Chapter 156
The magical-beast outbreak was successfully suppressed.
The horde never breached the defensive line, and the Imperial Army suffered almost no casualties.
It was a complete victory.
A result worthy of celebration.
Yet no one spoke of victory.
The atmosphere in the Imperial Palace was even more serious than it had been during the magical-beast outbreak.
The Imperial Palace's conference room.
Emperor Kaiser and the Empire's high-ranking officials responsible for its defense had gathered there.
Richard, commander of the Second Knight Order.
Gareth, commander of the Third Knight Order.
The commanders of the other knight orders, the commanders of the mage corps, the Minister of Military Affairs, and others were there as well.
Every one of them was a renowned figure in the Empire.
Yet among all those people, there was one person who was completely out of place.
“Your Majesty.”
Unable to contain his doubts, the Minister of Military Affairs opened his mouth.
“What is it?”
“There is something I would like to confirm before the meeting begins.”
The Minister of Military Affairs looked at me.
“Why is the Imperial Princess's slave here?”
Everyone's gaze turned toward me.
It was the question I had expected.
No, it was something I wanted to ask too.
Why was a slave like me sitting among all these important people?
“I personally asked His Majesty to allow him to attend the meeting.”
Richard, who was sitting beside me, spoke up.
“You did, Sir Richard?”
“That is correct.”
“May I ask why? This is an important meeting concerning the defense of the Empire. It does not seem appropriate for a slave to attend.”
“It is true that he is a slave, but if we speak only of ability, he is more than qualified to be here. Above all, he was the first to mention the appearance of a calamity.”
“But……”
At that moment, Kaiser raised a hand to mediate.
“Is this really the time to waste on such personal matters in an emergency? This is something I have authorized. Minister of Military Affairs, say no more.”
At the Emperor's intervention, the Minister of Military Affairs bowed reluctantly.
Many of those in the conference room still looked unconvinced.
But pressing the matter any further would have amounted to defiance, so no one showed any more displeasure.
“Proceed with the meeting.”
At Kaiser's words, an intelligence official opened the report he was holding.
“Yes, Your Majesty. A report came in from the Roag Margraviate at dawn today. It says that Galad Gorge has been covered by black clouds of unknown origin.”
“What exactly are these black clouds?”
“They are the miasma emitted by Rahav, the Despair That Crawls Across the Sky, one of the Three Great Calamities.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“It is lethal enough to cause the minds of those who inhale the miasma to collapse.”
Kaiser quietly nodded.
“You mean it is coming to the Imperial Capital.”
“Yes. It is slowly advancing through the sky toward the Imperial Capital.”
“Hmm.”
Kaiser let out a heavy groan.
“What has become of the forces that went on the expedition, including the First Knight Order?”
“They are currently engaged in battle alongside the allied forces. I understand they are having a difficult time.”
“And now another one is coming…… Just imagining it is grotesque.”
The Empire was already confronting one calamity with a coalition force.
Yet another calamity was approaching. No matter how mighty the Empire was, tension was unavoidable.
“Should we raise an army and go subjugate it, or should we wait until it comes to us? What do you think?”
“We must go ourselves. We should teach it a lesson and show the entire world the might of the Empire.”
“We ought to wait for it to come. Until then, we should strengthen our defenses.”
“What kind of absurdity is that, Minister of Military Affairs? You want to wage war in a place where our people live?”
“The Imperial Capital has weapons designed to fight magical beasts. We can fight more efficiently if we respond here.”
“This is a Great Calamity. The people will panic. You mean to let the Imperial Capital drown in chaos? We must never fight in the Imperial Capital.”
The ministers argued fiercely over their positions. Either side sounded reasonable.
That is, if they did not know much about Rahav's characteristics.
“Excuse me.”
“What is it, Leon?”
“If it is not too presumptuous, may I offer my opinion?”
The Minister of Military Affairs immediately scowled.
“You insolent wretch! How dare you speak in a place like this? Shut your mouth!”
“It is all right. Let him speak.”
“Your Majesty!”
Kaiser fixed the Minister of Military Affairs with a steady gaze.
Under that invisible pressure, the Minister of Military Affairs fell silent as expected.
Kaiser turned his gaze toward me.
“Speak.”
“We must not wait for it to come. We need to approach it first. However, the force must be kept to a minimum.”
Gareth was the first to react.
“You want to send only the minimum number of people?”
“Yes.”
“Our opponent is one of the Three Great Calamities, a creature comparable to a natural disaster. And you are suggesting that we reduce our forces?”
“The more troops we bring, the greater our disadvantage becomes.”
Gareth's eyes narrowed.
The Minister of Military Affairs also opened his mouth with an incredulous sneer.
“What kind of sophistry is that? If a magical beast is dangerous enough to be called a calamity, then of course we must mobilize as many troops as possible. Do you not even understand that basic common sense?”
“That would be true of an ordinary magical beast, but Rahav is different. Anyone with low resistance who stands on the battlefield will be consumed by despair.”
To subjugate Rahav reliably in the game, one's Will stat had to be extremely high. Otherwise, one would be swept up in the miasma.
When a party member fell under the despair debuff, it not only lowered the allies' combat power but even made them attack their own side, directly harming their allies.
It was better not to bring mediocre companions at all. Ordinary soldiers were even less suitable.
“So you are saying we need to go with a small elite force.”
“Yes.”
Richard fell silent, seemingly deep in thought.
He seemed to be considering whom they should send if they went with a small elite force.
“How do you know so much? Very little is known about the Three Great Calamities.”
Gareth asked the question.
Apparently everyone else was thinking the same thing, because they all looked at me with puzzled expressions.
“There is an old man among my acquaintances who is known as a sage. He is extraordinarily knowledgeable. I learned about it from him.”
“Who is this sage? We cannot stake the fate of the Empire on the advice of someone whose identity we do not even know.”
“His name is Iskallon. I do not know whether you have heard of him.”
“Iskallon……?”
Gareth tilted his head, clearly unable to recall the name.
“Iskallon! You mean the Great Sage Iskallon?”
The reaction came from the commander of the mage corps. He spoke excitedly, spraying spittle as he did.
“Is he famous?”
“Anyone who studies the history of magic has heard of the ancient sage at least once. He was a great mage, almost a legendary figure.”
“A legend? Are you saying he was fictional?”
“The name Iskallon appears throughout various ancient texts. However, we do not know what era he belonged to, what country he was from, or even how he met his end.”
“Then you do not even know whether he actually existed?”
“It is more accurate to say that we cannot definitively conclude that he did not exist. There are traces of him, which is too much for him to be fiction, yet the records are too vague for him to be confirmed as a real person.”
“……What are you talking about?”
Gareth frowned, seeming even more confused by the explanation that was almost, but not quite, clear.
Richard stepped in to summarize the situation.
“So this is information we can trust.”
“If the Iskallon this slave mentioned is the Great Sage Iskallon.”
Once again, everyone's gaze turned toward me.
They looked at me as if wondering how someone like me could possibly know an ancient sage.
Showing them the grimoire Elodie possessed would settle the matter instantly.
“I cannot tell you the details. There are circumstances that prevent me from speaking about them.”
But if I did, she would once again be dragged into a troublesome incident.
And I wanted to avoid that at all costs.
“A slave being acquainted with an ancient great sage is absurd enough, but you cannot even explain the details? Oh ho, are you insulting us right now?”
“I swear before heaven that I have never told a lie. If you doubt my words that much, ask His Highness the First Prince.”
“Aither?”
At the unexpected mention of his son's name, the Emperor's brow twitched slightly.
“His Highness the First Prince will testify that my words are not false.”
“You dare drag His Highness the First Prince into this?”
The Minister of Military Affairs spoke through bared teeth.
“Since all of you doubt me, I merely told you how to confirm that I am not lying.”
As I said this, I met the Emperor's gaze.
He seemed to consider it for a moment, then said,
“We shall verify it.”
“Thank you.”
Aither would testify that my words were true without revealing Iskallon's identity.
Like me, he did not want Elodie to become entangled in the matter.
It would sort itself out somehow.
“If we proceed on the assumption that Leon's words are true, we cannot simply mobilize the army.”
Richard brought the discussion back to its original subject.
“Then we must select those suited to subjugating Rahav.”
“Who would be suitable? We need brave warriors who can fight fearlessly even when facing a calamity.”
“Hmm, young people these days lack the necessary spirit…….”
“Then perhaps the commanders of each unit…….”
“I am too old to face a calamity…….”
The elders sank into deep thought, unable to find a suitable candidate.
I cautiously raised my hand and interrupted them.
“I will do it alone.”
The conference room fell silent in an instant.
Richard glanced around at the others before whispering to me,
“……Leon, are you serious?”
“I am not foolish enough to joke in a gathering of such important people.”
“Hah! You intend to face a calamity all by yourself? Do you really think that makes sense?”
“Yes.”
I answered confidently without hesitation.
I knew exactly how to defeat Rahav, after all.
With my current strength, it was not impossible for me to subjugate Rahav alone.
Of course, it would be dangerous, but bringing along some half-capable person would only get in my way.
“You need not worry so much. Even if I die, I am only one slave, after all. You can just get a new slave.”
Heh, how rational was that?
If things went well, we could defeat the calamity without suffering any losses. Even if I failed, only one slave would die, so there would be no real damage.
From the perspective of the important people here, it was no risk and high reward.
There was no reason to refuse.
“But if I defeat it, I would appreciate it if you granted me a suitable reward.”
You know what I am asking for even if I do not say it, right?
Hand over my freedom.