Published: July 4, 2025
"Last time it was searching for the demon king, and this time it's searching for mages..."
"Nils is muttering an unkind remark."
"No, I'm not saying I dislike it or anything."
Nils quickly countered Ryo’s words, seeming a little flustered.
They were in the lounge of the kingdom delegation's lodging.
The request brought back by Captain Hugh McGrath and Ryo had been communicated to Rooms 10 and 11.
"According to Graham, those four were tasked with searching for items missing from the storage. Including the Holy Sword. The four mages are the strongest forces among his companions, and if they have been captured, it will be difficult for Graham's subordinates to rescue them... Thus, I want to request you to take on this task. This is an official request from Cardinal Graham of the Holy See. He also plans to notify the adventurers' guild in France."
Hugh explained why Graham did not want to handle the situation themselves.
Indeed, if their strongest forces had fallen into enemy hands, they had no choice but to seek help from outside...
"The ones who were formerly a Hero Party got caught... Are we going to be okay?"
Nils muttered as he looked around.
"This time, it's just Ryo and Room 10. I have other things I want to ask Harold and the others."
At Hugh's words, Harold stood up involuntarily.
However, he said nothing.
He did not retort.
He merely twisted his face in regret...
In the past, he would have snapped back.
Seeing this, Nils spoke up.
"Harold, you are growing."
"Nils-san..."
"This moment is also a source of growth for you. There must be things you can learn from watching us. Even when separated from us, there are things to learn. Do what you can do now. Put your all into it. That should lead to growth. If you find it hard, remember your past experiences. They will definitely help you. If that still isn't enough, look around."
"Look around?"
Harold looked around.
Zeek nodded.
Gowan tapped the hilt of his twin swords.
"You'll be fine, you're not alone."
Nils said with a smile.
The next day.
With the newly issued Holy Seal Certificate in hand, the four in Room 10, including Ryo, departed the kingdom delegation's lodging.
Their first destination was the first storage facility, which had been attacked first.
"Searching for four mages and the Holy Sword. We don't even know if those four are alive."
"Right. It is indeed possible that all four of them are dead."
Nils said, and Eto answered.
"Maybe they are captured by the Holy See..."
"From my preliminary scan, I couldn't find any reactions from the four."
Ryo reported the results of his passive sonar to Nils's wild speculation.
By the way, Neil Anderson has not reacted since the first time he was seen.
Of course, if there was a completely vaporless space between them, Ryo's sonar would not be able to pick up anything.
If there is a vacuum or something like a subspace, then maybe...
"If Ryo couldn't find them, we should proceed under the assumption that they are not present."
Eto nodded in conclusion.
The first to fourth storage facilities of the Western Church are placed like satellites in the city between the Holy Capital and the dungeons in the east, west, south, and north.
North city, Boreas. First storage.
East city, Eurus. Second storage.
South city, Notus. Third storage.
West city, Zephyros. Fourth storage.
"With the Holy Seal Certificate and Cardinal Graham's permit, we can enter the storage facility, right?"
"Yeah, that should be fine. Oh, but Graham did mention something that made me a little uneasy at the end..."
In response to Amon's question, Ryo recalled something.
"What was it that made you uneasy?"
Nils furrowed his brow and looked at Ryo.
"They are also searching for items that disappeared from the storage, and the church is taking action as well."
"That's only natural, right? They wouldn't just leave things that were stolen."
"True, but he warned us to be careful as there are rough individuals involved. For example, like the Templar Knights."
"Seriously…"
Nils let out a big sigh in response to Ryo's information.
Eto and Amon also shook their heads slightly.