Damien's magic bullet blew off the head of the Red Spider Queen.

Immediately after, the spiders halted as if by magic.

All the remaining Red Spiders in the field simultaneously stopped moving. The kings, who were holding their heads and shivering, blinked in astonishment at this sight.

"Has... has it stopped?"

"What's happening?"

"Is it over...?"

Approaching the kings, I smiled slightly.

"Fortunately, our sniper located and eliminated the enemy queen before the situation worsened."

"So, that means...?"

"Yes. The current defense is over."

I briefly looked down below the wall. The kings also glanced over hesitantly.

The corpses of the spiders formed a mound. Even those still alive had stopped moving, standing still.

Looking at this eerie scene, I added,

"In a few weeks, new monsters will swarm here."

"Again...? In such numbers?"

"Yes. We've had even larger invasions before... Anyway, for today, the situation is over. It's our victory."

I turned to the soldiers and shouted.

"All forces! Well done!"

Click!

The soldiers all looked my way. I nodded heavily.

"The Spider Legion was the first monster legion I faced when I first came to this city. At that time, Crossroad lost thousands of troops."

The scenes from the tutorial stage were still vivid in my memory.

That brutal and tough battle, our allies dying...

I stretched out my hand, sweeping it across the top of the wall.

"But today, we had no casualties on our side."

And the once terrifying and powerful Spider Legion fell like autumn leaves today.

The Red Spiders ultimately couldn't overcome the wall, and our soldiers did not suffer even a minor injury.

"You have become strong!"

I shouted again with emphasis.

"We have become strong! I'm proud of you, my warriors!"

We have undoubtedly grown.

And we will continue to grow.

I smiled brightly, clenched my fist, and raised it.

"Today, let's eat and drink at ease!"

Waahhh-!

The soldiers cheered in unison.

The walls of Crossroad were filled with the roars of victory, as deafening as the sound of the cannons.

Turning away from the elated soldiers, I glanced at the kings and winked.

"I'm glad our front didn't show an embarrassing side to our guests."

The kings were still in a daze.

Having witnessed the overwhelming force of the monsters firsthand, survived an attack at close range, and then seeing it all turn into a victory with the soldiers cheering...

It was overwhelming. They had a lot to process.

I pointed to the stairs leading down from the wall.

"Let's go down. We should finish our discussion, shouldn't we?"

***

After safely escorting the kings back to the hotel,

While watching the cleanup of the front, Lucas asked cautiously,

"...Wasn't it unnecessary to clash with the spiders? Couldn't we have just had Damien snipe the Spider Queen from the start and end it?"

"That's right."

We had identified the queen's location from the beginning. Damien was waiting to snipe on my signal.

Catching the boss stops all movement, and that boss, the queen spider, has weak combat power.

She's the type who commands safely from a distance, but for Damien, such long-range sniping is no big deal.We could have ended the stage much more easily. However.

"That wouldn't have had a dramatic effect."

It was necessary to show them.

To those who have been living safely from afar, not truly realizing the magnitude of this great threat.

What a monster truly is.

How deep the hatred they hold for humans is, right from the bottom of their souls.

And what kind of battles the people of this Monster Front have fought and will continue to fight.

'In a way, it could be called a show.'

But it was a necessary show.

Then someone staggered towards me. Turning to her, I smiled gently.

"Good job, Violet."

"...I've completed the task you gave me."

She was Violet, the illusionist leader of the newly recruited gambler party, 'Gambler's Club.' Her lips were pouting, but she reported diligently.

"At the right timing, I deployed the illusion field, showing the kings gathered here the vision of Red Spiders charging... Is this okay?"

"Well done. Everyone was completely fooled."

That's right.

The attack of the Red Spider Legion was real, but the spiders that broke into the kings' area in the latter half of the battle were all illusions.

Our defense line is not so weak as to let monsters attack VIPs. It was all part of the show I planned and executed.

- These things, they're like water balloons, not monsters! It feels great to take them down so cleanly!

I felt a pang of guilt when Kuilan said that line.

After all, the monsters he was fighting weren't real, but illusions created by Violet... naturally collapsing with a single punch as I directed.

"The threat of monsters is more impactful when seen directly rather than heard through rumors."

I stood in front of a dead Red Spider on the wall.

"It hits home much harder when the threat of death is felt up close, rather than just seen from afar."

The repulsive spider monster lay dead with its mouth half-open.

I carelessly kicked its mouth just for the sake of it.

"But we can't really throw the heads of VIPs into the jaws of monsters, so I used our useful new recruit to give them this indirect experience."

Most truths, with a bit of exaggeration.

Mix it in such a ratio, and you get a scenario they just can't help but believe.

And now that they’ve been almost shaken by the monstrous threat to this extent,

The kings should see the situation more clearly. It will make future discussions easier.

"Now, having scared them a bit... let's slowly turn up the heat."

The current situation was like striking first with a whip.

It was time to offer a carrot to the bewildered kings.

***

That night.

While the soldiers were having a victory banquet, I had a dinner with the guests.

I thought some kings might run away, but surprisingly, not a single one left their seat.

Whether it's because they're capable as kings, or because it would be embarrassing to flee from here.

'Whichever it is, it worked out well.'

The banquet hall was quite lavish.

Even in this remote countryside, Serenade managed to prepare a course meal that hardly paled in comparison to those in the Imperial Capital.

But the kings' attention wasn't on the food, but on me. It was a bit awkward to be the only one slicing meat and eating.

"Today's invaders were only a very small part of the entire monster legion."

I elegantly cut the steak as I learned in the Imperial Capital, then shoved it into my mouth and chewed noisily. Continuing, I said,

"And each time, the monsters that invade are getting stronger, both in quality and quantity."

"Stronger monsters, and more of them...?"

"Ultimately, entities much more powerful than today's spiders will swarm in hundreds, thousands."

That was actually the case in the game.

Towards the latter half of the third year, the power inflation of the monsters becomes so severe that defense battles become unsustainable.

Before Crossroad falls and can no longer hold out, we must attack the monsters' stronghold - the last dungeon in the Lake Kingdom, 'King's Castle.'

If the attack on the King's Castle fails and it becomes the last day of the third year...

"It's overwhelming."Crossroad falls to the literal deluge of monsters pouring in. The monster front collapses.

What follows is predictable. With the frontline that excelled in fighting monsters collapsing, the upper world wouldn't stand a chance either.

"For now, we're holding them off with our current forces. But it's becoming increasingly difficult to cope. And if they finally break through our monster front here..."

I shrugged my shoulders as I looked around at the kings.

"Well, you saw it firsthand today. You know what will happen."

It's because it's the monster front that we can hold them off.

If the monster front falls.

From the south, a tide of monsters will overwhelm, inevitably leading to the destruction of other cities and nations.

"We need your help. To be more direct, not just help, we need your full strength."

I began to reveal the purpose of gathering these kings here.

"I hope you bring everything you have and join us in fighting at this monster front. Because if not, you and your people will all die."

The kings' faces turned pale.

The atmosphere had changed since earlier today. When they hadn't faced the monsters in reality, my words might have sounded like empty threats.

But they witnessed the monsters today. They were attacked right in front of their noses.

The threat to their people, they could easily imagine.

"My purpose is not to engage in political strife with Fernandez. It is to protect this world."

There's a real threat.

"And the world must be protected by all its people. Therefore, you must cooperate."

There's a cause and justification.

So, what's needed lastly?

"And if you cooperate – if you join us at the monster front, I will gladly provide what each of you desires."

That's the carrot.

Even facing such a huge threat, people still move for a carrot. What can I do? If this is natural, then it is natural.

Perhaps, this was the topic they were most waiting for. The kings' eyes sparkled.

I looked at the four most necessary and powerful forces among the kings gathered here, the kings of different races, and then said softly.

"First, the abolition of discrimination against different races."

"...!"

"I will end the century-long slavery of different races. I will lift the residency restrictions in autonomous districts and return their homelands."

The biggest reason for the introduction of slavery among different races was to solidify humanity's victory in war and institutionally trample on different races.

And from the start, I intended to abolish it.

It's not because I have noble intentions, or because I come from a democratic society.

This is the most effective card to draw in these different races.

Moreover, in front of monsters, distinctions like race or status are meaningless.

"Monsters don't discriminate against people. They kill impartially. They don't kill imperial citizens first or different races last."

The monsters have a simple goal.

Kill people. Destroy the world.

Thus, the goal of the monster front here is also simple.

Save people. Protect the world.

"There's no ideology in the struggle of the monster front. No nation, no race. The only thing here is the simple goal of saving the people behind the walls."

Because it's simple, it's noble.

We fight only for life. Others who join this frontline must follow the banner I've raised.

I wanted to make this clear.

"The monster front should not be divided by ideologies, nations, and races, nor should it fall into internal strife. What must take precedence in the monster front is only people."magic

We all have only one life, and it's impossible to discriminate in the value of that life.

To prevent using different races as meat shields while saving only humans, from the outset.

And through this assurance, to encourage different races to participate in the battle without concerns.

Above all, because monsters are formidable enemies that can only be defeated by everyone in the world joining forces.

We all must stand on equal footing. That's why I intended to restore their status to what it was a hundred years ago.

"How about it?"

I asked, interlocking my fingers.

"I think it's a pretty good proposal."

It's more than just good.

How could you possibly reject this?

--TL Notes--

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