[Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]

    Chapter 24

    After regaining the power of the Sword Master, Kaylen believed it would be only a matter of time before the Meier family was revived.

    Not only could Kaylen wield the power of the Sword Master, but he was also capable of using 4th-circle magic. With such abilities, he would be treated with great respect no matter which country he went to.

    ‘After forming my mana body, everything up until now has been a stage of experimentation.’

    Even if the dungeon was different from before, or if the new "mana suit" had been created, it didn''t matter much to Kaylen, who had set the goal of rebuilding the Meier family. With the power he already possessed, restoring the family was possible.

    ‘Anyway, I didn’t intend to build an empire like before.’

    Kaylen had once been the head of a marquis house, and even established a unified empire. But after his disappearance, the empire split and fell apart, and his descendants lived in hiding, changing their names and titles. Seeing the disasters of the past generations, Kaylen had planned to raise a noble family in this life, but the state of the world seemed unusual.

    ‘A change in the moon?’

    During his time as Ernstine, he had unified the continent and fought in numerous battles against the Demon King, experiencing all kinds of war and hardship. However, he had never encountered a situation where the moon emitted a red light, and mana was evaporating in such a manner.

    Thinking back, it was strange.

    ‘I never understood why monsters couldn’t leave the dungeon''s vicinity.’

    In Ernstine’s time, monsters from the demon world used to gather through the dungeons, forming armies to invade. While dungeons had grown stronger over time, the fact that monsters couldn’t move beyond a certain range was a very strange limitation.

    ‘Colonies.’

    The word “colonies” appeared in the demon language written on the dungeon core. Kaylen found himself becoming increasingly concerned about it.

    While the current situation was not one where the human world was being dominated by the demon world, the sharp decrease in the amount of mana compared to before made the connection to the word “colonies” suspicious.

    ‘If the human world is indeed in a colonial stage, we cannot overlook this.’

    Ernstine Meier.

    The first emperor to conquer the continent.

    Many criticized him as the embodiment of power. Despite building a vast empire, he was accused of being a demon obsessed with bloodshed, constantly starting wars to unify the continent. However, contrary to such accusations, the era of the Meier Empire was the most peaceful time on the continent.

    Wars had ceased, the Demon King and monsters were defeated, and roads were built across the land. All industries flourished, taxes were lowered, and various injustices in the world were corrected. The continent, unified under one empire, had become a place where everyone could live well.

    People revered Emperor Ernstine with their hearts and wished that this era would last forever.

    If only Emperor Ernstine hadn’t died suddenly.

    If the Meier Empire hadn’t been torn apart by the power struggles of his children.

    The continent would have progressed even further.

    The reason the world was so livable was ultimately due to the will of the emperor.

    While Emperor Ernstine of the Meier family had managed the entire continent''s affairs by sleeping only two to three hours a day, the empire had thrived due to his tireless efforts.

    However, even with all that effort, after Ernstine''s death, the empire crumbled like a sandcastle.

    ‘Seeing the collapse of the empire, I decided not to intervene too much this time. The dream of a unified, peaceful continental empire ended in vain.’

    The politics that Ernstine carried out had ultimately been possible because of the overwhelming military power he possessed. Once the Grand Sword Master, the superhuman figure, was gone, the continent reverted to its original state.

    The unified empire failed, and the world returned to what it was.

    However, one thing had changed: the Meier family.

    The Meier family, which had lasted for over a thousand years, was destroyed.

    ‘If the family had simply remained a noble house, it wouldn''t have fallen this far.’

    The Meier family, once the ruling family of the continent, rose to the highest position, but the fall from such a height was swift.

    Seeing the family name disappear, Ernstine decided he would no longer pursue grand ideals as he had before.

    ‘In the end, without the Grand Sword Master, the unified empire would have been a fleeting dream.’

    Having abandoned impossible goals, he had planned to take care of his descendants and restore the family name. But now, the situation was different.

    ‘If the human world is truly in a colonial state... if the moon, or the demon world, is siphoning away the world’s mana... I can’t overlook this.’

    ***

    For the past few weeks, the branch manager of the Dungeon Guild’s Alzas branch, the wizard Krundal, had been feeling uneasy. It all started after he approved the F-class Civil Squad of Meier.

    The squad, consisting of only two members, seemed like a child''s play.

    "Wow... how did you manage to get such a large dungeon core?"

    Krundal asked in awe, subtly trying to figure out how it was done. He tried not to show it, but Kaylen had already noticed the oddness in Krundal''s behavior.

    ‘The dungeon core fragments seem to be bigger than expected.’

    Kaylen had absorbed the larger parts of the dungeon cores, leaving only the smaller fragments to bring back. Despite that, Krundal’s reaction suggested something was off.

    ‘Well, it’s different when a core is destroyed with the firepower of a Mana Suit versus cutting it with a sword.’

    The difference in the size of the fragments was so striking that Krundal seemed genuinely astonished.

    This could be used to their advantage.

    ‘It’s not good to stand out too much with no power behind us right now.’

    Kaylen lowered his voice and responded to Krundal.

    "I can’t tell you how we did it, but think about who recommended us."

    "Ah..."

    With those few words, Krundal fell silent.

    The princess, Violet, who had written the letter of recommendation. If she was involved, it was better not to press further.

    ‘Of course, without the princess’s involvement, it would be impossible for just two of them to subjugate three F-class dungeons.’

    In theory, it was unheard of for two people without Mana Suits to subjugate three F-class dungeons.

    Kaylen subtly made Krundal think that Violet’s influence was behind their success.

    "Branch Manager, in fact, as today’s results prove, the work we’re doing in the Meier Civil Squad is getting attention from higher-ups."

    "Yes..."

    "With a letter of recommendation, we could have produced results from more dungeons, perhaps even from D-class dungeons. But because we received F-class, we had to settle for this. It’s a pity, really. We wanted to try bringing back even larger dungeon core fragments, but... the regulations changed."

    Kaylen trailed off as if regretting something.

    Krundal, sensing Kaylen’s intent, realized what he was after.

    It was to level up the squad’s rank.

    With their F-class dungeon subjugation achievements and the display of large dungeon core fragments, Krundal’s heart was swayed.

    "Hmm, it is unfortunate. But the new regulations are the regulations... especially when it comes to Mana Suits. There’s nothing I can do about that under my authority."

    "Yes. I understand the changes in regulations regarding the Mana Suits. But what about the minimum squad size? We have many confidential tasks, so..."

    Kaylen was asking for some flexibility on the squad size, even if the Mana Suit issue was off the table.

    Krundal thought for a moment before nodding.

    The temptation of such large dungeon core fragments was just too great.

    "Alright. If you can bring in the Mana Suits, I won’t make an issue of the squad size."

    "Thank you."

    "I’ll accept any Mana Suit as long as it’s not defective. As long as it works properly, that is."

    "Defective?"

    "Yes. For example, the Dwarf Queen''s products are unacceptable. We won’t recognize those."

    Krundal continued to let the issue of the Mana Suits slide, offering a generous concession... but Kaylen’s mind was caught on one word.

    "The Dwarf Queen...?"

    "Yes. You know the professor from the academy who only produces scraps?"

    Krundal spoke with a tone of disdain.

    However, Kaylen didn’t hear the rest of his words.

    ‘The Dwarf Queen?’

    Kaylen was deeply familiar with that title.

    In the days of the continent’s empire, during the reign of the Emperor, the Dwarf Queen had been his seventh wife, holding the position amidst dozens of other wives and hundreds of concubines.

    [Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]