By Zephyria 
Where on earth could they have picked up Wesley Kiadris, whom even the gods cannot find?
It was not much different from finding a needle in a desert. Even if there was good lodestone, scouring the entire vast land was hardly ideal. Ruben, who had been deep in thought with a stern expression, declared,
“Have we not scoured every corner of this continent except for Floyd? It seems time to tear that country apart, one way or another, even if Floyd resists.”
“What about Dunmel Canyon?”
“I am half-convinced by the hypothesis that monsters might have been gathered deep within Dunmel Canyon, away from the Sun God’s gaze. However, what you desire right now is not the whereabouts of mutated monsters, but the whereabouts of Wesley Kiadris and two gods, isn’t it? The First Goddess and the God of Oasis.”
“So.”
Spiritus gestured with his chin, urging Ruben to continue. Ruben went on,
“How much time do you have to open a portal without being affected by continental anomalies?”
“…About 20 minutes? That’s the maximum. I don’t think it can be any longer.”
“Where in Floyd would be a good place to move to?”
“That’s for you to find out. I came to the human world two hundred years ago.”
“…Yes. I will look into it.”
It was then.
Gano Paquin appeared without even opening the door.
Giselle, startled by the person who materialized as if walking out of a mirage, jumped up. She hesitated for a moment, then, pretending to stand because there were no empty chairs, offered Gano her seat.
But Gano Paquin did not sit there. As soon as he was close enough to the group, he spoke.
“I’ve found out where the missing people from the Saras River went.”
Michael had relayed a story from Ruben.
He had warned to be careful because residents were disappearing in the Saras River basin.
My younger brother, Asdel, who was training near the Saras River, had swallowed a Shard of the Oasis by mistake and fell gravely ill. Therefore, I had assumed that the missing people had either fallen ill or drowned in the river. Until now, the black magicians had mostly abducted skilled knights. I reasoned that black magicians would have no reason to abduct ordinary people with low mana levels in their bodies.
However, Gano Paquin brought up a new fact.
“Someone witnessed people disappearing in the vicinity. Upon searching thoroughly, I found a hole in the riverbed. There are also reports of a spring suddenly appearing in the middle of Floyd; it seems they were swept away while diverting the river water to that location.”
“The spring that appeared in the middle of Floyd… I heard it was created by gathering groundwater.”
“Groundwater?”
“Yes. So, that spring is currently classified as an agricultural reservoir. A large construction project began two years ago, supposedly for agricultural needs, and it appears to have been completed early this year.”
Early this year.
The Oasis had gone missing in March of this year. Opinions were exchanged rapidly.
“Could the Oasis be trapped there?”
“The newly built reservoir in Floyd. Once we find the Oasis, we might be able to find the whereabouts of the Ninth God.”
“That reservoir is adjacent to Galea, the capital of Floyd. If we send in a certain amount of troops, it will immediately lead to full-scale war, so it cannot be decided lightly. We will hold an emergency meeting for armed intervention.”
“A meeting? Can’t I just take this one person and go into Floyd?”
Spiritus’s gaze was fixed on me. Ruben refused without a hint of hesitation.
“Floyd is a country where Alchemy is highly developed. Of course, Your Divinity possesses immense power, but you have the restriction of not being able to directly kill humans, don’t you? If the Ninth God truly harmed the First Goddess and the Oasis, Michael’s power alone will not be enough.”
“So, what will you do?”
“We will convene a meeting with the heads of state immediately and hold it as quickly as possible. Do the two gods have any intention of revealing themselves to humans?”
“Yes. We will help, so do what you can.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
If only we could march into Floyd tomorrow, but matters of state are not decided as easily as choosing tomorrow’s meal menu.
Ruben immediately got up. I, too, followed the child without hesitation. In this capital, I am faster than any words. As soon as the drawing-room door closed behind us, I immediately picked up the child. Ruben asked me to take him to the First Magic Tower, so I brought him there.
Soon, several Ranunculuses flew through the sky.
❖ ❖ ❖
November 4th.
A meeting of the Empire’s top brass was held.
A typical Imperial meeting was a grand event where any Imperial citizen, regardless of rank, could participate. However, those gathered on this day were handpicked by Ruben.
Since Ruben was still a Prince, the meeting hall was set up in the Opal Palace, not the Crystal Palace.
In the largest main hall, on the highest and widest platform, two chairs were placed. Below them was Ruben’s seat, and on a lower tier, seats for the meeting attendees were arranged in a triangular formation.
I and the other companions stood with proper posture to the right, slightly off to the side of the triangle. We were to be called if our testimony was needed later.
I wondered if witnesses were truly necessary, but Ruben wanted me and the others to observe and understand the proceedings of this meeting. It was closer to watching than attending. Therefore, no one was tense.
“…Hic.”
“Breathe. Breathe.”
No, it seemed that everyone except the mercenaries was not tense.
I suppressed a laugh, glancing at Marianne secretly patting John’s back as he gasped nervously. Fortunately, the hall was so vast and large that such minor noises could be muffled.
In any case, heavy, dignified desks, the kind one might find in an office, were placed at each position arranged in an equilateral triangle around Ruben. The family crest embossed on the front of the desks, which were blocked in front, clearly indicated the status of the person seated.
At the center of the left side of the triangle, centered around Ruben, was the Duke Yeldidus Family. At the center of the right side was the Duke Valentia Family, and at the center of the front was the Kiadriss Ducal Family. This arrangement clearly indicated their affiliations: the First Prince Faction, the Second Prince Faction, and the neutral families, respectively.
Furthermore, beside each Duke and Marquess, one or two individuals stood without chairs. They appeared to be guards or secretaries, but they were not. They were the direct descendants of each person, individuals slated to become Dukes or Marquesses in the future, standing and observing.
My uncle and cousins, whom I had met after a long time, did not look in our direction. Only Edwin, who stood behind Duke Kiadris, glanced at us and scowled.
Lady Yeldidus stood behind her father’s right side, her expression haughty, her gaze lowered. Besides them, dozens of Marquesses and their children sat or stood in their respective places.
In just four days, the entire top brass, except for Withrow and Duke Grimsvein, had gathered.
This was not possible in such a vast empire, but thanks to the strong support of Dragon Spiritus, everyone could be assembled so quickly. The nobles, who had experienced the usefulness of portals, promised secrecy, but their gazes were often drawn to the two gods seated at the highest positions.
A middle-aged woman, standing two tiers below Ruben, spoke.
“It is an honor to see you all, who are concerned for the Empire day and night, gathered in one place. I am Maya Fisher, and I will be presiding over this meeting. First, I will give a few brief announcements.”
Maya Fisher was a person with silver hair tied back and flowing down her back. Her attire was neat, but she wore no conspicuous accessories, and her complexion was weary. Despite her expressionless face, she possessed a friendly and clear voice.
“First, before speaking, please press the button located to the right of your seat, and your voice will be transmitted throughout the hall without noise. The artifact operates in the order the buttons are pressed, so please press the button after the person in front of you has finished speaking.”
It seemed they had modified a voice amplification artifact and embedded it within the desks. After all, they could not afford to have a chaotic scene where voices overlapped by allowing those in high positions to raise their voices.
“Second, seven scribes will be recording the proceedings of the meeting at the back of the hall. Please note that any statements made during this meeting, regardless of rank, will be difficult to delete or modify later.”
This was a request for careful demeanor and speech, considered a necessary procedure to prevent low-class utterances beforehand.
“Third, if discussions deviate from the meeting’s topic, the speaker’s remarks may be interrupted at the discretion of the meeting’s convener, Second Prince Rubel Anti Sieron.”
The woman continued,
“Now, we shall commence the 237th Imperial Top Brass Meeting.”
In the thousand-year history of the Empire, there had been fewer than three hundred occasions where only Dukes and Marquesses were summoned for discussion. After the facilitator quietly closed her mouth, everyone focused with solemn and serious demeanor, gazing at the apex of the triangle.
Ruben sat as if unfazed by the many gazes. The child’s arrogant eyes and dignified demeanor were like those of a judge discussing rewards and punishments. Soon, Ruben’s calm voice clearly filled the vast hall.
“In order to investigate the disappearance case of the Imperial Knights, I, Michael Ernhardt, along with eight others and the help of two gods, have acquired various pieces of evidence. The outline, flow, and evidence of this case have already been distributed to all attendees of this meeting, and I trust that everyone here has familiarized themselves with it.”
His cold gaze slowly swept across the hall.
Evidence was not solely left on paper. The Sword Master who returned to the capital with the proof of identity provided by Shayden Rose numbered four hundred. Everyone who had recovered lost family and loved ones could be a witness.
Indeed, no one now bowed their heads to check documents. I quietly observed a few individuals rubbing the corners of their documents with their fingertips or exchanging silent hand signals.
“Therefore, I, the Prince, designate Richard Flo Searon and Wesley Kiadris as suspects in this large-scale kidnapping and murder case, request the revocation of all their birthrights and acquired rights, and propose to this meeting the dispatch of an armed group to Floyd, where the two suspects are being harbored.”