Book 10: Chapter 17: Miss…Again?
“Cai-Nii, how many times is it now?”
“Told you I’m sorry. See, that’s why you’re here with your subordinates, right, and all the drinks are on me.”
Cain turned around, and he saw Leon’s subordinates, the members of the Royal Knights, drinking and making a ruckus.
Show some restraint, will you — Cain muttered under his breath.
“Yeah, that part is fine. Those guys are already satisfied just chugging their drinks without working.”
“Then isn’t it fine already?”
“I’m not saying that it’s a problem that my and my subordinates’ time has been wasted on useless errands. We have the duty to remove any threat to the kingdom, after all.”
Halt’s older brother Leon was the commanding officer of the knights that were serving the kingdom. Currently, 30 people were working under him, the youngest person ever to become the commander.
Cain, Leon and Halt’s older brother, had the ability to detect all the threats to the Royal Capital using his extreme intuition. However, he was also the captain of the imperial guards of this kingdom’s monarch, so he couldn’t just leave the capital anytime he wanted to.
Because of this, there were several instances until now when Cain would request Leon to remove the menace that had been threatening the Royal Capital.
Even recently, Cain had asked Leon to subjugate monsters numerous times, but —
He would stop Leon even before he could set out with his subordinates in all those times.
The reason? The target for subjugation had disappeared.
“Isn’t it kinda terrible that Cai-Nii’s extreme intuition keeps on being a miss?”
Leon was worried about Cain’s slump.
There were many monsters that would go stronger once they were left alone. To think of it in another way, the earlier they subjugate the monsters, the better they would be able to prevent damage, and it would lighten the burden on the people who would go on the subjugation expeditions.
Cain’s extreme intuition could tell him the possible signs that a powerful monster would generate. The kingdom had been saved countless times thanks to this ability.
And yet, that same extreme intuition skill kept on being a miss, so Leon was worried.
“Actually, there’s no way my extreme intuition missed.”
“...What do you mean by that?”
“The monsters did appear. However, somebody else already defeated them while we’re in the middle of discussing my request to you to subjugate them.”
“Huh? Eh, but you said…we’re needed to subjugate that monster, right? Just who the heck would be able to defeat that monster then, huh!?”
Leon was strong.
Cain was the strongest among the soldiers of this kingdom.
The next one would be the captain of the Royal Knights.
Leon was the third.
Because of the nature of their work, Cain and the Royal Knights’ captain couldn’t move freely as they wished. Even if the monsters appeared, the chances of them going to the frontlines was zero.
That’s why, Leon was considered as the strongest among the soldiers that could move freely in this kingdom.
And yet, somebody else had already removed the threat even before Leon could make his move.
However, if the entity was unknown, it would also be possible that that entity itself could be a threat.
“Cai-Nii…you have an idea who it is, don’t you?”
“...Yeah. But I don’t have any proof. My skill is just an intuition, after all.”
“Got it. Then, if Cai-Nii felt a strong monster coming up, I’ll still go to scout the area.”
“You won’t take your subordinates?”
“Well, I guess so. It’ll take too much time to prepare them for departure, after all. So next time, I’ll just go on my own. I won’t be reckless, of course.”
Cain didn’t want to put his brother in danger, but because he couldn’t trust his own skill, he decided to accept Leon’s suggestion.
“Got it. If things don’t look good, just run away, okay?”
“Yeah, that’s the plan. By the way, based on Cai-Nii’s intuition, who is that guy who defeated the strong monster?”
“Hmmm…That’s —”
Cain’s intuition would rarely give him visions.
When he sensed a danger class A monster appear, he saw a vision of an ogre.
And the person who sliced that ogre into a thousand pieces was —
Someone Cain knew very well.
“It’s Halt.”
“Eh?”
“Our younger brother, Halt. That guy slayed the monster.”
“...Halt is just a student at the magical academy, you know? Isn’t it impossible for him to defeat monsters around this area that is so close to the Royal Capital —”
“Halt is 15 years old this year.”
“Y, Yeah, that’s right.”
“Then that means he can register in the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“...So you’re telling me that Halt’s defeating monsters that needed me to personally intervene in order to get Guild Points because he registered?”
“That’s the gist of it, I guess. By the way, my extreme intuition is telling me that that guy is still an E-rank adventurer as of now.”
“HUH!?”
Regardless of this information being half-baked, it didn’t stop the doubts that started to flood Leon’s mind.
“Anyway, the next time I felt a monster appearing, just go. Halt will probably be there. Then just ask the guy himself about a lot of things, will you?”