The various nations, including the Empire, generally maintained a friendly stance toward the Otherworlders. Although their sudden appearance had caused some consternation, they were ultimately on humanity’s side.

There were too many of them to antagonize recklessly, and it wasn’t merely their numbers. They didn’t die, and they only grew stronger over time. If this continued, there was a real possibility that their collective power would eventually surpass that of Gaia’s natives.

Thus, even if countries wanted to oppose the Otherworlders, they couldn’t afford to. Confronting them would be exhausting, so it was better to bring them into the fold. Even Gaia, the goddess of this land, had expressed a reluctant acceptance: “Though you are unwelcome visitors, I will nevertheless extend my hospitality.”

Fortunately, most of the Otherworlders were amicable, and they even spoke the local language, making it easy to integrate them. A surprising advantage came from this association: the Otherworlders made information gathering simple. They had massive networks, like an open system, even if not all were individually strong.

The bounty on Yor was well-known among them, along with surprisingly detailed information about him.

The Fourth Knight Division’s captain, Rayleigh, looked over a stack of documents, gathering his thoughts.

* "A formidable presence living in the forest."

* "A man whose name has spread widely among the Otherworlders."

* "And... the demon’s child whom the Empire lost track of thirteen years ago."

The final piece of information hadn’t come from the Otherworlders. It was something Rayleigh had dug up through his own investigation. Though he’d only been a trainee knight back then, he’d heard the tale, recorded as one of the Empire’s blunders.

After extensive searches had turned up nothing, it had been assumed the child had met an untimely end.

“Who would have thought he’d survive in such a treacherous forest all this time…”

It was an impressive feat, though from a knight’s perspective, it was also an irritating one. Manifestation Bearers—those with supernatural powers—were treated as a dire threat in every country. They were ticking time bombs, so it was deemed best to eliminate them to neutralize potential risks.@@novelbin@@

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