Once I began interrogating the red-haired pretty boy, he spilled everything immediately.
Apparently, some noble of the Amelia Kingdom named Fracton had colluded with the Empire in an attempt to abduct the kingdom's first princess, Rosemary Loto Amelia.
So that woman was the Saint who summoned the Hero after all. Well, thinking about it now, there was certainly no room for doubt. Or rather, my past self must have been out of his mind not to notice.
At any rate, Fracton, the mastermind behind the princess's abduction, was likely that pompous, bearded noble. I remembered nothing from him but endless harassment, being branded incompetent and a traitor.
Furthermore, two individuals had been dispatched from the Empire: a summoner named Enz, and the Sword Emperor—Zignir Gastrea.
Summoning magic—the art of calling forth creatures from various other worlds. According to Kai's knowledge from before entering the dungeon, summoning was a supreme magic standing alongside Ancient Magic. On top of that, Enz seemed to be a mage capable of summoning supernatural monsters known as Spirit Kings.
The Subjugation Compendium was a mechanism that generated physical bodies from soul information using my magic power, storing those bodies within a unique world created by the book itself. That was why I suspected it was probably similar to summoning.
Even so, they were monsters from that far too lukewarm dungeon, and reality would not be kind enough for them to easily defeat whatever a summoner brought forth. Plus, the troublesome current Sword Emperor, Zignir Gastrea, was also present. It was plain to see that the odds would be against me.
Strategically speaking, retreat was an entirely viable option, but—no. Anything but that. It was true that I had no desire to willingly seek out battle with the strong, but this was likely what one would call the lingering feelings of the past Kai Heinemann. I was deeply attached to protecting the girl named Rose. Moreover, turning my back and running away with my tail between my legs from a strong foe merely due to the vague possibility of defeat went against my very nature. That was the one choice I could never make.
Besides, the sword technique of the Former Sword Emperor, Ashburn Gastrea—that old man's swordsmanship was something I still remembered even after a dizzying amount of time had passed in the dungeon. Rarely was anything ever refined to such a degree. Thinking of his sword technique from his prime—and not merely my own degraded memories of it, but the real deal—honestly gave me shivers. And Zignir Gastrea was the man to whom that great master swordsman Ashburn had entrusted his wishes. This was bad. Despite knowing full well how perilous an opponent he was, I desperately wanted to cross blades with him at least once. That was how I truly felt.
This world was brimming with powerful figures. There was little doubt that Zignir Gastrea ranked among the very top of those swordsmen. To desire a meaningless, entirely unproductive battle... I was truly beyond saving. Yet, that was undeniably the essence of the current Kai Heinemann.
Well then, time to take action. First, I ought to disrupt the enemy forces.
Taking out the Subjugation Compendium from my Item Box, I opened the first page—the Grasshopper Man page.
The Grasshopper Man page displayed a count of 9,999. The Subjugation Compendium set the maximum number of registered individuals based on a monster's strength; the stronger they were, the lower their maximum registered count gradually became. In other words, the monster that could be registered in the greatest numbers, the Grasshopper Man, capped out at 9,999.
Looking back on it now, I was amazed I had managed to collect so many. I was, by nature, an obsessive perfectionist.
Since this was just to test the waters, I supposed about a hundred would do.
"Grasshopper Man—one hundred units, Release."
At my word of power, one hundred grasshopper-men materialized before my eyes.
"Gigi-gaga. (Master, your orders.)"
The grasshopper-men placed their right fists against their left palms and bowed.
"Are these monsters from the dungeon's upper floors? Nay, they appear somewhat too strong for that... Master, what on earth is this?"
"Yeah, as some sort of special clear bonus, I obtained a book capable of storing the souls of monsters from within the dungeon, materializing them in the flesh, and employing them. This is that book."
Astaroth peered at the Subjugation Compendium through his monocle, beads of sweat pouring down his face like a raging waterfall. Then, crouching down and clutching his head, he cried out:
"Into what manner of person's hands has such an outrageous thing fallen?!"
With tearful eyes, he began muttering incomprehensible nonsense under his breath. I decided to leave the suspicious-acting Lord Chicken Majin alone. Now then, more importantly...
Standing before the Grasshopper Men, I spoke:
"It seems there are humans in black robes around this area, along with beasts called black panthers and ogre fiends that they command. Disrupt them. As long as we can reach our destination without obstruction, that will suffice. However, do not pursue them too far. Return in one piece, every last one of you. That is an absolute order."
I laid down the strict command. These Grasshopper Men were my subordinates, after all. Even I had no desire to do something as foolish as throwing their lives away in vain.
"Gugigi gagigi-gaga? (If we can kill them, is it fine to kill them?)"
"Yeah, I am merely telling you not to overextend yourselves. I do not mind in the slightest."
"Gaga-gugigyii!! (What immense grace!)"
Watching the Grasshopper Men pretend to weep with gratitude, Astaroth's cheek twitched violently.
Faf nodded with a broad, satisfied smile.
"Then it's about time to begin! Go!"
"Gigi! (Yes, sir!)"
Bowing once more, the grasshopper-men scattered into the forest.
"Now then, while they do their best, shall we get going as well?"
"Let us go, yes!"
Glancing at Fafnir, who thrust a right fist toward the heavens, Astaroth asked me while covering his face with his right palm:
"I must ask... Does Master truly believe those things could actually lose?"
"Hmm? Well, they were originally monsters from the upper floors of that damnably lukewarm dungeon, after all. In a straight fight, winning would likely be difficult. But they have trained considerably as well. They should be more than capable of handling a disruption mission."
Every single one of my registered monsters had undergone daily training spanning tens of thousands of years, granting them considerable strength. They ought to carry out this mission without a hitch.
"Do whatever you please, then..."
Astaroth muttered in resignation, his shoulders slumping as if thoroughly exhausted from the bottom of his heart.