Chapter 95

Some days after the large-scale request... Lucius and I were invited to Carlos' room in the inn.

Carlos said that the matter was even more confidential than before, which was why we were meeting in this manner. It seemed that he had even reserved a large room just for this purpose.

"Thank you very much for the large-scale request. Thanks to you, we have finally grasped the outline of the disaster. And... if it weren't for you, the raid party would have been wiped out, and Locrin would have had to face the Skull Road's extermination with a weakened force."

Carlos spoke with a sense of regret, likely feeling responsible for the possibility of a total wipeout since he had led the large-scale request.

"Have you found out anything about the cause of the disaster or the map issue?"

The discovery of the 'Wailing Trapezohedron' and the flaws in the 'Lamenting Tomb' map had already been reported to the guild through Carlos.

The map's flaws were clearly not due to the guild's negligence or false reports from adventurers seeking quick money. The map had no significant errors on the official routes assigned to each party. If the official routes had been riddled with errors, adventurers would have quickly turned back or tried to join other parties.

The map was flawed only for routes other than the official ones. This prevented adventurers from retreating to the outside of the 'Dream Hole' even if they noticed the appearance of the Skull Road. It was clearly designed with the malicious intent to kill as many adventurers as possible.

There was another piece of evidence. The 'Wailing Trapezohedron' was buried in a location away from the official route. If Kelt hadn't moved around freely and detected it with his 'Sixth Sense,' we wouldn't have found it. The map might have been designed to prevent the discovery of the 'Wailing Trapezohedron.'

"There was a man in the Locrin Adventurer's Guild who was a guild-affiliated adventurer and later became a staff member. He was excellent and knew the adventurers' perspectives and situations, so he was entrusted with many tasks. He was the one who proposed the large-scale request for the 'Lamenting Tomb' and almost single-handedly decided the reward amount and detailed procedures... but he is now missing."

"I see... So that's how it is."

I sighed. The tampering of the map was supposed to be a key to uncovering the series of incidents.

"I've been chasing this anomaly all over the Norsun Kingdom. I thought I had finally obtained a decisive clue, but it's frustrating to see such a cowardly escape. However, I am convinced that the culprit behind this tail-cutting is the House of Howlrod or one of its factions. There are not many organizations in this kingdom capable of orchestrating such well-planned strange incidents."

Carlos had mentioned this right after the 'Lamenting Tomb' operation. The House of Howlrod was suspicious.

"Logically, that makes sense."

Scattering the 'Wailing Trapezohedron' across the kingdom to activate the 'Dream Hole' was something only a large organization could do. In this world, the nobility, who possessed power, money, and manpower, were the leading candidates. The House of Howlrod was the prime suspect.

The problem was the motive. Causing such significant 'Dream Hole' disasters repeatedly could potentially blow up the entire territory. Even if the purpose was to test the 'Dream Hole,' it was clearly an overreaction. I doubted anyone would benefit from such actions.

"Given the bold moves in Locrin... I believe they will take some action again. However, I have already proven that I cannot handle it alone. On the other hand, I cannot fully trust the House of Howlrod, with whom we have a cooperative relationship. I hope that when the time comes, you will cooperate with me, not the House of Howlrod."

This was the main point. The current situation was quite suspicious. I knew it was dangerous to get involved, but I also felt it was dangerous to do nothing.

The 'Lamenting Tomb' could have led to the total wipeout of the raid party and a crisis in the city of Locrin if I hadn't gone. As a noble and someone who understood the inner workings of this world, I felt a responsibility to tackle this case.

"Understood. If you need me, I'll gladly cooperate."

"Me too! I'll do whatever I can!"

Lucrece clenched her fists and said.

"Thank you... I'm glad I met you in Locrin."

Carlos smiled warmly.

After the conversation, Lucrece and I stood up and reached for the door.

"Elma, Lucrece."

Carlos called out to us. We turned to him.

"The vast land of the Norsun Kingdom is actually protected by just a few hundred elite individuals—nobles, knights, and top adventurers. I really count on you two."

We nodded to Carlos and left the room.

Lucrece and I walked through the streets of Locrin. We had another meeting with someone else right after this.

"It was a difficult conversation... but there are people trying to strengthen monsters and incite them against Locrin, right? Is it okay? Should we be so relaxed?"

"The enemy is too big. We can't move recklessly without concrete evidence."

If they knew we were suspicious, it would only limit our actions. They might even try to eliminate us forcefully.

We had no idea about their goals or scale. We could only react.

"However, that situation... it seemed as if the purpose was to cause a Dream Collapse."

"Dream Collapse...?"

Lucrece tilted her head in confusion.

"The second stage of evolution for the 'Lord of Dreams.'"

A high-level 'Lord of Dreams' that has hunted many high-level adventurers will meet the next evolution condition and go berserk. The 'Dream Hole' will collapse, and the 'Lord of Dreams' will lead an army of monsters in a nightmare march. It's the worst-case 'Dream Hole' that could destroy an entire city.

If that was the goal, then trapping high-level adventurers inside the 'Dream Hole' might not have been to reduce the number of top adventurers in Locrin, but to use them as sacrifices for the Dream Collapse. However, I couldn't imagine anyone benefiting from causing a Dream Collapse.

For now, we had managed to avert the tragedy that was about to unfold in the 'Lamenting Tomb' and revealed the existence of an enemy that was previously uncertain. It could be considered a great victory.

"Hey, Elma and Lucrece! I was waiting so long, and that sneaky woman kept nagging me, making ten minutes feel like an hour."

Kelt waved at us, and Meabel stood beside him.

We had already distributed the rewards from the large-scale request, but this was more like a celebration. Clearly, I had earned too much during the final attack, so I decided to treat Kelt and the others to a meal, though it was a bit disproportionate.

The blacksmith Berga had complained that the prosperity of the adventurer business in Locrin had led to a proliferation of cunning individuals who only sought easy gains. There might be some truth to that. However, as I got to know Kelt and Meabel, I realized that they had to be this way to survive as adventurers in Locrin. Whether it was the people or the environment that came first was a question.

"I could have waited a bit longer. It was quite fun."

"Meabel..."

Meabel said this nonchalantly, and Kelt sighed, covering his face.

"Kelt and Meabel seem to have gotten along well..."

Lucrece smiled wryly and said.

And thus concludes the second chapter of the Reincarnated Heavy Knight! Thank you to all the readers who have read this far!

If you enjoyed the second chapter and are looking forward to the third, please rate it using the stars below the advertisement. It would make me very happy! (2021/09/28)