“This expedition ended unprecedentedly with few casualties. Thanks to the knights who fought hard against the maou. For the Empire, for the people of the Empire, the knights who fought can take pride as knights. Since everyone worked hard, rest deeply in the castle today, and we’ll depart for the capital tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

The expedition is over. Thanks to Ian’s hidden contributions, the expedition team was able to return to the Baronial Estate earlier than planned.

Can it end like this? It was an unexpectedly smooth expedition.

“Rosebelia, let’s go quickly.”

Vanessa, who suddenly bent down towards me, muttered in a low voice.

“Go where?”

“We need to prepare a hot bath. Finally, I can sleep well tonight.”

Finally? I remember Vanessa always slept very well.

I stifled a chuckle and followed Vanessa. After soaking in the warm bath, changing into clean clothes, I gradually felt the reality that the expedition was over.

“Rosebelia, have you had a meal?”

“I’m about to eat now.”

“Enjoy your meal.”

“Oh, yes.”

Answering with a somewhat flustered expression, I looked around carefully. Come to think of it, the inside of the castle, which was quiet before leaving for the expedition, was quite lively today.

Perhaps due to the sense of relief that the expedition was over, the knights seemed more relaxed.

Anyway, what should I do first when I return to the capital?

As I entered the dining room, Oliver, who was sitting right in front, greeted me with a welcoming handshake.

“Hey, Rosebelia.”

“Senior.”

“This expedition was relatively easy, right?”

Having observed the empty interior as if everyone had finished their meal, I sat down across from Oliver.

“Oh, yes.”

“Who could it be? Was there such a hidden expert in the Empire?”

“Well, I’m not sure. We didn’t see their face until the end.”

“Anyway, good job. Eat quickly.”

Oliver pushed the soup brought by the servant closer to me. Looking at the soup with rising steam, I raised my eyes again.

“Hey, Oliver senior.”

“Yeah?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, anything.”

“When I first went on the expedition, do you remember telling me about the temple in the abandoned mountain?”

“Then do you still vividly remember how your expression looked when you heard my story at that time.”

Was it me, not Rosebelia?

Oliver laughed out loud as I shrugged. After managing to stop the laughter, he gently reached out and said.

“Just kidding. But why is that coming up suddenly?”

“I was curious. Did you happen to read about it in a book?”

“I didn’t read it in any book. It’s a story I heard when I was young.”

“From whom?”

“On the day when the final battle took place in that temple, should I say the descendant of the priest who barely survived and fled from the temple of the Belier Kingdom?”

“A descendant? But the Belier Kingdom was absorbed into the Forness Empire hundreds of years ago.”
“Still, they haven’t forgotten that history; they remember it. At that time, I also heard the story and became curious, trying to find records, but it wasn’t easy. Probably, finding historical records about the Belier Kingdom in the Forness Empire would be challenging.”

After all, the Forness Empire was the victorious winner in the war, and the Belier Kingdom was the defeated loser.

They probably tried to erase the history of the losers cleanly.

“I see.”

“There might be something left in the Imperial Palace. I heard the Imperial Palace library is huge.”

So, did Gael also try to find books at the Imperial Palace? Since the department researching maou is inside the Imperial Palace, it would be relatively easy to access the library.

“Which village did Senior live in?”

“I saw a small village just before coming to the Baronial Estate.”

A small village?

Although I encountered many villages on the way, if it’s just before coming to the Baronial Estate, there was one place I remembered.

“I think I remember. It was a village with a small lake…”

“Right, that’s where I lived when I was young. It was a very beautiful village, but it got messed up because of the maou.”

“Then…”

Oliver noticed the unspoken words and burst into a hearty laugh.

“We moved to the capital ahead of time, so everyone is safe.”

“That’s a relief.”

Oliver’s eyes, which seemed surprised for a moment, softened soon.

“I should get up now. Finish your meal and rest quickly.”

“Yes, Senior.”

After a light meal, I wandered around the Baronial Estate to find Gael.

Whether he already went to rest or not, his figure wasn’t conspicuous.

“Rosebelia, where are you going?”
“Since everyone was off guard, only three injured individuals emerged from there. Fortunately, it resulted in minor injuries, but if we hadn’t quickly noticed that there were several werewolves, there could have been many casualties.”

“Are maou gradually evolving too…?”

Gabriel’s softly murmured words sent a shiver down my spine. Quietly contemplating, it wasn’t entirely an unreasonable speculation.

With their limited intelligence, maou that couldn’t escape the mountains were expanding their territories downward.