After hearing that Count Bled was still in his private chambers, Lloyd went to see him at once.
Unlike usual, Count Bled was wearing armor and tending to his sword.
Without even looking at Lloyd, he spoke.
"Why have you come here? I am busy now, so return."
Had the sudden monster attack made him sensitive?
His voice was sharp as though its edge had been honed.
However, Lloyd did not retreat despite that.
"I heard news that monsters are coming this way."
Perhaps Count Bled thought that Lloyd had come because he was anxious about the sudden monster attack.
He let out a low sigh and spoke.
"The House knights are strong. So do not worry needlessly, and attend to your own......"
"I will participate as well."
At Lloyd's unexpected words, Count Bled's eyes widened slightly in surprise for a moment, but he soon refused in a firm voice.
"This situation is different from the monster subjugation. We have no spare capacity to protect you, so wait here."
"But......"
Just as Lloyd was about to say something, the Knight Commander's voice was heard.
"Count Bled, the knights have completed all preparations for departure."
"Let us go."
Count Bled sheathed the sword he had finished tending at his waist and left the room without looking back.
Left alone in the private chambers, Lloyd creased his face as though troubled.
'Things are becoming complicated. In any case, I cannot just remain still like this.'
If he thought about it, was this not a perfect chance to render an even more certain service?
He could not let such an opportunity pass.
Lloyd returned to his room and spoke to Martin and Vector, who had been waiting for him.
"Prepare quickly. From now on, we will follow Count Bled."
***
Count Bled's expression was not good as he led the knights toward where the monsters were.
It was the first time that monsters had descended from the mountains to attack villages before winter had even arrived in earnest.
'What on earth is happening? Why are the monsters suddenly......?'
As he thought that, the Knight Commander riding beside him glanced toward the rear and cautiously spoke.
"Count Bled, I am told that Young Master Lloyd is following behind us. What should we do?"
At those words, Count Bled frowned.
He had said that this was not something to take lightly.
'Did he not understand what I said? Or......'
Was the prospect of a knighthood more desperate than he had thought?
Count Bled turned around.
However, Lloyd was hidden behind the knights, so he could not see him.
"......Did Lloyd come alone?"
"Sir Martin and someone named Vector are with him."
"Hmm......"
Vector was someone Count Bled had heard of as well.
He had heard that Lloyd had brought him in recently and that his strength was extraordinary.
Moreover, the most skilled among the young knights, Martin, was with him, so he did not think there was much to worry about.
'Still, I do not understand.'
Why would Sir Martin, whose future was so bright, feel the need to swear loyalty to Lloyd, an illegitimate son?
To a boy called an incompetent illegitimate son without even a trace of mana, no less......
He still did not understand, but he soon shook his head.
'Now is not the time to think about that.'
Their destination was not far away.
For now, protecting the territory from the monsters was the priority.
"It cannot be helped. Ignore Lloyd and let us hurry."
"Yes, understood."
There was no capacity to worry about Lloyd now.
They could not let the monsters run wild any longer.
'We must eliminate the monsters as quickly as possible!'
It was then.
The sounds of monsters came from far away.
YOWL—.
ROOOAR!
The ground rumbled, and clouds of dust rose.
At the number of monsters, too many to count by hand, tension settled on the knights' faces.
Then Count Bled drew his sword.
At the same time, a dense blue Aura clearly formed on his blade.
"HAAAH!!"
With a battle cry, Count Bled swung his sword at the monster horde. The Aura formed on his sword became a gigantic blade and swept over the monsters.
More than half of the monsters vanished in a single attack.
The knights could not hide their admiration at the sight.
"Is that Aura Blade, a technique exclusive to Sword Masters?"
"A-Amazing......"
The monsters, too, could no longer approach in the face of a Sword Master's might and hesitated.
Seizing that chance, Count Bled shouted to the knights.
"As members of House Bled, known as the Valiant Sword, we will stop this monster horde here without fail!!"
"Yes!"
Thus, the battle against the monsters began in earnest.
The knights were skilled as well, but the power of a Sword Master was extraordinary.
Each time Count Bled swung his sword, even powerful monsters fell with ease.
'Sword Masters are more impressive than I thought. Then there is no need to worry about this place.'
Watching Count Bled's performance from a considerable distance away, Lloyd turned his horse around.
Vector and Martin hurriedly followed behind him.
"But where are we going now?"
"We must investigate and eliminate the mastermind behind this incident."
After watching the battle, Lloyd was certain.
There was a separate mastermind behind this incident.
'Otherwise, this situation makes no sense.'
Monsters rarely left their territory.
If such a thing happened, there were two major causes.
Either there was not enough food nearby, or an extremely strong natural predator had appeared.
'Even so, this is strange. No matter what, they would not migrate on this scale.'
Therefore, Lloyd intended to investigate for himself.
His destination was Grid Forest, where monsters usually lived.
'If we go there, we may learn something.'
Lloyd's party headed for Grid Forest.
***
Grid Forest surrounded the city of Eldium, where Count Bled's castle stood, and was home to various beasts as well as monsters.
Yet something was strange.
"Since earlier, I have not heard even the cries of wild animals or insects."
At those words, Martin and Vector looked around with serious expressions, as though they had only just realized it.
"Now that you mention it, that is strange."
"C-Could it be related to the monsters' large-scale migration?"
"I do not know. We will have to find out from now......"
Before Lloyd could finish speaking, a cry that shook the entire forest rang out.
ROOOOAR—!!
At the deafening sound, Lloyd frowned.
"......It seems that cry is the cause of this incident."
As he muttered that, Lloyd dismounted.
The horses had been frightened by the cry just now and would not move at all.
"Let us tie the horses here and proceed."
"Yes."
Unlike Vector, who replied at once, Martin tried to stop Lloyd with a face full of tension and worry.
"Young Master Lloyd, that cry is unusual. Is it really all right for only the three of us to go? Would it not be better to wait a little longer and go with the other knights......?"
However, without answering, Lloyd began walking toward where the cry had come from.
"Sigh, it cannot be helped."
Martin let out a light sigh and followed Lloyd.
As they walked for some time,
"By the way, what could that cry have been? Judging from the sound, it seems like a large monster......"
Martin tilted his head as though it was strange.
Grid Forest had only two large monsters: Big Ogre and Silver Fang.
However, the cry they had heard earlier belonged to neither monster.
'I have a bad feeling about this.'
Martin was not the only one who thought so. Lloyd and Vector felt the same way.
Then the cry rang out again.
This time, it came from very nearby.
Perhaps because of that, Martin's condition became quite poor.
"Urgh."
His hands and feet trembled, and his body would not move as he wanted, like a broken jointed doll.
There was only one cause of these symptoms.
"Fear."
At Lloyd's words, Martin was startled.
Fear? As far as he knew, Grid Forest had no monsters that possessed Fear.
"By the way, why are you unaffected, Young Master? And Vector as well......"
Unlike himself, whose body trembled and could not move properly under the cry mixed with Fear, the two of them looked completely fine.
In truth, the two had inherent Status Ailment Resistance, so their bodies did not freeze even under Fear.
Not knowing that, Martin's pride was hurt.
He could understand Lloyd, but even Vector, whom he considered a rival, was unaffected.
'Urgh, I cannot lose either!'
Martin tried to overcome Fear through sheer force of will, but there was no way that was possible.
Just as he was at a loss, Lloyd handed him a round yellow pill.
"What is this?"
"It's a pill that wards off status ailments...... no, Fear. Take one now."
"Yes, thank you."
Martin barely moved his arm, stiff with Fear, and swallowed the pill Lloyd had given him.
GULP.
The moment the pill went down his throat, his body, which had stiffened from Fear, loosened as though it had been a lie.
"The medicine works well. It was thanks to this medicine that you were both unaffected by Fear!"
"Well, yes."
At Lloyd's answer, Martin's expression brightened.
'That is more like it. There is no way only Vector would be unaffected.'
Having quickly recovered his pride, Martin stepped forward boldly and spoke.
"This time, I will take the lead!"
Lloyd nodded.
With Martin at the front, the three headed deeper into Grid Forest.
***
While Count Bled and the knights fought the monsters, Lloyd's party encountered the mastermind behind this incident.
"This monster cannot be......"
The enormous monster, which looked as though it had been made by tying together various monster body parts like a rag, was none other than a Chimera.
The places where the other monsters' bodies had been joined were rotting and decaying, giving off a foul stench that stung their noses.
"......Disgusting."
Lloyd muttered lowly and drew his sword.
Only then did the Chimera notice his presence and begin roaring at Lloyd's party.
-ROOOAR!!
A cry mixed with Fear.
However, it had no effect on Lloyd and Vector, who had Status Ailment Resistance, or Martin, who had taken the Status Resistance Pill.
Perhaps the creature realized that as well. It stopped roaring, raised its fist, and brought it down toward Lloyd with all its strength.
'This is bad!'
It happened so suddenly that Lloyd had no time to use Telekinesis. He swiftly dodged aside.
BOOM—!!
When the creature's huge fist struck the ground, the ground sank in with a roar like an explosion.
As though a small meteor had fallen.
'It must be an Ogre's arm. That strength is terrifying.'
The instant he thought that, the Chimera swung its fist at Lloyd again.
Then it was Vector who stepped forward.
"Leave the contest of strength to me!"
Stepping in front of Lloyd, Vector grabbed both of the Chimera's arms, and a contest of strength began.
Lloyd had told Vector not to fully reveal his abilities in front of others, but Martin, who had cleared dungeons with them, was an exception.
As Vector began using his ability in earnest, the large Chimera was gradually pushed back.
Stimulated by the sight, Martin drew his sword and looked excited.
"I cannot lose either!"
When Martin drew up his mana, blue light enveloped his sword.
It was Aura, which only Sword Experts or those above them could manifest.
"HAAH!"
With a resounding battle cry, Martin cut off the creature's arm with his Aura-infused sword.
SLASH.
At the same time as the sound of flesh being cut, the Chimera's thick arm was severed.
-ROOOAR!!
The Chimera screamed and writhed in pain.
However, that lasted only a moment. Soon, an astonishing sight unfolded before them.
"T-This cannot be......!"
The creature's arm wriggled, then a new arm sprouted from the severed surface.
It was unbelievable.
"Even Trolls are not like this."
It was then, as Martin muttered in a shocked voice.
Dozens of swords sped through the air toward the Chimera.
"That is Young Master Lloyd's......"
At Lloyd's gesture, dozens of swords began to tear the Chimera apart.
-Grrrr......
The Chimera tried to block the swords by swinging its arms, but it was useless.
The swords, following Lloyd's will, focused only on the creature's neck and heart.
Its fierce resistance delayed them somewhat, but eventually, the swords succeeded in cutting off the Chimera's neck and piercing its heart.
'No matter how remarkable its regeneration is, it will die if its neck is severed or its heart is pierced.'
But......
It did not take Lloyd long to realize that his thought had been wrong.
The severed head did not regenerate like the arm, but the torso was still moving.
With a sword still embedded in its heart.