Genjitsushugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki

Prologue: The Hawks and Wolves of the Northern Plains

The Demon Lords Domain spread out across the north of the continent of Landia.

This was the land mankind had lost when one day, suddenly, a massive number of monsters appeared. Now the monsters ran wild across it, and it was rumored that demons and the Demon Lord lurked deep inside. However, such rumors were no more than guesses, and it would be fair to say that the actual situation inside at this time was a complete unknown.

Though it was called the Demon Lords Domain, there was no clearly defined border.

After the miserable defeat of the combined forces of mankind led by the Gran Chaos Empire, the entire area where people had abandoned their homes because they were unable to fend off the attacking monsters had come to be called the Demon Lords Domain.

At present, due to the initial, rapid expansion of the Demon Lords Domain, the concentration of monsters was now spread thinly enough that the various countries could handle them, and thus the expansion had stopped.

For the countries bordering the Demon Lords Domain, fighting monsters was a daily affair.

Though the expansion of the Demon Lords Domain was now suppressed, battles between mankind and monsters from the north unfolded nearly every day.

There were times when the monsters attacked alone, and there were times when packs of around ten would attack at the same time.

On exceptionally rare occasions, swarms of over a hundred monsters would attack, and in those cases, a single, small nation from the Union of Eastern Nations couldnt handle them alone and would have to coordinate with neighboring countries to deal with the situation.

In one such country bordering the Demon Lords Domain, the small Kingdom of Lastania, which belonged to the Union of Eastern Nations, there was a battle currently going on near the border with the Demon Lords Domain.

This hadnt happened often in recent years, but around twenty monsters had just appeared near the Kingdom of Lastania. They werent all the same type, having all come from different races. They varied from zombified, rotting ogres and goblins to bizarre beasts that defied explanation, like a winged snake and a two-headed black panther.

What the monsters did have in common was the glint in their hungry eyes with which they glared at their prey.

The Kingdom of Lastania, with its population of 20,000, only had about 500 pure soldiers, and only a hundred of those could be immediately mobilized, so it wasnt an easy number to handle by any means. If it came to it, the people themselves would have to take up arms. For now, though, that wasnt necessary.

Defend! Defend! a soldier shouted.

Form up! If we leave any gaps between us, theyll get in!

On the battlefield, soldiers were stopping a fierce assault by zombie goblins.

The zombie goblins eschewed any sort of tactics in favor of just charging in, so by keeping them back with shields and thrusting out spears from the gaps in between them, the soldiers were taking them out one by one.

In among those shield-bearing soldiers was one who wore armor and carried an even larger shield, shouting at the rest.

Archers, aim for anything that flies first! If we let even one through, our families will be eaten alive!

The words were brave, but the pitch was high. The bearer of the large shield was a woman.

She was twenty-three years old. She was tall at 180 centimeters and was quite muscular, but her facial features still retained a touch of femininity.

This was Lauren, who, despite her young age, was the captain of the Kingdom of Lastanias troops.

Though her rank was captain, with the low number of troops the Kingdom of Lastania had to begin with, she commanded all of them.

At Laurens order, a unit equipped with crossbows made bolts rain down on the flying snake that was trying to pass overhead, taking it down.

Then there was a scream from the shield-bearers.

Captain! Its an ogre!

When she looked, a single ogre of over three meters in height, its flesh festering like a zombies, was dashing toward the shield-bearers like the zombie goblins. Rotten or not...it was still an ogre. It put tremendous pressure on the line, sending four of the soldiers flying at once.

Urgh! Lauren cried. Cluster together and stop its charge! Dont let that thing get into town!

When Lauren gave the order, she raised her large shield and stood in front of the zombie ogre herself.

Captain! Hey, were going to help! a soldier called.

Reservists, gather around the captain!

With eight shield-bearing soldiers, Lauren included, blocking the ogre, they were finally able to halt its advance. Though its advance had pushed them back, the ogre was stopped just in time.

To finish it off, he stabbed its other head in the throat.

The two-headed black panther fell to the ground with a thud.

Once hed confirmed that the enemy was completely neutralized, the man tore his kukris free and rushed over to Lauren.

Are you all right, Madam Lauren?!

Sir Jirukoma! You came! Laurens face burst with joy at the sight of reliable backup... but her seriousness quickly returned. She kept her guard up against the zombie ogre she was holding back as she asked, If youre here, is the volunteer army here too?

Yes. However, Ive come ahead by myself. We need to hold out for a while longer...

While Jirukoma was still talking, the monsters on the other side suddenly began roaring.

A group of around fifty armed people had joined the fray, catching the monsters from behind.

Within that group was a young man, taking command as he rode around on horseback. This man, who had an air of nobility about him, looked at the battlefield with keen eyes and gave orders to the group of men.

These witless monsters see only whats in front of them. Attack from the rear and flanks to make quick work of them!

The young mans name was Julius Amidonia. Hed once been the crown prince of Amidonia.

The force he now led was a volunteer army composed of refugees seeking to return to their homelands, which were now part of the Demon Lords Domain.

Normally, the volunteer army should have been commanded by their leader, Jirukoma, but Jirukoma preferred to fight as a single warrior. In most situations, Jirukoma left command to Julius, who was a visiting general in the Kingdom of Lastania.

Indeed. Sir Juliuss commands are as apt as ever. I can feel at ease watching him, Lauren said, feeling impressed.

Youre right, Jirukoma agreed. When it comes to commanding troops, hes far more capable than I am. He does complain, Why is it that I must always clean up after your messes? all the time though.

Sir Julius is dependable after all. I can see why youd end up relying on him.

While the two of them were talking, Julius and the volunteer armys charge threw the monsters ranks into disarray. Not missing their opportunity now that the pressure had lessened, the shield-bearers moved up, knocking down the zombie ogre and other monsters.

The lancers swarmed around the fallen zombie ogre, stabbing it again and again. The archers loosed their arrows from a distance, and when its body was finally turned into a pincushion of spears and arrows, the zombie ogre stopped moving at last.

...Hmph.

Having been mollified by Jirukoma, Julius looked away, unamused.

He didnt say any more, though, so he must have accepted it.

Seeing the way Julius was acting, Jirukoma and Lauren looked at each other, then burst out laughing.

Jirukoma, Julius said. What do you make of the recent monster attacks?

On the way back to the castle with the soldiers, Jirukoma was walking beside Julius as he rode on horseback. Jirukoma could ride a horse too, but he preferred to walk because his style was more suited to fighting on foot, and it served as training.

Hearing the question, Jirukoma cocked his head to the side.

Has there been something about them thats caught your attention?

There has been an increase in both the number of monsters and frequency of attacks of late. If the numbers increase any further, the soldiers will not be able to handle them alone.

If youre right... Lauren said seriously, the people will have to take up arms.

Though it was called a kingdom, Lastania was no bigger than a mid-range nobles domain in Elfrieden or Amidonia. The population was around 20,000, and that naturally included non-combatants like women, children, and the elderly. Even if they enforced conscription, only 5,000 of them could fight, at best.

Julius held his chin with a pensive look on his face.

Even if we could get the numbers, a haphazardly assembled force wont be much use in battle. Even with the volunteer soldiers added to their numbers, this country has fewer than 600 soldiers. If the monsters come in greater numbers than that, its inevitable that well struggle. If their number exceeds 1,000...it will be the end of this country.