Chapter 21 - Division Leader Discussion
Late evening.
Within a room of humble size located somewhere in the deepest section of the Seronian Royal Knights’ Quarters.
Following a report, a matter of paramount importance was being discussed between the four Seronian Royal Knight Division leaders.
“What the hell did you just say?”
Dustin, Leader of the Second Division, leaned forward in disbelief at the report he had just heard. The other leaders’ reactions were not so dissimilar.
“Ahem-! Language, Dustin.”
Reprimanding him, Janlar, the First Division Leader and First Captain of the Seronian Royal Military Division, sighed. “Apologies, Lars... Prithee, repeat that one more time."
"What exactly do you mean, “the Demonic Hero is gone”?”
Having been prompted to speak again by the man of the highest position in the room, Lars, leader of the Fourth Division, lowered his head with an exhale as he averted his gaze.
“Haa... It’s just as I said, captain. The kid my unit disposed of―you know, the runaway.”
Reiterating what he had just said a moment ago, Lars looked into each of the three leaders’ eyes individually.
“―His body is missing.”
A feeling of the atmosphere freezing dominated the room once more, with each Division Leader wearing complicated expressions. After a while, the first one to break the chilling silence and speak up was Camilla, the Third Division Leader, with a finger plastered on her troubled lips.
“Are you saying... The boy is alive?”
The response was immediate.
“Hah. Don’t spout nonsense.”
Snorting, Dustin ridiculed the thought, explaining his thoughts with crossed arms.
“How could it be? Even if the subject is an Otherworlder, don't tell me, little Cami, that you truly believe some Level 1 brat is capable of surviving having his head chopped off and his body dumped over a cliff? I know you are new to the job and all, but that’s no excuse to be so naive.”
"But, isn't it true that knowledge regarding Otherworlders is lacking? How can you say for certain that it isn't the case?"
Camilla rebutted, to which Dustin simply tapped his temple twice.
"It's common sense, Cami, common sense. You don't appear to understand."
"Yes, it's an Otherworlder, and yes, it has been stated that we shouldn't use common sense for those guys. But, even if common sense doesn't apply to them, there are still rules, you know? Universal rules."
"It isn't mere healing or regeneration abilities that we are talking about, but self-resurrection."
"Put simply, it's immortality."
"Outside the realm of the divine, has there ever been such a preposterous tale of a skill wielding that level of power? Further than that, you mean to say that a human of all things is the one in possession of it? Ridiculous."
"I might have understood if the boy was an undead, a member of the Aram tribe, or a Seraphim, but you mean to tell me that a human possesses something like immortality?"
"As I said, no matter if the one we're talking about is an Otherworlder or not; it simply is not possible."
Camilla opened her mouth to say something in response but paused for a moment before reluctantly nodding. “...No, well, I suppose you are right, Sir Dustin. It’s a rather confusing situation, so I must not be thinking straight. My apologies.”
Janlar reassured her, who lowered her head.
“There is nothing to apologise for, Camilla. Your line of thinking isn’t necessarily incorrect; indeed, this is quite perplexing, and it is certainly reasonable to come to such a conclusion. It could very well be possible that what you said is the case, and we shouldn’t remain closed-minded to that, Dustin, as anything is possible when it comes to dealing with Otherworlders. Keep that in mind."
"Sure, sure. I know."
"However, it’s also important to realise that what Camilla said is simply not realistic, even if it makes sense. If we look at records from the past, there have been many counts of hyper-regenerative abilities, but has there ever been a case where an Otherworlder has been capable of self-resurrection? If there was, I believe we most assuredly would have heard about it one way or the other by now, especially considering the position we are currently in.”
Camilla nodded. "I suppose so."
“Yes. Personally, I do not believe something like that is possible for any human, even an Otherworlder, and even more so for someone who is only Level 1. It simply is not something a human is able to accomplish; even for the likes of the Hero.”
The only exception to that might be someone who came under a god's protection as their Apostle, but there is no way a god would take a Level 1 as their champion or herald.
“Anyhow, everything has a reason behind it, and so--”
Turning to the Fourth Division Leader, Janlar asked once more.
“Lars, are you sure you might not have simply missed the body? Plaentic is extraordinarily vast, after all, and even someone of your calibre couldn’t be blamed for missing a single boy’s corpse in all that unmaintained greenery.”
The person in question rolled his eyes at Janlar’s question as if he had been expecting it from the beginning.
“Obviously, we scoured every bloody plant and rock within the nearest mile, yet discovered nought of relation but traces of torn cloth and a splatter of blood, and that wasn't of any help. I watched the body fall with my own eyes, so I knew where it landed, but in that spot, there was nothing of note except some blood.”
“Hm... Still. Do you really think it won’t be different if I go and have a look?”
“Huh? Ah, break a leg, man. Pardon my crudeness, but you could check the backside of every damn goblin in the region if you please, but don’t come wailing to me that it turned out to be a waste of time afterwards.”
“To that extent, is it? I see...”
While Lars folded his arms and heaved a sigh once more, Janlar seemed to delve deep into thought with a hand on his chin. Then, Dustin made a guess.
“Hey. It could be that some goblins found him and took him away, right? Since they’ve been ramping their numbers up for us recently, wouldn’t it make sense for them to venture farther out than usual for food?”
Lars shrugged. “God knows. It’s not like the kid’s corpse would’ve just grown legs and walked away, is it? But, yeah, that’s what we’ve chalked it up to in the meantime.”
“There are no carnivorous animals like wolves or bears in the area around the palace since that’s where His Highness likes to have the occasional stroll or picnic, right? Though there hasn't been one in a while, it makes sense...”
Dustin’s words made Lars recall an incident that happened a long time ago, causing him to nod.
“Yeah. These days, the local region is carefully managed whenever an event like that is held and always has to be secured well in advance, so the only monsters in this region of the forest that would hold an interest towards a human corpse would be the goblins. Normally, they wouldn’t dare approach all the way to the cliff face, but considering the circumstances, I guess it’s possible...”
Listening to Lars' mutters, suddenly, a mocking grin crept onto Dustin’s face.
“Heh. You could always ask them in person. I'm sure they'd love to have a reunion, y'know?”
At his colleague’s teasing, Lars narrowed his eyes and shuddered. "Fuck, man, don’t say something like that. You know His Majesty would authorise it, and I can’t deal with meeting that thing again.”
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Interrupting the conversation, Camilla asked curiously.
“I’ve heard the stories. Was it really that bad? I was busy training the new recruits at the time, so I missed out, but how was it?”
He rolled his eyes.
“Oh, please. Bad? Cami, you don’t know the start of it.”
With a smirk, Dustin taunted Lars, who already seemed fed up.
“No? I thought you would be able to handle meeting a lone goblin, but perhaps it isn’t the case.”
Lars clicked his tongue.
“You shut your mouth. You think it wasn’t such a big deal just because it’s classified as a ‘goblin’ due to technicality, but you weren’t even there. I’m telling you, there’s a reason His Majesty decided to strike a deal instead of simply dominating them like usual. You think it's easy? How about you do it next time?”
Sighing, he shook his head, indicating he didn’t want to talk about it anymore. After another moment of quiet glaring at Dustin, who reminded him of something cruel, Lars exclaimed as if suddenly remembering something important.
“Oh, right. During the investigation, it did occur to me that, if the culprit were the goblins, those guys are the messy type who tend to leave traces whenever they act. That’s why I was confused and decided to report it―since they usually eat on the spot and don’t bother to bring what they hunt back to the tribe unless there’s a significant amount to share, I'm certain there would be traces left behind. Also, it’s highly unlikely they would’ve left all the clothes intact if they did eat at that spot.”
Hearing the addendum of information, Dustin tilted his head.
“Huh? Didn’t you say there were traces of clothes?”
“What? Oh, yeah, there were, but only around the area I dumped him in. You know, on the tips of the branches he must’ve collided with on the way down. Outside of that? Nothing. As if the kid had vanished, I couldn't find a single thing, and by the time we got around to checking it out was right after a night with rain, so there were no footprints or any tracks of that sort, either.”
“Besides, if the goblins were really the ones to move the body, then they wouldn’t bother to leave all the clothes on their food.”
“The reason it’s all so strange is that, excluding that one location where his body should’ve been after falling, there were no traces of it moving. Yet, the body is gone.”
“Do you understand why I’m reporting this as a serious issue now?”
The three knight leaders sat and chewed on his words for a while, but it was a tall order to come to a conclusive decision with only the current information. It wasn’t completely out of the question for goblins to have come and taken the boy’s corpse for food, but the fact that there were absolutely no traces of blood or cloth elsewhere was more or less enough to rule that possibility out.
After all, goblins would never be so decent as to clean after themselves when enjoying a meal... Would they?
Even if unreasonable or impossible according to common sense, the only other possibilities that conformed to logic were if the boy turned out to be alive, or perhaps the existence of a third party.
And the consequences for either of those being the truth were incalculable.
For that reason, perhaps the 'goblin culprit' theory would be the most desirable scenario for the kingdom.
“...Sir Lars. Did you report this incident to Her Highness?”
His brows furrowed and with a hand on his chin, Janlar asked.
“Ha. Of course not. Wasn’t it you who said that so long as it isn't a dire emergency, it was best to figure everything out before reporting uncertainties? Also, let’s be honest, we all know what Her Highness is like; I, myself, am not particularly a fan of crazy women, and I would do nothing to intentionally put myself on one's bad side.”
Everyone flinched at his bold statement.
“...Lars, please, try to be more careful in watching your tongue. What you said could be considered as... Haa, anyhow, good work. We don’t want to cause any unnecessary worry for Her Highness or His Majesty, so it’s for the better that you don’t report something like that."
"It remains unclear just what, but there is no doubt that something happened to the boy's body. I’m sure there is no need to explain what consequences this may have on the kingdom, regardless of what the truth is, so I want you to keep searching and expand the scope of the investigation.”
Janlar’s thoughts were formed in a way that considered the involvement of a third party to be the most likely scenario. If that were the case, there may be untold consequences for the kingdom due to this kind of negligence, but that all depended on who the said third party was.
If it were the Demons, it probably wouldn't be that bad, but if it were someone like the Empire...
“More? How wide are we talking?”
“Well, let’s see... The Fourth Division are the ones responsible for capturing goblins to use as the heroes’ “training resources”, correct?”
“Right. But, as I said before, it’s only been getting harder and harder to find any for some reason. Even today, almost the entire Fourth Division was mobilised and yet we could only secure a handful of them. I don’t know what happened, but it’s as if they’ve all gone into hiding for some reason.”
At that confession, all of the leaders’ expressions crumpled slightly. Dustin, wearing a frown, was the first to react.
“Then, are you saying that goblin bastard went back on the deal?"
“Or perhaps, something unforeseen occurred...”
With his hands interlocked and pressing against his face, Janlar briefly closed his eyes and gathered his thoughts under the eyes of the three others.
Soon opening them to a slit, his brows furrowed as he released an utterance under his breath.
“It can’t be...”
The other three leaders watched him in silence. They knew from experience that disrupting the First Division Leader’s state of concentration was foolish, but more than anything else, they felt reluctant to speak what was on their minds, partly for fear of inadvertently jinxing it to come true.
Eventually, Janlar raised his head and turned back towards Lars, who gave the initial report.
“Without a doubt, something happened on the goblins' end that makes them unable to fulfil their part of the deal."
"Nevertheless, there is no particular need to contact the Goblin Lord again, and to request such permission from His Majesty would be pestering him with unnecessary concerns.”
“Command the Fourth Division to search again around all the minor regions usually frequented by the goblins, at least within the closest five-mile radius. You don’t need to be too thorough; just scout and scan the locations enough, looking specifically for any clues that could point towards a reason for them to be acting strange. And then--”
Turning to Camilla, he continued without pause.
“Camilla, as you are in charge of the heroes’ physical training, I want you to do some research and find out what that boy’s character was like. It’s been said in the records of old that renowned Otherworlders and Summoned Heroes alike with high potential are most often gifted with unique powers related to their innate being or character, so try and figure out if his personality may have influenced the powers received through the summoning ritual.”
It was a Summoned Hero whose Status we had not yet been able to confirm. The likelihood of there being 3 Special-rank individuals generated through a single summoning is astronomical, but if there is even a slim chance that he was an Otherworlder whose unique power allowed him to somehow survive Lars’ execution, we may be in for some big trouble...
He was about to say something extra but held himself back.
“H-hold on. You mean to say the boy could have really...?”
Camilla stuttered with widened eyes but trailed off near the end of her sentence. Janlar, his gaze solemn, looked at her.
“The strange behaviour of the goblins, whom we should have authority over, and the missing body of the boy; what do you think the chances are that these two occurrences are not correlated?”
“......”
No one could say anything to his words as it was exactly what they were also thinking.
Whether the matters are separate or not, neither case is good news.
If I were to choose between one or the other, it would undoubtedly be the former.
But, if it truly turns out that there was an Otherworlder with an ability similar to self-resurrection, and that Seronia was the country to have driven such an Otherworlder away...
If that were the case, the repercussions could be immeasurable.
“That’s all. We will continue working as we have been doing in the meantime--”
“Oh, wait.”
Lars hurriedly intervened. Everyone's gaze turned to him as he spoke. “One more thing: I don’t think we’ll have enough goblins secured in time for tomorrow’s hero training. Cami, what do you want to do about that?”
“...Is that so?”
She fell into thought for a moment at his question. Indeed, it would certainly become a matter of concern if they couldn’t acquire the necessary number of goblins required for the heroes’ training, and if the matter persisted for too long, it could become an issue...
“Hmm... Most of the kids aren’t yet at a level where they can handle monsters by themselves anyway, so I think it should be fine to have sparring sessions as a substitute for now. Not acquiring experience is certainly an issue, but we can always import other low-level monsters if the goblin matter still doesn’t get resolved. Of course, please bring all the goblins you can, but don’t feel pressured to meet the standard quota.”
"Sure. Although, couldn't we also just transfer the heroes to the Royal Academy? Well, that's if His Majesty permits it, but it would make our jobs a hell of a lot easier. Anyway, I'll try and get as many as possible."
Lars nodded in confirmation and Janlar clapped his hands together.
“Alright, that’s it for today. Lars, please, try to make sure the issue with the goblins is resolved before His Highness returns from his trip.”
“Oh, you mean the prince? Well, I’ll do what I can, but I'm not sure how much can be accomplished in a week, so don’t look forward to it; honestly, I doubt the results will be so much as a dullahan’s diet.”
“Even still, thank you. If it doesn’t go well, I’ll relay your suggestion to His Majesty and put a good word in so that your punishment isn’t too harsh, but expect to have another meeting with the goblins soon to figure out what's going on. As always, anything on the topics discussed today will not leave this room. Then, everyone? You are dismissed.”
Like that, the four Division Leaders separated and returned to their private quarters.
However...
“......”
Little did any of them realise that there was, in reality, a fifth person present the entire time.
Gulp.
A nervous wreck of a boy with auburn hair and same-coloured eyes―Nicolas Baum sank down to his backside in a corner of the meeting room with a magic pen and parchment resting on his lap.
Oh, fuck...
He was only adhering to his party leader’s instructions to investigate the circumstances surrounding a certain so-called "Demonic Hero's" escape, but had inadvertently ended up gathering intel far beyond his initial expectations.
"Pahaahh..."
Now that nobody remained, he heaved a sigh that sounded almost like a laugh, containing all the tension stockpiled throughout the meeting.
“This is...”
With the corner of his mouth slightly curling upwards as he stared at the notes on his parchment, Nicolas scratched his cheek and muttered.
Seriously...
“...This is a big deal...”
Hadn’t he just found something amazing?