Chapter Nine: Southern Disaster Phantom Cloud

“Stop making excuses! Who was it that confidently claimed in the message there would be no complications, leading us to plan our itinerary based on the route you provided? Now that all the transfer times have been confirmed, you suddenly want to change the envoy’s route?! Do you know what this means…?”

“What’s going on, Miss Philena?”

Having listened to the argument for quite a while, Miss Vilyric couldn’t help her curiosity and stepped closer.

Upon seeing the Priestess arrive, Philena took a few deep breaths to suppress her anger.

This guest had been specifically requested to be treated with the utmost respect by Your Majesty. Although she was part of the envoy, she didn’t belong to the kingdom’s command, and even though Philena was the leader of the group, she had no authority to boss around the likes of her.

Philena still felt a chill from the scene where the Queen had lost her temper. She had never seen that benevolent prince act so out of character for anyone before.

Thus, no matter how perplexed she was, Philena could only uphold her duty as a subject and ensure the Queen’s orders were carried out to the letter.

“Why is Miss Vilyric here? Apologies, we’ve encountered a minor issue; let me explain…”

Philena succinctly and clearly described the situation to Vilyric.

In short, one of the “Four Disasters” that dwells in the far southern Wasteland had unexpectedly awakened from hibernation early this year.

Given the speed and direction of the disaster’s spread, it was likely to cross the territory of the Kingdom of Kweith from east to west, coinciding with the envoy traveling south, which was why the Kingdom of Kweith suggested delaying the journey or rerouting to avoid contact with the Southern Disaster.

However, Philena believed this would significantly delay the envoy’s arrival in the Kingdom of Azure, jeopardizing plans that had been previously discussed between the two nations. Furthermore, the ensuing journey through the Wasteland would become unpredictable due to the time discrepancies.

This issue entirely stemmed from the Kingdom of Kweith’s misinformation and their failure to notify the United Kingdom in advance. Thus, as the envoy leader, Philena insisted they must come up with a reasonable solution or else the Kingdom of Kweith would have to bear all subsequent responsibilities.

Vilyric quickly understood.

This was one of those cases where both sides had their own reasoning. While the envoy from the United Kingdom was indeed affected greatly, the Kingdom of Kweith was also caught off guard and had not anticipated this sudden development.

Just from the mixed troops’ makeup, Vilyric could see how sluggish this country was in handling intelligence and communication.

Pointing fingers at them wouldn’t do much good.

Philena, as the envoy leader appointed by Liliya, certainly knew this fact, but her continued insistence on the issue was simply to maintain the so-called dignity of a great nation. After all, with the United Kingdom’s international standing, they couldn’t just change the envoy’s pre-planned schedule on a whim because a vassal nation said, “No, we have difficulties.”

This was a political lord-subject relationship issue, which Vilyric didn’t care much about. What she was more concerned about was…

“What exactly is the Four Disasters?”

She had indeed seen this term in some books from the United Kingdom.

But for some reason, they merely mentioned it without providing much detail, leaving the Priestess still somewhat in the dark about what the Four Disasters referred to.

“The Four Disasters are… um, you answer!”

Philena instinctively replied, but her expression suddenly turned somewhat awkward, obviously she, like Vilyric, was unclear about what the so-called Four Disasters actually were.

The middle-aged man in decent armor, seemingly the commander of the Kingdom of Kweith’s forces, froze for a moment. Perhaps he didn’t understand why this suddenly appearing noble black-haired girl felt so entitled to intervene in their conversation.

The envoy leader quickly snapped back to form, adopting a tone of unwavering authority.

“This is Miss Vilyric, a distinguished guest appointed by Your Majesty. You will answer her questions without hesitation, understood?!”

“Oh, oh, oh! I see now!”

Upon hearing “appointed by the Queen,” the general’s expression immediately shifted to one of respect.

“The so-called Four Disasters actually refer to four powerful entities in the world. Their strength far exceeds what ordinary beings can handle, and they possess terrifying destructive capabilities, hence the label of ‘Disaster.'”

“Powerful entities? How powerful? Are they legendary, transcendent, or even higher? And why have I never heard similar rumors in the United Kingdom?”

Vilyric queried, surprised. She had been inquiring about such legends and extraordinary events, and since they were labeled world disasters, there was no reason the United Kingdom should have no records of them at all.

“This…”

The general stealthily glanced at Philena beside him. Seeing her expression remained calm, he cautiously continued.

“The United Kingdom has never actually suffered from the Four Disasters. Although the exact reason is unclear, there are rumors that one of the founding figures of the kingdom once signed an agreement with the creators of the Four Disasters.”

“Though it was just a rumor and doesn’t hold much weight, it is a verified fact that the Four Disasters do not enter the human United Kingdom.”

“Since they have not been encountered, over time, the records about this terrifying matter have naturally diminished in the United Kingdom and are hardly known.”

“As for the strength of the Four Disasters… I’m truly not sure, as those who have encountered them basically don’t come back alive, do they?”

The general thought for a moment and then added suddenly.

“However, according to our records—about thirty years ago in the Wasteland, there was a powerful legend where hundreds of top-notch experts and tens of thousands of elite troops went to subdue the Southern Disaster Phantom Cloud, and the result was total annihilation, with not a single survivor.”

Is that so…

If what this general said was true, then the scarcity of rumors about the Four Disasters in the United Kingdom would be quite normal.

While this world had convenient magical communication, it required precious Magic Crystals and relied on specialized Mages to accomplish. Common folk, and even many nobles, might not qualify or have the means to use it.

Most information exchange still happened through books, official publications, and word of mouth.

How many travelers were there in this world? Besides, the United Kingdom was an extremely insular nation of pure humans.

Sure enough, many things could not be understood unless one ventured out.

As for the so-called Southern Disaster Phantom Cloud, if it could wipe out tens of thousands, including a legend, then it probably had at least transcendent-level power, certainly a disaster hard to withstand for most people in this world.

Of course, there was always the possibility of stronger powers or other special means.

“I understand. So what more specific information can you provide about the Phantom Cloud? For example, its form, abilities, or possible weaknesses?”

This time, before the general could respond, Philena sensed something was amiss.

“Wait a moment, Miss Vilyric, why are you asking about this?”

The Priestess asked with a smile, hands on her hips.

“Do I need to explain? Of course, I want to meet this Southern Disaster! I’ve been cooped up in the carriage for over a month, my bones are about to rust. How can I miss such a rare opportunity?”

Before the suddenly anxious group could stop her, Vilyric emphasized first.

“And besides, if we eliminate this thing, each of your troubles would be swiftly resolved, wouldn’t it? It’s a win-win-win!”

   

---