Cleaning Up
Cleaning Up
Even after the first day, monsters continued to pour down into the canyon.
But they no longer descended in numbers anywhere near as large as they had on the first day.
Occasionally, formidable-looking monsters appeared, or packs abandoned their nests to migrate, but as time passed, their numbers gradually dwindled.
Before long, it seemed they would be able to hold off the monsters with nothing more than their usual routine patrols.
Even now, keeping the monsters under control wasn't particularly difficult.
Since the Empire's fortress had collapsed, the canyon's northern gate stood wide open.
The monsters descending into the canyon avoided the knights and the corpses, heading straight north instead.
The Empire's casualties would surely mount, but we were able to hold the monsters back with ease.
On the third day, everyone except the knights and soldiers staying behind to keep watch in the canyon returned to the fortress.
When they heard the news, the residents of the fortress domain lined the streets, showering the returning knights with flowers and cheers.
The knights, too, forgot their exhaustion and waved back to the residents.
Some knights even shared long kisses with the young women who drew close.
The two academy knights following behind the Princess looked around enviously.
Since both of them had only ever worked at the academy, this kind of experience was a first for them.
"It's been a while since we've had an event like this."
A knight waving beside him spoke to Knight Axel.
"Was this an official event?"
"It's an annual event unique to Soroka Fortress, celebrating the return of the knights who worked hard to hunt down the monsters."
His tone was a little like someone introducing a local specialty to a tourist.
But the knight speaking was clearly brimming with pride. Judging by his expression, he was genuinely boasting.
Knight Axel looked at the crowd again. Everyone was waving with bright smiles.
"For people who were just told this was an annual event, they seem genuinely overjoyed."
"It's the first time we've held it in years. Life had been getting harder... and everyone must have felt so suffocated. I'm just glad."
While the knight was eagerly explaining, Axel suddenly vanished from sight.
A young woman had caught hold of Axel and was dragging him away.
Judging by his foolish grin, he was definitely letting her drag him away on purpose.
Knight Miro, who had been listening to the conversation alongside them, looked at the Princess riding ahead of him.
This was his first journey serving and accompanying the Princess.
Though it had been arduous, it had also been far more rewarding.
He felt he had made the right decision back then.
The Princess was silently scanning her surroundings.
She seemed to be taking in the sights like Axel, but she also looked as if she were searching for someone.
Knight Miro felt he knew exactly whom she was looking for.
Everyone else believed they had managed to handle the monsters through sheer luck, or because a rebellion had broken out in the Empire's fortress.
But both the Princess and Knight Miro knew who had actually accomplished the feat.
To be honest, even now he couldn't comprehend how it had been done. Regardless, it would have been impossible without him.
The academy student who had pulled off that impossible feat had been left behind in the canyon, diligently digging into the ground alongside Glan.
"Can't I keep watch instead? The monsters might come all the way here..."
Glan, who was digging, massaged his shoulders and asked me.
After traveling together for a few days, it seemed he was no longer afraid of me. Or maybe he was just too exhausted?
But if we were going to finish quickly, I needed every extra pair of hands I could get.
"No way. You promised to help."
"But I didn't think we'd just be digging dirt like this..."
Since he wasn't a physical ability user, it seemed to be taking a toll on him.
Still, as an awakened, he was working at least as hard as the soldiers from my past life.
That was more than enough.
The pit was too massive to dig alone.
In fact, the pit we were digging was colossal, large enough to bury dozens of people.
Well, we were digging it precisely to bury dozens of people.
I had no choice if I wanted to use the backpack again. I had to bury all the corpses inside the backpack before returning to the fortress.
"Hang in there! We need to head back today too!"
"...Yes..."
I diligently shoveled the earth with my divine sword alongside the tearful Glan.
Some time later, in the capital of the Tsar Empire.
The Central Temple, located in the heart of Tsarmania, was grand enough to rival the royal palace, befitting the headquarters of the Order.
Even on this weekday, many people were climbing the steps of the massive temple to offer prayers and perform rituals.
But unlike the bustling sections on either side, the center of the staircase was almost entirely deserted.
That was because only nobles were permitted to use the center of the stairs.
At the bottom of those stairs, a man stood waiting for someone to descend.
He had turned up the collar of his uniform and pulled his hat low, concealing more than half of his face.
Though he had clearly concealed his face on purpose, no one approached to warn him.
This was because of the high-ranking noble uniform he wore.
Tap.
A moment later, a woman descended from the top of the stairs.
She was a beautiful woman who exuded elegance.
Yet her expression was incredibly dark.
She was walking down the steps with a gloomy expression when she spotted the man standing at the bottom and came to an abrupt halt.
The woman let out a sigh, resumed her descent, and stopped in front of the man.
"I would have come to you if you had called. Why did you come all the way out here?"
"Right now, the palace, the administration, and the military are all running around as if caught in a wildfire. I can't very well barge in and join the frenzy."
When he said that, the woman nodded.
She was well aware of the 'wildfire' he was talking about.
In fact, that was the very reason she had come to the temple to pray.
"Is the Organization all right?"
"It's fine. Hardly any of our members were caught up in this incident anyway. Besides, the Organization was already in the middle of restructuring..."
Following the massive failure in the Carlos Kingdom, the Organization had pulled back and was rebuilding its foundations from the ground up.
At his words, the woman's expression grew even darker.
"Let's talk as we walk."
He turned and began to walk. The woman followed behind him.
Apart from the turmoil at the top, the capital of the Empire was splendid and majestic.
Grand, towering buildings and sculptures stood alongside paved roads and manicured trees.
One could feel the power and majesty of the Empire, unmatched by any other nation.
'Though even this sight wouldn't compare to the Old Empire...'
The man smiled bitterly to himself and spoke again.
"I plan to start moving again soon. Since the imperial palace and the other nobles have been thoroughly shaken up this time, they should listen to me now."
"So it turned out to be a favorable opportunity after all."
"I wouldn't call it a favorable opportunity. While it's not uncommon for monsters to descend from the Northern Mountain Range and damage the domains, we've never seen destruction on this scale before. On top of that, it's the first time a fortress has been completely destroyed."
It was only natural that everyone was in an uproar. Even now, the southern domains were suffering damage.
The domains bordering the fortress had been utterly devastated, and considering the casualties, the lost soldiers, and the financial damage, it was no wonder everyone was dazed.
But they were only shocked because nothing like this had happened before; there was no way the Empire would be shaken by this level of damage.
"Still, I should take this opportunity to clean up the domestic front. Although I've seized control of the intelligence department to some extent, there are still many other places that refuse to listen. Fortunately, His Imperial Majesty the Emperor is furious this time, so there's plenty of room to maneuver."
The woman let out a sigh.
"That's a relief. I was worried the plan might go awry because of me..."
"Why would that be because of you, Prophet?"
"My prophecy was off again this time. Now, even matters concerning the Empire are going astray. The future is becoming harder and harder to see."
At the Prophet's words, the man sighed.
"So in the end, prayer was of no help?"
"It seems so. The Order is also in an uproar, as if something has happened..."
The man glanced back slightly.
Though they had walked quite a distance, the majestic temple still filled his field of vision.
He looked at the temple and smirked.
"The reason they're in an uproar is that they sent the Purge Squad to dig up artifacts in the Seal Grounds, only for the squad to be completely wiped out."
He stopped mid-sentence and tilted his head in thought.
"Come to think of it, didn't the Monster King move because those bastards caused a ruckus in the Seal Grounds? I wonder if we should demand compensation from those Order bastards."
It was a plausible theory.
Whether it was true or not, the man decided to keep the thought in mind.
He fully intended to use it the next time he clashed with the Order.
"Since prayer isn't helping, you aren't planning to keep visiting, are you?"
At the man's question, the Prophet shook her head.
"No, I only went this time to pay my respects to the priests I know. How did you know I was there? It seems you have precognitive abilities too, young master."
She looked at the man with a slight smile, but he simply stated the facts, completely uninterested.
"As if. It's thanks to the informants I've planted."
"Sigh, it would have been better if you hadn't said that."
"Mystique is only for outsiders. More importantly, the death of King Carlos hasn't changed, has it?"
At the man's question, the Prophet composed her expression.
"Yes. Though many things are obscured and many of my predictions fail, there are things that remain unchanged. Natural disasters and human lifespans—and the death of King Carlos is one of them."
The man nodded.
"Good. It's about time to stir things up. And once things blow up, let's just fan the flames from a distance this time. Given the greed of those princes, a civil war will be unavoidable. I only hope they fight to the bitter end and ruin the Kingdom entirely."
"It would be wonderful if it went according to plan, but things could go wrong this time as well."
It was a highly pessimistic remark, but as a Prophet whose recent prophecies had repeatedly gone awry, she had no choice but to offer a warning.
"It's fine. Thanks to this incident, everyone has realized just how dangerous the monsters are. If the domains were devastated by mere monsters, they can easily imagine what would happen if the Monster Kings were to emerge."
Realizing the danger posed by the monsters was the greatest boon of the entire incident.
"Now, if Carlos's civil war doesn't end properly, we can just crush them with the imperial army."
At the man's words, the Prophet's expression darkened.
Talk of killing people always pained her heart.
"We cannot allow the Monster Kings to cross over into the Empire. Saving the world is important, but preventing the Empire from falling is far more crucial."
The man and the Prophet came to a halt.
Without realizing it, they had arrived at the capital's central plaza.
In the center of the plaza stood a statue of the Emperor, and beneath it waited a luxurious carriage.
As the two arrived, the knight standing beside the carriage opened the door. The man took off his hat and climbed inside.
He turned to look at the Prophet.
A young man who bore a striking resemblance to the statue of the Emperor—the Crown Prince of the Empire—spoke to the Prophet.
"This is the country I will rule. Saving the world is important, but it would be troublesome if the nation fell before I even inherit the throne."
The door closed, and the Prophet bowed her head to the Crown Prince.
As the carriage departed, the Prophet turned and walked away as well.
The time for prayer was over; now it was time to work.
The Prophet made her way toward the place where she belonged—the Organization.