Chapter 262 - Chapter 261: Old Friend
【Gronoir Empire, Imperial Capital Karchi】
The Emperor's residence.
In the Audience Chamber, the Empire's ministers and the Church of Light's Cardinals stood in a row, reporting to Emperor-Pope Hildinlander.
Beside Hildinlander stood the Prime Minister.
The new Emperor had seized imperial power through a rebellion, yet he retained almost all the ministers.
Only two ministers were not retained.
Those two were the ones who resisted during the rebellion and lost their lives.
Not everyone welcomed the new Emperor with open arms, but they gained understanding after a few drinks.
Now, all the ministers are completely infatuated with Emperor-Pope Hildinlander, serving as loyal servants moving toward the same goal.
"It is believed to be... exceeding expectations. What shall we do, Your Majesty? Is it acceptable to continue as is?"
"It doesn't matter. Accept everything."
At Hildinlander's order, the Minister of Military Affairs bowed respectfully.
The Prime Minister cast a glance at the Minister of Internal Affairs standing beside the Minister of Military Affairs.
The Minister of Internal Affairs bowed once and began his report.
"Regarding Your Majesty's inspection plan, adjustments are currently underway in each territory. Furthermore, with the Church's cooperation..."
Hildinlander listened to the minister's report and issued several instructions.
This inspection plan was for the Emperor himself to tour all territories of the Empire, delivering speeches at all major cities and the Great Cathedral... or conducting Mass.
It was a plan initiated by the Emperor himself to comfort all citizens of the Empire and unite the hearts of loyal subjects.
The difficult part of specifically planning this was the portion where the Emperor tours the country, but actually, that itself was not a major issue.
The biggest concern was the schedule.
The key point was how to fulfill the Emperor's wish to visit all territories within such a short period.
Furthermore, the route of that inspection made no sense.
After touring the western and southern parts of the Empire, the next destination was set for a territory on the edge of the eastern region.
Moreover, that travel was scheduled for just one day.
Therefore, escorts had to be arranged separately, some from the Royal Capital and others from the eastern region.
Despite such an incomprehensible inspection schedule, not a single person raised an objection.
The Emperor said, "Do it so."
It was natural for subjects to do so.
Once the routine reports and instructions were finished, Hildinlander suddenly gazed into the void.
Then, he smiled softly and instructed the Prime Minister to dismiss everyone.
The Prime Minister bowed respectfully, causing everyone gathered in the Audience Chamber to withdraw.
Ministers, Cardinals, knights guarding and escorting.
Not a single person left behind.
After confirming that everyone had withdrawn, the Prime Minister also left the Audience Chamber last.
Confirming that no one remained in the Audience Chamber, Hildinlander spoke.
"What happened, Ventus? What is it? Losing so much Voluntas?"
Hildinlander, questioning the void, gradually lowered his gaze, continuing the conversation as if the other party were right before his eyes.
"...Oh? A child? To defeat a Chimera, he does not seem like just a child."
Hildinlander crossed his legs and propped his cheek with his left hand.
Thus, he fell into thought for a while.
"...Is Ignis acting separately? The retrieval of Artorum... I see."
When Hildinlander extended his right hand with elegant movements, countless black threads were released from his hand all at once.
The black threads wrapped around something as if capturing prey, instantly becoming a giant cocoon exceeding two meters.
That "Artorum" moved wrigglingly as if pushing out from the inside.
"Hahaha! Don't struggle so much."
Hildinlander laughed mockingly and gazed at the cocoon with pleasure.
The "black" gradually shrank, but occasionally swelled as if resisting.
However, in the end, it shrank down to a size that could rest on the palm of Hildinlander's hand.
"If you lose Voluntas to this extent, it will be too late now. ...You have worked hard, Ventus."
Muttering so, Hildinlander looked up and opened his mouth wide.
Slowly lowering the "black" into his mouth, he swallowed it whole.
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and savoringly enjoyed it.
Hildinlander exhaled deeply and opened his eyes.
His eyes were filled with a dangerous light reminiscent of a carnivorous beast.
"You are going to drop out... How sad, old friend."
Hildinlander spoke to a friend whose true name he had long forgotten.
"...Become my sustenance and live eternally."
Hildinlander's muttering disappeared into the vast Audience Chamber.
■■■■■■
The Adventurer's Guild in the Royal Capital.
In the Guild Master's office, Chirensta couldn't help but hold his head in his hands.
"...I must say it is a great blunder."
"That is certainly true... However, punishing the person in charge for this seems a bit pitiful."
"Even so, someone must take responsibility."
Many monsters appeared in the Royal Capital and attacked.
Receiving a request from the Fifth Knights Order, the Guild decided to send reinforcements.
A decision was quickly made to dispatch adventurers.
Up to this point, it was good.
They responded as expected.
However, the problem started from here.
The messenger sent to convey the Guild's decision simply could not reach the branch.
The upper level responded to the request without issue.
However, due to chaos within the Royal Capital exceeding expectations, the messenger could not move, and was attacked by monsters, resulting in his death.
Therefore, the First and Second Branches in the Royal Capital had to respond independently without knowing the upper level's decision.
"Indeed, it is difficult to anticipate such a large-scale monster attack. If the message had reached either branch, there would still be an excuse... but..."
The messenger heading to the First Branch was attacked by monsters and died.
The messenger heading to the Second Branch arrived at the branch long after the monsters had been defeated.
The only consolation was that the adventurers still judged independently and stood against the monsters.
Furthermore, adventurers who judged they could not fight the monsters voluntarily moved to evacuate and rescue residents.
Although the Adventurer's Guild lost its face, thanks to the adventurers, it can be said that the minimum existence value of the Guild was shown.
If there were no Guild, adventurers could not have continued their activities until today anyway.
"We urgently need to review the future communication system. Especially regarding emergencies, a system to reliably deliver instructions is necessary."
At the Guild Master's opinion, Chirensta silently nodded.
"Take this failure as a lesson. Propose plans not only for the communication system within the Royal Capital but also for methods to convey emergency situations throughout the Kingdom."
"Throughout the Kingdom!? For a situation that might happen anytime... or might never happen again?"
"Yes. Regardless of whether it is feasible, propose a plan first. We can bring it down to a realistically possible level later. At the very least, consider a method to notify all branches throughout the Kingdom within one day if an emergency occurs in any branch."
Chirensta felt dizzy at the premise presented by the Guild Master, which was so far removed from reality.
If such a method existed, it would have been implemented long ago.
"Ah, let me add one more situation. Assume the emergency occurs in three places simultaneously. Assume occurrences in the Royal Capital and the second and third largest cities in the country."
At such an absurd assumption, Chirensta almost wanted to slam his resignation letter onto the table.
He had previously left his resignation letter with the Guild Master, but discarded it after resigning as Vice Guild Master.
However, since then, he had practiced the way of resolve shown by Mika and kept a resignation letter in his pocket.
Approach every job with the resolve to quit.
But this order was too unreasonable.
The second largest city in the country is the western coastal region of the Kingdom.
It is a port city.
And the third largest city in the country is Sarbengeal, where Chirensta also worked before.
It is located on the southeastern edge of the Kingdom.
Crossing the Kingdom normally by shared carriage takes about four weeks.
Crossing the Kingdom vertically takes about one month.
To finish transmitting information over such a distance in one day is, frankly speaking, absurd.
The Kingdom has built a fast horse communication network throughout the country.
Even with that, it takes two days to go from Sarbengeal to the Royal Capital.
Trying to achieve a transmission speed exceeding that means the Guild is attempting what the country cannot do.
Chirensta lowered his head slightly, pressed his lips together, and twisted his face.
But after exhaling deeply, he directed a sharp gaze filled with resolve toward the Guild Master.
"I understand. I will try."
"Yes, please do so."
Thus, he left the Guild Master's office.
Walking down the corridor, he scratched his head vigorously.
"...Should I consider the method of transmission within the Royal Capital and throughout the Kingdom as separate things? If there is a method to transmit throughout the Kingdom, it seems easy to use that for the Royal Capital as well... but..."
Muttering to himself while thinking, Chirensta suddenly stopped.
He turned around and looked at the Guild Master's office he had just exited.
"In the end, who is going to take responsibility for this...?"
It seemed all the Guild executives would take responsibility, perhaps with salary reductions.
Saying it is everyone's responsibility sounds good, but in the end, it is a measure to obscure the location of responsibility and deceive.
Mostly, however, since this incident was so unexpected, it is better than pinning responsibility on a specific person.
Chirensta sighed and started walking again.
"I don't have time to worry about others."
Chirensta hung his head under the sheer impossibility of the task.
■■■■■■
Day of Water, Week 5, Month 3 of Fire.
Mika was in the Academy classroom, looking blank...
Mika had been running around the Royal Capital non-stop since the monster attack, but decided to take a break for now.
Applying Heal to the injured is also winding down, and currently, the restoration of the Royal Capital has moved to removing inconvenient rubble and repairing damaged houses.
Two gates of the Second Wall were destroyed; regarding those, they have only been made safe for now and are not yet rebuilt.
Also, although not completely destroyed, there are parts that have ceased to function as gates, and the country is currently considering a response.
If it were Mika, he could contribute to the restoration just as he provided stone for the border defense wall.
However, "Why should I go to such lengths?" he is quietly observing for now.
Mika directly involved himself in the restoration for the residents' sake.
Those who were injured, or whose houses were broken and dangerous.
He voluntarily used Heal for them and safely demolished dangerous spots that were about to collapse.
So that the restoration would proceed smoothly.
However, the country said nothing to such Mika.
No "thank you," nor "stop doing unnecessary things."
Mika occasionally visited the Crown Prince, and most of his requests were granted.
The locations for public kitchens increased, and temporary housing now prevents rain and wind for the time being.
With urgent cases decreasing, it means that even if Mika does not do it, someone else can handle the remaining tasks.
So, he decided to step back, thinking "it's about time," focusing on those instead.
Originally, he was taking over what the country should have done.
For humanitarian reasons.
The judgment was that there would be no need for Mika to take care of everything until the last person and complete reconstruction.
Currently, students of the Magic Academy and Knight Academy are voluntarily participating in restoration work.
An order was issued in the name of the Academy Director to go to restoration work at least once a week, up to three days a week at most.
Not all students are actively participating in restoration work, but permission is granted up to three days a week if requested.
However, since participating cuts into valuable learning time, they are instructed to think carefully before undertaking it.
Saying they must participate at least once a week means it is not purely voluntary, but well, this much is unavoidable.
If they educate them to do it for the country and then pretend not to know when the time comes, what was the point of teaching them all this?
Therefore, it seems they adopted a policy to force them to participate in restoration work.
Mika came to meet the Academy Director, Maurice, the day after the Chimera attack.
To inform him about Basal, but upon hearing the details, Maurice praised Basal.
However, there was no denying the reckless part, so the opinion was that he should be made to reflect deeply on that.
As a result, Basal was summoned to the Academy Director's office.
Rather than a punishment, it was to guide him on how to handle such situations in the future if something similar happened.
It was not simply to punish, but "for the future," so Mika did not interfere with this either.
Although Basal reportedly turned pale when summoned.
Maurice also holds the belief that orders are absolute.
However, he understands that there are things worth risking one's life for, even beyond orders.
Because Maurice himself is doing exactly that.
Not everyone can take heroic action; otherwise, an army cannot be maintained.
However, if everyone only follows orders, the army will eventually become unmaintainable.
Because if everyone is like that, no one can stand on the side issuing orders.
You cannot place someone above you who only ignores orders, but you also cannot place someone above you who does not think about anything other than orders.
In the end, the army needs those who judge situations and make decisions.
In that sense, Basal showed important qualities this time.
Although, of course, the reason was very personal.
Like Mika, going blank-headed and rushing in blindly is a no-go.
Let's be careful, even I.
All members of the Leventein Group are voluntarily going to help with three days of restoration work a week.
They seem to go from Monday to Wednesday, so everyone was absent today.
However, Cleiria only participates on Mondays, so she told Mika the reasons why everyone was absent.
The reason Cleiria participates only once a week.
It is for escort duties.
When Cleiria participates in restoration work, an escort team is formed.
Naturally.
Especially at times like this, a stricter and thicker escort system is put in place.
Once, a ferocious monster attacked.
Unfortunately, those who think such things won't happen so soon cannot serve as escorts.
Currently, roads in the Royal Capital where horses and carriages can pass are restricted, making even commuting difficult.
Therefore, it seems they come to the Academy by running with the escort team during commuting, and during their time at the Academy, they send some escorts to restoration work.
And when it's time to return, the escort team is formed again, and they run back.
Living in District 1 has made things quite difficult.
Mika usually runs to school, so seeing a Marquis's daughter doing the same is surreal or what.
Running with an escort reminds him of an episode about a former president of a certain country who loved jogging.
By the way, "running mate" does not mean a partner for running, but rather a Vice Presidential Candidate (running mate).
Perhaps it implies a partner fighting together in a grueling presidential election.
While remembering such trivial things, Mika thought about his schedule for later.
First, the armor for Mika that he asked the Marquis's daughter to make seems to be finished, so he will go pick it up.
He intends to deliver it to Adelriese and ask for a defensive Enchantment.
However, due to the chaos in the Royal Capital spreading to various areas, obtaining materials is currently difficult.
The material market, already in a chaotic state, seems to have completely stopped.
The logistics in the provinces are not dead, but because it is a complete top-down type, it cannot move without instructions from the Royal Capital.
Situations where local areas cannot decide what to do next, such as "We delivered the cargo to here, what should we do next?", are occurring constantly.
Conversely, merchant companies that do not depend on the Royal Capital and are relatively small are making great strides recently.
However, such merchant companies easily exceed their capacity.
The overflowing, immovable goods are stagnating everywhere, stopping the overall movement.
Next, he must visit the Church as well.
Thanks to Mika's flashy activity this time, the Faith of the believers has skyrocketed.
Movements even began to emerge worshipping Mika personally, which could be called "Apostle" faith, and they are frantically trying to put out the fire.
Mainly Mika.
The Church seems to take the stance that worshipping Mika personally is within the "scope of the Church of Light," so there is no problem.
However, if they were to build a statue of him inside the church, he declared he would never step foot in a church again, and wrestled cooperation from the Pope.
He had an announcement issued stating, "Even if you pray to Mika, it will not reach the Gods."
Of course, the Church did not say it on its own; it was in the form of "The 'Apostle of the Gods' says so, let's stop it."
In return, he was told to perform a Pufformans at a memorial service they would hold next time.
He needs to frequently visit the church, demonstrate his good relationship with the Pope, and emphasize that the announcement is the will of the "Apostle of the Gods."
(Now that I think about it, maybe doing it so flashy isn't a good idea... Now that I think about it.)
Pretending to be a representative or spokesperson of God, deceiving pious believers with performance.
Isn't he playing the role of a false savior or false prophet?
It is undoubtedly an act that would lead to hell after death.
Well, assuming there is such a thing.
And then, the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince knows that Mika voluntarily ran around, rescuing people and rushing to restore the Royal Capital.
Being very grateful for that, he has been trying to persuade the ministers to somehow handle the unstable part of Mika's suspended punishment.
However, there is one person who stubbornly refuses to accept it.
The current King, Kernils Ektramze.
The King seems to be terribly afraid of Mika.
He possesses immense power and has now gained popularity among the people of the Royal Capital.
Until now, the "Apostle of the Gods" who flew around the Church, hearing about the Miracle of the Day of Light where the sky shone and his exploits on the battlefield, was popular.
On top of that, the fact that he defeated terrifying monsters in the midst of an unprecedented calamity and healed thousands of injured people with Heal was added.
Many people witnessed him saving people from collapsed houses with miraculous power.
Furthermore, he worried about the seriously injured, went to save them himself, wept for those he could not save, and returned their souls to the sky.
Many people were moved by his actions and appearance full of compassion, and he has become an existence that must not be touched.
Furthermore, there is the rebellion that occurred in the Gronoir Empire.
The Emperor was overthrown, and imperial power was seized.
It is understandable that suspicion and paranoia would arise.
The Crown Prince's view was that he cannot easily touch him, but is he afraid he will bare his fangs at any time?
(The current King can be tolerant if his own body is safe, but becomes narrow-minded if even slightly threatened.)
He was a king with a good reputation, but it seems that was because he stayed high up and moved things like a game.
When he became exposed as a party involved, he immediately went into defense mode.
He was a surprisingly small-minded king.
(If it were a peaceful era, it would have ended with 'He was a good king'.)
He ascended the throne during a somewhat difficult time and managed to rebuild the Kingdom, but it seems difficult to cope with such turbulent times now.
If so, he could live peacefully by abdicating, but it seems he cannot do that.
Personally, Mika thinks it would be fine to remain in a suspended punishment state if the country quietly observes for now.
If he thinks he cannot move, he has no intention of doing anything himself as long as he stays quiet.
The Crown Prince seems to understand Mika's feelings and is persuading the Prime Minister and ministers.
Ideally, change the suspended punishment to officially "none," and if that is impossible, maintain the current situation.
Worst case, try to hold him back if the King goes crazy.
Mika crossed his arms and rested his chin on his hand, thinking.
Mika himself was very busy, but there was someone who was just as busy as Mika.
The Commander of the Fifth Knights Order, Ozendorwa.
Ozendorwa is working to restore order in the Royal Capital, which is in extreme confusion.
He seems to have been giving orders from the checkpoint and partially reorganizing the Knights Order itself.
It seems the number of knights who died in the Fifth Knights Order exceeds ten.
Also, many were seriously or lightly injured.
If it were just an injury, Heal could cure any serious wound, but if limbs were torn apart by a Chimera, even using Heal makes returning as a knight hopeless.
Therefore, it seems they are disbanding some units and assigning replacements to fill the vacancies.
The reason Mika knows this is because he went to report about the youth who released the Chimera.
He could not meet Ozendorwa, but he collected the Magic Bag that likely held the Chimera and delivered it to the Fifth Knights Order.
He was told the location of the bodies and had them recovered.
After all, no one wants to touch something like that willingly.
From that, he learned.
It is confirmed that the Magic Bag was indeed illegal.
There was nothing inside except cash, but it is presumed that all the Chimera had been released.
If he had noticed the youth earlier and stopped him, he could have reduced the number of Chimera.
He feels regret about that, but identifying the culprit is significant.
Above all, he has begun to grasp the enemy's true identity a little.
The enemy is a person harboring a Curse.
The Curse itself has a will.
Simply killing the life does not make the Curse itself escape.
The Lust Crest's curse was not that a person became a cursed object, but rather that the curse resided in a part of the body.
However, this youth himself had become the curse.
He wants to convey this information to Ozendorwa, but it seems he cannot meet him for a while yet.
Soon, he wonders if he can somehow share information including Ozendorwa.
Thinking about such things, Mika spent a lazy day at the Academy for the first time in a while.
For the first time in a while, he went to the noble cafeteria with Cleiria at lunch.
Since recently he had been eating casually, it was very delicious.
He feels sorry for the disaster victims though...