kscans

Chapter 149 - Time Flows On.

A year has passed since the incident at the Church.

We've been working as both hunters and adventurers in the Empire. A lot has happened since then.

At the Church, after the Pope's death, the chaos subsided, and things returned to normal. Cardinal Romel officially appointed Altorine as the new Pope, an appointment she accepted. She herself had no desire to stand above others, but having witnessed the corruption of the leadership, it was impossible for her to remain indifferent.

She reluctantly took her seat as Pope, while also continuing to serve as the Knight Commander without ceding the position to anyone.

It shouldn't be easy to handle both roles, but according to Altorine, "Now that this body can still work, it is only natural that I do so."

It's a line I'd like the freeloaders back on Earth to hear, but she's a serious workaholic. I hope she doesn't die from overwork, but I'm sure the knights are helping her out.

Then, there was the investigation of Owari Village.

The reason was that supplies from the village had recently been delayed, suggesting something might have happened. However, the previous leadership had been slow to grant permission, and a request couldn't be sent to the guild. But with this opportunity, Altorine ordered the knights to investigate.

They were accompanied by several merchants who handle the village's goods.

When they arrived at the village, they were speechless. The village was inhabited only by children and the elderly; there wasn't a single young person to be found.

When they asked what had happened, an exhausted old man replied, "A long time ago, a strange mist appeared in this village. Then, everyone lost consciousness. When we came to, all the young folk were gone."

The villagers had lost their vitality. With only the elderly to work and the children only able to help, production had naturally plummeted. At this rate, the village might collapse.

The merchants offered to help with the restoration, but according to the old man, "We are forbidden from seeking help from outsiders here. It is our law."

He answered with difficulty.

Before, they would have refused outright, but in their current situation, survival was extremely difficult. However, since the law existed, they were reluctant to break it. The old people looked lost, not knowing what to do.

Sensing this, one of the merchants proposed, "In that case, what if we help you without being asked? We won't ask for any money for our help, and we won't listen to any protests. We'll just watch and listen to the work here and help with the village's restoration as we please. You can just ignore us. How does that sound?"

He offered his support in a rather forceful way.

It was a blessing for the village. They were short on manpower, and they had been anxious about whether they could teach their skills and knowledge to the children while they were still alive. But this way, they could pass on their techniques to the next generation.

The merchants' skilled craftsmen could learn most things just by watching. For the finer details, the elderly could just happen to say them out loud. It was a chaotic method, but they could strongly believe that they weren't breaking the law.

The village elders replied, "Do as you please."

They answered with a faint smile.

The merchants took that as an agreement and began to act.

The Church had taken a new step forward.

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom, a new A-rank adventurer party was born.

They were called `Owl`. About a year ago, they had distinguished themselves in the Monster Uproar and been promoted from C to B rank. They were a party of ranged specialists. The incident that led to their promotion to A-rank was a smuggling case in the Royal Capital.

Apparently, a group that had obtained a large amount of the Kingdom's ore was selling it through back channels to an underworld organization in another country. In reality, I didn't even know such an organization existed.

When I asked Tina about it, she answered decisively, "Well, you wouldn't normally encounter them in your daily life. The organization only contacts those who can bring them profit. They would never approach a high-rank adventurer."

That makes sense. Even on Earth, underworld organizations don't get involved with ordinary people living their lives, unless you stick your nose where it doesn't belong. The incident that led `Owl` to confront these people began when they were escorting ore on a request from a merchant.

They were attacked by thieves, whom they defeated and captured. They made them talk, using rather forceful methods. `Owl` learned about the smuggling from the thieves, completed their escort mission, and reported it to the guild.

They then accepted a request to expose the smuggling operation. Normally, the Kingdom's knights would handle it, but there was too little evidence. Testimony alone was not enough for them to act openly.

That's why the request was made to `Owl`.

After a three-day investigation, they discovered the smuggling organization's hideout. They infiltrated it, secured not only documentary evidence but also managed to capture a nobleman who emerged from the location. They reported it to the guild, and the Guild Master reported it to the king. A full-scale investigation was launched.

As a result, the organization was annihilated. Several nobles who had lent a hand were captured and stripped of their titles.

For this achievement, `Owl` was recognized by the king and promoted to A-rank. As a fellow professional, it was a good story. Adventurers serving the country. Wonderful. A world away from a selfish person like me.

Why was I an A-rank, and recognized by two countries at that? It was a truly strange story.

Speaking of the Kingdom, it seems Bardos and Leona's baby was born. I found out when I came to the city of Alum. It was a cute green-haired girl, a perfect mix of her parents' genes.

Leona asked, "By the way, are you two not having a child yet?"

We could only offer a wry smile at her question.

After all, in this past year, we hadn't properly embraced even once. Our nighttime activities consisted of bondage play. Not just crucifixion and shackles, but we've also played with a rubber suit and a collar.

Of course, the female knight is my favorite, but I want to try things with a different flavor too.

I digress, but since we've been spending our nights in a different sense, we haven't done that yet.

Tina lied, blushing, "We are trying, but we just haven't been lucky."

Leona smiled wryly and silently let her hold the baby.

Meanwhile, Milfy, Rumily, and Matilda are as close as ever... or so I should say.

One day, Matilda apparently dueled Milfy and won. Matilda was overjoyed.

That night, Matilda put a collar on Milfy and doted on her like a pet. Rumily was apparently tied to a chair and made to watch. But that didn't last long.

It seems they stopped after about a week.

The reason was that Milfy looked sad. She had apparently cried for real, saying, "I like you, but I can't see you as a lover. I'm sorry."

Matilda was quite shocked and released Milfy and Rumily.

After that, she tried to disappear from their lives, but Milfy said, "It's not that I hate you. I don't think that act was bad. Next time, with Rumily too..."

With those words, Matilda was persuaded to stay, and she is still working happily at the General Store 'Yuri'.

In the Republic, there are still no new A-rank adventurers. It's not a country where major incidents occur. With the sea monsters present, there are no fools who would think of trying anything foolish. The forest between it and the Church has monsters, but none of them are considered a threat. In a sense, it's a peaceful country.

But that doesn't mean nothing happens.

Six months after the incident, it seems there was a request for the adventurers of the Republic.

The content was an 'ecological survey'.

There had been reports of strange movements among the monsters near the Republic. Turf wars had increased dramatically, causing damage to nearby villages. If left unchecked, there was a possibility that the Republic's royal capital would also be in danger.

The state wanted to dispatch soldiers, but in case of an emergency, it was decided that they should focus on defending the capital.

Therefore, several adventurer parties were commissioned by the guild to investigate.

After several days of investigation...

Most of the fighting monsters had fled their lairs and were fighting to secure new territory. To find out why they had fled, they headed to the original locations. A scene that could only be described as a tragedy unfolded before them.

Scorched trees. Gouged earth. The dismembered corpses of monsters.

It was as if some ominous and malicious disaster had passed through.

Of course, it wasn't just there; similar damage was found in other lairs as well.

Seeing this, one of the party members said, "Something's strange, isn't it? If a disaster had occurred, the trees between the lairs should have been damaged too. But only the lairs themselves have been ravaged, pinpointed. It's as if a disaster with a will of its own occurred."

This opinion was in a sense correct, and in another sense, wrong.

Correct, because only the lairs were targeted. It was an action that seemed to have a purpose in committing slaughter and destruction here.

Wrong, because it would be impossible for a human, let alone a monster, to cause this much damage. They were cut to pieces, burned, and even gouged with holes. They had never heard of a monster with this much power.

For now, they were debating whether it was natural or artificial.

However, one night...

An adventurer party was camping in the forest when a roar echoed from somewhere. Thinking a monster was rampaging, they headed towards the sound. There, they saw some unknown entity destroying a monster's lair.

The surroundings were burned, and the flames acted as torches, illuminating the scene.

Because of this, they were able to get a good look at the destructive entity, but it was still unidentifiable. The reason was that it didn't have a proper form. Its upper body was human, but with three eyes. Its lower body was like a bear or a gorilla. It was too much of a patchwork to know how to describe it.

But its strength was on another level.

Even if multiple B-rank parties teamed up with the country's knights, it was uncertain if they could win.

That's how much intimidation and fear dominated the scene. The entity rampaged for a while, then was enveloped in black mist and disappeared. What was left were the burning trees, the gouged earth, and the corpses of the monsters. There was no doubt that this was the work of that thing.

The party immediately reported to the guild.

At first, the contents were so unbelievable that they weren't believed, but when another party went there, they confirmed that the damage was just as described in the report.

The guild sent an emergency report to the royal castle. The royal family and nobles held a conference and decided to strengthen the surrounding security and patrols.

An unidentifiable entity. Until it was subjugated, they could not live in peace. The guild also requested regular investigations. The reward money, of course, was high, and if they wanted to improve their own skills, the knights would provide martial arts and magic training.

Inexperienced adventurers and those seeking to become stronger flooded to the request. It goes without saying that the level of adventurers in the Republic became higher than in other countries.

And as for us, currently...