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Volume 2 Chapter 1 Part 5

In the end, the world of that advanced civilization became the one where charcoal could spontaneously combust at any moment, water could be brought to either boiling point or become frozen in an instant even at room temperature, and even th most advanced of the machines have not only stopped working, but malfunctioned an became even more dangerous to their creators than they already were.

Moreover, terrifying monsters have started coming to our world from the myriad of different ones that should never have intersected with one another otherwise, and throughout the years, the influence of the demonic worlds have only spread. In the age of Extreme Chaos that lasted for over 300 years, the previous civilizations were completely destroyed, leaving only a few traces of it behind.

「Honestly, it is a miracle that mankind did not perish back then. 」

Siluca summed up her lecture in such a way after talking about the periods from the Chaos Explosion to the time of Extreme Chaos.

「It is not like we were alone in the fight against the monsters from these other worlds, right? We also had the help of Gods, Spirits and superhumans who have chosen to side with humanity in this conflict, correct? 」

「Of course, yes. However, putting these beings aside, the period of Extreme Chaos was the time when the Mages who could manipulate the Chaos and Artists who engraved Chaos onto their bodies first appeared, which means that mankind was by no means powerless against these monsters on its own. 」

Siluca then continued to speak about Artuk’s powerful forces: Vampires, Werewolves, and witches. And when the Demon Lord finally appeared in this land, and a fierce battle took place.

「A Demon Lord huh………..if we ever come across one like that, then we are done for. 」

「I know that it was mostly because they have been caught off guard, but even the leaders of the two Archduke houses from the Fantasia Union and the Factory Alliance could not do anything against an enemy like that. However, with the density of the Chaos being the way it is in the current times, it is unlikely that an entity of the Demon Lord class would appear on its own. For something like that to manifest in our world today, someone had to deliberately summon it. 」

Thanks to the decrease in Chaos density, people are now able to live normal lives. Of course, the danger of Chaos related accidents and Chaos Disasters occurring has not fell down to zero, which means that even if the people of the current era wanted to recreate the civilization that has been previously lost, doing something like that would have been impossible. The Mages Association in Elam has the knowledge and technology needed in order to make that happen, but with the current situation in the world being the way it is, it is impossible for them to make any real progress with it.

「Even so, the people of Artuk are really strong, which makes them a polar opposite of the people of Sistina who cannot even do anything against the monsters roaming their island and the tyranny of the Rossini family. 」

Theo clenched his fist in frustration.

「If it’s Lord Theo, then I am sure that you can definitely make people stand up and fight for their freedom. Isn’t that what Lord Theo’s 「Patriot」 banner is for? 」

「Yes, you are right. I believe you. 」
Theo also smiled.

Siluca picked up one book after another, skimmed through it, and then carefully read the parts that seemed to be especially important to her, after which she proceeded to tell Theo about what she managed to learn from it.

Just like he said, Theo was not particularly good at reading books, but whenever Siluca was explaining something to him he seemed to be quick to understand, and he also seemed to have a good memory, and more than anything, he was always honest. If there was something that he did not understand, he was sure to inform Siluca about it and then he was patiently waiting for an explanation from her, and Siluca explained these things to him in great detail until Theo appeared to be thoroughly satisfied with the results.

Even so, it was the first time she had spent such a long time alone with Theo, and since they were in a dark, closed room without anyone else nearby right now, Siluca was feeling a little bit embarrassed, but she was trying to pay those feelings of hers no heed as much as possible. Siluca is Theo’s contracted Mage, so she has to refrain from having any sort of special feelings for the Lord that she made a contract with.

Eight days after she shut herself up in the library, Siluca had read through all the books and documents in the library and was pretty sure that she had most of the important information firmly in her head, and she hoped that Theo also understood every piece of knowledge that she has imparted onto him.

When the day of the exam came, Siluca reported to Margaret, and she was immediately asked a series of questions related to Artuk’s history and its laws. She was able to answer all of the questions without any difficulty.

「Very well then. 」

Margaret nodded with satisfaction.

「In the near future, you will be sent as a messenger to see the Elder of the Witches, the Werewolf Queen, and the Vampire King.「

「Are there any problems between them and the Earl? 」

「No, you will be doing a simple greeting, that is all. But you now know just how important those three powers are to this country, don’t you? 」

「Yes, I understand. 」

Siluca nodded her head.

Witches enter each village of Artuk to help people live, and the Werewolf and Vampire tribes send powerful mercenaries to fight alongside the soldiers of the Earl in times of war.

Moreover, the bases of the three powers are all located in the northern part of Artuk, and have prevented the invasions of the forces of the Factory Alliance many times in the past. The Witches summon mists and will-o-wisps in order to confuse the soldiers of the enemy armies, causing them to stray from the right path in the middle of the bogs and darkest corners of the forest to throw their formations in disarray, while Werewolves and Vampires usually do not allow outsiders to enter their territories at all. The Constance family has made pacts with each of them and has treated them with various privileges to ensure their cooperation so that none od these three powers would turn against Artuk itself.

「By the way, we are going to have a visitor tomorrow evening. I am going to be preparing a welcoming party for them, so I want you to help me out with it. 」

「Who is that guest going to be? 」

Siluca asked with genuine interest.

「Milza Kuches, the prince of the small continent of Dartania. For the last five years he has been travelling around the continent in secret, and he is going to be stopping here before going back to his coutry. 」

「The Prince of Dartania… 」

Siluca knew that he was an important guest for Artuk. Dartania is located southeast of Artuk, across the sea. Small nomadic tribes occupy the arid land, but for the last hundred years the Kuches tribe has been the one that ruled over all the other tribes.

A characteristic of part Dartania’s rule is that the Lords from that region are not connected in a master-servant relationship. Moreover, the head of each tribe is not limited to the Lord, but instead, the tribe is held together by a person with excellent leadership abilities. A monarch is considered a chosen warrior, the equivalent of a Shaman. The influence of the Mages Association is weak there, and the peerage system is not well taken care of or exectued. The Mages Association has adopted a policy of accepting whoever was serving as Dartania’s current ruler and did not interfere with it as long as it remained just a small continent.

Dartania has also advanced to the sea since ancient times and has been active in maritime trade, therefore its navy is a force that had to be reckoned with.

It has a long-standing friendship with Artuk, and both of these countries jointly defend the sea that separates their territories from one another from foreign invaders.

「Lord Vilar has also expressed a wish for your Lord to attend the party as well. 」

「He wants Lord Theo to attend as well? 」

Siluca was surprised to hear that. This is because it is unusual for a Knight of the lowest rank to be present at a banquet where honored guests are going to be welcomed.