**Epilogue**





"──Report!"

The grand door, crafted from the incredibly hard and expensive Hills Ebony by four renowned artisans, was opened at the same time as the knock.

Such a discourteous action for someone entering the office of a prime minister of a nation.

However, it was impossible for someone authorized to enter this area of the royal castle to be ignorant of such basic manners.

(No, wait, did that rude person say they have a report?)

Marquis Douglas O'Connell, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Hills, felt his body tense and his brow furrow deeper, sensing the gravity of the report.

"I apologize for my rudeness, but it's an urgent matter!"

Noticing O'Connell's displeased expression, the messenger's face turned pale.

"Very well. If it's urgent, speak quickly. What is it?"

"Yes! Reports from various places indicate that numerous monsters have emerged from the monster territories within the kingdom's domain and are attacking towns!"

The content was shocking enough to astonish even the shrewd Prime Minister O'Connell.

"What?!"

Monsters appearing outside their territories was not unusual. 

Monsters, like any other living creatures, sometimes leave their habitats when they become overcrowded, seeking new areas and occasionally expanding their territories. Specialized agencies are stationed in border towns to monitor such signs.

However, no such reports had reached the Prime Minister from any of the border towns.

"No signs at all... suddenly they just overflowed, the monsters... Impossible."

Further details revealed that monsters were swarming various frontier cities, engaging in battles with the defense forces. 

Some cities had already had their walls breached, causing damage to the urban areas and residents.

Requests for aid were also pouring in, but no reinforcements could be dispatched from the capital. A subjugation army had already been formed and sent out to deal with a new disaster that had appeared in the east.

Therefore, the monsters attacking each border city would have to be dealt with by the local defense forces.

"Normally, I would have integrated the local defense forces into the subjugation army, but we couldn't afford the time to do so... It turns out that decision was fortuitous."

At that moment, someone else unceremoniously burst through the office door. This time, there was not even a knock.

"Report!"

"Hold! Now is not the time for such—"

"I apologize! This is the final message from the defense forces that must be conveyed immediately!"

"Final message!? From where?"

"The fortress cities of Airfalen and Lourdes have both fallen!"

He almost shouted in disbelief.

It was good that he maintained his composure, but in reality, he was so shocked that he could barely breathe.

Airfalen was close to the dwelling of the new "enemy of humanity" reported by the Archbishop.

Normally, they would have held a formation ceremony for the strike force and a marching parade to boost morale and public understanding, but they hurried them up while the enemy of mankind was still young and sent them off to battle without any of those things.

The subjugation army had just been dispatched to that very destination, skipping all ceremonial events to prioritize speed, intending to gather supplies from towns along the way due to the urgency.

"Did we not make it in time... They have already amassed enough power to destroy an entire city... Wait, Lourdes? Where is that?"

Even a Prime Minister couldn't instantly recall every fortress city in the frontier.

"Yes, near  the Forest of No Return, a frontier city."

"Ah, I remember now. A city that failed to develop because those who entered the monster territory never returned. So the disaster took down Airfalen and has already advanced to Lourdes!"

If true, it was an astonishing speed. By the time they organized the army, Airfalen must have already fallen.

But if that were the case, there should have been a quicker communication. All frontier cities bordering monster territories were equipped with multiple means of urgent communication, such as carrier pigeons and messengers.

"No, it seems... Airfalen was attacked by large swarms of ant and bee-type monsters, and Lourdes by an army of treants. The fall of both cities happened almost simultaneously."

Given the report of both cities falling, it was clear that messages from both arrived almost simultaneously. Although Airfalen preceded Lourdes on the main road, from the capital, they were roughly equidistant.

Simultaneous dispatch of pigeons would result in simultaneous arrival.

"Separate... forces?"

According to the Archbishop's oracle, there was supposed to be only one disaster-born monster. Could it be that, by coincidence, another disaster-level monster capable of destroying cities was born at the same time? What an improbable coincidence.

"That's absurd..."

No one could answer the Prime Minister's words. The plan to use Airfalen as a base to conquer the Great Lieb Forest had already been thwarted. The Prime Minister held his head in despair.





The next morning, the Prime Minister was already at his desk early.

Rather, he had been there since the previous night, writing responses to the numerous calls for help he couldn't answer and pondering how to inform the subjugation army that Airfalen no longer existed.

"Report!"

Once again, a messenger barged in without knocking.

But by now, the Prime Minister was more concerned about the dire news that high-ranking officials felt compelled to report so urgently than their lack of manners.

"...What is it... this early in the morning..."

"We have received news that the city of Altriva has been destroyed!"

"What!?"

The Prime Minister frantically searched his memory. Was there such a city in the frontier?

He stood up, knocking over his chair, and glared at the kingdom map on the wall.

"H-Here."

The messenger pointed to a spot on the map. It was...

"That’s... not the frontier... is it!"

Though on the border, it was in a region considered a natural fortress due to the towering cliffs of the Abon Melcart highlands behind it.

Legend had it that an ancient castle on the highlands had become a monster domain, but the cliffs were insurmountable, and the kingdom saw it as a massive wall.

The neighboring kingdom of Wels lay beyond, but due to the highlands, direct trade was minimal.

Due to this geography, though located at the kingdom's edge, it wasn't considered a frontier.



The city thrived on barley cultivation, nourished by the fertile soil of the Confine River flowing from the highland springs. Barley was paid as taxes to the local lord, who sold it to other cities for income.

With no nearby monster threats and little wealth, bandit attacks were rare.

"Why would such a peaceful city...?"

The message was delivered by a carrier pigeon from the neighboring town of Erntal. According to the message, one of the guards who fled from Altriva testified that the town was attacked by a large horde of skeletons. Furthermore, it seems that the skeletons appeared from the direction of the town of Verdesud.

Verdesud is a town situated at a higher altitude than Altriva. 

If a horde of skeletons came from there...

"Ridiculous... Does this mean that two towns have already fallen to the skeleton horde?"

What on earth is happening?

Monsters are overflowing in every frontier. 

In just one day, four towns have fallen.

However, the chancellor had no way of knowing that the two towns near Altriva were destroyed by forces entirely unrelated to the "new disaster" the kingdom feared.

In any case, most of the army that could serve as the main force has already been deployed to fight the disaster.

Whether it’s fortunate or not, the army is heading towards the fallen towns of Lourdes and Airfallen. 

At the very least, with such a large force, they should be able to scout the situation on the ground.

"How is the expeditionary force doing? They should be sending regular reports. Based on the timeline, they should be passing by the town of Lacoline today or tomorrow..."

The town of Lacoline is a key transport hub in the kingdom. From there, one can head towards Lourdes or Altriva.

The last regular report indicated they hadn’t yet arrived in Lacoline. There is a dedicated pigeon house in Lacoline, and whenever they arrive in such towns, they are supposed to send a pigeon separately from the regular reports.

After all, this expedition is crucial for the future of the kingdom, no, the continent.

Though we haven't formally requested aid from other countries, we have sent official envoys. Since there are no pigeons capable of flying to other countries, messengers on fast horses are being sent instead, but it’s unclear if the neighboring countries have received the message.

For now, we must handle this within our kingdom.

I feel sorry for the residents of Altriva and Verdesud, which seem to have been destroyed. But those areas have no significant industries or specialties, and their lords are not influential nobles. For now, we should abandon those regions and stabilize them once the situation is resolved.

"We must continue to send the expeditionary force to the Great Forest of Lieb as planned. As for Airfallen... depending on the extent of its destruction, if we can reclaim it from the monsters and use it as a base, we might manage..."

In any case, without knowing the exact location of the expeditionary force, we can't send pigeons. We don't know when they will arrive in Lacoline, but we have no choice but to wait for their report and share information through replies.

"Report!"

There was a proper knock, and someone entered with courtesy, which was rare these days.

This is the royal castle, in the deep office of the kingdom's chancellor. It should always be like this.

"The expeditionary force has arrived in Lacoline!"

The chancellor felt relieved that the news didn't start with "another town has been destroyed."

"I see. I'll prepare a letter with information and the next instructions... What is it? Is there something else?"

"Yes! At the same time, there is a report that the expeditionary force has encountered the enemy."

"E-encountered? They met the enemy? What kind? Since they reported an encounter, it can't be just some ordinary monsters or bandits."

"Yes! It’s a swarm of bees carrying large ants!"






***





continue.




***





**Afterword**





For those meeting me for the first time, nice to meet you. For those who aren't, thank you for always reading my work.

Being able to start an afterword with such a phrase in my debut work really shows how times have changed.

I often saw such phrases in the afterwords of novels when I was younger. 

Back then, the term "light novel" wasn’t common. I would simply say "I'm going to buy a novel" when heading to the bookstore.

My family had a strict approach to children's entertainment, restricting comics and games. I got my first game console as a Christmas gift in fifth grade.

My maternal aunt respected our family's rules and gave me book vouchers as New Year's gifts every year. 

For those who don't know, book vouchers are gift certificates that can only be used at participating bookstores. Their official name is "National Common Book Voucher," and they stopped issuing new ones in 2005. Interestingly, the old ones still work at participating stores.

I’m sure my relatives intended for me to use the vouchers to gain knowledge. When I said I wanted to buy comics with them, my mother frowned. 

But when I suggested buying novels instead, she smiled.

So, I would say "I'm going to buy a novel" and head to the bookstore to buy light novels. I was afraid that if I mentioned light novels, I’d have to explain what they were.

Back then, my favorite pastime was reading light novels. I would spend entire days reading on my days off.

By the time I entered middle school, I was allowed to buy games and comics within my allowance, but I still bought more light novels.

Of course, I loved light novels, but more importantly, they offered the best value for money. They took longer to read, providing more entertainment for the same price. It was a bit silly, but true.

Reading takes time. Back then, without much money, I found that novels offered the most extended enjoyment. 

Today, with so many entertainment options, dedicating time to a hobby means recognizing its value.

I'm grateful to everyone who has found value in my writing, allowing me to share my stories with you today.

Once again, for those who are not new, thank you for always reading my work. 

For those who are new, thank you for picking up this book.

I appreciate your time. If you're reading this after finishing the main story, thank you. I hope you'll give me your time again for the next book.



Lastly, I want to thank those who made this book possible.

To fixro2n, the illustrator, thank you for your beautiful illustrations despite my demanding requests.

To the proofreaders, your meticulous notes on the galleys show your professionalism.

To my editor, I felt your love for the protagonist, "Rare," during our meetings. It was great to see the side illustrations. The intense notes battle between the proofreader and editor on the galleys brought tears to my eyes.

I'm sure many others were involved in this book’s publication, even if I don't know their names.

To everyone who contributed to the publication, I offer my heartfelt thanks.