Chapter 213.1: The Next Destination (Part 1)

『This is way bigger than I anticipated... And the research team could be compromised...hmm, thanks for the information though, at least I have a better grasp on the situation now.』

Once Mira finished telling him everything she learned, Solomon took a brief pause before replying, the shock and confusion palpable in his voice. He was also struggling to process the magnitude of the whole situation. But he quickly composed himself.

『First we'll have to track down that body part as soon as possible. We can't really leave it out in the wild knowing how dangerous it can be.』

As usual, Solomon quickly settled on their next plan of action. His swift and methodical way of thinking was something that had only developed further during his time as king.

「Should I return as well then? There's a high likelihood we'll keep running into devils by chasing after those body parts.」

Even Baron devils with no rank were strong enough to defeat middle level adventurers. The devil they were currently after could not be stronger than an Earl of the third rank either, but that still left a large range of possibilities for the devil's power, with the worst case being a Viscount. Defeating such a devil was a hard task, usually requiring multiple high level adventurers to work together. If the research team ran into someone like that unprepared, they could end up being defeated and never heard from again.

So the search for the missing body piece would require the manpower to at least defeat a Viscount devil, and Mira volunteered to be part of that.

But Solomon told her not to worry about that.

『Don't worry about that, I think we can handle that. You should try to continue as planned and search for the orphanage. I still want all of us to be reunited as soon as possible after all.』

Solomon's voice rang almost reckless as he said that. But there was no fake confidence there, he was truly convinced they could deal with such a devil.

「Alright then, if you say so... But are you truly sure about this?」

Mira was not necessarily doubting him, but asked that out of concern for her dear friend, and the country he led. Hearing that, Solomon began to put on airs, muttering 『Hmm, should I tell you? Maybe I should,』 his voice filled with smugness. Once he had enough, he laid it all bare.

『Okay, I'll let you in on the secret. The elite forces I've been gathering for a while have finally taken shape!』

His voice was filled with more excitement than usual as he spoke about that.

Solomon had started that secret plan around a decade prior, on the very day that the armistice was signed.

He went through his army, picking young men with a lot of promise, then subjecting them to intensive training to build up a team of elites. Everyone in it had been picked out of the best, and its name was Goetia.

Their existence had one simple explanation. They were a provision in case no other Wisemen other than Luminaria returned.

Now Mira had been traversing the continent from one side to another, managing to secure Kagura and Soul Howl's return, which were two of the Nine Wisemen.

But that had only been possible thanks to Mira's return at the last possible second. Back when the treaty was signed Solomon had no way of knowing she would come though, so as much as he hoped she and the rest would return, he also had to be prepared in case they remained missing.

The first preparation was the Accord Cannon, which Mira had seen before. Then came the Protean Dolls, automated weapons which Mira was shown before being sent to gather Founding Seeds. The last preparations were the secret elite forces, Goetia.

They were composed of five pairs, each having one frontline and a backliner, totalling ten members. The frontline was personally trained by Solomon, while Luminaria took care of the backliners.

Whenever Goetia was trained, the Tower of Saints' vice-elder was present as well. Or rather, no training was conducted without her present, as all members would be lethally wounded at least daily during their training, showing just how severe it was.

『They aren't as strong as you yet, but they're still powerful enough to tip a conflict into our favor. I'm still a bit impressed by how far they've all come in just one decade though.』

The Nine Wisemen were said to be the strongest spellcasters in the continent. Gaining power comparable to them in just a decade was quite a pipe dream, and they had not gotten quite there yet either, but Solomon was already pleased with the results.

『The secret treasure chambers I told you about the other day had the biggest impact though! They were filled with powerful weapons and accessories, so I was able to renew all their equipment. It turns out that they all had good affinities for them as well, so it was like their power increased by thirty percent in an instant!』

Solomon continued talking. The secret treasure chambers he was talking about had also been found below Nevrapolis, and were likely a decoy to protect the white pillar below. There were extremely rare items and equipment there as well, which Solomon collected and gave to Goetia.

Equipment could sometimes have a stark impact on someone's power, especially if it was equipment with some mysterious power.

Thanks to that, the team had reached a point where Solomon felt confident in giving them actual missions.

「I see... So you'll be sending that group of yours to follow the body parts.」

『That's it. They need to gain some experience by actually being on the field after all. Finding that body part might just be the perfect chance.』

And that was also why Solomon told Mira she could go search for the orphanage, Goetia would accompany the researchers instead.

Solomon was the strongest holy knight, and Luminaria the continent's most powerful magician. The two had trained a powerful group, who were now equipped with some of the best equipment. A devil would certainly be unable to stand against them.

From what Mira heard, that group should have no issue defeating a Viscount devil, or even an Earl devil. Otherwise they would not be suited to be the force meant to stand in for the Nine Wisemen. In a way, that was also the last check Solomon wanted to perform to make sure Goetia was ready.

『Anyway, this means that Goetia will soon join the research team, and together they'll tackle this issue. You can just focus on your own mission.』

「Hmm, I see. I'll do so then.」

If Solomon was this convinced, then Goetia had to be a force to be reckoned with. So Mira decided she could stop worrying about that.

『By the way, I believe you mentioned that orphanage is located amongst the mountains in northeastern Grimdart, in an unnamed village, right? Do you have any specific location to search?』

And so the topic returned to Mira's mission.