[Valenstein King's Perspective]
"Was Norn able to escape safely…?"
The King of the Valenstein Kingdom asked with a worried expression.
They were in the conference room of the royal castle. The kingdom was currently at war with Marquis Gousel's army, and they had been holding a defensive siege in the capital city of Tosh.
"There is no problem. Two carefully selected female knights are escorting Princess Norn," a man replied.
He was the Supre Commander of the Valenstein Kingdom's army.
"Hmm… If I recall correctly, those two were your subordinates, yes?"
"Yes. Before being assigned to Princess Norn's escort, they belonged to my direct unit."
"I see. And their abilities are reliable?"
"Of course. The older one has excellent dynamic vision and can read her opponent's attacks in advance. The other possesses superior leg strength and wields martial arts that ordinary knights cannot hope to match."
The Supre Commander puffed out his chest with pride. Though those two had been completely helpless against Rigel, he had no way of knowing that yet.
"Hoh… That's reassuring. As expected of soone you recomnded."
"You honor ."
"Still, I can't shake this unease. Perhaps we should have assigned her more escorts…"
"Please do not waver, Your Majesty. When escaping through the secret passage out of Tosh, a small group is far more convenient."
"Well, that is true, but…"
The King was by no ans incompetent. He understood well enough that moving through the underground waterways with too large a group would make them stand out. Even so, he couldn't stop worrying about his daughter's safety.
It was while the two of them were having this conversation.
"Father! Supre Commander!"
A woman burst into the room. She was Natasha Valenstein, the First Princess and Norn's older sister.
"Oh, Natasha. What's the matter? You're in such a hurry…"
"Why haven't we launched a pursuit yet!? With the Gousel Marquis Army showing no movent, this is the perfect opportunity!!"
Natasha appealed to them strongly.
Rigel's Gousel Marquis Army was powerful, but most of that strength ca from Rigel himself. When he had led the charge against Tosh, they had been thrown into panic, but they managed to drive him back using the sturdy castle walls, mortars, and the "Divine Spear" wielded by Princess Natasha.
"Calm down, Natasha. This isn't like you."
"But…!"
"First, let's confirm the situation. I assu your subordinates were also part of the reconnaissance unit?"
"Yes. I have received reports and already understand the enemy's formation."
The Second Princess, Nina, was protected by the strongest beastman warrior Lu Kaine and a group of elite close-combat fighters. This was to serve as a shield for Nina, an outstanding lightning mage. The Third Princess Norn had a well-balanced escort team, including female knights with excellent dynamic vision and superior leg strength.
So what kind of subordinates did the First Princess Natasha have?
As the wielder of the national treasure "Divine Spear," she commanded soldiers specialized in combat. In terms of pure overall combat ability, they could be said to surpass the subordinates of Princesses Nina and Norn.
Among her subordinates, the most outstanding were—
"Father already knows them, right? The three mbers of the 'Silver Moon Squad,' the strongest elite unit in this country—if I join them, the enemy is nothing to fear!"
"Hmm… Well, I won't deny that… However, they are our trump card. I believe we should keep them in reserve for now."
"What are you being so complacent about!? Please order them to sortie imdiately!"
"Even so, this is far too hasty. Shouldn't we observe the situation a little longer…?"
The argunt between Natasha and the King continued.
The words of a man who ruled a nation carried heavy weight. The lives of many people depended on his judgnt. That was precisely why he could not act rashly.
On the other hand, Princess Natasha's policy was not clearly wrong. In fact, a little earlier in the battle, her plan might have been effective—because Rigel had been absent from the Gousel Marquis Army at that ti. He had been attempting to infiltrate Tosh through the underground waterways.
But it was already too late. He had already…
"Your Majesty!!"
"Umu… It is certainly true that this is a good opportunity… By now, Norn should have safely escaped…"
Faced with the still-persistent Princess Natasha, the King pondered.
They had successfully evacuated Princess Norn, who had the weakest direct combat ability in the royal family. As long as she was safe, the bloodline of House Valenstein would survive even in the worst-case scenario.
Moreover, as Natasha said, this was a chance. The Gousel Marquis Army, which had been on a continuous winning streak, had withdrawn for the first ti, even if only temporarily.
The King stood up and made his decision.
"Very well! Relay the order to the entire army! We will now sally out toward the outskirts of Tosh—"
**DOOOOOOOOOOON!!!**
A sudden, thunderous roar shook the room.
"Wh-what was that!?"
"A bombardnt? No, there's no way a sound this loud would reach all the way here…"
"What on earth happened?"
The King, Supre Commander, and Princess Natasha were bewildered. While bombardnts produced loud noises, the royal castle was quite a distance from the city walls. They couldn't imagine a sound this massive reaching them.
Then—
"R-Report! Report—!!! A land dragon has escaped from Princess Norn's Ta Research Institute! Massive damage throughout the city!! There are suspicions that soone assisted its escape!!!"
"Wh-what did you say!?"
"Impossible!"
"Y-you're lying…?"
Just as they had been focusing their vigilance on the Gousel Marquis Army pushed back to the outskirts of Tosh, a major crisis had erupted from within. For a while, the three of them could only stand there in stunned silence.
---
Valenstein Kingdom King, Princess Natasha, and the Supre Commander…
While the three of them were discussing their next moves, a ssenger soldier burst into the room. A land dragon had escaped and was causing massive damage throughout the city.
"Damn it…! How could a land dragon escape…!"
"No way…! That's impossible…!"
"I can't believe it… The research institute where Princess Norn worked should have had an extrely sturdy structure…"
The three muttered one after another.
This world was filled with powerful beings. Dragons, in particular, were in a league of their own.
In the Valenstein Kingdom, Princess Norn—who possessed talent as a Tar—had been advancing research on land dragons. The first one successfully tad was lent to the army and had been deployed in the recent battle against the Gousel Marquis Army. A second one had also been undergoing taming attempts right up until Princess Norn's escape from Tosh. Although they hadn't succeeded in ti, it should have been under strict guard to prevent any chance of escape.
So why had this happened?
"Soone assisted its escape? Who on earth would do such a thing…? We need to confirm this."
"The safety of the citizens is my greatest concern. I will head to the scene myself!"
The King and Princess Natasha began to move hurriedly, but the Supre Commander raised his hand to stop them.
"Your Majesty, Princess Natasha! Please wait—guaaaaah!!"
His words were cut short. Suddenly, the wall exploded, and sothing that ca flying through sent him hurtling away. The Supre Commander collapsed and stopped moving. The ssenger soldier appeared to have been caught in the blast as well.
Now, only the King and Princess Natasha remained in the room.
From beyond the destroyed wall, an uninvited guest appeared.
"Oh my, oh my, oh my~? Looks like I hit the jackpot and stumbled into the right room~?"
"Y-you are…!"
"You…!"
The two of them were stunned. The person standing there was Rigel von Gousel. After looking at them in turn, he smiled with satisfaction.
"Kukuku! I thought if I just charged through the royal castle randomly, I'd eventually find you… but I found you surprisingly quickly. I'm on a roll today!"
"Rigel von Gousel…! Why are you here?!"
The King shouted. Rigel made a displeased face.
"Hey, hey. Don't talk to , you filthy man."
"Wh-what did you say!? I am the proud King of the Valenstein Kingdom—"
"Yeah, yeah, I don't care about that. —[Rock Spear]."
As Rigel chanted the spell, a massive rock spear appeared in his hand. He hurled it toward the King.
"Uwooooh!!"
The King quickly drew his sword to defend himself. He had enough combat experience to at least protect himself. However, that level of skill was nowhere near enough to stop Rigel's magic.
**CRAAAASH!!**
The King's sword shattered easily.
"What incredible power…"
"You actually managed to block the first strike? Not bad at all. For a small kingdom's king, you're pretty decent."
"Kh…! You insolent—!"
"Here, catch! Now behave yourself!!"
"Guaaaaaaaah!?"
Rigel's rock spears accurately pierced all four of the King's limbs, nailing him to the wall like a specin.
"I-I can't move…!"
"Father…! Damn you!"
The King had been neutralized in an instant. Rigel could have aid for vital points and killed him, but he deliberately chose not to. It seed he had other plans.
"Don't panic so much. Let's have a little chat, yeah? Like where the treasury storing the national treasures is, or where the magic tools to operate the guardian magic arrays are kept… You'll tell , right?"
"Wha…!?"
Natasha was rendered speechless.
There wasn't any particularly deep reason behind Rigel attacking this country. But since he had co this far, it was only natural to want to maximize his gains.
"Of course I'm not asking for free. Look, I'll introduce you to my two proud pets."
"Pets? You think we would reveal the royal family's secrets for re—"
Natasha's protest was cut off mid-sentence. Her gaze had been stolen by the creature behind him.
"Grrrrrr… GRUUUAAAAAHH!!!"
It was a land dragon brimming with vitality. Unbeknownst to them, it was the very individual Princess Norn had been attempting to ta until recently. While slightly smaller than the land dragon Rigel had previously killed, the magical power hidden within it looked considerable.
"Wha!? That's Norn's…! How did you manage to ta it!?"
It was no wonder Natasha was shocked. She knew how much ti and effort Norn had poured into trying to ta a land dragon.
"Kukukuku… Well, that's a trade secret."
"What?"
"More importantly, take a look at my second pet."
Rigel grinned wickedly and turned his gaze toward the other creature. It was a bizarre-looking being.
"Wh-what is that…? Is that… a human…?"
Natasha asked in confusion. It was understandable.
The creature standing near Rigel and the land dragon had a body shape that resembled a human. However, its entire body was tightly covered in form-fitting clothing. Even its face was no exception—completely covered by sothing like a blindfold that blocked all vision. In that state, it was maintaining a quadrupedal posture, just like a beast.
"This guy here… is a 'human dog' that I trained myself."
Rigel wore an evil smile as he looked at the creature he called a human dog.
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