CH 690

The banquet had not been interrupted. After all, suspending the banquet wouldn't make the situation any better or solve the problem.

And nothing was certain yet.

They had merely gathered the people who needed to have a quiet discussion.

The conference room in the Spring Palace.

Scarlett was positioned at the entrance to prevent anyone from entering casually.

The five Empresses and the Emperor were all gathered in one place.

The Emperor had waited patiently for everyone to confirm the contents of the notebooks.

Their expressions and reactions were not much different from the Emperor's.

Some species of monsters were reproducing.

It was impossible to know which species, how many, or where they were multiplying.

The recovery rate of the entire continent was less than 30% of what it was in the previous era.

Thus, eradicating all monsters on the continent was impossible at that stage. They had been postponing that task until they had the resources.

However, if this was true, the age of monsters disappearing would never come.

Although the situation wasn't as dire as during the Gate incident, there would be a perpetual battle against the monsters.

There might be a day when they could eradicate the monsters completely, but that day was postponed to a distant future.

Dark clouds settled over the faces of those who realized this fact.

"We can't say it's too late. From the beginning, searching the entire continent to kill all the monsters was an impossible task," Charlotte said.

She was right.

This was just another disaster that occurred after the initial catastrophe, and there was no way to prepare for it.

The fledgling Empire, struggling even to stand, couldn't possibly take to the sky.

They had prayed that such a thing wouldn't happen, but in the end, it had.

It was something everyone knew, even if Charlotte didn't say it.

They had done their best, but there were things beyond their best efforts.

"It seems that the monsters have established themselves as a species in the ecosystem of the continent. We can't predict how the changes they cause will affect all of us. We should be more afraid of the unpredictable events that will occur as the ecosystem changes, not just the monsters attacking humans," Charlotte continued.

Changes that occurred when a new species appeared in a stable ecosystem.

The appearance of monsters had already caused widespread devastation.

There were many places that had become barren lands, beyond recovery.

"We need to change the way the Adventurer's Guild operates. We should offer greater rewards to those who discover breeding groups of monsters like this."

Everyone nodded at Charlotte's words.

Regardless of whether they could address the issue immediately, it was crucial information. Knowing that monsters were breeding would help prevent future crises and disasters.

Destroying the breeding nests of monsters would eliminate thousands of potential monsters before they were born.

They needed to invest more funds in the Adventurer's Guild and increase the compensation for adventurers.

Even if things were going smoothly, there was an absolute lack of military force to maintain security.

The Emperor forced a bitter smile.

A government that relied on adventurers for maintaining security.

He remembered the day when he had scoffed at such a government, questioning its very existence.

The Holy Empress, who had been silent, flipped through the notebook.

"Of course, this is an important issue, and it's a big deal, but..."

Olivia, holding the notebook, looked at Empress Louise, its source.

“Empress Louise, you said this information came from the Adventurers' Guild?”

“Yes, that's correct.”

“And where is the adventurer now? To reward them for this kind of information, we would have to take away one of the pillars of the Empire. Are they waiting patiently…?”

“After handing over this information to the Vellodosia branch in the northeastern part of Kernstadt, the adventurer disappeared.”

Olivia, who asked the question.

The other Empresses.

And the Emperor.

They all knew such an answer would come.

But no one had brought it up first.

“All the place names written in this notebook… they are all areas that we haven't reclaimed yet…”

“They are all records of uninhabited areas.”

“And considering the vast amount of information, it couldn't have been recorded in just a few months.”

“Since the handwriting is the same, it was all recorded by one person.”

“It's clear that this information was recorded over a period of years…”

“Although I've heard that adventurers sometimes hunt monsters in dangerous areas, this must have been recorded by someone who lived in those dangerous areas, right?”

“If such a high-level adventurer was registered with the Adventurers' Guild, there's no way we wouldn't know their name…”

“And yet that person handed over such valuable information and disappeared without even waiting for a reward…”

“It must be someone who can't receive a reward.”

“And in that state, that person would have had to be quite a savage to do this sort of thing for several years in an uninhabited area…”

“A normal person wouldn't have the ability nor the reason to do this.”

“Someone who did something that nobody else had a reason to do, but someone had to do it, without anyone telling them to…”

An adventurer who wandered the dangerous, uninhabited areas where people did not live, and survived.

An adventurer who handed over valuable information that deserved a huge reward and then disappeared.

A powerful person who could survive in the land of monsters for such a long time, collecting and recording this information.

But even after collecting that information, they simply threw it away and disappeared.

It was likely because even the land of humans was a dangerous place for that adventurer.

So, that person didn't just disappear, that person must have fled.

Everyone knew this the moment they saw the notebook.

Olivia had just brought it up first.

The eyes of the Holy Empress narrowed.

“It must be Ellen, right?”

Everyone knew that the author of this notebook was Ellen Artorious.

------

“We could do a handwriting comparison.”

The Archmage carefully spoke to the Emperor.

In the temple, there were still items that Ellen used during her time at the temple, including test papers and other documents.

So, if they compared the handwriting, they could find out if it was really written by Ellen.

“Yes, it's better to be sure, so let's do the handwriting comparison.”

However, both the Archmage who brought up the idea and the Emperor who approved it knew the result without hearing it.

They didn't remember the handwriting, but they knew that such neat writing and concise yet accurate drawings could hardly be anyone else's but Ellen's.

Her usually calm demeanor was apparent in her handwriting and drawings.

Ellen Artorious must have known that her identity would be discovered.

But she had deemed it more important to convey the urgent matter first.

The results of the handwriting comparison would come out soon.

And for now, they had to think about what they should do under the assumption that Ellen was the one who wrote this.

The Emperor spoke quietly.

"She must be on the run."

He would never entertain the optimistic thought that her identity would remain hidden.

And even if her identity was not exposed, as the most wanted criminal, Ellen had to get out of human territory as quickly as possible.

"When, where, and how did this information come to light?" the Emperor asked, looking at Empress Louise.

"Last Saturday, these documents arrived in Vellodosia, a stronghold city in the northeastern part of Kernstadt. After reviewing the contents of the notebook at the guild, they determined its importance and sent the documents to the adventurer guild headquarters in Kiel, the capital of Kernstadt, on Sunday morning. Normally, the documents should have gone to the adventurer guild's main headquarters on the Imperial Capital, but the Kiel adventurer guild master, recognizing the urgency of the matter, seems to have reported it directly to the Kernstadt royal family."

The documents, which arrived on Saturday, reached the Imperial Palace on Monday night after passing through Sunday.

It was unusual for information from the adventurer's guild to reach the Imperial Palace, so they had made a quick decision about its importance.

In order to report to the Emperor even a little faster, they had ignored the usual chain of command to some extent. The report that should have gone to Heinrich, the king of Kernstadt, came to the regent first.

It was not reported to Louise, the regent of Kernstadt, but to Louise, the Empress.

That was why Louise von Schwarz was the first to obtain the information.

As it was an urgent matter, they chose the route that would allow them to report to the Emperor as quickly as possible.

The response of the Kernstadt adventurer guild headquarters could not be considered slow; they had dealt with the situation flexibly.

But in the end, there was a two-day gap.

"In two days, she couldn't have left Kernstadt yet," said Louise.

Charlotte nodded at her words.

"Vellodosia is the most important stronghold city for the northeastern reconstruction of Kernstadt. Of course, there are small and medium-sized cities around it, as well as a significant number of strongholds, including forward bases."

"Since the information could have been discarded or lost if it was handed over to a small local adventurer guild, Ellen had no choice but to enter the stronghold city," Harriet agreed, as if it was certain that Ellen had to take the risk of entering deep into human territory.

If it had been a local city's adventurer guild, the information could have been discarded by an official's judgment of low credibility or lost during transfer.

She would naturally want to avoid such risks.

"Regardless of which direction she escapes, two days is too short a time. Ellen Artorious is still within the borders of Kernstadt, Your Majesty."

"…I suppose so," the Emperor nodded quietly.

Since the Gate Incident, her whereabouts had been a mystery, and there had been countless sightings due to misconceptions or mistakes.

For the first time in such a situation, Ellen's location was almost certainly revealed.

If they lost her now, they would not know where she had gone.

Even this small trace had only been left because she felt it was necessary to deliver extremely important information herself.

The world was too vast.

This was essentially their first and last chance.

"Will anyone else know that these documents were written by Ellen, besides us?" the Emperor asked, posing an unexpected question.

"These notebooks had passed through many hands before reaching this point. The likelihood that others would have the same thoughts as we did was quite high."

The information had already been reviewed by countless people. It had undergone verification by many, which allowed it to be presented to the Emperor.

From low-ranking officials at local adventurer guilds, to high-ranking officials at the headquarters, guild masters, and even the dignitaries of Kernstadt.

Only because it had been approved as credible information could it be brought here.

Everyone knew that an ordinary person could never gather information of this scale.

Thus, it was not difficult to deduce that the person who had submitted this information was the vanished hero, Ellen.

It was impossible for the people present to be certain, but they could make as many conjectures as they liked.

The Emperor felt as if he was already hearing hallucinations.

The voices of numerous officials shouting that the hero must be hunted down seemed to echo in his ears.

There were tasks that had to be done even when he didn't want to do them.

There were tasks he wanted to do but couldn't.

This matter would ultimately be forced upon him as well.

Find the hero.

Kill the hero.

The hallucinations that already filled his head told him of the future.

"Wait... just for a moment... I need to think."

The Emperor stood up from his seat.

------

In the dim hallway of the Spring Palace's upper floor, where even the banquet attendees did not venture, only the faint sound of music could be heard from afar.

The Emperor stood still, gazing down at the people coming and going in the courtyard.

That area was also, of course, bustling with people enjoying the festivities.

Under the moonlit night, the Emperor silently watched them.

The Emperor was fiddling with something in his grasp.

An object he still couldn't let go of.

He rolled it quietly in the palm of his hand.

Soon, someone approached the Emperor's stiff figure with a rustle of clothing.

"Reinhardt..."

"...Yes?"

The Archmage, Empress Harriet, stood quietly beside him.

"Do it."

"..."

At her simple words, the Emperor remained silent, offering no response.

"I wish you would."

The Emperor did not respond to the Empress's words.

No, it was more accurate to say he couldn't.

"We may never have another opportunity like this. We've prepared so much for this moment, haven't we?"

The proliferation of monsters was a desperate truth, but the current situation was also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

They might not get another chance if they let it slip away.

The Emperor quietly opened his mouth.

"I'm sorry."

"...For what? So suddenly?"

Harriet tilted her head, looking at the suddenly apologetic Emperor.

The Empress remained the same.

She didn't even know why she was being apologized to.

In the end, the Emperor carefully embraced the flustered Empress.

"I'm sorry for making you say such things."

"Ah..."

"It wasn't because I needed time to think about it."

Within the strong embrace of the Emperor, Harriet quietly smiled.

"I didn't want to hear an apology."

"...Don't make me feel even more sorry."

"...What do you want me to do?"

The grumbling Empress also tightly embraced the Emperor.

There was no time to hesitate.

Nor was there much time to ponder.

"Alright, let's do it."

However, everyone knew that a moment like this would eventually come.

And so, they were always prepared.

------

The Emperor soon returned to the conference room.

His contemplation was over.

His resolve was firm.

He was ready.

The hero was one of the last remaining sources of trouble for the Empire.

“We've left her alone for far too long.”

The hero was an entity that, if recklessly dealt with, could cause a chain reaction.

But now, they had reduced the danger significantly.

Even if it exploded, it would only emit a brief flash of light.

Killing the hero would no longer cause any significant consequences.

In the early days of the Empire, when there were many who supported the hero, carelessly killing the hero could have caused an enraged faction to rise up against the Empire.

That could have made the establishment of the Empire itself impossible.

Therefore, the Empire could not play around with the hero's name.

Instead, the Empire relied on the hope of the anti-demon king factions who believed in the vanished hero.

Someday, the hero would appear and save us all.

In other words, until the hero appeared, they would do nothing.

In that situation, if the hero carelessly died or rumors of her death spread, those people would be more likely to explode with anger than to fall into despair.

Thus, while those who believed in the hero as their savior wasted their time waiting for the hero who never came, the demon king diligently established the Empire.

During that time, there were several instances of humanity's resistance against evil, all of which were thoroughly crushed.

And now.

The anti-demon king factions were still trapped within the fences of their autonomous region, waiting for the hero who never came, clinging to their threadlike hope.

The hero's death would bring about complete despair for the autonomous region.

Even if they were to become angry, they would now be nothing more than a candle that could be easily snuffed out.

In the end, the despairing autonomous region would submit completely.

Much time had passed.

Through numerous political situations, circumstances, and several wars, a long time had passed.

Those who believed in the hero were now like candles in the wind.

Even if they were to grow, they could no longer burn with a flame larger than that of a candle.

And so, now.

“As of this moment, the northeastern border of Kernstadt will be completely sealed off.”

The hero could be killed.