for just a few dozen orcs, so losing a person or two won't make a difference."
It seemed Emma was familiar with leading these subjugations, as the adventurers responded casually, shouting in agreement.
"Don't worry! We've all stuck swords into orcs before!"
"Haha! Didn't you get shot in the ass by a stray arrow from an orc last time? I remember you waddling around like a duck for a while!"
"Shut up!"
Neither the knights nor Emma stopped the adventurers from joking around. Perhaps it was due to Emma's personality, but they seemed to have a friendly relationship with the adventurers.
"Alright, you all must be tired from walking. We'll eat for an hour and then head out. It's better to finish this before nightfall and enjoy a beer later, don't you think?"
At the mention of beer, the adventurers began talking and shouting enthusiastically.
"Dismissed!"
At Emma's command, the adventurers and soldiers gathered in small groups to prepare their meals. Annie and I walked over to Emma.
"Wait here. Your meal will be ready soon."
I saw a soldier nearby preparing a separate meal for us. Ah, the taste of power.
"Annie, you go with Ian. I'll be borrowing Miss Elysia for a bit."
"What?! Mom—ouch!"
"How many times have I told you to call me Mother in public not Mom? Honestly, who do you take after…"
"Well, of course, I—ow! I didn't even say anything!"
Annie, who had been about to retort, received another light smack on the head from Emma.
"…Mother."
She finally corrected herself, mumbling under Emma's stern gaze.
"Honestly, who could deny you're a fool?"
"Shut up! I'm not a fool! You're so rude to your older sister."
While Annie was bickering with Ian, a few soldiers brought us quite a decent meal. It looked like preserved food stored with magic.
Looking over at what the other adventurers and soldiers were eating—rations and stew-like gruel—I once again felt the taste of power.
* * * *
Shwiik!
I easily slashed through an orc that had approached me, wielding only a crude sword, not even a proper weapon. Taking a quick breath, I look around the area and saw that no one seemed to be struggling with the orcs.
Annie was slicing orcs clean in half with her large greatsword, while Ian was cutting through orcs with ease, his bastard sword enveloped in a grey aura.
Even the weakest soldiers were working in groups, forming formations and taking down orcs efficiently.
And beside me was Emma, holding the greatsword she had taken back from Dylan, watching me fight without lifting a finger.
"Your movements are better than I expected. This is how a sword should be. Those old men who boast about being Sword Masters are so boring…"
Emma casually badmouthed Sword Masters without a care. Instead of joining her gossip, I cut down another orc.
"Annie was right to like your sword."
Come to think of it, Annie had first approached me after watching me spar. Of course, Annie is so friendly that she would have approached me even without that, but we might not have become as close as we are now.
"Ah, it's the shaman. There doesn't seem to be any higher ranking orcs around, so it's probably the leader."
I informed Emma of what I saw and immediately charged toward the orc shaman. Even if the shaman used magic, it wouldn't be a threat to me, but it's always better to be cautious and not give them any openings.
The orc shaman noticed me approaching and quickly began casting a spell. Just as I was about to swing my sword, the shaman finished chanting and raised its hand. But by then, my sword had already swung down.
"Wait…!"
At the same time my sword sliced through the orc shaman, Emma suddenly grabbed the back of my neck and shouted.
However, it was already too late. My sword had sliced through the orc shaman's body, cutting the necklace hanging around its neck in half.
And in that instant, the light from the split necklace engulfed both me and Emma.
Flash!
A bright light entered the vision of Annie, Ian, and everyone else as they fought the orcs.
Annie kicked away the orc she had just defeated and looked around. The battle seemed to be nearing its end, with the adventurers finishing off the remaining orcs.
But they were gone.
The sight of Elys, who had been leading the charge, and Emma, who had been by her side, was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, where Elys had stood, a dungeon entrance had appeared.
Annie quickly ran to the last place she had seen Elys. There, she found a peculiar broken necklace lying on the ground.
Though not famous across the entire continent, adventurers in this region would immediately recognize it. It was an artifact created by a dungeon, or possibly by the monsters within, used for escape. When the necklace is broken, it transports the wearer to the deep layers of the dungeon. Intelligent monsters sometimes use it as a last resort to flee.
However, while this artifact may be a lifeline for monsters, for humans, it's essentially a cursed item. It can lead to situations like this, where people are kidnapped into dungeons.
A newly-formed dungeon entrance, a broken necklace on the ground, and the disappearance of Elys and Emma.
Annie wasn't foolish enough not to understand what was happening. She also knew exactly what needed to be done.
"Gather up!"
Once Annie confirmed that all the orcs had been dealt with, she shouted loud enough for everyone to hear. The knights, soldiers, and even the joking adventurers gathered in front of her.
"As the acting head of the family, I command you. Ian."
"Yes!"
Without needing further explanation, Ian, whose expression had already changed upon hearing the phrase 'acting head', bowed his head, awaiting Annie's next order. It was a scene unlike the usual banter between Annie and Ian.
"Return immediately with the adventurers and gather a support team of adventurers experienced with dungeons instead of the knights. The difficulty level and reward are top-tier; no matter the cost, get them here. Time is of the essence, so leave now and return by tomorrow morning at the latest."
"Yes, understood."
Ian, receiving Annie's order, gathered the adventurers and hurried away. The adventurers, who had been lighthearted moments ago, now moved in solemn silence, realizing the seriousness of the situation.
Annie then pointed to one of the knights.
"Immediately fortify this area as a forward base. Prepare it to accommodate at least twice our current numbers."
The knight began organizing the soldiers, some retrieving the previously set-up camp, while others cleared the orc corpses and leveled the ground.
"Take some soldiers and keep watch for any approaching monsters."
Annie sent off the remaining knights, leaving only Dylan by her side. Normally, Dylan would have been by Emma's side, but with Emma now missing, Annie, as the acting head, took his attention.
"I'll be entering the dungeon now. Stay here and join Ian when he returns to begin the dungeon assault."
Without waiting for Dylan's response, Annie turned to enter the dungeon. But Dylan blocked her path.
"You can't! No matter who you are, entering the dungeon alone is too dangerous."
"Do you really think monsters can harm a Klein?"
The aura around Annie's greatsword flared like fire, burning fiercely as if it would consume everything around it.
The Klein family didn't earn its reputation as the defenders of the city from the Forbidden Forest for nothing. Neither monsters nor even low-ranking demons stood a chance against the true blood of the Klein family. A mere dungeon's monsters wouldn't be able to harm Annie Klein.
"Do not underestimate a dungeon. Trust in Emma for now."
But a dungeon was different. An unknown entity, the dungeon was practically a living organism itself.
Annie knew that. She just didn't want to accept the reality that all she could do was wait.
"…Until noon tomorrow. If Ian doesn't return by then, I'll cut you down and enter myself."
That was the best compromise Annie could offer. She plunged her greatsword into the ground in front of the dungeon entrance and leaned against it.
Dylan, unbothered by Annie's threat to kill him, simply stood by her side.
And so, facing the dungeon, Annie repressed her raging aura, which seemed on the verge of exploding at any moment.
It was frustrating, but for now, all she could do was wait.