In the City on the Eve of War

A little while earlier, around the time Izamu and the others were busy leveling up, a heavy, suffocating atmosphere had settled over the city of Ilevus, nearly enough to make one think a funeral was underway. This was only natural, since all five fortresses in the north had fallen, and most of the soldiers stationed there had lost their lives.

"That... Is that really true, Lord Bakkeshof?"

Yet all that was nothing compared with the meeting room where Ilevus's governor and other leading figures had gathered. The cause was a report delivered by the commander of one of the fortresses. It contained a deadly poison that those gathered there could hardly bring themselves to swallow.

"I swear upon the Goddess that I speak the truth, Governor."

"No, I know you well. I do not doubt your words. They are far too convincing to be an excuse for evading responsibility. But..."

Bakkeshof had been guarding the very fortress where Izamu and the 'Persona' had operated behind the scenes. What had happened there, the attacks they had suffered while fleeing, and the words spoken by a monster wreathed in an extraordinary aura were all weighing heavily on them.

"A monster that ordered the sentries assassinated just before the attack, monster players, and... the possibility that some players had been bought off by monsters. I cannot believe it, nor do I want to, but this is not something we can simply pretend not to see."

Looking worn-out, the governor of Ilevus put the grave matter into words with a sigh. He had doubted his ears when he first heard it, but he knew Bakkeshof's character well. He could not imagine that the man was lying to protect himself.

That was precisely why this was such a grave matter: because what Bakkeshof had experienced was true. The enemy possessed individuals with intellect comparable to humanity's, as well as monster players. On top of that, there was a strong possibility that traitors existed even among the players who were supposed to be aiding humanity. The Goddess's mercy had somehow turned to poison and was eating away at them.

"But could something like that really have happened?"

In the midst of this, one of the bureaucrats voiced a question.

"What do you mean?"

"I do not think Lord Bakkeshof is lying. However, there seem to be far too many inexplicable things here."

"Go on."

"There are players among the monsters. That much is certain. We have received reports from the commanders of the other fortresses as well, saying that there were monsters carrying strange weapons and armor."

What he said was true. Other fortress commanders had reported that 'there was an individual among the rank and file carrying metal equipment' and that 'there was a monster that turned to dust like a player when it died.' These reports served to corroborate the information from Bakkeshof.

"However," the bureaucrat continued.

"It seems implausible to say that they negotiated with a player inside the fortress and attempted to sow disorder from within. After all, I cannot imagine that a monster outside the fortress had time to negotiate with a player who had teleported into the fortress."

"Hmm..."

"That is why I believe there must have been a monster skilled in infiltration and sabotage. This is troublesome enough in its own right, but is it not easier to accept than the alternative?"

The governors fell silent, lost in thought. The bureaucrat's argument had some merit, since they understood how difficult it would have been, both in terms of time and timing, to commission the players.

"But what if they had negotiated with the players beforehand?"

"Since they appeared in Fars, not a single one has managed to reach Ilevus, you know? Do not forget that even traveling away from the roads would require crossing the notorious 'Forest of Mist.'"

On the continent of Luxresia, the Kingdom of Lichtesburg, a nation established by humanity, possessed a vast territory stretching from the central plains to the port city at the western edge. However, it could hardly be called the entirety of the continent.

As seen in Fars and Ilevus, everything north of the forest region was completely monster territory, while the southern wastelands were too harsh for humans to inhabit and were home to a monster nation. Even so, the kingdom had developed the fertile plains and forests inhabited only by weak monsters, eventually acquiring its present territory.

Yet there were several lands that could not be developed no matter how much time was spent trying. One such place was the 'Forest of Mist,' a dangerous region perpetually shrouded in dense fog. An untouched primeval forest was already enough to rob people of their sense of direction, but tree monsters caused the terrain to keep changing without end. The addition of unceasing fog made the combined effect incalculable.

The farther one ventured into the depths, the more even compasses began to malfunction, which was particularly insidious. If someone happened to emerge from the forest without realizing it, they would be unbelievably lucky. Depending on the circumstances, they might wander through the woods until they starved to death.

Even more frightening was the existence of monsters adapted to the environment of a fog-shrouded forest. Ambushes were commonplace, and monsters that used the surrounding fog in combat had also been confirmed.

The fog itself was believed to be released by monsters. If that were true, development would be impossible without exterminating the monsters producing it. Thus, the kingdom had long since abandoned any attempt to develop the region.

However, although it was an extremely dangerous place, many of the items that could be gathered there were useful. Moreover, those who had learned the rare 【Time-Space Magic】 could return even after venturing into the depths, making the forest a treasure trove for such people. Consequently, the Guild had many members who had learned 【Time-Space Magic】, and, taking into account the strength needed to fight powerful monsters, considered level 70 the minimum threshold for entering and returning alive.

"If there is an individual that crossed the 'Forest of Mist,' then that individual is unquestionably powerful. They would certainly stand out. Have you confirmed any individual capable of such a feat?"

"No, Governor. The main force of the monsters that attacked the fortress consisted of Trolls, but even the strongest among them, the Troll King, was reportedly only level 74."

"There are no monsters in the horde above King level, then. In that case, that possibility is unlikely."

"True, but the existence of a King is itself a grave problem. Unlike the possibility of a traitor or an infiltrating monster, this is a threat we can see with our own eyes."

Among monsters, there are Races that possess the rank of King. They are uniformly high-level and possess a degree of combat power one step above that of monsters in the same level range. They also command numerous subordinates, making it nearly impossible to kill one without first cutting through its forces. Naturally, the difficulty of subjugating one was extremely high.

But that was not the greatest problem. A horde led by a King gained increased stats, and its Skills became easier to level up. In addition, as long as the King remained alive, its subordinate monsters would never stop fighting to protect it. The strengthened monsters would continue fighting without ever fleeing.

"We must eliminate it as quickly as possible. Knight Commander, can our current forces kill the Troll King?"

"...I must say it would be difficult. The combat power of the Troll King confirmed at the fortress was on an entirely different level. The elite knight unit under my command might manage it somehow, but there would certainly be casualties. And that estimate assumes the players have already cleared the way for us."

In response to the governor's question, the commander of the knights protecting Ilevus answered with a grim expression. The highest-level people in the city were its elite knights, who were among the finest in the kingdom. Their levels were at least 60, while their commander was above level 70. They were well-coordinated, so although a level 74 monster would be a formidable foe, it was not beyond their ability to defeat.

But that only applied if it were an ordinary level 74 monster. The Troll King, being a King, did not fit within that category. Its combat power was effectively equivalent to that of a monster in the level 80s, making victory without casualties impossible even for the elite knights.

Moreover, this was an estimate based on them challenging it in perfect condition. Expecting them to break through to the Troll King by themselves while it was protected by numerous subordinates would be reckless. They needed other forces to carve a path so that their arrow could reach the Troll King.

The players were the force they hoped to use for that purpose. The Goddess had even told them that the players could be used as expendable pawns. Ilevus had no compunction about forcing them into such a role. They were ideal for the job.

"The problem is that those players cannot be trusted! Even if, as you say, monsters skilled at infiltration are the more likely explanation, what if some of them really were bought off...?"

"...We are going in circles. For better or worse, players are far too free and far too diverse."

Nevertheless, the minimum trust that formed the foundation of this strategy—their trust in the players—was beginning to waver. If there were traitors among the players, no one knew what might happen after they were thrown onto the battlefield.

To begin with, not every player obediently followed orders. Even during the fortress defense, a certain number had acted on their own or launched attacks outside their orders. Some were so arrogant that they ignored not only commands but even advice offered out of kindness, and there had apparently been shameless individuals who instead demanded that priority be given to maintaining their own equipment. Since they were, at heart, ordinary people playing a game, they were not all models of good conduct.

"For that matter, who was the one who appeared before Lord Bakkeshof? Could that person have been a player siding with the monsters as well?"

"Indeed. I hear that players possess means of communication unknown to us. Could that person have used one?"

"No, I doubt it. They say that person controlled the Undead. Nine times out of ten, that person must have been a necromancer."

"A forbidden art... Though it has been lost among us, it would not be strange for it to have been preserved in a large monster settlement."

Someone had made an observation remarkably close to the truth, but the others rejected it. In the Kingdom of Lichtesburg, 【Necromancy】 and other forms of Abyssal Magic were treated as forbidden arts. Every document concerning them had been burned, and mages who researched them had been harshly persecuted and executed, even if they were foreigners. The only thing left was supposedly a secret grimoire passed down through the generations to the heads of the royal court mages, on the grounds that someone needed to know how to counter such magic.

That was why they had reached the following conclusion: it was nearly impossible for a player who had arrived on this continent to become involved with Abyssal Magic, and a monster player would have had no opportunity even to encounter it. That was the natural way to think, and they never imagined that the trickster-like 'Goddess of Death and Chaos' of mythology had deliberately sent one of the monster players to a secret laboratory beneath Fars, which had been kept out of the eyes of investigators for the foolish reason of making things more interesting.

That was why they concluded that anyone capable of using 【Necromancy】 must be one of the monsters in the horde. Surely, behind the skull mask was the face of a magic-specialized monster of the same oni lineage as the Trolls, such as a Hobgoblin Sage.

It would be unfair to mock this as a foolish assumption. The kingdom had a long history of thoroughly suppressing forbidden arts. For anyone who knew that history, it was the obvious conclusion.

This was not something Izamu had intended, but the distrust he had planted in the NPCs deprived them of the option of asking players—especially monster players—about the 'mage wearing a silver mask decorated with a skull motif.' As a result, the incident in northern Fars was never connected to him, delaying the discovery that he was a player.

Immediately afterward, they were left trembling by a new report: one of the elite knights, a major part of their available fighting strength, had been assassinated by someone.