The last of the seven great human kingdoms was Silver Factory, the Kingdom of Iron and Manufacture. It neighbored the First, Fourth, and Sixth Kingdoms by land. As its name implied, it had a flourishing manufacturing industry for iron items such as weapons and farming tools. Consequently, it contained a great number of domestic facilities and materials to construct weapons, which was fortunate in regard to the ongoing war. In fact, the Seventh Kingdom had more than enough to even export supplies to other kingdoms while they were still preparing.
However, when compared to the other kingdoms, the Seventh Kingdom also had its handicaps. For instance, the roads to its royal palace were entirely level, which made it difficult to defend as enemies could attack it from any direction. Its food production was also relatively low for the size of its territory and population. The biggest problem of all was that it had no one who could stand up to the incoming shenmo. The kingdom’s hero, Yoshida, was the only member of the Seven Heroes who couldn’t hold his own in a fight.
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The Wiladorf sector was located in the Seventh Kingdom’s suburbs. The area around the royal palace was characterized by its many flat roads which, while a great boon during times of peace, became a liability in times of emergency. Thus, the Wiladorf sector had been deemed the place most likely to be attacked; in other words, it was the front line of the Seventh Kingdom.
It was also the sector that currently held six particular young fighters.
“Will the demon army really come here, Stephan?”
“Who knows? I just heard this is the likeliest place for them to appear.”
They were a good-looking bunch, and the way they carried themselves gave off the air of formidable warriors. They were the Great Six, the elite fighters of the Humanity Defense Coalition.
“Come on, that’s so vague,” said Griffith, their de facto leader, a young man with a sharp gaze.
“I do think the chance is really high, though! ☆” chirped Leen Clarice, a perky pigtailed girl in a pink, frilly dress. Her looks and mannerisms were modeled after the main character of a play about a magical girl that had been popular in recent days.
Leen took a deep breath. “It’s true the demon army now appears able to create a dimensional gate to teleport them anywhere they want as long as the destination’s mana has a certain amount of density, but that doesn’t mean everywhere is the same to them, okay? That’s because demons can exhibit their strength the best in locations with high mana density. The mana density around the Wiladorf sector’s line of defense is especially high compared to other locations, which makes this, undoubtedly, the place most likely to be attacked, and obviously the one we must defend the hardest when the demons do appear. I believe this is the most solid and rational deployment despite being pretty conventional, tee hee, ☆” she explained as smoothly as if she had practiced this speech a hundred times. “Hmm? What’s wrong, Griffith? Why’re you staring at me?”
She makes some solid arguments despite the eccentric way she dresses and talks. The contrast weirds me out, Griffith thought. Leen had looked and acted like a clown ever since she’d enlisted, yet her grades had always been at the top of the class.
The six of them continued to the front line while chatting, until they were interrupted by a man who looked like the commander of the Wiladorf forces. He had rushed over as soon as he spotted their group.
“We’ve been awaiting your arrival, ladies and gentlemen of the Great Six. Your reputation as the Humanity Defense Coalition’s elite precedes you! It’s reassuring to have you on our side,” he said.
“Thank you, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Commander.” Griffith shook the commander’s hand readily, hiding his conflicted emotions. The commander’s words weren’t mere flattery, but a direct result of the recent public acknowledgment of the Great Six. Previously, they’d been kept as a secret weapon of the Humanity Defense Coalition’s, but their names were quite well-known now, and as reliable warriors no less. During the initial assault of the demon army, which also served as their debut, half of them got their behinds handed to them by the Seven Heroes, while the other half couldn’t lay a finger on the former members of the Seven Black Stars. So how did their names inspire such confidence in people despite their disgraceful results?
The reason lay with none other than the Seven Heroes, specifically Alan Granger the Champion. After the fight, he’d said of the Great Six: “They possess both magnificent willpower and strength. They are capable of becoming the next generation’s heroes. I expect great things from them.”
When Chief Simon had heard that, he’d quickly taken advantage of the situation with an expensive public relations campaign across all kingdoms to spread the word that the next generation’s heroes were acknowledged by the Seven Heroes themselves.
“Tsk! I’m not exactly happy about this,” Griffith said under his breath. He recalled the striking image of Alan when he had appeared before them in their time of need and single-handedly crushed their enemies. Compared to him, they were nothing but unreliable. They lacked strength, achievements, and pretty much everything else they needed to deserve acknowledgment from the Champion of Light. “That reminds me. One of the Seven Heroes is here too, right?” he asked the commander.
“Hmm? Oh, you mean Mister Yoshida. Yes, he’s right over there,” the commander replied. He pointed toward the very front of their formation. It was the first line of defense, the people who’d be the first to clash with the demon army during an attack.
I’d expect no less from a hero like him, Griffith thought as he followed the commander’s gaze.
“Oh man, things look bad. The war really has begun, huh?” Yoshida was crouching amidst a pile of weapons and food supplies, his body trembling in fear. The sight was so pitiable that Griffith didn’t know what to say.
“Hey, Mister Yoshida! The Great Six have arrived!” the commander said.
“Oh!” When Yoshida heard the commander, he rose up and hurried over to them. “Hello, yes, we’ve been waiting for you. I’m expecting this to be a fierce fight, so we’re counting on you,” he said with his head bowed.