For a full minute, the subjugation force and the monster Older remained locked in a silent standoff. Then, as if deciding it had no further business there, the monster vanished. The knights quickly deployed search magic to confirm its disappearance, and once the results came back clear, they began preparations for withdrawal.
Elias continued to stare at the spot where the monster had stood. After a few moments, Frenn approached.
“It’s moved beyond the range of our detection magic… It seems to fully understand human magic.”
“Given that it has survived for over fifty years, it’s only natural for it to have developed such intelligence.”
“Honestly, once a creature has lived for two or three decades, it doesn’t change much beyond that… But still, it’s a formidable foe. A formidable foe, yes, but…”
He trailed off, turning to Frenn, who simply nodded in understanding.
“…Once we return to the fort, we’ll need to have a discussion.”
Elias muttered, then exhaled before making a decision.
“For now, our role here is done. Let’s head back.”
“Shouldn’t we assist with the withdrawal operations?”
“We were just tagalongs. It’s not really our place… Or should I act all humble and offer to help, just for appearances?”
“I doubt it would make much of a difference either way.”
“Fair enough. We have time, so I’ll lend a hand. Frenn, gather some intel while I do that.”
“Understood.”
With that, Frenn set off on her task, while Elias moved toward the knights organizing the retreat.
By the time the subjugation force had completed their withdrawal operations and returned to their base, Elias and Frenn had already returned to their own fort, delivered their report to Nork, and retreated to Elias’ room.
As Elias took a moment to relax, Frenn entered the cramped quarters.
“By the way, Elias—what about Michenna? Didn’t she say she was planning to come here?”
“She probably has to finish reporting the mission to claim her reward… She’ll show up in a few days, I imagine.”
“I see… Well then, let’s move on to the main topic. Regarding the monster Older. As the name implies, it is classified not merely as a ‘monster’ but as a demonic beast.”
Monsters were categorized based on their threat level. However, when a monster exceeded those classifications and became a significant, long-standing menace to humanity, it was given a name and recognized as something beyond a mere beast—something requiring special designation.
“During my inquiries while the subjugation force was withdrawing, I learned that this creature has repeatedly interfered with human expansion, launching attacks whenever settlements attempt to advance.”
“No prior subjugation attempts?”
“In the past fifty years, only three official extermination efforts have been conducted. As you can see, all have failed. Casualties have been reported in each attempt.”
“So it’s considered a high-priority threat in the north.”
“Correct. In total, there are three demonic beasts officially recognized in this region. Older is one of them.”
Elias pressed a hand to his chin, deep in thought.
Frenn, observing him, posed a question.
“…Let me confirm something.”
“Go ahead.”
“If you were to assign Older a danger rating based on conventional classifications, how would you rate it?”
“This is based purely on the magical energy I sensed. Its abilities may make it far more dangerous than its raw magic would suggest, but…”
After prefacing his response with that caveat, Elias finally gave his verdict.
“Judging solely by its magical power, it’s about a Threat Level Three.”
“The same as the red wolves we just defeated?”
“Yes. If we’re talking about sheer magical reserves, it doesn’t reach Threat Level Four. The red wolves we fought had their strength evaluated based on their ability to form large packs. But Older is a single entity that holds the power of a Threat Level Three monster on its own.”
With a small shrug, Elias continued.
“If this creature has lived for fifty years and has been targeted for extermination three times, there should be a substantial amount of recorded information on it.”
“Indeed… It looks like our workload is only increasing.”
“I’ll take care of investigating Older. You focus on gathering information about the north and east.”
“Understood… But if you had to fight Older, do you think you could win?”
“I can’t say for certain without knowing more about its abilities… But if I had to make an educated guess based on its appearance, I think I understand why it has never been defeated. If my assumption is correct—”
After a brief pause, Elias concluded,
“It can be killed. However, there are too many uncertainties, and failure is a definite possibility. To ensure success, we’d need thorough preparation and a sufficient number of capable fighters.”
“But we don’t have any allies here.”
“Exactly. If we were in the east, I could rely on my unit, and we’d be able to handle it. But here, that’s not the case… The knights at this fort might be willing to help, but they lack the ability. It’s too dangerous for them.”
“So, we’d need several fighters with at least Michenna’s level of skill…?”
“That’s right. However, with Older having made an appearance, the kingdom may organize a fourth extermination attempt.”
“If that happens, all the available personnel will be tied up in that effort.”
“Exactly. That makes it difficult for us to act independently. But from what I’ve seen, Older doesn’t seem like the kind of beast to launch an immediate attack. It’s unlikely we’ll be forced into battle anytime soon. For now, we focus on gathering intel and solidifying our position.”
Frenn nodded, then hesitated before asking,
“If Michenna does come to this fort, should we enlist her help?”
Elias scratched his head before responding.
“That’s hard to say. If another extermination force is formed, she’ll likely be drafted into it.”
With a sigh, he looked back at Frenn and continued.
“For now, let’s wrap up the work we’ve been neglecting due to the monster situation. Once we’ve handled that, we can start figuring out our next move.”