Dragged Into Another World Because of My Otaku Friend-Chapter 122: Council Meeting

In the Council room, five figures sat in luxurious chairs surrounding the rectangular table. Standing behind them were four royal knights, silently on standby.

King Radcliffe looked deeply troubled. The reason for this urgent meeting was the intelligence report brought forth by Edward concerning the incidental discovery of a tunnel.

Edward was currently presenting his findings.

"So, where did the tunnel lead, Edward?" the King asked.

"The tunnel begins in the northern part of the city and ends at the nearby town of Marigold," Edward reported.

"It is possible that the purpose of this tunnel is to transport mining products illegally from the northern side of our city to other parts of the continent, possibly even to foreign nations."

He then cast a glance at Kelar, who remained calm, his expression unreadable as he reviewed the report in his hands.

King Radcliffe suddenly slammed the paper onto the table and stood up. He marched toward the nearby balcony, placing both hands firmly on the railing. A storm of anger churned in his chest.

He was looking down at Rose City from above. Night had already fallen, with a crescent moon floating high in the sky. The clouds were thick.

"Who dares to do this in this city? Do you have any information about the culprit, Sir Edward?" Prince Reymond asked.

"Unfortunately, the tunnel seems to have been abandoned for quite some time. It appears they already knew we had discovered it," Edward replied.

"Hmmm. To think the head of security for this city had no idea there was a tunnel stretching across it. How amusing," Sir Kelar said with a smile.

"What did you just say?" Reymond snapped, leaning forward, his eyes sharp and locked onto Kelar.

Prince Reid quickly placed a hand on Reymond’s shoulder before things escalated. He then set down the paper he was reading and clasped his hands together in front of him. His eyes remained calm.

"Sir Kelar, do you know anything about this? I assume, given your wide network of informants, you might." He looked directly at Kelar. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Kelar looked at Reid. "I’m sorry. This tunnel is outside the reach of my informants," he replied.

"Is that so? How unfortunate," Reid said, his eyes cold, though a small smile tugged at the edge of his mouth.

King Radcliff then stepped back toward the table and slammed his right hand on its surface. "Whatever it is, I want the culprit behind this found! To think they had the guts to do this behind my back, they’re courting death!"

His face was red with rage. Never had he imagined something like this could happen under his rule. It made his blood boil.

The mining site of this city is considered the most valuable on the continent, as the mountains nearby are rich in mana stones. Mana stones are highly sought after by nations for the manufacturing of magical items such as weapons. The city only exports a limited amount of these stones to other nations in order to maintain its upper hand in the balance of power.

But with this issue, that balance might be tipped, especially if the stones are being delivered to the Empire, with whom this kingdom is currently in a cold war.

"This is actually very big news," Thomas whispered to Cynthia. "Imagine if the ones who got the mana stones sold them... they’d be insanely rich."

Cynthia didn’t reply. She stood still and focused. But in her mind, she was thinking about the past two nights. She hadn’t had a session with Kelar during that time, and when she asked, Kelar only said he was busy and told her to remain on standby. Never in the past ten years had she missed a session. She had a bad feeling about this.

Even Daria, she hadn’t seen her in days.

Something was happening.

"Father, actually, I have been receiving some news from a reliable source, and it might be related to this," Reid said.

"Continue, Reid," King Radcliff replied.

All eyes turned toward Reid, including Kelar’s.

"My source said they found something in the nearby Cave of Coldshire. They detected traces of underground activity, and it seems they’re researching a forbidden ritual."

Kelar’s hand was fiddling with the ring on his index finger.

’So he already received the information... The Dawnbloom Guild must have told him. What a nuisance,’ he thought.

"What kind of forbidden ritual, Prince?" Edward asked, visibly shocked.

"It seems they’re researching Kaoslith. But a different type from the one we encountered ten years ago. This one is said to be capable of canceling magic within an area."

The words struck the room. Everyone had the same stunned reaction.

"Are you sure this is true, Brother?" Reymond stood up, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead.

Reid nodded.

King Radcliff sank into his chair, one hand rubbing his forehead.

"Cough! If what you’re saying is true, and if the tunnel is also being used to transport that Kaoslith... then we are doomed," the King said gravely.

Everyone in the room understood all too well what Kaoslith was capable of. The memories of what happened ten years ago, the destruction, the casualties, the trauma were still fresh in their minds.

But among all of them, the most shaken was Cynthia.

Suddenly, her breathing grew rapid. Her limbs went numb, and she lost sensation of her surroundings. The word Kaoslith had triggered a rush of memories from a decade ago. Just as she was about to collapse,

Thomas caught her.

"Got you. Are you okay, Cynthia?"

"I-I’m okay," she said weakly, pushing Thomas’s hands away.

Even as she said it, she was sweating heavily.

"Father, do not worry. I will investigate further regarding this and will make sure I find the one responsible." Reid’s eyes then shot toward Kelar.

They locked eyes for a few seconds before Reid finally sat back down.

’This man... he is truly dangerous. Looks like I’ll need to eliminate him if I don’t want any problems with my plan going forward,’ Kelar thought.

’But that can wait. Right now, I believe it should already be happening...’

Suddenly, a knock was heard at the door.

Sir Saul moved to open it and see who it was.

"Your Majesty, a guard reports that the mayor of Daisy Town is requesting your presence. It’s said to be a very urgent matter," Sir Saul informed.

"What makes the mayor come to this city so late at night?" King Radcliff asked as he stood up.

"With that," he continued, "I conclude this meeting. I hope that next time, I receive good news, not another disaster."

He then walked toward the door, escorted by guards, along with all the council members and royal knights, except Kelar, who remained alone in the room.

’Looks like it’s already begun.’

He smiled wickedly.