Enthos II-1

The next day, I informed the military headquarters that I would be relocating early in the morning, and they readily approved.

The Empress's decree seemed to permit practically anything.

Amazing, this decree...

Anyway.

I had prepared for the move and began relocating the same day.

Since land routes continued all the way to Enthos, a magic-powered quadracycle would get me there quickly.

I summoned my magic quadracycle and set it in motion.

The terrain changed from mountains to flatlands, and the wheels spun at high speed, racing across the plains. The scenery shifted rapidly before my eyes.

When climbing the mountains, I had slowed down to keep pace with the wagon behind me, but this vehicle was capable of such speed naturally.

Moreover, this was a model upgraded by Emma.

It can go even faster.

Incidentally, Clara was the one driving.

Just like with the magic tricycle, Clara seems to enjoy driving.

Looks genuinely enjoyable.

I keep activating my scouting magic right beside him.

Alex is lounging on the cargo bed, relaxed, while Kenny looks uneasy on the more bumpy part of the platform.

After two or three days, we arrived smoothly at Entsi.

Entsi looked even more ruined than when we’d been there before, lacking any vitality.

What on earth happened?

It had been declining, certainly, but could it have fallen so dramatically?

"Something's off. I don't remember it being this quiet before..."

Aleks seemed to sense the anomaly as well.

"Just glad we hid the magical quadracycle. I never would've guessed things would be this strange."

We'd hidden anything conspicuous outside the town.

Looks like we made the right choice. With a magical quadracycle in a place this rundown, it would've been impossible to go unnoticed.

"Everyone, let's head to the guild first. The guildmaster there might know something."

Having received everyone's agreement, we make our way toward the guild.

Upon entering, it's not exactly bustling, but there's a noticeable increase in people.

When Alex says he wants to meet the guildmaster, he's told the guildmaster is out right now, but they should be able to meet if they wait a little.

Since panicking won't help, we decide to wait a bit.

With nothing else to do, we each head out into town to conduct on-site investigations.

The streets are even more desolate than before, lacking any vitality.

This must be the effect of the war, even though this place is far from the front lines...

Trying our luck, we approach a few people drinking outside and ask them a few questions.

They’re already drinking fairly heavily, judging by the red faces, even though it’s still daytime.

“Sorry, could I trouble you for a moment of your time?”

When I make eye contact with a man, he glares at me fiercely. This is exactly how it always goes.

I hand him the sake I bought earlier.

"Huh, you actually get it. You're not a local around here, are you?"

"I'm traveling. Can I ask you a few questions about this town?"

"Traveling in times like these? You're quite the odd one. There's nothing here these days—worse since the lord changed recently."

"The lord changed? What do you mean?"

"There's nothing we can do about it. The previous lord went to the capital over the war and never came back."

"Did he get injured on the battlefield?"

"I don't know. For some reason, he just never returned."

"Come to think of it, there were children. What happened to them?"

"Such a diligent older brother, asking so intently... Ah, right, there were children. There was someone like that, I think he was out and about a few months ago, but then vanished again soon after. Now, the eldest son should be the lord, I believe..."

The children have gone somewhere, and the previous lord never came back. What on earth is going on?

I can't grasp the full picture at all.

I'd like to hear about it firsthand, but he's a noble after all—approaching the castle head-on would just get me turned away.

Should I try breaking in again!?

I'd like to speak with Linah alone and see how things are, somehow hoping to keep her from the kingdom's research.

With some time having passed, it was finally time for the meeting with the guildmaster.

Before me stood Guildmaster Andrew, looking quite worn out—but his eyes were firmly fixed on us.

"Good work. How did today's meeting go?"

"We had a meeting today with the new lord. Lately, more and more people have been becoming adventurers, and if this continues, there won’t be anyone left to sustain the town’s industries. We were discussing how we might address this issue, but it’s been difficult to come up with a good solution."

He spoke so openly, even though he’d only just begun the conversation.

"Exactly what I wanted to ask about. Since my last visit, the decline has become obvious. What exactly happened?"

"Since you're here... I suppose it's alright to speak. One day, a delegation arrived from the kingdom. They said there were people in this town suffering from the Stone Plague."

Stone Plague!? So there really is some connection after all?

"There shouldn't have been anyone in this town afflicted by the Stone Plague."

"That's correct. There are no patients in this town. Nevertheless, the delegation abducted a random villager under the pretense of treating them. That person hasn't returned yet. Some time later, the delegation came back again. This time, they went to the lord's residence and spoke about something—likely the Stone Plague."

Someone in the kingdom must have noticed... Linah's unique constitution.

"Then suddenly, he left me with these words: 'I'm heading to the capital to appeal directly to the king.' He also said, 'If anything happens, I'm entrusting the children and the town to you.'"

"To appeal directly to the king... it's quite... unusual."

"Yes, it's an extremely dangerous act. It would be seen as open rebellion. Probably, the lord is already... After that, the eldest son, Dael, took over as the town's lord."

We are supporting as instructed, but frankly, we're so inexperienced that we can't manage anything properly."

"There were three children, weren't there? There must have been some capable ones among them."

Andrew hesitated, clearly reluctant to speak.

"William went to the combat zone under Dale's orders. His whereabouts are unknown. I've heard rumors suggesting he's likely still alive. As for Rena... I haven't been able to track her since the day she set out to make a direct appeal."

! This is bad—without a clue, I can't even tell where she is.

The situation is urgent. What should I do...? No choice— I'll have to break into the castle.