Chapter 349

Leprosy Extermination Squad.

This mercenary group was entirely composed of individuals suffering from leprosy, earning their reputation for ruthlessly pursuing and assassinating their contracted targets. 

They were also notorious for their relentlessness in securing their payment.

Given the rough-and-tumble nature of the mercenary world, there were often clients who tried to delay or skip out on payment. The squad had gained fame for relentlessly pursuing such clients to ensure they paid their dues.

Hence, their nickname: The Leprosy Extermination Squad.

Why did I know them so well?

'Because they were one of my main frontline parties in the game!'

Being a gamer who cared more about performance than appearances, I had made good use of the squad. They were unpopular due to their disfigured looks, but they were capable fighters. 

All members had the [Leprosy] attribute, which dulled their sense of pain and helped them absorb damage better. On the downside, their agility stats suffered penalties, and they were more susceptible to status conditions like burns, frostbite, and bleeding.

But as tanks, their slow pace didn't bother me, and status conditions could be managed easily in-game. I would just admit them to a shrine for treatment once the battle was over.

Moreover, they were well-suited to tanking and their skill set was heavily focused on tanking and self-healing.

They were dependable allies who could be tossed into the enemy's stronghold and last all day while drawing aggro.

"Welcome to Crossroad!"

As the SR-grade high-performance party made their appearance, I spread my arms wide to greet them.

"Come on in, mercenary friends! Nice to meet you!"

"...?"

As I welcomed them, the five members of the Leprosy Extermination Squad looked visibly confused. 

The man in the helmet, who seemed to be their leader, stepped forward. 

"We've heard... there's a lot of work here... We're confident in fighting..."

"Whoa, there!"

"Wh-what?!"

Both the Leprosy Extermination Squad and the mercenaries who had been watching were shocked. 

Ignoring their surprise, I led the squad into a room within the Mercenary Guild.

"Let's get to signing the contract. We can negotiate your salary too. Come on, this way."

The leader of the Leprosy Extermination Squad, a man named Thorcel, seemed overwhelmed by the situation but clearly stated their expected payment. 

I offered them 30% more than what they asked for and added bonuses, with the condition that they would serve on this frontline for at least one year.

"Of course, you can extend your contract if you wish! Your terms of employment will remain the same or improve. What do you think?"

"..."

"The salary is weekly, and advances are possible if you need urgent funds. Any more questions?"

Staring at the contract, Thorcel hesitated.

"It's too good to be... Are you sure this is okay?"

"Of course it is! You guys are worth it."

Thorcel, whose hand was wrapped in bandages, skimmed through the contract and glanced at me.

"We are... lepers. Aren't you repulsed?"

"Why should I be? It's not contagious."

Wait, is leprosy different in this world? Is it actually contagious?

Feeling slightly alarmed, I saw Thorcel slowly shake his head.

"As you said, Sire. Our condition is not contagious. It's just that people find us revolting, and there are foul rumors that we are cursed by the Plague God..."

"Just rumors, right?"

"Yet those alone are enough to make people avoid us."

"Who cares? I'm not planning on living with you."

All I needed was their combat capability. As I've said before, I prioritize performance over looks.

The reason I welcomed different races to this frontline was the same.

If you killed monsters well and didn't break military law, it didn't matter if you had a long tail, were covered in fur, or had leprosy.

"..."

An oppressive silence flowed through the ranks of the Leprosy Extermination Squad. I blinked my eyes. Had I said something wrong?

"...Thank you, Your Highness."

Thorcel, who stood right before me, slowly bowed.

"We will serve you loyally until our worn bodies are no more."

Following him, the rest of the members of the Leprosy Extermination Squad also bowed to me. I smiled lightly and waved my hand.

"Of course, loyalty is good and all, but I don't expect anything grand. Just do the work equivalent to what you're paid for! That's what mercenaries do, right?"

"...Yes, Your Highness."

Thorcel nodded gravely.

"We will work for what we are paid. Just give us your orders."

"Be on standby. I'll call you up soon."

Finishing the contract, I left the Mercenary Guild. The Leprosy Extermination Squad followed me out and bowed until I was out of sight.

"The Lord is truly informal in various ways."

Having climbed onto the driver's seat of the carriage I was in, Lucas muttered.

"It's the first time I've seen a member of the Imperial Family treating people with leprosy so openly. Even priests who treat them aren't so casual."

"The treatment of leprosy patients is that bad?"

"It's widely believed that leprosy is the punishment for sins committed in a past life against the Goddess. Although the Church doesn't officially acknowledge it, that's the general sentiment."

There were religious reasons too. And they were physically hideous. They faced persecution for multiple reasons.

"But those guys, they have enough skill. They'll prove it in the field. I don't care about appearances."

"But your soldiers will."

Lucas spoke as he started the carriage.

"For their sake, I'll arrange for separate quarters outside the barracks."

"..."

Right. Regardless of my views, the reality of discrimination still exists. It's not something that would go away just because a Lord orders it.

Even the Shadow Squad, which consists of Elves, and the Penal Squad of Beastmen have their accommodations outside the barracks.

It would be better for the Leprosy Extermination Squad to have their quarters set up separately as well.

'As more and more 'different' people from across the continent come flooding in...'

Could I really integrate them into a single army?

In a world entangled with prejudice and vested interests, could everyone be united as one?

"Let's go!"

I was lost in thought, and Lucas skillfully drove the carriage. The blacksmith was not far away.

***

Having ordered various equipment from the blacksmith, I convened three parties in the afternoon and entered a dungeon. They were the Main Party, the Penal Squad, and the Dragonblood Knights.

"I've been restless from resting too much!"

Leading her fully armed knights at the front, Dusk Bringar broadly smiled.

Joyful laughter spilled from between her pointed teeth.

"Where are we going today? Is it a new dungeon again? Judging by the mobilization, it seems to be a tough place?"

"Haha, you'll see when you get there."

Seeing is believing. They'll understand once they experience the siege.

"Ah~ I always get restless around this time."

Kuilan and the Penal Squad were scratching themselves while following in the rear.

The Penal Squad had just entered their Beastman mode.

Starting with reddish fur sprouting in human mode. They may receive a bit less of the Beastman stat bonus, but this level is more than sufficient.

The most significant part is that Kuilan's negative trait [Fragile Body] is nullified in Beastman mode.

If I had to pick the top 3 combat powers among the hero parties I owned, it would be these three.

Today would be sufficient for carrying out the operation.

At that time, Junior, one of the main party members who had been whispering among themselves, cautiously approached me.

"Are you planning to initiate another conquest, Your Majesty?"

"Yes."

"You collapsed last time after pushing yourself too hard... Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Don't worry, don't worry. I've really adjusted now."

This would be the third time using [Imperial Edict].

I could feel my body gradually getting used to it.

It's not completely without strain, but just like muscle fibers tearing and growing stronger, abusing my internal magic power seemed to expand my limits.

'The Dragon Heart that Nameless fed me definitely has an effect.'

The electric shock pad... no, the Dragon Heart is lending me strength, specifically when using [Imperial Edict].

All in all, I felt that both the Imperial Edict and conquests were becoming more manageable. If I plan to take over all the dungeons, it needs to be manageable.

'Anyway, why was it a Dragon Heart?'

I thought about it while casually rubbing my belly.

Why did Nameless feed me a Dragon Heart? Was it the most effective magic enhancer? Or was there another reason...?

Upon arriving at the Colosseum, Jackal was waiting.

"Your Majesty!"

Jackal ran towards me barefoot, and I greeted him with a warm smile and a wave.

The plan that Jackal and I agreed upon was as follows:

First, we would take over this [Fiery Colosseum]. That would stop monsters from invading the area.

Here, Jackal would use his abilities to raise his own legion.

Jackal's unique trait, [Colosseum Operator].

Simply put, it's a Monster Taming ability.

My second skill [Become Mine!] was somewhat different; while I enforced mental control, Jackal 'employed' gladiators by bonding with the monsters. It's more like kidnapping, but anyway...

This way, we could safely raise a legion of monsters who would fight for us.

Jackal was a 'corrupted' NPC who had dipped his feet into the darkness here. It's a trait he could use because of that.

'He's obedient to me solely out of loyalty to the Empire, despite being swallowed by darkness and reaching a dungeon boss level... quite the unique character.'

I felt slightly amused watching Jackal explain the operation plan to the party members on my behalf.

Could I have him live in the Empire once we conquer all the dungeons and see the true ending?

'...Lots of stray thoughts today.'

I snapped back to focus and pulled out a flag. It was a new one, crafted recently at the blacksmith's.

During the last Aegis Special Forces infiltration incident, I found that I could use [Imperial Edict] even with a crude white flag. No need to carry a big flag around.

I brought a small, cute, and foldable flagpole. The flag itself was the Imperial flag.

'I'll have to create a new flag that symbolizes this monster frontline.'

What should the design be? Should I hold a design contest? With these thoughts, I planted the flag in the middle of the Colosseum.

"Declare this land— as the territory of the Empire!"

The moment the flagpole touched the ground,

Flash!

A burst of light emerged, and the magic power drained from my body expanded in a broad circle.

The presence of the Dragon Heart inside me felt distinct now.

The fragments of the Dragon Heart circulating in my bloodstream clustered together, emitting a searing heat— and spun several times along my mana route.

Screech!

Uh, is this functioning correctly? I don't have a certificate in this sort of thing...

Fortunately, aside from feeling warm all over, there was no issue. And [Imperial Edict] was cast smoothly.

Roar!

The air stilled, and there stood a familiar gray fortress imbued with magical energy. 

Its outer walls were fused with those of the Colosseum, making it appear much sturdier than usual. Today, the fortress would be the site of a Territory Capture Battle.

[The Territory Capture Battle will begin soon.]

- Time until start: 5 minutes

[Territory Capture Battle - Zone 5: The Fiery Colosseum]

- Defend against three waves of monsters to win.

- Monster waves will be randomly selected from the nearest monster legions.

- Each wave will include a boss-level monster.

The rules were the same as last time—three waves of monsters, each wave including a boss. 

I clapped my hands and looked around at my party members. Aside from those in the main party, the others seemed bewildered by the suddenly erected fortifications. 

"Alright, everyone knows the drill, right? Monsters will be swarming us soon, so get ready for battle!"

At my shout, everyone immediately went to their designated defense zones and began making preparations. 

Everyone knew it was more important to get ready for the impending fight than to ponder mysteries.

As I surveyed the neatly arranged heroes, I mused to myself.

'Even though we've got the top 3 parties in terms of combat power, combining them doesn't yield great synergy.'

Our main party had a balanced composition of a pure tank, damage tank, sniper, mage, and me, Ash. The Penal Squad was all front-line characters, as were the Dragonblood Knights—a composition of four knights and a half-human, half-dragon damage tank.

Combining all these parties resulted in a somewhat unbalanced, heavily front-loaded, melee-focused group.

'Strong, yes, but it would have been better to add a back-row damage-dealing party.'

Just as I was pondering this,

"Ash, do you have that thing...inside you?"

I heard Dusk Bringar's trembling voice.

"What? Uh!"

Dusk Bringar was not in her battle formation but had come over to stand beside me, staring at me with a shocked expression. 

I involuntarily gulped.

'Did she find out that I ate the heart of one of her kind for a power boost?'

As I quickly sorted through potential excuses,

"Is that a da—"

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The earth trembled, cutting off Dusk Bringar's words. 

A haze of dust announced the arrival of the advancing monster legions.

"Your Highness! Our defensive area is broad. Come this way!"

A shout from the Dragonblood Knights summoned Dusk Bringar.

"..."

With a pale face, Dusk Bringar shot me a glance, pressed her lips together, and ran off to meet the oncoming monsters.

"Phew!"

I exhaled in relief. Close call. But what will I say if she asks later?

Just then,

"Huh?"

I caught sight of an unusually shaped monster at the forefront of the approaching monster legion. 

Clippity-clop, clippity-clop—

A goblin of large stature was riding what looked like a mountain goat adorned with sharp horns. 

Covered in leather armor, wearing a golden cape fluttered by the dust, and a strange helmet that seemed like a mix between a mask and a crown.

"..."

The goblin leading the army pulled the reins, stopping his goat a considerable distance from the magical fortress. 

He lifted his masked face and looked our way.

Our eyes met. 

Amidst the chaos of the battlefield, an eerie silence hung between us.

"..."

"..."

I knew it instinctively.

This guy was the nightmare legion commander I would have to face in this defense battle. 

The Goblin God-King, Kali-Alexander.