The subjugation of the Red Wolves and the sudden appearance of the demonic beast Older forced the northern frontier settlements into a critical decision.
Various theories emerged regarding the cause of the incident, but the kingdom ultimately concluded: Older’s movements likely forced the Red Wolves out of their territory, driving them from the depths of the mountains into human-occupied lands. Given that Older was known to be an active creature, it was assumed this was simply another case of its territorial expansion.
This, of course, led to discussions about launching an extermination campaign while the beast was still active—just as had been proposed in the past. According to the knights stationed on the northern frontier, Older had been moving between uncharted lands and areas currently under development. If its movements continued to disrupt other monsters, the progress of human settlements would inevitably suffer.
Thus, the kingdom debated: Should they take this opportunity to finally slay the demonic beast that had eluded them for so long?
While the capital deliberated, the frontier forces had already begun preparing for Older’s subjugation. Since hunting such a notorious creature would bring substantial prestige, knights and heroes alike were moving aggressively, hoping to claim the glory of defeating the legendary beast.
During this period, Elias continued gathering information. He also reviewed the official reports regarding the Red Wolves’ subjugation—and as expected, there was no mention of his involvement. It seemed the commanding officer had deliberately omitted his name.
Elias was unsurprised. He had anticipated this outcome.
At the same time, Frenn had completed her own investigations, leading to their next discussion.
“Let’s start with the situation in the East.”
“Go ahead.”
“To put it bluntly, the reason the kingdom lacks accurate information is due to a combination of negligence and obstruction.”
“…What?”
Elias frowned, prompting Frenn to let out an exaggerated sigh.
“There are two main factors behind the lack of accurate reports from the East. First, the kingdom’s appointed overseer for the region has barely submitted any reports at all.”
“That would be the negligence part.”
“Correct. Furthermore, it seems they dismissed the information they did receive, believing the details about Eastern monsters were exaggerated. As a result, they failed to convey any meaningful data to the capital.”
“…So they assumed that the reported monsters couldn’t possibly be stronger than those in the North? That the reports must have been exaggerated?”
“That seems to be the case. Regardless, the reports were manipulated, and the true situation never reached the kingdom.”
Elias crossed his arms, mulling over the implications.
“The overseer in the capital was likely trying to avoid stirring up trouble. If any major incidents occurred, they would have to take responsibility—so they chose to bury the problem instead.”
“That’s part of it. But there’s also the simple fact that they never put any effort into doing their job. Since there’s no active development happening in the East, they had no motivation to care.”
“So it wasn’t some grand political maneuver, just plain indifference… In some ways, that makes it even worse. At least political interference can be countered—but if it’s sheer laziness, there’s no direct way to fix it…”
Elias shook his head.
“But you said there was another reason for the lack of information, aside from negligence?”
“Yes. Even if the overseer failed in their duties, it wouldn’t completely block all reports from reaching the kingdom. That means there’s someone else—someone actively suppressing information about the East.”
“And that would be the obstruction part.”
Elias muttered as he rubbed his temples.
“This second group isn’t aligned with the overseer. In fact, they’re rivals. But they do have political power, and they’re deliberately preventing any details about the East from getting through.”
“So both laziness and sabotage are at play here, effectively cutting off all crucial information from the East.”
“The existence of monsters is being reported—but their actual threat level is being drastically downplayed.”
“…I see. The real question is, what do we do about it?”
Frenn raised an eyebrow.
“What do you mean?”
Elias met her gaze, his expression serious.
“If the reports are so unreliable, I need to confirm something… Did you find any mention of ‘Rogis’ in the kingdom’s records?”
Frenn fell silent. That was all the confirmation he needed.
“I see… So they haven’t even heard about that.”
“…Now that you mention it, that’s extremely dangerous.”
“Exactly. Even if the risk of encountering something like that is low, the fact that the kingdom is completely unaware of the possibility is a serious problem.”
“At best, the only thing we can do is ensure that accurate information reaches the right people.”
“Easier said than done. Even if I try to explain the situation, how many people will actually listen? The general perception of the East is already low, so my words alone might not hold much weight.”
Elias sighed heavily.
“But we can’t just ignore this. It has to be corrected.”
“And how do you propose we do that?”
Frenn’s voice was skeptical.
Elias exhaled and mulled over their options.
“There are two possible approaches. The first is to contact Lord Jaits, the current overseer of the East, and ask him to push for more accurate reports to be sent to the kingdom.”
“Do you believe that will actually work? Even if he submits a proper report, I suspect it’ll be buried before it ever reaches anyone important.”
“You’re probably right.”
Elias admitted, nodding.
Frenn’s expression turned grim.
“Then that means the first option has a low chance of success.”
“Which brings us to the second option… Suppose I single-handedly slay Older. If I succeed, I can attribute my strength to my experience in the East. That would give me credibility—and then, maybe, the kingdom would finally start paying attention to the truth.”
Frenn blinked.
“…I see. And alternatively, we could also subtly inform key figures about the discrepancies in the reports and push for an official investigation into corruption.”
“That’s another viable approach.”
Elias agreed.
Just then, Frenn’s expression shifted. She had more to say—something about Older.