The Golden Experience Point [Part 1]

Chapter 84: "The Rubble of La Colline"

"I'm grateful that you've come. Please, have a seat."

After introducing himself at the lord's mansion, the commander was brought to a reception room. While he had at least removed his helmet, he was offered a sofa while he still wore his armor. He wasn't even asked to hand over his sword. This would normally be a severe breach of protocol.

"Please leave us. If I need anything, I shall ring the bell. Otherwise, no one is to come near this room."

The lord cleared the room, then had a knight stand guard outside the door. He may have been the army commander, but it was unheard of for a noble to speak alone with a military man who had no noble blood.

"You've seen them, haven't you, commander? Those insects hovering in the eastern skies. Do you believe they have something to do with the catastrophe? Ah, there's no need to be on guard with me. I've heard the news from the capital about its birth."

The commander let out a sigh of relief. It would have been difficult to discuss the handling of those monsters without being able to touch on the topic of the catastrophe. Based on the prime minister's response, he may have to abandon this city in order to focus on defeating the catastrophe first. He didn't know whether the lord would agree with that decision, but being able to share information freely was a huge boon.

"If they are unrelated to the catastrophe, then your forces will have to prioritize the catastrophe over my city. Am I wrong?"

"...I can't say anything for certain yet. At present, I have relayed the situation here at La Colline to the prime minister, and now I am waiting for his orders."

"I see... Regardless, I am thankful. Given your position, I'm sure you would like nothing more than to pass right through here and get to Erfahren even one second faster."

"Not at all, this is simply the situation. We only do what we must..."

"My apologies..."

While things were quiet right now, the commander had visited this city before in the past, and he had felt that it was both a peaceful town and also full of energy. It was far from monster territory, and it was located at the intersection of many roads, which meant that it was easy to start a business. However, none of that had explained how bright its residents were. No matter how ideal the location was, if those in power were greedy or tyrannical, the people could never have smiled the way they did.

He felt it again when seeing the lord's mansion. Although this would be his first time meeting directly with this particular lord, he noticed that the size of the estate was far smaller and the number of knights on guard far fewer than what he would expect of a typical local lord. The number of servants appeared to be comparable, but there should have been many more knights. Were those knights off on some errand, then? In all likelihood, they were out patrolling the city, helping to assuage the citizens' fears, and monitoring the status of the monsters. The commander had come to the mansion immediately when he was summoned, but if he had delayed, perhaps he would have seen those knights cooperating with his men.

The commander wished to cooperate as much as possible with this lord within the limits of the authority he had been granted. Prime Minister O'Connell wasn't a particularly close-minded person, but he was responsible for the health and interests of the entire kingdom. If it came down to it, he could be forced to abandon this region in order to safeguard the country. The commander himself was not just a soldier but a general tasked with defending the land. If the prime minister made that decision for the country's sake, he would follow his orders without complaint, resolutely turning his back on this city in order to accomplish the mission. And the lord understood all of this as well.