The Research Department is not unrelated to combat, so encountering monsters is a given.
However, the frequency was naturally lower than that of the Combat Department.
It was a place where a significant amount of time had to be spent on paperwork.
While this could be seen as an advantage, it wasn’t a particularly attractive one to most, and because the disadvantages were so prominent, it was a department people generally avoided.
“You already know the dorms well enough, so I’ll guide you through the training grounds first.”
The headquarters’ training area was divided into outdoor and indoor sections.
The members of the Research Department, including Ruite, were also inseparable from training.
After all, this was a knighthood, and training to build and maintain physical strength and skill was essential.
Ciel mentioned that he would share the training schedule later.
“This is the outdoor area, and that building in the back is the indoor training hall.”
It was similar to the training grounds at the Northern Knight Division they had visited during the previous camp.
However, being the headquarters, the scale was certainly much larger.
On a whim, Ciel led Ruite inside, saying he would show him what the interior looked like.
There wasn’t anything particularly special; it was just a space equipped with the exact elements needed for training.
Coincidentally, when Ruite followed Ciel inside, a training session was underway.
The person leading and supervising the trainees was none other than Chester.
As soon as Ruite spotted him observing the members with a serious face, he was startled despite himself.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah… it’s nothing.”
“Basically, training is led by members with the rank of Knight Captain, like that. I’m in charge of our Research Department.”
Seeing someone who, until not long ago, had been attending lectures and learning alongside him at the Academy now in a position of command felt strange all over again.
“There’s no weight behind your strike. It’ll be easy to lose your balance during combat that way, so be careful.”
“Yes, sir!”
Chester’s voice was low and grave.
His face was blunt and expressionless, but his eyes were sharp.
Suddenly, Chester stopped what he was doing and jerked his head up.
Because of that, his eyes met directly with Ruite’s, who had been staring blankly at him.
Ruite hadn’t made a sound.
He hadn’t even given a sign that he had entered, yet Chester discovered Ruite instantly, as if he had sensed something.
Startled by the eye contact, Ruite awkwardly raised his hand from behind Ciel and gave a small wave.
It was just a simple, unremarkable greeting.
But upon seeing it, Chester dropped the sword he was holding.
The dull thud of the sword hitting the floor echoed through the hall.
A sudden silence swept through the room, and the trainees, who had been focused on their work, looked at Chester in surprise.
“…Ahem, my hand suddenly lost its grip.”
Chester offered a weak excuse and picked his sword back up.
Then, with his earlobes turning red, he resumed leading the training with solemnity.
Feeling strangely awkward as well, Ruite just brushed back his bangs for no reason.
“Shall we head out?”
“Ah, yes.”
Ciel guided him through other areas in turn.
He showed him the headquarters’ situation room—where they could detect monster mana to anticipate appearances and respond quickly—and the location of the warehouse where various tools and weapons were stored.
It seemed that if there was an item he wanted to use, he simply had to fill out paperwork and receive permission.
At the same time, Ruite was issued a special sword given only to the Ferwin Knights and a communication crystal.
These were the most basic supplies provided to those joining the order.
While the standard weapon was a sword made of special ore, it seemed that if one wanted to use a personally crafted weapon as their main, they could do so after reporting to the higher-ups and receiving approval.
After receiving his supplies, Ruite was given a formal tour of the facilities used by the Research Department.
The main office was located on the third floor of the main building, along with a library that stored monster-related reports and various data compiled over the years.
Next to the main building stood another structure; that was where research was conducted directly, using the carcasses of subjugated monsters.
Monster remains weren’t kept solely for research.
Weapons and magical tools could be crafted from materials obtained from them.
Furthermore, it wasn’t just carcasses inside.
There were also living monsters.
They were captured alive for specific research purposes or to be donated to places like the Academy that required live specimens.
“Compared to the past, the frequency of monster appearances is steadily increasing. There are still many unknown creatures we don’t understand, and they likely possess many dangerous, unidentified traits. Of course, if we can just subjugate and kill them, the immediate danger vanishes, but as long as monsters haven’t been completely eradicated, I believe research must continue.”
It is said that to truly defeat an enemy, you must know them well.
Monsters, which threaten human life and livelihood, are no different. If they are dealt with after being thoroughly studied and understood—rather than just killed—the efficiency of subjugation will increase significantly, and fewer lives will be lost.
“Finding that out and researching it is our job. If we leave behind those records, won’t it help future generations as well?”
Ruite stared at Ciel, struck by his noble conviction. Looking at him smiling brightly while talking about research, Ruite could feel that Ciel truly loved and enjoyed his work.
“Hm? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. It’s just… looking at you, Captain Ciel, reminded me of a classmate from the Academy. That friend was also incredibly passionate about the things they loved.”
Lona was probably traveling across the empire by now, starting her studies on plants.
“I’m glad to hear that. Well then…”
“Captain.”
Just then, a member of the Research Department with the same rank as Ruite approached Ciel.
“We just got word from the situation room. A high concentration of monster energy has been detected in a cave near Arenve Village. Captain Varen of the Combat Department is planning to go personally, and a request for support has been sent to the Research Department.”
“Understood. I’ll go myself. Dane, tell Cedric to get ready for support.”
“Yes, sir!”
Dane quickly hurried back the way he came.
“Ruite, you come too. Field experience is more helpful the more you stack it up. Is that okay?”
“Yes.”
Ruite nodded casually.
Arenve Village was one of the villages on the outskirts of the capital.
The problem this time was a cave located on the mountain behind the village.
“Varen.”
“Oh, Ciel.”
Varen accepted Ciel’s greeting familiarly.
Noticing Ruite following behind, he raised both hands and waved.
“Hello there, Ruite Everhart.”
“Hello.”
“Hey, aren’t you curious how I know your last name?”
Varen leaned in close to Ruite with a mischievous grin.
Since Ruite wasn’t actually curious, he simply asked out of politeness, “How do you know?”
“You can find it very easily if you look at the Research Department roster.”
“Oh, that’s a truly surprising method.”
When Ruite responded calmly—almost absurdly so—the fellow Research Department members, Dane and Cedric, flinched.
Varen burst out laughing at the response.
“Originally, I was going to ask Chester. But that guy wouldn’t tell me even if he died. It’s not like knowing a last name wears anything out, right?”
“Well… I suppose…”
Ruite was slightly unsettled by the mention of Chester.
Why on earth did he refuse to give out the last name?
“Did he think I’d hate knowing something about you?”
“I… I wouldn’t know.”
As Ruite avoided Varen’s gaze, the mischief on Varen’s face deepened.
However, his attitude of watching an entertaining spectacle didn’t last long.
“Varen, stop bothering our member and give us an explanation.”
Ciel stepped in at the right moment.
Varen looked a bit disappointed, but he quickly wiped the faint smile from his lips and stood before the cave entrance.
“The people of Arenve Village were the first to notice something wrong before the monster energy spiked like it has now. Look around this cave.”
At Varen’s words, the people gathered there, including Ruite, looked around.
Indeed, the trees and bushes around the cave were withered and dead.
Ruite’s eyes fell upon the carcass of a bird that had fallen from a tree.
“It’s because of the monster energy.”
Varen nodded at Ciel’s remark.
“The villagers didn’t know at first, but when the mountain plants kept wilting, they thought the cave was suspicious. However, they didn’t think it was because of monsters and just left it alone.”
“Then, did the villagers not report it to the Knights?”
Varen shook his head at Ruite’s question.
“Coincidentally, the villagers made a report just as the situation room was keeping a close eye on this cave. But the report wasn’t about monsters.”
Ruite tilted his head in confusion.
“Recently, some people in the village have disappeared without a trace. Their families reported it, asking for an investigation, and that’s when this cave fell within the search range. So, how should we connect these things?”
“…There’s a high probability that the missing people are related to the monsters living in that cave.”
Everyone listening to Varen’s explanation shared Cedric’s thought.
“Now that there are human casualties, we can’t delay any longer. Varen, let’s begin the internal investigation of the cave, starting with the Research Department.”
“I agree. That’s why I requested your support.”
Ruite stared into the cave, where the thick aura of monsters could be felt.
This wasn’t just a monster appearing in an open field; when the setting was a closed space like this cave, a preliminary investigation was absolutely essential.
To put it bluntly, they had no idea what was inside.
With that, Ciel, Dane, Cedric, and Ruite from the Research Department, along with Varen and several members of the Combat Department, entered the cave to begin the investigation in earnest.
