Astrea Record: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Tales of Heroes - Volume 3 - Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

March and Break

Any adventurer could tell that the air was different in the Dungeon. It was like an invisible line dividing the world above from the one below. The moment they entered, a chilly air filled their lungs, reminding them exactly how far they’d strayed from the watchful gazes of the sun and the moon.

But today the difference was even starker.

“Roaaaaaaaaaghhh!!”

Shouts filled the air on the first floor. It was more chaotic than ever.

“The monsters are agitated!” cried Kaguya, looking around. “I think something’s frightening them!”

“No shit!” replied Lyra. “The ground’s shaking beneath their feet, and it sounds like bombs are goin’ off or somethin’! There might as well be a damn fireworks display!”

She wore a cynical grin. All around her, goblins, kobolds, and other low-level monsters seemed to have taken leave of their senses and were running around like the world was going to end.

“The quakes are way stronger down here!” shouted Neze. “I didn’t really believe a monster could break through floors before, but I do now!”

To the girls of Astrea Familia, the earthquakes felt like a giant had picked them up and started rattling them like a pair of dice. There could no longer be any doubt about the danger of the approaching threat.

“““Groooooooooagh!!”””

“Horde of monsters, spotted dead ahead!” reported Noin, grasping her shortsword in one hand and buckler in the other. “Size is…I don’t know, but it’s a lot!!”

“They’re in a panic!!” added Celty, the elven mage. “They’re attacking anything that comes close!”

“What do we do, Alize?” asked Maryu, turning to her captain for guidance.

The column of Astrea Familia moved swiftly through the Dungeon. Alize gave her orders without a second’s delay.

“Just ignore them!” she yelled. “Our target is the big one!”

With her ponytail fluttering behind her, Alize pulled Crimson Order from its sheath and brandished its narrow blade. With one clean slash, she cut down three monsters that stood in the party’s way.

“““Gyaaagh?!”””

“Don’t slow down! Don’t let anything stop us! Go, go, go!!”

“““Got it!”””

The girls answered their leader’s command with practiced swiftness. The mad rush of monsters ran face-first into Noin’s sturdy shield, and then met Kaguya’s and Lyu’s swords, Lyra’s boomerangs, and Neze’s twin blades.

Thus Astrea Familia carved a path through the sea of foes. But following behind them was the strike team’s smallest member.

“Leave them to me.”

Her golden hair seemed to leave a glittering trail as she moved. Aiz Wallenstein wove deftly between her allies, then raised her sword—Desperate, the Durandal Superior-class weapon.

“Die.”

As if parting the oceans, a single slash cut through the horde and reduced them to ash. The little monster hunter was unstoppable. She spun like a top, delivering another devastating swing, before leaping into a dance of death that dissolved the wall of foes like molten butter.

Her foes were the runts of the Dungeon, but that didn’t make her speed any less impressive. Noin clapped her hand to her mouth in astonishment.

“She’s so strong…!”

“That girl ain’t any taller than me, but look at her go!” said Lyra. “And she’s gonna keep growin’! You call that fair?!”

“Keep your envy to yourself, prum,” said Kaguya. “It’s distracting me.”

But as a fellow swordsmaiden, even Kaguya was forced to acknowledge the young girl’s skill.

“All power, no technique,” she said, “but still, it’s a miracle a child so young can fight like this. Now it makes sense why they call her the Sword Princess.”

Kaguya looked over at the girl once more. Just then, a second figure appeared beside Aiz.

“Hai-yaaa!”

“Guhhh?!”

Lyu was quickly growing accustomed to wielding two swords at once and was making short work of the monsters. The skirmish continued for a short while, then, as the two combatants ran side by side, Lyu realized the girl had been staring at her for some time.

“…Is something the matter, Sword Princess?” she asked with an awkward smile.

“…Have we met?” Aiz replied.

Lyu’s long ears twitched.

Yes, we have! It was dark, and I was wearing a mask, so maybe you don’t remember, but we were basically trying to kill each other!

Lyu attempted to make sure that none of her awkward inner thoughts showed on her face. All she could think about were the events of five days prior.

“I apologize in advance. This is nothing but the futile tantrum of a lost and foolish elf.”

“I don’t understand. Which means…I have to beat you.”

“Insolence!”

Mired in the pain of loss and embarrassment of defeat, Lyu had lost sight of justice, and had been wandering aimlessly through the city when she ran into Aiz. A few tactless comments from the girl, along with her misguided interpretation of the situation, had led to a fight to the death.

A fact that, if revealed now, would be so disgraceful, Lyu feared that none of her fellow familia members would ever want to speak to her again.

There’s no two ways about it—I gave in to my despair and attacked a little girl! I can’t let Alize find out about this, and definitely not Lady Riveria!

Lyu was greatly concerned with appearance and dignity. If her familia discovered this transgression, their teasing was the least of her worries. As for Riveria, the respect Lyu’s kind felt for high elves bordered on divine worship. It was unthinkable to allow her embarrassing secret to come to light.

Luckily, Aiz didn’t seem to have worked it out yet. The mask had done its job, so that was some relief. However, Lyu’s frantic mind still failed to spit out a coherent response.

“Your eyes…and your voice. They seem…familiar somehow…”

“Th-th-that’s because…we got into a fight over the last Jyaga Maru Kun one time!”

Lyu spat out a big, fat lie that raised more questions than it answered. Aiz scrutinized the elf girl closely, while a bead of sweat slowly worked its way down Lyu’s face.

“…Yes. That must be it,” the young girl said at last.

Completely fooled, Aiz moved on in search of her next target. Lyu didn’t know whether to be relieved or concerned.

“…I’m lucky she’s an airhead…”

However, there wasn’t much time to think about it before she heard Kaguya shouting at her.

“What are you doing, standing still like an idiot?! The monsters are going to be on top of us any minute!”

“S-sorry!!” Lyu yelped, and she ran off to rejoin her allies.

By this point, monsters were beginning to emerge from the lower levels. War shadows, killer ants, orcs—all creatures that would only normally appear much deeper. Neze dispatched a few of them, and then called out to her allies.

“Where are we going to fight this monster, anyway? It’s gotta be as big as a floor boss!”

The animal girl furrowed her brow as quakes continued to rock the Dungeon, and Alize echoed her ally’s concerns.

“There’s only a few places we can realistically fight something that size! Plus, we don’t want to get ganged up on while we’re trying to focus on the big one!”

“Right you are, girls,” said Gareth. “We can’t have a scrap with a beast like that in the tunnels. A wide-open space would be much better.”

“A wide-open space, without too many monsters,” said Riveria. “There’s only one place I can think of that fits the bill.”

“You don’t mean…?” asked Kaguya, though she suspected she already knew what the high elf was going to say.

“The eighteenth floor—the Under Resort.”

“The Under Resort! And we’ll be fighting an absolute behemoth!” cried Alize. “I’ve never heard of anything that even comes close to this!”

Floor eighteen was a safe haven where no monsters spawned. While monsters could come up or down from the adjacent levels, to Alize’s knowledge, nobody had ever attempted to conduct such a large-scale battle there before.

However, the eighteenth floor also held special significance to the girls of Astrea Familia. Running alongside Alize, Lyra gave a short chuckle.

“Bet you this was Finn’s plan all along,” she said. “Guy like him, he’d have come up with a strategy the moment he heard the monster was on its way.”

“You mean…?!” asked Lyu, astonished.

“Yeah. That’s why we were waitin’ up top for so long. He calculated how long it would take us to reach the eighteenth floor and sent us off at the last minute so we would meet the monster there just in time.”

Lyra’s words were little more than conjecture, borne of the confidence she placed in her people’s hero, but Loki Familia remained silent, refusing to confirm or deny her theory.

Kaguya, on the other hand, could not hold her tongue any longer. “He’s no hero—he’s a demon! How can he think so many steps ahead in such an unprecedented situation?!”

The tone of her voice was a mixture of fear and awe. Her sentiments were echoed on the faces of every member of Astrea Familia. They could scarcely believe the prum hero had planned everything from the very first move.

“Let’s not forget about the people fighting on the surface,” Alize pointed out. “The Dungeon monster is one thing, but fighting all the Evils at once is even worse!”

“Plus, his top lieutenants are down here with us,” added Lyu. “Is he really going to be all right?”

The two girls couldn’t help but be concerned. For all Finn’s genius, he was on a strict timeline and faced an impossible task. There were bound to be holes in his strategy, weren’t there?

“It’s okay,” someone said.

“Huh?”

It was Aiz, running alongside them.

“It’s okay. Finn’s unbeatable.”

In the young girl’s mind, she was simply stating the truth.

“That’s why he won’t lose.”

Lyu and Alize were a little taken aback by her directness. Meanwhile, Riveria and Gareth gave a little chuckle.

“Aiz is right,” the high elf said. “We won’t get anywhere poking holes in Finn’s plan. Better to focus on the task at hand.”

“Besides, the finest warriors of Freya Familia stand with him,” added Gareth. “They make for troublesome foes, but there’s no one I’d rather have on my side in a war.”

The old dwarven soldier shouldered his battle-ax and gazed at the Dungeon roof above.

“Finn placed his trust in us,” he said. “Now we must place our trust in him.”

“““Ooooooouaghhhhh!!”””

With a cry that shook the ash-gray clouds above, the minions of evil began their dark advance.

“The enemy is descending from the walls! East, West, South…they’re coming from every direction!!”

Atop Guild HQ, in the northwestern district, Raul screamed his report. The armies of evil approached on all sides, leaving no hope of escape.

Finn, however, did not let Raul’s panicking disturb him. He calmly proceeded with his orders.

“Mages! Magic swordfighters! Prepare to attack at will! Let them come into range, but don’t give them a chance to set off any explosives!”

Finn’s commands were carried across the battlefield either by messengers, or through the signals of magic-stone beacons.

“Ooooooaughhhh!!”

Right on cue, the barrage commenced. Fire, ice, lightning—missiles of every element were hurled into the enemy ranks, detonating in earthshaking explosions.

The war with evil had well and truly begun.

“Besieged on all sides…?! I didn’t know the Evils still had so many troops!”

By occupying the city walls, the Evils had turned Orario’s greatest defensive feature into the bars of a cage. Royman watched the opening of hostilities from the rooftop of the Guild and quailed in fright at their foes’ complete and utter positional superiority.

“They must be sending everyone they have!” he cried. But Finn narrowed his eyes.

“Correction,” he said. “Not quite everyone.”

“Oh, it’s begun!” Valletta cackled. “It’s really started now!”

From her position atop the walls, she looked down at the city, where already the streets had turned to chaos.

“But you know,” she added with a grin. “Where’s the fun if we don’t add a little twist?”

She peered across the war zone—toward the rooftop of Guild HQ, where she knew Finn must be watching as well. Then, in a loud voice, she declared…

“I’m the kinda gal who likes a big, flashy opening! Feast your eyes on this!!”

The Evils lieutenant snapped her fingers. The sharp sound hung in the air for a moment. Then…

An explosion.

“Wh-what?! What was that noise?!” cried Royman as a tremor knocked him from his feet and onto his rump. It was a quake unlike anything the Dungeon had spat out so far.

Scanning the horizon, Raul’s eyes finally fell on columns of smoke.

“I-it’s an explosion!” he yelled. “They’ve destroyed the city gates!”

“What?! Which gates?!”

Raul’s face went pale as he stammered.

“A-all of them…”

“…What?”

When Raul finally got over the shock enough to elaborate, he yelled his report as loudly as he could.

“All the city gates have been destroyed! And that’s not all! Monsters are entering the city from outside!!”

Deafening screams and rumbling howls filled the air.

There were eight gates equally spaced around the circumference of Orario. And now, from every cardinal direction, monsters began flooding into the city.

“Aaaaaaaghhh!”

“Graaaaaarghhh!!”

Stepping over the ruins of a collapsed house, the monsters poured into Orario like an invading army. Within the shelters, the city’s residents were pushed to the brink of despair. The heavy footfalls of a host thousands strong signaled the desecration of their home.

Meanwhile, jubilant cries rose up from the other side.

“Hah-hah-hah-hah! Ain’t that a beautiful sight?! Now this place has really gone to the dogs!”

To Valletta and her fellow Evils, the sight of monsters within the city walls symbolized the downfall of their hated foe. She watched with glee as the invaders advanced on the embattled adventurers.

“Let me see you cry! Let me see you break! Let me see you die! In the end, I’ll be the last one standing!!”

“Th-this can’t be happening… Monsters, here in Orario, the bulwark of the entire world?!”

Meanwhile, back atop Guild HQ, all the color had drained from Royman’s face.

“This is outrageous! Those monsters defile the legacy of our great and noble ancestors!”

“It’s the obvious move,” replied Finn without batting an eye. “If I were in Valletta’s position, I’d do the exact same thing.”

“Wh-what?!”

“Valletta’s job is to cause mayhem and destruction. For that, monsters make the perfect pawns. All she has to do is lure them into the city, and they take care of the rest. This is just another reason they wanted to occupy the walls.”

In terms of pure combat ability, the Evils were sorely lacking compared to the entire city of Orario, which could call upon many upper-class adventurers. In such a situation, it made perfect sense to focus on quantity instead. Finn knew and understood this better than anyone, but Raul and Royman both found the prum captain’s calm deduction shocking. The latter was especially bewildered, as he immediately went red-faced and began ranting at Finn.

“I don’t believe you, Mr. Deimne! You knew this all along and did nothing to prevent it?! Why?!”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Royman,” Finn answered without turning around, “You know full well it would’ve been impossible to protect the gates. If we even made the attempt, Babel and the five strongholds would’ve fallen instantly.”

His steely gaze remained fixed on the city as his keen mind analyzed the many factors at play.

“It doesn’t matter if our enemy destroys the gates, the walls, or even the city itself. We can always rebuild, just like our ancestors built this city before us.”

“…!”

“Don’t forget our priorities,” Finn reiterated. “We must defend Babel to the last. Failure is not an option.”

A cold calculation. A rational choice. Even Royman hesitated to speak carelessly in the face of Finn’s blinding determination.

“B-but even so!” he stuttered at last. “The city is almost in ruins as we speak! Do you have any idea how much it’s going to cost to repair if things get any—”

“Groaaaaaaaghhh!”

“Wha—?!”

“That’s enough, Royman. The enemy is coming. Go back inside.”

“Grr…! Listen to me, Mr. Deimne! You had better win this war, you hear me? If you don’t, I’ll have some stern words for you!!”

After speaking like a true bureaucrat. Royman disappeared inside the Guild HQ building just as the sound of monster roars filled the air. Finn didn’t once look away from the battlefield to watch him go.

“Of course we will,” he muttered, now only to himself. “That’s what we’re here for.”

His azure eyes scanned the streets below, where the initial exchange of magical blasts, arrows, and breath attacks was drawing to a close. Waves upon waves of monsters and cultists descended on the strongholds in the city, and on the adventurers who guarded them.

Due north of Babel, in the fortified Loki Familia home, Dyne silently readied his weapon as he stood alongside Bahra and Noir.

“Here they come…” Noir muttered.

In the south, within the famed Casino that stood amid the ruined shopping district, Falgar gripped his weapon and lowered his center of gravity, while dozens of Berbera stood by his side.

“Let them come!” he roared.

In the east, Allen’s eyes burned with a murderous rage.

“…I’m gonna turn you into roadkill!”

He launched himself at the enemy. The city’s spear rapidly closed the distance between the oncoming enemies, and just as the two were about to clash…

The hero spoke.

“It’s time. The battle has begun.”

All across the city, combatants roared in agreement with his words—words they couldn’t possibly hear. Their voices rose as one, united in opposition to the resounding voice of evil.

The gruesome death cries of monsters carried through the walls, accompanied by the endless clashing of steel. Within the Casino, all the lights had been switched off, and civilians huddled close together in the darkness.

“It…it’s begun!” one of them said.

“The fighting’s so close…!”

From time to time, a tremor would cause the building to rock as if it were a ship sailing the turbulent oceans, while the sounds of rampant violence filtered in from outside. The waves of Evils were the stormy seas, the monsters the tumultuous skies, and the adventurers the brave sailors at the helm. Belowdecks, all the citizens of Orario could do was stifle their screams and hope that the planks of Orario’s hull would hold.

“Waaah! I’m scared!!”

Many of the young ones were crying, and it was all the grown-ups could do not to join them. The incessant tears of children mirrored their own desires.

It was then that one woman placed a reassuring hand on a crying girl’s head.

“It’ll be okay. The adventurers will protect us.”

It was a woman who had lost her own daughter—a girl called Leah—to the horrors of war. Once, she had turned her anger and despair upon the girls of Astrea Familia and thrown stones at them.

“W-will they really?” the child asked.

“Yes. Because no matter how many times they fall down…they always stand back up.”

The woman’s faith in justice was so dazzling that the girl froze. She could see it in the woman’s eyes; hear it in the strength of her voice. After a short while, she managed to suppress the rising feeling in her throat. She looked up at the bereaved mother, with tears in her eyes, and nodded. Seeing that, Leah’s mother smiled.

A man was watching the two of them from a short distance away. The same man Adi had once forgiven. A man who had cast aside his wickedness and stood in harm’s way to protect Lyu.

“Stay strong…stay strong out there!” he yelled, raising his eyes to the ceiling. “We’ll stay strong in here, too! We believe in you!!”

The man’s words echoed in the hearts of everyone present. Across the hall, people clasped their hands in prayer and thought of their saviors.

And outside, adventurers let out a wild yell as if they were answering those prayers.

“““Roaaaaaaaahhh!!”””

They fought bravely to defend the civilians’ refuges: the Casino, the Amphitheatrum, Guild HQ, and the Ganesha Familia home. They stood on the rooftops of buildings, pelting the monsters with projectiles both magical and physical, while simultaneously fending off the Evils with blade and shield. Anyone who was wounded and fell, whether friend or foe, met a grisly end at the jaws of the mindless beasts below.

Blood and war. Fiends and chaos. Surely, this would be the state of the world today had Babel not been built to seal the monsters below the earth.

Meanwhile, before the gates of Twilight Manor, the home of Loki Familia, Noir’s blade cut through five of the monsters at once as they attempted to pounce.

“Now we have to deal with these fiends as well as our fellow man?” grumbled the old dwarf, Dyne. “Plus, they’ve no concern for the damage they cause this city with their magic!”

“The monsters are only from the surrounding fields!” yelled the Amazon, Bahra. “They’re not that strong, so don’t worry!”

With ax and fist, they cleared the enemy ranks, raising the morale of everyone nearby. The other members of Loki Familia were inspired by their brave actions to do whatever they could in the city’s defense.

Among them all was a single elf girl who had only recently become a Level 2.

“Alicia! Where’s that support?” Bahra yelled back at her. “Are your teeth chattering so hard you can’t recite the spell?!”

“Why don’t you go back to the watchtower like Raul and Aki?” suggested Dyne.

“N-no! I’m the one who volunteered to be here! I-if I can’t at least fulfill my duties, then I can’t possibly show my face to the other elves…not to mention Lady Riveria!”

Alicia tried her best to ignore the teasing of her elders. Although this was far from the worst of the fighting, as she was stationed on the battlements of the manor, the terror of being in a real war for the first time was almost too much to bear. She tried to stop shivering and reminded herself of her mission and her pride. Then she raised her bow and unleashed a scattershot of icicle-shaped projectiles into the enemy lines. Her aim was lacking compared to a more seasoned mage, but it was still very effective at suppressing fire.

Noir smiled and wove among the arrows, delivering a fatal slice to the enemy forces as they faltered in terror.

“Still,” he said. “They have us vastly outnumbered, and there are still suicide bombers to deal with…”

Noir paused to swig a healing potion before more enemies could arrive. He looked back at the manor he was defending, where hastily constructed fortifications ringed it on all sides. Even now, monsters swarmed the base of those outer walls. He and the other veterans had all leaped down into the fray, but the less-experienced familia members could only hole up inside the building and attack at range from the battlements. That was how fierce the fighting had become.

Plus, there were the bombers to consider. Right now the ranged unit was focusing their attacks on them, ensuring their bombs detonated behind the enemy front line, before they could get close to the fortifications. This strategy was working for now, but if the enemy advanced in earnest, there would be little the manor’s protectors could do to stop it.

Meanwhile, all it would take was one cultist to get close enough to blow a hole in the defenses, and the civilians inside were as good as dead.

An army of death. That was what people were starting to call it. Noir muttered curses under his breath. The enemy marched with no regard for their own lives or safety. Even the veterans had never seen anything like it.

“It’s backbreaking work keeping the fortress safe while we fight off wave after wave. I can’t believe you’d foist all this work on your elders, Finn…”

Noir cast a glance toward the silhouette of Guild HQ in the distance and gave a bitter smile. The events of a few hours earlier played through his mind.

“Noir, I’m leaving to assume command and carry out the defense of Guild HQ. The Twilight Manor is in your hands while I’m gone.”

It was shortly after Finn had left for Guild HQ to share the details of his plan—shortly after the enemy destroyed the city gates and allowed monsters to flood the streets—that Finn returned to the Twilight Manor and spoke to Noir.

“We’re countin’ on ya, Noir!” Loki had said. “We may have paid off the loan on this place, but we can’t let the enemy put a single scratch on me and Riveria’s love castle!”

“Oh, and take care of Loki, too, will you?” Finn had added with a smile.

“That’s an awful lot of work for one man,” Noir had protested. “Plus, given the city’s layout, the northeast of Orario is where the fighting is going to be the thickest!”

Orario sat at the western tip of the continent, while the brackish lake upon which Port Meren sat extended from the west to the southwest of the city. Even without Finn’s strategic genius, Noir could predict where the vast majority of monsters would appear. The Evils could never hope to take direct control of the monsters and strategically guide them to a specific location like a proper army. All the tamers in the world couldn’t make such a feat possible.

The Twilight Manor stood not far from the northeastern gates into the city. For Noir, the duty of protecting it was a poisoned chalice, and he could scarcely believe the prum’s gall in handing it to him.

But the brazenness of Finn’s subsequent response made his previous words seem entirely reasonable by comparison.

“It’s only you I can trust with this. Besides, I’m sure your old-man wisdom can come up with something. Isn’t that how you, Dyne, and Bahra beat sense into us back in the day? What are you worried about?”

Noir still vividly remembered the prum’s grin.

He made short work of a monster that attempted to catch him unawares, then gave a derisive snort.

“You picked a fine day to start respectin’ your elders, young’un! If you ask me, we didn’t beat you hard enough!”

“Finn was just a kid who didn’t know the first thing about the Dungeon back in those days!” said Bahra. “Gareth and Riveria, too!”

“But those kids were strong, and they tore through waves of monsters without even needin’ our help,” added Dyne. “I still remember all the fights we used to have!”

Noir nodded in agreement, then fixed his eyes on some distant spot.

“And now, the fate of this city rests on their shoulders… It’s a weighty burden, to be sure…”

He paused in contemplation, but the enemy would not allow a moment of solace. Seeing the approaching foes, Noir readied his sword. It was a single-edged blade, based on those from the Far East, and its name was Undying Vow.

“I suppose it’s only fair,” he said. “If Finn places his trust in us, then let’s make sure he won’t regret it!”

“Groooooooaaaaghhh!”

The monstrous screams were deafening. The Evils and adventurers all shuddered at those inhuman sounds. The source of these screams, striking fear and awe into friend and foe alike, was a catman who had earned himself the title of the city’s fastest.

“Drop dead, freaks.”

“Gyaaaagh?!”

Allen Fromel was waging a one-man war, making short work of the cultists with one sweep of his silver spear. He reminded people of a capricious kitten…if a kitten could tear its prey to shreds in a single blow. His speed allowed him to hit the enemy from the front or the back before they even knew what was happening, and whether they attempted to flee or fight back, all were trampled beneath the wheels of Vana Freya, the chariot of the gods. The mages on his side didn’t even have chance to cast their spells before Allen’s spear ran the suicide bombers through, and then, once he was already far out of the blast range, a chain of crimson flowers bloomed across the battlefield.

“““Wh-whoooooooaaaaaaahhhh!!”””

The other adventurers couldn’t help but voice their shock. Allen’s high-speed assault didn’t even give the enemy time to detonate their own bombs.

Allen was defending the Amphitheatrum, in eastern Orario. Along with the northern districts, this region was where the majority of enemies were expected to appear. However, right now it was serving as the private hunting grounds of the warrior currently boasting the highest body count in the city.

Many of Freya’s other followers were stationed here, bolstered by adventurers from other familias. They fought to protect the civilians taking refuge within the stronghold. Anyone or anything that approached the walls were swiftly repelled with bolts of fire and lightning, while the warriors created a wall of steel with their axes and blades. As Allen and the other members of Orario’s most prominent familia continued to fight, their allies cheered them on.

Those cheers could be heard far across the city, atop Guild HQ, where a single prum hero smiled and said, “Nicely done.” The efforts of Freya Familia on the east side of the city were steadily raising the coalition’s morale.

However, once the enemy was completely eradicated, a member of Freya Familia shouted across to Allen from the battlements.

“M-Mr. Fromel! You’re straying too far forward! Wh-what about defending the stronghold…?”

“That’s your job. I’m here to run people over. That’s all.”

Allen’s main strength came from his ability to fight alone. Staying too close to his allies would only result in trapping people beneath the wheels of his chariot. Normally, tightening Allen’s leash was Hedin’s job, but as the white elf was otherwise occupied, Allen was free to act as he pleased, and the most useful thing he could do now was disrupt the enemy ranks and sow chaos, plus filling any gaps in the defensive line.

“You need a first-tier adventurer to wipe your ass for you?” Allen sneered at his junior. “Don’t tell me you still got cold feet.”

“!”

“You heard that prum asshole’s speech, right? There’s nothin’ left to lose. Those bastards took it all from us.”

Allen’s words were far from a typical pep talk, but they did their job all the same. He leveled a sharp gaze at his animal girl junior, and she snapped to attention.

“Y-yes, sir!”

The other defenders threw themselves back into the battle once more. Allen, meanwhile, paused and looked around. For a few moments, his gaze drifted in the direction of West Main Street and a certain tavern that stood there.

“I got nothing left to lose…” he repeated. “But if you’re gonna try to steal from me anyway, then you’ll get what’s comin’ to you.”

Then a moment later, he put that thought behind him and once more dashed off in the direction of the enemy lines.

“Look at ’em, actually puttin’ up a decent fight. Finn had to know this was comin’.”

With a gentle tap, a pair of boots landed on the rooftop. Her fur-lined coat swept around her legs as Valletta surveyed the city up close. She had descended from the walls into the trading district in the southwest and set up a temporary forward base atop the largest building in the area, allowing her an unhindered view of the city, and the war zone it had become.

“What a shitty little hero… I put all this work into surprisin’ him, and he doesn’t even blink!”

Valletta beamed with a malicious grin while two of her subordinates came running over to her.

“Ma’am!” one of them said. “All units are now engaged! We have a report to make regarding the enemy formation!”

“They seem to have concentrated their forces in five key locations!” the other piped up. “We haven’t spotted any adventurers or civilians anywhere in the streets!”

Valletta Grede raised a puzzled brow. “Eh? The hell’s that supposed to mean?”

“We believe the civilians are being kept in those five strongpoints, ma’am!”

“But even there, we’ve encountered only a handful of first-tier adventurers! We believe the remainder must be waiting somewhere in reserve!”

Ankusha of Ganesha Familia, Perseus of Hermes Familia—all these top warriors were conspicuously absent. Even of Freya Familia, only Vana Freya had been spotted in the wild. The stress was clearly getting to the two cultists as they continued their report.

“Plus, we’ve spotted a great number of enemy scouts—even more numerous than our own! We believe they must be trying to locate Lord Zald and Lady Alfia!”

Valletta pondered the matter for only a second before exploding into laughter.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha! So that’s your game, Finn! You rotten bastard!”

“L-Lady Valletta…? Is something the matter…?”

“Finn doesn’t give two shits about protecting the people! He’s using them as bait!!”

Valletta stared out across the city once more.

“North, northwest, southwest, south, and east! Five strongholds, equally defended, making us divide our forces!”

The northern point was Twilight Manor, in the northwest, Guild HQ, in the southwest, Iam Ganesha, in the south, the Casino, and in the east, the Amphitheatrum. Some of Orario’s troops were putting up a perfunctory defense, but the bulk of Finn’s forces were lying in wait. It stank of an ambush, and there was only one thing Valletta could guess they were after.

“They’re comin’ after our trump cards!”

“You mean…Lord Zald and Lady Alfia?!”

“Exactly. That cocky bastard! He’s sayin’, ‘Take as many rooks as you want, ’cause I’m comin’ for your king and queen!’”

Valletta drew her crimson tongue across her lips and pointedly looked at the heart of the city.

“The rest of their forces must be in there! That wall of ice ain’t for keeping us out; it’s for keeping them hidden!”

“The barrier is made up of ice. It encircles all of Central Park.”

“Not a magical barrier, but a physical one. Our enemy seeks to furnish its keep with walls, it seems.”

Valletta thought back to what Olivas had said when the barrier first appeared. Shards of ice, like petals of a cactus flower, surrounded the base of Babel.

But the purpose of that barrier was not, as Valletta first expected, to reinforce the tower while the adventurers fought elsewhere. In truth, the bulk of Finn’s armies had not taken a single step out of Babel’s shadow. The wall of ice had been constructed to obscure that fact.

“I—I see…” said one of the soldiers after Valletta explained all this. “It’s true. The scent of helpless civilians sheltering inside the strongholds is drawing all the monsters away from Babel.”

“W-was this Finn’s plan all along?! To use people as bait?! Wh-what do we do now, Lady Valletta?!”

The strongholds were relatively close to the city gates. In all likelihood, Finn had chosen them for precisely that reason. As soon as the monsters set one foot inside the walls of Orario, they would catch the whiff of fresh meat and be drawn to the battlements, where bands of adventurers were waiting to dispatch them. This left the Evils unable to rally enough forces to seize Central Park.

The Evils soldiers could scarcely believe how much the enemy commander had seen through their plans. They looked up at Valletta for guidance.

The woman was silent. Her laughter had disappeared into the wind, and she now wore only a steely scowl, like a chess player pondering their next move.

If all their top dogs are waitin’ at Babel, then a half-assed strike force ain’t gonna cut it. Even if we ditch the monsters and send our whole army there, those strongholds are perfectly positioned to encircle us no matter which direction we come from. We march in there, it’s gonna be a bloodbath either way, and not the good kind.

The battle of wits had begun. Valletta almost felt as though she could see her opponent, standing far away on the rooftop of Guild HQ, across the intermediary streets that served as their board.

But if we go after the strongholds first, we’re playin’ right into Finn’s hand. That’s why he set up the board like this. It’s exactly what he wants…

At that very moment, across the vast divide, Finn was also scrutinizing the state of the game.

If Valletta wants to rid the board of these troublesome strongholds, she’ll need Zald and Alfia. But our scouts are spread throughout the city. The moment those two Level 7s make a move, we’ll know about it. Their downfall will ensure Orario’s victory, and we have enough forces on standby to make it happen.

Finn’s sole aim was to topple the enemy king and queen. To do that, he was prepared to pay any price. So long as those two indomitable conquerors remained on the board, all of his stratagems were meaningless, no matter how clever they were.

And if you don’t want to make a move, he said to the Valletta in his mind, then that’s just fine by me. We’re on our home turf, and a drawn-out battle favors us. You’re the ones who are going to grow weaker as time goes on.

Just as Valletta feared, Finn wanted her to devote time and resources to taking down the strongholds first. He’d gathered the civilians in those five locations for precisely that purpose, knowing full well he was exposing them to danger in the process. They were bait in every sense, both for the enemy commander and for the monsters that swarmed the walls. Of course, Finn wouldn’t give up the strongholds without a fight, but if the people inside had to die, the prum commander fully intended to capture a powerful piece in return for this sacrifice.

It was Finn’s ruthless approach to command that earned him Valletta’s begrudging approval. His cutthroat gambit was the key to setting up the board. Even the gods could agree on that.

It was truly as if the war were nothing more than a game to him—a game that he endeavored to win. High above the people and their individual woes, he and Valletta considered their options and made their trades with precision.

The gears in his mind finally slowed and Finn opened his eyes to peer across the city in the direction of his distant foe.

“All our pieces are on the board now,” he said. “From here on out, the battle is all up here, in our minds. So, what’ll it be, Valletta? What’s your next move?”

“Ain’t it obvious?! I’m gonna take that bait!!”

A ferocious smile worked its way across the woman’s lips.

“Get me Zald!” she barked at her subordinates. “Send him to Central Park! We’re gonna bring that wall of ice down!”

“Y-you wish to send Lord Zald in there alone?!”

“He may be Level Seven, but he can’t take on all of Orario’s top warriors at once!”

Her orders were like flames that she spat at her witless subordinates, causing them to quail in confusion and terror. Valletta laughed scornfully at their cowardice.

“You deaf, shitheads? That’s Zeus’s top dog you’re talkin’ about! Besides, who cares as long as he takes the adventurers down with him?! Countin’ the monsters, we easily outnumber those stinkin’ babies! Crushing their strongholds one by one’ll be child’s play, and once those grade A assholes at Babel are outta the picture, no one’ll come runnin’ anymore, and they won’t have nowhere to run to!”

“B-but…!”

“Have the troops keep attacking the forts! Get everyone else together, call up Alecto and Apate’s kids. They’re gonna nip the adventurers’ hope in the bud! We’ll show ’em how a king does things!”

“Y-yes, ma’am!”

For all Valletta’s cruelty, she was a frighteningly intelligent woman. As the Evils cultists ran off to deliver her orders, she shouldered her sword and looked out across the city.

“We don’t need fancy strategies! We’ve got the most powerful piece in the world on our side!!”

Valletta knew not to trust her pieces too much, or too little. She also knew better than to let the intricate maneuvers of her opponent befuddle her. Above all, she knew that, in this situation, a direct attack was the most effective move. And so, she locked eyes with her foe across the vast distance and made her proclamation.

“If you’re worried about the king, then you can have him! Wait right there, Finn! After I eat the bait, I’m comin’ for you!”

“C-Captain! The enemy is altering their formation!”

The enemy lines shifted like a coiled viper. The cultists, previously content to wait behind the waves of monsters, now joined the assault on the strongholds.

“So Valletta’s chosen a head-on attack, just as I suspected she would!”

Finn squinted down at the streets, where he could see for himself how the battle was unfolding.

“Raul!” he cried. “Send a message to Central Park! The enemy is on their way; stick to the plan!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

Raul ran over to the magic-stone beacon installed on the rooftop and began operating the signaling mechanism as fast as he could. The beacon flickered in several different colors, and before long, a flashing light on the thirtieth floor of Babel issued a response.

This system allowed messages to be transmitted almost instantly across any large distance. Codes were agreed upon in advance, and shortly after Finn’s order was sent out, the other strongholds responded as well. Messengers ran to and fro, shouting over each other to be heard, and at this present moment, the rooftop of Guild HQ was as busy as any normal day within its walls.

“I knew it was too much to hope that this gambit would stump our foe,” muttered Finn to himself. “The situation hasn’t changed, and we’re still at a heavy disadvantage.”

Finn had hoped that the bait would at least trip Valletta up for a moment, but it seemed the enemy commander was every bit as smart as Finn had suspected. The cultists and the monsters were still battering the strongholds and their attacks had not eased up at all. Instead, the strongest piece on the board was headed for Babel alone.

“I’m sorry, Ottar. It looks like we’re counting on you after all.”

His voice carried on the wind, ferried toward the ring of ice that surrounded Babel’s base.