Battle Race in the Fantasy World

Battle Race in the Fantasy World – 70

EP.70 The Inevitable Has Come… But Isn’t It Too Soon?

It had been 30 years since the empire entered a state of complete peace.

Since then, there had never been an emergency alert.

Even during monster attacks, the imperial army was dispatched immediately to handle everything.

Since then, a true era of peace had finally arrived.

Everyone believed that unless the empire went to war again, there would be no emergency alerts.

That was what the personnel of the various imperial departments and the soldiers of the imperial army thought.

Until today, when a sudden emergency alert was issued.

“What kind of disaster is this!”

“Did we get any contact from the Special Affairs Department? What did they say?”

“They just found out yesterday!”

“If they knew yesterday, why didn’t they tell us anything?!”

“They sent people to gather information, but during that time, the situation changed again, so they had to reassess….”

The Ministry of Internal Affairs, which oversees each region, and the Ministry of Finance, which handles all budgets, finances, and taxes, were hit by a storm.

One side lost their minds trying to track the situation and movement routes from each stronghold.

The other side went crazy trying to predict the restoration budget in case of any damage.

Although the reasons for their panic differed, one thing was certain.

Both departments were facing a situation where their worst nightmare could come true.

Unlike the Ministry of Finance, which was still in the pre-nightmare stage since no damage had occurred yet,

The Ministry of Internal Affairs was in a state of utter chaos, with two direct descendants of Jonathan charging forward. They were as panicked as if the Emperor himself had visited their department.

“How is this possible?! They were supposedly in the northern plains yesterday. So why is today’s report suddenly coming from the central boundary region? Even the fastest courier would take three days to cover that distance!!”

“Maybe they saw it wrong? If that’s the case, it would make sense….”

The man suggested, but his superior’s face twisted in anger, causing him to shut up with a whimper.

Honestly, even he knew it didn’t make sense.

Would a report reach the Imperial Ministry of Internal Affairs without being verified?

Any false report would immediately be met with the hammer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

It wasn’t a mistake; it had been reported, confirmed, and rechecked before reaching them.

“Where is the Minister?!”

“He went to the Special Affairs Department. He said this doesn’t make any sense….”

Going there wouldn’t solve anything. This was driving him crazy.

His superior muttered irritably as he ruffled his hair.

On his desk lay a map with a marked route.

The starting point of the line was Baron Jonathan’s estate at the northernmost edge.

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Meanwhile, the Minister of Internal Affairs, who had gone to the Special Affairs Department, immediately met with the Minister of Special Affairs.

After a brief discussion, they stormed into the Ministry of Education.

There, they practically kidnapped the Minister of Education and headed to the academy.

They called in someone who might know about the current situation.

“I have a question. Has there been any correspondence from your family?”

At the Minister of Internal Affairs’ question, Kyle, the second son of Jonathan studying at the academy, shook his head.

No letters had arrived. There was no way to know why they were coming.

Except for coming to the academy, they had never moved before.

In such a situation, the direct descendants of the family head, and two of them at that, were suddenly pushing into the empire.

The only silver lining was that the worst-case scenario seemed to have been avoided.

There were no reports of any place being destroyed or the imperial army being annihilated.

This meant that they didn’t have a hostile reason for coming to the empire.

“It seems we need to meet them directly to find out.”

“I agree.”

“Let’s move quickly. We have no idea how far they’ve come.”

Just as the ministers concluded and were about to get up.

“Excuse me, Ministers. Actually, I have something to tell you.”

The three ministers listened to Kyle explain why his brother and sister were rushing to the heart of the empire.

“Excuse me, Kyle.”

“Yes, Minister.”

“So, you’re saying the reason your brother and sister are coming here is because they’re worried you might have been hurt in that incident?”

“Uh… no. That’s not it. It’s just that those guys did something strange to their bodies and got stronger….”

Kyle explained the reason truthfully.

However, the ministers didn’t take his explanation at face value.

‘No matter how much Jonathan values strength….’

‘Still, they must be worried about their child, their sibling.’

‘It seems Baron Jonathan’s family cares a lot about their youngest. Surprising.’

If Kyle could read their thoughts, he would have shouted.

What nonsense is this? Those people aren’t that soft-hearted.

They were coming to see him, which wasn’t entirely wrong, but it wasn’t because they were worried about their youngest sibling. They were worried about whether his muscles had deteriorated.

“Anyway, thank you for being honest. That eases our concerns a bit.”

“We’ll be going now. We hope you continue to have a productive time at the academy.”

The three ministers stood up, left the academy, and got into their carriage.

According to the latest report, Jonathan’s guests had just crossed the Rhine River.

This meant they were very close to the capital and the academy.

Since they didn’t seem to have a hostile intent toward the empire, it was best to meet them directly.

“Shouldn’t we bring the Minister of Finance along?”

“Bringing him would only cause him to have a fit. Let’s not.”

The Minister of Special Affairs’ words were met with strong agreement from the Minister of Education.

He was certain that if his colleague saw Lea Jonathan, he would foam at the mouth.

Honestly, the Minister of Education himself wasn’t entirely immune to that possibility.

The only saving grace was that Leo Jonathan had managed to have a relatively decent time at the academy.

Hope and anxiety were balanced within him.

“I think I see them.”

After traveling for a while, the carriages came to a sudden halt at the shout of a Special Affairs agent.

It was rare for ministers to move, let alone three at once.

These were people who didn’t need to feel intimidated in front of any noble, except the Emperor or the Grand Duke.

They were key figures who carried out the Emperor’s commands and managed the empire’s overall affairs.

Despite this, the three ministers stood with tense expressions, watching the figures approaching.

“Hmm.”

The first to appear was a man with a very solid build.

His physique was so impressive that, based on his silhouette alone, one might mistake him for a growing ogre.

Interestingly, despite his aggressive build, his face gave off a very gentle impression.

Of course, who knew how that face might change if he frowned.

“Oh my.”

Following him was a woman who looked similar yet different.

Their features were quite alike, but her physique was the exact opposite of his.

At a glance, one might mistake her for a beautiful woman with a giant bodyguard.

However, the three ministers present, especially the Minister of Education, knew the truth.

They knew what that delicate-looking beauty had done at the academy.

At first, he thought he was dreaming when he witnessed the carnage firsthand.

The academy, which looked as if it had been hit by a massive storm, was in ruins.

“This is a nightmare, a nightmare,” he muttered as the suspect appeared before him.

“Lea Jonathan.”

“Minister, I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Lea also seemed to remember the Minister of Education.

She smiled softly and nudged the person standing next to her.

To the ministers watching, it looked more like a solid punch than a nudge.

“It’s the minister, brother.”

“…Leo Jonathan.”

A voice that was calm and serious, without any particular inflection.

However, that one voice caused the knights and Special Affairs agents guarding the ministers to flinch in surprise.

The overwhelming presence in his voice made them instinctively shrink back.

“Nice to meet you all.”

The first to greet them was the Minister of Special Affairs.

He was known for never smiling; even those who had worked in the Special Affairs Department for a long time had never seen him smile.

Yet today, as if the heavens had turned upside down, he was beaming.

His subordinates looked on with expressions that said, ‘What is this? Is this real?’

“We were a bit surprised by your sudden visit.”

The Minister of Internal Affairs also smiled, though his words carried a clear undertone.

In other words, why had they suddenly come and turned everything upside down?

“We’re going to the academy.”

“We want to see our brother’s face and have some things to discuss.”

So, it was because of Kyle, after all.

The three ministers simultaneously nodded, thinking the same thing.

“We’ve heard the gist of it from Kyle.”

“We understand your concern for your brother. We have no intention of hindering a family reunion. However, there is somewhere you need to go first.”

Somewhere to go first? Leo and Lea tilted their heads in confusion.

They had clearly said they were going to the academy, so why were they being directed elsewhere?

“The great ruler of the empire, His Majesty the Emperor, has personally invited you to the imperial palace.”

Inviting members of a mere baron’s family to the imperial palace, and by the Emperor himself, was unprecedented in the history of the empire.

But what happened next was even more surprising.

“We’ll go later.”

“…What?”

“I said we’ll go later.”

Leo’s voice, which made the listener instinctively feel small.

Lea added with a gentle smile.

“My brother and I will go to the academy first. We’ll visit the palace afterward.”