The guild was as busy as ever. All the ters aion desks were full and all the low-ranking request boards were occupied by various people. All the way from Apprentice-rank to D-rank, people were making a long line.
It has been more than a week sihe interrogation, and Grey and Yuna have tiheir daily lives as they pleased. They went on adventures when they wao aed if they so pleased.
Of course, each day was full of excitement and happiness as they spent their own times at their own pace. Grey often frequehe kit and exged notes with Gerd. While Yuna often joined Helen in her spare time.
Grey and Yuna are currently in the guild as they were called by the Guildmaster for an importaing. The receptionists didn't tell them what the tents will be, but it arent that the meeting is reted to the previous i.
"Grey, Yuna, you're here." ［Gaston］
"Oh, so these are the people we're waiting for? Whoa～ they really are young!" ［???］
"I agree with you, Elder Sister." ［???］
Not one, not two, but three voices greeted Grey and Yuna the moment they entered. And of those voices, two of them were unfamiliar to their ears.
The owner of the voices were a young man in his early twenties and a woman of the same age as Kris. Ad them was the uniform of the kingdom's knights. Not just any knight, but they were garments worn only by those of high ranks.
Kris and Aria were also present in the room, seating themselves peacefully by the side. And unlike usual, the two were quite behaved and weren't bantering with one another.
??Appraisal?? ［Grey］
-----------------------------------
[Salferine]
[Name] Vanessa von Helsberg-Fistra
[Race] Human
[Sex] Female
[Age] 24
[Status] Healthy
[Mana Capacity] 1,275 [Mana Quality] C
[bat Power] 1,823 [Threat Level] B
[Attribute] Fire [Magic Proficy] High (58%)
[Css] Swordsman [on Proficy] High (61%)
[Physical Enha] 64%
[Ability] Sunfire (3☆)
-----------------------------------
[Salferine]
[Name] Kurt von Helsberg
[Race] Human
[Sex] Male
[Age] 23
[Status] Healthy
[Mana Capacity] 1,221 [Mana Quality] C
[bat Power] 1,761 [Threat Level] B
[Attribute] Fire [Magic Proficy] High (60%)
[Css] Lancer [on Proficy] High (60%)
[Physical Enha] 64%
[Ability] Sunfire (3☆)
-----------------------------------
Although they were not as strong as Aria, they were still B-rankers and just as admirable. Not to mention, the two of them came from a noble house.
With their bat power, Vanessa and Kurt were among the top 1est in the army of the kingdom of Alfrione. Despite being young, their names are famous enough that the mere mention of them strikes fear in the hearts of enemies.
Ba the Royal Academy, Vanessa and Kurt were part of a group called the "Golden Triangle" which sisted of the three prodigies of their respective years. Kurt was the you while Vanessa was in the middle of the said group.
"These two are Lt. General Fistra and ander Helsberg. They are here to represent the army of Alfrione as per my request for a discussion. They also happen to be B-rankers." ［Gaston］
As the Guildmaster introduced the two guests, Grey couldn't be helped but shocked. While he khey were of high rank, he didn't think it would be as high as the Guildmaster had mentioned.
A kingdom's military ranking is divided into three types, namely, Knights, Soldiers, and Trainees. And like Earth's modern military hierarchy, this is further subdivided into more defined ranks.
Soldiers be divided into three. The lowest rank is a normal soldier, followed by a "Team Leader" who leads a team of 3 or 4 soldiers, and stly, there is the "Squad Leader" who leads a squad of 10 or so soldiers.
Exceptional Squad Leaders be promoted into Knights, which are subdivided into 11 ranks. From the top, they are General, Lt. General, ander, Lt. ander, Brigadier, el, Lt. el, Major, Captain, Lieutenant, and normal Knights.
In Empires, there is an even higher rank called "Marshal" which leads the Empires whole army sisting of about a million troops. They are military officers who are S-rank at the very least.
Alfrione sending two of the highest-ranked officials means that the beast-i cases are sidered a very important and serious matter on the side of the kingdom.
Otherwise, they would have just sent others at the rank of Captain or lower,
Not to mention, the two officers in front of Grey and Yuna were still young sidering most knights join the army at the age of 20. Being able to achieve such a high rank at such a young age is a very incredible feat.
"I'm Vanessa, and this is my little brother, Kurt. o meet you!" ［Vanessa］
"Your introdu is too crude, Elder Sister. You should at least act more proper and dignified as a dy." ［Kurt］
"Kurt, you're just too stiff. You should rex a little bit, you know?" ［Vanessa］
"Then I should assume that you wouldn't mind rumors about how the dignified and graceful Lady Vanessa is actually a scker behind the ses, right?" ［Kurt］
"Urk!" ［Vanessa］
Vanessa fell quiet with a siatement from Kurt. Her mouth was shut tight in an instant, uo find any sort of retort or rebuttal. It was her total defeat.
Seeing the se iion of the two siblings, Grey wondered if all high-rankers were actually etric, but didn't finish the clusion as that would mean him and Yuna would also be included in it.
"I apologize for that poor dispy of as, we ended up wasting some precious time. Now, why don't we start the discussion by summarizing what we currently know about the case. Sir Gaston add to our findings, afterwards." ［Kurt］
"""""Y-Yeah..."""""
Although Vanessa had a higher rank than Kurt, the tter was actually more capable and carry himself more properly. He looked like a model officer, unlike a certain someone who was moping beside him.
Somehow, seeing Vanessa so defeated, Grey felt pity for her. She looked like a child who just got her toys fiscated.
Led by Kurt, everyohen took a seat around the Guildmaster's desk. Grey and Yuna were seated at the left side, Kris and Aria at the left side, Vanessa and Kurt at the front side, and the Guildmaster at the rear.
The Guildmaster had also erected a magic barrier to prevent the noise from leaking outside. It was a termeasure a-minded person would do when discussing something important.
"For the past 12 years, there have been a total of 108 recorded reports within the kingdom. In those reports, 92 were stopped before it could cause any damage and casualty, while the remaining 16 caused the plete destru of 14 vilges and a total of 9,208 deaths, not including the unfirmed reports. It is currently branded as a priority II case with no current suspects." ［Kurt］
"9 thousand..." ［Grey］
Although Grey already had knowledge of how severe the case was, hearing it straight from the mouth of a high-ranking military officer was something else.
Grey wasn't the only one. Yuna, Kris, Aria, and the Guildmaster also felt a sense of disfort from hearing how many lives were lost in the past decade. Not to mention, it is only within the Kingdom of Alfrione.
"I know what you're thinking, Sir Grey, but with the information we currently possess, we have no way of finding out where their hideout is and stopping their operations. Or at least, that's how it's supposed to be. Sir Gaston, why don't you share the results of your iigation with us." ［Kurt］
As Kurt looked at the Guildmaster, all eyes were focused in his dire as they awaited for the new information to be revealed.
The Guildmaster stood up and grabbed a folder of dots from who knows where and ha to Kurt. Without printing teology and for the sake of secrecy, it was the only copy present.
"This is...!" ［Kurt］
"Hm? What is it, Kurt?" ［Vanessa］
"Elder Sister, take a look at these." ［Kurt］
Just like Kurt, the moment Vanessa saw the dots the Guildmaster had prepared, her eyes also opened wide in shock as she suddenly stood up from her seat. She then flipped all the pages but her expression was still that of shock.
While Vanessa and Kurt were sent to represent the military, the two had no idea about the new findings. This is all for the sake of ensuring that no leakage of information will happen. All Kurt and Vanessa knew was that the meeting will be about the decade-old beast i cases.
Even the previously calm and collected Kurt was shocked to the point that he almost broke character. He was just as shocked as his older sister was.
"Sir Gaston, are all of these true?" ［Kurt］
"It is... Ihere information about the perpetrators of the is, their numbers, their leader, and the location and yout of their base of operations should be tained. All the information o pn a raid aroy the anization are recorded. This is the result of our decade-long effort." ［Gaston］
Kurt gulped a mouthful of air as he tio s the dots. Each page was incredibly detailed and there was no fw in the report. It ort which could be sidered a key to the safety of the kingdom.
Acc to the files, the perpetrators of the beast is were a criminal anization named "Iblis". A notorious anization which was supposed to be destroyed by the army's raid 20 years ago.
The records indicated that the name of the evil anization is "Iblis". It was founded more than 40 years ago by a former k researcher who itted many heinous crimes in the name of "research". He was ultimately killed when the army raided their hideout.
Currently, the leader of Iblis is the apprentice of the previous leader. The members of the anization number roughly about 1,500, most of which are former bandits who were recruited by Iblis.
Their hideout is located about a hundred kilometers southwest of Galderia, in a mountain named Ardoa, just oskirts of the Haltea Great Forest. The hideout is built like a maze, with multiple routes that serve both as entrances and a way to escape.
The goal of the anization is still unknown but it is assured that they are the perpetrators of the ret is. It is also highly possible that they are tinuing their experiments from 4 decades ago.
"Sir Gaston, this might be a rude question, but how did you get your hands on this information? Even with all the efforts of the kingdom, I have never seen such a detailed report before." ［Kurt］
"Hahaha, It was all thanks to these youngsters. Because of them, we were able to acquire the magic tool used in the is and find, detain some of the members of this group of perpetrators, and interrogate them. If it weren't for them, we wouldn't be able to do this much." ［Gaston］
"I see... Then, I extend to you my utmost gratitude, Sir Grey, Lady Yuna." ［Kurt］
"I also feel the same." ［Vanessa］
Expressing their gratitude, Vanessa and Kurt bowed their heads trey and Yuna. It was a gesture which was rare for o be doing towards oners.
"Ah! P-Please raise your head, Lady Vanessa, Lord Kurt." ［Grey］
But before it could st for even a sed, Grey did his best and made them stop their as in a panicky state.
While it is true that Grey has never met a noble in his past life, the situation be reted to that of high-ranking gover officials bowing their heads before a normal civilian. It was an unfortable feeling which Grey shared with Yuna.
"Sir Grey, you might not realize it, but what the two of you have done is a great service to the kingdom. It is an aplishment which immediately warrant a knighthood to those who are involved." ［Kurt］
"We don't really need a knighthood or anything of the sort, so there's o be too polite, and... we also have our own reasons for helping out." ［Grey］
The moment Grey finished his words, the air of the office became slightly heavier. Everyone immediately uood that Grey and Yuna had personal circumstances which fuels their reason in joining the case.
"Ah! I apologize, I spoke toー" ［Grey］
"Don't worry about it. We don't mind informalities, actually, we prefer it that way. Right, Kurt?" ［Vanessa］
"Elder Sister is correct. You don't o force yourself to speak formally just because we are of noble dest. As for your reasons, we also won't be inquiring any further. Just know that we are thankful for your help." ［Kurt］
Vanessa and Kurt were quite different from how Grey imagined o be. In most of the fis he had read, nobles were mostly arrogant and cruel, but the ones before him are nothing of the sort. Rather, they were kind and uanding.
The situation made Grey think how fortunate he was to be able to meet such wonderful people. A part of him thinks that it was all thanks to God's arras, something we would be thankful of.
"Lord Kurt, Lady Vanessa, with these dots in mind, why don't we pn for a raid. We finally have the ce to stop these is ond for all." ［Gaston］
"I agree with you, Sir Gaston. Now all we o do is wait for reinforts and we finally duct a raid." ［Kurt］
"Hahaha, I don't think that's needed, Lord Kurt. We duct it straight away. We don't need any reinforts." ［Kris］
"I.... I'm afraid I don't uand what you are trying to imply, Lord Kris." ［Kurt］
fusion and doubt... Those were what filled Kurt's head upon hearing Kris' suggestion. He khat Kris had a pyful nature, but he doesn't think he will joke at such a serious versation.
"I mean, with the people we have here... erform the raid right now." ［Kris］
Kris tried to expin his previous statement, but it was no use. her Vanessa nor Kurt uood the meaning of his expnation. After all, her of the two of them knew of Grey and Yuna's true power.
But other than them, everyone else fully uood what Kris was trying to imply. They might not even need all of them, even without the help of the army, the guild could raid the enemy's base if they wao.
"Lord Kris, even if we have you, an A-ranker, and us, three B-rankers, it is still too risky. We 't afford to take such hugー" ［Kurt］
"You're close, but not quite..." ［Kris］
"Pardon?" ［Kurt］
To Kurt's question, Kris simply looked at the dire of Grey and Yuna on the opposite side of the table. Following suit, Kurt and Vanessa's eyes also ended up in the dire of the two.
"What we have are 3 B-rankers, 2 A-rankers, and an S-ranker. If you ask me, it's quite a powerful force, isn't it?" ［Kris］
Kris corrected Kurt in such a calm manner with a smile pstered on his face. Kurt and Vanessa oher hand, were once again shocked from the suddeion.
Well, who wouldn't be shocked when teenagers who were clearly many years youhan them were actually powerhouses which easily overpower anyone in the army.
"Well, what do you think?" ［Kris］
Kris asked with an even bigger smile on his face. There was no way Vanessa and Kurt could reject Kris' proposal. It was best to strike while the iron was hot.
Deg to duct the raid, Vanessa id out the map of the mountains oable and shared the remaining dots to the others.
"Acc to what we know, there are three entrances located here, here, and here." ［Vanessa］
Vanessa pointed out three pces on the map. One was by the cliffside, one was by the summit, and another one was in the forest. All of which were marked by a small cave as the entrance.
Surprisingly, there was ran the rge cavern located by the mountai seems like the anization was avoiding the most obvious entran case someone wanders he mountains.
"Each of these entrances are guarded by a single k beast and a couple of D-rank ones. Since we have 6 people participating in the raid, we will go by pairs. Me and Lady Yuna will take the cliffside one, Sir Grey and Kurt will take the one by the summit, and stly, Lord Kris and Lady Aria will take the forest. Are there any objes?" ［Vanessa］
Everyone shook their heads in respoo Vanessa's question.
Beforehand, Grey had revealed that Yuna, aside from being able to use Ice magic, is also able to use wind magic up until the intermediate level. The two of them could also use earth magic at the same level. It was done in order to pensate for Kurt and Vanessa's fire-attribute.
Sihe base is located underground, it would be a problem if all of the air is burnt by fire magic spells. The pairing was dome so that Grey and Yuna will be able to create ventition ihe cave and resupply air from the outside. Vanessa and Kurt will also try their best to use arts rather than spells.
Of course, wind ah magic wasn't the only one Yuna was capable of trolling. She could also trol all the other attributes and csses up until the "intermediate" level. As frey, he trol them up until the "high" level, but there is o reveal those. They will stay as their trump cards.
While training in other attributes and csses may be beneficial iain situations, it does not help out in increasing bat power. This is because mana quality only regards the attribute or css with the highest proficy. It is also the reason why people only train in one css or attribute.
With the pairing finalized, everyone in the room brainstormed for a couple of mio devise a master pn. It was a makeshift master pn which mostly takes into at their high bat powers.
The raid will be do night to prevent the enemy from notig their approach, and the moment they have infiltrated ihe entrances will be barricaded with -like walls which prevents people from esg but allows air to enter.
The moment a dead end is met in the maze, the said route will be sealed to close off with earth magic to narrow down the maze. It was also decided that destroying the maze was forbidden as it might cause the base to colpse.
Lastly, the moment they arrive at the main room, they won't atil everyone has arrived. But in case of emergency, everyone take necessary as.
"Mmm..." ［Grey］
"Is something wrong, Sir Grey?" ［Vanessa］
"Ah, nothing... It's just that the pn was much simpler than I thought." ［Grey］
"Fufufu, you're right. Well, normally it would be more plex and sophisticated than this. But with all the members of the raid team at least at B-rank, we could even charge without any pns at all." ［Vanessa］
Vanessa was right. With the members of the raid team sisting of an S-rawo A-rankers, and three B-rankers, even a simple pn like this easily lead to victory. It won't even be surprising if they won just by charging in recklessly.
But even with that logic, Grey still felt uneasy. It was as if the case had bee less serious all of the sudden.
"Now that we have finished pnning, everyone is now dismissed. Just remember that we will be meeting up when the sus, okay?" ［Vanessa］
"""""Yes!"""""
With the meeting finished, everyone slowly went outside of the guildmaster's office, aheir own ways to prepare. Only Vanessa, Kurt, and the Guildmaster were left in the office as they discussed other matters.
Deep inside Grey's heart, he was feeling a sense of relief and ay. Finally, he could fulfill the promise he made to himself three years ago. The promise t down justice upon the perpetrators of the is.
"Yuna, are you feeling alright?" ［Grey］
But it wasn't him who was the most anxious. Yuna, who was from the very vilge which got destroyed years ago has bee silent. Grey didn't know what was inside her mind.
"Grey..." ［Yuna］
"Yeah?" ［Grey］
"After this... I want to eat curry again." ［Yuna］
Yuna asked shyly as she looked down at the ground. It seemed like she was trying to calm herself down by thinking about other things.
Grey easily noticed her gestures but didn't pay it any mind. He was satisfied that the current Yuna was already strong enough to face her own aies. She has indeed bee stronger.
"Sure." ［Grey］
CHAPTER 27 END
