Kerman grimaced, staring at the liquid splattered on his pant leg.
The supreme-ranks, momentarily on edge, let out deep sighs over the trivial matter.
“All that fuss over a bit of blood…”
Brena clicked her tongue in disdain.
It was only natural, as Kerman wasn’t the only one with soiled clothes.
Everyone had already accepted they’d ruin their outfits while destroying the eggs.
“So many, too many. How many eggs are these things laying?”
“Let’s hurry up and get rid of them. If the one laying these comes back…”
“Then wouldn’t that be a good thing? The one laying the eggs is likely the matrix we’re after.”
Holy Knight Felix and Priest Roen’s conversation was interrupted by Valery’s scoff.
With all the supreme-ranks gathered and the team’s purpose being to hunt matrices, he wasn’t wrong.
Rita, too, thought it’d be ideal to deal with a fragment while handling the eggs, so she stayed vigilant.
But the awaited fragment didn’t appear, and the group spent nearly an hour clearing eggs before returning.
“Gather for a moment.”
Back at the main camp, Rita called the dispersing mages together.
While Brena and Seth stood tall, the other four shrank back, lacking confidence.
“This pursuit team’s goal is to find and eliminate entities stronger than the beasts we just faced. In the process, we might face groups of beasts just as strong or stronger. So, you all… must fight well enough to handle them.”
Rita glanced at Alois Gradius.
“I can’t promise safety like some others might. I know firsthand how unimaginable these monsters are.”
Brena fully understood Rita’s harsh response.
Having faced them, even just once, she knew.
‘A comrade’s mistake or hesitation could lead to dire consequences.’
If they couldn’t help, they were better off gone.
“Harsh words, but frankly, I don’t have the leeway to worry about your lives. If you lack confidence, step out now.”
Rita didn’t enjoy saying this.
It felt like reverting to her past self—stubborn, selfish, and inconsiderate.
But as the leader of the mages, she had to prioritize safety.
“I… I’ll step out.”
In the heavy silence, Owen raised his hand.
After doing nothing in the earlier battle and even wetting himself, Owen had been silent since.
With a flushed face, he declared he couldn’t continue, and Rita nodded.
“You can assist in the rear or return to the Mage Tower.”
With permission granted, Owen fled the scene.
“Pathetic idiot. I’m staying. I’ll stay and prove my worth.”
Kerman, sneering boldly, declared his intent.
Hilia, swayed by his words, also vowed to stay.
Confidence is good, but being overly bold is a bit worrying.
Though uneasy, Rita accepted their decisions.
She’d spoken harshly to instill caution, not to truly abandon them.
Rita’s gaze turned to Alois.
The others stared at him intently as well.
Flinching under the scrutiny, Alois panicked and shouted, “I-I’ll stay too!”
Rita frowned at his words.
The others looked skeptical.
Among them, the haughty Kerman stepped forward.
“You’re staying? But, young master, you really seem useless. Relying on Sir Valery, huh? Why not just go back? What if we get blamed if you die?”
Kerman muttered softly, but it was audible to all.
No one called out his rudeness.
Instead, Rita was momentarily curious how Alois would respond to the provocation.
“…I’m staying.”
Alois, clenching his fists, stood firm, whether out of stubbornness or conviction.
Even Seth, usually indifferent, tilted his head, baffled by the decision.
Despite Kerman and Hilia’s continued jabs at his pride, Alois didn’t budge.
Exhausted by the ongoing bickering, Rita finally relented.
People like him only snap out of it when faced with real danger.
She coldly vowed not to help if Alois got into trouble.
***
From the day Rita’s group discovered the first hatchery, the Lagos Kingdom’s subjugation force launched a massive search.
As the search expanded, the number of egg clusters found grew overwhelming.
The thought of when they might hatch kept the soldiers on edge.
The arrival of reinforcements eased their growing anxiety.
Support troops arrived steadily from across Lagos, and Princess Sercia encouraged the soldiers, saying more would come from other continents.
Thus, the subjugation force gradually expanded its camp.
But the problem was the vastness of the north.
The intelligent fragments had long gone into hiding, nesting and breeding somewhere.
Fragments laid hundreds of eggs daily, hatching at an absurd rate.
The more food the newborns had, the faster the beasts grew.
“The number of beasts appearing nearby is increasing.”
“Mostly wingless insects.”
Rita was certain Baal had nested nearby.
But for some reason, there were no reports of Satan, last seen with Baal.
Lizard-like beasts, Satan’s offspring, were nowhere to be found nearby.
Only occasional sightings were reported by scouts far north.
Baal and Satan splitting territories is good news.
But with both deliberately hiding and breeding, the beasts’ numbers are growing faster than our reinforcements.
As a result, battles became frequent.
Even sitting in the camp, sounds of fighting and screams echoed from afar.
Injuries mounted.
Soldiers, dragged into the fight half-willingly for the world’s survival, initially sighed at the grim reality.
But as comrades were injured or devoured, despair turned to anger.
Hatred toward the beasts spread virulently among the soldiers.
“Did you hear? Charlie dissected a spider beast he killed, starting with its legs.”
“That’s not new. Wild Dog mercenaries are collecting beast eyeballs like trophies.”
“When we came in, you saw the entrance. They skinned them and hung the hides on trees, leaving pools of filthy blood.”
Anger quickly turned to madness.
Desecration and collection took a darker turn.
“It’s just meat anyway. Can’t we eat it?”
It started with the mercenaries.
As one showed perverse curiosity, others followed.
“It tastes pretty good roasted.”
Soldiers witnessing this expressed disgust.
Humans eating beasts that fed on humans was unthinkable, unacceptable.
***
“We’ve declared punishment for those who eat them, so this grotesque behavior should subside. But I’m worried. Will those who ate them really be okay?”
Princess Sercia, concerned, sought Rita’s opinion.
“With their corrupted mana, the prognosis for those who consume them won’t be good.”
It had happened in her past life.
At the battle’s end, in the harsh, food-scarce north, soldiers ate beasts to survive.
But the beasts’ corrupted mana polluted human bodies, rendering them dysfunctional.
She couldn’t lose troops to such a foolish reason in this life.
“Pick a sick soldier, announce it as a side effect. That’ll make them think twice.”
“The mercenaries are too riled up for it to work immediately. They’re eager to desecrate beast corpses for catharsis.”
At that moment, Rita proposed an idea.
“How about crafting weapons from the beasts’ bones?”
Sercia’s eyes widened at the suggestion.
Having fought beasts directly, she understood its merit.
“Oh! That’s a great idea. Let them handle the deboning. It’ll be a resource for us too. I’ll summon blacksmiths from the capital…”
“I know a skilled blacksmith. I’ve given him bones before, so he knows how to process them.”
Thus, mercenaries were given a legitimate reason to debone beasts.
***
Blacksmiths from across the kingdom, including Smilky from Seviess Sanctuary, flocked to the camp.
“I knew this day would come! As expected of Lady Rita. I sensed you were extraordinary from the start, the oracle’s chosen! Truly remarkable! And to give me such an important opportunity!”
Smilky, now a lead blacksmith due to his expertise, showered Rita with flattery.
Unable to endure his foolish praise, Rita fled.
Having paid him well before, she’d given him a lucrative chance, so he could handle it from here.
Thanks to this, beast bones, once treated as garbage, were crafted into swords, spears, and arrows, greatly aiding the subjugation force’s weapon supply.
Though complex magical tools were difficult, they were excellent for close-combat warriors.
With mercenaries already short on weapons, the bone-crafting news boosted the army’s morale.
***
“Instead of endlessly destroying eggs, it’s better to venture out, despite the risk, and find the matrices.”
After days of repetitive egg eradication, Rita proposed thoughtfully.
“And if possible, we should revisit Aide Hill, where the red tree grows.”
The supreme-ranks at the meeting nodded to some extent.
“But the distance and environment to Aide Hill aren’t favorable. We’ll need to consider that.”
Valery, who had memorized the map, shook his head at visiting Aide Hill.
But he seemed to agree with tracking the matrices.
“I agree with tracking the matrices. No matter how many there are, killing even one would show progress in the subjugation.”
Itching for action after a lull in major battles, Floria was the first to support.
Princess Sercia felt the same.
“That’s true. Killing a leader beast would boost morale. But as Sir Gainer said, Aide Hill seems difficult for now.”
Rita nodded readily.
Leaving the tree, possibly Iskis’s source, untouched felt uneasy, but visiting now wouldn’t change much.
“Then let’s request teleportation stones from the Mage Tower and adjust our search route. Speaking of, how’s the Mage Tower doing?”
Valery glanced at Rita and the mages.
In turn, the mages subtly looked to Rita.
Since the main camp’s affairs were left to Talos and the elders, Rita, puzzled by their glances, looked at Seth.
As the liaison with the elders, Seth, swallowing a sigh, explained reluctantly.
“The elders are fighting alongside the Tower’s mages. I heard Talos is currently assisting in the command room.”
The room fell silent, as if doused with cold water.
Assisting?
Why would the Mage Tower Master do that?
Everyone’s eyes reflected the question, and some grasped the intent but didn’t voice it.
It would put Rita in an awkward position.
Mikael cautiously observed Rita’s expression.
At that moment, Rita stood abruptly.
“I’ll go meet the Mage Tower Master.”
Her golden eyes, suppressing shame, burned with anger.