Chapter 123: Adventurers’ Intuition IV (1/2)

「Souya, you've been summoned to the royal castle. Head over there right away」

I was told that by my person-in-charge the moment I arrived at the Guild.

「That came out of nowhere」

With that thought in mind, I headed for the royal castle.

My intuition kicked in.

「Oh, this is a bad one」

My hunch was confirmed by the battered knights I passed by on the way to the royal castle.

They had on dull silver plate armor. Their swords and shields were the same silver color. And they all didn't wear helmets. In other words, they were dressed like knights from Elysium.

Every single one of them seemed exhausted and looked as if they had lost a battle. There were deep claw marks on their shields and armor, and some had to be supported by their shoulders while others were being carried on stretchers by the physicians of the healing temple.

And they were all unfamiliar faces.

If they don't live in this city, then there are only two possibilities.

Elysium has deployed two orders of knights to the right continent.

The first is the Gilster Knight Order, which is garrisoned in the nearby port to the west of Lemuria.

The second is the Vernog Knight Order, which is stationed to the north of Lemuria in the place formerly known as Rossian, one of the three Misuranika countries.

If trouble had broken out at the port, I would have heard about it through the merchant company. The port is the lifeblood of trade, so it would have caused an uproar in Lemuria.

Which leaves only one possibility.

It's the north.

Further north from Rossian is Neomia. Or as some call it, the city of vampires. The capital of death.

Endguard. Lycan. Goddess of the moon of misfortune. Nobles of ice.

I have a bad feeling about this already.

I arrived at the royal castle.

When I made eye contact with a guard I knew, he motioned with his chin, ”Go in quickly.” Though the place looked as dreary as ever, the inside of the castle was in turmoil.

People were running around frantically.

One of the maids spotted me, beckoned me over, and showed me the way.

I asked her about the unusual state of the castle, but she didn't know the details either.

Along the way, I spotted someone I knew whimpering in the corridor.

It was the Chancellor who had been dispatched to Lemuria by Elysium. He was sweating so much that it seemed like he was melting and looked very pale.

He was being confronted by his male and female subordinates, and was freaking out.

「Good day」

「T, the foreigner. Perfect timing」

「What is it? What's all the fuss about?」

「Margrave! Do you intend to discuss this matter with an outsider?」

「B, but you see, this guy is――」

Yelled at by his male subordinate, the Chancellor staggered unsteadily and then collapsed.

He had passed out.

「Margrave Winito! Hey, someone!」

「It would have been great if he had just dropped dead」

The man called for help.

The woman spewed venomous words.

To think that he would turn to an outsider like me for help. Something tells me that this isn't some trivial matter.

Be well, Margrave.

There is no incompetent diplomat from another country who is more beneficial to this country. Do your best to live a long life.

I parted ways with the maid in front of the audience room and went in to see the king.

There were already a few people I knew there.

As well as the captain of the guard, whom I had seen a couple of times before.

「King Lemuria, I hope to find you in good―――――」

「Souya, save the greetings for later. Everyone, let's change locations」

The king rose from his throne, followed only by the people I knew.

We gathered at the castle's kitchen. A place where people could be dismissed and schemes could be hatched.

There was only one chair.

The king sat down on it and the rest of us stood. The other people present were Otou-san, Barfuru-sama, and the captain of the guard.

The captain of the guard used to be an advanced adventurer, and was a junior to the king during his adventuring days. The fact that he holds the position of Guard Captain despite being a beastkin is probably a sign of his strength and the trust the king has in him.

I would say that he’s in his early thirties, but I'm actually not sure, since beastkin don't show their age as much. In reality, he might be older than that. He’s a dog-like beastkin, and uncommonly small-sized for a beastkin male, who usually have large builds. However, he’s one of the people who taught Lanseal how to fight, and is considered to be one of the most experienced fighters in Lemuria.

The king started speaking.

「In the thirty-odd years since Lemuria was founded, it has experienced many difficulties and predicaments. This is one of them. No, it would be great if that’s how this matter is talked about in the future」

The king covered his face with one hand.

Oh, this is a really bad one.

「The Vernog Knight Order that’s stationed to the north of Lemuria has been decimated. Debra, give them the details」

「Yes, Your Majesty」

The captain of the guard gave us a report.

「Two days ago, I received a request for aid from the Vernog Knight Order and headed for Rossian with ten of my best men. Along the way, we met up with Barfuru-sama and then came into contact with the enemy. Though eight of my men lost their lives, we were able to make it back to Lemuria this morning with the surviving members of the Knight Order」

「Umm, who were the enemies that you encountered?」

The captain of the guard answered my question succinctly.

「Vampires. The Vernog Knight Order lost more lives fighting their own infected people than they did the enemy. Among them was Vernog, the leader of the Knight Order. Those eight of my men who had lost their lives were also killed by my own hand」

I had heard for some time that they were up north, but I never expected them to actually show up.

Barfuru-sama stepped forward.

「There's no doubt. They were vampires. I don't know how, but I think the king of vampires is back. No, this may be a harbinger of his return」

King Lemuria heaved a deep sigh.

「The return of the vampires that the St. Lyridias Order has recognized as evil. The decimation of the knights stationed in the north at their hands. It's obvious that Elysium will decide to send an army. And they aren't going to be playing around with that army. After the vampires are exterminated, that army will effectively take over Lemuria. The false reports sent by the Margrave will also be exposed in detail. People, wealth, knowledge, they'll milk us for everything we've got」

「Then, Your Majesty, shall we take the fight to the Elysium?」

The captain of the guard made a rather aggressive suggestion.

Is it really appropriate for him to say that kind of stuff in front of me, who’s technically an outsider? Or does this person know about my situation as well?

「It's not time for that yet. That's the last resort」

When it comes to anything other than women, King Lemuria is a cautious man. In the same way as he did during his adventuring days, he plans meticulously and then puts it into action boldly.

The adventurer-turned-king turned to the beast-headed man.

「Barfuru-dono, now is the time to fulfill our pact」

「Yes, indeed」

Barfuru-sama nodded.