Captain Zachary looked at me with a grin on my face, staring at me with a frightening expression, and then shouted.
"Fi-Fia! You suddenly look like an emissary of Hell!!" (Zachary)
"Well, please stop with your false accusations. I'm just an obedient rookie knight. I'm following Captain Zachary's orders and behaving obediently." (Fia)
"You're lying! A mere obedient knight wouldn't threaten a captain with a smile!!" (Zachary)
Captain Zachary shouted back.
"Threatening? Don't say such nasty things. I was just trying to encourage Captain Zachary with a smile." (Fia)
"Fia, this reminds me of my time at the knight training school! We had a bald, macho instructor who was just like you. His knowledge and skills were far above ours, and he would motivate us with a terrifying smile, but it was a total intimidation. He would give us one impossible task after another with a smile like the hellish Demon King! Every battle was so close we'd barely survive, and we'd think, 'I'm going to die!' That's exactly what I felt when I felt that chill down my spine!" (Zachary)
"...Bald macho guy? Do I resemble a bald macho guy? Ha, ha, ha, please fight to your heart's content!!" (Fia)
I raised my left hand towards the sky and lowered the level of the concealment spell. The cage surrounding the familiars could only be seen from directly below.
...Yes, I was calm. The other person was a captain, so he had every right to say what he liked to a rookie knight. And I had the same right to control my magic!
The Dreambird tried to attack the familiars many times, but it seemed it realized that it was being blocked by an invisible cage, so it continued to fly around the cage in frustration. The moment the cage was positioned directly below it, it suddenly became visible.
At first glance, it could tell that it was not something that could easily be torn. With a cry of annoyance, the Dreambird left the familiars. And with that, it flapped its wings towards the knights.
Freed from their hallucinations, the archers and mages seemed to have regained their composure and began attacking the Dreambird again. Having learned from their previous experience, they increased the power of their attacks by closing the distance, and specialized in fire magic, which had been the most effective among the magic they had tried.
Yes, this monster was annoying because it caused hallucinations, but other than that it's not a big deal. Its unique, soft flight made it difficult to read its trajectory, but if it hit, it was powerful. It's impressive that they were able to come up with a strategy to defeat the enemy after just one battle.
...But I didn't like the captain who said I looked like a bald macho guy. No, I didn't have any personal grudge in this, it's just my honest opinion. ... No, I was lying. It's completely personal grudge. It's personal grudge, but I felt like it would be a shame, so I'd like to say it.
As a commander, it's important to keep an eye on the big picture. However, Captain Zachary's attack power was so outstanding that it would be a waste not to make full use of it.
At the edge of my vision, I could see the Dreambird floating down in a unique trajectory.
That's right, in order for the Dreambird to create a hallucinatory space, it needed to fly at different heights while drawing circles. There was a pattern to how the height difference was created, so it was not impossible to predict where it would fly at the lowest point. So, if Captain Zachary could read its trajectory, casually wait on its predicted trajectory, and step in at the right time, he should be able to take it down in one hit with that level of attack power. ...But I wondered if it's possible to read that trajectory on a first glance. No no, Captain Zachary had high abilities so I couldn't help but demand high level things!
But it's true that it's better to kill it as quickly as possible, right? When not hallucinating, Dreambird wasn't particularly strong, but Dreambird knew this, so it usually appeared together with other monsters. Now, the fact that it appeared alone was a rare but welcome situation. And it was a blessed situation to have the whole team working together to defeat one monster. In this world where the number of monsters seemed to have decreased, this might be a normal feeling, though. But……
"Three new monsters have appeared! They are moving from the 7 o'clock direction!!"
The reconnaissance officer shouted.
Yes, with the forest monsters' range of movement now being so messed up, it's entirely possible that we'd encounter monsters multiple times in succession. I stood upright, standing between the saints and the monsters, and turned my gaze to the seven o'clock position.
Pushing aside the lush, tall grass, two boar-type monsters and one deer-type monster appeared.
"Two Violet Boar and a Flower-horned Deer!!"
The knight positioned closest to the seven o'clock position shouted.
Violet Boar was okay, but Flower-horned Deer was B-rank and required 30 knights. Our troops were already facing off against B-rank monsters. That's some hard training!
"Two B-rank monsters... we're screwed."
The knight's muttering voice could be heard.
No, you're not stuck. That's an exaggeration! If it's a monster of this size, Captain Zachary will do something about it, you know. Plus, if push comes to shove, you'll have allies nearby, right?
As I was thinking this, I heard the sound of a rescue whistle from the east. Speaking of the east, wasn't that Vice Captain Gideon's platoon? Oh, were they calling?
As I tilted my head in confusion, I heard the same sound coming from the west. Speaking of the west, wasn't it Captain Quentin? I doubted it, but weren't looking for help?
"Damn, what an unlucky day! There's a limit to how many monsters there are! Damn, they're calling for reinforcements, they must be in serious trouble!!" (Zachary)
Captain Zachary yelled in an impatient voice.
...Though, I couldn't help but tilt my head. What kind of monster had appeared that is calling for help? With Captain Quentin's offensive power, it should be possible to deal with monsters below rank B. Even Vice Captain Gideon could be defeated if he took the time.
I mean, there's an A-rank griffon in Captain Quentin, so what's going on?
Thinking about it that far, something suddenly occurred to me.
Hmm, could it be that Captain Quentin was being attacked by a monster of A-rank or above?
Zavilia confirmed the unpleasant prediction.
"This is bad, Fia. There are dragons to the west. And two of them." (Zavilia)
Wow! There are two dragons!
"Hey, Zavilia. Dragons are S-rank, right? The standard is to subjugate them with 100 knights. Isn't that a bit risky?" (Fia)
"Hmm... I can probably do something about most dragons though." (Zavilia)
"Well, that's reliable! By the way, I wonder what kind of monsters are appearing where Vice Captain Gideon is?" (Fia)
"One deer and one boar, huh?" (Fia)
"Flower-horned Deer and Violet Boar? Well then, it's fine, huh... I'll leave them alone!" (Fia)
I shouted at Captain Zachary.
"Captain Zachary! Vice Captain Gideon has encountered Flower-horned Deer and Violet Boar!" (Fia)
"Huh? Hey, how did you know?!" (Zachary)
He answered with a question, but I ignored it and just said what I wanted to say.
"However, we don't have the time, so we'll have them deal with it themself. Please let them know with the rescue whistle." (Fia)
"Oh, yeah!" (Zachary)
Captain Zachary looked like he didn't quite understand, but he affirmed.
"In addition, Captain Quentin has encountered two dragons! They need our help, so I recommend you join them immediately!" (Fia)
"Dragon?! And two of them?! Hey, that's not good!" (Zachary)
"As pointed out, it would be greatly appreciated if you could quickly kill the boar, deer, and birds so that we can meet up right away." (Fia)
"Damn, you once again set up a difficult task that was so easy to carry out! You bald macho guy No. 2...!!" (Zachary)
What?
...It seemed that Captain Zachary was confused by the monsters that were attacking and had mistaken the rookie knight's modest advice for the drill sergeant from his student days who used to impose unreasonable demands on him.
"Captain Zachary, what a pain!" I growled but continued to recite a spell.
"[Body Strengthening] Weight x2!" (Fia)
Normally, I would cast a weight-increasing enhancement spell on myself or allies, but instead I cast it on the Dreambird. Suddenly Dreambird's body felt heavy, and after letting out a startled cry, it began flapping its wings faster. But there was nothing it could do. It flapped its wings frantically, but it couldn't maintain its altitude and continued to drop.
——Ah, I've put it out.
Although I felt really sorry for taking away the opportunity to learn for myself, I got involved in earnest because I was worried about the Quentin team.
With a feeling of remorse, I asked Captain Zachary to deliver the final blow and took credit for the attack, rather than myself.
"Captain Zachary, we don't have much time, so just one slash please!" (Fia)
"You really have no mercy...!!" (Zachary)
Although Captain Zachary complained, he ran towards the Dreambird with all his might, drew his sword, and cut it down with a single slash.
For a moment, I was captivated by the vividness of Captain Zachary, which cut down the Dreambird in a single stroke. Actually, Captain Zachary's sword is a large sword that was used with both hands. It's unusual, but it suited him.
Then, seeing the spot where Captain Zachary had originally stood, I muttered softly, "As expected." The location was close to the orbit where the Dreambird descended to its lowest point. Captain Zachary was truly amazing to be able to read Dreambird's trajectory in such a short time!
"Well done, Captain Zachary!" (Fia)
I shouted to Captain Zachary, pointing westward.
"Let's go support Captain Quentin! Here, let's trust everyone and leave it to them!" (Fia)
"What?! Fi-Fia, are you out of your mind?! There's still a B-rank Flower-horned Deer left! This is no way we can leave it to just these guys!!" (Zachary)
Captain Zachary, who cared deeply for his subordinates, seemed reluctant to leave the place and leave the monster behind.
Ugh, I understand your feelings, but the danger to the dragon is many times greater. I think we should retreat for now and prioritize the dragon. But you're the commander, Captain Zachary.
I bit my lip in frustration, but I had no choice. Even though I felt defeated, I shouted to the knights of the Sixth Knight Order and the Monster Knight Order who were facing off against Flower-horned Deer and Violet Boar.
"You Sixth Order members, you learned how to defeat Flower-horned Deer the other day, right? We ate that delicious meat together, right?! Now it's your turn to let us eat that meat!!" (Fia)
"Fi-Fia, you, that's outright blackmail..."
One of the knights shouted back, but I pretended not to hear.
"But I also know when to give up. If you think this meat is just not fatty enough and you're going to save it for next time, cut off the corners. If you lose even one of them, Flower-horned Deer will run away. To break a horn, just hit it from the side and it will be broken instantly!" (Fia)
"Fi-Fia, you deliberately withheld that information the other day..."
"Hey, you're starting to look more like an emissary of hell than a savior..."
The knights murmured in horror, but all I could do was hang my head in despair.
Monsters that had faced humans once and managed to escape became more cunning and cautious. Therefore, unless there was a very good reason, it was dangerous to let it go unnoticed. It would leave a heavy negative legacy for the next person to defeat it. That's why I didn't want to give out information that would let the monsters escape, but I had no choice.
In my opinion, even if Captain Zachary left now, and returned after seeing how Captain Quentin was, the knights would still be able to hold out without a single death. That's what I thought, but Captain Zachary, who cared about his subordinates, seemed unable to act unless he reduced the risks even further. Of course, there was a possibility that I might encounter new monsters, so I would do as Captain Zachary told me to. I was an obedient rookie knight after all!
I changed my mood and looked up at Captain Zachary.
"Well, now I have no regrets! I'm off to Captain Quentin!" (Fia)
"O-o-yeah!" (Zachary)
Then I looked back at the knights again.
"Attention all members of the Monster Knights, a dragon has appeared in the Quentin squad! We're heading out to rescue them, so please lend us your familiars!" (Fia)
"A-a dragon?! That can't be true... Is Captain okay?! Of course, for Captain's sake, I'll lend you as much as you want!"
"I'm willing to lend it to you, but the familiars won't listen to you! They've been flying around the sky on their own, not even listening to what we, the contractors, have to say!!"
No, they are just following my instructions. They are very clever familiars.
——That's what I thought, but knowing the value of silence, I of course didn't say anything.
"Thank you for your permission!" (Fia)
As I thanked them, I removed the magical cage that was protecting the familiars. Then, three monsters appeared from the sky, and matching their movements, two more monsters appeared from the ground, each heading straight for me.
"Huh? Wha-, what on earth..."
"Then, all of a sudden, they headed towards Fia... Hey..."
The knights let out cries of surprise, but since they didn't want to waste time responding, they ran off without replying. At the same time, Zavilia rose into the sky as if he had understood.
As if he understood without being told, Zavilia flapped his wings in a straight line towards Captain Quentin.
Yes, Zavilia is the only one who knows exactly where they are, so please lead the way.
Then, as I headed towards Captain Quentin, with Zavilia in the lead, and Captain Zachary and the familiars in tow, I heard the knights shouting at me.
"I-I mean, rather than an emissary of Hell, isn't Fi-Fia not a legendary monster tamer?!"
"Hey, why are they more obedient than us, their contractors?! They followed the Fia on their own accord!!"
…They said I was a legendary monster tamer, but I had no idea what that meant, huh. But it's 100 times better than a bald macho guy!!