As I got closer, the Empire Investigation Team’s camp came into full view, and I had to admit—it was impressive.
The place was massive, completely encircling the vast cave system. At the center stood a sturdy two-story wooden building, surrounded by enormous tents, arranged so neatly it was almost unnatural.
Calling them “tents” felt like an understatement; they were practically the size of houses.
Unlike the ones I had seen earlier on the plateau, these stood tall, their sheer scale making the camp feel even more packed as soldiers and investigators bustled about inside.
A thick wooden fence, woven tightly together with large stakes, enclosed the entire area.
As I made my way down the slope and got closer, I realized just how tall it was—I could barely see inside even from my eye level.
“Who is it?”
Four soldiers stationed at the entrance immediately stepped forward.
“I am a knight of the Boyd family.”
“I-I’ll call for someone of higher rank!”
Their armor and weapons suggested they were part of the kingdom’s forces, but the moment I showed them the Boyd family’s emblem, their reactions changed.
They stiffened, looking startled before scrambling inside to get someone.
While waiting, I took a moment to straighten my uniform, checking for any dirt or stains.
Fortunately, I had been careful—there were no visible blemishes. Since I was here representing the Boyd family, it was only right to present myself properly.
That was why I had left behind the usual bulky mountain gear and brought only a single sword.
Before long, the camp’s entrance opened, and a man stepped out to greet me.
“I was told someone from the Boyd family had arrived.”
“Yes, that would be me.”
The man was middle-aged, his mustache neatly trimmed, though his slightly protruding belly made him look more approachable than strict.
“You must be from the Empire.”
I had never seen a shirt like his in the kingdom before, so I threw out the question. The man simply gave me a warm smile.
“That’s correct. Edwin Brook, from the Investigation Team. And you?”
“Rain, knight of the Boyd family.”
“Oh… quite impressive for someone so young.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“Please, follow me.”
As I walked through the camp behind Edwin, I could feel the weight of countless eyes on me.
“Sir Edwin… Who’s that beside him?”
“A black hawk? No way… Did someone from the Boyd family actually come?”
“That medal… This guy’s important.”
Unlike the entrance guards, who barely got a good look at me, the people inside were more observant.
Not that I blamed them.
I knew my appearance made me stand out.
I wasn’t overly muscular, but I was tall enough to draw attention.
Even compared to Edwin, the difference was noticeable.
Not that he was short—he actually had a solid build.
If anything, he was taller than most of the soldiers around us.
“We’re here.”
As we walked deeper into the camp, a large two-story wooden building came into view.
“And this is?”
“The Investigation Team’s main research facility.”
“I see.”
It was the same two-story structure I had spotted earlier, but up close, it looked even larger.
Had they really built this here? Constructing something like this in the middle of the Kaine Mountain Range was no small feat.
“Come inside.”
As I stepped in, I saw people rushing about, busy with their tasks.
A woman in a white lab coat—likely a researcher—approached us.
“Captain, who is this…?”
Her words caught my attention.
Captain? This guy?
I turned to Edwin, raising an eyebrow.
Sensing my reaction, he simply smiled, just as friendly as before.
“Ah, let me properly introduce myself. I’m Edwin Brook, head of the Empire’s Investigation Team.”
“…You could’ve mentioned that earlier.”
“Haha, I have an unfortunate hobby of enjoying people’s reactions.”
“I’ll respect that.”
I wasn’t one to judge—I had my own habit of enjoying people’s reactions when I flashed the Boyd family insignia.
Still, to think this man was the head of the Investigation Team…
He didn’t really give off that kind of aura.
When I first heard about the Empire’s Investigation Team, I expected a more rigid, elite group.
But looking around at the people here, that impression didn’t quite hold up.
Edwin gestured towards me and introduced me to the researchers.
“Everyone, let me introduce you to the knight who has come from the Boyd family.”
As soon as he said that, all the researchers in the area turned their attention toward me.
Starting with the ones who had come to greet Edwin, even those who had been busy moving around the facility stopped in their tracks to stare.
Did I do something wrong?
“Why is everyone looking at me like that?”
“Shouldn’t you know better than anyone?”
…I don’t, actually.
Was the Boyd family infamous for something?
Well, considering its reputation as the most powerful noble family in the Adel Kingdom—a kingdom known for its militaristic nature—it probably carried some level of notoriety… Hmm.
Yeah, judging by the researchers’ reactions, I could somewhat understand why.
“Wh-why would a knight from the Boyd family…?”
“I was sent as a courtesy visit after hearing that the Empire’s Investigation Team had arrived.”
“O-oh, since no one came yesterday, we assumed you wouldn’t…”
That was fair.
The other noble families had probably sent their representatives yesterday, in a formal and respectful manner.
And yet, the Boyd family—the most powerful noble house in the kingdom—had sent nothing but a single, sword-carrying young knight.
Of course, they’d be baffled.
…Honestly, that was probably the intention.
Lowell never seemed fond of the Empire.
The Boyd family seems to be very wary of the Empire.
“My apologies for not coming yesterday.”
Still, regardless of how the family felt about the Empire, that was separate from my own conduct.
I made sure to speak as politely as possible.
There was no point in picking a fight here.
This was a battle between giants—I wasn’t about to be the shrimp that got crushed in the middle.
I just had to play along, go with the flow, and then leave quietly.
“As long as you’re here today, that’s all that matters. So, what do you think of our research facility?”
“It’s impressive. To build something like this inside the Kaine Mountain Range…”
I answered honestly because I was genuinely surprised.
The exterior had been impressive enough, but seeing the interior only reinforced that feeling.
This was the kind of research facility that wouldn’t be out of place in the capital.
Though it was still somewhat unorganized, the equipment and tools scattered around made it clear—Imperial technology was leagues ahead.
“You have a keen eye.”
“What exactly do you research here?”
“Naturally, most of our work focuses on the magic phenomena within the cave system.”
…So, not a scientific approach then.
Well, when magic existed, science hardly seemed necessary.
“And you’re also investigating the traces of the devil worshippers.”
“Yes. It’s rare to find such well-preserved and large-scale remnants of them within the Empire.”
Was that… a subtle jab at the kingdom?
If I twisted his words from a diplomatic standpoint, it could be interpreted as, ‘What were you people doing while something like this was forming near your capital?’
“The Empire must have excellent countermeasures in place.”
To be fair, he had a point.
This place was right next to the capital. They should’ve allocated more resources to search teams much earlier.
It was a classic case of fixing the barn after the horse had already bolted.
Thinking back to the investigation last fall, I could only shudder.
That entire experience had been nothing short of hellish.
“…That’s true. There was a large-scale war against the devil worshippers in the past.”
“Are they really that much of a threat?”
“Oh, there was a time when they were quite powerful.”
…I already thought they had more influence than expected.
But to think that, at one point, they were strong enough to wage full-scale war against the Empire…
“Sounds like a bunch of persistent bastards.”
“Yes, they multiply at an almost incomprehensible rate.”
On that point, Edwin and I were in complete agreement.
Why the hell would anyone worship demons?
If you worship them, you go straight to hell when you die.
No matter how miserable life was, I sure as hell wasn’t signing up for eternal suffering in the afterlife.
Then again, they must have some kind of incentive, seeing as people were willing to risk their lives for it.
Even the remnants of the Lugar Kingdom, who had no intention of worshiping demons, were willing to cooperate with them. That alone said a lot.
“Well, enough about that. Now that you’ve seen the facility, shall we head to the main site—the cave?”
“Yes, I’d like to take a look.”
After finishing the tour of the camp, we made our way toward the cave.
Standing at its entrance were two knights, clad in white armor, their physiques notably large.
“We’ll be entering.”
“Understood, Sir Edwin.”
…Unfamiliar faces. Were they Imperial knights?
It made sense that the Investigation Team wouldn’t have come without protection.
These knights must have accompanied them.
“Are they catching your interest?”
Edwin asked, noticing my gaze fixed on the two knights.
“A little.”
“Haha, if the opportunity arises, it would be good to arrange an exchange between you and them.”
“That sounds like a great idea.”
An exchange with Imperial knights?
I’d welcome that with open arms.
Aura techniques likely wouldn’t differ too much between us, but considering these knights were deemed worthy to guard an Imperial investigation team, they had to be elite.
If possible, I’d love to spar with them.
“Now, let’s head inside.”
I followed Edwin into the cave.
“It’s well-organized.”
Unlike when I had first entered, the ground now had proper pathways laid out, making it easier to traverse.
“This is my first time here as well—I only arrived this morning—so I was just as impressed by how well-organized it is.”
“Ah, so this was all done by the first investigation team?”
“Yes, and their team leader is inside as well.”
Now that I thought about it, Edwin had only just arrived at the camp today.
He had introduced the facilities and walked through the camp so naturally that I had momentarily forgotten.
Also, considering Edwin held the title of ‘Captain’ while the leader of the first investigation team was referred to as a ‘team leader,’ it seemed his rank was higher than I initially thought.
We passed the stone door that the elite soldiers had struggled to open last time and moved towards the chamber where the Gigant statue stood.
“You seem rather unfazed. Have you been in this cave before?”
As we walked, Edwin seemed to notice my lack of reaction and asked curiously.
“Yes, I was part of the search team that first discovered this cave.”
“Oh? So the Boyd family’s contribution to finding the Gigant statue… that was you?”
“Yes, I believe so.”
I was the only member of the Boyd family involved in the investigation, so it had to be me.
…Come to think of it, I felt like I had been the one dealing with every major incident in the capital lately.
Then again, the Boyd family was a Marquis house with its domain far from the capital.
Normally, they wouldn’t send knights for capital affairs.
I was an exception—a spare resource that Lowell had decided to send.
Anyway, we moved deeper inside, past the now-cleared sacrificial altar, and finally arrived at the inner chamber where the Gigant statue stood.
“What do you think?”
The chamber was bustling.
It looked almost like the research facility back at the camp.
People were moving about, setting up equipment, and casting magic. A massive white cloth covered the statue, and mages were busy drawing magical formations on it.
“Impressive.”
The scale alone was staggering.
Was this the power of the Empire?
I had never even heard of cloth large enough to cover a statue of this size, let alone seen it.
“And that…?”
My attention shifted to the mages who were continuously chanting.
What exactly were they doing?
“As you can see, the statue is currently inside a cave. That’s not ideal, so we’re preparing to extract it.”
Extract it?
That massive thing?
The statue was tens of meters tall.
“Is that even possible?”
“The mages are reducing its weight with magic as we speak.”
“Ah, I see.”
By layering magic, they could lighten the statue and make it easier to move.
“You’re planning to break open the ceiling, then?”
“Exactly. There are only a few meters of rock above—shouldn’t be too difficult.”
So their plan was to open up the cave’s ceiling and then lift the statue out after reducing its weight.
“And where is it going after that?”
“That’s something we’ll have to discuss with the kingdom.”
So there was a chance the Empire would take it.
I wasn’t sure what the kingdom’s stance would be, but personally, I’d prefer if they just let the Empire have it.
Well, whatever…
“Hope it all goes smoothly.”
As long as that statue was handled properly, that was all that mattered.
