"The disaster is still extensive..."
Half a year had passed since Gilgamesh, along with Eris and Roxy, entered the Hidden Paradise. After a rather short journey, they arrived in Fittoa, and they all gazed at the surrounding meadows.
Gilgamesh could tell just by looking that they were amazed.
At this moment, they were on the main road that runs through the Asura Kingdom, paved with stones, a cobblestone road that extended from one end to the other of the kingdom's territory.
"It seems that even the current King is so inept as not to rebuild this road." Gilgamesh suddenly scorned his father's actions as King. How could he not rebuild something as basic as a stone road? If other kingdoms were smart, they would know that the Asura Kingdom is less than what the rumors say.
"I never imagined that this type of damage had spread throughout the region..." Eris, who wore her long hair, was pleasantly surprised by what she was seeing.
Roxy knew that there used to be something in this place. She had heard from Gilgamesh that there was a mana explosion that he successfully tried to prevent, saving 85% of the population in the region. However, half of it was completely destroyed by that disaster.
"Are you worried about your disciple?" Gilgamesh asked as he looked at the silent Roxy. He now knew that Rudeus was her student, and it was incredibly curious how their paths with that Mogrel intersected with his.
"They have all disappeared..." Roxy murmured in a slow tone while listening to various rumors in the vicinity.
"Did you also lose a family member?" An elderly voice from a carriage stopped behind Gilgamesh's group.
"I lost a good disciple..."
"So, a student... being a mage yourself, your student should also be one; if that's the case, you should have accepted long ago that they could lose their life at any moment, don't you think?"
"He was only 10 years old..."
"That is certainly... far too premature..." The driver got out of the carriage and walked toward them. He looked at the destroyed area and said, "But you should not be sad. Prince Gilgamesh is doing his utmost to bring back all those affected, even if they are on the demon continent. He was the only one who acted as quickly as possible in this disaster, and thousands of people have been saved by his people."
"He is incredible, isn't he?" Roxy looked at Gilgamesh, who was sitting under a distant tree, smiling slightly.
"Of course, he has spent an unimaginable fortune and has contacted many kingdoms. It is a shame that not all kingdoms show empathy in this disaster and do not help in response to Prince Gilgamesh's requests, but many are grateful for all his efforts," the carriage driver said as he looked at the golden-haired man in the distance. His eyes could not deceive him; that man was of great importance.
"He has to tell you that there's a camp where the most recent survivors have been gathering, rescued by Gilgamesh's Templar Knights. Although keep in mind that it's unlikely for a 10-year-old child to have survived the event, but at least there's a chance that there might be a record of whether he's alive or missing in that place."
"Do you really want to go and look for that Mogrel?" Gilgamesh asked as he gave a calm look to Roxy, who seemed genuinely worried about Rudeus.
"You called him a Mogrel?" Eris's ears twitched as she remembered what Gilgamesh had told her about that word, so she immediately asked, "Did he do something to bother you?"
Gilgamesh shook his head and said, "Not yet..."
Roxy raised her head and said, "We can go to the Millis Continent and start our journey from there."
Rudeus and his family must be fine, especially considering how intelligent he is. They must be living happily in the refugee camp. Once again, Roxy's nobility led her to make certain decisions that even Gilgamesh accepted. After all, if you think about it, the future had not yet happened.
"Very well, let's go," Gilgamesh said as his Vimana descended from the sky and landed at a height where they could board.
When Gilgamesh sat in the central throne of his Vimana, the elderly carriage driver looked at him for a moment and murmured, "You are Prince Gilgamesh!"
"Take care, old man, and thank you for your help. Treat yourself to a good dinner." After saying those words, Gilgamesh tossed a bag of gold coins to the old man before disappearing from his sight.
... The refugee camp was made up of several wooden houses, so rather than calling it a camp where survivors were accommodated, it more closely resembled the idea of a village.
Although the atmosphere in the place was quite depressing. When they arrived, Gilgamesh, who wore his golden armor underneath, and the nearby knights immediately said, "Welcome, my lord!"
"Rest, soldiers. What is the situation in the camp?" Gilgamesh asked as he continued to walk.
"My lord, after taking records of the refugees and their personal data, they are sent to the underground city in Fittoa to be placed on the list for city reconstruction. Your assistance is welcome, and as you ordered, they will all be rewarded with a house in good condition and a substantial amount of money to start rebuilding their lives."
"How far along is the reconstruction of Fittoa?" Eris asked casually as she walked beside Gilgamesh, wearing that full-body armor, making her unmatched in beauty.
"Only 35% in six months, although we have all the land marked, we are focusing on building houses, and according to reports, the architecture used is much more modern, so it will take as long as necessary." The knight was extremely proud to have learned all this without anyone asking.
"What is your rank?" Gilgamesh asked casually.
"King of the Sword in the Golden Lion style, Salazar!" The knight respectfully bowed to his lord.
"If you work a little harder, you can become a Sword Emperor." After saying that, Gilgamesh and the others advanced to the bulletin board.
The Asura Kingdom that Roxy knew was a rich and bustling country, with a friendly and cheerful atmosphere, filled with energetic and joyful faces. Food was abundant, and magical creatures were very few; it was a place similar to paradise.
But at this moment, there are no smiles in sight. It's a village where food is not scarce; you can even pick grass from the ground and eat it to avoid starving.
Up until now, Roxy believed that just not having to starve to death was enough reason to smile, because even though sad things happened on this continent, unlike the Demon Continent, the environment wasn't as wild. Or so she thought.
Because the atmosphere surrounding Roxy is quite disturbing and gloomy. In the village, there's a temporary adventurers' guild, and next to the job request bulletin board, you can feel an incredible pressure and a somber atmosphere.
Near the bulletin board, men who have lost their families and homes are crying and shouting. They have been waiting for their return for half a year, asking aloud without directing the question to anyone in particular why this has happened.
Next to that man, a priest throws the Milis cross, the symbol of his faith, to the ground, having completely lost faith and hope. Further away, a merchant takes a knife to his neck, intending to cut it, although those around him manage to stop him because that man has lost something more important than his life. Even with food, this place can still be compared to hell.
The atmosphere is weighing on Roxy, and on the verge of tears, she decides to gather information first. But at that moment, a golden figure heads towards the man and picks up the knife from the ground, stopping in front of everyone.
"Don't cry anymore." Gilgamesh looked at the man who had tried to take his own life and said in a cold tone, "It doesn't matter if you die, but if you do, you'll be spitting in the face of all the knights who are now doing the unthinkable to find your lost family."
"You don't understand, I can't find my wife, and I'll never be able to face my little daughter!" The man shouted, and he was released by the others and grabbed Gilgamesh by the collar.
"From your expression, you don't understand pain. You don't know what I've lost, and you'll never be able to feel what I'm going through right now!"
"Insolent!" A group of knights was about to behead the man for disrespecting Prince Gilgamesh, who only a few people from Uruk knew now in his adult form.
"Crying won't bring your wife back. Your pain is useless because it won't bring anyone back from the dead!" Gilgamesh said, genuinely expressionless in the face of the man's outburst in front of him.