Chapter 39

Leord was led to the office and asked Gilbert, who had closed the door.

"Was there something you couldn't talk about in the dining room?"

"Yes. It was a bit urgent, and I didn't want to cause unnecessary confusion among the other servants, so I chose this place."

"I see. So, what did you talk about with Barbarot?"

"…It seems that signs of a monster panic have been discovered."

Leord tilted his head at Gilbert's words. It was a term he had never heard before, so he didn't understand the urgency.

"…Wasn't it a monster parade?"

The monster parade was an event in Fate 48, so Leord had assumed that was what had happened and asked Gilbert, but Gilbert tilted his head, not understanding what Leord was talking about.

"It's not a monster parade. It's a monster panic."

"…I see. Can you explain it in more detail?"

Leord, who was unfamiliar with the term from the game Fate 48, held his temples and asked honestly.

"A monster panic is a phenomenon where monsters, in a state of starvation, become aggressive in search of food. Many scholars have studied this phenomenon, but the cause is still unknown. The prevailing theory is that it's caused by mana, but it hasn't been definitively proven.

Furthermore, a characteristic of a monster panic is that monsters, in a state of starvation, become aggressive, and their hunger seems to dominate their thoughts. They attack anything they see, thinking it's food.

For example, the weakest goblins might attack orcs, which are stronger. Normally, this would be an impossible action for goblins. They would only attack orcs if they had a numerical advantage."

"Hmm… I understand the general idea, but is it really that threatening?

To me, a monster parade seems more threatening…"

"That's true. Between a monster parade and a monster panic, the latter is more threatening.

To explain, a monster parade starts when a powerful individual is born within a group of monsters and takes control of the group.

For example, a Goblin King. When a Goblin King is born, it takes control of the group and increases its power. Then, it attacks villages and towns. While a group of monsters acting like an army is threatening, the solution is simple: defeat the Goblin King, the leader of the group, and the group will fall into disarray and be easily defeated.

However, in practice, it's difficult to do. They fortify themselves like humans.

On the other hand, a monster panic is a group of uncoordinated monsters attacking. Moreover, they will build up many corpses to satisfy their hunger, regardless of whether it's a fellow monster or not.

Furthermore, they become more aggressive and stronger than usual. Their hunger surpasses their need for sleep, and they rampage day and night in search of food.

The only solution is to exterminate the monsters.

Between a monster panic, where monsters attack day and night with increased aggression, and a monster parade, where a coordinated group of monsters attacks, which do you think is more threatening, Lord Leord?"

"I understand fully. It seems the situation is the worst possible."

"Yes. We need to inform the capital and call for reinforcements; otherwise, it's impossible to handle.

I will inform Master now, so there will be no training this afternoon."

"Understood. Then, I will continue my usual magic training."

The extremely calm Leord left the office. However, as soon as the door closed and Gilbert was out of sight, he started trembling.

(Ahhh! What! What is this!?

Are you kidding me!? Am I going to die??

What the hell is a monster panic!?

I've never heard of it in the game!

Is this a more sadistic feature than a monster parade!?

This is ridiculous! Creators, come out!!

Damn it! I was completely off guard. I was mentally prepared for the monster parade, which was supposed to happen later, but this is too sudden!!

Damn it! What if I'm told to fight…)

Leord, returning to his room from the office, was overwhelmed with worry. It wasn't the monster parade, which he knew as a game event, but the unknown phenomenon of a monster panic. The content was more terrifying than the monster parade, and Leord was extremely anxious about what would happen if he had to fight.

Shivering from the invisible threat, Leord remembered one possibility.

It was about when Jin's memories first awakened. In a world where reincarnation into a different world with a fixed story, like a game, is common, the world's compulsion is an essential element. In Fate 48, the protagonist Siegfried is destined to die, regardless of which heroine he chooses. The cause of death varies, but no matter what, he dies.

In other words, Leord speculated that this might be the moment when his fate was to die. However, there was one odd thing.

Among the causes of Leord's death, there were instances where he was killed by monsters, but it was a monster parade, not a monster panic. So, he tilted his head, thinking it might be different this time, but if the element of the world's compulsion was added, the situation could change.

The answer that came to mind was that the world was trying to eliminate Leord, who possessed Jin's memories, as a foreign element.

(I won't forgive this!

I absolutely won't die!

I don't know if the world's compulsion is at work, but I've been training like hell every day to avoid death!

I will survive… I will survive!

I will!!)

Leord, burning with anger, was ready to face the monster panic, which might be the world's compulsion.