When I was working as a civil servant, I was found out to be a muscle-brained knight by the princess knight and got sent to the front lines - Episode 123

Episode 123

A few days from the fortress city of Novalis in the eastern front of the Tashman Kingdom, near the uncharted ancient ruins.

Raja Raj’s 5th Legion, consisting of 3,000 troops from two battalions, faced off against an army of about 50,000 monsters. Although both sides had spotted each other, there was still some time before they would clash.

Erin and her 208 members were waiting in the rear as per Raja’s orders. This made sense given their smaller number, lack of battle coordination, and the presence of important figures like the Saintess. There was no reason for Raja to send them to the front lines under these circumstances.

But where did such a massive army of 50,000 come from?

Raja had, of course, sent out scouts and conducted searches. Given the uncharted nature of the area, he had increased vigilance and thorough exploration.

While maps created by adventurers did exist, they were not reliable enough for military operations. Thus, they had been marching as quickly as possible while mapping the area and conducting extensive searches.

This alone demonstrated Raja’s high command ability and the 5th Legion’s high level of training. The forward reconnaissance units had confirmed the presence of the ancient ruins half a day ago, without any sign of a large monster army at that time.

Now, however, the area around the ancient ruins was filled with a vast army of monsters. Raja and the 5th Legion’s leadership looked on with grim expressions. It was unlikely that the scouts had missed such a large force.

Their skills and achievements were reliable. The only explanation was that this army had appeared suddenly within the last half-day. Previously, a similar phenomenon had occurred in the capital, with several Orc Kings suddenly appearing. Considering this, it was possible that the monsters’ large army had appeared through some special method, such as teleportation magic.

The recent actions of the monsters, including their coordinated attacks during the Southern Uprising and the assault on the capital, indicated a new pattern of behavior. It felt as if they were acting like a human military force. With such a large number of monsters, their increased intelligence and use of large-scale magic posed a significant challenge.

Moreover, the 5th Legion faced 50,000 enemies with only 3,000 troops. In a battle on the plains, this clearly put them at a disadvantage.

Despite this, Raja exhaled deeply, showing a slightly weary expression. He then remarked casually.

“Well, this is a great opportunity to achieve results.”

Hearing this, the morale of the 5th Legion began to rise. Raja continued with a grin.

“Recently, only the Southern and Northern forces have been getting all the glory. Let’s show them the strength of the Eastern Front, shall we?”

With a smile, Raja issued additional orders. 

“Tell Saylor and the others. We’ll draw the enemy’s attention. In the meantime, Saylor’s unit will advance into the ruins.”

The messenger, having received Raja’s instructions, nodded and ran towards the rear where Erin and her team were stationed. Raja watched as he went. He then turned his gaze back to the enemy forces and addressed his troops.

“All units, are you ready? The enemy numbers about 50,000, while we have 3,000. … Do you understand what this means?”

With commanding energy, the young legion commander spoke to his troops, boosting their morale. Confirming that the entire army awaited his next words, Raja grinned confidently.

“What it means is simple. A number like that isn’t enough to stop us. Let’s go!!! 5th Legion, advance!!!!”

““““Understood!!!!””””

At Raja’s command, the 3,000 troops began their advance towards the massive enemy army with precise, coordinated movements.

・　・　・

In Tokyo, Earth. At the Ichigaya Garrison’s training grounds.

The sounds of clashing swords echoed intermittently, and two explorers moved energetically around the training grounds.

<Wow.>

<Equal with Misaki!?>

<No, it seems like the princess is actually pushing harder.>

<Her swordsmanship is incredible.>

<Well, Misaki’s strength isn’t really in swordsmanship.>

A few minutes into the mock battle, René and Misaki engaged in a light-hearted duel with each wielding a mock sword. Both were still in their previous attire. Though not fighting seriously, this was a mock battle between an ultra-deep-level explorer and a hero who had slain a dragon.

Even if not serious, their combat was already quite intense.

“…With just this, I still can’t figure anything out.”

“Misaki-dono, even though swordsmanship isn’t your main weapon, you’ve got good form. You have more talent than our Jez does.”

“…Was there a point in dissing me right now?”

Both Misaki and René looked unsatisfied. It made sense; they had both seen videos of each other’s combat. Knowing each other’s true strength, they were eager to see it firsthand and test their own abilities.

Immediately after crossing swords, both jumped back and grinned.

Misaki raised his right hand while supporting it with his left, then thrust both hands forward and shouted.

“Alpha, Enhanced Exoskeleton, Neutral Mode, Standby!”

“Ready! Set!”

Alpha, who usually spoke in a flat tone, responded over the comms in unnaturally well-pronounced English. 

“Transformation!!!!”

“Transformation command confirmed. The enhanced exoskeleton will materialize from the quantum space and be equipped on the user.”

In an instant, a dazzling light enveloped Misaki. And when it cleared, he was dressed in a full suit of armor with a mask. 

“Alpha, deploy all weapons simultaneously. Spatial control type autonomous weapons, base control armament!!”

“Understood. Item box activated. Materializing all weapons from quantum space. Main weapon switch complete.”

Misaki was clad in a black transformation suit, surrounded by twelve drones resembling Fan… something, and wielding massive railguns. 

Misaki, a deep-level explorer and employee of the Dungeon Technology Research Institute, was essentially a seeker of romantic weaponry. 

<Romantic idiot has arrived!!>

<Starting with a climax, huh? Haha.>

<Can’t say I don’t like it.>

<Is it really okay to use that equipment in a training ground?>

<Well, Alpha-chan’s here, so it should be fine, right?>

René watched Misaki’s transformation and weapon deployment with wide, sparkling eyes and exclaimed.

“This is a live transformation!!”

Jez, watching from the side, chuckled. He had also felt a bit excited seeing it in person, though he was slightly worried about the situation.

In response to Misaki, René also raised her smartphone and released her magic. She transformed instantly into a businesswoman in a pantsuit. Of course, she wielded the Flame Sovereign Sword.

Jez felt a twinge of anxiety, wondering if they had forgotten that this was just a training ground. He hoped everything was alright.

At that very moment, as if in reaction to René’s magic, a high-energy response suddenly appeared in the Ichigaya Garrison’s training grounds.

As everyone grew wary of the energy response,

“…What is this!? Master!! Dungeon response detected!!”

Alpha the secretary shouted. At the same time, the energy response surged further. As the dungeon appeared, a multitude of monsters began to overflow from it.