"F-Fine. I got it. Just stop for now."
Alpoi calmed Claude down. There were too many people in this territory who caused trouble when they lost their temper. Alpoi knew this very well, as he was one of them.
Of course, Alpoi had no intention of simply backing down.
'Just wait. Once the lord arrives, everything will be nullified. Look forward to my revenge.'
For now, Alpoi signed the document to get through the crisis. He believed everything would be resolved as soon as the lord returned, especially since the dragon hunt had ended successfully, leaving the lord in a very good mood.
And no one could deny that Alpoi was the biggest contributor to that dragon hunt.
When Alpoi signed the contract, agreeing to have his rebellion charges reduced in exchange for becoming a lifetime slave of the kingdom, Claude smiled in satisfaction.
Of course, Claude had a good idea of what Alpoi was plotting.
'This bastard probably thinks he just needs to get through this moment, huh?'
In any case, what Claude did was 'legally' not an issue. Alpoi had committed a crime serious enough to warrant execution.
Still, it was highly likely that the lord would release him as soon as he arrived, and Claude hated the idea of that.
'In that case, I need to make sure he's forgotten.'
Claude, after tucking the document away, pulled out another one.
"The criminal Alpoi is to be transferred immediately to the Eastern Region Rift Research Facility. There, he will devote himself to studying rifts and atone for his crimes. Considering his crime of treason, this is practically a reward."
"What? Hey, you bastard!"
Alpoi shouted loudly.
Alpoi was originally scheduled to join other mages in rift research, but naturally, he was supposed to do it within the Fenris Territory.
However, Claude was now exiling him to the eastern region to prevent him from meeting the lord.
Alpoi's face twisted with rage. He was now doomed to a life of hard labor—no, research—in the eastern region.
"Aaaah! I'll kill you! How dare you do this to me, a '5th-Circle Dragon Slayer and Free White Mage' who defeated a goddess!"
Despite his screams, Alpoi was seized by knights and dragged away. He was to leave with the other mages by the end of the day.
Claude muttered with a pitying expression.
"Goodbye, bro. See you later. Stay healthy. I'll miss you. Oh, right! Hey! Take that chicken or whatever it is with him, too! Ugh, I feel so much better now."
"...."
Wendy watched the entire scene unfold with a look of contempt.
She was going to report everything that had happened anyway. Once the lord arrived, the report would make its way to him through another route as well. These two fools were struggling so desperately.
After sending Alpoi away, Claude acted quickly.
"Hurry, hurry. We need to secure the funds first."
Dealing with Alpoi was just a minor matter. Alpoi would likely regain some sense while focusing on research.
But raising military funds was a life-or-death task.
Claude took out all the bribes he had collected so far.
"Ugh, do you know how hard it was to gather all this .... "
It couldn't be helped. He would just have to work hard to earn it all back again.
He also accelerated the businesses he had been running.
Gathering the people he had hired separately, he urgently gave orders.
"We need to increase production of the 2nd edition of the 'Chronicles of Duke Fenris' and portraits of Lord Yulian. As fast as possible!"
Claude had been documenting everything about Yulian for some time, knowing how popular he was.
Additionally, products featuring other famous figures were being made according to demand—everyone except Alpoi.
This time, Claude avoided using estate resources and public funds, instead recruiting people purely with his personal finances to carry out the business.
Of course, selling someone else's image and stories without permission was wrong, but Ghislain was turning a blind eye for now, planning to deal with it all later.
Yulian, for his part, didn't care if his image was sold or not.
Even after pouring all his earnings into the effort, Claude still didn't have enough to fill the gap. The problem was that he had bet too much on gambling.
Claude had no choice but to mobilize some of his troops.
"Gather all the information on the bandits around here!"
The continent hadn't been completely stabilized yet. While the Lutania Kingdom had become more organized, regions outside the kingdom were still chaotic.
Cities were teeming with crime syndicates, and bandits were everywhere.
This was especially true in the recently annexed Kingdom of Seiron and the territories about to be integrated.
They needed to be dealt with anyway for public safety, so Claude decided to make up for the shortfall by thoroughly looting the bandits.
Dragging his exhausted body, Claude set out to subdue the bandits.
"I seriously need to either die or quit gambling .... "
Because time was short, Claude focused harder than ever on hunting down bandits and crime organizations.
Thanks to his efforts, the newly annexed territories quickly saw improvements in public safety. The locals praised the Lutania Kingdom.
Claude and Amelia's gamble, despite its somewhat strange process, ended up benefiting the people of the kingdom.
***
Gartros was on the run. But even while fleeing, he didn't neglect gathering information.
To survive, he needed to stay informed.
His knights moved cautiously, collecting intelligence whenever possible.
One day, shocking news reached him.
"A dragon? Are you saying a dragon has actually appeared?"
"Yes. All allied forces have already moved to the fortress in the Turian Kingdom. They say the monster wave is caused by the dragon."
"Hah? And how do they even know that?"
"I heard the information came from Duke Fenris."
Gartros's face twisted in frustration. That name again.
"Duke Fenris! Duke Fenris! Is there anything that bastard isn't involved in?"
Everything was being orchestrated by Ghislain, who possessed knowledge of the future.
Additionally, this time, Erenes had provided considerable information.
Without being Ghislain himself, it was impossible to comprehend the situation or keep up.
Gartros fumed for a while before calming down.
"Still, things are unfolding just as the prophecy said. The White Dragon of the Apocalypse must refer to the dragon."
Gartros didn't know whether the dragon truly existed or what kind of dragon it was. However, the prophecy's alignment with current events only strengthened his belief.
Gartros looked at Ernheart.
Though they were hiding and raiding bandit camps, Ernheart didn't look the part at all.
He always appeared immaculate and carried a pleasant fragrance. Not once had he looked disheveled.
His butler's meticulous care contributed, but even so, it defied logic.
Even now, Ernheart sat gracefully in the middle of the camp, sipping tea.
Gartros glanced down at his own dirty appearance and cautiously spoke.
"Your Grace, the prophecy is finally coming true."
"Hmm.... "
"If a dragon truly appears, even Duke Fenris won't be able to stop it. The allied forces will suffer heavy losses, and perhaps even Duke Fenris and the superhumans around him will die."
Gartros's face flushed with excitement.
If Duke Fenris, who destroyed their faith, died, the greatest threat would be gone.
And if the allied forces' superhumans and leaders also perished, the continent would once again fall into chaos.
Ernheart asked calmly.
"If that happens, who will defeat the dragon? Us?"
"If the dragon is hostile to the allied forces, it might ally with us."
"And if it's hostile to us as well?"
"The White Dragon of the Apocalypse is a sign to hasten the king's resurrection. Once we find the king, everything will be resolved."
Ernheart gazed at Gartros with a look of pity.
Gartros was clearly a genius of the ages. He had revived the religion that had practically disappeared, and his own strength was stronger than that of most superhumans.
However, all of his thinking was focused on the contents of the scriptures and the resurrection of the King. His mind was filled only with thoughts of unfolding God's will in this world.
That's why his thinking was not flexible.
Look at this now. He didn't care what kind of being the Dragon was. He just thought that if he found the King, everything would be resolved.
"If only your faith had been a little less. If it had been, we might have ruled the continent a long time ago."
"Your Grace….."
It was impossible for Gartros. His faith in God was the reason he lived.
Ernheart knew the truth and shook his head.
"Yes, that too must be your fate, consumed by the will of God."
"... "
At Ernheart's words, Gartros wore an uneasy expression. He had felt it before, but Ernheart showed no signs of devout faith.
'Why ... why does someone so close to Him, an apostle higher than anyone else, act like this?'
Since Ernheart never revealed his true thoughts, Gartros couldn't figure out the reason.
Even though Ernheart had inherited the memories and power of the apostle, he often displayed incomprehensible words and actions.
Thinking about this, Gartros carefully asked, "Have your memories ... returned much?"
"Not yet. But the speed at which they are returning is increasing, so there is no need to worry."
"I see. Do you have any memories about the dragon that is said to appear this time?"
"No. But I did catch glimpses of it through past revelations."
"Oh! What was it like? Did it burn the world to ashes?"
"Yes. Just like the paintings in the castle, it destroyed the world and devoured countless people."
Gartros's face lit up.
"Of course! Of course! Then this time, the allied forces will surely suffer heavy losses."
Watching Gartros intently, Ernheart spoke indifferently.
"It dies."
"What?"
"The dragon dies in the end. Its massive neck will be severed."
"What are you talking about .... "
"When I received the revelation, I briefly saw it. A dragon with only its severed neck remaining, shedding tears of blood."
" .... "
Gartros bit his lips several times.
He didn't trust Ernheart's dreams. How could he believe dreams that had become jumbled and unpredictable?
Ernheart smirked and continued.
"I know what you're thinking."
"N-No, that's not it."
"It's fine. I also know that the revelations have been a mess ever since Duke Fenris appeared. But everything is moving too quickly."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, everything is progressing too fast. The dragon too—according to the revelation, it wasn't supposed to appear yet."
"What ... do you mean .... "
"When I saw the dragon's severed neck in the revelation, it was at a later point than now. But since the revelations have been in disarray for a long time, I can't say for sure. I can only guess that everything has become chaotic and accelerated because of Duke Fenris."
"...."
'I can't get any clear answers because of these revelations.'
Gartros sighed inwardly. The content of the revelations didn't make sense, and whenever he talked with Ernheart about them, the conversation always ended up revolving around Duke Fenris.
Gartros acknowledged that Duke Fenris was an exceptional individual. But how could one man alter the predetermined flow of events?
It had to be because the resurrection of the king was drawing near.
What they didn't know was that Ghislain was a regressor—someone who had returned from the future—and that his rapid growth had forcibly accelerated everything.
Because of this ignorance, their conversations kept circling without reaching any conclusions.
Trying to shift the mood, Gartros changed the topic. For now, he had to outwardly accept what Ernheart said about the 'revelations.'
"Then ... what revelation did you see after the dragon?"
Ernheart closed his eyes and smiled, as if he were dreaming a happy dream.
"That could be called the 'final revelation' before the demon appears and sweeps us away. In the end, we found it."
"What do you mean?"
Ernheart slowly opened his eyes and spoke.
"The Demon Realm."
" ... Do you mean the Holy Land?"
"Yes. I eventually found the Demon Realm. And I reached its depths."
"Oh! Where was it? Was it truly the Forest of Demonic Beasts?"
Gartros became a bit excited.
Having lost the location of the Holy Land, they had considered many forbidden zones across the continent as candidates for its location.
The Land of Death at the western edge, the Shadow Mountains of Turian, the Forest of Demonic Beasts in Lutania, and other dangerous, forbidden places were among the candidates.
Of those, the Forest of Demonic Beasts was the most likely.
However, their failure in Lutania had prevented them from properly investigating it.
Ernheart slowly shook his head.
"I don't know. All I know is that I found the Demon Realm."
Although most of Ernheart's revelations had proven unreliable, Gartros wanted to believe this one.
They had to find the Holy Land.
It was there that the last traces of God remained.
And... it was there that the saintess from a thousand years ago would be waiting for the king.