Chapter 161
"What is the meaning of this, Arnold?"
"Please save your scolding for the chancellor. I'm the victim here."
I entered the throne room with Elna and Orihime, and Father immediately demanded an explanation.
But this wasn't a time to apologize.
This was beyond my ability to resolve. I wasn't responsible.
"My apologies. Her Eminence said she wished to visit His Highness's room, so I gave her permission."
"Unconditionally?"
"I believe the condition was that she put up a barrier."
"Elna grew suspicious when she saw the knights milling around, so she slipped in through a gap in security, breaking through the barrier."
"..."
"..."
Father and Franz simultaneously clutched their heads.
Seeing this, Elna looked awkward, while Orihime wore a smug expression that practically said, 'Serves you right.'
"Well, you were planning to tell Elna anyway, weren't you? It shouldn't matter if she found out a little early."
"That may be so, but... How much do you know, Arnold?"
"I know that the dormant monsters around the Empire began activating all at once after the incident in the east. I also know that the Empire is working with the Adventurer Guild to devise an extermination plan. If left unchecked, they'll affect the commemorative ceremony."
"So you knew almost everything. We were supposed to be proceeding in secret."
Father muttered in exasperation, but didn't question me any further.
That was probably because now wasn't the time to worry about my information sources.
"Elna. As you heard, we summoned the Celestial Princess to deal with this problem. According to the Adventurer Guild, there is at least one monster whose defeat will require your strength."
"At His Majesty's command, I will go anywhere and slay any monster. However... If you're saying I must fight alongside her, I'll have to think about it."
"Oh? The House of Amberg must not be much to speak of if it relies on others' help before the battle has even begun. If you lack confidence, just say so. In that case, I might lend you my strength."
"Who are you calling unconfident...? I'm speaking hypothetically! I'd never agree to fight alongside you!"
"That is precisely what I was going to say! Even if you begged me, I wouldn't lend you a hand now!"
Sparks flew between them with me caught in the middle.
Honestly, I wish they'd read the room. The last person to behave rudely before the Emperor had just committed suicide.
Still, comparing Laurenz with these two would be unfair. Their status and power were on entirely different levels. These two could get away with a little rudeness with no more than a reprimand.
That said, the very person who should have reprimanded them wore a troubled expression as he watched them argue.
This might have been a worse situation than I'd thought.
"Orihime."
"Hmm? What is it, Arnold? If you insist, I might even reconsider."
"Quiet."
"Gaaah...!!??"
"You too, Elna. You're in His Majesty's presence."
"Ugh... My apologies, Your Majesty."
Both of them drooped their shoulders, crestfallen.
At least they were quiet now. We could finally have a calm discussion.
"What kind of monster is it—the one that requires Elna's strength?"
"It's a colossal monster called the Spirit Turtle. It appears spontaneously out of nowhere, and its immense body spreads disaster simply by walking."
"Out of nowhere? I thought you said the dormant monsters had become active."
"That's right. The Spirit Turtle appeared two hundred years ago. It has been dormant ever since."
"Dormant for two hundred years? What on earth happened?"
Monsters that sleep for several centuries do exist, but they are extremely rare.
The Sea Dragon Leviathan I fought last time was forcibly put to sleep. Barring such special circumstances, even powerful monsters generally remain dormant for only a few decades.
Something must have happened.
"The Spirit Turtle is called an immortal monster. That's because it cannot be killed by ordinary means."
"What's the trick behind that?"
"The Adventurer Guild believes the Spirit Turtle's body is made of mana. When it suffers severe injuries, it hardens its body to an ultra-hard state and enters dormancy. Apparently, it then strengthens its body and begins moving again. Even if it is defeated before reaching that state, it is made of mana to begin with, so it reconstructs its body and reappears. Apparently, the Spirit Turtle that first appeared and the one we see now are the same entity. That is why it is called an immortal monster."
"If it's that troublesome, you'd think it would be more famous."
"When a Spirit Turtle whose body has returned to mana reappears, its body seems to be smaller. Its growth must be reset. If it is defeated at that point, it is not a particularly dangerous monster."
I see. So even though it is immortal, it can still be defeated.
It certainly isn't dangerous.
However, the fact that it had entered dormancy for two hundred years meant they must have failed to deal with it two hundred years ago.
"Then what happened two hundred years ago? Why didn't they succeed?"
"Two hundred years ago, the Adventurer Guild apparently sent an SS-rank adventurer. That adventurer drove it to the verge of defeat, but something interfered, and it entered dormancy."
"Who interfered with an SS-rank adventurer? What kind of powerful being was it?"
"The ancient dragon Silver defeated. That unbelievably troublesome ancient dragon, which targeted humans, had fought an SS-rank adventurer two hundred years ago as well. It was beaten, barely managed to escape, and apparently slipped quietly into dormancy—but it left behind this troublesome legacy."
Father's face was full of loathing.
So the ancient dragon I defeated had done something like that.
I had been told that it was a cunning dragon: despite its great power, it never fought the House of Amberg head-on, yet it stationed itself in the center of the continent and inflicted damage on the Empire.
It had tried to flee at the end of our battle too. I'd thought of it as a dragon skilled at running away, but had it really gone out of its way to meddle with an SS-rank adventurer just to save the Spirit Turtle?
If it entered dormancy to strengthen its body, it must have been strengthening itself until it could defeat a powerful enemy. That would explain why it remained dormant for two hundred years.
If a monster like that existed, the dragon would have had an easier time operating. It might even have defeated the troublesome House of Amberg for it. Perhaps that was the calculation behind its actions.
In the end, it was defeated first, but that was an absurdly large parting gift.
"If it strengthened its body until it could defeat an SS-rank adventurer, wouldn't it be dangerous even for Elna to face it alone?"
"We are well aware of that danger. Which is why we would be grateful if you, Your Eminence, would fight alongside her."
"Hmm, Your Majesty. Do not misunderstand. I was not summoned to defeat monsters. I was summoned to seal away dangerous monsters. I will fight if my own life is threatened, but I have no intention of fighting for the Empire's benefit. Of course, if your nation offers mine enormous compensation, I might reconsider!"
She was certainly shrewd.
The Empire is determined to make the commemorative ceremony a success. To that end, it has promised the Adventurer Guild its full support. That must be a considerable expense, and the ceremony itself will only add to the cost.
It would be difficult to offer Mizuho enough profit to move the Celestial Princess, and the return would be far too small for the Empire.
The Celestial Princess is, after all, a specialist in barriers. She cannot deliver the decisive blow against a giant monster. Her cooperation would be helpful, and we'd certainly be better off with her, but she wasn't absolutely necessary.
"That is unfortunate. Then we shall ask the Adventurer Guild for support."
"Are we going with that masked man...? Well, he is better than the Celestial Princess, I suppose."
"Elna, we won't be relying on Silver this time. The Empire and the Adventurer Guild are proceeding on that condition."
"What!? Did that man do something!?"
"Not exactly. The Adventurer Guild wants to discover new talent, and it apparently wants to avoid having all the credit go to Silver. As for the Empire, we'd be delighted if other adventurers established bases here."
"You'd push him aside for that? I don't like that man, but... It is an undeniable fact that he has protected the Empire. The Empire should rely on Silver first. What do you intend to do if Silver's heart turns away from the Empire?"
"I've thought of that too. Arnold, I've heard that you have ties to Silver."
"It's more that he reached out to me, but yes."
"Even so, you have a way to contact him, don't you?"
"I can't guarantee he'll respond. It's much like the Imperial Capital branch. Silver is always elusive, and it's impossible to keep track of his whereabouts."
"If he refuses to respond, so be it. But there is no point in giving up before we've even tried. Tell him I wish to see him."
"What are you planning?"
"I only intend to talk. We'll take our time."
With that, Father quietly turned his gaze toward the outside of the castle.
Silver was an SS-rank adventurer, but it was highly unusual for the Emperor to summon someone whose identity and status were unknown.
This was different from last time, when he had entered without permission.
Was Father personally stepping forward to preserve his relationship with Silver?
This was an unexpected turn of events.