The Second Son of The Marquis Runs Away from Home ~ Lacking Talent, He Abandons Everything and Becomes an Adventurer ~ - 2

Chapter 2: Report

“Oh, you’re back.”

Returning to the capital and finishing preparations, I walked down the castle corridor with Aria and was greeted by Randil, also known as the “Thunder-Piercing Knight,” a title knight of our predecessors.

Randil and I had become quite close since I surrendered to the empire, often going out for drinks with his squad members or sparring. He had an unconventional background, having originally led a pirate-like vigilante group before being scouted by Victoria to become a knight.

“Even Randil got summoned?”

“Yeah, seems like all title knights were called.”

“…That means it’s quite an urgent matter.”

As Randil and I chatted, we entered the conference room. Other knights and high-ranking officials were already seated, and we took our respective places.

Although Aria and the others belonged to my squad (or rather, there was no one else in my squad except Aria and the others), they were of the same status as the other knights and thus sat together with us.

After a while, Victoria entered and took her seat at the far end of the room. She surveyed the room and spoke with a dignified voice.

“Let’s begin the meeting. First, I want each of you to report the results of the investigation into the dungeon and monster activation that began three months ago.”

“I’ll start the report.”

Arctos, clad in deep green armor, raised his hand and began speaking while presenting his documents.

“Concerning the current situation, Arctos, Lord Rosfoal, Lord Boruga, Lord Randil, and Lord Luminas, along with representatives from the Church, and Lord Berg’s group, were divided into groups to investigate. Each group conducted investigations in the Mildeira Empire territory, Berga Kingdom territory, Launas Church territory, and conducted on-site investigations in the dungeons.”

“The impact in the empire’s territory is minimal… however, the frequency of monster appearances is increasing. We should dispatch troops and arrange for adventurers as soon as possible.”

“In the church’s territory, merchants and pilgrims are increasingly being attacked by monsters. We are dealing with it by installing barriers to repel monsters and providing support for extermination by the adventurer’s guild, but we have not identified the cause.”

“In the kingdom’s territory, not only has the activation of monsters increased, but also the rate of appearance. We can currently manage with the knights and adventurers, but if the appearance rate increases further, it will become somewhat difficult.”

“As for the sea, monsters are becoming active towards the kingdom’s side… as we go east, the monsters are becoming more active. Recently, there have been many attacks on ships, causing disruptions to trade.”

Each person reported their investigation results. When they finished, I began reporting the results of my investigation.

“We investigated a medium-sized dungeon in the empire’s territory. Although there were dungeons where the monsters appearing were different from the data and some dungeons had changed bosses…”

“Is there anything noteworthy?”

“There’s no change in the size of the dungeons.”

I explained to the officials. While the internal structure of dungeons may change, the size and mechanisms usually remain constant. The monsters appearing are also usually fixed for each floor, and it’s unprecedented for monsters to become stronger without the creation of new floors unless it’s a full-scale monster disaster.

“While there are cases where the size of dungeons increases, there are no precedents for only the monsters becoming stronger.”

“…Are individuals like the Fifth involved again?”

“It’s too early to conclude that it’s artificial. Since that global disaster a year ago… its effects may just be beginning to show.”

Officials from various positions offered their opinions.

While discussions were ongoing, a chamberlain whispered something to Victoria and handed her a letter. Victoria read the letter and then spoke with a stern voice, commanding everyone’s attention.

“Quiet, please.”

Her words stopped the heated discussion, and she continued, holding up the letter.

“First, I appreciate everyone’s efforts in investigating the recent anomaly. The reason for summoning you all this time is because we deemed your opinions, based on your investigations, necessary.”

“…Is it about the contents of that letter?”

“Yes, normally, I wouldn’t even consider it, but given the current situation, we cannot ignore what is written here.”

The chamberlain handed the letter to Arctos, who then read it. He briefly showed a look of astonishment but then calmly voiced the contents of the letter.

“‘The activation of magic occurring on the Hume Continent is not the end. To prevent further disaster, it is necessary to obtain the stolen national treasures, the mountain sword Zanma, and the sacred mirror Kamtsuhi.'”