Chapter 113

Suppressing the urge to break into a run, El walked down the deserted corridor. It wasn’t that he feared exposing his own agitation; rather, it was a conscious effort to remain composed. In a crisis, maintaining a broad perspective and a sharp mind was essential for finding a breakthrough.

(Though at the moment, every move I make only seems to result in us losing ground.)

Lost in these thoughts and still unable to find a solution, El arrived at a particular door. He took a small, deep breath to steady his racing heart.

He visualized his usual, unflappable self and was just about to knock when—

"What are you doing loitering in front of my room?"

"Whoa!"

Startled by the voice, El let out a cry of genuine surprise, quite unlike his usual self, and spun around with a literal jump.

The person standing there was the very man he had come to see. Harold Stokes stood there, eyeing him with a suspicious look.

"Y-you look well."

"Is that sarcasm directed at a man who was unconscious for five days?"

"I’m not so tired of living that I’d go looking for a fight with you."

El didn't think Harold was quite as dangerous as his words suggested, but he fully respected the man's power. Even if Harold was far more moderate than his behavior implied, one accidental brush with his "imperial wrath" would be the end; a life like El’s would vanish like mere dust before such overwhelming violence.

El was prepared to risk his life to achieve his long-held ambition, but he had no intention of dying in such a meaningless fashion.

"Hmph. Fine. Get in. You came because you have something to discuss, didn't you?"

"I’ll do just that. I have a mountain of things to report."

So many, in fact, that it was enough to make El sick of his own job.

The room was spartan, containing only a bed, a table, and a few chairs atop a carpeted floor. There, a discussion began in which not a single topic warranted a smile. Though, to be fair, the only "smile" El had ever seen from the man sitting across from him was a mocking sneer.

"Now then, it's a cliché question, but which would you like first: the somewhat bad news, the pretty bad news, or the tremendously bad news?"

"Your skills must have dulled if you can't procure even a single piece of good news."

"The quality of an information broker isn't determined by how much pleasant news they find. It’s about how accurately they grasp the truth."

Harold let out a long, weary sigh. Considering his situation, El could understand the desire to complain. He had been heavily injured, unconscious for five days, and the moment his body could finally move again, this heap of trouble landed in his lap.

However, since Harold was the one who had set all these events in motion, El felt no obligation to listen to a lecture.

"But well, let's start with this. Regarding Rainer and the others—they won't be held accountable for the raid on the Harrison Mansion."

They had certainly gone on a rampage, but they had the justification of recovering stolen property. In a situation where both sides were technically at fault, the names of Francis J. Arclight—royalty, however distant—and the prestigious House Sumeragi were powerful cards to play.

Furthermore, given that the situation was handled by military personnel rather than the Knight Order, and that Rainer’s group was barely questioned, it seemed likely that Harold’s prediction was correct: Harrison had been intended as a discardable pawn from the start.

"Though you didn't seem particularly worried about that outcome."

El had been warned in advance that Rainer’s party might storm the Harrison Mansion. Whether it was a calculated guess or precognition on Harold’s part, the fact that he hadn’t expressed any concern about the legal aftermath suggested he was certain they wouldn't be detained.

Harold’s instructions had been simple: if a raid occurred, do not stop it; afterward, seize the weapons Harrison was said to have collected. It had been a tall order, and El had gathered a significant amount of dirt on Harrison and his associates to use as leverage, but the seizure had ended up being surprisingly easy.

(Just how much of this is going according to his script...?)

Originally, Harold hadn't intended to interfere in that battle personally. He had only been forced to act because Rainer and the others moved far faster than anticipated. El had no way of knowing how much the actual events differed from the picture Harold had envisioned.

"The weapon seizure was a success. The plan was to wait for the right timing and give them to Rainer and the others... right?"

"It simply means there's no longer a need for me to hand them over personally."

"That’s a diplomatic way of putting it."

If they still had a relationship of trust, Harold giving them the weapons would have been the smoothest path. But that trust had shattered with their recent clash. While Lifa was there and understood Harold's circumstances to an extent, as long as Rainer, the party's leader, harbored such deep distrust, it would create discord. That was surely undesirable for Harold.

"Whether I hand them over or you do, the result is the same."

"I hope so... Anyway, let's get to the main point. First, the 'somewhat bad news' regarding Rainer’s group."

Spit it out, Harold’s eyes urged.

"According to you, there's a risk of a massive monster horde swarming Travis, which you intended for Rainer and the Knight Order to handle. Well... we might not have much of a window left."

"Explain."

"Monster activity has spiked. It wouldn't be a surprise if they started their march this very second."

Harold had provided the general direction of the anticipated invasion. Using that, El had mobilized Giffelt’s network and Frieri to locate the horde about ten days ago. The situation mirrored the crisis in the Sumeragi Territory, but the location was the real problem.

The monsters were gathered in a massive ruin where the government had forbidden exploration due to the presence of high-level threats. Evading the Kingdom Army's watchful eyes, Frieri members had confirmed the site at the risk of their lives. El had heard that the sight of monsters numbering in the tens of thousands huddled together was truly nightmarish.

"Even so, those fools should reach Travis first. More importantly, what is the Knight Order doing?"

"They’re serious. They’re securing personnel and even preparing to deploy an airship."

"...In other words, they’ve found evidence to support the suspicions against Justus?"

"That’s unconfirmed, but apparently the doctor’s research room was empty by the time the Knight Order moved in. Given their current mobilization, I’d say it’s highly likely."

A massive monster horde becoming active just as Justus disappeared. It was speculation, but increased vigilance was the only logical response.

"I doubt that man would leave behind anything obvious."

"Data aside, he can't exactly make the facilities vanish. Human experimentation requires equipment. Unless he leveled the entire Research Institute, physical evidence remains."

The fact that Justus had allowed that evidence to be found suggested his plan had reached a stage where the Knight Order was nothing more than a minor nuisance.

"...Regardless, that’s within expectations. It hardly qualifies as bad news."

"I see. Then here is the next one. We’ve confirmed a second horde of monsters."

At this, even Harold froze, visibly taken aback. Based on his reaction, this was unexpected. It seemed his "precognition" wasn't infallible after all.

"...Is that the 'tremendously bad news'?" Harold asked after a long pause.

El gave a blunt, almost cheerful reply.

"No. That is only the 'pretty bad news'."

"Tsk."

Clicking his tongue, Harold fell into thought. He was a man who never stopped calculating, even in the face of despair. He pivoted instantly, seeking the necessary data.

"What is the size of this second group?"

"Roughly five thousand by visual estimate. Fewer than the ones heading for Travis."

Still, it was a number that couldn't be ignored. It would be nearly impossible to stop them directly; without a counter-strategy, the damage would be catastrophic. Two massive hordes in different locations—there was no way they weren't linked.

"I’ve sent a report to the Knight Order under your name, but since they're preoccupied with Travis, I doubt they can spare the men to cover both fronts."

"Still better than doing nothing."

"True. But now, let’s move to the 'tremendously bad news'."

El pulled two maps from his bag. One of the entire Kingdom, and one of a specific town. He spread the Kingdom map across the table first.

"The town where the second horde was discovered is Burston. It's a mountain village in the northwestern part of the Kingdom."

El traced the map with his finger. It was deep in the wilderness, even further out than Astis, where he had first met Harold and Lifa. According to the latest records, the population was around three thousand, though that number had likely dwindled over the years.

"As you can see, it's a town nestled in the mountains. Even in an emergency, an airship cannot be used for transport."

This meant that whether they intended to defend the town or evacuate the residents, moving people and supplies would be incredibly difficult. The only safe route was via the plains south of Astis, but that was over a hundred kilometers away in a straight line. Neither option was realistic, though evacuation was the only prayer they had.

"Is that the reason for the classification?"

"One of the reasons, but the main issue is this. Look here."

El spread the map of Burston over the first one.

"Burston isn't a large town. There are no natural features nearby where thousands of monsters could hide."

So where and how were they hiding? The map held the answer.

"However, Burston was once a mining town that flourished by extracting rare ores like platinum. Until a major bedrock collapse occurred, they dug without limit. As a result, countless tunnels run not just through the mine, but directly beneath the town itself."

Following the collapse and the subsequent exhaustion of resources, Burston had fallen into decay, but the ancient tunnels remained.

"So the monsters are swarmed deep within the mine?"

"Exactly. But you’re probably thinking: 'Standard mine tunnels would be too small for large monsters to enter or exit.'"

"Stop wasting my time with theatrics. Just say it."

"After the mine closed, traces of modifications were made to the interior. Specifically, there are massive pits deep underground that weren't created by mining."

"The monsters' nest."

"Exactly. And cross-referencing with the mine's blueprints revealed several tunnels that shouldn't exist. At their size, 'passages' is a more accurate term. They’re large enough for almost any monster to pass through."

Artificial passages. Unlike the Sumeragi Territory, which was a natural depression, this wasn't an environment where monsters would gather naturally. They were being kept there, managed by humans for a specific purpose.

"...I have questions."

"I'll answer what I can."

Normally, Harold would have snapped back with a sharp remark, but his immediate focus on the facts showed he recognized the emergency.

"You mentioned traces of modifications. How old are they?"

"I’d need a deeper look to be sure, but based on the wear, I’d guess about ten years."

"Was there miasma in the tunnels, like in the Sumeragi Territory?"

"Yes. Most of it is pooled in the underground pits. In the tunnels, you only start to detect a faint drift of it once you're deep inside."

"If they surge to the surface, what scale of conflict are we looking at?"

"Hard to say. They’re clearly being managed, but it depends on how much control the handler has. We’ve confirmed at least three exits large enough for a surge. Intercepting them would require a three-front operation."

El left the rest unsaid: And that’s impossible. Even if Harold could personally slaughter a thousand monsters, he couldn't be in three places at once. For ordinary soldiers or the Knight Order to hold those lines, they would need at least three hundred men per front. With Travis under threat, gathering six hundred elite soldiers was a pipe dream.

"...How long to complete an evacuation?"

"Estimated two days. It might take longer given the high number of elderly residents."

Which meant if they waited for the monsters to move before starting the evacuation, they were already dead.

"If it was a mining town, there must be heavy transport equipment to move resources to the base of the mountain."

"There was. Until a landslide washed away the tracks for the transport cars several years ago."

The only reason people had stayed in such an inconvenient, dying town was that the transport cars made travel to nearby cities easy. Once that was gone, the youth abandoned Burston. The elderly remained, their attachment to the land outweighing the hardship.

"...Harold? Is something wrong?"

Harold, who had been deep in thought, was now staring intensely at the Kingdom map. El looked, but couldn't see what hint Harold might have found.

"El. How many days from here to Burston by horse and by wagon?"

"By horse, three to four days. By wagon, about seven, depending on the load. But those are just the times to reach the base; climbing the mountain trail to the town will take another full day."

"Gather as many horses as you can. I’m taking the Frieri units."

"Right now?"

"Secure the supplies first. We move the moment we’re ready."

"Understood."

Prompt action was a virtue, but keeping up with Harold was an exhausting task. Still, it was the path El had chosen when he placed his bets on the man.

(Besides, it’s far better than sitting here and rotting in a stalemate.)

With that thought, El set off to arrange the logistics. Even in the face of an impending disaster, his expression held a faint glimmer of relief.