Chapter 314

Arriving in Astram, Marquis Delphine, guided by Albert, walked around, curiously observing the city’s streets.

In the Empire, the majority of the population was human, with even the few elves and dwarves treated as second-class citizens, and beastkin treated as nothing more than slaves. Yet, in Astram, elves, dwarfs, beastkin, and even rare species like fairies mingled together, laughing and chatting as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Considering this, it was no wonder that Marquis Delphine found Astram fascinating.

Even Albert, who was now completely accustomed to it, remembered how strange Astram’s atmosphere had felt when he first arrived.

However, the problem was that the Imperial person showing such interest was none other than Marquis Delphine himself.

“To see so many races mixed together… What a chaotic city. It’s completely different from the Empire. No wonder no one bats an eye if a few unfamiliar faces come and go.”

“…Marquis Delphine. While Astram’s appearance may not be favorable from the Empire’s perspective, please remember that we are on a mission.”

“Huh? I’ve always been aware that I’m on a mission.”

“…Is that so?”

“Haha. Or are you suggesting that I’d cause trouble in another country while on an important mission? I’m hurt you’d think that of me.”

“No, of course not.”

‘Liar.’

Marquis Delphine flashed a harmless smile at Albert, who feigned indifference in response.

Shail Delphine.

At first glance, he appeared relaxed, always wearing a faint smile and behaving amiably, making it hard to believe he was one of the Empire’s Masters. Yet, in reality, he was the most feared among them.

During the Bloody Coronation, where the current Emperor ascended the throne by slaughtering the nobles who supported his elder brother, Shail Delphine himself had killed the opposing Master, the representative of the First Prince faction.

Moreover, rumors swirled about him—cutting off a subordinate knight’s arm over a trivial matter, treating human lives as no more valuable than beastkin, and more.

The rumors surrounding him were nothing short of horrifying and blood-soaked.

The bigger issue was that most of these rumors were not baseless but true.

Albert himself had been one of those who struggled to clean up the mess after the incident where Shail had severed a subordinate’s arm.

Despite his high status as a Marquis, Shail belonged to no faction, kept no close ties, and was ostracized by other nobles due to the numerous ominous rumors about him.

Yet, his position as a Master, leader of the 11th Knight Order, and the current Emperor’s unwavering trust meant no one could oppose him.

“Let’s hurry and get to work. As Imperial knights, our mission must always come first.”

“…Understood.”

‘Liar. It took over twice as long to reach Astram compared to when I came…’

Thus, Albert nervously guided him to the Adventurer Guild, feeling as if he were carrying an unstable alchemical bomb that could explode at any moment.

All he could do was pray that this mission would end peacefully.

…

…

…

“…So that’s what happened. Sniff.”

“In short, the abnormal phenomena in the sea this year were caused by the appearance of a Kraken. You drifted to Leila because the ritual to drive away the Kraken near your village failed.”

“Ah…! You summarized my hour-long explanation so succinctly!”

“On the contrary, did it really need to take an hour?”

“Huh? Now that I think about it, maybe it didn’t…?”

I held my head in my hands as I listened to Marin’s ramblings.

You didn’t need to spend 30 minutes explaining that your neighbor’s uncle got married two years ago.

Despite the excessive amount of useless information, Marin’s story explained the cause of the crisis in Leila, which had been stagnant in its investigation until now.

Kraken.

A monster of at least silver rank, whose original form, the giant squid, already dwarfed the height of an adult man. Its abnormally developed size alone made it a calamity of the sea.

Combined with its ability to cause abnormal phenomena on a sea-wide scale and Marin’s explanation, it was safe to assume the Kraken was an Awakening Species.

“Just as Kurt said, the cause of the abnormal phenomena was a monster.”

“But for it to be a Kraken… That’s a far more formidable monster than I imagined. No, given its ability to influence the entire sea, I knew it wouldn’t be an ordinary monster, but this is beyond imagination…”

“So, Kurt, what are you going to do?”

“That’s obvious.”

Now that the cause of Leila’s threat was identified as a monster, there was only one thing to do.

Hunt the sea monster that harms people.

…

…

…

“Ah, Mr. Kurt?”

“Yes, I’m looking for an adventurer named Kurt.”

Though Shail was known among those who knew him as dangerously unpredictable, to strangers, he appeared nothing more than a harmless, amiable young man.

Thus, Shail, pretending to be a friendly youth, asked Wendy, the receptionist at the Adventurer Guild, about Kurt’s whereabouts.

The situation flowed right up to the moment before Kurt and Shail would meet.

‘A clash of Masters… What was the Emperor thinking, sending Marquis Delphine of all people?’

Of all the Masters, why Shail Delphine, surrounded by nothing but ominous rumors?

It almost seemed as if the Empire wanted to provoke a military conflict with another nation.

As Albert imagined the worst-case scenario and mentally prepared himself…

“I’m so sorry. Mr. Kurt has left Astram with his party for an expedition request.”

“…What?”

“Is that so?”

But the receptionist’s words only brought news of Kurt’s absence.

‘That Lizardman is absent? Even knowing I’m after the Artifact?’

Whether he no longer saw Shail as a threat or believed Shail wouldn’t forcibly take Arisa’s Artifact, Albert was momentarily baffled by Kurt’s absence from Astram despite Shail’s presence.

“Hmm… In this case, perhaps I didn’t need to come to Astram after all. But it’s just as well. Could you call for an adventurer named Arisa?”

Before Albert could process his confusion, Shail immediately requested to see Arisa, the one who possessed the Artifact.

After all, Kurt’s presence had only been an obstacle because he protected and shielded Arisa. The Artifact found in the ruins was the real goal, and Kurt was merely a hurdle to overcome.

As Shail called for Arisa, Albert sighed in relief, sensing that the likelihood of this mission ending in bloodshed had significantly decreased. Yet, he also felt a strange sense of disappointment.

Though he had come to the city on a mission, during his short stay in Astram, Albert had felt a sense of comfort he could never experience in the Empire.

It wasn’t that Astram was more developed than the Empire.

In fact, the Empire was far more advanced in terms of urban development.

But the chaotic harmony of various races, once accustomed to, brought an unparalleled sense of freedom and comfort.

While the Empire’s cities were comfortable, that comfort was reserved solely for humans.

Having lived in the Empire, Albert had taken such an atmosphere for granted. But in Astram, even if it was for the mission, he found himself gradually influenced by the relaxed, laughter-filled atmosphere where not just humans, but various races mingled freely.

‘But this will soon end. At least the worst-case scenario of a clash between Masters has been avoided, thanks to that monstrous Lizardman’s absence.’

But as all things must come to an end, so too would his time in Astram.

Though the worst had been averted, forcibly taking the Artifact from Arisa meant this wouldn’t be a completely happy ending.

With a bitter expression, Albert reflected on this.

…

…

…

Another fortnight had passed since Marin confided in us.

Since only Marin knew the Kraken’s location, we had to wait for her injuries to heal before she could guide us.

But that didn’t mean we spent the time idly.

The fortnight was perfect for preparing for the battle.

Preparing for battle didn’t just mean maintaining equipment and gathering tools to hunt the Kraken.

The opponent was a Kraken.

Being a giant squid monster, fighting it at sea required a ship, unlike Marin, who was a mermaid.

Moreover, since the battle would take place at sea and its influence could affect the surrounding waters, preparations to minimize collateral damage were necessary.

While I could likely defeat the Kraken alone, minimizing the damage caused during the battle was another matter entirely.

Especially since the battlefield was the sea, a place I wasn’t very familiar with.

If the Kraken felt disadvantaged during the battle and hid, my unfamiliarity with water would make it difficult to pursue.

Thus, preparing a ship, sailing, and supplementing our forces to minimize damage during the battle were essential.

When I first proposed this to Marin, she vehemently opposed it, fearing exposing her village’s location to others.

Of course, after I kept feeding her delicious food, she changed her mind within three days, agreeing to accept help from those she deemed trustworthy.

…

Though I did the persuading…

Is this mermaid really okay?

Thus, while preparing for battle, I gathered people I trusted.

…

…

…

But in response to Shail’s request, Wendy bowed her head again and spoke apologetically.

“Ah, I’m sorry. Miss Arisa isn’t in Astram right now either.”

“…What?”

“She received a letter from Mr. Kurt asking for help and left for Leila a few days ago. She said it wouldn’t take long…”

“….”

“….”

“Shall I leave a message for Miss Arisa and Mr. Kurt that someone was looking for them?”

“No, that’s fine. If it won’t take long, I’ll come back later and deliver my message in person.”

“Understood. You seem to have come from far away, so I feel bad for the inconvenience.”

“Haha, don’t worry about it. Well… I’ll wait then.”

“…Yes, let’s do that.”