Monster outbreak

Monsters.

Possessing various abilities that seem beyond ordinary life, monsters are a collective term for creatures who relentlessly target intelligent beings such as humans, beastmen, and elves.

Why was ‘Mamiya’ created…?
Why did our ancestors seal such tremendous power…?

While some of these are not urgent matters, I have yet to investigate them. However, concerning such miscellaneous subjects, I have been researching the data bank about the existence of monsters since the early stages.

As a result, I was able to gain insight into the speculations of the super ancient civilization…
Their conclusion was this:

‘Monsters are antibodies created by this world.’

…that’s what they said.
Antibodies are said to be entities present in our human bodies to repel negative influences.
It’s pretty disturbing to think that countless entities are nesting within my body, even beyond my own consciousness, but let’s set that aside for now.

Ancestors considered this world - apparently called a planet - as a single life form.
If this world were indeed a single life form, then the ancestors who supposedly came from beyond—known as space—would genuinely be foreign entities, considered harmful influences.

This world exhibited a hypersensitive response to this.
It swiftly evolved the organisms already living here into beings with the power and form to resist the intruding elements from the outside world.
This is how the existence of monsters came about…

At least, that was the speculation of our ancestors.

It’s quite an unsettling story.
Even though we merely intend to live peacefully…

Well, having been judged in this way, we have nowhere else to go.
If we are seen as invaders, then we must act like invaders and relentlessly fight against the antibodies - the monsters.

It seems that they share the same sentiment over there as well…
The monsters sometimes rapidly increase in number and attack human settlements.
It is one of the disasters, alongside earthquakes and tsunamis.

The troublesome part is the complete absence of any signs as a warning.
For normal creatures, there are limits to the number of offspring produced in a single reproductive cycle, and excess can be controlled by thinning them out.

However, such common sense does not apply to monsters.
It truly makes one wonder how they managed to increase their numbers to that extent…

This phenomenon occurred this time within the territory ruled by our friend, Berg Harkin.
Moreover, it has reached an unprecedented scale, currently attacking the autonomous district of the friendly Elven race.

Well, yeah… that…
Suppose the assumptions of our predecessors were correct. In that case, it seems to be connected to the awakening of ‘Mamiya,’ geographically close to the Land of Death.

Let’s keep silent about this issue.
Even among close friends, there are secrets.

“What is the scale of the monster surge?”

“One, two, three… a lot.”

In response to my question, Berg jokingly raised his fingers one by one and replied.

The scale is so large that counting no longer makes sense…
That seemed to be the case.

“It’s not like we weren’t prepared either.
The major outbreak of monsters is a problem that can happen anytime, anywhere.
But, no matter how you look at it, this time… there are too many of them.”

Then, he casually tossed the parchment that was on his desk towards me for a look.

“Wow…”

As I scan through, I unintentionally let out a groan.
The species of monsters comprising the group were those familiar to the margrave territory and already reported to the royal family, yet the number of them…
Indeed, it’s understandable that a man like Berg would be at his wit’s end.

Despite the Margrave territory being prosperous, it was impossible to always have sufficient forces to counter this number.
So, if that’s the case, they’ll have no choice but to recruit or borrow soldiers, but either way, it will take time.
While dealing with such matters, the Elven autonomous region is likely to fall, and the damage would spread to other areas as well.

Moreover, even if they could mobilize troops, it would introduce another issue.
How to deploy such a large army… that’s the question.
One of the distinctive features of Harkin’s Margrave territory is the rich forest covering most of the land.

The incompatibility between forests and a large military force… there’s no need to elaborate on that now.

“We’re at a standstill…”

“Don’t be so blunt.”

After I tossed aside the parchment, Berg frowned at me and said sharply.

“Just out of curiosity…
Asuru, if you were in my shoes, how would you handle this situation?”

“Well, if it were me, um…
In this situation, the best course of action I can think of is…”

Thinking while facing the gaze of my friend with crossed arms.

“First, abandon the elves.
Next, we abandon the forested areas surrounding them.
In the meantime, you need to recruit farmers and slaves and borrow soldiers from other territories and the royal family to gather our numbers.
Then, take a position on the plains and confront the large army of monsters driven by hatred towards humans…
It’s simple, but this is probably the best way to minimize the damage to the Margrave territory.”

“It’s like the argument that it’s better to have your limbs severed than being cleaved in half…”

“That’s why I said it’s a stalemate.”

He responded with a shrug.

“Hmph, considering various losses like abandonment and the cost of borrowing troops, it might lead to being heavily in debt, despite the prosperity until today.
The long history of the Margrave House on the borderlands seems to come to an end gloriously in my generation.”

Spitting out those words, Berg tilted his silver cup.

“So, um…
Asuru, if not me but you, how would you handle this situation?”

“I can handle it in any way.”

Anticipating that question, I responded in a casual tone.
Even with the tremendous ‘Mamiya’ skills at my disposal, it’s not as easy as it sounds.

But if it’s not easy, then what is it?
My closest friend is pushed into an unprecedented crisis, and it seems that I am the cause because I fulfilled a great wish.
If I don’t help with this, it would be foolish to even call myself the Mad Prince Lunatic.

Well, I’ll definitely receive proper compensation for this.

“Can you do this for me, my friend?”

“You can count on me. My friend.
In return, make sure to supply the slaves properly.”

We step closer to each other and exchange a firm handshake.
After a very brief exchange…
Having concluded arrangements for future actions, just as when I arrived, I disappeared to the window.