“Why ask about Harold-sama?” – Erica
“I want to discuss the recent attack and our future plans with Harold, but I don’t know where he is.” -Vincent
“So, you’ve co to ask about it?” -Erica
“Yes. I thought you might know since you have a close relationship with Harold.” -Vincent
Erica’s eyes flickered briefly in response to Vincent’s words, but she quickly composed herself and swallowed whatever emotion had risen within her.
“In truth, I do know Harold-sama’s whereabouts to so extent. However, I can’t say we have enough trust between us for to share that information freely.” -Erica
Erica’s response was firm as she gazed directly at Vincent.
Though he felt tempted to laugh at her resolute manner, he knew that displaying such an attitude would only deepen the rift between them.
“I’ll tell you this much. I hold suspicions about the upper echelons of the Knights Order, including you.” -Erica
“…I see.” -Vincent
Vincent understood what Erica ant to convey. Five years ago, during the incident in the Bertis Forest, the leader of the expedition team in which the leader of the Knights Order at that ti and Harold had participated was in favor of executing him. Given this, it was understandable that Erica harbored a sense of distrust toward the organization.
“So you believe that the upper echelons of the Knights Order, included, hold animosity towards Harold.” -Vincent
“I’m aware that you opposed Harold-sama’s execution back then. But there’s no guarantee that it remains the sa now.” -Erica
Erica probably strongly suspected or was convinced that the Knights Order as an organization had been infiltrated or influenced by so external force. In fact, the origins of the Saint Knight’s Order traced back several generations when the ancestors of the current king had employed private soldiers.
While the influence of that history was still evident, Erica seed to imply sothing different. She believed that forces beyond the king’s intentions were at play, affecting the organization.
“That’s true. Let start by sharing so information with you.” -Vincent
“Please, go ahead.” -Erica
” There is no doubt that soone with influence in the upper echelons of the Knight Order was involved. The na of that individual is Dr. Justus Freud. Harold is in opposition to him, and I believe he is the mastermind behind the attack on Travis.” -Vincent
As Vincent ntioned Justus’s na and expressed his suspicions, the atmosphere beca charged. Surely, they held so information about Justus as well. Amidst all this, Erica’s expression remained unchanged.
“Is it safe to say that you too were under his influence?” -Erica
“I ‘was,’ but not anymore.” -Vincent
“What makes you so sure?” -Erica
“It’s like being brainwashed. Embarrassing as it is to admit, I too was under Freud’s control, but Harold helped break free.” -Vincent
Vincent hesitated on how much more to reveal. If it were soone close to Harold like Erica, he might not need to hide anything, but he wondered if Harold himself would want that.
From Harold’s actions and words, Vincent sensed that he was a secretive person, perhaps even soone who carried a heavy burden alone and did not seek others’ help. It could be due to confidence in his abilities or maybe because he was involved in clearly dangerous affairs and didn’t want others to get caught up in them.
If the latter was true, revealing everything here might be disrespectful of Harold’s wishes.
” If that’s the basis, then it ans the reason the Knights were deployed to Travis was that Harold-sama inford them about the upcoming attack.” -Erica
However, Erica seed to leap beyond Vincent’s thoughts and arrived at the truth.
Certainly, considering each piece of the puzzle, one might eventually arrive at that conclusion, but being able to do so instantly indicates an impressive intellect.
“Um… What do you an?” The red-haired boy looked puzzled, clearly struggling to keep up with the conversation.
The ponytailed girl beside him wore an equally perplexed expression.
“Liner, you do know that Harold is thwarting Justus’s sche, right? Disabling the Captain’s brainwashing and sending the Knights to Travis are all part of his plan.” -Colette
“Well, that’s assuming we believe what he says.” -Liner
“Co on, if we start going down that road, there’ll be no end to it.” -Hugo
Given the abundance of reasons to doubt, it was only natural for opinions to differ among them.
However, Vincent couldn’t afford to waste ti arguing here. He needed to gain Erica and the others’ trust. Moreover, it seed they possessed more information about this matter than he had anticipated. Considering Harold’s connections, this might be expected.
“Almost two months ago, I received a personal warning from Harold. The contents were, ‘Allocate personnel to Travis,’ and ‘It will soon beco a living hell there.’” -Vincent
“So, Harold-sama did indeed know that Travis would be attacked.” -Erica
“Yeah, that’s the most likely conclusion. And a while after that warning, I received another letter from Harold.” -Vincent
“What did that letter say?” -Erica
“He reported discovering a large number of monsters crawling beneath the town of Baston.” -Vincent
“No way…” -Hugo
The blue-haired youth couldn’t help but blurt out in surprise. Erica’s expression tensed slightly, and the atmosphere in the room seed to grow even heavier.
“After receiving that letter, I dispatched knights to Baston as well. There, they indeed confird the presence of a massive horde of monsters. I wanted to discuss the information sharing and counterasures with him as soon as possible…” -Vincent
“Wait a mont. Hasn’t the Knight’s organization already beco aware of the attack in Baston?” -Erica
“What?” -Vincent
No such report had been received. While it was true that they had been busy dealing with the situation in Travis in recent days, if an attack had occurred in Baston as well, Vincent should have been inford.
(What on earth is happening…?)
The simultaneous monster attacks in Travis and Baston must undoubtedly be related. It was plausible that such events occurred simultaneously.
However, it was strange that there had been no reports.
“It seems like we’ve been caught off guard. What will the Knights do from here?” -Erica
“We need to promptly confirm the facts. Once we have the confirmation, we’ll have to dispatch personnel to the site.” -Vincent
“There’s no other option but to follow that procedure. Even if they arrive at the scene quickly, it will still take about a week.” -Erica
Erica’s assessnt was likely accurate. Despite having airships at their disposal, the Knights needed to assess the situation and the extent of the damage on-site before deciding on the size and composition of the dispatched units. Of course, in ergencies, Vincent could exercise so flexibility in his judgnt, but Travis was currently facing a crisis as well.
Aside from the personnel responsible for maintaining security in the capital, most of the available Knights were here in Travis. Considering the extent of the damage, it wasn’t desirable to move many of them away from Travis. Thus, it would take ti to select the mbers who could be mobilized to Baston.
” As an organization, there’s no helping it. Nevertheless, we must do what we can.” -Vincent
“In that case, I have a suggestion. Tomorrow afternoon, a Santiya Trading Company airship, arranged by Suragi, will co to Travis. The cargo consists mainly of food, dical supplies, and various daily necessities.” -Erica
The Santiya Trading Company was one of the country’s leading trading companies. They frequently visited the capital and owned several large rchant ships.
With such a sizable company, they always had ample stock on hand and could promptly procure and transport any items they lacked through their own distribution channels. They would be the most capable organization to shine in a situation like this crisis.
“…With a prestigious na like Suragi, they probably have good connections with major trading companies. Even so, it seems overly swift.” -Vincent
“Yes, in fact, the support materials were originally secured by Suragi for a different purpose.” -Erica
“What do you an?” -Vincent
Confused, Vincent asked for clarification.
“So ti ago, Suragi also received a letter from Harold-sama with a similar warning about Baston being under the threat of monster attacks. He requested Suragi to prepare for receiving the evacuated residents. Therefore, Suragi had already arranged many support materials in advance and now they offer them to Travis.” -Erica
In other words, Harold had warned the Knights about the attacks on Travis and Baston, and he himself had taken action in Baston to evacuate the residents while also requesting Suragi to be prepared to accommodate the evacuees. Thus, Suragi had already organized the support materials in advance and was now providing them to Travis.
If that’s the case, it’s no wonder they moved at such speed.
“We have made arrangents to board Santiya Trading Company’s airship once unloading is complete. And if you agree to our terms, we will do our best to inform you of the situation in Baston.” -Erica
Receiving the ssage allowed them to dispatch people to Baston in advance, so there was no doubt that they had a detailed understanding of the situation there. If Erica’s conditions were accepted, it would significantly reduce the ti needed to assess the extent of the damage, which would normally take nearly a week. This would enable the Knights to act swiftly.
Engaging with this particular party required utmost caution, but standing before Vincent now was soone who had once been Harold’s fiancée and was still willing to support him.
Vincent found Harold to be a man with many mysteries, seemingly rough and arrogant on the surface. However, having exchanged words directly with him, Vincent felt that he was a man who would earnestly strive to help others and soone worthy of trust.
Furthermore, the traits that Erica displayed during this incident seed to overlap with those of Harold in so way.
“Then I will trust you. What are your conditions?” -Vincent
“I request that you and as many mbers of the Knights as possible accompany us to Baston. We will depart from here the morning after tomorrow and should arrive at the foot of the mountain where the town of Baston is located in the afternoon of that day.” -Erica
“…It seems like there are no disadvantages for us in these conditions.” -Vincent
For Vincent, just receiving information about the situation in Baston would be a trendous help. Yet, Erica went further by offering them the opportunity to board the company’s airship and get to the location as quickly as possible.
This alone would be reason enough for Vincent to bow his head and request such assistance.
“Yes, my conditions are to be fulfilled once we arrive in Baston. Yuno, co here.” -Erica
“Yes, of course~.” -Yuno
A woman with a slow, elongated tone responded to Erica’s call and approached. Likely Erica’s maid or sothing similar, her calm deanor left an impression of a skillful and composed person.
Erica received sothing from the maid and placed it on the table. It was a small tal plate, about the size of a palm.
“What is this?” -Vincent
“It’s a magic item. Its function is to capture real-life scenes and record them as images.” -Erica
Magic items ca in various forms, from plain to extraordinary. Though not well-versed in these matters, Vincent understood that if it could record real-life scenes as images, it was undoubtedly a valuable item.
And on the plate placed on the desk was a shocking scene displayed.
“This is… terrible.” -Vincent
“Yes, but this is undoubtedly the current state of Baston.” -Erica
No words could suffice, and indeed, that was the truth. The devastation in Travis was already a heart-wrenching sight, but Baston seed to have suffered no less.
The town was now a pile of monster corpses, with the majority of houses destroyed or reduced to ashes, just like Travis. And most notably, about a third of the town’s area had either collapsed or caved in.
“Fortunately, no residents were caught in the monster attack. However, there were those who fought to buy ti for the evacuation.” -Erica
“You don’t an… he did?” -Vincent
Vincent’s inquiry was t with a small nod from Erica.
“The knights who fought alongside the residents and Harold-sama have all been reported safe. But Harold-sama, who stayed until the end, was caught in the collapse… and he’s missing.” -Erica
“…It seems I asked sothing painful.” -Vincent
“It’s alright… I’m fine.” -Erica
Erica faced Vincent firmly, not letting a tear well up in the corner of her eye.
The nature of what transpired between Harold and Erica was unclear, but Erica must still have genuine feelings for him. That’s why the report of his disappearance must be causing her sorrow and fear. Nevertheless, she suppressed those emotions, displaying a strength that Vincent couldn’t help but admire.
“As you can see, Baston is currently in a highly dangerous state. I’ll be straightforward about this. I’d like your cooperation in helping us search for Harold-sama, who was caught in the collapse.” -Erica
“So that’s your condition, right?” -Vincent
“Yes.” -Erica
“Understood. I’ll start preparing right away.” -Vincent
With that, Vincent conveyed his agreent and stood up from his seat.
With that, Vincent got up from his seat. As he turned on his heel, he thought he saw tears glistening in Erica’s eyes as she looked down slightly, but he chose to pretend he hadn’t seen anything.
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