Chapter 195. Decoy (5)

The next day, it rained in the 19th Outsourcing District.

A cold, pouring rain soaked the freelancers’ temporary gathering place, and water droplets dripped from the edges of the tents, creating ripples in the puddles on the ground.

The temperature was unusually cold for early spring.

I looked up, letting out a white breath, and gazed at the dark, lead-colored sky.

Like the gloomy atmosphere of the sky, a mood akin to defeat flowed through the freelancers' gathering place.

“Ugh. I wish the sun would just come out.”

Alicia, standing next to me and looking up at the sky, muttered quietly.

Beyond the downpour, dozens of people wearing black ponchos were moving slowly.

Outside the outsourcing district, which had been a battlefield, I could see police forces and a few selected residents collecting the bodies scattered across the battlefield in body bags.

Just then, a freelancer acting as a messenger approached and came up to me, who was standing by the door, looking out from under the eaves of the barracks.

“You’re Lord Enoch Elsyde, the Direct Lineage Member.”

“That’s right. What is it?”

“As scheduled, Lord Enoch and the representative of your squad have been summoned to the leaders’ meeting.”

At his words, I nodded my head.

“Alright, I’ll be there shortly.”

Now that the magical beasts had retreated for the time being, we needed to sort out what had happened and quickly come up with countermeasures.

As I walked for a while under the guidance of the messenger through the rainy temporary gathering place.

Having arrived at the very center of the numerous tents with Sirocco and Alicia, I pushed aside the Gore-Tex curtain installed at the entrance and went inside.

The atmosphere inside the black, tactical barracks where the leaders of each interim had been summoned didn't seem too different from the outside.

As I went deeper into the barracks, which was lit by rows of long LED bar lights, someone suddenly greeted me.

“Ah, Lord Enoch Elsyde, the Direct Lineage Member!”

A female freelancer with her hair tied in the middle bowed her head towards me.

It was the freelancer I had saved before.

At her reaction, the other freelancers sitting at the long, tactical table also glanced at me as I had just entered.

Including her, it seemed that the number of other freelancer leaders who were not so negative towards me had also increased.

Their gazes also didn't seem to be looking at me like a complete outsider anymore.

“Direct Lineage Member Enoch. I don’t know if you’re alright.”

Damastes, who was sitting in the middle, nodded his head mockingly.

I shook my head.

“Somehow.”

“Heheh. Getting injured while trying to save that Dragoon soldier next to you, isn’t that just the most gracious thing? It could have even become a diplomatic issue.”

“Ugh.”

At those words, Alicia’s eyes widened and she looked at me, then her shoulders drooped as if she had lost all her spirit.

But the next moment, another clear female voice rang out from the side of the barracks.

“That will not happen.”

When everyone in the barracks looked over, a girl familiar to me was standing there.

A woman in a distinctive uniform that revealed her ample chest, along with an H-line skirt that showed off her slender thighs.

Alicia’s eyes, upon seeing her with her long hair held back by a headband, were instantly filled with a bright welcome.

“Ah! Aslin! You were here!”

She nodded her head.

“Yes, I just arrived. Although temporary, I was dispatched for an investigation to grasp the current situation here.”

The color-bearer of the honor guard of the Dragoon Corps.

Aslin, wearing the uniform symbolizing her affiliation, lowered her long eyelashes and quietly shook her head.

“For some reason, communication is still impossible outside this outsourcing district, so it seemed necessary to come out and investigate and make contact in person.”

As if she was just happy to be reunited here, Alicia smiled brightly as she looked at her.

“I-is that so! Still, Aslin, it’s really great to see you again here……!”

“I just said it was a mission.”

But Aslin’s eyes opened and she cut her off sharply.

“In any case, acting friendly in this place is forbidden, Second Lieutenant Alicia. Please act according to your duty.”

At the sharp, almost cruel, reaction, Alicia’s joy at meeting her friend seemed to have vanished in an instant. She looked a little downcast and hung her head.

“Ugh, what a cold-hearted friend….”

But the atmosphere was certainly like that.

On the wall of the temporary barracks, a large screen already displayed a map of the surrounding area and tactical symbols.

A countermeasure meeting where the leaders of the freelancer interims had gathered.

Various data they had been discussing about future operations were projected as holograms in the air. I turned my gaze and said.

“Let's get to the main point.”

“What main point is there to get to?”

A freelancer placed both hands on the table.

“One thing is for sure, as soon as the magical beasts regroup, they’ll attack again!”

He looked around and continued.

“That magical beast leader, the Monarch-class magical beast. What the hell is that? To be honest, I’ve never seen anything like it in my life!”

“Yes, our interim agrees with that statement.”

Another freelancer leader from the side nodded his head and spoke without even asking for permission.

“Last time, during the first surprise attack, we had an Exceed-class flying type, and now a Monarch-class has appeared. What the hell is going on?”

However, including me, no one had any proper information on that question at the moment.

In the end, the leaders engaged in a meaningless debate, and the room soon began to turn into an arena where each person voiced their own speculations.

As someone pulled my arm from the side, I turned to see Sirocco asking with a nonchalant expression.

“Sirocco, why did you call me?”

“Hey, what's all this about Monarch-class and Exceed-class since before? Are magical beasts divided into some kind of stages?”

Come to think of it, I had promised to tell Sirocco before. In any case, for the future, I needed to go over it once.

“Something like that. To be precise, it only applies to the individuals called leader-class, which are significantly larger than other magical beasts.”

The ‘leader’ class of magical beasts were extremely powerful individuals among the elite ones that were incomparably larger and stronger than ordinary magical beasts.

There was also a classification according to their strength.

“I will explain a little more.”

From the side, Aslin offered to add a small explanation to Sirocco, who was tilting her head slightly.

As Aslin operated the display of the terminal she had taken out of her pocket, several pieces of data were projected and floated in the air.

There were full of size comparison drawings of magical beasts depicted as black silhouettes.

“In the Empire, excluding ordinary magical beasts, the leader-class magical beasts are officially classified into a total of 5 stages.”

The first exam of Nemesis that I had also participated in.

Unlike the classifications that were divided for the convenience of the exam at that time, such as lower-class, middle-class, and upper-class.

This was the official classification of the 5-stage danger group for the leader-class magical beasts in the Empire.

-Molt Class,

-Exceed Class,

-Master Class,

-Monarch Class,

-Tyrant Class,

“Molt-class is the lowest, and the magical beasts become progressively stronger as you go up the ranks.”

Aslin kindly pointed to each piece of data floating in the air with her finger and explained to Sirocco.

“In particular, since the size of a magical beast is mostly proportional to its strength, an Exceed is an elite leader-class individual that is two stages higher than ordinary magical beasts.”

“Hmph, the second of five stages?”

“Yes. Of course, there may be exceptions, but according to the classification, an ‘Exceed’ is a magical beast that is three stages below the highest danger species, the ‘Tyrant’ class.”

“So the strongest is the Tyrant, right?”

“That’s right. But it’s still incredible even when you get to the ‘Monarch’ class that appeared on this battlefield.”

Aslin added, looking at the data.

“Excluding the Tyrant-class standard leader, which belongs to the highest classification, the Monarch is also incomparable among other magical beasts.”

Although they are that rare and extremely dangerous, Aslin shook her head lightly.

“What. Is it really that strong?”

“Yes. Usually, even a Molt-class individual, the lowest classification, can only be subdued by dozens of well-trained 13th-rank individuals.”

Aslin sighed as she turned off the terminal.

“Not to mention, I wonder how these experimental magical beasts, which are said to have been made by black mages, will be, even if they are of the same class.”

Of course, even if they were experimental subjects presumed to have been created by black magic, they were still basically magical beasts, and as long as they were of a similar size, their power would not be weak.

No, on the contrary, their combat power might have become even stronger than what was known so far.

“Still, I don't know. I haven't fought that Monarch-class leader directly.”

Sirocco pointed at the Exceed-class magical beast.

“After all, this one looks a lot like the creatures that roam around our tribe.”

“An Exceed-class magical beast, you say?”

“Yeah, that’s right. So that’s nothing. I used to catch them by myself all the time.”

Indeed, the leader of the Legypions, the magical beasts that roamed near Sirocco’s tribe.

And the leader of the Nictheris, the flying magical beast that we had defeated inside the mine during the last Saintess escort mission.

The magical beasts that Sirocco had easily defeated were also all Molt or Exceed class.

At Sirocco’s confident statement, Aslin muttered with a slightly deflated smile.

“As expected of a 10th-rank. As a mage myself, I can only wish to one day overcome the wall of the 10th-rank like you, Lady Sirocco.”

“Hmph, what's the use of that. I want to grow quickly from the 10th-rank, but it's not working out well yet.”

At those words, Aslin’s eyes widened as if she was a little surprised.

“But, to have reached the 10th-rank at your age, Lady Sirocco, is no different from being a genius. Considering the environment that the beast-kin are in, to have reached that level without a proper curriculum is an incredible potential!”

“Hmph, I don't need to hear all that.”

Sirocco puffed out her cheeks petulantly and, glancing at Enoch beside her, said.

“I still can't beat him. I want to win!”

Aslin’s eyes widened.

“Are you referring to the Direct Lineage Member?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

She glanced at Enoch with a slightly surprised look, then began to nod her head.

“Ahaha, as expected……. Lord Enoch is a powerful mage who has even surpassed the 10th-rank, just as the rumors say……!”

Ignoring her, who was looking at me with a look of admiration as if she had understood something, I naturally turned my head.

I didn’t know what she was thinking, but it wouldn't hurt to let her misunderstand for now.

Just then, from the side, the sound of another freelancer slamming his hand on the table echoed.

“It seems everyone has forgotten the most important thing, that originally, there are no magical beasts that use magic!”

He added.

“Whether it’s a Monarch or a Tyrant, at least according to the reports in the Empire so far! I’ve seen the data when I took on a related job as a freelancer!”

A magical beast that uses magic. Pointing out that unprecedented existence, he looked around and said.

“Because of that thing, there’s a flood of freelancers who want to give up on the request. To be honest, it’s a miracle that no one has run away yet.”

“Khaha. The reason is obvious, isn’t it?”

One of the interim leaders, who had been listening with his arms crossed in a jumper, let out a sneer.

“Don’t you know? During the last attack, the flying magical beasts destroyed the outsourcing district’s railway first.”

“What? The railway?”

“Yes. The area outside Victoria’s 19th Outsourcing District is mostly a wasteland other than the forest.”

For a moment, the expressions of the other leaders hardened.

It meant that the magical beasts had blocked the supply and escape routes even before starting a large-scale invasion.

It was a strategic move that could never be seen as the action of mindless magical beasts.

From the side, Damastes muttered as if spitting out the words.

“Well, if they were targeting the facilities first, it would explain why there were so few casualties during the first surprise attack. What the hell are these experimental magical beasts?”

“How should I know! I shouldn’t have been lured by the pay and taken on this incomprehensible request! Damn it!”

Just then, from the side, another man slammed the table and vented his anger. He seemed to have a fiery temper.

“Now there’s no way to escape from here! There’s no way a means of transportation like an airship would come to a shithole like this outsourcing district!”

“That’s not wrong.”

I nodded in agreement.

As he said, it seemed clear that no one could escape from the 19th outsourcing district.

“…It’s literally the defeat of the Victoria regular army. We’re facing a re-invasion by the victorious magical beast horde, and even the escape route, which was as good as nonexistent, is blocked.”

Another interim leader said with concern.

“Honestly, at this point, we’d be lucky if a riot doesn’t break out in this outsourcing district.”

Just then, Damastes, who had been resting his double-bladed axe on the floor, slowly stood up.

“Ha, most of all! That Colonel Shepherd? I can’t get in touch with that high-and-mighty from Victoria!”

“That is quite regrettable.”

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in the room. At those words, everyone’s gaze turned to one side.

The entrance of the barracks.

There, a man with a strong jawline stood, wearing a long uniform coat.

Someone sitting next to the table exclaimed with a surprised look, stuttering.

“C-Colonel Shepherd?”

“I apologize, but I will get straight to the point, Lord Enoch Elsyde, the Direct Lineage Member.”

Shepherd, striding in with the Dragoon Corps under his command, dressed in crimson uniforms.

The sound of his heavy footsteps echoed clearly in the silent room.

The moment the gazes of all the freelancers in the freelancer leaders' meeting place turned to him who had suddenly appeared.

The colonel of the Victoria army, dressed in a long, flowing uniform coat, looked down at Enoch with a dignified air and opened his mouth.

“As the commander of the Victoria army, I would like to hold you accountable for the ‘responsibility for the defeat’ in this battle.”