Chapter 32 - Preparation for War

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Gainsborough Castle Conference Room

Gainsborough’s mayor, Byrne Custer, was a lean and handsome middle-aged man.

When he received the information Anna had gotten from Celia, it had ruined all of Byrne’s good mood.

He tried his best to suppress his fluctuating emotions.Sure he had the looks, but that was all there was to him.

Everyone in Gainsborough knew that their Lord Mayor, Byrne, was a useless trophy Mayor.

But Anna knew that these were all pretense. A lot of his pathetic behavior was feigned.

Of course, it wasn’t as if he had amazing ability either.

In Anna’s opinion, Byrne was someone who had already given up on themselves and had completely let themselves go, but still had a morsel of ability.

It was very contradictory, but if one knew about Byrne’s past, they wouldn’t find it so conflicting.

“The Recording Crystal can’t be faked, but—”

Right now, Byrne was being more serious than ever. Although he was a hedonist, he could still recognize when things mattered.

“It’s just too hard to believe. There were no signs, no omens.”

Beside him stood the representative of the Adventurer’s Guild, Herona, who looked at Anna and asked,

“Did you find out the cause? There must be a reason for such a large-scale berserking event.”

Anna shook her head.

“We haven’t found any relevant clues yet, but we can deduce that it’s most likely man-made.”

Herona had thought that it would just be an ordinary meeting, but things were turning out to be more tiresome than she imagined.

All Herona wanted to do was go home, she did not enjoy such occasions. But she had no choice. Her father was the president of the Adventurer’s Guild.

Out of a sense of responsibility, Herona adjusted her mindset as best she could, then asked Byrne,

“Have you informed the people at the Divine Temple?”

Upon hearing the words ‘Divine Temple’, Byrne frowned. It was obvious that he did not have a good relationship with them.

There was even a time when the two parties were very unhappy with each other.

“Do we have to inform them?”

Herona replied matter-of-factly, as if she had not seen Byrne’s pained expression,

“Of course. This is no small matter. We need to consult their opinion.”

“Alright, I understand. I’ll send someone to inform them this instant.”

After thinking about it, Byrne knew that what Herona said made sense and finally chose to compromise.

But he quickly corrected himself,

“Scratch that. Just bring the information and all this evidence over to them. Let’s see what their reactions will be.”

As he spoke, he pushed the Recording Crystal and other items on the table towards Anna.

If possible, he did not want to see the faces of people from the Divine Temple.

“What do you guys think?”

Herona and Anna naturally had no objections. All that mattered was that members of the Divine Temple knew about this issue.

Seeing as neither of them had anything to say, Byrne put his head in his hands and began to think.

“First things first. Putting defensive measures in place is a must. Then, we must hire the adventurers to aid the city guards in eradicating the berserk monsters.”

Towards the end of his speech, Byrne paused. Anna could tell that it was because he was reluctant to let his men undertake such a risky task.

However, this was a situation that could easily turn into monsters attacking the city instead of the other way round. So no matter how reluctant Byrne was, he couldn’t afford to machinate anything.

After all, he too had nowhere left to go besides the City of Adventurers.

Recalling the information about Byrne, Anna chuckled inwardly.

On the side, Herona looked at the Recording Crystal that Byrne had pushed to Anna on the table and said,

“There’s very little information we can gain from the images in this video.

“I think we need to arrange for a scouting team to gather more information first. It would be best if we can bring back one or two live samples.”

Byrne considered Herona’s suggestion for a moment before nodding in agreement.

“Indeed, that is for the best.”

Having said all that, he looked at Herona and asked,

“Then, do you have any suitable candidates?”

As soon as those words left his mouth, it was clear that their Lord Mayor Byrne did not want to send anyone from his own army out as scouts.

Herona could empathize with him. His reaction was also well-within Herona’s expectations.

If he didn’t want to send any men, that just means that he would have to make up for it in other ways.

For example, money.

Not to toot her own horn, but the Adventurer’s Guild was comparable to the Lord’s army be it in terms of talent or manpower.

Therefore, Byrne need only pay more money and provide more resources for support and backup.

“I’ve got people in mind.”

——————————————————-

Divine Temple of Light Gainsborough Branch

“What a lively city. Don’t you think?”

A white-haired girl walked over to the windowsill and looked at the gentle sunlight outside. A beautiful smile appeared on her face.

Dressed in purple robes that were paired with a white cape adorned with gold borders, the girl simultaneously embodied the elements of mystery and holiness.

Beside the girl stood a solemn-looking knight.

Hearing the girl’s words, the knight responded monotonously,

“Don’t forget our mission, Saintess.”

Seemingly dissatisfied with the knight’s answer, the Saintess frowned and looked at her knight with displeasure.

“Why does it matter? The candidate we’re after is a celebrity in this city.”

“But it’s been a long time since he last appeared.”

“Maybe he’s away on some kind of mission. A place like the Forest of Slumber isn’t dangerous anyways.”

After a brief debate, the knight looked at the Saintess who was determined to not do any proper work. He frowned and pondered how he could persuade the holy maiden before him.

It was then when a knight dressed in silver armor walked over to them.

“Report. The Chosen One has returned and is currently dining at Volcano Giant.”

Hearing this, the Saintess’ knight, Clayton, tossed a look at the Saintess beside him.

He seemed to be saying, “See, he’s returned.”

Upon hearing the knight’s report, Saintess Vanessa pouted. Happy times always passed so quickly.

But what’s coming would come, she couldn’t avoid it even if she tried.

“Come to think of it, I also planned on visiting this Volcano Giant place today.”

These words made Clayton’s mouth twitch. “We’re here on a mission, not a vacation.”

“So then, what do you want to do, You Holiness? Do you want to go make contact right now?”

Clayton’s urging made Vanessa feel even more reluctant. She turned around unhappily.

“Let’s wait a little longer.”

“Saintess!”

“I know I know, I’ll…”

“Your Holiness, there are guests outside looking for you.”

Another temple attendant entered the room. Beside him stood an old gentleman dressed in elaborate clothes, who had his head held high.

When she saw the guest, Vanessa’s eyes lit up and she hurried over.

“Let’s deal with this person first.”

Upon hearing Vanessa’s words, Clayton sighed helplessly.

“Your Holiness, you can’t keep running away like this… Sigh!”