Temporarily Closed
The next day, the Duchy of Monastir was thrown into turmoil.
The fact that the Voidborns' assault had been repelled without major damage hardly mattered.
An [Executor], once spoken of only in legends, had led the Voidborns to attack the royal palace.
With no way of knowing when or where the next attack might occur, anxiety spread rapidly.
Captain, I have an update regarding the decision that was just finalized.
As of this moment, a [state of emergency defense has been declared across the entire Duchy of Monastir.]
All official events, including the [trial], have been [postponed indefinitely] until further notice...
All right.
The trial isn't what matters right now anyway.
Thank you... for your understanding...
There was no strength in Charlotte's voice at all.
Are you okay?
...
Yesterday... I was overwhelmed by the enemy's presence...
There were Knights waiting for my orders and a royal palace I was supposed to protect... and yet I...
...I was the same way.
My body refused to move the instant I saw her.
Even so...
Captain. Yesterday... if I had actually fought the Executor...
...
...No. It's nothing.
Then... I'll take my leave now.
Charlotte slowly left, her shoulders slumped.
...
-Temporary Closure Notice-
As of today, a state of emergency defense has been declared across all of Monastir.
Until the situation is resolved, our restaurant will suspend operations indefinitely.
We kindly ask for your understanding.
Ah... Ah...! Damn it, damn it!
...This is exactly why...
This is exactly why I didn't want things to get out of hand...! Ergh! Errgh—!
■■■■! Damn it!
If it weren't for that ■■■■ing ■■■■■ in the first place, I wouldn't have to go through this pointless trouble! ■■■■!!
■■■■-!!
Three days had passed since the state of emergency defense was declared.
No further incidents had occurred since then, but there was still no sign of when things would return to normal.
All we could do was remain at our quarters and wait for updates.
...I can't take this anymore!
At this rate, we don't even know when the trial will resume!
We should just go look for that Executor ourselves!
Omega agrees!
All Omega's been doing is eating and sleeping. If this keeps up, Omega will turn into a pig!
Yes, yes, that's very good and all. It would at least be more meaningful than just sitting around like this.
But do you even know where the Executor is?
And even if you somehow did manage to track her down, what do you plan on doing next?
...Fight her?
...It's better than staying here doing nothing.
Asherah muttered to herself with a hardened expression as she looked out the window.
She understood just as well as anyone that there was no clear solution.
Still, everyone was growing restless as the endless waiting dragged on.
Just then, a light knock broke through the heavy silence.
Frey...?
Excuse me for a moment.
Frey entered the room, looked around at us, and spoke in a bright tone.
Is everyone getting enough rest?
More than enough rest, to be honest...
Hmm. No one seems to be in particularly good spirits.
I suppose the Voyager Savior Party is in a difficult position as well.
Well, yeah. The entire reason for our trip's been postponed indefinitely...
Then while you're waiting, would you like to do some sightseeing around Monastir?
I happen to have several premium sightseeing packages carefully selected by Frey's Leisure Company.
There's the Monastir Mountain trekking experience course, the Monastir gourmet tour package...
...
...No thanks.
...Omega doesn't want to say anything.
Ahem.
I understand. Even if you want to rest comfortably, it's hard to relax while things remain unresolved, isn't it?
What the Voyager Savior Party needs is for the trial to resume.
Meanwhile what Monastir needs is for the Executor's threat to be eliminated.
In the end, the most reliable way to resolve all of this is...
To deal with the Executor directly.
At Frey's sudden remark, all of us looked surprised.
...?! Do you have some kind of plan?
Hehe. Did you really think I came here just to make a little pocket money off you all?
...You didn't?
Rude! Who do you think I am?!
You're Frey, the Quartermaster of the Monastir Knights. Right?
...Ahem. Yes, exactly. That's correct.
Anyway!
The important thing is that I actually have a method to defeat the Executor!
Really? Tell us!
Very well. Ahem.
As part of my duties as Quartermaster, I naturally handle a wide variety of documents.
And occasionally... that includes ancient documents that were once handled by the Monastir royal family.
Frey pulled out a scroll that looked extremely ancient.
The parchment scroll, browned in places with age, looked so fragile that it might crumble if handled carelessly.
One of those documents contained a record of a [royal secret weapon] capable of destroying an [Executor].
In fact, it's said to have been used as an actual weapon in battle.
The document even records where the weapon is stored. Though the seal will need to be broken.
A-are you sure?
It doesn't say what kind of weapon it is, though.
Recorded age of the document?
It was created about two hundred years ago.
And... is this really okay?! You're the Quartermaster, not royalty! Are you allowed to just open something like that?!
...Ahem.
...
It should be fine. Probably.
...Concerning!
Let's set aside minor details like that. The important thing is...
If we can secure the [secret weapon] mentioned in this document, we'll gain a means to oppose the Executor!
Even if the Executor attacks again, we'll have a countermeasure prepared for her.
From Monastir's perspective as well, maintaining the state of emergency defense indefinitely poses a heavy burden on our Duchy.
The economic losses caused by travel restrictions grow larger with each passing day.
If we obtain a viable countermeasure, the emergency state should end swiftly.
Then why tell us about it?
Can't Monastir handle this officially on its own?
Well, that's because I retrieved this document without permiss—
...Er, forget that.
Ahem. Following official procedures would take far too long!
...Wait. Sounds like you were saying something really dangerous just now...
Making this an official agenda would require people to verify the authenticity of this document.
The procedures are complicated and time-consuming.
I can't afford to sit around waiting until then! Can you?
No! We can't!
Even if it turns out to be a dud, I still want to check it out!
I'm sick of just sitting around in our rooms all day waiting for something to happen!
Omega agrees! Treasure hunting sounds like fun!
Either way, if we don't go on this [treasure hunt], all we can do is keep waiting.
And we had already waited long enough.
All right. Let's go take a look.
An excellent decision!
Then now that's settled, shall we depart right away?
The location is...
After opening the scroll and checking its contents, Frey stared at us silently for a moment before hesitantly asking us a question.
...Does everyone here like hiking?