Episode 6: Down Up
The next day, my heart remained heavy. Yet, regardless of my feelings, time continued to flow, and events progressed.
I woke up earlier than planned, thinking a stroll in the garden might lift my spirits, and stepped out of my room. However, I soon ran into Sensei.
“Oh, what perfect timing! I was just about to call for you… but that face, Son-in-law… are you alright?”
Her words caught me off guard.
“What are you talking about? I’m perfectly fine.”
That’s right, I’m okay now. Yet, Sensei’s expression darkened at my response.
“Master and I are family now. If you’re ever in pain, please tell me.”
The look on Sensei’s face was tinged with sorrow. That’s not what I wanted to see from her… So, I tried to bury my feelings deep down.
“More importantly… why did you come to call for me?”
“Ah, about that…”
She hesitated for a moment, but then shook her head a couple of times as if to dispel her doubts.
“Everyone is waiting, so follow me.”
She walked ahead, leading the way. I liked how she pulled me along with her. Following her voice saying, “This way,” we arrived at the great hall.
“Everyone is gathered,” Sensei announced. Just as she said, Ashley, Anon, and Saga were there, along with Kuroe, who appeared to be deep in conversation projected by a magical device.
What unfolded there was a discussion about the battles that were about to intensify. It was only natural; their shoulders bore not only their own lives but also the lives of their subordinates and, ultimately, the citizens.
Saga noticed me and raised a hand, inviting me to sit next to him. I bowed my head slightly and joined the group.
I soon found myself regretting that decision. For some reason, Saga kept seeking my agreement with “Right?” and casually draped an arm around my shoulder.
Internally, I thought, ‘Why is he being so touchy?’ ‘Is he perhaps targeting me?’ Despite my wariness, I refrained from actively participating in the discussion, only offering my opinions when prompted, while focusing on the conversation.
The purpose of this discussion was to refine the strategies shared during the previous day’s meeting with the Virtuous and Arrogance factions, and to define each person’s role.
To someone like me, who only had a vague understanding of the names of other Holy Knights like Virtuous and Arrogance, it felt like a parade of unfamiliar names.
The three Holy Knights—Ash, Virtuous, and Arrogance—were tasked with protecting the seal and the Mythic Armament that governed it. The seal had been broken when Ash’s Affirmative Sword was stolen, but fortunately, it hadn’t been completely destroyed. While the seal’s disappearance was inevitable, there was still ample time to devise countermeasures.
Currently, only a few Fog creatures were appearing in the area Ash was guarding, but it wouldn’t be long before Fog began to manifest in the regions of Virtuous and Arrogance as well. If we didn’t eliminate them swiftly, they would multiply explosively. That was something we absolutely had to avoid.
In short, what each team needed to do from now on was to focus on a thorough search and destroy operation as a defensive strategy.
And this is where my role came into play. Unfortunately, merely removing the Fog wouldn’t resolve the situation. If we maintained the status quo, the Fog would evolve into markers and generators. They would take on forms like Bones or Corpse Persons and become even more aggressive in attacking people.
Ultimately, the only way to solve these problems was to either completely destroy the source of this cursed domain or seal it once more. According to legends and Sensei’s predictions, the core of the Sealed Domain, the Sealed Labyrinth, would manifest at a location centered around the shrine that Ash had been guarding.
If we could destroy it, all issues related to the Sealed Domain would come to an end.
Thus, while the forces in various regions held back the Fog or whatever monstrous forms it might take, the elite forces would swiftly conquer the Sealed Labyrinth the moment it appeared. This was the most critical strategy shared during yesterday’s discussion.
And above all, what was decided in this meeting was that I would step into the Sealed Labyrinth and complete its conquest.
In this region, we had Sensei, and there were also the Saga Mercenaries and the Tezoro Clan. So, I wasn’t too worried about the Fog’s extermination.
What concerned me was the situation in other regions. However, as I listened to the discussions, I realized my worries were unfounded.
In the region where Arrogance was located, the largest clan, Seventh Blue, would be leading numerous Seeker teams to tackle the situation.
Meanwhile, in the region closest to the Royal Capital where Virtuous was stationed, the Kingdom’s Order of Knights, the Church, and the Honest Mage Guild would join the fray, with that Green Eyes elf guild master—Pulmy En Dynast—making an appearance.
And all of these arrangements were orchestrated by that old Prime Minister. Especially near the Royal Capital, I felt reassured knowing the Knight Commander and Siesta were there. With him, who was on par with Eris in strength, and her, who had healed and supported me until the very end, I felt invincible.
Still, the Prime Minister was quite nimble. I heard he not only showed up for my training but also took the initiative to visit various regions whenever problems arose. He seemed much more suited to that than sitting in an office.
It hadn’t been long since the theft of the Affirmative Sword, yet he had managed to gather such a formidable force…
───We must do what only we can do.
Those were his words at parting. You really are protecting everyone in your own way, just as expected.