— Plaza in Front of the Dead City of Flowers
Carrying the unconscious Lumine and Roman, I arrived at the plaza in front of the Dead City of Flowers, only to find myself surrounded by several men who appeared to be instructors. Judging by the weapons leveled straight at me, their intentions were decidedly hostile.
"Why the hell are you here?!"
A tall instructor with a blue crew cut barked at me, his voice trembling with agitation. From their behavior, they clearly knew who I was. And just as clearly, they believed I had no business being here.
If I remembered the exam rules correctly, withdrawing was naturally permitted, and returning to this staging area to take a temporary breather or regroup was perfectly within regulations. Above all, there was only one conceivable reason for them to be on high alert with drawn weapons. In other words, I had been marked as a target just like the others.
"Am I not allowed to be here?"
I cast a deliberate glance over the circle of instructors hemmed around me, answering his question with one of my own.
"Those two aren't on your team! What happened to your other teammate? Don't tell me you attacked him?!"
Just as I thought—they knew all about that shaved-headed piece of trash. Nine times out of ten, these Babel personnel were the ones who had orchestrated the attempt on Lumine and Roman's lives.
"Who knows? He's probably having sweet dreams right about now."
Beelzebub was interrogating the bastard as we spoke, so I would have the full picture soon enough. There would be plenty of time to take decisive action after that. For now, I just wanted to gauge how deeply entangled Babel was in this mess.
"What is that supposed to mean?!"
The tall instructor with the crew cut thrust the point of his sword closer, hovering it right before the tip of my nose.
"I'll leave that to your imagination."
"Stop screwing around! Hand those two over right now!"
The tall man barked, his voice dripping with fury.
"Keep it down. The only people who'll meekly obey your howling are the naive youths you've spent years chewing up and spitting out, you know."
"What did you say?! Are you mocking us?!"
The crew-cut instructor pressed the edge of his longsword against the side of my neck, attempting to cow me through intimidation.
Judging by his posture, his skill with a blade was hardly any better than that of the examinees. He was a completely trivial opponent. Well, he was a Babel instructor for what it was worth, so he was likely a mage with little practical grasp of swordsmanship.
"If it sounded like anything else to you, I'd question your comprehension skills."
That was enough. I had seen the bottom of their depth. There was no point in humoring them any longer.
Besides, an ominous premonition churned in my chest. Laila was still out there taking this exam. Deimos was still green; he wouldn't stand a chance against a truly formidable foe. I needed to move, and quickly.
For now, I would leave Lumine and Roman with Rose and her group. Asta was by Rose's side. As the final boss of an Easy Dungeon, she would at least be capable of orchestrating an escape if worst came to worst.
Just as I was about to act, another man in a green robe—evidently an examiner as well—came sprinting over and whispered urgently into the ear of the tall, crew-cut man. Instantly, the crew-cut man's features warped into an ugly sneer. He stepped closer to me.
"Word is, Laila Helner is in dire straits as we speak. The bandits demand that you comply with our orders, hand those two over, and do exactly as you're told."
He delivered the message in an upbeat murmur, pitched low enough that only I could hear.
So my bad feeling had been right on the mark. Apparently, this organization called Babel was practically begging for an all-out war with me.
"Is that a threat?"
If so, it was utterly laughable. Perhaps in the distant past, but to the current me, threats were entirely meaningless. Yielding to intimidation from the weak—I had discarded all such naive sentimentality in that Easy Dungeon, leaving not a trace behind.
"No, it's merely a message passed along from the bandits. We are examiners; there is no possible way we could be associated with such riffraff."
"Utter nonsense."
How pathetic. The moment you act as a messenger for bandits, you've already confessed to being an accomplice.
"Allow me to offer a word of well-meaning advice."
Convinced he had forced me into submission, the corners of his mouth curled into an arrogant smirk. He tapped the flat of his blade lightly against my cheek in blatant triumph.
"And what would that be?"
"There is an absolute, inviolable order in this world. It is not something a mere incompetent swordsman like you could ever hope to challenge. Give up and obey in silence. That is simply how the world works."
Obey the existing order, was it? That was the single ideology I detested most in my current state. To mouth such words to me under these circumstances, with such laughable skill—these people must have harbored a profound death wish.
Very well. I was sick to death of this pathetic farce anyway.
I gently lowered Roman and Lumine to the ground.
"May I ask one thing?"
I fixed a calm, steady gaze on the tall man with the crew cut.
"Hm? What is it?"
Looking back at the man, who was still smugly basking in his perceived upper hand, I asked,
"This reflects the collective will of Babel—I may take it as such, yes?"
It was my final confirmation regarding whether their organization deserved to continue existing.
"Of course! Didn't I just tell you? An incompetent nobody like you needs to bow your head and do as you're told!"
I let out a heavy sigh.
"You made the wrong choice."
Leaving behind only those low words, I pinched the blade hovering before my nose between my left index finger and thumb, twisting upward.
"Huh?"
The staff member let out a mindless squeak as the steel crumpled and snapped like brittle candy.
Taking the remainder of the longsword into both hands, I crushed the metal and kneaded it into a dense, spherical lump of iron.
"..."
Paying no further attention to the blue-haired man who was staring blankly at what had been a longsword a moment prior, I manifested the Subjugation Compendium in my right hand.
Conveniently, there were only a few tents ahead of me, while a vast, empty clearing stretched out behind. There would be more than enough space here to summon them.
Facing the empty grounds to my rear, I flipped through to the appropriate page. The heading read: "Anti-Personnel Mass-Combat Army."
This page had manifested a short while after I subjugated that useless dragon known as Azi Dahaka. Following its defeat, the cover of the Subjugation Compendium had been inscribed with "Level 2," unlocking this entry.
From what I understood, it specialized strictly in anti-personnel engagements. Though restricted to facing human opponents, the physical capabilities of each designated monster were vastly amplified, granting them the temporary divine protection of the highest-ranking executives among the compendium's colorful roster.
I say "from what I understood" because my previous attempts to test it had merely displayed "Anti-personnel conditions not met," preventing the summon entirely. In short, this was its maiden deployment.
"Come forth."
At my command, the compendium radiated light, and thousands of grasshopper men flooded the plaza.
"Gugah!"
The Grasshopper Men snapped into immaculate, orderly formations, squaring their shoulders.
"You stand before His Excellency! All troops, salute!"
At the thunderous roar of Nemea, the lion-headed beastman standing proudly at the vanguard,
"Gigih! (Sir!)"
Thousands of Grasshopper Men struck their left palms with their right fists and bowed in unison.
So the Grasshopper Men were the ones assigned to mass combat against humans. What was more, every single one of them was outfitted in a distinctive uniform and cape. Nemea was clad in radiant golden armor as well. This was undoubtedly the special effect described in the book.
Still, would relying on the Grasshopper Men—the weakest beings in the Subjugation Compendium—really be enough to subdue Babel? I had no intention of losing a single subordinate over scumbags like these.
Well, they had the stat boost from the anti-personnel modifier, and Nemea was leading them. If things turned perilous, he would at least have the sense to withdraw them.
"Eeeek!"
In the unnatural silence that gripped the plaza, pinned under the murderous glares of Nemea and thousands of Grasshopper Men, the tall crew-cut man turned stark white with terror and let out a shrill shriek like a strangled bird.
Casting a dismissive glance over his pathetic display, I spread both arms wide.
"Men, this City of Babel has declared itself my enemy. Subdue the Tower of Babel immediately.
Do not harm the students or the examinees under any circumstances. And I will not tolerate a single death among your ranks. Those are your two conditions. Beyond that, do as you please. Run completely wild."
I issued the deployment orders.
"Gigah! (Sir!)"
The Grasshopper Men answered with a roar that shook the earth, stamping their feet in unison.
As the shockwaves rippled outward in concentric circles, the tall, crew-cut man collapsed backward onto the dirt, completely soiling himself. The rest of the staff members who had encircled me drew together in a huddle, violently trembling from head to toe.
Truly, a pathetic bunch. But the die had been cast—by their own hands, no less. In that case, I had no intention of showing the slightest compromise.
"W-Wait a second! Hold on!"
A man dressed like a swordsman, sporting a crimson bandana tied around his head, came tumbling out from the tent area in a frantic panic, shouting to halt me.
"Bly Stamp. Are you my enemy as well? If so, I will show no mercy."
Drawing Murasame from the sheath on my back, I dropped into a ready stance.
Inexperienced though he might be, the man was a fellow swordsman. In that case, I would crush him with absolute resolve. Above all, the moment they laid a hand on Laila, the concept of holding back ceased to exist for me. Whether my enemy was an entire organization or a single individual, I would grind them to dust until not a trace remained.
"Of course not! At the very least, we at Babel aren't your enemies!"
"Hah! Yet your people appear to be in league with the fools who abducted my childhood friend, Laila Helner. Not to mention they were actively preparing to dispose of two of my kin right here."
I gestured down at the tall, crew-cut man, who remained sprawled on the ground, his mouth opening and closing like a landed fish. At my words, his entire body stiffened in terror.
Bly initially blinked in bewilderment, shifting his gaze between Lumine, Roman, and then my face, before wheeling around to glare at his crew-cut colleague in sheer outrage.
"Is that true, you bastards?!"
His voice shook with rage, but—
"It is the truth."
A clear, melodic woman's voice answered his question. Shifting only my eyes, I spotted a group led by a striking beauty in a pure white robe walking toward us.
There was still a considerable distance between us. Under normal circumstances, her voice never should have carried this far; it was likely magic of some kind. I had sensed someone watching us for a while now, and it had almost certainly been them.
Regardless, that woman had just openly admitted the truth. Which meant—
"I see, I see. So you are the mastermind."
I could feel the corners of my lips curling upward unbidden. This was Inea, the headmaster of Babel. In other words, the undisputed supreme leader of this meritocracy in both name and reality—the strongest woman in Babel. Furthermore, the compact yet muscular man in the red robe standing behind her was Ralph Excel, the Hunter Guildmaster of Balse. Two hero-class figures of the Human Realm had graced us with their presence.
I see. Showing themselves before us in person was a display of the strong's supreme confidence, was it?
Against two heroes of humanity, the Grasshopper Men would undoubtedly be outmatched. I would have to handle this myself.
"Hahaha! Splendid. You people are truly entertaining!"
Lately, it had been nothing but clearing out insignificant pests; I hadn't had a proper clash with a true powerhouse. After all, the only one who had dared to stand and fight without immediately fleeing was that insolent three-headed giant lizard.
Babel's strongest headmaster and the heroic hunter Ralph Excel. As opponents went, they were more than worthy.
"Awaken, Murasame."
As I gave the command and channeled my magic power into Murasame with full force, the blade pulsed several times, casting a brutally malevolent aura over the surrounding area. It had been quite some time since I last woke Murasame. Once stirred from its slumber, this cursed blade became an untamable beast. If swung without absolute control, it could easily reduce everything in every direction to a scorched wasteland. I had to handle it with extreme precision.
I lowered my center of gravity, tuning my mind entirely to combat.
"Please do not misunderstand. I came here specifically to purge the traitors."
"Hm?"
Inea offered a faint, elegant smile and raised a hand.
"Apprehend them!"
Led by a narrow-eyed man in a black robe, the Babel staff members rushed forward in frantic haste, slapping heavy metal restraints onto the men who had surrounded me moments ago. Those were binding-type cursed tools.
"To commit such barbaric acts against examinees, of all people. It is an utterly unforgivable transgression. You, along with whoever gave you those orders, will face the severest of punishments, so prepare yourselves."
Fixing them with a chilling gaze usually reserved for vermin, Inea delivered her quiet proclamation.
"H-How can you—what proof do you have?!"
The tall man with the crew cut couldn't help but sputter a frantic defense, but—
"Do you truly believe evidence is necessary in a situation like this?"
At Inea's cold retort, the man stole a terrified glance in my direction. His face twisted in sheer horror, and his head slumped forward in utter defeat.
Inea turned back toward me, bowing deeply.
"This was the reckless doing of a few rogue fools; it in no way reflects the collective will of Babel. Would you please lower your weapon?"
She offered a sincere plea.
"A rather transparent joke. You expect me to trust you under these circumstances?"
"Yes. There is zero benefit for us in courting disaster by making an enemy of you. Furthermore, given your current predicament, creating new adversaries right now is surely the last thing you desire."
This woman saw straight through my current circumstances. Indeed, with Laila abducted, I had no time to waste being pinned down in a place like this.
However, whether this woman could actually be trusted was an entirely different matter.
"I have no reason to trust you. Crushing you here and now remains the safest course of action. That is what my instincts tell me."
I leveled the tip of Murasame straight at Inea, raising the blade into a high stance.
It was true that I wanted to set off to rescue Laila as quickly as humanly possible. But if I left now, Lumine and Roman could easily be taken hostage. People who operated from the shadows wouldn't hesitate for a second to pull a trick like that.
Since Nemea was weaker than me, there was no guarantee he could reliably defeat two human heroes. Above all, this woman gave off an exceedingly dangerous scent. She was not the sort of person one could ever safely trust. Therefore, eliminating her on the spot was the most absolute, optimal choice.
"P-Please, wait!"
Just as I was about to unleash my ultimate technique against Inea, whose previous composure had shattered into intense panic—
"Kai!"
Three familiar figures suddenly materialized, placing themselves directly between me and Inea's group.
Rose, Asta, and Zack. Given how abruptly their presence appeared, they had likely arrived via Asta's spatial teleportation. For all her sluggish demeanor, Asta was surprisingly versatile.
In any case, for Rose and the others to appear at this exact second meant someone had likely begged them to mediate. Naturally, that would be Babel's doing—but if so, did that mean Inea and her inner circle were genuinely uninvolved? No, for a rogue scheme carried out by mere subordinates, it was far too elaborate, and they had nothing to gain from it. This whole affair had become thoroughly convoluted.
"Princess Rose! Please reason with Lord Kai! We truly had nothing to do with this!"
On the verge of tears—in fact, actively blubbering—the narrow-eyed man, Sigma, pleaded desperately.
Rose looked between me, the thousands of Grasshopper Men, and the unconscious forms of Lumine and Roman lying nearby, before letting out a weary sigh.
"Kai, your concern lies with those two, does it not? If so, we shall take them into our protection."
She declared her intent to take charge. While her exasperated demeanor rubbed me the wrong way, I had originally planned on leaving the two in Rose's care anyway. It was certainly convenient, and with Asta capable of spatial teleportation, the worst-case scenario would at least be averted.
"Very well. I leave them to you."
With Asta present, Lumine and Roman's safety was effectively guaranteed. Besides, Babel wouldn't dare lay a hand on Rose, the first princess of the Holy Amelia Kingdom. In that case, I could agree to a temporary truce.
Moreover, if only to keep Inea's movements in check for the time being, the gesture of sheathing my blade was probably necessary.
Well, this was merely putting things on hold until this incident was fully resolved. There was no harm in that.
"Apologies for calling you out on short notice, but return for now."
"Sir!"
Bowing with utmost discipline, Nemea and the vast army of Grasshopper Men dissolved back into the Subjugation Compendium.
"I'm counting on you all!"
Entrusting Lumine and Roman to my companions, I turned and sprinted back into the forest once more.