Chapter 16

"Lord Lilburn, is that story true?"

One of the courtiers asked in a voice that seemed to be clinging to hope.

"Yes, it is all true."

Raphael answered immediately, as if to cut off the courtier's faint hope. Those who finally understood that his report was true showed a range of reactions: some were stunned, then burst into anger like a raging fire; some turned pale; and some remained unmoved.

"What were the troops doing! With over two thousand two hundred men, we lost five hundred and had two hundred severely injured!"

"Indeed. How could our country's elite soldiers suffer such a defeat? Lord Lilburn, is there a problem with your command?"

"Indeed, Lord Lilburn's leadership as the commander of the knights should be questioned."

Voices questioning Raphael's responsibility echoed through the room. Some of them had already seen the state of the returning kingdom army and were intent on making Raphael bear the blame for the failure. However, even they did not expect the extent of the casualties.

"We need to urgently reorganize the army!"

"The reorganization of the army, the compensation for the dead and severely injured. This will put a strain on the national treasury."

For the civil servants in charge of finance, the thought of the losses from this expedition was a headache.

"Hmm, Lord Lilburn. Report in detail why our army suffered such heavy casualties."

At the king's words, Raphael began to calmly recount the events of the expedition.

They had gone to the forest where the orcs lived, but found no orcs. The trees in the forest concealed the wooden creatures, the treants, which launched a surprise attack, splitting the formation and leaving the army vulnerable to an ambush by the orcs. The leader of the enemy was an elder treant, a subordinate of the evil god Mousdeus, whose extensive roots had turned plants into its minions, gathering information about the kingdom. The orcs were being controlled by the elder treant. By defeating the elder treant, the minions withered, and the orcs ceased their activities, leading to victory.

When he finished his report, the faces of those present were filled with confusion.

"An evil god! That's ridiculous!"

The evil god Mousdeus.

Until now, it was just a rumor. But if what the creature said was true, it was no longer just a problem for the kingdom.

"Lord Lilburn, are you plotting against us? The involvement of an evil god in this matter is too far-fetched. The casualties are too numerous, and it seems like you are trying to avoid blame by exaggerating the enemy's strength."

Accused of giving a false report, Raphael almost let his emotions get the better of him but made an effort to remain calm.

"Other knights heard the conversation with the elder treant. Also, we brought back part of the treant's body. You can verify it immediately. The orcs were indeed being controlled. If they hadn't been, we might have been routed."

"But we've never heard of an elder treant or a treant. How could anyone know if such a creature is a subordinate of an evil god?"

A figure flashed in Raphael's mind—Chaos, the boy who knew about the elder treant.

"Chaos, the one who reported that the minions withered when the elder treant was defeated, where did he go? If he's here, he could provide more details about the elder treant. We can inquire with the Adventurer's Guild to find out if he participated in the expedition."

"That... I don't know."

He was at a loss for words. Before he could question him, Chaos had disappeared. He must have used a teleportation spell or something, leaving after saying he had business to attend to, right after defeating the elder treant.

His actions were highly meritorious. His presence changed the course of the battle, and he was the one who delivered the final blow to the elder treant. If his location were known, he would be given a substantial reward. Raphael had tried to find out more about him, but...

"There was no name 'Chaos' among the adventurers who participated in the expedition."

His name was not on the list of adventurers who participated in the expedition. This meant he had come to the scene alone.

"So, a random adventurer who happened to know about an unknown creature, and then disappeared without claiming a reward. ...We should not be taken for fools."

Laughter echoed around the room. His existence was highly suspicious. The story of an unknown evil god and a mysterious figure was too far-fetched to believe. However, one person reacted differently.

"Lord Lilburn, can you describe the boy's appearance?"

King Wilfred, with a complex expression, asked Raphael.

"...Yes, he was slender, with black hair and black eyes, a rare combination in this region, and he was a teenager."

"Is that so..."

The king closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then opened them again.

"Lord Lilburn."

"Yes."

"Did the elder treant say it was sealed?"

"Yes, it said, 'While I was sealed, the incompetent orcs living in this land were not enough to form a powerful force.'"

Raphael reported the elder treant's words verbatim. The elder treant had indeed said it was sealed.

"Yes, it did say that."

"Then, we should investigate past documents. Start the investigation immediately. Also, don't forget to survey the forest. And find this person named Chaos."

He gave instructions to one of the courtiers present.

"Lord Lilburn, you are to remain under house arrest until the facts are confirmed."

"..."

"The reorganization of the army and the details of the damage will be decided at tomorrow's meeting. Prepare a plan for the reorganization and a detailed report on the damage. This court is adjourned."

The courtiers bowed their heads at King Wilfred's words, and he quickly left the room.

---

In the royal office, Wilfred was reviewing the report.

The investigation into the elder treant was ongoing, but a re-survey of the forest confirmed that the roots of the elder treant were deep and extensive, stretching to an unimaginable length. The roots were connected to the roots of withered plants, which were believed to be the minions. These withered plants were found near towns and villages, and their sudden withering had been investigated, confirming that they were connected to the roots.

One by one, the results were corroborating Raphael's report.

If the expedition had been delayed, the kingdom would have been doomed. Imagining such a worst-case scenario, Wilfred shuddered. Those who participated in the expedition and defeated the elder treant were truly heroes.

However, his heart was troubled. One of these heroes was on his mind.

The mysterious young mage—Chaos.

Wilfred had heard of Chaos before Raphael's report. He learned about him from Izrael, a researcher at the Royal Magic Institute. Normally, a researcher would not have an audience with the king, but they shared the same teacher and had been friends since childhood.

During a discussion about a groundbreaking new drug, Izrael mentioned Chaos. According to Izrael, Chaos had provided the knowledge of the ingredients for the healing potion and even the materials for the highest-grade potions and mana potions. Izrael, a man dedicated to research, passionately argued that Chaos's knowledge was unparalleled and that he should be recruited.

Wilfred was curious about why Chaos only provided the materials, but he thought he could send a messenger to Melodia to bring Chaos to the palace for a meeting later.

However, subsequent events made it impossible to wait.

The capture of human traffickers. Human trafficking was illegal in the kingdom, which had abolished slavery. Normally, the traffickers would be apprehended and dealt with, but the location of their discovery was problematic. They had made their base in the underground sewers.

The underground sewers, located beneath the capital, were convenient for criminals to hide, but they were dangerous due to the presence of monsters, and the entrances were sealed. The keys to the sealed doors were managed by the palace and the Adventurer's Guild, which regularly cleared out the monsters. Thus, it was impossible to enter and exit the sewers easily. However, during the investigation of the traffickers' hideout, a key to the sealed door was found.

According to the traffickers' testimony, someone had stolen the key from the palace and made a copy. Furthermore, a significant number of nobles were involved as customers, leading to the arrest of several nobles and a temporary halt in government affairs.

The traffickers' testimony also mentioned the circumstances of their capture. It seemed that they had mistaken a black-haired, black-eyed adventurer, who had come to slay a monster, for a ghost and fled, only to be captured. This unusual event had left a strong impression on Wilfred.

Then came the matter of the expedition. He did not expect to hear Chaos's name mentioned there. He called Izrael to the palace to confirm, and from the description, it seemed to be the same person.

--- Healing potion, sewers, elder treant.

All these events seemed to involve a black-haired boy.

Perhaps these events were connected, and the kingdom was being manipulated by him. However, the healing potion was a matter that had been relayed to Melodia, and the information reaching the Royal Magic Institute was coincidental. The underground sewers were also a result of a Guild employee mistakenly bringing the boy there. Thus, there was no connection.

But it still felt unresolved. Especially regarding the expedition to the forest. Why would someone who did not participate in the military expedition go into the forest alone, knowing the dangers of orcs? It seemed more natural to think that he went to the forest to defeat the elder treant.

The healing potion might not have been ready in time for the expedition. If it were to be ready, the method of preparation would have been included with the materials. Thus, the healing potion was not related to the other events. The same applied to the underground sewers. Human trafficking had nothing to do with monsters.

Perhaps it was just a series of coincidences.

The underground sewers were a place he visited by chance. After that, he went to the forest to defeat the orcs and the elder treant. Perhaps something happened in the sewers.

Underground... Could it be!

The extent of the elder treant's roots in the kingdom's land was unknown. Perhaps they had reached the underground sewers of the capital. He might have noticed this and gone to the forest to defeat the elder treant. Given his knowledge of the healing potion and the elder treant, it was not surprising that he knew about the roots.

Why didn't he report such a significant threat to the kingdom? It was simple. A mysterious boy bringing unverified information about an unknown creature would not be taken seriously. Moreover, the situation was threatening the capital, and immediate action was necessary to prevent the kingdom's downfall.

In other words, the boy was standing up to the evil god's subordinate and its minions alone.

Truly, this was the action of a hero. Wilfred felt something welling up in his chest.

He disappeared, saying he had business to attend to. Perhaps he sensed that the evil god's invasion was progressing beyond his expectations and had moved on to a new battle. The knowledge he brought, such as the healing potion, might have been a preparation for the impending invasion.

All of this was speculation, but it could not be completely dismissed.

At the very least, the possibility of the evil god's existence was high. The army needed to be reorganized as soon as possible. The development of potions needed to be accelerated. Additionally, the other countries needed to be informed about the defeat of the evil god's subordinate and urged to be on guard against the invasion.

If all of this were true, the evil god would likely reveal itself and threaten the world in the near future. But Wilfred had a premonition.

That the hero would appear again.

---

For a while, the hero Chaos would disappear from the kingdom. His name would resound in the world again two months later.

The Great Deeds of Hero Chaos

- Defeated the subordinate of the evil god invading the Castal Kingdom, saving the kingdom from crisis.

- Improved the potion manufacturing technology of the Castal Kingdom (the manufacturing method was later communicated to other countries by the king).

Character Data Delete... completed.

The closed beta test phase has ended.

The next chapter may be released in mid-July, as the first half of July seems to be a bit busy.