“That is…”
Hans hesitated. He honestly didn’t expect that the matter of the “Black Armor” would be known before he could report it.
Leila shook her head, looking at Hans with her sharp eyes.
“We allowed the two Japanese to enter the country, but if they are dangerous monsters called ‘Black Armor,’ we have no choice but to ask them to leave immediately.”
“Please wait! They are valuable assets. Expelling them will not benefit England!”
Hans desperately tried to dissuade her, but Leila’s mind remained unchanged.
“We have already dispatched military personnel. If they do not comply with instructions, we will use somewhat forceful means to forcibly expel them.”
Hans frowned. Those two were not opponents that could be dealt with by military force.
In the worst case, they could become enemies instead of allies, but this person didn’t understand anything. Hans thought so and racked his brains about what to do.
At that moment, Charlotte, who was standing behind, spoke up.
“Prime Minister! What about the monster subjugation then!? Are we just going to sit back and watch?”
Leila sighed softly at the Seeker who was snapping at her.
“We have discussed that matter many times in parliament. We prioritize protecting the citizens and are focusing on strengthening our defenses.”
Charlotte clicked her tongue in her mind. It sounded good, but it meant they were doing nothing out of fear of failure. In normal times, that decision might be acceptable.
But now was an emergency of emergencies. A delay in judgment could be fatal.
“Prime Minister, the Monsters are increasing in number every day and expanding their habitat. If they attack all at once, the defenses of the Ice Kingdom will collapse and be breached!”
Reports from the military indicated that sea levels were rising and land was decreasing.
Probably due to the influence of the Blue King. If Water Monsters were to invade inland, there would be no chance of winning, no matter what.
“Furthermore, England’s isolation has made it difficult to secure food and energy. How are you going to protect the safety of the citizens in this situation!? We have no choice but to take the initiative!!”
Charlotte pleaded desperately, but her words did not reach Leila’s heart.
“We have ordered the military to procure food and energy from overseas. Fortunately, Norway and Iceland have been confirmed to have suffered little damage. If we can secure air routes, there will be no need to worry about food. This is the job of our government, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
Charlotte was filled with despair. This person didn’t understand the current situation.
Moving through the sky was virtually impossible. Above England, there was the Blue Dragon, a double-A-ranked Monster as dangerous as the Gold Dragon and the Ancient Dragon.
Using aircraft would undoubtedly result in them being shot down, and traveling by ship was also impossible.
How Amasawa and Mitaka had arrived here was a mystery, but normally, it should have been impossible to travel by ship.
England was completely isolated.
Hans and Charlotte shared a sense of crisis, but they could not advise Leila any further and left the room with a feeling of mortification.
◇◇◇
“Hmm?”
Yuma, who was waiting for Hans to return in an office building where Seekers gathered, frowned at the sound of footsteps coming from the corridor.
The door was opened roughly with a bang, and more than ten soldiers rushed in.
“What are you guys!?”
One of the Seekers shouted, and the soldier at the front slowly removed his black mask.
There was a familiar face there.
“You are… Andrew-san, right? What’s wrong? Why are you here?”
Rui, who had been sitting, stood up and approached Andrew.
“It’s an order from the government. We’ve come to take you away.”
“Take us away? Where to?”
Andrew answered Rui, who asked with a puzzled expression, in a very calm manner.
“Outside the city.”
“Eh?”
◇◇◇
A black wagon with chains wrapped around its tires sped down the road.
It slammed on the brakes in front of the office building where the Seekers gathered, causing the wagon to skid and travel more than ten meters before finally stopping.
Hans and Charlotte jumped out and ran into the building.
They took the elevator to the 20th floor and burst into the room where Amasawa and Mitaka were waiting.
But they were not there.
“Where are those two!?”
He asked one of the executives of the Seeker Clan who had remained in the room. One of the five, looking bewildered, opened his mouth.
“Military personnel suddenly came and took them away. They said it was an order from the government, so we couldn’t stop them.”
Hearing that, Hans’ face twisted.
“We were too late…”
Next to Hans, who was grinding his teeth, Charlotte raised her voice.
“Hans-san, it might not be too late yet! They probably headed for the main gate, right? If they’re going to expel them from the Ice Kingdom, that’s the closest place.”
“That’s true… Alright, let’s go!”
Hans and Charlotte started running again.
For the sake of this country, the power of those two was absolutely necessary. Both Hans and Charlotte felt the same way.
They had to stop them no matter what—
The two went down to the first floor, left the building, and got into the parked wagon.
◇◇◇
The large Ice Gate opened. As it creaked and groaned, small pieces of ice fell from the top of the gate.
Yuma and Rui were urged by Andrew to step out of the gate.
Looking back, about twenty soldiers were standing guard with their guns raised. Andrew, who was at the front, looked at the two with a blank expression.
“The government has determined that you are dangerous individuals. This time, we will settle for expulsion, but if you try to enter here again, we will use force to eliminate you. Do you understand?”
“Huh…”
Yuma gave a listless reply. Andrew nodded curtly and turned on his heel.
“We don’t want to resort to violence either. Leave England and go to another country.”
Leaving those words behind, Andrew left. The Ice Gate slowly closed, making a heavy thud.
Rui and Yuma, who were left behind, looked up at the gate and stood there dumbfounded.
“We’ve been kicked out.”
“We’ve been kicked out, haven’t we?”
The two stared at the gate for a while, but realizing that there was no point in staying there, they started walking. Yuma, who hadn’t expected to be kicked out, let out a big sigh.
“Well, it’s a common occurrence, so there’s no point in getting worked up about it.”
“Yeah…”
Rui replied, shrinking from the cold wind.
If they were just defeating Monsters, they could do it outside the Ice Kingdom without any problems, but there was no point if they couldn’t get paid.
What should they do from now on—
Rui and Yuma walked along the unfrozen road, thinking about the future and feeling lost.