Chapter 33

Enemy Races.

A concept collectively referring to non-human races designated as hostile by the Empire, targeting humans.

Monsters, beastmen, merfolk, and various other entities exist, but they are essentially divided into two categories: monster species and non-human species.

Non-human species are those among the non-human races that attack humans.

Originally, they were races that established their own nations and thrived across the continent, but they were defeated and scattered by the swords of Emperor Carolus and his twelve knights.

Most surviving non-humans have fallen into barbarism, scattered to remote areas and dungeons, devoid of proper civilization.

Thus, the Empire refers to these barbaric non-human species as mere monsters.

Goblins, kobolds, trolls, ogres, and the like.

They were the typical ones, if you could call them that.

Now, only the beastmen in the north maintain their unique civilization.

The orcs, due to their excessive belligerence, resisted to the end and went extinct.

Originally, Ka`har was also a non-human species, but they have recently been classified as a quasi-human species, and since their characteristics are not much different from humans, they are not included in this lecture.

…Well, they’re not just similar to humans—they’re practically humans with a different skin color.

On the other hand, the ecology of monster species is more complex.

At some point, grotesquely twisted enemy races began to appear on the continent.

Entities so terrifying that merely encountering them plunges people into fear, and their dense magical energy pollutes the surroundings, turning them into barren wastelands.

Theories about their origins are divided, and it’s unclear whether they even reproduce.

“…Monster species are broadly classified into three types: undead, hybrids, and void beings. Each has entirely different characteristics, and the methods to deal with them also vary. First, regarding undead…”

The professor in charge of the Enemy Races Research Introduction continued explaining, filling the blackboard with Imperial script.

Undead.

Walking corpses, ghosts formed from condensed magical energy.

Entities that, having already died, are revived and move by absorbing magical energy.

Since they are essentially already dead, they are not easily destroyed, and to exterminate them, a priest’s blessing or equipment capable of damaging their spiritual form is required.

There are several items that come to mind for damaging their spiritual form, but for now, it’s more efficient to either recruit a priest as an ally or carry a lot of holy water.

…Would Ai-mel-ra’s sword be effective?

Hybrids.

Flesh monsters formed from a horrific amalgamation of various life forms.

They possess incredibly tenacious vitality, and it’s said that they only die after being completely torn to pieces.

Tearing things to pieces is my specialty.

Void beings.

Alien entities presumed to have come from beyond this world.

They are characterized by their semi-transparent purple skin, inside which lies a body as if containing the night sky.

No method of extermination has been discovered, and the only option is to bind them and wait for them to naturally dissipate.

How did we deal with these guys before…? I think they died when I slashed them with the holy sword.

Guess I’ll have to rely on Damien for this.

“The cause of monster species’ emergence remains unknown. Some scholars claim it’s the result of mages abusing magical power, but the Magic Tower dismisses this as baseless slander…”

That’s actually the correct cause.

The setting is that these entities are born from the magical energy that seeps into the world to fill the gaps whenever mages consume the world’s magical power.

The evidence is the fact that monsters have not yet appeared in the eastern plains.

The mages of the east, known as shamans, were all exterminated long ago by Ka`har.

Though if I were to openly talk about this, I might end up with an assassin from the Magic Tower at my door.

“They primarily appear in places thick with the aura of death, such as battlefields, graveyards, and dungeons. Additionally, dozens of minutes before their emergence, a dense fog of magical energy forms as a precursor. Recognizing and exterminating them will be your duty someday.”

This lecture was quite informative for me.

In the game, it was just a matter of slashing the suddenly appearing enemies with the holy sword, but now that’s not an option.

Though monsters aren’t appearing that frequently yet.

“Next lecture, we’ll cover the barbaric non-human species, commonly known as monsters. In two weeks, there will be a field training exercise on this topic, so pay close attention. That concludes the lecture.”

Field training, huh?

Are they planning to take us to a monster habitat?

Monster habitats are usually places like deep forests or dungeons.

Once inside, it’s hard for the outside to know what’s happening.

And since it’s part of the curriculum, I can’t bring Nigel as an escort.

…Sounds like the perfect place to ambush and eliminate someone.

As if reaching the same conclusion, Knut glanced at me, and the murderous intent in his gaze sent a chill down my spine.

I’m certain.

If that guy is targeting me, it’ll probably be then.

Well, I’m not planning to avoid it either.

Considering the future, it’s wise to eliminate obstacles that keep tripping me up as soon as possible.

Since I’ve resolved not to feel responsible for Hersela’s matter, Knut is just an annoyance to me.

His blatant attempts to gauge my strength and the palpable murderous intent were getting tiresome.

Every time my instincts reacted to his hostility, sharpening my nerves, suppressing that heat was exhausting.

If he’s determined to kill me, fine. Let’s settle this.

*You want to kill me, don’t you, Knut?*

I met Knut’s gaze and smiled coldly.

*…It’s going to be harder than you think.*

—-

“Field training, you say? Indeed, if that’s the case, I won’t be able to accompany you. I’ll be waiting for that moment too.”

In my room, I discussed Nigel and Knut.

“If they come at me, I’ll have no choice but to kill them. I can tolerate them glaring at me, but I can’t just let them charge at me trying to kill me, right?”

If you know Hersela’s reputation, this might sound incredibly shameless, but I didn’t want to die because of what Hersela did. I’ll try to persuade her one last time, but it probably won’t work. I guess I’ll have to kill her.

“Hmm… Based on what I saw, her skills were below Princess Hashal’s, so if it’s a one-on-one duel, there’s nothing to worry about… But I doubt she’d act so recklessly.”

“Yeah. That guy probably has some plan too.”

I thought the same. The power I showed Knut wasn’t even half of what I’m capable of. I’ve been holding back my physical abilities and fighting instincts, and I haven’t even used the Empire’s swordsmanship properly. I’ve only been using a common steel longsword.

When I fought Kenneth at the end, it did take some effort, though.

So, if Knut judges my combat power based only on what he’s seen, he’ll probably think I’m around Damien’s level. No, if he underestimates me like that, things will get easier, but someone who knows my reputation won’t come at me so optimistically.

At the very least, he’ll prepare something to overwhelm someone of Damien’s level.

“If they attack in a monster habitat, the possible tactics are luring monsters for an ambush, wheel tactics… or infiltrating collaborators for a joint attack. Worst case, they might have been hiding their true strength all along.”

Nigel kept nodding as he listed the tactics Knut might use.

“He seemed like the type to value a warrior’s beliefs, so I doubt he’d use monsters or ambush tactics.”

“You never know. Resentment is a more passionate impulse than you think. Enough to throw away honor, beliefs, and pride without hesitation.”

Nigel gave me a serious look as he warned me. Well, he’s probably right. When faced with an enemy, you wouldn’t care about the means.

Thinking back to when I first saw Knut, it makes sense. His eyes were filled with so much hatred it was chilling.

“At least we have about two weeks left. That’s good. We can prepare in that time.”

“Prepare? How?”

“No matter what tactics he uses, if we’re strong enough, we can handle it. So for the next two weeks, we’ll do combat training. Princess Hashal’s power is strong, but it’s been quite unstable.”

Combat training?

The ominous feeling that phrase gave me made me shudder. Is he planning to turn me into a bloody mess again?

“Combat training? You’re not saying I have to spar with you again, are you? If that’s the case, I’ll be stuck in the infirmary for the next two weeks instead of improving.”

I hope my voice didn’t tremble. I don’t want to give the impression that I’m scared after just one bloody fight.

“No. We’ll do some sparring, but we won’t fight with real swords. The combat training I’m talking about is about monster hunting.”

“Monsters? Well, if they might use them to attack, we should prepare for that.”

“Exactly. So for now, it’d be good to visit the guild and get some experience with monster hunting quests.”

The guild, huh. Well, I was planning to try it out at some point anyway. The academy does have monster hunting practice, but since that’s the issue right now, I’ll treat this as a chance to get ahead.

Plus, as I mentioned before, I need to check the underground waterways too.

“It’s a good opportunity. I’m running low on living expenses. Of course, I have some money saved up, but Marquis Ludwig ordered me not to use it…”

Thorough as ever, Marquis Ludwig. He doesn’t want me relying too much on Nigel and wants me to earn my own money, huh? It’s not like the Great Lord of the borderlands would care about such small change. It’s more like teaching me to fish instead of giving me fish.

“So you won’t be fighting alongside me in monster hunting quests? Otherwise, it’d be no different from you earning money for me.”

“Right. If it’s really dangerous, I’ll step in, but otherwise, I’ll just give advice.”

…So he’s just going to coach from the sidelines. That should be enough. He said he’d help if things get really dangerous.

“Alright. Then let’s head to the adventurer’s guild tomorrow. Help me get ready.”

Since it’s come to this, I might as well start tomorrow. There don’t seem to be any important lectures for a while anyway.

My battle-hungry body will be satisfied and calm down, so in a way, it’s killing two birds with one stone.

—

The next day, I left the academy in the carriage Nigel prepared.