"You two seem to be in a very breezy conversation…" A bald muscular man wearing a religious and highly decorated cloak approached them from the inner chambers of the temple. "I'm sorry for being late. The supply in the temple's stock of herbs has diminished. I just took my time drafting a letter to Her Excellency the Countess for the delivery of the next batch. Anyhow, you two seem relaxed, does this mean that our unending piles of problems are as good as solved…?"

  "No, Father Medici, in fact we have additional ones that have just been reported this morning… Shall we start?"

  "Lord Ruthven, I know. I was just jesting around. You're really honest as always, huh? Fine, let's deliberate on the core issues at hand…"

  "Then about the battle on the other day…" Ruthven immediately became serious. "I want this incident to be investigated by the intelligence unit of the kingdom. There's something wrong with it that doesn't fit to our previous data for years now…"

  "I concur with you, Lord Ruthven." Edward nodded as he extended some pile of papers to the two. Such data contained the summary of the last assault. "Chimeric snakes shouldn't have collectively assaulted us like that. I suspect they might've been controlled using some skill that led them to go on a concerted action…"

  "Indeed… That's Edgard's boy for you!" The bald priest clapped his plump hands. "You've got a very sensible point. Plus, it's abnormal that those monsters absorbed such enormous amounts of dark miasma that they grew and evolved bigger than normal. I've never seen such snakes that big before… But a group of 20-meters long? What a joke! There must be something wrong with this…"

  "But Father Medici, that aside, I think the most basic question that we should ask is…why snakes? Based on our collected information from great explorers in history, snakes should be residing near the center of the forest. It'd be understandable if it were some pack of wolves. But snakes…? No way! How did they even reach here…? Don't tell me they travelled about hundreds of kilometers from the deeper part of the forest just to come here… That's absurd!"

  "Yeah, I concur, Lord Ruthven. That's out of the question. There must be someone or something that keeps them moving or a grand manipulator or something…"

  "But what if the snakes did really traverse the forest just to look for human towns… Like…"

  "…That's not possible, Young Edward. If those monsters really wanted some human settlements to feed on, shouldn't have they gone to the City of Clarence in the south with only a few kilometers to traverse? Snakes have higher cognitive capabilities than normal beasts, I mean they are capable to judging things using sheer reason, and to compare the distance, Clarence should've been the target not this county… Besides, the main preys of snakes in the forest are wild rodents."

  "Then, Father, I have a guess…" Edward sipped his tea for a moment. "What if those monsters are intentionally sent here to destabilize us? Like, for example, they were controlled by some enemy of the state…"

  "That's right… But the best course of action now is to give the intelligence unit the avenue to investigate by filling them with the initial data we gathered. They have all the best investigators there in the HQ. I'm going to report this to Countess Meinsfield so the request be formally written and sent to the capital…"

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  "I agree, please do so, Lord Ruthven…"

  "Then, we'll move on to the next topic." As if to set aside something trivial, Edward turned back to the files he had lent to the two. "In the post-battle logistic report, about 16 swords, 13 shields, 12 armor set, 112 various items and 3 warring boots were lost or severely damaged… I've already sent a letter to the Countess and the repaired and new ones are coming tomorrow…"

  "Whoa, whoa, as expected of Edgard's son. You're as swift as he was in his days of prime… I bet your father's gonna be proud at you!" Medici abruptly remembered the resemblance this boy had with his father back in the good old days.

  "Indeed, Father Medici, this young lord here is magnificent… Too efficient when it comes to things like this. If only I had a daughter, I'd surely like her to be acquainted with him."

  With the old timers drowning him with inflated praises like some war hero, he could not help but wonder deep inside the motive behind such words. Rather than welcoming the sweet words with wide-open arms, he was keen enough to remember what his father told him before he grabbed the role as the new head of the Order. "You dunderhead, listen carefully! In the field of politics, there are only two types of people you mostly encounter: the clueless dumb or the devious scoundrel. Remember that the former almost always disappears so easily, while the latter either grows bushy beard or go bald…" After throwing a gaze at each of them, he did not need ample of time to spot on which. It was clear as day.

  "I think we should quit on the flatteries…" Edward cut the spree of praises in a serious face. "So, what do you want me to do next? I bet you need something from me…"

  "Not really. It's just that I think you should take lead of the troops whenever those monsters visit us again…"

  "Oh my, oh my, you've got a brilliant point, Lord Ruthven!" The bald Medici nodded in agreement. "That's right. Like your father, you're so brilliant. The role fits for you… Young hero of the county!"

  "No. I'm still new in the position… I think I should let the experienced and seasoned ones do it for now, shouldn't I? This young man before you is still green, you see. How about it?"

  'These scoundrels! Father lost an arm because of that last battle. Do you intend to make me suffer the same fate or worse!? No wonder father didn't like them. They are nothing but trash! Do they really think that I'm that stupid, don't they? Curse you! Sorry, old coots, that's not going to happen… In fairness, this old man Ruthven truly loves Meinsfield, but his cowardice sometimes spoils all of his good side. Same goes with Medici — a certified coward. Anyway, these guys might have fooled all the youngsters they have set their eyes into before, but that's not going to work on me… That stupid tradition ends here.'

  "Lord Edward, don't you want to prove your manhood that much…? Though I don't know the details, I heard you're currently courting some uptown lady… Isn't this a good chance for you to show your Homeric side…?"

  "That's right, that's right! Don't be shy… It's fine if you take the glory of it yourself I think—"

  "—S-Sorry for the interruption! Head priest! S-Some bad news! Really, really bad one!" A man clad in full armor ran towards them panting and heavily out of breath.

  "Calm down! What's it? State it immediately!" Ruthven was a bit nervous of the messenger's extreme gestures. He prayed deep inside that it wouldn't be something very troublesome again. However, he was disappointed upon hearing the messenger's next words.

  "M-Monsters…! We're being assailed again today! I-In the walls facing the forest… A few hundreds of so…"

  """W-What…!?"""