【Minutes of the 62nd Adventurer's Guild Information Center Information Exchange Meeting】

Information Center Staff 1 ⇒ Lately, every Adventurer's Guild has been caught in a frantic rush to recruit new members.

Information Center Staff 2 ⇒ The mercenary bands are doing the same.

Information Center Staff 3 ⇒ It’s because the power struggle between the princes is intensifying.

Information Center Staff 4 ⇒ The First Prince is backing the Roar of the Lion, while the Second Prince relies on the Shield of the Sky. Their conflict is deepening, and the smaller guilds are carefully weighing which side would be most advantageous to join.

Information Center Staff 5 ⇒ What about the Third Prince?

Information Center Staff 6 ⇒ The Third Prince is only twelve. He doesn't have a power base like his brothers. I've heard he’s the brightest of the three, but...

Information Center Staff 7 ⇒ And the Second Prince's ties to the Empire? There are rumors about a joint development project for the ruins in Count Cardinal's Territory.

Information Center Staff 8 ⇒ Those rumors are likely true. Reportedly, the Shield of the Sky has been dispatched on an expedition to escort an Imperial investigation team that just arrived there.

Information Center Staff 9 ⇒ The beastmen in the north were once persecuted by the Empire. The nobles might be spineless puppets of the Empire's gold, but the beastmen won't be so easily bought. I'm worried about blood being spilled.

Information Center Staff 10 ⇒ So the Shield of the Sky is being used to keep the beastmen in line? They’ve essentially become the Second Prince's private army.

Information Center Staff 11 ⇒ They've been that way for a long time—ever since the Guildmaster fell ill and the Vice-Guildmaster seized control.

Information Center Staff 12 ⇒ Any other concerning movements?

Information Center Staff 13 ⇒ I heard a rumor from a merchant...

Information Center Staff 14 ⇒ Don't keep us in suspense.

Information Center Staff 15 ⇒ A Saint has supposedly appeared in the Asterion Sword Kingdom.

Information Center Staff 16 ⇒ ...A Saint? Is that for real?

Information Center Staff 17 ⇒ There's no hard evidence yet, but the rumor started within the Asterion Knight Order. If the Sword King himself acknowledges it, the story carries weight.

Information Center Staff 18 ⇒ It's still hard to believe. If someone really manifested the Saint Job, wouldn't the Karia Church have made a grand proclamation?

Information Center Staff 19 ⇒ The Karia Church was originally an impartial religion, beholden to no country or god. But in an age where controlling Job information is vital, that neutrality has crumbled. They sell data to rulers so they can hoard the best talent, and rulers buy it to further their own ends. The reverse is also true.

Information Center Staff 20 ⇒ ...What are you trying to say?

Information Center Staff 22 ⇒ Anyone who manifests a Job that is "inconvenient" for a ruler... disappears.

Information Center Staff 23 ⇒ You think someone would try to deny the existence of a Saint?

Information Center Staff 24 ⇒ It’s a possibility.

Information Center Staff 25 ⇒ Which nation has the closest ties to the Karia Church right now?

Information Center Staff 26 ⇒ The Empire, probably.

Information Center Staff 27 ⇒ And in our kingdom, the man with the strongest ties to the Empire is the Second Prince...

Grandcaldeana, the capital of Count Cardinal's Territory. On the outskirts of the city, the crowds thinned out, replaced by spacious plots of land. Each home featured a workshop separate from the living quarters, with furniture and pottery displayed in the yards.

From one such workshop came the rhythmic, metallic ring of a hammer. A wolf-type beastman stepped inside, his expression dark and his aura heavy with tension.

He shoved the door open and marched toward the dining room.

"Oh, Baran! You're home early. Lunch isn't ready yet."

Lina turned from the stove. The grey, triangular ears atop her head twitched with delight at his arrival.

"Lina, listen to me. Be careful when you're out in the city. Don't go anywhere alone if you can help it. Stay with Dad, our older brother, or your friends."

Lina's ears went still.

"Wait, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

She clutched her ladle, her face tightening. Behind her, a pot sat on a stove magic tool, bubbling away like the frustration boiling inside Baran.

"Imperial citizens... They're flooding into Count Cardinal's Territory."

The ladle trembled in Lina's hand. The color drained from her face, leaving her expression hollow.

"Why? Why are they here?"

"Supposedly to investigate the ruins. The Count and the Second Prince invited them, claiming the Imuris Kingdom doesn't have the technology to handle it."

"Is it really just an investigation? Or are they coming back to turn us into slaves again?"

Baran's brow furrowed, and he let out a low growl.

"Everyone is worried about the same thing. That's why I need you to stay alert."

He pulled out a chair and slumped into it, his mood as foul as ever.

"I'll be okay, but I'm worried about the boys. If they see Imperial citizens, they're going to pick a fight. There's going to be trouble."

"The chieftains are meeting tonight to talk about it. They want everyone to stay calm and just watch for now, but I don't know if they can keep the hotheads in check."

Baran leaned his elbows on the table and ran his hands through his hair.

"If a fight breaks out, the beastmen will be the ones blamed for it. Every time."

"Yeah..."

The lunch that followed was a heavy, silent affair.