The Second Son of The Marquis Runs Away from Home ~ Lacking Talent, He Abandons Everything and Becomes an Adventurer ~ - 22

Chapter 22: Unsettling Signs (Bardle’s Side)

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Belga…

Bardle had now obtained the position of advisor to the king, along with the roles of chief minister and advisor to various ministers in the royal castle.

“Bardle-sama, a letter has arrived.”

While he was in his office, going through documents and signing them, a butler knocked and entered.

Bardle accepted the letter with thanks and hurriedly opened it. It was from the adventurers’ guild of the Clangruls Union, and it contained a report on his younger brother, Serk, who now went by the name Beruk as an adventurer. They had investigated adventurers whose physical characteristics matched those of Serk, who had registered as an adventurer after leaving the country, and reported it to the adventurers’ guild.

Adventurers could be nominated by countries or nobles and also receive exclusive requests. Nobles often applied for a certain amount of information from the adventurers’ guild to find capable adventurers. Even in the politically non-interfering Clangruls, they would do this much if you followed the proper procedure. After all, the information about adventurers, including their names, ranks, completed requests, and success rates, was disclosed. Even if you obtained the information, negotiations about contacting and accepting requests were determined by the individuals themselves.

“Promoted to Silver Rank, huh… Normally, I heard it takes at least five years. As expected of Serk.”

The letter detailed how Serk had defeated a suddenly mutated boss monster and helped a party that had received a request earlier. His achievements had been recognized, and he had been promoted to Silver Rank.

Bardle couldn’t help but smile at the fact that his younger brother, who had not been defeated by the harsh environment of the Grushio Continent, had become even stronger and received recognition. He was still worried, but he felt proud as an older brother that Serk was finding his own path.

(I should let Father and the others know… Things seem to be settling down here, so it might be a good time to return to the territory.)

The title of Earl had been passed down to Bardle, but his father, Daran, had been acting as his proxy in managing the territory. Since that day, Daran had been downcast, but he had said, “Let me do what I can, let me understand,” and had stepped up as a proxy. There was a subtle atmosphere that showed he was slightly relieved to hear about Serk’s safety.

“…Speaking of running away, it’s been a year since Princess Arseria, the third princess of Alseria, disappeared.”

The three sisters of the neighboring country, the Mildrea Empire, had caused quite a stir when the youngest, Princess Arseria, left the country, leaving behind a letter.

The letter only contained the words “I’m going to find the lion. Please abolish my privileges and my royal status as an act of goodwill.”

Lion seemed to be a special animal in Mildrea, so it was probably some kind of metaphor. However, there was no confirmation of what it meant.

“Based on the last sighting, there’s a possibility she headed for the Grushio Continent… Maybe she crossed paths with Serk, who has become an adventurer?”

He couldn’t help but laugh at the wild idea. Even in the vast Grushio Continent, the chances of them meeting were astronomically low.

He put the letter away and went back to reviewing the reports. One of them made him furrow his brow.

“There’s an increase in monster attacks, and suspicious individuals are contacting nobles…?”

While the damage from monster attacks was still relatively minor, it was increasing, and the people’s anxiety was gradually growing, resulting in more requests to adventurers.

Those contacting nobles appeared to be merchants. According to the person who reported this, they were suggesting that increasing military strength might reduce monster attacks.

Most of them had already been turned down, but there might be some who were secretly negotiating.

“The problem is whether this is happening only in our country or not.”

There was no confirmation, and there was no grasp of any connection… but Bardle felt an unsettling presence running down his spine.

And one month later, the reports brought from Mildrea would leave him so astonished that he would drop the documents.