"What? What was that!?"
The screen momentarily dimmed before flaring back to life. It was rare for a magi-lamp to flicker like that, and those watching couldn't help but look on in confusion.
However, what the screen revealed next was far more staggering than a mere flickering light.
"Gigantoavrum!" Gloria cried out.
Teeming on the screen were countless squirming Gigantoavrum—giant earwigs.
"Ah, look at that!"
A flash of silver armor appeared for a split second. It was immediately swallowed by the swarming mass, but it was unmistakably the gear worn by the soldiers of the Celuroa Kingdom.
"...Does this mean they were all... by those monsters..." King Cesar muttered, his face turning ashen.
"Gloria-dono, do you know those creatures?" Fritz pressed her urgently.
"Y-yes... I encountered them within the Klein Kingdom. They are called Gigantoavrum, and ordinary swords cannot cut them. They are quite fast and formidable magical beasts. I only survived because of the sword Jin-dono crafted for me."
Gloria answered without taking her eyes off the screen, her hand unconsciously drifting to the hilt at her hip.
"Ah!" Cynthia screamed.
The screen suddenly jerked toward the ceiling as the golem was flipped onto its back.
Almost instantly, the view was completely obscured by the writhing mass of Gigantoavrum. Before long, the feed went pitch black.
"...It seems the golem has been destroyed."
"It was inevitable. That model was not built for combat," First Military Minister Lagede and Chief of the First Ministry of Technology Latant said, their voices heavy with disappointment.
"To think such monsters were down there... Gloria-dono, I must ask you to explain them once more," King Cesar requested.
Gloria described the monsters in detail, though she glossed over the specific circumstances of their meeting. If she explained the full history, she would inevitably have to mention Arshel. She worried that doing so might reflect poorly on King Cesar, who was currently protecting a girl who looked exactly like her.
Of course, she had no way of knowing that the girl in question had already disappeared.
"I see... so such monsters exist."
"But Gloria-dono is the only one who has ever seen them, right?"
"More importantly, where exactly is that place?"
A cacophony of voices filled the room as the delegates began to talk over one another, and the meeting seemed on the verge of descending into chaos.
"Silence!"
A single command brought the room to silence. It was the Empress of the Shouro Empire, Gerhardt. Her presence was as commanding as ever.
"Discussing things aimlessly like this is a waste of time. Let us address the issues in an orderly fashion."
Her words carried immense weight, and everyone nodded in silent agreement.
"First, is that place truly a basement located in Dali?"
Jin already had a general idea of the answer. He had caught a glimpse of the wall in that underground chamber—specifically, the magi-formula carved into it.
(That was... a Warp Gate.)
Although the model differed from the ones Jin used, there was no doubt. The reason the screen had momentarily darkened was due to the teleportation process.
There had also been a Warp Gate in the ruins where he had found the discarded Anne. It was a technology that had been used fairly commonly before the Great Magic War.
"Could that perhaps be a Warp Gate?"
Jin, who had been lost in thought, looked up at those words. It was Latant, the Chief of the First Ministry of Technology. As the head of a technologically advanced nation, he had correctly identified the possibility.
"Lord of Kunlun, as a Magi Craft Meister, what is your view?"
Given the topic, it was only natural for the question to be directed at Jin.
"Yes, I agree with the opinion that it is a Warp Gate."
"As I thought..."
Since it was a technology used before the Great Magic War, several others in the room had heard of it as well.
"However, this is dangerous. If one thing goes wrong, those Gigantoavrum could warp through to this side," Jin warned.
His words sent a jolt of shock through the room, particularly among the Celuroan contingent.
"...Indeed. Then, what do you believe would be the best course of action?" Minister Lagede asked.
"Well, for the time being, I suggest disabling it—at least to the point that it can still be repaired later," Jin stated firmly.
"Disable it!?"
Minister Lagede looked surprised for a moment, but the implication soon sank in.
"...Certainly. The thought of those monsters appearing in Dali is horrifying. Furthermore, there is the possibility that other monsters might be present as well."
That assumption was correct. Jin subtly alluded to the Gigant Peeder that had emerged from the Inado Mine.
"So Jin-dono has heard of them as well? I did not see it while it was alive, but I have seen the carcass of that Gigant Peeder, which must have been fifty meters long."
Hearing this, Boulton spoke up, looking somewhat uncomfortable.
"I saw it with my own eyes. It was a monster that neither blade nor spell could harm. If I had not been saved by Deus Ex Machina-dono, I would have lost my life. I do not know how he defeated it, but the shell was so hard that only an adamantite sword was capable of leaving even a single scratch."
"..."
The threat of creatures dwelling deep underground took on a grim reality, and everyone’s expressions turned solemn. No one knew when such monsters might emerge from their own nation's mines.
"...And I sent my soldiers into such a place... eight of them..."
"It could not be helped, Your Majesty. No one could have predicted the existence of a Warp Gate, much less that such monsters would be on the other side," Minister Lagede consoled him, but Cesar shook his head.
"No, I should have sent a golem in first. That was my failure."
"Your Majesty, specialized golems were only available here in Esaia. Sending the local soldiers was a reasonable command at the time."
"Yet, the fact remains that lives were wasted..."
"In any case, it is essential to ensure that the Warp Gate does not operate," Jin said, steering the conversation back a bit forcefully to stop Cesar's spiral into guilt.
From what he could see, that Warp Gate was an old model where the switch between sending and receiving appeared to be manual. In other words, it was currently a one-way path. However, since there was no telling when that might change, he had proposed disabling it.
(Though I couldn't tell which side was the master...)
The switch between sending and receiving was usually controlled by the master side. If the master side was the one where the Gigantoavrum were, it would be reckless to assume it would stay one-way forever.
"Understood. Yalmar should be there. I will send word to him."
Erasing just a part of the magi-formula would be enough to stop it from functioning as a Warp Gate. Doing so would provide some security.
(Before that happens, I want to find out where those monsters are located.)
Jin stepped out of the conference room on the pretext of using the restroom and contacted Laojun via manacam.
"Understood, My Lord. I shall command the Shinobi Squad to send a marker through."
"Right. That should work."
Jin figured that if they only sent a marker, there would be no risk of loss. And with a marker in place, they should be able to pinpoint the location using a magi-radar.
When Jin finished giving his instructions to Laojun and returned to the conference room, the topic had shifted to weapons capable of countering the monsters.
"This is the sword Jin-dono made for me. It is crafted by sandwiching an extremely thin layer of adamantite between steel, and it was able to cut through the Gigantoavrum."
Gloria explained the construction of her sword with more than a little pride. Jin looked toward Prince Arthur, wondering if it was really okay to reveal such technical secrets in front of representatives from every nation. Seeing the prince's face twisted as if he had swallowed a bitter pill, Jin realized this was Gloria acting on impulse.
However, since the secret was already out, it was too late to keep it hidden.
"Jin-dono, that is a magnificent design," even Marchioness Firenziano remarked in admiration.
"Each nation should begin preparations for such weaponry," the Empress of the Shouro Empire added.
Jin secretly worried that anti-monster weapons like these were just as lethal against humans, which meant their destructive power would only escalate. He resolved silently to ensure peace was maintained.
When Jin looked over at Gloria, he saw her being cautioned by her father, Boulton. It appeared she was being scolded for her thoughtless remarks. Prince Arthur seemed to have reprimanded her as well, and it was a rare sight to see the usually spirited Gloria looking so dejected.
"My Lord, it was down to the wire, but we have successfully identified where that Warp Gate leads."
That night, Jin received a report from Laojun.
"Good work. So, where was it?"
"Yes. It was deep underground in the Elrad Mine, within the Former Leonard Kingdom."
"The Elrad Mine!?"
"Yes, My Lord. It appears to have been named as such because it was a primary source of Elradrite."
"We'll need to look into this further," Jin said, sinking into deep thought.