“Martina, it’s all thanks to you!”
Leaving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Roland flashed a bright smile and gave Martina a friendly pat on the shoulder.
“I’m glad I could be of help,” she replied.
“Yeah, this time you really did well. Your memory is incredible. Well, it’s not just your memory, but your ability to effectively apply that memory is impressive.”
“…Do you really think so?”
“I do. Even if you remember everything, it’s useless if you don’t know how to use it. …Alright, let’s head to the Ministry of Finance next.”
With those words, Roland walked off with enthusiasm. Martina watched his back for a moment, then smiled happily before running to catch up with him.
Thanks to their success in reducing the budget in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Martina and Roland were able to secure the necessary budget without any major issues from the Ministry of Finance. They returned to the Political Affairs Department with light steps.
Having finished their work earlier than expected, they began discussing which tasks to move forward with in the remaining time. But when they opened the door to the Political Affairs Department, they were met with an unexpected scene of chaos.
“What’s going on? Something happened?”
Many clerks were running around the room, voices and papers flying everywhere. As they stepped inside, confused, a nearby male clerk stood up suddenly upon seeing Martina.
“Ah, Martina’s back!”
“You finally arrived! We were about to call for you!”
“Minister… what happened?”
Martina asked, turning to the Minister, who handed her a piece of paper.
It contained disturbing information—about a request for aid from the Cadour Count’s territory.
“…Could this be related to the miasma pool?” Martina asked with a furrowed brow, her voice quiet.
The Minister nodded gravely. “Yes, it seems highly likely. An unimaginable number of monsters have poured out of the forest, and one town has already been taken over. They’re considering sending the Second Knight Order, and since you’re familiar with the situation, they’ve decided to dispatch you as well. Also, knights from the First Knight Order, who usually operate in the royal territory, are being sent because they understand your abilities. There will also be eight light mages sent, although fewer than last time. And since this is an emergency expedition, Roland will accompany you to coordinate with other departments.”
After hearing the Minister’s explanation, both Martina and Roland stared at the letter from the King with serious expressions.
“They’re dispatching us tomorrow… that’s fast,” Roland remarked.
“Yes, so I need you to prepare immediately. The Cadour territory is three days away by horse. You’ll be riding with the knights, so make sure you rest well to avoid exhaustion,” the Minister said.
“Understood.”
“We’ll start preparing right away.”
As they nodded and began to move, a man approached from the back of the room.
“Minister! Let me go to the site too!”
It was Sylvan , a colleague of Martina’s.
“Ah, you’re from the Cadour family, right?”
“Yes. I should go, it would make things smoother on the ground!”
“You have a point… alright. I’ll let them know and include you in the team. Prepare yourself.”
“Thank you! I will!”
Sylvan smiled and nodded at the Minister before turning to Martina, glaring at her with sharp eyes.
“Don’t get in my way.”
“…I’ll do my best to be helpful.”
“Sylvan , if you cause trouble, I’ll refuse to let you come along,” Roland warned.
“My apologies, I won’t,” Sylvan said, bowing his head before quickly turning and heading back into the depths of the Political Affairs Department, leaving the two behind.
The next morning, a group of knights gathered outside the royal palace gates, including Martina, Roland, Sylvan , and the eight light mages.
“Martina, come over here. You too,” called Lambert, who greeted them with a friendly morning.
As they approached him, Lambert introduced two members of the First Knight Order. Martina would ride with Lambert, while Roland and Sylvan would travel with the other two knights to the destination.
“I apologize for any trouble I might cause. Please take care of things while we’re there,” Martina said.
“No problem, I’m counting on you. Especially your knowledge, it will be useful at every stop,” Lambert replied.
“Yes, I’ll do my best. By the way, do we know what kind of monsters we’ll be facing?”
“Not exactly. The report said they were ant-type monsters, but there were also many monsters with unfamiliar colors, so no specific species were reported.”
“Unfamiliar colors? That sounds like monsters that don’t belong in these forests… It could be desert-dwelling ant-type monsters, or swamp-dwelling ones. Or maybe even aquatic ones,” Martina mused.
“I’ll let you know their weaknesses and attack patterns once we see them in person,” she added.
“Good. …Martina, do you think this aid request is caused by a miasma pool?”
“Yes, I believe so. After hearing about the unfamiliar monsters, I’m more convinced it’s a miasma pool.”
“I thought so. Let’s head to the site assuming it’s a miasma pool.”
Martina nodded in agreement, and just as everyone finished their preparations, the leader of the Second Knight Order gave the signal to depart.
