I was Lloyd di Saloom, the Seventh Prince of the Kingdom of Saloom.
I was ten years old and obsessed with magic. In my previous life, I had been an insignificant, lowly mage. I had fallen in love with the High Magic I saw for the first time back then and carelessly lost my life, only to find myself reincarnated into this body.
Being the Seventh Prince, I was quite far down the line compared to my older siblings and held no Right of Succession. My father, the King of Saloom, had told me to live as I pleased, so I spent my days without hesitation, devoting myself to mastering the magic I loved.
Given my status as a prince, I never wanted for funds or books, and I was allowed to do as I liked. Lately, however, I had the feeling that the people around me were placing strange expectations on me... Well, it was surely just my imagination.
A plain, inconspicuous Seventh Prince who just liked magic a little bit—that was my role in life.
And so, today, I was busy with my daily reading.
Recently, since we had established ties with the neighboring Kingdom of Bertram, I had been able to obtain precious volumes that were previously out of reach.
Furthermore, for some time now, my maid Sylpha and the Second Prince, Albert, who often looked after me, had been so busy they didn't have a moment to spare for me, so I had been left to my own devices.
Was this really all right, I wondered? Being able to stay in my room every day reading rare books—I almost started to feel guilty about it.
Just as I was thinking that and preparing to open a book, I heard the sound of hurried footsteps running about outside.
"...It’s rather noisy out there."
Looking out the window, I saw soldiers running across the castle grounds and engaging in rigorous training, such as weightlifting.
The silver-haired maid, Sylpha, was there instructing them.
"That’s unusual. To think Sylpha is training soldiers instead of me."
"I'm amazed. You've finally noticed? It's been like this for quite a while now."
A tan-skinned maid standing nearby spoke up.
"Sylpha-san is busy instructing the soldiers, and Master Albert and the other princes are also running around frantically."
She was Ren of the Poison Moth. Originally a member of the Assassin's Guild, she had ended up working as a maid for various reasons.
She possessed the ability to manipulate toxins, but she was currently practicing how to control them. By adjusting the proportions of the poisonous components, they could even be turned into medicine.
When she tilted the pot over a teacup, the pleasant aroma of her special medicinal herbal tea filled the room.
I accepted the cup and took a sip to wet my lips.
Hmm, another new combination of medicines. ...Yes, it tasted good. Her skills had certainly improved.
"So, why is everyone so frantic?"
"Seriously!? You don't even know that!?"
Ren's eyes widened in surprise.
Well, I had been buried in my books the whole time.
Actually, I had no interest in what was happening.
Even now, I had only brought it up as a conversation starter.
"...It seems you truly don't know. I’m either amazed or just think it’s typical of you, Lloyd... Word is that the Kingdom of Saloom is currently on the verge of destruction."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. You know about the Stampede, right?"
"Ah, the disaster caused by a mass outbreak of monsters. If it's large enough, they can trample entire villages, or so I hear."
"An ultra-super-mega-ultra-huge one is approaching right now! It’s big enough to trample the entire territory! Everyone is running around to try and prevent that!"
Ren spread her arms wide, emphasizing the scale of the crisis.
Hoh, a large-scale Stampede, huh?
I knew of the phenomenon itself, but I had never actually seen one.
There were various theories: that it was caused by the Magic Concentration in a specific area rising and putting the monsters into a state of intoxication, or that a monster king-like existence ordered it, or even due to food shortages, the process of evolution, or fleeing from a crisis... but the true cause remained unknown.
Something that warped the nature of monsters, which usually didn't form herds or travel long distances.
The more I thought about it, the more intrigued I became.
"Just so you know, I’ve explained this to you several times already. It seems you weren't listening, though."
Ren puffed out her cheeks in a pout. Apparently, I hadn't been listening.
I tended to focus entirely when I was reading, so it couldn't be helped.
"It would be a problem if the territory were ravaged, so that is worrying. I think I'll go take a look."
"...Why are you grinning?"
Oops, the corners of my mouth had slipped. This wouldn't do.
Well, it was something to look forward to. One theory regarding the cause of a Stampede was an abnormal change in the internal magic of the monsters.
What was happening inside the monsters' bodies, or were there other factors? My curiosity was endless. There was no reason not to go.
"Well then, I’ll be back soon."
"Yeah, be careful."
After saying goodbye to Ren, I left the room.
She had said it was coming from the north. I didn't know the exact location, but would it be fine?
"If it's on such a large scale that people are saying the country is in crisis, it'll probably be easy to spot just by looking, Master."
A mouth suddenly appeared on my palm.
This was Grimo, a Majin. Due to various circumstances, I had him living in my hand.
"Yes, it is said that the largest Stampede ever observed was enough to fill the horizon. If what Ren-tan says is true, there won't even be a need to search for it."
This time, a mouth appeared on my other palm.
This was Jiriel, an angel. I also had him living in my hand due to various circumstances.
"Hmm, let's go try and see anyway."
Either way, it seemed like a pretty big deal.
I was getting excited. Suppressing my rising anticipation, I headed out into the garden.
"Oh, where are you going, Lloyd?"
Just then, a handsome blonde man, the Second Prince of Saloom—Albert—called out to me.
His timing was as if he had been waiting for me.
"Hahaha, you have a look on your face that says, 'His timing is as if he had been waiting for me.' And for good reason—actually, I had cast Tracking Magic on you so I would know the moment you left the castle."
"No way... is that true?"
Tracking Magic involved placing a Magic Imprint on a specific target and monitoring its flow.
It was a relatively high-difficulty spell, but for Albert, who was one of the highest-level mages in the castle, it would be a simple matter.
Even though I had been absorbed in my reading, for me not to notice meant he must have constructed a very skillful Spell Formula.
"Lately, you've reached quite a high level as a mage, Lloyd, so I took the liberty of tinkering with the formula. You didn't notice, did you?"
"No, not at all..."
It was because I was so focused on my books.
When I was concentrated, I often forgot that Sylpha or Ren were even nearby.
"But why would you do such a thing to me?"
"I thought that once you learned about the Stampede, you’d want to fly out immediately. I’m sorry, but I took the liberty of setting it up secretly."
To think he had read my personality so well...
Even though I was supposed to be living quietly as a plain, magic-loving child, this was quite a predicament.
Seeing my agitation, Albert wore a slight smile.
"In the past, you have secretly slipped out of the castle without telling anyone to solve difficult problems. If the country is facing a crisis, you wouldn't be able to stay silent. That's why I tried to keep the news from reaching your ears. But this time, it won't go like that. No matter how much of a prodigy you are, Lloyd, it's just too dangerous."
"E-Err... Ahaha..."
Up until then, I had only gone because it seemed interesting.
I was being majorly misunderstood, but if I tried to make an excuse, it felt like I'd only dig myself into a deeper hole, so I just laughed it off.
"Monsters enough to fill the horizon are devouring the forests and trampling villages as they head toward Saloom. It is undoubtedly a Stampede of unprecedented scale. I cannot possibly let you shoulder this alone. But there is nothing to fear. Lloyd, thanks to the Flying Golem you and Zerof co-developed, we were able to discover the start of the Stampede early, and the craftsmen led by Dian, the Fourth Prince, are mass-producing Magic Swords. We are also proceeding with military training in parallel. If everyone joins forces, we will surely overcome this national crisis!"
Albert smiled refreshingly, showing his white teeth.
What a handsome smile; the female soldiers nearby were all swooning.
"—Besides, those people will be back soon."
"Those people?"
As I tilted my head in confusion, a soldier interrupted.
"Master Albert! T-This is terrible!"
A pale-faced soldier ran to Albert's side and knelt.
"What is it? You're being noisy."
"M-Monsters have appeared!"
"What!?"
Cries rose up from the direction of the gate.
When I focused my consciousness outside the gate, I indeed sensed the reactions of a large number of monsters.
A ferocious vortex of mana... there was a considerable number of them.
"Come, Lloyd!"
Albert grabbed my hand, and we used Flight to fly toward the castle gate.
From atop the gate where we landed, we could see a massive swarm of monsters below.
"What... the monsters gathered by the Stampede should still be quite far away...! Why are they near the castle!?"
Seeing this, Albert raised his voice.
The soldiers also seemed to be running hither and thither at the sudden appearance of the monsters.
"A Stampede grows larger by absorbing groups of monsters over a wide area... I don't know where the starting point is, but depending on the scale, it wouldn't be strange for the monsters in this vicinity to be influenced and join the Stampede!"
"They're heading straight for the castle... This is bad, Master Lloyd!"
I nodded at Grimo and Jiriel's words.
The monster swarm probably numbered nearly a thousand. There were still civilians outside the castle, and the area around the gate was in the midst of chaos. At this rate, there would be heavy casualties.
—It couldn't be helped. This wasn't the time to worry about people finding out my true strength. I had no choice but to do something about this myself.
If I blew them away with a powerful spell, the damage could be kept to a minimum.
If I fired from here, it probably wouldn't be traced back to me.
If I were suspected, I'd just make up an excuse like, "Maybe a natural disaster happened by chance?" ...That might be a bit of a stretch, but dammit, there was no time to hesitate.
"■—"
Just as I was about to chant a spell...
A massive explosion shook the air, and the monster swarm was blown away.
What happened? I hadn't done anything yet.
"W-What's going on!?"
"It's the cavalry! Dozens of cavalry are heading this way!"
In the direction the soldier was pointing, knights on horseback could be seen galloping through clouds of dust.
There were two units of dozens of cavalry; one was attempting a breakthrough in the center while blowing away the monster swarm, and the other was circling around the monsters' path of advance as if to protect the castle.
"Hey, hey... a pincer attack sounds good and all, but the numbers are too different. At this rate, they'll be overrun."
"Besides, now that they're this intermingled, Master Lloyd can't attack. We can only watch."
Grimo and Jiriel watched with bated breath.
Contrary to their concerns, the two units began to encircle the monster swarm.
No, it was strange to call it an encirclement with such a difference in numbers... but anyway, they rapidly reduced the number of monsters while dizzily changing their formations.
"Whoa!? That unit that circled to the front of the monsters—the moment they clashed, they pulled back in just one section to encircle the enemies that pushed forward! And they're not sticking to that advantage; they're flexibly changing their formation to respond. Their individual strength is one thing, but that commander—how many orders are they giving? It’s like they can see the entire battlefield."
"The unit giving chase is also no joke. A wild movement that seems to tear through the enemy's weaknesses. Even while inside the monster swarm, they're galloping freely, never getting surrounded while constantly whittling down the enemy. What's noteworthy is the commander's attack power! Look, the enemies are being blown away with every single swing of that massive sword."
Hmm, even for someone like me who wasn't very interested in fighting, it was a mesmerizing performance.
I had been thinking of secretly defeating any monsters that broke through with magic, but it seemed there was no need to even worry about that.
The monster swarm attacked by the two units was scattered before I knew it.
"That armor... it's the Saloom First Squad and Second Squad!"
"Ooooh! They've returned to us!"
"What incredible timing!"
A great cheer rose up among the soldiers.
The excitement was immense.
"Albert-niisan, who are they?"
"Ah, you don't know them, do you, Lloyd? Those two are always busy... It’s perfect, I’ll introduce you. Let’s go out to meet them."
When we descended to the ground, the two units had just reached the gate, their horses' hooves clattering.
Albert stepped forward in front of the figures leading them.
The two wearing battered full-body armor were tall, even accounting for the fact that they were on horseback. One carried a spear of incredible length, and the other carried a tremendously large sword.
Their faces weren't clearly visible against the backlight, but they projected an aura of incredible strength.
"What intense pressure. I can't believe they're human..."
"Yes, it's a tremendous aura. They are certainly no ordinary people."
Grimo and Jiriel were also intimidated by the two.
I could barely feel any magic, but these two definitely seemed very strong.
"Welcome back, Big brother Shneider, and Big sister Cruse."
"Umu."
With a short reply to Albert's words, the two removed their helmets.