Check out my new translation!
=====
The Turncoat Queen smiled deeply.
I couldn't tell what that smile meant, but I had no intention of being swayed by her theatrics.
"Sure, go ahead. Say whatever you need to."
"I'd like to take Turncoat Knight and Turncoat Rook with me. That won't be a problem, right?"
The Turncoat Queen's eyes widened.
Clearly, my condition had caught her off guard.
"That is exactly what His Majesty desires most! Truly... you have the makings of a fine retainer. I knew I was right about you."
She nodded as if genuinely impressed.
Of course, it wasn't some sudden burst of loyalty that prompted my request.
'Currently, the Turncoat King's known force consists of the King himself, the Turncoat Queen, and Turncoat Bishop. If a conflict arises after the Bone Lord Hunt, I'll at least be able to match their numbers.'
Turncoat Knight and Turncoat Rook.
Add Horus to that, and I could secure a numerical advantage, at least temporarily.
'More importantly... if the Turncoat King shows any weakness during the hunt, I might have a shot at taking him down myself.'
The Turncoat Queen likely knew this too, and yet she looked genuinely moved.
"To be followed by such fine retainers must mean the Great Will is watching over His Majesty."
...The Great Will?
"What do you mean by that?"
"Oh, I've said too much. Shall we get going?"
It wasn't the term itself that surprised me.
It was who had said it.
"Is something wrong?"
"...It's nothing."
The Great Will.
Something clearly connected to the Great Spirit, ancestor of Carl Marcus, and the deity worshipped by the Church of Morte.
'Hmm.'
The Church of Morte primarily worships beasts and monsters.
Yet here was a former human monster invoking the Great Will...
Tch.
It was pointless to push the Turncoat Queen on this—she wouldn't give me a straight answer anyway.
Worse, I'd just end up handing her more leverage.
"Go on ahead. I'll catch up after I make a few preparations."
"Mm, sure. Whatever suits you."
The Turncoat Queen gave a cryptic smile.
She didn't bother to say where we'd meet again, as if confident we'd naturally cross paths when the time came.
* * *
The sudden encounter with the Turncoat Queen had been brief, yet intense.
And its implications were anything but minor.
The Bone Lord Hunt.
An event centered around hunting the Bone Lord—a Tier 2 monster just beneath Enkelens, one of the top-tier monsters.
Among the countless events in The Defense, this was one of the largest and most impactful.
'If this hunt succeeds…'
The fragile balance that had been holding the food chain of beasts and monsters together would erupt into chaos.
High-tier monsters and beasts—formerly prey to the Bone Lord—would now go berserk, and the weaker ones would lose their place.
A reshuffling of the food chain.
Balance would be broken. Change was inevitable.
And I didn't need to guess what would follow.
I had already seen the butterfly effects play out several times.
'The number of beasts and monsters during waves may drop slightly… but their quality will rise drastically.'
The longer they live, the more they consume, the stronger they get—that's the fundamental rule of beasts and monsters.
Species limits do exist, sure, but when the apex predator disappears, the second-tier predators rise.
And so the number of lower-tier monsters and beasts will drop dramatically.
'A lower total count might not be bad for Ark, but... raising the average strength is the real issue.'
Initially, the reduced numbers would seem like a blessing.
Some optimists might even think the waves are ending for good.
But once the ecosystem stabilizes after the upheaval in the food chain?
'A knife will strike Ark's throat while it's off-guard.'
The reason I was still joining the Bone Lord Hunt, even knowing this, was simple.
The event is extremely rare.
That means, once it's triggered, there's a good chance it will succeed regardless of whether I participate or not.
'I could try to sabotage it... but if the Turncoat King ends up being devoured by the Bone Lord in the process, that's even worse.'
Turncoats typically mind their own territory and have little interest in attacking Ark.
Turncoat Rook, for instance, openly operates as a member of the Shadow Order.
But the Bone Lord is different.
It's a monster driven purely by destruction and consumption.
And unfortunately, it has the power to back that up.
'Whether I like it or not, if the Bone Lord Hunt has started, my best move is to profit from it.'
If I could take down the Turncoat King or his forces in the process, all the better...
'But that won't be easy.'
I might even lose Turncoat Knight, Turncoat Rook, or Horus in the process. Depending on how things go, I may need to pull out.
Even if the hunt is important, losing too much would be a disaster.
'Now then…'
I moved out.
We'd just come through a five-wave sequence, so I had some breathing room—but not too much.
First, I needed to summon Turncoat Knight and Turncoat Rook for this Bone Lord Hunt.
'No need for the Shadow Order to find out what I'm doing.'
Turncoat Rook had been absent from the hideout for various reasons lately anyway, so no one would question it.
Though I should probably inform Esther—someone like Isabel knowing might benefit future relations.
"Janus."
[Gigit!]
"Bring them in."
A short command.
Yet it was enough—Janus immediately emitted a high-frequency signal imperceptible to human ears.
[Skreeeeeee!]
With that cry, Janus issued a single command to all creatures bound to him:
Come. Immediately.
Not even Horus, Turncoat Knight, or Turncoat Rook could disobey that call.
That's what subjugation of the soul looks like.
'Rook and Horus will be here quickly... but Turncoat Knight may take some time.'
I didn't plan to sit around waiting. I headed for Ark to make my own preparations.
* * *
Upon entering the Red Line, my first stop was the Special Purpose Weapons Research Lab.
With an important battle looming, I wanted Maybell Pilgrim to inspect my equipment rather than upgrade it.
"You're here."
"Yeah. I need a full equipment check."
She looked surprised. I always came for upgrades—this was a first.
Still, she nodded.
"Right this way."
Honestly, I wanted to upgrade the Zeus-444 Railgun, but it was already near-perfect.
Improving it further would require rare materials—like the Scale of Ouroboros.
Sure, a piece of Bearagon might work too, but a failed upgrade attempt could destroy the weapon.
'I've been oddly lucky with upgrades so far, but that luck won't last forever.'
Lately, I felt like I was developing a kind of upgrade-blindness.
But I had to remember: equipment upgrades were always risky. One mistake could ruin everything.
"Please wait here."
I left my gear with Maybell and waited.
Soon, she returned.
"I found a few critical defects in your equipment. They've been fully repaired and I reinforced the weak spots. If you'd gone back into battle like that, it could've been fatal."
Most of my gear is self-repairing—made with Ark's advanced alloys and tech.
Even so, the fact it had taken damage showed how brutal the last wave really was.
"Good work."
"Just doing my job."
"Then I'll see you later."
"...Ah. Leaving already?"
That was unlike her.
"Yeah. Something on your mind?"
"...No. Nothing."
She shook her head.
"If there's ever something you want to say, just tell me. I'll listen."
Her eyes trembled at that.
My nearly flawless upgrade record wasn't random.
My rapport with Maybell had a real effect on upgrade success.
"...Thanks. I hope I get that chance someday."
That was all she said—for now, she wasn't ready to open up.
I nodded and turned away.
There was still much to do.
* * *
When I returned to the boundary between Mount Noah and the Red Line, Horus, Turncoat Knight, and Turncoat Rook were already waiting.
I thought Knight might be delayed, but it seemed he hadn't been far from Ark to begin with.
That worked in my favor—I hadn't expected things to move so quickly.
"...You drag us all the way out here and then show up late?"
Turncoat Rook looked irritated.
It was strange to hear him call himself a person—but maybe I was used to it, thanks to Esther.
"I had supplies to fetch."
As I said that, I recalled my visit to Quartermaster Gedwin in the Red Line after my inspection.
I'd picked up food like multi-calorie bars and water—essential for field ops—but also stocked up on a good amount of explosives.
"Whatever it is you brought, let's hope it's actually useful."
"It will be."
"So, why'd you call us here? I haven't heard a thing."
"I'll explain now."
The Bone Lord Hunt.
As I began to speak, Turncoat Rook's expression turned from curious to horrified.