The Goddess Granted Me the [Hatching] Skill and Somehow I Became the Strongest Tamer, Commanding Mythical and Divine Beasts - 83

Chapter 83: Subjugation Request

“Still, even if they told me to investigate the cause, I have no idea what’s going on…”

In the outskirts of the Stesia Kingdom, the court mage, assigned with the investigation, lamented the difficulty of the task.

The investigation team consisted of elite knights and healers, but their numbers were small.

Normally, when detecting such disturbances, it would be effective to send a large number of people to investigate. However, due to the overflow of monsters across the country, the military strength was dispersed, making it impossible.

Even so, there was some pattern to the sightings of monsters.

Reports of monster sightings had been coming from around the border, and the team had already pinpointed a location where something might happen next. So far, there had been no results, though…

Thud.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

A knight called out to the court mage.

“What was that ominous magical energy?”

The court mage was sweating all over.

“Could it be a mistake? It’s quite far, it couldn’t possibly reach from the mountain peak… there’s no way such a being exists…”

As he desperately denied his own senses…

“Hey! What is that?”

They spotted a large number of monsters in the distance.

“Retreat!”

Everyone’s expression changed, and they began to retreat.

A few hours later, the Stesia Kingdom castle was in chaos with the news of a new monster appearance.

★

A few weeks had passed since the party, and the bustle had calmed down. I was visiting the National Adventurer’s Guild headquarters to see Marguerite, who had helped me out…

“Looks like I came at a busy time?”

“Yeah, things are a bit hectic.”

The guild headquarters was busy, giving off a tense atmosphere.

“What happened?”

Noticing the unusual atmosphere, I asked Marguerite what was going on.

“Actually, a large number of Cockatrices have appeared in a certain area, and a subjugation request was made to the National Adventurer’s Guild.”

“A group of Cockatrices… That’s the worst!”

Compared to normal monsters, Cockatrices had petrifying attacks, which made combat especially dangerous.

“So far, they’ve been sighted far from the roads, but if this continues, merchants won’t be able to travel on the highways.”

If that happened, the flow of supplies would be cut off, and villages and towns would become isolated.

“Why… suddenly are Cockatrices appearing…?”

I placed my hand on my chin, thinking.

While I was thinking, Marguerite spread out a map.

“Cockatrices usually live in forests or rocky areas. They prefer these kinds of places.”

From what I could see on the map, the sighting locations didn’t match either of these areas.

“However, it seems that a large number of Cockatrices have moved through the forest.”

If a large number of B-rank Cockatrices came crashing into a village, they wouldn’t stand a chance. The subjugation needed to be done quickly, or there would be casualties.

“Normally, we would dispatch the knights, but monsters have been active in other areas, so they’re all out.”

Marguerite explained that, due to the sudden situation, the kingdom’s army couldn’t spare any troops.

“Because of that, the kingdom is short-handed, and this Cockatrice subjugation has fallen to us, the National Adventurers.”

“I see… that makes sense.”

“Indeed, as National Adventurers, we can handle B-rank monsters, but even so, we have to be careful when choosing who to send.”

Seeing Marguerite troubled, I offered a suggestion.

“Can I join in too?”

“What?”

“Since I’ve heard about it, I can’t just sit idly by. If I don’t participate and later hear of casualties, I won’t be able to forgive myself.”

Although it was an accident, I had seen Celia lose her parents in the past. I didn’t want to see anyone else suffer like that.

“I appreciate your words, but you are becoming an irreplaceable person for this country, you know?”

Marguerite gently told me to reconsider.

“I’m also a National Adventurer.”

There was the promise I made with the Goddess Muse. I couldn’t back out now.

“Alright… I’ll add you to the team.”

“Thank you.”

As I thanked him, Marguerite, as if remembering something, told me the condition for me to join.

“I don’t mind taking you along, but can you leave your Phoenix and Rainbow Butterfly behind?”

“Is it because you don’t want to lose rare monsters?”

I asked for clarification, and he shook his head.

“A powerful monster’s presence would work against the subjugation request. If a Cockatrice saw an S-rank monster, they wouldn’t approach.”

It seemed that monsters, by instinct, wouldn’t defy higher-ranking creatures.

“I understand. It wouldn’t be a good match for petrification attacks either… Wait a second.”

“What’s wrong, Klaus?”

“It’s just… I was thinking that maybe there are monsters that are a better match for this situation…”

I replied and then headed back to my mansion to prepare.