173 – theorem-7

“I’m really sorry to have to say this. But… we’re not in a good situation either.”

Hearing the weak voice of the captain of the guard, I couldn’t help but feel like questioning him.

“I understand. It must be very difficult.”

The guards searched the magic tower, but could not find any meaningful information.

In fact, it was half-expected from the moment I heard about the involvement of the Farsi language.

“We tried several joint investigations after that day… but we couldn’t find an answer.”

“I guess so.”

“Perhaps they have a willingness to cooperate, but the attitudes of the mages inside the Mage Tower are all uncooperative… Even if they look a little suspicious, they say that there is a magic that cannot be dispelled with their abilities.”

“It’s Farseer. They couldn’t help it either.”

He is the living legend of the Mage Tower and the best wizard among existing human wizards, Farseer.

If she made up her mind and tried to hide the evidence, even with the Mage Tower’s cooperation, she wouldn’t have been able to find more information.

“First of all, the Tower Master… I have secured evidence that the former Tower Master was involved in this. There are enough testimonies… But, it probably doesn’t mean much.”

There were no gains other than obtaining proof of the already known fact that the Farseers were involved.

The whereabouts of the corpse and her purpose were buried in the labyrinth.

However, it was unreasonable to expect more from the guards now.

“The monster thing that’s been appearing lately… Are you okay?”

“This is an emergency. A minimum number of personnel are taking turns sleeping, while other guards are on standby throughout the day.”

The fact that the protection of the imperial family was gone came to mind too quickly.

Monsters haven’t appeared in the capital yet, but rumors of monsters appearing in the dark forest and swamp have been heard here and there.

“I don’t understand… is this happening in other kingdoms as well?”

The captain of the guard sighed deeply before answering my question.

“That’s why an empire could be an empire.”

“yes?”

“There are many kingdoms outside the Empire, but they do not fully defend their vast territories. Each finds a way for them to live, defending the smallest area with enough soldiers.”

Except for the journey of chasing the Demon King’s army, I had never been outside the empire, and even then, the land I had stepped on was only a small fraction.

“Well…”

“Compared to the large territory, the empire has an extremely small number of troops. In ancient times, the countries that were separate kingdoms were united, so of course the territory had to expand… All of this, outside the empire, ‘of course’ appeared. It was only possible because there weren’t those monsters who did it.”

In such a situation, it was only natural that they could not afford to invest more personnel in investigating the Farsi language.

Strictly speaking, extermination of monsters was the job of soldiers rather than guards, but in case of emergency, an organization with swords and spears would have to act instead of soldiers.

“It will be difficult.”

“That’s the same thing… but I’m also worried about the situation.”

“yes?”

“When I became the captain of the guard, I never thought I’d end up doing something like this… but it’s a very dangerous situation for guys like us.”

There were deep wrinkles on the captain’s face. More wrinkles than the last time I saw him.

“There may be a day when we don’t know who will be a traitor, and on the contrary, we may be treated as traitors. If we don’t gather information even if we don’t have it, we may end up making the wrong choice.”

It was a confusing situation. Even if there were no immediately noticeable conflicts, it was a situation where no one knew when and which royal family would show their ambitions.

And, in the process, force will inevitably accompany it. If so, the guards must stop them.

However, those who prepared in that way would have at least a stronger force than the guards.

At least they had a few powerful knights and wizards, and there was no way the guards could defeat them on their own.

If the coup succeeds, that is also a problem. Because of the wrong line, the high-ranking members of the guards will be changed.

“…I know.”

“I sincerely apologize. The hero directly investigated and even punished the perpetrator… but he couldn’t even clean up properly.”

At the top of his head, where he bowed his head, he felt sincerity. I couldn’t bear to bother him any more.

“Because there must be circumstances. More than that, are you very busy?”

“Monsters are also gathering in the forest near the capital. In fact, we should mobilize an army to subdue them before they grow bigger… But there’s no one to make a decision.”

Even if the elders were in a hurry to get things done, sending troops was a different matter.

If it was a simple monster, there was no need to send so many troops. The death of the emperor did not mean that his bodyguards would disappear, and the soldiers of the capital remained intact.

Even local lords could lead their own troops to deal with them, literally a bit more radical and aggressive bandit level enemies.

However, deciding and taking responsibility for that was another matter. The elders had no choice but to make an overly perfect and stable choice.

If there was even the slightest mistake, one of the members of the royal family would magnify the mistake and condemn it, trying to raise political awareness.

In the end, there was no one to make the decision.

“If that’s the case, get some rest. It looks like the captain of the guard hasn’t had a good night’s sleep either.”

When I got up from the chair, my body felt heavy. It was a feeling I hadn’t felt in a long time.

“I’ll take care of it. I don’t like complicated things.”

I thought it was a good thing, but his expression was not bright.

“Thank you. I’m sure it’s something I’m thankful for, but… Hero. That, when was the last time you slept?”

“yes?”

I didn’t remember.

There was a lot to do, but not necessarily busy.

However, at some point I didn’t sleep. As if the thought of lying down and resting somewhere had disappeared.

Probably, it was like that when Farseer died, no, when he killed Farseer. Before that, because of habit, I slept through and through.

“Well, I’m not tired. This much… I don’t care. Is it a little strange? Are your eyes red?”

It was a world where mirrors were rare, so there weren’t many places to look back at myself.

“No. I just… I’m sorry. I was just curious.”

“It’s okay. I’m like this, but I’m a warrior. I won’t even budge at this level.”

I smiled and reassured him.

“I’ll be back.”

The captain of the guard reluctantly told me where I had to go. I slowly got up, quietly closed the door and left.

The moment I left the guard, I was alone again.

I don’t know why, but I heard the sound of my footsteps loud and clear.

/////

I walked across the plain without thinking.

The forest where the monster appeared was not too far away. If a monster appeared in a place like this, it would cause great damage that was incomparable to that of ordinary bandits.

“Is this…”

It was still daytime. The sunlight was warmly shining on the leaves, and it was hard to guess that there was something there when you looked at it with your own eyes.

However, the stench could not be hidden. A subtle and disgusting smell, like rotten trees and animal excrement mixed with demonic air.

After taking a deep breath, I went inside.

The trees, which were sparse at first, soon became so dense that it was difficult to step on.

As the leaves gobble up the sunlight, before you know it, you can see nothing but fallen leaves and withering grass beneath your feet.

And, the smell was getting worse.

“Ugh…”

The deer’s antlers were visible. However, it was hanging too high to be an ordinary deer’s antlers.

His body was hidden by the huge tree, but he could hear his breath, his stench, and the sound of his feet stepping on the leaves.

“Gwaaa!!!”

Our eyes met. The two-legged monster had hideous swellings all over its body, with patches of hair, flesh, and muscle interspersed here and there.

And, the eyes that looked at me were full of poison and anger. It was not an opponent he could communicate with.

As if responding to his shout, the forest moved. The sound of many hooves rang out.

“okay…”

The enemy’s abilities were grasped. Not very strong. It was a bit dizzy, but I could take down any number of enemies of that level.

Perhaps with the minimum intelligence, the grotesque monster was waiting for the punks to arrive instead of attacking me right away.

Two-legged beasts the size of goblins came endlessly. The weapon was a sharp piece of wood, a long stone, or rarely a spear with a sharp stone tied to the end.

They’re stronger than normal humans, but at this level, they won’t be able to beat soldiers in armor.

However, this number cannot be ignored. Judging by the speed at which it moved, it seemed that its feet were also fast.

I didn’t want to imagine how much damage would be if a traveler, a merchant, or a defenseless village were attacked.

“Uhhhh…”

When enough were gathered, the great beast roared once more.

“Wooo!!!”

It just happened that I didn’t want to think about it. I drew the Holy Sword.

Soon, blood spurted out.