In the pre-dawn darkness, when most would still be asleep, every single retainer of Peleta had gathered in the castle. The atmosphere was so quiet that not a single idle word was spoken. After slowly scanning their stiff expressions, Kishiar was the first to break the silence.

“Everyone’s still half-asleep, and your fingertips look frozen. Let’s each have a cup of warm milk from Shuseiner before we begin the meeting.”

Right on cue, Shuseiner appeared behind him, pushing a cart and setting cups down in front of everyone. The steam rising from the milk carried a sweet aroma, as if it had just been heated.

“This is milk mixed with dried mooni berry powder and honey. There’s nothing better for clearing a foggy head when you’re tired or sleepy. Now, drink up before it cools.”

The retainers, who had been exchanging glances, finally began to drink. Yuder, seated beside Kishiar, lifted his own cup. The stiffness he hadn’t even noticed while investigating the rift seemed to loosen thanks to the warm milk.

Judging by the looks on the others’ faces, he wasn’t the only one feeling that way.

“...It’s delicious.”

“Thank you, Duke. And you, Lady Shuseiner...”

After downing his cup faster than anyone else, Kishiar scanned the retainers again.

“Good. Now that we’re in a better state to talk, let’s begin the report on the rift incident.”

Yuder already knew how the event began and ended, but several of the retainers who’d rushed in still didn’t fully understand the situation. Following Kishiar’s signal, Nathan Zuckerman rose calmly and reported the time, location, and details surrounding the first appearance and eventual disappearance of the rift.

Since it was the first time such a rift had appeared in Peleta, everyone looked unsettled. Still, the fact that it had been discovered quickly and vanished without causing damage brought a collective sigh of relief.

“That concludes the report on the Peleta rift.”

“Good. Then Weliven, who oversaw contact with other regions—go ahead.”

“Yes.”

The aging Cavalry commander stood and reported on the emergency signals from neighboring territories. As per Kishiar’s orders, knights had been dispatched immediately, and even after receiving the blue flares signaling resolution, Weliven had ordered his men to verify the local situations before returning.

“Just before I arrived here, the first reports from them reached us via express carrier. All said the same thing: strange, persistent rifts had appeared, prompting them to request aid, fearing monsters. But the rifts disappeared before our knights even arrived.”

“Hm.”

Kishiar accepted the stack of letters and flipped through them quickly as Weliven continued.

“Interestingly, several territories that didn’t send flares have been sending inquiries after the fact. We may continue receiving more.”

“And all the inquiries concern strange rifts?”

“Yes. Since it happened at dawn, it seems some regions only realized what was going on after it was already over.”

“So then, how many such late inquiries have come in so far?”

“Fifteen, by my count.”

“That’s quite a number. If even territories that don’t pay us are experiencing these rifts, then this may be much more widespread...”

Kishiar fell silent for a moment, then turned to Nathan.

“Nathan. Instruct our emergency contact network across the North to create a detailed list of all rift sightings today—whether in our territory or not.”

“Yes.”

“For now, let’s mark all known sightings on the map.”

A full map of the continent was spread across the table. Yuder immediately noticed that the level of detail rivaled—perhaps exceeded—most military maps. Not surprising. The Peleta Cavalry had agents quietly scattered across the empire, handling various missions. During the mission escorting Prince Ejein, it was the Peleta Cavalry who’d sent maps tracking monster appearances along the western border. This was likely the compiled result of all that accumulated intelligence.

An incredible feat for a knight order based in a small domain.

And it was Kishiar who had raised and funded this elite force. That map represented his personal labor and effort—it wasn’t an exaggeration to say so.

Kishiar marked each sighting with a red dot on the northwestern region and its surroundings. The fifteen points, when plotted, curved along a twisting path—like a snake or a meandering road—but didn’t seem to form any obvious pattern. The retainers murmured as they frowned at the map.

“What could it mean?”

“Do the affected areas have anything in common?”

But Yuder was thinking differently.

This... I’ve seen something like this before.

Map. Northern region. Red points marking the rift sites in a winding line.

He stared at the dots in silence, then suddenly his eyes widened.

Ah.

“Do you see something?” Kishiar asked, lowering his voice.

How can I explain this naturally?

What Yuder noticed was based on knowledge from his past life—knowledge the people of this time likely didn’t have. So he needed to phrase it carefully.

Still... Kishiar should understand, no matter how I put it.

After gathering his thoughts, Yuder spoke.

“This may not be marked on the current map, but... if I recall correctly, isn’t there a trade route that merchant guilds use in the North?”

“A trade route?”

“Like the Yohum Route in the southwest?” Nathan Zuckerman asked.

Kishiar, deep in thought, slowly shook his head.

“The North doesn’t have anything like the Yohum Route. Trade with the small nations up there is minimal, and the climate makes building proper roads difficult.”

That might be true now. But... wasn’t there one merchant guild that had a base in Peleta and was rapidly rising in fame?

The Shuden Guild, led by Mick Shuden.

In his previous life, the Shuden Guild had continued growing even after Kishiar’s death, without any apparent connection to him. Though small, they dealt in rare, high-value items and had earned unmatched trust from their clients—so it was no surprise.

One of ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) the Shuden Guild’s major future assets would be rare goods from the northern nations. As northern trade boomed thanks to them, even the southern nations—starting exchanges with the Orr Empire—grew interested in trade with the north.

But to trade overland with the northern nations, they had to pass through Orr. Many factions hostile to the southern peoples opposed this.

So, the southerners proposed a solution: fund the ongoing—but sluggish—construction of a northern trade road through the empire.

Emperor Kachian, realizing this would reduce imperial spending, approved it with pleasure. A few nobles who had opposed him were assassinated, causing nationwide uproar, but the northern trade route was ultimately completed.

Though it was minuscule compared to the state-built Yohum Route, and little more than an upgraded footpath, it became the North’s only official trade route.

The people of the empire welcomed its creation, but also harbored concerns.

Due to its controversial background, the road was famous—but few knew its details. However, Yudrain Aile—closest to the emperor and privy to many state secrets—had memorized the entire route and all relevant information.

Yes... the path traced by those red dots closely matches that trade route.

Not identical—his memory told him the trade road didn’t pass through Peleta. But otherwise, the alignment was startling. Could it really be coincidence?

“Even if not an official route, merchants must still have paths they use.”

The retainers blinked in confusion, unsure where Yuder was going with this. But Kishiar looked as though something had just clicked.

Then another voice suddenly cut in, wide-eyed with realization.

“Uh... wait. Now that you mention it... I’ve visited every one of those territories recently—with Mick. They’re all territories merchants travel through frequently!”

The speaker was Durney—Mick Shuden’s friend, and the one responsible for managing stables and transportation at Peleta Castle.