Chapter 47
The stampede that occurred in the Rimtech Domain was resolved when the Orc Lord, its cause, was subjugated by the Royal Knights.
King Poseidos, along with Prime Minister Richman, was reviewing reports from the various lords and knight orders, discussing what to do about the rewards.
“We’ll give monetary rewards to each lord, but the issue is the Prominence Marquis House.”
“Their swift relief efforts, the rebuilding of the completely collapsed defensive line. And to top it all off, the sealing of the dungeon by a small number of people. It seems the one who sealed it was the third son, Lord Claude.”
“If Claude had joined forces with the Prominence Knights, they should have been capable of subjugating the Orc Lord themselves. It seems we were conceded the achievement.”
“The Royal Knights also hurried there, but if they hadn’t made it in time for the siege and failed to subjugate the Orc Lord, their reputation would have been utterly ruined.”
“Alright. I’ve decided. We’ll give them a monetary reward, of course, but let’s also elevate Claude to the rank of Baron.”
“Are you sure about deciding on an elevation in rank so easily?”
“Considering his abilities, even Baron might be insufficient. However, given his age, it’s not good to rush things too much. I’m thinking he’ll have to rise even higher in the future, though.”
“Your Majesty, what do you intend for Lord Claude?”
“It depends on Claude, but I’m considering things like the establishment of a new knight order or appointing him to an important post.”
“Understood. I will also make arrangements to ensure his elevation in rank proceeds as smoothly as possible.”
“I’m counting on you.”
I’d been living a pretty carefree life, tinkering with magic tools, heading out to desert regions to research ancient magic, that sort of thing.
Today, I was visiting a secluded forest to gather alchemy materials for an item Father-sama had requested.
“Last time I came here, I had a really rough time. Gotta be cautious.”
The monsters inhabiting this secluded region are strong, but not unbeatable.
The problem is their sheer numbers.
“Okay, gotta be sneaky… tiptoe, tiptoe…”
I spotted the medicinal herb I was looking for and carefully gathered it, keeping an eye on my surroundings.
Using Presence Detection to sense monsters, I made detours as I advanced, eventually discovering a patch where the herbs grew in abundance.
“I really want to get those, but heading over there means a definite fight. Wonder if I can manage it if I take that guy out instantly?”
The target I had in mind was an Earth Dragon.
I used Swift Thunder Footwork to close the distance and lopped its head clean off.
The Earth Dragon collapsed heavily to the side, then vanished into mist.
Dragon-type drops are all valuable and fetch a high price, but I couldn’t exactly celebrate.
That’s because other Earth Dragons, alerted by the loud thud just now, were already heading my way.
“I really tried to be careful, but it still ended up like this, damn it!”
Grumbling to myself, I continued to hunt the Earth Dragons that came one after another.
After eliminating all the surrounding Earth Dragons, I managed to gather the medicinal herbs I needed without any further trouble, but by the time I got back, the sun had already set.