Elana’s group briefly stopped on the road leading to Bailey. She made a quick observation on the town’s locale and its surroundings.

“Natural moat around the walls, and farm fields strewn outside.” Elana said. “I see what Keith meant now.”

“Yeah, Captain.” Billy said. “But won’t be enough against a monster horde.”

“For now we should go to the guild branch and report our arrival.” Elana said, and soon the group resumed their travel.

The road was empty all the way to the front gate of the town. The drawbridge was still down, but there was no activity other than several guards standing by. Regardless, Elana drove the buggy towards them in a gentle approach and stopped when they signaled her to.

Once the guard walking on approach was close enough, Elana spoke while showing her guild card. “We are adventurers sent here by the capital city branch.”

“Oh, you’re from Arxhige branch? Go ahead.” The guard said with enthusiasm.

“Before that, please tell me where the Adventurer’s Guild in this town is.” Elana said while tucking away her guild card.

“Go down this main road and it will be on the left. You can’t miss it.”

“Thank you.”

The group continued their trip, going past the drawbridge and the front gate. The town beyond the gate had roughly the same architectural design as the capital city, only smaller. The main road was devoid of other vehicles, but there were a number of pedestrians, thus Elana drove the buggy at a slow speed which allowed the Mountain Squad to follow by just walking normally without their suits.

While on the road, Elana noticed that the townspeople looked agitated. A group of four were discussing loudly enough for Elana to hear in passing.

“The northern folks ran away without saying a word!”

“Those selfish scums! The guards and adventurers can’t defend the town by themselves! What will become of this town’s future!!?”

“We already got our hands full caring for children and elderly!”

“Maybe we should run away ourselves?”

“You joking!? Want me to knock some sense into you!?”

“Hey, don’t fight!! Not the time!”

Elana ignored the arguing bunch and kept driving down the road. She also noticed a few children carrying sticks and pitchforks, seemingly training by themselves in using those as weapons.

Are those children intending to fight against the monsters…?

Still, Elana continued driving and soon the group arrived at the town’s guild building. It was no surprise that the building was much smaller than the one in the capital city, being only two stories tall. However, it still had the honor of being notably larger than other buildings around it.

***

The local guildmaster of Bailey branch was very unlike Keith. He was no taller than Elana, his hair had gray streaks and was already thinning, and wrinkles decorated many parts of his body, especially the face. He had been trying to remain calm and collected in the bleak situation, but one could notice the fear, worry, and anxiety written on his face.

A number of guild officers came in and out of the guildmaster’s office in a hurry. Elana had no idea what they were doing with all the paperwork stuff they brought along, but she could quickly assume that they had temporarily converted the office into some kind of a war room.

“Reinforcements will come from the central guild? Oh thank god!” The guildmaster said in audible relief while standing behind his desk, but he then furrowed his gray brows, adding more wrinkles on his already withering forehead. “Still, we don’t know how long it will take for them to arrive, and the beasts could swarm us at any minute.”

Elana folded her arms. “Don’t you get regular updates through the guild’s communication system?” She asked.

“No, it’s not that easy.” The guildmaster shook his head. “We don't have any lightning power generator, so we only can use the system once a day for ten minutes.”

Elana squinted hearing the answer, but she decided to disregard the matter for the time being. “In any case, with the right timing the monster horde may attack the reinforcements instead, unless they take a detour.”

“And we have no way of knowing whether they will take longer to arrive or-“ The guildmaster coughed, which halted his speech momentarily. “Or they will choose to risk getting attacked midway.”

“How is the status of our defenses?” Elana asked.

The guildmaster dejectedly sighed. “It’s not looking good. There aren’t that many adventurers in town to begin with, and some teams have already fled north.”

“That sounds significantly worse than the adventurers in the capital city.” Elana said, lowering her arms onto her hip. “What makes it that bad?”

“The town has been too peaceful for so long that the adventurers got complacent.” The guildmaster frowned. “Now when there’s a real threat they panicked and ran away in fear.”

“What about the guards? I believe the city lord should have a platoon of guards or something.”

The guildmaster cringed hearing the question. “The lord’s army? They’re hopeless, I tell you-!” He coughed. “They’re employed only to maintain order between the townspeople! Chuck one quad ape at them and they’ll piss their pants!”

“I seriously hope you were exaggerating, but I take it that the guards are unable to defend the town from the monsters.” Elana sighed after speaking, having learned that the situation was quite worse than she had expected.

“Maybe t’was exaggerated, but pretty much yes. At the very least they should be able to keep the town from falling into total chaos.” The guildmaster rested his hand on the desk and lowered his head.

“That is still something.” Elana said. “What about the lord himself? What is he doing right now if you could tell me?”

“I’d wager he’s cowering in his house right now, but let’s put that aside!” The guildmaster spoke before having another coughing fit. “Fortifying our defenses is more important.”

Suddenly, one guild officer rushed into the room. “Guildmaster! There are people posting escort quests northward! Adventurers downstairs are now bickering on taking advantage of the quests to flee!”

Bam!

The guildmaster slammed his right fist on his desk. “Flee!? Give me a break!!! Do they want to see this town burn!?” His loud speech echoed all over the office and stunned all the officers inside. He had another coughing fit once more before taking a deep breath and speaking with his breath running short. “Listen up! Remain calm and do what you can to quell the disturbance. Tell them that all escort quests out of town are banned until further notice.”

“But Guildmaster! The adventurers may just flee by themselves anyway!”

The guildmaster sat down on his seat behind the desk, covered his eyes with one hand while the other hand was hanging limp, and gritted his teeth. “Increase the emergency quest reward to double. Heck! Triple! That should at least make the greedy ones stay!”

“But our budget is-!”

“Screw the guild budget! I’ll pay that out of my own pocket!” The guildmaster stood up. “Now go! Move!” He waved his hand with visible agitation.

“R-Right away!” The officer turned around and darted off.

Elana had been watching the events unfolding, and she concluded for the time being that the guildmaster deserved more help. Therefore, she began assigning tasks to her subordinates.

“Randy, stand by here and take care of anyone injured at your discretion.”

“Affirmative!”

“Albert, maybe the guildmaster could use some treatment for his cough. Offer him some and see if he’s willing to accept. Otherwise, stay with the squad leader.”

“Yes, mo- ma’am!”

“Lillie, your squad is to stand guard on top of the southern wall. Have Billy perform maintenance on your equipment beforehand.”

“Affirmative, Captain!”

“Billy, once you are done with Mountain Squad, try to get a closer look at the communication system and see if you can make it function for more than just ten minutes a day.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Elana then looked at the guildmaster. “Do you have any objections, Guildmaster?”

“No, do what you must.” The guildmaster replied. “You’ve got a Jagaia card, which means Guildmaster Biggwarde trusts you with all his heart. Who am I to question his judgment?”

So the carved signature really reads ‘Jagaia’. I wonder what that word means, but there’s no time for asking. I’ve got to move.

Elana turned around, and Randy asked before she took a step. “Where are you going, Captain?”

“The city lord.” Elana replied. “I have to see for myself what he is up to right now, and I believe he ought to know what we are up to as well.”

“Wait!” The guildmaster called. “I’m not stopping you. I just want you to know that while he’s not a bad person at heart, he can be quite difficult to deal with.”

“Alright, I shall keep that in mind.” Elana replied without looking back.

“Hey, you! Yes, you! Kevin!” The guildmaster called a nearby guild officer who was carrying a stack of papers. “Show her the way to the lord’s residence.”

“Oh! Alright, sir!” The guild officer replied frantically as he put down the thing he was carrying. He wore the same uniform as other guild officers, but he looked considerably younger than others. In particular, his rather short height and baby face gave off the vibe that he was still just a kid, or perhaps he really was.

***

Not long later, Elana and Kevin arrived at the city lord’s residence. The solitary mansion located amongst regular buildings had a respectable size and a decently spacious garden, albeit not as big as Viscountess Mirabelle’s mansion in the capital. Two armored guards stood at the front gate, but the gate itself was wide open.

“Halt!” The two guards crossed their spears when Elana approached. “Declare your purpose before stepping into the lord’s residence!”

Kevin was startled by the sudden action, but Elana calmly showed her guild card. “I am an adventurer from central guild, and I am here to deliver new information about the ongoing emergency.”

The two guards momentarily looked at each other before pulling their spears back into standby position. “Go ahead.” One of them said.

Elana tucked away her guild card and walked past the guards, but then she immediately noticed that Kevin didn’t walk alongside her. Therefore she stopped and asked. “You’re not coming?”

“No, I’m going back to the guild.” Kevin replied. “I’ve done my job, right?”

“Oh, right. Indeed you have.” Elana nodded. “Thank you for your help then.”

“Hmm, you’re welcome!” Kevin said, and then he turned away and left.

While walking through the garden which was mostly lawn and paved path straight to the front door, Elana saw a company of about thirty unarmored men lined up on the lawn with a spear in their right hand. A man in armor was giving a speech which was unintelligible to Elana at this distance.

Regardless, Elana proceeded through the garden and arrived at the front door which was wide open like the gate. Her eyes slightly went wide upon seeing the commotion behind the door.

Maids and manservants were walking all around the main hall in a hurried pace while carrying plates, cloth, towel, and various other stuff. In addition, the room had a faint fragrance of freshly cooked meals.

“U-Umm, may I help you?” A young maid carrying an empty pot asked Elana.

“I would like to see the city lord.” Elana replied while showing her guild card. “I bring some news from the guild.”

“Oh, you can find Sir Brid over there. Just follow one of us going in.” The maid said while gesturing at an open door on the right side of the main hall, from which the maids and manservants had been going in and out.

“Alright. Thank you.” Elana said with a small nod.

“You’re welcome!” The maid said with a cheerful smile before she left for the door on the left side of the main hall.

Elana went through the door on the right, following a manservant who was carrying a stack of cloth. She went past the corridor and ended up outside again at the side garden of the mansion. There were multiple large tents occupying much of the space on the lawn, and all of them were crowded with people, mainly very young children with their mothers and also frail, elderly ones.

What is going on here?

The question popped up in Elana’s mind. She could make a quick assumption that they were refugees sheltered by the lord, but she ultimately decided to save it for later because she noticed someone likely to be the person she was looking for. The man had a chubby physique and he wore the stereotypical attire of a noble. He seemed to be talking to his butler about some serious matter, but Elana decided to approach anyway.

The nobleman noticed Elana approaching and immediately spoke with a frown. “Who are you? That clothing, are you from Belmott?”

Another one assuming that I came from Belmott Empire... Maybe I should look it up someday.

“People have been assuming that a lot, but no. I am Elana Mayer, an adventurer sent from the capital city central guild.” Elana replied while showing her guild card. “In any case, I brought news and information from the guild of this town.”

“I see.” The nobleman folded his arms. “Then I, Viscount Brid Varine shall allow you to spill out the information you have for me.” He continued, smugly gesturing his right hand at himself. “From now on, address me as Sir Brid.”

Elana frowned inside on how Brid still had the nerve to act like that in the chaotic situation, but she kept her poker face and spoke. “The central guild will soon dispatch reinforcements to protect the town. My team as the advance squad shall help in guarding the town until they arrive.”

“Your team? Are you the leader?” Brid asked with his brows furrowing.

Without any change in her facial expression, Elana replied. “Indeed I am. Is there something about me which does not meet your expectations?”

“A team led by a woman, heh. And only silver.” Brid rolled his eyes.

The butler standing next to Brid chimed in. “If you would pardon me, Master. I strongly recommend reconsidering your stance in this time of need.”

“In this time of need I demand strong adventurers, Dalton!” Brid retorted. “What will become of this town without strong defenders!? We lack capable personnel, and also courage because I know many cowards have fled already!”

“Pardon me, but would this give you more assurance?” Elana spoke, showing the so-called Jagaia card. Both Brid’s and Dalton’s eyes went wide the moment they noticed the card.

“Jagaia card? How did a mere silver get their hands on that?” Brid asked in an audible disbelief. “That is significantly more reassuring. If that card is a genuine article, that is. I would wager it is a sham.” He said while squinting at Elana.

“Sadly I have no idea on how to test its authenticity.” Elana said while tucking the shiny blue card away. “You just have to trust me on that.”

“Would I trust a stranger I just met? My eyes shall be on you.” Brid said in a frown, which for Elana looked like a failed attempt to look intimidating.

“Duly noted.” Elana said while still maintaining her poker face.

“Are you done here, or do you still have more things to say?” Brid asked with his nose up in the air, clearly asserting himself to be above Elana. “I shall allow you to ask a few questions while at it.”

“I shall take you up on the offer then.” Elana said. “Who are these people in the tents around us?”

“Huh? Are you stupid?” Brid asked back in an audibly condescending tone. “Is it not obvious that they are citizens I generously grant shelter to?”

“I see. They sure would be thankful for that.” Elana said while keeping herself calm.

“Of course they are! And they should remember that in the future!” Brid said with a wide grin.

Elana smiled a little as courtesy. “If you would allow me one more inquiry, I would like to know your plans for the current situation.”

“Hole up here. Simple.” Brid replied. “These peasants have nowhere to run to, so might as well have the men make a last stand. You should have seen them in the front yard, no?”

“Yes, I have.” Elana said. “And I appreciate that you, the city lord, did not leave the people in this time of crisis.”

“You really are not too bright, huh?” Brid asked, still looking down on Elana. “A city lord who flees from his own town and leaves it to burn is a disgrace! The dishonor shall never be forgotten for generations! I want to live longer but I’m not going to have dishonor tacked on me! And my wife! And my children! You understand now?”

“Yes. I am grateful for your answer.” Elana said while bowing. “I shall take my leave.”

“You know what irks me?” Brid said. “Your attitude reeks of disrespect. Do me a favor and learn your place.”

“Sadly I cannot comply.” Elana said with her arms folded. “I am here to complete a quest, not to lick someone else’s boots.”

“Why you-!” Brid’s face reddened and he gritted his teeth, but then he let out a big sigh. “Fine! If you have nothing more to say, get out of my house!”

“I sincerely hope we shall not cross paths again after this matter is over.” Elana said. She silently gritted her teeth behind her shut lips, and without speaking further she walked away.

Elana now understood what the guildmaster had meant back then. Brid’s attitude exemplified his arrogance, but he still had chosen to stay with the people in town and provided them shelter in his own residence. Elana suspected that there was more to that than keeping up his honor, but for now she decided to put it aside and settle with the fact.

Not a bad person but difficult to deal with... Indeed he is.

Later, Elana arrived back at the guild and went straight to the guildmaster’s office upstairs. The atmosphere still remained the same as before with officers coming in and out in a hurry. Among her men, only Albert still remained in the office. The others had already gone somewhere else, but they were still within range of the nanom link.

“Oh, you’re back!” The guildmaster said upon noticing Elana. “How did it go?”

“As you said, the city lord was a difficult person to deal with.” Elana replied while walking in approach to the guildmaster’s desk. “To be perfectly honest, I wish not to see him again after talking to him once.”

“Yes, I understand.” The guildmaster said. “By the way, this young lad here made me feel much better just by touching my neck for a second. Incredible!”

“Glad to hear that. Good work, Albert.” Elana nodded with a smile directed at Albert, who twitched just a little bit.

“Thank you mo- ma’am!” Albert said while doing a salute. “It was just a mild inflammation from excessive yelling. Nothing serious, but I’m staying here for now to monitor just in case.”

The guildmaster laughed a little. “I’m all good now, lad. Just leave me here and go do more important things.”

“Go and assist Randy, Albert.” Elana said. “Your job here is done.”

“Affirmative, Captain!” Albert said before leaving the office.

“Alright.” The guildmaster slouched behind his desk while audibly sighing in relief. “Almost everything is set in motion. All that’s left for me is to pray that this town isn’t getting attacked too soon. Or at all, ideally.”

“I concur with that.” Elana said. “I shall take my leave as well to see how others are doing.”

Elana left the guildmaster’s office and went downstairs. With the nanom link guiding her, she easily found out that Billy right now was in one of the back rooms, and thus she went there. The door was wide open and one guild officer was watching from right outside. Elana knew this particular officer, and therefore she spoke.

“Hello again, Kevin.” Elana greeted.

Kevin turned his head to Elana in a slight surprise. “Oh, you’re back. How did it go?”

“He was honestly a pain, but I learned what I needed to know.” Elana said, putting her right hand on her hip.

“Heh, that’s Lord Varine for you.” Kevin said while grinning and playfully rubbing his nose with his index finger. “One reason I didn’t want to go in there.”

“Let’s not gossip further about him.” Elana said. “Is Billy in there?”

“Yeah.” Kevin replied as he went back to eyeing the room. “He’s been staring at the guild communication device for a while now. The guildmaster told me to keep watch, but I don’t know anything about that stuff.”

“Is it fine if I go in there too?” Elana asked.

Kevin shrugged. “Eh, I don’t see why not. Go ahead.”

“Thank you.” Elana said before entering the room, which actually was just big enough to fit three people comfortably.

Elana saw for the first time that the communication device in question looked like an old fashioned computer to humanity’s current standard. It consisted of what looked similar to a CRT monitor and also a keyboard. Elana assumed that the bulky-looking monitor was the whole machine since other than the desk the device stood on and a chair, she didn’t see any other peculiar object in the room.

“How is it going, Billy?” Elana asked Billy who was sitting on the chair staring at the device with his arms folded.

“Well, it’s as the guildmaster said, Captain.” Billy replied without looking back at Elana. “The device runs on electricity, and there’s none of it in the building. The lamp above us is a magic item, just for your information.”

“Alright, so how can it run everyday, albeit limited?” Elana asked.

Billy stood up before he replied. “Turns out, this thing has a solar panel. It gathers energy from that lamp and stores it in a battery inside.” He pointed at the lamp above.

“That lamp produces enough energy to power what is basically a computer?” Elana squinted.

Billy chuckled. “It’s magic, Captain. Our common sense doesn’t fully work here. At least I can say that either the panel is extremely efficient in feeding the battery, or the lamp is more than meets the eye. Could be both.”

“So, got any idea to extend its operational duration?” Elana asked with her arms folded.

Billy nodded. “Sort of. The battery indeed can only store about ten minutes worth of energy, but I predict that in practice the device can last a few minutes more because the lamp is always on.”

“So, the solution is as simple as more lamps?” Elana asked.

Billy chuckled again. “That could work, but I was talking about this.” He said as he pulled out a portable battery from his suit pocket. “I analyzed that this portable battery can store at least twenty times more energy. I’ll see if I can make this battery compatible with the device and replace its battery with this.”

“I see.” Elana said with a nod. “Inserting our technology goes against the article, but this is a special situation involving the risk of human casualties so I believe we have the green light. Go ahead and try it.”

“Roger that, Captain.” Billy said, and Elana walked out of the room.

Right outside the door, Kevin spoke up. “H-Hey, can I ask something?”

“Sure. What is it?” Elana replied.

“He’s been only staring at the device and occasionally touching it lightly, yet he somehow knew all those things? How?” Kevin asked in bewilderment.

Elana cracked a smile. “There are two factors. One is the technology of our homeland, and the other is Billy being just that good at it.”

“Your homeland?” Kevin asked. “Is it Belmott? It’s where the device came from.”

And another one.

The thought quickly came into Elana’s mind before she replied. “No, we came from even further than that.”

“Even further? Wow.” Kevin said, not hiding his visible amazement. “But why are you here doing adventurer work?”

“Unfortunate circumstances left us stuck in this kingdom, so this is now what we do to make a living until we can find a way back.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” Kevin said, showing empathy on his face. “I hope you will find a way to get back home soon.”

“Thank you.” Elana said with a nod, and then she walked away. Randy and Albert were nearby, so she decided to check on them next.

***

At about the same time in the royal castle, a number of high ranking military officers were gathered in the conference room. Murmurs of discussion filled the room as the officers talked with tension and worry on their faces.

Blam.

The double doors swung open with enough force to send them hitting the wall with a notably loud sound of impact. All the officers in the conference room stopped all their discussions and turned their heads to look. There and then, they witnessed the figure of Queen Vierrastine Arxhige. Her hurried stride along with the stern facial expression made it clear for everyone else about the urgency of the matter at hand. Following behind her were two well-known figures; Sedhoust Grasmord and Keith Biggwarde. Including the queen herself, three of the legendary Five Heroes were now in the same room.

“Remain seated.” The queen spoke as she hurried to her designated seat and sat down there. Sedhoust and Keith soon took their seats on each side of the queen. “Is everybody here?”

All the officers looked around themselves briefly before one of them replied to the queen’s question. “Yes, Your Majesty. All the relevant officers are here.”

“Good.” The queen nodded. “How’s the preparation going?”

“We are rounding up the necessary supplies. We’ll be ready to depart in two hours.”

The queen shook her head. “That’s too slow, General Gilbert. The lives of people are at stake here. Do it in one hour.”

“As you command, Your Majesty.” Gilbert replied, then he quickly whispered to the officer next to him, who soon stood up and left the conference room.

“So, Keith.” The queen addressed Keith. “You said that the beasts will most likely swarm Bailey. How sure are you on that.”

“It’s based on the assumption that the newly formed corrupted area behaves the same way as the corrupted cloud above the lake near Arstjipta.” Keith replied. “We all know that calamity beasts often don’t make sense, so I regret to say that I’m not too sure.”

The queen nodded. “I’ve been told that you issued a quest in Arstjipta branch yesterday to check on the corrupted lake. Is there any result yet?”

“Sadly not yet.” Keith shook his head in dejection. “The distance isn’t close enough to get results within a day to begin with.”

“Alright, then we should deploy troops to aid all towns around the area.” The queen said. “Remind me again, what are the nearest towns and cities from the corrupted area?”

“Please allow me to answer your question, Your Majesty.” Gilbert spoke up with his right hand raised.

“Granted.” The queen replied.

Gilbert immediately spread a map on the conference table. His index finger touched a spot on the map before speaking out. “Based on the location of the forest, the nearest cities and small towns from there are Bailey to the north, Azureus to the east, Arxhige capital to the south, and Briony to the west. If we order them according to distance from the spot, it should be Bailey, Arxhige capital, Briony, and finally Azureus.”

“What about villages?” The queen asked.

“There’s one on the way to Briony, and two on the way to Azureus. At least those are the villages officially accounted for.” Gilbert replied with his eyes meeting the queen’s.

“Hmm...” The queen stared at the map on the table for ten seconds before turning her head to Sedhoust. “Sedhoust, I want you to fly to Azureus and stand guard there until the troops from the capital arrive. Stop by the two villages and order them to evacuate to Azureus.”

“Understood.” Sedhoust said with a nod.

“Keith.” The queen called. “Mobilize the guild RVs and send a few teams of adventurers to Briony. Preferably Gold Rank at minimum. Like Sedhoust, have them stand guard there until the troops arrive and stop by the village. Other than that, I need you to not leave the city. You’ll lead the adventurers in case those beasts attack the capital.”

“Got it!” Keith said.

“Now, about Bailey...” The queen frowned the moment her eyes glared at the spot where Bailey was on the map. “The consequences have finally caught up to him, yet we’re the ones who have to clean up the mess.”

Gilbert clicked his tongue before speaking up. “Viscount Varine, isn’t it? I’m going to teach him a lesson for overinvesting in tourism, leaving the town defenseless!”

“But General!” An officer spoke up right after Gilbert finished. “The investment actually worked to fuel the town’s economy! Otherwise Bailey would be nothing more than a barren town!”

“And everything falls apart the moment something like this happens!” Gilbert retorted. “Tell me, Joachim. Would it have hurt him to invest more in military strength?”

“With all due respect, General.” Joachim replied. “What you said as ‘something like this’ is a whole new corrupted area emerging, and that has never happened for over two decades! It’s not something anyone would take into account!”

Bam!

The queen suddenly hammered the gavel in front of her, and the debate came into a complete halt. “It was my own oversight for blurting out an unnecessary remark, but we’re not here to debate over how a city lord has spent his funds. What’s the planned route for the troops marching to Bailey?”

“Truth to be told, Your Majesty,” Gilbert replied. “I still haven’t decided whether the troops should take the shortest route which basically goes right next to the corrupted area midway, or a longer route which will take at least twice as long.”

“We can’t make the people of Bailey wait any longer than necessary, so take the short route.” The queen said. “Considering the risk, I implore you to bring your best men and equipment, and never let your guard down.”

“As you command, Your Majesty.” Gilbert said.

“I think we have covered all the necessary topics. Is there any question before I adjourn this conference?” The queen asked.

“Uhh, Your Majesty,” Joachim nervously raised his hand. “Regarding the troops departing for Azureus, I have an idea.”

The queen nodded. “Let’s hear it.”

“I believe that instead of going through the land route, the troops will get to Azureus faster through the naval route.” Joachim spoke before putting his hand on the map. “The wind blows northward during this season, so taking a ship from Gustav port should cut down at least one day of travel time.”

“Oh, good idea, Joachim.” Gilbert said with delight written on his face, but then he reverted to his serious expression. “However, that would need the admiral’s approval. In order to secure that...” He continued, glancing at the queen who had been listening.

“I shall issue a royal order for that matter.” The queen spoke. “Thank you for the good idea, Joachim.”

Joachim was immediately startled. “Y-Your praise is wasted on me, Your Majesty!”

“All right! The conference is now adjourned!” The queen spoke before hammering the gavel once. “Now move! Time is of the essence!”

Gilbert and all other officers quickly stood up and left the conference room in a hurry. Within half a minute, only the queen, Sedhoust, and Keith were left.

“Keith.” The queen called. “Did you say that Elana departed for Bailey this morning?”

“Yeah, bringing along several others.” Keith replied. “I just thought that her unusually fast RV would make her group our best advance squad.”

“I believe you didn’t coerce her into doing it, did you?”

“No way! I just asked nicely.” Keith shook his head. “In fact, she refused at first but ultimately decided otherwise because she believed this turmoil was her fault.”

“Well, I can’t exactly say otherwise since her... what was it again... drone? Anyway, that thing has provided an opportunity for the corrupted cloud to spread its territory all the way here.” The queen said. “But it ultimately is the fault of the calamity beast, so we shouldn’t blame her in any form.”

“Should I look for that drone and destroy it?” Sedhoust asked, then he shook his head. “Never mind. It was a bad idea. Forget what I just said.”

“Yeah, destroying the drone doesn’t necessarily mean the corruption will be cleansed.” Keith said. “Let’s wait until I get results from Arstjipta branch. From there we should know whether the corrupted cloud above Krochi Village is a new one or the same one having moved.”

“Anyway, I should get going immediately.” Sedhoust said as he stood up.

“Please be careful.” The queen said.

“Naturally.” Sedhoust said while walking to the door leading to the balcony.

“Good luck, buddy.” Keith said, to which Sedhoust only responded with a wave of his left hand.

Without further words, Sedhoust used his flight spell and flew away. He had two villages and a city to protect, and he had a clear resolve to put his utmost effort in making sure that nobody would die on his watch.

***