Chapter 690

The party did not stop. Stopping the party wouldn't improve or solve the situation. And nothing is certain yet. They just gathered the people who needed to talk quietly in the Spring Palace conference room, with Scarlet standing guard. The five queens and the emperor were gathered in one place. The emperor waited quietly until everyone confirmed the contents of the notebook. Everyone's expressions and reactions were not much different from the emperor's. Some species of monsters are reproducing, but it is not known how many or where they are reproducing. The recovery rate of the entire continent is not even 30% of the previous era. Therefore, it was impossible to eradicate all the monsters on the continent at this stage. It was postponed to later when there was enough capacity. However, if this is true, the era of monsters disappearing will never come. There will be a persistent fight with the monsters, even if it is not as desperate as during the Gate incident. The day may come when the seeds of the monsters are dried up, but that is too far in the future. Those who realized this fact had a gloomy expression on their faces. "It's not too late. In the first place, it was impossible to kill the monsters by searching the entire continent like this." Charlotte's words were correct. There was no way to prepare for another disaster that occurred after the disaster. The new empire, which had difficulty even standing up, could not fly in the sky. They prayed that such a thing would not happen, but in the end, it did. Everyone knew this without Charlotte saying it. Changes that occur as a different species appears in a stable ecosystem. Already, the appearance of monsters has caused tremendous devastation. There were many places that became barren and could not be restored. "We need to change the way the Adventurer's Guild operates. We need to give more rewards to those who discover groups of monsters that reproduce like this." Everyone nodded at Charlotte's words. Regardless of whether it is immediately possible to deal with it, it was very important information. Just knowing that monsters reproduce can prevent future crises and disasters. If the nests of reproducing monsters are destroyed, it will be possible to eliminate thousands of monsters that will appear later. There is a need to increase the funds for the Adventurer's Guild and the compensation for adventurers more than now. Even if it is smooth, the military force to maintain public order is absolutely insufficient. The emperor laughed bitterly. The government that entrusts public safety to adventurers. Because of a memory of a day when the emperor had scoffed, asking why such a thing existed if the government entrusted public safety to adventurers, there is silence in the room. Olivia asks if the notebook came from the Adventurer's Guild and suggests increasing funds and compensation for adventurers who discover groups of monsters that reproduce. The group realizes that the author of the notebook, Ellen Artorius, is a skilled adventurer who survived in dangerous areas. The group also realizes that the author must have fled instead of disappearing. The chapter ends with the suggestion to compare handwriting to confirm the author's identity. I don't remember the handwriting exactly, but it's hard to imagine that the neat handwriting and accurate drawings are not Ellen's. Her calm personality is evident in her handwriting and drawings. Ellen must have known that her identity would be revealed. However, there are more urgent matters to report. The results of the handwriting comparison will come out soon. For now, they need to assume that Ellen is the author and think about what to do next. The emperor suggests that she must be on the run. The information arrived in the palace on Monday night, two days after it arrived in the adventure guild headquarters. Charlotte and Harriet explain that Ellen had to come to the central city because smaller guilds might have discarded or lost the information. It is clear that Ellen had to risk going deep into human territory. "I wanted to eliminate such danger. 'No matter which direction you flee, two days is too short. Ellen Artorius is still within the Kernstatt border, Your Majesty.' '...That's right.' The emperor nods silently. Since the Gate incident, Ellen's whereabouts have been unknown, and there have been countless sightings due to misunderstandings and errors. In such a situation, Ellen's location has almost certainly been revealed. If they miss this chance, they won't know where she went. At least she left a very small trace because she had to deliver very important information. The world is too wide. This is practically the first and last opportunity. 'Will other people besides us know that Ellen wrote these materials?' But the emperor asks a completely irrelevant question. 'These notebooks have passed through many people's hands to get here. The possibility that others will come up with the same thoughts as us is quite high.' This material has already been reviewed by numerous people. It was able to reach the emperor because it was approved as valid information. From local lower-level adventure guild officials to headquarters' high-ranking officials, and even Kernstatt's high-ranking officials. Anyone knows that an ordinary person cannot collect this amount of information. Therefore, it is not difficult to assume that the missing warrior Ellen uploaded this material. Only those present cannot be certain. The emperor already felt like he was hearing voices. The sound of countless people shouting that they had to subdue the warrior was ringing in his ears. He had done things he didn't want to do. He had done more things he didn't want to do. He had to do things he didn't want to do. Find the warrior. Kill the warrior. The hallucinations that filled his head were already telling him the future. 'Wait... just a moment... I need to think.' The emperor stood up from his seat. * * * In the upper floor of the Spring Palace, in a dark corridor where no party attendees came, only a faint music could be heard from afar. The emperor was silently watching the people coming and going from the courtyard. They were also bustling with people who were enjoying the party. On a moonlit night, the emperor silently watched them in silence. The emperor was holding something in his arms. Something he still couldn't throw away. He rolled it around in his hand. Someone approached from behind the stiff emperor. 'Reinhardt...' '...Yes.' The Arcmage, Queen Herriot, stood silently next to him. 'Let's do it.' '...' The emperor remained silent and did not respond to her words. Or rather, he couldn't respond. "If not now, then when? We have prepared for this moment."

The proliferation of monsters is a desperate truth, but the current situation is also an opportunity that may not come again.

If we miss it, there may be no next time.

The emperor finally speaks up, "Sorry."

Confused, Queen Herriot asks why he suddenly apologized.

The emperor embraces her and apologizes for his words.

There is no time to hesitate or ponder.

The emperor returns to the conference room, having made his decision and prepared for it.

The warrior is one of the empire's last hopes, and even if they die, it is worth it.

The empire cannot afford to wait for the warrior to appear, as they have in the past.

The belief in the warrior has kept the rebellion at bay, but the empire cannot rely on it forever.

The emperor orders the closure of the northeastern border of Kernstadt.

The warrior is worth dying for.