Relocation

March had arrived after the New Year. Allen was sparring in the garden that morning.

Clang! Clang!

(I can't win at all.)

Mihai, Cecil's older brother, had returned to Granvelle in March. As he had last year, Allen asked for a rematch. Mihai agreed, so they were sparring now.

Allen believed he also needed to know how quickly people grew in Normal Mode. Information was a weapon.

Last October, he had switched to hunting C-rank monsters. Over the past six months, he had hunted around two thousand of them and raised his Level to 28.

His Level had increased, and his stats had grown, but Mihai's swordsmanship was still far superior. He saw through Allen's strikes, dodged them with ease, and parried them just as easily.

Mihai still seemed to have plenty of energy. As always, he sparred with a faint smile on his face.

(Damn, his Level and Swordsmanship Skill Level have both gone up quite a bit. Grr... I just can't win. I guess carrying twenty Plant cards isn't enough.)

In Normal Mode, you progressed with one-hundredth the experience of Hell Mode. That applied to both Level and Skill Level. Perhaps the academy's curriculum was designed to raise Levels and Skills properly, but Allen could feel in his bones that Mihai had widened the gap between them since last year.

Allen had heard Mihai possessed a talent for swordsmanship. He didn't know what kind of curriculum Mihai followed, but his growth was astonishing. The difference in their abilities was growing ever wider, since Allen needed a hundred times as much experience as Mihai.

Baron Granvelle, the Baroness, Thomas, and Cecil were watching from the garden.

Although Allen had challenged Mihai, the match ended quickly. Just like last time, Mihai knocked the sword from Allen's hands, bringing the match to an end.

"Excellent! Mihai-sama, you've grown tremendously."

The Knight Commander had corrected his form of address last year after Mihai admonished him, changing it from Young Master Mihai to Mihai-sama.

"Thanks. Still, Allen-kun, you've gotten really strong."

"Not compared to you, Mihai-sama."

Allen humbly replied to Mihai's praise. Mihai then offered him a handshake.

(He offered me one last year, too. Is that an academy tradition?)

Allen wondered if matches at the academy always ended with a handshake, then accepted Mihai's.

"You're a fine attendant to Cecil. Take good care of my little sister."

"Yes. I'll protect her with all my might."

Perhaps pleased by Allen's answer, Mihai smiled.

"By the way, Allen-kun, you fought a Murder Garsh, right? Tell me what it was like."

(It was less a fight than a game of tag. And it was awful because it wouldn't take a turn being 'it.')

Perhaps he had heard about it from one of his family members. Allen was asked about the Murder Garsh. He said it was nearly lunchtime, so he could tell them over a meal. They were about to head back to the mansion together when—

"E-excuse me!"

A knight hurried into the mansion.

(N-not again.)

Allen had a bad feeling. Last time, a knight had come to deliver a report, and the Murder Garsh had appeared. He wondered if another deadly game of tag was about to begin.

"Hm? What's the matter?"

Since the visitor was a knight, the Knight Commander asked him.

"T-the White Dragon has moved!"

"What?! Is that true? Where? Where has it moved to?!"

The Baron eagerly began firing questions at him, his voice filled with joy.

"My lord, it's lunchtime. Shall we go inside and discuss this?"

(Huh? I want to hear about the White Dragon moving, too.)

They were all heading to the dining hall, so Allen was glad. Apparently, he was allowed to hear about this.

Allen had been at the Granvelle baron's estate for about a year and a half. As the lord of the territory, the Baron received all kinds of information. Depending on how confidential it was, he would have people leave the room.

The least confidential information could be shared with servants, as in this case. Naturally, not every servant was summoned. Only those already on duty as servers, or those like Allen who served someone as a footman or attendant, were allowed to listen.

For more confidential matters, only members of the Baron's family were permitted to stay—the Baroness and his children. In those cases, Allen was told to leave, and had occasionally been asked to leave the dining hall.

The most confidential information was never discussed in the dining hall. Those matters were discussed in the conference room beside the Baron's study, with the Baron, the butler, and the Knight Commander present. The entire area, including the hallway, was off-limits.

As they ate lunch in the dining hall, they listened to the knight's report.

"So, what does it mean that the White Dragon has moved?"

"Yes, sir! According to a report from the adventurer party the Silver Fangs of the Gale, it vanished from the lair it had made in the White Dragon Mountains. They tracked it for about three days afterward, but couldn't find it. They have returned to town for now to report in!"

"Ooooooh! At long last, it has moved! It took so long!"

Overcome with joy, the Baron rose from his seat in the middle of the meal. His clenched fist trembled. He was clearly overwhelmed.

"We plan to ask the Silver Fangs of the Gale, who have returned to town, to investigate again. That is all."

The Knight Commander dismissed the knight who had delivered the report, and the knight left the dining hall.

"I see. It has moved. We'll also need to investigate the state of the mithril mines from now on."

The White Dragon had moved from its lair in the White Dragon Mountains for the first time in over a hundred years. No one knew where it was now.

"Yes, sir! However, we don't know where the White Dragon might appear. Our first priority is to find out where it has made its new lair."

"I understand. But mining mithril is also our territory's responsibility. We must inspect the state of the mines as soon as possible."

The Knight Commander said their priority was to locate the White Dragon. The Baron, however, wanted to resume mithril mining for the first time in over a hundred years as soon as possible.

"So does that mean we need to clear the monsters along the way to the mines?"

"That's right, Mihai-sama. If we confirm that the White Dragon has completely left the Baron's territory, we'll need to secure access to all four mines."

"I still have some time off, so I'll help out a little."

"You mustn't. You might encounter the White Dragon. Your safety is our top priority, Mihai-sama."

The Knight Commander didn't seem willing to let Mihai join the investigation. Apparently, he judged that even Mihai would be in danger if he encountered the White Dragon.

(If I remember right, there are goblin and orc villages in the foothills of the White Dragon Mountains.)

As Allen listened to their conversation, he recalled what the adventurer Raven had told him.

The foothills of the White Dragon Mountains were covered in a dense forest. In fact, Allen had gone that far while being chased by the Murder Garsh, and the forest was indeed very deep.

Raven had said that goblin and orc villages could be found in that forest. According to him, D-rank goblin nests had higher-ranking C-rank goblins, and C-rank orc nests likewise had higher-ranking B-rank orcs. Goblins and orcs bred quickly, and those pushed out of their villages moved from the foothills of the White Dragon Mountains toward Granvelle.

There was also an Armored Ant nest on the mountainside beyond the forest. Each nest was said to contain countless Armored Ants, as well as their superior variants, Queen Armored Ants.

Goblins and orcs that left their villages sometimes attacked villagers and travelers. When there were too many of them, people would come to town to ask for help. In such cases, the Knight Order might be dispatched along with adventurers.

(I see. Good, good. The Knight Order might go and wipe out those goblin and orc villages. I can't let them beat me to it.)

Allen didn't want the Knight Order taking his precious experience points.

After several months of investigation, they learned that the White Dragon had moved out of Baron Granvelle's territory.

It had moved to the side of the White Dragon Mountains in Viscount Carnel's territory.