The Second Son of The Marquis Runs Away from Home ~ Lacking Talent, He Abandons Everything and Becomes an Adventurer ~ - 52

Chapter 52: Empire and Kingdom (Kingdom Side)

At the time when Berg and his group arrived in the Holy Land…

In a room within a fortress along the border between the Kingdom of Berga and the Mildrean Empire, the leaders of the two nations sat across from each other at a table.

On one side was Emperor Victoria, accompanied by knights in crimson and deep green. On the other side were King Daran Grantos, Duke Brayja, and Bardle.

“First, let me express my gratitude and apologies for bringing you to such a trivial place, Victoria.”

“No need. In fact, I’d like to express my gratitude for promptly arranging this meeting.”

Victoria said so and signaled to the knight in deep green. A bundle of papers and magical items was placed on the table.

“These are a compilation of what we have learned at this stage and the magical energies of those who attacked me. Please take a look.”

Bardle and the others took the bundle of papers and began reading. With each page, they realized the depth of the enemy’s capabilities, yet the identity and scale of the threat remained elusive.

“I had expected this, but they have already rooted themselves deeply… ”

“Yes, by the time I sensed their movements, it was already too late. Although we have dealt with most of them in this incident, we have not been able to eradicate them completely.”

“Victoria, as someone who directly faced them, what do you think their goal is?”

With their power and scale, they could potentially overthrow entire nations, yet they targeted Victoria, the ruler of the Mildrean Empire, the most challenging country to destabilize on the Hume Continent. Why?

“…This is pure speculation, but I believe their goal is to obtain rare drops in our nation.”

“In the Empire…?”

“Their aim, or rather, their obsession, seems to be the development and mass production of weapons equivalent to rare drops.”

“Mass production…?”

“My court mage relayed this information. When creating something new, you need two things: a reference sample and an environment to test it in. Having as many reference samples as possible is considered beneficial.”

“So, are you saying they want rare drops to serve as reference samples, and the magical items they scattered through merchants are for testing their prototypes?”

The room fell silent as Bardle’s words sank in. Everyone present realized the implications.

One of the reasons the Empire was renowned as a formidable nation was Victoria’s overwhelming strength. Her absolute power served as both the psychological foundation of her subjects (“We’ll be fine as long as she’s here”) and as a deterrent (“We can’t defeat her”). But if they were to obtain power equivalent to rare drops…

“…This is troublesome beyond imagination.”

“Furthermore, if they target rare drops, the sacred artifacts of the Holy Land might also be at risk.”

“However, even if we know that, we don’t have the time or the forces to send to the Holy Land…”

Heinlberie, which could be considered the capital of the Holy Land, was far away from both the Empire and the Kingdom, even if they used horses, it would take at least ten days, and if they wanted to send a substantial force, it would take over two weeks.

Moreover, at the moment, the magical hands of those who possessed the power to attack Victoria were drawing closer to their own country. There was simply no way they could spare the forces to send to the Holy Land.

“Rest assured… I won’t say that, but as for the Holy Land, we have taken measures.”

“What?”

“At present, I have dispatched the highest combat force other than myself to the Holy Land. It is unlikely that all the sacred artifacts will be taken.”

“The highest combat force… You can’t?”

At Victoria’s words, Bardle wore an expression of realization. Victoria then broke into a rare smile, her usual stoicism fading.

“In the Holy Land, we have knights that we have taken a keen interest in… Berg and Arseria are on their way.”

“I didn’t expect to hear his name here.”

As they returned to the royal capital after the meeting, Duke Brayja started the conversation inside the carriage.

“Yes, I didn’t anticipate having to reveal his whereabouts in this manner.”

“But is it safe? There’s a good chance the Holy Land has already fallen into their hands…”

“That’s exactly why. That’s the plan.”

Once he had organized the information conveyed by the Emperor in his head, Duke Brayja decided to answer the question that was on his mind.

“Serk is one thing, but Princess Arseria has also been active as an adventurer on the Magic Continent. It’s easier to navigate a difficult situation with just the two of them, even if something happens.”

“I see…”

“There are other reasons as well… But what surprised me the most is that His Majesty values Serk more than we think.”

At those words, both the King and the Duke turned their gaze towards him. They asked with their eyes what he meant, and he nodded before explaining.

“We’ve taken an interest in him… Normally, it should be ‘my sister recognized him,’ or ‘I recognized him’ if we’re going to use that phrase.”

“Hmm…”

“Moreover, Serk is the fiancé of Princess Arseria. If we say ‘we’ve taken an interest,’ it should be because my sister recognizes him. But Emperor Victoria said, ‘we’ve taken an interest.'”

“Could it be that the Empire intends to surround your brother with the entire imperial family?”

“Probably. Fiancé is often the preliminary step to becoming an imperial consort, to avoid conflicts when marrying into the imperial family.”

What’s more, the words the Emperor had said to him privately before leaving were what solidified this conclusion.

“I’ll be counting on you for a long time, dear brother.”

He understood what she meant, even though she had already walked away when he turned to question her. That Emperor was truly serious about obtaining Serk.

“His Majesty’s desire for Serk caught me off guard as well. However…”

The King nodded, and then he expressed his thoughts with a nostalgic tone in his voice.

“I can’t even begin to imagine Victoria seeking a man… It’s beyond my imagination.”

“Indeed…”

It seemed that my brother had grown far beyond what I had expected.